Today in The Wall Street Journal we have two sharply contrasting images reflecting on illegal drug use. First is Michael Phelps offering his apologies to the Chinese people for his now world-famous bong hit (see here). Among Phelps’s pleadings:
“‘To all my Chinese friends, I made a mistake and did something which I deeply regret. However, I am deeply comforted by all the messages of support and encouragement posted on the Chinese Internet,’ Mr. Phelps was quoted as saying by the Beijing Youth Daily newspaper. ‘This incident has taught me an important lesson and I vow to swiftly change my attitude, train in the best athletic spirit, and make you all proud of me once again.’”
How many apologies does that make so far?
He lost his Kellogg’s sponsorship, but kept Swiss watchmaker Omega, which considered the photo “a non-issue” (see here). But then, there was the mother of a young swimmer who stated on ABC News of Phelps’s inhalation, “I am absolutely appalled. Honestly, absolutely appalled, sickened and saddened.”
In another part of the WSJ today comes this story on the Drug War, headlined “Latin American Panel Calls U.S. Drug War a Failure.” It’s a report by a commission headed by former presidents in Latin America, Carodso of Brazil, Zedillo of Mexico, and Gaviria of Columbia.
It claims that the drug war pushed by the U.S. in their countries has failed to cut the trafficking, and worse, has fostered criminality and violence that threaten democratic institutions at home. All three figures are political conservatives, not liberals, so their objections to the Drug War are not moral or ideological — they are evidence-based and pragmatic. (The story also cites a recent Brookings Institution study that says, “despite interdiction and eradication efforts, the world’s governments haven’t been able to significantly decrease the supply of drugs, while punitive methods haven’t succeeded in lowering drug use.”)
The U.S. government claims, however, that increasing violence is an indication that the drug war is working. One of them is quoted as asserting that “There is violence ‘because these guys are flailing. We’re taking these guys out. The worst thing you could do is stop now.”
Apart from the juvenile expressions, we may be sure that if the violence were going down, the same officials would claim credit for that, too. “See? We’re taking these guys down. They can’t even fight back any more . . .”
As the stimulus package works its way through Capital Hill, many question the effectiveness of government to control markets and capital. In this case, we have to wonder: “Is there any government program that has intervened in the market so staunchly, and expensively, as the Drug War, and produced so little result?”
(Brainstorm illustration incorporating photos by Flickr users Torben H. and Army.mil)
