Pubdate: Wed, 10 May 2006
Source: Middletown Press, The (CT)
Copyright: 2006 The Middletown Press
Contact:  http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?brd=1645
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/586
Author: Steve Collins, Special to The Press
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Cliff+Thornton (Cliff Thornton)

GREEN CANDIDATE WANTS STATE TO SURRENDER IN WAR ON DRUGS

Saying "the politicians of today are just cowards and incompetents," 
the Green Party's gubernatorial candidate Friday called for 
Connecticut to surrender in the war on drugs.

"What we have to do is bring these drugs inside the law," said 
Clifford Thornton, who is taking aim at the state's highest office 
despite the long odds against him.

Instead of pouring billions into fighting drugs and building prisons, 
Thornton said, society should use the money to restore its 
infrastructure, improve schools, clean up the environment and more.

"If we recognized drug abuse as a medical and public health problem 
instead of a criminal problem," he said, "the potential savings and 
increased tax base would be substantial."

In a wide-ranging interview with The Bristol Press, Thornton laid out 
an ambitious agenda that diverges widely from the planks of the both 
the Republican and Democratic parties.

The 61-year-old retired businessman from Glastonbury said he wants 
"tell Rell farewell" by ousting Gov. Jodi Rell and besting whomever 
the Democrats back for the state's top job. Two mayors are seeking 
the Democratic endorsement this month, New Haven's John DeStefano and 
Stamford's Dan Malloy.

Thornton said that he will do whatever he can to force his opponents 
to talk about the costly effort to clamp down on drug use. If they 
won't address the issue, he said, "I'm going to slam them."

"They can't defend a failed policy," Thornton said.

Legalizing marijuana and hemp would create a new tax source that 
could provide money to rebuild bridges, bolster education, add light 
rail to relieve congestion and a host of other needed improvements, 
Thornton said.

Allowing doctors to prescribe other currently illegal drugs, he said, 
would allow for regulatory oversight and immediately allow savings in 
the "bloated law enforcement" budgets and prisons.

Thornton said that dropping the drug war would reduce violence, 
increase tax revenue and allow society to focus on real needs, 
including treatment of addicts.

"We have to retool Connecticut, not only Connecticut, but America," he said.

By giving up the war on drugs - just as the nation backed away from 
Prohibition - people would lose their fear of cities and the country 
could again talk seriously about how best to deal with the problems 
of race and class again.

"The status quo is not right," Thornton said.

He said the Republicans and Democrats like it because "they can divvy 
up the goodies" between themselves, but the public loses out.

As it is, Thornton said, when he walks into the General Assembly in 
Hartford, he thinks of a song Frank Sinatra made famous: "Send In The Clowns."

"They're not doing anything," he said. "They're just dancing."

The Green Party bills itself as an alternative to the two major 
parties. Thornton said that it's increasingly difficult to tell the 
difference between Democrats and Republicans because they pursue 
policies that are nearly the same.

He said Republican President George W. Bush has tried to rule by 
instilling fear in the public, but his predecessor in the White 
House, Democrat Bill Clinton, "put the people back to sleep" instead 
of rallying America to reform.