1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: From UFOs to ghosts and government cover ups. History is 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: writtened with unexplained events. You can turn back now or 3 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:15,680 Speaker 1: learn the stuff they don't want you to now. Hello, 4 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:18,239 Speaker 1: and welcome back to the show. My name is Matt 5 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:21,800 Speaker 1: and I'm Ben not a cop Bowland, and that over 6 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 1: there is Noel Brown. Ladies and gentlemen are famous super 7 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:29,640 Speaker 1: producer Noel Brown. Could we get some sirens at the 8 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:36,760 Speaker 1: top of your role? Perfect? Oh? Why why are there 9 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:40,640 Speaker 1: cops here? Well, that's one of the reasons why I 10 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:42,320 Speaker 1: said that I am not a cop, but I'm not 11 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,680 Speaker 1: so sure about you. Met. Uh. Today, we have some 12 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:50,239 Speaker 1: sirens and some imaginary police officers here to help us 13 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 1: out with a very sticky controversial subject, Ladies and gentlemen, 14 00:00:55,480 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: the war on drugs. Well, let's get right into it. 15 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 1: What the heck is it? Where did it come from? 16 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 1: How did it start? Oh? Yeah, okay, So the phrase 17 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:08,959 Speaker 1: the war on drugs is actually not that old. It 18 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: goes back to nineteen seventy one. On June the president 19 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:18,480 Speaker 1: of the time, Richard Nixon, held a press conference, and 20 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 1: this was the day after he had given a special 21 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: message to the Congress on Drug abuse Prevention and Control. 22 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: So During this press conference, Matt he says that drug 23 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:32,760 Speaker 1: abuse is public enemy number one, and he says that 24 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:36,200 Speaker 1: he's going to devote more money to here. Here's the 25 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:39,119 Speaker 1: first time he was ever said the war on drugs. 26 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:42,039 Speaker 1: So this phrase the war on drugs really just got 27 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:44,400 Speaker 1: taken up by the media and it was used all 28 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: over the place. UM. And the way we think about 29 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:51,560 Speaker 1: the war on drugs now in at least when we're 30 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: putting this out is a little different than maybe the 31 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:59,560 Speaker 1: way it was presented at the time. In the beginning, 32 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 1: it was is you know, about trying to help people 33 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:07,840 Speaker 1: rehabilitate drug users. Uh, it was about preventing new addicts 34 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:13,240 Speaker 1: from getting addicted. Um. But that kind of that message, 35 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 1: let's say, UM, was kind of put in different places 36 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: and we'll go maybe go over some of those other organizations, 37 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:26,680 Speaker 1: but it was focused on just the word war focuses 38 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 1: you on like battle guns, like grenades, all kinds of 39 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: crazy things. At least those images are are created in 40 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: your head when you hear that phrase, right, Yeah, And 41 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:42,959 Speaker 1: it's also a war on an idea, which is what 42 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 1: what drug use. I guess you could argue that it's 43 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 1: a war on a specific thing, but I think it's 44 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:52,800 Speaker 1: more a war on an activity, which is people using drugs. 45 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,360 Speaker 1: And you make a very interesting point about portraying this 46 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 1: as a war sort of criminalizes that people who are addicted, 47 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:05,520 Speaker 1: and in other countries addiction is often treated like a disease. Right. Uh, 48 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:09,840 Speaker 1: But we know, as you said, that the war on 49 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 1: drugs has evolved from its rehabilitative aims that that were 50 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: part of it. I mean, they always wanted to criminalize drugs, 51 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 1: but part of it was rehabilitation and helping with community 52 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:27,679 Speaker 1: oriented solutions. But today, guys, the war on drugs in 53 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:32,080 Speaker 1: the United States takes an estimated fifty one billion with 54 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 1: a b dollars of the US budget. That's according to 55 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 1: the Drug Policy Alliance. And for everybody who's listening now 56 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: and saying, you guys, don't be shallow, the war on 57 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:47,480 Speaker 1: drugs didn't start in the seventies. It goes way way back. Well, 58 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 1: we know, we looked into it. Oh absolutely, Uh. The 59 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 1: US has always had an adversarial relationship with drugs because, 60 00:03:56,920 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 1: you know, we we think of drugs as a bad thing, 61 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: an immoral thing to do, at least in the moral 62 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: code of let's say, Christianity. Just as one. Yeah, as 63 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:11,560 Speaker 1: one example, Um, something you're not supposed to do. So 64 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:15,040 Speaker 1: the first drug laws actually surfaced way back in the 65 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:19,480 Speaker 1: eighteen sixties. Yea, all those books, Yeah, those were opium related, 66 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: I think, um, and those were local as well. Right. 67 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:25,599 Speaker 1: Then the first law that restricted drugs on like a 68 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:30,040 Speaker 1: national level was the Harrison Narcotics Act of nineteen fourteen, 69 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:33,680 Speaker 1: and that was related to again, opium, was trying to 70 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 1: tax opium as well as cocaine. Yeah, and at this 71 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 1: time we see cocaine being illegal unless you are an 72 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 1: individual or a company with a license. Now I have uh, 73 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:52,039 Speaker 1: I have no real idea and full disclosure, Matt Noel 74 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 1: and I are not drug dealers, nor to my knowledge, 75 00:04:56,480 --> 00:04:59,720 Speaker 1: drug addicts. Well, I got caffeine. I got a caffeine monkey. Yeah, 76 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:04,440 Speaker 1: I've got several that are currently legal. Okay, all right, um, 77 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:08,760 Speaker 1: but we know that, you know, the idea that an 78 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:11,880 Speaker 1: individual could get a license got to be crazy, Like 79 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:14,160 Speaker 1: that guy had the best pickup line at the bar, right, 80 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:17,480 Speaker 1: It's like, oh, here, let me show you my license. 81 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:21,560 Speaker 1: I've got my opium license. Yeah. Yeah. So let's just 82 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:27,159 Speaker 1: fast forward past alcohol prohibition, that huge debacle from nineteen 83 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 1: thirty three, because it did not work. It did give 84 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 1: us several political dynasties that started out as criminals. Oh yeah, 85 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:38,000 Speaker 1: tons of those, and fun little secret bars that are 86 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:40,960 Speaker 1: really popular now speakeasies that you can go to and 87 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,880 Speaker 1: find a hidden door somewhere. The cottage industry of creative 88 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:49,279 Speaker 1: people making moonshine, I mean Prohibition. Uh, this is a 89 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:51,800 Speaker 1: scary thing. It will come up later and many ways. 90 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 1: Prohibition was fantastic for parts of the U. S. Economy, 91 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:58,360 Speaker 1: but at the same time it had a bloody history. 