Drug War Victims
Our drug war results in staggeringly tragic losses. Drugs, when abused, can be dangerous, but they are not nearly as lethal as the drug war itself.
In addition to the blights of an imprisoned population, lost rights, broken families, and economic waste, people are dying in this war. No, these are not deaths from drugs, but from prohibition.
It is important to realize that the vast majority of deaths on the drug war simply would not happen without prohibition. When drug dealers fight it out over territory and they or their neighbors are killed in the process, it is a sympton of prohibition, much as when we suffered the scourge of alcohol prohibition many years ago. Prohibition makes violence profitable.
When drug users overdose from tainted drugs, it is the result of prohibition. When they die from overdoses because they were afraid to seek help, it is the result of prohibition.
Increasingly, people are dying because of the tactics of the drug war. Military operations are being conducted on our soil, and collateral damage is inevitable.
When drug task forces dressed in black batter in doors without knocking or announcing themselves, the danger to citizens and police alike is enormous. Sometimes the greatest danger is to (or from) the innocent citizen that understandably believes that they are experiencing a home invasion, and rushes to defend their family and property.
Every now and then, a death happens that is particularly grotesque — that points out the horrific folly of our actions. Drug WarRant has started a page to memorialize these tragedies. Unfortunately, it is a page that will be continually updated.
— “Drug War Victims” —
- DrugWarRant.com, the longest running single-issue blog devoted to drug policy
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Great Harry's Ghost! on So, on drug raids, they knock and then wait 40 minutes before busting down the door. Right?: “Weed users nearly 25% more likely to need emergency care and hospitalization” Jun 28, 10:23
darkcycle on So, on drug raids, they knock and then wait 40 minutes before busting down the door. Right?: “Was great meeting you, NorCal. That was a highlight of that year for me, for sure. Nextime you find yourself…” Jun 27, 13:05
NorCalNative on So, on drug raids, they knock and then wait 40 minutes before busting down the door. Right?: “Thanks Allan. It’s both awesome and weird. One of the cool things that happened after the fire was the opportunity…” Jun 24, 13:04
Great Harry's Ghost! on So, on drug raids, they knock and then wait 40 minutes before busting down the door. Right?: “Good for you NCN! glad to hear that…” Jun 22, 21:14
Servetus on So, on drug raids, they knock and then wait 40 minutes before busting down the door. Right?: “The Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and the University of Turku in Finland have advanced medical understanding of the…” Jun 17, 22:04
Servetus on Rachel Hoffman: “The Ukraine has decriminalized medicinal use of cannabis: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/ukraine-decriminalizes-medical-marijuana-pleasantly-surprising-advocates-and-patients/ar-AAYbwS2” Jun 12, 13:38
Servetus on John Oliver, Fentanyl, Harm Reduction: “Talking to a wall. That sounds about right. Certain segments of state public education, largely relegated to rural evangelical outposts…” Jun 6, 23:30
NorCalNative on John Oliver, Fentanyl, Harm Reduction: “I tried explaining this and the nocebo effect to a liquor store clerk. It was like talking to a wall…” Jun 3, 10:21
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