Far too few conservatives have the courage to say what New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is saying about the war on drugs.

“The war on drugs, while well-intentioned, has been a failure. We’re warehousing addicted people everyday in state prisons in New Jersey, giving them no treatment.”

Christie’s words are significant because he has quite a following among many Republicans for his straight talking. Christie is also a former prosecutor. That is also significant because Christie does not need to prove his stripes to law and order types.

Christie’s straight talking is a reason that he will never be Mitt Romney’s choice for vice-president. Romney is cautious, careful and deliberate. Christie is none of those.

The disagreement I have with Christie is that he is emphasizing treatment for first-time offenders. Those who abuse alcohol get more than one chance. Drug abusers deserve the same. Yet this is a step in the right direction. Maybe Christie’s courage will help quicken the pace as we move to a policy of treatment, not incarceration.

The video with the Christie speech has problems embedding so if you want to see it here it is.