Say It Ain't So, Willis
Dedicated to Brad Renfro, my middle school celebrity crush
Call me a pretentious know-it-all, but the administration is going about it all wrong. The drug war is preposterous because abstinence-only strategies don't work.
A week-long bout with insomnia can make you extremely introspective, especially with controversial issues. I've been interested in eliminating mandatory minimum sentences since I was in high school. Every week, the clients I meet at the syringe exchange help me understand why a change in the drug war is needed. I'm not a drug user, but I think everyone is entitled to respect and dignity. Isn't that the point of a democracy?
President Bush and attorney general Gonzales stated that marijuana was the biggest threat to the country. President Bush has also threatened to cut off AIDS funding to international programs who provide needle exchanges to clients, therefore using the harm reduction philosophy. This philosophy does exactly what it sounds like: it reduces harm to drug users, sex workers, and other marginalized communities by providing clean syringes, condoms, and information. It treats clients as individuals who must take incremental steps toward recovery.
After all, there is no immediate cure for any addiction.
I live in one of the largest metropolitan areas with a methamphetamine problem. I knew about the drug when I was in high school, but the administration hasn't paid attention until now. Earlier this week, Congress and the president decided that the extension of the Patriot Act and drilling in ANWAR are more important than restrictions on the ingredients for meth.
I think "Diff'rent Strokes" was the perfect demonstration of how it failed. Everyone with a TV remembers the episode with Nancy Reagan telling Arnold that he could just say no to drugs (SIDENOTE-If I was a twenty-something black guy still in high school and in a foster home with Mrs. Garrett, I'd do drugs too). Dana Plato died of a drug overdose. Willis (I don't know his real name, he doesn't have an E! True Hollywood Story) went to prison after robbing a bank while high on crack. These kids didn't just say no, even after being asked by the first lady herself.
Say no to the War on Drugs.
