Judge James Gray At Large - 07/18/14

DEBATE ON LEGALIZED MARIJUANA TO BE BROADCASTJudge Jim Gray to Advocate for Legalization Opposite Dr. Kevin SabetGOLDEN, CO—Former federal prosecutor, judge advocate for the Navy JAG corps and Superior Court Judge Jim Gray (Ret.) is in the Denver area this week meeting with media and civic groups and preparing for a debate this Wednesday on the merits of marijuana legalization, regulation and control. Judge Gray is a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a group of law enforcement officials who believe that prohibiting illicit drugs only serves to empower the criminal networks that sell them, wastes law enforcement time and resources, contributes to racial disparities in the justice system, saddles people who would be better served by treatment with criminal records and ultimately is ineffective at reducing use."The essential question is, would you rather have government regulators and legitimate business owners deciding how marijuana is grown, what it's laced with, and who can buy it, or would you rather leave those decisions - and multiple billions of dollars in profits - to drug cartels and juvenile street gangs?"He will be debating Dr. Kevin Sabet of Project SAM this coming Wednesday at the Colorado School of Mines in an event that will be broadcast live here. (http://www.fee.org/seminars/page/is-legalizing-marijuana-a-responsible-public-policy). Judge Gray will also be available for interviews before and after the debate."I look forward to discussing with Dr. Sabet the lesson we all should have learned eighty years ago with the prohibition of alcohol: Prohibiting a substance doesn't prevent its use; it merely makes that use vastly more dangerous to both users and the communities in which they live."WHO: Judge Jim Gray vs. Dr. Kevin SabetWHAT: A public debate on marijuana legalizationWHEN: Wednesday, July 16 10:45am MTWHERE: Colorado School of Mines Student Center, Ballroom B, 1600 Maple Street Golden, CO 80401 or online at http://www.fee.org/seminars/page/is-legalizing-marijuana-a-responsible-public-policyLaw Enforcement Against Prohibition is a group of law enforcement officials who, after fighting in the front lines of the war on drugs, now advocate for its end.For interviews, please contact Darby Beck at [email protected]