Pubdate: Tue, 11 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

TOP GOP CONSERVATIVE, REP. TOM MCMILLIN, QUESTIONS 'WAR ON DRUGS'

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

The Rochester Hills Republican questioned Monday 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 towards
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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MAP posted-by: Matt