Pubdate: Sun, 23 Jun 2002
Source: Advocate, The (LA)
Copyright: 2002 The Advocate, Capital City Press
Contact:  http://www.theadvocate.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2
Author: Amy Wold

PANELISTS DIFFER ON WAR ON DRUGS; NO EASY ANSWER FOUND

Any discussion about the legalization of drugs, according to a group of 
panelists, is complicated because it includes the discussion of political, 
economic, social and historical values.

However, about 35 people tried to tackle the issue Saturday morning at 
University Presbyterian Church on Dalrymple Drive.

The panel presentation and audience discussion was organized as part of the 
Louisiana Council on Human Relations' annual meeting.

The council started in 1964 with a purpose of addressing prejudice and 
discrimination on the basis of race or religion.

"The drug phenomenon affects black people more than any other group, 
especially on the crime scene," said Rogers Newman, a member of the council.

"Some of us, and I'm included in that, feel that the war on drugs is not 
working," Newman said. "So, we decided to add this matter and see how the 
people feel about it."

The panel included Eva Bayham, a history professor at Southern University; 
Ralph Dreger, LSU professor emeritus of psychology; Baton Rouge police 
Detective Dennis Smith; Thomas Durant, LSU professor of sociology; Herman 
Kelly, pastor of Bethel AME Church in Baton Rouge; and John White, law 
professor at LSU.

Although the panel members expressed wide-ranging views on the topic, they 
seemed to agree that solving the drug problem is a complicated issue.

On the pro-legalizing side, Bayham said history, particularly Prohibition 
and the laws meant to stop consumption of alcohol, is the best example of 
why drugs should be legalized.

At one time, she said, all the drugs now considered illegal were legal to 
possess and consume.

There was no increase in crime and violence, Bayham said, and use of the 
drugs didn't escalate until they were made illegal.

"In 1933, the end of Prohibition, we find that Americans had blamed 
Prohibition for all of the ills that came into society," Bayham said. "The 
lessons of histories show that what we're doing is harming society."

On the other side of the issue, Smith said drugs are dangerous and 
legalizing them would increase use and the hazard.

"Imagine the danger to the community if those drugs were legalized," said 
Smith.

In addition, Smith said it's unfair to compare Prohibition and the war on 
drugs.

"The No. 1 drug we hear about today in legalization is marijuana," he said.

"Alcohol is a depressant and marijuana is mind-altering."

During the audience discussion, Patricia Rickels, secretary for the 
Louisiana Council on Human Relations, questioned Smith's use of 
"mind-altering."

"If alcohol isn't mind-altering, what have I been seeing all these years? 
Of course it's a mind-altering substance," she said. "I'm 74 and I'd love 
to try it (marijuana)."

Another panelist, Dreger, also disagreed with the Prohibition analogy but 
for a different reason.

"I've lived through the Prohibition era and it was a helpful thing for our 
family," he said.

"I think the picture of Prohibition that has been presented to us has been 
largely negative and it wasn't entirely negative."

Dreger said he wrote a position paper in 1995 that said the war on drugs 
has produced so many negative side effects, such as reduction of civil 
liberties and growth of prison populations, that he called for legalization 
of drugs.

Since he wrote that paper, he said he has seen the situation deteriorate 
enough that he's not sure that even that would help solve the drug problem.

At least eight states -- California, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, 
Maine, Oregon and Washington -- allow the infirm to receive, possess, grow 
or smoke marijuana for medical purposes without fear of state prosecution, 
according to The Associated Press.

But a 1970 federal law says marijuana, like heroin and LSD, has no medical 
benefits and cannot be dispensed or prescribed by doctors.

In other business Saturday, the council awarded state Sen. Donald Cravins, 
D-Arnaudville, and Lorna Bourg of New Iberia the first Oliver-Sigur 
Humanitarian Service Award for their "outstanding contributions to human 
relations in the state."
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