Solutions To The Drug War

I recently facilitated a course for the Baltimore Free School (freeschool.redemmas.org) entitled Solutions To The Drug War. We devised a backbone for a reform policy encompassing logic, research, compassion, education, public health and harm reduction. I would greatly appreciate constructive criticism and discussion on all aspects of this proposal. Thank you all.

ALL The Power To ALL The People,

The Volunteer

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The unrevised final proposal of the Solutions To The Drug War course

(1) It is implausible and unrealistic to have a drug-free society. The focus therefore must be harm-reduction.

(2) As a class, we have decided only to address heroin and cocaine with this proposal. Reason being, that heroin and cocaine trafficking are responsible for the majority of crime and violence. These drugs are also administered intravenously thus increasing the risk of spreading HIV and Hepatitis C. We have chosen to exclude cannabis policy from our proposal due to the fact that it is only a minor public health concern and that we do not want cannabis to be associated with heroin or cocaine in any which way. We also support cannabis decriminalization and the majority of us support cannabis legalization but however, it shall not be included in our proposal.

(3) Decriminalize possession of small amounts of heroin and cocaine. Suggested (but not finalized): 3.5 grams ( 1/8 of an ounce).

(4) Have the Baltimore City Department of Public Health legally dispense small quanities of heroin and cocaine. This would guarantee a consistent purity of drugs, the distribution of free, clean needles, the distribution and training on the use of Narcan (for heroin overdoses), and competitively price the drugs as to eliminate black market drug trafficking thus drastically reducing violence and crime. Information regarding rehabilitation programs, methadone and job training programs would be freely available. Being that the operation would be run by the state (and legislation would ban private ownership of such institutions) the profit shall go directly back into the program to ensure that it is sustainable (including a percent of money going to the Baltimore City Department of Education for fact-based drug education)

(5) We believe that adults have the right to make the decision to imbibe whichever substance they desire. The reduce the risk of youth use, the age to obtain cocaine and heroin from the clinics will be 18 years old. However, the distribution and training of the use Narcan, rehabilitation programs, and free clean needles will be available to all ages as an act of harm-reduction.

(6) By eliminating the black market, the youth no longer have the choice of taking the "easy way out" by joining a drug trafficking organization to make a living and must instead attend school to have a prosperous future.

(7) To prevent any violent ramifications from the stripping of business and profits from drug dealers, we propose that the dealers be able to keep all of their past profits, tax-free, as an honorarium to encouragement the disbandment of their organizations.

(8) Expunge all drug offenses from criminal records as to inhibit demonization by employers and higher-education institutions.

(9) We believe that all non-violent drug offenders are being held as political prisoners. We believe they should all be unconditionally released. The issue is that the general public would not welcome such an action. We propose the release of drug offenders into either an in-patient rehabilitation program (which is substantially more cost effective than imprisonment) or the release to a half-way house (private or publicly funded) to initiate an out-patient rehabilitation program, GED program, or trade school program. Offenders will remain in these programs for 1 year as to allow social assimilation and provide housing. We do not support the enactment of these programs within the prison system due to the fact that that prisons are ill-equipped to responsibly handle rehabilitation or vocational training.

(10) All proposed programs for non-violent drug offenders would be more cost-effective (monetarily and socially) than continued imprisonment.

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Proposal Revisions

(4) Safe injection sites

(4) Wet half-way houses

Current Cannabis Position

Note: I personally believe the term 'marijuana' to be derogatory. Instead simply using the term Cannabis in the early 20th century to denote the plant, marijuana was adapted instead to instill prejudice against the Hispanics that were immigrating into the United States to be the scapegoats of white culture in regards to recreational use of the drug.

Industrial Hemp:

Hemp can be grown in every state in America and the majority of climates allow up to three harvests per year (versus corn which can only be harvested once per year). Over 30,000 different products can be made from hemp. This is an untapped industry within the United States. The amount of farming, processing and manufacturing jobs this industry would create is incalculable. To ensure that these jobs are not outsourced, make it either illegal to import hemp or hemp products, or at least instill large tariffs on importation. I would also suggest the industry push for a corporate structure similar to that of Germany to once again instill that jobs are not outsourced and that companies behave in a responsible manner and in the interest of their employees and their product.

The option of cultivating hemp would also decrease the amount of corn cultivated and subsidized which would be of great benefit to the environment as well as the economy due to the exuberant cost of the subsidies.

Hemp is the new New Deal!

Recreational Cannabis

Prop 19 with some modifications:

(1) May be smoked where ever tobacco may be smoked.

(2) Allow interstate transportation (this is probably only included because it is specific to California).

Please let me know your thoughts...