The Debate Over Decriminalizing Marijuana In November

Jack A. Cole joined the narcotics bureau of the New Jersey State Police in 1970, a year before President Richard Nixon declared war on drugs. He worked undercover, living on the streets with drug addicts and dealers, arresting everyone from small-time users to international drug trafficking organizations. But 12 years of undercover life changed his perspective. He began to sympathize with the very individuals he was policing, who he'd labeled "scum." "They are people just like you and I," he says. "The only difference between them and me is they want to put something in their body I don't wanna put into mine."

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