Posted February 28th, 2010 by hiwayhowie
COPs on the Hill
Stories from the week of February 26, 2010
Back in the Trenches: This was a ‘normal’ week After all the energy and frenzied* pace of CPAC last week, it was pleasant to just attend several meetings (one on the Webb bill), write an oped and do 18 presentations on Thursday and Friday.
One Step Forward: Waiting for the elevator in Longworth, I noticed a Congressman walking down the hall with whom I had had a good chat at CPAC. As he approached a few yards to my left, he spotted me, changed direction and came over to say hi and shake my hand. He remarked how I had ‘cleaned up’ from the CPAC t-shirt. It was a first for having a Member of Congress go out of their way to say hi to me. And it only took four years! LOL
One Step Back: Stepping into my 10th office on Thursday, the Congressman was just coming out of his office. He stopped to shake my hand and asked what his office could do. We ended up chatting for 90 seconds after I told him I was the police voice on the Hill in opposition to the War on Drugs. He closed the chat by saying, “Raymond Kelly is the man I listen to on that issue.”
On the train home a friend and advisor stated that Kelly was the police commissioner of New York City. Kelly has been pushing for ever more simple possession marijuana arrests in the Big Apple.
Your COP donations at work: Since last August, COPs has made: (this will be a regular part of every newsletter)
267 presentations to Congressional Staffers
5 presentations to VIPs (elected officials)
27 published Letters to the Editor (that we know of)
Numerous conferences, hearings & briefings attended. C-Span broadcast my question at a Senate briefing
5 radio gigs
Two TV interviews (Colombian TV) & Fox
*frenzied =wahnsinnig
Consider being a member of COPs at $30.00 or more per year. It is tax-deductible. 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.
Thank you,
Howard
Modern Prohibition/The War on Drugs is the most destructive, dysfunctional & immoral domestic policy since slavery & Jim Crow.
Posted February 27th, 2010 by hiwayhowie
Pot is a Distraction: published on February 18, 2010 in the Free Lance-Star, Fredericksbury, VA
As a retired police detective, I certainly agree with Richard Moter’s thoughtful letter [“Legalization of marijuana is no joke,” Feb. 12].
Every hour we chase the Michael Phelpses and the Willie Nelsons of the Commonwealth (of Virginia), we have less time for the deadly reckless and DUI drivers, and less time for catching child molesters and other public safety threats.
My profession needs to return to its original purpose: public safety.
If you have a problem with marijuana, alcohol, or cigarettes, see a doctor for treatment. The Thin Blue Line has much more important tasks.
Howard Wooldridge
Washington
Posted February 24th, 2010 by hiwayhowie
COPs on the Hill
Stories from the week of February 19, 2010
CPAC – A Love Fest: The annual Conservative Political Action Conference (essentially 10,000 rabid* conservatives & Libertarians) met for three long days this week. Wearing my COPs t-shirt over my dress shirt and tie, I had about 120 conversations (average audience was 4), passed out 250 business cards and received 101 times “love the shirt.” Only 3 people said my position was wrong. What a change from my first CPAC in 2006, when people were nearly spitting on me.
Want to be on Fox News?: Standing and chatting in the main hall on the first morning, a producer for Fox News walked up, engaged me in a small chat and then asked if I had time at 11AM to be on Fox TV. Two hours later I was on their national broadcast for about 12 minutes. The reporter asked solid questions, even as he remained agnostic in his tone.* The producer said he was happy with the interview and will keep my info on file. Good start to the conference!
“Yes, I will vote for that bill.” The first seminar I attended was on the 10th Amendment (essentially States Rights – all powers not granted the feds are reserved to the States or the People). The panel included Congressman Rob Bishop (R- UT). I was able to ask a question directed at the Congressman. ‘Based on your strong belief in freedom and support for the 10th amendment, will support a bill this year in Congress to repeal federal prohibition of marijuana? Will you allow the States to choose their own path?’
Mr. Bishop, a social studies teacher for 28 years, said marijuana was bad for many reasons and that he had never supported legalizing it. He continued, ‘However, I will vote yes for that bill.’ Later an employee of the RNC (Republican National Committee) congratulated me on the question and the positive answer. Later I asked another R Congressman with whom I have a small relationship the same question. ‘I am not there,,,yet.’ I had a sip of Crown Royal that night. Small steps.
