ABOLISHDEA

Drug Enforcement Administration

Fifty years of drug war, and drugs are still everywhere.

Official story

What they claim to do

Enforces federal drug laws and works to keep illegal drugs out of American communities.

Ground truth

What they actually do

Founded in 1973, the DEA leads a drug war that has cost more than $1 trillion since 1971, by an Associated Press tally. Overdose deaths still reached record highs in the 2020s, and the war has brought no-knock raids and civil asset forfeiture into everyday policing.

The libertarian case

Prohibition creates black markets, and black markets create cartels, contaminated supply and violence. Adults own their own bodies. Prosecute fraud and violence, which have victims. Ending the DEA ends the crime of ingesting something the government dislikes.

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