Ever so rarely, a good idea is drawn up: let's try something out, and give it an end date. The end date is just in case the idea doesn't work out so well, but vested interests form that would normally keep the bad idea alive. This is not waxing poetic, this is talking about the Office of National Drug Control Policy, or ONDCP.
In all likelihood, John Walters is on his way out. The murmurs are already in place. Who is going to replace Walters? The real question is, however, does he really need to be replaced? Can anyone point to what ONDCP's accomplishments have been, in real terms, that indicate success towards its mission?
From where I'm standing, they've ran very unsuccessful campaigns against marijuana, have successfully lobbied against some ballot propositions (which in all likelihood, to quote Olbermann, will be called "Why Daddy went to prison" sometime in the future, unless Obama is big on pardons), and generally have wasted taxpayer money while lives are lost to both the abuse of drugs, and the harms of drug prohibition policies.
So the link to my opening? ONDCP sunsets in 2010. That's right, the "Drug Czar" has the potential to be dissolved, like the office was hit with a bucket of water, or a dose of reality.
Let us learn from the Obama campaign: organize now, organize later, organize at all times. With a growing movement starting from now, perhaps we can put an end to this failure of an office. Getting rid of ONDCP would be one step towards ending the failure of strategy that represents prohibition, and movement towards proven, effective methods of dealing with the harms of certain drugs: harm reduction, prevention, education.
Time to put the war ideology and demagoguery to rest, it's been a miserable failure that's lived well past its shelf life.
Posted by Malakkar Vohryzek