Law Enforcement 'Addicted' to Drug Revenue - Norm Stamper November 10, 2009

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Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/10/04/Should_All_Drug_Use_Be_Made_Legal

Norm Stamper, former chief of the Seattle Police Department, argues that law enforcement, and the private industries associated with it, make too much revenue from the prosecution of drug laws to support reform. "I think making profit off the criminal justice system, which deals fundamentally with social justice, is immoral," says Stamper.

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Although the media sporadically reports on major narcotic raids, the general consensus about the war on drugs is that small battles will not win this war. Despite all the money spent on drug enforcement worldwide, illicit drugs are still relatively cheap and widely available. Increasingly drugs are being viewed as a social problem rather than strictly a legal one.

So is it time to rethink traditional approaches to the illegal drug industry? Countries like Portugal and Argentina are forging ahead with drug reforms, but will Australia follow suit?

In this panel from the provocative Festival of Dangerous Ideas the argument is put forward that decriminalization and regulation would be the best solution to addressing the problems associated with drugs. - Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Norm Stamper is the former Chief of the Seattle Police Department. He is an advisory board member for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and is the author of Breaking Rank: A Top Cop's Expose of the Dark Side of American Policing.