TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN

"Let's talk about the war on drugs. How's that working for you,
Oklahoma?"

With those words, retired Michigan police detective Howard Wooldridge
addressed a recent meeting of the University of Central Oklahoma
branch of the Edmond Rotary Club. Like every cop, he claims, he
quickly learned that the current method of waging the war on drugs was
not effective.

And, depending on who is asked, there are distinctly different answers
to the question.

Wooldridge, a resident of Fort Worth, Texas, serves as media director
for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a nonprofit organization
which supports alternative policies of drug regulation and control.
LEAP members believe that ending prohibition - in essence, legalizing
all drugs - will save lives, reduce disease, lower addiction rates,
lessen crime, and conserve tax dollars.

On the other hand, local law enforcement officers have a very
different opinion.

While they might agree that the war on drugs is a difficult and
never-ending task, they wouldn't recommend legalizing all substances
as the answer.

"I believe in our court system and the way it works now," said Tony
Hill, drug interdiction officer for the Edmond Police Department. He
is one of six city officers who patrol the seven-mile stretch of I-35
that falls within Edmond city limits.

"People would be amazed at the number of drugs we take off the
streets," he said.

Hill himself has been responsible for numerous arrests involving a
wide variety of illegal substances.

A 12-year veteran of EPD, Hill now works with a canine partner. Astor,
a German Shepherd, was born in Holland and trained to sniff out
marijuana, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamines. Together, dog and
handler have taken down their share of users and dealers.

"Any amount of these substances is illegal in Oklahoma," Hill said. "I
don't want it in my neighborhood, and it's my job to get it off the
streets."

But Wooldridge argues that the current system of enforcement,
including incarceration of drug offenders, doesn't work.

"It began in the Garden of Eden," he said. "Prohibition didn't work
then, and it has never worked since."

Now, he says, our current war on drugs has only resulted in an
increase in crime, death and disease.

And the expense involved in carrying out the war on drugs has become
astronomical, costing billions per year, he said.

At least 75 percent of felony crimes committed in the U.S. are due to
the current policy of prohibition, according to the LEAP
representative.

Wooldridge believes that all pharmaceuticals, including the 10
families of currently-illegal drugs, should be legalized and
controlled by the government. Narcotics should be regulated the same
as tobacco or alcohol, he says.

"The same principles apply - liberty, privacy rights and personal
responsibility."

Hill disagrees.

"If we legalize drugs, where do we draw the line?" he asked. "If we
decide that what a person does in private is not the government's
business, as long as they're acting responsibly, do we legalize child
pornography? Do we 'legalize' all crime? Where do we stop?"

And he doesn't believe that ending prohibition would be successful.

"Narcotics that are already under government control and (prescription
drugs) are some of the hottest street drugs, too. Making these
substances 'legal' isn't going to get rid of dealers and keep the dope
away from our kids," Hill said.

Wooldridge, on the other hand, said he's often asked what the
consequences would be if prohibition were ended in the United States.

Citing Switzerland and Sweden, among other countries, he makes the
point that drug usage and addiction rates do not increase when these
products are made legal.

"Those who want to use these substances aren't sitting around waiting
for them to be legalized," he said.

In 2003, Wooldridge made a trip on horseback from Georgia to Oregon to
promote his anti-prohibition stance. This year, at age 53, he's
reversing the route, traveling from Los Angeles to New York.

As for drug policy, though, he knows there's a long journey ahead of
him, both literally and figuratively.

Wearing a T-shirt that proclaims, "Cops Say Legalize Pot - Ask Me
Why," he is making his way across the United States on his horse,
Misty, at an average of 23 miles per day. Wooldridge says he'll
present his anti-prohibition message to anyone who will listen.

The two men would agree that the current war on drugs is achieving, at
best, mixed success.

Both love their country and want it to become a better place to live.
And each, in his own way, will devote his life to the effort.

"Conviction without action is worthless," Wooldridge said. "Riding
across the country on a horse is one way to raise awareness, so Misty
and I are doing our part."

When his trip is complete, he plans to become an anti-prohibition
lobbyist in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, Hill and other local police officers will carry on the
battle right here in Edmond.

"The drug war starts at home," Hill said. "We have to keep fighting,
through education and family involvement. If I didn't believe in what
I was doing, there wouldn't be any point in doing my job."

While he admits to occasional discouragement, he says that in the long
run it only serves to motivate him all the more.

"We work with the issue one person at a time," Hill said. "When
someone comes back to me later and thanks me for helping them to see
the light, it makes it all worthwhile. If I know I've saved one kid,
that keeps me going."

Through high-volume routine traffic stops, Officer Hill and Astor do
their part to slow down the drug traffic around their hometown.

"Our goal is to protect the public safety and to take felons off the
street. We're going to do that as best we can."

So Hill and Wooldridge keep working, carrying out their individual
missions related to the war on drugs.

Traveling with their canine and equine companions, they may view the
answers differently, but both are dedicated to the belief that their
work is helping to create a safer and healthier America.