LibertyMaryland

Alcohol and Other Drugs

Alcohol was prohibited at the federal level for fourteen years. However unsuccessful the government agents were, in stopping drinking, they did succeed in suppressing civil liberties. The Prohibition Era has been credited with wiretapping, and warrantless searches of private homes. When the American people got fed up with their rights being trampled, they organized and supported candidates who pledged to erase the Prohibition Amendment from the Constitution. When they succeeded, most states legalized the distribution and sale of liquor, and criminal gangs dominating the trade went out of business. The repeal of a bad law accomplished what the indiscriminate use of force and tax money could never do: the end of criminal trade in liquor.

When misused, alcohol is still a deadly drug, and human weakness and disease enable alcohol to destroy families. We live in a society though, that strives to be free with minimal local regulations. The federal prohibition against alcohol became a prohibition against liberty.

Illegal drugs, or our government’s attempt to solve the problems resulting from these substances has affected many Americans. These substances known as “drugs” are not all equally dangerous. In the late 1960’s the anti-war, anti-government mentality was endemic, resulting in a popular anti-establishment statement of marijuana use. Medical marijuana is the easiest example of how liberty and common sense blend. Full drug legalization though, is the tough question. Drug laws against physically addictive substances may be necessary, but at the federal level? Constitutionally, the federal government does not seem to have this power.

As a father of four, and a grandfather of two, I understand the fear associated with raising families in this culture. Having practiced dentistry twenty-five years in Baltimore City, I have witnessed patients merely existing from one drug program to another. Any substance that disassociates someone from truth, whether it is alcohol or some other drug, is counterproductive. But, is it the Federal Government’s role to declare war on it, and is the war working? I would call for a study of how to transition from a federal war on drugs, to a system that would support liberties, protect our citizens, and encourage a sober populace. This should be a State matter, not Federal.