A remarkably silly, totally unrealistic goal — “a drug-free America by 2002” — was announced by the Republicans in the US House of Representatives with great fanfare at a Capitol Hill press conference on April 30, 1998. Signing a “Declaration of Commitment,” Republicans House members pledged, with a straight face, to achieve this impossible goal.
As we approach 2002, according to the latest government surveys, 14 million Americans are current illicit drug users, of which 11 million are simply marijuana smokers. Clearly the Republicans in Congress have failed miserably to reach their announced goal.
The point of raising this matter is to underscore the exaggerated rhetoric that pervades and distorts our drug policy debate in this country. Politicians promise unrealistic and unattainable goals, with the expectation they will never be held accountable by the voting public. This is pandering at its worst.
Of course we are not a drug-free society; there are none on the planet. Our goal should be to discourage harmful and abusive drug use, while adopting policies that minimize the harm from marijuana use and marijuana prohibition. And the first step toward that goal must be ending the arrest of responsible marijuana smokers. There were 734,000 marijuana arrests last year in this country and 88% were for possession only.
The next time you hear a politician promise unattainable drug policy goals while pandering for votes, remind him of the drug warriors’ last failed promise: a drug-free America by 2002.
Allen St. Pierre
NORML Foundation
Executive Director