1 Prohibition and the Drug War Dr Norm Stamper October, 2009 Australian Tour sponsored by

2 SYDNEY Oct MELBOURNE 10 – 14 Oct PERTH 14 – 18 Oct BRISBANE 19 – 22 Oct CANBERRA 22 – 27 Oct

3 Police, parole, probation and corrections officers, judges, prosecutors, prison wardens, FBI and DEA agents Now over 13,000 members and increasing every day Founded 2002

4 To prevent individual, family and societal health harms of drug abuse Why Drug Prohibition? To protect children from damaging effects on early development To stop people from injuring themselves, others To safeguard innocent people against anti- social, criminal conduct

5 Why Drug Prohibition? (2) To ensure sober, responsible behaviour in the home, at work, on the streets To cut the economic costs of drug abuse on health care, families, communities, criminal justice and other systems To promote workplace and classroom productivity

6 Implicit Motives Behind Prohibition? To keep ethnic minorities, the young and the poor in their place To protect the profits of Big Pharma, the liquor industry, and assorted other industries To maintain full employment in the criminal justice system, and maximise profits for private prisons

7 Implicit Motives Behind Prohibition? (2) To appear tough on crime To stop people from having fun To satisfy religious and other morality-based interests

8 Results of the Drug War as Organising Mechanism of Prohibition Enforcement? Drugs more readily available, at lower prices and higher potency Children’s access to drugs facilitated U.S. taxpayers have spent $1 trillion since President Richard Nixon declared war (1971); $69 billion per year

9 Results of the Drug War as Organising Mechanism of Prohibition Enforcement? (2) War on Drugs = War on People Race, age, class discrimination Over 2.3 Americans currently incarcerated, more than half a million for drug offences Violence, local and global

10 Results of the Drug War as Organising Mechanism of Prohibition Enforcement? (3) Otherwise law-abiding people losing jobs, student loans, public housing Families losing relatives, including breadwinners, to long prison sentences Sick people denied medicine The spread of infectious diseases Drug overdose deaths

11 Results of the Drug War as Organising Mechanism of Prohibition Enforcement? (4) Environmental destruction Political and economic instability, globally Police corruption (personal use, criminal enterprise, bribery, extortion, kidnapping, murder) Financing terror U.S. hegemony

12 Results of the Drug War as Organising Mechanism of Prohibition Enforcement? (5) Infringement of civil liberties, widespread violation of Fourth Amendment Funding law enforcement over prevention, education and treatment at 7:1 Users stigmatised, treated as criminals Massive credibility problem for the government (gateway drug, zero tolerance, “winning the war”

13 From Prohibition to Regulation – One Path 2.Transfer drug enforcement responsibilities form criminal justice to public health system 1.Repeal prohibition, end the drug war

14 From Prohibition to Regulation – One Path 4.State governments would set and enforce standards, oversee and inspect every aspect: growing/manufacturing, pricing, packaging, strength and purity levels, cleanliness and security of facilities 3.States would issue hard-to-get, easy-to-lose licenses to purveyors (could be doctors), predicated on: 5.Ban on advertising, marketing of any kind

15 Thank you very much for thinking about this important issue. For more information or to join these organisations and show your support, go to: www. leap. cc