Dear President Obama:

Right after your election, somebody asked if I thought having a black president meant black people's concerns would now receive attention at the executive level. I told them I expected the opposite.

There used to be a saying - only Nixon could go to China. Meaning, of course, that only he, as a staunch anti-communist, had the credibility to make overtures to that nation without accusations of being soft on communism. By the inverse of that political calculus, I never expected that you, as a black man, would do much to address black issues.

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Futility Becomes More Apparent

What do former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan; former Cabinet member George Shultz, who served under Presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon; former U.S. Federal Reserve Board chairman Paul Volcker; former presidents of Mexico, Brazil and Colombia; writers Carlo Fuentes and Mario Vargas Llosa; U.K. business titan Richard Branson; and the current prime minister of Greece all agree on?

They say it's time to end the war on drugs.

All are part of the 19-member Global Commission on Drug Policy, which calls on governments to end criminalization of controlled substances.

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For the time being, Missourians can consider last November's defeat of Proposition 19, a California ballot initiative to legalize and regulate the personal use of marijuana, as none of their business. But as this debate spreads outward from California it will, sooner or later, reach Missouri.

Having started the war on marijuana, the federal government is the enforcer of the status quo -- even as opinion polls show the public's desire for change. So, it is up to the states, one-by-one, to replace failed drug war policies with something that makes sense. To see how the future marijuana legalization debate might spread, let's consider the work of professor Everett M. Rogers.

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Studies Questioning Anti-Drug Program's Effectiveness Played Role In Decision.

The Rockwood School District is doing away with D.A.R.E. -- swayed in part by questions about the program's effectiveness -- drawing complaints from some parents and police.

"The timing stinks," said Eureka Police Chief Michael Wiegand. "We've got a large problem with heroin in west St. Louis County."

But D.A.R.E. -- Drug Abuse Resistance Education, the nation's best known anti-drug program -- has come under attack in recent years after several studies showed students in the program are no less likely to use drugs, cigarettes or alcohol.

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About one in four public school districts across Missouri has adopted random student drug-testing policies.

Many of those districts serve families living in rural areas.

But the first such policy at an urban Kansas City area district could be on its way. Tonight, officials with the Raytown School District are sponsoring a forum for parents and students to discuss whether a random drug-testing policy should be approved for Raytown and Raytown South high schools.

Superintendent Allan Markley believes having one at least deserves consideration, as it could give students a good excuse to resist peer pressure.

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Columbia police have not conducted a single dynamic entry using their SWAT team in 2011, and Chief Ken Burton attributes that to last year's changes in policy.

The Special Weapons and Tactics team served 25 narcotic search warrants in 2010 and used SWAT for a dynamic entry -- an approach using high-risk police tactics -- on at least 10 occasions last year, police said. A Tribune public information request last year identified 10 dynamic entries by May 11.

Burton told the Citizens Police Review Board during its monthly meeting last night that narcotic search warrants have been served in 2011, but none required a dynamic entry. Before a February 2010 SWAT raid on Kinloch Court that became the subject of wide public criticism, dynamic entries were used for all narcotic search warrants, former Deputy Chief Tom Dresner said.

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COLUMBIA --An MU law professor challenged the war on drugs and current criminal codes during a speech Saturday at a conference advocating marijuana law reform.

"We warehouse, we incarcerate, that's what we do," MU associate law professor S. David Mitchell said. "We don't treat."

The National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws conference was held in MU's Arts and Sciences Building on Friday and Saturday.

Mitchell is not involved with the organization, but Dan Viets, the coordinator of the organization's Missouri chapter, invited him to speak after seeing a comment he made on a newspaper story about Missouri Chief Justice William Ray Price Jr.

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I got the impression from Spencer Pearson (NORML Panel Calls For Marijuana Legalization, March 4, 2011) that Missouri is attempting to legalize cannabis (marijuana) on the 2012 election ballot. The list of states trying to become the 1st to legalize cannabis is growing faster than the plant itself. May the best state win.

Legalizing the relatively safe, extremely popular God-given plant cannabis is one of the most important issues of our time.

By Stan White, stanwmtn@colorado.net

[end]

George Ricketts' life crashed in April 1996, when 13 police officers and an FBI agent searched his house and seized money and cars, convinced he was a drug dealer.

But even though an appeals court later threw out his conviction, he never was compensated for losing all that stuff, including cash and a certificate of deposit together worth $129,482, jewelry worth about $700, a laptop and a BMW.

That may be about to change.

Ricketts and possibly hundreds of others, many of them convicted drug felons, could find themselves with part of a multimillion-dollar settlement of a lawsuit alleging that Kansas City police mismanaged the forfeiture of their property during criminal investigations.

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The Guest Speakers Promoted Activism in Addition to Legislation.

Spencer Pearson puffed two blunts of Mexican schwag for the first time during his senior year of high school. Pearson, the MU National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws president, said it was then he realized he'd been fed lies about what marijuana is and what it does.

With four boxes of Hotbox cookies and a few dozen attendees, NORML monitored a panel discussion Wednesday night. Pearson and four guest speakers strongly urged attendees to advocate legislation in favor of the legalization of marijuana.

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Talk of serious budget cuts are continuing to make people nervous. Which makes sticking to our current drug policies totally insane. Our "War on Drugs" is one of the most expensive, least effective programs we have. It makes about as much sense as cutting funds to education, and programs that help the elderly and disabled to help pay for tax cuts for the rich. It is not drugs, but the "War on Drugs" that is the biggest threat to our American way of life.

