cannabisnews.com: A Quiet New Tactic in The War on Drugs A Quiet New Tactic in The War on Drugs Posted by CN Staff on May 02, 2004 at 08:22:03 PT By Steve Chapman Source: Chicago Tribune For decades, supporters of the war on drugs have been losing the debate about the policy, even as they continue to lock up hordes of harmless offenders. But prohibitionists have a new tactic to help them get the best of the argument: Don't let the other side speak.One day last year, Ernest Istook noticed an ad on the Washington Metro transit system with an unusual message: "Enjoy better sex! Legalize and tax marijuana." Most people who ride the bus or the subway manage to absorb all sorts of little surprises on their daily commute, but not Istook. He wrote a letter to the local transit agency to say it had "exercised the poorest possible judgment" in running the ad at "a time when the nation and the Washington, D.C., area in particular suffer from chronic substance abuse."Normally a complaint like that would have no effect. Istook, however, is not only a Republican member of the House of Representatives from Oklahoma but chairman of the Transportation and Treasury Appropriations Subcommittee.He placed a provision in a funding bill reducing federal funds for Metro by $92,500, as punishment for the ad, and denying money to any transit system that accepts ads advocating "the legalization or medical use" of marijuana or other illicit drugs. And it passed. Transit agencies across the country now have to choose between tolerating open debate and getting a total of $3.1 billion in federal funds.So your local bus or subway system is free to run all sorts of ads and public service announcements. It is free to post lurid signs warning of the evils of smoking pot or snorting cocaine. But if it gets a nickel from the federal government, it may not allow any message raising doubts about the wisdom of the drug war. This is the Bill O'Reilly approach to policy disputes: Shut up!Already the policy is having an effect. The group that ran the original ad, which calls itself Change the Climate, recently tried to buy space on Washington buses for an ad with the caption: "Marijuana laws waste billions of taxpayer dollars to lock up non-violent Americans." But even simple statements of fact run afoul of the censor's decree. Metro refused, saying it couldn't afford to risk the loss of $170 million in federal money.The transit system does, however, display messages by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America urging parents to "set the rules and expect your kid to live drug free," as well as ads dealing with issues like abortion, the Iraq war and the alleged failures of the U.S. Department of Education.Upon being rebuffed, Change the Climate filed a lawsuit, supported by the American Civil Liberties Union, arguing that the ban violates the 1st Amendment guarantee of freedom of expression. Wednesday, a federal judge in Washington hearing the case got to consider a variety of preposterous rationalizations for the law.One is that the government is not obligated to subsidize unwholesome messages. Congress, the Justice Department argued, "has an undeniable interest in ensuring that no federal funds are used, directly or indirectly, to facilitate activity that Congress does not wish to promote." But in this case, the ad would not have cost the government money--Metro would have made $91,875 from renting the space.The government lawyer also insisted that Congress had good reason to ban such ads because they "might encourage the use of drugs, which is illegal at this time." But the ad didn't say people should do something illegal. In fact, by showing a picture of people behind bars while pointing out that "hundreds of thousands of citizens have already been imprisoned" for breaking marijuana laws, the ad might even deter violators.The real point of the ad was to change the law. To Ernest Istook and U.S. Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft, though, any suggestion that a law be changed amounts to incitement to violate it. In their addled version of democracy, you can advocate the enactment of a ban but not its repeal.In the case of our drug laws, that sort of rule might be prudent, because their total failure makes them vulnerable to criticism. Such as the point made by Change the Climate, which says it's unfair to imprison people for using a largely benign drug that one of every three Americans has tried.To silence critics is an implicit concession by the government that the drug war is impossible to defend. Alas, you can't win a debate by silencing the other side, but you can lose one.Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)Author: Steve ChapmanPublished: May 2, 2004Copyright: 2004 Chicago Tribune CompanyContact: ctc-TribLetter Tribune.comWebsite: http://www.chicagotribune.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:MPP: http://www.mpp.org/ACLU: http://www.aclu.org/DPA: http://www.drugpolicy.org/CTC: http://www.changetheclimate.org/Penalize Drug Views Amounts To Censorship http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18753.shtmlChallenge To Metro Ad Curb Argued http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18750.shtmlFederal Judge Hears Arguments Over Pot Ads http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18749.