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Accurate Media Coverage Upsets Drug Czar
Last week, the Associate Press ran one of the best pieces on U.S. drug policy I've ever seen, and it began like this:MEXICO CITY (AP) â After 40 years, the United States' war on drugs has cost $1 trillion and hundreds of thousands of lives, and for what? Drug use is rampant and violence even more brutal and widespread. Even U.S. drug czar Gil Kerlikowske concedes the strategy hasn't worked."In the grand scheme, it has not been successful," Kerlikowske told The Associated Press. "Forty years later, the concern about drugs and drug problems is, if anything, magnified, intensified."Nevertheless, his administration has increased spending on interdiction and law enforcement to record levels both in dollars and in percentage terms; this year, they account for $10 billion of his $15.5 billion drug-control budget.So now the drug czar is annoyed at AP for, I guess, quoting him and accurately reporting on his anti-drug budget:The budget piece is fair to focus on, but we told AP that we objected to the article's mischaracterization of current policy. A fairer and more nuanced observation would have been: This does look/sound a lot different, but the budget scenario hasn't changed overnight (it never does, in any realm of government) and it will take some time to test the Administration's commitment to the new approach. [ofsubstance.gov]Really? Because the drug czar did kinda admit that the strategy sucks. It's not a "mischaracterization" when someone prints the words coming out of your mouth. It's not like Ethan Nadelmann said that and they falsely attributed it to you. Guess what guys: until you stop spending more than half your budget on the exact activities that even you agree have failed, you're going to get called out early and often.If the drug czar wants us to understand why his budget can't change overnight, then he'll need to explain what the hell that means. Is he talking about the massive drug war industry that depends on our tax dollars to buy fancy technology that's useless without prohibition? Is he wondering what the dog-slaughtering SWAT soldiers in Missouri are supposed to wear without federal subsidies for their bullet-proof bodysuits? If that's the problem, then let's talk about it.In the meantime, Kerlikowske shouldn't be complaining that AP's coverage isn't "nuanced" enough for him. He's the one who talked to them and said things that didnât make sense.
Top Drug Warrior Mark Souder Resigns from Congress After Affair with Staffer
Ending Souder's reign of terror has been a high priority for the reform movement for many years, but we never saw this coming:Rep. Mark Souder, an Indiana Republican known for his support of traditional family values, announced Tuesday that he will leave office, ending a tense week in which a key staffer confronted him with rumors about his alleged extramarital affair with a part-time aide.â¦He said he was "ashamed" that he had "sinned against God, my wife and my family by having a mutual relationship with a part-time member of my staff." But he blamed the "poisonous environment of Washington" for his decision to resign, effective Friday. [Washington Post]Following the departure of Bush's drug czar John Walters, Souder unquestionably remained the reform movement's most dangerous and fanatical opponent. For many years, he chaired the House Subcommittee responsible for federal drug policy, doing everything in his power to continue our reckless death march into drug war oblivion. No one has done more to infect the drug policy debate in with mindless hysteria, while opposing and obstructing reform at every opportunity. Souder is best known as author of the HEA Aid Elimination Penalty that has denied financial aid for college to more than 200,000 students with drug convictions. In so doing, he galvanized student activism for drug policy reform, leading to the formation of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, which eventually played a significant role in scaling back the law itself. Yet today, we learned that the man who held others to such high standards was himself capable of being a bit naughty. As glad as we are to see him go, I think Souder's years of drug war demagoguery will come to be remembered as an important catalyst for the growing national recognition that it's time to move our drug policy in a new direction. Souder just took everything way too far, and in the process, he gave many of us a reason to stand up and fight back. We've accomplished a great deal despite Mark Souder, and I can't wait to see what we can do without him.
Dr. Lester Grinspoon has endorsed WA I-1068
Dr. Lester Grinspoon has endorsed WA I-1068. Sensible Washington has announced the endorsement of WA I-1068 by Dr. Lester Grinspoon (http://sensiblewashington.org/endorsements/).
