This talk was given on August 8 at the Christians for Liberty conference in Austin, Texas.

Although I have been writing from the perspective of a conservative Christian libertarian for the past twenty years, it was not until 2009 that I first wrote something about the Drug War. This is because I knew the negative reaction I would receive from conservatives—and especially Christian conservatives. But after writing that initial article, there has been no turning back. I now write about the Drug War, not as much as I write about Christianity and war, but quite often.

Do you want to live in an authoritarian society? Do you desire an intrusive government? Do you wish for a government that is a nanny state? Do you yearn for government bureaucrats to tell you what you can and cannot do? Do you want to give up your personal and financial privacy? Do you like puritanical busybodies telling you how to live your life? Do you believe the government should define and enforce morality? Do you reason that vices should be crimes? Then you should support the War on Drugs.

Do you love liberty? Do you treasure freedom? Do you respect property rights? Do you want to live in a free society? Do you prefer government at all levels to be as limited as possible? Do you think people should be responsible for the consequences of their own actions? Do you wish the federal government would at least follow its own Constitution? Do you reason that vices should not be crimes? Then you must oppose the War on Drugs.

If you oppose drug use, you should oppose the War on Drugs even more. If you consider drug abuse to be evil, you should consider the War on Drugs to be more evil. If you think that taking drugs is a sin, you should think that the War on Drugs is a greater sin.

Now, it is unfortunate that before I write or speak about the Drug War, I have to first make it perfectly clear, beyond any doubt whatsoever, that I don't say and write the things I do because I am a licentious libertine who just wants to be able to legally get high.

So, lest there be any misunderstanding, let me make myself unmistakably and unambiguously clear. I neither use mind-altering, behavior-altering, or mood-altering substances nor recommend that anyone else use them either—for any reason. I don't even drink alcohol. And not only do I not use what are classified by the government as illegal drugs, I wouldn't use them if they were legal, and would prefer that no one else use them either—whether they are legal or illegal. I am even skeptical about the health benefits of most legal drugs—prescription or over-the-counter.

Now, just in case somebody still doesn't get it, let me try again:

Getting high on marijuana is a vice.

Smoking crack is evil.

Ingesting PCP is stupid.

Snorting cocaine is destructive.

Shooting up with heroin is sinful.

Dropping acid is ludicrous.

Swallowing ecstasy is immoral.

Injecting yourself with crystal meth is dangerous.

Eating psychedelic mushrooms is probably not a good idea.

But even though I consider the use of any drug for any reason other than because of a medical necessity to be dangerous, destructive, and immoral, I consider the government's War on Drugs to be even more dangerous, destructive, and immoral. I don't think anyone should support the government's War on Drugs any more than they should support the government's wars on poverty, terrorism, obesity, cholesterol, trans fat, cancer, tobacco, dietary fat, salt, and liquids over 3.4 ounces on airline flights.