Forgotten? OK, sure, the politicians may avoid talking about it (except when they’re passing harsher laws or eradication budgets), but it’s hardly forgotten.
And I don’t have much optimism about the direction this series will take. And unfortunately, they’re probably congratulating themselves on how balanced it is…
The war on drugs has affected people from all walks of life. Listen to the stories of federal drug officials, and the personal experiences of a former drug dealer, a recovering drug addict, a former drug prosecutor and a mother who lost her son to drugs.
All walks of life? Give me a break. These are the worst of the hard-core drug warriors. “Dr.” David Murray, Barry McCaffrey, Ginger Katz, and others. Where are the mothers of those who died from the drug war? The families who were torn apart by prison? The peaceful citizens who have had their lives taken away from them by unfair drug laws? The farmers who are poisoned by our chemicals?
Yep, NPR’s giving us balance…
Part 1 addresses the great debate in the war on drugs: What should take priority Ö controlling the supply of drugs through foreign operations, or controlling demand through prevention programs in the United States?
Right. That great debate which solves nothing… except to prevent discussion of the true great debate: Regulation vs. Black Market
In the entire description and connected pages, I could find no mention of a single drug policy reform organization or individual.
The degree to which the series seems to be overpopulated by ONDCP staff (and former staff) leads me to believe that NPR has joined the FDA and HHS as fully-owned subsidiaries of the drug war political establishment.