Salem-News.com Activism articles

AG Holder Resigns, Reconfirms Support of Drug Policy Reforms

Lengthy Career Ends with Recognition of Drug Policy Failures

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - Justice Department officials reported this morning that Attorney General Eric Holder is announcing his resignation as soon as a successor is nominated and confirmed.

His career, which spanned five and a half years, has been marked by a number of drug policy reforms to which he reconfirmed his commitment in an interview with Katie Couric Tuesday.

Police Chief Joseph McNamara, Who Fought to End the Drug War, Dies at 79

Retired San Jose Police Chief Leaves Behind a Remarkable Legacy of Public Service and Activism

(MONTEREY, Calif.) - McNamara spoke out publicly against the drug war long before the issue had come to the political forefront. He was a speaker and advisory board member for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), a group of law enforcement officials opposed to the war on drugs.

“When you’re telling cops that they’re soldiers in a Drug War, you’re destroying the whole concept of the citizen peace officer, a peace officer whose fundamental duty is to protect life and be a community servant,” said McNamara at a presentation for the International Conference on Drug Policy Reform in 1995.