[neverdem]

Norm Stamper is the former chief of the Seattle Police Department. He is the author of "Breaking Rank: A Top Cop's Exposé of the Dark Side of American Policing" (Nation Books, 2005).

The war on guns: Joel Miller explains how drug cops are killing 2nd Amendment

Connecting the War on Guns & Drugs [my title]

Remember, it's for the children!

[Andy from Beaverton]

This guy sounds anti-pharmacist.

[Smogger]

His proposals are far to reasonable to ever be implemented.

[inquest]

Before the flamefest gets going, I just want to throw in my two cents: Whether or not to end the WOD completely is still a debatable question, but the federal government needs to get out of it, except when it comes to stopping it from crossing the borders. Purely intrastate transactions are purely state business, not federal.

[There You Go Again]

I used to be a prosecutor. I have to say, the "war on drugs" is just another government boondoggle. Fact is, you have a bunch of rich people on the north side of Chicago who dope themselves up on erection drugs and all sorts of feel good medication that I can't even spell. But, you have a bunch of bums on the south side of Chicago who dope themselves up on cocaine etc. and they are "druggies" and must be put in jail. So silly. Gang, you can't legislate this anymore than you can legislate laziness. We have to create a culture that penalizes out of wedlock births and drug use etc. (By not giving these people government handouts etc.) Anyhow, much like our other government boondoggle (education), this "war" is just one huge waste of money.....

[GovernmentShrinker]

Fine. Let them use whatever they want, if they're over 18, but only if they first obtain a permit. As a condition for getting the permit, they must provide DNA and fingerprint for identifcation, and that identification will be used to ensure that they never get one cent of taxpayer money. No medical care, no food stamps, no housing subsidies, no public education -- nothing. If they're dragged into an emergency room with an overdose, just stick them in a "pending" room next to the morgue. Same should apply to alcohol, which is no less a drug than all the stuff that's currently illegal -- drink yourself into liver failure or into a horrrible car crash, you're on your own. And no using "I was too drunk or drugged to realize what I was doing" as a defense for crimes they commit. And ONE instance of abuse or neglect of a child should result in immediate sterilization. I'm all for liberty, but I am not willing to pay the bills for people who exercise their liberty with profound stupidity.

[Prime Choice]

I would agree to full legalization of every illicit drug if the users would sign a legally-binding document clearly stating that they revoke any claim that either society or the government has any obligation to pick up the pieces of their ruined lives when they're done polluting their bodies and their minds.

If one dances, one must pay the piper.

[Horatio Gates]

I've heard many good arguments for legalization of narcotics. However, some of the things Stamper did at SPD leads me to think he may have been nipping at some of those drugs. (/s)

[Zeroisanumber]

Legalize it, tax the hell out of it, use the tax money to pay for drug treatment programs and to amieliorate the social ills that will come with increased drug use.

The most successful anti-drug program that America has ever had was under Nixon when he used 90% of the anti-drug allocation for treatment and only 10% for interdiction.

[sittnick]

Before we legalize over the counter heroin, why not legalize over the counter penicillin, Tylenol 3, etc. In other words, if the principal is "you can put whatever you want in your own body," why not start with non-lethal (when used properly), non-addictive prescription medications? Why does always go right to meth and crack?

By the way, one can be against both legalization and the "War on Drugs." Recognizing that certain behaviour is not easily stamped out does not require making it legal or going military over it. (sort of like we dealt with these things in the '50s)

[dennisw]

Is legalized methedrine part of his program?

[conservative cat]

Hmmmm. I am for legalization of pot but not of more hard core drugs. I am, however, against people with colds having to get prescriptions for your basic cold medicine, in a vain attempt to cut meth production locally (hence causing a reason for more of it to come over our border.)

[NRA2BFree]

As we move on to a one world government, we will eventually become a "cashless society." When that happens, drug dealers are going to be put out of business, until/IF they find a new way to work the system. It's going to be difficult. Moving large amounts of money around will tip off authorities because they can watch it move from one account to another. Now, IF you do any kind of cash transaction that's over $10K your financial institution has to notify the Feds.

[robertpaulsen]

"Prohibition of alcohol fell flat on its face. The prohibition of other drugs rests on an equally wobbly foundation."

Oh, baloney.

Prohibition lasted for 13 short years, and alcohol consumption was at its lowest at the start of Prohibition.

Drugs have been illegal now for almost 70 years with no end in sight.

[catmanblack.]

legalize drugs-why not do away with all laws-pimps and jackasses use drugs to get people hooked every day-they could have whole city blocks looking for drug money hell whole small cities-its bad enough law enforcement is piss poor-judges and lawyers are worse-let everyone enforce their own laws-i would be glad to hang or shoot drug dealers in my neighborhood and you know if people took care of their own we would have far less deadbeats drawing government checks-what little tax money collected could be used by the people that pay it-we could have city states again where only your people are allowed-have areas just for drugies and prostitutes and chilmolesters(hell give them their towns)-put the lesbians and homos in their own towns(want last to long unless you let them have your kids)

[thejokker]

legalizing drugs will lower (80 to 90%?) the cost of drugs and therefore:

1) lower profits to drug dealers (gangs, organized crime)
2) lower expenses to drug users (more money for food?)
3) lower expenses to the states and federal government

drug users are losers. legalizing all drugs will minimize the negative effects of their presence on society.

[Mojave]

As his own site describes him:

Norm Stamper was a different kind of chief: visionary and progressive

Leftists love their "progressive" label.

[radar101]

Norm Stamper is the former chief of the Seattle Police Department. He is the author of "Breaking Rank: A Top Cop's Exposé of the Dark Side of American Policing" (Nation Books, 2005). Stamper was a San Diego Police Lieutenant. He had to shoot--and kill-- a guy. After that, his attitude was that of a Liberal Psycholgist. REMEMBER: Stamper was all squishy with the Radical Violent protestors in Seattle, which resulted in widespread destruction of property and the end of his term a Seattle Chief of Police.

[GSlob]

Well, one has to look at the following angle: there are multiple jobs in the contemporary economy which are not considered compatible with the use of mind-altering drugs [airline pilot position would be a poster example. There are others, less glamorous, like armed security guard]. Thus under the regime of drug decriminalization the decriminalized users would need to be legally prevented from getting, or staying in, those jobs. This would logically require the licensing/registration/[and random spot checking] of the users into a serious database for the purposes of job clearance.

[avenir]

Legalizing drugs by punishing users with taxation--"tax the hell out of it"--and turning away from users who have gone too far--"If they're dragged into an emergency room with an overdose, just stick them in a 'pending' room next to the morgue"--...is a Libertarian comedy of errors.

[sweetliberty]

"I'm a former cop who favors decriminalization of marijuana laws"

I difdn't realize that marijuana laws were criminal. Sheesh! Don't these people learn anything in school anymore?