The Drug War Claims More Innocent Victims

In their fanatical quest to protect us from what we put into our own bodies, the feds, under the banner of the War on Drugs, are now targeting those who are legitimately sick and need prescription painkillers for legitimate pain management.


As reported here, here, and elsewhere, patients with legitimate prescriptions for narcotic painkillers have found their pharmacies closed due to the DEA deciding that they (the pharmacies) have filled too many painkiller prescriptions; or have even been arrested for filling their prescriptions.


Now, let's be clear about a few things. First, opiates are dangerous drugs (especially when compared to harmless "drugs" such as cannabis); they are powerfully addictive and can (and do) lead to severe physiological harm to their users. Second, many people who would otherwise never touch drugs have found themselves addicted to opiates as a result of surgeries, injuries, or other chronic pain-inducing conditions; and thus find themselves facing the same problems that an addict on the street faces.


However, the government has no right to regulate what we put into our bodies, even if those things are harmful. So why do so many (conservative) Christians decry attempts to regulate sugary soft drinks or trans fats  (both dangerous substances) as unnecessary government intrusion into our personal lives, but allow the Drug War to continue?


The fact of the matter is, if an opiate addict can get his/her fix at market prices without any legal hassle, then the addict won't need to resort to so-called "rogue pharmacies" or other black markets for their product. Further, the Drug War simply fuels the black market, so that addicts in need of a fix are driven to commit actual crimes (that is, crimes with victims) to get the money to pay for their addiction. If we legalized drugs, there would be no need for the black market and thus no artificially inflated prices.


So instead of zealously prosecuting (and persecuting) those who have legitimate (or "illegitimate") needs for opiates, and those who attempt to fill those needs; legalize opiates and tax them. Use the tax money to fund treatment options for those who seek treatment. Instead of criminalizing and demonizing opiate use and addiction, treat it like a disease that requires treatment.