Washington state lawyers call for end to war on some drugs

Is it me or is the drug policy reform movement picking up steam these days? As I recall, when I started this blog almost two years ago, you didn't see much in the mainstream press on the issue and non-consumers (or at least non-admitted consumers) ignored it completely. Feels like everyone is jumping on the bandwagon now, as evidenced by this recent resolution from the King County Bar Association in Washington state calling for "the Legislature to establish a special consultative body composed of public officials, civic leaders and experts to develop recommendations for legislation to create regulatory systems for the control of psychoactive substances."

Recognizing that prohibition is what drives the black market and causes the related crime associated with the use of illegal drugs, the KCBA is calling for a "new legal and regulatory model to undercut the illegal market for mind-altering substances." The talking points of the resolution read like it was lifted right off the page at Drug Policy Alliance or Marijuana Policy Project .

Some days it feels like you're just shouting into the wind as a reform activist, but it's projects like this that lead me to believe we're getting through to the public folks. Makes it easier to believe we'll see a change in government policy in our lifetimes.

[Hat tip to Dean Becker]