92 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 1: So many people died during Prohibition. Uh, not only from 93 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:07,880 Speaker 1: being shot by authorities or authorities being shot by uh 94 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 1: you know, moonshiners or whoever is trying to make the 95 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:16,360 Speaker 1: stuff a bootleggers, people getting killed from poisoned alcohol and 96 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:20,960 Speaker 1: yeah rock cut alcohol that wasn't made correctly. Yeah that 97 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:26,000 Speaker 1: because without going into all of the specifics of how 98 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:30,880 Speaker 1: to create moonshine, um, which some which my family knows about. Uh, 99 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:33,480 Speaker 1: we can point you to I believe stuff you should 100 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:35,720 Speaker 1: know as an episode on moonshine, and they do a 101 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:40,360 Speaker 1: great job explaining how to make this uh strange, fantastic, 102 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:46,839 Speaker 1: potentially blinding drink. But we do know that marijuana was 103 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:50,480 Speaker 1: also one of the things that fell under the purview 104 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:53,960 Speaker 1: of drug laws, the Marijuana Transfer Tax Act. And this 105 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:57,560 Speaker 1: thing has its own bunch of conspiracy theories, right, Matt. 106 00:06:57,560 --> 00:07:00,680 Speaker 1: It passed in seven Well, what were some of the 107 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:03,560 Speaker 1: theories about why it's illegal. Well, there are a couple 108 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:06,760 Speaker 1: of theories about hemp um and hemp production and how 109 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:10,040 Speaker 1: that might take over other textile industries at the time 110 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:14,840 Speaker 1: of cotton specifically. Yeah, I remember that at the time. 111 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:17,880 Speaker 1: The the idea is that at the time William Randolph 112 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:22,160 Speaker 1: Hurst newspaper tycoon. I love the word tycoon, get to 113 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:25,360 Speaker 1: use it very often, but this guy was legit tycoon. Yeah. 114 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:30,640 Speaker 1: There could have been a William Randolph Hurst Tycoon video game. Yeah. 115 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:32,040 Speaker 1: I wonder if they're going to come out with a 116 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:36,680 Speaker 1: Simhurst or something. Uh. Anyhow, this so this Hearst guy. 117 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:40,040 Speaker 1: As the story goes, and listeners most of you already 118 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:43,440 Speaker 1: know this. As the story goes, this guy owned acres 119 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:47,080 Speaker 1: and acres and acres and acres of timber, and with 120 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:52,600 Speaker 1: the invention of a new device, Decourse Raider or something, 121 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:57,080 Speaker 1: hemp all of a sudden became a primary competitor and 122 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:01,040 Speaker 1: was a more efficient plant for the creation of paper 123 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:05,520 Speaker 1: right and other industrial products rope, et cetera. Uh, And 124 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:09,480 Speaker 1: that the story goes that Hurst cooperated with some of 125 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:14,360 Speaker 1: his other buddies in power to shut down the industry, 126 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:18,680 Speaker 1: the burgeoning marijuana or himp industry, and one of the 127 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:21,640 Speaker 1: ways they did that was to put out propaganda pieces 128 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,240 Speaker 1: about the Remember the I think I think one of 129 00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:28,160 Speaker 1: the ones we ran in our marijuana video was the 130 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:35,520 Speaker 1: devil weed weed. Yeah. It preyed upon these horrible, horrible 131 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:43,599 Speaker 1: depictions of like, uh, the caricatures of people who were Mexican, 132 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 1: and they were drawn as these like pseudo human monsters 133 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:53,040 Speaker 1: that were of course, you know, all after the white women. 134 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:56,640 Speaker 1: And if yeah, and if if a young lady of 135 00:08:56,720 --> 00:09:01,080 Speaker 1: otherwise good moral standing was foolish enough to smoke reefer 136 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:06,280 Speaker 1: in a jazz club, oh man, you the terrible things 137 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:08,280 Speaker 1: that would happen to her, It's the end of America 138 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:12,840 Speaker 1: right there, right, Yeah, it is. So we know that this, um, 139 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:16,720 Speaker 1: we know that there are other conspiracy theories that maybe 140 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:19,520 Speaker 1: this was something to do with the depots and the 141 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:22,920 Speaker 1: invention of nylon, and they wanted to use that instead. 142 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:28,719 Speaker 1: Most of these conspiracy theories are related to industrial competition, 143 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:34,760 Speaker 1: but have not been conclusively proven. At this point, I 144 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:37,240 Speaker 1: think it's important to say that, Yeah, absolutely there are 145 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:40,600 Speaker 1: holes in some of those stories. Their holes, but you know, 146 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:43,080 Speaker 1: on the other side, they do point to just the 147 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 1: powerful trying to remain powerful. I mean, somebody paid for 148 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:52,680 Speaker 1: those propaganda pieces. Right of Marijuana Madness, which is um 149 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 1: that reminds me of that that film Reefer Madness. See that. 150 00:09:56,720 --> 00:09:59,120 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I have a copy of it on my computer. Actually, 151 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:02,520 Speaker 1: I've think that you know, I'm not gonna name names, 152 00:10:02,559 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 1: but one of my extended family members watch this and 153 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:08,200 Speaker 1: I don't think they understood it was a comedy. Yeah, yeah, 154 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:12,640 Speaker 1: I don't know how you couldn't get it. Ah yeah, 155 00:10:12,720 --> 00:10:15,280 Speaker 1: I guess you're just if you don't have the right 156 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:19,200 Speaker 1: frame older person to I mean I felt like that 157 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 1: had that he said. But okay, So we have this 158 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:27,120 Speaker 1: history of all these different attempts to um criminalize, prohibit, 159 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:31,640 Speaker 1: or completely eradicate drugs and drug trades. Here's the million 160 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:38,000 Speaker 1: dollar question. Has the war on drugs worked well? Listener? 161 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:42,040 Speaker 1: What do you think since V one the drug war 162 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 1: has officially been on, It's been waged. We're in the 163 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:47,800 Speaker 1: middle of it right now. Front lines, well, not us, 164 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:53,520 Speaker 1: but like the d hopefully not us. Hopefully never us. No. 165 00:10:53,640 --> 00:10:57,520 Speaker 1: But but honestly, do you think the just sitting there 166 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:00,719 Speaker 1: listening to this, do you think the availability of drugs 167 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:06,960 Speaker 1: has increased or decreased since nine? Well, the answer is 168 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:12,319 Speaker 1: it's increased a lot, depending on which drugs we're talking about, right, Sure, 169 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:15,040 Speaker 1: there are a couple of drugs that slipped through the cracks. 