Name: Anonymous 2006-11-05 14:40
In a recent edition of the liberator online, the Advocates for Self-Government's e-newsletter (http://www.theadvocates.org/publications/liberator-online.html), a frighteningly large number of americans claim to support banning smoking!
" Poll Shocker: Ban Cigarettes?
Will tobacco be the next illegal drug in America?
Maybe. Fully 45% of Americans would support a federal law making cigarettes
illegal in the next five to ten years, according to a new Zogby International
poll, commissioned by the anti-Drug War Drug Policy Foundation (DPF).
Furthermore, young voters in particular favor the idea. An amazing 57% of 18-29
year olds supported it.
A new tobacco Prohibition would be a terrible thing, the Drug Policy Foundation
points out.
"Many Americans would continue to smoke, and Big Tobacco would be replaced by a
violent black market," DPF wrote. "'Tobacco-related murders' would increase
dramatically as criminal organizations competed with one another for turf and
markets, and ordinary crime would skyrocket as millions of tobacco junkies
sought ways to feed their costly addiction. Prohibition would pave the way for
a costly governmental "war on tobacco" that would put tobacco producers,
pushers and users in prison."
DPF's Nathan Edelman further notes: "Mexico's and Colombia's narco-traficantes
would rejoice at the opportunities for new markets and profits. ... And just
imagine the government's "war on tobacco": hundreds of thousands of new jobs
for federal, state and local police, and hundreds of thousands of new prison
cells for tobacco producers, pushers and users; government helicopters spraying
herbicides on illicit tobacco fields here and abroad; people rewarded for
informing on tobacco-growing, -selling, and -smoking neighbors; police seizing
the cars of people caught smoking; urine tests commonplace to identify users;
tobacco courts compelling addicts to quit or go to jail; and an ever bigger
federal police agency -- the Tobacco Enforcement Administration (the T.E.A.) --
employing undercover agents, informants, and wire-taps to get the bad guys."
Further, smugglers would create and sell extremely dangerous new forms of
tobacco -- the nicotine equivalents of crack cocaine and bathtub gin, argues
libertarian journalist Jack Wheeler in the Washington Times.
The idea of a War on Cigarettes may seem far-fetched. However, DPF points out:
"Drug prohibitions tend to be embraced not when a drug is most popular but
rather when use is declining, as tobacco use is now. We've become accustomed to
restrictions on smoking -- sale to minors, and bans on smoking in more and more
workplaces and public spaces -- and on advertising."
Also, longtime readers of the Liberator Online will remember our report in 1998
on the startling comments Drug Enforcement Administration head Tom Constantine
made during the John Stossel ABC special report "Sex, Drugs and Consenting
Adults." Said Constantine: "When we look down the road, I would say 10, 15, 20
years from now, in a gradual fashion, smoking will probably be outlawed in the
United States."
For friends of liberty, the lesson should be obvious. We must vigorously defend
the rights of those whose peaceful lifestyle practices we disagree with or
consider unwise. Otherwise, the same arguments that today outlaw some peaceful
but risky practices (smoking marijuana, for example), will one day be used
against millions of other people who engage in other risky but currently legal
behavior, like selling foods cooked in trans-fat oils (a ban is already being
discussed in New York city), bungee jumping, or taking megadoses of vitamin C.
Or, obviously, smoking.
(Sources: Drug Policy Foundation:
http://www.drugpolicy.org/drugbydrug/tobacco/
Ethan Nadelman:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ethan-nadelmann/keep-cigarettes-
legal_b_32477.html
"Nightmare of Crack Nicotine" Wheeler, Jack, Washington Times:
http://nucnews.net/nucnews/2002nn/0208nn/020829nn.htm#315 )"
If you enjoyed this article, I'd strongly encourage you to check out the Advocates' website (http://www.self-gov.org/), and subscribe to their free e-newsletter: The Liberator Online! (http://www.theadvocates.org/publications/liberator-online.html)
" Poll Shocker: Ban Cigarettes?
Will tobacco be the next illegal drug in America?
Maybe. Fully 45% of Americans would support a federal law making cigarettes
illegal in the next five to ten years, according to a new Zogby International
poll, commissioned by the anti-Drug War Drug Policy Foundation (DPF).
Furthermore, young voters in particular favor the idea. An amazing 57% of 18-29
year olds supported it.
A new tobacco Prohibition would be a terrible thing, the Drug Policy Foundation
points out.
"Many Americans would continue to smoke, and Big Tobacco would be replaced by a
violent black market," DPF wrote. "'Tobacco-related murders' would increase
dramatically as criminal organizations competed with one another for turf and
markets, and ordinary crime would skyrocket as millions of tobacco junkies
sought ways to feed their costly addiction. Prohibition would pave the way for
a costly governmental "war on tobacco" that would put tobacco producers,
pushers and users in prison."
DPF's Nathan Edelman further notes: "Mexico's and Colombia's narco-traficantes
would rejoice at the opportunities for new markets and profits. ... And just
imagine the government's "war on tobacco": hundreds of thousands of new jobs
for federal, state and local police, and hundreds of thousands of new prison
cells for tobacco producers, pushers and users; government helicopters spraying
herbicides on illicit tobacco fields here and abroad; people rewarded for
informing on tobacco-growing, -selling, and -smoking neighbors; police seizing
the cars of people caught smoking; urine tests commonplace to identify users;
tobacco courts compelling addicts to quit or go to jail; and an ever bigger
federal police agency -- the Tobacco Enforcement Administration (the T.E.A.) --
employing undercover agents, informants, and wire-taps to get the bad guys."
Further, smugglers would create and sell extremely dangerous new forms of
tobacco -- the nicotine equivalents of crack cocaine and bathtub gin, argues
libertarian journalist Jack Wheeler in the Washington Times.
The idea of a War on Cigarettes may seem far-fetched. However, DPF points out:
"Drug prohibitions tend to be embraced not when a drug is most popular but
rather when use is declining, as tobacco use is now. We've become accustomed to
restrictions on smoking -- sale to minors, and bans on smoking in more and more
workplaces and public spaces -- and on advertising."
Also, longtime readers of the Liberator Online will remember our report in 1998
on the startling comments Drug Enforcement Administration head Tom Constantine
made during the John Stossel ABC special report "Sex, Drugs and Consenting
Adults." Said Constantine: "When we look down the road, I would say 10, 15, 20
years from now, in a gradual fashion, smoking will probably be outlawed in the
United States."
For friends of liberty, the lesson should be obvious. We must vigorously defend
the rights of those whose peaceful lifestyle practices we disagree with or
consider unwise. Otherwise, the same arguments that today outlaw some peaceful
but risky practices (smoking marijuana, for example), will one day be used
against millions of other people who engage in other risky but currently legal
behavior, like selling foods cooked in trans-fat oils (a ban is already being
discussed in New York city), bungee jumping, or taking megadoses of vitamin C.
Or, obviously, smoking.
(Sources: Drug Policy Foundation:
http://www.drugpolicy.org/drugbydrug/tobacco/
Ethan Nadelman:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ethan-nadelmann/keep-cigarettes-
legal_b_32477.html
"Nightmare of Crack Nicotine" Wheeler, Jack, Washington Times:
http://nucnews.net/nucnews/2002nn/0208nn/020829nn.htm#315 )"
If you enjoyed this article, I'd strongly encourage you to check out the Advocates' website (http://www.self-gov.org/), and subscribe to their free e-newsletter: The Liberator Online! (http://www.theadvocates.org/publications/liberator-online.html)