Cops say legalize drugs

Recent reports of 'marijuana' arrests in Siskiyou County have consistently overlooked the known, permanent, long-term harms that the "war on [some] drugs" is doing to our communities and the environment. For all of the time & money wasted, human rights violated, lives ruined and trust destroyed, it is indisputable that prohibition is always counter-productive, causing innumerable harms to individuals, the environment, the economy.

Find Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (L.E.A.P.) at http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php to learn what experienced police officers, judges and prosecutors are saying:

"LEAP is made up of current and former members of law enforcement who believe the existing drug policies have failed in their intended goals of addressing the problems of crime, drug abuse, addiction, juvenile drug use, stopping the flow of illegal drugs into this country and the internal sale and use of illegal drugs.

"A system of regulation and control of these substances (by the government, replacing the current system of control by the black market) would be a less harmful, less costly, more ethical and more effective public policy."

In June 2007 the U.S. Conference of Mayors passed a resolution stating, "the war on drugs has failed," calling for "a public health approach that concentrates more fully on reducing the negative consequences associated with drug abuse, while ensuring that our policies do not exacerbate these problems or create new social problems of their own."

Wouldn't it be more effective to teach individual responsibility? Building trust and community integrity in an atmosphere of responsible marijuana use, less hard drug use, more compassion and greater tolerance? This has been the case in Holland, where teen use of all drugs is a fraction of what it is in the U.S.. The best that can be done is to be honest and well informed about the relative risks of using various substances, including marijuana, alcohol, tobacco and chemical drugs.

Until that happens, jury nullification of non-violent marijuana crimes is the best way to heal the wound that's been inflicted on this community. It only takes one juror to say "not guilty" and a harmful law can be nullified. If that's what it takes to stop the "drug war" madness, then all people in this county who serve on a 'marijuana' trial jury are reminded that jury nullification is the anchor of American freedom.

On average, once a month, another police officer dies fighting an winnable war, enforcing hypocritical laws that cost billions, while doing much more harm than good. To continue a costly, pointless drug policy is a symptom of corruption and madness.

For people to pretend it doesn't exist won't make it go away. A Town Hall Meeting is needed to address community questions and concerns, then move forward to Cannabis agricultural abundance this spring. We don't have another planting season to waste. It may well already be too late to recover, but if we don't start now, then it may soon not matter what anyone does.

If someone has a better strategy for producing energy, food, building materials, herbal therapeutics, paper, cloth, pesticides and biodegradable plastics; while regenerating demineralized soils, stopping soil erosion, detoxifying contaminated soils, and producing monoterpenes to reflect UV-B radiation and seed clouds to mitigate climate change, then say so. If not, then just let organic agriculture and the free market economy work without government interference for the first time in our lives.

Individual choice is key to evolution of sustainable human values. By reclaiming the freedom to farm, the first test of religious freedom, we may yet have a chance to avoid the extinction we're presently headed for.

Paul von Hartmann
California Cannabis Ministry
projectpeace@yahoo.com

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You Tube Video: Cops say legalize drugs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEdzZaXwf8o&feature=related