DRUG WAR CALLED 'ABJECT FAILURE'

Former Seattle Police Chief Calls for Legalization

BELLINGHAM -- Despite more than a trillion dollars spent, drugs are
more available today at lower prices and higher potency than at the
beginning of America's "war on drugs," the former chief of the
Seattle Police Department argued Thursday.

Norm Stamper, chief of the department from 1994 to 2000, spoke at
Western Washington University in an event organized by the school's
Drug Information Center.

Speaking for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Stamper called the
drug war an "abject failure" that has led to the unjust incarceration
of millions and created a system that promotes a violent drug trade
that has ravaged Mexico and the rest of Latin America.

"The incineration of human beings ... decapitation ... this is the
kind of violence that a multibillion-dollar drug trafficking industry
creates," Stamper told a crowd of approximately 150 students and
community members.

Stamper said the prohibition of drugs is partially responsible for
that violence, since it creates a market that dealers exploit.

"The demand has always been greater than the supply, which is why the
suppliers make so much on these drugs," he said.

Stamper outlined some of the "collateral damage" of the drug war, including:

Students who have lost out on financial aid because of misdemeanor
drug convictions.

Individuals living in poverty who have been denied federal public
housing because of drug convictions. Stamper noted that neither rape
nor murder convictions prevent someone from receiving public housing.

Nearly 2.3 million Americans jailed on drug charges, with nearly 90
percent of those convictions being simple possession. Stamper also
argued that the drug war has disproportionately affected African
Americans, leading to between seven and 10 times more black people
being charged with drug crimes than white people.

As a solution, Stamper proposed legalizing all drugs and having the
government regulate them -- similar to the current system for alcohol
and tobacco. Stamper argued that since decades of government
intervention has done little to stem the flow of drugs into the
country, the government may as well try to cut down on the violence
inherent in the drug trade.

Several audience members questioned the morality and practicality of
having the government sell drugs that could kill people and lead to addiction.

Stamper was not completely sure of the logistics, but countered by
saying that drug addiction would be a reality whether users were
getting their substance from the government or a drug dealer on the street.

Why not ensure that people were getting clean needles for intravenous
drugs and using proper strength drugs that would limit overdoses,
Stamper argued, pointing to the success of rehabilitation programs
for addicts in Europe.

Either way, Stamper said America has erred in treating drugs as a
criminal-justice issue instead of a public health issue.

"We spend seven times more on enforcement than we do on prevention
and treatment," he said. "Think about all the good that would be
caused if we reversed that number."