cannabisnews.com: Senators Drugs and Money





Senators Drugs and Money
Posted by CN Staff on June 19, 2002 at 12:26:45 PT
By Joe Bonni
Source: Boston Weekly Dig 
On June 12, while giving a speech in Quebec City, US Drug Czar John Walters harshly criticized Canada’s plans to liberalize its laws regarding the recreational and medicinal use of marijuana. Canada joins a long list of nations reconsidering drug policy, in particular, laws regarding marijuana and especially medical marijuana. While the UK moves towards decriminalization and other European nations relax prosecution of simple possession and minor trafficking in marijuana here at the Dig, we wondered if there really is any chance to see a change in climate in DC. 
(Portugal, for instance, has all but legalized simple possession of all illicit drugs – see -- http://www.norml.org -- for more info on Walters’ speech in Canada and European policy changes)With the upcoming senate seat election in November, we decided to take a little poll of the candidates.When reached by phone on Friday, Libertarian candidate Michael Cloud was already up in arms about Walters position. “To my knowledge the only way one can die from marijuana is if a bale of it falls on you from a great height," Cloud said from his campaign office. “There have been zero deaths attributed to medical marijuana and the thing that bothers me the most is that the Globe the Phoenix and the most pro-democratic papers in this state refuse to tell the truth about the drug war." It could be that the reason the major media players don’t report on the issue is that the major politicos don’t discuss it. Three phone calls to Senator John Kerry’s office, whom Cloud is running against in November, asking for just a position statement on drug policy and medical marijuana from the good senator, went unreturned. A search of Kerry’s official website -- http://www.senate.gov/~kerry/ -- found no position statement on medical marijuana. And a quick phone call to local legalization activists, Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition (MASS CANN), returned a vote of no confidence on Kerry’s pro-drug war positions so far.Michael Cloud is unimpressed with Kerry. “John Kerry was the guy who voted for $14 billion for military aid for Colombia to send down troops guns, airplanes to assist with drug interdiction. That’s our tax dollars at work. John Kerry has blood on his hands. We need to immediately end the war on marijuana; immediately end marijuana prohibition especially for medical marijuana. Over 500,000 AIDS and cancer patients suffer for lack of medical marijuana. Anyone who votes to keep medical marijuana illegal, and John Kerry did, is voting for the torture, pain and suffering of innocent and helpless patients – and this is wrong “The Republican Party, suffering from political impotence in Massachusetts, isn’t even fielding a candidate to challenge Kerry. So what of this Michael Cloud character and the Libertarian bid for Kerry’s senate seat? Cloud is no stranger to local politics having worked on current Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Carla Howell’s senate campaign in 2000. In a press release last week, Cloud pointed out that as CEO of Howell’s senate campaign he helped raise almost $1 million and Ms. Howell received well over 300,000 votes in the election, garnering 12% of the total vote for Senator Ted Kennedy’s seat, finishing only several thousand votes behind the republican candidate that year. With no republican candidate to dilute conservative donations this election cycle, Cloud insists he will raise over $1 million for his senatorial run and have even greater voter impact. Why all this concern over money? “I am being censored, blacked out, marginalized and denied by mainstream TV, radio and newspaper reporters. $1 million can buy a lot of political advertising and take my message directly to Massachusetts voters."Well he’ll have to. According to -- http://www.opensecrets.org -- Kerry spent approximately $12 million on his last senatorial bid, almost $2 million coming from his own (or his wife’s) pockets. So, is Cloud a serious threat to Kerry? Well, that all depends. He is Kerry’s only competition at the moment, but Cloud could have the greatest third-party campaign this state has ever seen and still come up short. That is, unless the media decides to even the score a little for third party candidates who don’t have such deep pockets. I gotta’ stop saying stuff like that if I expect people to take us seriously here at the Dig. Note: NORML press releases were used in writing this story. Source: Boston Weekly Dig (MA)Author: Joe BonniPublished: June 19, 2002Copyright: 2002 Boston Weekly DigContact: letters weeklydig.comWebsite: http://www.weeklydig.com/Related Articles & Web Site:NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/MassCannhttp://www.masscann.org/Pot Policy Scandalizes Drug Czarhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13146.shtmlDrug Czar Wants Tougher Stance Against Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13116.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by MDG on June 19, 2002 at 14:55:11 PT
Michael Cloud...
I had the pleasure of meeting him when Harry Browne travelled through San Diego. This guy is awesome and I encourage any Mass. resident to vote for him. Also, Carla Howell is being blacked-out as well. She's smart tough and won't sell out like Jesse Ventura did. Too bad she's not running against Gray Davis!
CarlaHowell.org
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Comment #1 posted by p4me on June 19, 2002 at 13:30:28 PT
murderers
I can go along with anyone that says Hutchinson and Walters are murderers. I just think it is a true statement. I think Congress and Busch are murderers. They have also slaughtered the Constitution and ignored anything that resembles good sense. I say this in response to an EJ comment and link.There is really something wrong with the system when inepts like Hutchinson and Walters still have a job. One reason I always say hang them all is because of the attitude conveyed by Spock in Star Trek when he was dying and when he said "The needs of the many are greater than the needs of one." So if a space power invaded the earth to keep us from blowing ourselves up and asked me what needed to be done before they left, I really would say they need to hang Congress, Busch, Cheney, the Supreme Court and anyone else who has blocked a new enlightenment of cannabis especially with regards to its medical value. That millions (9 million US medical users even though it is federally illegal)of people are being deprived of a natural medicine because of the corruption of the leaders of our government is not to be tolerated. If it took 539 hangings to restore a path to good government for our country it would be a cheap price. It would also keep us from paying the retirement tothe incompetents that held onto the drug wars 2 and a half years into a new century.You just have some aliens call me and see if that is not what I suggest. The drug wars are treason.Richard Cowan will be presenting commentary on the prohibitionist effort to fight on in the UK tomorrow. He says only this today: Posted June 18, 2002
Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 19, 2002, there will be an analysis of the prohibitionist counterattack in Canada.
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