Editor’s Note: In PoliceOne “First Person” essays, our Members and Columnists candidly share their own unique view of the world. This is a platform from which individual officers can share their own personal insights on issues confronting cops today, as well as opinions, observations, and advice on living life behind the thin blue line. This week’s essay comes from PoliceOne Member Jeff Fisher, a Sergeant with the Loveland (Colo.) Police Department. Do you want to share your own perspective with other P1 Members? Send us an e-mail with your story.
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By Sergeant Jeff Fisher
Loveland (Colo.) Police Department
The violence on the U.S./Mexico border has reached a fever pitch. Drug traffickers make it one of the most dangerous places in the world, and shootings and kidnappings have become an almost daily occurrence for many Southwest cities, including El Paso, Laredo and Phoenix. While we can all agree the U.S. has an obligation to its citizens to stop the violence, the method for accomplishing this is a frequent topic of debate.
Drug proponents incorrectly believe decriminalizing marijuana and other drugs will accomplish two things. First, they make the argument that when Prohibition was repealed and alcohol was legalized, it stopped violence associated with enforcement efforts and taxing it became a significant revenue source. So, clearly legalizing drugs will offer the same quick fix on the border, right? On the surface this appears to be logical correlation; however, it is a dangerous oversimplification for two reasons.
First, Prohibition was repealed because there was an overwhelming public demand for alcohol. Some estimates indicate upwards of 90 percent of Americans drank alcohol — therefore, legalizing and taxing it remedied a crime problem and generated valuable revenue.
This is not the case with drugs. Sources estimate the current number of drug users in the U.S. is approximately 14.5 million of the 304 million people who live here. That hardly constitutes an overwhelming demand, and it’s absurd to suggest drug legalization would offer the same social and fiscal benefits.
Second, dealers and users will maximize their position in our free market economy and buy their dope from the most competitive source, which most assuredly will not be the tax man. Why would a user purchase dope from a legal source and pay a hefty tax when he can purchase a better, cheaper product from an illicit source? The answer is obvious — he won’t.
I implore you to petition your State and Federal representatives to stop the violence on the border with the best tool available — the National Guard. Legalizing drugs won’t stop the border violence. It will fuel it.
