International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

Here is a United Nations observance that is, in a literal sense, deadly serious. The Mexican drug cartels corrupt those they can and kill those they can't. The opium trade finances perpetual murder in Afghanistan. Pick a spot on the globe and you can find plenty of reasons to be concerned about drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking.

But here in the United States we are... at best... ambiguous about drug use.

(From Married to the Sea by Drew and Natalie Dee)

Two of these three admit to having used drugs stronger than marijuana as well -- although, of course, not in the White House.

In Chicago, we are about to make smoking doobie a mere ticketable offense; if you're in California, you can apparently get "medical marijuana" on just the flimsiest of pretexts from corner stores that have sprung up thick as Starbucks. Drug use, even abuse, is common among the glitterati. Poor Michael Jackson or Whitney Houston couldn't control their drug addictions. They died. People were sad. But Charlie Sheen goes spinning out of control, proudly professing his drug abuse (as if we needed any hints) and doesn't die. He gets a new television series and television commercials that gently mock his 'naughty' behavior.

Today, therefore, we celebrate the law of supply and demand. People are getting killed all over the world supplying our demand. We can either stop demanding... or legalize the trade. The first approach appears to violate the law of human nature and the other...?

Don't hold your breath.