Nubia Legarda is a Students for Sensible Drug Policy activist from El Paso. Legarda hasn't visited her family in neighboring Ciudad Juárez for months because of the drug trade violence ravaging many of Mexico's cities -- her reason for joining SSDP last year.
Texan Terry Nelson is a 30-year law enforcement veteran who worked for the US Border Patrol, the US Customs Service, and the Department of Homeland Security. He is now a leading spokesperson for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.
Location:
El Paso, TX
United States
See map: Google Maps
Looking for the easiest way to join the anti-drug war movement? You've found it!
Nubia Legarda
Not to mention when Nubia got back from this heart-wrenching testimony she donated ten bucks to SSDP. She is a champion and obviously a very effective speaker.
Start Winning the War with Right Word
The term war on drugs doesn't really describe the horrific policy this country's been engaged in the past 40 years. The more accurate description is Prohibition. An insightful blogger wrote on this site that the drug war debate must be won at the public relations level. We all can start by using the most effective definition to suit our cause.
Historical reference.
America has already repealed a stupid policy before and we can do it again. The arguments that propelled Alcohol Prohibition to be abolished are virtually the same ideas behind ending the current one. By identifying the durg war as a modern day Prohibition, it helps classify the debate with a history that had a favorable outcome and emphasizes the negative unintended consequences when a black market is created by outlawing someone the public's demands.
Avoids Anti-Drug, Pro-Drug lables.
Being identified as a Prohibitionist is not considered a positive position. President Nixon in his sinister brilliance knew that he couldn't refer to his desire to ban some drugs as the new Prohibition. He coined the term war on drugs with the notion that Americans don't like the idea of surrending. A lot of the public, supporting our drug policy from the old school don't mind being referred to as drug warriors. They don't see themselves as Prohibitionists until someone calls them as such. This accusation puts the drug warrior on the defensive. The simple argument that prohibition didn't work then, why would it work now is straight to the point, powerful and sets the stage for a debate that can honestly address the issues.
I hope to see the phrase "war on drugs" replaced with the term Prohibition more often. If the drug reformers embrace this notion, I believe you'll see the debate move faster and further toward ending the worst social experiment since Slavery. The truth and history is on our side. Let's begin to take advantage of those facts.
100% Support
I'm fully behind what you said here.
Word selection is critical in advocacy.
I recently wrote that words are meaningless and results are everything.
Words alone are meaningless, but they are an important part of achieving results.
The reform movement needs a strong public relations facet.
I'm a sole proprietor working to establish myself in multimedia, having spent over a decade learning business fundamentals, including reading a couple of books on public relations (I'm by no means an expert, but I understand the basics), failing to find a successful product or service to get me off the ground.
While I strongly lack necessary resources to build this facet at this time, I'm compelled to try.
I started my new blog at powerlessmedia.com, which is where I'll focus my attention on seeing what help I can offer the reform movement.
The look is designed to appeal to the average person (clean, no ads, etc.) While I love the drug culture, and am a proud member of it, I realize that culture has been demonized, making it corrupt in the eyes of our main target audience, and so I gently put that culture aside, relying on a conservative presentation style to appeal to that audience.
I'm not out to take away any "thunder" from existing organizations (including the one here giving us this wonderful opportunity to communicate), but where the traditional reform movement has shown itself unable or unwilling to strongly embrace public relations, someone(s) got to do it.
On my blog, there will be an intense focus on ending drug prohibition, including efforts to enter the conservative portions of the blogosphere to find powerful members of the private and public sectors who have strong influence and can help us defeat this very powerful corruption.
If you're a public relations expert, believe in ending drug prohibition, and realize that embracing this just cause can help you stand out from the heavy competition in your field, then please visit my blog and comment there to help me get the ball rolling.
Of course, if you're interested at all, you're all welcome there, again not to replace the likes of DRCNet, but as an additional facet solely with a public relations focus. We're all on the same team with the same objective to end drug prohibition.
While my resources are very limited at this time, I'll do everything in my power to hold these prohibitionists accountable for their deception, their betrayal of the written American foundation, and the resulting heavy damage.
The unalienable right to liberty should never be denied.
Stop supporting crime!