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #12 posted by Jose Melendez on May 03, 2004 at 03:55:31 PT Cheetahs CLIMB trees. http://rxpot.com [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by Virgil on May 02, 2004 at 20:43:02 PT Thinking on top of the box. If you were thinking outside the box, you would not first think of a march on Washington. When some dust settles, I will shut the door and write a book that may well, be called "The Extremist Party." It will be set in North Carolina and their will be a call to "Walk in Washington." That would be Washington, NC. It is a small town of about 10,000 down on the coast of NC near Eden, the first capital of NC. My suggestion for the state organizations that want reform is to walk in their own Washington. There is an element of prohibitive cost to go to Washington, DC. There are plenty of people that would show up in Washington, NC from NC, that would not think of going to Washington, DC. The object is not to make a big deal of it, but to give speakers a chance to get their words together and develop a reputation for speaking. I would hope that they would go back to the Revolution that would bring us our unalienable rights and talk to the issue of the limit of federal power and maybe praise Washington for walking away from a perpetual power that could have resulted in American royalty.But even in Virginia, Washington is just outside of DC. People would be better off to walk around in a little town with their "What are the unalienable rights of man" t-shirts. Keeping things small and local would have a more profound effect than a march on Washington. One thing it would do is show the powers that be that the thinking outside the box gets media attention in itself. But the big thing is the idea of state experimentation where the small town speaker can get his words together and share with an audience and gain proficiency. It would also teach us all how to get our words together and words to amplify on the Internet and in our personal relationships.I plan to walk in Washington, NC before July 4th. I do not need anything organized. I will just need a t-shirt amd maybe a soap box, to think and speak on top of. Speaking will kill prohibition just as silence has perpetuated it. Once the speeches start the call to end CP will be as common as a Frenchman after the American Revolution saying "Give me liberty, or give me death." In the first episode of Gomer Pyle, Sgt. Carter put a pale on top of Gomer's head and told him to sing and maybe it would help his thinking. Gomer said it did help his thinking. People will think on top of a box and it would not surprise me if there is not a collection of such thinking on a DVD and video of all kinds transfering over the Internet.The not-so-great White Father in Warshington needs to smokem peace pipe. Why don't they have a pipe about a foot long with a big hole for smokeables in the middle where two people could have their own end or is it just outside the box? [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by Petard on May 02, 2004 at 19:32:52 PT Gotta think outside the box The "better sex" ad was exactly like the story about Blair in the presence of illegal drug use. When it is put in the face of those who favor prohibition and the enslavement of the citzenry, they freeze. They have no logical clue what to do, so they lash out blindly like an animal cornered, or they do nothing at all. Istook is an animal feeling backed into a corner while Blair is the gazelle suddenly face-to-face with the cheetah (do I run or do I play dead? Maybe if I do nothing it won't see me? That's it, be like a tree, go Zen, "be" the tree, stand still and "be" the tree since cheetah's don't eat trees.)Imagine what would happen if, similar to Marc Emery's summer tour in Canada last year, 1,000,000 people marched onto Pennsylvania Ave, except, no signs, no organized parade, just showed up in one's and two's and three's and four's, converging into one mass, and at exactly 4:20 pm each and every one of them, individually, lit up and started smoking a joint. Either all Hell would break loose and people would die as D.C. was thrown into chaos by the blind animal rage of the prohib's, or absolutely nothing would happen except 1,000,000 people caught a buzz.The whole nation is starting to turn against the restriction of, and removal of, personal choice and freedoms. I was just reading a Usenet Newsgroup of very conservative, mostly older people, lot's of military vets, where they were extremely upset over the censorship of the Nightline episode honoring the personnel who have died in Iraq. They are becoming distinctly aware that our government and corporations are attempting to control everything in their daily life. That everything they see and hear is being closely scrutinized and only that which passes corporate/govt. muster is allowed through, eliminating their freedom to choose what they do or do not see, hear, and read. They are finally realizing that they don't even really have the choice of changing the channel or turning off the TV to make a personal choice in what they do or do not wish/choose to see. These older, extremely conservative, people from all walks of life and various backgrounds, are NOT happy about the developments of the past few years at all.The politicians spoke of, "waking the sleeping giant" after 9/11 occurred. The sleeping giant that is the American public IS awakening, not to the terrorists overseas, but to the terrorists in our very midst, the politicians. Change, my friends, it's blowin' in the wind. