cannabisnews.com: Perhaps U.S. Drug Czar Should Start at Home










  Perhaps U.S. Drug Czar Should Start at Home

Posted by CN Staff on November 23, 2002 at 22:40:15 PT
Editorial 
Source: Vancouver Sun  

Mayor Philip Owen bridled when he heard that John Walters, the director of U.S. national drug control policy, was to visit Vancouver this week.The outgoing mayor had good reason reason for his concern. While Mr. Walters was ostensibly in town to discuss B.C.'s massive marijuana industry, which supplies the U.S. with billions of dollars worth of pot every year, America's drug czar also managed to scold us for our planned safe-injection facilities, and to tell us how things ought to be done.
Mr. Walters' address to the Vancouver Board of Trade did have a bright side, though, as he highlighted the importance of prevention and treatment programs in remedying the increasingly worrisome drug problem. Given the inordinate focus on safe-injection sites during the recent civic election campaigns, Vancouverites can't be reminded too frequently of the importance of the other pillars in the four-pillar program. Nevertheless, we come not to praise the American drug czar, but to parse him. His skullduggery deserves a line-by-line treatment.Mr. Walters conceded that safe-injection sites might save some lives, but he said we should "save people from the fatal disease of addiction" instead.We agree wholeheartedly with that sentiment. But Mr. Walters' words sidestep the issue. Saving people from addiction speaks to prevention, something that matters not a whit to those already addicted.He then went on to consider the argument that safe-injection sites help prevent the spread of hepatitis and HIV. Now listen closely: "The rates of conversion infection in the studies that have been best in these areas still have many times the number of people converting than those who get effective treatment." Snipped:Complete Article: http://freedomtoexhale.com/usdc.htm Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)Published: Friday, November 22, 2002Copyright: 2002 The Vancouver SunContact: sunletters pacpress.southam.caWebsite: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/Related Articles & Web Site:Cannabis News Canadian Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htmStop Marijuana Trade, U.S. Drug Czar Urgeshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14806.shtmlU.S. Drug Chief Warns Against Injection Sites http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14796.shtmlA Would-Be Mayor's Mission: Safe Injection Siteshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14754.shtmlU.S. Warns Against Liberalizing Laws on Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14331.shtml

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Comment #6 posted by John Tyler on November 25, 2002 at 09:31:32 PT
Observation
It is clear that John Walters is definitely "drug crazed".
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Comment #5 posted by Truth on November 24, 2002 at 12:15:00 PT:
B. S.
The way he spreads his filth reminds me of the way we spread death around the world with our tobacco exports. Things we should be ashamed of as a society.
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Comment #4 posted by goneposthole on November 24, 2002 at 09:26:34 PT
John Walters
On C-span John stated that he is half Canadian/half American. Take him, Canada, and show him that you know a thing or two about a thing or two.He is blinded by ignorance and half-baked notions.Where is your home, John?
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Comment #3 posted by floyd on November 24, 2002 at 09:08:47 PT:
Grrr
I, as a Canadian bristle at the very idea of Mr. Walters bringing the Bush administrations propaganda up here, as we are making slow but sure progress. I only hope he gets as cold of a reception anywhere he stops as he would where I am from. More and more the American government is becoming the nightmare George Orwell depicted in '1984', I only wonder where/if it will stop. 
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Comment #2 posted by BGreen on November 24, 2002 at 06:55:28 PT
Breaking down a couple of snipped paragraphs
The following is an analysis by Bud Green of two paragraphs of an editorial published and copywritten by the Vancouver Sun. This analysis is the independent work of Bud Green, and it's posted by Bud Green. Cannabisnews.com was not responsible in any way for the creation of the following analysis.The original editorial is printed in BLACKMy comments are in BLUE*******************************************************The U.S. system is heavy on enforcement, with convicted drug offenders facing jail or mandatory treatment programs  (which explains how McCaffrey and Walters can say people aren't going to prison for cannabis.) This explains Mr. Walters' absurd claim that 60 per cent of the drug addicts in the U.S. are addicted to marijuana and are overcrowding the drug treatment system. Isn't it ironic that Walters calls us LIARS when we state the same conclusion?Corralling marijuana "addicts" (notice the use of quotation marks) into treatment is, of course, a tremendous waste of resources better spent on helping people who have real problems (but we ARE the real problem, according to Walters.) Moreover, as anyone who has taken a first-year psychology course (I have) can tell you, mandatory treatment is useless.  Isn't that what we've been saying all along?
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Comment #1 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on November 24, 2002 at 06:09:47 PT
Bob Barr joins the ACLU
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/23/politics/23ACLU.html?ex=1038718800&en=410717b85027345d&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE
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