Again, next time you hear or read about law enforcement or federal anti-drug agencies employing the claim ‘We don’t make the laws, we only enforce them’, please reference the below totally biased, paranoid, inaccurate and self-serving example from the Drug Enforcement Administration to counter such claims.
Unlike the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), it is not clear that Drug Enforcement Administration is mandated by Congress to oppose any efforts by citizens to peaceably and lawfully change cannabis laws.
While each and every one of the DEA’s supposed top ten ‘facts’ about legalization are easily rebutted, I think my favorite ‘fact’ presented by our tax dollars at DEA is #6, where the DEA purposely misleads the general public by claiming that Alaska ‘legalized’ cannabis in the 1970s, and upset voters in 1990 effectively saved the state from the dreaded ‘Devil’s Weed’.
What really happened in Alaska regarding cannabis policy?
The Alaska Supreme Court, relying on the most citizen-supportive state constitution in the United States, ruled in the Ravin case in 1975 that the state constitution afforded its citizens strong privacy rights, including the ability to possess one ounce of without fear of arrest. In other words, just like numerous other states (thirteen!) Alaska DECRIMINALIZED the possession of cannabis, it never legalized the substance in the standard sense of the word where adults could cultivate and sell it.
Since the tragic and expensive folly of cannabis prohibition began in 1937 by a legislative fiat in the Congress and signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt (who was a keen supporter of ending alcohol prohibition, signed the Volstead Act and celebrated the end of alcohol prohibition at the White House with some of the first legal booze), not a lawful constitutional amendment such as was needed to both prohibit and re-legalize alcohol sales. Unfortunately, no state has EVER legalized cannabis cultivation or sales for non-medicinal purposes. None! The DEA is wrong to insinuate otherwise.
What happened in 1990 to Alaska’s cannabis decriminalization laws? Did mobs of angry voters, fed up with excessive cannabis use (or even above national average cannabis consumption rates) driven by an otherwise, for the average person, largely obscure 1975 court decision be compelled to place a voter initiative on the ballot to, according to our not so dutiful civil employees at the DEA, de-legalize cannabis in the state?
About the only item correct in the DEA’s #6 ‘fact’ about legalization is that the voters narrowly voted to end the state’s decriminalized laws for possessing one ounce. That, by the way, was largely a function of not the grassroots efforts of Alaskans, but of our first official ‘drug czar’ William Bennett (and his ‘Mini-Me’ and future Propagandist-in-Chief against cannabis as the longest serving drug czar, John Walters).
Bill Bennett, freshly minted as drug czar chose as one of the office’s first missions, consistent with its Joe Biden-written and Congressionally-approved charter to oppose cannabis law reforms as a matter of policy and function (science, morality, and economics be damned!), they chose to target what they perceived the lowest hanging fruit possible to capture: Go to the state with the most tolerant cannabis laws—Alaska was chosen—using numerous federal apparatus and tax dollars, whip up fear and emotional contagion in the population broadcasting rank anti-cannabis propaganda—notably with law enforcement, women, parents, church groups, oil companies and the US military/National Guard—and knock the supposedly ‘liberal’ cannabis law off the law books in hopes of starting a legislative and/or voter initiative backlash against cannabis in then 11 states that had already decriminalized the possession of (usually) one ounce.
The peak of the Bennett-driven effort to change cannabis laws in Alaska as I recall was a frenetic, mainly one-sided show featuring Bill Bennett at peak bluster debating a counter-culture writer on the then very popular daytime Phil Donahue Show (notably known for its high ratings among women viewers).
What actually has turned out in Alaska since 1990 that the DEA didn’t want the public to know in its so-called ‘fact’ sheet and misleads by omission in trying to portray Alaska as a state whose citizens ‘de-legalized’ cannabis and don’t favor its reform?
Well…
1) Post the vote in 1990, NORML supporters in Alaska who favor cannabis law reform, along with ACLU, successfully sued to have the voter initiative overturned as it violated the state’s constitution.
The Alaska Supreme court ruled Ravin was still the law of the land because the personal privacy protected under the state’s constitution could not be voted away in an initiative. The justices ruled that if the minor possession of cannabis were to be made illegal consistent with the state constitution (and their previous rulings), then Alaskan’s elected policymakers and citizens need to amend the state constitution.
In later court challenges in Alaska to enhance penalties, pushed by the Governor, the state courts not only ruled against the government, they increased the amount of cannabis a citizen could possess up to a quarter pound (four ounces)!
Regrettably, the most recent court decision in Alaska has reduced the amount from a ‘QP’ back to an ‘OZ’.
Ooops! Sorry Billy and Johnny (and the DEA), Alaska’s liberty-loving state constitution trumped your efforts. You lost, but oddly still cite Alaska to this day as some kind of warped ‘victory’. If it was a victory, even in the strictest sense of the word, it is the definition of a Pyrrhic victory.
2) The citizens of Alaska voted for medical access to cannabis in 1998, 58% – 42%. The law has had little to no negative consequences in the state from a public health or safety point of view. Medical cannabis, like in most states that adopt it, is ‘no big’ deal despite the DEA’s efforts to convince lawmakers, media and the public.
3) In 2004, a ballot initiative to actually legalize cannabis in Alaska largely funded by the Marijuana Policy Project lost 55% – 44%.
See Alaska’s current laws here.
This fall, with the voters of California having the opportunity in a binding voter initiative to actually become the first state to legalize cannabis (Field Poll surveys in the state indicate 56% support legalization), let’s show the anti-cannabis bureaucrats at the DEA and ONDCP (just to name two of over two dozen taxpayer-wasting federal government bureaucracies that largely oppose cannabis law reforms) a thing or two about what their employers—we the taxpayers and voters—want regarding a functional cannabis policy where the herb is legally controlled and taxed for responsible adult enjoyment and relaxation just like caffeine, alcohol and tobacco products.
To send a clear message to the DEA, please support Tax Cannabis 2010 in California!
Summary of the DEA’s Top Ten Facts on Legalization
Fact 1: We have made significant progress in fighting drug use and drug trafficking in America. Now is not the time to abandon our efforts.
The Legalization Lobby claims that the fight against drugs cannot be won. However, overall drug use is down by more than a third in the last twenty years, while cocaine use has dropped by an astounding 70 percent. Ninety-five percent of Americans do not use drugs. This is success by any standards.
Fact 2: A balanced approach of prevention, enforcement, and treatment is the key in the fight against drugs.
A successful drug policy must apply a balanced approach of prevention, enforcement and treatment. All three aspects are crucial. For those who end up hooked on drugs, there are innovative programs, like Drug Treatment Courts, that offer non-violent users the option of seeking treatment. Drug Treatment Courts provide court supervision, unlike voluntary treatment centers.
Fact 3: Illegal drugs are illegal because they are harmful.
There is a growing misconception that some illegal drugs can be taken safely. For example, savvy drug dealers have learned how to market drugs like Ecstasy to youth. Some in the Legalization Lobby even claim such drugs have medical value, despite the lack of conclusive scientific evidence.
Fact 4: Smoked marijuana is not scientifically approved medicine. Marinol, the legal version of medical marijuana, is approved by science.
According to the Institute of Medicine, there is no future in smoked marijuana as medicine. However, the prescription drug Marinol-a legal and safe version of medical marijuana which isolates the active ingredient of THC-has been studied and approved by the Food & Drug Administration as safe medicine. The difference is that you have to get a prescription for Marinol from a licensed physician. You can’t buy it on a street corner, and you don’t smoke it.
Fact 5: Drug control spending is a minor portion of the U.S. budget. Compared to the social costs of drug abuse and addiction, government spending on drug control is minimal.
The Legalization Lobby claims that the United States has wasted billions of dollars in its anti-drug efforts. But for those kids saved from drug addiction, this is hardly wasted dollars. Moreover, our fight against drug abuse and addiction is an ongoing struggle that should be treated like any other social problem. Would we give up on education or poverty simply because we haven’t eliminated all problems? Compared to the social costs of drug abuse and addiction-whether in taxpayer dollars or in pain and suffering-government spending on drug control is minimal.
Fact 6: Legalization of drugs will lead to increased use and increased levels of addiction. Legalization has been tried before, and failed miserably.
Legalization has been tried before-and failed miserably. Alaska’s experiment with Legalization in the 1970s led to the state’s teens using marijuana at more than twice the rate of other youths nationally. This led Alaska’s residents to vote to re-criminalize marijuana in 1990.
Fact 7: Crime, violence, and drug use go hand-in-hand.
Crime, violence and drug use go hand in hand. Six times as many homicides are committed by people under the influence of drugs, as by those who are looking for money to buy drugs. Most drug crimes aren’t committed by people trying to pay for drugs; they’re committed by people on drugs.
Fact 8: Alcohol has caused significant health, social, and crime problems in this country, and legalized drugs would only make the situation worse.
The Legalization Lobby claims drugs are no more dangerous than alcohol. But drunk driving is one of the primary killers of Americans. Do we want our bus drivers, nurses, and airline pilots to be able to take drugs one evening, and operate freely at work the next day? Do we want to add to the destruction by making drugged driving another primary killer?
Fact 9: Europe’s more liberal drug policies are not the right model for America.
The Legalization Lobby claims that the “European Model” of the drug problem is successful. However, since legalization of marijuana in Holland, heroin addiction levels have tripled. And Needle Park seems like a poor model for America.
Fact 10: Most non-violent drug users get treatment, not jail time.
The Legalization Lobby claims that America’s prisons are filling up with users. Truth is, only about 5 percent of inmates in federal prison are there because of simple possession. Most drug criminals are in jail-even on possession charges-because they have plea-bargained down from major trafficking offenses or more violent drug crimes.
Where is the point by point rebuttal? I know how to rebut some of these points but not all of them.
Fact 9: Europe’s more liberal drug policies are not the right model for America.
The Legalization Lobby claims that the “European Model” of the drug problem is successful. However, since legalization of marijuana in Holland, heroin addiction levels have tripled. And Needle Park seems like a poor model for America.
OH REALLY???? That’s why I went to Amsterdam, to see if this was true. ITS A FUCKING LIE!!!! I never EVER saw one heroin user, or one needle or any lines in any parks for people to exchange needles or buy drugs. And I didn’t go just once. I have gone 4 times since 2007.
Marijuana….I love you…(Monday)…I love you not…(Tuesday)…I love you…(Wednesday)…I love you not…(Thursday)…I love you…(Friday)…I love you not (Saturday)…I love you (Sunday)…
1.cant keep it out of prisons, Mexican gangs grow rich and powerful…2.anything to keep them in the bucks…3.always tie cannabis to a harder drug and ignore scientific evidence….4.. big pharm gets no money..5. spending billions on a futile effort for how many years with nothing to show for it…6.teen use in Holland lower than U.S….7.Really means you could be mugged trying to buy a bag..8. the ever popular ” we got ours, screw you”…9. lets talk heroin in a cannabis conversation..10.Ya..we get treatment, unfair treatment
It is quite shocking how hard the DEA is trying to mislead the discourse about CANNABIS legalization.