Only took 6 months: You can now join cops and donate via your credit card and Paypal on the website. Please don’t ask why it took so long. L Shirts seen below are now for sale. You pick your logo or you can have your name on the shirt “Gene says….” J COPs has raised exactly 20,000 in its first 6 months. Thank you. I hope to draw a small salary later this year.
*rabid = verrückte
*agnostic in tone = neutral
Consider being a member of COPs at $30.00 or more per year. It is tax-deductible. 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.
Thank you,
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.
Posted February 13th, 2010 by hiwayhowie
COPs on the Hill
Stories from the week of February 12, 2010
Moving forward: The meeting I organized 3 weeks ago has born fruit. I received word this week that the major players on the Hill are now united in what direction to take regarding marijuana; namely push for a bill to repeal federal prohibition. COPs, MPP, DPA and NORML have all agreed on this strategy. MPP’s Aaron Houston produced an excellent one page sheet of FAQs. (provided below).** We believe this bill will also help the ballot initiative in California to legalize adult use and sale. As soon as we have a bill number, I will pass it on. Shot of Crown that night. Small steps.
With help from my friends: One requisite* for my job is having a bit of an ego. To sit down with a Member of Congress or their aide, to educate & urge them to change policy for a nation of 310 million is not for the faint-of-heart.* On the other hand, one must recognize that others are able to contribute and be ready to accept new ideas, new strategies, whatever is needed to move the issue forward.
Two House staffers last week asked for my paper on what would happen, if drug use and abuse doubled. This week and beyond, thanks to my friend Bernie Ellis of Tennessee, staffers will find this additional paragraph in that essay I shared with you last week. Thanks Bernie
“What if we doubled the number of sick and dying people in this country who could access medical marijuana? For some, it would mean reducing or completely eliminating their use of stronger and more hazardous opiates to treat intractable pain. For others, it would mean being able to better tolerate chemotherapy — to be more likely to survive the harsh treatments for their cancer or hepatitis C. For even more, it would mean being able to eat and sleep, to visit with their family and friends, to laugh — instead of barely existing in a prescription drug-induced stupor. For all of them, it would mean a better quality of life for as long as they have left to live”
Can I borrow your toboggan?:* My 10 meetings this week were also canceled, due to the snowzilla* storm of the century. Capitol Hill was best used as sled and toboggan hill. As I shoveled off the 27 inches (67cm) of snow off our garage roof in order to prepare for the Wednesday storm of 10 inches (25cm) , I slid off, feet first, landing in 27 inches of powder to break my fall. Uninjured, I climbed back up the ladder remembering the phrases Carpé Diem & Tomorrow is Promised to No One.
Free Beer: COPs t-shirts (as featured at the very bottom) are now for sale. The price is 20 dollars which includes postage and handling. The first one shipped to Alaska last week. Just email me and I will have it made and shipped. NOTE: in wearing such a shirt the past 11 years, I have received about 500 dollars in free beer, food and coffee.
*requisite = Erfordernis
* faint-of-heart = zaghaft
*toboggan = Schlitten
*snowzilla = unheimlich viel Schnee
Consider being a member of COPs at $30.00 or more per year. It is tax-deductible. 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.
Thank you,
Howard
** Regulating marijuana like alcohol
Would a federal marijuana-regulation law be similar to the 21st Amendment that deals with alcohol?
Yes, it would be a nearly identical model of regulation (the “three-tiered”
system), with few exceptions. The new federal marijuana law would allow — not require — any
state or territory to change its current laws that strictly prohibit marijuana, which would
include the possibility of a state creating a legal and regulated market for marijuana. As with
alcohol regulation, federal law would still prohibit the “transportation or importation into any
State … in violation of the laws thereof.” Of course, in the case of alcohol, the 21st
Amendment lays out only the broadest concepts about the structure of the law. The Federal
Alcohol Administration Act, subsequently passed by Congress, addresses details of the
regulatory system, such as permitting, consumer protection, labeling, and policing of the
industry.
