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I just returned from a reunion of my Class of 1962 at John Muir High School in Pasadena. Since pretty much all of us are or soon will be 80 years old our reunion was called our class’s 80th Birthday Party. And what a good time we had! Of course so many of our classmates either were too disabled to attend or were no longer on this earth. So that reminded me, as I am trying to remind you, to enjoy our lives while we have them, and to be appreciative of our good fortune at all times!

Some of the best people I have ever met in my life have come from my involvement in trying to help our country change its drug policy. One of those people is my friend James E. (Jim) Gierach, who is a former state prosecutor in Illinois and director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) who has just written a book entitled The Silver Bullet Solution: Is it time to end the War on Drugs? And Jim just sent out what he calls his “Gierach Drug Policy Declaration,” which I have his permission to forward on to our 2 Paragraphs Family for your consideration.

When I was seeking to become a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles part of the application process was to emphasize that, as a prosecutor, we were always to try to “Do the Right Thing for the Right Reason – Every Time!” If we made a mistake along the way, they would have our backs, but if we did things for political, personal or vindictive reasons, etc., we would be held accountable. After I became a trial court judge I have had many opportunities to speak to prosecutors and police officers, and I have often reaffirmed with them the importance of adhering to that challenge.