“Treatment”- defined as a monthly serious invasion of your privacy, hundreds of dollars in fees, which for most adds up to 6-12 months of reduced cheefing. Fail.
Who are these people? Where can I find them? Because the run-of-the mill Joe you see on the street, whether he cheefs or not, could not care less about the legal status of cannabis- they’re going to smoke and/or not rat on their neighbors for medicating.
Washington is the only place where you can be questioned for wanting to retire after forty years of employment, and cannabis reform is a perfect example of this.
The only negative thing weed’s done to me is show up in my pee.
DEA=DEATH. Plain and simple. There is no reason for the DEA to even exist. They do no good for anyone except themselves. They cause murder, mayhem, death and destruction whererver they go and whatever they do. They are a disgrace to society and to all mankind.
I really hate that “facts” sheet. what a load of crap! ( when i say crap, i mean LIES!) i hope many people see this article and realize that the D.E.A. are really unbeLIEvable. I wish the people of THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA come to their own conclusion that we should not be lied to or pushed around and will not take this abuse anymore. i will fight this everyday as much as i can . what will make all this change is for evryone to keep bringing this attention to the media and apply tons of pressure . so much pressure that they( government ) cannot avoid marijuana law reform. we need to end this really soon. cause honestly, they are not doing their job. why dont AMERICANs start flooding streets and start somewhat of a riot like other countries whose governments wronged them in the recent past. this is getting to be very crucial.
A concise point by point refutation underneath each of the DEA’s fact list above would be better for those people with suspended disbelief. Inside the echo chamber it’s hard to believe anybody still believes the DEA on anything concerning cannabis prohibition. I loved the 2 articles about California in the latest edition of Reason magazine. Kudos to Gillespie!
how long until it’s legalized so we can just all go point and laugh at the DEA office?
wtf..this is lies and pure bullshit! When will the american people wake up and boot this scourge we call the DEA!?
The United States Code, under Section 811 of Title 21, sets out a process by which cannabis could be administratively transferred to a less-restrictive category or removed from Controlled Substances Act regulation altogether. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) evaluates petitions to reschedule cannabis. However, the Controlled Substances Act gives the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as successor agency of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, great power over rescheduling decisions.
In 2003 The U.S.A.’s Government as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services was awarded a patent on cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants. U.S. Patent 6630507.
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6630507.PN.&OS=PN/6630507&RS=PN/6630507
ahhh the DEA, the only government agency where you can say the literal opposite of what is true and the majority of th public will accept it as fact
disregard the DEAs lies!
I can not stand the crap that the DEA pushes on the unaware public. It is a shame that our government is also our oppressors. It’s a shame that they don’t watch South Park because they get it. The newest episode, where Randy gets testicular cancer for medical cannabis, is awesome because it makes KFC illegal and then there is an underground for it. Just shows that everything will have an underground market if you take it away from people. The government just can’t seem to get it through there thick skulls and are afraid to acknowledge that someone other than themselves are right and they will do anything to cover it up…such as the rape of the “Indians” when Columbus came to the Americas.
“Ninety-five percent of Americans do not use drugs.”
lol, Pfizer (and every other major drug manufacturer) would like a word with the DEA.
pleeeease stop the run on sentences. thank you & stay high <3
Thanks for the informative post. George Orwell strikes again.
While #6 has the most merit from a direct United States DEA history lesson, the others still stupefy. #9 in particular is a great mash-up of misinformation and outright lying. They focus all of Europe’s efforts to moderate drug law onto Holland alone. Then they go on to claim that these efforts, focused in Holland only mind you, legalized cannabis, thus resulting in increased hard drug use.
This is exactly the kind of tripe that I’ve seen lead to youth and others assuming that most or all of the information from these agencies must be false. The problem is for every one of these “fact sheets” they produce, they also do have real information about the dangers of various aspects of the substances they wish to help people avoid. Sad part is that once someone doesn’t trust the cornerstone of your arguments, they will usually test “their assumptions” on the rest. And I’m sure most people have seen how disastrous that can potentially be.
However, it does seem that the old sayings about lying with conviction and “when in the right” must work out well. Obviously all these various agencies spewing a wild combination of misinformation that seldom even matchup to serve some greater good seems to have the desired effect. People still spew the lies. Sadly, most are ignorant parents and community leaders.
Ah, but that’s where it gets ugly again. Yet I digress? Caught in a loop of lies and misguided efforts, the next generation doubts the very people they should trust the most and the core of our society suffers for it.
These people dont understand that no rational person will ever thank them for being lied to. Once the trust is lost, it’s seldom repaired. Though America keeps voting for people who lie outright to them all the time. And not little “white lies” on any account.
As a European friend of mine once told me, “Americans are free to speak their mind and make it heard through so many means; but they seldom vote with conviction.” I concur. Let’s just hope California votes with conviction so that we can reduce the harm we are inflicting on each and move on to fighting something other than ourselves.
It’s just mind-boggling to me the great lengths that government employees will go to in order to justify the continued “relevance” or necessity of their job function.
Did it ever occur to them that maybe Cannabis was somethng that our “Creator” gave to us to help sustain normal function in life, sort of like a clear, colorless, odorless and tastseless chemical that we all use daily to live (H2O)?
If the world doesn’t end in 2012 (according to the Mayans), I’d be willing to bet that Cannabis (and perhaps other “drugs” as well) will be legal, taxed and regulated for respnosible adult consumption by then.
Let’s hope so. . .
I think the cops have been taking lessons from the mafia. In the 70’s the mobsters would break in to small buinesses and vandlize them and than come around the next day to say see you need protection. Its the same thing with the cops they scare people half to death about drugs so people will think its ok to spend 75 billion a year.the cops are laughing all the way to the bank.And in reality what are the taxpayers getting for thier 75 bill. 10% of the marijuana stopped and only 3% of marijuana consumers arrested. Thats not a restetable percentage if they REALLY wanted to stamp out marijuana use in the US,but its enough to keep the conservates fooled !!
The more government tightens its grip the more control it will lose.In the end , it is the duty of all people in this country to stand against the tyranny they have placed on us, not just with the tool of prohibition , but all tools they employ to keep reign over us ALL.
Alot of sympathy remarks and some irrelevant information in those facts.
I can deal with people calling cannabis a drug, but not lumping it in with any drug that requires a needle.
Drug use and violence go hand in hand !? When was the last time a violent act was committed on ONLY marijuana? When was the last time an alcohol fueled crime was committed ? YEAH, CHECK YOUR WATCH.
We’re trying for cannabis, not heroin.
if you support the us govt then you do not support freedom
Fact number 8 is pure bull. Don’t even bring up alcohol in an argument AGAINST legalization. Alcohol IS legal, and we have those problems because alcohol is NOT the same as cannabis. They do two completely different things, and to say they effect the mind the same way is just a lie.
I drive high every single day. I’ve driven for 7 hours straight blazed out of my gourd once. If I had a prescription, would that have made it ok? I understand some people drive worse on drugs, but most people who smoke cannabis frequently can control themselves enough.
Get over yourselves, DEA. Nobody wants your propaganda crap.
The DEA is a branch of the NEW WORLD ORDER. It just hasn’t been exposed yet. The NWO is an extremely elite group of people who control 95% of the worlds wealth. They own and operate the DEA. In the near future, these stormtroopers will start rounding up marijuana users and executing them. Mass graves will be dug to bury the extreme masses. The idea of this mass execution is meant to curb the demand for illegal drugs. Currently this kind of enforcement is illegal, but it won’t be for long. So…. If you smoke pot and you live in America, you better keep it on the DL, and you might want to consider moving out of the country. These so called “gentlemen” or the Bilderburger’s are great admirers of Adolf Hitler and they will most likely use his same tactics for mass execution against the American People.
The DEA is nothing more than a waste of money if they think they’re helping this country by disposing of marijuana. I can imagine they probably want it to stay illegal because if it does goes legal, then THEY will lose jobs. The worthless pigs don’t see any harm in wasting tax payer money.
The government is the problem here. You’ve got the DEA, ONDCP, DARE and all these other groups working to spread lies, propaganda, and fear.
Tell friends and family about CannabisTV.org, where they can watch tons of great videos about cannabis and hemp based on truth. Help them to realize that cannabis is a non-toxic, non-lethal, non-addictive, anti-addictive, cancer preventing medicine with tons of other beneficial effects.
Real education is what we need to sway the ignorant and mindwashed people of America who still support this deadly, expensive war on it’s own people.
CannabisTV.org
Let’s see.
Fact #1. Don’t tell us you’ve made significant progress in fighting drug use and trafficking. Show us. People are still dieing and drugs are still finding their way over our borders. We can tell if it’s working or not. We see with our eyes but our ears are being filled with false truths which in turn hinder our outlook.
Fact #2. All by force. Prevention. Force. Enforcement. Force. Treatment. By force. “The option” yeah either get treatment or go to jail. Which would you choose? “Voluntary” treatment centers are supervised. If you don’t do what the treatment center asks then you can bet that they will let the court know.
Fact #3. So why are some medications perfectly legal even though they attain a higher rate of addiction and death as opposed to other drugs that are just illegal to everyone because they say so? “Savvy drug dealers have learned how to market ecstacy.” Yeah, like big pharm huh? Oh forgot to add “to the youth” in there at the end to make you feel like it’s all for the kid’s. “Conclusive scientific evidence.” Again don’t just say it, prove it. Do a study. Oh, that’s right theirs a monopoly on cannabis just like everything else.
Fact #4. That’s because the fed refuses to conduct experiments with clarity and transparency. Smoking anything isn’t good for you. Vaporize. Marinol? What, did big pharm pay you to add that in? Synthetics which are man made or all natural which do you trust more in? Man or nature? Fact #4 is an add for marinol.
Fact #5. Again more words with no stats. Tell us how much we spend and let us decide. “Kids saved” DEA to the rescue to save us from ourselves for the children of course. “Social problem”? It’s a health issue! Their flipping the script. Once they get figured out they think that if they just change a few words here and there that people will buy it. “Compared to the social costs of drug abuse and addiction-whether in taxpayer dollars or in pain and suffering-government spending on drug control is minimal.” Thanks for proving to us it’s all about money and control/power. “Minimal” compared to the national budget does not make it “minimal”.
Fact #6. Can we get some stats? Did crime go up? Just more people consuming cannabis? Isn’t that what is suppose to happen at first when something that was once illegal becomes legal? As with the prohibition of alcohol? The total number of people consuming would go up @ first but it would flatten out @ some point. So did you compare one state to the national average? Sounds suspect.
Fact #7. Their really trying to get over on people with this “fact”. Trying to lump all these into one category is dishonest. See how they re-iterate it? Which drugs are they under the influence of? Can we get a sheet that shows, statistically, which drugs cause a person to become more criminal? Each time a person is arrested for an offense see if they would give consent to a UA, you could even place it in a bargain with the DA that would reduce time and charges if they agree, to see if they’re indeed under the influence of drugs and then gather the info as to which one drug is more of a danger than the others. Does a certain drug really decide what crime a person will commit or is it all drugs that do this? If their message is all drugs are bad then why are they not speaking out against the one’s that are legal, besides alcohol as you see in Fact #8?
