The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will unveil the results of the latest (2010) National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) at a press conference on Thursday, September 8.
This is an annual affair where, prior to letting the rest of the world see the data, they painstakingly go through it and cherry-pick statistics that bolster their policies in contradictory ways.
They will find one data point that has gone down since the last report and proclaim it as proof that our drug policies work!
They’ll find another data point that has gone up since the last report and soberly point out that this means that we have to apply our drug policies even more stringently.
And those members of the press who are mindless drones (fewer than there used to be, but still way too many) will actually report that as news.
Whatever the numbers say, the presentation on Thursday will conclude that we’re doing all the right things and we just need to do more of them.
At the press conference:
* Pamela S. Hyde, Administrator, SAMHSA, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
* Gil Kerlikowske, Director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
* Westley Clark, M.D., M.P.H. Director, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, SAMHSA, HHS
* Thomas S. Gilbert, CAADC, CEO/President TouchStone Intervention & Professional Services and person in long-term recovery
* Sandra Huffman, person in long-term recovery
* Mildred M. Minor, Program Coordinator at Arlington Recovery Empowerment Center, Arlington VA and person in recovery from depression
There will, however, be nobody at the press conference who doesn’t have an anti-drug agenda, or who is interested in the entire picture.
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“Although It is not really our wish, we feel forced to assert our authority through even more intimidation. For the sake of ‘Government Security’, a terrorist is now anyone with a question.”
– The United States Corporate Government
And it provides us with another spate of “drugs are bad, m-kay?” editorials to go out and debunk. It’s a kabuki dance that the drug czar goes through every year to justify his existence. It should be comical by now. But it isn’t. I wonder how much money they waste on this theater production each year. It’s not even a very good effort anymore. The self justifying, hypocritical spectacle of this display just gets worse and worse. Words that spring unbidden into my mind- Vapid. Wasteful. Hypocritical. Damaging. Self-serving. Greedy. ….och…somebody make it stop!
Just remember the hundreds of millions of dollars our “anti-drug” politicians joyously receive from the alcohol industry. And where’s the mainstream media on this, oh wait they also rely on alcohol advertising dollars!!!
These people lie for the most morally depraved reason: to preserve their miserable jobs oppressing the harmless.
They are milking it, prohibition welfare bums!
The fruits of prohibition – rendering racketeers of the police and diminishing respect for the government. How can any sane person respect these dominionist parasites?
… aaah… this is one of those events with an announced future date and location. In my ideal drug policy reform fantasy the likes of Neill Franklin, Ethan Nadelmann, Rob Kampia, Keith Stroup, all the big whigs from the alphabet of orgs from ASA to NORML and all in between would be there. And of course with nearly a week to prepare they would enthusiastically call upon any of their members w/in close proximity to show up at the Nat’l Press Club, 14th & F Streets in WDC on Thursady morning at 8 – 9 a.m. with signs and attitudes to protest Gil the Liar and the rest of his Prohibitionist cadre of bureaucratic sado-moralist pinheads. But that’s just my fantasy…
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I do believe that ASA needs to be kept separate from the general cannabis reform movement. With that exception I’d love to see us finally sit down and come to a consensus on our shared beliefs. But I believe that’s impossible and that we have to accept that we are indeed the proverbial herd of house cats and figure out how to make it work despite that reality. Kind of like arguing that driving after enjoying cannabis is a total loser of an argument, any plan predicated on us acting any way than which we actually are is a guaranteed loser. We’re just never going to be anything other than what we are no matter how many resources or how much effort we put into it.
That’s a dismal assessment Duncan…
It would sound much sunnier if you were to say something like:
“Our strength is in the diversity of views and the multitude of directions we are able to pursue in the quest for legalization. The variety of views and the dozens of different avenues we take assure that the entire field of ideas is covered by the advocates, while the stale old prohibitionists march lockstep down the same old road to their ultimate demise.”
or something to that effect.
See?…doesn’t that sound SO much more positive?
…you HAD to find that amusing. Admit it.
I found it amusing and true.
“I do believe that ASA needs to be kept separate from the general cannabis reform movement.”
I think it’s a farce. I think all marijuana use is therapeutic use and certainly far more healthier than alcohol use. It’s a travesty seeing people wasting away from chemotherapy, but it’s also a travesty seeing people wasting away in a downward spiral of alcoholism and the suffering that causes to their families too.
with all due respect allan, the alphabet soup of idiots you named has the same exact opportunity to make a difference for several decades. it’s time for everyone to recognize how useless and impotent they really are.
I can think of several “good’ questions to ask them about their numbers but I am sure it will be a news release and no questions allowed.
As for SAMHSA, it’s BS because they are simply going door-to-door asking people what drugs they use on a daily basis or the past month. obviously more people will admit using legal drugs than illegal ones, but the survey is about what people will admit to, not what they are actually doing.
meanwhile, for the past decade, brian has been diligently graphing out the data and creating combinations thereof that clearly illustrate what’s really going on, and makes it possible to completely annihilate the idiotic claims they make.
sadly though, (with the consistent exception of LEAP) the “leaders” and the vast majority of people working on drug law reform continue to make the same long winded speeches they make every year in response to the long winded speeches of the opposition.
year after year, decade after decade, the same idiotic merry-go-round. people like to see what’s going on — so stop boring the shit out of them with the same tired-assed bullshit and start showing</b them the whole picture.
I agree, Brian, it IS the same old shit over and around again. Isn’t that the definition of insanity — doing the same thing again and again while expecting a different outcome?
yes, it is the folk definition of insanity.
These folks sound just like the crazy Religious Right,Drugs-Same-Sex attraction is bad for you-will make your life hell and or your going to hell.BLAH BLAH BLAH.
This shouldnt be a suprise . Government does this all the time.
They spin the words and numbers to make anything say what they want it to.
Corruption: A disease that spares no one.
This all brings to mind an old twighlight zone show.
” i am not obsolete ! “