The chances are pretty good that you are...
They may have been prescribed for you by
a physician. You may have bought them over
the counter at a pharmacy... perhaps for a
cold, or a headache, or back pain...
You may have bought them from someone
you know, for a good time or to self-medicate
for a condition where there's nothing else
that seems to work.
You may have bought them because you no longer
have any choice- your body demands it now,
whether you feel like it or not.
Maybe you just need that double-shot to go
from the coffee bar on the way to work.
They may have been prescribed for you by
a physician. You may have bought them over
the counter at a pharmacy... perhaps for a
cold, or a headache, or back pain...
You may have bought them from someone
you know, for a good time or to self-medicate
for a condition where there's nothing else
that seems to work.
You may have bought them because you no longer
have any choice- your body demands it now,
whether you feel like it or not.
Maybe you just need that double-shot to go
from the coffee bar on the way to work.
Welcome to the War on Drugs.
It began in the 1960s- another brain child
of Richard Nixon. It was mostly a cynical
undertaking designed to bump his standings
in the polls, and it worked.
After he was re-elected, one by one states
began to pass tough drug laws and sent cops
out to enforce them.
It is now the longest running war in American history.
It is also the most expensive. By far.
It began in the 1960s- another brain child
of Richard Nixon. It was mostly a cynical
undertaking designed to bump his standings
in the polls, and it worked.
After he was re-elected, one by one states
began to pass tough drug laws and sent cops
out to enforce them.
It is now the longest running war in American history.
It is also the most expensive. By far.
Over the last 49 years it has grown and grown
and grown. It is now an American institution.
And by any standard of measurement,
it is also a complete, a total, an utter failure.
The War on Drugs is now an American institution.
Like any other bureaucracy, it's primary mission
now is its' own survival... and growth.
In most of America, it's an easy sell. It smells of
Law and Order. It's central to Tough on Crime. And yet, despite the billions of dollars being spent
every year, drugs are now more powerful and more
available in more places than ever.
Like any other bureaucracy, it's primary mission
now is its' own survival... and growth.
In most of America, it's an easy sell. It smells of
Law and Order. It's central to Tough on Crime. And yet, despite the billions of dollars being spent
every year, drugs are now more powerful and more
available in more places than ever.
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