Ezekiel Edwards

The Cops Get It Right, Too?

Following up on my previous entry on George Melloan's editorial discussing the resounding failure of America's drug war, on March 7, 2006 the Wall Street Journal published four letters to the editor in response to Melloan's piece (three of which agreed with him). One letter came from Howard Wooldridge, a police officer with 18 years of street-level experience "fighting" the drug war, who described Melloan's piece as "right on".

More interesting, though, is the organization at which Wooldridge is presently an education specialist: Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). I encourage readers to link to LEAP's website; in particular, you should download their 12-minute promotional video.

The video includes the former Seattle Police Chief describing the drug war as "nonsense", "harmful", "immoral", the most "dysfunctional [and]...devastating social policy since slavery"; the city auditor of Syracuse stating that the single most important step towards improving our urban communities is ending the war on drugs; a Lieutenant in the New Jersey State Police asserting that if America legalized drugs, next year we would arrest 1.6 million fewer people, save $69 billion dollars, and take over the decision-making power currently held by drug dealers regarding drugs' prices, types, potency, source, production, sales locations, and eligible consumers; another police chief admitting that in fighting the drug war, he was constantly "trampling over the edges of the constitution"; another member observing that the percentage of Americans addicted to narcotics in 1914 (when the first drug prohibition law was passed), 1970 (the start of the drug war), and today is virtually unchanged, despite the millions of dollars spent and countless lives ruined; and a LEAP representative citing as undeniable evidence of contemporary institutionalized racism the fact that in Apartheid South Africa in 1993, 851 blacks per 100,000 were incarcerated, while in America in 2004, 4,919 African-Americans per 100,000 are in prison.

In addition, an upstate New York police captain explained that legalizing drugs is not the answer to individuals' drug "problems"; rather, it is the answer to the immense crime and violence that surrounds the illicit drug trade. After legalization, our society would have to deal with drugs the same way it has dealt with other harmful and addictive substances such as nicotine and alcohol: through education, health awareness campaigns, regulation, counseling, and various treatment methods.

LEAP's arguments for why we must end the drug war may be familiar, but to hear it directly from police officers, sergeants, and DEA officials, in addition to being refreshing, adds a critical, credible voice to the anti-drug war movement.

Ezekiel Edwards: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 7:00 AM, Mar 09, 2006 in Criminal Justice
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