{news} Thornton continues to criticize 'failure' of War on Drugs

[clifford thornton]

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Thornton continues to criticize 'failure' of War on Drugs

By RAY HACKETT 
Norwich Bulletin 



      OLD LYME -- Comparing the war in Iraq to the nation's 40-year-old War on Drugs, former Green Party gubernatorial candidate Clifford Thornton continued his efforts Monday to decriminalize illegal drugs. 

      "I'm not here promoting drug use," Thornton told the Southeastern Connecticut Chapter of the League of Women Voters. "I'm here promoting a sound, logical policy." 


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      Thornton said the United States spends $2 billion a week at all levels of government -- local, state and federal -- to battle drugs. Yet the federal Drug Enforcement Agency admits capturing only 10 percent of the illegal drugs in the country each year, he said. 

      "Does it make sense that we spend $100 billion a year on a program with a 90-percent failure rate?" Thornton asked the group. 

      League member Claire Sauer was in the audience at the chapter's annual meeting at the Old Lyme Inn. 

      "I've heard him talk many times, and I've always been impressed with just how much sense he makes," she said. 

      Thornton, a retired manager with the Southern New England Telephone Co., has made his campaign for a change in the nation's drug policy a lifelong commitment. He and his wife, Margaret, founded the nonprofit group Efficacy, which focuses on social issues and, in particular, the drug war. 

      Green Party candidate
      In 2006, the Green Party nominated Thornton as its gubernatorial candidate and used this issue as the centerpiece of his campaign platform. 

      "It's the most important social problem we're going to face in our lifetime," he said. "The war on drugs is not intended to be won. It's only intended on being waged. It's shattered families, devastated our inner cities and wasted lives." 

      Thornton supports legalizing marijuana and its use for medicinal purposes. He also supported medical uses for harder drugs like heroin and cocaine and allowing doctors to determine their use. Thornton also seeks decriminalization of all other illegal drugs. 

      "I agree with 99 percent of what he said," said league member Carol Richards of Niantic, a retired state addiction services employee, "but I thought he was just a bit cavalier with his references to marijuana as a harmless drug." 

      Thornton cited a number of statistics suggesting the primary focus of the drug war are blacks, Hispanics and poor whites. He said they represent the largest percentages of prisoners serving time for drug offenses -- yet more affluent whites use as much or more of the drugs. Thornton contended his proposal to decriminalize illegal drugs would allow more efforts to be made toward prevention and rehabilitation and less time wasted in jails. 

      "You're going to get a payback when you educate children," he said. "Imagine what $100 billion a year spent on education would mean. You're not going to get a payback spending all that money on this." 

      Susan Clark-Levin of New London and Rita Rohrberg of Westbrook, both of whom work as counselors at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital's infectious disease department, came to the meeting to hear Thornton. Clark-Levin said she had heard him speak at a seminar in Hartford and found his opinions valuable. 

      "It's amazing the amount of money the country is spending and getting nowhere," she said. "It's an illness, an addiction." 

      Reach Ray Hackett at 425-4225 or rhackett at norwichbulletin.com<mailto:rhackett at norwichbulletin.com>


     

Efficacy
PO Box 1234
860 657 8438
Hartford, CT 06143
efficacy at msn.com<mailto:efficacy at msn.com>
www.Efficacy-online.org<http://www.efficacy-online.org/>
 
"THE DRUG WAR IS MEANT TO BE WAGED NOT WON"

Working to end race and class drug war injustice, Efficacy is a non profit
501 (c) 3 organization founded in 1997. Your gifts and donations are tax
deductible
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