170 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:21,320 Speaker 1: Uh ludes, coludes were prescription drugs. Oh, good point, yeah, 171 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:26,080 Speaker 1: because my example, Um, yeah, and we'll explore some uh 172 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:30,439 Speaker 1: some different arguments for against prohibition and whether or not 173 00:11:30,559 --> 00:11:37,240 Speaker 1: it is effective. Because any any law that criminalizes a drug, right, 174 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:43,320 Speaker 1: whether it be caffeine, adderall crack, cocaine, or quaaludes. Uh, 175 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:47,600 Speaker 1: that is essentially prohibitive law. It's you cannot do something 176 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:52,200 Speaker 1: versus a you must do something. So, so if we 177 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:56,319 Speaker 1: ask has the war on drugs worked? Very interesting thing here, 178 00:11:56,360 --> 00:12:00,360 Speaker 1: my friends, because what we're really what we're really answering there, Uh, 179 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:03,720 Speaker 1: it depends on who you are as whether or not 180 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:05,720 Speaker 1: it's worked. So if the goal was to stop the 181 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:10,559 Speaker 1: availability of drugs, as you said, then clearly that hasn't happened. 182 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:15,120 Speaker 1: I mean, teenagers and multiple polls find it easier to 183 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:18,880 Speaker 1: get marijuana or cocaine than it is to buy alcohol, 184 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:21,440 Speaker 1: which is legal. You know, Yeah, you need an ID 185 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:24,400 Speaker 1: to get alcohol, or you know, at least somebody who 186 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:26,080 Speaker 1: will go in there and get it for you, Yeah, 187 00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:27,640 Speaker 1: whereas you just need to go to the right like 188 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:32,640 Speaker 1: fish concert to get spot yeah, or I mean just 189 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:37,079 Speaker 1: college campus or wherever. I mean, it's it's it's terrifying. Yeah, 190 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:41,760 Speaker 1: it's terrifying how available that any of those drugs are, right, 191 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:45,160 Speaker 1: because it shows that things don't work. But what if 192 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:50,559 Speaker 1: the goal of US drug policy isn't about eradicating the 193 00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:52,880 Speaker 1: drug trade? What do you mean? Of course it is. 194 00:12:54,440 --> 00:12:58,600 Speaker 1: Here's where it gets crazy. After a word from our 195 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:09,200 Speaker 1: sponsors and we are back. Okay, So we left off saying, 196 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:14,600 Speaker 1: what if the US drug policy goals weren't necessarily oriented 197 00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:17,080 Speaker 1: towards eradicating the drug trade? What if they were more 198 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:22,880 Speaker 1: towards managing it or using it to do something else like, oh, 199 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:27,440 Speaker 1: I don't know, increased budgets or police departments and federal 200 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:31,880 Speaker 1: agencies across the board. Yeah, that's true. That's a definite 201 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:34,840 Speaker 1: thing that has happened. If you if you think the 202 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:38,360 Speaker 1: War on drugs is a failure. Right. Uh, then you 203 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:41,400 Speaker 1: are like three out of four Americans in two thousand 204 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:45,280 Speaker 1: and eight. How insane is that? Right? In democracies Now, 205 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:48,240 Speaker 1: the US is a republic, but in a democratic system, 206 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:52,280 Speaker 1: a number that high is supposed to be a clear message, 207 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 1: right yeah, Um, depending upon who they're representing at the time. 208 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:03,959 Speaker 1: We know that the war on drugs created soaring incarceration rates. 209 00:14:04,160 --> 00:14:06,720 Speaker 1: We've got some scary numbers about it, that's right, Ben. 210 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:11,080 Speaker 1: With just five percent of the total world population, the 211 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:17,680 Speaker 1: US has of the world's prisoners, So that means that proportionately, 212 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:23,960 Speaker 1: we lead the world just hugely, big time. We leave 213 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:29,120 Speaker 1: for people who use the word freedom so often in conversation, 214 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:31,760 Speaker 1: I know how cynical this sounds. We put a lot 215 00:14:31,800 --> 00:14:34,680 Speaker 1: of people in jail. It doesn't matter what your political stances. 216 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:36,400 Speaker 1: We put a lot of people in jail, and then 217 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:38,560 Speaker 1: a lot of people are there for drug offenses. And 218 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:41,800 Speaker 1: we don't do it for everybody. Ben, as most of 219 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:46,720 Speaker 1: us know, Um, dis disproportionately, these laws end up in 220 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:54,640 Speaker 1: prisoning minorities like way more than let's say, white people. Ah. Yes, 221 00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:56,840 Speaker 1: So just for some perspective here in two thousand eight, 222 00:14:56,880 --> 00:15:00,480 Speaker 1: Washington Posts found that of the one point five million 223 00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:04,480 Speaker 1: Americans arrested each year for drugs, half a million would 224 00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:09,040 Speaker 1: be incarcerated five hundred thousand a year. And of those 225 00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:13,560 Speaker 1: five hundred thousand, uh, the majority are going to be minorities, 226 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:18,760 Speaker 1: especially African Americans. So this translates to one in five 227 00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:22,840 Speaker 1: Black Americans, uh in estimation, one in five Black Americans 228 00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:26,600 Speaker 1: spending time behind bars due to drug laws and these 229 00:15:26,680 --> 00:15:30,400 Speaker 1: kind of statistics. They're overwhelming, first of all, but they're 230 00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:35,120 Speaker 1: also leading people uh, such as Michelle Alexander, who's a critic. 231 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:38,680 Speaker 1: She says that mass in car incarceration is kind of 232 00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:42,560 Speaker 1: the new Jim Crow, which if we remember the Jim 233 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:46,280 Speaker 1: Crow laws, they were meant to I don't know a 234 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:49,360 Speaker 1: good way to say, it's stifle the African American uh 235 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:53,800 Speaker 1: set of rights. Right, yeah, Jim Crow laws come in, uh, 236 00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:58,359 Speaker 1: you know in the period between slavery and uh legalized 237 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:01,800 Speaker 1: quality thinks the civil rights Uh Jim Crow laws were 238 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:07,000 Speaker 1: another way to repress and manage the United States Black 239 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:15,000 Speaker 1: population through what was in many ways systematized enslavement under 240 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:17,560 Speaker 1: a different name. I mean, we're not talking a lot 241 00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:19,800 Speaker 1: of people they hear Jim crow law, and they think 242 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:23,880 Speaker 1: separate water fountains, right, separate restrooms, separate entrances. But this 243 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:28,880 Speaker 1: is also something like enforced work, right, Like you are 244 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:31,720 Speaker 1: locked up for an arbitrary reason and then made to 245 00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:36,240 Speaker 1: work for uh some of the same companies and in 246 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:39,560 Speaker 1: early days, some of the same people who thought it 247 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:41,800 Speaker 1: was a good idea to have slaves in the first place. Yeah, 248 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:43,960 Speaker 1: it's interesting that you use the word management again, Ben, 249 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:47,080 Speaker 1: because it's something that we're finding throughout this this series 250 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:52,160 Speaker 1: here just trying to manage manage populations in this weird 251 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:55,400 Speaker 1: way without showing the hand of the manager because the 252 00:16:55,480 --> 00:17:00,600 Speaker 1: laws to meet are these rigid structures. Um, they're faceless. Yeah, 253 00:17:00,640 --> 00:17:04,119 Speaker 1: it's their ideas. So that I think that's a really 254 00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:07,520 Speaker 1: good point. Now I want to be completely fair and 255 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:10,760 Speaker 1: point out that later on in the podcast we're going 256 00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 1: to talk about the arguments for this prohibition, right and clearly, 257 00:17:17,840 --> 