photo WECT TV6
PUTTING PUNISHMENT BEFORE THE CRIME

I have this other piece on JamesOn Curry, North Carolina's all time leading high school point scorer, who was busted in Wednesday's school raid. He clearly had not been adversely affected by his cannabis use. He so excelled at his sport he was being recruited by the Tarheels. He kept up his grades in order to play. He wasn't a troublemaker, quite the contrary. He was a good kid.

The drug law is what destroys his opportunity to contribute to society to the best of his ability. Because he was found in possession of a plant.

Tarheel coach Roy Williams says he will make a decision on Curry's status when the facts of the drug case are clear.

I find no press on the other 48 teenagers whose lives are similarly ruined. It's likely none of them are losing their chance at an NBA career, nonetheless their chances for achieving upward mobility are greatly diminished by these needless invasions of our schools. They were probably mostly good kids too.

They didn't get caught for any bad behavior; they got caught up in a warrantless law enforcement sweep by storm troopers and their dogs. Is this who we want to wage the drug war against? Does anyone actually believe the war on drugs can be 'won' by arresting children?

How must it feel to have their privacy thus violated when they hadn't caused any trouble for anyone? How would you feel if the same thing happened in your workplace tomorrow because the building superintendent decided there was some vague evidence of criminal activity in the hallways?