"Legalize It" say the creators of The Wire

March 6th, 2008
You, reader, fall into two camps: Those devoted to HBO's The Wire--known around here as the greatest accomplishment in the history of television, and no, we're not joking--and those who should be devoted to The Wire. The show ends its five-season run on Sunday, so there's just enough time for the second group to catch up.
Anyway, we'll be buzzing with Wire coverage next week, so stay tuned: We have an interview with creator David Simon on Monday, and an interview with Michael Kenneth Williams (a.k.a. Omar Little) on Tuesday. And of course, Scott Tobias will provide a wrap-up of the final episode no later than Monday morning.
But to the headline of this story: Simon and his merry band of disgruntled writers have penned a terrific editorial on the drug war, which is currently running in Time. Read it here. In short, Mssrs. Simon, Pelecanos, Burns, Price, and Lehane--yes, the respected novelists you're thinking of--suggest that people of conscience who serve on juries at drug trials should vote to acquit, no matter what the evidence. And they make a damn good case. Hamsterdam forever!