Cop wants drugs legalized

Retired police Capt. Peter Christ said that his mission to legalize drugs should not be mistaken as an endorsement to use them.

Christ, who retired as a police captain in 1989 after a 20-year career enforcing drug laws, insists that the war on drugs can never be won and is doing more harm than good. Christ wants to see all drugs legalized - and regulated.

"That doesn't mean I condone using them," he said. "They're all terrible, and if I could convince people not to use them, any of them, I would. But I can't. People are going to do what they want, regardless of whether drugs are legal. What we're talking about is making drugs legal, and then regulating them. Prohibition doesn't work. We've already seen that."

Christ, a New York resident, is traveling across the state, with scheduled stops in Warren, Youngstown and Cleveland, to explain his position. On Tuesday, he will address the issue at 7 a.m. at Lake Vista of Cortland, 303 N. Mecca St., Cortland. The free presentation will be in the Park Place Heron Dining Room on the second floor.

"The drug war does more harm than good," Christ said. "We're not winning. We can't get rid of all of the drugs. What we need to do is take the drugs out of the control of the drug lords, gangsters and terrorists, and get them off the streets."

Christ said that as a police officer he saw the effect fighting drug-related crimes had on law enforcement officials. He is a board member and co-founder of LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition), a group of cops, judges, border officials and other law enforcement officers who advocate for an end to the drug war.

WHO: Retired police Capt. Peter Christ, New York

WHAT: Why drugs should be legalized, regulated

WHEN: 7 a.m. Tuesday

WHERE: Lake Vista of Cortland, 303 N. Mecca St., Cortland

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Cop wants drugs legalized