Pubdate: Mon, 04 Feb 2013
Source: Tribune Chronicle, The (OH)
Copyright: 2013 Tribune Chronicle
Contact:  http://www.tribune-chronicle.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1436
Author: Virginia Shank, Staff reporter

COP WANTS DRUGS LEGALIZED RETIRED POLICE OFFICER SAYS REGULATION IS
KEY

Retired police Capt. Peter Christ said that his mission to legalize
drugs should not be mistaken as an endorsement to use them.

Christ, who retired as a police captain in 1989 after a 20-year career
enforcing drug laws, insists that the war on drugs can never be won
and is doing more harm than good. Christ wants to see all drugs
legalized - and regulated.

"That doesn't mean I condone using them," he said. "They're all
terrible, and if I could convince people not to use them, any of them,
I would. But I can't. People are going to do what they want,
regardless of whether drugs are legal. What we're talking about is
making drugs legal, and then regulating them. Prohibition doesn't
work. We've already seen that."

Christ, a New York resident, is traveling across the state, with
scheduled stops in Warren, Youngstown and Cleveland, to explain his
position. On Tuesday, he will address the issue at 7 a.m. at Lake
Vista of Cortland, 303 N. Mecca St., Cortland. The free presentation
will be in the Park Place Heron Dining Room on the second floor.

"The drug war does more harm than good," Christ said. "We're not
winning. We can't get rid of all of the drugs. What we need to do is
take the drugs out of the control of the drug lords, gangsters and
terrorists, and get them off the streets."

Christ said that as a police officer he saw the effect fighting
drug-related crimes had on law enforcement officials. He is a board
member and co-founder of LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition), a
group of cops, judges, border officials and other law enforcement
officers who advocate for an end to the drug war. Fact Box

WHO: Retired police Capt. Peter Christ, New York

WHAT: Why drugs should be legalized, regulated

WHEN: 7 a.m. Tuesday

WHERE: Lake Vista of Cortland, 303 N. Mecca St., Cortland

ADMISSION: Free

Current laws and policies fail to effectively address the problems of
drug abuse, especially among juveniles, addiction and the problems of
crime caused by the existence of a criminal black market in drugs, he
said.

Similar to the days when alcohol was prohibited, the prohibition of
drugs has financed and encouraged the spread of organized crime while
doing little to curb consumption, Christ said.

"If we were to regulate drugs rather than outlaw them, we could take
them out of the hands of gangs who sell to kids and put them into the
hands of professional businesses that pay taxes, check IDs and are
accountable for the purity of their product," he said.

Christ speaks of the drug war's impact on police / community
relations; the safety of law enforcement officers and suspects; police
corruption and misconduct; and the financial and human costs
associated with current drug policies. 
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