COWBOY COP RIDES ACROSS AMERICA FOR DRUG LEGALIZATION

When Cowboy Cop Howard J. Wooldridge rode into Lincoln County, he felt a
little like the pioneers did when they completed the Oregon Trail.

Well, maybe 5 percent like a pioneer. The rest was a modern cowboy with an
ATM card, cell telephone, an email address, and bridges.

"Bridges are wonderful," he said, as he explains that on one of his first
days out, he knew bridges made his trip possible. Wooldridge kept thinking
of Daniel Boone and how that pioneer probably had wet clothes all day long
as he forded one river after the other without the help of a bridge.

Wooldridge and his pinto, Misty, started their cross-country trip March 15,
2001, from Savannah, Ga. The trip was planned to promote Law Enforcement
Against Prohibition (LEAP).

LEAP is a drug-policy reform group that believes the United States' drug
policies have failed and that to save lives, lower the rate of addiction
and conserve tax dollars, the U.S. must end drug prohibition, according to
LEAP's website.

LEAP believes a system of regulation and control is more effective than
prohibition. Like Paul Revere, who rode his horse to warn that the British
were coming, Wooldridge has done the same. In the 10 states he crossed to
get to the West Coast, the retired police officer warned "that drug
prohibition causes more pain, suffering and death than the drugs themselves."

The total trip was 3,100 miles, and it took three years. The first leg in
2001 was 400 miles. "I had no idea what I was doing," he said Friday at the
home of Jennifer and Mike Knight in Toledo. He returned home to regroup
before continuing the journey.

In 2002, he picked up the trip where he had left off the previous year. He
rode 1,400 miles to Denver, Colo., and returned home again to Fort Worth,
Texas. In July of this year, he and Misty returned to Denver and started
the ride again. On Saturday, he reached Nye Beach.

Wooldridge chose a route that took him through temperate climate, as he
wanted to make sure his nights were cool enough to sleep.

Nights were spent with friends he made along the way. He traveled about 25
miles a day, alternately walking and riding Misty. His saddlebags weighed
about 16 pounds, and he carried a gun.

He crossed 10 states and lost as many pounds. The cowboy is ready to throw
out his third pair of walking shoes, and Misty is on her sixth set of
horseshoes.

The only gravel road he covered was from Harlan to Elk City. It was a route
he chose for safety and to avoid the narrow sections of Highway 20. Very
few of his routes took him on a freeway.

This year in Denver, he was joined by his brother, Rex, who accompanied
Wooldridge on his bicycle. Rex carried grain for Misty and was taking time
off from his job with an oil company in Norway.

A third brother, Frosty, a lobbyist in Denver, joined them over the weekend
with a horse trailer for the return trip to the Texas.

As for publicity for LEAP, Wooldridge said most people supported him, if
not publicly, then privately.

"So many people believe in this but are afraid to say anything because of
the government. Our public policy has failed, but no one wants to speak out
about it," he said. "All drug use and abuse should be a medical matter, not
a police or prison issue."

He said he had three reasons for the trip. The first was "male menopause,"
he said with a laugh. He said he also saw the trip as an equestrian
challenge and an adventure, and he also wanted to call attention to LEAP
and its cause.

He believes that more than half of the police he has talked with in each of
the states would vote secretly for LEAP. "In the 15 years I was a cop, I
never took a call for an accident, suicide or assault resulting from use of
marijuana," he said.

Drug use is a "poor personal choice," just like cigarette smoking and too
much alcohol. "I am not promoting drug use. All drug use is inappropriate
unless for medical purposes," he said.

He suggests parents ask their children how easy it is to buy marijuana. "It
is easier to buy than beer. It is illegal, so it creates more points of
sale. It is a terrible situation," he said.

Wooldridge is looking forward to the air conditioning of his truck as he
heads home. The 9-year-old mare will get three months off, while Wooldridge
will head to New Hampshire to join others in trying to get the presidential
candidates to discuss and debate the LEAP cause.