Drug WarRant

Welcome!
I’m thrilled to see all the new visitors to Drug WarRant today.

First, thanks for the nice recent mentions and links from Walter in Denver and Pipeline.
TalkLeft: The Politics of Crime is without a doubt the most informative and interesting site of its kind out there and it’s great to have so many TalkLeft readers stopping by.
Balloon Juice and MetaJournalism said some very nice things and I’m looking forward to getting to know those sites. I’d also like to welcome new readers from The Dust Congress, Stitching for Sanity, and Salonblogs’ king-of-the-rankings filchyboy. (Update: welcome also to those from Riba Rambles, The Sideshow, ArchPundit, and Execution and the Connecticut Suburbs.)
Just in case you missed it, I’m opposed to the war on drugs. Liberals, conservatives, libertarians, stoners, and teetotalers are all welcome. There are good reasons for all of you to be opposed to the war as well. You may have different views about how to fix it, but that’s better than blind obedience to past failures.
Feel free to take a look around. Want to know my interpretation of who the Drug Czar is or some scary information about our new DEA administrators? Perhaps you’d like something on the lighter side, like a satire on the government’s war on burgers in 2043. Drop me a line at
if you have questions, criticisms, tips, or suggestions — or just to say Hi.

Breaking News
Seattle voters approved Initiative 75 yesterday by 59 percent to 41 percent.

The new city ordinance will make marijuana laws, as they relate to adult personal use, the city’s lowest law-enforcement priority. Seattle becomes the largest city in the U.S. with such a law.
“Seattleites don’t think adults should go to jail for marijuana,” said Dominic Holden, campaign manager for I-75. “Voters agreed with us that law enforcement has more important priorities.” Others at the smoke-free I-75 victory party in Belltown saw something broader in the vote. “It gets people to think more rationally about our drug laws,” said Andy Ko, head of the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington. “Our drug laws are so knee-jerk.”

Update: Thanks to Tim Meehan for this little gem. Philip Dawdy of the Seattle Weekly reports a rather unusual moment while our Drug Czar was in Seattle campaigning against I-75.

“The real issue is should we legalize marijuana,” Walters said. “Let’s have a debate about that.”

Dawdy seems to consider this statement as a possible chink in the armor (to even mention the idea of debate, when the feds have run from debate at every turn).
I believe, however, that it is mere rhetoric, similar to Walters’ repeated reference to medical marijuana as a “lie,” claiming that all medical marijuana activists want is legalization. After his debate statement, it appears that he was surprised when asked how the White House would support the debate process, and he immediately went back to blaming drug policy reformers.
If John Walters ever decides to debate marijuana legalization, there are plenty of people willing to take him on, including myself. I’ll pay my own way. Just tell me when and where, Mr. Drug Czar, and I’ll be ready.

Senator Durbin to introduce important medical marijuana legislation
Via Talk Left and Marijuana Policy Project:

For the first time ever, a federal law recognizing the validity of state medical marijuana laws will be introduced in the U.S. Senate. U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) will introduce the Senate version of the Truth in Trials Act in October. Now is the time for you to write to your U.S. senators urging them to be original cosponsors of this medical marijuana legislation.

Go to MPP and follow the link to send a fax to your Senators asking them to co-sponsor and support this important legislation.
Why is this important? Currently, if you are a medical marijuana user (and legally approved in a state that allows medical use), if you are tried in federal court you are not allowed to even mention the reason you use marijuana or that it’s legal for medical purposes in your state – a horrible travesty of justice. This bill would allow a medical defense.
Once again, I’m proud to have Durbin as my Senator (see Can Congress Get a Clue? (Karen Tandy and the DEA)). If you’re from Illinois, consider giving his office a call at (202) 224-2152 and say thanks. They really appreciate hearing this kind of thing.

The Drug Czar is at it again!
Millions have driven while on drugs – today’s AP story which will soon be appearing in a newspaper near you.

An estimated 11 million Americans, including nearly one in five 21-year-olds, have driven while under the influence of illegal drugs, the government says…

John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said the statistics show a failure to convince drivers that drugs impair driving as much as alcohol does. His office is kicking off an ad campaign to warn teens about driving while smoking marijuana.

“Marijuana is not the soft drug. Marijuana is not the casual rite of passage,” Walters said at a news conference. “We have been sending the wrong message.”

Notice how he says that the “statistics show a failure to convince drivers that drugs impair driving as much as alcohol does”. Perhaps that’s because, in the case of marijuana, it just isn’t true!

