As a US Senator, Barack Obama said, "The war on drugs is an utter failure." Many narcotics agents, prosecutors and judges agree. New York may repeal tough anti-drug laws. The federal government may stop raids in states that have legalized medical marijuana. That's now California's top crop, and there's a proposal to regulate and tax marijuana for state revenue during hard times. Three former South American presidents are among those who've asked the US for a "paradigm shift" in the so-called war. Would ending it take the profit out of crime, violence and increased addiction, or would it be like fighting a fire with napalm? We hear a debate that's coming out of the shadows.
Is It Time to Cease Fire in the War on Drugs?
Credits
Guests:
- Jack A. Cole - Executive Director, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
- Edmund Hartnett - Commissioner, Yonkers Police Department
- Tom Ammiano - California State Assembly
- Robert Charles - former Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotic and Law Enforcement Matters