Would a federal marijuana-regulation law force the states to make marijuana legal? No,
the federal law would not force states to change any existing laws or regulations, including
those that outright prohibit marijuana possession and sales. Rather, the new federal law
would simply free the states to decide as they so choose. Most Americans may not realize it
today, but decades after the passage of the 21st Amendment (which repealed the 18th
Amendment that codified alcohol prohibition) alcohol sales remained illegal in many areas of
the nation. Mississippi did not lift its prohibition on alcohol sales until 1966, and in Kansas,
on-premises sale of liquor remained illegal until 1987.
Which federal agencies would be affected by a new regulatory system? The DEA and ATF
would be the primary agencies impacted within the Department of Justice. The law would
add new provisions to Title 27 of the U.S. Code, which would be changed from “Intoxicating
liquors” to “Intoxicating substances” and be accompanied by conforming regulations similar to
the Federal Alcohol Administration Act. Notably, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
and Explosives (ATF) would become the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana, Firearms and
Explosives (ATMF). The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau within the U.S. Treasury
Department would become the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Marijuana Tax and Trade Bureau, which
would be responsible for administering the new law.
What differences would there be between alcohol and marijuana regulations? While the
repeal of alcohol prohibition required a constitutional amendment, repeal of marijuana
prohibition merely requires an act of Congress. Alcohol transportation and sales were made
legal by an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1933, at the start of FDR’s first
term. In the following years, the power of the Congress to regulate interstate commerce in all
manner of activities grew enormously, with the U.S. Supreme Court specifically affirming
Congress’ authority to prohibit or not prohibit marijuana. One notable difference between
federal alcohol laws and the proposed federal marijuana law is that the importation and
exportation of marijuana would remain banned (which is not the case with alcohol).
Prepared by: Aaron Houston of MPP (Marijuana Policy Project)
Distributed by: Howard Wooldridge of COPs (Citizens Opposing Prohibition)
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.
Posted February 8th, 2010 by hiwayhowie
COPs on the Hill
Stories from the Week of February 5, 2009
Transition: This week marked the transition from the Senate back to the House. Since mid-November, I have met with staffers from 85 offices in the Senate. I will continue to politely pester* the remaining 15 for 10 minutes of their time.
Gut feelings* confirmed: One of my first House meetings this week was with the aide to a very influential Republican office. During our congenial* 30 minute chat ( our third) we discussed the events and changes since Obama took office. I told him how so many R staffers had declared themselves Ron Paul type Republicans and that federal prohibition of marijuana should end now. He nodded and from his informal chats the past year, agreed that the vast majority of young R staffers were ready to legalize marijuana.
Then I asked him the question I will ask all aides this year, “Would you be willing to bring a Repeal Marijuana Prohibition’ bill to your boss and urge the Member to support it?” His answer was guarded (as one might expect) and took several minutes. He ended by saying he might. The fish is halfway in the boat. Small steps.
I wish every office had this: In the entry area of (R-GA) Congressman and Doctor Broun’s office is a plaque that reads: I am committed to protecting the constitutional rights and pocketbooks of every American. I will apply the following four-way test to every piece of legislation that comes before the House for a vote:
- 1) Is it Right/Moral?
- 2) Is it Constitutional?
- 3) Is it Necessary?
- 4) Is it Affordable?
Based on this test, he voted YES for States’ Rights for Medical Marijuana two years ago.
Could this be the event which changes Mexico?
Massacre Of 16 Juarez Students Is Latest Shock In Numbed City
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturdays massacre in Juárez, Mexico, of 16 high school and college students created a shock wave that continues to rumble across a city numbed by years of brutal and unstoppable violence, reports the El Paso Times. Twelve other victims are still hospitalized with gunshot wounds, four in critical condition.
El Paso Times
T-shirts for sale: The shirts seen at the bottom are now for sale. The cost is 20 dollars which includes shipping and handling. Just send me an email with size, type and USPS mailing address. Spring is almost here and it is time to cause trouble!
Blog oped: The consequences of drug use and abuse doubling, if we legalized & regulated all drugs: 1000 word essay below, if you are interested.
