HERO OR BIG FAT IDIOT, RUSH LIMBAUGH SHOULD NOT FACE PRISON

Rush Limbaugh is a hero to some and a big fat idiot to others. But when it
comes to his criminal investigation for allegedly buying thousands of
prescription painkillers, his politics are irrelevant. As long as no one
else was harmed as a consequence of his drug use, Rush Limbaugh should not
face incarceration or otherwise be punished for what he chose to put into
his own body. Neither should any other American, regardless of class, age or
race.

Limbaugh is not the first well-known Floridian to land in hot water over
prescription drug abuse. Governor Jeb Bush's daughter, Noelle, was arrested
in 2002 for trying to buy Xanax with a fraudulent prescription. At the time,
the Drug Policy Alliance (http://www.drugpolicy.org/ called for respect and
privacy for the Bush family, but also pointed out the sharp discrepancy in
Florida's treatment of drug abuse among people with less political power and
financial means. For the past ten years more inmates have been admitted to
Florida state prisons for drug offenses than for any other offense.

The sad cases of Noelle Bush - and now Rush Limbaugh - remind us that
substance abuse problems do not discriminate. Unfortunately, thanks to Jeb
Bush, Florida's drug policies still do.

Despite this personal encounter with drug abuse in the family and repeated
calls for reform, Gov. Bush has cut drug treatment and drug court budgets in
the state. He also staunchly opposed a possible ballot initiative which
would have diverted nonviolent drug offenders away from prison. Treat others
as you would want your own son or daughter treated, we said. It's a good
principle in life, and a sound basis for drug policy. Gov. Bush didn't
listen.

It is unclear where Mr. Limbaugh stands on drug policy. In 1995 he told
listeners, "there's nothing good about drug use. We know it. It destroys
individuals. It destroys families. Drug use destroys societies. Drug use,
some might say, is destroying this country.... And so if people are
violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to
be convicted and they ought to be sent up." Mr. Limbaugh went on to deny
that African Americans are over-incarcerated compared to whites as a result
of the war on drugs. The answer to any such disparity, he said, was to catch
more white drug users, "convict them and send them up the river, too."

In 1998, Mr. Limbaugh had a dramatically different message. "What is missing
in the drug fight," he told a call-in listener, "is legalization. If we want
to go after drugs with the same fervor and intensity with which we go after
cigarettes, let's legalize drugs. Legalize the manufacture of drugs. License
the Cali cartel."

Sarcasm? Perhaps, but I hope not. I hope, in fact, that this experience
further opens Mr. Limbaugh's eyes to the plight of the hundreds of thousands
of nonviolent drug offenders behind bars in this country. I would be happy
to welcome him to the growing national movement for drug policy reform. We
need all the help we can get.

But first and foremost, I hope Mr. Limbaugh's life isn't destroyed by
unjust, unscientific and uncompassionate drug laws. No one deserves that,
friend or foe.