In a post titled “One Has to Ask” Peter Grant looks at the current results of the drug war.

given the abysmal failure of the War On Drugs:  is it time to just let this stuff come in, and allow the drug addiction problem to solve itself through natural selection?  After all, drugs – particularly ‘hard’ drugs – are today much easier to find, and far more affordable, than they were at the start of the War On Drugs in 1971.

Keep in mind, he’s a preacher, and one of the more compassionate people I know in terms of his willingness to help people in trouble. Given his years of posting, it’s almost shocking to see him even wonder about this.

Why?

Because letting god sort it out is somewhat cold.

That said, from what I’ve seen of the more effective addiction programs, every one of them will tell you that enabling an addict does no good, and in the long run, possibly more harm. Cutting them off from help until they’re willing may be the kindest thing we can do, as cruel as it is at the moment.

I don’t know. I just know what a mess various addicts have made of their lives while dragging down the people trying to help them, and the ones I know who came back… came back when they finally realized they had nowhere to go but up, if they were willing.

Compassion aside, several other reasons exist. While I no longer am anywhere near as libertarian as I used to be – and I never, ever, was “big L” – I still am freedom-oriented, and I hold on to my deep distrust of the drug war that I first acquired upon learning of asset forfeiture (reading Dean Koonts horror and technothrillers can be good for you…).

My position is still that if there was a good way, as there is a breathalyzer or blood test to tell one’s current state of inebriation and not just “have used in the last couple weeks”, to tell one’s current state of impairment by drugs, then I’d be strongly for legalization. But I’ve also worked around shipyards and other environments enough that I really do not want someone baked out of their mind operating loading or lift gear. If someone is high, and fucks up killing someone, I want to be able to prove they were fucking negligent and not just “they might have used in the last 24 hours but we can’t tell if it was actually a factor.”