The War on Drugs

Dear Sharra,   Richard Nixon initiated the War on Drugs in 1971. At the time, he called drugs America's "public enemy No. 1," although he knew that wasn't true. The entire venture was the worst kind of political ploy - aimed primarily at Black Americans - and continues to exist for no other reason other than, few have the courage to undertake a genuine cost-benefit analysis. We've spent a trillion dollars on the Drug War over the years and clearly it hasn't solved a problem; if anything, it has exacerbated it greatly.   Gabor Mate has remarked that "It isn't a war on drugs, but a war on drug addicts." The War on Drugs has caused more suffering than it has abated; among other things, it is one of the main drivers of the prison-industrial complex. When I was in college there were 300,000 people incarcerated in the U.S.; today, there are over 2.3 million. And almost half of all federal prisoners are non-violent drug offenders.   It is time to end America's War on Drugs, to radically reassess the problem and initiate a season of solutions. Most addicts would prefer to be sober than to be desperately addicted. For the $100 Billion, we spend on the Drug War each year, instead we could fund a world class network of drug recovery options.   As President, I wouldn't want a Drug Czar; I want a Recovery Czar.   Ending the War on Drugs will also help undercut the power of the drug cartels by taking away their black market. And it would give us more bandwidth and resources with which to go after the drug we do need to stop - fentanyl. Major issues such as harm reduction must be addressed strategically should we take the path to drug decriminalization. Read more about my Drug Policy here.   As long as we acquiesce to the system as it is, then nothing will fundamentally change. The Drug War is one of many areas where we are presenting to the American people a new conversation and a better set of ideas. No matter where I go, this more than any of our platform ideas consistently gets spontaneous applause.   People are responding and we are moving ahead. Thank you for all you do to keep us in the conversation, as we are creating genuine influence. It is imperative that the Democratic Party stand for a whole lot more than simply keeping things as they are or there is no way we will win in 2024. We are doing something very important, and I thank you for your support.   With gratitude,   P.S. Can you chip in right now to help spread Marianne's message?  If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: Donate $5 Donate $25  Donate $100  Donate $250 Donate $500 Other Amount Would you like to receive text messages about events and opportunities to join us? You can join here. (Opt out at any time.) Shop Marianne Williamson shirts, hats, mugs, and more here!   Paid for by Marianne Williamson for President ©2024 Marianne Williamson for President, all rights reserved   Our mailing address is: Marianne Williamson for President 1901 Harrison Street Oakland Suite 1550 Oakland, CA 94612 United States If you wish to receive fewer emails from the Marianne Williamson for President campaign, please click this link.   We're sad to see you go, but if you believe you received this email in error, or you no longer wish to receive our emails you can unsubscribe using the link below: unsubscribe