Corruption's Role in the Failure of our So-called "War on Drugs"

by Deb Cupples |  Apparently, corruption is ubiquitous in our nation's public and private sectors, which may be why the so-called "War on Drugs" has been such a dismal failure. 

Wednesday, for example, the Justice Department announced that it is suing Union Pacific Railroad for allegedly having failed to prevent its train cars from being used to smuggle "large quantities of narcotics" into our nation.  I suspect that the alleged failure has been lucrative for some folks.

Another example: two former policemen in Memphis were sentenced on Wednesday for "their roles in a conspiracy to rob drug dealers." 

A third officer was involved but hasn't been sentenced yet.  Not only did these cops rob drug dealers, they also reportedly sold the drugs.

Yet another example: in February, an ex-Air Force officer pleaded guilty to charges relating to his "obtaining cash bribes from people he believed to be narcotics traffickers in return for his assistance, protection, and participation in the activities of what he believed to be an illegal narcotics-trafficking organization that distributed cocaine from Arizona to other locations in the southwestern United States."

I refrain from judging adults who use illegal drugs for recreational purposes.  It's just not my business what grown people put into their own bodies. 

Unfortunately, it's not just choice-making adults who are getting their hands on illegal drugs that various public and private sector people allow into this country.  Chances are good that some of the smuggled substances end up in the hands of children -- and some of those drugs have lasting, deleterious effects.

Incidentally, many prosecutors, judges and policy makers  I've talked with think that marijuana should be decriminalized, because we taxpayers spend piles of money prosecuting and imprisoning people (and enriching the private-prison industry), simply because those defendants possessed an organic drug that seems no more mind altering than alcohol or some of the prescription drugs that millions of people consume.

Comments

[Brenda Bowers]

Very much enjoy your site. Have you on my blogroll as reference as I check it once a week to see if you have any stories I have missed. Brenda Bowers (BB)

[Brenda Bowers]

Forgot to say: It was the title "Buck Naked Politics" that I originally could not resist! :) BB

[Deb]

Thanks, Brenda.