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 [of the drug policy to a war] was a barrier to dealing with the nation's drug issues.The fact that such an approach would be "more controversial" is yet another example of the down-the-looking-glass stupidity of the drug war.
"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.The Obama administration is likely to deal with drugs as a matter of public health rather than criminal justice alone, with treatment's role growing relative to incarceration, Mr. Kerlikowske said.
Already, the administration has called for an end to the disparity in how crimes involving crack cocaine and powder cocaine are dealt with. Critics of the law say it unfairly targeted African-American communities, where crack is more prevalent.
(H/T TNC)
2 comments:
My boy Gildo is a product of Seattle. This city, though it can be exceedingly rational to a degree that sometimes make people here seem really boring and vanilla, has got a lot going for it in terms of how it looks at crime being a product of a combination of factors, including the fact that if people are in unhealthy situations they'll probably make some unhealthy decisions, and the best way to remedy some of these vicious cycles is to work on prevention instead of throwing a bunch of people in the slammer.
Also, though it was decreed by voters, marijuana is pretty much not illegal. How the hell Obama was able to appoint this guy without the law-and-order schmo's going crazy is beyond me. More power to him for doing so.
Hi misterlister, thanks for reading,
It's amazing how in the last few months, there have been lots of commentators arguing for a different look at drugs, a new debate legalization, etc, but no one has argued the opposite case. The only person I remember hearing in recent weeks was in a diavlog with David Freddoso (as well as Radley Balko), and he was none too convincing. Let's hope Gil can make the rest of the country a little more like Seattle.
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