Most people would agree that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are causing great stress on our country, whether or not they believe those wars are necessary. But there is another war that America is fighting that is not merely difficult but actually impossible to win - the War on Drugs. The War on Drugs is now entering its 40th year in U.S. policy, making it our nation's longest-running war. And though extravagant efforts have been made to eliminate the supply of certain drugs, we have not seen great reduction in their availability. Drug enforcement teams may occasionally catch a large supplier but another criminal entrepreneur always fills the position. [continues 538 words]
Michigan is ready to support seriously ill patients who can ease their suffering by taking medical marijuana on their doctor's recommendations. This is a positive step that shows we put seriously ill patients first. The medical marijuana ballot proposal Michigan voters will decide on in 2008 tightly restricts who can use it. It also sets up a statewide registry so only qualified patients can use medical marijuana and which law enforcement can quickly and easily check. Michigan's medical marijuana proposal is among the most responsible in the nation, giving us the means to ensure patients get the treatment they need while giving law enforcement the tools to keep marijuana out of the hands of non-patients. Chris Chiles Executive Director, Students for Sensible Drug Policy University of Michigan [end]
As the executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, or SSDP, at the University of Michigan, I was sad to see such a decision made by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 25. Joseph Frederick clearly should not have been suspended for displaying his "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner. Fortunately, the new ruling "provides no support for any restriction of speech that can plausibly be interpreted as commenting on any political or social issue, including speech on issues such as 'the wisdom of the war on drugs or of legalizing marijuana for medicinal use,'" which was concurred by Justice Alito. [continues 130 words]
An editorial last month discussed the recent increases in drug arrests by local law enforcement and wondered what the results were and whether people were being incarcerated for their drug activity. I believe the entire community agrees this increased law enforcement presence and effort is good and want it to continue. I fully agree and want to compliment our police agencies for reallocating limited manpower to address this problem. The community support and information received has been appreciated, resulted in increased intelligence and has led to additional arrests. [continues 310 words]
