Pubdate: Thu, 13 Jun 2013
Source: Oakland Press, The (MI)
Copyright: 2013 The Oakland Press
Contact:  http://www.theoaklandpress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2114
Author: Charles Crumm

REPUBLICAN REP. TOM MCMILLIN QUESTIONS THE 'WAR ON DRUGS'

It's safe to say Rep. Tom McMillin's political positions are evolving.

The Rochester Hills Republican questioned this week whether the war 
on drugs is winnable.

And he says he might not be against decriminalizing marijuana.

Pretty strong stuff for a former mayor, county commissioner and state 
lawmaker who has politically defined himself as a religious, social 
and fiscal conservative.

He says he's still all those but may be politically drifting toward 
the libertarians. He already gets high marks from the tea party 
groups, which rates him at 92 percent in line with their philosophies.

McMillin also describes himself as a "Rand Paul sympathizer," who 
represents a "new group of Republicans with a new attraction to a 
bigger tent." Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul is a tea party member, 
libertarian, constitutional conservative and son of former 
presidential candidate and Texas Rep. Ron Paul.

"I'm becoming more libertarian in some of my views," McMillin acknowledges.

Libertarianism, for those who don't know, places the emphasis on the 
liberty of the individual, political freedom, and a government role 
limited to defense of the country and the individual from violence or coercion.

McMillin held a town hall Monday on the topic of the country's war on 
drugs. Unlikely panelists recruited by him were the American Civil 
Liberties Union and a retired police captain who believes the money 
could be better spent elsewhere.

"I've got concerns about the costs of the war on drugs," says 
McMillin. "I'm not completely there, but I think there's 
misallocations and the money could be better used elsewhere."

McMillin, 48, is the former mayor of Auburn Hills and a former county 
commissioner who sparred some years ago with Oakland County Executive 
L. Brooks Patterson over control of the county Republican party.

Back then, he tried to make the argument that Patterson wasn't 
conservative enough.

These days, the married father of three says he's "not an automatic 
no" on decriminalization of marijuana. And he notes that many law 
enforcement officers believe the U.S. should shift its focus when it 
comes to drugs, noting the group LEAP, which stands for Law 
Enforcement Against Prohibition.

McMillin, now in his third and final term in the state House due to 
term limits, sponsored a bill last session that would have required 
that SWAT team activity be reported every six months.

And he signed on to a bill to let local communities decide for 
themselves whether they want medical marijuana dispensaries in their 
communities.

"I have a friend who has benefited medically from marijuana," 
McMillin says. "The dispensary makes it more clear so we don't have 
people raided when they thought they were obeying the law."

With Washington State and Colorado legalizing marijuana for 
recreational use and Michigan's own ongoing debate over medical 
marijuana, McMillin says it's time to have a discussion in Michigan.

"Looking at the two states who have legalized it, lets bring in some 
experts to help citizens and myself draw some conclusions," he says. 
"It's going to become more and more a debate as we watch Colorado and 
Washington. It's a healthy one, it's coming and let's get ahead of it 
in terms of debating it.

"I still am a social conservative on all the issues," McMillin says. 
"I can't find anywhere in the Bible that says you can't smoke a 
particular plant.

"What it says is you have to take care of your body. Why is alcohol 
legal and pot not?"
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