OFFICERS JOIN GROUP BACKING LEGALIZATION

NEW HAMPSHIRE

EPPING - A small but growing number of New Hampshire law enforcement
officers have joined a group that supports legalizing drugs. The
group, called Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, says it has 11,000
members in 90 countries. There are 132 members in New Hampshire,
including 20 who joined in the past three months.

Epping Police Officer Bradley Jardis joined two years ago. He enforces
drug laws while on the job, but off duty, he says drugs should be
legal and regulated like alcohol. He says it's wrong to treat
alcoholism as a public health problem but drug addiction as a criminal
problem.

Epping Police Chief Gregory Dodge says Officer Jardis has a right to
belong to the group though he doesn't agree with it.