Revelations of egregious misconduct at a Jamaica Plain crime lab — affecting tens of thousands of drug samples that were used to put people behind bars — mark one of the biggest criminal justice scandals in the Commonwealth’s history. It should also mark the beginning of the end of our state’s drug war.
It is now well known that the drug war has failed, and with the Jamaica Plain crime lab it has failed spectacularly. According to news reports, chemist Annie Dookhan bypassed protocols and affirmatively tampered with drug samples, resulting in some 34,000 cases that now rest on tainted evidence. The scandal already has cost the jobs of several public officials, including Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach.
Comments
So, the ACLU condemns the war on drugs, ARE YOU ALL RIGHT? What would you have the Government do, ignore it? This statement is coming from the same organization that got Cranston RI to abolish a long standing tradition, Father's and Daughter's, Son's and Mother's day because of a single child's selfishness. I am beginning to suspect the legitimacy of the ACLU and wonder if we should condemn your organization.
Actually, the ACLU was merely defending Rhode Island's law. The federal statute exempts father-daughter type events, but Rhode Island law does not. Why are you blaming the ACLU or the mother who complained? Why aren't you blaming Rhode Island legislators that passed the law? Do you think we should enforce laws selectively, based on your or other people's personal opinions?
I don't blame the legislators because they are so afraid of loosing constituent's votes they will put into law anything that appears to be politically correct. Just because it is law doesn't mean a single person has to stand behind it as if it were morally correct. With that said, I blame the Mother for being as narrow minded as the legislators that passed the law. I blame the ACLU for wasting their time justifying their existence for a single person. I would feel differently if there was a group of people that felt offended, but a single person? Let's be realistic.
The "war" has indeed been a colossal waste of resources. Throttle back on the arrest, prosecution & scope of class C, D and E substances and low-level distribution. Heck, legalize and tax Class D. Then, turn up the heat on true narcotic importers and dealers of class A & B society damaging drugs and focus on those. Common sense application of new laws and rewards for information leading to convictions of ONLY class A and B drugs will be very effective in turning the "war" into a winnable "fight".
Just thinking outside the box, but couldn't the same be said of the War on Poverty? The Federal, State, and local governments have thrown trillions of dollars trying to eliminate poverty, but poverty still exists and probably will exist for our lifetimes and beyond.
It would be an interesting debate in the public square on the effectiveness or lack thereof, of government programs to reduce poverty.
I think the poor will always be with us, but I couldn't stomach seeing undernourished beggers on the streets, especially children. Try visiting Haiti on your next cruise -- or many other countries. Poverty is much rarer in Western Europe, and that's about the most we can hope for. And maybe enough support that children don't grow up mentally and/or physically handicapped. Supporting the poor is important to try to save the children, if for no other reason.
I'm not sure that we want cocaine, heroin, and morphine freely distributed. I would have to hear a lot more opinions and get a lot more information on that. Still, it's time to call off law enforcement and make a serious effort at rehab with the money. People have to be responsible for their own lives, according to libertarians and those on the right. Maybe we should take them at their word and give individual responsibility a try.
Absolutely agree with Mr. Segal. The war on drugs hasn't worked any better than Prohibition. Regulate drugs, tax them, penalize those who do hazardous things while under the influence, but stop sending people to prison, and stop indirectly funding drug cartels and their violence.
Treating drugs as we treat alcohol should have happened in the '60s. I can't believe it has been 50 years and we still haven't learned by our mistakes; mistakes that cost so many lives and more money than we want to think about. When will we stop the insanity? Must we wait another 50 years before we finally "get it"