RETIRED COP SADDLES UP TO PROTEST DRUG POLICY

Cross-Country Rider Urges U.S. Lawmakers To Legalize All Drugs

FAIRLAWN - Retired police officer Howard Woolridge is fighting the war
against drugs.

But he's not fighting in it, he's fighting against it.

Woolridge, along with his 11-year-old paint horse, Misty, has spent the
last six months traveling across America and pushing an unconventional
message: Legalize drugs now.

The two made a stop Sunday in Fairlawn, where Woolridge shared his message
at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron.

"The nation's policy on drug prohibition is a catastrophic failure and bad
public policy," said the 54-year-old former Michigan police officer.

Woolridge is a member of the group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a
national organization of former police, judges and other past and present
law officials who believe that legalizing drugs is the solution to
America's substance abuse problem.

The organization, created in 2002, maintains that the prohibition of drugs
causes a "multitude of unintended harmful consequences resulting from
fighting the war on drugs," according to its mission statement. The group
uses speakers and lobbyists to try to legalize drugs, a move it says will
drastically reduce violence and crime in the nation.

This is Woolridge's second cross-continental trip.

For this trip, he's riding his horse from Los Angeles to New York City to
share his message.

Clad in a cowboy hat, spurs, Wrangler jeans and a T-shirt reading "Cops say
legalize drugs," this cowboy said his crusade won't end until all drugs are
available at your local pharmacy.

"I don't know what it's going to take besides a cattle prod to get
politicians to talk about this," said Woolridge, who compared himself to a
modern-day Paul Revere.

The retired police detective said he travels about 30 miles per day on his
horse. He's followed on his journey by a fellow LEAP member who drives a
recreational vehicle full of supplies.

His trusty horse Misty doesn't seem to mind the long days on the road -- or
the endless attention and affection from the new people she meets every day.

"I learned quickly that riding a horse across America gets you a lot of
attention," Woolridge said.

Susan Davis, a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron and the
person responsible for bringing Woolridge to the area, said she hopes his
message will sink in with those he meets.

"I believe in the same thing that they do," she said. "I think something
has to happen. I'm delighted to have him here."

Not surprisingly, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has taken a
strong stand against groups that advocate legalizing all drugs.

According to "Speaking Out Against Drug Legalization," a pamphlet released
by the DEA, "legalization of drugs will lead to increased use and increased
levels of addiction." The pamphlet also states that crime, violence and
drug use are all connected.

After his stop in Akron, Woolridge will saddle up and head east, finishing
his 3,300-mile journey five weeks from now in New York City. Misty will be
with him for the entire ride.

"Unlike my former wife, it'll be till death do us part," Woolridge said.