Reefer Madness (WHINY STONER ALERT)

New York Slimes ^ | 11/30/02 | BILL KELLER

[Sparta]

e interrupt our coverage of the war on terrorism to check in with that other permanent conflict against a stateless enemy, the war on drugs. To judge by the glee at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the drug warriors have just accomplished the moral equivalent of routing the Taliban — helping to halt a relentless jihad against the nation's drug laws.

Ballot initiatives in Ohio (treatment rather than prison for nonviolent drug offenders), Arizona (the same, plus making marijuana possession the equivalent of a traffic ticket, and providing free pot for medical use) and Nevada (full legalization of marijuana) lost decisively this month. Liberalization measures in Florida and Michigan never even made it to the ballot.

Some of this was due to the Republican election tide. Some was generational — boomer parents like me, fearful of seeing our teenagers become drug-addled slackers. (John Walters, the White House drug czar, shrewdly played on this anxiety by hyping the higher potency of today's pot with the line, "This is not your father's marijuana.") Some may have been a reluctance to loosen any social safety belts when the nation is under threat. Certainly a major factor was that proponents of change, who had been winning carefully poll-tested ballot measures, state by state, since California in 1996, found themselves facing a serious and well-financed opposition, cheered on by Mr. Walters.

The truly amazing thing is that 30 years into the modern war on drugs, the discourse is still focused disproportionately on marijuana rather than more important and excruciatingly hard problems like heroin, cocaine and methamphetamines.

[Sparta]

I've got the flame suit on, so flame away.

[UnBlinkingEye]

The drug warriors are the Taliban.

[Texasforever]

The drug warriors are the Taliban.

I thought we were Nazis.

[sheik yerbouty]

" If you've got a sudden mania, to sell me Pennsylvania, I believe you've met the reefer man.."

[JennysCool]

No flame here. As a Nevada opinion-maker (supposedly), I favored the measure. No doubt if you have pot sold in state liqour stores, legally, to people over 21, at much less than they csn get it from the friend-of-a-friend ... well, that's okay...

But guess what? ....

Whether it deals with pot or any other "comfort" issue ...

THERE'S A WAR ON, MORON!!!

We'll do the "lifestyle" stuff when that's over, okay?

[ChadGore]

Re: Ballot initiatives in Ohio, Arizona, and Nevada lost decisively this month. Liberalization measures in Florida and Michigan never even made it to the ballot.

Because stoners don't vote, dude!
Now stop gurgling the bong water and get a job!

[UnBlinkingEye]

Me: The drug warriors are the Taliban.

You: I thought we were Nazis.

You're mistakenly using the past tense.

The Taliban and drug warriors seek to impose their will upon others for no good reason except their desire to dictate to others. Now tell me why Jews or drug users or anyone else who doesn't conform to your concept of correctness and causes no direct harm to others should be subject to your world view?

[gcruse]

THERE'S A WAR ON, MORON!!!

We'll do the "lifestyle" stuff when that's over, okay?

War on, moron.  Heh.  I liked that.  
Nevertheless, it seems churlish, to say
the least, for Ashcroft and his troops
to be treating the Tenth Amendment
as being purely optional in the face of
state governments explicitly legalizing
medical marijuana usage.  The law
is in place.  Get back to Washington
and fight the damned war.

[JennysCool]

I'll grant ya that ... But while the present situation exists, i doubt things like marijuana referendums are going to go far ... when we're back to "normal" (NORML?) is when to spring them babies ...

[Texasforever]

Now tell me why Jews or drug users

I think Jews may quibble a bit with that comparison.

[WorkingClassFilth]

The fact that these things even make it to the ballot tells me that I have to re-examine the demographics of these Western states. Seems to me the good folk of our SW ought to be organizing a posse about now.

[UnBlinkingEye]

we were Nazis.

Perhaps you were, but I think most Texans were patriotic Americans.

[eno_]

That may not be correct. The FBI recently announced a transfer of resources away from the Drug War. If some transfer of those resources is good, more should be better. If there is a war on, it is time to focus.

[JennysCool]

Well, perhaps, but my guess is that any transfer from the drug war is probably made to assist Cristina and Brintey in that current battle against the ingrates copying their cd's. we HAVE our priorities, you know ... :-)