British commentator, comedian, and author Russell Brand has presented a short summation of some benefits from legalizing currently illegal drugs. Brand, in a new video commentary, presents the summation in response to Stephen Glover’s Wednesday editorial in the Daily Mail that criticizes Britain’s Prince William for questioning publicly if drugs should be legalized while visiting with illegal drug users.
Brand, in the video commentary, calls the prince a “rogue,” yet commends him for both “meeting with addicts” and “asking an intelligent question.” “My personal experience is making drugs illegal simply inconveniences addicts, turns addicts into criminals, and exacerbates the problems,” says Brand.
Continuing, Brand argues that, “by legalizing drugs, you would be able to address the problem at its essence — a mental health problem, a problem of need, a problem of loneliness and loss.” Also, in response to the editorial’s message that “parents groan” at the idea of legalization, Brand responds in part, “I’m a parent, and I think I’d rather my kid grew up in a world where drugs were legalized so we can have an honest, clear conversation.”
Given the scheduled October 3 release of Brand’s book Recovery: Freedom from Our Addictions, we can expect to hear more from Brand regarding the drug war and drug legalization in the coming weeks.
Watch Brand’s video commentary here.
Reprinted with permission from the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.