Grassley wants drug czar fired

AP/crgazette ^ | 04/26/2006

[ncountylee]

DES MOINES, IA - Sen. Charles Grassley on Wednesday called for President Bush to fire the nation's drug czar, claiming more needs to be done to combat methamphetamine abuse.

John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Policy, has been focusing too much on curbing marijuana use, said Grassley, R-Iowa.

Grassley said he wrote Walters calling for more action on meth and the response he received was "basically, bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo."

"I think the president ought to fire the drug czar," Grassley told reporters Wednesday during a conference call.

"Marijuana obviously is a very big drug problem, particularly with the more pure marijuana that's out there now. But the mind-altering aspects of meth are just tremendous, and the change of personality that comes, and the danger of it that comes, particularly when it's domestically made."

A spokesman for Walters declined to comment.

Grassley is the chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control. According to a recent study, his state has the nation's third highest meth treatment rate behind Oregon and Hawaii.

[ncountylee]

Getting awfully tired of Grassley's media attracting stunts.

[BackInBlack]

Grassley isn't my favorite guy, but he's right that meth does get short shrift -- it's a lot worse than marijuana, and it's destroying a lot of lives in rural areas.

[rellimpank]

--and it's destroying a lot of lives in rural areas.--

--what is it about rural areas, I wonder?

[sageb1]

He's also right about the need to fire Walters. Walters is an arrogant and ignorant SOB.

[sageb1]

Out of sight...out of mind.

[ethics]

Grassley is trying to become John McCain.

I just watched him on CNBC talking about energy.

This guy is blaming Big Oil for the high prices instead of the SENATE!

These senators in both parties are the most incompentent idiots that have ever existed!

[blaquebyrd]

Have you seen HBO's documentary on meth? It was eye-opening to say the least. I didn't know it was hitting Iowa and rural farm areas so hard and it's spreading. I work in an upscale community in NW Florida, you know gated communities, golf courses and all that and there is a meth problem here. All the local stores have to keep the OTC cough medicine behind the counter under lock and key. We had to post a deputy in our parking lot after hours because when we arrived to work we'd find meth paraphernalia in the parking lot. I agree, Grassley may be right on this one.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

"Marijuana obviously is a very big drug problem, particularly with the more pure marijuana that's out there now."
I disagree. And I don't think there's any way that pot should be spoken of as if it were as bad as meth, coke, and heroin. Those drugs are sure death! To the mind, body, and soul.

[G Larry]

All part of the lib conspiracy...

Each lib is assigned some White House member to attack, to keep them on defense.

That way the lib's don't need a plan other than 'throw the rascals out'.

[microgood]

Grassley isn't my favorite guy, but he's right that meth does get short shrift -- it's a lot worse than marijuana, and it's destroying a lot of lives in rural areas.

You are right. We have one good representative in Washington on the West Side, and he was also complaining the Bush Administration is cutting efforts to curb meth to increase efforts against pot. It's really a stupid policy.

[mysterio]

I want the drug czar fired, too, along with everyone else working for the failed war on some drugs. You can't even get ephidrine for CONGESTION at some places in my area now, and meanwhile, the criminals seem to be finding boatloads of it. That was an effective decongestent, and now at the very least you have to sign up for big brother's watchlist to get it.

[OldFriend]

These are all local issues.

Grassley is getting to be a PITA

[slyfoxvirden]

Forget what you may think about Grassley or about taking potshots at White Houser officals. The rural areas of this country are the bedrock base of the Republican Party. to blithely ignore problems in the rural areas is just politically stupid. I think Bush himself has a tin ear to these problems. Despite his Texas upbringing, he's still too much Kennybucnkport for me.

[cryptical]

Grassley isn't my favorite guy, but he's right that meth does get short shrift -- it's a lot worse than marijuana, and it's destroying a lot of lives in rural areas.

I saw an article a couple months back that argued that the focus on marijuana was because other substances are less prevalent, so a war on meth or a war on heroin would take fewer resources.

I note on the ONDCP web site they show lifetime use of heroin for all age groups at 1.4%, meth at 0.3%, and 40.4% for marijuana.

[Freedom_no_exceptions]

I note on the ONDCP web site they show lifetime use of heroin for all age groups at 1.4%, meth at 0.3%, and 40.4% for marijuana.

So by their own admission, they're waging a "war" on at least 40.4% of us.

[ishabibble]

You are absolutely right about Grassley re meth...that damn sickness is killing more of our kids than anything else. Make meth making a death sentence, it is just too easy for these soulless bots to kill our children.

[bpjam]

Grasslee ought to be concerned. Why do we need to have a political primary in a state where there are so many meth smokers? Maybe the political lords who determine the order of the primaries are getting their meth from Iowa and THAT is the reason we have to go and genuflect there every 4 years.

[freepatriot32]

ping

[bigfootbob]

This time I agree with Grassley. Cops are afraid to go after meth, the people who use that poison are more dangerous and the metrosexualization of America has infected LEO's also. Pot smokers don't shoot back or resist. They're easy marks, especially the sick people Walters likes to pick on...bastard.

All you have to do is look at the DOJ's marijuana arrest records for the past 10 years, they have increased the arrests 300%.