MANCHESTER -- Last month, Connecticut decriminalized the possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana. In light of rising prison populations, gang violence and recent studies that suggest the so-called "War on Drugs" is a failed law enforcement policy, many would say the move was overdue.

Like Joe Brooks.

"Decriminalization is a half-step, a step in the wrong direction," Brooks says.

Brooks is no frou-frou relativist tree-hugger. He's the former commanding officer of the detective division of the Manchester Police Force, a commander of a tri-town Connecticut narcotics task force and a local representative for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), a nationwide organization of cops, prosecutors, judges and other law enforcement professionals who are devoted to the legalization of drugs in America.

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