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| Walters' Sugarcoating Can't Hide Miserable Record |
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Posted by CN Staff on February 23, 2007 at 11:08:39 PT By Ethan Nadelmann Source: Huffington Post 
Washington, DC -- The U.S. drug czar, John Walters, went to Ottawa yesterday, trying his best to put a positive spin on one of the greatest disasters in U.S. foreign and domestic policy. Part of his agenda is to persuade Canada to follow in U.S. footsteps, which can only happen if Canadians ignore science, compassion, health and human rights.After years of chastising our neighbors to the north for their approach to drug policy, particularly for growing high quality marijuana and pursuing harm reduction policies to reduce HIV/AIDS and other ills, Walters tried to make nice with the Canadians. His speech was full of platitudes of cooperation and shared national interests, with scant mention of the central role that prison and other coercive sanctions play in U.S. drug policy. I went to Ottawa yesterday to join with Canadian scholars, activists and law makers - including former Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell -- to remind Canadians that Walters' sugarcoating shouldn't obscure the failed realities of US drug policy. The United States ranks first in the world in per-capita incarceration, with roughly five per cent of the earth's population but 25 per cent of the total incarcerated population. Russia and China simply can't keep up. Among the 2.2 million people behind bars today in the United States, roughly half a million are locked up for drug-law violations, and hundreds of thousands more for other "drug-related" offences. The U.S. "war on drugs" costs at least $40 billion U.S. a year in direct costs, and tens of billions more in indirect costs. It's all useful information for Canadians to keep in mind when being encouraged to further toughen their drug laws to bring them in line with those of the United States. Drug-policy reformers in the United States have been cheered by Canada's willingness -- at least until now -- to look to Europe rather than the United States for drug-control models. When HIV/AIDS started spreading a generation ago among people who inject drugs, both Europe and Canada were quick to implement needle exchanges and other harm-reduction programs, even as the United States opted instead to allow hundreds of thousands to become infected and die needlessly. Heroin-prescription trials are now underway in Montreal and Vancouver, trying to determine whether what worked so well in Switzerland, Germany, The Netherlands and other countries can also work in Canada. The same is true of supervised injection sites, which have proven effective in reducing fatal overdoses, transmission of infectious diseases and drug-related nuisance. And most recently, Vancouver's mayor, Sam Sullivan, has broken new ground by proposing that cocaine and methamphetamine addicts be prescribed legal substitutes. But I wonder whether Canada just can't help following in U.S. footsteps. DARE survives in Canada too, notwithstanding evidence of its lack of efficacy. Almost three quarters of Canadian federal drug-strategy spending is for law-enforcement initiatives, few of which demonstrate any success in reducing drug problems. "While harm-reduction interventions supported through the drug strategy are being held to an extraordinary standard of proof," the director of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Dr. Julio Montaner, recently observed, "those receiving the greatest proportion of funding remain under-evaluated or have already proven to be ineffective." The survival of Vancouver's supervised-injection facility is currently at risk, for reasons having everything to do with politics and nothing with science or health, while federal drug-enforcement authorities know that all they need to do to preserve funding is make arrests and avoid scandal. What matters most to U.S. drug czar John Walters, though, is cannabis, which he occasionally, and absurdly, describes as the most dangerous of all drugs. Seventy per cent of Americans say cannabis should be legal for medical purposes, and one study after another points to its efficacy and safety as a medicine. A similar percentage also think personal possession of marijuana should be decriminalized (i.e., resulting in fines rather than arrest and incarceration) and 40 per cent say it should be taxed, controlled and regulated, more or less like alcohol. But Mr. Walters will have none of it. He travels the country, railing against cannabis and urging schools to drug test all students, without cause -- and without any scientific evidence that