Drug czar's damage-control lies ("Drug czar defends campaign to stop marijuana legalization")

Chicago Tribune ^ | 23 Oct 2002 | H. Gregory Meyer

[MrLeRoy]

On his first visit to Chicago as the nation's latest drug czar, John Walters sounded an alarm Tuesday about marijuana use by millions of Americans.

His visit comes as states including Arizona and Nevada consider ballot initiatives that would loosen laws restricting marijuana use and after others have passed laws allowing the medicinal use of the psychoactive drug.

[MrLeRoy]

"I was contacted repeatedly by people in these states who are working in prevention"

This is the first we've heard of it; almost certainly a lie.

He brought charts correlating youths' cutting classes, stealing, attacking others and destroying property with how often they smoke the drug.

The implication that this proves that pot use causes these behaviors is a lie. Most likely they have a common cause in rebellious attitudes.

[MrLeRoy]

Wod_list ping

[Phantom Lord]

The legal status of MJ is without doubt a states rights issue. The Imperial Federal Government should butt the hell out of it.

[Jabba the Nutt]

John Walters is an appointed official. His job is to carry out the law, not to make law, not to conduct political campaigns, not to attempt to influence public opinion and not to set policy. It is the citizens job to form their own opinions, to influence their representatives and to make the law based on the Constitution and public opinion. We are supposed to have a LIMITED government.

Mr Walters, do your job and let us do our job.

[Texaggie79]

How many youths who drink do those things? SHHHHHHHH don't talk about booze, that drug is "ok".

[ThinkDifferent]

Mr Walters, do your job and let us do our job.

Ah, but if we do our job then Mr. Walters won't have a job, or at least not one with as much power and resources. While that understandably makes him nervous, it doesn't excuse his extra-Constitutional activities.

[uncbob]

On his first visit to Chicago as the nation's latest drug czar, John Walters sounded an alarm Tuesday about marijuana use by millions of Americans

And then probably met with supporters over cocktails

[Jonathon Spectre]

Good to see the Head Liar is out and about spreading his lies.

[philman_36]

Well, I can't read the full article. It won't show up unless one is registered there. Too bad, it sounded interesting.

[MrLeRoy]

On his first visit to Chicago as the nation's latest drug czar, John Walters sounded an alarm Tuesday about marijuana use by millions of Americans.

His visit comes as states including Arizona and Nevada consider ballot initiatives that would loosen laws restricting marijuana use and after others have passed laws allowing the medicinal use of the psychoactive drug.

"Baby Boomer parents think it's the soft drug. We've been told it is the drug there is all this hysteria about, that this is all reefer madness," he said in an interview with the Tribune's editorial board. "There's a kind of reefer madness-madness going on here."

He brought charts correlating youths' cutting classes, stealing, attacking others and destroying property with how often they smoke the drug. He warned that the potency of marijuana has increased markedly in recent years.

Though conceding that drug prevention, treatment and enforcement programs are best left up to the states, he defended recent trips to Nevada and other states to stump against ballot questions that would decriminalize marijuana use.

"I made the decision to go into the states I went into reluctantly," he said. "I certainly understand the dangers of federal officials, a White House official, coming to a state and talking about a state ballot issue. We didn't use to do this. But I was contacted repeatedly by people in these states who are working in prevention who said they are being drowned out by misrepresentations by people who have a lot of money and who have millions of dollars to spend on these campaigns."

Walters also railed against the recent passage by eight states of initiatives to legalize prescription use of marijuana for medical purposes. He said that marijuana has no medicinal value and that despite the votes to legalize medical marijuana use, "science is not based on plebiscite. Science is based on fact."

Bill Piper, associate director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance, a Washington, D.C., group that supports many drug-liberalization initiatives, criticized Walters' stand against the state initiatives.

"They're using the drug czar's office to engage in electoral politics, to influence voters, when his office is supposed to be coordinating the drug war," Piper said. "They realize that they have a problem on their hands, that they're really out of touch with the American public."

[Phantom Lord]

How many youths who drink do those things?

Far more than those who smoke MJ.

[jmc813]

WOD Ping

[dcwusmc]

They're really getting desperate, aren't they? And the murders in MD committed by someone spawned by their policies can't help their case at all!

[mg39]

Ah yes, youths cutting classes because they smoke marijuana. What about adults who want to smoke marijuana? Have we no rights?

Kids shouldn't do drugs of any kind, including booze. Making pot illegal certainly hasn't stopped them from smoking it, though. Paradoxically, kids can get illegal dope far easier than adults can.

The WOD is an abomination.

P.S. The first person who uses the word "Dopetarian" gets his/her a*s figuratively kicked!

[tacticalogic]

"I made the decision to go into the states I went into reluctantly," he said. "I certainly understand the dangers of federal officials, a White House official, coming to a state and talking about a state ballot issue. We didn't use to do this. But I was contacted repeatedly by people in these states who are working in prevention who said they are being drowned out by misrepresentations by people who have a lot of money and who have millions of dollars to spend on these campaigns."

Is that anything like "We had to do it. We were losing."?

[philman_36]

Thanks MrLeRoy.
We didn't use to do this.
So why is it being done now Mr. "White House official"?
But I was contacted repeatedly by people in these states who are working in prevention who said they are being drowned out by misrepresentations by people who have a lot of money and who have millions of dollars to spend on these campaigns.
Hmmmm...Local drug-prevention efforts are financed primarily by the federal government.
Wouldn't want to let them lose their funding at the federal feeding trough now, would we.
Oh, you wouldn't "misrepresent" anything would you. You're from the government and here to "help", aren't you.
You fail to mention the millions and billions of dollars spent federally and internationally in the campaign to keep drugs illegal.
What about the "tax dollars" that the government "allocates" (don't want to confuse the "donate" issue) to the WOsD?
In 1981, the federal government spent about $1.5 billion on the drug war. Today, we spend almost $20 billion a year at the federal level, with the states spending at least that much again. In 1980, the federal government arrested a few hundred thousand people on drug charges; today we arrest 1.6 million people a year for drug offenses.
And how about a little information on the Partnership for a Drug-Free America? (and this is a very old article) The Partnership: Hard Sell in the Drug War
Even worse, the Partnership has accepted $5.4 million in contributions from legal drug manufacturers, while producing ads that overlook the dangers of tobacco, alcohol and pills. This "drug-free" crusade is actually a silent partner to the drug industry, condoning the use of "good" drugs by targeting only the "bad" ones.
Snip...Pharmaceuticals and their beneficiaries alone donated 54 percent of the $5.8 million the Partnership took from its top twenty-five contributors from 1988 to 1991. That 54 percent is conservative.
Some very interesting statements in there by PDFA people.
Partnership for a Drug Free America Sources of Funding from 1988-91
Oh no, no "big money" involved...SC DAODAS South Carolina Dept. of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services
To date, approximately $3 billion in media exposure and some 600 ads have been donated to the Partnership’s national campaign, making it the single largest public-service ad campaign in history.
Nothing like "being drowned out by misrepresentations" is there?

[headsonpikes]

When kids discover that so-called 'authority figures' are in actuality, contemptible little eunuchs, they tend to respond emotionally because of the implicit betrayal of trust, and reject even the English and Math instruction provided by these 'educational service providers'(I can't bring myself to call them teachers).

The solution is for parents and adults in general to start being honest AND demanding honesty from their 'public servants'.('servants'...hahaha!)

Teach your children to disrespect wrongful authority.

[Dakmar]

Teach your children to disrespect wrongful authority.

You Pinko! We must respect all authority, especially mine.