Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP)

Should drugs be legalized?  This is a question that has been debated for several years and one that continues to affect our society.  While most people would assume that all law enforcement officers and members of the criminal justice community are against legalizing drugs, this is not the case.  There is a group known as Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) that includes current and former members of the law enforcement and criminal justice communities which firmly believes that we would benefit from legalizing drugs.

LEAP was founded in 2002 by five cops.  Now, they boast over 50,000 supporters from 80 different countries.  Supporters include police, prosecutors, judges, corrections officials, military personnel, FBI/DEA agents, and civilians.  LEAP is based out of Medford Massachusetts.

According to their website, LEAP’s mission is to “reduce the multitude of unintended harmful consequences resulting from fighting the war on drugs and to lessen the incidence of death, disease, crime, and addiction by ending drug prohibition.”  They believe that the main cause of almost all of the societal and economic damage can be blamed on drug prohibition.  They argue that because of prohibition, marijuana is worth more than gold and heroin is worth more than uranium.  Another point that they use to make a case against prohibition is that it does nothing to reduce drug use and abuse.

To learn more, check out their website.

[Abstract by Brittany Schuh, ForensIQ Student Intern, July2, 2012]