Want to Reduce Gun Violence, Stop Fentanyl Overdoses, & Fix Systemic Racism All At Once? END THE DRUG WAR.

And Leave Law Abiding Gun Owners Alone.

A Summary of this article in 5 sentences:

1) The black market sale of drugs is responsible for a massive portion of gun violence in this country, with estimates ranging from 30-55%.

2) One of the best ways we could repair police and citizen relations is by ending the war on drugs.

3) There is no more tangible and fixable example of systemic racism than that which exists within the war on drugs. 

4) By legalizing drugs and allowing for more effective regulation, individuals would have access to far safer and cleaner drugs, reducing the risk of accidental overdose and death considerably from drugs like fentanyl.

5)  Anyone who is a proponent of reducing gun violence in America should have their main focus be on ending the horribly failed wars on drugs, not on gun laws themselves which will only lead to another failed period of Prohibition (of guns). 

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Al Capone didn’t kill people because he was drunk. Nor did he kill people because of relaxed gun laws. No, Al Capone killed people because of the money to be made off the illegal black market sale of alcohol during Prohibition and the risks associated with it.

At the Rationalist we adhere to the code of : Eventus rem maxime. Or, ‘results matter most.’  While the intentions of Prohibition may have been benevolent in nature, what were the results?

The results of alcohol prohibition were this: Between 1920 and 1933 homicide rates in the US skyrocketed.  At the same time alcohol consumption—what Prohibition laws sought to minimize—actually increased by over 60 percent. All of this while our prison and judicial systems were filled with non-violent “criminals” for alcohol related crimes. It was an utter failure. But as soon as prohibition ended, so did the violence.  In fact homicides trended generally downward for almost thirty years following the repeal of the 18th amendment.

In terms of results, the war on drugs has been even worse than the prohibition of alcohol. Millions of people have been imprisoned for nonviolent crimes, tens of thousands have been murdered in the dangerous black markets, police and citizen relations have been ruined, racial tensions have reversed, all while addiction and overdose levels are skyrocketing.

Most street gangs - which account for almost 33% of all gun related homicides in the United States today - operate with funds from the black market sale of drugs.  If tomorrow America legalized drugs with the swipe of a pen it would put most gangs out of business.  But this isn't the only way violence would be reduced.

Right now the main tension point between police and citizens also stems from the war on drugs.  No knock raids, asset forfeiture and seizure, turning neighbors into drug snitches, and just the mere fact that getting caught with drugs could get one locked in a box in prison for years all add to the way even ordinary non-gang related people will often have violent reactions towards police in order to prevent these wildly unconstitutional and unethical harms from happening to them.

One of the best ways we could repair police and citizen relations is by repealing the war on drugs. Bring police back to the neighborhoods of protecting and serving. Get citizens and police on the same side again.

Let's look at the ways that gun violence stems from The War On Drugs:

• Up to 33% is directly tied to gangs and cartels fighting each other

• Police officers who shoot suspects during no knock raids or other interactions such as traffic stops or undercover deals

• Suspects who shoot police officers during interactions with drugs

• Drug deals between individuals (not gang related) that go bad

• Addicts using violence to steal and support their addiction to drugs because of the inflated black market drug prices

• Snitches and informants become targets of violence

Ending the drug war would reduce gun violence by removing the incentives for drug dealers and cartels to engage in violent activity to protect their turf and profits. When drugs are illegal, they become a lucrative commodity that is worth fighting over, which can lead to violent confrontations between rival gangs and drug dealers. This violence can spill over into innocent communities, leading to increased gun violence and deaths. By legalizing drugs, the market would be regulated, and the incentives for violence would be removed, leading to a massive decrease in gun violence. (For example, when was the last time two corner stores shot up the neighborhood in a turf war over who could sell Marlboro cigarettes there? Or two liquor stores? It doesn’t happen).

Additionally, ending the drug war would allow for more effective regulation and harm reduction strategies for drugs like fentanyl, which is responsible for a significant portion of overdose deaths in the United States. With a legal and regulated drug market, people would have access to far safer and cleaner drugs, reducing the risk of accidental overdose or fentanyl poisoning. Moreover, regulation would allow for better tracking of drugs and increased education on safe drug use, reducing the number of deaths caused by all dangerous drugs.

Overall, ending the drug war would lead to a reduction in gun violence and overdoses by removing the incentives for violence and allowing for better regulation and harm reduction strategies for drug use.

Additionally, the War on Drugs is often cited as the best example of modern day systemic racism in the United States because it has disproportionately affected people of color, particularly Black Americans, and perpetuated existing racial inequalities.

When the War on Drugs was launched in the 1970s, it was marketed as a way to combat drug addiction and reduce drug-related crime. However, the results have not only been the opposite, but the policies and practices that have been implemented under the War on Drugs have had a disparate impact on communities of color.

For example, while drug use rates are similar across different racial groups, Black Americans are much more likely to be arrested, convicted, and sentenced to longer prison terms for drug-related offenses. Additionally, mandatory minimum sentences and three-strikes laws have compounded the disparities.

The consequences of this unequal treatment are significant and far-reaching. Black Americans are more likely to be separated from their families, experience economic hardship, and have limited job opportunities due to criminal records. This, in turn, perpetuates the cycle of poverty and disadvantage that is often associated with systemic racism.

Furthermore, the War on Drugs has led to the militarization of law enforcement, which has disproportionately affected communities of color. The use of military-style tactics, such as no-knock raids and the use of armored vehicles, has led to the deaths of innocent people and traumatized communities.

If there was one single thing that we could do as people to reduce gun violence, heal communities, lower drug overdoses and addiction, reduce prison overcrowding, quell systemic racism, and bring police and citizens back together to fight the real injustices (like corruption) in our systems, it would be ending the horribly failed War on Drugs.

If you are an activist for reducing gun violence, ending systemic racism, lowering addiction and overdose, or reducing police brutality we urge you to unite against the War On Drugs. Focus on fixing the system - the root cause of the problem - instead of misguiding your aim on law abiding gun owners, police, or worse - each other.

Most of our problems are systemic, which means we need to focus on the systems first. And the biggest problem with our systems is lack of transparency, over centralization, and of course corruption.

Thanks for reading!

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For over 3 billion years on this planet there were only single-celled organisms. Then one day they somehow learned to work together and make complex multi-celled creatures . Right now we are like those single-celled organisms. Our next evolution is finding how to work together, better… (like we wrote about here).

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