Fact #8. Half true half false. How do they know it will make it worse? Omniscient? Some choose not to drink. They act like everyone will drink and do drugs. News flash: Some choose to do that anyways. If a safer alternative is released don’t you think people would choose the one that causes less harm? That’s why you shouldn’t use and drive any machinery. How’s it working for you with the BIG 3? Listening to music and driving can cause accidents. Worrying about how someone else is driving can cause accidents. When you’re driving that’s what you’re suppose to be doing, nothing else. “Primary killer”? Listen to the wording. Are they really trying to compare it to the real primary killers in the world. Check it out and you will find that all the main causes for death are health related even though they want to make it a “social” issue.
Fact #9. Calling Europe “liberal”? I’m sure we can find some of that here if you’re eyes are open. What does heroin addiction have to do with cannabis consumption? Again, trying to lump two separate drugs into one category. Cannabis caused the rise in heroin use? Maybe it’s because people tried cannabis and said to themselves that it’s not that bad. Then they figured that since it wasn’t as bad as lead on that other drugs can’t be that bad. It’s more of a dishonest issue by organizations that we’re to trust. Transparent education is the way to go.
Fact #10. Most? If they don’t take the deal then they go to jail. As said before, treatment or jail which would you choose? Going to jail is more difficult to get off your permanent record than a “treatment” center. In most cases “To get along you have to come along”. You all know what happens if you don’t. American prisons are filling. So ask yourself why is our incarceration rate the highest in the world? Prisons aren’t filled with users because they’re the one’s offered the plea bargains in order to receive reduced sentencing and fines. Which would you choose? I’m no narq. I would rather die than be a rat, so if it came down to me giving up a name I would tell them to shove it and do the hard time. To do treatment for reduced penalties? Anyone would jump on that.
This awful list of propaganda and misinformation barely resembles “factual” information. The fact that the DEA has the gall to disseminate it as if it were fact only shows how little they think of the average citizen’s intelligence. It’s really disgusting that they express no remorse about deceiving the general public only to further their own ridiculous prohibitionist agenda. God forbid they actually give us objective information and let us make our own decisions about legalization based on personal religious views and moral ideals.
After reading the “fact” list, one thought crossed my mind: …And they call “us” the drug users, lol.
Good job on the article. I think it’d be nice to see the DEA’s other 9 myths debunked too… some arguments in particular are just ridiculous, childish and self-contradicting e.g. #5 ‘Would we give up on education or poverty simply because we haven’t eliminated all problems?’ the framework of prohibition can be compared with neither of these things.
A personal favourite is #8 “Alcohol has caused significant health, social, and crime problems in this country […] drunk driving is one of the primary killers of Americans” coupled with #3 “Illegal drugs are illegal because they are harmful.” If that is true why isn’t alcohol illegal?
Of course with the number of people the DEA employs it’s no wonder they are trying to discredit the legalization/decriminalization movement.
Shut down the DEA. It is a useless part of government.
THANK YOU!!! It gets my blood boiling every time some prohibitionist tries to say that “Alaska legalized and it didn’t work”. THEY DIDNT LEGALIZE THEY DECRIMINALIZED!! The website of the opposition to the California Tax Cannabis initiative several times uses this as an example, and it just pisses me off! On a related note, I gave a rebuttal to every single one of the pages on the website, which I hope one day will be published somewhere on the internet. I’m emailing it to a couple people at NORML (including you, Allen, I’d love your input). Thanks for this wonderful, and thorough rebuttal! Take care.
So how’s that Obama DEA appointee working out for you hope and changers? Can we finally get off the hope and change wagon and vote for some real candidates who will offer REAL change in 2010 and 2012?
I love cannabis prohibition. It makes me feel cool when I dress up like a GI Joe and play with flash-bangs!
And I love enforcing a policy that creates more violence for me to combat. Job security for sure.
And I, like all my co-workers, am a complete ass that’s lost touch with reality so much that I actually think I doing something good.
I feel like the lonely loon screaching from the wilderness. All drug laws exist for one reason,to control hemp. Hemp laws are the foundation of control of the economy and treason against the republic. Hemp was/is the one renewable natural resourse that could/can replace all fossil fuels,synthetic fibers,many medicines etc. This is all about control and greed and we are slaves producing their hearts desires. We will never be free until we free the weed.
There was a time in this country when there was no illegal drug use. That period of time spans the majority of time this country has existed. History records this country and its citizens did just fine then. But that wasn’t good enough for some folks. They think they know better than God that people should live in freedom with liberty as acknowledged and cited in the Constitution of the United States. It is these people, prohibitionists, that are the real criminals, not responsible adults freely choosing to consume or not consume mind altering substances. If drug use/non-use causes problems, it is a problem, and those people need care and treatment, not arrest and prison. We do not put alcoholics and cigarette smokers in prison. If drug use/non-use does not cause problems, it is not a problem, and those people should be left alone to live their lives as they see fit, harming no one except in some cases, themselves. The DEA and ONDCP are just two more examples of Unconstitutional, counter productive, expensive and failed government make-work projects. If people in those agencies had any integrity, they would re-read the Constitution, resign, and get real jobs that actually help people and this country.
ever notice how they can never just do a “presentation” on the prohibition of MJ? they always have to include alcohol, cocaine, heroin, pcp, etc in their studies. ITS CLASSIFYING pot in the same class as Heroin. its bullshit.
Of course they are starting to fight back harder with their same ole bs. Are we not closer to real cannabis law reform in the country than we’ve ever been in the past? They’re like a dog backed into a corner. Something tells me their tactics will get worse before things get better.
the dea has always been hitlerian vile.
the dea is the schoolyard bully who says MAKE ME and puts you on his long hit list.
the power that forces them to submit is the only thing they understand.
roger christie a leader in spiritual cannabis use in hawaii and worldwide was busted a couple of weeks ago by the dea for …. NOTHING.
other people busted woke up to masked gunmen. this must no longer happen in our country.
perhaps a little levitation exercise!?
they forgot one thing, that is marijuana has never killed any one, it doesen’t lead to harder drugs as they always show a marijuana leaf with harder drugs. alchol is legal does do more damage to the u.s. public the marijuana, not going to get in to alll the bad things about alchol just wacth t.v. news cast and you’ll find out. it’s stupid not to legalize marijuana in the u.s. needs the money that bad. they have been fighting this war far to long and it time to legalize make and be done with it.
The funny part about all of this is how much pot is actually being smoked these days. If you want an idea of how prevalent marijuana use is, take a look behind the counter of any convenience store. Virtually every convenience store here in Oregon has flavored cigars, cigarillos, and flavored rolling papers. What do you think those are used for? FLAVORED BLUNTS, AND JOINTS! Knowing what I know about economics (supply and demand) I have come to the belief that all convenience stores have them because 30%+ of the people in your neighborhood smoke pot!
-Oz
The government will likely sponsor a “war on users” before they end the “war on drugs” It’s a fact of life, people in power don’t like to give up their power.
Sounds like you Neo-Nazi’s at the DEA are getting desperate. What’s the matter? Couldn’t think of any new lies?, so you had to find new ways of spreading all the old ones? I can’t wait until the American People burn the DEA and all of it’s stormtroopers at the stake. FOR HIGH TREASON AGAINST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE! Oh, yeah, the Fed’s days are numbered. Get the fuck out of America. Please. You don’t belong among free men.
Doesn’t the DEA have other ignorant nations it can try and deceive? Last time I checked, America is starting to wake up at an alarming rate. Go take your failed drug war somewhere else because the American People DON’T WANT IT!! Oh, and how are you helping drug addicted kids by throwing them in Jail with more dangerous criminals?? Again, the DEA’s logic FAILS. I repeat, the DEA’s logic FAILS. Time for a return to our American roots. Down with tyranny!!
Some tyrant’s use the sword to rule their people, some use mis-information or decpetion, some use manipulation. Our world rulers like to use a combination of everything. They have even mastered the art of getting the population to regulate itself. What they never planned on however, was a mass awakening. It’s gonna happen and there is nothing they can do to stop it. They do not believe that a God exists. They believe men can become gods, and the men who cannot become gods, will serve the men who are. What they don’t know is that they are in direct violation of A universal law, and they will be punished accordingly. A punishment far worse then anything anyone could endure here on Earth. No, they do not believe in a God. That doesn’t mean one doesn’t exist. He is pissed.
How is marijuana a schedule 1 narcotic, it has never killed anybody. you will either pass out from being tired or of smoke inhilation, not from the THC. you would have to smoke over your body weight in ONE sitting to really damage yourself, and who can afford that haha. shrooms are are schedule 2 and they have killed people before.
and alcohol is legal? please explain to me how alcoholics die from a “disease” but we are not allowed to smoke marijuana and it is not even an addictive substance
Good read! Keep up the good work NORML!
@Justin
“how long until it’s legalized so we can just all go point and laugh at the DEA office?”
ROTFL!
The DEA is actually right and wrong. My research has led me to believe that smoked cannabis does NOT have any medicinal value BUT ingested cannabis does. God put it on this earth to help mankind through allot of turmoil, but your body is a temple. Smoke inhalation of any kind is harmful to your health. The DEA and the federal government serve a secret society that is also well aware of this. They have enforced laws ensuring that citizens can only afford to smoke it. Great risk is involved in order to grow enough to eat. Another system the government profits off of- Drug enforcement. Smoke leads to lung cancer, lung cancer leads to medical bills, the government now owns health care…. Do the math. Eating cannabis is actually quite healthy. That’s the way it was meant to be. It’s in the holy bible. Which is written in code some of the time. Learn what your leaders are not telling you, and the truth WILL SET YOU FREE.
[Editor’s note: You may not find cannabis to be medicinal when smoked, but the vast majority of patients who use cannabis prefer smoking (or vaporizing) to ingestion for any number of reasons, from costs to length of medicinal affect to need for immediate onset to self titration.]
Fact #9 is poorly researched to say the least. Portugal is in Europe and is leading the way.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1893946,00.html
I have had an ongoing discussion with a retired DC (Capital hill) policeman that I work with about medical MJ. He knows that I use it, illegally, for my Rheumatoid Arthritis. I haven’t tried to hide it and have discussed it openly.
Last week I changed one thing in our discussions, and his attitude changed, for the better, dramatically. I stopped using the L word, legalize, and instead began to use the term regulate and control. He now understands that it is totally unregulated and is controlled be criminals. He also went home and asked his sons if it was true that it was easier to get MJ in high school than beer.
Today he signed a PUFMM petition.
One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
Fact 3 – Illegal drugs are illegal because they’re dangerous?
Alcohol KILLS 75,000 Americans a year, and addicts 15% of those who use.