00:17:23,159 Speaker 1: clearly not everyone thinks that there is some overarching conspiracy 258 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:29,440 Speaker 1: to re enslave um the black population, minority populations. So 259 00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:33,760 Speaker 1: one of the questions there is, um, is this disproportionate 260 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:40,120 Speaker 1: incarceration occurring on purpose or is it the culmination of 261 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:43,760 Speaker 1: a bunch of short term decisions such as politicians who 262 00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:46,840 Speaker 1: want to be tough on crime. That's great for votes, right, 263 00:17:47,440 --> 00:17:52,040 Speaker 1: and uh, and also a socioeconomic situation of vast spots 264 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:57,040 Speaker 1: of a population, that's true. Yeah, So what what is 265 00:17:57,240 --> 00:18:02,840 Speaker 1: the cause? Is there and orchestrated cause here? And are 266 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:06,560 Speaker 1: drug laws? Excuse me? Are drug laws part of this? 267 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:10,359 Speaker 1: You know, some drugs have been disproportionately legislated, and I'm 268 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:11,800 Speaker 1: sure a lot of people are waiting for us to 269 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:15,560 Speaker 1: get to this. Uh. The famous one hundred to one 270 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:22,359 Speaker 1: sentencing disparity for possession of crack cocaine versus powder cocaine. Uh, 271 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:26,119 Speaker 1: that's crazy talk. Yeah, And what causes that? Why the 272 00:18:26,119 --> 00:18:28,280 Speaker 1: heck is that even a thing? Is it some kind 273 00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:32,320 Speaker 1: of media based panic, like a racial bias that's happening 274 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:37,040 Speaker 1: in the media, um or even in the law enforcement system. Yeah, 275 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:40,480 Speaker 1: that's a good question. Uh. I everything that I've heard 276 00:18:40,560 --> 00:18:44,399 Speaker 1: of crack sounds terrifying to me. It's one of those 277 00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:47,679 Speaker 1: it's one of those things where just I'm not passing 278 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:50,240 Speaker 1: judgment on people, met, but it's one of those things 279 00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:53,440 Speaker 1: where I always wonder, like, what is the thought process 280 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:56,120 Speaker 1: that makes you say, you know, what is a good 281 00:18:56,119 --> 00:19:03,920 Speaker 1: idea today crack cocaine. Yeah, I have some unfortunately personal experiences, uh, 282 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:07,240 Speaker 1: dealing with somebody who's addicted to crack cocaine that I'm 283 00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:08,680 Speaker 1: not going to talk about right here, but I can 284 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:12,200 Speaker 1: just say that it is pretty freaking horrendous and it's 285 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:15,400 Speaker 1: definitely not you know, I just want to establish absolutely 286 00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:19,840 Speaker 1: it's it's not it's not you, it's not null. Wait 287 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:22,880 Speaker 1: is it me that I black out and do the crack? So, 288 00:19:23,119 --> 00:19:25,560 Speaker 1: I mean, we're making light of a very serious thing. 289 00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:29,720 Speaker 1: But the truth of the matter is that for a 290 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:34,800 Speaker 1: long time, Uh, this this sort of disparity in sentencing 291 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:39,160 Speaker 1: resulted in a lot of people who had the same 292 00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:42,920 Speaker 1: amount of cocaine in a in a crack form going 293 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:46,800 Speaker 1: to jail for much much longer if the cocaine possessor 294 00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 1: eil went to jail at all. Yeah, because the truth 295 00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:52,960 Speaker 1: is right that, um, they found that there were demographics 296 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:59,080 Speaker 1: to drug use, and uh, people in power would probably 297 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:02,920 Speaker 1: not smoke crack, but they might do cocaine, and they 298 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:07,720 Speaker 1: got lighter sentencing until what two thousand ten, Yeah, and 299 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:11,240 Speaker 1: two thousands ten Obama signed the Fair Sentencing Act to 300 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:15,000 Speaker 1: try at least and reduce this disparity. We'll see if 301 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:18,919 Speaker 1: it works out. So I want to go back to 302 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:21,520 Speaker 1: what you said earlier, because you made one of the 303 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:23,399 Speaker 1: biggest and best points that I know a lot of 304 00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:26,879 Speaker 1: people are waiting for out there, which is a financial 305 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:30,200 Speaker 1: interest in the drug war. The idea that the war 306 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:37,119 Speaker 1: on drugs is a um a guaranteed boon or piece 307 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:39,400 Speaker 1: of the American economy. I mean, what do you think. 308 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:45,160 Speaker 1: I absolutely believe that. Um. I mean, the economy as 309 00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:49,320 Speaker 1: a whole seems to churn on a couple of different things, 310 00:20:49,359 --> 00:20:52,399 Speaker 1: and one of them is the drug trade because of 311 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:56,080 Speaker 1: the law enforcement angle and the incarceration efforts, and think 312 00:20:56,119 --> 00:20:59,960 Speaker 1: about the private prisons now and the amount of money 313 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:03,080 Speaker 1: it goes into and comes out of private prisons. I 314 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:08,000 Speaker 1: guess also it's a it's a boom to the legislative 315 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:13,159 Speaker 1: industry or litic litigious industry. Yeah. Well, the drug a 316 00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:16,080 Speaker 1: drug or drugs in general is a great enemy to 317 00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:20,919 Speaker 1: have to wage a war on, at least from that standpoint, because, 318 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:23,720 Speaker 1: like you said, it's nameless, it's faceless, it doesn't really 319 00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:27,560 Speaker 1: ever die. Like, how how do you extinguish drugs completely? 320 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:30,960 Speaker 1: I just can I go on here? If we were 321 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:35,240 Speaker 1: to wage wars on ideas. I would like to wage 322 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:40,239 Speaker 1: wars on things like literacy, things like a war on uh, 323 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:44,960 Speaker 1: a war on water contamination, a war on poverty would 324 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:46,720 Speaker 1: be a great thing for a lot of Americans. And 325 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:49,720 Speaker 1: you're a good hearted person. Well, I'd never be elected, 326 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:51,919 Speaker 1: but thank you for saying so. And I think I 327 00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:56,480 Speaker 1: think earlier another US president did declare war on poverty, 328 00:21:56,520 --> 00:22:00,680 Speaker 1: but it didn't carry as much attention. There's not a 329 00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:04,440 Speaker 1: lot of money and stopping prop poverty, there's a lot 330 00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:07,399 Speaker 1: of money that comes out. Yeah, there's a lot of 331 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:12,960 Speaker 1: money invested in arresting marijuana users. In two thousand nine, Uh, 332 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:18,879 Speaker 1: the US spent and estimated seven billion dollars arresting people 333 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:22,479 Speaker 1: for what I imagine is I imagine that's everything. So 334 00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:28,960 Speaker 1: that's like possession, distribution growing, I guess too. Uh. And 335 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:33,320 Speaker 1: we know that drugs are also pretty good source of 336 00:22:33,320 --> 00:22:36,880 Speaker 1: profit while they were illegal, right, Oh yeah, because inside 337 00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:41,040 Speaker 1: this black market, the demand is never changed really for 338 00:22:41,119 --> 00:22:44,760 Speaker 1: drugs over time. There's always somebody, like a lot of 339 00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:47,959 Speaker 1: people who want drugs. And if you if you control 340 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:51,720 Speaker 1: the market that you know there aren't a lot of competitors, 341 00:22:52,359 --> 00:22:55,360 Speaker 1: you're making money. We're looking at profit margins, I mean 342 00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:59,520 Speaker 1: over oh, yeah, easily. And you know, there's a question 343 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:05,520 Speaker 1: about whether drug cartels would want US drug laws to change. 