One of the strangest arguments against ending the drug war is that it would put tens of thousands of DEA and other drug warriors out of work. That is, we need to continue escalating the violence of prohibition, putting people in jail, and chiseling away at our rights, in order to maintain welfare for drug warriors.

It appears that DEA agents recognize this. By way of DRCNet comes the following quote from what seems to be a DEA agent:

I, for one, have young children and I am counting on my DEA paycheck to put them through college, just as all of my predecessors in this job pulled their punches and dragged their feet on thousands of cases to ensure that cocaine, heroin and other drugs didn't disappear... So, I cannot disagree with the writer who says we should look at our agency more as a retirement system than a job, but I don't think it's a very good idea to say this publicly. There are some secrets that are best kept to ourselves... particularly when we're all laughing our way to the bank with great paychecks.

The reason for this discussion? The agents are worried that a new moth will eradicate cocaine and opium, requiring them to search out new targets, such as people who use birth control pills, if they want to keep their jobs.

It sounds like a farce, and perhaps it is. It is the sort of thing I would write for the Walkerville Weekly Reader. But the whole drug war is a farce; I’ve found it difficult to overestimate the farcical nature of drug war escalation by federal and local drug enforcement agents. Just when you think you’ve made great satire, they go ahead and do it.