Published LTE: Washington Times (July 19) –MARIJUANA BAN KEEPS US LESS SAFE

As a street cop who worked the trenches of the drug war spanning three decades, I heartily agree with the observations of Sutton Stokes ( “Is marijuana legalization finally on the march in the U.S.?” Communities, Tuesday ).  The prohibition of marijuana and the subsequent arrest of 800,000 citizens, mostly for personal use, means less time for deadly DUI offenders.  When detectives are flying around in helicopters trying to find green plants, they are missing the pedophiles who are in the Internet chat rooms making contact with our young teens.  We have all seen NBC’s “To Catch a Predator.” Police labs are not opening 400,000 rape kits and putting the DNA in the computer because proving the green stuff is marijuana is more of a priority.

This is insane.  We are doing a poor job of protecting our little boys and girls and women in order to make the safe, easy and lucrative bust of a peaceful pot smoker.  Will we ever become as wise as our grandparents and repeal this prohibition?

Howard J Wooldridge

Published LTE: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Pot’s a Distraction

COPs on the Hill

 Stories from the week of July 16, 2010

Get your motor runnin’:   Combining the COP  t-shirt and my motorcycle, Saturday I joined 341 other bikers on a 100 mile, 7 stop charity rally for St. Judes Hospital.   At all the stops a steady stream of people asked about the shirt & good chats followed.   Some had a difficult time believing I had never been stopped by the police.  Karen, my wife, wearing her ‘ask me why’ shirt also had many good chats.

 A deputy who led the rally engaged me on the shirt.  He had never spoken to a cop who agreed.  “Maybe the retired guys feel that way, but no one I know.”   Unknowingly, he answered his own point.  Of course active duty cops can not ‘come out.’   The two who did in the past few years were fired or driven out. (Brad Jardis & Jonathan Wender).

 Glad to help:   Dave from Saginaw, Michigan helped me in 2006 meet several many VIPs and 3 editorial boards.  Recently the local DEA commander has been busting Michigan-legal medical marijuana operations.   Dave and I chatted about what could be done.     Using my contact with an office which had a similar problem, I was able to provide Dave with (one day service) the letter that Congressman  Jared Polis (D-Boulder, CO) wrote to Attorney General Holder on the issue of rogue* agents disregarding Holder’s orders to back off.*  He will include this letter in communicating with his reps in DC.

 Developing relationships and becoming a trusted source of information has been Job One since 2005.

 *rogue = Gauner

*back off = sich zurückhalten

COP stats since August 2009:

 437  presentations to Congressional Staffers (7 more this week)

7 presentations to VIPs (elected officials)

36 published Letters to the Editor (that we know of)

Numerous conferences, hearings & briefings attended.  C-Span broadcast my question at a Senate briefing. (one new hearing this week)

12  radio shows (one more this week)

6 TV interviews (Colombian TV, Fox and Univision)

Consider being a member of COPs at $30.00 or more per year.    Add your voice to those who agree that Modern Prohibition/War on Drugs is the most destructive, dysfunctional and immoral policy since slavery & Jim Crow.  Go to: www.CitizensOpposingProhibition.org and click on Donate/Join – by credit card or check.

 Howard

Detective/Officer Howard  Wooldridge (retired)

Drug Policy Specialist, COP – www.CitizensOpposingProhibition.org

Washington, DC

817-975-1110 Cell

howard@citizensopposingprohibition.org

Citizens Opposing Prohibition – Become a Member

PO Box 772

Buckeystown, MD  21717-0772

Modern Prohibition/The War on Drugs is the most destructive, dysfunctional &  immoral  domestic policy since slavery  & Jim Crow.

COPs on the Hill: Stories from the week of July 9, 2010

Shrinking Briefcase:  Back in the Dark Ages, circa 2005 when Misty and I rode into this town, I carried 5-6 copies of 12-14 types federal  info that demonstrated the metrics* of the drug policy had been going backwards for 40 years.  Several times per day staffers would challenge me on information, causing me to give them copies prepared by the DEA and the Drug Czar’s office (ONDCP). 

 About a year ago after a particularly long day of walking the halls of Congress, I took stock of exactly how much of what did I need.   I realized that it had been many months to a year or more that a staffer had asked for this or that type of documentation.    I was able to reduce the weight of copies by more than half.   Now I am asked for govt. statistics and graphs about 1-2 times per month.  This demonstrates that nearly 100% of staffers know what we know:  the policy is a disaster and dysfunctional. 

Do you mind?:   It was a typical, busy recess week for me.  I made 22 presentations over four days.  Meagan asked me to postpone our scheduled Thursday meeting till Friday in order that two interns could sit in.  She said both had a keen interest in drug policy and she believed they would benefit from my presentation. 

 The three of us had an excellent chat on Friday with the interns posing challenging questions.  30 minutes later the repeal prohibition crowd had three new converts.  Small steps.  BTW, it was an Republican office.

 *metrics = statistiks

COP stats since August 2009:

 430  presentations to Congressional Staffers (22 more this week)

7 presentations to VIPs (elected officials)

36 published Letters to the Editor (that we know of)

Numerous conferences, hearings & briefings attended.  C-Span broadcast my question at a Senate briefing. (one hearing this week)

11 radio shows

6 TV interviews (Colombian TV, Fox and Univision)

 My Published Rebuttal to an article written for a police magazine by a narc in California regarding the upcoming vote on Prop 19:

Legalizing Marijuana

Our colleague Officer Watkins made a common mistake when he stated that marijuana causes the agony of Mexico. Prohibition of marijuana causes those deaths, not the use of MJ. The production of marijuana on public land does cause environmental problems but that would not occur, if farmers could grow it legally on their own land. Nobody grows corn in a National Forest. Prohibition is the underlying problem, Chris. What you wrote about are the unintended consequences of prohibition.

During my 18 years of police service I was dispatched to zero calls generated by the use of pot. Alcohol use generated some 1300, including murder, suicide, rape, child abuse, felonious, aggravated and simple assault/battery. Pot is a much safer drug than alcohol both for the user and those around them.

We will arrest a lot more pedophiles, when detectives are not flying around in helicopters looking for green plants. Road patrol will arrest more DUIs, when they don’t have their heads buried in some kid’s seat looking for a baggie. No question that marijuana prohibition reduces public safety. Our job is public safety, not personal safety. Tomorrow we will be arresting fat people for possessing salt. Is that what we want to do as a profession?

Consider being a member of COPs at $30.00 or more per year.    Add your voice to those who agree that Modern Prohibition/War on Drugs is the most destructive, dysfunctional and immoral policy since slavery & Jim Crow.  Go to: www.CitizensOpposingProhibition.org and click on Donate/Join – by credit card or check.

 Howard

Detective/Officer Howard  Wooldridge (retired)

Drug Policy Specialist, COP – www.CitizensOpposingProhibition.org

Washington, DC

817-975-1110 Cell

howard@citizensopposingprohibition.org

Citizens Opposing Prohibition – Become a Member

PO Box 772

Buckeystown, MD  21717-0772

Modern Prohibition/The War on Drugs is the most destructive, dysfunctional &  immoral  domestic policy since slavery  & Jim Crow.

COPs on the Hill:Stories from the week of June 18, 2010

Tea for one?:  As is often said, ‘in life, it is not what you know but who.’  This week at Grover Norquist’s brunch my Libertarian friend introduced me to a key manager in the national Tea Party Movement.*   After a few minutes she agreed that repealing federal prohibition of marijuana would be absolutely in keeping with the theme of personal freedom and less federal government.   She said she would bring up this issue as she moved around the country organizing and attending Tea Parties.  Small steps.

 I have a new girl friend!!    To the delight of many, the woman on the cover of Time ‘Saint Sarah’ Palin, this week on Fox News declared marijuana to be a “minimal problem.”  She used the words ‘limited resources’ as she declared the police have more important matters than an adult using marijuana in their own home.  Small step, maybe medium.

Once again we see those who are on the side of repealing marijuana prohibition or dialing down the police time spent on the issue cover the entire range of political philosophy from ultra liberal to ultra conservative.

How do I feel?  Wink, wink, nod, nod:    Finishing my lunch in the Longworth café, a Republican aide I have known for several years stopped by to chat.   He agreed Sarah Palin’s marijuana statement will have a small to perhaps medium impact on the vote in California.    He would not say how he felt but he gave me the number of his mom in Los Angeles, saying she would be willing to help me locate places that Misty and I could make a solid impact.  As is often the case, staffers keep their cards close to the chest. *  However, they do communicate much thru a wink, a nod, a phone number.

As I work into my fifth year of this Odyssey, I am gratified and comforted that now a solid majority of Congressional aides (both Dems and Rs) want me to succeed.  Good thing too.  I have had five birthdays here in DC & my energy is less. 

 *Tea Party Movement = politische Bewegung, hauptsächlich Konservative

*cards close to chest = nicht offen zu sein, sondern alles im Kopf halten

COP stats since August 2009:

 387 presentations to Congressional Staffers (4 more this week)

7 presentations to VIPs (elected officials)

33 published Letters to the Editor (that we know of)

Numerous conferences, hearings & briefings attended.  C-Span broadcast my question at a Senate briefing

11 radio shows

6  TV interviews (Colombian TV, Fox and Univision)

Consider being a member of COPs at $30.00 or more per year.    Add your voice to those who agree that Modern Prohibition/War on Drugs is the most destructive, dysfunctional and immoral policy since slavery & Jim Crow.  Go to: www.CitizensOpposingProhibition.org and click on Donate/Join – by credit card or check.

Howard

 Detective/Officer Howard  Wooldridge (retired)

Drug Policy Specialist, COP – www.CitizensOpposingProhibition.org

Washington, DC

817-975-1110 Cell

howard@citizensopposingprohibition.org

Citizens Opposing Prohibition – Become a Member

PO Box 772

Buckeystown, MD  21717-0772

Modern Prohibition/The War on Drugs is the most destructive, dysfunctional &  immoral  domestic policy since slavery  & Jim Crow.