Though centralized power, coalescing in Washington, D.C., has increased in recent years as a bipartisan effort to grow government, it’s worth noting that true federalism is not dead.
Take one of America’s longest-running atrocities, the “War on Drugs.” The American people are rebelling, leaving their political representatives, state and national, in the back seat. The recently successful marijuana legalization initiatives in Colorado and Washington State are already taking effect, thus marking a major retreat in the once-popular, now increasingly hopeless war.
Last Friday, The Seattle Times reported that King County has dismissed 175 cases involving people over 21 and possession of one ounce of cannabis or less. “Although the effective date of I‑502 is not until December 6, there is no point in continuing to seek criminal penalties for conduct that will be legal next month,” explained the county prosecutor.
A smaller number were dismissed in Pierce County, with its prosecutor saying that, “as a practical matter, I don’t think you could sell a simple marijuana case to a jury after this initiative passed.”
In Colorado, a major drug task force has been disbanded. The excuse is lack of funds, but I suspect that Colorado officials had read the writing on the wall, and it wasn’t “Mene, Mene, Tekel, u‑Pharsin” — it was the wording of Colorado’s Initiative 64.
The federales don’t have the manpower to enforce federal law in the 50 states, or the constitutional authority to dictate state enforcement of either federal law much less the nature of state criminal laws.
Courtesy of the citizen initiative, we could be seeing the next major devolution of power away from the nation’s capital.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
6 replies on “Put Federalism In Your Pipe”
State by state affirmation of the 10th Amendment. Obamacare can be nullified the same way.
I am unsure if we should continue the “War on Drugs” or if we should legalize them & go from there. Spain did t & supposedly its working out OK. But, our media would never tell us any differently, now would they?
One thing is positive. So long as our southern border with Mexico remains as unprotected, unsecured, un-controlled, as it currently is & has been for decades, the
‘illegal’ drug problem w ill persist. The drug cartels will find a way to sell drugs, even if we legalize them. Its their thing to make money from dupes & those not willing or able to defend themselves. Securing that border would allow a serious dent to be put into the drug carrtels profit operation. And THAT is the only thing that will give us a break where we could possibly be able to regain control of the drug issue. The border has been the problem & will continue to be. I know many will find every excuae why this is not so. But, until it really is properly secured along the entire over 2,000 miles, all excuses are just lam‑o babble to distort the issues & distract attention from the unsecured border many want open so others can infiltrate w/o hassles.
That’s all we need – more drivers D.U.I. Is there an age limit or is this just a free for all? Food stamps for Mary Jane? The possibilities are endless…
S. Rubicon:
How would “securing the border” (good luck with that) put a “serious dent” in drug cartels profits? All that spending tens of billions annually would accomplish is to screen out less serious competition, thereby raising prices and profits!
In other words, it would have the exact opposite effect you seek.
How could drug cartels “find a way to sell drugs” after they are re-legalized? Since they would be in competition with legal sellers, why would these now-legal drugs be any more profitable than peanuts or spinach?
Regarding partial re-legalization of drugs, I believe you’re confusing Spain with Portugal.
Mark Pickens: Good analysis in a nutshell. So many misunderstand the enormity of the problem that has been created by the War on Drugs. The sooner we unwind this monstrosity the better. Personal civil liberties, militarization of local police, interference in foreign countries and all the unintended consequences will need to be accepted by people as a consequence of the power of the War on Drugs. The deeper one looks into this problem the more frightening it is. If in doubt just keep researching and reading.
PS. Ironically though I have been against this Prohibition program from the 60’s I have never indulged in any illegal drug so it is not an argument I make on personal desire, not that that should matter, but rather an argument for self ownership and against the police power of the state and the destruction it has caused to individuals and to civilization. I do not think I am overstating the damage this mind set of power has caused.
The sooner the states start ‘pushing’ the Federal Government out of their borders, the better things will be for them. EVERY state government should start arresting and expelling ANY federal employee that breaks or ignores state laws.
The feds bully them because the states don’t push back. At what point does the Fed have to cause so much social dysfunction that state governments finally say,“No More!”