The following is an excerpt from some remarks made by Steven Rosenfield in response to the panel discussion on Drugs in Our Community held by the Democratic Party on Saturday 8, 2001.

I have an observation I wanted to make regarding our current drug policy, at the risk of being provocative.

It is laudable the efforts made toward helping people who have become addicted to drugs in our community.  The drug court, Region Ten and the like are terrific ideas, but a serious component is missing to a more effective drug policy and that is the legalization of non-hallucinogenic drugs.  Let me be clear that I do not so advocate this same policy for minors; I do not think drugs should be available to them.

It seems to me that there are two factors which add to the drug problem of today.  One is the incredible money to be made dealing black market drugs.  As long as there is that kind of money to be made, drugs will be illegally sold for the next century.  No policy will change that fact.

Second is the utter hypocracy that defeats acceptance of the notion that the war on drugs is a good thing.  C. Everrett Coop concluded years ago that tobacco products were more dangerous than marijuana.  If you added all of the deaths that come from tobacco products they are multi-times greater than adding together all of the deaths that come from use of illegal drugs and alcohol combined. In this country and in our community you can be imprisoned for consuming a drug of your choice, which is less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco.  The hypocracy of this situation points to a policy resulting in the racist practice of enforcing laws and incarcerating people of color at a much higher rate than white people.  

All non-hallucinogenic drugs should be legalized for adult consumption.  Heroin, cocaine, the opiates, marijuana, etc., should be manufactured and sold at drug stores or ABC stores or elsewhere - regulated and taxed.  Money from the sales should go to double or triple Region Ten's budget and its efforts at helping the addicted and sick, and money should go to encouraging people to refrain from harmful substances through advertisement campaigns and school programs.

We need to re-think our public policy on drugs because we have failed with the policy we have.  We cannot succeed in eliminating drug usage by criminalizing it.  We have to learn from our past mistakes; we have to recognize the immorality of incarcerating our citizens for consumption of one type of drug, but not for another, more harmful type of drug.  

This committee that has organized to look at our drug policy in our community should focus on how to bring about a change in state-wide policy on drugs.  Thank you.