344 00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:09,160 Speaker 1: You know, if it became legal, then the people swooping 345 00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:13,480 Speaker 1: in would be multinational corporations with one hell of a 346 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:20,080 Speaker 1: war chest. Yeah, tax money out of you. So yeah, 347 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:24,240 Speaker 1: there's a huge incentive to Perhaps that is that is weird, 348 00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:26,680 Speaker 1: that's an angle. I've never thought about the incentive of 349 00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:30,879 Speaker 1: the cartels to maintain the drug war. Yeah, I wonder, 350 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:33,280 Speaker 1: I wonder if it's true. Now. You know, we have 351 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:37,840 Speaker 1: some listeners in our audience who are in law enforcement. 352 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:41,919 Speaker 1: And one thing I think happens that is unfair that 353 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:44,879 Speaker 1: we should talk about here is that a lot of 354 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:48,040 Speaker 1: the people that you know, you will meet if you 355 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:52,000 Speaker 1: just are on the street level, taking a street level 356 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:54,800 Speaker 1: look at crime, right, A lot of the people who 357 00:23:54,800 --> 00:23:59,800 Speaker 1: are responsible for arresting someone, right, they don't make the laws. 358 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:02,879 Speaker 1: It's their job. They have to do it, you know, 359 00:24:03,080 --> 00:24:06,159 Speaker 1: It's it's probably criminal for them not to. And I 360 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:10,120 Speaker 1: think it's strange that these people, these people who are 361 00:24:10,119 --> 00:24:12,840 Speaker 1: on the front lines of the war on drugs, right, Uh, 362 00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:16,640 Speaker 1: they're the ones who get so much of the criticism 363 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:19,720 Speaker 1: and so much of the flak. And you know, it's 364 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:22,800 Speaker 1: the same with the street level drug dealers, right, they 365 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:25,760 Speaker 1: get most of the prison time, but uh not the 366 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:28,080 Speaker 1: guys at the top of the pyramid, you know, on 367 00:24:28,119 --> 00:24:32,000 Speaker 1: the other side. And you have to wonder sometimes how 368 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:37,399 Speaker 1: often the tops of these two competing pyramids talk and 369 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:40,920 Speaker 1: if they work in unison. Um, that's you know, that's 370 00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:46,240 Speaker 1: the big that's the that's the big question. Um. So 371 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:50,840 Speaker 1: what I wanted to ask you, Matt, is if we 372 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:54,280 Speaker 1: could talk a little bit about some of the drug 373 00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:57,760 Speaker 1: war stuff that we have covered in our past videos. 374 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:02,000 Speaker 1: We have a whole bunch, right, Uh. I'm trying to 375 00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:05,520 Speaker 1: think just the numbers. I remember in our original War 376 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:07,760 Speaker 1: on Drugs episode where we had the little ticker in 377 00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:10,200 Speaker 1: the side that shows how much money is being spent 378 00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:13,600 Speaker 1: by the US government on the War on drugs every second, yeah, 379 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:15,960 Speaker 1: real time while you're watching the video, and it was 380 00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:17,640 Speaker 1: it wasn't a huge amount. I think it was five 381 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:20,480 Speaker 1: hundred dollars a second. I think that's what it was. 382 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:22,960 Speaker 1: I mean, when you hear that, that sounds like a 383 00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:25,200 Speaker 1: lot of money for you or I or most of 384 00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:29,119 Speaker 1: the people listening, except for that one other tycoon remember 385 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:34,679 Speaker 1: from the Bahamas? Yeah, yeah, anyway, yeah ready, uh no, 386 00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:36,600 Speaker 1: but okay, so it doesn't sound like that much money. 387 00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:38,399 Speaker 1: But then when you when you look at it, you 388 00:25:38,440 --> 00:25:41,040 Speaker 1: watch this video, which is only three and a half, 389 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:43,439 Speaker 1: I forget how many ships it is, but you just 390 00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:46,200 Speaker 1: see this massive number at the end, you realize, my god, 391 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:48,080 Speaker 1: the amount of time it took me to watch this video, 392 00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:52,480 Speaker 1: a hundred thousand dollars would just spent. Well, here's let's 393 00:25:52,520 --> 00:25:55,000 Speaker 1: change directions a little bit then, because this leads us 394 00:25:55,000 --> 00:26:00,920 Speaker 1: to a great question. Arguments for against prohibition. Uh, do 395 00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:07,159 Speaker 1: you think that the current drug laws work or that 396 00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:11,960 Speaker 1: there I guess that the system in place is preferable 397 00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:15,320 Speaker 1: to other systems. Well, like you said, the system right 398 00:26:15,359 --> 00:26:19,800 Speaker 1: now arrests pawns, and it gets pawns, you know, and 399 00:26:19,880 --> 00:26:22,000 Speaker 1: and there's a horrible way to look at it, but 400 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:25,679 Speaker 1: pawns in the police department, the guys on the front lines, 401 00:26:26,119 --> 00:26:28,760 Speaker 1: the little man who's actually out there trying to fight 402 00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:32,080 Speaker 1: the war gets killed, you know, and the low level 403 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:35,480 Speaker 1: drug dealer gets arrested or killed. I don't think that 404 00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:40,240 Speaker 1: works to solve anything. That just creates a perpetual pawn 405 00:26:41,080 --> 00:26:46,240 Speaker 1: death thing. So just a war of attrition. Yeah, war progress. 406 00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:48,720 Speaker 1: To me, that's that's what I see. And you're saying 407 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:52,080 Speaker 1: in your saying ponds completely and I'm not solely in 408 00:26:52,119 --> 00:26:54,480 Speaker 1: the chess game, and not in derogatory sense. I'm just 409 00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:58,040 Speaker 1: you know, you're sending your low level guys out to 410 00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:00,320 Speaker 1: fight a war, literally, to fight a war, and you 411 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:04,480 Speaker 1: never get to see the bishop make an entrance. Now 412 00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:06,879 Speaker 1: you would say, you know, it's interesting you say that 413 00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:10,640 Speaker 1: because there are there are people who say that prohibition 414 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:15,399 Speaker 1: in the United States does work because a smaller amount 415 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:20,000 Speaker 1: of our population uses opium, for instance, versus those who 416 00:27:20,119 --> 00:27:25,200 Speaker 1: use something legal, such as alcohol. So what what would 417 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:27,639 Speaker 1: you say to that? I guess this is what I 418 00:27:27,640 --> 00:27:30,160 Speaker 1: would do. I would go into the argument about the 419 00:27:30,320 --> 00:27:35,200 Speaker 1: health consequences of drug X versus drug y. Okay, I see, 420 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:39,679 Speaker 1: So maybe schedule drugs based on that? Well, yeah, I mean, 421 00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:41,520 Speaker 1: there are a lot of things you could schedule them on. 422 00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:46,120 Speaker 1: It's just the way that drugs are currently scheduled. Even 423 00:27:46,160 --> 00:27:48,600 Speaker 1: if we just look I mean, honestly, let's just look 424 00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:52,040 Speaker 1: at marijuana versus alcohol. And this has been done so 425 00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:55,000 Speaker 1: many times. You've heard this over and over all. Your listeners. 426 00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:59,760 Speaker 1: But the known health effects of alcohol versus the known 427 00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:03,119 Speaker 1: health effects of marijuana are there's a huge disparity there where. 