Drug WarRant

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.

This release from the Women’s Marijuana Movement makes a very powerful statement.

Women and Students Say Alcohol-Related Sexual Assaults are Being Fueled by Marijuana Prohibition

Victims, parents, and advocates to speak out against laws and policies that steer people toward using ALCOHOL — the “#1 Date Rape Drug” — instead of MARIJUANA, a substance NOT linked to date rape and sexual assault

Day of action coincides with Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Alcohol Awareness Month — group calls on government agency to examine whether allowing marijuana as a safer alternative to alcohol could reduce incidents of sexual violence

DENVER — This Tuesday, April 26th, women, college students, and advocates around the nation are speaking out against laws and policies they believe fuel sexual violence by steering people toward using alcohol — a major contributor to incidents of sexual assault and date rape — and away from using marijuana, a substance never linked to sexual violence.

“I honestly believe I would not have been sexually assaulted if we had been using marijuana instead of alcohol at that college party” said Stephanie Morphet, a student at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. “Yet my friends and I have been told our whole lives that alcohol is more acceptable, and that we’d face harsher punishments for marijuana.”

Victims of alcohol-related sexual assaults, parents of college students, and supporters of marijuana reform around the country are calling on the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control to examine whether allowing marijuana as a safer alternative to alcohol could reduce levels of sexual violence. The Women’s Marijuana Movement (WMM) is coordinating the nationwide day of action in recognition of April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Alcohol Awareness Month. In Colorado, it also marks the beginning of the group’s educational efforts in support of a 2012 statewide ballot initiative to end marijuana prohibition in Colorado.

“If our government is serious about preventing sexual violence, it’s time to start considering the possibility that marijuana prohibition is driving people to drink and fueling incidents of sexual assault and date rape,” said Toni Fox, spokesperson for the WMM and mother of a daughter who attends Metro State College of Denver. “Our laws and policies virtually incentivize the use of alcohol over marijuana with the threat of harsh punishments those who make the safer choice. It’s bad public policy, and at the very least it’s time we took a long hard look at it.”

Virtually every organization and government agency dedicated to preventing sexual violence has acknowledged the significant role alcohol plays in the prevalence of sexual assault and date rape, whereas marijuana has never been found to be a contributing factor. It is reportedly involved in about 50% of all sexual assaults and in about 90% of the 100,000-plus sexual assaults that occur among the college-aged population each year. It is frequently referred to as the “#1 Date Rape Drug,” by rape awareness and prevention organizations, whereas marijuana is virtually never mentioned.

# # #

Of course, I would never recommend that alcohol be made illegal, but it’s pure insanity to continue to favor and promote alcohol over marijuana as a society.

You want to reduce violence (at soccer games or on campus)? Give them pot.

Illinois

Although a piece of legislation that would legalize medical marijuana in Illinois failed by a slim margin last December, a Republican leader in the House has shifted his support, raising the chances that the bill could pass. Tom Cross, the House Minority Leader, announced last week that he would support legalization. His change of heart, he said, was because he spoke with some people who use medical marijuana, including a disabled veteran. […]

It’s also telling that Cross changed his mind after speaking with the people who are actually affected by the legislation – something that perhaps more politicians should try.

Now, in fact, there’s been more than enough opportunity for Cross to have learned the truth about marijuana before now. He must have lived in a propaganda cocoon that prevented him from even hearing reform messages. But I respect him for finally being open to learning new things and changing his mind based on that knowledge.

On the other hand…

Rhode Island/Connecticut

The minority leader of the Rhode Island House, who recently dismissed debate over the decriminalization of marijuana as not worthy of legislators’ time, is facing pot-possession charges in Connecticut.

Robert Watson, a Republican from East Greenwich, was stopped at a police checkpoint Friday and charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and driving under the influence, East Haven police said.

Watson drew fire in February when he gave a speech to the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce in which he said facetiously that lawmakers had their priorities right “if you are a Guatemalan gay man who likes to gamble and smokes marijuana.”

In many ways, this politician is lower than the sado-moralist true believers of the prohibition world. He considers himself above the law, and, while clearly not believing marijuana use to be wrong or harmful, is willing to send others to prison for what he does — even going so far as to ridicule reform attempts — all to maintain some cheap political stance.

I don’t really understand the depths of depravity of such a person. Perhaps that’s why I could never be in politics (which in itself is a sad commentary on our political class). I wouldn’t have the ability to publicly push for what I knew was wrong.

Oh, I could compromise. I could vote for a bill that included X (something I considered evil) because it’s the only way to get Y (something serving a greater good). It would hurt, and I would complain bitterly about it publicly, but in the right situation, I could do it.

What I could not do is tell people that X is good for them and important to have, even though I knew it was wrong.

Why is that such a rare trait to find in our political leaders?

Update: Commenter Benjamin notes that I may have been too hasty on the extent of my condemnation of Watson based solely on what was reported in the article. I hope that’s true.

The latest entry in our series is not from a High School or College newspaper, but rather from the Young Leaders Program at the Heritage Foundation. Whereas our college writers came about their ignorance honestly, you have to wonder whether Ashley Mosteller (although her writing itself is good) got some help from Heritage.

Even the title of the OpEd sends off alarm bells: Losing the Mexico Drug War: One Protest at a Time

Does she really mean that protesting the drug war is the problem in Mexico?

Yep.

Ashley’s concern is that protests, like that of Mexican poet and intellectual Javier Sicilia who lost his son, are aimed at the government instead of the criminals, and that such protests are undermining the efforts of the government and aiding the criminals.

First of all, what possible good could you accomplish by protesting the criminals? You’re not going to convince them to end the drug war. Javier Sicilia realizes that the people directly to blame for the death of his son are the criminals. He also realizes that it wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the drug war.

Ashley several times expresses concern that the criminals and the government are being unfairly seen as morally equivalent.

This, in a nutshell, is one of the huge blind spots of the Heritage Foundation folks. Because they see “the other” as morally bad (criminals, terrorists, etc.), and anything that we do as morally good, they can’t accept (or even see) the fact that the actions of the “morally good” can actually be the proximate cause of criminal or terrorist violence.

So when terrorists object to our military presence with terror attacks, we respond with increased military presence and pressure, creating new terrorists with each action we take. This doesn’t make the terrorists right, but it also doesn’t make our response smart. But to the bright-line-moralist Heritage types, even attempting to explain the cause is an unacceptable attack on America, let alone considering crafting a non-retributive-based solution.

Same with the drug war. With each increased level of enforcement, we cause the increased violence by the criminals (that’s established fact) with no long-term benefit. It doesn’t make the criminals right, but it doesn’t make us smart, either.

Javier Sicilia lost his son. He doesn’t care about assigning moral equivalencies. He wants the drug war ended so no more sons are killed.

The Heritage Foundation type doesn’t care how many sons are killed as long as they can claim moral superiority and show off their dicks (ironically enough, military superiority and moral superiority are closely aligned in their minds – now there’s a fascinating Easter message).

Ashley has a couple of other ignorant moments in her OpEd.

[The administration] must balance a “stay the course” approach with disturbing signs that President Calderon is losing control of the narrative and the support of the Mexican people. All of this, of course, is to the delight of Mexico’s criminal organizations, whose goal is to disseminate fear and uncertainty on both sides of the border.

Really? Is that their goal? I thought it was to make money selling drugs. Fear is one of their tactics, not a goal.

Finally, Ashley lost all credibility with using Michele Leonhart as a citation to back up her points:

“It may seem contradictory, but the unfortunate level of violence is a sign of success in the fight against drugs,” said U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration chief Michele Leonhart.”