An interview with Ethan Nadelmann, exec. director of the Drug Policy Alliance

[RainDog]

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/148090/in_the_face_of_the_drug_war%27s_total_failure%2C_can_california%27s_legalization_battle_kick-start_a_movement_for_change/?page=entire

Nadelmann talks about the concept of harm reduction as a paradigm shift.

(From drug policy)...in which criminal justice approaches are dominant to one in which health approaches are dominant. So much of drug policy takes place on the ground, and so much involves both governmental and non-governmental agencies and workers -- cops, prosecutors, housing, public welfare, health, you name it. We’re just trying to come up with pragmatic solutions.

These events push in a new direction: To reduce our reliance on a criminal justice and punitive approach in dealing with drugs, and to elevate the role of health in dealing with people who are addicted; To focus criminal justice resources on the harms that people do to one another, rather than simply arresting people for drugs; To move toward decriminalization of drug possession, both for those who are addicted and want help and for those who don’t have a drug problem and should essentially be left alone.

Nadelmann goes on to mention that Prop. 19, the ballot initiative to legalize cannabis, has an amazing 70% recognition rate - that's a phenomenal number of people who know what this issue is and why it is on the ballot. He compares this moment with past initiatives that involved reforms in the criminal justice system (Prop. 5) - which was torpedoed by a political maneuver by Jerry Brown (with help, Nadelmann notes, from the quarter million that Meg Whitman devoted to its demise), and Prop. 25, a move to treatment rather than punishment in drug sentencing that passed with 61% of the vote a decade ago, in spite of opposition from politicians and law enforcement. At this moment, depending on polls, Prop. 19 polls at 50/50 (tho electronic polls show a majority of Californians favor the initiative.) Nevertheless, in spite of recognition, Prop. 19 is not a sure thing and voter turn out will be essential to its passage.

He notes that:

There’s no simple easy way to jump from where we are today to a world in which marijuana is legally regulated and taxed in the US and Mexico and much of the rest of the world. It’s going to be a messy political process, with inconsistencies in laws and enforcement and different forms of decriminalization and people exploiting that, but it’s ultimately the only solution that can really reduce the violence and murder and mayhem. We really have no choice but to head down this road, negotiating the twists and bumps along the way, until both the US and Mexico, and other countries as well, are ready to embrace a more rational and orderly system of marijuana regulation.

Nadelmann credits the Obama administration for its stance and actions on three policy changes: raids on medical marijuana facilities, needle exchange and differential sentencing for types of cocaine (crack v. powder.) He also talks about the political reality of any attempt to create change with the current Republican mindset and the nasty political atmosphere that seeks to label any move away from Calvinist punishment drug policy to health-centered harm reduction as a "soft on crime" stance. Current federal funding reflects this political reality.

Nevertheless, Nadelmann observes: Obama made another commitment when he was running for office – that he would no longer allow science to be trumped by politics. But in the drug area, they continue to let it happen.

From Terrence McNally (the interviewer) : On July 27 the House unanimously passed HR5143, which, if enacted, creates a bipartisan commission to conduct a top to bottom review of the entire criminal justice system, and offer concrete recommendations for reform within 18 months. This is the companion bill to Senator Jim Webb’s S714, already approved by the Senate Judiciary committee. According to Senator Webb, legalization should be on the table for discussion.

These are bills to watch for anyone who supports sane drug policy. One issue the House can bring up for consideration is the rescheduling of cannabis. This one change can have major implications. It's not the only change we need, but it's a major move that needs to be made to bring current drug law in line with current medical research.

What is your Representative's position on drug policy reform?

Is this something you're interested in following as a bill makes its way through the House? Is this something - public health, the allocation of tax monies for punishment or treatment, the need to reschedule - that you'd like to work to change? Just trying to gauge what level of, if any, support there is for this issue in the DU Community.