Tobacco KILLS 450,000 Americans a year, and addicts 30%.
Cannabis kills ZERO Americans a year, and can cause DEPENDENCE in 10%.
Alcohol & tobacco kill and are addictive, cannabis does not, and is significantly less so. Fact 3 is disproven.
You want to know whats not healthy? Arresting me, giving me economic problems, and throwing me in jail to butt heads with gang-bangers.
It is spring and the Ways and Means Committee is in the process of approving all federal agency budgets. That is why the DEA had to get this out. This propaganda sheet was produced trying to convince the W&MC that the DEA is doing their job well enough to be funded their 2 billion dollar budget.
If you would like to protest the wasting of our tax dollars on an agency that can’t even stop drugs in the prison system:
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/singlepages.aspx?NewsID=10470
On a more cheerful note,the ONDCP is cutting funding too DARE and other school drug education programs,or the W&MC is.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/89853197.html
You have to know that if they are cutting these kind of programs,the money is running out for funding failed programs.
The problem is the DEA thinks it’s OK to tell us what to do with our bodies. IT’S MY body, not YOURS.. I should be able to do whatever I WANT with it as long as I’m not hurting anyone else.. wtf.. They can’t even touch on that topic because there really isn’t anything they can say except THEY control your body wit the blessing of the govt..
Fighting about legality, etc is all good.. but the real fight should be for our bodies.. as much as I don’t like the analogy, it’s a true one.. abortion deals with a womans right to her body, why don’t people who want to use drugs allowed to do what they want with their bodies (provided they aren’t hurting anyone else, which is already illegal anyway (on or off drugs))?? I think this should be the REAL fight.. we are supposed to be constitutionally protected but we’re not.. we don’t even have control of our bodies!
The Dea and government will never legalize cannabis. They would be out of work if they did. They have us to Feed off of and make a living ruining other people’s lives. They’ve been doing it for so long, why quit? These right wing fascists will never give up or surrender, we need to defeat them and drive them into the hills. It’s the only way.
“Ninety-five percent of Americans do not use drugs.”
It’s damn funny when you can see right through the words, though.
Well, do you have the statistics of the Alaska 1990 election and why would voters re criminalize marijuana, also up to the present day in Alaska are you still eligible to possess one ounce?
[Editor’s note: If you mean by statistics the vote total, it is in the blog post (55% Against-44% For) and the link to the NORML state section indicates that cannabis is still decriminalized for one ounce in Alaska.]
idk I am confused, but I still think that the people in the D.E.A. think they are doing the right thing…..we need to stop attacking them like this now normls rebut was good just want we need. we need more heads vs feds talk. It is a shame if the two side would stop being so one sided we would really get some were. and the number ten is terrible to me we are only imprisoning 125000 people for simple po….shut up that is a shit load of people.
I have a few theories.
1. My brother brought this one up. At first, I was like “Nah.” But the more I thought about it…
Who’s to say these cartels haven’t infiltrated us more than we think? What if these cartel leaders have gotten into our politicians’ lives and threatened their families with death if they legitamize pot?
2. They definitely are thinking of their potential job loss, but maybe they see how much some businesses depend on cannabis being illegal – gardening stores and electric compaies are just two examples.
3. With number 2 above in mind, they may feel this needs to be a slow transition so said companies don’t go under. This police state sucks, but regulatiojn needs to be a baby-step gradual process that doesn’t drag our economy the rest of the way down the toilet.
4. They need a new substance to take MJ’s place in the prohibition sector of Washington. They tried it with booze first, which was a miserable failure. When that was over, they moved on to cannabis. I see the next wave, and it is tobacco. Big tobacco’s going down in a big way (with a lot of lies about SHS, just like the lies in the 20’s with beer and the 30’s with weed). Soon, you will see the brown leaf and the green leaf swapping places on the CSA – mark my words.
I say, all of the above points could be very easily worked around. These politicians just don’t want to put the work into it.
to #52 who says:
“The DEA is actually right and wrong. My research has led me to believe that smoked cannabis does NOT have any medicinal value BUT ingested cannabis does.”
nonsense. take a few tokes and feel the deep medicinal bliss. vaporizing is the wave of the next few years. cleared up forty + years of smokers cough.
the dea is evil in action.
peace
so ….
how many people would it take to encircle the dea, tossing flowers, holding hands, tokin reefer and so forth?
levitating the pentagon back in ’67 was one of the flower children’s most memorable pranks. remember abby hoffman? ah nevermind
the idea (everyone is high of course) is that we chant ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm (or sumthin), holding hands and visualize raising the dea off its foundation and twirling it around once or twice before setting it back down.
voila the drug war is over.
make love not war
the other way to quickly get legalization is to get cannabis re-scheduled.
the procedure is simple, and yes that is an angry thousand pound gorilla.
peace
[Editor’s note: Re-scheduling cannabis in the framework of the Controlled Substances Act is hardly easy. It takes, on average, over 15 years, and huge amounts of research and lawyers to force the DEA into rescheduling a once illegal drug. The current and still pending petition to reschedule cannabis was started in 1998….and is found at http://www.drugscience.org]
One of the main reasons why the DEA Continues Trying To Justify Marijuana Prohibition is simply due to the fact that a vast majority of their arrests come from marijuana and with that being said . The DEA is afraid that if marijuana is legalized and taxed that to the DEA means that they would have to cut back on DEA staff and would loose reasons why to be around. The DEA would still have a job if marijuana was legalized and taxed so why again are they worried? Simply put in this day and age their main busts are simple marijuana in which is a easy bust for the DEA . GOD forbid that the DEA actually do their job and have to work to get other things such as meth , perscription pill dealings and other more dangerous drugs other than wasting time , money as well as violating our rights to name but a few. We know that they are full of it and are running out of reasons to keep marijuana in prohibition . So instead of doing so they should be thinking about the good it can do if legalized and taxed in stead of finding reasons and excuses to keep it illegal and in prohibition. We know that now is our time for our voices to be heard and to make a difference . We need to keep on it till they do what is right and that is simply to legalize and tax marijuana. California got the message and is doing something about it to help out their state now why would not other states follow suit? We need to keep up the fight for legalization and taxation of marijuana.
violent drug crimes.
what do they mean by this did they mean to say “more severe drug crimes.
otherwise how could how could drugs in and of themselves be violent, i mean shooting up i guess is violent
do they mean crimes like stealing and stuff?? if so how can you be so sure that they were motivated by drugs and drugs alone.
i think their use of violence, their choice in words is a bit excessive.
if anything the violence is perpetuated by the same laws that the dea seeks to protect
We need a law that states, “The government must not lie to it’s people. For if any official does, means immediate expulsion from government jobs permanently! That fact sheet was 90% untrue, while the 10% can’t be even determined until it is legalized HERE in America!
I think until the government ends Marijuana prohibition, WE THE PEOPLE can’t fully trust our government. There are so many things that need to be fixed and this is one of them!
editor thanks for your response @ #67
i am aware of the history of re-scheduling and past difficulties.
the prez with his signature can re-sched cannabis by 4/20 and de facto legalize now. bingo bango
justice dept trumps dea easily on paper. justice is far from entirely clueless or powerless.
point is stuff gets re-scheduled often enough. there is a long standing procedure on the books to move drugs efficiently up or down (is my understanding).
we need to FORCE them to legalize. if not now when?
thanks again
[Editor’s note: Unfortunately, 1) an Executive Order can’t be employed to abrogate an act of Congress like the CSA, 2) The DOJ does not support legalization, 3) Only a handful of the 535 members of the US Congress/Senate support legalization and can’t move legislation out of sub-committees (even on the issue of medical cannabis), 4) Obama does not support legalization, and 5) the only drugs that have gone down schedule have been the property of pharmaceutical companies (i.e., Marinol) spending tens of millions lobbying the FDA and state regulators.]
an after thought:
the state of hawaii narcotics enforcement division has the power to re-schedule cannabis at the STATE level.
the state recognizes that cannabis has medicinal value (and it follows therefore)that it is NOT a schedule one narcotic.
the police are thugs and not interested in fairness is the impasse.
[Editor’s note: All states can choose not to adopt the CSA from the Feds…is there any real chance of a state voluntarily opting out of the CSA absent advocates suing, passing amending legislation or passing binding voter initiatives? Unfortunately the answer is no.]
but i’d rather levitate the dea.
Ta Hell with the DEA what the f**k happen to USA
WE THE PEOPLE
ed response @ #71:
not trying to abrogate the vicious csa. again, prez has authority to – re-schedule – cannabis.
re-scheduling is not legalization (tho that would be the most likely outcome soon enough).
doj does what it is told.
yes yes money power and vileness rules. time for a cool change.
[Editor’s note: Again, president does not have the authority under the Executive Order to re-schedule cannabis outright (Executive Orders are pursuant to specific legislative authority) and DOJ needs to be told (according to you) by a supportive president. What a very supportive president can do without something as unlikely as an Executive Order is to allow current decisions at the administrative level (ie, Craker vs. DEA) to move forward unchallenged, to expedite the re-scheduling petition known as Gettman, et al vs DEA and to send DOJ/DEA/ONDCP/FBI personnel up the Hill to testify in favor of reform.]
president who supports such.]
response to ed note @ 72:
is there a chance that we can FORCE the ned here in hawaii to re-schedule cannabis quickly? HELL YES – never a better chance.
sir, you do NOT know hawaii like i know hawaii.
li dat
[Editor’s note: If you know HI well than you that Governor Lingle regularly vetoes even mild medical cannabis law reforms and the legislature can’t pass decrim bills out of subcommittee…chances of an Executive Order in HI is no greater than anywhere else, which is to say, unfortunately, not much.]
FUCK YOU DEA!!!!
I find it strange that the nay sayers only speak of “Smoked Marijuana” as having no medical value. it’s a balance of risk versus benifit. Smoke & mirrors as it were. I vaporize myself. I have a small but persistent problem with nausea & occasional vomiting. If I were to take an antiametic for it I would have to waite for a time before it took affect. If I vap ONE toke it takes affect instantly, and last for about 4hrs. I have, and am using cannabis oil to treat & cure skin cancer. Considering the cost of biopsy, and surgery I have saved about $18,000.00. That is what they are afraid of, the rest is just “Smoke & Mirrors”
The United States Code, under Section 811 of Title 21, sets out a process by which cannabis could be administratively transferred to a less-restrictive category or removed from Controlled Substances Act regulation altogether. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) evaluates petitions to reschedule cannabis. However, the Controlled Substances Act gives the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as successor agency of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, great power over rescheduling decisions.
In 2003 The U.S.A.’s Government as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services was awarded a patent on cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants. U.S. Patent 6630507.
Puff! 95% of Americans don’t do drugs? Is that why the pharm industry is THE MOST profitable business in America? If that true then why do we need to wage war on only 5% of Americas citizens that costs over 2 billion annually? JACKASSES..evil men!
