Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
Kind of shocking isn't it? But then I read the body of the President's new drug czar's press release. Former Seattle Police Chief and new head man at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Gil Kerlikowske admitted that the government had abdicated its' duty to the citizens of our country by not just blocking, but in some cases hiding evidence that clearly demonstrated our drug policies were based solely on ideology and not science or legal jurisprudence.
As an example, Kerlilkowski said, "government studies have shown over and over that marijuana is not a threat to civil or social order and is in fact a safer intoxicant than alcohol."
As a former cop I could not help but think "it's about time." And as an ex-cop that has been against our drug war for many years I was overjoyed at the prospect that police officers would actually be freed to perform their duties against real crime instead of chasing pot smokers and troubled addicts. I knew that the Obama administration was doing work toward reform but the text of this statement from our nation's drug czar was just amazing.
Kerlikowski pointed out that some programs had begun almost immediately upon Mr. Obama becoming President. Already our prison populations were dropping due to the Stamper Commission’s recommendations (named for it’s director, Chief Norm Stamper) to review criminal backgrounds of offenders and to move them back into their communities…families were being reunited and money previously spent on corrections facilities was now being spent on job training and funding entrepreneur programs.
Needle exchanges were being funded. Marijuana was now neither legal nor illegal. Rather it was left as an issue for each state to decide how they wished to best handle cannabis in its' various forms - as medicine, agri-industrial hemp and its' recreational use. Pot would be managed on the same model alcohol operates under.
Little did anyone know how serious President Obama was when he said:
"Promoting science isn't just about providing resources, it is also about protecting free and open inquiry. It is about letting scientists like those here today do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion, and listening to what they tell us, even when it's inconvenient especially when it's inconvenient. It is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology."
Well, I hate to say this... but... April Fools!
I wish that were all true, but the truth is "change" doesn't seem to be the mantra we all thought and hoped it would be in regards to our punitive Prohibition drug policies. Our moves towards "handling" the violence now going on in Mexico calls for escalating the war as a war.
More aircraft, weapons, law enforcement personnel and now, soldiers, will go to fighting a war we lost on the first day.
Prohibition hasn't worked since God told Adam and Eve "you can't eat from that ONE tree. OK?" We know how that turned out and, well, if God can't enforce Prohibition aren't we perhaps a bit delusional thinking we can? I mean it hasn't worked well so far. Alcohol Prohibition only took 13 years to end (so miserable were the consequences of that), drugs Prohibition began over a century ago and drugs are everywhere.
And criminals control virtually every one of them and profit -- tax free -- from them all.
Sadly the drug war won't end any day soon. More cops will die fighting against the unending tide of illegal drugs or be swept up by the temptations of corruption. More innocent civilians like Kathryn Johnston of Atlanta or Patrick Dorismond, or Zeke Hernandez, or Tiffany and Charity Bowers... will die, caught in the crossfire between the peddlers of illegal drugs and the law.
Peter Christ, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
From his LEAP bio: “Peter Christ retired as a police captain after a 20-year career enforcing drug laws. From the beginning, Peter believed "the drug war can never be won and it is doing more harm than good." After retiring in 1989, Peter began speaking out publicly against that War. In 1993, he became one of the first members of "ReconsiDer", one of the original forums on drug policy, involving speakers from many diverse backgrounds. Peter quickly developed into the group's leading spokesperson, appearing at hundreds of venues.
“Peter then originated the idea of creating LEAP, a drug policy reform group of current and former members of law enforcement modeled on ‘Vietnam Veterans Against the War’. In 2002, after four years of Peter's preparation, LEAP finally emerged as a viable international nonprofit educational organization.”
News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Salem-News.com
Author: Peter Christ
Copyright: 2009 Salem-News.com
Contact: newsroom@salem-news.com
Website: Obama Administration Ends Drug War - Salem-News.Com
As an example, Kerlilkowski said, "government studies have shown over and over that marijuana is not a threat to civil or social order and is in fact a safer intoxicant than alcohol."
As a former cop I could not help but think "it's about time." And as an ex-cop that has been against our drug war for many years I was overjoyed at the prospect that police officers would actually be freed to perform their duties against real crime instead of chasing pot smokers and troubled addicts. I knew that the Obama administration was doing work toward reform but the text of this statement from our nation's drug czar was just amazing.
Kerlikowski pointed out that some programs had begun almost immediately upon Mr. Obama becoming President. Already our prison populations were dropping due to the Stamper Commission’s recommendations (named for it’s director, Chief Norm Stamper) to review criminal backgrounds of offenders and to move them back into their communities…families were being reunited and money previously spent on corrections facilities was now being spent on job training and funding entrepreneur programs.
Needle exchanges were being funded. Marijuana was now neither legal nor illegal. Rather it was left as an issue for each state to decide how they wished to best handle cannabis in its' various forms - as medicine, agri-industrial hemp and its' recreational use. Pot would be managed on the same model alcohol operates under.
Little did anyone know how serious President Obama was when he said:
"Promoting science isn't just about providing resources, it is also about protecting free and open inquiry. It is about letting scientists like those here today do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion, and listening to what they tell us, even when it's inconvenient especially when it's inconvenient. It is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology."
Well, I hate to say this... but... April Fools!
I wish that were all true, but the truth is "change" doesn't seem to be the mantra we all thought and hoped it would be in regards to our punitive Prohibition drug policies. Our moves towards "handling" the violence now going on in Mexico calls for escalating the war as a war.
More aircraft, weapons, law enforcement personnel and now, soldiers, will go to fighting a war we lost on the first day.
Prohibition hasn't worked since God told Adam and Eve "you can't eat from that ONE tree. OK?" We know how that turned out and, well, if God can't enforce Prohibition aren't we perhaps a bit delusional thinking we can? I mean it hasn't worked well so far. Alcohol Prohibition only took 13 years to end (so miserable were the consequences of that), drugs Prohibition began over a century ago and drugs are everywhere.
And criminals control virtually every one of them and profit -- tax free -- from them all.
Sadly the drug war won't end any day soon. More cops will die fighting against the unending tide of illegal drugs or be swept up by the temptations of corruption. More innocent civilians like Kathryn Johnston of Atlanta or Patrick Dorismond, or Zeke Hernandez, or Tiffany and Charity Bowers... will die, caught in the crossfire between the peddlers of illegal drugs and the law.
Peter Christ, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
From his LEAP bio: “Peter Christ retired as a police captain after a 20-year career enforcing drug laws. From the beginning, Peter believed "the drug war can never be won and it is doing more harm than good." After retiring in 1989, Peter began speaking out publicly against that War. In 1993, he became one of the first members of "ReconsiDer", one of the original forums on drug policy, involving speakers from many diverse backgrounds. Peter quickly developed into the group's leading spokesperson, appearing at hundreds of venues.
“Peter then originated the idea of creating LEAP, a drug policy reform group of current and former members of law enforcement modeled on ‘Vietnam Veterans Against the War’. In 2002, after four years of Peter's preparation, LEAP finally emerged as a viable international nonprofit educational organization.”
News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Salem-News.com
Author: Peter Christ
Copyright: 2009 Salem-News.com
Contact: newsroom@salem-news.com
Website: Obama Administration Ends Drug War - Salem-News.Com