Elena Kagan and the Crack/Powder Sentencing Disparity
Obama's Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan once served as deputy director of President Clinton's Domestic Policy Council, where she served on a working group that argued for delaying critically important sentencing reforms:The memosâ¦show that Kagan served on a government working group that decided to dial back the Clinton administrationâs efforts to decrease the disparity in sentencing between crimes involving crack and those involving powdered cocaine. A draft report from the group painted the decision as a grudging but realistic one based on a stalemate in Congress over the issue. "Our more nuanced message will not sell as well as the 'tough on crime' opposition message in an age of sound bites," the report read. [Politico]What an ugly quote and a rare glimpse inside the twisted thought processes that have allowed our worst mistakes to endure for so many shameful years. It's just sickening to think that some of the drug war's most racist policies might have been fixed more than a decade ago if spineless advisors like Kagan hadn't put politics ahead of equal justice.In purely political terms, they might have been right â sentencing reform took several more years to gain sufficient momentum â but do we want this sort of callous and calculating partisan operative deciding who is and is not protected under the U.S. Constitution?Update: I edited the post to make it clear that Kagan was part of a group which made this recommendation, and wasn't solely responsible for it herself. A wise colleague pointed out to me that it's possible she didn't even agree with the position of the group. In the context of the Politico story, it's clear she made a lot of politically motivated decisions at that time, but I could be off-base in blaming her personally for recommending this position on the sentencing disparity.
Three Ways to End the Drug War Or...
Three Groups I want to start on Facebook but not sure yet:
Drug Czar Admits Failure, Pledges to Continue It
Tell me something I don't know:MEXICO CITY (AP) â After 40 years, the United States' war on drugs has cost $1 trillion and hundreds of thousands of lives, and for what? Drug use is rampant and violence even more brutal and widespread.Even U.S. drug czar Gil Kerlikowske concedes the strategy hasn't worked."In the grand scheme, it has not been successful," Kerlikowske told The Associated Press. "Forty years later, the concern about drugs and drug problems is, if anything, magnified, intensified."Yes. Yes! Did I just hear a drug czar basically admit that the drug war completely sucks? Well then, what are you going to do about it?Nevertheless, his administration has increased spending on interdiction and law enforcement to record levels both in dollars and in percentage terms; this year, they account for $10 billion of his $15.5 billion drug-control budget.Kerlikowske, who coordinates all federal anti-drug policies, says it will take time for the spending to match the rhetoric.Really? Why? This isn't hard, dude. You just stop paying everybody to f@#king destroy everything. I mean, it's interesting that he admits their rhetoric is nonsense, but that was already super obvious. We're in the middle of an economic crisis, and here's the drug czar telling us we can't stop funding programs that even he himself admits are a complete waste. What the hell is going on here?It's easy to call the Obama Administration out on their hypocrisy, and we should. But it's also worth contemplating why they're doing such a miserable job of defending their own drug strategy. I think the difference between Kerlikowske and his predecessor is that John Walters actually bought into his own hype. His ego won't let him understand the destruction he oversaw. I don't believe Kerlikowske is even loyal to the war in the first place. I think he's just trying to do his job while pissing off as few people as possible. He aims to placate the public by acknowledging the obvious, while simultaneously ensuring that the drug war industrial complex is still able to pay its bills. So which is worse, a drug czar who won't learn from his mistakes, or one who continues to support policies he knows are wrong?
John Walters Still Thinks the Drug War is Awesome
This comment from the former drug czar perfectly explains why drug warriors are so incapable of ever admitting failure:"To say that all the things that have been done in the war on drugs haven't made any difference is ridiculous," Walters said. "It destroys everything we've done. It's saying all the people involved in law enforcment, treatment and prevention have been wasting their time. It's saying all these people's work is misguided." [AP]Well, yeah. If your idea of law enforcement is shoving guns in the faces of misdemeanor drug suspects, if your idea of treatment is forcing casual marijuana users into drug therapy, and if your idea of prevention is spending countless millions on anti-drug ads that are proven to increase drug use, then I would call you "misguided," to say the least.This is what you've accomplished, sir, and instead of demanding gratitude, you should consider yourself lucky you haven't yet been paraded down Pennsylvania Avenue in tar and feathers.
