Representative Jared Polis (D-CO) made some must watch reform video today when he grilled DEA Administrator, Michele Leonhart, over the relative health impacts of marijuana versus other drugs. Rep. Polis has been an outspoken advocate of marijuana legalization and was given the Rufus King, Sr. Award For Outstanding Public Leadership in the Field of MJ Law Reform at NORML’s 2011 Conference in Denver, at which he was also the keynote speaker.
Click play below and watch pure drug war idiocy in action. Leonhart’s inability to answer simple questions would be humorous if the consequences of her position weren’t so tragic.
Amazing, I love the way he would not let up, but she continued to refuse to answer, because she knew she was back into a corner.
Why won’t she just say yes or no? Does she REALLY not know? I just can’t believe that she doesn’t know. I’m glad this is out in the public, because she obviously doesn’t understand what her job entails
This is a head administrator for the DEA? how did she get her job? on her knees? she knows nothing and she was elected or appointed this job? does she actually get paid to be such a dumbass?
[Paul Armentano responds: Michelle Leonhart was appointed by Obama and confirmed unanimously by the Senate to be head of the DEA.
http://blog.norml.org/2011/01/04/bush-holdover-unanimously-confirmed-to-head-u-s-drug-enforcement-administration/
She was initially promoted to be DEA interim director by under the G.W. Bush administration.]
is marijuana a worse than Hydrocodone? lol
Just Dumbfounded…..Is all I can say.
I am 24 years old and I am a double amputee. My right leg was amputated 6 inches below my right knee and all of my toes on my left foot were also amputated following an accident in June of 2008. I was dangerously addicted to morphine due to this accident and I suffered for weeks when I stopped taking morphine due to it’s addictive properties. I began to smoke marijuana as an alternative and today I am no longer taking ANY pain pills, I do not even take Ibuprofen. I snowboard, ride BMX, and wakeboard but all of these activities would be extremely difficult to do efficiently if I was tired and under the influence of prescription pain killers. Marijuana brought interest back to my life and allowed me to be happy instead of tired, addicted, and depressed. I also come from a community where a lot of citizens are addicted to heroin, coke, crack, oxy contin, vicodin, meth, and more. I have lost countless number of friends due to death caused by overdoes of these drugs. I know for a fact, from personal experience, that marijuana is not nearly as addicting as any of these drugs. I can go days / weeks without marijuana consumption without throwing up, having cold sweats, or any other ill feeling brought on by addiction. When I get older and have kids, I know they will explore with drinking and possibly other drugs. I much rather have my future children stumble upon a medicine cabinet feel of marijuana instead of a medicine cabinet full of pain killers.
God this blows my mind. I feel a mixture of satisfaction at Polis’s humiliation of Leonhart but at the same time it pisses me off that we have this level of ignorance in the top ranks of our government.
The reasons they don’t want it available is because of their job performance. It makes people think or what they call paranoid of their government and I don’t know why. They know if people of affluence on a larger scale took it to relax and started getting more involved in the political process it would cause them to lose there jobs. I mean a blind man can see our countries never ending spending is going to be our demise, but sometimes a movement caused by an awakening of our citizens to the flaws of our current system of incarcerating the largest percent of per capita our population of any country in the world at an accelerated rate on a maxed out credit card with a 29% interest rate from china isn’t going to bode well for any of our retirements except for the jailers and China. They don’t want a repeat of the 60’s, and they know that is what will happen
Polly wanta cracker, Polly wanta cracker.
Is this woman a complete idiot, or just a brainwashed figurehead? She has no thoughts of her own? No wonder they picked her to run the DEA.
Her “drugs are bad… Mmmkay” answers are so lame.
Wow Michelle you can’t even answer a simple yes/no question. All you can do is “dance” around the subject! And by the way you are a terrible dancer. The only thing you know about cannabis is it’s “wrong” so you continue to move with the status quo without even asking why, and without doing some investigating. The answers are yes heroin is more dangerous and addicting than cannabis, yes meth is more dangerous and addicting than cannabis. If you’d done your homework you would know the truth. Now either you are a complete AIRHEAD and don’t know the answers or you’re not as STUPID as you look and someone is paying you to lie and dance. Now that is WRONG!
Check out the bags under this bitches eyes… definitely not more addictive than Marijuana.
I remember when she was up for her competency hearings. I signed all kinds of petitions and wrote to as many “powers that be”, to say do not appoint this women, keep looking!
Having lived in Colorado for 25 years, I respect Rep. Polis’ pro-marijuana position. I’m glad to see that he didn’t back down, but I don’t see how you can say that he ‘destroyed’ Leonhart. He harassed her nicely, but that’s about it.
Had he gotten her to say that mj was less dangerous than meth or heroin or prescription drugs I would feel that he accomplished something of note, but as it is, not so much.
In your final paragraph (Video caption/instructions):
“Idiocracy” is a 2006 American satirical comedy film, directed by Mike Judge and starring Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph..
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiocracy
I believe you may have meant to use the term “idiocy”.
In any event, your meaning is clear. I enjoyed your article a great deal and am thankful for your posting of this video.
I notice alot of people who are prohibitionists seemingly have baggy eyes, stone faces and the direct possibility of pain should they attempt to smile. Quit being miserable and Relax! Its always the same in this country: My opinion differs from yours therefore you must be wrong and somehow punished. LOL
She can’t say no because it contravenes reality.
She won’t say yes because it contravenes her political position.
(She sounds a lot like South Park’s Counselor Mackey. “Drugs are bad, m’kay?”)
BTW, I suspect that the DEA is going after prescription drugs as hard as they are because they see the writing on the wall. They need a new boogieman to replace marijuana or they risk losing headcount & funding.
It’s too bad they’re doing it at the expense of pain docs and their patients, but it’s no worse that I’ve come to expect from desperate prohibitionists.
Another good reason to vote. Time to remove people like this from their positions.
Is she really that ignorant of the facts or just reading from the same old teleprompter as the President?
I can’t believe that the head of the DEA can’t even give Rep. Polis a simple yes or no answer.