The DEA will never convince me that hemp is bad. I use it daily, granted eating it is the way it was meant to be used. Only those who are willing to lay down their rights will never question or even educate themselves, will always just do as their told. Hempcould save our country, our bodies, the planet and get us off fossils, only at the cost of corporate profits. Sadly, it probably will never happen. CANNABIS CURES
thanks again for all your informative responses.
as for executive orders that’s outta my league and is overly legalistic and quibbling. who could possibly know what you are talking about with any certainty (including yourself)? field day for the lawyers iz wot.
my intuition is this: obama has the ways and means to git r done should he choose to do so. you agree!?
my garsh, the man has admitted to enjoying some herb upon occasion. i mean all he has to say is the truth: marijuana has proven medicinal value.
otoh it is likely that the military/cop thing is bigger than he is.
another question is how do we de-fang the dea?
do you know about the levitation of the pentagon in 1967 by the yippies?
peace
ed note response hawaii
i have known linda lingle since the ’70’s when she lived on molokai and hadn’t discovered immaculate grooming or pretense. we have had occasion to converse in some emotional situations over the years.
does she knows her way around a joint? molokai in the 70’s …. molokai today ……..
she has been a terrible governor corrupted by the military corporate monolith. we kicked her arse about a year ago over the awful military boondoggle called the superferry. bye bye superferry and gave her the worst public whuppin of her sad career.
~ ~ ~
IF we can FORCE – required by law – the ned to talk with us in an open forum, then we can begin to reverse the momentum.
look up the song herbal criminal by sashamon
Summary of the Top Ten Facts on Legalization
Fact 1: We have made significant progress in fighting drug use and drug trafficking in America. Now is not the time to abandon our efforts.
The legalization of marijuana does not abandon the fight against drugs,only marijuana.
The Legalization Lobby claims that the fight against drugs cannot be won. However, overall drug use is down by more than a third in the last twenty years, while cocaine use has dropped by an astounding 70 percent. Ninety-five percent of Americans do not use drugs.
This is success by any standards.
Why,when they are defending the continuation of marijuana prohibition do they use other drugs and the statistics concerned with them and offer no proof of success in the fight against marijuana,because they have no success at stopping marijuana,they can’t even stop it in their prison system.
Fact 2: A balanced approach of prevention, enforcement, and treatment is the key in the fight against drugs.
.A successful drug policy must apply a balanced approach of prevention, enforcement and treatment. All three aspects are crucial. For those who end up hooked on drugs, there are innovative programs, like Drug Treatment Courts, that offer non-violent users the option of seeking treatment. Drug Treatment Courts provide court supervision, unlike voluntary treatment centers.
And their budget request for 2011 reflects little to no change in policy and is far from balanced,because their request for enforcement and imprisonment is much more than their requests for treatment and prevention.
Fact 3: Illegal drugs are illegal because they are harmful.
There is a growing misconception that some illegal drugs can be taken safely. For example, savvy drug dealers have learned how to market drugs like Ecstasy to youth. Some in the Legalization Lobby even claim such drugs have medical value, despite the lack of conclusive scientific evidence.
Again,they can only use other drugs and their harm to bolster up their argument and imply harm from marijuana. And there is more scientific evidence that marijuana is a medicine that they ignore,and some of it has come from harm studies they paid for with our tax dollars.
Fact 4: Smoked marijuana is not scientifically approved medicine. Marinol, the legal version of medical marijuana, is approved by science.
According to the Institute of Medicine, there is no future in smoked marijuana as medicine. However, the prescription drug Marinol-a legal and safe version of medical marijuana which isolates the active ingredient of THC-has been studied and approved by the Food & Drug Administration as safe medicine. The difference is that you have to get a prescription for Marinol from a licensed physician. You can’t buy it on a street corner, and you don’t smoke it.
The recently completed studies by CMCR debunks this whole statement and they only partially use the AMA’s position on marijuana,using one line from the AMA’s recommendation and ignoring their request that marijuana be removed from Schedule 1 so that it could be studied more thoutoughly.
Fact 5: Drug control spending is a minor portion of the U.S. budget. Compared to the social costs of drug abuse and addiction, government spending on drug control is minimal.
Again,they use the totals
The Legalization Lobby claims that the United States has wasted billions of dollars in its anti-drug efforts. But for those kids saved from drug addiction, this is hardly wasted dollars. Moreover, our fight against drug abuse and addiction is an ongoing struggle that should be treated like any other social problem. Would we give up on education or poverty simply because we haven’t eliminated all problems? Compared to the social costs of drug abuse and addiction-whether in taxpayer dollars or in pain and suffering-government spending on drug control is minimal.
Again,they use statistics from all drugs to justify their stance on marijuana. And the costs of the prohibition of marijuana ,added to the cost that this agency and the entire bureaucratic empire that feeds from the prohibition trough is not a minamal amount.
Fact 7: Crime, violence, and drug use go hand-in-hand.
Crime, violence and drug use go hand in hand. Six times as many homicides are committed by people under the influence of drugs, as by those who are looking for money to buy drugs. Most drug crimes aren’t committed by people trying to pay for drugs; they’re committed by people on drugs.
Where are the statistics of people under the influence of marijuana when they committed the crime?
And 95% of the violence in the US that is involved with marijuana is committed by law enforcement,just doing their jobs.
Fact 8: Alcohol has caused significant health, social, and crime problems in this country, and legalized drugs would only make the situation worse.
The Legalization Lobby claims drugs are no more dangerous than alcohol. But drunk driving is one of the primary killers of Americans. Do we want our bus drivers, nurses, and airline pilots to be able to take drugs one evening, and operate freely at work the next day? Do we want to add to the destruction by making drugged driving another primary killer?
These people are incapable of telling the truth or sticking to the subject.there are no statistics available to prove that marijuana usage and driving are major factors in accidents on our highways.
Fact 9: Europe’s more liberal drug policies are not the right model for America.
The Legalization Lobby claims that the “European Model” of the drug problem is successful. However, since legalization of marijuana in Holland, heroin addiction levels have tripled. And Needle Park seems like a poor model for America.
Again,we don’t inject marijuana nor do we use heroin to scare America into keeping marijuana illegal. Only an agency whose budget is justified by marijuana remaining illega would skew statistics and muddy the water with other problems that are not present or caused by marijuana.
Fact 10: Most non-violent drug users get treatment, not jail time.
The Legalization Lobby claims that America’s prisons are filling up with users. Truth is, only about 5 percent of inmates in federal prison are there because of simple possession. Most drug criminals are in jail-even on possession charges-because they have plea-bargained down from major trafficking offenses or more violent drug crimes.
This is a lie. And the federal prison system is not the only prison system in America.
The problem here is a bigger picture than just cannabis reform. It’s about giving people back their rights and liberties. This is something no govt wants to do since they work so hard to take it away.
People these days are brainwashed into believing that power comes from the govt as do our liberties (eg ‘You’re now allowed to grow 3 cannabis plants for personal use’), instead of the way it was rightfully meant to be which is the govt’s power comes from the People, and that power is only what the People specifically grant (eg ‘We the People feel that cannabis is right for us, you enforce existing laws that protect People from one another and leave situations where there is no victim alone’).
So, we’re fighting for more than just cannabis reform, we’re actually fighting to have our rights and liberties as they pertain to our bodies restored.
I posted this before, but it still applies. I watched during the great health care debates, a GOP congressman (IA – Stevens) rant on and on about how our bodies were given from God and how does the govt have the right to legislate what we do with our bodies, etc etc.. so I went and checked his position on cannabis and of course he is against legalization. How can the man stand there ranting about our bodies being our own, and at the same time be against us exercising our liberties to do what we want with our body?
They’re not afraid of legalizing MJ. They’re afraid of the affects MJ will have on the population. Alcohol is OK because it whips up an emotional state that can be used to invoke fear, rage, or any other manipulative state that is desired. That can’t be done with MJ because the affects are opposite to that of alcohol. It makes people happy, laugh, be friendly, etc. How can the govt control through manipulation and ‘us vs them’ mentalities a population who would be laid back and willing to help one another, laugh and enjoy life?
Some of this thought process can be seen when you read the transcripts of Nixon’s oval office… he doesn’t come right out and say the above but I think you can infer the fear being there while reading what he is saying about cannabis..
It’s a CONTROL ISSUE. They don’t want to give up control of our bodies, minds, and emotions.
When is anyone from the DEA going to stand and have an open, honest, public debate with NORML, MPP, or even LEAP? I and 30 million pot smokers want this,NOW. I am not a scientist or a cop but I can argue and disproove 9 out of the ten DEA facts myself. I say keep meth, coke, chieva and other hard drugs against the law and have a bounty on their dealers but FREE the WEED.
95% don’t use drugs? This statement does not pass the common sense test.
If this WERE true, then they stick their foot in their mouths, due to the fact that the latest polls now show that over 50% of the US populace wants cannabis regulated and taxed. I mean…a majority want legalization, when only 5% of our population smokes weed? That right there is a detriment to their tyrannical cause. (Give a gov’t agency enough rope…)
Now if they would have said illegal drugs, then yeah, I could see that. But they obviously and conveniently “forgot” to mention prescriptions, tobacco, alcohol, and fumes from all the paint and gas people inhale for a legal high.
These facts ARE awful and obviously ignorant of certain truths. Now, I don’t know if intentional, but I hope it’s not because they just didn’t think about it. Ferserious. Needle parks don’t exist anymore, but as i hear they DID work incredibly well. No junky wants to mess with a good thing. It was just kind of what you may call an eye sore. Understandable, but there’s always the option of oh, i don’t know…looking away.
I just don’t want to see herion in this argument and so telling of the kind of mind that publishes this crap to say “It didn’t work for heroin, why should it work for marijuana?”
Juvenile…pathetic. Moving on.
And on violence/crime related to the ganja?
Well…legalize it and see how many thugs we have to run with to get our stuff.
This’ll change. They’ll hate you or they’ll praise you. Like the rising sun this won’t be stopped. Might not be now, might not be november, but this’ll change.
moving on
ps.
I think in Holland they legalized ALL drugs when they legalized MJ. So umm…well I mean…yeah.
Like, personal possession of any drug is cool there. I think that’s the whole of the law. This list wants you to think it’s the pot that tripled heroin use, but I’d venture to say that maybe it was the legalization of heroin use that did it.
just a thought
then alcohol needs to be illegal. That’s fair. Alcohol is bad stuff dudes and kills a lot of people all over the world.
time and time again the dea has proven to be beyond the law.
MAKE ME is their attitude.
cannabis legalization needs to be spearhead of the personal freedom movement.
pursue your happiness.
Definition: Ludicrous, adj. ridiculous.
I saw an television interview on MSNBC with the Director of the White House Office of Drug Control Policy, the Drug Czar, Mr. Gil Kerlikowske. On the subject of State governments getting revenue from marijuana sales, he claimed the idea was ludicrous. The host said to Mr. Kerlikowske, “ Shouldn’t we just try to figure how to get a cut of the money exchanged ( from marijuana sales).” Mr. Kerlikowske replied, “”Well, the debate would make very little sense for a whole lot of reasons. First the Rand Corporation took a hard look at what California said they could actually tax and make on this and they have huge questions and find that foundation weak. For instance alcohol, we get about a dollar in taxes and spend about eight dollars in social and healthcare and criminal justice costs. To think that we would make money or someone would make money is ludicrous.”