428 00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:05,360 Speaker 1: You know, with alcohol, you can if you consume enough, 429 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:08,800 Speaker 1: get alcohol poisoning. If you consume enough and you drive 430 00:28:08,880 --> 00:28:11,920 Speaker 1: a vehicle or you know, use other heavy machinery, either 431 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:15,000 Speaker 1: way it impairs you, you are most likely going to 432 00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:20,000 Speaker 1: hurt yourself or somebody else. Um, alcohol is legal, Alcohol 433 00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:22,280 Speaker 1: is good to go. On the other side of marijuana, 434 00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:24,600 Speaker 1: a lot of the studies in there haven't been enough 435 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:27,240 Speaker 1: studies yet at least that we can cite. But it 436 00:28:27,359 --> 00:28:29,480 Speaker 1: doesn't seem to have the same effects. You don't seem 437 00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:32,120 Speaker 1: to be able to overdose on it and die. Are 438 00:28:32,160 --> 00:28:35,320 Speaker 1: you saying those those posters from the thirties were wrong, 439 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:42,960 Speaker 1: I'm saying they were propaganda. What no, I know, Come on, man, Jazz, 440 00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:47,800 Speaker 1: really that's true. So I'm just messing with you. But 441 00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:51,800 Speaker 1: but yeah, that's you know, that's a that's definitely a 442 00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:55,320 Speaker 1: valid argument that I see there. Um. I know that 443 00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:59,440 Speaker 1: when I've spoken to people who are law enforcement officers, 444 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:05,479 Speaker 1: the vast majority of them would rather not have to 445 00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:10,320 Speaker 1: waste time and paperwork busting somebody with you know, a 446 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:15,200 Speaker 1: dime bag of pot or something. Because there are people 447 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:20,360 Speaker 1: out there stealing cars, attacking the elderly, things like that 448 00:29:20,360 --> 00:29:23,640 Speaker 1: that should clearly be illegal. That's that's where I would 449 00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:25,600 Speaker 1: draw the line, right, and a lot of people line 450 00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:29,480 Speaker 1: of violent crime. Oh yeah, violent crime absolutely. But that 451 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:34,600 Speaker 1: other thing you mentioned about cocaine versus crack picking, yeah, 452 00:29:34,360 --> 00:29:37,600 Speaker 1: oh my gosh. I mean there have been numerous exposes 453 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:41,920 Speaker 1: about Washington, d c. And the amount of cocaine that 454 00:29:41,960 --> 00:29:45,240 Speaker 1: goes around that city. And you know, not for any 455 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:47,880 Speaker 1: kind of miscreant just running around on the south side 456 00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:49,680 Speaker 1: of town or the north side of town. You're talking 457 00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:54,200 Speaker 1: about the players, Yeah, yeah, the people in the houses 458 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:57,920 Speaker 1: of power, whether corporate or governmental. You know, it's funny 459 00:29:57,920 --> 00:29:59,640 Speaker 1: because one of the things I learned we're looking at 460 00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:06,000 Speaker 1: this practice was that the human species at large seems 461 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:09,840 Speaker 1: to go like nuts over cocaine. Were like that bird 462 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:14,160 Speaker 1: in that Coco Puffs, Uh, that Coco Puffs mascot. It's 463 00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:17,120 Speaker 1: like cuckoo for Coco puffs or whatever. Yeah, people are 464 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:21,200 Speaker 1: cuckoo for cocaine, you know. Uh. The Mayor Rob Ford 465 00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:24,200 Speaker 1: was in the news a lot for his use of 466 00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:26,600 Speaker 1: crack cocaine. So I assume that would be regular cocaine 467 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:29,960 Speaker 1: as well. Um. There was a weird study that came 468 00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:33,360 Speaker 1: out of a few years back that said, um, I 469 00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:38,160 Speaker 1: think there's some towns in Italy where so many people 470 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:40,640 Speaker 1: use cocaine that you can find trace amounts of it 471 00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:44,200 Speaker 1: in the water. Uh. And you know, they're always those 472 00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:46,520 Speaker 1: statistics people like to whip out where they say, like 473 00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:52,240 Speaker 1: of euros or dollars have traces of drugs and fecal 474 00:30:52,320 --> 00:30:54,720 Speaker 1: matter on them and stuff. So I don't know how 475 00:30:55,560 --> 00:31:00,080 Speaker 1: how realistic that is. But then again, I don't know 476 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:04,840 Speaker 1: how realistic it is to try to ban something that's 477 00:31:05,040 --> 00:31:09,440 Speaker 1: so many people indulge in. The only kinds of prohibition 478 00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:12,320 Speaker 1: that seemed to work for a long time in human 479 00:31:12,360 --> 00:31:17,440 Speaker 1: history are religious prohibitions, like dietary restrictions, and it's because 480 00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:22,680 Speaker 1: somebody's God has commanded them not to, so it's voluntary, right. 481 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:25,320 Speaker 1: But I don't know, I'm I'm ranting, I guess a 482 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:28,400 Speaker 1: little bit. It's just it's just strange to me. We 483 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:33,360 Speaker 1: haven't even talked about opium production in Afghanistan during the war, 484 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:36,280 Speaker 1: you know what. Let's talk about that next. But first 485 00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:48,200 Speaker 1: pausible word from our sponsor, UM we're back. So the 486 00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:53,400 Speaker 1: opium trade, the opium war, and the Afghanistan War. Let's 487 00:31:53,400 --> 00:31:57,240 Speaker 1: talk about it, man, Okay. Well, one thing that's interesting 488 00:31:57,400 --> 00:32:03,600 Speaker 1: about the operations in Afghanistan, which I think most of 489 00:32:03,600 --> 00:32:06,640 Speaker 1: the American public was on the same page this was 490 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:12,240 Speaker 1: these were operations to catch terrorists, right, they were after terrorists, 491 00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:18,000 Speaker 1: and they were hoping to stem the flow of terrorism 492 00:32:18,680 --> 00:32:22,840 Speaker 1: at the time. One one unforeseen side effect, at least 493 00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:25,560 Speaker 1: most of the American public didn't see this coming, was 494 00:32:25,600 --> 00:32:30,880 Speaker 1: that opium production in Afghanistan increased their their number of 495 00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:35,560 Speaker 1: possible factors for this. Uh. People who believe there's a 496 00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:40,440 Speaker 1: conspiracy of foot will say that UM intelligence agencies or 497 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:44,800 Speaker 1: private companies wanted to rest control of this of the 498 00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:48,480 Speaker 1: you know, one of the world's prime opium sources and 499 00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:52,640 Speaker 1: uh profit from it. But then other people would say, well, 500 00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:57,440 Speaker 1: that's that's a little bit crazy. What's happening instead is 501 00:32:57,480 --> 00:33:01,080 Speaker 1: that farmers in Afghanistan are finding that is more profitable 502 00:33:01,160 --> 00:33:03,600 Speaker 1: to grow poppies than it is to grow you know, 503 00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:08,280 Speaker 1: other products. Right. Oh yeah, it's it's hugely profitable. And 504 00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:12,280 Speaker 1: you have to think the thought of going into the 505 00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:15,840 Speaker 1: opium fields the you know, and we're talking. This is 506 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:19,000 Speaker 1: one of the largest, if not the largest opium production 507 00:33:19,080 --> 00:33:22,400 Speaker 1: areas in the entire world, right in Afghanistan. So the 508 00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:25,160 Speaker 1: idea of going in there is to stop that money 509 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:27,560 Speaker 1: that would be coming from the profit of the sale 510 00:33:27,560 --> 00:33:31,480 Speaker 1: of that product to fun terrorism. And now you've got 511 00:33:31,480 --> 00:33:34,600 Speaker 1: the soldiers in there, and in theory they're protecting it 512 00:33:34,800 --> 00:33:38,840 Speaker 1: and making sure you know, I guess none gets sold 513 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:42,120 Speaker 1: or you I don't. I mean, I I guess I 514 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:46,640 Speaker 1: just don't understand the operational like what they're doing the goals. Yeah, 515 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:48,840 Speaker 1: you know, it's funny because and this is a bit 516 00:33:48,840 --> 00:33:52,240 Speaker 1: of a tangent. We can do an entirely different series 517 00:33:52,280 --> 00:33:56,760 Speaker 1: about