War on Drugs

Nice summary of the consequences of the war on drugs.

"The federal war on drugs is undefendable. Not only has it failed to curtail drug use, it has eroded civil liberties, destroyed financial privacy, corrupted law enforcement, crowded prisons with non-violent offenders, ruined countless lives, and wasted hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars."

Yep. Of course the war on drugs, because it is a threat of violence backed by violence targeted at people engaging in peaceful activity, is also immoral.

"One of the most fascinating parts of this book is chapter 16: "Should Christians Support the War on Drugs?" Because illicit drugs are considered bad, all too many Christians automatically conclude that the prohibition of such drugs should be rendered unto Caesar. Not so, argues Vance. There are some sins – specifically the ones entailing non-violent behavior – that do not legitimately fall within the realm of government control. Adultery, blasphemy, and covetousness come to mind. In fact, that the drug war has proven to be such a fiasco is persuasive evidence that God has created a consistent universe, one in which evil means beget bad consequences. "

While all government policies are failures from the point of view of the people, it's hard to imagine a government policy that has so obviously and publicly failed.