Our "officials" are in support of ongoing criminal enterprises. Why else with our history of failure, in the war on drugs, do they continue this support? Are they on the payroll of criminals? I think that is a fair question. I have wondered about this for a very long time. When history is so clear, (remember prohibition of booze) and our "officials" so tone deaf, there must be a reason. And as citizens we have a right, maybe a duty, to find out why. And the war, in Mexico, would those folks fight and kill if not for the huge profits? Yes, I believe drugs are bad, but "drug prohibition", is many times more destructive, and supports criminals.
J.D. Lape' Monticello, Arkansas (870 723 1579)
Solution
Rationality, the public record, science, etc. clearly shows that public servant corruption (a.k.a. power abuse) is well-entrenched, so much so that non-corrupt public servants feel powerless (based on the fact that drug prohibition still exists).
While you are firm in pointing out the corruption, with all due respect, you're perhaps suggested solution involves a not-so-firm "maybe a duty".
Our Founding Fathers sacrificed their lives against power abuse, establishing this nation as a result.
Corruption can only be peacefully defeated by a bright light publicly exposing the corruption, as long as non-corrupt individuals and groups then have the power to remove the corrupt out of power.
It is absolutely our duty as "We the people" to oppose corruption, which starts with having a rational solution for establishing the proper power base to wield against that corruption.
The best means for shining bright lights is public relations.
The same people are lost
What type of moral understanding says that drug users are evil? Honestly? Why must drug users be imprisoned? This would be a waste of money! Anybody knows this if it is fair..
Yes people are sent to jail for marijuana. If it was just up to the man I would guess, Obama would love to make it legal. But even Obama has to be responsible to something else. I suspect some unbreakable international treaty. This scam must exist in the eyes of the prohibitionists.
Obama has a gift with change.gov and .org in that he sees the cannabis consumer. The only way he can address this issue is to deprioritize it. That way he is not responsible, the people are. And change can happen for everyone.
Some people are going to consider why they hate drug users. And these people will have to consider if they hate other types of people. I'm sure the drug war is a failure from a moral ground.
A strong result would be an honest approach. Drugs like tobacco could never be legal if cannabis is outlawed. There has to be real science. The DEA should be proud to go after junk like meth, not farmer cannabis. Kids should be outlawed, garanteed by government, from drug use. That can only happen with control. Common people with an elementary understanding of drugs knows that cannabis is safe. The people are not fooled.
Change can bring freedom, happiness, and prosperity. I think Obama should do something about illegal cannabis.
Intentionally Lost
Corrupt community leaders are making money from drug prohibition, money from the taxpayers and from the illegal drug trade.
It's not fair, which is why I am here to offer whatever help I can.
Drug prohibition is an enormous corruption that is on the verge of being fully exposed. If society were thinking intelligently regarding this issue, society would be well-advised to start planning for drug prohibition's end now, implementing more effective abuse prevention and treatment.
I have read the relevant international treaties. Each provision specifically says that the provision must be constitutional in the supporting country. This is one reason why I support repealing the Controlled Substances Act by declaring it unconstitutional, immediately ending our obligation to abide by those treaties.
The U.S. Supreme Court basically says if one uses drugs, one is having a substantial affect on commerce, and therefore drug prohibition is constitutional. This is outrageous, and the judicial branch would not survive mainstream media scrutiny into the abrupt and radical change in the judicial interpretation of the Commerce Clause way back in 1937 now supporting drug prohibition.
The mainstream media is in the tank for those supporting this radical change, however. Therefore, the Internet is the best means to notify the public.
Addicted to the war on drugs
Addicted may be one way explain our "addiction" to waging an unwindable war against a non existent enemy.
The current drug "war" has all the markings of classic addiction.
1. Delight and Discovery
2. Protection and Promotion
3. Defense and Denial
4. Resentment and Relapse
5. Acceptance and Abstinence
6. Growth and Gratitude
Looks like we are still working through No. 2 and 3.
Consider the number of police, prison guards and lawyers that would need to find something productive to do.
Realize that mega Drug companies are probably not happy that people can grow their own - safer, superior products.
Give credence to those who would have to admit that they have been addicted to a vicious and dead end pursuit.
And have sympathy for a CIA that would need to come up with other ways to fund operations.
illicit drug money saving banks
here's a neat little blurb i just stumbled accross. This is a good example of one of the many ways in which the illicit drug trade effects our society.
http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2009/01/25/europe/OUKWD-UK-FINANCIAL...
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