Anti-Prohibition, Not Pro-Drug

Let's Be Clear

This is not a libertine position. It's a practical position. We don't legalize because drugs are good. We legalize because prohibition is worse.

The War on Drugs: A Trillion-Dollar Failure

Since Nixon declared the War on Drugs in 1971, we have:

And the result? Drugs are more available, more potent, and more deadly than ever.

• Heroin is cheaper and purer than in 1971
• Fentanyl has entered the supply, killing tens of thousands
• Meth is everywhere
• Cocaine never went away
• New synthetic drugs appear faster than we can ban them

The drugs won. We lost. And we destroyed millions of lives in the process — not from drugs, but from prosecuting drugs.

"Prohibition goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes crimes out of things that are not crimes."

— Abraham Lincoln

The Autonomist Framework: Legal at 25

Here's where we differ from both "drug warriors" and "legalize everything now" libertarians:

This is actually more restrictive than current alcohol and tobacco laws (age 21). We're not throwing open the doors. We're saying: fully mature adults own their bodies.

What About Alcohol and Tobacco?

We recognize that changing the legal age for alcohol and tobacco to 25 may be politically impossible given their entrenched status. But the principle remains: the later the exposure, the lower the risk of addiction and the more informed the choice.

For currently illegal substances, we have the opportunity to set the right standard from the start. 25 is that standard.

The Framework in Practice

Fully Legal at 25+ (Regulated Retail)

• Marijuana — Already legal in many states. Extend nationally, age 25+.
• Psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD, MDMA) — Low addiction potential, therapeutic applications, adult choice.

Legal at 25+ (Controlled Access)

• Cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, etc. — Available through licensed facilities with:
  • Mandatory education on risks before first purchase
  • Purity testing and known dosages
  • No advertising or promotion
  • Consumption facilities available (safe injection sites)
  • Immediate access to treatment resources

Always Illegal

• Sale to anyone under 25 — Felony, period.
• Impaired driving — Same as alcohol DUI.
• Public intoxication that endangers others
• Manufacturing without license — Regulated production only.

Why This Destroys the Black Market

Drug dealers can't compete with legal, regulated supply:

• Legal drugs are safer — tested, labeled, no fentanyl surprises
• Legal drugs are convenient — no sketchy meetups, no risk of robbery
• Legal drugs are consistent — same product every time
• Cartels can't undercut legal prices — especially when legal supply is taxed reasonably

When alcohol prohibition ended, the bootleggers disappeared. When drug prohibition ends, the cartels lose their market. You don't defeat black markets with police. You defeat them with competition.

Accountability Remains Absolute

Legalizing substances does not mean legalizing harm. Your autonomy ends where another's begins.

The principle is simple: what you do to yourself is your business. What you do to others is society's business.

Legalization with accountability is not permissiveness. It's freedom with consequences — the autonomist way.

What About Addiction?

Addiction is real. It destroys lives. Legalization doesn't pretend otherwise.

But here's the truth: addiction exists now, under prohibition. The question isn't whether people will become addicted. They already are. The question is how we respond.

Portugal decriminalized all drugs in 2001. The result:

• Drug use did not increase
• Overdose deaths dropped dramatically
• HIV infections among users plummeted
• More people entered treatment
• Money saved on enforcement went to treatment

The evidence is clear. Treatment works. Prison doesn't.

The Autonomist Drug Policy Principles

1. Adults own their bodies. At 25+, with a fully developed brain, what you choose to put in your body is your decision. Government doesn't own you.
2. Prohibition has failed. A trillion dollars, millions of prisoners, and drugs are more available and deadly than ever. It's time to try something that works.
3. Legal is safer than illegal. Regulated supply means tested products, known doses, no fentanyl surprises. People will use drugs regardless; legal use is safer use.
4. 25 is the threshold. The brain must be fully developed. College experimentation is over. Those who choose at 25+ are making adult decisions.
5. Black markets die through competition. Legal supply destroys illegal supply. Cartels can't compete with licensed retailers. The violence ends when the profit ends.
6. Treatment, not cages. Addiction is a health issue. We treat health issues with medicine, therapy, and support — not prison cells.
7. Accountability is absolute. Harm someone while impaired? Full consequences. Your right to use ends where someone else's safety begins.
8. Protect children fiercely. Sale to under-25 is a felony. No exceptions. No excuses. Legal markets check ID; drug dealers don't.

The Hard Question

Some will ask: "Are you really saying heroin should be legal?"

Yes. For adults 25 and older, through regulated channels, with full information about risks, with treatment available on demand.

Because the alternative — what we have now — is worse:

• Heroin cut with fentanyl, killing users who don't know what they're taking
• Addicts afraid to seek help because they'll be arrested
• Billions flowing to cartels instead of treatment
• Families destroyed by incarceration, not just addiction
• An ever-growing prison population with no reduction in use

We're not pro-heroin. We're anti-prohibition. There's a difference.