Introduction

This blog is an effort to educate people on the subject of the War on Drugs and it’s futility. Not only futility, but the harm it perpetuates.

Because I’m aware this can be a very emotional subject for some, I’ll use the nom de plume “Drift.” – If you don’t mind?

Cap’n Drift was a moniker bestowed upon me by my shipmates thirty some-odd year ago. I was enlisted in the U.S. Navy back in the Cold War days.

We’ll keep it informal here. You can call me Drift.

Please bear with me while I learn the ins and outs of how this “thing” works. I’m inept at all aspects of computer.

I’m a sixty-year-old disabled activist (oxymoron?) My activism is somewhat three tiered.

  1. Medicinal Cannabis.
  2. Industrial Hemp.
  3. The legalization of all drugs currently under schedule I.

Let’s start the conversation. Shall we?

1. Current studies, utilizing the scientific method, are proving that cannabis has both palliative and curative properties for a number of maladies.

A cannabis product (not a synthetic) is being prescribed in Canada for treating MS. If it hasn’t been given a blessing in England at the time of this writing then it will happen shortly.

That kind’a blows the schedule I thing out of the water, eh?

2. If you buy hemp clothing know that the hemp was imported.

The United States government still insists on eradicating hemp fields. Industrial hemp is not psychoactive. Industrial hemp’s physical appearance is not that of psychoactive cannabis. Why then?

On the psychoactive side; what harm does a person do to society if they choose to imbibe? I’ll leave that as an open question.

3. As of this morning approximately 450,000  people have been arrested on drug violations, since Jan. 1. Slightly less than half were for cannabis. 2,600 individuals have been incarcerated. Between the states and the feds around 14 billion dollars have
been spent on the War on Peopl.., er, Drugs.

The total tab comes to (+\-) 69 billion annually.

The Harrison Act was passed in 1914. Previously, over the counter remedies contained drugs such as heroin and cocaine. That ended in ‘14. You see, it was estimated that 1.3% of the polutation had a drug problem.

1937 brought us the Marijuana Tax Act. This particular gem was all about corporate dollars rather than that evil weed. Regardless, in ‘37 it was estimated that 1.3% of the population had a drug problem.

Let’s jump clear up to 1970-71. That would be when the Controled Substance Act passed and President Nixon delcared “war” on drugs. 1.3% of the population.

Today, as I type- 1.3%… How’s that War on Drugs working out for us?

Well we do support 25% of the worlds incarcerated population.

I’m always looking for the silver lining. Heh.

See that panel to your left? Up at the top you’ll see “Topics.” Pick one. Read some, and then let’s talk about it.

I look foward to the conversation.
I hope there’s conversation!

Drift