Now, I don’t recommend driving with any kind of impairment, whether it’s drugs, alcohol, fatigue, or using a cell phone. But Walters is distorting the facts once again.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study titled “Marijuana and Actual Driving Performance” (published November, 1993): “THC’s adverse effects on driving performance appear relatively small.” and “Evidence from the present and previous studies strongly suggests that alcohol encourages risky driving whereas THC encourages greater caution.”
According to a 1994 Dutch study on “Marijuana Use And Driving” in real world conditions: “THC’s adverse effects on driving performance appeared relatively small in the tests employed in this program.”
A May 1998 Australian review of 2,500 injured drivers reported that cannabis had “no significant effect” on driving culpability.”
A study conducted by the Transport Research Laboratory in 2000 was reported in the London Times article Cannabis May Make You a Safer Driver.

…researchers found that the mellowing effects of cannabis made drivers more cautious and so less likely to drive dangerously. Although the cannabis affected reaction time in regular users, its effects appear to be substantially less dangerous than fatigue or drinking.”

The study’s author Rob Tunbridge said:

“If you were to ask me to rank them in order of priority, fatigue is the worst killer, followed by alcohol, and drugs follow way behind in third.”

The TRL study was repeated a year later and reported in New Scientist: Alcohol impairs driving more than marijuana, which confirmed that marijuana users, though mildly impaired in certain skills, adjusted by driving more carefully and alertly. The study also indicated that alcohol users gained some of that caution if they smoked marijuana.
According to the Canadian Senate’s exhaustive 2002 report: “Cannabis: Our Position for a Canadian Public Policy,” “Cannabis alone, particularly in low doses, has little effect on the skills involved in automobile driving.”
But Walters doesn’t care about the facts. He is pursuing his own agenda.
The Marijuana Policy Project is quite aware that Walters has declared his own war specifically on marijuana – ONDCP Ads Increase Teen Drug Use: Focus on Marijuana Ignores Problem of More Dangerous Drugs

“The Office of National Drug Control Policy is trying to change the topic with the new teen driving safety campaign,” said Steve Fox, director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project. “By no means do we support anyone, particularly teens, driving under the influence of marijuana or other drugs, but ONDCP’s continued focus on marijuana above all other drugs has made the problem worse. By concentrating on anti-marijuana scare tactics that are proven not to work and may even increase teen marijuana use, ONDCP is ignoring the increasing use of truly dangerous drugs like cocaine and heroin.”

So when you see Walters spouting this in your local paper, you know what to do. Write a letter to the editor and give them the truth. Go to MAP for help in doing it.

Toward the day the dying stops!
DoneZone sent me this useful article about the safe-injection site which opened in Vancouver on Monday.

It’s designed to give drug users a safer alternative to shooting up in dark and dirty alleys in the Downtown Eastside.

Vancouver’s chief medical health officer, Dr. John Blatherwick, says critics opposed to the site need to look at the bigger picture.

“The reason people should care is people are dying.”

Naturally, the U.S. Drug Czar is butting in with uninformed opinion:

“I think that the advocates of this have to twist the truth”

This from the ultimate truth twister. Why does the Canadian media continue to even include quotes from him about their policies?
If you’re interested in the research behind the site, check out this study (pdf). Also, UNDUN: Unified Networkers of Drug Users Nationally is worth a look.
Update: Check out today’s post at Rehash for more on this.
Another Update: Doug has a response to John Walters.

Oh Canada!
A little clarification is in order regarding marijuana laws and the courts in Canada. A British Columbian judge has now ruled that current marijuana possession laws are invalid, joining judges in Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia, while judges in Alberta and Saskatchewan have ruled the other way. Once the Supreme Court rules, this may all be straightened out.

In the meantime, this map may help you with your travel plans.

How’s your Latin?
I’ve decided to add a little quiz (probably about once a week). First one: translate these latin phrases that relate to the drug war. First one to leave correct translations in the comments wins… the satisfaction of being the first one. I’ll try to come up with better prizes later.

Update: Desert Cat wins the prize!

