The War on Drugs is not Biblical in nature, so where does it come from?

[Garion_55]

I am pretty sure there is nothing in the 10 commandments about getting lit up nor as far as I am to understand is there anything in the entire book regarding the use of mind altering substances.

Its not even Conservative in nature, the drug war stands for things exactly opposite of what right wingers claim to cherish. Freedom, liberty, anti Big Government, states rights, free market capitalism. The founding fathers grew hemp, they would be put in prison if they did that today.

So if the war doesnt come from God and appears to be ideologically opposite of todays conservatives, then why are right wingers the last group to embrace it, hell the first group that embraced it in the past? Where does their support of locking up people in cages for possessing a plant come from? Because Reagan said so? Reagan ramped it up 30 years ago and now its like one of their sacred beliefs?

I just dont get it. Right wingers should be the first ones to want to see the end of the drug war based and what i hear from them every day about how great freedom is. Except on this issue?

Hypocrites all.

[el_bryanto]

1. Many Republicans are law an order types though

and they see drug use as irresponsible and creating problems - they believe that drug use (even soft drugs) leads to crimes, and they don't want to be soft on crime.

Bryant

[Shandris]

2. I've always heard it equated with racism, all the way back to when marijuana was...

...first criminalized.

It may have started with Latinos, then became a convenient tool for African-Americans and, as a 'bonus', a quick and efficient method of making the Prison Lobby happy.

Three birds with one stone is what the Republicans call efficiency.

[Bandit]

4. Also to help control the Chinese railroad workers opium was made illegal

The US Drug policies were most definitely begun with racist intent...

[Shandris]

5. I wasn't aware of that one, but it seems to match up perfectly enough for me.

The way people used opium in China, as a veritable weapon...there's a special place in hell for them I hope. Not entirely related, but definitely a very dark point in Colonialism.

[SheilaT]

3. It came from the Nixon administration.

Why you might think it ought to have a Biblical connection escapes me.

And much of what conservatives, and most especially far right-wingers and Tea Partiers believe is the exact opposite of small government, liberty, free market capitalism, and so on. That especially applies to all the laws taking away a woman's right to control her own body.

[bemildred]

6. It is racist at its core.

But it works in a lot of ways for those who favor it. Black markets have lots of uses, and keeping hemp off the market serves various commercial interests, and it justifies repressive government powers of investigation and seizure.