cannabisnews.com: An Exit Strategy for the War on Drugs An Exit Strategy for the War on Drugs Posted by CN Staff on September 06, 2006 at 07:14:28 PT By Neil Peirce, Stateline.org Source: AlterNet USA -- Is it time to forge an "exit strategy" for our prolonged "war on drugs"?That question -- normally considered a "no-no" in legal circles, especially among prosecutors and police -- has been raised by the prestigious King County (Wash.) Bar Association since 2000. And the results have been impressive. King County is sending minor street drug users and sellers through drug courts instead of incarcerating them; its average daily jail count is down from 2,800 to 2,000. The Washington Legislature was persuaded to cut back drastically on mandatory drug possession sentences, apportioning funds to adult and juvenile drug courts, and family "dependency" courts. Tens of millions of dollars have been saved."This project isn't for fringy ponytailed pot smokers," insists Roger Goodman, director of the bar association's Drug Policy Project. "We did it for the courts. We can't get civil cases heard for three years. And the drug cases are mostly so petty."The uncomfortable truth is that despite decades of aggressive government crackdowns, U.S. drug use and drug-related crime are as high as ever. Made profitable by prohibition, violent criminal enterprises that purvey drugs are flourishing. Harsh criminal sanctions, even for minor drug possession, have packed jails and prisons. Public coffers have been drained of funds for critical preventive social services. Internationally, we're discovering that the U.S.' heavy-handed campaign of illegal drug eradication in countries such as Colombia is about as successful as we've found our parallel military adventure into Iraq.Despite the stunning $4.7 billion we've spent since 2000 on planes fumigating Colombia's coca crop, farmers there are producing just as much cocaine as before our aerial assault.Back home, street prices for cocaine have dropped and purity remains high. Prohibition has failed equally to stamp out markets and quality, or increase street prices for heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana. The drug war kicked off by President Nixon in the 1970s, and copied by state and local governments nationally, costs $40 billion or more a year. It is a massive, embarrassing, destructive failure.But politicians are normally afraid to question the system for fear of being called illegal drug apologists. So how did the King County Bar get the ball rolling? "It's the messenger, not the message" -- the credibility of the bar association, says Goodman. The King County Bar in fact assembled a nationally unprecedented coalition of supporters, ranging from the Washington State Bar Association to the King County and Washington state medical associations, the Church Council of Greater Seattle and the League of Women Voters of Seattle and Washington.And the first-stated goals weren't scuttling drug laws. Instead, the bar association announced its platform as (1) reductions in crime and disorder -- "to undercut the violent, illegal markets that spawn disease, crime, corruption, mayhem and death," (2) improving public health by stemming the spread of blood-borne diseases, (3) better protection of children from the harm of drugs, and (4) wiser use of scarce public resources.Now the bar association and its allies are asking the Washington Legislature to establish a commission of experts to design how the state can switch from punitive approaches to a focus on treatment, shutting down the criminal gangs that now control the drug trade.As controversial as it sounds, programs for victims (most likely adults) of such dangerously addictive drugs as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine may be easiest to fashion. Rather than leaving them to the streets and black market exploitation, there may -- as some European models suggest -- be ways to register addicts, provide controlled amounts of drugs in medical settings, and try to guide them into treatment.For marijuana, control by cartels that now provide huge quantities might be broken by state licensing of home production (like brewing) and non-commercial exchanges. Or a state distribution system like state liquor stores, demonstrably effective in denying sales to youth, could be established.The toughest issues may surround protection of children. Today, it's noted, they get contradictory messages -- "Take a pill to feel better," and "Just say no, except when you're 21 and then you can drink." Youth see commercial advertising pushing a wide variety of mind-altering, pleasure-inducing substances, even while society leaves control of so-called "illicit" drugs to criminal gangs. Plus, kids do like to experiment.A realistic program could start with respecting young people, providing them honest information, on uses -- and the demonstrable dangers -- of alcohol, tobacco and drugs. Goodman notes that in the 13 states where medical use of marijuana is authorized, teen use is down. "It's not as cool when grandma uses marijuana for cancer pain," he says.There's surely no risk-free "exit" from today's terribly destructive drug war. But we have to try -- and should thank communities and states with the courage to lead. Neil Peirce is a member of the Washington Post Writers Group and is the founder of the Citistates Reports. Newshawk: DankhankSource: AlterNet (US)Author: Neil Peirce, Stateline.orgPublished: September 6, 2006Copyright: 2006 Independent Media InstituteContact: letters alternet.org Website: http://www.alternet.org/DL: http://alternet.org/drugreporter/41037/CannabisNews Justice Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/justice.