testing will work. And when he visits or talks about Canada, it's typically to complain -- erroneously -- that Canada is a major supplier of marijuana for the U.S., never mind the fact that Americans now produce most of the marijuana consumed in the United States. Canada needs to lead, not follow, the United States when it comes to dealing sensibly with drugs. Mr. Walters's Canadian hosts today should remind him of the 2002 report of the Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, chaired by Conservative Senator Pierre-Claude Nolin. It's probably the best, most comprehensive, most evidence-based report on drug policy produced by any government in the past 30 years. And its recommendations are all about dealing with drugs as if politics were an afterthought, and all that mattered were reducing the harms associated with both drug use and failed drug policies. Imagine that. Complete Title: Sugarcoating To Canadians Can't Hide US's Miserable Record on Drug Policy Source: Huffington Post (US Web) Related Article & Web Site: Drug Policy Alliance U.S. Drug Czar Finds Ally in Tory Government Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #16 posted by afterburner on March 01, 2007 at 00:16:59 PT |
| CN ON: Column: Promoting 'Good' Drugs In Shadow Of The Bad, Kincardine News, (21 Feb 2007)
http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v07/n250/a03.html?176
CN BC: Surrey To Target Prolific Offenders, The Province, (27 Feb 2007) http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v07/n249/a04.html?176 CN BC: Editorial: Grow-Ops And Our Castles, Victoria Times-Colonist, (27 Feb 2007) http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v07/n249/a07.html?176 ego destruction or ego transcendence, that is the question. "All we are saying is give peace a chance." John Lennon [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #15 posted by afterburner on February 26, 2007 at 21:14:12 PT |
| CN ON: PUB LTE: Drug Czar Is 'National Joke', Ottawa Citizen, (26 Feb 2007)
http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v07/n244/a04.html?176
Bruce Mirken CN QU: 'Reeferendum' Will Target War On Drugs, Montreal Gazette, (24 Feb 2007) http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v07/n236/a06.html?176 CN SN: Kim Walker Story Hits Parliament, The News Review, (22 Feb 2007) http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v07/n234/a05.html?176 Canada: U.S. Drug Czar Praises Ottawa, The Tribune, (23 Feb 2007) http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v07/n232/a09.html?176 Canada: U.S. Drug Czar Urges Crackdown on Pot, Sudbury Star, (23 Feb 2007) http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v07/n232/a10.html?176 [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #14 posted by Sam Adams on February 24, 2007 at 08:07:41 PT |
| This is all very interesting, it's easy to have the usual reaction - Walters, what a jerk, thank god nadelman is putting out the truth. However, I can't help but wonder if it's not all a big dog & pony show. Is there really any difference on drug policy between the current "conservative" Canadian govt and the prior "liberal one"? I don't see much. The "Liberals" talked about a silly MJ decrim bill for 5 years. The bill would have increased the number of peope in prison for cannabis. Still, the "Liberals" did virtually nothing to pass the flawed bill. The only difference I can see with the conservatives is that they don't bother to even pretend for us. The result is the exact same. No reform whatsoever of cruel & wasteful drug policies, that direct money & resources from the private sector to the government. I just wonder more & more if all this isn't just a big charade put on by the political class for our amusement, while they get together privately & laugh at how badly they steal from us & exploit us. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #13 posted by whig on February 23, 2007 at 21:29:57 PT |
| http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/chem_profiles/gasoline/health_gas.html [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #12 posted by FoM on February 23, 2007 at 21:25:24 PT |
| We have been watching the special on Link TV about drugs and the pharmaceutical industry. I see why they fight us so. It's all about the money. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #11 posted by John Tyler on February 23, 2007 at 20:40:41 PT |
| "Today in the United States, more young people are dependent on marijuana than any other illegal drug," This sounds like an increase, but wasn’t Walters in Seattle last week or so saying that marijuana use was actually declining? Which is it, increasing or decreasing? Is he lying to us or to them or both?
