--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In claiming that prohibition, not the…" description: "\"In claiming that prohibition, not the drugs themselves, is the problem, Nadelmann and many others - even policemen - have said that \"the war on drugs i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/theodore-dalrymple-7084_answers_in-claiming-that-prohibition-not-the-dru_1941632.jpg" --- # In claiming that prohibition, not the drugs themselves, is… ![“In claiming that prohibition, not the drugs themselves, is the problem, Nadelmann and many others - even policemen - have said that "the war on drugs is lost." But to demand a yes or no answer to the question "Is the war against drugs being won?" is like demanding a yes or no answer to the…” quote by Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/theodore-dalrymple-7084_answers_in-claiming-that-prohibition-not-the-dru_1941632.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/theodore-dalrymple-7084_answers_in-claiming-that-prohibition-not-the-dru_1941632.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/theodore-dalrymple-7084_answers_in-claiming-that-prohibition-not-the-dru_1941632.jpg) > “In claiming that prohibition, not the drugs themselves, is the problem, Nadelmann and many others - even policemen - have said that "the war on drugs is lost." But to demand a yes or no answer to the question "Is the war against drugs being won?" is like demanding a yes or no answer to the question "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?" Never can an unimaginative and fundamentally stupid metaphor have exerted a more baleful effect upon proper thought.” [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Complex social issues cannot be reduced to simple yes/no answers; metaphors can oversimplify and mislead. **In simple terms:** Simple answers hide complexity. Key Takeaway Avoid binary thinking on nuanced problems. Themes policy drugs communication Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - policy debates - media framing - education programs Key Concepts Metaphor analysis public discourse Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives to binary framing exist? - How can nuanced discussion be encouraged? A Different Perspective Binary framing can polarize and stall progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug/) [Libertarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libertarian/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Policemen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policemen/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Prohibition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prohibition/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War on drugs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-on-drugs/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) [Yes or no](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yes-or-no/) ## Related quotes > [We have a problem with drugs? Let's declare war on drugs! We have a problem with crime? Let's declare war on crime! We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mcwilliams/we-have-a-problem-with-drugs-let-s-declare-war-on-drugs-we-have-a/) [Peter McWilliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mcwilliams/) > [The prohibition of drugs causes crime. You don't have to legalize, just decriminalize it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/the-prohibition-of-drugs-causes-crime-you-don-t-have-to-legalize-just/) [Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/) > [Drugs are a tragedy for addicts. But criminalizing their use converts that tragedy into a disaster for society, for users and non-users alike. Our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/drugs-are-a-tragedy-for-addicts-but-criminalizing-their-use-converts/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [“Human pigeons there the dancers Gunfighters: metal-romancers This war needs no necromancer Iron shells its spell-commencer Journalists, writers: freelancer Donate words as ‘peace enhancer’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/human-pigeons-there-the-dancers-gunfighters-metal-romancers-this-war/) [Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/) > [The reason we don't often confront the larger question of whether or not war is survivable is because of a failure of imagination. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-we-don-t-often-confront-the-larger-question-of-whether-or/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [The great question is, can war be outlawed from the world? If so, it would mark the greatest advance in civilization since the Sermon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/the-great-question-is-can-war-be-outlawed-from-the-world-if-so-it/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [The fact that we don't' talk about it, that we don't have a politics in which this question of war and peace can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-loury/the-fact-that-we-don-t-talk-about-it-that-we-don-t-have-a-politics-in/) [Glenn Loury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-loury/) > [“On this question of war, three things are to be considered. First, the rights of declaring it: secondly, the expense of supporting it: thirdly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/on-this-question-of-war-three-things-are-to-be-considered-first-the/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [I don't think drugs are a problem; I think they're a symptom. As long as Americans are empty, spiritually, emotionally, morally empty, they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-don-t-think-drugs-are-a-problem-i-think-they-re-a-symptom-as-long/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [And as far as I'm concerned, it's like I say, drugs are not the problem. Other stuff is the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/and-as-far-as-i-m-concerned-it-s-like-i-say-drugs-are-not-the-problem/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [My dad drank pretty heavily, and he never missed a day of work in his life. So I never looked at drinking as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-trebek/my-dad-drank-pretty-heavily-and-he-never-missed-a-day-of-work-in-his/) [Alex Trebek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-trebek/) > [We respect the freedom of all citizens. Young people should have fun, but there is no tolerance of drug abuse. Drugs have become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nguyen-minh-triet/we-respect-the-freedom-of-all-citizens-young-people-should-have-fun/) [Nguyen Minh Triet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nguyen-minh-triet/) > [I don't have a problem with drugs, I have a problem with policemen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/i-don-t-have-a-problem-with-drugs-i-have-a-problem-with-policemen/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [I