William F. Buckley

The Bully Pulpit: JR Benjamin- William F. Buckley on Legalizing Drugs

William F. Buckley’s basic position on the War on Drugs was that it was a failure. That he wasn’t in favor of legalizing illegal narcotics which is really what the War on Drugs is. And that is just one problem with the War on Drugs. It is simply not real and not a real war for multiple reasons. And two of them being wars are fought between militaries and armed forces. Not between law enforcement, prosecutors and drug addicts just looking to get high who wouldn’t hurt innocent people intentionally at any point. But the other reason is that even the title War on Drugs is fake because it is not a War on Drugs. But a war on drugs that the U.S. Government views inappropriate for private use.

Bill Buckley didn’t favor legalizing narcotics because he liked them and wanted to consume them and other Americans to consume them. But that he disliked the War on Drugs even more and believed the War on Drugs with all the people it arrest’s and in many cases good people who are again just looking to get high and need to be in drug rehab, prison and lives that the War on Drugs ruins. That the War on Drugs is worst than illegal narcotics itself.

I tend to agree with that myself, but I’m not in a position where I believe we should legalize all illegal narcotics. I support marijuana legalization and even would go as far decriminalizing all the other illegal narcotics to prevent more good Americans from having criminal records and filling up our prisons even more. And getting them in drug rehab. But the War on Drugs is worst than illegal narcotics and we need an approach to illegal narcotics that is better than legalization versus continuing to fight the bogus War on Drugs.