The Way I See It

No, I’m not talking about the war in Iraq. That one is the hot topic of every political site on the internet and every news show on TV. Iraq has been talked into the ground.

I’m talking about the war that our politicians on both sides of the aisle when never stop fighting even though they will never win it. Which war is that, you ask? The War On Drugs.

Ironically, anyone who has been through a 12-step program will tell you that Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results each time. And yet, when it comes to fighting drugs, we do the same thing over and over with the same results: failure. Why? Well how about a lesson we learned more than a half century ago. Prohibition doesn’t work. It didn’t work for alcohol and it isn’t working for drugs.

I’ve seen loads of statistics regarding drug use and abuse. I don’t put much stock in the stats that say drug use is going down, especially when those stats have to do with teens. Teens are not all that honest; drug users are notoriously dishonest. If you want real stats, look at hospital records for overdoses, numbers of kids and adults being arrested for drug related crimes, and sadly, statistics for drug related deaths.

Oh, and don’t forget that alcohol is a drug. And yet, some parents allow their “almost adult” kids to drink in the home so they’ll “learn” responsible drinking. Yeah, good call. Just when a kid is needing to really grasp the concept of dealing with negative emotions while overcome by a sea of hormones, show him how to dull those feelings with a drug so he’ll know there’s an easier way to deal with low self-esteem or a broken heart. Good call, oh wise parents.

Back to my original thought… this is about our War On Drugs and stupidity of passing new laws to fight this plague. The latest law that really irritates me is the extreme government control of various sinus medications. Every time I need to buy a box of Aleve Cold and Sinus, which works wonders, by the way, I come home fuming.

Apparently, the active ingredient in this over the counter medication (as well as other sinus meds) is also an ingredient used in making crystal meth. Since law enforcement is unable to stop the manufacture and abuse of crystal meth, our lawmakers have enacted laws to make it harder to get this ingredient. The problem is, those who use this medication for SINUS PROBLEMS now have to jump through hoops, show proof of ID and worst of all, pay high prices for this effective medicine.

That infuriates me.

As annoying as it is to jump through the government’s hoops to just get a little nasal relief, the price issue is what really makes me want to scream. I used to be able to buy Aleve Cold and Sinus at a discount store for half the cost of the drug stores and other department stores. Now a pharmacist must distribute it and the price is never reduced. Talk about the government and private business working together to screw the consumer! Just check the price on this stuff; it isn’t cheap.

This is just one more example of how our government places more restrictions on law abiding citizens because it has failed to restrict criminal activity. If you can’t stop the law breakers, tighten the reigns on the good people so they’ll think you’re doing your job. Sorry, we’re not that stupid. We know you have failed.

So, what is the answer? Well, let’s go back to the premise that continuing this War On Drugs has proven to be insane. Let’s rethink what drug use and abuse is. How about, a disease? Wouldn’t that be a novel idea? Let’s treat addicts medically, in rehab facilities instead of jails, to see if that works. We already know that more laws and jails do not work. What do we have to lose?