Britain's New Prime Minister Thinks Drugs Should Be Legal
David Cameron He probably won't admit it now, but Britain's new prime minister thinks drugs should be legal. David Cameron, whose Conservative Party (the Tories) ousted Labor in last week's election, told the UK paper The Independent that the United Nations should consider legalization. He also wanted Britain to revive its former practice of providing heroin maintenance for addicts, and to open safe injection sites too. According to The Independent, which did the interview in 2005 when Cameron was vying for the Conservative's leadership spot, Cameron favored "fresh thinking and a new approach" toward British drug policy, adding "we have to let 1,000 flowers bloom and look at all sorts of treatment models." Cameron started off well as a parliamentarian, initially backing the government's downgrading of cannabis (marijuana) penalties from schedule B to C. But as a tabloid-driven hysteria over marijuana in the UK unfolded, Cameron (and The Independent) did a foolish about face. Still, Cameron's past comments are on the record, and his personal instincts on the issue at least seem to be good ones. I am not going to hold my breath waiting for the Tories to roll out legalization proposals, Cameron's past statements notwithstanding. But Labor under Gordon Brown was abominable on the drug issue, so whatever left-leaning Britons may miss about the former Labor government, they likely won't miss the drug policy. If Cameron does want to do something about this, Britain's Transform Drug Policy Foundation has a "Blueprint for Regulation" report ready and waiting.
The Dog-Killing Drug Raid that Pissed Off America
This FOX News segment with Judge Napolitano is a must-see that really captures how everyone is feeling about the raid in Missouri.Radley Balko follows up with the best piece yet written about this epic drug war controversy. There is nothing more important to understand here than the fact that everything that took place in that video is standard operating procedure in the war on drugs. The vilification of drugs and drug users has given birth to a vicious recklessness that characterizes modern drug enforcement even, and sometimes especially, when police perfectly follow the law and the orders they're given. Until that changes, nothing else ever will.
Do Cops Get Drunk at Anti-Pot Conferences?
While reading this MPP post, I kept wondering to myself what the scene was like at the hotel bar:Law enforcement officials from all over the nation have descended upon San Diego, California this week to attend a conference for the National Marijuana Initiative (NMI) and the California Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP).â¦The agenda for the publicly funded conference, held at the prestigious U.S. Grant Hotel from May 10 through May 13, is not available to the public. In fact, the conference is under the close guard of about a dozen San Diego Police officers and even some military personnel.We do know that former U.S. Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey was a featured speaker. According to his press release, McCaffrey laid out talking points against Californiaâs Tax Cannabis 2010 initiative. Thatâs right, your tax dollars are essentially being used to hold an anti-reform campaign rally behind closed doors.Keep all of this in mind the next time you hear police insisting that they're "just doing their jobs" when they arrest people for marijuana. While it's true that many officers do recognize the colossal injustice of our marijuana policies, the fact is that large factions within the law enforcement profession are deeply invested, both financially and emotionally, in this great war against millions of peaceful citizens. Thus, it should come as no surprise that their entire industry is rippling from the pro-legalization shockwave that surges before their eyes. Having failed on every measurable level, the people who took responsibility for containing the marijuana situation in America surely have a lot to talk about. And I'm not the least bit surprised that we weren't invited to participate. But let's be clear: while these folks obviously prefer to plan their next steps privately, the same isn't true of the movement for reform. Our events are open to the public and our agenda is displayed openly for all to see. Anyone with concerns about the direction of marijuana policy in America is welcome to participate in the conversation. Rather than recoiling in fear at the prospect of new policies, the anti-marijuana crowd would do well to better educate itself about what we're trying to do and why. After so many years of willfully ignoring the case for legalization, our opponents have been rendered hopelessly incapable of understanding and adapting to the discussion taking place all around them. Their only hope may be to begin feigning sympathy for our concerns in exchange for a seat at the table when inevitable changes are enacted. If police want credibility in the marijuana debate, they can begin by working to prevent outrages such as this and acknowledging that the current approach is very far from perfect.
