Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA

"As law enforcement, we are involuntary drug warriors, but legalization will change that and enhance public safety."

John Darker is a military police officer of the United States Air Force* currently deployed to Afghanistan until the end of 2011 and is stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. He first joined the military in 2006 as a military police officer at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, where he worked in conjunction with the Anchorage Police Department. He was previously stationed in Minot, North Dakota.

Staff Sergeant (SSgt.) Darker came to join LEAP as a result of the rising tragic deaths related to Mexico’s illegal drug market. Since 2006, at least 40,000 people, including Americans, have died in drug war violence in Mexico. “That’s more than 6 times the number of my very own beloved service men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan,” SSgt. Darker says. Beyond the violence, he is concerned about the massive outlay of resources. “With the amount of time and money invested in this kind of war, how many more years of failed policy will it take for this to be all said and done?”

As part of his work while stationed in Alaska, SSgt. Darker would often arrest people for cannabis possession when they attempted to enter the military installation. Noting that his personal opinion did not matter when he was on duty and had to enforce the law, SSgt. Darker explains that the consequence of arrest, particularly being barred from the base or losing a job, seemed excessive for an offense that affected no one but the person being arrested. “As law enforcement,” he says, “I would prefer having more time on the road preventing and/or responding to the serious crime out there such as the terrorists, murderers, rapists, and other individuals that spread violence amongst society. The marijuana plant itself doesn’t spread violence, but the prohibition and black market sure do.”

Currently a resident from Redding, CA, SSgt. Darker served as a computer technician before joining the military. In 2008 while deployed to Camp Bucca, Iraq, he was selected as Hero of the Week when he detected Iraqi nationals penetrating perimeter wire onto the installation. He was also awarded the Army Achievement Medal for his service Iraq and earned the Air Force Achievement Medal as well for his assistance with United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The views expressed are those of John Darker only and not those of the Department of Defense.