wars. But UH, one thing that was interesting to 518 00:33:56,840 --> 00:34:01,200 Speaker 1: me is that, um, before the United States became involved 519 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:04,520 Speaker 1: in Afghanistan, Uh, there were some discoveries that you and 520 00:34:04,560 --> 00:34:07,400 Speaker 1: I have talked about about large amounts of what are 521 00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:12,759 Speaker 1: called rare earth metals or minerals, and UH, some of 522 00:34:12,800 --> 00:34:17,239 Speaker 1: these deposits rival those found in Mongolia, which is a 523 00:34:17,320 --> 00:34:22,000 Speaker 1: huge source of rare earth materials um and and rare 524 00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:25,719 Speaker 1: earth material is sort of a misnomber because it's relatively 525 00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:29,960 Speaker 1: rare in earth right in the natural world. But if 526 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:33,320 Speaker 1: you live in an industrialized society, it is all around 527 00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:36,080 Speaker 1: you in your smartphone and your microphone. If it has 528 00:34:36,080 --> 00:34:38,440 Speaker 1: a phone on it, then it probably has or if 529 00:34:38,440 --> 00:34:41,520 Speaker 1: there's electronics, I mean, if there's a motherboard, just there's 530 00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:44,600 Speaker 1: some rare earth elements. So I've heard some people say 531 00:34:44,640 --> 00:34:47,600 Speaker 1: that that was one of the actual aims of US 532 00:34:47,680 --> 00:34:51,680 Speaker 1: intervention there. But if you check out our Great Game podcast, 533 00:34:52,080 --> 00:34:56,840 Speaker 1: you will see how the Soviet Union and the United 534 00:34:56,840 --> 00:35:02,080 Speaker 1: States and the UK before it have always fought over 535 00:35:02,160 --> 00:35:06,520 Speaker 1: this part of the world, Eurasia, Central Asia. UM has 536 00:35:06,600 --> 00:35:12,919 Speaker 1: always been a a huge piece of the global hegemonic 537 00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:16,480 Speaker 1: pie that no one can seem to hold for very long. Right, 538 00:35:17,239 --> 00:35:19,400 Speaker 1: It's still really strange to me that after all that 539 00:35:19,480 --> 00:35:24,120 Speaker 1: and thinking about all those factors, the fact is global 540 00:35:24,680 --> 00:35:28,840 Speaker 1: opium production is at an all time high. Yeah, it's increased, 541 00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:32,160 Speaker 1: and we know that there was a much earlier war 542 00:35:32,239 --> 00:35:34,279 Speaker 1: on drugs, and we won't talk too much about today 543 00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:36,319 Speaker 1: because we have a video series about this coming out 544 00:35:36,320 --> 00:35:38,600 Speaker 1: that you guys should check out if you're interested, and 545 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:43,000 Speaker 1: that is on the opium wars, which don't get reported 546 00:35:43,040 --> 00:35:48,160 Speaker 1: that much in Western textbooks nowadays. UM. Maybe because it 547 00:35:48,280 --> 00:35:54,880 Speaker 1: is such a a grossly unethical war um Quick and 548 00:35:54,920 --> 00:36:00,200 Speaker 1: Dirty reader's digest version here. Essentially, the West wanted to 549 00:36:00,239 --> 00:36:04,720 Speaker 1: do more trade with China at the time, right, and 550 00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:09,760 Speaker 1: the problem was that the West, specifically Britain the United Kingdom, 551 00:36:10,040 --> 00:36:17,200 Speaker 1: didn't have anything that China really wanted, right except for opium, 552 00:36:17,239 --> 00:36:19,520 Speaker 1: because they still controlled that in the British Empire. So 553 00:36:19,560 --> 00:36:25,200 Speaker 1: they started trying to uh make trade with opium, right 554 00:36:25,719 --> 00:36:30,120 Speaker 1: and get the population addicted, and China had a problem 555 00:36:30,160 --> 00:36:34,359 Speaker 1: with that, and a war began because of that. It 556 00:36:34,440 --> 00:36:38,200 Speaker 1: was it was literally a drug war. And you're gonna 557 00:36:38,239 --> 00:36:40,440 Speaker 1: find out a lot more about that in the video series, 558 00:36:40,480 --> 00:36:42,719 Speaker 1: so stay tuned, and then we will be making an 559 00:36:42,719 --> 00:36:45,680 Speaker 1: audio podcast about that as well. Yeah we probably should. Yeah, 560 00:36:45,719 --> 00:36:49,520 Speaker 1: so I should stop talking about the war, So let's 561 00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:53,279 Speaker 1: instead talk a little bit more about conspiracy surrounding the 562 00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:56,480 Speaker 1: war on drugs. Other criticisms are that this creates a 563 00:36:56,520 --> 00:37:01,600 Speaker 1: permanent underclass, that current drug policy these in one way 564 00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:07,320 Speaker 1: or another, accelerate inequality. Yeah, so now you have a 565 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:10,640 Speaker 1: large part of the population that has to I mean 566 00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:13,600 Speaker 1: that there isn't really much of a way out of there. 567 00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:18,200 Speaker 1: Let's say situation then to be low level criminal, low 568 00:37:18,280 --> 00:37:21,600 Speaker 1: level person selling drugs because it's profitable enough in the 569 00:37:21,640 --> 00:37:25,799 Speaker 1: short term to maybe get you out of that that situation. UM. 570 00:37:25,800 --> 00:37:28,359 Speaker 1: And then you've also got and I don't know how 571 00:37:28,360 --> 00:37:31,560 Speaker 1: to how to put this, but you have a huge 572 00:37:31,560 --> 00:37:35,000 Speaker 1: amount of job openings for law enforcement, for low level 573 00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:39,279 Speaker 1: law enforcement, um, because you need people to fight the 574 00:37:39,280 --> 00:37:42,959 Speaker 1: battle on the other side. M It's interesting, Yeah, the 575 00:37:42,960 --> 00:37:46,719 Speaker 1: the entry level. And just another thing. I don't know 576 00:37:46,760 --> 00:37:49,000 Speaker 1: if you know this or not, but police officers don't 577 00:37:49,040 --> 00:37:51,239 Speaker 1: get paid very well for the amount of risk they 578 00:37:51,440 --> 00:37:54,919 Speaker 1: go through every day. Yeah, that is absolutely true. That's 579 00:37:54,920 --> 00:37:57,840 Speaker 1: a that's a huge problem. I would say that teachers 580 00:37:57,960 --> 00:38:02,719 Speaker 1: and police officers, e M t s and firefighters are 581 00:38:02,880 --> 00:38:06,880 Speaker 1: some of the most dramatically underpaid people in US society. 582 00:38:07,640 --> 00:38:13,960 Speaker 1: And while we're talking about government jobs, uh, let's go 583 00:38:14,120 --> 00:38:18,200 Speaker 1: to one of your favorite conspiracy theories, met And Uh, 584 00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:21,480 Speaker 1: I guess in some cases it's a conspiracy fact. Is 585 00:38:21,520 --> 00:38:25,120 Speaker 1: it true, Matt, that government agencies have participated in the 586 00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:30,120 Speaker 1: illegal drug trade? Ah? This is a difficult thing to 587 00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:35,560 Speaker 1: prove with cold heart evidence. Although if you if you 588 00:38:35,600 --> 00:38:38,000 Speaker 1: know this one guy's name, you might have a clue. 589 00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:43,000 Speaker 1: Mr Gary Webb. Uh. He was a journalist who stumbled 590 00:38:43,080 --> 00:38:47,680 Speaker 1: upon a story that was probably too big for him 591 00:38:47,800 --> 00:38:51,600 Speaker 1: or for any other singular person to take on. So 592 00:38:51,680 --> 00:38:56,359 Speaker 1: Gary discovered that, at least allegedly, that the CIA was 593 00:38:56,480 --> 00:39:00,640 Speaker 1: trafficking drugs, and uh, he you try to get the 594 00:39:00,680 --> 00:39:03,800 Speaker 1: story out as much as he could. He was largely 595 00:39:04,280 --> 00:39:08,360 Speaker 1: discredited by a lot of his peers for trying to 596 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:10,960 Speaker 1: go forward with the story. UM, I don't want to 597 00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:13,879 Speaker 1: spoil it. If you don't know what happened to Gary Webb, 598 00:39:13,960 --> 00:39:16,000 Speaker 1: I guess this would be the place to hear about it. 599 00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:19,319 Speaker 1: But check out our video series, right, yeah, we made 600 00:39:19,320 --> 00:39:22,640 Speaker 1: a video episode about this. But also there is a 601 00:39:22,719 --> 00:39:25,520 Speaker 1: film I believe still in theaters called Kill the Messenger 602 00:39:25,800 --> 00:39:28,760 Speaker 1: that is all about the Gary web story. That's true, 603 00:39:28,840 --> 00:39:31,160 Speaker 1: and I've heard good things about it. I haven't seen 604 00:39:31,200 --> 00:39:34,920 Speaker 1: it yet. Um, just because you know, we had we 605 00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:36,799 Speaker 1: had looked into it so much. I didn't want to 606 00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:41,120 Speaker 1: be that guy in the movie theater going what oh, sure, 607 00:39:41,200 --> 00:39:44,120 Speaker 1: because those people are annoying and uh, and we also 608 00:39:44,120 --> 00:39:48,799 Speaker 1: know there have been other implications of governmental shenanigans involving 609 00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:52,640 Speaker 1: turning a blind eye to the drug trade. There's been uh, 610 00:39:52,880 --> 00:39:56,120 Speaker 1: conspiracy theories about every aspect of the drug trade, including 611 00:39:56,160 --> 00:39:59,800 Speaker 1: the idea that the c i A purposefully marketed C 612 00:40:00,239 --> 00:40:06,719 Speaker 1: cocaine to impoverished minorities, especially there in California as a 613 00:40:06,800 --> 00:40:12,880 Speaker 1: way of sending out the population or attempting to. And 614 00:40:13,320 --> 00:40:16,720 Speaker 1: there are also allegations that it was to be used 615 00:40:16,719 --> 00:40:21,520 Speaker 1: to kind of break up the Black Power movement, um. 616 00:40:21,640 --> 00:40:24,239 Speaker 1: The because you know they are they already kind of 617 00:40:24,640 --> 00:40:26,920 Speaker 1: at least the FBI worked on destroying the Black Power 618 00:40:26,960 --> 00:40:30,560 Speaker 1: movement by segmenting it up, by turning all the different 619 00:40:30,560 --> 00:40:32,960 Speaker 1: groups against each other, and then you know, later on 620 00:40:32,960 --> 00:40:34,600 Speaker 1: down the road to get cracked and you kind of 621 00:40:34,600 --> 00:40:37,799 Speaker 1: do the same thing when you have gangs formed. You know, 622 00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:40,359 Speaker 1: I would like to hear from our listeners to hear 623 00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:43,680 Speaker 1: if you guys think that there is any proof to 624 00:40:43,760 --> 00:40:46,760 Speaker 1: that um And we are going to start heading out today, 625 00:40:46,760 --> 00:40:48,839 Speaker 1: but I have to ask you, Matt, if you were 626 00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:52,080 Speaker 1: going to change the US drug laws, what would you 627 00:40:52,160 --> 00:40:57,000 Speaker 1: change and how? Thanks Ben for that simple softball question. 