Drug policy gets a little saner
I haven't linked to LEAP in a while because I've been rather pissed off at them for the way they treated one of their founding members, my pal Howard Wooldrige. He's no longer working for the group, but I suppose it's silly to hold a grudge forever and this really is good news for policy reformers.
[More posts daily at The Detroit News]
* Washington, DC will finally be allowed to implement the medical marijuana initiative that voters overwhelmingly approved in 1998 but has been blocked by Congress each year since then.These are all issues we were fighting for six years ago when I was still very active in the movement. Glad to see some progress towards common sense in the approach to combating drug abuse and allowing sick people to use the natural herbal medicine of their choice.
* Funding for the White House "drug czar's" ad budget has been slashed by more than a third of its size last year. Studies have repeatedly shown that these ads actually cause teens to use more -- not fewer -- drugs.
* Washington, DC will be able to use federal funds to implement syringe exchange programs.
[More posts daily at The Detroit News]
Labels: war on drugs
posted by Libby Spencer at 12:53 PM
2 Comments:
For that matter, a lot of good could come of using the money to lock up folks who did nothing to anyone except themselves by using drugs - and that could go to programs to keep kids off the streets, which really would make a difference.
There are so many ways to spend the money that would do something to help addicts in a way that no tolerance prohibition does not. This is a good start. I've actually been rather heartened by the progress the big reformers have been making in the last couple of years.
Post a Comment
<< Home