Howard J. Wooldridge
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Background: LEAP Board Member and retired police detective Howard J. Wooldridge realized in the 1980s that drug prohibition generated 75% of felony crime and reduced public safety as his colleagues focused on pot busts. After his retirement he became involved in drug reform in 1997. Wanting to make a difference, he rode his horse Misty from Georgia to Oregon in 2003 spreading the word like a later-day Paul Revere that drug prohibition was a disastrous policy for America.
In 2005 he rode back across America from Los Angeles to New York City to convince America that this new prohibition must end. Though he longed to return to Texas, he and Misty moved to the Washington DC area in December 2005. While Misty enjoys her retirement on a ranch, Howard dresses up in a coat and tie, new buckle and new cowboy hat to educate the politicians and bureaucrats in the nation’s capital. This is a record of his activities at the Capitol. |
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NEWSLETTER: January 18, 2008
Cocaine seizures vs. terrorists: All the Armed Forces maintain liaison offices in the Congress. This week I noticed a new, large sign outside the Coast Guard which boasted that they had seized 4.7 billion dollars worth of cocaine. Curious, I asked the two Coast Guardsmen how many terrorists had been intercepted and arrested. They said they believed none, but were not sure. I introduced myself and requested the CG in the century of 9/11 should be focusing on terrorists rather than drugs. I have written to the CG asking for information. I left the two guys perhaps questioning the efficacy of CG efforts.
Natural High: I am still bouncing off the ceiling from last week’s news on the massive cut in federal money to fund drug task forces. I will spend time next week learning how it happened, who to thank and how to educate the Congress to maintain the cuts in Fiscal Year 2009.
Switzerland: The land of neutrality, chocolate and ‘smart on drugs’ policy: This week Jasmine Tyler of the Drug Policy Alliance & I met with Dr. Dora Fitzli, the health and science advisor at the Swiss Embassy. The occasion was a hand-off to Jasmine of the work* and contacts I made a year ago. Jasmine and DPA have tentatively planned to hold 2-3 seminars in Congress on the Swiss program dealing with heroin addicts. The Swiss program is widely held as the most successful in the world and has been duplicated in 6 countries. I am confident that Dr. Fitzli and Jasmine will produce a world-class seminar.
* SWISS HEROIN-ASSISTED TREATMENT 1994- 2008: SUMMARY
Overview: Due to the severe drug problem in Switzerland in the early 1990s, (rising number of injection drug users, visibility of open drug scenes, AIDS epidemic, rising number of drug related deaths, poor physical health, high criminality) the Swiss made a fundamental shift in approaching the problems caused by heroin addiction. The Swiss offer treatment-on-demand. Of an estimated 22,000 addicts, 16,500 are in treatment and 92% are given daily doses of methadone at conventional clinics. The Swiss treat about 1300 addicts with maintenance doses of heroin via 23 special clinics operating in cities and two prisons. The Swiss approach has resulted in lower rates of crime, death, disease, a drop in expected new users as well as an improvement in mental and physical health, employment and housing. The program has been copied by six countries: Germany, Holland, Belgium, England, Spain and Canada.
* To qualify for a heroin prescription: 1) at least 18 years old; 2) been addicted (daily use) for at least two years; 3) present signs of poor health; 4) two or more failed attempts of conventional treatment (methadone or other); 5) Surrender drivers license; 6) Heroin can only be obtained at the clinic and must be consumed on site (oral or injection). (Note: Under strict control and specific criteria [for example full employment] a few are allowed to take one oral dose daily away)
- Patients can receive up to three doses of heroin per day. 60% take the heroin via needle injection, the rest via pill. The use of the oral pill is increasing.
- Patients average about three (3) years in this plan. However, they may stay in treatment indefinitely. 20% of original patients are still in the program.
- The vast majority of patients are satisfied or very satisfied with the program.
- Average age of patient: 38 years.
*Crime Issues: 60% drop in felony crimes by patients. 82% drop in patients selling heroin.
*Death Rates: No one has died from a heroin overdose since the inception of the program. The heroin used is inspected for purity and strength by technicians.
*Disease Rates: New infections of Hepatitis and HIV have been reduced for patients in the program.
*New Use Rates: Lower than expected. 1) As reported in the Lancet June 3, 2006, the medicalisation of using heroin has tarnished the image of heroin and made it unattractive to young people. 2) Most new users are introduced to heroin by members of their social group and 50% of users also deal to support their habit. Therefore, with so many users/sellers in treatment, non-users have fewer opportunities to be exposed to heroin, especially in the rural areas.
*Cost Issues: 48 dollars/day: Patients pay from zero to 12 per day depending on their ability. Note: About 30% of patients work for a living and pay part of the costs. Note: The Swiss save about 30 dollars per day per patient mostly in lowered costs for court and police time, due to less crime committed by the patients.
