A man and his horse

Our friend Howard Wooldridge is still making his way across Michigan and got some good press in the Paw Paw Courier-Leader. Some great quotes here. My favorites:

"There are literally hundreds of dangerous and addictive drugs available through licensed, regulated pharmacies. Tobacco and alcohol, the two deadliest drugs, are sold in neighborhood stores in virtually every community in the nation. We recognize the potential for harm of those substances and have developed workable methods to control their distribution."

...Wooldridge soon became disillusioned with how the "war on drugs" was being waged. In his experience, he says he found that police departments put more time and energy into pursuing drug cases than they devoted to more serious crimes because of the promise of forfeiture proceeds.

"(It) has morphed into a gigantic, 'Dollars for Collars' money-making scheme, with public safety departments becoming increasingly dependent on forfeiture dollars to make ends meet in these times of strained budgets."

If you're wondering why drug policy reform has gained so much steam in the last three or four years, Howard is one reason why. Rock and roll cowboy.