Pubdate: Sat, 21 Feb 2009
Source: Sun News (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Copyright: 2009 Sun Publishing Co.
Contact: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/letters_policy/
Website: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/987
Author: Froma Harrop

DRUG POLICY WILL LIKEN LOOSEN

The war on drugs is ridiculous; behold the storm over Michael Phelps' 
partaking of marijuana, an illegal substance that at least two 
presidents have used. It is tragic; witness the raging gang violence 
along the Mexican border. Whether the Obama administration will 
downgrade the War on Drugs or call it off remains to be seen.

But Obama's evident plans to make Gil Kerlikowske his director of the 
Office of National Drug Control Policy offers hope for more 
enlightened policy. As Seattle's police chief, Kerlikowske presided 
over a city that had virtually decriminalized small-scale possession 
of marijuana.

The War on Drugs is obscenely expensive. It enriches criminals and 
terrorists. And it messes up our foreign policy. Meanwhile, drugs 
grow ever cheaper and more potent.

While ending the war draws support from many political quarters, the 
broader public is hesitant to join in, especially when it comes to 
hard drugs. But polls show Americans more accepting of marijuana 
(perhaps because nearly half over the age of 12 say they've tried 
it).  So easing up on marijuana would be the best place to start.

Kerlikowske has never revealed his inner thoughts on the subject, 
notes Norm Stamper, who preceded him as Seattle's police chief and 
now backs legalizing all drugs. But Seattle's casual attitude toward 
marijuana, verging on open embrace, is world famous, and on this 
score, Kerlikowske has gone with the flow.

A high point of Seattle's social calendar is Hempfest.  The marijuana 
celebration draws over 150,000 attendees in August. The hundreds of 
police who cover Hempfest pay no mind to the pot consumption, which 
is open and heavy.

Is there a more absurd development than Mexican drug lords' decision 
to start growing pot in the United States, so as to avoid the hassle 
at the border? Marijuana is now the biggest cash crop in 12 states.

What does Obama think of all this? In 2004, he backed federal 
decriminalization of pot before an audience at Northwestern University.

But the closer Obama moved toward the White House, the more he fudged 
his views. In 2007, MSNBC moderator Tim Russert asked Democratic 
primary candidates whether they supported decriminalizing marijuana. 
No one raised a hand except Obama, who did so halfway, then pulled 
his hand down.

Days after the inauguration, federal agents raided several medical 
marijuana dispensaries in California, which legalized 
doctor-prescribed pot in 1996. The administration's out-of-the-gate 
response was: The president believes that federal resources should 
not be used to circumvent state laws.

Given the economic crisis, few expect Obama to spend political 
capital crossing the Reefer Rubicon, as Allen St. Pierre, head of 
NORML, puts it. (NORML advocates legalizing marijuana.)

Will President Obama cross the Reefer Rubicon? Not anytime soon, but 
he will almost certainly move the U.S. closer to the shoreline. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake