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The entire nation has suffered from
the administration’s virtual surrender in the war against drugs, but children in
poor communities have paid the highest price in the threat of addiction and the
daily reality of violence. Drug kingpins
have turned entire neighborhoods into wastelands and ruined uncounted lives with
their poison. The statistics are
shocking. Since 1992, among 10th
graders, overall drug use has increased 55 percent, marijuana and hashish use
has risen 91 percent, heroin use has gone up 92 percent, and cocaine use has
soared 133 percent. Not surprisingly,
teen attitudes toward drug abuse have veered sharply away from disapproval. With abundant supplies in their deadly
arsenal, drug traffickers are targeting younger children, as well as rural
kids.
Still, there is no substitute for
presidential leadership, whether internationally or here at home, where
America’s families cry out for safe, drug-free schools. A Republican president will hear those cries
and work with parents to protect children. We will bring accountability to anti-drug
programs, promote those that work, and cease funding for those that waste
resources. Equally important, in a
Republican administration the Department of Justice will require all federal
prosecutors to aggressively pursue drug dealers, from the kingpins to the
lackeys. We renew our support for
capital punishment for drug traffickers who take innocent life.
Illegal drugs and alcohol abuse are
closely related to the incidence of child abuse. Government at all levels spends about $20
billion annually on a confusing array of programs to help either the children or
adults in abusive or neglectful families. While the largest federal effort is the
open-ended entitlements aimed at foster care and adoption, very little is
allotted to preventive and family support services. |
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| We will crack down
on the gang violence and drug crime that devastate so many communities, and we will increase
drug treatment, including mandatory drug courts and mandatory drug testing for parolees and
probationers, so fewer crimes are committed in the first place. |
| The War On DrugsThe Issue: The suffering that drug misuse has brought about is deplorable; however, drug prohibition causes more harm than drugs themselves. The so-called "War on Drugs" is in reality a war against the American people, our Constitution and the Bill
of Rights. It is a grave threat to individual liberty, to domestic order
and to peace in the world.
The Principle: Individuals
should have the right to use drugs, whether for medical or recreational
purposes, without fear of legal reprisals, but must be held legally
responsible for the consequences of their actions only if they violate
others' rights.
Solutions: Social involvement by
individuals is essential to address the problem of substance misuse and
abuse. Popular education and assistance groups are a better approach
than prohibition, and we support the activities of private organizations
as the best way to move forward on the issue.
Transitional
Action: Repeal all laws establishing criminal or civil penalties for
the use of drugs. Repeal laws that infringe upon individual rights to be
secure in our persons, homes, and property as protected by the Fourth
Amendment. Stop the use of "anti-crime" measures such as profiling or
civil asset forfeiture that reduce the standard of proof historically
borne by government in prosecutions. Stop prosecuting accused
non-violent drug offenders, and pardon those previously convicted.
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