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #7 posted by Wayne on September 06, 2006 at 21:23:26 PT DEAth to the DEA!! "The DEA and the Medical Community". Yeah, I'm not even gonna bother responding to that one. What a f***ing crock.As for the DEA whistleblower story, I'm currently forwarding the article to some prominent media outlets. I linked it to the WFAA website where the story is. This needs SERIOUS media coverage. The networks jumped all over the story about the Border Patrol agents who got arrested for shooting a drug trafficker. Something tells me they will jump all over this one too, especially since it originated in the SAME city (El Paso) and has connections with the SAME agency (USDoJ).The DEA has done many, many heinous acts in its time. And most people haven't given them a second thought. But if they are honestly turning a blind eye to MURDER, and possibly even having a hand in it, then they will TRULY be seen as an evil entity with no respect for life. If we ever had a chance to publicly discredit this godforsaken agency, this is it! [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by ekim on September 06, 2006 at 20:18:18 PT npr national public radio just on-- bbc world news telling about gangs and severed heads the gangs in mexico are as bad as ours were in the windycity during the first prohibition.http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/ Karen Tandy retaliating against whistle blower. Scott Morgan follows up on the Narcosphere reporting. http://stopthedrugwar.org/speakeasy/main/posts/2006/sep/03/karen_tandy_retaliates_against_ Troubled by what he found, Gonzalez ultimately wrote a memo to his ICE counterpart in El Paso, and sent a copy to the Justice Department.That was the beginning of the end of his career.“It was a classic case of shooting the messenger,” Gonzalez said.Gonzalez got a bad job review from DEA Administrator Karen Tandy, his boss. And felt pressure to retire early.A more detailed account available at The Narcosphere, is quite a read. Still, this mess has largely escaped the headlines, surely to the satisfaction of Karen Tandy and her colleagues. http://www.leap.cc/events [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by FoM on September 06, 2006 at 13:37:45 PT Press Release USDOJ Working Together: DEA and the Medical Community DEA Issues Policy ...http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr090606.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on September 06, 2006 at 13:26:41 PT Off Topic: Bush Admits to CIA Secret Prisons http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5321606.stm [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by lombar on September 06, 2006 at 11:30:55 PT This project isn't for fringy ponytailed ... " "It's the messenger, not the message" -- the credibility of the bar association, says Goodman. "The people who live under the yolk of the bad laws are not 'credible' enough to listen too, the favored citizens, the 'bar associaciation', the group that made and perpetuated the bad laws in the first place (or did not oppose them.. and has profited greatly from) has more say. Their 'elite' word is worth more than the average citizen.. at least that is what I get from it. Having lawyers making laws is why our nations are screwed up and our citizens working longer hours for less pay. Oh but the bar association, they just know better... more of the 'expert' shell game to make the average person feel less than adequate. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Truth on September 06, 2006 at 10:20:21 PT Great article Great article. I did see one mistake. This part...."-- and the demonstrable dangers -- of alcohol, tobacco and drugs."should read --- and the demonstrable dangers -- of alcohol, tobacco and OTHER drugs. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by whig on September 06, 2006 at 09:45:46 PT Truce There are three ways out of a conflict. Victory, defeat or truce. You who are concerned with exiting the field of battle, we are offering you a way to leave and save your face, by approving medical marijuana and letting the doctors who can help people make responsible decisions based on knowledge do so. Provide a way for patients and growers to be safely protected under regulations that minimize street diversion.My local government is not at war with me, and I feel almost kindly disposed toward them. We have peace and a measure of contentment, but if I go fewer than a hundred miles to the north I run into counties that continue to kill and jail us.Nor am I assured of any safety against federal attack, and the same federal government kills millions in its battle for hegemony. You can't win, so stop making victory your only exit condition or you will have defeat, and you will have the blood of all of those further victims on your hands. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment