By Kat Kanning

Cheshire County Jail Superintendent Richard Van Wickler spoke to a packed room at Keene State College about the futility of the drug war. Superintendent Van Wickler is a member of LEAP, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. LEAP's mission is to end the war on drugs and thereby save lives, lower the rates of disease and addiction, and conserve tax dollars.

13% of the people in Cheshire County Jail are there for drugs. So that's 11 people just in our little part of the state currently sitting in jail for drugs. That number would not include any federal drug prisoners, since Cheshire County Jail does not house federal prisoners. These people are treated the same as violent offenders. Taxpayers are footing the bill to house, guard, and feed these non-violent offenders.

The following is a summary of Superintendent Van Wickler's speech.

History of the War on Drugs

Van Wickler relayed a brief history of drug prohibition in the US. In 1968, President Nixon declared a war on drugs. At that time, drugs were more of a nuisance than a real problem. The US then pressured other countries into joining the drug war. 40 years and over a trillion dollars later, the war on drugs has jailed millions of citizens, contaminated the environment by dropping defoliant, causing Columbians to chop down the rainforest to uncover uncontaminated farm land.

The intent of the drug war was to eliminate drugs. The result has been an increase in drug production, and increase in drug consumption, an increase in drug availability, a decrease in drug prices, and an increase in drug potency. Drug related health problems have also increased at an alarming rate. Drug use has risen faster under prohibition than at any other time in human history. The illegal drug trade is now a $500 billion dollar per year industry.

There has never been a case of overdose on pot.

Why Prohibition Can Never Work

Whenever there is a high demand for an item combined with prohibition of that item, a criminal profit opportunity is inevitable. Enforcement of such laws leads to loss of respect for law enforcement. It also raises the probability for corruption among law enforcement officers. Intensifying enforcement efforts does not lead to deterrence. Prohibition causes drug crimes, not the drugs themselves.

Other Side Effects of the Drug War

Overdose was rare in the 1960. Now it is common with the high purity of the drugs. Drug use in schools has risen 30% among 12th graders and 88% among 8th graders. Kids say that is easier to buy illegal drugs than legal beer or tobacco.

Alternative Policy Solution

LEAP suggests to control the drug problem we need to remove the profit motive from the recreational drug business. They estimate that the current profit from drugs is 17,000%.

The Netherlands views drugs as a public health problem rather than a criminal matter. Usage in the US is estimated at 33%. In the Netherlands it is 15.6%. Incarceration rates in those countries are US: 726 per 100,000 people, Netherlands: 77 per 100,000. The US now has 1 out of every 100 people in jail or under the supervision of the correctional system. With 5% of the world's population in the US, we have 25% of the world's prisoners. 900 beds and 150 officers are added to the prison system every two weeks in this country at a time when violent crimes are at a 30 year low.

Legalization would decrease institutionalized racism. The number of black males jailed under Apartheid was 851 per 100,000. In the US this number is 4919 per 100,000.

Does Education Work?

In 1965, 42% of adults in the US smoked tobacco. By 1998, that number had dropped to 24%. No crop burning, no jailing of smokers was needed to accomplish this. It was just a massive education program.
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LEAP does not advocate drug use.