In an interview with KCTS in Seattle, drug czar Gil Kerlikowske (a former Seattle police chief) disputed facts in an op-ed by LEAP speaker Norm Stamper (also a former Seattle chief) on how the Obama administration continues to emphasize funding for punishment over funding for treatment despite having lots of flowery rhetoric about how they're treating drug abuse as a health problem:
Actually, Gil, you're wrong. Let's take a look at your own website (PDF):
So, yeah, Norm Stamper is correct in saying that that Obama administration has "maintained a Bush-era budget ratio that devotes twice as many resources to arrests and punishment [supply reduction] as it does for treatment and prevention [demand reduction]."
You talk a good game about "ending the war on drugs," Gil, but that's all you've got. Put your money where your mouth is.
Why doesn't L.E.A.P. get some equal airtime to rebut and show that prohibition doesn't work?
ReplyDeleteThese are the same type of weak fluff responses we have been hearing from these types of detached politicians for far too long now. Not allowing the American People to have the safe natural substance that is Marijuana yet allowing them to consume the man-made poisons that are alcohol and pills is criminal insanity and by design. MOST IMPORTANTLY, the prescription drug problem is directly related to Marijuana being illegal. Of course if it were legal more people would use it. It's one of nature's best medicines. If people truly understood its very real benefits instead of the demonizing propaganda most people have been brainwashed with, they would stop damaging their bodies and overdosing on prescription pills and choose the safe natural alternative that is Marijuana. There is a very simple and logical answer for everyone one of control addict Gil's points. First of all the statistic about Marijuana having the highest rate of rehab cases is probably false as are most government statistics and whatever basis it has is again related to the fact that it's illegal and actually safe. These other drugs are so addicting and damaging most people overdose before they can gather the will to get off them. No one has ever died from Marijuana. There is NO WAY to overdose on it. Marijuana withdraw is not even as bad as Refined Sugar and Caffeine withdraw in even the worst cases. The only "addiction" that exists is psychological at best and the only reason most people what to quit is because they are tired of living in fear of being caught and punished. We don't need more "Big Government" programs. We need our Freedom and ability to think for ourselves back and Marijuana aides in exactly that which is what the control, power addicts in our now Insane government fear most. Mother Nature was not wrong when she blessed us with this most holy of plants. It's a sacrament science will NEVER understand so they need to stop trying. Besides the real scientific data that is already out there on Marijuana proves there is a very ancient and important connection between humans and this plant. Statistics is NOT science, it is the art of lying. There's far more to life than numbers generated in a controlled environment which isn't factual at all when you think about the nature of how things in life truly operate. "Gil" is out of touch and needs to be thrown out with the rest of these elitists.
ReplyDeleteGee...if the #1 drug problem is prescription drugs, and marijuana can eliminate the need for the majority of them, perhaps we should let people grow and use marijuana?
ReplyDeleteThe King has No clothes...
ReplyDeleteI think Ether said it best and we surely need to get people off of all these prescription drugs they are really messing people up to the point where you don't even want to be around some of these people because of their mood swings etc. I am with a woman who had ovarian cancer and did the chemo, oxycontin and percosettes and belive me it has really changed her and not for the better neither. I wish she would have been able to do the pure hemp oil that Ricky Simpson speaks of in his "Run from the Cure" video, I'm sure she would have been much better off.
ReplyDeleteI just heard the drug czar say he ended the drug war two years ago-WHAT??? damn,I hadn't even noticed.
