New Administration Should Relax Drug Laws

[Turborama]

President Obama has been focusing on rectifying the nation's economy, but other issues, like drug laws, have come into focus since Michael Phelps' Kellogg's sponsorship was suspended.

Although the economy dominates our political dialogue, now is as good a time as ever to step back and evaluate which issues the new administration should be addressing in the coming months. From health care to energy reform, Afghanistan to Gaza, President Barack Obama has assumed office at a time of unprecedented complexity and is tasked with finding solutions to problems that have no clear antidotes.

With these challenges at the helm, it is easy to overlook a long-standing, yet underreported, quagmire that has taken a back seat to more pressing matters. The policy I refer to is none other than the ever-persistent, yet unequivocally failed, war on drugs.

It is true, the war on drugs must not be brought up in polite company. Anything that might be construed as supportive in any way of drugs is not suitable for proper conversation in most circumstances.

However, with leadership from the president, this sorry trend need not be irreversible. One of the reasons Obama was able to attract so many to his candidacy is because he exudes a refreshing sense of frankness and rationality, even when dealing with issues that are widely regarded as politically toxic.

Whether it was a blunt and unparalleled manifesto on race relations, or a candid discussion of his youthful experimentation with marijuana and cocaine, Obama has never shied away from addressing matters that every self-aware American grapples with, but politicians have traditionally swept under the rug as they smile and nod. It was for this reason that many of Obama's supporters were confident over the course of the campaign that he would address the issue of drug policy in a similarly evenhanded, if not overtly confrontational, manner.

Even in the early weeks of the administration, several subtle but significant changes have been made in the area of drug policy, both domestically and abroad. Obama has already broken rank with the stubborn regressiveness of the previous administration, whose rigid adherence to a dogmatic anti-drug philosophy defied common sense.

Continues: http://media.www.signal-online.net/media/storage/paper771/news/2009/02/18/Opinion/New-Administration.Should.Relax.Drug.Laws-3634421.shtml

[Turborama]

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