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The Obama administration's drug czar is likely to chart a course away from law enforcement as the centerpiece of action against illegal drugs, a dramatic change from prior administrations.
According to The Wall Street Journal: 'The Obama administration's new drug czar says he wants to banish the idea that the U.S. is fighting "a war on drugs."' Gil Kerlikowske, the newly confirmed head of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy told the Journal that the bellicose analogy was a barrier to dealing with the nation's drug issues adding "Regardless of how you try to explain to people it's a 'war on drugs' or a 'war on a product,' people see a war as a war on them. We're not at war with people in this country."
As the Journal points out "Mr. Kerlikowske's comments are a signal that the Obama administration is set to follow a more moderate -- and likely more controversial -- stance on the nation's drug problems. Prior administrations talked about pushing treatment and reducing demand while continuing to focus primarily on a tough criminal-justice approach."
According to the report, major changes are coming in the U.S. drug policy. Two examples are illustrative. For one, "the administration has called for an end to the disparity in how crimes involving crack cocaine and powder cocaine are dealt with. Critics of the law say it unfairly targeted African-American communities, where crack is more prevalent." Second, "The administration also said federal authorities would no longer raid medical-marijuana dispensaries in the 13 states where voters have made medical marijuana legal. Agents had previously done so under federal law, which doesn't provide for any exceptions to its marijuana prohibition."
Mr. Kerlikowske has a background commesurate with the new shift in policy. He "was most recently the police chief in Seattle, a city known for experimenting with drug programs. In 2003, voters there passed an initiative making the enforcement of simple marijuana violations a low priority. The city has long had a needle-exchange program and hosts Hempfest, which draws tens of thousands of hemp and marijuana advocates."
This is likely to be a powder keg at some point. According to the Journal, Seattle police officers under Mr. Kerlikowske "drug enforcement -- especially for pot crimes -- took a back seat, according to Sgt. Richard O'Neill, president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild. One result was an open-air drug market in the downtown business district." According to Sgt O' Neill: '"The average rank-and-file officer is saying, 'He can't control two blocks of Seattle, how is he going to control the nation?'"
Alison Holcomb, drug-policy director with the Washington state American Civil Liberties Union, expressed a different viewpoint, noting: "I think he believes there is a place for using the criminal sanctions to address the drug-abuse problem, but he's more open to giving a hard look to solutions that look at the demand side of the equation."
Conclusion
Drug abuse is highly complex and controversial. But it is linked to organized crime. And if Mexico's experience is worth anything, it can be a threat to national security.
Mr. Kerlikowske's views and future policies are likely to be controversial. Yet, as they are acted upon by Congress will influence the lives of Americans, as well as leading to international consequences.
The Southwest U.S. is a dangerous place in many areas, especially along parts of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. The number of kidnappings, murders, and general rise in crime in those areas is clearly linked to drug trafficking and other related activities, such as human smuggling and white slavery.
No matter how you vote, this is an important issue, which is just starting to get interesting. So as the budget, Medicare, health care and Social Security grab the spotlight, it's likely that this change in policy will likely skate through Congress, which means that yet another landmark change in the way we live is on the way.
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