Utah Cops Create Website for Snitching on Marijuana Gardens
As outdoor marijuana cultivation continues to surge in our nation's forests, police are growing increasing desperate in their miserably failed attempts to put a stop to it. I think police in Utah are about to find out what happens when you ask people on the internet to help you fight the drug war.The instant the site's link was posted at NORML, commenters began proposing a coordinated effort to submit false information and send police on long pointless marches into the wilderness. Soon, the site may have to be updated to remind everyone that submitting a false report is a crime, thereby deterring genuine tipsters from participating. Meanwhile, some more charitable folks have been sending in tips on how to eliminate illegal outdoor cultivation entirely, by reforming our marijuana policies. It may not sink in right away, but maybe the long hikes will give Utah's marijuana warriors a chance to reflect on the absurdity of the situation.
Gary Johnson Talks Marijuana Legalization on the Colbert Report
I keep hearing rumors that former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson is going to run for President. And if his campaign sounds anything like last night's Colbert appearance, the other republican candidates better start practicing their anti-pot propaganda:The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
DEA Accidentally Argues for Marijuana Legalization
Our friends at LEAP noticed this remarkable DEA testimony at a Senate hearing:Mexico is the number one foreign supplier of marijuana abused in the United States. In fact, according to a 2008 inter-agency report, marijuana is the top revenue generator for Mexican DTOsâa cash crop that finances corruption and the carnage of violence year after year. The profits derived from marijuana traffickingâan industry with minimal overhead costs, controlled entirely by the traffickersâare used not only to finance other drug enterprises by Mexicoâs poly-drug cartels, but also to pay recurring âbusinessâ expenses, purchase weapons, and bribe corrupt officials.What a mess. Who'd have guessed that a drug known for producing feeling of pleasant relaxation would end up financing massive international networks of murderous gangsters. Well, let's get one thing straight: this isn't happening because the Mexican drug lords grow the best weed. In fact, their product utterly sucks and they wouldn't be able to sell a single dime-bag of their seedy bloodstained schwag if it weren't for American law enforcement destroying as much domestic cannabis as possible. It really is that simple. Every plant we uproot, every stash we "take off the streets," every cent we spend in our mindless war on marijuana is another dollar poured into the pockets of the pot mafia. They get to sell this stuff only because we help them dominate the market, and if we let responsible Americans do it instead, the cartels' marijuana profits would shrink to zero by the end of the next harvest season.If you don't believe me, just give us one year to prove you wrong.
Marc Emery Will Be Extradited; Headed for Five Years in America's Gulag
As the Canada Press reports: Marc Emery's lawyer says the self-described âPrince of Potâ has been ordered extradited to the United States. Kirk Tousaw says he received word from the federal justice department shortly after the long time marijuana advocate turned himself into custody today that the minister has decided to sign off on his extradition. Mr. Emery has been out on bail since last fall, when he was released from custody as the minister made the final decision in his case. He made a plea deal with U.S. prosecutors last year, agreeing to plead guilty in connection to his Vancouver-based seed-selling business in return for a sentence of five years in prison. It's not clear when Mr. Emery will be sent to the U.S., but Mr. Tousaw says he expects it will happen within the week. Emery turned himself in this morning. This was the day Justice Minister Rob Nicholson had to decide whether to okay the extradition, deny it, or postpone a decision. Emery spoke briefly before vanishing into the gulag: âI think of myself as a great Canadian â I've worked my whole life for individual freedom in this country, I've never asked for anything in return,â Mr. Emery told reporters outside B.C. Supreme Court in downtown Vancouver, with his wife by his side and a throng of supporters carrying âFree Marcâ signs. âAnd now I will be possibly handed over to the United States for a five-year sentence for the so-called crime of selling seeds from my desk. I'm proud of what I've done, and I have no regrets.â Well, I, for one, can rest easier tonight knowing this dangerous criminal is behind bars.
