ABC 20/20 The War on Drugs, A War on Ourselves? with John Stossel

Part 1 - Introduction and Police Baiting   Part 2 - The Unintended Consequences of Prohibition   Part 3 - The Effect of the War on Drugs in Colombia   Part 4 - The Effect of the War on Drugs in Colombia   Part 5 - The Right to Choose & Legalization in Europe   Part 6 - Hard Drugs & Legalization in the US
The War on Drugs, A War on Ourselves? In a 2002 special, John Stossel examines the effect of the War on Drugs on American Society. He interviews Detroit's police chief Jerry Oliver who points out that since the dealing of drugs is between willing buyers and sellers, the War on Drugs forces cops to use deceit to catch those dealing drugs. Despite all the law enforcement resources put into fighting the drug war, availably of drugs is just as high as before the drug war began. 3 Unintended Consequences are examined including; it sucks children into the underworld, corrupts cops, and creates crime. John Stossel travels to Colombia and examines the effect of the War on Drugs on the people living there. Finally Stossel travels to Europe to see how drug legalization has affected society there.
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Milton Friedman on the War on Drugs

In 2006 prior to his death, the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) sat down with Milton Friedman to discuss his thoughts on the morality of drug prohibition and the failed War on Drugs. From the interview:   On Morality "I do not believe the State has the right to tell me what to put in my head. We have a law for free speech, free assembly, and so on. I think the same thing goes with respect to what I put into my body. I don't think the state has any more right to tell me what to put in my mouth then it has to tell me what can come out of my mouth. Those two are essentially the same thing—and they both are essential elements of freedom." On Making Prohibition Work "You can never make prohibition work. As long as there are substantial numbers of people that want to use the product, there will be a supply forthcoming. What will happen is that the cost of the drug will go up in order to finance the illegal activities that are necessary to bring it to market." "I think almost every economist would agree that government gets itself into trouble when it tries to interfere with voluntary behavior. Marijuana prohibition is a victimless crime. You have a willing buyer and a willing seller." "If you have a voluntary sale and purchase of marijuana between a willing buyer and a willing seller, then the only way to enforce the prohibition of it is to have an informer." On the Drug Users "We mustn't regard the users of the drugs as if they didn't count. They count! They are people. Who are we to say whether they are doing the right thing or not by using drugs?" On the International Effects of the War on Drugs "One of the worst features of our prohibition is its international effects. Here we are responsible in the United States for the deaths of hundreds or thousands of people in Latin America—in Colombia and Peru and so on. Why are they dying? They are dying because we cannot enforce our own laws...we are fundamentally a murderer of people in countries like Peru." Since 1972 "I challenge anybody to read a Newsweek column I wrote in 1972 and find out where it has gone wrong. That Newsweek column was an occasion by President Nixon declaring a war on drugs. In that column I pointed out all of the effects that would follow from it; the corruption, the violence, the lack of respect for the law, the difficulties overseas, and so on." (Milton Friedman: Prohibition and Drugs, May 1, 1972 Newsweek)
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Marijuana Policy Project TV - Part 1 Marijuana Policy Project TV - Part 2
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Penn & Teller: Bullshit!

Citing Thomas Jefferson from "Profanity and Free Speech" Environmental Hysteria Sweatshops from "Wal-Mart Hatred" Norman Borlaug on Genetically Modified Food from "Eat This!"
Penn & Teller: Bullshit! is an Emmy-nominated American documentary television series that has been on the air since 2003 on the premium cable channel Showtime. It is hosted by professional magicians/comedians Penn & Teller. Many episodes aim to debunk what the hosts see as pseudoscientific ideas, supernatural beliefs, popular fads and misconceptions, and often from a libertarian point of view, the political philosophy espoused by both Penn and Teller. The show criticizes proponents of what they perceive as nonsense and dishonesty—bullshit—often citing ulterior political or financial motives. The stated aim of the show is to apply critical thinking to misconceptions, and as is indicated by the show's title, the program adheres to Penn & Teller's characteristically blunt, aggressive presentation. Supernatural subjects of episodes include alien abduction, alternative medicine, and ESP; other episodes cover social issues such as the War on Drugs, animal rights, gun control, education, and environmentalism. Showtime has not permitted full episodes of Bullshit to remain on Google Video and YouTube, however some excellent short clips such as the ones above are available and of course all episodes are downloadable through Bit Torrent.   Episode List Season 1 101 Talking to the Dead (John Edwards) 102 Alternative Medicine 103 Alien Abductions 104 End of the World (Doomsday Prediction) 105 Second Hand Smoke / Baby Raising 106 Non-Surgical Sexual Enhancements 107 Feng Shui / Bottled Water 108 Creationism vs Evolution 109 Self-Helpless (Self-help Seminars) 110 ESP 111 Eat This! (Dieting, Genetically Modified Food) 112 Ouija Boards / Near Death Experiences 113 Environmental Hysteria Season 2 201 P.E.T.A. 202 Safety Hysteria 203 The Business of Love 204 War on Drugs 206 Profanity and Free Speech 205 Recycling 207 Yoga / Tantric Sex 208 Fountain of Youth (Plastic Surgery) 209 Death, Inc. (Funerals) 210 12-Stepping 211 The Bible: Fact or Fiction? 212 Exercise vs. Genetics 213 Hypnosis Season 3 301 Circumcision 302 Family Values (Traditional Family Structure & Marriage) 303 Conspiracy Theories 304 Life Coaching 305 Holier Than Thou (Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Dali Lama) 306 College 307 Big Brother 308 Hair 309 Gun Control 310 Ghost Busters 311 Endangered Species 312 Signs From Heaven (Miracles and Religious Icons) 313 The Best Season 4 401 Boy Scouts 402 Prostitution 403 The Death Penalty 404 Cryptozoology 405 Ground Zero (911 Rebuilding) 406 Pet Love 407 Reparations 408 Manners 409 Numbers 410 Abstinence Season 5 501 Obesity Epidemic 502 Wal-Mart Hatred 503 Breast Hysteria 504 Detoxing 505 Exorcism 506 Immigration 507 Handicap Parking 508 Mount Rushmore 509 Nukes, Hybrids, & Lesbians 510 Anger Management
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Penn and Teller: Bullshit! @ Wikipedia Penn and Teller: Bullshit! Episode List @ Wikipedia Penn and Teller: Bullshit! @ Showtime