I almost do not know where to begin! Taken as they are Mr. Kerlikowske’s comments are as clear as mud. What Rand Corporation study? California’s legislators and economists estimate 1.4 billion dollars in revenue yearly. I find it hard to believe California’s experts could be 100% wrong in their estimates. Mr. Kerlikowske goes on to cite the social costs of alcohol. That would be relevant if we were talking about alcohol, but we weren’t, we were talking about marijuana. A drug that results in zero overdose deaths per year. A drug that despite 14 years of medical marijuana in California has resulted in no increase in domestic violence or traffic accidents. As far as criminal justice costs, there will be none with legalization.
I have to agree with what Mr. Kerlikowske said in the beginning of the interview about the debate on making revenue off marijuana sales to be one that makes little sense. The way I see it Mr. Kerlikowske’s comments on the debate and the whole issue of marijuana are what make little sense. I realize the Drug Czar has a hard job. Being required to say things about something that you know not to be true is always difficult.
Were it not that the Drug Czar is required to lie, by the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, about any drug that is listed as schedule 1, as marijuana is, we might be able to believe what he says but as it is now , everything he says on the subject is circumspect.
The Federal Government’s position on marijuana and the lengths it is willing to go to keep up the charade of marijuana prohibition is what is truly ludicrous!
Allen How is it possible to stand before any judge in the land and they cannot see the truth and realize the crime is the law. why must the people pay for the crime they commit? Hemp is our green economy and a vital health care resigme for all human life. I mean come on We have tens of thousands of bodies of proof and they have 0. SHOW ME A BODY
Glenn Beck finally said he got this from Gandi Find your anvil of truth and beat it with a hammer of non violence. Hemp is such an anvil and the people that believe and know the truth are a hammer of non violence.
When Kerli speaks about marijuana and legalization,is it that he is doing his job or protecting his bowl of rice?
When your bureaucratic agency uses marijuana as justification for over 70% of its budget,how do you get congress to give you your budget if it is legalized and removed from your basket?
The amazing thing about the DEA paper,it only mentions marijuana by name 3 times in the whole document but infers that damage and harm caused by other drugs is marijuana’s fault 7 or 8 times.
This issue should be linked to the health care bill in the framework of ‘personal liberties’ for those protesting the govt trying to ‘force’ people to buy health care. The are up in arms about protecting our health (supposedly) by keeping cannabis illegal, yet they don’t want to provide health care? How do you support a hypocritical stance like that. Also, how about all the politicians who use the excuse of ‘our bodies are our own’ to fight the health care issue. We should target all of those who are using these types of arguments to point out their hypocrisy while they are trying to play games with votes and constituents.
The great health care debate, the comments that were made, etc are great ammunition to use as a personal liberty stance for legalization. If our bodies are truly our own, and the govt shouldn’t be legislating health care, then it should also not be legislating what we can put into them!
The angle being used right now will never work since it is trying to use scientific evidence to fight the ‘reefer madness’ propaganda that has been around for 60+ years. We need to fight for our personal rights of our bodies much like woman have done for abortion. Having the comments from all the health care arguments is like them handing us ammunition to use against them. Their own words!
Go do some research on your local politicians see what they have said about this whole thing and if there are comments that could be used. Come back here and post them if so.. (homework lol)..
#91 – Words
That’s a huge misconception about the Netherlands. Drugs, including cannabis, are still quite illegal. However, the gov’t there has broken drugs down to two catagories – hard and soft. The soft drugs are looked at as no big deal, but harder drugs are stigmatized. Up until recently, shrooms were placed in the soft drugs catagory with pot – now only MJ is listed as a soft drug. Their policy on cannabis is – grow it if you like, smoke it in the cafes if you wish, so long as you are not either selling it or causing a nuisance. Go there, and you will see people smoking a joint on the corner or on a park bench with cops walking by not giving a second look (or a care, for that matter). But you see no one snorting coke or shooting heroin. In fact, when I visited with my wife and her mom, this guy lit up a fatty right next to my M.I.L. She got one helluva contact buzz, and was starving by the time diinner rolled around. She’s all anti-pot, too, so that made it all that much more intertaining.
I want to know how the hell they measure drug use across America? I mean most people keep their drug use private and tend not to tell many other people unless they are also marijuana smokers as well. I want to see where the DEA got their information and if it is even a reputable source.
worse than ludicrous
vicious and evil
In comes the new BOSS and same as the OLD BOSS.
Same lies, different day. How long can they keep up this campaign of ignorance and obfuscation?
i smell BULLSHIT
those lying f**ks have helped deal drugs, the CIA too
#92 Fort Worth, Tx Says:
April 6th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
“then alcohol needs to be illegal….”
@#92:
That was tried once already,
but I know what you’re saying…
Pot needs to be LESS ILLEGAL than alcohol 😉
All L.E. efforts to suppress cannabis end up
driving people towards the more-dangerous,
(yet, ironically legal), booze…!!!
The irony is that they associate the word “Justice” with their name…
The issue here is one of personal liberty in my opinion. If the govt can’t mandate we buy health care, then the govt shouldn’t be able to mandate we can’t put cannabis in our bodies. What RIGHT do they have to tell us what we can do with our bodies no matter how ‘dangerous’ they want to tell us it is?? They are purporting to have power over our BODIES…! It has nothing to do with anything else in my opinion. A woman can have an abortion, but we can’t smoke marijuana?? WTF is up with that?? Why haven’t these angles of attack been used yet?? What gives the govt ANY right to supposedly protect us from ‘ourselves’? Do we all need to be put into an asylum to protect us?? WTF that argument is so old and ridiculous it’s stupid. If they really wanted to protect ‘kids’ (their other argument) then alcohol would be illegal, but this argument doesn’t fly in the face of dictating what we can do with our BODIES and personal LIBERTY!! It’s friggin UNCONSTITUTIONAL!
I think marijuana should be legalized. The DEA are morons and they should be worried about more hardcore drugs for example crack, meth and heroin!!!!!
#97 claygooding Says:
April 7th, 2010 at 8:22 am
“…The amazing thing about the DEA paper,
it only mentions marijuana by name 3 times in the whole document
but infers that damage and harm caused by other drugs is marijuana’s fault 7 or 8 times.”
RE: #97
What the DEA is doing there is known as conflation,
false-attribution through vague-association with other things more harmful…
– This was how cannabis was made illegal in the first place.
Less than 5 years following the repeal of Prohibition 1.0,
the worst-case effects of alcohol-intoxication were being falsely-attributed to cannabis,
and voila, “Reefer Madness”…
I love how fact five basically says, ‘if you legalize marijuana you won’t have to pay taxes for criminal processing OR the DEA!’ If prohibition is repealed then a large branch of the government won’t have any reason to exist.
Okay, so I must say that I have been very disappointed in our government over the past few years, and the lies that do not stop. We have been lied to since th 1930’s about what cannabis does to us, we are lied to about how dangerous drugs in general are. I for one and sick of the lies that our own government tells us, it’s not right to lie and use false justification, it makes us look bad as a nation.
The D.E.A really needs to get their facts straight. Ive conducted a little scientific experiment of my own, the results will never become public knowledge because I lack the funding and the sponsorship. I personally smoked pot all day everyday for 6 years and wanted to record the negative effects. 3 years smoking bad quality mexican dirt weed, 2 1/2 years smoking commercial nugget, or what the cops refer to as B.C Bud. And 6 months smoking california’s most potent medicinal marijuana. All day, everyday. These are the facts, and im afraid the world is light years behind. (1 Yes, I hate to admit it but marijuana can be harmful to ones health both physical and mental.
2)The negative effects seem to very from user to user with a great majority of users experiencing none at all!
3)Marijuana when used under certain circumstances IS ADDICTING and kicking the habbit can be nearly impossible.
4) Marijuana policies wreak more havock on users then the drug itself ever could.
5) All laws aside, Marijuana use can be a blessing or a curse depending on the mindset of the user.
6) Marijuana DOES have medicinal value and in it’s natural form, IS safer then any other drug on the market, legal or not.
7)Marijuana was meant to be EATEN not smoked.
8) Smoking marijuana constantly wether you smoke tobacco or not CAN and most likely will cause lung cancer.
9) Attempting to separate the THC from the plant for medicinal use in the form of a pill is a bad idea. Ingesting the pill constantly is like playing russian roulette with your brain. Best to stick to the plant itself.
10) Marijuana withdrawl is REAl. It happens after the user has smoked for several days straight and then quits right away. The effects of this withdrawl are quite mild, but are not pleasant none the less.
11) Marijuana is safer then alcohol and should be legal and regulated like alcohol. This is certainly not the drug you want your kids to be able to obtain. As fact #12 is a doozy.
12) Marijuana consumption under the age of 18 is a life disaster waiting to happen. Under no circumstances should any kids indulge in this drug. There is no reason for me to believe that occasional adult use is harmful.
13) The pro’s far outweigh the cons, and when used responsibly, marijuana can be quite healthy for the mind, body and soul.
14) We should welcome marijuana into our society with open arms but frown on addiction because contrary to popular belief- Too much Marijuana can be a bad thing.
Sorry factsstraight you need to get yours straight.
First, there has not been a single incidence of lung cancer attributed to cannabis use. If there was it would have been dragged all over every DEA report as causing lung cancer. The reason cigarettes cause cancer is not because you are smoking tobacco, but because of the fertilizer used to grow the crops. The fertilizer has low levels of radioactive components (polonium I believe) that slowly poison and destroy your lungs and other organs. This is the same thing that was given to that russian spy who died a few years ago from radiation poisoning.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/01/opinion/01proctor.html
Addiction is a personality ‘disorder’ unless something is physically addicting which cannabis is NOT. Habit forming yes, physically addicting NO. If you have even a slightly addictive personality it can become a problem but this is where ‘responsible’ use comes into play.
I’m not even sure what you’re talking about in #9. Marinol? It doesn’t make sense whatever you’re saying.
Same with #7, where are you getting your information? I’m for vaporizers myself but where is your source for this information?
Many of your other statements I agree with, but the ones I listed above aren’t correct or don’t have scientific backup to be used as an argument. Kind of like the DEA’s comments.
You can’t fight bullshit with bullshit or personal experience. You can only fight it with scientific evidence.
However, this whole argument is not about how healthy it is for you, it’s about whether or not you truly control your own body and have the right to do with it as you will. WHO gave the govt the power to control what you put into your body? WHY can you put alcohol / prescription drugs and not cannabis? WHY aren’t other harmful chemicals banned such as saturated fat, high fructose corn syrup, and many preservatives illegal?