Signs of Hope in Drug War Destruction
Despite the moralizing and iron fist of the U.S. drug war cheerleaders (led by Drug Czar John Walters), marijuana is emerging as a chink in the warriors’ armor in a variety of places.
Canada: Senate recommends complete legalization. Administration and legislature dithers. Courts step in. Marijuana is legal (temporarily, kind of, some places). Sky doesn’t fall. Confused? Still confused? Even more confused?
Netherlands: Pot already available in coffee shops, now sold in pharmacies.
Alaska: Privacy rules. Possession of up to four ounces in your home is ruled a constitutional right.
Seattle, Washington: Citizens prepare to vote on Initiative 75, which would make marijuana arrests the lowest priority. Drug Czar has a fit (using tax funds).
England: Along with reclassifying marijuana, police are given new guidelines on marijuana to take effect in January, involving a “presumption against arrest.” Check out the Media Awareness Project focus alert.
In a Zogby poll conducted last month in New Hampshire, 84 percent of voters said they supported changing federal law to allow patients to use medicinal marijuana without fear of arrest.
Interesting times. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Drug War News Round-up
“Decriminalizing Pot a Good First Step” is an outstanding OpEd by Barney Sneiderman in today’s Winnipeg Free Press:

When the state resolves to prohibit any conduct, it should have the burden of proving why the heavy hand of the criminal law is called for.æ Surely it cannot be up to the individual to prove why the conduct in question should not be criminalized….

…the use of drugs for recreational purposes is so widespread across cultures that the very notion of a War on Drugs is a war upon human nature.æ We would do well to pay heed to the Dutch policy on drugs — the pillar of which is called “harm reduction.” Although as in Canada, the Dutch Penal Code bans drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and heroin, they do not enforce the provision against possession for personal use.æ The rationale is as follows.æ If anyone’s use of an illicit drug is not harmful, there is no reason for state intervention.æ If the drug is being abused, the arm of the state to invoke is not law enforcement, but rather public health.æ Moreover, the Dutch understand that they will sooner get abusers into treatment programs if they treat them as patients.æ In short, their policy is designed to reduce harm by adopting a health approach as opposed to compounding the harm of drug abuse itself by branding the drug taker as a criminal.

“Your Brain on Bad Science” — More on how science is perverted by the government in its effort to prove its case, in a follow-up today in the LA Weekly on the ecstasy research scandal.

According to some scientists, Ricaurte, who gets substantial grant money from the National Institute on Drug Abuse ( NIDA ), has often omitted data that might undermine his case that even low or occasional doses of MDMA can cause brain damage — an argument that has been used to halt potentially significant research into MDMA’s therapeutic applications.

“Two Suits Filed Over Police No-Knock Raids at Wrong Homes” in yesterday’s New York Times.

“I really thought that I would die that day,” Ms. Rogers said…

“…the lawyer who filed both suits yesterday, Norman Siegel, said that in recent years the department has increasingly relied on the no-knock warrants that permit the surprise entries. He said police data showed that officers search more than 460 addresses every month in the city, and that the vast majority of those searches were conducted under warrants that permitted the no-knock entries.

“Bush Administration Should Stop Picking on the Terminally Ill” by law professor Phyllis Coleman (yesterday, AScribe Newswire)

…Now back to why the federal government wants it this way.

1. They claim no proof exists that marijuana is beneficial. It’s true there isn’t much data. Know why? The only legal use of Schedule I drugs is federally approved research. But the federal government won’t approve such experiments. Makes you understand how Alice felt gazing up from that rabbit hole.

2. Another argument is that marijuana is illegal, even for medicinal purposes. Whose fault is that? Remember, the Controlled Substance Act was passed to prevent drug abuse and trafficking. But if physicians prescribe marijuana, they will limit its use. And if restrictions on obtaining it are removed, trafficking should not be a problem.

3. There is also the claim that marijuana is not safe. Consider who is eligible for such prescriptions. The primary group is those with end-stage cancer. Chemotherapy, the usual treatment, is poison. Other beneficiaries would be HIV/AIDS patients for whom commonly ordered drugs also are toxic. Notably, neither Mr. Bush nor Mr. Ashcroft appear to object to these drugs.

4. Finally, some argue marijuana doesn’t make sick people better. Neither does morphine. They both make patients feel better rather than cure them.

Thus, again the question of why the Bush administration is taking on the terminally ill.

Kind of makes you wonder what they’ve been smoking.

This week’s “Drug War Chronicle” has even more excellent information on the ecstasy study controversy, and “Drug Sense Weekly” has a recap of the week’s drug war news.
Update: Reader Jay Allen has more on the ecstasy study on his site.

Chong’s Bongs Long to Belong
Followup to yesterday’s story: NORML has an action page where you can easily drop a line to complain to Congress about the waste of law enforcement resources going after drug paraphernalia, and ask that Tommy Chong be freed. Go there now. It’s really easy, and this is a great way to tell Congress about the excesses of the drug war.
No, really. Do it now. I’ll wait…