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by LyndsySimon 2555 days ago
> Think of all the people who support the Drug War and its effects on certain demographics

Who are those people, exactly?

I run in mostly right-wing circles (online especially), and the vast majority of people on the right seem to be opposed to the "War on Drugs" on the grounds of individual liberty. I can't imagine many on the left are in support of it - am I wrong?

I don't think it's nearly as popular as it might seem.

4 comments

While the war on drugs is in its waning days, there is a (aging) segment on the right that worships law enforcement and is generally in support of more laws and heavy-handed police tactics.

I think the OP is calling some these people out as hypocrites who demand "touch on crime" policies that disproportionally affect poorer communities, while they themselves break laws.

That aside, I find the hypocrisy elsewhere, namely the people who want small government but who want everyone to pay billions for mass incarceration (and raise taxes for more police) as a result of these policies.

Talk to any middle age surbanite who is scared of their own shadow. They'll give up anything to stop the boogeymen of drugs, terrorists, pedophiles, etc
It is less popular than it used to be (especially among young Trump supporters), but support for harsh incarceration policies based on drugs is pretty much exclusively a right-wing thing. If it didn't have substantial support from the right it really wouldn't be a thing any longer. I will say, to Trump's credit, he has been pretty decent on this issue compared to his conservative predecessors.
This is an instance of where our single axis falls down.

You might run in right-wing libertarian circles, but I'd speculate that if your experience was based on the religious right you may perceive higher levels of support.

I do agree with you though, it's lost a lot of momentum over the years and now opinion seems to be that it's clung onto by law enforcement and the lobbyists of the companies who supply them because it allows for their continued militarisation and supports a significant portion of their budgets.