Posted by Jonathan Adler:
De-escalating the Drug War:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2009_02_15-2009_02_21.shtml#1234812396
The NYT has an [1]interesting article suggesting President Obama's
choice for "drug czar" (aka the head of the Office of National Drug
Control Policy) could alter federal drug policy in positive ways.
The anticipated selection of Chief Kerlikowske has given hope to
those who want national drug policy to shift from an emphasis on
arrest and prosecution to methods more like those employed in
Seattle: intervention, treatment and a reduction of problems drug
use can cause, a tactic known as harm reduction. Chief Kerlikowske
is not necessarily regarded as having forcefully led those efforts,
but he has not gotten in the way of them.
�What gives me optimism,� said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director
of the Drug Policy Alliance, �is not so much him per se as the fact
that he�s been the police chief of Seattle. And Seattle, King
County and Washington State have really been at the forefront of
harm reduction and other drug policy reform.� . . .
Under John P. Walters, the drug czar during most of the
administration of President George W. Bush, the drug office focused
on tough enforcement of drug laws, including emphases on marijuana
and drug use among youths. The agency pointed to reductions in the
use of certain kinds of drugs, but it was criticized by some local
law enforcement officials who said its priorities did not reflect
local concerns, from the rise of methamphetamine to the fight
against drug smuggling at the Mexican border.
As an anti-prohibitionist, I think de-escalation of the drug war would
be a very welcome policy shift, but I am skeptical. I think it might
be very difficult for the Obama Administration to openly shift
resources away from traditional enforcement efforts, as this would
open up the Administration to the charge that it is "soft on crime" --
an allegation to which Democratic/liberal administrations are more
politically vulnerable. Still, a shift from the harsh prohibitionism
of the Bush Administration would be a very good thing.
References
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/us/politics/16czar.html
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