The Obama Administration released its National Drug Control Strategy on Tuesday, claiming it represents a “balanced new approach” to drug policy that focuses on treatment over enforcement.
However, a group of police officers who support legalization is pointing out that despite the administration’s words, the drug budget dedicates nearly twice as much funding to policing and enforcement as it does to public health and prevention, virtually the same ratio as the previous budget under President Bush.
“The Drug Czar is saying all the right things about ending the ‘War On Drugs’ and enacting a long-overdue balanced strategy focused on a public health approach,” said Neill Franklin, a former Baltimore cop and incoming executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). “Unfortunately, the reality of the budget numbers don’t match up to the rhetoric.”