WAR ON THE WAR ON DRUGS

Members of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, an international
organization that supports the legalization of pot, will be spreading
their message today at the Grappone Conference Center.

Like most of the GOP primary field, Jon Huntsman, scheduled to appear
at 9 a.m., will be a tough sell.

The group is made up of former and current police officers and
government agents. Richard Van Wickler, the superintendent of the
Cheshire County Department of Corrections, will represent the group
during a question-and-answer segment.

"I've seen how the drug war doesn't do anything to reduce the drug
abuse but does cause a host of other problems, from prison
overcrowding to a violent black market controlled by gangs and
cartels," Van Wickler said in a press release. "Polls now show that
voters overwhelmingly agree that the drug war is a failure and that a
new direction is sorely needed."

It's not clear if Van Wickler will have time to ask Huntsman about the
drug issue, but Tom Angell, spokesman for the group, said the
superintendent will do his best.

"They'll try to get to the questions during the official Q & A,"
Angell said, "and if that doesn't work, they may try to approach the
candidates as they're trying to leave the room."

One candidate who would have welcomed Van Wickler's approach is Ron
Paul, long an opponent of the war on drugs. Too bad Paul canceled his
appearance.