Drug war called 'abject failure': Former Seattle police chief callsfor legalization

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/370673.html

CALEB HEERINGA

THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

BELLINGHAM -- Despite more than a trillion dollars spent, drugs are

more available today at lower prices and higher potency than at the

beginning of America's "war on drugs," the former chief of the Seattle

Police Department argued Thursday.

Norm Stamper, chief of the department from 1994 to 2000, spoke at

Western Washington University in an event organized by the school's

Drug Information Center.

Speaking for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Stamper called the

drug war an "abject failure" that has led to the unjust incarceration

of millions and created a system that promotes a violent drug trade

that has ravaged Mexico and the rest of Latin America.

"The incineration of human beings ... decapitation ... this is the kind of

violence that a multibillion-dollar drug trafficking industry

creates," Stamper told a crowd of approximately 150 students and

community members.

Stamper said the prohibition of drugs is partially responsible for

that violence, since it creates a market that dealers exploit.

"The demand has always been greater than the supply, which is why the

suppliers make so much on these drugs," he said.

Stamper outlined some of the "collateral damage" of the drug war,

including:

Students who have lost out on financial aid because of misdemeanor

drug convictions.

Individuals living in poverty who have been denied federal public

housing because of drug convictions. Stamper noted that neither rape

nor murder convictions prevent someone from receiving public housing.

Nearly 2.3 million Americans jailed on drug charges, with nearly 90

percent of those convictions being simple possession. Stamper also

argued that the drug war has disproportionately affected African

Americans, leading to between seven and 10 times more black people

being charged with drug crimes than white people.

As a solution, Stamper proposed legalizing all drugs and having the

government regulate them -- similar to the current system for alcohol

and tobacco. Stamper argued that since decades of government

intervention has done little to stem the flow of drugs into the

country, the government may as well try to cut down on the violence

inherent in the drug trade.

Several audience members questioned the morality and practicality of

having the government sell drugs that could kill people and lead to

addiction.

Stamper was not completely sure of the logistics, but countered by

saying that drug addiction would be a reality whether users were

getting their substance from the government or a drug dealer on the

street.

Why not ensure that people were getting clean needles for intravenous

drugs and using proper strength drugs that would limit overdoses,

Stamper argued, pointing to the success of rehabilitation programs for

addicts in Europe.

Either way, Stamper said America has erred in treating drugs as a

criminal-justice issue instead of a publichealth issue.

"We spend seven times more on enforcement than we do on prevention and

treatment," he said. "Think about all the good that would be caused if

we reversed that number."

Copyright ©2008 The Bellingham Herald

All rights reserved.

In article

<c0cbfaaa-756e-4e12-82e9-bfbfea40c0f7@8g2000hsu.googlegroups.com>,

M_P <m_p@rocketmail.com> wrote:

> Several audience members questioned the morality and practicality of

> having the government sell drugs that could kill people and lead to

> addiction.

Many places in the country the government sells alcohol directly.

--

What is done in the heat of battle is (normatively) judged

by different standards than what is leisurely planned in

comfortable conference rooms.

On Apr 9, 1:16 pm, Walter Bushell <pr...@xxx.com> wrote:

> In article

> <c0cbfaaa-756e-4e12-82e9-bfbfea40c...@8g2000hsu.googlegroups.com>,

> M_P <m...@rocketmail.com> wrote:

> > Several audience members questioned the morality and practicality of

> > having the government sell drugs that could kill people and lead to

> > addiction.

>

> Many places in the country the government sells alcohol directly.

There are many people who aren't aware, or pretend to not be aware,

that alcohol and tobacco are drugs.

With regard to "moral" questions that are not absolutely regarded as

evil from traditional ethical analysis (murder, theft, etc.), it is

more likely than not that individual judgements with regard to the

ethics of the same are incorrect.

Given the same, the legalization of narcotics, except those that are

inherently dangerous to your health, should follow the dictates of

local democratic values and norms rather than national mandates (given

the subjective nature of said values based upon local norms). Federal

prohibitions of narcotics, not inherently dangerous, should be

terminated and replaced by laws at the State level based upon the

moral norms of the state as determined by referendum on the same.

I, personally, believe that narcotics, not inherently dangerous to

your health, should be legalized, regulated, and taxed. Addiction to

the same, as in alcoholism, should be treated as a health issue rather

than a criminal issued.

The same would more appropriately and efficiently address the health,

social, and criminal issues of narcotics use and addiction.

The current system of criminalizing narcotics use and addiction only

exacerbates the same along with promulgating the corruption of our

society and political process as it did during the days of Prohibition.