Two recent stories on this subject in the New York Times remind us that, despite recent progress toward legalizing marijuana, the U.S. drug war is far from over.
The articles support many libertarian views on drug policy: that legalization should include all drugs, not just marijuana; that the drug war disproportionately harms the poor and minorities; that prohibition erodes basic constitutional protections against unreasonable searches; that asset forfeiture laws create perverse incentives for law enforcement; and that prohibition senselessly militarizes local police.
One further interesting point is that law enforcement has its own reservations about no-knocks:
The National Tactical Officers Association, which might be expected to mount the most ardent defense, has long called for using dynamic entry [no knocks] sparingly. Robert Chabali, the group’s chairman from 2012 to 2015, goes so far as to recommend that it never be used to serve narcotics warrants.
“It just makes no sense,” said Mr. Chabali, a SWAT veteran who retired as assistant chief of the Dayton, Ohio, Police Department in 2015. “Why would you run into a gunfight? If we are going to risk our lives, we risk them for a hostage, for a citizen, for a fellow officer. You definitely don’t go in and risk your life for drugs.”
Exactly.
