I just realized that it has been months since we ran the Reefer Madness rundown on the presidential candidates’ positions on drugs. That’s because, unfortunately, not much has changed — except that Sen. Hillary Clinton isn’t around anymore.
That’s a shame, really, because prohibition ain’t working — our prison population continues to grow, thanks largely to the constant addition of drug offenders, many of them there for non-violent offenses.
Still, there are bright spots — both McCain and Obama support increased use of drug courts, and Obama has said that man-min sentencing for non-violent offense has to end. That said, its a tad disappointing (although, honestly, not so surprising) that two candidates who have personal experience with the realities of prohibition — McCain’s wife Cindy had a serious problem with scrip med abuse a while back, and Obama has admitted to recreational drug use (pot and coke, not to mention his ongoing issues with cigarettes) — wouldn’t be more vocal about the perils of prohibition.
What happens over the next four years will be charted on E-night, just six days away. And with that in mind, I won’t go on and on about the candidates’ positions on drugs (even though I could, at length). Rather, I’ll turn it over to you, drug-law enthusiast, so that you can check things out for yourself.
For Obama’s positions on drug laws, check here. For McCain’s, here.
The Sentencing Project has compiled candidate platforms here. Meanwhile, Alternet has a progressive voter’s guide to drugs here. And, finally, the treatment and prevention gurus at Join Together have put together not only resources for candidate positions, but also a handy state-by-state guide to drug law-related issues that will appear on ballots next week.
This article appears in October 24 • 2008.