Though I disagree with the premise as a whole of restricting individual liberty, I do have a belief in the rights of communities and find the tyranny of the minority just as oppressive.
Typically the right of the community to set it’s own public standards does not necessarily interfere directly with the rights of one in privcy to do what he wishes, so as long as it does not harm another, or others. Taking drugs while sitting in your own home does not harm society in any way, as long as the taker is a responsible person. The exact same logic applies now with the use of alcohol, only difference is it is legally available . There may be things that aren’t 100% kosher with the law, but you can do in the privacy of your home without creating a societal disruption that would draw the ire of the law.
But we’re not at the point where government cameras are installed in your home to see what you’re doing at all times. Nor does the ‘civillian security force’ knock on your door every now and then to ‘see how you’re doing’...do you want to see us go there?
Of course, I have my subtle differences which break from the overall tone of the above affirmation of the rights of the community. For example, my belief that a privately owned business such as a restaurant or bar that resides in a community which has banned smoking is restricted from catering to that clientele altogether...for the ‘greater good’ or for ‘public health’. A private business should be permitted to afford its customers and guests the environment that they want, without government dictates. Clients who don’t want such an environment are free to choose another establishment.
But, regulating something like wet/dry at the Federal level is a disaster. History has proven such, and in my opinion continues to prove it with the WoSD (War on Some Drugs) that it is waging against it’s citizenry, and communities.
Not to mention it is an excuse and abused and often results in the most tragic deprivation of the general liberty of American citizens in our history.
Here is one such example:
I would like nothing more than these so called ‘crimes’ of possession of small amounts of drugs to be neutered. People who casually use most drugs recreationally are not criminals against anything, other than transgressing against a certain type of groupthink, which is used to satiate ones own desires of using the state to enforce a particular set of morals.
See my earlier post about ‘Omnipotent moral busybodies’ for some more clarification.