White House Czar Calls for End to 'War on Drugs'

[BlueJessamine]

Source: Wall Street Journal

By GARY FIELDS

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration's new drug czar says he wants to banish the idea that the U.S. is fighting "a war on drugs," a move that would underscore a shift favoring treatment over incarceration in trying to reduce illicit drug use.

In his first interview since being confirmed to head the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Gil Kerlikowske said Wednesday the bellicose analogy was a barrier to dealing with the nation's drug issues.

"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," he said. "We're not at war with people in this country."

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.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124225891527617397.html

[Robb]

1. Treatment over incarceration

Wow. :thumbsup:

[Skink]

9. Government run healthcare is what is needed for tratment.

[Politicub]

2. Yes! It's about time!

This represents a more mature POV - focus on treatment, not solely on punishment.

[bunnies]

3. Whoopie.

We'll still arrest you for smoking weed but we'll call it something different. :eyes: BFD.

[theaocp]

5. Baby steps, first

It's gonna take small steps to get us where we need to be, unfortunately.

[stillcool]

10. Not in my state..

you get caught with weed, you get a ticket. It's a shame that people rely on the federal government, rather than their state government, isn't it?

[bunnies]

17. Maine too...

Im surrounded by 'cool' states. Meanwhile in NH... :banghead: Get caught with a couple of ounces and the story changes though. All of New England should just legalize it. Weed and same-sex marriage. :thumbsup:

[Control-Z]

50. Same in my state.

And it's not even the equivalent of a moving violation. It's a fix-it ticket kind of thing. Small fee. But no proof of anything "fixed" is required.

[theaocp]

4. Bad-fucking-ass

First comes gay marriage in the states and now this. I may yet realize my dream of opening my own "Bud-and-Breakfast!" I can't wait. May common sense and thoughts prevail!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. And I think they are going to cut back on marijuana prosecutions

though it will take time, as too many Bush appointees are in DEA. Obama is going to let decriminalization come from the states, I think, just like gay marriage. A longer process, but one that gets the job done without giving the rwing attack dogs a bone to chew on.

[sasquuatch55]

7. Finally some intelligence in decision making. Now take immediate action.

nt

[Joe Chi Minh]

8. For our leaders not to be at war with their own people almost sounds seditious now, doesn't it?

What CAN Obama be thinking of?!?!

[mule_train]

11. OT - never liked the term 'Czar'

what's next, kommisars?

(dont turn around)

[PatSeg]

40. I hate the word "Czar"

almost as much as "homeland" and "War on...". Who's brilliant idea was it to use such a negative word for something that is meant to be positive?

[superconnected]

44. I agree totally. Czar is too dictatorial for me.

[PatSeg]

45. Sounds like a republican creation

Gives me the creeps.

[superconnected]

52. It is a republican creation. We got Czars under king george.

[PatSeg]

53. George and company

sure did have a way with words! For eights years I thought I was living in an alternate reality.

[dharmamarx]

12. it's a shame about the new copyright czar though

This is very good news. It's a shame, though, that Obama administration is planning on making the same War on Drugs mistakes with regard to file-sharing. We're are now getting a "Copyright Czar" who is going declare war on the internet:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/04/biden-to-mpaa-youll-like-obamas-copyright-pick.ars

(An even dumber mistake, really, because this new war will target middle-class young people as opposed to powerless poor people. Not a good sign for the future of the party.)

[bagrman]

13. Portugal has legalized all drugs. Use down, treatment up. Get our gov't out of the drug biz.

[JonLP24]

26. Appearently neighboring Spain's air is polluted with drugs

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x8770038

[bagrman]

36. Looks like a smoke screen.

[JonLP24]

38. It's not enough to have any effects

They also say it is very probable they conducted the studies where drug use is common. It is probaly the same in American cities.

[NM Independent]

14. 'bout fucking time!! n/t

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

15. They will change their mind next week.

[theaocp]

16. Based on the torture pictures

I'd tend to agree. I don't understand how some of these people sleep at night. Ignorance truly is bliss and with religion being your opiate, I guess you can look past a lot of things. Sheesh.

[Turbineguy]

18. Good.

Now we can get on with the War on Christmas, the War on Marriage and other RW fantasies.

[Wapsie B]

19. Cue the outrage from the DEA.

No seriously, this threatens their bread and butter. I do not see this agency giving up without a fight.

[gorfle]

24. Bingo.

And hence the real motive behind the "war on drugs". Just like the "war on terror", it's really not about what it claims to be about, rather it is simply a means for a never-ending power grab and money trough to feed at.

There is a ton of money at stake here. Expect a huge fight.

[Wapsie B]

46. It will be a big fight at various levels of government.

Even at the local level law enforcement agencies have benefitted by the lax accounting of revenue gained from asset seizure and forfeiture. That's a nice piece of the pie being threatened with ending this "War on Drugs."

[saigon68]

27. Massive pissing away of money

[sutz12]

35. Yeah, the prison/industrial complex won't like it either. nt

[montanto]

20. I don't see where he says he'd like to end the war on drugs

and move toward treatment at all. I do see where the reporter says that though. Frankly I'm scared by the term "New Drug Czar" as anyone with a new title likes to hang onto it. I can't imagine him pining away to cut business. And when he says "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." it sounds to me as though we are in for a re-brand: get ready for "The War for Freedom from Drugs."