** This summary was taken from five published reports. The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health reviewed and approved its release. Additional questions should be directed to Dr. Dora Fitzli, the science and health advisor to the Swiss Ambassador at the Embassy. Her English is near native fluency. Tel: 202-745-7954
NOTE: This summary was researched and written by Howard J. Wooldridge of LEAP.
- Howard
NEWSLETTER: January 4 & 11, 2008
This will be an annual recognition given to the staffer that gave me the most memorable answer or quote.
From the aide of a major, Republican candidate still running for President – she wrote these exact words in reply to an email which I send all staffers thanking them for their time:
Staffer of the year 2007: “Hypothetically speaking, if drugs were legalized and distributed by clinics, it's likely that health insurers are going to demand notification when their beneficiaries access those drugs. That means those beneficiaries bills will go way up or they'll lose coverage all together. This would likely cause another black market to be established, because folks won't want to lose their health insurance. What do you do about that?
And to be honest, though we didn't get into it, my personal belief is that you should just keep killing every drug dealer arrested. Eventually you're going to run out. I'm not sure we can make a real dent in the problem under our current justice system that allows people to deal drugs with little penalty.”
Staffer of the year 2006: A few minutes into a meeting with a staffer, she declared that because drug use would skyrocket w/ legalization, it was a no-go idea. I pointed out that Holland’s marijuana use had dropped to half of America’s after 30 years of legalization. “That’s because they all went onto to use hard drugs!” she replied, tartly. It took all my 18 years of police-learned discipline not to burst out laughing. 3 minutes later she asked, “So, you want to sell heroin to 10 year olds!?” I replied no, give heroin roughly with the same regulations and controls as whiskey. About 1 staffer in 25 reacts to my visit like this one. These people are very comfortable in their dogma based on ignorance…… BTW, her Republican boss is on the House Judiciary Committee near the top of the seniority. No doubt her boss has the same information/attitude base as the aide. Now you have a better idea why things are so messed up.
Staffer of the year 2005: A Congressional staffer had a new one. His reason for opposing ending prohibition? ‘If we legalize marijuana, eventually the growers will want to receive a subsidy to grow it, the same as farmers receive subsidies to grow tobacco, rice, sugar etc. It will just mean one more expense for the federal government.’ Most of you don’t know it but I do have a poker face. I coolly replied, “Well, this is the first day of my second rodeo. Call me naïve but I have faith that the US Congress will never subsidize cannabis farmers.” The staffer remained unconvinced. I went on to another meeting, chuckling* all the way down the hall of the Rayburn Building.
Whatever I can do to help?: I have been fighting my first cold in years & it has been a doozey.* *Luckily, I am almost back to normal, just as the politicians return tomorrow. This week I did go and chat with the #2 guy (deputy Chief of Staff) of a very senior Dem House member. We had met while I spoke Spanish to the woman shining my boots a few weeks ago in the Cannon Bldg and he was waiting his turn. When I ran into a word I did not know in Spanish, he kindly chipped*** in the answer. A few minutes later we chatted in Spanish about what I was doing in DC and he agreed with me, introducing himself and who he worked for. This week we spoke for 5 minutes in his office and he directed me to the right people to move LEAP’s ideas forward in 2008. The moral of the story must be that it was great that my Spanish isn’t perfect, otherwise we would have never chatted...and just spending time in the Office Buildings will increase chances to run into people who want to help.
BTW, since my arrival, I have been happily amazed at the vast number of aides who openly agree with or nearly with the LEAP position. Several many have pointed me to VIPs, ideas, strategies, etc to move our country away from prohibition. Also, I ran quickly in 2007 from office to office to make sure that all the offices had been exposed to the LEAP message. 96% have now heard the LEAP presentation. Many of the rest refused to give me 15 minutes. In 2008 I will be able to devote more quality time speaking to staffers & attend more hearings. Rumor has it that the Congress will adjourn**** permanently about 1 August until after the November election.
Can’t take the credit but... The Congress just before adjourning for the Christmas recess passed and Bush signed a 3,000 page budget compromise for spending in 2008. Tucked away was a 67% reduction in Byrne grants which fund many police drug task forces around the country. My police colleagues are screaming and Congressman Souder has promised to ask for an emergency 360 million so arrests won’t go down. As ya’ll know, one of the first things I have asked 520 times since arriving on the Hill is to ‘stop giving my profession money. There is no return on that investment.’ My best info is that after the first Bush veto, the House and Senate conferees were told to cut money. And they cut cops getting money to bust***** drug dealers. There is no way of knowing why they cut police money. Either way, I am happy that there will fewer drug arrests in 2008. Now the trick will be to make the cuts permanent. As the USA borrows a billion dollars a day from the Chinese to stay afloat, who knows? Stay tuned.