Time to change an injusice
After watching the video showing the gestapo tactics of the Missouri police who shot that mans dogs in front of his wife and children , I got sick - Due to criminalization we live in a F-----ing polic
The War on Drugs Targeting the Wrong Subjects
In an effort to highlight the massive impact of the $300,000,000,000/year U.S.
Is Medical Marijuana a Step Towards Full Legalization?
That's what a FOX reporter asked me after the D.C. Council passed the medical marijuana bill on Tuesday. You can see my answer here:I was happy to have a chance to make that point, because the whole medical marijuana debate is so often dismissed by our opponents as nothing but a cynical and exploitive tactic in pursuit of a larger agenda. But I don't hear medical marijuana patients complaining when people try to legalize their medicine. If there are any agenda-driven sickos in this debate, it's the drug warriors who lobby for the right to continue arresting seriously ill patients, solely because they're afraid that failing to do so will result in the eventual legalization of marijuana.Medical marijuana laws can't possibly lead to full legalization unless the American people are impressed with how well those laws work and agree to expand them. Unfortunately for the drug warriors, recent polling suggests that this is already beginning to happen. Sucks to be you, I guess.
A Small Bag of Marijuana = Police Shooting Your Dogs in Front of Your Child
If you think our drug laws keep people safe, I would love to hear your thoughts on this video from a drug raid in Missouri:You just watched as police shot 2 dogs in the presence of a small child, only to find nothing more than a small bag of marijuana. Incredibly, the parents were charged with child endangerment, not the police who fired guns inside the home. The madness of prohibition just can't be illustrated much more powerfully than this. You have to see it with you own eyes to fully absorb the brutal callousness of the people who carry out these violent attacks on peaceful families. Even knowing as I do how often events like this take place, I still shuddered while witnessing the suspect's grief at discovering his dogs had been shot. This is the vicious reality that the drug war's defenders can't and won't ever acknowledge. Blaming drugs for violence might be easy enough to do when it suits your agenda, but the role of our laws and their enforcers in creating horrific bloodshed is too real to be ignored.
Cop Accidentally Argues for Marijuana Legalization
Invariably, if you ask police to talk about marijuana laws, they will start listing reasons that it should be made legal. Even if they don't realize it:Police say pot accounts for so many arrests not only because it is so commonly used but also because it's often easier to detect than crack cocaine or heroin, with a distinctive odor that has a way of wafting out car windows during traffic stops."You can drop a rock and run," said D.C. Assistant Police Chief Peter Newsham. "If you drop a Ziploc bag of marijuana, you're going to leave a big patch of green."D.C. police seized about 840 pounds of pot last year, Newsham said. "People don't feel marijuana is dangerous, but it is, because of the way it is sold," he said. "We frequently recover weapons when serving search warrants associated with the sale of marijuana." [Washington Post]Really, how much clearer could it be? Far and away, the greatest danger associated with marijuana is the black market. If even the police understand this, then who do we still need to explain it to? Changing the way marijuana is sold couldn't be any simpler. In fact, the D.C. Council did exactly that this afternoon with regards to medical marijuana. If we don't want any more violence in the pot business, we can accomplish that with remarkable ease. Ironically, the only obstacle is the bizarre complaints of police and politicians who insist on blaming marijuana for the violence of prohibition.
