The real elephant in the room when it comes to the Air Force's sexual assault and rape prevalence is the culture embracing alcohol use.
Recently General Everheart and Chief Rodewald spoke at my base and they remarked that "irresponsible alcohol use" was involved with every single case of rape that they processed in 18th Air Force.. EVERY.. SINGLE.. CASE.. in an entire numbered Air Force.
Yet does the AF acknowledged this fact? Is it part of our doctrine involving sexual assault prevention and response? No. It's dismissed off the table of discussion as "victim blaming."
Telling people "don't get drunk and have drunk sex, because drunk sex is rape" is not a matter of discussion on SAPR down days, because warning girls not to drink too much is called "victim blaming" or "deflecting" while they claim the real root cause is lack of respect or something like that.
Obviously the real problem is the Air Force's drinking problem. Alcohol is at the root of this problem, it always has been, and always will be. If every single solitary case of rape involves irresponsible use of alcohol, then it's time the AF acknowledges this fact and tackles it.
And what response? Simple.. public opinion is rapidly shifting on cannabis. Traditionally banned from use among military servicemen/women and civilians, the substance is growing increasingly accepted.. as many as 56% of the nation believes it should be Legalized.
In many ways, marijuana is safer than alcohol. Could this be the magic bullet solution to the Air Force's sexual assault and rape problem? Replace alcohol culture with weed culture, and the problem may well fix itself.
Alcohol is closely associated with domestic violence, rape/sexual assault, and vehicular fatalities.
Marijuana is closely associated with Cheetos and lava lamps.
It's time to modernize archaic policies, and give our service men and women a safer alternative to alcohol, and it's time to squeeze alcohol culture out of our Airmen.
Alcohol leads to long hangovers and reduced readiness.. in almost every way cannabis use is safer and more closely aligns with the high-speed military life, and most importantly there will be fewer DUI's, fewer cases of domestic violence, and fewer sexual assault and date rapes.