cannabisnews.com: Nader, Johnson To Propose Strategy For Drug Abuse 










  Nader, Johnson To Propose Strategy For Drug Abuse 

Posted by FoM on September 08, 2000 at 08:37:48 PT
By Loie Fecteau, Journal Politics Writer 
Source: Albuquerque Journal 

 Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader is expected to call today for a new strategy to combat drug abuse, emphasizing treatment over jail for nonviolent offenders.  The famous consumer advocate is to be joined by Republican Gov. Gary Johnson at a news conference in Santa Fe, where Nader will criticize the federal government's war on drugs "as a colossal failure," the Nader campaign staff confirmed Thursday. Johnson has received national attention for calling for the legalization of marijuana and other drug law changes. 
 He has suggested the billions of dollars spent on incarceration and law enforcement in the drug war should instead go toward treatment and education programs to reduce drug use. Nader declined to say on Thursday whether he agrees with Johnson that marijuana should be legalized.  "Let's save that for tomorrow," Nader said at a campaign event in Albuquerque.  While in Albuquerque, Nader was scathing in his criticism of the Republican and Democratic presidential tickets during a more than hourlong speech at the Kiva Auditorium.  He said Texas Gov. George W. Bush's campaign might be unconstitutional because "George Bush is really a giant corporation running for president of the United States disguised as a human being."  He noted that the Republican had made $14 million off a "corporate welfare deal — the Texas Rangers."  "He does understand corporate welfare because he's a corporate welfare king," Nader said.  He said Democratic nominee Al Gore eight years ago wrote a fine book, "Earth in the Balance," in which the vice president said the internal-combustion engine was the biggest threat to the planet. But after he was elected alongside President Clinton, Gore "caved to auto companies on emissions and fuel efficiency," Nader said.  "When you hear Al Gore say, 'I'm going to fight for you, I'm going to fight for the people, they (the Republicans) fight for the powerful,' don't begin to believe it," Nader said.  He said people should ask politicians just one question: "How are you going to make me and my friends and co-workers and co-citizens more powerful?"  "Always ask that question and you will see dumbfounded politicians," Nader said.  To answer critics who say a vote for him is a wasted vote, Nader said, "Why waste your vote on the two corrupt parties who have wasted our democracy?"  Nader said if 1 million people would support his candidacy with $100 each and 100 hours of work, his campaign would be on par with the two major parties.  "If you're not turned on to politics, politics will surely turn on you," Nader said.  Organizers said about 1,000 people attended the speech.  Earlier Thursday, Nader said "a rigged two-party system" had resulted in low voter participation.  "Half the people don't vote because they don't think their vote matters or their vote counts," Nader said.  Nader called for campaign finance reform, which he said was necessary to free politics from the "stench of dirty money" donated by "big fat cats who think they can buy our government."  "Our government has been for sale to the highest bidder," Nader said. "They make obscene profits and pay their corporate officers skyrocketing salaries."  Nader said he supports the abolition of nuclear weapons. Asked about the impact this might have on New Mexico's national laboratories, which are major employers in the state, he said the labs should shift their focus to solar energy.  "There's a lot of great new technologies that can be developed at the national labs," Nader said. "There's a lot of great talent at our national labs. ... They could do studies on nutrition and health care. There's no end to the opportunity."  Nader said Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., is doing "a good job at trying to get solar energy expanded at Los Alamos, but I wish he was a bit more flamboyant on the issue."  Nader this week asked to be included in presidential debates being negotiated by Gore and Bush.  Nader noted Thursday that the inclusion of third-party candidate Jesse Ventura in Minnesota gubernatorial debates in 1998 led to a voter turnout of more than 60 percent and probably helped Ventura win the governorship.  "I want to be included in the debates if only to keep millions of Americans from falling asleep from watching the drab and the dreary," Nader said.  Nader apparently should not expect much help from the Bush camp. Bush spokesman Andrew Malcolm said Thursday the Republican candidate "looks forward to debating Al Gore one-on-one."  "The American people deserve that," Malcolm said.  Gore spokesman Luis Vizcaino said Thursday the Democratic candidate would abide by the criteria set by the Commission on Presidential Debates.  The commission requires candidates to receive support from 15 percent of eligible voters in a national public opinion poll to participate. Nader and running mate Winona LaDuke have registered between 2 percent and 6 percent in polls of likely voters conducted by CNN, USA Today and The Gallup Organization.  After Nader's Santa Fe news conference, he travels to Farmington to speak at San Juan College. Published: Friday, September 8, 2000 Source: Albuquerque Journal (NM)Copyright: 2000 Albuquerque JournalContact: opinion abqjournal.comAddress: P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, N.M. 87103Website: http://www.abqjournal.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:The Green Partyhttp://www.greenparty.org/Governor Gary Johnson's Web Sitehttp://www.governor.state.nm.us/Nader At Odds With Drug Agency Planhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6945.shtmlCannabisNews Articles - Governor Gary Johnsonhttp://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=Johnson

Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help





Comment #3 posted by eco2 on September 10, 2000 at 18:02:46 PT
Ralph Nader links, quotes, press. 
Go to Green page to click Nader shortcut link. For some reason the Nader search shortcut URL will not work in this comments form (at least for me). Click the top link in the paragraph below. Once there, the Nader shortcut link there will work when it is clicked.*Greens and the Drug War. Worldwide. LINKS. Green Party candidates, positions, platforms, etc.. Concerning the Drug War, cannabis, marijuana, etc.. Ralph Nader info, links.http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/y/greens.htm and *9-00. MAP/DrugNews SEARCH SHORTCUT for many press articles about RALPH NADER's September 8, 2000 press conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he called for legalizing cannabis/marijuana, and for harm reduction drug reform.http://www.mapinc.org/find?BK=nader+johnson+santa&YY1=1997 
[ Post Comment ]

Comment #2 posted by howard on September 09, 2000 at 07:52:50 PT:
Go, Ralph, Go!
Nader is the only one who can break the corporate, media maintained, stranglehold that is killing all of us.  I love Harry Browne and the Libertarians, but the Lib's won't rid us of this World Take Over by the giant corporations like Nader can. There are few people who make as much sense as Nader does on issues like: drug policy, worker rights, farmer's rights, anti-bioengineering, anti pesticides, environment, HEMP, etc. In an open debate, there is no current candidate who can touch Nader. Why? Because he makes sense, and damn he's telling the freakin' truth! 
[ Post Comment ]

 


Comment #1 posted by FoM on September 08, 2000 at 17:58:04 PT:

Nader Favors Legalizing Marijuana - Breaking News

Source: Associated PressPublished: September 08, 2000© 1996 - 2000 Las Vegas Sun, Inc.http://www.lasvegassun.com/Santa Fe , N.M. (AP) -- Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader on Friday advocated the legalization of marijuana as part of an overhaul of the nation's "self-defeating and antiquated drug laws."Nader joined with New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, a Republican, in criticizing the nation's "war on drugs" as a failed policy for fighting drug use."Addiction should never be treated as a crime. It has to be treated as a health problem," Nader said at a news conference where he was flanked by the GOP governor."We do not send alcoholics to jail in this country. We do not send nicotine users to jail in this country. Over 500,000 people are in our jails who are non-violent drug users."Nader -- like Johnson -- supports lifting criminal sanctions for marijuana possession. For other drugs, such as heroin, he advocated "harm reduction" programs, such as methadone maintenance and needle exchanges, that focus on treatment of addiction and prevention of health problems from drug use.Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush oppose legalizing marijuana, according to their campaign spokesmen.
[ Post Comment ]




  Post Comment




Name:       Optional Password: 
E-Mail: 
Subject: 
Comment:   [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]

Link URL: 
Link Title: