The War on Drugs: An Old Wives Tale
Part memoir, part current affairs, part argument for legalization - The War on Drugs is a MUST READ for those who believe that the war on drugs only happens to "those people" in "that part of town."
Written from the point of view of a wife and mother, The War On Drugs: An Old Wives' Tale examines the pros and cons of marijuana prohibition, drug diversion programs, and challenges the reader to define the nature of addiction and other pre-conceived notions.
Early reviews have included:
"Written with the humor of hindsight, yet the abject horror of getting caught in the cross fire of the so-called War On Drugs comes through with crystal clarity. For anyone that has any doubt about the truth of the matter, it becomes abundantly clear that the war on drugs is really a war on people, – good wholesome people that care for their children and make a positive contribution to their community. This is a must read. The War on Drugs: An Old Wives’ Tale lays bare the absurdity of Marijuana Prohibition, the lies and injustice of our Legal System, and the unscientific, unethical nature of 'The Recovery Industry.' Read it. Believe it. And be warned."
"I live in the county this book takes place in. I drive by the courthouse mentioned often. I never knew anything like this was going on in my area. It was devastating to read, but devastating in the way we need to be devastated in order for our nation to see progress. I appreciated the ability to step inside a real family going through this. That personal connection made the book feel relatable, and it was easy, as a fellow mother, to picture myself living this nightmare if my life had gone a different direction. The day by day format of the book works well for demonstrating the struggle as a daily battle rather than one big event. It was hundreds of bad events. Lots of bad policies, lots of injustice, lots of anger and fear. I highly recommend this to those who think drugs are something only found in 'that part of town' or that all those involved are 'that sort of people.' It’s simply not true."
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​It was a sunny, beautiful day in late November. The sky was blue and there were just a few wispy promises of clouds high in the sky. I stood barefoot in the driveway, our two-year-old daughter in my arms. She cuddled against me, still drowsy from napping in the car.
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It did not play out as you see on television. They did not come with their jackboots and battering rams. They did not break down our door or throw us to the floor, handcuff or arrest us. They did not draw their guns or shout at us, and the neighbors would only have known something was amiss if they were actively watching outside. The fact that they did not do any of those things did not make us any less terrified on that Monday in late November 2008, just a few days before Thanksgiving, when the Clandestine Lab Task Force raided our basement marijuana-growing operation.
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Welcome to the drug war.
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By the end of our two-year-long experience, we had lost more than $30,000 in income and legal fees, struggled to keep our home and family intact, and were forced to declare bankruptcy. But our family is still together – and we still have our home. We continue to rebuild ourselves financially and emotionally – together – because of this I consider our family to be one of the lucky ones.
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Each day, across this nation, hundreds of thousands of people are being arrested, threatened with imprisonment, losing their jobs, their homes, and personal belongings. They are being labeled criminals, their constitutional rights are being violated, and their families are ripped apart.
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Between 2001 and 2010, there have been 8.2 million arrests for marijuana, 88% of those for just marijuana, no other drugs, weapons or violations.
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Over 750,000 people in the United States are currently incarcerated for varying degrees of marijuana possession while murderers, rapists, and pedophiles often walk free due to ‘overcrowding.’ While Ponzi schemes earn house arrests and visits to country club prisons, untold thousands of children are suffering in one-parent households or find themselves at the mercy of an inadequate foster care system when their fathers and mothers are incarcerated. Drug task forces and police officers are allowed to confiscate possessions of our nation’s citizens and call it justice-putting the onus of proof on the citizen if they ever hope to have the items or monies back.
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Except for our names, Dave and Christine Shuck, I have changed all the names in this book. I did it to protect the innocent … and the guilty … I’ll let you decide which is which.
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This book is about our experiences in the two plus years that followed our bust as we progressed through the Cass County Adult Drug Court program. However, it is more than that-it is more than just an account of one family in a small Midwest town who decided to ignore the law. It is about one of the greatest ethical and legal battles plaguing this country in the last century.
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In the two years that followed the bust-we would struggle to pay our bills. We would see first-hand the games and gross manipulations of our freedom done in the name of justice and rehabilitation.
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In the last days of 2008, we found ourselves faced with a choice-we could go to prison or we could go through drug court. We entered drug court with great trepidation, with preconceived notions, and hard feelings, and found that life was not as simple as black and white, good or evil, or even courts and criminals. We walked away from the experience changed and with powerful lessons learned.
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Welcome to the war on drugs.
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