This is the type of people who run our country. This is complete and utter bull shit. The whole system is so incredibly corrupt. This makes me sick!!!!
heroin is schedule 1 because it has NO accepted medical use. this means heroin is an entirely illegal drug. prescription painkillers are not.
interestingly, methamphetamine is schedule 2 and thus, not an illegal drug. it is marketed under the name ‘desoxyn’.
doctors can prescribe medical meth, but not medical marijuana. marijuana is schedule 1, along with heroin.
cocaine is also schedule 2 and doctors can prescribe medical cocaine, but not medical marijuana.
WTF?
She gave a great answer – dea just enforces the laws that congress created.
what was that just dont answer the question and it will go away wow what kind of people are in charge of these laws wow.
that was hilarious, she sounded like a moron!
Lol rep. Polis tore ms. Dea lady up good job sir just shows how ignorant the people in office really are. So stupid the only reason most people turn to pills & harder drugs is because the cant have access to marijuana u stupid twit.
Why doesn’t she just scream at him…”I’M A COMPLETE MORON PAID TO SPOUT STUPIDITY! PLEASE DON’T ASK ME INTELLIGENT QUESTIONS!”
i was having a pretty bad day till i saw this. Brings a smile to see our government make fools of themselves. that being said this, its just pathedic.
I am so proud to live in the wonderful state of Colorado and have Jared Polis as a representative. This was absolutely effective at rooting out the drug war scam. Get ready prohibitionists to get ‘hit by a bus’ now that marijuana legalization is being demanded by over 50% of the population. This is only the beginning. These prohibitionist morons are going to look like complete fools; and not only that, but accessories to human rights violations due to blatant lies and faulty polices that they maintain in order to justify monetary budgets and allocations and keep their jobs. This waste is about to end; and places like Colorado can lead the way to a saner and more prosperous future.
She said no more than she was ordered to say, period. It has long been known that marijuana is not physically addictive. It is not possible for a human being to overdose on marijuana. For thousands of years it has been used as medicine, for many ailments, even helping to prevent some of them. Isn’t freedom grand?
fuck this stupid as bitch. legalize. fuck the police for doing this to the american people.
Wow, this guy destroyed her! Awesome! Caffeine is infinitely more dangerous than marijuana will ever be.
Oh well I guess since I can’t find any herb ill just stick to bath salt and compressed air cans. Theyre legal so they have to be safer.
I like how he asked simple, 4th grade level questions. Yet, she seemed baffled by each one of them. It seems like the government has began to “plead the 5th” on what many consider to be a top political issue. After all, why should the government be able to tell you what to put in your body?
This looks like perjury to me. If you KNOW the answer to a question, and you skirt around it because it’s inconvenient to your administrations budget or mission to maintain a federally allocated budget, you should be charged with a crime. This was criminal.
It’s only criminal when the criminals are the ones committing the crime, Tron.
As soon as people understand this basic fact about how the world works today, that’s when enough people get pissed off enough to start forcing OUR EMPLOYEES to stop.
Until then…we continue to wait, and hope that some miracle happens that gives each mind that tiny little spark that gets their minds moving on their own…without all of the media prompting.
I have absolutely no doubt that she knows all of the true scientific facts of marijuana. As the head of the DEA, it’s her job to perpetuate the drug war.
Public safety isn’t an ACTUAL priority for these guys. Otherwise, most prescription drugs would also be illegal.
The goal, I believe, is to keep arresting minor drug offenders to keep the prisons full. The idea is that a prison receives more money for having a larger population.
That’s the real issue behind the drug war.
Check out the two guys behind Rep. Polis at 3:55 or so…..
“Dude, he’s taking her to SCHOOL!!”
They seem to see how completely comical this all is. Gil Kerlikowske shold be next.
Polis is promoting the notion that drugs are “addictive”. I totally disagree with him. No recreational drug makes the user take it. There is behavior and this addiction notion is just plain wrong, misleading and spurious.
Also why is Polis not comparing the drug war to the damage caused by people who abuse legal drugs most notably alcohol then act in harmful ways – drunk driving, violence, deaths.
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America, the land of the “once” free. Sad stuff.
She is on DOPE and DOG FOOD not to mention “A QUESTION DODGER.And Tron you are right and if we did that imagine how many officials would be in prison.
That woman.is an idiot!
Way to go jared!
Republicans are so keen on getting rid of government spending but seem to focus on the
EPA. Is Nature an addictive substance? If we really want to get rid of government waste, let’s can the DEA and first to go out is that panty waste of a DEA administrator.
she gets paid for this
This really pissed me off.
blind ignorance /a good soldier/follow orders and don’t question policy/job scared…some one else is pulling her strings
The DEA needs to be dismembered and reassembled,that’s the bottom line.
Here is a perfect example of how our government officials try to cover up their own hidden agendas when confronted. We should be ashamed that these are the type of people we are allowing to hold office! It was like watching a five year old who just got caught stealing cookies! Marijuana has become a cash cow for the DEA and the welfare of the people is purely a smokescreen.
“Phil Traver”
I loved your comment:
“This is a head administrator for the DEA? how did she get her job? on her knees?”
Of course she did, hence her position as HEAD Administrator.
Typical attitude of these law enforcement leaders who are completely out of touch with the reality of the situation. It’s all about money and fear to them, not evidence.
The thing that concerns me most about this clip is how little attention other members of the subcommittee are paying to the testimony. You would think that on live TV they would at least pretend they were interested in doing the job they are being paid for.
It’s true that Congress put marijuana in to Schedule I, but the thing she didn’t mention is that the DEA – Her DEA – has the power to take marijuana out of Schedule I and put it into a lower Schedule.
That’s why she didn’t want to say that heroin is more dangerous than marijuana. If she said that then the next question would be “well why then are they in the same freakin’ schedule???”.
This lady was hand-picked to lead the DEA – I saw the sessions where she was quizzed for the job. They straight-up said that they wanted someone who’d perpetuate the prohibition and *never* question it or approach it with an open mind. And they got exactly the person they were looking for.
