Drug abuse is not a victimless crime

In this increasingly permissive age, we are told that drug abuse is a victimless crime. The Wikipedia entry for "victimless crime" includes "recreational drug use." In July, President Obama commuted the sentences of nearly four dozen men and women convicted of selling drugs (mainly crack or cocaine), downplaying their crimes as "non-violent drug offenses." Libertarian groups such as the Cato Institute and even some Republican candidates such as Senator Rand Paul say it is time to end the war on drugs.

The notion that drug abuse – much less drug dealing – is a "victimless" crime is sheer and utter nonsense. So is the description of drug dealing as a "non-violent" offense. The fact is that illegal drug use kills tens of thousands of Americans each year, including many who were not themselves drug users. This death toll does not even include the thousands of persons murdered each year in drug-related gang violence.