Post in Boy Racers

Mar 12 10:37 UTC

Boy Racers; Alcohol... ipsofacto youth drug policy in disrepute.

Bob will meet with Boy Racers but his mayoral office staff 'protect him' from
the real debate, intersectorial analysis of crime, security and "drug policy".

He intends to talk tough and do nothing, pretending there is no legitimate
debate surrounding this issue. Yet he need look no further than his Sister
City.. Seattle where CIVIL SOCIETY has addressed its self to this issue.

The principal objectives of the Seattle initiative are: reductions in crime and
public disorder; improvement of the public health; better protection of
children; and wiser use of scarce public resources. It is notable that
"stressing youth development in general and the maintenance of healthy
behaviors and healthy relationships rather than a fear-based approach" has been
core to the solution there.

Initiated to address:
- the failure to reduce problematic drug use, particularly among children;
- dramatic increases in crime related to prohibited drugs, including economic
crimes related to addiction and the fostering of efficient and violent criminal
enterprises that have occupied the unregulated and immensely profitable
commercial market made possible by drug prohibition;
- skyrocketing public costs arising from both increased drug abuse and
increased crime;
erosion of public health from the spread of disease, from the concealment and
inadequate treatment of addiction and from undue restrictions on proper medical
treatment of pain;
- the abridgement of civil rights through summary forfeitures of property,
invasions of privacy and violations of due process;
- disproportionately adverse effects of drug law enforcement on the poor and
persons of color;
- and the clogging of the courts and compromises in the effective
administration of justice, as well as a loss of respect for the law.

Professional and Civic Coalition for Drug Policy Reform

The King County Bar Association has continued to strengthen links with other
organizations in the professional and civic communities. Nowhere else in the
nation has such a coalition of groups been activated on drug policy reform
issues to this extent. The KCBA Drug Policy Project is guided by the Steering
Committee, which meets regularly and includes the current and former KCBA
presidents, the KCBA executive director and delegates from the following
organizations:

King County Bar Association (www.kcba.org)
Church Council of Greater Seattle
King County Medical Society
League of Women Voters of Washington
Loren Miller Bar Association
Municipal League of King County
National Alliance on Mental Illness of Washington
Seattle League of Women Voters
Washington Academy of Family Physicians
Washington Osteopathic Medical Association
Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility
Washington Society of Addiction Medicine
Washington State Bar Association
Washington State Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Washington State Medical Association
Washington State Pharmacy Association
Washington State Psychiatric Association
Washington State Psychological Association
Washington State Public Health Association

The Washington State Bar and Medical Associations, with encouragement and
guidance from the KCBA, adopted their own resolutions in 2001 stating official
positions on drug policy.

I offered to bring to Christchurch one of the prime movers of this concept,
Senator Roger Goodman, under teh auspices of Mr Gary Moore's "Time To Talk" but
it can be assumed from the non-response from Mr Bob Parker's office that he
would rather cow-tow to his inner city developers need for alcohol outlets than
seek durable and sustainable evidence based solutions...