Second Republican debate: GOP candidates at the debate should be asked about their drug policies
Christopher Tremoglie
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As the nation prepares for the second Republican presidential debate tonight, one of the more pressing topics that need to be answered concerns the drug crisis plaguing the nation. From the devastating effects of fentanyl being illegally smuggled into the country to the subsequent opioid crisis to the recent pushes to legalize narcotics such as marijuana and psychedelics, the public deserves to know exactly where the GOP candidates stand on these issues.
These candidates’ policy decisions regarding drugs, especially if anyone on the stage tonight wins the presidency in 2024, will have a monumental effect on the welfare and safety of the country’s citizens.
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“The nation is in the midst of an addiction epidemic, and Washington is contemplating making it easier to put more drugs in our communities and empowering businesses that prey on young people, minorities, and low-income communities,” said Kevin Sabet, former White House Office of National Drug Control Policy adviser and president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana and the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions.
The country’s drug challenges were not widely discussed in the last debate, but they should have been. There is a trend among politicians and in popular culture pushing for the legalization of a plethora of dangerous narcotics, all under the guise of liberty, medicinal needs, or any other number of reasons being used under the guise of benevolence. However, the more these drugs become legalized, the more people suffer, including, in many instances, young children. Given its magnitude, the moderators tonight have a moral responsibility to ask these GOP presidential hopefuls on the debate stage tonight their knowledge of these drug issues and what policies they support.
“Leaders should be looking at the facts and science and acknowledge that today’s high-potency THC drugs are associated with lower IQ, psychosis, depression, suicidality, psychosis, motor impairment, and schizophrenia,” Sabet told me. “The next president should stand firm that commercialization and normalization of drug use is harmful to Americans. We shouldn’t be putting the profits of a small group of hedge funders and Wall Street investors ahead of the lives of millions of people.”
Moreover, another significant issue regarding drug legalization comes down to money. Many politicians, especially on the right, seem to put profit before principle in favoring the legalization of recreational drugs such as marijuana. One of the justifications often cited for this push is the tax revenues that could be generated.
However, fiscal benefits shouldn’t be prioritized over ensuring the nation is not a bunch of stoned zombies who cannot function in everyday life. The candidates on the debate stage tonight should be asked where their priorities lie. Do they care more about protecting people from the harmful ramifications of hedonistic narcotic pursuits or money? The American people deserve to know the answers to these questions before casting their votes in the primaries and general elections.
“A recent opinion column in a major newspaper said the GOP should focus on the tax revenue as a reason to support normalization of THC drugs and marijuana. What that doesn’t recognize is the facts and financial realities that come with pushing more drugs on communities,” Sabet said. “States repeatedly have failed to meet the estimates they put forward with regards to tax revenue, and many states see the costs of law enforcement, addiction prevention initiatives and treatment programs ballooning as a result of the so-called ‘legal’ market. Candidates should talk about the risks and the costs, both financial and health-related when making the argument against further normalizing this addictive drug.”
The country used to promote the sensical idea that drugs were harmful. Yet, that is no longer the case in the 21st century. Now, more than ever, politicians seem to sell out to the recreational drug lobby and, as mentioned above, prioritize the profits made from these narcotics over the principles previously embraced and espoused by our nation’s leaders. First, it was just advocacy to legalize weed, but recent efforts have included campaigns to legalize harder drugs such as psychedelics. Both represent self-inflicted dangers and threats to the citizens of the nation.
“Like Marijuana, psychedelics are not medicine according to the DEA, FDA, and health organizations,” Sabet said. “Addiction profiteers are following the playbook of Big Marijuana and Big Tobacco to create a burgeoning industry built on claims of ‘health’ benefits from these drugs. Two years into widespread drug decriminalization in Oregon, polling data makes clear residents are seeing these drugs do far more harm than good.”
This is especially true after some of the recent actions of the Biden administration — most notably the horrific decision to reclassify marijuana. It’s a decision that could reshape how the government views marijuana, and not in a good way. The candidates on the debate stage should be asked if they agree with Biden’s decision to reclassify. Once again, the country’s people should know these essential questions before voting.
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“President Biden’s HHS recently made a recommendation on marijuana that will make the industry more profitable. It came after intense pressure from pro-marijuana politicians in Congress and right before a national presidential election,” Sabet told me. “This rescheduling proposal isn’t rooted in facts or science, and the GOP candidates would be well served to recommend DEA deny HHS’s request to suggest in any way that today’s high potency, industrialized marijuana drugs are safe.”
“The GOP candidates for president shouldn’t just be denouncing this movement, they should be trumpeting the facts and science to promote an agenda that prioritizes health and safety,” Sabet said.