Published: Oakland Tribune Op-Eds, Oct. 29, 2004
By Congressmember Barbara Lee*

Measure Z is a step in the right direction

THE federal government's war on drugs has failed. This year, Oakland voters have a chance to support an alternative by passing Measure Z.

The drug war has destroyed lives, increased violence and wasted billions of dollars. Perhaps its most egregious element has been the criminalization of marijuana as a "schedule one" drug, requiring it to be treated like cocaine and heroin.

In 2003 the FBI reported an all-time high of more than 755,000 marijuana arrests, far more than the number of arrests for all violent crimes combined. The result of this approach has been the imprisonment of thousands of nonviolent offenders, some for life terms. A disproportionate number of those arrested and convicted are people of color. This is a crime creation program.

At the state level, we have passed policies to ameliorate the federal drug war, including Proposition 215 in 1996, to allow medical marijuana, and Proposition 36 in 2000, to direct drug offenders to treatment rather than incarceration. Nevertheless, each year California still spends $150 million to arrest, prosecute and imprison marijuana offenders.

The drug war has completely failed to control drug use. Since former President Richard Nixon began the drug war in the 1970s, drug use has continued, but imprisonment has soared. Studies have shown that education and treatment are far more effective in reducing drug use than interdiction. Those are the solutions we need to support.

Unfortunately, we have an administration in Washington that thinks wars are solutions, even in the face of evidence to the contrary. The administration of President George W. Bush is continuing and expanding an expensive and wasteful war that threatens civil liberties and wastes billions of dollars.

Requiring our law enforcement to fight a "war" on drugs drains resources and focus away from violent crime. Oakland police make about 1,000 marijuana arrests every year. Meanwhile, no arrests were made for half of the murders last year. Most homicides go unsolved.

Measure Z will make marijuana the lowest priority for Oakland police. It will allow more police time and resources to address violent crime and reduce Oakland's murder rate. And it will put the city on record as supporting reform at the state and federal level.

Some people have asked, why Oakland? The answer is simple. Oakland has a population that has witnessed first-hand the harmful effects of the drug war. It has a serious crime problem that demands the undiluted focus of our law enforcement. It's a compassionate city that has strongly supported the rights of patients to have access to medical marijuana. And here in the Bay Area, voters have a distinguished history of leading the nation in progressive reforms.

Changing entrenched federal policy, no matter how wrong-headed, can be like turning around a battleship. But I believe we are beginning to see progress. Twenty-seven states have recognized medical marijuana, and eight of those have followed California's lead and legalized it.

Last year, an initiative similar to Measure Z to make marijuana a low police priority passed in Seattle. That city is already reporting positive impacts, including a big reduction in pot prosecutions since the measure was enacted.

We deserve policies here in Oakland that reflect the values of our citizens, not those of Attorney General John Ashcroft. Measure Z is a good step in that direction. Vote yes.

* Barbara Lee is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives who represents Oakland