Mike Gravel: End the War on Drugs
Held at Howard University, the primetime Democratic forum was the first to feature a panel consisting entirely of African-American journalists. The forum focused mainly on issues relating to the African-American community. Topics discussed included immigration, healthcare, as well as inequities in education and income between the races.
During these discussions, Senator Gravel said that many of the issues in the African-American community stem from the criminalization of drugs. Gravel provided statistics regarding the substantial increase in incarcerations from 1979 to 2005 (with over 2.3 million Americans currently in jail) and said that he believed that the nation's strict drug laws were to blame.
On his website, Gravel elaborates on his views regarding drugs: "We are losing an entire generation of young men and women to our prisons. Our nation's ineffective and wasteful 'war on drugs' plays a major role in this. We must place a greater emphasis on rehabilitation and prevention. We must de-criminalize minor drug offenses and increase the availability and visibility of substance abuse treatment and prevention in our communities as well as in jails and prisons."
Gravel believes that mandatory drug sentencing laws should be abolished and that drug abusers should be given rehabilitation opportunities instead of jail time: "Drug defendants convicted of nonviolent offenses should not be given mandatory prison sentences. We should emphasize the criminalization of the importers, manufacturers, and major distributors, rather than just the street venders. Prisons in this country should be a legitimate criminal sanction -- but it should be an extension of a fair, just and wise society."
Although Gravel's campaign has not received much national attention, he certainly has gained notice on YouTube, with his political ad titled "Rock" receiving over 150,000 views in the past month. The almost three-minute "Rock" advertisement features Gravel looking into the camera, saying nothing, for over a minute. Gravel then throws a rock into the nearby water and proceeds to walk away from the camera. Matt Mayes and Guston Sondin-Klausner of Otis College of Art and Design created the ad, which Gravel describes to MSNBC as a "metaphor ... the point of the spot is not the rock but the ripples it leaves in the water ... (just) as an ordinary citizen who's trying to make a difference by doing something and it causes ripples in society."
Sources:
June 28 Democratic Presidential Forum (http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/special/forums/)
http://www.gravel2008.us/issues
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19295759/
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/06/18/mike-gravel-behind-the-music/
Published by C.M. Paulson
C.M. Paulson is a versatile writer and analyst with extensive business experience working for 2 Fortune 100 companies. View profile
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4 Comments
Post a CommentPot Questions for our Presidential Hopefuls:
While society has a self-evident interest to discourage abuse, what is the rationale for punishing a responsible adult using marijuana in the privacy of their own home and what should the penalty be?
If you make a distinction that the responsible use of alcohol is different than abuse, why can't you make the same distinction with marijuana?
Al Gore, John Kerry and George Bush all smoked pot in their past, would society been better served had we arrested them for their youthful indiscretions involving pot? If not, should others people that have been arrested for pot use be pardoned or released from jail?
Tobacco use has dropped in half since 1970, without arresting a single smoker and not using the criminal justice system. Why can't a similar policy be instituted for pot, where we discourage it's use by young people will allowing responsible adult use?
What is specifically wrong with legally treating pot like alcohol, with s
Excellent piece. I did not have a good understand of what Gravel was about before. Sounds right on.
I agree a hundred percent. Back in the day I could go to a concert and bring in any drug I wanted to. They were concerned about alcohol. You never saw violence. Now they don't allow drugs, but alcohol is sold and violence is prevalent. What's wrong with that picture?
I had just watched one of those "Bush Funny Moments" videos just before watching "the rock". He looked so much like a GWB moment, that I was turned off at once. Interesting ideas on the drug issue. I wonder if he has ever used the current illegal drugs, and how much interaction he has had with those that do.