"Drug offenses ... may be regarded as the prototypes of non-victim
crimes today. The private nature of the sale and use of these drugs has
led the police to resort to methods of detection and surveillance that
intrude upon our privacy, including illegal search, eavesdropping, and
entrapment.

Indeed, the successful prosecution of such cases often requires police
infringement of the constitutional protections that safeguard the
privacy of individuals."
by:
John Kaplan
Jackson Eli Reynolds professor of law at Stanford University, Special Attorney US Dept of Justice, author
Source:
"Crime and Justice" from the series 'Courses by Newspaper' appearing in numerous American newspapers in October 1977
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Reader comments about this quote:
 -- Anonymous, Reston, VA US      
I agree with the perspective of legalization, as long as we would also remove the burden of the taxpayer to foot the bill for drug abuse and allow the victims of "while intoxicated" crimes to sue for damages the offender and his immediate family for all they are worth and more. We no longer live in a free society we live in welfare state. We must accept the consequences of the public being forced to pay for everything, including the stupidity of others, at the point of an IRS gun. Leave the drunks and drug addicts to die in the gutters unless their families or private charities come get them, and I will be all for legalization. Until then we must live with the madness of modern liberalism (socialism). John Kaplan is an illogical, unthinking fool, and so is Anonymous from Reston VA. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
 -- helorat, Milton     
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     -- Joe, Rochester, MI      
    5 stars for being accurate. The war on drugs is a sham -- the primary intent is to expand State power -- the health and safety of the citizens is irrelevant to them. End drug prohibition now -- it's completely unconstitutional and a huge stretch of the commerce clause.
     -- E Archer, NYC     
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    What Archer said! ;-)
     -- J Carlton, Calgary     
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    “Did you really think we want those laws observed?" said Dr. Ferris. "We want them to be broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against... We're after power and we mean it... There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced or objectively interpreted – and you create a nation of law-breakers – and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Reardon, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with.”

    ― Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
     -- J Carlton, Calgary     
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     -- Mary - MI      
    helorat and Archer both make great points and when added to Carlton's Ayn Rand's quote, a full picture starts to emerge. The occupying statist theocracy infesting this land are intoxicated with the power to unconstitutionally / unlawfully abuse the once free We The People with their victimless tyranny.
     -- Mike, Norwalk     
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    E Archer is exactly correct. The war on drugs is a sham. As to helorat's observation as to costs to taxpayers footing the bill for drug abuse, we are spending millions to jail offenders most of which are in prisons for victimless crimes.
     -- jim k, Austin, Tx     
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     -- Howard, Bangkok      
    Sadly Ayn Rand's predictions are all coming true. Thanks J Carlton. Helorat, the federal government has no constitutional authority for the programs you mentioned costing the taxpayers what it does. They just do it anyway.
     -- Cal, Lewisville, TX     
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