*gut feelings = etwas wie ‘rein gefühlsmaßige Reaktion’
* pester = plagen, höflich stören
*congenial = ansprechend
Consider being a member of COPs at $30.00 or more per year. It is tax-deductible. 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.
Thank you,
Howard
This interview just hit 50 websites and more.
Legalize all Drugs=Use & Abuse Double: The Consequences
By Frosty Wooldridge
http://denver.yourhub.com/Denver/Blogs/Your-Voice/Blog~726630.aspx?IsDraft=False
Denver Post, Your Hub, February 4, 2010
After the first 19 interviews with my brother Police Officer and Detective Howard Wooldridge of Lansing, Michigan (retired) concerning the “War on Drugs”, thousands of readers responded. U.S. taxpayers do not understand the incredible deception perpetrated on them by the Drug War. You might even term it a “racket” by those who stand in the power corridors of Washington, DC.
“Legalize drugs and all hell and ruin will plague the USA as drug use/abuse doubles!” said Officer Howard Wooldridge. “The sky will fall in. The Chicken Little’s aka The Prohibition Crowd have used this mantra to great effect the past 15 years. Though competent addiction experts and a 2008 Zogby poll state that use and abuse of hard drugs will remain fairly constant, what if the experts are wrong and the prohibition crowd is correct? What if millions of us become so stupid that we use heroin, meth and crack when they become legal? What would be the total change in the USA, if we legalized, regulated and taxed currently prohibited drugs and this caused use and abuse to double?
“Let’s start with marijuana. Currently about 20 million enjoy cannabis as a recreational alternative to alcohol. Let’s take as a given that few teetotalers will start using marijuana. Thus when 20 million citizens switch from drinking alcohol to smoking pot, this would be a net benefit for themselves, their family and their community. How so? Ask any cop or writer of country/western songs. Alcohol use provokes in almost all of us a bit of reckless to very reckless behavior (saying something one should not have, to picking a fight with someone twice your size). For a significant minority alcohol use provokes aggressive, even violent behavior. In this fashion a doubling of marijuana use will reduce homicide, suicide, rape, child/spouse abuse and assault.
“Wait. What about 20 million more people becoming lazy, losing their jobs, going on welfare, and robbing banks to live? Everyone reading this essay has either used marijuana or knows many in the family or friends who have. Do some become permanently lazy? Yes, the same as becoming an alcoholic often means a life without meaningful work. However, the overwhelming majority of marijuana users are like you and me; hard-working and hard-playing, tax-paying successful doctors, lawyers and such. From the past three US Presidents to half of Congress and captains of industry, many have used pot and gone on to become successful. Tell Michael Phelps, Willie Nelson or five time all NFL pro center for the Dallas Cowboys Mark Stepnoski about being too spaced out on cannabis to achieve greatness.
“A couple of hundred million times this year mostly young people are going to use an hallucinogen like X or LSD. There are almost no accounts of users stealing, robbing or becoming prostitutes to pay for their drug of choice. Yes, a couple of dozen die from X use (too much or too little water is a common reason) and that is a tragedy. Of course many more will die this year while riding their bicycle (about 2.5 per day, oops, they failed to wear a helmet). More Americans will die while riding a horse than die from X. In order to protect citizens from harm, should the government prohibit the riding of bicycles and horses? Tell your politicians. Now, double the use and abuse of X and LSD. Two times roughly zero is how much?
“The feds tell us that perhaps a million of us use meth-amphetamine and a couple of hundred die every year because of abuse issues and overdose. What happens when that number goes to two million? From what I know, the majority of users are either trying to stay awake on a 12 hour shift or want to lose weight. This crowd would have access to the same 5 mg amphetamine pills we give Air Force pilots to go on long missions. With standard doses users would gain control over their intake & improve their odds of not becoming addicted, same as our military pilots. Of course some will become addicted (talk to Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson after you die) but overall, death and abuse rates should fall for this group.
“What about those who love the sexual kick that meth provides? This crowd may switch to the sexual kick that cocaine does provide. If they stay with the meth, they will suffer long term health consequences. If their number doubles, they will also suffer. On the flip side, there will be no meth labs in America and no children eating Cheerios where mom and dad made meth last night. No houses will blow up and no expensive clean ups when meth houses are discovered. Since children are, IMO, much more important than adults harming themselves, even a doubling of amphetamine users would be a net plus.
