Drug War Erodes Protection From Terrorists

Police who arrested singer Dionne Warwick
should drop the charges and apologize, Libertarians say

WASHINGTON, DC -- Libertarians have a modest suggestion for the government officials who arrested singer Dionne Warwick at the Miami airport for marijuana possession: Drop the charges immediately -- then apologize to Ms. Warwick.
 
"Americans aren't clamoring for protection from pot-smoking musicians, so why is the government arresting them?" asked Steve Dasbach, the Libertarian Party's executive director. "In turbulent times like these, police agencies should focus on defending us from terrorists and other violent criminals. Dionne Warwick is neither - so the government should leave her alone."

The 61-year-old Warwick was detained at Miami International Airport on Sunday when baggage screeners found 11 marijuana cigarettes in her lipstick container. Warwick, who gained fame in the 1960s for singing such Burt Bacharach tunes as "Walk on By" and "I'll Say a Little Prayer," was charged with possession of less than 5 grams of marijuana
and is scheduled to appear in court.

"It's time to say a little prayer for the politicians and prosecutors who are so misguided that they're wasting valuable police resources on harmless marijuana smokers," Dasbach quipped. "How many dangerous criminals will walk on by as law enforcement spends its time - and your money - prosecuting people like Dionne Warwick?"

But the five-time Emmy Award winner is just the latest high-profile example of the government's senseless War on Marijuana Smokers, Dasbach said. "According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, 734,498 Americans were arrested in 2000 on marijuana charges - 88 percent of them for mere possession," he said. "That's not just bad news for those individuals; it's actually good news for terrorists.

"Law enforcement authorities have only a finite amount of time and resources to investigate and prevent crimes. So every moment spent arresting, booking, and prosecuting a marijuana user is a moment that can't be spent tracking down terrorists and other dangerous criminals. Why not re-deploy every agent from the Drug Enforcement Administration to fight terrorism and other violent crimes?
 
"Moreover, approximately 36,560 people are in jail today after being convicted solely on marijuana charges, according to the Washington, DC-based Marijuana Policy Project. That means that thousands of Americans are having their lives, families, and careers destroyed because of committing a 'crime' with no victims. Shouldn't the government focus on destroying the lives of terrorists instead?"

A clear majority of Americans agrees with Libertarians that marijuana should be decriminalized, Dasbach noted.
 
"A Zogby poll released in December asked whether Americans supported arresting and jailing marijuana smokers, especially 'in light of the events of September 11 and the increased attention to the threat of terrorism,' he said. "A majority of 61 percent opposed such arrests, 33 percent supported them, and 6 percent were undecided.

"So politicians who want to continue waging the War on Marijuana Smokers aren't just helping real criminals, they're also out of the mainstream."

But it's not too late to reverse course, Dasbach said.
 
"First, the government should drop the charges against Dionne Warwick and apologize for disrupting her life - and do the same for every other marijuana offender," he said. "Then apologize to the rest of America for this criminal misuse of police resources."