Fight ‘Em ‘Til We Can’t

According to some (or is it most?) Montana judges and prosecutors, possession of illegal drugs is a violent crime. Yeah, mere possession is a violent crime. Why? Because if you possess drugs, you’re connected to the “drug world,” and that world is violent; therefore, you’re contributing to that violence by merely possessing drugs. I’ve heard judges go so far as to imply that a person convicted of CPDD (Criminal Possession of Dangerous Drugs) for a trace amount of meth in a baggie is responsible for murder because people die every day for drugs.

On the one hand, these judges and prosecutors have a point. Everything we do is connected to the larger world in which we do it, whether we’re talking about buying tennis shoes made in a sweatshop or buying illegal drugs. On the other hand, these judges and prosecutors are sickeningly self-serving in their attempt to connect one act (drug possession) with its larger world consequences. If you ask these same people why this person is addicted to drugs, they’ll likely tell you that there’s something wrong with the addict—it’s a personal flaw. The addict made bad choices and must be held personally responsible for those choices. So while the addict’s possession of drugs is closely-connected to larger world causes and consequences, the addict’s addiction is entirely isolated and personal with no connection whatsoever to the larger world in which that person lives.

It all makes perfect sense, don’t you think? [tags]drugs[/tags]