Victimless Crime
Drug use, from a criminal standpoint, is similar to gambling or seat belt laws in that it is a victimless crime. A crime is defined as causing harm to someone. In the case of drug use (or other victimless crimes), the victim is thought to be one's self. If you're the victim (as well as the perpetrator), shouldn't you get to decide whether you want to press charges against yourself?
On most other issues governments have found that a hands-off approach to the day-to-day lives of its citizens results in a happier and more productive society than the alternative. Drug use is no different. Why aren't our leaders aware of this? Perhaps they are, but are afraid to take action due to the momentum behind their holy crusade against drug use.
The Fight for Freedom
Men and women fought and died for the freedom of thought and speech that we enjoy in our society today. The fight for freedom to control our own bodies and what consume is no different. Unlike our predecessors, however, we are spared the pain of true combat, and can instead gain our victories through clear and level thought, honest discussion, and due process.
The drug use civil rights movement of today bears many resemblances to the racial civil rights movements of the 60's, or the women's lib movement of the 20's, or even the revolution that founded the United States in the late eighteenth century. A few forward-thinking individuals decide that there's a better way to do things. Those individuals then lead a battle to make our society a better place to live for everyone. Today we look back on them as heros. From Benjamin Franklin to Susan B. Anthony to Martin Luther King, Jr., we see that these were neoteric thinkers, who put ideas into action to benefit society. Our battle bears much in common with theirs, and the heros of today's revolution will be revered one day in much the same way.
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Facts & Myths
Civil Rights