Souder stews over harm reduction

The war on some drugs is finally taking a turn towards sensible policy and long time prohibition profiteer Mark Souder is becoming worried about his job. Having parlayed his "tough on drugs" persona into a position of power in Congress, he sees harm reduction as a "soft" policy that will diminish his importance as chief Congressional Overlord of "The Drug War" and destroy his carefully crafted campaign against personal sovereignty.

It's almost comical to see him attacking his former allies for coming to their senses. This week he takes on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for sponsoring a conference on meth that focuses on treatment rather than the failed policy of punishment.

"I am enormously frustrated with your department for dithering on the meth issue while the rest of America fights an epidemic that is viciously tearing apart families and communities," Souder wrote to Leavitt on Friday. "Any claim that your department is unaware of the pro-legalization agenda and 'soft' approach to illegal narcotics of the harm reduction advocates is utterly implausible."

Somebody tell the guy that the "hard" approach has put well over 2 million Americans in jail and hasn't solved a bloody thing. Of course it's "utterly implausible" that he didn't notice this himself, but if they legalized drugs and treated the addicts as a health problem, his drug war committee would be rendered meaningless and he would lose his influence. Then what could such a petty little man do to get attention?