“..Promote Transparency and Accountability: Machiavellian leaders thrive in environments where Secrecy and a Lack of Accountability Prevail..”
NORMAN J CLEMENT RPH., DDS, NORMAN L. CLEMENT PHARM-TECH, MALACHI F. MACKANDAL PHARMD, BELINDA BROWN-PARKER, IN THE SPIRIT OF JOSEPH SOLVO ESQ., INC.T. SPIRIT OF REV. C.T. VIVIAN, JELANI ZIMBABWE CLEMENT, BS., MBA., IN THE SPIRIT OF THE HON. PATRICE LUMUMBA, IN THE SPIRIT OF ERLIN CLEMENT SR., WALTER F. WRENN III., MD., JULIE KILLINGWORTH, LESLY POMPY MD., CHRISTOPHER RUSSO, MD., NANCY SEEFELDT, WILLIE GUINYARD BS., JOSEPH WEBSTER MD., MBA, BEVERLY C. PRINCE MD., FACS., NEIL ARNAND, MD., RICHARD KAUL, MD., IN THE SPIRIT OF LEROY BAYLOR, JAY K. JOSHI MD., MBA, ADRIENNE EDMUNDSON, ESTER HYATT PH.D., WALTER L. SMITH BS., IN THE SPIRIT OF BRAHM FISHER ESQ., MICHELE ALEXANDER MD., CUDJOE WILDING BS, MARTIN NJOKU, BS., RPH., IN THE SPIRIT OF DEBRA LYNN SHEPHERD, BERES E. MUSCHETT, STRATEGIC ADVISORS
THUMBS DOWN ON THE WAR ON DRUGS
In a bold move towards sanity, the American Medical Association (AMA) has voted 345-171 to support decriminalizing drug use and possession, effectively giving a massive thumbs down to the static, archaic disaster that is the War On Drugs.
Meanwhile, the DEA and its staunch defenders of the status quo are left clutching their pearls, muttering, “But think of the children!” as if that line hasn’t worn thin over the decades.
“..Educate and Mobilize the Public: Public awareness and education are powerful tools in combating Machiavellian tactics..”
Picture this: the AMA House of Delegates convenes in Chicago, a modern-day council of sensible minds, finally deciding that maybe—just maybe—throwing people in jail for personal drug use isn’t the most brilliant idea humanity has ever had.
Ryan Englander, AMA Connecticut delegate, sums it up beautifully with, “The war on drugs is quite reminiscent of the phrase, ‘The beatings will continue until morale improves.'” Because, yes, America, after decades of trying to criminalize our way out of a substance use crisis, it’s time to admit it hasn’t worked.
Let’s take a stroll down memory lane, shall we? The War On Drugs, a campaign that’s been waged with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, has given us overcrowded prisons, countless lives ruined by criminal records, and oh, let’s not forget the immense racial disparities in drug-related arrests and incarcerations.
“In general you must either pamper people or destroy them; harm them just a little and they’ll hit back; harm them seriously and they won’t be able to. So if you’re going to do people harm, make sure you needn’t worry about their reaction.”
― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince
A 2022 Pew report kindly points out that while drug use and dependence rates between groups differ by a measly 1-2%, Black people are far more likely to be arrested and incarcerated. Decades of this, and yet the DEA still believes more of the same will eventually lead to success.
Contrast this with Portugal’s experience, where decriminalization didn’t lead to societal collapse but instead allowed the country to get people into treatment, reducing drug use mortality.
But why look at effective models when you can stick to your guns and keep filling up prisons, right?
The AMA, in a moment of clarity, decided to focus on public health rather than punishment.
This revolutionary idea is apparently too much for the AMA’s Board of Trustees, who argued it’s “premature” to decriminalize without more evidence of public health benefits. Because clearly, the mountain of evidence showing the failures of the current approach isn’t enough.
Board member Stephen Taylor’s proposal to tweak the language to eliminate criminal penalties “as part of a larger set of related public health and legal reforms designed to improve carefully selected outcomes” was a masterstroke of cautious optimism.
DOJ- DEA’S COP DOWN APPROACH TO PAIN CARE MEDICAL PROVIDERS
Meanwhile, back in the land of rigid dogma, the DEA continues its crusade. The agency seems to operate on the principle that if you criminalize it hard enough, eventually something good will happen. Spoiler alert: it hasn’t. The same tired tactics yield the same dismal results, year after year.
As the AMA strides forward, embracing a dynamic and evolving understanding of drug use as a health issue rather than a criminal one, the DEA and its ilk stand resolutely in the past.
Their static culture clings to outdated notions, preferring punishment over progress. The AMA’s decision highlights the absurdity of continuing a failed war, exposing the DEA’s stubborn adherence to a losing strategy.
So here’s to the AMA for recognizing that the beatings do not, in fact, improve morale, and for daring to imagine a future where we address substance use with compassion and reason. And to the war on drugs? Here’s hoping it finally goes the way of all bad ideas: into the dustbin of history.
“...Advocate for Ethical Leadership: Promoting and exemplifying ethical leadership can contrast sharply with the Machiavellian approach...”
“…Standing before his colleagues at the AMA’s annual meeting on Friday, June 7, 2024, Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD., opened up about the personal sacrifices involved in his role. As he and his husband, Judd Taback, raise their two young children, a 5-year-old and a 17-month-old, the demands of his position often pulled him away from home.
Yet, the growing risks to patients, the increasing burdens on physicians, and the unrelenting tide of misinformation and mistrust made the challenges to healthcare too significant to ignore.
“This is my fight,”
Ehrenfeld declared, emphasizing his unwavering commitment to the cause.
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