viet nam vet.
Guest
|
 Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 9:20 am Post subject: Barack & the "war on drugs" |
 |
|
While President-elect Obama is not going to make ending the drug war his
#1 priority, he has said that America should start treating drug use as
a health issue instead of a criminal justice issue. He supports
repealing the federal syringe ban and ending the DEA's raids on medical
marijuana patients. He is also co-sponsor of Senator Biden's bill to
eliminate the 100-to-1 crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity.
Moreover, many in leadership positions in Congress support drug policy
reform, ranging from Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Representative Dana
Rohrabacher.
In the months ahead, President-elect Obama will choose a new Drug Czar
for our nation, and members of Congress will put together legislation to
overhaul his agency. We have an opportunity to re-shape drug policy for
a generation.
My enthusiasm is tempered, though, by the defeat of Proposition 5 in
California. We knew from early polling that a substantial majority of
Californians favored this major reform of the state's prisons and drug
sentencing policies. But a sordid coalition of the prison guards' union,
the beer distributors' association, gambling interests, fanatical
anti-drug groups and craven politicians raised $3.5 million in the last
few weeks of the campaign to run deceitful TV ads across the state.
Ultimately we could not compete with their lies and scare tactics.
fo mo;
www.alternet.org
--
When the Power of Love,replaces the Love of Power.
that's Evolution. |
|