As head of the DEA, she can recommend to Congress that they immediately amend the drug control act by removing marijuana completely.
the poor woman is so dumb…who did she blow to get this job??
Jared exposed her for the stupid, puppet, clown that she is
Note her avoidance of any definite answers to all questions posed. All studies comparing addictive properties of various drugs, illicit and prescription, indicate an extremely low rate of addiction to marijuana compared to nearly all other substances. Simply do an internet search. The reality is plain.
the real tragedy … what is true for marijuana is even more true for the other subject.
it is the same style of response to issues that affect all Americans
the “leaders” just repeat that the most influential lobbyists (or the most generous) told them to say.
in fact, they are responsible …. of special interests
I love how she doesn’t know her expertise. This country will not get anywhere with that caliber of person making decisions.
Too the people calling her dumb. She is clearly not. She answered all those questions in a way as to avoid any conflict with her departments goals. I also think someone should shove 12 awesome kong dongs up her at once.
She was definitely not going to go off the official party line; that marijuana is just as dangerous as cocaine, heroin, meth, and pharmdrugs , class 1.
If she said yes to any of the questions, that all these drugs are more harmful than marijuana, that could have opened the door for a real national debate, but she played the game well and didn’t give a simple yes, no, or, I don’t know, answer.
Typical political game playing.
Maybe this still can lead to more congressmen speaking up and forcing this issue to the front pages.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and the Head DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart are both contemptuous.
Rep. Jared Polis is a Democrat. How cool is that?!
No political excuses for Michele Leonhart.
Wow, this is a perfect example of the crooked people we have in office. It is just so silly. That’s the only word for it!! And for the record, people who throw the bible in my face about cannabis need to read it! The lord speaks of hemp and the all healing herb. He also speaks of prohibition and hypocrisy! They must be implying that God made a mistake. Don’t think so.
she was in denial….wow..background what…??..im not hearing any real answers here..so sad..
Look at her and how she talk…so retarded..it’s almost like she is high 😀
muaaa muaaa,blaaa blaaa… face it DEA, u dont have good argument on cannabis… u only use force to create cannabis illegal!
Greetings from BALKAN 🙂
Is she high on heroin or marijuana?
This video needs to be very very VIRAL. Thank you Mr. Polis and Mr. Cohen.
As one of the many people who wrote to their Senators, Congressmen, and to the President expressing concern about whether Michelle should be appointed to the position she now holds, it really pisses me off that so many of our leaders apparently support this idiot!
No friggin’ wonder we’re all having such a hard time getting anywhere with legalization! The people in charge are apprently completely clueless!
Thank you Mr. Polis for being one of the few voices of reason!!! SALUTE!
Willful ignorance is a disgusting thing to behold.
dumb bitch don’t have a clue fire her now please.
This is the perfect example of the “Peter Principal”. This individual has risen at least one level above their competency level. I don’t think she can be that dumb. She is just refusing to answer the questions directly.
She got in to the job,the way Obama did:Sucking A**.She knows nothing,as anyone can see.
Sorry folks, this video doesn’t make either of them look smart. Jared’s questions are loaded and stupid. He basically asks two questions:
1. Is Chemical X more harmful/addictive than Marijuana?
2. Would the DEA consider not enforcing a law in order to pursue its top priority?
Question 1 is obviously loaded. Question 2 is stupid. The DEA doesn’t write the law, they enforce it. If this guy wants to legalize marijuana, he should do so as a legislator and stop wasting time berating straw-woman police officers in public hearings.
I do believe Marajuana is just as addictive as all other unprescribed drug’s. It is also abused..
It’s about time that someone exposed the DEA for what it is.Admnistration ruled by idiots and enforcement run by thugs.
This video is great. The DEA’s blatant refusal to accept empirical data regarding marijuana will eventually discredit them. My generation has grown up in a digital age. Thanks to the internet, we are more informed than generations passed. We will not accept so called “truths”… “just because”. Its merely a matter of time.
Factorial: yes, question #1 is loaded, but it only has one right answer. If the dea answered it corectly (honestly), there would be NO argument as to why marijuana is still schedule 1. Its US politics 101. This is how our system works. Sad but true.
French revolution. Whistleeee. WHACK!
Thanks, Jared!
Michele is actually a highly intelligent bureaucrat, and she’s a bit of eye candy for the Drug Enforcement Administration to toss out there in front of a bunch of mostly old guys in Congress. None of the old goats want to piss her off, so they let her give her own answers and did not make her give logical answers to the questions that Jared asked. (Dirty old men thinking, hm, maybe she’ll talk to me after the hearing and then I can see if I can get somewhere with her, but if I do my job and hold her feet to the fire I’ll never get anywhere with her.) She’s probably not doing any of them and let’s say she didn’t do anybody to get where she is, so that explains why she is where she is. She’s smart enough to evade questions whose answers fly in the face of prohibition, and pretty enough to be the spokesperson the old farts are drooling over, fantasizing about while they are having sex with their wives, mistresses, lovers, themselves, with whomever.
So, instead they just let her give answers to questions that were not asked, non sequitur answers in other words.
I tell you, if this congressional panel had grilled her like I’ve seen Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) grill pro-MJ folks from NORML & MPP and others on C-SPAN (some years ago) she’d be all worked up and stressed out instead of leaving the hearing all happy and content. My most memorable recollection is of Orrin Hatch screaming at the pro-cannabis people who were testifying at the hearing, and he was bitching about where Ed Rosenthal and George Soros were and trying to find out why they didn’t show up and shit. Screaming, shouting, course, gruff, insulting toward the pro-MJ folks.
Instead, this whole thing with Michele looked like a love fest with nobody singing back-up for Jared.
Jared would have come across more knowledgable if he had referred to her bureaucratic agency as the Drug Enforcement Administration, because it is not the Drug Enforecment “Agency.” It’s “Administration” and saying agency is no big deal if you’re pro-cannabis. But, from the whispers of the prohibitionists and their talks about it afterward, you can believe that a simple mistake like that casts a shadow of doubt on the statements Jared was presenting as facts based on science. Can you believe they were bitching afterward about where Jared is getting his scientific facts and how he is interpreting them when he can’t even get the name of Michele’s employer correct?
