Wall Street Journal reports on Kerlikowske's call to end the "War on Drugs"

As Noam Chomsky has said, reading the WSJ provides enlightening insight into the thought processes of Americas power elite. They have done an informative and fairly balanced discussion of Mr Kerlikowske's recent announcemnts. The full article is available here . I found the following passage particularly hopeful:

The Obama administration is likely to deal with drugs as a matter of public health rather than criminal justice alone, with treatment's role growing relative to incarceration, Mr. Kerlikowske said.

Particularly interesting is the voice of dissent. Consider the following:

James Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation's largest law-enforcement labor organization, said that while he holds Mr. Kerlikowske in high regard, police officers are wary. "While I don't necessarily disagree with Gil's focus on treatment and demand reduction, I don't want to see it at the expense of law enforcement. People need to understand that when they violate the law there are consequences."

Whenever I see this kind disingenuity, I think of Season 4 of the Wire. Nonetheless, finding such a decidedly well informed and policy neutral analysis in the WSJ seems like a positive sign.