"Protect our youth" and "Save our children" were popular slogans of the movement to repeal
Alcohol Prohibition, as shown in this 1932 photo of a demonstration in Wilmington, Delaware.
What they knew in 1932 is still true today:
Prohibition hurts kids.
The War on Drugs has failed to prevent young people
from using drugs:
- More than half of U.S. high school seniors have tried an
illegal drug, and nearly 90 percent say that illegal drugs
are "easy" to obtain - even easier than alcohol!
- Drug use has increased again in the 1990s, with kids
using more dangerous drugs at earlier ages than ever
before.
Instead, the War on Drugs causes additional harm:
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There are 1.5 million annual drug arrests in the United
States - 75 percent for simple possession - a large
portion of which are young people. The trauma of
incarceration, including the possibility of prison rape, is
devastating. Even a simple arrest record can ruin a
person's future.
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- Overdose deaths are increasing, largely because young
people are too afraid of being arrested to seek
emergency medical help.
- Due to the prohibition-inflated cost of illegal drugs,
addicts of all ages often resort to prostitution or other
crimes to obtain their drug money.
- Nearly 500,000 young people in the United States have
one or both parents incarcerated for drug offenses. The
drug war is destroying the family unit.
The solution is education, not incarceration:
- Instead of criminalizing users, we need to provide honest,
realistic drug education, analogous to the UUA's sex
education curricula. We should also identify the reasons
that young people are using drugs and promote healthier,
non-drug alternatives.
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Unitarian Universalists for Drug Policy Reform (UUDPR) is working for
more just, compassionate and effective drug policies.
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Please get involved today:
- Visit www.uudpr.org for more information.
- Vote for the drug policy Statement of Conscience, visit
UUDPR's exhibit booth, and attend our workshops at
the 2002 General Assembly.
- E-mail CharlesThomas@uudpr.org to subscribe to our
electronic newsletter (two to four messages per month).
- E-mail us (or call 301-270-1209) to request literature
and speakers for your congregation.
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- Order some excellent drug policy books through
www.uudpr.org/books.html or call us for an order
form.
- Make a financial contribution through www.uudpr.org ‹
or write a check to "UUDPR" and mail it to UUDPR
treasurer Frances Burford, 2016 Main #PH3, Houston,
TX 77002. (Free books are available to people who
contribute at least $25.)
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