LEFT IN THE DUST AND KICKING A DEAD HORSE

Americans were once renowned for their progressive politics, their
radical stance on personal freedoms, and their rational approach to
public policy free from religious bias, at least in comparison to
European theocracies. We embraced rational scientific solutions to
public policy problems. But that was 230 years ago. We were once
Revolutionaries, but now we're stodgy, stubborn, and increasingly
alienated when it comes to one of the most pressing problems of the
Western world: drug policy. Juxtaposed to European drug policy, we've
been left in the dust.

Eleven of the 15 EU countries have already forgone criminal penalties
for marijuana use. The most recent example is the UK. Effective this
month, Cannabis will be downgraded to a Class C drug in the UK,
comparable to steroids and prescription tranquillizers such as Valium.
Possession will no longer be an arrestable offence.

Considering the traditional policy alignment between US and UK home
affairs (excepting that messy Revolutionary War incident), this
development should be receiving noticeably more political attention
and press coverage in the US. Yet I've not heard one statement from
any US politician regarding this fairly significant policy shift. It
seems our government is so far behind the pack that the dust is
obscuring its sight.

In an embarrassing episode of poor timing, US Drug Czar John Walters'
recent revamp of "Reefer Madness" warnings in a series of newspaper Op-Eds
appeared just as the UK Commons Home Affairs Committee recommended the
downgrading of Cannabis. The UK report, "The Government's Drugs Policy: Is
It Working?" honestly admits, "There are no easy answers to the problems
posed by drug abuse, but it seems to us that certain trends are
unmistakable. If there is any single lesson from the experience of the last
30 years, it is that policies based wholly or mainly on enforcement are
destined to fail." Meanwhile, our Drug Czar, in his syndicated article
ominously entitled "The Myth of Harmless Marijuana," tried to validate
heavy-handed drug enforcement tactics and discredit the medical marijuana
movement.

So when are the US politicos going to realize that they've been left
in the dust? The outlook is not so good if the ONDCP (Office of
National Drug Control Policy) continues its policy of kicking a dead
horse. Surprising to many was the recent admission by the agency that
anti-drug ads are not at all effective in curtailing youth drug use.
But instead of looking into alternative strategies, the Drug Czar
requested an increased budget to hire new PR and advertising firms and
to engage in better pre-screening of commercials. Similar to a remote
control car stuck in a corner, instead of turning around to see wide
open space full of alternative routes, the drug warriors just keep
crashing into the same two walls over and over. The Wall Street
Journal recently diagnosed the problem as "the power of habit to
create irrational behavior."

The rationality of the UK model, in contrast to the US "War on Drugs,"
lies in its allowance for discussion and change, whereas ours barely
allows for dissent. Case in point was the discovery that the US
National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) was monitoring web sites
"probably operated by drug legalization groups" who reportedly want to
"increase pressure on lawmakers to change or abolish drug control
laws." In a supposedly open society, it is regrettable that those who
want to engage in honest discussion over amending failed policies are
regarded as criminals who must be watched with a wary eye. Given this
attitude, is it any surprise that we haven't heard a peep from the
press about the recent changes in the UK?

Most distinctive is the divergence between US and UK attitudes towards
the drug issue. In the UK report, legalization and decriminalization
advocates were referred to as "sensible and thoughtful people" with
"attractive arguments." Meanwhile in the States, Rob Kampia, the
Director of the Marijuana Policy Project was told to his face during a
Congressional hearing, "You're not a wonderful person. You're doing
something despicable . " He was also told by Congressman Mark Souder,
"You are an articulate advocate for an evil position."

An essential difference in motivation defines European drug policy as
opposed to the American crusade: rational discussion vs. emotional
ranting. Members of Parliament are taking a rational approach to a
public policy issue; American Congressmen exacerbate communication
problems by getting personal. It seems US "drug war" lords are
inflexible in their resolve to avoid any semblance of rational
discussion or consideration of the "drug problem" (which many define
as the drug war itself, not drug use).

The War on (some) Drugs is causing more damage to this country than
the embarrassing prison counts and artificially inflated abuse
statistics show. The true danger of marijuana prohibition, and similar
morally coercive laws, lies in its chilling effect on personal
freedom. We need to stop kicking the dead horse of prohibition, and
instead catch up with the UK, and the rest of the EU, by entering into
rational discussions about the future of drug policy reform in the
US.

Now is the time for a rational response. In light of the UK's embrace
of science to support its public policy, we should be demanding a
similar response (or any response at all!) from our political leaders
rather than menacing silence occasionally pierced with hysterical
warnings. War rhetoric and continued appeals to "protect the children"
are explicitly used to divert attention from the fact that adults are
continually losing individual rights over their own bodies and minds.

The UK's shift from enforcement to a harm reduction model isn't a
final solution; it still fails to acknowledge the personal, cognitive
liberty implications of laws that attempt to control individual
consciousness. But the UK committee report acknowledges the evolution
of drugs policy, never discounting the future possibility of
legalization. They're looking towards future solutions, while the US
continues to regress into the Dark Ages.