A funny thing happened on June 26th, people stood together and demanded compassion. While I was happily celebrating the legalization of same-sex marriage, something else was going on as well. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/27/us/supreme-court-same-sex-marriage.html?_r=0
See June 26th was a day set up many years ago by the UN, as a day to fight against the illicit drug trade. Which of course is a part of the US’s war on drugs. A war that has been going on for far too long.
People came together this time, not to protest drugs, but to fight for compassion. A basic human right, stolen from so many people who have been swept up in the prohibition for illegal drugs. While I care deeply about the legalization of marijuana, there is something far more important to put an end too.
Because of the prohibition of drugs, countless lives have been ruined. People who needed help, love and compassion. We're instead locked up and treated like criminals. I will state right now, that I am totally against the use of hard drugs like heroin, cocaine, meth and countless more that only destroy your body. But the people using these drugs, are not bad people.
Many of them are simply trying to ease their own suffering, they are not trying to hurt anyone, or do anything wrong. They simply are trying to live their life and ease their pain. And yes they are in my opinion doing great harm to themselves, and truly ruining their life. But is the answer to that criminal charges and jail time?
On June 26th, 2015, people stood together and said no it is not the answer. People stood for compassion for their fellow man. They stood for basic human rights that we all deserve. 150 cities stood together in protest of the gross miscarriage of justice that prohibition causes.
The majority of people who use any form of drugs, are not trying to break the law or do something bad. At the most basic level, they are seeking something to improve their life. Will most illicit drugs truly make your life better? No, while Marijuana has many positive uses, the other harder drugs do not.
Still, while alcohol and tobacco can cause just as much damage to one's body, people are free to make their own choice regarding those substances. And they are not treated like criminals. People who are already suffering, and using drugs to ease their pain, they do not need to be punished, they need care and compassion. Locking someone up does nothing but destroy their life. And their only crime was using a substance, that people made illegal to try and protect others.
Prohibition did not work in the 20’s, they made alcohol illegal and that directly caused the creation of major organized crime. And today drug prohibition puts money in the cartels pockets. It funds some horrible crimes. Where there is demand, someone will supply it. And because these things are illegal, of course the real criminals will find a way to make a profit.
Prohibition has only caused harm to innocent people, and allowed the true criminals to thrive and prosper. It has labeled many decent people, as something less than human. Instead of seeing another human being who is suffering, they see nothing more than a pest. Instead of offering help and love. They throw them in a dark hole, and leave them to rot and suffer more than they already do.
Ending drug prohibition does not mean you support all forms of hard drugs. You don't even have to support something helpful like Marijuana. It means you are supporting basic human rights and compassion. On a day when so many are finally being given equality. Others stood up and said enough is enough, stop punishing people and start helping them. Show care and love, do not exile and mistreat them. Help people rebuild their life, do not destroy it even more.
I am so happy, that so many people are finally standing up for one another. So many different people stood united to end the harmful prohibition of illegal drugs. The Harm Reduction Coalition, The Drug Policy Alliance, National Advocates for Pregnant Women, Students for Sensible Drug Policy and many more, all stood together for a common goal. They stood in front of the UN building, on a day created so many years ago to push this harmful prohibition agenda.
It is not about making drugs more accessible. It is not about encouraging the use of harmful hard narcotics. It is about basic human rights, compassion and caring. And I look forward to the future, with far more hope now. Because the world needs more understanding, more love and the decency to do what is right for another person. And I am so happy the rest of the world finally got the memo.
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