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| Propaganda Czar |
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Posted by CN Staff on May 23, 2003 at 06:49:54 PT Editorial Source: Baltimore Sun 
John P. Walters is a man on a mission to save Americans from themselves. The director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy told Congress he's battling widespread "ignorance" about the dangers of marijuana, and about the true motives of those who would permit its use for medicinal purposes. Legalization of the drug is their goal, he contends, which Mr. Walters equates with "giving up" on the problem of drug abuse. Ignorant hicks we may be, but we know enough to be alarmed about zealots from Washington using our tax dollars to promote ideological crusades. The Bush administration's drug czar is seeking the power to cut off federal drug enforcement money to local police in states where marijuana has been decriminalized for medical use. As of yesterday, that could include Maryland, where Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. signed into law a bill that sharply reduces the penalty for marijuana possession when the defendant is seeking relief from symptoms of cancer, AIDS and other devastating illnesses. Mr. Walters, who waged a fierce last-minute lobbying effort against the Maryland measure, also wants the authority to run advertising campaigns against similar legislation in other states. This is frightening stuff from a career bureaucratic drug warrior who is not a doctor yet claimed the Maryland legislature had been "conned" into aggravating the state's addiction problems by a "cynical, cruel and immoral effort to use the sick and suffering" to legalize marijuana. The federal government has no business using tax dollars to help wage such lobbying campaigns, or to punish states that don't fall into line. Mr. Walters' obsession with marijuana is also wrong-headed, says Del. Dan K. Morhaim, a sponsor of the Maryland legislation and an emergency room physician who has seen the drug wars from the front lines. Cocaine, heroin, alcohol, tobacco - those are drugs that send people into the emergency room every day, he said. Marijuana, almost never. But pot does offer comfort, he said, when comfort is all that doctors can provide. Mr. Ehrlich, to his credit, gets it. He shrugged off pressure from the White House and signed the bill. Members of the House Government Reform Committee get it, too. Objections to Mr. Walters' proposals by Rep. Elijah E. Cummings and other Democrats may well put a stop to these misbegotten ideas. Eight other states have medical marijuana laws, and more are pending. Most Americans know that the danger of drugs lies elsewhere. Mr. Walters is wasting his firepower on the wrong target. Source: Baltimore Sun (MD) Related Articles & Web Site: Medical Marijuana Information Links Ehrlich Signs Marijuana Law Attitudes Ease Toward Medical Marijuana Standing Up To Bullies Drug Czar Calls Marijuana Bill Immoral Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #8 posted by observer on May 23, 2003 at 12:44:55 PT |
| "Propaganda Czar" That sums it up nicely. He is that, according to the standard dictionary definitions of "propaganda", I mean. The existence of such a Riechsdrogenpropagandameister and the enthusiastic support of him, his office, and those like unto him, puts the lie to the claim that the USA is democratic, honest, or "the land of the 'free'." It isn't. It is a fascist police state ruled by illegimate, lying regimes which create only a disneyland false-front of "democracy". When it doesn't go their way, the riech's solution is to hose you down with more propaganda lies. Hear the howls of the prohibitionists over this, remember what they say and how they say it. They will scream this is bloody murder, that hoardes of pot-schizo counterculture zombies will crowd cannabis carnage-filled streets in "our communities" to corrupt "our kids", etc. Then remember how little protection this tiny tiny measure actually offers to wretching cancer chemo patients. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #7 posted by drfistusa on May 23, 2003 at 11:09:19 PT:
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| still about religion folks, still the state promoting a religion, that cannabis is a crime is an old religious belief from the 1400's, devils sacrement of course. So forget science here, it's "state promotion of a religion" one thats sacrement is wine. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #6 posted by Lehder on May 23, 2003 at 10:37:16 PT |
| >>John P. Walters is a man on a mission to save Americans from
themselves. It's news to me. I believe, in my heart, that he's spreading TV propaganda intended to demonize the millions of people who benefit from marijuana, whether they use it as a cooking ingredient, a smoked medicine, or a daily elixir. It's not enough for drug warriors that Jesus died for them: in their heart of hearts they want all of us dead. Jail is just the first step of their program. Prohibitionists must be vigilantly resisted and exposed, because their bigotry and unreasoning hatred, unchecked, culminates in genocide. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #5 posted by Dark Star on May 23, 2003 at 07:20:52 PT |
| I am afraid that you are sorely mistaken if you think that John Walters is on some smoke-screen mission to aid Sativex. The man is an ideologue, and will oppose any utilization of cannabis for any reason until his dying breath. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by Virgil on May 23, 2003 at 07:20:22 PT |
| Legalization of the drug is their goal, he contends Yes, legalization is good and cannabis prohibition is bad. Okay, worse than bad since it is mass murder and unconstitutional in its enforcement. What were the ills of society that caused cannabis prohibtion in the first place? Don't answer that. It is sarcasm. A new series of article on UK drug policy began today. "How Britain is losing the drugs war"- http://www.guardian.co.uk/drugs/Story/0,2763,961014,00.html Today, the Guardian launches the biggest investigation of the criminal justice system ever conducted by a British newspaper. Beginning a series which will run throughout the year, Nick Davies looks at the government's attempt to deal with the most prolific of offenders - the drug users who commit an estimated 7.5 million crimes a year.[ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by FoM on May 23, 2003 at 07:19:29 PT |
| I honestly think that if this new drug closely resembles Cannabis John Walters would fight it. He has a real hatred for Cannabis in any form I believe. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by til on May 23, 2003 at 07:15:38 PT |
| Most likely a mission for Sativex. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by FoM on May 23, 2003 at 07:09:43 PT |
| This editorial says a lot. I know that people in the Washington D.C. area read the Baltimore Sun. This new little law might become a really big issue as people read and learn how cruel this war on medical marijuana has been. I don't think John Walters wants to tackle hard drug issues. Marijuana and Paraphernalia are easy targets and hard drug issues are complicated. Marijuana is NOT a gateway drug. I hope he gets it soon! [ Post Comment ] |
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