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Why Parents Aren't Opposing the "Drug War"

Samizdata links a story about another instance of the Drug War going too far. From the original CBSNews article:

Gun-toting police burst into a South Carolina high school, ordering students to lie down in hall ways as they searched for drugs. The commando-style raid has parents questioning the wisdom of police tactics. The raid occurred Wednesday at Stratford High School in Goose Creek, S.C. Surveillance video obtained by CBS Affiliate WCSC in Charleston shows the police waving their guns and searching lockers as students lie flat on their stomachs or sides.

Many comments express surprise that the parents haven't thrown a fit over the civil liberties of their children being violated. I'm not surprised. I bet the parents fear their kids getting into drugs more than they fear the power of the state.

Part of it is due to propaganda, like the "drugs help terrorism" ad campaign. The pro-legalization movement already realizes it must counter that. But it also must work hard to assure parents that legalization will not make it more likely for their kids to try drugs. Because, let's face it, while Libertarians believe adults should be allowed to make their own choices about drugs, hardly anybody believes this is true for kids. The health risks for children are much greater, and just like for alcohol, most kids just don't have the emotional maturity required for responsible use. Libertarians know this, but their arguments rarely address this concern.

What parents really need to hear is that decriminalization and/or legalization need not make drugs more available to their kids, because they are not the same as deregulation. Far from it. Parents need to hear about CASA's study that shows that today, many teens find it easier to buy marijuana than beer or cigarettes. They need to realize that legalization means that licensed dealers would be selling marijuana, and licensed dealers have an incentive to check IDs because they can have their licenses revoked. Drug dealers today have no such incentive; they're already breaking the law.

So messages like these need to get out to the parents, because without their support, neither legalization nor decriminalization will ever happen. Of course, how to overcome the senior vote is a whole other can of worms.