POLK TIGER BAY CLUB PONDERS DECRIMINALIZATION OF ILLEGAL DRUGS

Prohibition didn't work for alcohol, so maybe it's about time to
realize that it's not working for drugs, either, and should be stopped.

That's the position Peter Christ of Law Enforcement Against
Prohibition put forth for Tiger Bay Club members to consider.

Also commenting on the issue were Brad Copley from the office of the
state attorney, 10th Judicial Circuit, and Marion Moorman, public defender.

Christ said his main objective was to end the drug war. He believes
that the war is ineffective, and causes more harm than legalizing and
regulating drugs would.

Eighty-five percent of drug-related deaths are due to battles over
the marketplace, he said, while only 15 percent were related to individuals.

People who are arrested for drug use are often sent to prison instead
of going to treatment centers for help. This is a not a good
solution, especially as there is not one drug-free prison in
existence, he said - criminals just make new connections in prison.

Arrests of drug dealers only serve to open up vacancies for others, he added.

Copley responded by saying that the thought of buying
methamphetamines at a local drug store was ridiculous. He said that
drugs are too addictive and life-destroying to be allowed to be sold
in such a fashion.

In the war on drugs, it is important to attack everything on all
levels, he said.

Moorman said that he views the war on drugs much like many people
view the war in Iraq - he supports the troops, but is against the war.

He noted that the only humans not to use psychoactive drugs
historically were the Eskimos, and that is because they had no access
to those kinds of plants. After the drugs were introduced, they took
to them just as had other peoples had before them.

Enforcement is a problem, Moorman said.

Losing the War on Drugs

When asked if the nation had lost the war on drugs, Copley replied
that law enforcement could never wipe out drugs, but that doesn't
mean the war is lost.

Christ said that the war on drugs is lost, and that it is now a
social problem that must be dealt with.

Moorman agreed, saying that the collateral damage was unacceptable.
The drug war has disproportionately fallen upon the poor blacks in
the street as opposed to the rich whites taking ecstasy in the clubs, he said.

If drugs were legalized, Christ did not believe that they would
become a widespread problem. Fifty-one percent of adults do not drink
alcohol, he said. Addiction is a personal problem, and not everyone
is going to take these drugs and become addicted.

Moorman said that meth does ravage those who use it, and he would not
like to see it made more available. However, he said that no
normal-thinking person would want to take meth even if it did become legal.

More deadly overdoses occur from people taking prescription drugs
like Vicodin than from illegal drugs, he said.

Copley claimed that the public had seen only the tip of the iceberg
if drugs were to be made legal. He was concerned about what happens
to the children if the parents become hopeless addicts, who only care
about the drugs.

Taxes from Legalized Drugs

One person asked panelists to give an estimate as to how much money
could be made if marijuana were to be legalized and taxed.

Moorman said that he didn't know the economics to provide numbers,
but said that marijuana was the number on cash crop in the United
States. He said that the war on drugs had forced marijuana growers to
innovate in their methods, and now they could make a lot of money
growing out of small inside rooms with special lights and hydroponics.

While Copley could provide no estimate, he said that the social cost
would far outweigh any of the monetary gains that could be made
through legalizing marijuana.

Christ said money would immediately be gained because there would be
less need for the $70 billion spent to fight drugs every year. He
said that what used to be disparagingly called the "numbers racket"
is now the Florida lottery system, which provides money for education.

Ideally, he said, money saved on law enforcement and money earned
through taxes on legal marijuana and other drugs could be spent on
helping treat the problems of addiction and spreading awareness of the risks.

Winning the Tobacco War

Another questioner said America seemed to be winning the war on
smoking without making it illegal.

Copley answered that without enforcement, the government would be
sending too many messages that could easily get mixed. In order for
the government to truly appear to be against drugs, it must ban them
completely, he said.

Christ agreed about the effectiveness of education on stopping
smoking, and also pointed out that 90 percent of smokers who
permanently quit manage to do so going cold turkey.

Some people just want to get high, and will no matter what, Moorman
said. But education could be more effective at reducing those
numbers, he added. He thought that before and after pictures of meth
users would be an effective method of showing the dangers of meth use.

Drug vs. Performance Tests

When asked about drug testing, Christ said that he preferred the
newer method of performance tests that are used by some airlines.
These tests are taken every day a pilot is going to fly to determine
if things like motor skills and reaction times are up to par.

These are far more safe for the passengers, Christ said, as drug
testing says nothing about sobriety. He preferred that his pilot be
able to perform his job. It is important that the pilot was not
sleepy, or distracted by personal problems; Christ didn't care what
the pilot did in his off hours.

Moorman opposes drug testing unless there is probable cause, but
Copley said that they were a necessary evil and that he had no
problem with them.

Moorman closed by repeating his problem with drug law enforcement
causing problems mostly for the poor. He also said that it is
possible to still be a constructive member of society even as a
drug-user, citing the belief that the late Chief Justice William
Rehnquist was probably addicted to prescription painkillers.

Legalized drugs would be too damaging to society, and that those on
drugs only desire to get their next fix, Copley said. He said that
the deterrent effect of criminalizing drugs was one of the strongest
weapons in the war on drugs.

Christ gave the example of an alcoholic who drank every day, but
didn't drink and drive and didn't hurt other people or property.

"What we do against them? What do we do for them?" he asked.

Nothing is done against such an individual, he said. But they are
guaranteed purity of product through regulation, a safe place to buy
or use the product in bars or liquor stores, and treatment on demand.

"But what about the user of illegal drugs?" Christ asked.

Someone who is convicted of using drugs but turns his life around
will have the stigma of that felony charge follow him for the rest of
his life. Users don't often know what all the drug producers have
added to their drug of choice, and they definitely do not have a safe
place to buy or use these drugs when they have to go down dark alleys
to obtain them.

Treatment on demand is offered, but only if they accept the felony
charges first, he said.

More than 450,000 people die tobacco-related deaths annually, 150,000
deaths are related to alcohol, and 30,000 are related to illegal
drugs. Christ maintained that it just did not make sense to keep the
status quo.