DC City Council Approves Medical Marijuana Bill, Advocates Criticize Restrictions
The District of Columbia City Council Tuesday voted unanimously to give final approval to a bill that would legalize the use of medical marijuana in the nation's capital. But while medical marijuana advocates welcomed the move, they complained that the bill is unduly restrictive. It is not quite a done deal. The bill now goes to Mayor Adrian Fenty for his signature. After that happens, it must then undergo a mandatory 30-day review by Congress, but since Congress last year lifted the rider that had barred DC from implementing medical marijuana ever since voters approved it in 1998, it is not expected to turn around and kill it in the District now. The measure allows for five distribution centers to provide marijuana to seriously ill patients suffering from chronic or debilitating medical conditions. That number could rise to eight under rule-making authority held by the mayor. Distribution centers can be for-profit or non-profit and must be at least 300 feet from schools. Marijuana for patients will be grown in registered cultivation centers. Each center will be allowed to grow no more than 95 plants. Patients may legally obtain marijuana only from distribution centers. They may not legally grow their own supply or procure it outside the DC medical marijuana system. Patients may possess no more than two ounces of marijuana per month, although the mayor is authorized to raise that cap to four ounces under his rule-making authority. Patients can only use their medicine at home. The final bill is largely unchanged from the bill approved two weeks ago, much to the chagrin of medical marijuana advocates. They had sought a number of changes, including: ⢠Removing the language prohibiting patients from using marijuana or paraphernalia not obtained from a licensed dispensary. ⢠Removing the limitation to home consumption in favor of a simple public smoking ban. ⢠Including severe, chronic pain as a qualifying condition for patients. ⢠Removing the cap of 95 plants on cultivation centers. ⢠Increased possession/purchasing limits. ⢠Including home cultivation. Advocates did not get the changes they wanted, leaving DC with a medical marijuana law that is one of the most restrictive in the land. All they got was the future possibility of raising the possession and purchasing cap for patients. Still, a medical marijuana law is a medical marijuana law. "Today marks a long overdue victory for D.C. voters and potentially thousands of chronically ill residents who will benefit from legal access to medical marijuana," said Karen OâKeefe, director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project. "It has taken nearly 12 years, but the District will at last have a law that recognizes the mounting scientific consensus that, for many conditions, marijuana can be safe and effective medicine." The DC medical marijuana program would allow members of Congress to get a first-hand look at how such programs work and ease the passage of medical marijuana legislation at the federal level, O'Keefe suggested. "A well-working medical marijuana program in the nationâs capital will also provide members of Congress who have never seen such programs up close with a unique opportunity to do so, she said. Once they see for themselves that these laws do nothing but provide compassionate care for seriously ill patients, hopefully they will understand the need to create a federal policy that no longer criminalizes patients in any state who could benefit from this legitimate treatment option." The Drug Policy Alliance also welcomed passage of the bill, but was more critical of its faults. "The DC Council should be congratulated for exempting AIDS, cancer and other patients from the punitive war on marijuana," said national affairs director Bill Piper. "No one should face jail for using marijuana, especially patients following their doctorâs recommendation. This has been a long fight, but the voice of DC voters is finally starting to be heard." Piper noted that DC voters passed medical marijuana with 69% of the vote in 1998 and accused the council of ignoring what voters wanted. "While the Council is heeding the will of voters in important areas, such as allowing the regulated sale of marijuana for medical use, it is ignoring the will of voters in other important areas â most notably by prohibiting patients from growing their own medicine; a key component of the 1998 initiative, and a key component of medical marijuana laws in 13 states," he said. "The legislation also only protects patients from arrest if they use marijuana obtained from a dispensary. Yet experience in other states show that dispensaries routinely face shortages of marijuana. And the federal government could shut down DCâs dispensaries. If either happens, patients will be forced to buy their marijuana from non-dispensary sources. They shouldnât face arrest for doing so. No patient should face arrest for following their doctorâs recommendation. This is a glaring problem with the legislation; the Council needs to fix it or the health of patients could be undermined." The reaction from Americans for Safe Access (ASA) was similar. "We are certainly excited to implement a bill that has taken 11 years to see the light of day," said Steph Sherer, ASA executive director. "However, the District Council's failure to listen to patients' needs will have serious unintended effects that may force us to work for years to correct." Once the legislation takes effect, DC will join 14 states that recognize medical marijuana.