As a drug legalization advocate, I am often misunderstood.
I do not use drugs; in fact, I don't even drink alcohol. Outside of marijuana, I can think of no illegal drug that I would use if it were legalized.
But it's not just personal choice that drives my political leanings in this area. It is the experience of one who has consistently seen two sets of justice applied in this area.
Our local DA was recently arrested on federal drug charges that would have meant up to 60 years in prison for the average joe. But due to his status as a DA, he was able to plead guilty to lesser charges to have the drug charges dismissed, and given the MAXIMUM sentence of 5 years for the lesser charges, he's unlikely to see the inside of a jail cell.
This from a man who campaigned on a position of being hard on drug offenders, and who pushed for maximum sentences repeatedly for offenders brought before him. Those offenders will still be rotting in prison when this DA is sipping cocktails on his Bimini vacation to unwind from the stress that all of these legal proceedings have had on him.
And it doesn't stop at the local DA. Do you think a kid from Compton would be out on the streets with as many drug arrests as Darryl Strawberry has to his name? Do you think that a factory worker could get the preferential treatment consistently afforded Steve Howe or Michael Irvin?
This country professes to be built on the idea that justice is blind, and that "all men are createed equal". But as long as two sets of scales are used, that will never be the case. Obviously, incarcerating more people for drug offenses isn't the answer. We need to legalize these drugs and regulate their trade; it makes more sense than the system we currently have in place.