One of the things I love about Seattle is that its populace is largely characterized by such terms as reasonable, agreeable, and tolerant. More than most places I've lived -- including both very red small-town Oklahoma and the heart of the Left Coast, the SF Bay Area -- the core worldview around here seems to be something along the lines of "live and let live."
Thursday, a man who is a Seattleite by temperament, if not by birth, was confirmed as the nation's new "drug czar." I for one see this as an example of the change I caucused, campaigned, donated, and voted for last year.
Discussion and citations below the fold, including link to a video of Rachel's take on the nomination (I couldn't get it to embed, sorry).
I should probably insert a disclaimer here: While I support legalization of marijuana and hope I live to see its enactment, it is not one of my high priority issues (it's probably been a couple of decades since I used any illegal substances), and furthermore I don't see any chance that it could actually be implemented immediately. I am content with a more incremental program of change that starts with a shift away from demonization and toward prioritizing resources to minimize the use of other more destructive drugs, and also toward an approach that emphasizes treatment rather than imprisonment.
That being said, I can't think of any sillier way of approaching the drug issue than the waste of monetary, law enforcement, and human resources that have characterized the increasingly hysterical "war on drugs," which apparently measures its success in terms of the percentage of Americans incarcerated, since there is no other measure by which it can be considered even remotely successful.
For that reason, I see Gil Kerlikowske's ascent to the position of Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy as a very positive step in the right direction.
There have been lots of stories and blog entries, including a couple of diaries here, that have set forth in detail the reasons why even committed drug reform activists (such as LEAP's Norm Stamper -- who was Kerlikowske's immediate predecessor as Seattle Police Chief -- and Bruce Mirkin of the Marijuana Policy Project) are at least "cautiously optimistic" about Kerlikowske as Obama's pick for this position. I'll provide links below to some of the more interesting ones.
But for those who just want the bullet-point version, here are some of the salient points I've gleaned from those more thorough writings:
- Kerlikowske has either supported or at least tolerated and complied with many reforms in Seattle drug enforcement policies during his tenure as police chief, including a needle-exchange program, an initiative directing law enforecement officials to make personal-use marijuana arrests their lowest priority, and a program in which neighborhoold police could refer offenders to treatment or job centers rather than arresting them.
- Seattle drug reform activists, who presumably would know, consider him smart and reasonable, and are happy about this choice.
- He apparently respects science and data as bases for decisionmaking.
- Under Kerlikowske's watch, Seattle police officers were assigned to public safety duty for Hempfest and did not arrest users.
- He opposes mandatory minimum prison sentences for drug-related crimes.
- Kerlikowske's stepson has a rather substantial drug-related legal history, which some commentators including Rachel Maddow believe may have heightened his sensitivity on the question of how to approach the issue.
- His statements regarding states' rights suggest that we may have seen the last of the federal medical-pot raids in states where medical marijuana is legal.
- Because he is highly respected among law enforcement officials nationwide, Kerlikowske is probably in a position to shift the Overton Window on national drug policy. Which, in and of itself, would be a significant achievement for this administration.
Sources:
Ethan Nadelmann of HuffPo on Kerlikowske Nomination
Open Letter from LEAP's Norm Stamper to Gil Kerlikowske
Diary by Kossack beholderseyes - "Revealed: Obama's Drug Czar Pick" (lots of informative comments as well as the diary itself)
HuffPo: Maddow Lends Eye and Insight to Drug Policy Issues - contains video of Rachel's segment on Kerlikowske's nomination, including interview with Bruce Mirkin.
Seattle Times: Kerlikowske Sails Through the Senate
PS - Seattle music references in title: Clever or cutesy?