John Hagelin on Drugs

	John Hagelin on Drugs 2000 Natural Law Party Nominee for President

Decriminalize non-violent drug offenses

BROWNE [to Phillips & Hagelin]: Before we had drug laws in America, we didn’t have the widespread drug problems we have today because the pharmaceutical companies ran the drug business, not criminal gangs in the inner cities. If I’m elected president, on my first day in office, I will pardon unconditionally everyone who’s in a federal prison on a non-violent drug offense.

PHILLIPS: The federal government has a duty to protect the borders of the United States. They do not have the right to legislate federally about drugs. I believe communities have a right to defend themselves against illegal drugs.

HAGELIN: I would decriminalize non-violent drug offenses. I would focus instead on drug education, drug prevention, drug rehabilitation, because the fact is, where educational opportunities are greatest, drug abuse is least.

Source: Third Party Debate on Meet the Press , Oct 22, 2000

Legalize medical marijuana; educate for prevention

Expand drug education & treatment programs.
Decriminalize the use of medicinal marijuana & industrial hemp
Increase border security to stop the flow of illegal drugs
Hagelins supports “education that unfolds intelligence, creativity, and self-confidence, raising life to be in harmony with natural law & thereby eliminating the tendency towards drug dependence; promote programs shown to dramatically reduce drug dependency.”

Source: 2000 National Political Awareness Test , Jan 13, 2000

Legal drugs won’t save money.

Legalization of drugs might cut dramatically crime-related drug costs. About 20% of the cost of drugs is crime-related. 80% is health-related, productivity-related, absenteeism, and so forth. It’s loss of human potential. Legalization could eliminate 20% of the costs of drugs; there’s no guarantee that drug use wouldn’t increase by at least 20% if people had access to drugs legally. Source: Natural Law Party National Convention , Aug 24, 1996

Legal drugs mean lost human potential.

The legalization of drugs, and the statement that drugs are basically ok or no worse than alcohol or whatever that would mean to the youth, is sending the wrong signal to the youth. Even marijuana use, which is the most mild hallucinogen, regularly over a six-month period results in a reduction in the orderly brain functioning, a loss of EEG coherence, and all of the different areas of the brain and personality, resulting in a less integrated personality and a less integrated experience of life. Source: Natural Law Party National Convention , Aug 24, 1996

Solution to drugs is lessened demand through education.

Outlawing drugs will never bring drug use under control--that’s one thing we can do to discourage the use of drugs, but it’s better to hit the demand side. The ultimate solution resides in education. Not just educating people about the debilitating effects of drugs, which itself would help, just like the smoking cessation campaign has helped, but education that gives that gives deep satisfaction to the students and will help them to fulfill their own objectives in a life-supporting way. Source: Natural Law Party National Convention , Aug 24, 1996

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