It's a big, weird world when a Republican congressman and a Hollywood actor square off over drug policy, and it's the politician who endorses legalization, while the actor favors prohibition. The debate makes more sense, however, when you realize that the live-and-let-live legislator is libertarian Rep. Ron Paul, and his authoritarian opponent is Stephen Baldwin, who is an idiot. Even more so than most actors, that is.
In his comments, Rep. Paul said:
Drugs are very dangerous, but there's a lot of things that are very dangerous. The question is who should regulate danger? Should we assume responsibility for ourselves, or should the government take care of us? And I don't believe in the nanny state.
If you do have regulations and laws, they should be at the state level, not at the federal level. We didn't even have a federal law up until 1937. And here we are, we have spent hundreds of billions of dollars in a very unsuccessful attempt to regulate drugs.
Later, he said that he was optimistic that the laws will change in exactly the way Prohibition came to an end.
So the sooner we come to this realization someday--actually I'm optimistic on this. I think this country is going to wake up like they did in the 30s and say prohibition didn't work.
Alcohol is a horror. It's made things worse. It has caused a lot of crime and violence. It's about time we just do this, get rid of the prohibition. Let the regulation go back to the state. Regulate it like alcohol.
And would the real regulation come from the individual and also from the family and the parents and the community. That's what prevents drug use, not some federal thug coming in with guns and arresting some kid, and throwing him for prison for life. That makes no sense whatsoever.
The March 13 face-off on CNN, with Joy Behar standing in for Larry King, is below.
If you don't have the patience to watch the video, a full transcript is here.
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