But if he really wants to end prohibition and treat people with problems, then yay!!

[Jester Messiah]

21. Good words, encouraging words, but ultimately only words.

How about a presidential commutation of sentence for all citizens imprisoned for possession to time served?

[90-percent]

22. Now this is a White House Drug Czar

Now this is a White House Drug Czar that GETS IT.

I suspect he was moved by this recent episode of FAMILY GUY.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/20/everythings-better-with-a_n_188951.html

Additionally, I would like to share this Jesse Ventura quote from Larry King recently;

"What bothers you more; murder or marijuana?"

-90% jimmy

[The Wizard]

23. There goes the

Prison Industrial Complex

[bamacrat]

25. About time, this is wasteful spending that could be cut.

Obama said he and his administration would cut programs that do not work. Hopefully this is a promise kept.

[Wizard777]

28. This is yet another Stupid Republican war that is destroying America from the inside out.

Reagans Officially declared war on drugs has done far more to destroy America than anything that happened on 9/11.

[Romulox]

39. Bill Clinton's Justice Dpt. put more people in jail for drug crimes than Reagan and HW Bush combined

[ChiciB1]

29. DON'T Believe Any Of It Til You See The "Whites" Of Their Eyes!!

We've been back-stabbed, screwed with and outright LIED to by this administration in many ways so far!

WORDS are just things on paper... action, now that's something else which I've seen very little of for "we the people!"

Call me disillusioned and disappointed, and perhaps don't call me a Democrat these days! We own the WH, Senate & House and what have we gotten of ANY REAL substance yet??

Flame away... I have to go buy groceries! Now that's a fun outing too!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

30. Whoa, some common sense!

How long before the prison-industrial complex persuades the Obama administration that Kerlikowske shouldn't be permitted to "misspeak"?

[MsLeopard]

31. Probably by the end of the day

And we'll see yet another backtrack on the "talk." That's all we seem to get from the administration - Obama says what we want to hear, then we he's safely out of the public eye statements are released to undo what he said. "Transparency!" "No, cover up!" "Accountability!" "No, protection of war criminals!" We've been jerked around so much since January 20th I've got whiplash.

[sofa king]

32. All this resonablenessitude and pragmaticality.

One question: isn't this frightening change away from violence and stupidity going to build up a large pool of former cops, detectives, assassins, torturers and enforcers?

I don't think those sorts of people want to go into social work.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[Arkana]

34. RARGH I HATE OBAMA.

Oh, wait, this is actually a pretty smart thing to say.

[FlyByNight]

37. An end to Prohibition 2.0?

As Bill Hicks said many years ago, (paraphrasing) the War on Drugs is a war against people and personal freedom.

The first attempt at Prohibition was an abject failure and the current policy is no different. Decades and scores of billions of dollars late but better late than never, I guess.

About time.


:thumbsup:

[suzy creemcheeze]

41. There has to be comprehensive treatment; not just a quick detox...

I knew a couple of heroin addicts who had gotten in trouble with the law and were given rehab of some sort. The problem is, it's half-assed, IMO. They ended up taking methadone, which only stopped their heroin cravings, but is still an intoxicant, so they never stopped getting high. Sure enough, they relapsed.

[Dulcinea]

42. Think of all the money that would save.

Money we could put to better use than prosecuting pot smokers!

[Vidar]

43. This is progress.

[Zhade]

47. Good, if it doesn't turn out to be another broken promise.

NT!

[Uncle Joe]

48. It's nice to see a glimpse of sanity regarding an insane issue.

Kudos to Mr. Kerlikowske for recognizing the absolute waste both treasure and in human resources under current Orwellian Policies, I just hope they follow through.

On the other hand, apparently Sgt O'Neill is still suffering from the delusion that current police state tactics regarding drug use and abuse is

A. "Controlling' the nation with a world record breaking two million plus prisoners and countless destroyed families and B. should be "controlling" the nation here in the "land of the free and home of the brave."

It's astonishing to think anyone would wonder why the people believe the war is being waged against them?

Legalize drugs, and turn this dysfunctional, asinine criminal issue in to the educational, medical and personal privacy issue for which it should be. Make more room in the prisons for violent offenders and outlaw prison corporations which seek profit from imprisoning the American People.

"Mr. Kerlikowske said he opposed the city's 2003 initiative on police priorities. His officers, however, say 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, Mr. O'Neill said.

"The average rank-and-file officer is saying, 'He can't control two blocks of Seattle, how is he going to control the nation?' " Mr. O'Neill said."

Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, BlueJessamine.

[usregimechange]

49. About time

[Control-Z]

51. Remember what happened to,

I believe it was, Jocelyn Elders, the Surgeon General who promoted masturbation? I hope Gil Kerlikowske doesn't meet the same fate.

It requires baby steps and patience to introduce and implement anything new and progressive into society. Mostly because of the in-your-face opposition, and it is a painfully slow process for society to become comfortable with what they know it is right, but fear is wrong (through intimidation, mostly).

It is amazing and hopeful that Kerlikowske is so boldly trying to put this on the table. I expect it will one day happen, but sadly, probably not any time soon.