Though not every enforcement action leads to grotesque abuse of human rights, sometimes the war on drugs merely exposes the stupidity of government. We should re-think America’s foolish Drug War. Even though I’m personally a prude on the issue of drugs, that doesn’t stop me from opposing the Drug War, both for moral and practical reasons. After all, how can any sensible and decent person want laws that produce these outrageous results? The DEA trying to confiscate a commercial building because a tenant sold some marijuana.
- The government seeking to steal a hotel because some guests sold some marijuana.
- Cops raiding an organic nursery and seizing blackberry bushes.
- The feds grabbing cash from innocent bystanders in legal cases.
- The government arresting a grandmother for buying cold medicine.
- Cops entrapping an autistic teen to boost their arrest numbers.
And don’t forget the misguided War on Drugs is also why we have costly, intrusive, and ineffective anti-money laundering laws, which result in other outrages, such as the government arbitrarily stealing money from small business owners.
Though not every enforcement action leads to grotesque abuse of human rights, sometimes the Drug War merely exposes the stupidity of government.
Let’s add another horror story to our list. Jacob Sullum of Reason has a very disturbing example of how the Drug War leads to very bad outcomes. "Why did a SWAT team raid Bob and Addie Harte’s house in Leawood, Kansas, two years ago, then force the couple and their two children to sit on a couch for two hours while officers rifled their belongings, searching for “narcotics” that were not there?"
Sullum conveniently provides the answer, though it’s not one that should satisfy any normal person. "…the Hartes made two mistakes: Bob went to a hydroponics store in Kansas City, Missouri, with his son to buy supplies for a school science project, and Addie drank tea. It cost them $25,000 to discover that these innocent actions earned them an early-morning visit by screaming, rifle-waving men with a battering ram."
Here are the odious details of local government run amok.
