Free America's political prisoners - end the war on drugs

Recently, there was an event held on campus in support of clemency for Leonard Peltier, the American Indian Movement (AIM) activist who many claim is a political prisoner being held by the United States government. If their claims are true (something I can't comment upon since I don't know enough about the case), then I applaud their efforts to free an innocent man. But I would also urge them to devote their time and effort to America's other political prisoners-victims of the War on Drugs.

Over 1.2 million people are arrested on non-violent drug offenses every year. Many of these people, due to mandatory minimum sentencing laws, end up serving time in jail. Also because of these laws, these non-violent offenders often serve more time than rapists and murderers. More to the point, many newspapers and studies have shown that because of plea bargaining, anonymous tips, and the low evidence threshold for drug offenses, it is likely that many people serving jail time for drugs are, in fact, innocent. But even if they're not, they don't belong in jail. The use of marijuana, cocaine, and even LSD harms nobody. There are no moral grounds to justify the deprivation of a person's liberty for simple drug possession.

But the War on Drugs does not simply cause the unjust imprisonment of peaceful people. It is also generally erosive of basic liberties and freedoms. One outrageous example of this is the fact that some categories of drug possession are considered a felony. This means that someone convicted of even a non-violent drug offense are denied the right to vote, even after they've served their time. Also, under the pretext of the drug war, the Supreme Court has generally allowed moderate suspensions of Constitutional protections (thankfully, the court recently acted to preserve Fourth Amendment rights by ruling unconstitutional random roadblocks intended to search for drug possession.). This has led to increased wiretapping, the increased use of no-knock warrants, random drug searches in airports, and many other violations of basic civil liberties.

The Drug War also threatens all of us by keeping the rate of violent crime high. Although the instances of violent crime have decreased in recent years, crime in the United States is still high compared to other nations. This is caused by two factors. One is that the criminalization of drugs puts drugs in the hands of, well, criminals. This leads to violent clashes between competing gangs, fights that often leak out to harm innocent bystanders. The second reason that the Drug War keeps violent crime high is because it drains resources from the police that could be used to fight other kinds of crime. Many sources estimate that over 50% of people in America's prisons are non-violent drug offenders. Imagine if that space could be used to house rapists and child molesters instead. Also, if the police did not have to deal with drugs, this would free up enormous amounts of money and manpower that could be used to deal with crimes that actually cause harm to others.

In his campaign literature, Libertarian Presidential candidate Harry Browne stated that if he were allowed in the debates, he would pose this question to both Bush and Gore: "Would you have been better off if you had spent ten years in prison for your 'youthful indiscretions?'" The answer, obviously, is no. It is just as obvious that the War on Drugs is a massive failure. There are plenty of alternatives, ranging from decriminalization and treatment to outright legalization. Politicians should be encouraged to look into these options and end this insane War on Drugs. They should let the hundreds of thousands of Americans incarcerated on non-violent drug offenses go home to their families and friends. Let's free these political prisoners, these deserters and draft dodgers in the Drug War. Let's free them now!