Q & A

* Orange County

Superior Court Judge

James P. Gray

Orange County Superior Court Judge James P. Gray believes illegal drug use could be reduced by changing current policies. He is circulating a resolution that calls for updating laws that apply to medical and social treatment of drug problems. Gray, 51, advocates the sale of heroin, cocaine and marijuana at licensed commercial pharmacies. He spoke Wednesday with Times correspondent Mimi Ko Cruz.

Q: Do you want to see marijuana, cocaine and heroin legalized?

A: No. However, I would go with the program of regulated distribution. . . . We have enormous problems we are inflicting upon ourselves because of drug prohibition. We have made cocaine the most lucrative crop in the history of mankind. . . . We have made marijuana the largest cash crop in the state of California, not because it is difficult to grow but because it is illegal. These drugs will always be with us no matter what we do. We should adopt a program that reduces the harm that they will cause. These are very serious medical and social problems that should be dealt with by medical and social solutions. We must hold people accountable for their actions, but putting people in prison simply because they use these drugs has not worked and will not work.

Q: Do you anticipate changes in drug laws?

A: The choice we have now is to further escalate our efforts and the spending of our resources in a losing battle or to face reality and legalize these drugs under a program of regulated distribution. At least 10 years from now, these drugs will be legal because people will have realized by then the enormous costs in lives, resources and liberties in keeping them illegal. The sooner we make the change, the sooner we can stop the bleeding.

Q: What is the purpose of your resolution?

A: The point is to legitimize the discussion of drug policy. Our present policy will not stand the light of day. It is not working, and it will never work. We cannot incarcerate our way out of this drug abuse problem. Just because we discuss this issue does not mean that we condone drug use or abuse. The statistics show that if we continue in the future as we have in the past, by the year 2020, literally everybody in the state of California will either be in prison or running one. . . . We need to come up with something that will work.

Q: Like what?

A: Treatment. There are a million people who would like to have drug treatment, but we don’t have the resources. We get these problem drug users in the court all the time because they run afoul with the law. We can coerce them into treatment just like we do with people who have alcohol problems.