Pubdate: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 Source: Daily Lobo (U of NM, Edu, NM) Copyright: 2004 Daily Lobo Contact: http://www.dailylobo.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/766 Author: Jay Hunter Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?219 (Students for Sensible Drug Policy) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/walters.htm (Walters, John) AVOIDANCE OF DRUG POLICY DEBATE OLD NEWS Editor, The policy of drug war experts refusing to debate the issue has been a problem for a long time. I'm sure it goes back all the way to Harry Anslinger himself. Drug Czar John Walters, shortly before the 2003 vote for Initiative 75 in Seattle, said, "The real issue is should we legalize marijuana? Let's have a national debate about that." I'm not a scientist or a doctor (neither is Walters), but even I'd be willing to stand on stage opposite any person to explain the defects of our drug policy. And I'm not the only one. As you can imagine, every major organization and many individual advocates tried to take Walters up on his call to debate. But Walters never complied. In fact, he never even intended to discuss drug policy. None of the people dependent on the war on drugs are willing to let the public become aware of their failures. I think Students for Sensible Drug Policy should put out full-page advertisements in national newspapers with the same challenge presented in Monday's column by Kevin Killough: any person, any time, any place. People who are involved in the reform effort already know, but raising general awareness about the unwillingness of public employees to discuss the policies they control may create the pressure needed to force them to justify their existence. Jay Hunter, Daily Lobo reader - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager