cannabisnews.com: Group Says Drug Czar Violated Law Group Says Drug Czar Violated Law Posted by CN Staff on December 05, 2002 at 08:12:29 PT By Adam Satariano, Stephens Washington Bureau Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal A pro-marijuana group accused White House drug czar John Walters on Wednesday of violating Nevada and federal laws by urging voters to oppose legalization of small amounts of the drug. The Marijuana Policy Project, which initiated the Nevada ballot question that Walters opposed, filed a complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal investigator and prosecutor. The complaint accuses Walters of committing the violations when he traveled to Nevada in July and October to speak against legalization. The group also is urging Nevada election officials to fine Walters for not filing a state-required expenditure report of his activity on Question 9, which sought to legalize the possession of up to 3 ounces of marijuana. "We want to keep the federal government from campaigning for all ballot measures," said Robert Kampia, executive director of the Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project, which had dispatched an operative to Nevada to organize the pro-legalization campaign. Question 9 was defeated 61 percent to 39 percent on Election Day. A White House spokesman for Walters, who is head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, dismissed the accusations as "laughable," and said the Senate-confirmed appointee was only doing his job. "It's a Cheech and Chong interpretation of the law," spokesman Tom Riley said. "Part of the job description is to fight against drug legalization." The complaint filed with the special counsel accuses Walters of violating the Hatch Act, passed in 1939 to restrict the political activity of federal employees. The marijuana reform group called for Walters to be stripped of his post and barred from further government service. A spokeswoman for U.S. Special Counsel Elaine Kaplan said political appointees are subject to the Hatch Act but it might take months for an understaffed Hatch Act division to get to the specific complaint. The spokeswoman, who declined to be named, said more than 200 Hatch Act complaints are pending for three attorneys to handle. Dane Waters, president of the Virginia-based Initiative and Referendum Institute that analyzes ballot measures, said the complaint could lead to precedents on the proper role of federal officials in state initiative campaigns. He said it was unusual that the drug czar actively opposed marijuana questions put before voters in Nevada, Arizona and Ohio. "It's OK for the federal government to educate people," Waters said. "But many people felt the drug czar crossed the line when he began advocating a certain vote." Kampia said his group's complaint was limited to Walters' activities in Nevada because that was the only state where the Marijuana Policy Project was involved. The Marijuana Policy Project does not plan to pursue a complaint against Drug Enforcement Administration head Asa Hutchinson, who spoke against marijuana legalization during a Nevada appearance this summer. "We have a clear case against the drug czar," Kampia said. Kampia also sent a letter to Susan Bilyew, Nevada deputy secretary for elections, demanding Walters be fined the maximum $5,000 for failing to file a state campaign report. Steve George, a spokesman for Nevada Secretary of State Dean Heller, said investigators will have to determine whether state election law applies to Walters as a presidential appointee. "This is an unusual situation," George said. "We'll have to look at how the statutes stand for this particular case. Federal law may supersede Nevada state law." One Nevada campaign law advocate said he would not expect state officials to fine Walters. "His job is to try and keep the federal government drug laws enforced," said Paul Brown, Southern Nevada director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance. "This flies in the face of that."Note: Walters accused of campaigning against Question 9.Complete Title: Marijuana Policy Project: Group Says Drug Czar Violated LawSource: Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV)Author: Adam Satariano, Stephens Washington BureauPublished: Thursday, December 05, 2002Copyright: 2002 Las Vegas Review-JournalContact: letters lvrj.comWebsite: http://www.lvrj.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Drug Czar Accused of Campaign Violations http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14894.shtmlRebellion Against the Drug Czarhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14885.shtmlMarijuana Rights Group Wants to Sue Drug Czar http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14790.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by mayan on December 05, 2002 at 17:12:55 PT Might take a while... "A spokeswoman for U.S. Special Counsel Elaine Kaplan said political appointees are subject to the Hatch Act but it might take months for an understaffed Hatch Act division to get to the specific complaint. The spokeswoman, who declined to be named, said more than 200 Hatch Act complaints are pending for three attorneys to handle."It looks as though it may be a while before this all plays out. By then the U.S. may be under martial law. This country is going down the tubes real quick.Great link GCW! It looks like the TEP deal might have been meant to provoke 9/11 & the power elite made sure the attacks were allowed to happen. It reminds me more of Pearl Harbor every day.The way out is the way in -9/11 "Conspiracies" and the Defactualisation of Analysis: http://www.mediamonitors.net/mosaddeq37.html9/11 Skeptics Unite: http://www.osamaskidneys.com/links.htmlPaul Thompson's Complete 9/11 Timeline: http://cooperativeresearch.org/completetimeline/The People's Investigation of 9/11: http://www.911pi.com/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by The GCW on December 05, 2002 at 08:25:20 PT Of that crowd. Secret 9/11 documents http://www.hempbc.com/articles/2705.html Missing EU press releases show hidden history...Why were the press releases missing? They point our minds toward the truth about a seemingly minor shift in US/EU relations that happened four years ago, and how it led directly to the deaths of thousands of people in New York when the twin trade towers collapsed. The TEP deal held the promise of Western prosperity, energy security and regional stability, and with such a hefty bribe stuffing its pockets, the EU agreed to support the US in the drug war, "illegal" trade sanctions, securing Caspian Sea oil, and in suppressing the terrorist retaliations that its officials knew would inevitably follow... [ Post Comment ] Post Comment