Issue Position: The War on Drugs

Issue Position

Our country has been unsuccessfully fighting a war against drugs since the 1970's. We have locked up millions of citizens, and yet, we continue to see an increase in illegal drug activity. I believe it is time for a new approach.

The Opioid Crisis:
The Opioid Crisis is one of the most prolific and deadly health crisis of our time. Pharmaceutical companies knowingly and willingly pushed drugs to patients that are highly addictive. They falsely claimed that these drugs were not addictive, and have made billions off of the suffering of our most vulnerable; the sick and injured.

I believe that these companies should be punished for these false narratives. We need to have full investigations into these companies to find and punish these professional drug dealers the same way we would punish the head of any cartel. These companies are responsible for countless deaths and should be held accountable for each and every one.

We also need to change the narrative in this country in regards to our sisters and brothers that are addicted to these drugs. Many of our friends and family members unknowingly and unwittingly became addicts to the pills that were supposed to help them. We need to provide addiction recovery services as part of our healthcare system. We need to rehabilitate our loved ones and help them beat this nasty disease of addiction so we can reclaim our loved ones. The time to fight is now, and the place to do it is at the ballot box. Elect officials that take this fight seriously, and we can put in place legislation that will penalize these drug companies, and could help pay for the rehabilitation services that we so desperately need.

Decriminalization of Drugs:
We are proud that Illinois has passed legislation to legalize marijuana. The fight for legalization has taken far too long. This drug has been stigmatized as a horrible drug since the Nixon era. We need to decriminalize it at a national level.

I also believe we need to investigate decriminalizing all drugs. Addiction is a health issue, not a criminal one. ​This may sound like a radical philosophy, but the research is becoming more and more clear. When you read what has happened in other countries that have decriminalized all drugs, we find that overall crime goes down, drug-related deaths lower, and there is no marked increase in drug use across society. Portugal has seen positive results with the actions they have taken in this arena. I believe we need to investigate all options to help as many of our citizens as possible.

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