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by Jose Melendez on May 02, 2004 at 17:50:39 PT ignore us . . . , then they fight us, then we win. http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread14121.shtml#11 http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n665/a11.html?397 [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by sukoi on May 02, 2004 at 16:19:11 PT What would Jesus Do? GW, That reminds me of an answer/question to just about any "Christian" in regard to prohibition; "They all belong in prison"---"What would Jesus do; build more prisons or build more schools and hospitals?" Have them answer that!!!On another note, NarcoNews has an excellent on line book about mainly US corruption in this illegal war that is currently on chapter 11.If you want to see more lies and BS, take a look at this:Marijuana town hall meeting sethttp://www.thedalleschronicle.com/news/local/localnewssub3.shtml"A lot of times they overdose on marijuana, which people don’t believe they can do, they have panic attacks or bronchial spasms, or they’re depressed and suicidal and having THC pushes them over the edge." [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Virgil on May 02, 2004 at 15:50:34 PT Start spreading the news,,, It is somewhat strange that NarcoNews is getting very little attention, especially as it tells the story of the unlawfulness of American actions in South America.There is a story a few days old that reminds readers of the illegal actions of the US in the US imposed civil war in Colombia. The Colombian courts have ruled that the spraying of Monsanto's poisons is illegal and that they were to stop. The prohibitionists ignored the law and now support a treasonous puppet to lead the destruction and robbery of Colombia. This story at NarcoNews should be part of the arsenal of truth that anyone that supports harm reduction or opposes CP should carry on the tip of their tongue. The injustice has to stop and if the US is breaking its own laws to break the laws imposed by the courts in Colombia, someone needs to be called to justice. I will remind you that John Kerry introduced Plan Colombia in Congress and I will ask all to furnish any link to any printed source that we call mainstream media that he did it. He is ashamed of it and wants the fact hidden. It is not in the media and when I raised the fact at Democratic Underground people would call it a hatchet job and get my threads locked or deleted. The great record of Kerry is more lie than myth. He has not done a damn thing worth claiming as the slide to fascism continues. Plan Colombia Kerry should be impeached on the first day he takes office, if he does not move to stop the murder and environmental distruction he conspired to bring upon Colombia. The same is also true for our treasonous pResident that illegally assumed power to bring ruin to the country. This is no hatchet job. This is an attempt to spread truth in a world where it is not valued by the treason that rules us. The US does not give a dam about any stinking laws [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Dvin on May 02, 2004 at 14:58:11 PT FYI For those interested, here's a link to the case brought by the ACLU against this "Istook Ammendment" updated April 28th, 2004:http://www.aclu.org/DrugPolicy/DrugPolicy.cfm?ID=15547&c=19On one hand I find it sickening that our government has to blackmail people into not spreading the truth against the War on Drugs through a hidden rider in the federal omnibus spending budget. On the other hand, I find it encouraging that they're getting so desperate they have to resort to these measures. I guess it didn't occur to them that if their cause was so just, why have to resort to such underhanded tactics to maintain it? [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by global_warming on May 02, 2004 at 14:13:19 PT You Have To Wonder What would Jesus Do? Whould he just puff or "inhale"?"The price of cannabis has more than halved in Scotland because thousands of users are growing their own."You have to wonder about Mr. Ishtook, what kind of a person is he? Most certainly he is a leader, a politician, and of course a man. Most people today understand that harsh methods of the past have not worked, they brought on supression and hidden discontent, which secretly shaped our present predicaments.The sweet refrain of "Amazing Grace" softly fills my soul, to remind me, that this universe beckons us all towards untold richness and fullfillment.This madness of marijuana, will someday be relegated to the arcane past, like witch hunts, holocausts, slavery and other inquisitions, along with their eloquent supporters, these harsh and in-humane attitudes, will all be placed in the graves of ignorance.The badges of courage like the red badges, are but childesh symols, that the willing follow with arrogence, without any humility, without ever looking up or acroos towards their neighbour.The world is awakening, to see so much blood pouring, so much hatred, so much waste, so much greed.The world is awakening, to start learning that doubts and questions, fill the hearts of so many, yet they live, for with each breath, "life" the gift from God, refreshes and fills the emptiness, the emptiness that surrounds our world. We have failed in this current world system, whether by ignorance or by arrogance, we shall inherit the present, and the future.Tread softly, ignore not the life that is before your senses, for with each carefully placed step, we all move forward into God's splendid universe.My prayers to the souls that are in the prisons in this current world, those that are being bombed, those that live secretly, the gentle hand of God will come to rescue all of us.If God is late in coming, then be assured, that "we the people" will come to the rescue, as soon as we can figure it out.gw [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Virgil on May 02, 2004 at 13:32:47 PT Change the Climate The article uses the word "prohibition" in the first paragraph which is an indicator that it will not be positive news for the prohibitionists.Change the Climate is what we all need to do. When few people spoke out nobody wanted to say anything. The climate has changed and the furry is now being unleashed on the treasonous legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. CP is indefensible and the intellectual battle has long been lost. The remnants of power will now be driven from power if not brought to justice for what they have done and now are doing in strong violation of the public good and public will.As the worldwide climate changes on cannabis policy we will see the artist take up the cause and it will build on itself until the prohibitionists retain no low ground that they have retreated to. There is a new tone for the treasonous bastards in Washington and the prohibitionists cannot even speak in an open forum where they have been publicly called "liars" since the day Hutchinson got his in San Francisco maybe two years ago.It is now like the snow that covered the permafrost is gone and the ground is bare and brown to absorb the heat of the sunlight. The solid cover for prohibition has yeilded and the climate will change faster and faster and if the treasonous Kerry does take office, the call will be immediate to look for his replacement the minute he calls for civil war for Colombia and continued prohibition that ignores the principles of harm reduction. I myself do not need to wait for the election to call for the replacement of whoever wins, because I hold Kerry guilty of crimes against humanity, treason, and conspiracy in mass murder. It is time to clean house and take back the country from those that rule us with treason and serve only the concentrations of wealth.The Chicago Tribune is not justifying the crap of the government with crap of their own and it mainly because it no longer flushes and they do not want to insult the intellectually driven that will let their papers rot in the racks and read from the Internet and get their coupons from the free papers that are obviously for advertisers interest and not the news. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by kaptinemo on May 02, 2004 at 12:45:13 PT: More and more, I see the wisdom of those ads.At first, I thought it would give our opponents ammunition to try to use against us. But as time passes, I see it was a brilliant gambit. The antis took the ammo, all right. They loaded it into their weapons...and like a certain DEA agent recently in the news, shot themselves with it.The irony is so delicious, it needs no condiments.And now? The First Amendment issue which has dogged us for so long is now turning around and biting the arse of the antis. The media have (finally) awakened from it's ONDCP administered bromides and realized that it's their profession that will be next on the prohibitionist's sacrificial altar if they don't raise the alarm. Mr. Chapman has definitely 'got it'. Let's hope a few more of his peers follow suit... [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by RasAric on May 02, 2004 at 12:32:17 PT Re: Jr BD's Free Ad Space Oh most certainly....Author, Steve Chapman, has just done a fine job in fighting for civil rights. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on May 02, 2004 at 09:43:40 PT Nothing like free ad space In the print version, the "Enjoy Better Sex" ad is next to the article, two columns wide and probably four inches high in black & white. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment