former Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotic and Law Enforcement Matters
Formerly Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotic and Law Enforcement Matters (2003-2005) and author of Narcotics and Terrorism: Links, Logic, and Looking Forward
Is it Time to Cease Fire in the War on Drugs? 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 the “war” 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? 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.
Spencer the Gardener’s frontman gabs about Santa Barbara’s music scene The band Spencer the Gardener has been playing at bars and music venues in Santa Barbara for decades. We sit down with the frontman to talk about how the local live music scene has changed over the years.
One Year Later: Rebuilding from the Thomas Fire This week marks one year since the Thomas Fire descended on the city of Ventura. It burned more than 500 homes within city limits. Since then, roughly half of those properties have received the green-light to start construction, but only a handful have actually broken ground. We visit one neighborhood where some of the first homes are getting rebuilt.
A call to prepare for the next natural disaster A local environmentalist says we should spend more time and money preparing for natural disasters than responding to them. A Ventura resident who lost his home in the Thomas Fire says rebuilding is taking longer than he’d hoped. Local animal shelters are becoming critical evacuation centers. And California counties must now hold public meetings on their relationship with federal immigration agents.