628 00:40:58,440 --> 00:41:02,480 Speaker 1: I'm just popping it. It's it's so soft, It's like 629 00:41:02,520 --> 00:41:05,520 Speaker 1: I'm tossing your kitten to you and zero gravity. Alright, Well, 630 00:41:05,640 --> 00:41:11,719 Speaker 1: Senator Frederick would uh would put forth legislation that would Honestly, 631 00:41:11,920 --> 00:41:16,560 Speaker 1: I would probably want to. I mean, the best way 632 00:41:16,600 --> 00:41:18,720 Speaker 1: to kill a black market is to make it legal, 633 00:41:19,600 --> 00:41:23,920 Speaker 1: and I think I think that's true currently like Portugal. 634 00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:29,800 Speaker 1: Huh like Portugal, Yeah, uh, it's weird because they've They've 635 00:41:29,840 --> 00:41:33,480 Speaker 1: become an often cited example. But do you think that 636 00:41:33,560 --> 00:41:36,200 Speaker 1: all drugs then would be legal? Like would you want 637 00:41:36,239 --> 00:41:39,400 Speaker 1: heroin to be legal? I would This is gosh, I 638 00:41:39,440 --> 00:41:41,840 Speaker 1: sound I probably sound like an idiot to many of you, 639 00:41:41,920 --> 00:41:43,799 Speaker 1: but yeah, I would say I would want heroin to 640 00:41:43,840 --> 00:41:46,319 Speaker 1: be legal, and it would be on a shelf and 641 00:41:46,480 --> 00:41:48,759 Speaker 1: I wouldn't buy it the same way. I wouldn't, you know, 642 00:41:49,000 --> 00:41:51,520 Speaker 1: go in and try and get xan X or something, 643 00:41:51,680 --> 00:41:54,160 Speaker 1: or I wouldn't go in and try and I don't know, 644 00:41:54,360 --> 00:41:57,200 Speaker 1: get some other high level drug that I don't need 645 00:41:57,239 --> 00:42:01,879 Speaker 1: that's prescription right now. Um. I would view it that way. 646 00:42:01,920 --> 00:42:06,279 Speaker 1: And then if somebody really needs heroin because they're going 647 00:42:06,320 --> 00:42:08,680 Speaker 1: to die if they don't get it, you know, from 648 00:42:08,800 --> 00:42:12,680 Speaker 1: the reactions of not having it, then it's there. Um. 649 00:42:12,719 --> 00:42:17,239 Speaker 1: And then I would also Senator Frederick would introduce legislation 650 00:42:17,280 --> 00:42:21,120 Speaker 1: that would focus on again rehabilitation. The idea that this 651 00:42:21,440 --> 00:42:26,200 Speaker 1: looking at addiction differently, not as a criminal activity, but 652 00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:31,320 Speaker 1: as a chemical issue with your body. I see, Yeah, 653 00:42:31,360 --> 00:42:34,520 Speaker 1: that's that's pretty fair. Yeah. I don't know, I've been 654 00:42:34,520 --> 00:42:36,880 Speaker 1: listening to too much Russell Brand lately. He gets I 655 00:42:36,880 --> 00:42:38,880 Speaker 1: mean he he is a has a really good insight 656 00:42:38,960 --> 00:42:42,400 Speaker 1: into what it means to be addicted to drugs. And 657 00:42:42,440 --> 00:42:45,960 Speaker 1: you know he is a comedian and an actor, but 658 00:42:46,040 --> 00:42:48,360 Speaker 1: he's lived for that life. Yeah, and he's got a 659 00:42:48,400 --> 00:42:52,120 Speaker 1: great show. We're actually pretty big fans. Yeah. I watch 660 00:42:52,200 --> 00:42:55,560 Speaker 1: it probably every day. Yea, So we're actually pretty big 661 00:42:55,560 --> 00:42:58,680 Speaker 1: fans years, Mr Brand. Uh, if you ever want to 662 00:42:58,719 --> 00:43:01,719 Speaker 1: hang out, let us let us know please, I don't 663 00:43:01,719 --> 00:43:03,640 Speaker 1: know if you ever happen to be down this way 664 00:43:03,800 --> 00:43:06,520 Speaker 1: down Atlanta way. Uh. You know what I would like 665 00:43:06,560 --> 00:43:10,239 Speaker 1: to try to do, Matt where I Senator Bowland? Well, 666 00:43:10,280 --> 00:43:13,520 Speaker 1: I guess this wouldn't really work in a democracy and 667 00:43:13,600 --> 00:43:18,759 Speaker 1: need to be a dictator. Um, I mean sure all 668 00:43:18,800 --> 00:43:22,000 Speaker 1: dictators are like kind of benevolent during the honeymoon period. Right, 669 00:43:22,400 --> 00:43:25,120 Speaker 1: Here's why I would do just for like a year 670 00:43:25,200 --> 00:43:30,279 Speaker 1: or two, I would make everything illegal, everything, every single thing, 671 00:43:30,880 --> 00:43:33,840 Speaker 1: and turned the country into a prison, the whole country. 672 00:43:34,000 --> 00:43:37,360 Speaker 1: Everybody's under arrest. What did you do? Don't answer, it 673 00:43:37,400 --> 00:43:40,560 Speaker 1: was against the law. And then I'd slowly start to 674 00:43:40,600 --> 00:43:43,440 Speaker 1: make things legal again and let some people out of 675 00:43:43,520 --> 00:43:47,120 Speaker 1: this massive prisons. Everybody stays in the country in or 676 00:43:47,160 --> 00:43:50,759 Speaker 1: out were like Madagascar and pandemic and uh, you know, 677 00:43:51,480 --> 00:43:54,920 Speaker 1: slowly ease back into some things, and then you know, 678 00:43:55,040 --> 00:43:58,200 Speaker 1: see which one is the trigger point you go start with. 679 00:43:58,280 --> 00:44:02,000 Speaker 1: Walking outside is now legal again, and people can walk 680 00:44:02,040 --> 00:44:06,760 Speaker 1: outside only between three and four, because you gotta start small, 681 00:44:07,760 --> 00:44:11,680 Speaker 1: repeal all this stuff at once. Now, of course, ladies, gentlemen, 682 00:44:11,680 --> 00:44:13,759 Speaker 1: I hope you understand that I am joking, and that 683 00:44:13,920 --> 00:44:16,680 Speaker 1: is a terrible, terrible foreign policy. If there are any 684 00:44:16,719 --> 00:44:21,000 Speaker 1: world leaders in the audience today, please please, please please 685 00:44:21,320 --> 00:44:25,240 Speaker 1: do not make everything illegal, just to see what would happen. 686 00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:29,160 Speaker 1: Thank you for putting that idea into their brains. Now, Ben, 687 00:44:29,239 --> 00:44:33,279 Speaker 1: I look forward to in twenty years when somebody and goes, 688 00:44:33,320 --> 00:44:36,000 Speaker 1: you know, let's do it. Why not, Why don't we 689 00:44:36,120 --> 00:44:38,880 Speaker 1: just make everything illegal? Um. But then there's a question 690 00:44:38,920 --> 00:44:41,520 Speaker 1: what would happen to the economy. For instance, if if 691 00:44:41,560 --> 00:44:44,480 Speaker 1: all drugs were legal in the United States, Uh, there 692 00:44:44,480 --> 00:44:49,640 Speaker 1: would be a massive shift in the economy. Um. And 693 00:44:49,680 --> 00:44:54,280 Speaker 1: that is something to consider. Also, quit plug for Freakonomics 694 00:44:54,440 --> 00:44:56,279 Speaker 1: if you guys have checked them out, they have this 695 00:44:56,440 --> 00:44:59,200 Speaker 1: great They have this great investigation of how much money 696 00:44:59,200 --> 00:45:01,320 Speaker 1: a drug dealer I really does or does not make, 697 00:45:01,840 --> 00:45:05,280 Speaker 1: and they equated it to something around minimum wage before 698 00:45:05,360 --> 00:45:09,799 Speaker 1: minimum wage got raised. Yeah, it's it's sobering and saddening. 699 00:45:10,120 --> 00:45:12,840 Speaker 1: Then there's this show called drug inc That I watched 700 00:45:12,840 --> 00:45:15,160 Speaker 1: a special on not long ago, and it focused on 701 00:45:15,239 --> 00:45:20,360 Speaker 1: Atlanta and the molly trade or the ecstasy trade in Atlanta, 702 00:45:21,160 --> 00:45:25,479 Speaker 1: and it focused on some low level drug dealers and 703 00:45:25,560 --> 00:45:27,839 Speaker 1: that was one of the main points was just how 704 00:45:28,080 --> 00:45:31,040 Speaker 1: how not lucrative it is for somebody who's actually in 705 00:45:31,160 --> 00:45:34,879 Speaker 1: danger of getting arrested and put in jail for years. Right. Yeah, 706 00:45:35,080 --> 00:45:38,680 Speaker 1: not to mention no health insurance, no benefits, none of that. 707 00:45:38,840 --> 00:45:42,960 Speaker 1: I guess you get cobro yea to ouch. So on 708 00:45:43,080 --> 00:45:45,319 Speaker 1: that note, listeners, we hope you enjoyed this episode as 709 00:45:45,400 --> 00:45:47,400 Speaker 1: much as we enjoyed making it, and we want to 710 00:45:47,440 --> 00:45:50,080 Speaker 1: hear your thoughts on the drug war. If you'd like 711 00:45:50,080 --> 00:45:53,120 Speaker 1: to check out our videos or our podcasts, go to 712 00:45:53,160 --> 00:45:55,040 Speaker 1: Stuff they Don't Want You to Know dot Com, where 713 00:45:55,040 --> 00:45:57,279 Speaker 1: you can find every little thing we've ever done, I 714 00:45:57,320 --> 00:45:59,640 Speaker 1: think pretty much. You can also go to our YouTube 715 00:45:59,680 --> 00:46:01,880 Speaker 1: channel if you don't already do that on the rig, 716 00:46:01,960 --> 00:46:04,839 Speaker 1: because you should. Uh. And you know, if you don't 717 00:46:04,840 --> 00:46:07,080 Speaker 1: want to do any of that stuff, just send us 718 00:46:07,080 --> 00:46:09,960 Speaker 1: an email. You can send anything in that old email 719 00:46:10,920 --> 00:46:14,360 Speaker 1: and we'll get it. We might not like it or 720 00:46:14,400 --> 00:46:17,960 Speaker 1: we might love it, but either way our addresses conspiracy 721 00:46:18,080 --> 00:46:25,040 Speaker 1: at how stuff works dot com. From one on this 722 00:46:25,120 --> 00:46:30,760 Speaker 1: topic another unexplained phenomenon, visit YouTube dot com slash conspiracy stuff. 723 00:46:31,040 --> 00:46:33,080 Speaker 1: You can also get in touch on Twitter at the 724 00:46:33,120 --> 00:46:35,120 Speaker 1: handle at conspiracy stuff