The Drug War has resulted in the unfair imprisonment of millions of non-violent people and has been an excuse for the militarization of police forces. In many cases, this has resulted in conflict between police and citizens with negative effects to public safety. We believe law enforcement should focus on protecting the public from violent offenders, property crimes, and fraud. In addition, Libertarians believe that it is immoral for the government to dictate which substances a person should consume -- these decisions belong to individual people, not the government.

 

We support efforts by state and local governments to decriminalize non-violent, drug-related offenses. This includes the removal or reduction of penalties for possession or sales. Drug users should be allowed to seek treatment, if they so desire, and not be imprisoned.

 

We support the regulation of drugs similar to the regulation of alcohol, with prohibition limited to actions that can reasonably endanger others. Every individual has a right to decide what substances they consume and each individual is responsible for their choices and actions.

We are against the federal government’s aggressive enforcement of marijuana prohibition in order to override state and local efforts at legalization. Libertarians support limited government and the decision of voters in each state to reform drug laws should be respected by federal authorities.