Rudy Hates Pot Smokers (Especially Black and Brown Ones) More Than He Likes Effective Policing
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has gotten a lot of criticism this week for his comments rejecting medical marijuana and suggesting that its advocates are actually stalking horses for marijuana legalization. But his antipathy for marijuana goes far beyond simply rejecting its therapeutic applications and opens a window into what a Giuliani marijuana policy might look like.
During Giuliani's years in office in the 1990s and into this decade, the number of marijuana arrests shot through the roof, rising from a few hundred before Giulani took office to more than 51,000 in 2000. At that point, thanks to Giulani's "zero tolerance" or "broken windows" approach to policing, New York City accounted for nearly 10% of all marijuana arrests in the country.
But it wasn't that Giulani just hated pot smokers; the results of his marijuana policy show starkly that his ire was aimed at pot smokers of a certain color--and it wasn't white. As an analysis of city pot arrests between the early 1980s and the early 2000s showed, as marijuana busts shot upward during Rudy's reign, the arrests shifted from the wealthy, central areas of the city to the cities poor, black and Hispanic neighborhoods.
As the authors of that study noted, "these arrests, which increased throughout the 1990's to reach a peak of 51,000 in 2000, do not seem to be primarily serving the goals of 'quality-of-life' policing - which aims to penalize even minor criminal offenses in highly public locations - anymore."
Not only did the mass marijuana arrests not appear to be related to claimed decreases in violent crime, they appeared to be related to increases in violent crime, according to another researcher, Bernard Harcourt, commenting on the report:
New York City’s psychedelic experiment with misdemeanor MPV [marijuana possession violation] arrests—along with all the associated detentions, convictions, and additional incarcerations—represents a tremendously expensive policing intervention. As Golub et al. [authors of the original research] document well, the focus on MPV has had a significant disparate impact on African-American and Hispanic residents. Our study further shows that there is no good evidence that it contributed to combating serious crime in the city. If anything, it has had the reverse effect. As a result, the NYPD policy of misdemeanor MPV arrests represents an extremely poor trade-off of scarce law enforcement resources, imposing significant opportunity costs on society in light of the growing body of empirical research that highlights policing approaches that do appear to be successful in reducing serious crime. Our findings, building on those of Golub et al., make clear that these are not trade-offs in which we should be engaging.So, not only did Giulani's mass marijuana arrest policy target racial minorities, it also hampered effective crime-fighting in the city. Can you imagine a President Giulani sitting in the White House and ordering something similar on a nationwide basis? It would certainly be a boon for the jail, drug testing, drug treatment, and other drug war-dependent industries, but I hope we are not at a point as a nation where we say "what's good for the prison-industrial complex is good for America." I'll be writing more about Giulani, his crime-fighting career, and what a Giulani presidency might mean for America's criminal justice system next week. But I have to wonder if what America needs now is a Prosecutor in Chief. (This blog post was published by StoptheDrugWar.org's lobbying arm, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also shares the cost of maintaining this web site. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)
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NO PERSON IN POWER SHOULD PROMOTE THE DRUG WAR
As a Professional Addictions Futurist and having over 20 years experience as a Professional Addictions Counselor, I have done an extensive job in "researching the research." I have come to the same conclusion about addiction that NIDA's
Dr. Glen Hanson has. He stated in 2003 that "Based upon extensive research which is irrefutable, we can now declare with absolute certainty that addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease of the brain, eminating from genetic predisposing factors interacting with the environment." His statement strongly indicates that we are putting "sick people" in prison for self-medicating for an undiagnosed disease. They will remain sick while in prison and their sickness will worsen. If and when they are released on Parole, they will still be sick and seeking relief they will again self-medicate, eventually get caught, and returned to prison, still sick. It's a money-go-round.
There will be a genetic cure coming very soon. $800 billion per year in GDP comes from alcohol/drug misuse, dependencies and addictions. The Ashcrofts and Giulianis of the world are blocking progress in transitioning this vast amount of GDP to a more positive use in research, treatment, and prevention that will create new sources of jobs and income. If all of us that have an interest in reversing the "Drug War" and the money it wastes, not to mention the lives ruined, do not come together to create change, our nation will likely collapse and we will be vulnerable, economically. to all other world powers. Technology continues to move us ever faster toward medical and genetic cures for the disease of addiction. We have already entered the medicalized treatment phase with a few genetic engineering factors right on the doorstep. We must all "Join Together" and transition the $800 billion per year into an effective and lasting income and equal GDP based upon addictions cures. Demand reduction must become a rapidly increasing weapon against the wasteful "Drug War."
Dan R. Gray, CASAC, NCAC-II, DOT/SPA, PAF
Avoid Using NIDA Framing of Arguments
"NIDA's Dr. Glen Hanson has… stated in 2003 that "Based upon extensive research which is irrefutable, we can now declare with absolute certainty that addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease of the brain, emanating from genetic predisposing factors interacting with the environment."
