Last Updated October 14, 2004

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Senator Kerry on the drug war (New Hampshire, January 7, 2004):

Let me just say, I used to be a prosecutor and I’ve dealt with the drug issues of our country for a long period of time.  We have never had a legitimate Drug War in the United States.  (applause) And the reason- the reason is that weve never focused properly on treatment and education.  We’ve been mostly focused on the punitive side and interdiction.  And I believe that until you have full education of all kids in all schools with respect to the impact of drugs, and secondly, until you have treatment for what is an addiction and a form of social behavior, were never going to have a legitimate change of behavior in our country.  Now we do better with smoking than we do with illegal narcotic drugs; we do better with alcohol, than we do – both of which are addictive substances.  So I’m in favor of moving towards that- The second thing is, we are imprisoning a bunch of people in the United States of America with automatic sentences and putting nonviolent people away and filling up our jails in the most absurd, ridiculous, overly expensive way, and we need to review those sentences and begin to deal differently with the punitive component of small drug use, et cetera and some of the folks who have been sent away.  It just doesn’t make sense.  There are cases of entrapment and other cases that I think are wrong and we need to review those and change them.

Senator Kerry voted favorably on these bills:

• Voted against an amendment to HR 3540, to provide an additional $53 million to international narcotics control programs (1996).
• Voted against an amendment to S 625 that proposed stiffer penalties for amphetamines or methamphetamine manufacturing or trafficking, and possession of powder cocaine (1999).
• Voted on several occasions against expanding the death penalty to include drug crimes. These include:
  • No on S 2455, Death Penalty for Drug-Related Killings (1988).
  • Yes on Hatfield amendment to Drug Bill of 1988.
  • No on D'Amato amendment to S 1607 Omnibus Crime Bill to allow death
    penalty for drug kingpins (1993).(passed 74-25)
  • No on similar D'Amato amendment to S 140 Omnibus Crime Act (1990).
  • No on Symms amendment to S 1241 Crime Bill allowing death penalty
    for drug-related homicides in DC (1991).
  • Yes on Levin amendment to S 2855 Defense Authorization to disallow death penalty for
    drug-related crimes (1989).
• Voted against random drug testing of transportation workers, job training participants and welfare recipients:
  • No on the Danforth amendment to S 1485, the Airline Passenger Protection bill (1987).   
  • No on S 143 Job Training Overhaul (1995).
  • Yes to remove Wallop amendment to S 1711 Omnibus Anti-Drug Package (1989).
• Voted on several occasions to support needle exchange:
• No on Helms amendment to S 1220 AIDS Research and Education Bill (1988).
• Yes on HR 2944 DC Needle Exchange Programs (2001).

Senator Kerry voted unfavorably on these bills:

• Voted for the Omnibus Drug Bill, which created the federal sentencing disparities between powder and "crack" cocaine. This bill was championed by then-House Speaker Tip O'Neill (D) in response to the death of basketball star Len Bias. (1986)
• Voted twice to deny welfare benefits to drug offenders, even those with only a possession offense, for life: 
  • Yes on Gramm amendment to S 219 Welfare Overhaul Bill (1996).
  • Yes on Gramm amendment to HR 5210 Omnibus Drug Bill (1988). 
• Voted to pass S 254: Violent and Repeat Juvenile Offender Act, allowing U.S. attorneys to prosecute juveniles 14 or older charged with some drug crimes as adults and to authorize more than $5 billion in new spending that could be used for increased enforcement, additional detention facilities, and anti-drug programs (1999).
• Voted to support random drug testing of welfare recipients, those applying for drivers' licenses, and Veterans Administration employees:
  • Yes on Ashcroft amendment to S 133 Budget Resolution (1996).
  • Yes on Wilson amendment to HR 5210 Omnibus Drug bill (1988).
  • No on Cranston Amendment to S 9, Veteran's Benefits bill (1987). 
• Voted on several occasions to support military intervention against drugs in Central America:
  • Yes on McConnell amendment to S 1711 Omnibus Anti Drug Package (1989).
  • Yes on SJ Res 90 (1988). 
  • Yes to remove Wellstone amendment to S 2522 Foreign Operations Appropriations Act (2000).

More Info:

John Kerry was born in Denver, CO and grew up in Massachusetts. After graduating from Yale University, Kerry enlisted in the United States Navy and served in Vietnam. After his decorated return from combat, Kerry testified before Congress in favor of ending the war and went on to be a lead organizer for Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Kerry was elected Lieutenant Governor before winning his Senate seat.

Kerry’s voting record on drug policy issues is mixed. He has been vague about his position on medical marijuana. According to Granite Staters for Medical Marijuana, at two separate campaign events Kerry described himself as “open to” and “in favor of” medical marijuana. Kerry recently pledged to end DEA raids on medical marijuana users in states that have legalized the drug for medical purposes. As a senator Kerry praised a 1996 law to establish a medical marijuana theraputic research program in his home state of Massachusetts. Recently he co-wrote a letter to the DEA in support of a UMass Amherst proposal to produce marijuana for FDA approved medical marijuana research. When asked whether he had ever smoked marijuana during the live CNN debate in November 2003, Kerry said that he had.

Kerry is mildly in support of reforming the Higher Education Amendment and told Students for Sensible Drug Policy that he would advocate repeal of the reform for drug felons "if the offense is use" but not "if the offense is selling". Sen. Kerry's website states that, if elected, he would end the federal ban on syringe exchange and harm reduction programs designed to prevent the spread of HIV. He recently told NBC's Campbell Brown that he is "in favor of tough drug sentencing" but that "we have problems with some of our mandatory sentencing". As a senator, Kerry has often supported U.S. interdiction efforts in Colombia.