Changing the Debate About Drug Policy

Pete Guither has a thought-provoking post up about the way that we traditionally think about drug policy on this continent. I have been knee-deep in my attempts to make campaign literature and I am very glad that Pete posted this today. All I seem to be able to do is make some colorless references like "Drug policy costs $1 - $1.5 billion per year according to the Senate Special Committee". I want to appeal to emotion but with facts to back it up. I think that this is the way we drug-policy wonks want to go. We need to stop debating on their terms. When they say "But what about the children?" We say, "Yes, what about the children of farmers living in Columbia that have seen their non-drug crops destroyed by aerial spraying programs?" "What about all the children in the United States that don't have health insurance while you are spending billions of dollars on the Drug War?" I like it. I will get to work honing this argument. This upcoming provincial election could be fun.