Dear Editor,
Register's Editorial June 10, 2012
Thank you for writing the Register’s Editorial today, “Right pick for ‘drug czar’? That’s the wrong question.”
The Office of Drug Control Policy (ODCP) is a state agency with no public oversight. It has no administrative process, so you cannot petition the agency for an administrative hearing. The Office of Citizens’ Aide/Ombudsman has no jurisdiction over ODCP.
States Moving Forward on Marijuana
ODCP represents the interests of substance abuse treatment and law enforcement agencies. Iowa would be much better served by splitting those functions between the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Iowa Department of Public Safety, which have more expertise than either the current director (with a background in commercial sales) or the assistant director (with a background in radio broadcasting).
Governor's Wife Says ODCP Worth Saving
To make matters worse, the agency actively lobbied in 2011 and 2012 against the Iowa Department of Public Health when the Iowa Board of Pharmacy recommended unanimously that marijuana be reclassified as medicine in Iowa. ODCP’s mission should be to prevent the unauthorized use of medicine, not deciding what medicine should be.
Carl Olsen
130 E. Aurora Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50313-3654
515-288-5798 home phone
515-343-9933 cell phone
carl-olsen at mchsi dot com
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