St. Paul Mayor Coleman, Sir Richard Branson take a look at drug policy

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman touched on the thorny issue of drug policy reform Sunday at the Landmark Center after viewing a documentary about the war on drugs.

Coleman participated in a panel discussion along with Sir Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group, who is promoting the documentary "Breaking the Taboo," which chronicles the supposed worldwide failures of the war on drugs.

Since it debuted in December, discussions about the film, which Branson's son, Sam, co-produced, have centered on the debate about whether drugs should be treated as a health problem rather than a criminal problem.

Richard Branson, a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, has been critical of the war on drugs. Coleman has been supportive of drug courts and other efforts that often promote rehabilitation over incarceration.

"When the drug courts were started in Hennepin County, there was a lot of controversy about that," Coleman told the audience that nearly filled the Landmark Center's 230-seat auditorium. "But people all of a sudden realized that there was a tremendous benefit. It got people in recovery ... and saved money."

Coleman noted that Minnesota has been at the forefront of recovery and often is referred to as the "land of 10,000 treatment centers."

"We do it as good as anybody," he said. "Addiction is painful, and it is really important that people have resources and places to turn."

Many audience members cheered as Coleman noted how the war on drugs has hit the African-American community especially hard.

"Again, I'm not here to advocate for deregulation of all drugs or anything. I'm just saying that this isn't working, and we're seeing the consequences of that," Coleman said.

Branson is believed to be one of the richest business moguls in Britain, and the Virgin Group -- which includes Virgin Atlantic Airways and Virgin Megastores -- spans more than 400 companies. Branson was in St. Paul to also attend the Starkey Hearing Foundation gala held at RiverCentre.

Treating addiction as a public health problem instead of a crime would reduce the money spent on law enforcement and incarceration, Branson said Sunday.

"The first step is (that) nobody caught with any kind of drug would ever be sent to prison," he said. "If they have a drug problem, they will be helped. That has worked in other countries around the world, and that would be great if that could be introduced here. Ask yourself if you'd want your brother, sister or children sent to prison or helped."

The others panelists Sunday were Sarah Gordon, an HIV counseling coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Health, and Naya Arbiter, vice president of the Amity Foundation, a nonprofit that provides drug treatment services in California, New Mexico and Arizona.

Filmed in eight countries and narrated by Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman, "Breaking the Taboo," launched online on Hulu.com last week.

More screenings are planned in more than 20 venues in the U.S., England, Thailand and Australia.

Nick Ferraro can be reached at 651-228-2173. Follow him at twitter.com/NFerraroPiPress.

Source: http://www.twincities.com/health/ci_23750522/st-paul-coleman-wants-new-look-at-drug?source=rss

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