ReplyDeleteI jus wanna say that Im completely 4 the legalization of mj an am a huge pothead an activist, an use it for my one an only med for my bipolar/aspergers(jus so u no Im not nuts(not jokin on mental illness but the ppl as a whole might take me alil diff) but most ppl when I meet them have NO clue that I have a mental illness until I tell them) sum of this info is contradicting to what one may think, but its the truth an nothing but the truth(unless I specify like if I made a ed guess or w/e) if u wanna see sources Ill be happy to show u(on none-gov websites, most from trusted sources other than pro-mj sites an sumtimes more than one source), or if u wanna no more jus ask
ReplyDelete@Ether, as I do agree with legalization were only gunna make it happen with the truth, although u said half the truth some of it was not accurate
I do agree about the pills, if mj wasnt illegal an ppl new the truth, most ppl would pick mj for its enormous list of med uses
The rehab stats are tru, but the only reason there high is cuz mj is the most highly abused illegal drug, there for more arrests an most states u dont have to have much at all to get a charge, an the judge usually gives you the option of rehab or jail(an really what are you gunna pick)(made on word an ed guess, as that would make perfect since)
It is scientifically possible to od on thc, but to reach that point by smoking weed or even extracting the thc is physically impossible as you would have to smoke like a pound of sum dank ass chronic to do so, if u didnt passout 1st, tryin to do so, there 4 possible but not plausible an exactly why there are 0 deaths from it, I mean come on have u ever hurd of sum1 smokin that much b4?
The withdraw is way worse than coffee or refined sugar but only psychologically as heavy smokers will have a hard time quitin, but I do agree why u say most quit ether that or a job Ive seen it, but thats not really a bad thing, cuz it enhances & lengthens your life by helpin prevent cancer, helpin with certain colds, helps u stay more happy even after the high as there are many cannabinoids, one of them is CBD an has anti-cancer(there are more cannabinoids that help also) anti-inflammatory(again there are other cannabinoids that help) anti-conversant, anti-depressive & atypical anti-psychotic property's an stays in the system longer than thc
Dont even get me started on the gov an its wrong doings, but I will say this, I do believe in a gov, I do believe in democracy, I do believe in america, but DO NOT believe in the corrupt, power hungry, lieing/cheating, mess we call our gov today, our forefathers would be HIGHLY disappointed!
Science & math(all but Im refering to statistics as what you said) is not bs by any means ur refering to scientist an mathematicians as a whole there are a ton that understand the values of mj including me(Im not a pro scientist but exceptionally smart in it) an there are also some that understand its spiritual value also, my life has changed because of this, Im now considered a new ager, an have had 3 spiritual exp, as well as obes from mj, there are extraordinary science discoveries, info about space, computers, medical, nero, that are really to many to name even within the gen cat like above, its not the science but the scientist, as gen science has proved the gov wrong on pretty much everything & proven extraordinary medical, spiritual & heath discovery's it jus depends on who they work for, eventho they may be studyin it an be truthful in there study s there still gettin paid by the gov, an most the time the gov will ether use really old statistics an clam there new or they may be tru but caused by the gov itself to make them more credible or may jus outright lie, Ive seen all three
@CORNPONEHELL so tru!
I will give to the best of my ability any info on mj if any1 requests sumthin or has a question!
JD
Drug czar Gil Kerlikowske would be well advised to watch http://www.icsdp.org/media/press_releases/pressrelease-failureofcannabisprohibition.aspx and http://www.viennadeclaration.com/
ReplyDeleteTrying to get a Drug CZar to speak the truth about marijuana is like trying to fish with a basketball, its not going to happen. This man is by job description to lie about marijuana to prevent any efforts to legalize it. Its in his contract/Job description made by congress. So why not go after congress to change his Job and just maybe we could get truth and facts from our government over the BS they have feed us for 74yrs!
ReplyDeleteWhat's the single most wasteful government department, having not met, in fact gone backwards on, every single one of it's stated goals? This, despite Billions in funding annually?
ReplyDeleteThe DEA.
Stop Government Waste and Fraud. Defund the DEA.
The drug war's over? What store do I get some morphine at?
ReplyDeleteI'm reminded of a Genesis song from the double album, "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" where the main character Rael is listening to a guy and his lips keep sliding all over his face while he is talking.
ReplyDelete