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JOPLIN, Mo. - Residents will get a chance at this week's City Council meeting to offer their opinions on a proposal by the Joplin police chief to require a prescription for the purchase of over-the-counter cold medicines like Sudafed and Claritin-D.

A public hearing is scheduled during the council's meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The council normally meets on Mondays, but City Hall will be closed today in observance of Presidents Day.

Chief Lane Roberts has asked the council to adopt an ordinance that would require prescriptions for medicines containing pseudoephedrine. The drug, used in about 15 medications that treat a stuffy nose, is also the key ingredient for making methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant.

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Approximately One in 250 Missouri Residents Is Incarcerated.

County Jail on Oct 22, 2009. Chief Justice Ray Price cited in his State of the Judiciary address that non-violent offenders are the main demographic for Missouri prisons' population problem.

In his State of the Judiciary address, State Chief Justice Ray Price called for a reformation of the Missouri prison system, saying prisons are overpopulated with nonviolent offenders.

"We continue to over-incarcerate nonviolent offenders, while we have failed to expand drug courts and other diversionary and re-entry programs to capacity," Price said in his address. "The result is a state that is not as safe as we want it to be and a waste of taxpayer dollars."

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I am responding to Holly Baggett's letter ("Drug testing affront to poor families," Jan. 9) regarding the drug testing of families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program. Baggett seems to be offended that people receiving this taxpayer government-funded program would have to be drug tested to get these benefits. I find this ironic as the funding for this and other programs like it come from people's taxes paid out of their paycheck. I assure you that most of these people had to have a drug test before they could be considered for employment. She should also be made aware that almost all employers require drug testing pre-employment, random testing and mandatory testing if they are injured on the job.

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Editor, the Tribune: As a retired police detective who worked in the trenches of the drug war for 18 years, I heartily agree with Hank Waters that we need to repeal this modern prohibition. Drug prohibition has increased crime, death, disease and quite probably drug use. I could not see one positive outcome from my position in the trenches. The slaughter of innocents at birthday parties in Mexico merits a shrug from us. We don't care enough to change policy.

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Editor, the Tribune: I'm writing about a thoughtful column from Hank Waters, "Mexico and the drug war" on Jan. 22.

Imagine if we could eliminate almost all of our nation's heroin dealers - Switzerland did. Imagine if we could reduce the number of heroin addicts by 82 percent - Switzerland did. Imagine if we could dramatically reduce our overall crime rate - Switzerland did. Imagine if we could eliminate virtually all deaths from heroin - Switzerland did.

How did they do it? In 1994, Switzerland started an experimental program to sell heroin addicts the drug cheaply, even giving it to the addicts who couldn't afford it. In 2008, 68 percent of the Swiss voted to make the program permanent. Have Swiss heroin-addiction rates skyrocketed? No, they have dramatically fallen. So has Switzerland's overall crime rate.

Will we adopt Switzerland's heroin policy? Probably not. Too many people, industries and institutions have a vested financial interest in maintaining the status quo.

Kirk Muse

[redacted]

[end]

Editor, the Tribune: Many thanks to the Tribune for a much-needed editorial, "Mexico and the drug war," on Jan. 22.

Many salient points were made and important questions raised, but the problem is those in charge don't and won't listen or even discuss the topic publicly.

When first appointed as our nation's chief of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, former Seattle police Chief Gil Kerlikowske admitted the word "legalization" wasn't even in his vocabulary. In such a context, I doubt our drug czar will ever publicly debate the issue or ever hold an unscripted interview with journalists.

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Despite Drop, Law Enforcement Officials See Little Decrease in Demand

The Buchanan County Drug Strike Force unveiled 2010 statistics on methamphetamine lab busts, both locally and nationally, with the numbers providing proof of mixed results in America's ongoing "War on Drugs."

In 2009, the Drug Strike Force identified and infiltrated 13 meth labs. The agency that is manned and supervised by the Buchanan County Sheriff's Department but also serves Clinton, Nodaway, Holt and Andrew counties cut that number down to eight in 2010 -- a drop of nearly 40 percent. But Lt. Steve Gumm said those numbers don't tell the whole story.

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Incomprehensible Reactions

Daily reports of drug war violence seem to slip past our consciousness. What are we thinking?

Gang warfare wracks Mexico from border to border. Outlaws murder judges and police officers when they aren't busy killing each other. The crime is beyond control in Mexico. Drugs make too much money.

In America it's the same, except it's compounded because we have a huge crime problem related to drug use as well as drug-trafficking. Even in a quiet town like Columbia, local drug war violence has made enough news to fill a book. Our police do as well as one can expect, but the drug trade simply is too lucrative to deny. The crime will continue, and we will keep paying billions to fight a losing war on drugs.

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Councilmen taking issue to citizens after it doesn't make council priority list.

After failing to gain traction with their fellows on City Council, two Springfield officials hope to strike up a conversation about medicinal marijuana with the public.

Councilmen Doug Burlison and Dan Chiles have scheduled a public meeting tonight at the Library Center to talk about the topic, which they failed to have added to the city's list of 2011 legislative priorities.

The 6:30 p.m. event is expected to run through about 9 p.m. and will feature an airing of the film, "What if Cannabis Cured Cancer?"

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