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| Comment #10 posted by Toker00 on February 23, 2007 at 18:39:31 PT |
| This site is under construction, but interesting to say the least. What do YOU think? MUSEUM OF REEFER MADNESS COMIC BOOKS: The Reefer Madness comic book website is now up and running. http://www.ReeferMadnessMuseum.org -- ignore the top part and go down and click on chapter 8. --- Note, those of you who are good spellers; it would be a big help, if you could go over there and see if you can spot any errors etc. -------------------------------- SCHOOL FILMS ---- I NEED HELP: If any of you have a fast internet connection, could you please go over to these websites and download (for free) the following short (1950¡¯s school) films that are of interest -- as well as funny as hell. TERRIBLE TRUTH, THE - Davis (Sid) Productions Early (and sensational) film on marijuana use as a route to heroin addiction. http://www.archive.org/details/Terrible1951 Drug Addiction - Encyclopaedia Britannica Films, Inc. Classic "slippery slope" narrative of post-World War II stoned slackerdom. http://www.archive.org/details/DrugAddi1951 NARCOTICS: PIT OF DESPAIR (Part I) - Marshall (Mel) Dark vision of drug use and its effect on American youth. Keywords: Substance abuse: Drugs; Youth culture; Social issues: 1960s http://www.archive.org/details/Narcotic1967 NARCOTICS: PIT OF DESPAIR (Part II) - Marshall (Mel) Dark vision of drug use and its effect on American youth. Keywords: Substance abuse: Drugs; Youth culture; Social issues: 1960s http://www.archive.org/details/Narcotic1967_2 DRUG ABUSE: THE CHEMICAL TOMB - Film Distributors International Interesting anti-drug film criticizing drug use as an inhibitor of necessary social change. Director: Alan Kishbaugh. Camera: Charles Sutton. Narrator: Chuck Bowman. http://www.archive.org/details/DrugAbus1969 BRINK OF DISASTER (Part I) - Fairbanks (Jerry) Productions How 1960s activism "threatens" American moral, religious and ethical principles. http://www.archive.org/details/BrinkofD1972 BRINK OF DISASTER (Part II) - Fairbanks (Jerry) Productions How 1960s activism "threatens" American moral, religious and ethical principles. http://www.archive.org/details/BrinkofD1972_2 KEEP OFF THE GRASS Tom gets in trouble when his mother finds a joint in his room. Instead of punishing Tom, his father challenges him to learn more about marijuana?s evil effects on society. Nobody gets killed in this Sid Davis film, yet Tom still learns a harsh lesson after being mugged by druggies and learning that his best friend sells pot to school children http://www.archive.org/details/keep_off_the_grass SUBJECT: NARCOTICS Marijuana is still "a powerful excitant" that produces "unpredictable emotional results" Produced for police orientation and training, this film presents drug addiction not simply as a crime but as a deep seated social problem. With dramatized sequences of addicts in shooting galleries and excellent footage of pre-renewal downtown Los Angeles, a neighborhood now lost. http://www.archive.org/details/SubjectN1951 SOCIAL SEMINAR: BUNNY Portrays a young college student who smokes marijuana from time to time, usually with friends, for social relaxation. Raises such questions as why does she turn on, how does she view the drug culture and to what extent does the occasional use of marijuana effect her lifestyle, ambitions and self-perception http://www.archive.org/details/SocialSemina_2 JET RECORD. COAST TO COAST IN 3 HOURS, 23 Minutes, 1957/07/18 (2) Chicago seizure of MARIJUANA, burned by Marines with flame-throwers (newsreel) http://www.archive.org/details/1957-07-18_Jet_Record Again, ALL of these short films can be downloaded for FREE. The problem is that I DON¡¯T have a high-speed download AND for whatever reason, I can¡¯t download them from the coffee house where I usually do all my work. So please help, download them and e-mail them to me after you done so. [NOTE it¡¯s possible to get to all the above websites by simply going over to ---- http://www.archive.org/advancedsearch.php --- and typing in the keyword Marijuana. Also Note, the museum has an Index of Short (Reefer Madness) Films and newsreels, feel free to ask for a copy. Antique Andy Museum Curator antique_andy@yahoo.com Toke. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #9 posted by mayan on February 23, 2007 at 18:26:47 PT |
| What matters most to U.S. drug czar John Walters, though, is cannabis, which he occasionally, and absurdly, describes as the most dangerous of all drugs. It's a war on empowerment of the people. Quite simply, it's a war on the people. It's time to end it. It's now or never. THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN... Will America Face the Truth About 9/11? Part I: http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=6075 Will America Face the Truth About 9/11? Part II: http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?id=6074 9/11 Survivors and Family Members Question the 9/11 Commission Report: http://patriotsquestion911.com/survivors.html WTC7, Professor Jones & Thermite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEoKhyXKWxQ Live blogging from Chandler 9/11 Truth event this weekend: http://911blogger.com/node/6419 [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #8 posted by FoM on February 23, 2007 at 17:03:53 PT |
