News Sources blog posted this clip of Congressman Ron Paul
participating at the Republican debate on PBS hosted by Tavis Smiley

September 27, 2007].

Ron Paul at the PBS Republican Presidential debate: “I like to
believe that if we have a freer society it will take care of blacks
and whites and everybody equally because we’re all individuals and
that, to me, that is so important. But if we have equal justice under
the law I think it would be a big improvement. if we have, a probably
a repeal of most of the federal laws on drugs and the unfairness of
how blacks are treated with these drug laws it would be an
improvement.

A system designed to protect individual liberty will have no
punishment for any group and no privileges. Today I think inner city
folks, minorities are punished unfairly in the war on drugs. For
instance, blacks make up 14% of those who use drugs. Yet 36% of those
arrested are blacks. And it ends up that 63% of those who finally end
up in prison are blacks. This has to change. We don’t have to have
more courts and more prisons. We need to repeal the whole war on
drugs. It isn’t working.”

(Loud cheers in audience)

“We have already spent over $ 400 billion since the early seventies
and its a wasted money. Prohibition didn’t work. Prohibition on drugs
doesn’t work. So we need to come to our senses. And absolutely, its a
disease. We don’t treat alcoholics like this. This a disease and we
should orient ourselves to this. That is one way you could have equal
justice under the law.”

The United States Conference of Mayors agree with Rep. Paul. At their
annual conference this summer, after citing a litany of social ills
that they attribute to the war on drugs the mayors resolved:

“NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the United States Conference of
Mayors believes the war on drugs has failed and calls for a New
Bottom Line in U.S. drug policy, a public health approach that
concentrates more fully on reducing the negative consequences
associated with drug abuse, while ensuring that our policies do not
exacerbate these problems or create new social problems of their own;
establishes quantifiable, short- and long-term objectives for drug
policy; saves taxpayer money; and holds state and federal agencies
accountable…”

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