The Racism Behind the War on Drugs

Director Quentin Tarantino brought up an unexpected subject in an interview recently. He brought up the subject of the war on drugs. But what was interesting was the comparison he made between the war and drugs and slavery as it existed in the 1800s. In his own words: This whole thing of…this ‘War on Drugs,’ and…

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Sovereignty Over One’s Mind and Body: The Most Fundamental Human Right

Having control of one’s body and one’s mind – also called self-ownership – is, I believe, the most basic human right anyone can have. Mill summed up it nicely in On Liberty: “Over one’s mind and over one’s body the individual is sovereign” – although he did (rightly so) allow for exceptions involving actions which…

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If Drugs Were Legalised, How Should They Be Regulated?

There are many arguments in favour of the legalisation of drugs, including, but not limited to: eradicating drug-related violence, preventing the adulteration of drugs, preserving our personal freedom, saving government expenses used to fight a ‘war on drugs’, freeing up police time and prison space, and generating revenue through the taxation of drugs. But, while…

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A Lesson From Thoreau on Dealing With an Unjust Government

Henry David Thoreau (1816-1862) is perhaps most famous for his book Walden, which details how he independently and self-sufficiently lived in the woods for two years. Thoreau’s focus on the virtue of individualism in this book positioned him as one of the major figures of transcendentalism. This philosophical movement centred around the belief that individuals are inherently…

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