From Publishers Weekly
As provocative and topical as the film Traffic, here’s a scathing jeremiad against the war on drugs, notable both for the author’s position and for the sustained anger of its argument. Following his career as a federal prosecutor and a trial judge, Gray, now a California Superior Court justice, is struck by the revelation that the so-called war on drugs was “wasting unimaginable amounts of our tax dollars, increasing crime and despair and severely and unnecessarily harming people’s lives. . . the worst of all worlds. ” He effectively documents a growing coalition of often conservative lawyers, legislators and justices who view the drug war’s impotent dream of national abstinence as folly and its shadow effects (from imprisonment of nonviolent offenders to diversion of law enforcement resources) as dangers to liberty. Gray writes with the courage of his convictions, bluntly addressing the most controversial elements of the drug war. For example, he as
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Judge James Gray has served in several capacities, including prosecutor, defense attorney, and judge as well as his recent career move as an author and possible political candidate. Through his work in the legal system, he has witnessed the corruption, the injustice, and the overall insanity of the War on Drugs. He wrote this book as an educational piece and as a call to political action. Gray presents dozens of quotes from individuals in government, in law, and in other walks of life who have observed the failures of the drug war and know that the laws against drug use are actually more harmful than the drugs themselves. Gray shows how the drug laws have been used to justify expansion of government power and erosion of civil liberties. He shows how drug laws corrupt law enforcement officials and often lead to early paroling of violent criminals in order to make room in prison cells for non- violent drug offenders. Most politicians refuse to touch this issue (with a few exceptions, like former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson) out of fear. They worry how the ignorant, misinformed public will respond so they just push the issue under the table and hope it doesn’t resurface during election time. One of the most indicting facts about the pro- drug war radicals is the fact that they usually refuse to debate anti- drug war advocates in a public forum. Death- loving extremists, like the evil former drug czar Barry McCaffrey, refuse to debate these issues. This intimidation of taking on an anti- drug war individual speaks volumes. If the pro- drug war forces really felt their message was srong, they would have no problem having a debate and, in fact, would likely welcome one. But Gray points out that he is usually shunned when he approaches one of these drug war supporters with an invitation for an open debate. Gray presents many angles of the drug issue in this book, and then he follows his words with a defined plan of action. He doesn’t necessarily push his own views as the only ones that are valid. Rather, he presents the facts and lets the reader decide, confident in the fact that most anyone who knows the facts will likely take the side against continuing the insane war on drugs. Gray wrote this book as a wake up call. The crazy war on drugs has caused endless amounts of human tragedy while making many people (drug kingpins, law enforcement, lawyers, etc. ) very rich. It’s no wonder that these people want to keep the war going. It has nothing to do with morals or justice. They don’t want to see an end to the flow of funds into their already oversized wallets. But something has to be done. If the failed war on drugs is not ended soon, Gray fears that more and more civil liberties and privacy rights will be lost and the United Stated will continue to send a larger and larger portion of its population to serve time in jail, which will do absolutely nothing to curtail drug use and will result in more and more expansions of government power and control. His book is outspoken and gets right to the heart of the matter, and I highly recommend reading this book to anyone who has even the slightest interest in law, politics, and justice
The war on drugs is a difficult and emotional topic. As a “law and order” type conservative, it goes against my grain to side in opposition to the law enforcement and government communities. But as I am also a closet Libertarian, I have been increasingly alarmed by the destruction of our constitutional rights and civil society that has become the legacy of the War on Drugs. Judge Gray thoroughly sums up the views of many Americans such as myself. We are not in any way part of the drug culture (Usually one of the first accusations leveled against opponents of the war on drugs), it’s just that we’ve come to see the insanity of our policies on this topic. Pulling every aspect of the War on Drugs together, he paints a comprehensive picture of self destructive insanity that I had never imagined- even though I was already familiar with many of the subjects he raises. Then he spells out the entire variety of other options available to us to handle this problem. They range from quite mild to very radical, and he’s very frank about the advantages and pitfalls of each, as well as how “doable” they are. Unfortunately, I’m afraid he’s preaching to the choir. Only those of like mind ar liable to read this book. If I could, I’d send a copy of this book, or at least a pamphlet of the hightlights, to every adult in the United States. The book is peppered with anecdotes and quotes from a variety of sources. One that stays with me seems to sum up the entire point of the book. “We should save prisons for people we are afraid of, rather than those we are simply mad at. “