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Oakland Prosecutor comes out against Drug War, finds that he's not alone PDF Print E-mail
Written by James Anthony   
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition:

“Cops say legalize drugs — ask me why,” blared the tee-shirts on a dozen volunteers as I walked into the Drug Policy Alliance national conference at the Long Beach Marriot last November. They all looked like cops too; big burly guys with short hair, except for a few cop wives and a couple of guy who might have been undercover narks.

I had paid good money from my nonprofit salary for registration, hotel, car, and airfare from Oakland to learn more about drug policy reform, and was feeling a little afraid that I was going to get down there and be surrounded by thousands of old hippies in a big joyous be-in.

Well, I’d just walked in and already I was surrounded by cops — screamingly open cops, who’d walk right up to you, shake your hand, look you in the eye, and say, “We should legalize all drugs because that’s the only way we’re ever going to control them.” Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) was in the house in a very big way.

It became very clear to me. The drug policy reform movement is not just NORML anymore and it’s not just people who enjoy drugs. It’s also people who hate drugs (and want to control them effectively), and people who don’t care about drugs (but care about the $70 billion the US wastes every year on the socially harmful, but politically expedient, Drug War).

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MEDICAL MARIJUANA RAID - Photo by Jaime Galindo
It’s grown to include academics, doctors, churches, formerly incarcerated persons, the labor movement and nice, straight, middle-class college students from the mid-west who feel guilty that they get to go to college, while many kids from the inner-city can’t because a drug conviction keeps them from getting financial aid. It’s not just William Buckley conservatives who realized years ago that the drug war makes no sense economically; even the staid Wall Street Journal turned a corner in February to raise the question of whether the Drug War is doing more harm than good.

The drug policy reform movement is expanding everywhere, and nowhere more surprisingly — or more rapidly — than among law enforcement personnel. Started just a few years ago, LEAP now has over 5,000 members, and a goal of 10,000 this year. Its members include not only police officers, but also drug prosecutors, judges, and prison guards from all over the country. LEAP has introduced a “friend” category for its non-law enforcement supporters, with a goal of a million friends this year.

LEAP’s strategy for ending the Drug War is to use its members’ credibility as speakers in heartland settings such as Rotary Club meetings. LEAP’s speakers’ bureau is over 100 strong and growing. They make a convincing presentation that the Drug War has failed to reduce drug problems, and has actually made things worse and caused untold harm to individuals, families, communities, minorities, our nation, the world and to law enforcement itself. They then open the question, if what we’re doing isn’t working. What to do next? Each speaker has their own ideas on what detailed shape legalization should take, but all agree that the American people can come up with a better system once they see how bad and unworkable the Drug War is.

For more information on LEAP, and to join as a member or friend, see www.leap.cc

* James Anthony is a LEAP speaker and an award-winning former Oakland civil drug prosecutor, now practicing land use law. He is available for public speaking engagements and is eager to talk with LEOs who are interested in adjusting drug policy, and can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

 
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