Ex-SC treasurer: Legalize marijuana and cocaine

CHARLESTON, S.C. – A former South Carolina state treasurer who served 10 months in federal prison on a cocaine charge says in a newspaper editorial that cocaine and marijuana should be legalized.

In the piece written for The Post and Courier of Charleston, 48-year-old Thomas Ravenel calls the U.S. war on drugs a failure and says the country should change its approach. The opinion article will be published Saturday.

Ravenel resigned as treasurer just months after taking office when he was indicted in June 2007. The multimillionaire land developer pleaded guilty to buying cocaine for himself and to share with friends.

Ravenel told the newspaper in an interview that he wrote the editorial to spark debate on how the country deals with drugs.

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Information from: The Post and Courier, http://www.postandcourier.com