Sorry, but that’s all it takes is one little thing like that for prohibitionists to dismiss everything we present. They’ve already got their minds made up, and are just looking for something, anything to dismiss the argument and to use against the presenter.
I thank Jared. Thank you.
The details and someone there having your back are crucial to more progress at the federal level. His line of questioning was correct. He needs back-up.
Michele and the other de facto prohibitionists on the congressional committee who didn’t have Jared’s back have to be of the mindset that the feds still have money to waste on the enforcement of cannabis prohibition.
The only way they will legalize cannabis is if they have no other choice.
Keep running the economy into the ground until cannabis is legalized.
There is too much death and suffering under cannabis prohibition.
Bumble, Mumble, nervousness , avoiding questions . She lost this one ….BIG TIME .
( What a fool she is )
@TheOracle… take off the beer, er, weed goggles for a second. She’s NOT an attractive woman. Not at all.
She may be intelligent but she’s defiantly avoiding a correct answer because that’s her job. At one point she makes the comment that “all drugs are bad”. Something I thought we left behind with South Park and the 1990s. What Ms. Leonhart is guilty of here is being a government puppet. A tool of an establishment up for sale to the highest bidder. Sadly, she’s too blind to see what they’re doing to her. The day when this all ends, the prohibition, the lies, and the heartache, I hope that ALL of the government tools will sit back and wonder why they even bothered in the first place. What a colossal waste of time and money.
The war is almost over. We WILL win.
@Jose Jiminez – She definately lost and looks like one of the biggest fools in the nation. But, if nothing changes, then ultimately it is us (all other Americans) that lose…
It is hard to imagine any sane compassionate person wanting to keep this woman in charge of the DEA…
If this country was truly being controlled by the will of the people, the DEA would just be disbanded!
I wonder why we haven’t held Michelle in contempt for giving truly false information. Had no problem doing it to Eric Holder. Too much “Big Business” in Government is pushing our true values out the window. Make plants that work illegal so that Pharma can reap the rewards when people look for relief. Then put a roadblock in charge of the rules of scheduling the “BAD DRUGS”. Michelle will not tell you that basically 60% of the people the DEA detains has/had cannabis and if cannabis would be legal then Michelle would have to explain to the public of why the DEA has such a nonsense build-up of officers publically paid for.
Rep. Jared Polis simply wants answers, he doesn’t need any distractions from anybody. It’s simply a one-on-one confrontation seeking answers.
Michele Leonhart has been keeping a low profile, and now she has her chance to show her sentiments of why she is attacking the States on cannabis issues
She has failed and it was well noted.
Now we see why Obama appointed her? No, he just did it because if he would have tried to put a progressive in that chair the teafarter congress wouldn’t have approved anyone. Obama shouldn’t have used that logic. Is Obama worse than GW on weed? Yep! OR, Fast and Furious was making too much money and would reveal the true reason weed is still illegal? Oh well…
that woman is a fucking idiot
Of course we like to see anyone from the DEA look stoopid (especially a ‘Head Administrator’), but in all fairness, the DEA’s job is simply the enforcement of existing laws; hence, Mr. Polis’ questions would be best directed at his fellow senate and congress people (state & federal). They are the people responsible for the country’s failed drug laws and policies. Ms. Leonhart is just an employee, not unlike a policeman.
The DEA doesn’t make the laws, they don’t change the laws, and their priorities are subject to the whim of administration in power.
The Emperor Wears No Clothes Folks,,,and THIS is Living Proof YAYYYYYY!!!!!!!
Ummmm Drugs are Bad mmmkay
I, for one, have been waiting – drooling like a dog waiting for that pork chop – for the opportunity to see this dumbass bimbo who cant understand normal thinking crash and burn in precisely this type of setting.
The down side is , as previously mentioned , that Polis had no backup. We need back up. We need this to go viral. I have done my part and pointed several posters on another web foru to this site. Will you do yours?
This is incredible. How can she keep such a straight face and lie like that? I think she missed her calling. She should go to Hollywood. She’s good.
NO! The real problem is that Congress put Marijuana in Schedule I to begin with!
The DEA’s job is to enforce the law, not create it.
You need to contact your local representatives and senators. They are the only ones who can really do anything.
You need to get members of Congress up on that stand, not the head of the DEA.
There both illegal, Ms.Leonhart but what one is addictive ? Just answer the question…..
What medication causes crime & which one doesn’t ?
San Diego Charger’s, Leaf’s been fighting a painkiller addiction, one that’s driven him to multiple acts of burglary over the past few years. Police found stolen prescriptions drugs in Leaf’s possession back in March, when he was already on probation. Released on bail, Leaf then robbed a mobile home in search of more pills. He still has outstanding charges in Texas, too.
Leaf was, in 1998, the second overall pick in the NFL draft, and considered by some to be a better quarterback prospect than the man who went first, Peyton Manning. Leaf never adjusted to being an NFL quarterback, though, mostly due to the laziness, selfishness and dishonesty he cited above. He is considered to be the biggest draft bust in NFL history.
She is a rock-brained toad and i have turned a lot of people into toads in my long lifetime.
Inanity and corruption. Good times!
Several times during the hearing Ms. Leonhart reiterated the DEA was only interested in going after the “kingpins” and foreign suppliers of illegal drugs…so… why was a San Diego engineering student, Daniel Chong, held in their office without food or water for nearly five days?
Most of the criticism was toward Michele Leonhart and I don’t think that’s fair. Rep Polis’ questions were loaded, rhetorical, and frankly, out of scope for Leonhart’s role. It is called the Drug Enforcement Administration and it is her job to enforce the laws as written by Congress. If Rep. Polis is concerned about the enforcement of marijuana law, then CHANGE THE LAW and don’t just badger the officials you have hired to enforce the law as it was passed by Congress.
I support decriminalization and “tax and regulate”, but the headline on this article is just crazy, “MUST WATCH: Rep. Jared Polis Destroys DEA Administrator During Congressional Hearing”. From the point of pure rhetoric, this was at best a stalemate.
