cannabisnews.com: The War on Drugs Gets a New General -- Then What? 





The War on Drugs Gets a New General -- Then What? 
Posted by FoM on July 17, 2001 at 13:00:45 PT
Tonight's Program: Airs 10:30 - 11 p.m. ET 
Source: CNN.com
The Senate today begins its confirmation hearing for Arkansas Rep. Asa Hutchinson's appointment as head of the Drug Enforcement Administration. At a time when so many of the almost 2 million Americans behind bars are there for drug-related offenses, and so many millions of Americans are wrestling with substance-abuse issues, the nation's approach to these problems is an issue that directly or indirectly affects just about everyone. Including you. So we hope you'll join us. 
Rep. Hutchinson is probably best-known nationally for his leading role in the impeachment of President Clinton. As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, he has supported stricter laws in the war on drugs. The hearing starts, of course, the day after actor Robert Downey, Jr., agreed to a plea bargain that will keep him out of jail on drug charges, but require him to live for a year at a rehabilitation center and remain on probation for three years. So, which way will work? Will Rep. Hutchinson solve America's drug problems even if he gets two, three times the current budget for enforcement and border patrols? Or will Downey, on this (third? fourth? fifth?) try at getting clean, finally succeed? We don't know how to stop Americans from using drugs. More to the point, no one seems to have come up with a foolproof way of significantly reducing drug abuse that everyone -- including legalization advocates -- can agree is unhealthy and undesirable. So, should we be fighting this war? Is combat better than defeat? Why does legalization come with such a stigma, and are there inherent hypocrisy's in America's official approach to drugs? There are a lot of provocative questions raised by this topic. We're going to pitch some of them to Josh Gotbaum, former OMB Controller for the Clinton administration, whose work in the Office of Management and Budget brought him into virtually every arm of the U.S. government. Also with us will be Jackie Mitchard, best-selling author of "Deep End of the Ocean." Airs 10:30 - 11 p.m. ET Monday - Friday - Replays 1:30 - 2 a.m. ET Greenfield at Large - CNN Programhttp://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/greenfield/Source: CNN (US)Published: Tuesday, July 17, 2001 Copyright: 2001 Cable News Network, Inc.Website: http://www.cnn.com/Contact: cnn.feedback cnn.comRelated Articles:Downey Avoids Jail, Thanks To Prop. 36 http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10330.shtmlDrug Agency Nominee Talks Tough Enforcementhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10323.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by freedom fighter on July 17, 2001 at 18:30:39 PT
Let the record reflect
the cost of having a Drug Czar"so many will have to die on the whims of those who choose to abstain but feel so insecured that they have to inflict on others.."ff
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