Reason First: Legalize All Drugs Now

America’s prisons swell with tens of thousands of drug related cases. Why is this? What role ought the government play in what substances are produced, distributed, sold, and consumed on the streets of the United States? Anthony “Geezy” Gonzalez recently broke free of the constraints of the legal system. As manager to the rap duo Clipse, he spent his time focusing on furthering their careers. That was until he was busted for running a multi-million-dollar drug ring for which he served eight and a half years behind the wall. His story is not unique. There are many nonviolent offenders or people who currently sit in prison who never started force against another human being. Now, what they were selling happens to be poison but what, besides setting an age limit on who can make and take these drugs, does the government have to do with regulating or prosecuting some adults who serve other adults? Geezy doesn’t appear bitter. With a salt and pepper beard and an extremely calm demeanor, he could be a college professor or a deacon to a church.

He recounted his life story with DJ Vlad. He highlighted the lowlights of the dope game as well as the triumphs of being in the business of music as manager of one of the hottest groups in music history. But the glare that he never should’ve gone to prison is stronger than a light shining on a plate full of pure cocaine. Law enforcement is not to blame. While it would be easy to point fingers at the cops, they’re victims in this vicious game called the War on Drugs, too. It is the bureaucrats and policymakers that should be scrutinized, challenged, and held accountable for all the bloodshed and fractured lives that the failed War has caused.

Geezy’s tales of starting to cook crack-cocaine at the age of fifteen might raise eyebrows. But the fact that his family “struggled” may give some context to the idea of a young teen handling a deadly substance. The harshness of the drug world is something that ought to be examined by history buffs and psychiatrists alike. During the late 1980’s when the murder rates based on drug trafficking in Washington D.C. and Baltimore skyrocketed, the idea was to nab the head of the criminal enterprise to eliminate the “body” of subordinates. While efforts of the past thirty years have been mixed at best, bundles of cocaine still show up on shores after hurricanes. Men like Geezy (and women, too) become caught up in a web that should have never been woven.

Geezy’s story ought to inspire young people not to sell drugs but to push for their legality. The anarchy of the drug game is what makes it so enticing, even “sexy.” But with all of the weaponization and grisly murders including but not limited to beheadings, the ideal loses its appeal. For Geezy to remain so composed after the injustice that he experienced being behind bars, it shows the character of a man. It shows that he should be screaming his head off at the fact that he already showed initiative in going completely legitimate by entering into the industry of music. Still, it rests on him to choose by his own free will to go up against the tide of the law.

For his efforts in illustrating the pitfalls of the drug trade, Geezy deserves the Presidential Medal of Freedom more than anything. The “anti-drug” campaign popularized by the late Nancy Reagan called on kids to “Just Say No!” This line seems to ring too negatively. After politicians finally legalize drugs and advocate for folks to abstain, the new statement ought to be “Just Say Yes... to Life!”