America's Elites and the Drug War

The AP and other news sources are reporting that the son of former Vice President Al Gore has been arrested on drug charges.

As posted on the Washington Post web site:

Al Gore's son was pulled over for speeding on a California freeway early Wednesday and arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana and prescription drugs, authorities said.

Al Gore III, 24, was driving a blue Toyota Prius about 100 mph south on the San Diego Freeway when he was pulled over by sheriff's deputies who said they smelled marijuana, said Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino.

The younger Al Gore is, of course, innocent until proven otherwise. Few pundits will argue -- on Fox News or MSNBC or the Sunday morning talk shows -- that the younger Gore should not have been arrested at all, because the War on Drugs is misdirected, constitutionally flawed, and ultimately futile. And we can certainly expect few politicians -- Al Gore the elder included -- to make arguments of these sorts.

Since today is a holiday and I have better things to do, my only comment on this case is to point to my previous article about another child of political privilege, the daughter of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who was also a victim of the government's war on people who use drugs. I posted "Noelle Bush - Example of the Drug War's Failure" on January 24, 2005; it was originally published in the Bradenton Herald in September 2002. Despite the years that have gone by, the argument is still relevant and -- given the news of Al Gore III -- surprisingly fresh.