The Archduke Ferdinand of the War on (Some Classes of People Who Use Some) Drugs
Great point about the how the tragic death of Len Bias turned into a disastrous policy legacy:
Bias’s death loosed all kinds of terrible ideas on the nation, foremost among them our famously destructive mandatory-minimum sentencing regime, which was enshrined into law in October 1986. It began the process of militarizing the sports world according to the hysterical exigencies of an unwinnable drug war, a process that accelerated when Ben Johnson tested positive for stanozolol at the 1988 summer Olympics in Seoul and turned performance-enhancing drugs into the war’s newest rhetorical front.
Len Bias’s legacy is all around us even still. It’s the cup you have to pee in before starting a new job. It’s the demographic nightmare of crack sentencing. It’s the monthly freakout over recreational drug use among athletes. It’s Barry Bonds on the federal docket, being prosecuted by morons. It’s the ongoing attenuation of our Fourth Amendment rights, helped along by the work of sports league- and media-enabled drug warriors like Jeff Novitzky.
Though we were pretty far down this rabbit hole already by the mid-1980s. If it hadn’t been Bias, it would have been some other famous person’s drug-related death that triggered the next step. So I guess that does make Len Bias the Franz Ferdinand here. But the deeper causes go back to Gov. Rockefeller (and deeper still, in certain ways, to reactions to the civil rights revolution).
Yeah, the HBO documentary on the Villanova/Georgetown championship game the year before is almost as much about cocaine as it is about basketball.
It might have needed to be the next famous person whose professional apprenticeship was in the DC suburbs and whose next job was supposed to be in the backyard of the serving Speaker of the House. There was a certain amount of not automatically replicable circumstance around the death of Len Bias that led to the ensuing panic.
Is there any real reason to think that Bias, even if he had lived, wouldn’t have turned out to be a bust like just about every other lottery pick that year?
I’d say the biggest reason is that Bias was not any of those other people.
And the one guy taken ahead of him had a solid career that ended due to injury.
Well, Daugherty had a good career until injuries hit. And Person, Harper and Salley had excellent careers. Bias was also coming to a team that was already solid but needed a player with his talents. He would have been a first rate player. On the other hand, Chris Washburn, the no. 3 pick, was probably the worst draft pick of all time.
Can’t be. Worst Draft Pick Ever is a title that is, and always will be, reserved for the Portland Failblazers. Golden State is a mere pretender.
I don’t think any Blazer pick went from top pick to homeless in less than 10 years as Washburn did. Evidently Washburn has been clean for more than 10 years now
I would disagree with that assessment. Bowie’s rookie season with Portland wasn’t bad and then he broke his leg. After he recovered, he had four decent years with New Jersey.
Washburn, on the other hand, played less than two years for Golden State and then was banned from the league for failing three drug tests. (Although reportedly recovered now, he became a crack addict on the streets of Oakland, showing up at the Oakland Arena to beg for money from former teammates)
Plus, while it was a mistake to take Bowie over Jordan, Bowie’s broken leg was just weird and not expected from his health record playing college ball. On the other hand, Washburn had real issues while in college (stealing a stereo from a college roommate, reported drug problems, etc)
I would give the worst draft pick ever award to the Warriors.
As a Warriors fan, I have to agree. Sadly, it wasn’t the only time they failed to make good use of an early-round pick, especialy in the last 20 years: Joe Smith over Kevin Garnett…Todd Fuller over Kobe Bryant…Adonal Foyle over Tracy McGrady…Troy Murphy over Tony Parker…Mike Dunleavy Jr. over Amare Stoudamire…
And, even though I normally hate Bill Simmons, he was pretty accurate in this deconstruction of their sorry draft history.
I concede to GS’s awfulness. I’m afraid they top the Failblazers.
What about the Oden pick? Obviously Oden doesn’t have the personal problems Washburn did, but he’s been basically useless as an NBA player, and it was eminently foreseeable that he was injury prone. And the Blazers passed on Kevin Durant to take him.
Oden played 10 more games for the Blazers than Washburn did in his entire career (82-72) had ~1000 more minutes played and has scored ~520 more points and grabbed ~440 more rebounds. Even per 36 minutes Oden scores about 3 points and grabs 2 more rebounds than Washburn.