“Let’s take the last and ‘big ones’, cocaine and heroin, together. Currently we believe about five million use coke and about half million use heroin. The use of these drugs does cause significant theft crimes for some/many of the users to support their habits. This year about 9,000 will die from overdose and an unknown number (certainly in thousands) will die from health complications associated with dirty, shared needles, etc.
“Even as use/abuse double the USA will experience a huge drop in felony crime, as the price for a day’s supply of these drugs falls to about $3.00. “That money can easily be made panhandling/begging for change. Thus hundreds of thousands of homeowners will not become victims. The number of banks and convenience stores robbed will drop by half, saving the terror and death that those employees deal with.
“Certainly overdose deaths would fall dramatically, when users buy a product of known strength and contains no rat poison, etc. This would save a lot of money now spent by EMS ambulances and hospital emergency rooms. Oh, and of course the addicts live to have a chance to climb out of their addiction one day.
“Federal studies and experts state that the abuse rate for cocaine is 5-6 per cent. Thus even a doubling of users would only increase those who abuse cocaine by about 300,000. The abuse rate for heroin is about 70 per cent of users. We would see about 350,000 new abusers of heroin. Each new abuse case will be a personal and family tragedy. On the flip side, almost no one will die of an overdose and with a robust treatment option (paid for by the taxes on other drugs & savings by cutting our prisons in half), a good many will live thru their addiction time to become clean and sober.
“The best news of all is that the 900,000 young teens currently selling these drugs off sidewalks and being shot in the process will become unemployed. They will be forced into making chump change flipping burgers or being unemployed. What is the value of one child saved? You tell me. The general savings of money will amount to some 80 billion currently wasted by law enforcement to look for, arrest and incarcerate drug users and sellers. The 120 billion we spend now on illegal drugs will go back into the taxed economy, as users have more money to buy cars, a steak in town or go to vacation in Florida. Farmers will plant hemp and supply a growing US market for that commodity vs. the importation currently coming from Canada. As gangs shrink and inner cities become much quieter (far fewer 9 mm going pop, pop, pop) property values will increase and so probably investment and their jobs. We would no longer fund our mortal enemies. Al Qaeda and the Taliban would have to find a new source of money. The police could concentrate on the deadly DUI and reckless drivers, saving thousands from dying on our roads. Detectives could arrest a lot more child predators.
“The majority of Americas have admitted in polls and at the Rotary Club that Modern Prohibition is an ineffective failure. Many see the policy as the most destructive, dysfunctional and immoral policy since slavery and Jim Crow.. Even if we doubled the number of drug users in this country, the pluses far outweigh the minuses.”
“Today, my brother Howard Wooldridge heads up a task force in Washington, DC to educate and enlighten congressmen at the highest levels. He works for a better future for all Americans. He can be reached at: Education Specialist, www.citizensopposingprohibition.org , Washington, DC. He speaks at colleges, political clubs, Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions Clubs across America. He engages citizens around the country to bring an end to the Drug War. Check out the web site and join. Book Wooldridge in your state! Wooldridge also presents at political conferences in Washington. Howard@citizensopposingprohibition.org
“The mission of COP is to reduce the multitude of unintended harmful consequences resulting from fighting the war on drugs and to lessen the incidence of death, disease, crime, and addiction by ultimately ending drug prohibition.
“Envision a country which employs the principles of personal responsibility, personal freedom and limited/effective government toward marijuana,” Officer Wooldridge said. “I see a growing respect for the police, as they stop intruding into the decisions of adults, made in the privacy of their castles. Teens find it as hard to buy pot as beer. Fewer teens use it because it lost its glamour. Imagine a land where the deadly DUI and reckless drivers kill far fewer, as officers focus on them, not the next pot bust. Envision detectives arresting more child predators as they abandon the time spent arresting someone selling pot to an adult. All this becomes possible, when America becomes wiser and abandons the prohibition approach to marijuana.”
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.
