Find out why on April 20th, 7:00 pm

Philadelphia Inquirer Building, West Conshohocken

Join former Maryland State Police Maj. Stanford “Neill” Franklin
of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (www.leap.cc)
for a frank discussion about the failed “war on drugs.”

“It pains me to know that there is a solution for preventing tragedy and nothing is being one because of ignorance, stubbornness, unsubstantiated fear and greed.” eill Franklin, a 32-year law enforcement veteran, retired from the Maryland State Police n 1999. During his time on the force he held the position of commander for the Education nd Training Division and the Bureau of Drug and Criminal Enforcement. Major
Franklin instituted and oversaw the very first Domestic Violence Investigative Units for he Maryland State Police. After 23 years of dedicated service to the Maryland State olice, he was recruited in 2000 by the Commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department o reconstruct and command Baltimore’s Education and Training Section.

Like so many young police officers he never questioned the law, the policy or even the rders or direction from superiors. He was a soldier who took the orders and applied them to he letter of the law. He was proud of his work, taking druggies off the street and of the hundreds of arrests he made. Hearing Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke speak to this failed “war on drugs” policy caused him to give the “war on drugs” another look. Once he took the time to check the statistics, to notice the demographics, to see the disparity between aws and those in prison, to notice the homicide rate and why it was so high, he knew something was just not right.

Neill is motivated by the high number of civilian lives lost, and the many police officers who give their lives in this unnecessary war.

LEAP (www.leap.cc) is made up of over 10,000 current and former members of the law enforcement and criminal justice ommunities who are speaking out about the failures of our existing drug policies. Those policies have failed, and ontinue to fail, to effectively address the problems of drug abuse, especially the problems of juvenile drug use, the problems of addiction, and the problems of crime caused by the existence of a criminal black market in drugs.

Doors open at 7:00 pm. The presentation begins at 7:30. Beverages at a nearby pub will follow.
Philadelphia Inquirer Building, Schuylkill River Road & 3rd Street, King of Prussia, PA 19406
Directions: http://tinyurl.com/inquirerbuilding
For more information call 610-539-8825 or visit http://libertarian.meetup.com/251