Go Jared Polis he’s got my vote and i dont even live in Colorado… It’s come to this point where we can’t even rationalize prohibition of marijuana but its still illegal… if not for the mexicans this would be a legal recreational choice for americans
Don’t you get it, Leonhart ? Prescription drugs are killing people, creating crime & causing addiction . This is not an isolated case ….prescription pills will often make criminals from formerly good citizans . Can you read this again ?This is from prescription drugs. There is no mention in this artcle mentioning marijuana.
San Diego Charger’s, Leaf’s been fighting a painkiller addiction, one that’s driven him to multiple acts of burglary over the past few years. Police found stolen prescriptions drugs in Leaf’s possession back in March, when he was already on probation. Released on bail, Leaf then robbed a mobile home in search of more pills. He still has outstanding charges in Texas, too.
Lol you should be more upset to have that bitch be a millionaire thanx to your taxes. Im sad my 3y.o. sister didnt apply for the job.
When is the contempt of court vote for Leonhart scheduled?
http://blog.mpp.org/prohibition/when-is-the-contempt-vote-for-michelle-leonhart/06212012/
She is trying so hard to not make marijuana seem less dangerous. She needs to know that her side is losing the battle
She obviously is incapable of prioritizing the goals of her administration. Marijuana is scheduled with heroin, cocaine and barbiturates. This is like saying milk is as harmful as alcohol. She kept defending with, “all illegal drugs are bad” when she had nothing intelligent to say. She(and other anti-drug agencies) couldn’t give an honest, straight forward answer to a yes/no question. She knows the truth, but she knows it would ruin her position and reputation if was to simply say “yes, heroin is worse than marijuana”. I look at the drug war like the Crusades. Any templar(cop, agent, lawyer, etc.) who questions the orders and rules by God(government) and is terminated or “banished” if you will.
I agree with tom…..how many people will have to die from rx opiates before we change course? The Demon delights in alcohol and opiates.
that was pointless, his asking the same questions over and over didn’t help anything, sure she showed she is a moron, but we all knew that already, it might have been worth watching had he mentioned a single fact, like that marijuana is less addictive than caffeine, rather than just ask if it’s more addictive than meth and heroin over and over and over and over again…this accomplished nothing at all, and it’s kind of sad that some of you think it was an accomplishment…
“Most of the criticism was toward Michele Leonhart and I don’t think that’s fair. Rep Polis’ questions were loaded, rhetorical, and frankly, out of scope for Leonhart’s role. It is called the Drug Enforcement Administration and it is her job to enforce the laws as written by Congress. If Rep. Polis is concerned about the enforcement of marijuana law, then CHANGE THE LAW and don’t just badger the officials you have hired to enforce the law as it was passed by Congress.
I support decriminalization and “tax and regulate”, but the headline on this article is just crazy, “MUST WATCH: Rep. Jared Polis Destroys DEA Administrator During Congressional Hearing”. From the point of pure rhetoric, this was at best a stalemate.”
Solomon, you art flat ass wrong! First off, you say his questions “…were loaded, rhetorical, and frankly, out of scope.” Loaded? Don’t you mean truth seeking questions that the lying DEA can’t answer because it would require major policy changes? The DEA’s answers were rhetorical too! Granted, Polis should have mixed it up better; but it did expose an ignorant DEA Administrator who is trying to cover up the truth. Don’t try to sell people that Polis is “out of scope” trying to ask a policewoman, who by the way is in charge of destroying non-violent peoples’ lives, if they are prioritizing marijuana correctly. And not only that, but Polis has medical marijuana dispensaries that are being attacked by the DEA in his state. As a public representative he is doing his state a service by sticking up for the will of the voters, unlike many politicians today.
No — not a stalemate; but another politician with a bright future with the people because he is going with marijuana. Now that Polis sees where he can ‘draw blood,’ I’m sure the game will be more polished in the future; you can bet on it.
Loaded question??? If by loaded, you mean to say it would make her tell the truth, then yes, it was loaded.
I have seen some of my friends really loaded. That does not even come close to a loaded question. I admit that he was very direct with his questions but he did simply ask a question, be it rudely, but she is a police officer. If she lets him bully her there, I can only imagine how the real heavy hitters in Washington will lean on her to do what they want.
from what I can see she is a yes woman for the DEA mainly. Now that her yes went to a maybe then she will be shuffled off of the board some how some way. The best things she can do now is do something about the way her department left her unprepared for what was coming at her and she can put some memos through to help out on her way out with legalizing marijuana and making the DEA stand down as best she can.
Doug is full of shit. Michelle has grounds to change the drug schedule but refusews due to money and corruption.. DO NOT TRUST LARGE CORPORATIONS!! THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THE BOTTOM LINE!!
Solomon taxing and regulating is like giving large corporations a golden ticket.. Don’t be ignorant. Maybe lower costs but at what cost to our health? Support small Corps! God Bless!
Seeing as how there actually are drugs out there that are killing people, I think it’s important that the public maintains a good relationship with the DEA. That will require honesty, especially on the DEA’s part. It’s time to legalize marijuana. It’s prohibition is distracting us all from much larger problems. People are getting hurt and it’s not necessary.
Solomon,
As head of the DRUG enforcement agency, you expect the lady to be ignorant of the facts about different drugs? Knowing the different addictive qualities and/or health risks of drugs is exactly her job.
Polis was simply exposing the hipocricy of her job. She couldn’t answer the question truthfully, she would have been fired the very next day.
Another DEA puppet that has a forked tongue and puppet strings all tangled up for MARIJUANA PROHIBITION. The real truth is out there and the ignorance of FEDERALISM is losing ground. A honest question should have a honest answer and not beat around the bush looking for what to say. She must have a medicine cabinet full of MOTHERS LITTLE HELPERS created by BIG PHARMA. Another day of DAZED and CONFUSED mentality and hiding behind the WALL of MARIJUANA PROHIBITION. Let the BELLS OF FREEDOM RING as the WALL comes tumbling down brick by brick. HAIL TO THE MONARCHY!
Wow, are you serious? Is this a joke? *sigh facepalm*
Is she really this dumb or playing it out? I am not sure, myself.
And she is rich? Wtf???? I bet if you asked her where chocolate milk comes from, she would state, chocolate milk comes from brown cows.
This perfectly explains the US govt., besides people like Polis trying to put things right.
As dumb as GWBjr.
Just close DEA down permanently.
I couldn’t help but think that maybe her nomination was a ploy to let her dig a grave for the prohibitionists. Expose them for what they really are.
In what ways are his questions rhetorical? They are extremely simple and straight forward questions, and Leonhart won’t answer them. She even answers incorrectly when she says “It’s subjective” because trust me, the addiction of heroine is not a subjective experience.
The reality is the U.S. laws regarding cannabis are completely stupid and without any critical thinking, and at least Rep Polis is demonstrating this to the world in a very simple way. There is simply no logical argument for why marijuana should be illegal in the states if alcohol and cigarettes are legal, absolutely none at all.
While Leonhart may not have the ability to nullify federal law, she CAN an should reschedule MJ to solve many of the issues plaguing the American People.
To Solomon; Read the Drug Control Act. Unfortunately it is the DEA’s respomsibility to legislate marijuana after Congress gave them the unconstitutional authority to regulate the drug in an amendment to the act back when Nixon was touting his made to fail drug war. There is a reason why we have three branches of government. An executive agency has no business issuing permits or writing and lobbying regulation. It is the equivelent of giving untrained Congressman a badge and a gun and allowing them to police and enforce laws on eachother at gun point. See the problem? The legislative empowerment of the DEA is the greatest civil rights issue of our time. Obama’s recent act of executive privelege to protect attorney general Eric Holder and the white house campaign from selling weapons to the Mexican cartels should be viewed as the tip of the ice berg of a marijuana corruption ring that dates back to Woodrow Wilson within our government. Just think; what kind of Congressional oversight do we have over the DEA if Congress let’s them write their own marijuana laws? Even worse, while law enforcement agencies collect private income from confiscated assets from druglords, and selling u.s. Tax dollar paid weapons and drugs, how on earth can Congress control the blanck checks we give them every year for their budget? Reform the Drug Control Act and the DEA, that’s how!
wow- dea top administrator not even able to tow the party line- goes to show that theyve ran out of qualified people to continue their dog and pony show
Why doesn’t she just say that she’s not allowed to say anything that would make Marijuana seem less evil than they want it to?
Jared Polis needs to force this down the DEA throat and he needs to force other members of congress to step in.
I have to agree to a certain extent with Solomon, at least without more context. If this was a meeting about how to enforce drug laws and the reps answer was “not at all,” I think that this was an inappropriate venue. If this was a hearing to discuss what drugs laws to enforce, that’s a different story and one which the DEA probably doesn’t have a lot of sway in OR liberty to speak on. Our ability to speak can be legally limited by the companies that we work for.
For example, I work for a major corporation and if I told you about some of the stuff that I work with, I could not only be fired but also arrested. Her job is strictly to enforce these laws as they are in the book, not interpret them or change them. I am not saying that I even agree with that title existing in our government. Just that I would be much more impress with him verbally skewering another rep., perhaps one interested in changing the laws for the worse.
That being said, it is nevertheless a good thing as far as I am concerned to gain more press, however that is achieved.
The drug Zahr is not going to like it that Michele Leonhart admitted that marijuana can be low priority. Total embarrassment to the DEA!
Great job Jared Polis! I’m proud of you!
I was 61 when I suffered a second back injury at work in 9 years February 2011, was removed from work in March 2011 by my neurologist, the company placed me on workmans comp. the Dr. said at my age surgery would not provide any guarantee to correct or relieve pain, prescribed oxicodone, that did not rid me of pain, but placed me in painful fog. I have had several friends and customers become addicted to this type of painkiller. I was sent to a pain management clinic. After many conversations with my wife and family, I refused any barbituates or opiates to attempt to manage my pain issue. I would be mentally functional and just deal with the pain. My son, a Phi Theta Kappa college student, packed me up and took me to an Oaksterdam seminar, where I learned of the benifits of medical marijuana. I have tried it and I am here to testify that it helps relieve the pain so I get more than two hours sleep a nite, I can function 100% better in daily activities, and I am not in a mental fog still hurting. Unfortunately, I live in a state where marijuana has been decriminalized, but medical marijuana is still illegal, even though the biggest medical marijuana grow is in Oxford, MS. only four (4) people benefit from this grow. So I have to pay high black market prices, can’t grow my own or control quality. Big PHARMA does not want medical marijuana legalized as it would cut into their market, same attitude from the Alcohol lobby. Again corporations making profits more important than suffering americans. Not to mention how legalizing marijuana would effect the cartels in Mexico, probably the same way ending proabition effected bootleggers.
Truth is confirmed by inspection and delay; falsehood by haste and uncertainty.”
? Tacitus
Polis asked the questions and Leonhart played “dodge ball”. And the questioning wasnt even hard.
Destroys is sort of a winger…she never gave him one straight answer but what do you expect from someone that knows they are running a con off on innocent people. She looks loaded…drinking or weed?
Wow what incompetent babbling and she is supposed to be the expert and she can’t even pretend to argue her side.
“Her job is strictly to enforce these laws as they are in the book, not interpret them or change them. I am not saying that I even agree with that title existing in our government. Just that I would be much more impress with him verbally skewering another rep., perhaps one interested in changing the laws…”
This is funny lunchbox. Like who? And where? There is no proper channel or chain of command when it comes to countering the drug war. Pro cannabis politicians have to take any opportunity necessary; you don’t see ANY part of government that is open to or address the failure of prohibition. NOT ONE. It is a government slam dunk or hard sell against drugs period with a cover-up and people that are lying! Reformers in general, not just for pot, but organizations like “we are change” have to catch these corrupt and lying leaders in the most awkward circumstances because these parasites have cover.
And as far as questioning just an enforcer, and not a law maker, you got it mixed up. From Wikepedia, “…the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Food and Drug Administration, determine which substances are added to or removed from the various schedules, though the statute passed by Congress created the initial listing, and Congress has sometimes scheduled…Classification decisions are required to be made on criteria including potential for abuse…currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and international treaties.”
