The War on Drugs is Unconstitutional, immoral, and a complete failure

There is some concern that the War on Drugs in the United States might be unconstitutional, even among legislators. At the time of Prohibition, Congress found it wise to amend the constitution. Attorney Warren Redlich would argue that the drug laws violate the implicit rights contained within the substantive due process doctrine as they achieve no reasonable state interest but restrict a person's liberty under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment. This argument is often cited in medical marijuana cases. In United States v. Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative, NORML filed an amicus brief that argued to save one's life is within the rights established by the substantive due process. However, the Supreme Court did not accept the argument. Therefore, to state that the War on Drugs is definitively unconstitutional is suspect as evidenced by the cited court decision. Only the United States Supreme Court can make that statement valid and it has yet to do so. It certainly is true that not everyone who uses illicit drugs becomes a drug addict. It is also true that, on average, a drug addict detrimentally affects at least ten other lives which would negate your argument that drug use does not "hurt anyone else by us doing them." You stated yourself that impairment of judgment caused by drug use can affect others. Could it not be argued that the government has a duty to protect non-drug users from those effects? Ruined personal lives, ruined marriages and the effects on children eat at the very core of our society. If the legality of the laws prohibiting the use and possession of certain drugs has not been successfully challenged in the courts then you certainly are correct in stating that "our justice system can only technically arrest people who have already committed crimes…" The justice system is working according to its design. There is no evidence that only the Christian right argues against the inroads that illegal drug use has made on "family values." I am sure that people of all faiths, or non-faiths, both support and condemn the War on Drugs. The argument against illicit drugs is the effect it has on the social fabric of our country as well as the detrimental effects it has on marriages and children. Laws ARE proposed and passed based upon the opinion of the legislators and has been done in this country since its inception. I don't think you could say that our country is on the path to dictatorship. Sufficient legal pain medications exist that are more effective than smoking marijuana in the treatment of cancer. If cancer patients are being raided by SWAT teams it is because they are breaking the law. It is a choice that they made. The fight to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes is a ruse on the American public to open the door to legalize all illicit drugs. Drug addicts can effectively be helped while they are incarcerated. Most jail systems have "drug units" where the emphasis is on drug rehabilitation. For some drug addicts, incarceration was the only way in which they could beat the habit. I have personally worked with many of them and seen the success of these programs. If illicit drugs were to be made legal than it might be appropriate for them to be prescribed by a doctor. The concept of "safe havens" supervised by professionals and doctors where individuals can enter and get high at will sounds similar to locking up mentally challenged people and keeping them drugged so they are away from society like the mental institutions of the 40's and 50's! Who is going to pay for the safe havens that you propose? Either they will have to be funded by taxes or the drug users will still resort to whatever means at their disposal to gain entry into these havens in order to get high. Therefore, you have failed to prove your point that the War on Drugs is both unconstitutional and immoral. Additionally, you have not offered any evidence to support your claim that it is also a failure. There is, however, substantial evidence that it is just that: a failed policy and program that needs to be replaced with an effective one but not necessarily the legalization of all illicit drugs.