Failed drug war

There's a massive trial under way in Harris County involving a huge $5.5 million drug bust from last year. You can read about it here. It amazes me that every time there's one of these busts or forgone-conclusion trials that it's hailed as some great victory in the war on drugs. However, if busts this big continue to go on in Columbus, across Georgia and everywhere else every single year, then shouldn't that be seen as a sign the war on drugs is a complete and utter failure? There's as many drugs on the street now as there ever was. Exactly what has been accomplished besides ruined lives? When people talk about the Kenneth Walker shooting here in 2003, they always put it in racial terms. From day 1, I've seen it as nothing more than the fear and paranoia of the unsuccessful drug war.

The war on drugs can in fact be easily won, but it takes radical thinking. And people are scared to do things differently than they have in the past 40 years of the drug war, even though it's still not working. What's that saying about doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?

Here's how you win the war on drugs, economically, in 10 years or less:

• Any drugs confiscated in the war on drugs are distributed free of charge at designated drug parks on police properties in the largest cities of each state. Anyone 18 or over who wants coke, pot or whatever signs a release form that requires them to attend a 10-minute counseling session and offered optional rehab to receive the drugs, which they then must use in a walled drug park. If they try to leave the premises with them or try to distribute them to kids, they are arrested. They had these parks in Switzerland where junkies legally drugged themselves to death, and it was the greatest public service announcement to deter drug use you could imagine. Dealers don't make their money on casual users, but junkies have no pride and will gladly accept the stigma of the free drug use park. Anyone willing to sign these forms and go into these parks is already a lost cause.
• It would remain illegal to import drugs into the country, sell them or possess them on the streets. Because all the junkies will be getting their drugs for free and killing themselves on police property, the market would collapse and it would not be worth the risk for small-time pushers, big-time importers or drug producers in Colombia and elsewhere. If the street price of coke plummets 800 percent, it won't be worth risking jail time when the only bling you're getting out of it is a $4.95 Casio watch in the Wal-Mart checkout lane.
• In short, the drug trade suffers complete economic collapse. Those who were gonna do drugs anyway are monitored and segregated. Drug-related crimes such as theft plummet. Prison populations dwindle. Lives of young men now lured into the "Scarface" fantasy of thugdom are recaptured. Police are freed up to handle other crimes and quality of life issues. "Petty" crimes such as throwing your cigarette butts on the street eventually won't have to go ignored. Latin America is saved from itself with no market for its drugs, forcing drug farmers to go into other fields, literally.

Or, we can keep doing what we've always been doing and hoping somehow it miraculously starts working. I'm not for legalizing drugs. That doesn't work either. But somewhere between legalizing drugs and this insane war is some room for common sense. I hope.