The War on Drugs and the Collateral Damage to Our Conscience

Boundaries are being tested and perhaps redrawn. What is war? The last time the USA actually declared war was 1941, after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. That said, good luck convincing combat veterans of Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, or Afghanistan that they did not participate in a “war.” America’s “war on drugs” has been at least rhetorically declared for as long as we can remember. Marijuana, for either recreational or medical use, is now legal in 40 of 50 states, including deep-red North Dakota. Who won that war?

Our current Secretary of War, formerly known as the Secretary of Defense, has now utilized America’s military to kill suspected drug runners in international waters. Condoning or condemning such killings has predictably gone down party lines, with a few exceptions. Where the lines will ultimately be drawn regarding who or where to kill has yet to be determined. If it is legal to kill suspected drug runners in international waters, is it also legal to kill them on foreign soil? Is it legal for American snipers on American soil to kill people on the other side of the Mexican border carrying backpacks? Is it legal to shoot suspected drug pushers on site within American borders? If so, should it be for those carrying only large amounts of drugs, and if so, what is the definition of large?

The USA is the world’s largest consumer of cocaine. It is also the world’s largest consumer of illicit fentanyl. Those uncomfortable facts are obviously shameful. Should the government shoot to kill drug users also? Are they “animals”? Are they “garbage”? Are they blameless? Do users bear some responsibility for their actions? Where is the line between poor judgment, crime, and addiction? Are there lines? Are they black and white or blurred? Addiction is admittedly a disease, and drugs are admittedly a source of infection.

Drug use crosses party lines as well as economic and racial lines. It’s difficult for most persons to comprehend why someone would risk their life to get high. How many people die from an overdose of Coors Light? How high does one need to get?

It is somewhat easier to comprehend why someone living in a third-world country without an economy would risk his or her life to transport illicit drugs to America. As long as rich countries use drugs, poor countries will transport them to rich countries.

Time will tell if the drug transport killings will continue and to what extent. So far, America’s “war on drugs” has been less than impressive. Has America merely been “over-served,” or should it take a good long look at itself in the mirror? Who is the enemy? Doesn’t it take two to tango?