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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. (Molly Riley, AP)

Sen. Rand Paul is using a Missouri grand jurys decision not to indict the officer involved in the shooting death of Michael Brown to renew his call for revamping the nations criminal justice laws and for ending a cycle of poverty.

In response to the protests in Ferguson, Mo., sparked by the announcement that police officer Darren Wilson would not be charged in Browns death, the Kentucky Republican and potential 2016 presidential candidate wrote an op-ed column for TIME magazine. Paul wrote:

In the search for culpability for the tragedy in Ferguson, I mostly blame politicians. Michael Browns death and the suffocation of Eric Garner in New York for selling untaxed cigarettes indicate something is wrong with criminal justice in America. The War on Drugs has created a culture of violence and put police in a nearly impossible situation.

Paul noted that drugs were not at the center of the incident involving Brown, who was shot to death on Aug. 9. But, the senator argued, the war on drugs has created a tension particularly in minority communities. He also criticized a reliance on government solutions to help people out of poverty.

I have no intention scold, but escaping the poverty and crime trap will require more than just criminal justice reform, he wrote. Escaping the poverty trap will require all of us to relearn that not only are we our brothers keeper, we are our own keeper.

Paul frequently reaches out to black voters and audiences, and met with the Rev. Al Sharpton last week to discuss criminal justice and other issues.Sharpton told Politico that Pauls outreach to African Americans could hurt Democrats in 2016 if black voters dont turn out to vote against him if the Kentucky senator is the GOP presidential nominee.

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Rand Paul: Politicians are to blame for Ferguson | OnPolitics

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - MARCH 07: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord International Hotel and Conference Center March 7, 2014 in National Harbor, Maryland. The CPAC annual meeting brings together conservative politicians, pundits and their supporters for speeches, panels and classes. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD - MARCH 07: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) takes the stage before addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord International Hotel and Conference Center March 7, 2014 in National Harbor, Maryland. The CPAC annual meeting brings together conservative politicians, pundits and their supporters for speeches, panels and classes. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 12: U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) (C), former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (L) and and Matt Kibbe, president of FreedomWorks, departs a press conference in front of U.S. District Court to announce the filing of a class action lawsuit against the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander and FBI Director James Comey. Paul said he filed the lawsuit to stop NSA surveillance of U.S. phone records because Obama has publicly refused to stop a clear and continuing violation of the 4th amendment. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 12: U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) (C) holds up a group of cell phones in front of U.S. District Court to announce the filing of a class action lawsuit against the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander and FBI Director James Comey. Paul said he filed the lawsuit to stop NSA surveillance of U.S. phone records because Obama has publicly refused to stop a clear and continuing violation of the 4th amendment. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 12: U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) arrives in front of U.S. District Court to announce the filing of a class action lawsuit against the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander and FBI Director James Comey. Paul said he filed the lawsuit to stop NSA surveillance of U.S. phone records because Obama has publicly refused to stop a clear and continuing violation of the 4th amendment. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2013 file photo, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. This is a year of auditioning, positioning, networking and just plain hard work for people who are considering running for president in 2016. You could see them stirring in 2013 as they plugged holes in resumes, took preliminary steps to build potential campaign organizations and made carefully calibrated moves to get better known by Americans generally and key constituencies in particular. Most _ but not all _ are ticking off items on what could be called the presidential prep checklist. And theyve got baggage to deal with. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., talks to media outside the White House in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014, after an event hosted by President Barack Obama about the Promise Zones Initiative. The Promise Zone Initiative is part of a plan to create a better bargain for the middle-class by partnering with local communities and businesses to create jobs, increase economic security, expand educational opportunities, increase access to quality, affordable housing and improve public safety. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 07: U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) (2nd L) talks to reporters while walking to the Senate chamber to vote on unemployment insurance at the US Capitol January 7, 2014 in Washington, DC. The U.S. Senate voted 60-37 to move forward with a bill to extend federal unemployment benefits for three months. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 17: U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) (3rd R) talks to reporters after a vote December 17, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The Senate has passed a cloture vote to clear the way for a final vote of the Ryan-Murray Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul speaks at the Detroit Economic Club held at the Motor City Casino, in Detroit, Dec. 6, 2013. Paul, spoke of economic freedom zones. (AP Photo/The Detroit News, Max Ortiz)

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Rand Paul Calls For Declaration Of War Against Islamic State

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- Sen. Rand Paul is blaming politicians for the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, arguing that the criminal justice system fuels racial tension by disproportionately targeting African-Americans.