The war on drugs is a war on our rights to our own bodies. That’s the bottom line, any other argument is going around this issue. Women have fought this fight for decades (abortion) and are probably used to fighting for the rights of their bodies. We on the other hand haven’t even scratched this area (males) from what I can see.
So factsstraight, what kind of tests have you done to verify your results? I’m not calling you a liar or saying anything negative about your research, it’s just that we need to have concrete evidence to get people moving forward. Anecdotal research will only hinder us in the legal avenues necessary for reform. As much as I hate to say it, the will of the people alone is simply not enough in these times. We need hard facts, coupled with open-minded politicians and a lot of money to change the current laws. Any chink in the armor of our arguments will be our downfall.
Why is the D.E.A. justifying the war on Cannabis, shouldn’t that be the responsibility of our legislators to further provide reasons for the continued war??? The DEA is responsible for enforcing the law, not to pursue a political agenda…
#113
hey fun scientific research project.
i know many people over sixty who have been tokin almost every day for forty + years
keep those cannabinoid receptors firing
GOD BLESS AMERICA; HOME SWEAT HOME, LAND THAT I LOVE, STAND BESIDE HER AND GUIDE HER, WITH THE LIGHT FROM THE LIGHT FROM ABOVE. We are “Free American Genesists,” and we believe in God and country. We believe in liberty and justice for all, and we intend to keep it that way. Anybody got a problem with that?
We are vehemently opposed to the prohibition of our Holy Sacrament – but – we rcognize that the antidote to this abuse of formal government is [the influence of private character and the growth of the individual]. The private mind has access to the totality of goodness and truth, that it may be a balance to a corrupt government.
The office of America is to liberate, to abolish kingcraft, caste, monopoly, to pull down the gallows, to burn the bloody statute book, to take the imigrant, to open the doors of the sea and the fields of the earth.
Here we stand! in the middle of this Garden of Eden we call America, with our feet planted firmly smack dab flat on free ground. We hold heaven in one hand and hell in the other. Only our action can justify our beliefs. It’s not what comes [to] us in life, it’s what comes [from] us. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness. Logos Nous is a badge of servitude to God’s spirit “within.” Sacro sanct: all power comes from God. The human spirit is more powerful that the strongest drug. The human spirit survives itself. Hell is a place where there is [no] hope. Whoever [is] selling us hope [is] beguiling us…again!
“When the people fear the government, there’s tyranny. When the government fears ther people, there’s liberty.” Thomas Jefferson.
VOTE VOTE VOTE COME NOVEMBER remember who opposes medical marijuana and replace them. e-mail your reps and let them know you will fire them. we can not just sit back and let someone else do it we need to get registered to VOTE. it’s our right use it.
in response to truth2freedom:
from the webMD web site
“May 23, 2006 — People who smoke marijuana do not appear to be at increased risk for developing lung cancer, new research suggests.
While a clear increase in cancer risk was seen among cigarette smokers in the study, no such association was seen for regular cannabis users.”
So, no smoking pot does not actually equate to lung cancer. In fact this study, and other studies, has found that the active “ingredient” in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol, has been shown to reduce the size of tumors.
“Cellular studies and even some studies in animal models suggest that THC has antitumor properties, either by encouraging the death of genetically damaged cells that can become cancerous or by restricting the development of the blood supply that feeds tumors, Tashkin tells WebMD.”
Now, neither I, nor the doctors who performed this study, would suggest that you smoke to help prevent, nor cure cancer. I say this because the rapid oxidation of any carbon rich chemical, i.e. burning, will cause the release of carcinogens.
This same study also finds that it does in-fact have medicinal properties. Other studies have found many other medicinal uses for the substance. The problem is most of these have been performed outside of the US due to the strict controls imposed by our government. Judging by the information coming in from other countries I believe a great number of uses could be shown for this “product.” The last I knew you couldn’t get permission to do chemical analysis here in the states, from the feds anyway.
A damning indictment:
Walters, McCaffrey, et al., need to experience the same types of slow,
agonizing debilitation from the same types of illnesses worse-case medi-cann patients endure;
for which these so-called “drug-warriors” fail to show compassion towards,
by interfering with their choice of remedy…
A plant which has been utilized safely for over 5 millennia…
re: #48 Stevo
You bring up good points .marijuana has never killed anybody. The change of an alcoholic dyeing form alcohol abuse is way higher. The problem is people have most likely seen a alcoholic firsthand and sadly are amuned to them. a lot of people who don’t personally know the side effect or know anyone who does only has a understanding of it from the media witch play it out to be 10times worse . We need to educate people on the side effect and maybe then more sates will change there laws.
I’m surprised the DEA don’t release a remake of the propaganda film “REEFER MADNESS” The original made many ludicrious insinuations including one drag of a marijuana cigarette {called a reefer by drug fiends}can cause madness.How they can say drug control spending is a minor portion of government budget is beyond me maybe they aren’t including the money pumped into keeping drugs illegal by tobacco alcohol and pharmacutical intrests.The people who believe the DEA claims are no doubt the same who believe the CIA were justified and right to find themselves innocent of the charges of drug trafficking /handling brought about through the Freeway Ricky Ross setup and Gary Webbs facinating book “Dark Alliance” The then Director of the CIA (may still be)even had a veteran DEA agent reveal that he had documental proof of and personal experiances of ,naming 3,CIA operations bringing plane loads of cocaine into America.The documentary film “Americas War On Drugs (the last white hope)is a must see for anyone who believes drugs are illegal because the law makers want to protect us from the dangers of drugs It is a very informative eye opener that gives us a glimpse of how we are and have been hoodwinked by the propaganda machine on what is and has happened since Nixon declared WAR ON DRUGS and for me it explained valid reasons on why marijuana especially is illegal. REMEMBER FOLKS MARIJUANA WILL GET YOU THROUGH TIMES OF NO MONEY BETTER THAN MONEY WILL GET YOU THROUGH TIMES OF NO MARIJUANA. Plus before i go this is one of my favourite quotes “JAIL FOR GROWING A PLANT” the gypsie laughed and one question “IF WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO USE CANNABIS THEN WHY ON EARTH DO WE HAVE CANNABOID RECEPTORS?”
The DEA is totally wrong about what they are trying to pursue with the public. They don’t have enough information to vote on this issue. The DEA should give the people voting more information about what they are trying to keep illegal. It says that marijuana is a schedule one narcotic but it really isn’t because it has never hurt or killed anyone. Also, fact number 8 says “Alcohol has caused significant health, social, and crime problems in this country, and legalized drugs would only make the situation worse” this statement is so biased and untrue it really makes me laugh. They can’t even compare marijuana and alcohol because it’s two totally different drugs. As for fact number six, marijuana is not an addicting drug like heroin, and cocaine because you can’t withdraw from it and it is not harmful like other drugs. This list of facts is all opinions and the DEA should show proof of this when they are this serious about keeping it legal.
we dont care what the fda “approves” as in the past people have died by their advice/approval. We as citizens want the medicine we have chosen as given to us by god. So stand with us or be voted out. Its time for more formal approach to this culture war. The berlin wall fell and so shall these herb laws. What if chiles were made illegal…..exactly and we put people in jail for having too many chiles. Well you could get sick from to many chiles but you count never ingest enough to do your body that same harm with marijuana so how the fuck has this law stood for so long.
WE THE PEOPLE MUST LOBBY HARDER THAN ALL OF THE INTeREST(S) who have kept us from making the change and destroyed so many lives.
HArd drugs are bad but not as damaging as the laws created to discourage their use, and i think most people know by now Pot is no more a drug than ginseng is. So stand the fuck up people!!!!!!
dea knows where its headed beer and pot will be the same soon and I cant believe they would want to stop it, the people they see involved with major drugs are far more criminal than any marijuana user, so why wouldnt they want to focus on the major problems in which the agency was created for. Drugs that actually harm and hurt rather than heal and relax the user.
This bullshit must end in our lifetime
Let’s all just get a grip on the PC BS here.
If Marijuana had been discovered in an Amazonian rain forest, Oprah would
be doing weekly specials on it. Loudly proclaiming each facet of it’s
miraculous ability to relieve suffering.
But no, the owner of a news paper chain (Hurst) had to abuse his position
of influence and distribute propaganda demonizing not only one of the
worlds safest medicinally active substances but a whole nationality as
well. The worst part is that it was probably all because he felt his
manhood threatened after catching his wife smoking a joint with their
Mexican gardener one afternoon.
Marijuana prohibition is Wrong for the same reason Alcohol prohibition was
Wrong. “You should not try to enforce your moral views on others”. Wait,
I know, I know, you’re just trying to help someone avoid what you see as a
bad decision. Let’s flip the original statement around for a second, so
you can get a better feel for it’s True meaning. “You should not try to
enforce your moral views on me”. Exactly the same statement, just from the
other end of the finger.
Think about that for a full minute, read it again, so you hear it in your
own inner voice, I’ll wait, it’s worth it.
Think about it, honestly, what if You (as in someone with prohibitionist
leanings, ;)) learned that a particular plant, one that you could easily
grow in your own garden, would relieve many of the side effects caused by
the chemicals proscribed by doctors? A plant, so safe, that a person
couldn’t physically consume enough of it to cause an overdose if they
tried (now contrast that with the safety of the proscribed chemicals).
Would You HONESTLY, feel that it was “in Your best interest” to have
another group take that option away from you or someone you love? Are You,
(said prohibitionist You ;)) actually OK with watching someone suffer
needlessly when all it would take from You to relieve it would be to just
step out of the way? No actual work mind you, not one thin dime. Simply
stop denying your neighbors their Right to decide something for
themselves, that in all reality, has no measurable affect on your quality
of life, but can make all the difference in the world to theirs.
Prohibition has been tried many times throughout history and failed
miserably on every occasion. Ruling governments typically take fairly
predictable paths; eventually they admit the costs (political, budgetary,
social)(yes the order is intentional) are unsustainable, prohibition is
repealed, and the Government and The People move forward working together
(as originally intended!), or, the Government moves “progressively”
(beware of that word!) to take increasingly “protective” positions, The
People decide “enough is enough” and they replace said government.
We The People, and most especially our Government, are at a pivotal moment
in our nation’s history. We The People could continue abdicating our
responsibilities, the way the States have, and allow the Federal
Government to decide what’s best for Us, or, We The People, can decide to
accept the responsibilities The Framers of Our Constitution intended Us to
have and return Our Government to it’s Original purpose. That’s the thing
about Responsibilities and Rights, they’re a package deal. Deny the
former, you forfeit the later.
Remember, our Government requires Us to accept responsibility for
controlling It. The price for failure is Our government controlling Us.
hmm well thats why its been proven in Holland they are harder on cocaine and heroin users but allow ORGANIC substances legal, and they have a lower arrest and crime rate. Greast stats DEA where’s your proof? oh yea you have none
I don’t see why so many NORML supporters favor the taxation and regulation. It really is shocking. There is NO REASON why something that could grow naturally and be legally limited to P2P transactions (no merchants!) should be taxed at all. The government has too much money already, and provides NO USEFUL GOODS OR SERVICES for what they’re paid. The DEA itself surely furnishes some of the most monsterous evidence of this fact. To accept the idea of taxation on weed is to consent to further parasitism by a bloated worm which has gorged itself on blood and innocence for too long already. NO ONE WHO SUPPORTS UNJUSTIFIED TAXATION IS MODERATE.