| If you get World Link TV the program is on now. On DirecTV it's on channel 375. Special: Warning: Before You Take This Drug - Part 2 Length: 02:00 Type of program: Documentary In 1976, Henry Gadson, the CEO of Merck, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the US, was interviewed by Fortune magazine. During the interview, Gadson complained of having to limit his market to sick people. His dream, he said was to be able to “sell to everyone.” Now thirty years later, as prescription and designer drugs become ever more prevalent, Mr.Gadson’s dream may have come true. In the four-hour special Warning: Before You Take This Pill, Link TV will explore the question of whether we’ve become smarter patients or are just plain worried sick. Schedule: http://www.worldlinktv.org/programming/programDescription.php4?code=warning2 [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #7 posted by john wayne on February 23, 2007 at 16:42:02 PT |
| Going to Canada? Check your past
Tourists with minor criminal records [like pot possession] turned back at border http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/02/23/MNGCAO9NSB1.DTL [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #6 posted by OverwhelmSam on February 23, 2007 at 16:32:30 PT |
| That's because the majority of us don't always want to get drunk, we prefer instead a little cannabis. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #5 posted by FoM on February 23, 2007 at 15:32:08 PT |
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U.S. drug boss: Canada urged to crack down on marijuana use Melissa Arseniuk, The Ottawa Citizen Published: Friday, February 23, 2007 U.S. "drug czar" John Walters wants Canadian officials to crack down on marijuana use, stop the export of "B.C. bud" to the U.S., and co-operate with extradition requests. That tough approach to drugs was tempered somewhat yesterday by the director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, who thanked Canadian officials and law enforcement in Ottawa for their "outstanding co-operation" on the "war against drugs." "Today in the United States, more young people are dependent on marijuana than any other illegal drug," he said, adding, "More teens seek treatment for marijuana dependency than all other illegal drugs combined, more than alcohol." Complete Article: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=4869d4c7-8768-4360-becd-701dacd5f3eb [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by OverwhelmSam on February 23, 2007 at 14:27:43 PT |
| "Mr. Walters will have none of it. He travels the country, railing against cannabis and urging schools to drug test all students, without cause -- and without any scientific evidence that testing will work." Prohibition perpetuated by intimidating countries, legislatures, courts, justice departments, states, cities and the people, et al. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by FoM on February 23, 2007 at 13:06:42 PT |
| Matt blocked them a long time ago. He didn't say why but the stats are broken today anyway. I can tell you that the articles are being accessed very well. 2 to 3 thousand on top articles this month no matter when the article was posted. The stats don't record totals only totals for the month. The stats have been cut up and don't record like they did. I can't judge anything by them now. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by Dankhank on February 23, 2007 at 12:56:10 PT |
| FoM I tried to view stats and had to log in, but it failed when I used my screenname and password ... [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by FoM on February 23, 2007 at 12:04:43 PT |
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If you get Link TV is will air at 8PM ET tonight. *** Special: Warning: Before You Take This Drug - Part 2 Length: 02:00 Type of program: Documentary In 1976, Henry Gadson, the CEO of Merck, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the US, was interviewed by Fortune magazine. During the interview, Gadson complained of having to limit his market to sick people. His dream, he said was to be able to “sell to everyone.” Now thirty years later, as prescription and designer drugs become ever more prevalent, Mr.Gadson’s dream may have come true. In the four-hour special Warning: Before You Take This Pill, Link TV will explore the question of whether we’ve become smarter patients or are just plain worried sick. Schedule: http://www.worldlinktv.org/programming/programDescription.php4?code=warning2 [ Post Comment ] |
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