Ohio University Students for Liberty and Young Americans for Liberty have collaborated to advance their common goal: promoting a message of a free society.
Police Captain Howard Rahtz of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition will speak at 5 p.m. today in room 110 of Bentley Hall, relaying his personal experiences fighting the war on drugs.
Anthony Hennen, a junior studying journalism, co-founded Ohio University Students for Liberty in 2009.
“We’re just a group dedicated to advocating a libertarian position of social tolerance, economic and social freedom,” Hennen said. “We just want to foster a discussion on what the principles are of a free society.”
America’s war on drugs does not make drug use less frequent or drugs safer, Hennen said.
“I don’t think drugs should be used that often but prohibiting them doesn’t do any good,” he said. “We tried that with alcohol, and it’s the same principle as Prohibition.”
Since its inception in 1969, the United States has spent $2.5 trillion on the war on drugs. In 2005, about 1.85 million people were arrested on drug-related charges.
“I feel like drug legalization in general is an interesting topic to the campus at large,” Hennen said. “(Having the event on 4/20) is just a shameless marketing promotion, trying to get people who obviously have some interest in an unofficial drug holiday.”
Michael Terbush, a sophomore studying plant biology and president of OU Young Americans for Liberty, said the war on drugs is pertinent to every OU student.
“A lot of students get arrested for these sorts of things, and a lot of money goes into it, which is a waste,” he said. “They’re not preventing or helping anything. They’re just charging money for the offense.”
Because the government pays for the war on drugs, someone could end up paying for his own arrest, Terbush said.
“This is clogging up prison systems and costs the government a lot of money,” he said. “Eventually, we’re going to have to pay for whatever the government spends. That money comes from us — the taxpayers.”
Ohio University Students for Liberty and Young Americans for Liberty meet together Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. in Bentley 205.
“We’re always looking for new members,” Hennen said. “Even if people disagree with us. It’s not so much about getting in with like-minded people as it is fostering a discussion.”
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