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June 11, 2007
Daily Hampshire Gazette, Northampton, MA: Letter to the Editor: Ellen Miller-Mack " Drug prohibition on 1-91 futile"
Daily Hampshire Gazette, Northampton, MA
News and information for Monday, June 11, 2007
Drug prohibition on 1-91 futile
To the editor:
It is troubling to read "Is I-91 drug alley?" for a number of reasons. Many of us have known for years that the War on Drugs, costing over $69 billion annually, hasn't reduced the availability of illegal drugs.
Officers at the State Police Troop B barracks in Northampton made several comments that should provoke us into thinking critically about the drain of resources involved in patrolling I-91 for drugs.
Sgt. Andrew Bzdel said, "The drug trade both north and south on the 91 corridor is just getting worse. It's not getting better, it's getting worse." Traffic stops are not resolving the deep social and health issues of drug use and the illness of addiction in our communities.
He says: they rarely arrest kingpins, and that busts involving marijuana make up half their arrests. In Massachusetts, according to a 2002 study done by Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron, $24.3 million is spent yearly on pot arrests and bookings.
Sgt. Bzdel also notes that most of all drug arrests on I-91 result in drug possession charges, and only 25 people were indicted on trafficking or distribution charges in the past four years.
State Police regularly find drugs in vehicles during a traffic stop precipitated by cracked tail lights or mufflers, or an apparent suspended driver's license. Many of those stopped can't afford good cars. Indeed, big time dealers drive decent vehicles.
Readers may be interested in learning about LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition), a speaker's bureau with 6500 "former drug warriors". Their mission statement says "The United States drug policies have failed and that to save lives, lower the rate of addiction and conserve tax dollars, we must end drug prohibition."
Ellen Miller-Mack
Northampton
Posted by lois at June 11, 2007 12:50 PM