June 11, 2006
The War on Drugs...and Innocent People
On April 16, the New York Times ran a full-page ad from contact lens producer Bausch and Lomb, announcing the recall of its “ReNu with MoistureLoc” rewetting solution, and warning the 30 million American wearers of soft contact lenses about Fusarium keratitis. This infection, first detected in Asia, has rapidly spread across the United States. It is caused by a mold-like fungus that can penetrate the cornea of soft contact lens wearers, causing redness and pain that can lead to blindness—requiring a corneal replacement.
That same week, the House of Representatives passed a provision to a bill requiring that the very same fungus be sprayed in “a major drug-producing country,” such as Colombia. The bill’s sponsor was Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) and its most vocal supporter was his colleague Dan Burton (R-Ind.), who has been promoting the fungus for almost a decade as key to winning the drug war.
The DEA stopped funding Fusarium research in the United States during the early ’90s after it learned that Fusarium infections can be deadly in “immunocompromised” people—not only AIDS patients and those with other illnesses, but also those who are severely malnourished. The University of the Andes in Bogotá has recently reported that 12 percent of Colombian children suffer from chronic malnutrition. Spraying this fungus on a vulnerable population could be perceived as using a biological weapon..
Normally, I'd be disgusted. But I flat-out refuse to be surprised by anything that Republicans vote on nowadays.
I know that the war on drugs is a bipartisan effort. That's blindingly obvious. However, when two members of the same party back a concept that is not only dangerous for the surrounding population, but could be likened to slapping a band-aid on a severed artery, there's something seriously wrong with the line of logic that said party members are subscribing to.
Then again, the entire war on drugs is largely a futile effort. Much like the war on terror. And the war in Iraq. Maybe the United States should just stop declaring war on everything.
The drug scene isn't going to change. I could probably walk out of the apartment right now, and by the end of the day have found something to shoot, snort, or smoke...and I don't even know anyone who does drugs in this city. The same could be said for almost any city, or town for that matter. If we're fighting a war on drugs, we're getting our asses kicked.
The problem with the war on drugs is that there is no set source where drugs come from. You can grow psychotropic substances anywhere. A tweaker can cook up speed in a five-gallon bucket, for fuck's sake. So when the government passes an idea to spend taxpayer's dollars flying planes over a foreign country and dumping a harmful substance that eradicates cocaine (and possibly part of the population), you'll have to excuse my cynicism. Why? Because Colombia's not the sole producer of coke, despite what pop culture likes to tell us. They could move their operation anywhere in South America and thrive.
And when we resort to dumping more and more harmful substances on third-world countries to eradicate a couple of acres of coca plants, that makes US look desperate.
Meanwhile, the drug cartels scoff, write off a few dozen deaths of innocent people tending the fields for meager amounts of cash (or drugs), and move somewhere else where the land and population can both be exploited to produce eight-balls of high quality snow for John Doe, CEO to snort while he hangs out at a popular club.
And don't mistake this entry as me taking up for cocaine. I think it's a stupid drug that makes stupid people ten times more annoying than they already are. I've worked with a few cokeheads while in L.A., and they're all equally moronic people who do a couple of lines, act like a hyperactive retarded kid, and then come in to work the next morning looking like they were beaten with a waterhose.
I just don't think the war on drugs is really worth it. It's not going to stop people from wanting to take illegal substances to separate themselves from their shitty lives, and it's not going to stop teenagers from "experimenting". As long we live in a world where people become addicts to escape the harsh reality of poverty, starvation, or just do so because they've got a lot of money and nothing else to do, the war on drugs will never be won.
Posted by Jake at June 11, 2006 11:17 AM
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