Drugs are now terrorist chemical weapons.
In an example of how law enforcement misuses its powers, increasing numbers of people can be handled as "terrorists", whether or not they've committed acts of terror. While drug crimes are certainly criminal acts worthy of vigorous pursuit, use of the Patriot Act permits law enforcement to hold suspects indefinitely with no access to legal counsel.

"Within six months of passing the Patriot Act, the Justice Department was conducting seminars on how to stretch the new wiretapping provisions to extend them beyond terror cases," said Dan Dodson, a spokesman for the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys. "They say they want the Patriot Act to fight terrorism, then, within six months, they are teaching their people how to use it on ordinary citizens."