I also attended three strategy sessions during the week.
*lachend
** ganz schlimm
***die Antwort zu verfügen
**** aufhören
***** verhaften
While not able to speak much these past two weeks, I did write this following column which my brother’s influence allowed (and 5 other ones) to be published in some 40 blogs, some with readership reaching a million. This is the 6th in a series:
Who Supports the Drug War?
Ossama Bin Laden, President George Bush, The Ochoa Brothers, Congressman Mark Souder, Mexican Drug Cartels, DEA, FARC, National Association of Narcotics Officers, Canadian Cannabis Growers Association, Pharmaceutical Industry, Al Qaeda, Private Prison Association, Meth Makers of Mexico Association, John Walters (USA’s Drug Czar), MS-13 drug gang, California Narcotic Officers’ Association, Crips & Bloods, Deputy Chief Thomas Gorman of California, Pablo Escobars’ Amigos, Congressman Duncan Hunter, Columbian Coca Growers Association, Senator John McCain et al, Fundamentalist Christian Association, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Newsweek, Time
See a pattern here? Ever wondered why it has been so difficult to make even small changes in our policy of prohibition AKA War on People? The 10 major organizations which are trying to end the New Prohibition have a total budget of about 25 million dollars. The drug companies which fear God’s medicine, AKA marijuana, put that much in the freezers of politicians to stifle competition. Does Al Qaeda contribute to the Republican Party? If opposition to the Drug War continues to grow, Al Qaeda would be advised to funnel cash to prohibition politicians. Prohibition puts 3 billion in OBL’s hands every year. Putting 100,000 into a freezer is chump change compared to losing billions.
The California Narcotic Officers Association fears the loss of their paychecks, knowing that the sensible People of California would legalize, regulate and tax marijuana the day after the feds end the National Prohibition. Even if they did not lose their paychecks, they would be reassigned to go after drunk drivers, child predators and other public safety threats. That type of work is boring compared to kicking in a few doors a week, waving their guns around and arresting people. Heaven forbid they would have to take a stolen bicycle report!
MS-13 gang makes billions selling illegal drugs in the USA. They would not be happy to see the end of Prohibition. They would have to go back to landscape jobs! President Bush supports the Drug War to keep his Pharma Industry lobbyists happy. He views the weekly deaths of young teens who die selling these drugs on the sidewalk as ‘God’s Will.’ So no problem there. Mexican drug cartels enjoy the finest tequila and tacos in Mexico on the money they are making. As a bonus, their narco-dollars buy them influence at the Presidential Palace in Mexico City. The private prisons in the USA lobby for more mandatory drug sentences in order to keep their cash flow coming. The Meth Makers of Mexico make billions exporting their product into the US and Canada.
Congressman Mark Souder supports the Drug War because he uses it to get re-elected. “I am getting tough on drugs!” He has convinced the voters in Indiana that the 2nd trillion dollars spent on this policy will result in drugs being slightly less available to their kids. Ditto Congressman Duncan Hunter who has convinced his California constituents of the same thing. Our Drug Czar John Walters simply likes his government job with all the perks of flying around the world saying how much progress was made this year. He reminds me of General Westmoreland during the Vietnam War and body counts.
The growers of BC Bud are making billions exporting to the US the most potent pot on the continent. That industry now employs more people in British Colombia than mining or forestry. The Crips and Bloods make billions as a vertical monopoly buying in bulk and employing their members for the retail sales. Experts say that the economy of several large cities would collapse without the cash that the dealers generate for their home neighborhoods. FARC (guerrillas of Colombia) have been making billions protecting the Coca Growers of Colombia Association. FARC uses their profits to wage war on the Bogotá government.
Fundamentalist Christians are adamant that God believes the Drug War is just and righteous and that Jesus would also support it. Right. Jesus would put a cocaine user in the hell hole of a Texas prison for two years. NOT. ‘But it is immoral to use these drugs’
they say with indignation. When confronted with the fact that young teens die every week because the policy employs a million teens, they usually blame the parents for the deaths, not their support for the policy. Native Americans have used mind-altering substances for centuries. Is the Christian religion superior to their beliefs to the point that Indians should go to jail? NOT! WWJD?
The Washington Post, the New York Times, Newsweek, Time and US News & World Report all support prohibition. Could it be they do not want to upset the drug makers who take out 3-4 full page ads for their drugs? Money talks.
As you can see, the supporters of Prohibition Two are numerous and well-funded. Nonetheless, I will use my one-eyed horse Misty and my Stetson to promote the end of the most dysfunctional, immoral policy since slavery until it is in the history books, or I draw my last breath.
- Howard
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