FORMER MICHIGAN COP RIDES TO LEGALIZE DRUG USE

MICHIGAN CITY -- The rugged lanky figure in cowboy hat and spurs making his
way along U.S. 12 atop a horse isn't a common sight, especially through
Gary, Porter and Michigan City.

The message former Michigan police officer Howard Woolridge carries isn't
usual either.

"Cops say legalize drugs; ask me why," his T-shirt invites.

Woolridge, 54, is co-founder of the not-for-profit group Law Enforcement
Against Prohibition or LEAP, and is making his way from Los Angeles to New
York on horseback, passing through the region this weekend.

It's not a freewheeling drug party he's promoting but policy reformation
that would legalize and regulate currently illegal drugs with hopes of
ultimately improving the system.

Thousands of drugs are available at pharmacies and those are regulated and
taxed, Woolridge said. However, about a dozen drugs are the bane of law
enforcement agencies and are costing taxpayers billions for drug
enforcement and incarceration of prisoners. They also carry a high death
toll due to homicides, he said.

Woolridge likens today's drug problems to those faced during the
prohibition, including violence such as the St. Valentine's Day massacre
and moonshine stills in family homes.

He said drug problems today include methamphetamine labs in kitchens where
children are eating their Cheerios and shootouts on street corners over
drug buys. He said 75 percent of felony crimes are related to drug
prohibition, from homicides over drug deals to home burglaries by addicts
trying to get money for their drug habits.

Some observers who stopped Woolridge were interested.

"He's got some very valid points," said New Buffalo, Mich., resident Dave
Booth, "It totally requires some thought."

"People see the T-shirt and say, 'Why?' " Woolridge said. He said police
resources would be better spent on prosecuting child molesters, drunken
drivers and people flying airplanes into buildings.

He said each dealer arrested or killed is replaced immediately because of
profitability in the black market. He said profitability is what has made
the drugs so readily available, even in small-town America, where it's
easier for teens to get illegal drugs than alcohol, for which they are
often carded.

Woolridge said he travels about 30 miles per day.

Two years ago, he said he road on horseback from Georgia to Oregon. Last
year he put 30,000 miles on his Chevrolet truck delivering his message.

He said eight years ago when he started his campaign he was immediately
labeled a lunatic, but now many of the thousands of people he has talked to
agree with him and are asking serious questions.

"It's good to be part of the change," he said. His next goal is to be a
lobbyist in Washington. D.C., for the reform.

For more information, visit the LEAP Web site at www.leap.cc.