September 9, 2010 12:38PM 

# “This cries out for a Jim Harper rant.” 

By [Jim Harper](https://www.cato.org/people/jim-harper) 

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… says a colleague. Or maybe it speaks for itself.

**“[Sheriffs want lists of patients using painkillers](http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/09/08/669723/lists-of-pain-pillpatients-sought.html)”**

Assuming, for the sake of argument, that the War on Drugs is meant to help people: The helping hand of government strips away privacy before it goes to work.

My 2004 Cato Policy analysis on point is: “[Understanding Privacy — and the Real Threats to It](https://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-520es.html).”

##### Related Tags 

[Constitutional Law](https://www.cato.org/constitutional-law), [Technology and Privacy](https://www.cato.org/technology-privacy), [Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies](https://www.cato.org/robert-levy-center-constitutional-studies) 

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