think it's too bad that everybody's decided to turn on drugs, I don't think drugs are the problem. Crime is the problem. Cops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/i-think-it-s-too-bad-that-everybody-s-decided-to-turn-on-drugs-i-don/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [My guess is many top athletes, distance runners included, use performance-enhancing drugs, enough so that the problem must be tackled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-rodgers/my-guess-is-many-top-athletes-distance-runners-included-use/) [Bill Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-rodgers/) ## More by Theodore Dalrymple > [Life is a biography, not a series of disconnected moments, more or less pleasurable but increasingly tedious and unsatisfying unless one imposes a purposive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/life-is-a-biography-not-a-series-of-disconnected-moments-more-or-less/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [Many young people now end a discussion with the supposedly definitive and unanswerable statement that such is their opinion, and their opinion is just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/many-young-people-now-end-a-discussion-with-the-supposedly-definitive/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [“even received a few requests that I send medicine, since none was available in the local pharmacies—an admission, unthinkable a few years ago, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/even-received-a-few-requests-that-i-send-medicine-since-none-was/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [There is nothing an addict likes more, or that serves as better pretext for continuing his present way of life, than to place the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/there-is-nothing-an-addict-likes-more-or-that-serves-as-better/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [“pride must be in the work, not the person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/pride-must-be-in-the-work-not-the-person/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [“In The Gulag Archipelago, for example, Alexander Solzhenitsyn remarks that Shakespeare’s evildoers, Macbeth notably among them, stop short at a mere dozen corpses because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/in-the-gulag-archipelago-for-example-alexander-solzhenitsyn-remarks/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [Orders can be benign or malign, but the habit of obeying them can become ingrained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/orders-can-be-benign-or-malign-but-the-habit-of-obeying-them-can/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [“A taste for kitsch among the well-to-do is a sign of spiritual impoverishment; but among the poor, it represents a striving for beauty, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/a-taste-for-kitsch-among-the-well-to-do-is-a-sign-of-spiritual/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [“Facts are much more malleable than prejudices.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/facts-are-much-more-malleable-than-prejudices/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [“Political correctness is communist propaganda writ small. In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/political-correctness-is-communist-propaganda-writ-small-in-my-study/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [“People with no experience of life except under communist regimes would tell me that they knew—though they were unsure how—that their life was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/people-with-no-experience-of-life-except-under-communist-regimes/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/when-people-are-forced-to-remain-silent-when-they-are-being-told-the/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [There is something deeply attractive, at least to quite a lot of people, about squalor, misery, and vice. They are regarded as more authentic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/there-is-something-deeply-attractive-at-least-to-quite-a-lot-of/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [“The young man regained consciousness in the ambulance, but his mother insisted that he give no evidence to the police because, had he done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/the-young-man-regained-consciousness-in-the-ambulance-but-his-mother/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [The idea that freedom is merely the ability to act upon one's whims is surely very thin and hardly begins to capture the complexities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/the-idea-that-freedom-is-merely-the-ability-to-act-upon-one-s-whims/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) [Explore all 95 Theodore Dalrymple quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) ## More Answers quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In claiming that prohibition, not the drugs themselves, is the problem, Nadelmann and many others - even policemen - have said that \"the war on drugs is lost.\" But to demand a yes or no answer to the question \"Is the war against drugs being won?\" is like demanding a yes or no answer to the question \"Have you stopped beating your wife yet?\" Never can an unimaginative and fundamentally stupid metaphor have exerted a more baleful effect upon proper thought.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Theodore Dalrymple" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/in-claiming-that-prohibition-not-the-drugs-themselves-is-the-problem/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Answers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/in-claiming-that-prohibition-not-the-drugs-themselves-is-the-problem/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/theodore-dalrymple-7084_answers_in-claiming-that-prohibition-not-the-dru_1941632.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/theodore-dalrymple-7084_answers_in-claiming-that-prohibition-not-the-dru_1941632.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/theodore-dalrymple-7084_answers_in-claiming-that-prohibition-not-the-dru_1941632.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In claiming that prohibition, not the drugs themselves, is the problem, Nadelmann and many others - even…” — Theodore Dalrymple", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Theodore Dalrymple", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In claiming that prohibition, not the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/in-claiming-that-prohibition-not-the-drugs-themselves-is-the-problem/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/in-claiming-that-prohibition-not-the-drugs-themselves-is-the-problem/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```