The so-called war on drugs has created a culture of violence and put police in a nearly impossible situation," Paul said in an op-ed published for TIME.

He acknowledged that the shooting death of Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer wasn't related to drugs, but argued that outsized penalties for nonviolent drug crimes creates a "tension in some communities that too often results in tragedy."

The comments are another attempt by Paul, a Kentucky Republican and likely 2016 presidential contender, to seize on the violence in Ferguson as an opportunity to make inroads with minorities. He's blending his libertarian-leaning views about the war on drugs with a message that emphasizes the importance of individual responsibility.

And he's doing this while other possible GOP presidential prospects -- like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz or New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie -- are largely silent on the turmoil unfolding in Ferguson.

Back in August, as violence first unfolded on the streets of Ferguson, Paul made a splash with an op-ed -- also in TIME -- blasting the government for over-militarizing local police forces. The piece made him one of the few political voices willing to weigh in on the issue at the time.

Paul didn't address police forces in Tuesday's op-ed, and he also refrained from addressing the grand jury's decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson.

Rather, he focused his opinion piece on broader issues that cause what he frequently describes as an "undercurrent of unease" in poor communities. While he said criminal justice reform is a crucial need, he ultimately argued it's up to individuals themselves to improve their lives.

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Rand Paul blames politicians

Potential 2016 presidential hopeful Rand Paul was touting his plan to declare war on ISIS

By Ed Tibbetts, Quad-City Times

November 25, 2014 | 6:16 pm

Potential 2016 presidential hopeful Rand Paul was touting his plan to declare war on ISIS, the Sunni extremist group in Iraq and Syria, telling an Iowa radio audience Tuesday hes annoyed as heck with President Barack Obamas approach.

Paul, a Kentucky senator who is considered a probable presidential candidate, was on WHO radio in Des Moines on Tuesday, talking about his plan.

While calling for a declaration of war against the Islamic State, Pauls plan also would limit the use of ground troops and require that the administration come back after a year to seek re-authorization from Congress, according to a draft of the proposal that was posted on The New York Times website.

It annoys the heck out of me that the president thinks he can do this on his own, Paul said Tuesday.

The president has said he has the authority to address ISIS, but earlier this month, he told reporters in a post-election news conference he would seek to engage Congress to build support.

Pauls declaration, as well as the limitations he would put on the use of ground troops, is likely to get opposition from those who dont want a formal war declaration as well as from hawks in his own party who may see the measure as limiting the powers of the commander in chief.

The measure would allow use of ground troops only in specific and limited circumstances.

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Rand Paul calls for war declaration

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul speaks to members of the media following a speech to the Chase Federalist Society at Northern Kentucky University, Friday, Nov. 21, 2014, in Highland Heights, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley) more >

Sen. Rand Paul said the events in Ferguson have shown him one thing that the War on Drugs has taken quite a toll on communities and that politicians are pretty much to blame.

In the search for culpability for the tragedy in Ferguson, I mostly blame politicians, he wrote in an op-ed for Time magazine.

He went on: Michael Browns death indicate[s] something is wrong with criminal justice in America. The War on Drugs has created a culture of violence and put police in a nearly impossible situation.

Mr. Paul didnt indicate whether he agreed with the grand jurys decision not to indict officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of teen Michael Brown. But he did say that poverty fuels crime although the solution to that particular problem wouldnt be found with government.

In Ferguson, the precipitating crime was not drugs, but theft. But the War on Drugs has created a tension in some communities that too often results in tragedy. Does bad behavior account for some of the interactions with law enforcement? Yes, but surely there must be ways that we can work to prevent violence from escalating, he wrote. I have no intention to scold, but escaping the poverty and crime trap will require more than just criminal justice reform. Escaping the poverty trap will require all of us to relearn that not only are we our brothers keeper, we are our own keeper.

Mr. Paul has pushed for reform of the criminal justice system for some time, saying that mandatory sentences for nonviolent drug offenses unfairly target blacks.

Three out of four people in jail for drugs are people of color, he wrote, in the Time piece. In the African American community, folks rightly ask why are our sons disproportionately incarcerated, killed and maimed?

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Rand Paul on Ferguson: 'I mostly blame the politicians'