So Oden has been significantly more useful than Washburn
Heck, given that Washburn had a negative win shares for his career, Bias actually was a better than draft pick than Washburn
Bowie wasn’t just taken over Jordan. He was also taken over Olajuwon.
no.
Portland’s drafting has been awful though, between 2000 and 2012 the Blazers had 17 first round picks, only 2 (Zach Randolph and Damian Lillard) have averaged in double figures in points for their career (Lillard is a rookie this year)
They did get Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge in 2006, albeit it not with their own original draft picks.
Probably their worst moment was in 2005, when they could have drafted Chris Paul or Deron Williams. Instead, they traded down, drafting Martell Webster and Jarrett Jack.
Joe Barry Carroll over Kevin McHale (plus giving up Robert Parish) must be a very good attempt at pretending, then.
Ahh, looking back, Carroll wasn’t a bust.
Um, there was a reason why his nickname was “Joe Barely Cares.” Decent numbers, pretty minimal impact.
Michael Jordan ought to be a contender. Kwame Brown as #1 #1 alone puts him in the conversation, with his subsequent record in Charlotte reinforcing the case.
How do folks here propose we deal with the social costs of drug use?
How do they compare to other similar private activities that have social costs: poor diets, gun ownership, etc?
And if it could be concluded that crack cocaine did impose greater social costs, could it be treated differently than other forms of cocaine, even if it had disparate racial effects?
How do folks here propose we deal with the social costs of drug use?
There are many imperfect answers to this question, but it seems worth bearing in mind that criminalization does not, in fact, “deal with the social costs of drug use”.
If anything, it seems it would impose an even higher social cost. 2MM incarcerated prisoners in America, plus the fallout when they return to the real world. That’s an enormous burden on them, and in total an even bigger one to society, it seems to me.
First, you need to determine which of these “social costs” are imposed by virtue of the drug use itself as opposed to the fact that making it subject to criminal sanction means that only criminals use (to borrow a phrase), and especially, traffic on drugs. Then, you need to determine whether those social costs are better borne by the criminal justice system or by them public system.
My guess is that any humane analysis would find that almost all of the crime associated with drug use is due to the fact that it’s illegal to sell possess, or use drugs, and that, for those whose drug use leads to behavior that must be addressed by public officials, the social costs will be best minimized if that use and behavior is treated as a health problem.
“traffic on” = “traffic in” and “them public system” should be “public health system.”
If you are implying that “the social costs of drug use” — and I note you don’t define which “drugs” — outweigh the social costs of criminalization and its sequelae, you need to make a case for that assertion.
When Ronald McDonald gets life for pushing Big Macs on our unsuspecting youth, maybe then I’ll get on board with twenty-year sentences for a teenager getting pinched smoking a blunt in a city park.
When Ronald McDonald gets life for pushing Big Macs on our unsuspecting youth,
Forget Big macs on youth. Fucking Happy Meal toys for toddlers. The things are an environmental disaster (crappy plastic with an expected play life of a couple of hours at most), they explicitly play up gender stereotypes, and my experience is that even if you explicitly say “no toy” you will get the toy anyway more than 50% of the time.
And, they’re probably made out of melamine . . . in China.
How do folks here propose we deal with the social costs of drug use?
We could tax drugs, and use the funds for harm mitigation. We can do this whether or not most social costs of drugs involve use, or the effects of prohibition itself.
It costs about $50,000 a year to incarcerate someone in prison. The “social costs” of drug use would be less than they are now if we didn’t have any drug laws at all, and anyone could ingest whatever substances they wanted. That’s not optimal public policy, but it’s a sign of just how crazy our existing drug-law system is. The best way to manage the “social costs” of drug use is to legalize and tax the less harmful intoxicants (such as marijuana) and for the truly dangerous stuff, focus on a strategy of harm reduction rather than treating it as a law enforcement issue.
I guess I and some other ‘folks’ would urge legalization or at least decriminalization. And, how do ‘folks’ deal with the social costs of alcohol and other legal substances?
Mass incarceration is not a solution to the social costs of drug use. Like Prohibition, it only makes the social costs worse.
How do folks here propose we deal with the social costs of drug use?
I propose we pay them.
The article you linked doesn’t even mention the best part: the 100-to-1 crack-to-powder ratio in the 1986 drug law was inspired by the testimony of Johnny “Jehru” St. Valentine Brown… who later turned out to be a recidivist perjurer who regularly lied his ass off on the stand in drug cases. (Among other things, he told juries that he was a degreed and licensed pharmacist – total BS.)
