The War On Drugs

Last night I sat in a living room with a dozen or so Christians--mostly Quakers--who had all either been employees or ministers within jails and prisons at some time in the past. The group discussed various aspects of lobbying to reform our current criminal justice system. All have had first-hand experience with the shortcomings and injustices of the current system and the human suffering that results.

Before long, the discussion moved towards reform of drug laws. After all, substance abuse plays a role in the vast majority of arrests. We were all surprised to discover that we shared a common view about the War On Drugs: That it has been a tragic disaster and that the solution lies in decriminalization of drugs and a more therapeutic, instead of punitive, approach to dealing with drug use.

This was a group of mature, "respectable" Christians ranging in age from late 40's to mid-70's. All of us had learned through our experiences that incarcerated people are just that: people. The War On Drugs has, to a large extent, been a war on people. And the aftermath of war is always suffering and destruction.