Officer, police thyself

If there is any clearer sign that the war on some drugs is a failure than this, I don't know what it is. 75 officers failed city drug tests.

Since Boston police started annual drug testing in 1999, 75 officers have failed the tests, and 26 of them flunked a second test and were fired, newly released statistics show.

Acting Police Commissioner Albert Goslin said an additional 20 of the officers who tested positive left the department on their own, which he said is because they could not handle the frequent follow-up checks.

Of the 75 officers, 61 tested positive for cocaine, 14 for marijuana, two for ecstasy, and one for heroin, according to the figures, obtained by the Globe through a public records request. (Some officers had more than one drug in their system).

As I often say, chances are someone you know and respect as an otherwise law-abiding citizen is probably using illegal drugs. Isn't it time we focused on preventing addiction rather than criminalizing responsible consumers?

[hat tip Sharon Secor].