Drug WarRant

New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg had a hard time making himself clear on his radio show. After a question about medical marijuana he incoherently tried to show why he opposed it while clearly describing the arguments for the overall legalization of drugs.

Choire Sicha provides the transcript.

“The argument is that the only ways you’re ever going to end the drug trades is legalize drugs and take away the profit motive and that to legalize—the corruption funds enormous dislocation of society. Mexico, you know, thousands and tens of thousands of people have been killed in the wars of the government trying to clamp down on the drug dealers.

There’s no easy answer to any of these things.

Nobody really — there are places where they legalized drugs. And then whether it destroyed the society or didn’t is up to debate, again.”

Huh?

No, I don’t think it really is up to debate. It’s like saying “And then whether unicorns caused the extinction of the dinosaurs is up to debate again.” It really isn’t. I mean you could debate it just for fun, but there’s no valid reason.

It’s fascinating that, as a supposed opponent of legalization, he gives a pretty clear account of the reasons for legalization, but seems utterly incapable of coherently stating why we shouldn’t.

Ah, but that’s the beauty of being a politician. No need to actually make sense.

Conservatives in Canada won a decisive victory with a full majority for the next four years under Stephen Harper.

Harper has not been a friend to drug policy reform and, in fact, has been an advocate for a U.S.-style drug war.

I don’t really know enough about Canadian government to speculate as to how things are likely to move over the next four years.

What do our Canadian readers have to say?

The Telegraph discovers The generation that will not give up on drugs

Illegal drug use remains a normal part of life for many people even as they settle down and approach their thirties, new research has revealed. […]

The long-term study, conducted by the University of Manchester, found that while drug use falls as people move out of their teens and early twenties, it remains acceptable for many. […]

It said there was a “matter-of-factness” about social drug use among young people that had extended into their adult lives.

The study also learned that for most of them this was not a problem. It didn’t lead to the breakdown of social order or destruction of lives.

“But far from being out of control, the majority of drug-taking adults appear to be pretty similar to those who seek evening and weekend time out, relaxation and fun through alcohol consumption.

“These adults do not reject the mainstream. Their lives, outside their drug use, sit comfortably amongst these values. However we see them, they appear to accept drug taking as a fairly ordinary, normal activity that is OK.”

And yet, we spend billions and kill thousands in a futile attempt to prevent them from leading their ordinary, normal lives.

Over at Heightened Sense, there’s a very interesting article talking about Major Neill Franklin, Executive Director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, and his “Road to Damascus” moment that finally led him to realize that prohibition was wrong and needed to be changed.

It’s a tragedy that it took the death of a friend for that realisation to have stuck for good, but it’s so often the case with policy that it never matters until it’s personal.

I’ve gotten way too little sleep this weekend.

I hear we’ve won the war on terror, so I guess that’s a good thing. Now we can focus on winning that pesky war on drugs, right?

MADISON: Sad news this morning as we learn that longtime Madison cannabis activist Ben Masel passed away shortly after 9am today from complications of cancer at hospice care in Fitchburg. Today’s Global Cannabis Freedom March, scheduled for noon on Capitol Square, will be dedicated to Ben’s memory.

More of this kind of discussion, please…

Children are Harmed, Not Helped, by Unwinnable Drug War by Daniel Robelo

After forty years and a trillion dollars, supporters of the drug war still claim that any discussion of legalization sends the “wrong message” to children.

The truth, as seen in news from Mexico ever day, is that the drug war itself is killing children. And the message we send by not discussing alternatives is one of cruel indifference. […]

Because the real “wrong message” is letting children die and communities be destroyed by refusing to put all options on the table.

Look, I am sick and tired of the crass and false “think of the children” arguments by the prohibitionists. I don’t want to go down their road, but it’s time we did a better job of showing that prohibitionists don’t really care about children, and that prohibition is harming children, not helping them.

As you may know, our drug czar was trying to jump ship and land a plum job as Chicago Police Superintendent.

Obama Drug Czar Doesn’t Make Top Cop Cut

Looks like he’s stuck in his hopeless dead-end position for a little while longer.

As Scott Morgan notes: Drug Czar Might Be the Worst Job in American Politics

Wow. I can hardly wait for the release date on this one by Paul Chabot.

He explains the importance of having a book like this…

In America, or abroad, we are seeing a rise in domestic groups destroying the moral fabric of communities through drug legalization, gangs, corruption and organized crime.

It takes a powerful lack of intelligence to put those in the same category, but make no mistake about it, Paul Chabot is up to the job.

Want proof? Hear what these luminaries have to say…

“An honest, clear account of what we need to know and do to make our families safer. Every citizen should read Paul Chabot’s guide for bringing more justice to our dangerous world.”
— Honorable John P. Walters, former White House Drug Czar

“A factual masterpiece! Dr. Chabot pulls in the reader & gives them a mission you can’t say no to.”
— Calvina Fay, Executive Director, Drug Free America Foundation, Inc.

“A courageous book by a courageous leader! Pray for our brave men and women who step forward and face this kind of terror beseeching God’s children.”
— Dr. Bishop Ron Allen, Chairman, International Faith Based Coalition

CU Boulder history instructor baffled and offended by pro-pot protest

On my way to class I passed through the quad and saw several thousand students (as well as many homeless folks and others who didn’t seem to belong there). They were all in small circles of four to five people, and every circle was passing around marijuana cigarettes. I almost felt high myself as I tried to make it across the quad to my class. Half the class never showed up; they were enjoying the activity out on the lawn.

My lecture that day was Calvinism, Puritanism and the Protestant Ethic, how these values made America great, but that we were now unfortunately losing them here in America. How appropriate! As I spoke of living a responsible and sober life, studying hard to be a success, becoming an upstanding member of the community, and of one day becoming a good spouse and parent, my students automatically juxtaposed the activities outside our classroom where the other half of the class was spending their time. I told them that I felt I was preaching to the choir, but promised them all extra credit for their faithful attendance, choosing to learn about responsibility, instead of blowing smoke in the quad.

Wow.

AG Eric Holder Outlines DOJ ‘s Planned Priorities – TalkLeft notes that Holder still is just talk.

President Obama’s 2012 proposed budget is overly heavy on law enforcement and too light on prevention. The words by Holder are nice, but as the Justice Policy Project points out, they are not borne out by the numbers.

A Drug that Kills

A student editorial that says the right thing: “Ultimately, ensuring that kind of safety means legalizing marijuana.” But does it really badly.

President Obama speaks on Manning and the rule of law – Glenn Greenwald.

Pretty sad when our commander-in-chief is unclear on the meaning of the law. And don’t for a moment think that this doesn’t have a drug policy connection.