That’s one lesson that this video of a drug raid should drive home.


Warning: Graphic Language and Material

In America today, lawmaking is discussed much too casually. The consequences are not seriously considered. We allow agencies to issue regulations without having a formal vote in the legislature. “Too cumbersome.” Compliance is automatically assumed. Few want to consider whether the use of brute force can be justified against someone who resists, or the danger that might be created for the innocent who get swept up in investigations. We now have thousands of rules and regulations on the books.


We suffered through the painful lessons of liquor prohibition, but have been slow to see the parallels in the drug war. A few years ago, Cato published a report on these paramilitary raids, called Overkill. The author of that study, Radley Balko, has been vigilant about highlighting these raids and dispelling the idea that they are just a few “isolated incidents.”


More on the drug war here.