[Editor’s note: Realistic reformers recognize that cannabis, like alcohol, tobacco and caffeine products, is going to be taxed if legal. Cannabis growers and consumers who don’t want to pay taxes on cannabis can grow their own, but it is totally unrealistic–both politically and economically–to believe that cannabis sold at the retail level is not taxable.]
Legalization means, primarily, that a person is free to grow what he, his family and friends want to enjoy — some biiiig phat righteous buds.
Under those circumstances prices and taxes aren’t a factor. Capitalism can p!$$ off too.
Some city people would rather just pay but supply/demand will rule the price.
taxes yeah sure.
How about we follow the fallacy that engaging in activities that are potentially unhealthy warrents prison and coercive rehabilitation….Fat people belong in prison and so does most of the people in the food industry as well as all the people farmers who grow it. You see, all of these activities are causing a huge increase in heart disease which we all know is a leading cause of death.
Everyone who does not conform to some authorities definition of a healthy life belongs in prison. They deserve to suffer 10 fold what their own acts cause in themselves.
Excellent. I will stand on the post and make my self the king of all since I know what is best for you.
Eat it and suffer my wrath you fat pigs.
The DEA is an organized harassment and bullying campaign perpetrated by the government—bought and paid for with tax dollars. It’s a government agency whose mission is to ruin people’s lives.
From March to September 2010, I was the object of a surveillance / spying / discrimination / organized harassment / sexual harassment campaign—including invasion of privacy, breaking and entering, bugging my apartment, viewing, observation, spying, surveillance, voyeuring, and gawking—also pro-active harassment, haranguing, heckling, hounding, taunting, pestering, tormenting, sleep deprivation, tampering, stealing, bullying and terrorizing—and attempted brainwashing. I don’t know if it was approved by a judge under false pretenses.
Here’s what was said (through the wall of my living room—and out the windows and doors of other units, and outside in the parking lot): While in my bed in my apartment—“He’s fucking himself” (hundreds of times). “That mother-fucker is fucking himself.” “That mother-fucker is fucked-up” (hundreds of times). “That cocksucker—” (hundreds of times). “Look—he’s rock-hard.” “He’s hard as a rock—look” (hundreds of times). “He’s gonna cum!—look!” “He’s gonna shoot the wad!—look!” “Look—he’s cumming!” “Look—he’s cumming—right now!—out in public!” (hundreds of times). “Look—he’s cumming—right now!—out in public!—while smoking a cigarette!” There were numerous, frequent comments on my urinating, defecating, showering, shaving and grooming habits—in the bathroom. The harassers used various types of equipment and gizmos—some type of high-tech infrared or “see-through-the-wall” camera recording equipment, ultrasound, or “bugs,” to view me and amplify the “sound” of my heartbeat. They ramped-up the amperage and volume of my heartbeat to titillate, broadcast, and show me off to the invited parties of visitors frequently during the daytime, also every night.
I was employed aa a University professor for 22 years, and was a resident of that rented condominium unit for 17 years. My landlady, a member of the condo board, told me repeatedly that she had never received a complaint about me or noise emanating from my apartment. When I asked him if I made any noises that bothered him, my neighbor immediately downstairs responded no, that I was “quiet as a mouse.” Whatever I was doing in my apartment, I was minding my own business, I wasn’t breaking any laws, I wasn’t making any noises, and I wasn’t bothering anyone.
In the privacy of my own home, I was viewed, all-night-long, every-night–like a wild animal on display in a cage at the zoo–by possibly 200, 300, 400, or 800 persons, or maybe even more, viewing me in my bed—my neighbors, friends and family members of the harassers (unit B-202, “kitty-corner” next-door downstairs), their acquaintances and invitees, coworkers and colleagues of mine at my workplace, and total strangers. I recognized the voices of many colleagues I worked with for more than 20 years. There are plenty of witnesses.
Disparaging comments and inappropriate judgements were made whenever I was reading the newspaper or the mail, or writing, when I was preparing food, eating, washing the dishes, urinating, defecating, flatulating, burping, smoking, showering, shaving, relaxing, taking a nap, getting an erection, sleeping, or trying to sleep—also constant negative, derogatory, derisive comments and criticisms on my build, physique, weight, age, diet, dress, grooming, looks and appearance.
Yes, I am old, alone, lonely, skinny, underweight, depressed and horny—and have ailments and physical problems expected in a senior citizen—but I’m not crazy, not a criminal, not a psycho, not a sex pervert, not a child molester, not a drunk, and not a drug addict. I have no criminal record.
In contrast to what they were claiming, I was not in possession of and not using any illegal street drugs, not abusing prescription drugs, not abusing over-the-counter medications, not abusing lawful vitamins and herbal nutrition supplements, and not abusing parsley. Such claims were total, slanderous fabrications.
Well, OK–so I happen to like parsley and do eat a lot of it. On that remote island, where much of the produce in the supermarkets is limp, wilted, inedible, or outright rotten–not to mention vastly overpriced–fresh parsley was one of the few greens available that I could count on sometimes. What’s wrong with eating a salad comprising mostly parsley?–when that’s all that’s available? How is this the business of the neighbors—or of the government? Is this probable cause for surveillance or allegations of abuse?
To the contrary, they were breaking and entering, tampering with and stealing my lawful prescription medications, tampering with and stealing my over-the-counter medications, adulterating and stealing my vitamins and lawful herbal nutrition supplements, tampering with and adulterating my foods, and tampering with my cigarettes and cigarette lighter—and suggesting repeatedly that I commit suicide. They also suggested that I might get hit, injured or killed “accidentally” in a hit-and-run.
The government harassers further violated my privacy by putting their viewing / recording of my every move up on a WiFi network or LAN—so that everyone could follow along on their cellphones, laptops—and maybe on some internet site—and join in the slander, defamation, harassment, haranguing, tormenting and taunting every time I made a move in my apartment, or turned over in my bed, got an erection, showered, shaved, or tried to urinate in front of an audience, went outside the door of my unit for a smoke, or walked down to my car.
Later on groups spied on me remotely over the WiFi connection in other condo units. From mainly “kitty-corner” next-door downstairs in B-202, the harassers / haranguers / viewers / gawkers expanded and intensified their spying / surveillance / slander / public defamation operations via the WiFi connection to other units, including but not necessarily limited to B-112, B-113 and B-115, across the quadrangle, so that more people and larger groups could be accommodated, including professors, administrators, and various other officials, elected and appointed, who could then view me anonymously–like an animal on exhibit in a cage at the zoo–without my hearing them and recognizing their voices. However, I did observe them coming-and-going.
Turning an official, secret government surveillance operation into a fun community party / public event for all the neighbors, coworkers and relatives, and even total strangers, with coolers of beer, barbequed ribs, takeout pizzas, and bring-your-own-chairs, and then putting my every private move inside my apartment, and every erection in my bed, urination in my bathroom, defecation, showering, etc., up on a WiFi network to entertain, sensationalize and titillate crowds–for everyone on two islands to gawk at, bully me, and harass me about, definitely constitutes official government malfeasance, misconduct and wrongdoing by employees on-the-job and on-the-clock of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, encouraged by and together with high-level administrators and officials of the island government and the island university, in collusion. There are plenty of witnesses. Just because an elected or appointed government official says it’s OK to do something doesn’t mean that is OK to do so–officials frequently abuse the law and exceed their authority–and the means do not justify the ends. Respect and due process rights must be accorded, even on island territories. What they did was worse than anything I have ever done. I never bothered or hurt anyone.
Then, I quit my job, vacated my apartment quickly, gave away all my furniture, appliances, and clothing, threw out a lot of property, and got outta that island in a hurry—because my life, freedom and sanity are more important than any job, apartment or residency.
*****
It’s a personal and political vendetta of harassment, bullying and revenge by some government employees—bought and paid for with tax dollars.
From Dec. 2010 to Jan. 2011 and continuing to the present—This “psy-ops” or “black-ops” spying-and-harassment campaign started out in my condo-apartment on an island, followed me to two hotels in Thailand, returned to continue pursuing me on that island until I fled, and now they’re continuing to harass me in my new co-op in retirement in Mich. With plausible deniability all-around, some VIPs on that island want me arrested, institutionalized or hospitalized, incapacitated or dead, and to cut off and save my retirement annuity, which, though reduced for life, I earned and merit.
These guys don’t want me to have a happy life in retirement. They want me dead. This is nothing more-or-less than a personal, political vendetta, a conspiracy agenda of revenge by a couple of twisted control-freak sadists from that island of untimely, obsolete, improper, misleading and grossly exaggerated or false trumped-up allegations—outright falsehoods—plus improprietary and grossly prejudicial ex parte communications, and communication attempts, to fry me in advance of any arrest, charge or appearance. What they have done and are doing are criminal acts!
Breaking and entering repeatedly, and repeatedly tampering with, adulterating and stealing my lawful prescription medications is illegal. Adulterating and tampering with my legal vitamins and herbal nutrition supplements and foods are wrong. Continuously threatening, harassing, haranguing and brainwashing me are criminal actions. If continuously hijacking and tampering with my gmail and facebook accounts isn’t a crime, it ought to be.
Using prescription drugs prescribed by my doctor, consuming vitamins and legal herbal nutrition supplements, eating parsley, having tattoos, and fucking myself, are not crimes. I can fuck myself all I want. I didn’t hurt anybody.
I departed from that island over there freely and voluntarily and have been in Michigan for more than 100 days now. I have gained about 30 pounds and am back to my normal adult weight. I am trying to transition to retirement mode–but this goal may no longer be possible for me.
It originated with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration guy on that island, together with high-level administrators and officials of the island government and university. That guy is now joined by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents out of the Detroit office. Respect and due process rights must be accorded in Michigan.
I guess the latest plan is to kidnap me, take away my clothes, and put me on ice to chill out–or “forget” that I got left out in the unheated van outdoors for hours in sub-freezing weather. No doubt that would do a number on my heart. An alternative scenario is to lock me up in a cage with some animals, where I would be mugged, assaulted, maimed or murdered. Bought and paid for with tax dollars.
Since I won’t be allowed any phone calls or legal representation, or any pretenses of due process of any sort, no family members will know of my whereabouts until after I’m already dead. Later on, they’ll call it an unfortunate accident or a terrible misunderstanding.
I am a 60-year-old retired senior citizen with various physical ailments, aches and pains. They should leave me alone. Doesn’t the DEA have bigger fish to fry?
If the DEA, aided and abetted by the island university and government, can’t arrest me for cause, I guess the next-best-thing is to ruin my retirement via a circus of innuendo, slander and defamation of character and reputation, and ridicule and humiliate me with my family members, friends and my housing management.