Congressmen call for federal decrim of marijuana, scaring drug warriors into strange behavior

Nick Juliano at Raw Story has great coverage of today’s press conference with Rep. Barney Frank, who is introducing a marijuana federal decriminalization bill (not expected to pass, but intended to open a dialogue).
The ONDCP apparently sent their big guns to immediately try to rebut, well, something else entirely.

ONDCP’s Dr. David Murray’s impassioned arguments that seemed more appropriate in Reefer Madness were greeted with plenty of puzzled glances.
Why did the White House feel it necessary to send at least three staffers to Capitol Hill to place in every reporter’s hand a copy of its 20-page, color-copied “2008 Marijuana Sourcebook?” RAW STORY posed this question to Murray.
“It is our responsibility to be aware of policy developments,” said Murray, who clarified that he had a PhD and was not a medical doctor.

Ah, so that is why the ONDCP rushed this bizarre 2008 Marijuana Sourcebook (pdf) to press (subtitled: Marijuana: The Greatest Cause of Illegal Drug Abuse).
The ONDCP is close to becoming its own worst enemy.
Here’s some footage from the actual press conference.