Twisting the Truth

John Stuart Mill   “Liberty and Marijuana”

  by: Diane Wattles-Goldstein - Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) at Ladybud

In a recent opinion piece Project Sam’s founder Kevin Sabet used John Stuart Mill’s “On Liberty” to posit “Civil Liberties Erode When Drug Use Widens.”
“John Stuart Mill famously wrote:

‘… over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign.’ … ‘The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of the community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.’”

But Sabet only uses one part of the paragraph, which takes Mill’s meaning out of context. 
                        ...

On Liberty is clearly a defense of individual liberty over the “tyranny of the majority.” Today, if Mill was alive he would rail against Sabet’s interpretation of his work. He would denounce the prohibition of marijuana as paternalistic, tyrannical and immoral.
 
Clearly the morality of the criminal justice system is questioned by the disparity in enforcement practices. By continuing the practice of enforcing drug laws which were initiated based on racism calls into question the very legitimacy of our government, and violates the fundamental rights and obligation of our government to all Americans.

read the entire article at LADYBUD