Salon had an excellent article in June 2011 on this same issue (see here.)
On top of the fact that Bias died from an almost pure dose of cocaine. Then again, look at what kind of people that were using crack, and this makes more sense.
In doing a little background to see if, indeed, Bias was the first and highest profile athlete to die directly of a drug overdose that wasn’t suicide — indeed, he appears to have been the most famous and among the first — I ran across a list on Wikipedia of drug-related deaths among celebrities.
Wow. Wow.
The professional wrestlers alone could fill a book.
I don’t know if it still runs, but Deadspin’s “Dead Wrestler of the Week” series used to be excellent. A lot more nostalgic and reverential than you’d think given the title.
That list is bullshit. They even think Elvis is dead.
Elvis died for our sins, but is risen again–and working in a Burger King in Kalamazoo
Elvis died for somebody’s sins, but not mine…
Elvis was a hero to most…
Elvis is dead, Elvis is dead The big fat goof is dead, dead, dead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzNc2D6HNso
Aw, man! Deadspin sold out to the man?
It’s like they’ve never even seen Bubba Ho-Tep.
I noticed the entry for George V (“Profession: King”).
I wasn’t aware of this…
Add to: things that make you go “hmmmmm.”
When they are on their game, Deadspin produces better sports journalism than just about any other outlet.
When they’re off their game, too.
And given that most non-sports journalism can barely top the SI Swimsuit issue for insight and journalistic integrity, in my book that makes Deadspin one of the best in the journalism business.
“Deadspin one of the best in the journalism business”
They’re still a bit too gossip obsessed for my tastes (Gawker property, and all that), but it’s improved tremendously since they kicked Daulerio first upstairs and thence to the curb.
The old let’s-out-Conservative-the-Conservatives approach is always a such a great recipe for success. Without it we would have never secured that Dukakis landslide in ’88. But hey, Tip used to have drinks with Republicans so it’s all good.
And let’s not forget Tip O’Neill in the Len Bias business. Len Bias was going to be the replacement for Larry Bird that was going to keep the Celtics franchise in the money for years to come. If I recall the story correctly, O’Neill was in Massachusetts when the news of Bias’ death was reported, and by the time he got back to Washington, he was out for vengeance, and he had an idiot in the White House who would gladly hand him the sword.
It stated that in the article. O’Neill also thought that if he didn’t act quickly, Reagan would be able to take advantage of the issue.
Who?
No seriously, all of this shit is going on in my backyard and I had to think a while before I remembered. I’m surprised anyone has the gall to posture over this.
Anyway, agreed that if it hadn’t been Bias it would have been someone else. I will note that this is probably one of the few times in history that the members of Congress have given a fuck about one dead black kid.
Cherish it. It may be the last time, too.
Aren’t you mixing 2 different things, recreational drugs and performance-enhancing drugs?
Shame on you for reminding me how freakin’ shitty the ’80s were. With the likes of Tip fucking O’Neil, Raygun, the first goddamn Bush, holy crap, I’m about to hurl. You are making me sick.
but, but, but, Duran Duran!!!!
I’m sorry, the correct answer was The Go-Gos.
Nope, Mr. Mister
Culture Club or nobody.
BAAAAAAAARF! You’re all wrong, it’s Christopher Cross.
I have to push, I prostitute myself.
As to legal drugs …
http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedbrews/beers-with-senator-kirsten-gillibrand
I thought it was Lester Bangs’ death that caused all this unpleasantness.
Barry Bonds’ situation is best described as karma.
“Barry Bonds’ situation is best described as karma.”
Yeah…no.
Barry Bonds’ situation is best described as, shit, if McGwire and Sosa are gonna get all that attention, I’ll do what they’re doing, and I’ll make people forget they even existed. And it would have worked, too…
Barry Bonds’ situation is best described as, shit, if McGwire and Sosa are gonna get all that attention, I’ll do what they’re doing, and I’ll make people forget they even existed. And it would have worked, too…
Yeah. Bonds is a humongous dick.
The jails are already full. Dickery is still not illegal.
No worries! Corrections Corporation of America and GEO Group are more than happy to build more.
If it was, they would have to take Jeff Kent as well.
True dat. But he’s trying to rehabilitate himself on “Survivor” and KNBR. Successful? Time will tell.