Change in Emphasis From Jail to Treatment For Drugs

A good sign with regards to drug policy in The Washington Post’s coverage of the nomination of R. Gil Kerlikowske to be drug czar:

The White House said yesterday that it will push for treatment, rather than incarceration, of people arrested for drug-related crimes as it announced the nomination of Seattle Police Chief R. Gil Kerlikowske to oversee the nation’s effort to control illegal drugs.

The choice of drug czar and the emphasis on alternative drug courts, announced by Vice President Biden, signal a sharp departure from Bush administration policies, gravitating away from cutting the supply of illicit drugs from foreign countries and toward curbing drug use in communities across the United States.

4 Comments

  1. 1
    DCM says:

    I think you got the headline backwards…

  2. 2
    Ron Chusid says:

    Fixed. Thanks. I tried for a quick post (essentially cutting and pasting part of the article) while busy and didn’t pay enough attention to the headline.

  3. 3
    Fritz says:

    I’m stunned by a possible outbreak of sanity in the federal government’s approach to drug use.  And I never would have dreamed that Joe Biden would be in the picture for it.

    Still — only a possible outbreak of sanity.  But, still…

  4. 4
    nomoreGOP says:

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090313/us_time/08599188495600

    just like always.. the feds are gonna need a few states to prove that its the right thing to do.. CA is getting close…

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