The DEA administrator has power to change the status of marijuana and thus the priority of criminal enforcement. These people won’t budge because marijuana is their drug war cash cow.
Today on “Up with Chris Hayes” (MSNBC) they discussed this very issue for 18 minutes!!! They showed the video, and focused on the racial desparity when it comes to arrests. I wish someone would have pointed out that prohibition was founded on a LIE that went unchallanged, at that LIE was racially motivated.
Jared Polis is a bad ass…he rode her like a matador.
if it was up to me,
I would ask her more substantial questions….like,
what has more flavor? Hindu Kush or the Haze?
Or , why do you want us to favor cartel gangsta weed over our USA produced domestic product?
Or, have you seen a grown man naked in the shower?. Hold on,dont ansewer that…..without an attorney!
Psych!!!!!
I wonder what percentage of their annual budget will simply vanish at the end of prohibition. My perception is that the DEA is an aging monstrosity, raging and thrashing in its death throes. They have no new lies in their arsenal and all the old lies are so worn and threadbare that they can be debunked by any half dead stoner, in his sleep.
I was having a chat sometime last year, with a DEA agent, in my office, at our dispensary, while his toadies(a cadre of moronic thugs from local and state police agencies)looted our business.I told this bullet headed little thuglet that a green tidal wave was headed his way and there was NOTHING he could do to stop it. I was never prouder than I was when he repeated that statement in federal court.
Few politicians are actually asking these questions to the D.E.A or the Administration, Its about time, and I don’t care if he continually asked the same questions..he never got a direct answer. Its like they don’t want to admit they are wrong..but won’t change their policy either.. its irritating
All illegal drugs are addictive….
-ok ok, but thats not my question
All prescribed medications are even more addictive
-ok ok, but thats not my question
All illegal drugs are addictive…
?????????? Someone should stop taking sleeping pills??????
Lucidity : It is a seed from nature sun,water,soil.. there is no process dictated by man , there is no law but that of nature. Man has chosen to place his ordinance upon natures gift… fortunately nature has provided us with a hierarchy on natural selection for those that will be mouthpieces for legislation and enforcement . we are all blessed that we have such fine examples of lineage heading up such organizations..it surely dooms them in the end ,, plant yer seed where ya can, for not all the medians can be maintained forever
This is to the first comment by Solomon. Mr. Polis is not trying to badger the DEA administrator he is simply trying to get to point by way of his questions. She knows what his intention is and she does have the knowledge to answer the questiosn appropriately but dodges the true answers due to her position. Anyone else could clearly answer these questions. He was only asking her objective questions, asking for her personal belief’s, not the belief’s of the DEA and yet she could not show 1 single backbone and give her own answer’s. Again he was not badgering, he was trying to make a poitn on the floor that science has shown that MMJ can be used to help combat addiction to other drugs whcih have definitely been proven to be dangerous. Where has MMJ (not street marijuana)been proven to be classified as a schedule 1 drug? If MMJ can help fight other drug addiction, and the science has proven it, then why hasn’t the DEA or Congress addressed this yet? Polis is simply trying to open there eyes to the many benefits of MMJ…but they are a slave to their laws and not to their own judgements or beliefs…this is why she couldn’t answer the questions
Just answer the question!!! They wont answer the question because research has deemed marijuana to be a medicinal herb. It started out as a lie with Anslinger and Hurst and we have been combating their prejudice and hatred since then. By the way, if illegal aliens are not illegal anymore then marijuana is not illegal anymore! What is the Law? There is no law!
I salute the efforts of Jared Polis!!! He is a modern day Lincoln the way he courageously attacks what is so wrong in this country; that being people, ignorant willfully blind people, like Michelle Leonhart.
By the way, I have a salute for Michelle Leonhart and everyone that supports her (but I’m only using my middle finger…)
My salute to Jared Polis is genuine!!!
Isn’t this the same mental midget who got Tommy Chong locked up because of the characters he’s played in movies?
“It’s either, ‘Yes,’ ‘No,’ or ‘I don’t know.'”
Obviously, she doesn’t know, or she would have been able to give a Yes or No answer. . .
That woman is a tyrant & she is obscenely misinformed.
This infographic pretty much sums up what Leonhart had to say http://www.slicedbaloney.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/infoweed5.png
Trial lawyers are among the top 3 campaign funders to congress.If you get popped for pot you can bet your sweet ass you’re going to be paying one of them a large amount of your money.Congress is made up up of a whole bunch of these vermin.If congress legalizes pot then the spigot from BIG PHARMA and the trial lawyers drys up.Why won’t Congress legalize pot? M-O-N-E-Y!
Forty years ago, this would have been on world news on all of the major television channels.
Now it seems that the head administrator of the DEA answers to no one and it seems insulting when Michele Leonhart was there stonewalling and waiting for times up signal.
I hope the whole world have seen that.
It’s not over.
That woman is dumb as a box of rocks,pot should be legal to grow for personal use in every state.
Solomon stop double posting under different names. If you think he was badgering her. Who gives a shit. People’s lives are ruined, because of the lies that she and people like her perpetrate. So before you defend someone who has no soul maybe use a tiny bit of logic.
lol
Where does one begin??
I have watched this video twice now, and what I see and hear are things that would in fact get folks like you and me jailed for contempt. Her relies are at very least… disingenuous, as all the while she is covering her tracks, and keeping her job!
She specifically avoids answering the main question being asked of her numerous times, and “parrots” the official DEA position back to the congressman again and again, as though it is a legitimate, fact based, answer!
My take on that:
How did this woman get her job??
As long as we have a government that can dictate who has this job, we are going to have a “puppet show”. This woman is defending her job, and the DEA official position, and chose not to tell the truth that was being asked of her… so sez Rev. Barry Willie Black
Enough about the politics, for now… on to the science.
She did not answer any question asked of her with an answer that deviated from the official DEA position, so why would we expect the truth when she was asked about studies and other scientific, and readily available information on the subject?