It’s easy to toss around NIDA quotes, but let’s try to be a little more critical. A few comments.
First, no research at our present stage of understanding of neurological theory is totally irrefutable. Absolutist comments of this sort that waft out of the NIDA should never be taken for granted. Seriously, take a hard look at this stuff.
What does the phrase “emanating from genetic predisposing factors interacting with the environment” really mean? Isn’t everything we do and experience something that emanates from our genes interacting with the environment?
And what drug(s) are we talking about here? Opium? Marijuana? I remember when addiction was a word that was necessarily correlated with severe withdrawal symptoms. When marijuana didn’t produce sufficient withdrawal symptoms to satisfy the NIDA propagandists, suddenly addiction meant anything a person might like too much. Such as marijuana. Or video games. Talk about casting a wider net.
And why is addiction a disease? Can’t it be an arrangement of neurons in our brain favoring a desired reward system? And cannot we, as humans, unlike rats in cages, make prudent choices associated with harm? “Disease” usually connotes some kind of contagion, although “disease” has often been used as an analogy or metaphor for anything someone doesn’t like. The European inquisitors referred to heresy as a disease. Nazis referred to Jews as a disease. In essence, a disease of the brain in the NIDA context is a Freudian slip that equates people to a disease—to be eliminated, of course.
On the other hand, I do believe the proposed elimination plan utilizing a chemical means of instantly halting an authentic addiction to something such as heroin without simultaneously punishing or eliminating the addict is a good one. Talk about flying in the face of the people who oppose harm reduction! Drug law reformers could have some fun with this one.
Gross Domestic Product? Rudy? Self Medicate? Genetics?
Sounds like another medical farmer looking for federal funding for another cash-cow. Sure wish it were a Medical Marijuana Farmer.
That Rooster just would not crow so TDCJ gave it the "Needle". "YEE HAA" I.e. In Texas prison's. Programs such as Project RIO, were tried and failed due to the administrative mismanagment and the programs died. So much for all those impressive titles of the academic world.
Those people do not walk in my shoes, and the shoes of those similarly situated as myself.
Now onto a more serious note.
Because life is to short to be to serious.----O.P.
I suffer from macular degeneration and a number of ailments.
(I have come to terms) The Monster is killing me. I am a former semi-conductor maufacturer. My cash is now slowly dwindling away because of the price of the medication I take. The medication has horrible side affects. Marijuana is the way to go, no side affect's, instant relief in many ways and the cost is much less than Rx meds. and in my opinion less addictive.
I became "hooked" on these pain killers and detoxed myself. But according to Rudy, this is Ok! No wonder that Cat (Rudy)is always grinning. Rudy G. is probably on that legal shit, just the same as Rush Limbaugh. Oh! wait he was busted. Oh! but wait he had a good excuse. I bet you see his ass(Rush) at one of Rudy G's fund raisers, anyway let's get on with it.
Where was I ........ Oh Yes here we go>>>>
And I have never been to prison,except that I have had to work in one as a last resort (5yrs). And let me tell you something about prison. It is full of low level offenders who are not self medicators. They are predators who lost their credentials such as CASAC'S & NCAC-II, DOT/SPA'S, PAF'S, they are incarcerated in Texas prison's, along with ex-Doctors and Lawyers, Police along with the Gang Bangers so save the Pias Act, and either shit or get off the pot.
Yes Boy's and Girl's, from the Space Shuttle to a Covered Wagon and that is the reality of it for me and I am certain that I am not alone and when I start to feel bad about the world, I take a look around me and there is always someone else who has it worse.
So the G.D.P.'s and Rudy G.'s and all the warm fuzzy feeling's that you get when you regurgitate your academic feces. Our elected officials are not placed there to become our Masters. Do not tell me what is best for me. Save the psychotherapy. Peace and Unity
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Good Day eh...
Just a thought....
Has anybody researched Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, to see if he has any direct or indirect involvement with the independent corp run prison systems?
Oops.. did I let that slip out?
You know the old saying ... guilty by who you hang with!
If I was to guess, you will find a direct connection in businesses outside of the prison system that are mutually owned or have company stock.
I'm almost sure you will find that he has some profitable arrangement set up to increase volume of tax paid guests, the Black People and Hispanics are easy justifiable targets, when stereotyped by a white government controlled legal system that is controlled by old family money and values.
These kind of problems are shared by all people around the world, It just "seems" like the system is more corrupt and controlled in the USA, thus the system will not change in this current time... however these old boy clubs will not be able to hide forever. People get old and young blood steps into the job, someday somebody will evolve out of all those millions of people and fix things... but not today... sorry....
God Bless you all, good luck.
Thank You From
SJ
Canada
Mean Racist People Suck!
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