A thriving public debate about moving beyond drug prohibition and a new administration that wants to abandon the term "war on drugs" has sent some of Congress' most hysterical anti-drug zealots into a frenzied panic:
But for their diabolical agenda, I could almost pity them. So far the group only has 8 members, all republicans, and the media didn't really seem very interested in their press conference.
Here we have another exhibit in the cascading downfall of the once-powerful congressional anti-drug demagogues. Their alarmist rhetoric has been discredited and the nation is already well on its way towards establishing a new status quo in the debate over what our drug policies ought to be. If the worst drug warriors in Congress want to collaborate and explore new ways of alienating the public with their crazy ideas, I say we hand 'em the biggest microphone we can find.
Escaping any real media attention last week was the formulation of a new anti-marijuana caucus in the House of Representatives. As reported in Roll Call on July 13, a press conference was held with former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL), Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Darrell Issa (R-CA) that seeks to re-commit the Congress to the status quo of 'fighting a war on drugs'.
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The newly formed House Drug Task Force elected ardent anti-cannabis congressman John Mica (R-FL), who, according to the Deseret News, complained that the Obama administration "seeks to shut the war on drugs down." And that, "the record to date is dismal with the demotion of Drug Czarâs office to a sub-Cabinet position, the announced support for needle exchange programs, the decriminalization of illegal narcotics and other measures that would weaken current national anti-drug efforts." [NORML]
But for their diabolical agenda, I could almost pity them. So far the group only has 8 members, all republicans, and the media didn't really seem very interested in their press conference.
Here we have another exhibit in the cascading downfall of the once-powerful congressional anti-drug demagogues. Their alarmist rhetoric has been discredited and the nation is already well on its way towards establishing a new status quo in the debate over what our drug policies ought to be. If the worst drug warriors in Congress want to collaborate and explore new ways of alienating the public with their crazy ideas, I say we hand 'em the biggest microphone we can find.
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