My take on that:
I rarily tend towards sarcasm in a public forum, but just because she has been in law enforcement, does that mean that she has shut off her brain when it comes to this issue??
Many in law enforcement in this great nation have long held the position, based upon science and self-directed thought, that this product of planet Earth should have never been listed with this drugs it has been grouped with.
They are not hard to find.
There are groups of law enforcement groups who think it should be legal, as well as those who suggest the use as medicine, and yet others who would just have folks procure it like alcohol, from a state run store of some sort.
Medically speaking, National Cancer Institute stated on their website that “Cannabis has been shown to kill cancer cells in the laboratory and to affect the immune system”, but they have also removed a supporting document titled “New NCI Resource About Cannabis (Marijuana)”, and with simply the statement “The NCI Fact Sheet Marijuana Use in Supportive Care for Cancer Patients is no longer current and has been removed.” How convenient. Oops, there’s the sarcasm, again.
No never mind that, anyone with a brain of their own (meaning “free-thinking”) and an internet connection, can find huge amounts of scientific and medical related data on the subject of marijuana.
As well as, how come it became illegal, how well it helps some folks medically, how well it was used for thousands of years, when it was needed as a simple fiber, and became sail cloth as well as the paper to write some of our most valued national documents, and so on…
But this woman must not have either… so sez Rev. Barry Willie Black
The social side of this is the craziest, I think.
It has long been known that propaganda works, or they would not still be using it after thousands of years to populate society with information.
There are millions of folks in the world who are completely satified to let others do their thinking and so we have the governments that we have. Our own faults.
By the time folks have been told anything long enough, some will begin to believe it is true, just because of the position held by the folks providing the information. We see it everywhere… churches to schools, and anywhere else folks are propagating their ideas.
The governments’ take on drugs, and cannabis specifically, has been no different. Right on the heals of the repeal of alcohol prohibition, we get prohibition of another substance, and one that had been used very industriously for thousands of years.
It can honestly be stated that cannabis helped build America.
On a side note, I would love to discuss “hemp” with Washington and Jefferson, in relation to what the powers controlling our country have perpetrated upon an otherwise “free” nation. Sarcasm? Maybe.
Probably.
After decades of cannabis prohibition therapy, our nation isn’t getting any better.
After decades of cannabis prohibition propaganda, our nation has filled the heads of millions with the same sort of answers this woman gave in response to legally binding questions from a U.S. Congressman.
From an individual who should have ready answers for any question on this very important subject… Empty, script-like, rhetoric… so sez Rev. Barry Willie Black
The answer seems clear to me. If we collectively withheld our tax dollars from these greedy government gangsters they would have to listen to reason. We are the idiots funding the parties, and laws we are complaining about. We liberated ourselves from the British in much the same way. We the people have the power(not by vote, but by force & numbers). So next time you find yourself angry at the government for some senseless thing they are doing “get off your ass” & do something about it. Start a tea party. Watch the news see how other countries do it(by force) maybe we need to wake the sleeping giant in us all.
Thank you,
Let us smoke =)
PS: looing for smoke buddies in the I.E. hit me up Djindamy
LETS PROHIBIT STUPID AND DECEPTIVE PEOPLE FROM HOLDING ANY TYPE OF AUTHORATIVE POSITION.
SHE OBVIOUSLY KNOWS MARIJUANA ISNT AS DANGEROUS AS SHE LETS ON, JUST BY LOOKING AT HER RELUCTANT FACE AND HER HESITIAION IN ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS. I HOLD THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES ACCOUNTABLE FOR LETTING THIS SHIT GO ON AS LONG AS IT HAS.
THE UNITED STATES POPULATION IS BRAIN DEAD AND HAS NO HOPE. DIE STUPID AMERICANS GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY AND LET SOMEONE WHO KNOWS SOMETHING GUIDE YOUR PATHETIC ASSES. I HOPE, NO I PRAY EVERYONE OF THOSE POLITICIANS CONTRACT SOME SORT OF NASTY FLESH EATING DISEASE AND PASS IT TO ONE ANOTHER, JUST AS THEIR BS IDEAS AND THEIR SORRY ASS WAYS HAVE AFFETED THE NATION.
Just look to a greedy Asshole named Hearst to see why weed is illegal
I would like to ask if this (and previous) administrations truly believe the testimony of Harry Anslinger to congress? Some of his quotes to Congress included,
“Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men”, or any of THESE marvelous “one-liners”
“There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others.”
“…the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races.”
“Marijuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality, and death.”
“Marihuana leads to pacifism and communist brainwashing”
“You smoke a joint and you’re likely to kill your brother.”
“Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind.”
Or, maybe they still DO believe in those “reasons” that congress voted to ban marijuana. If I could get an answer to this, it would help me understand. Thanks.
We put medical marijuana 14 x 48 billboards ads in the South Florida area, and all we did was reiterate, and utilize the Fed Govt’s own relevant logic supporting medical marijuana, describing Chief DEA Fed Law Judge – Francis L. Young’s conclusion, and famous quote after an intense 2 yr study being that medicinal marijuana is “One of the Safest Therapeutically Active Substances Known to Man.” – along with referring to the Fed Govt’s own Patent #6630507 that clearly describes the health benefits of using natural marijuana. Even the DEA’s rank, and file members are starting to question their top echelon’s continued senseless stance in not rescheduling medical marijuana. To see the ads just research Medical Marijuana Ads are a big hit in South Florida. Thanks to all who helped support getting them displayed.
Friends, romans, countrymen… legalize pot
This is our generation it’s 2012 science has proven it the people have spoken and there still laughing at the idea. I’m in Louisana harsh laws humidity and blazing temps but let the beer flow, get caught with a god given plant you are shunned, arrested, blah blah. If one state has the right so do we fuk em. Plant a seed take a stand we see the lies 420. Government officals are corrupt pieces of shit, we don’t have to take it, after work everyday I see people run to gas stations grab 12 pack open one drive off but that’s a ok fuk that bs. Fight for ur cannbis rights!!! So sick of this un fair fuk up of a System