by Matt Simon, NH Common Sense

We're tired of hearing politicians tell us that statements against prohibition "send the wrong message to kids." As a matter of fact, the opposite is true. Anti-prohibitionists believe in restoring two key concepts which are crucial to a flourishing society: liberty and responsibility. When you think about it, the link between liberty and responsibility is simply common sense.

Liberty

Over the course of our history, Americans have always felt strongly about preserving individual liberty. The U.S. government was formed on the basis of a once radical idea -- that "all men are created equal," and therefore, that individual rights must be protected from illegitimate government interventions. These rights have always been understood to include the right to make potentially unwise decisions.

Another way to state the basic "liberty premise" is to say that each individual owns himself or herself, and is therefore free to make his or her own decisions, as long as they don't harm or endanger others. This last part is what runs us into the second half of this equation -- responsibility.

Responsibility

Prohibitions transfer the responsibility of decision-making from individuals to the government. A prohibition culture entrusts government with the task of deciding which substances shall be permitted, and in doing so, makes an end run around personal morality. For individual citizens in various situations, the choice is always the same -- compliance or rebellion against government -- instead of being a moral choice based on accurate knowledge and understanding.

As was plainly evident during Alcohol Prohibition, this type of policy leads to a greater degree of irresponsible use as pleasure-seekers are drawn to black market outlets financed by violent criminals. When the law makes lawbreakers of half the population, who among us is likely to respect the law?

Solutions People Will Respect

We don't have all the right answers, but unlike the prohibitionists, at least we understand the questions. Choosing the right reform strategy and timetable for implementation will be an important process, one in which all reasonable ideas must be considered. Fortunately, there is plenty of evidence from which conclusions may be drawn, and if states are permitted to serve as "laboratories of democracy," as so many are already trying to do on these issues, we may soon see what works and what fails.

But for us as citizens, this isn't a time to get bogged down with minute details! It's time for us to start standing tall and telling our neighbors about groups like Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, the Drug Policy Alliance, NORML, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, and the Marijuana Policy Project, among others, who are promoting both liberty and responsibility as antidotes to the social disease created by a government's war on its own people.

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