The expected announcement by Attorney General Eric Holder this morning about a proposal to revise sentencing guidelines for drug offenders (and other measures) is welcome news.
It is about time!
The so-called “war on drugs” -- begun almost 40 years ago by Richard Nixon -- has been one of the most corrupt and corrupting programs of the federal government for four decades. It taints everyone with whom it comes in contact, most especially the Drug Enforcement Agency.
This was brilliantly exposed in the HBO original series “The Wire” produced by former journalist David Simon (of the Baltimore Sun) who portrayed life in the inner cities of America as a dead-end street where the only “employment” option is getting involved in the drug trade.
I blogged about Simon when The Guardian newspaper in the UK featured him in a prominent story on May 26: Noted TV producer blasts war on drugs.
He has been a tireless and courageous advocate for change.
The New York Times this morning calls it “a major shift in criminal justice policy.
It is time America joined the rest of the world and adopted a civilized attitude to substance abuse that focuses on treatment rather than incarceration.