cannabisnews.com: People With Drug Problems Need Treatment





People With Drug Problems Need Treatment
Posted by FoM on February 09, 2002 at 08:15:00 PT
By Ethan Nadelmann, Special To The Democrat
Source: Tallahassee Democrat 
I got thinking about Noelle Bush, President Bush's niece, who was arrested last week for forging a prescription for the anti-anxiety drug Xanax.My first thought was: What is it about this generation of Bushes? Last year both of the president's daughters got themselves arrested for underage drinking. Now their older cousin, Noelle, gets busted for prescription fraud. Is this some sort of rebellion against their very authority-figure dads? Or are they simply unlucky? 
My second thought was: Maybe the tendency toward drug abuse problems simply runs in the family. Noelle's uncle was pretty open about his struggles with alcohol, and a lot less candid about whether he struggled as well with other substances. But then again, so far all these reports involve drug law problems, not clear drug abuse problems.My third thought was: It's not just the Bushes. Think of all the wives and daughters of men who have occupied or sought to occupy the White House in recent decades. Joan Kennedy, former wife of Sen. Edward Kennedy, has long battled alcohol abuse, as did first lady Betty Ford. Kitty Dukakis struggled for decades with abuse of alcohol and prescription amphetamines.John McCain's wife, Cindy, illegally obtained prescription painkillers to support her habit, and Ronald Reagan's daughter, Patti Davis, eventually fessed up to her love affair with cocaine. It almost seems like there's no better predictor of getting in trouble with drugs than being the wife or daughter (or son or brother) of a man who aspires to the presidency.My fourth thought was: I'm being unfair. Tens of millions of Americans find themselves in trouble with alcohol or other drugs at one point or another in their lives. And tens of millions have been arrested on alcohol or other drug-related charges.The only thing special about these women is their mixed blessing of being closely related to a very famous man - which means their problems are known not just to their families and friends and the arresting authorities but to many millions of others who watch TV and read the papers.My fifth thought was: None of these women has actually gone to prison or suffered any other significant legal consequences for her criminal violations. On the one hand, they suffer serious embarrassment on a public scale most of us will never know. But they also come from families and social classes that afford much better opportunities for keeping the criminal justice system at bay. I surely don't want to see any of them behind bars for their troubles with drugs and the law - but what about the millions of Americans who have lost their freedom for days, weeks, months or years because of a drug problem? Weren't many of them guilty of nothing more serious than these wives and daughters of our national politicians?"This is a very serious problem," said Noelle's father, Gov. Jeb Bush, in a statement. "Unfortunately substance abuse is an issue confronting many families across our nation. We ask the public and media to respect our family's privacy during this difficult time so that we can help our daughter. We will have no further comment on this issue. Thank you for your understanding."Jeb Bush is right, of course. If his daughter has a drug problem, surely it's best handled as a private family matter. But what about other people's sons and daughters? The likely law that Noelle violated is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Noelle won't go to prison, nor would most other first offenders. But what about other young people whose families don't have the resources of the Bushes? What about other young people whose parents aren't able or even available to help them? Why exactly do we have such severe laws on the books for punishing people whose only real offense, if it can be called that, is related to putting a psychoactive substance into their body? Maybe this unfortunate turn of events in the Bush family will serve as a wakeup call for Gov. Bush. For the past 10 years, more people have been admitted to Florida state prisons for drug offenses than for any other charge. The state's voters will likely have an opportunity to vote on a ballot initiative this November - modeled on California's Propostion 36 - to provide treatment instead of incarceration for people with substance abuse problems who get arrested on drug possession charges.The governor has already spoken out against the initiative, just as the vast majority of California's politicians opposed Prop 36 until 61 percent of their constituents voted otherwise.So here's my last thought, one I hope Jeb Bush will take to heart: Treat others as you would want your own son or daughter treated. It's a good principle in life, and a sound basis for drug policy. Ethan Nadelmann is executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, the nation's leading organization working for drug law reform. Complete Title: People With Drug Problems Need Treatment, Not Jail TimeSource: Tallahassee Democrat (FL)Author: Ethan Nadelmann, Special To The DemocratPublished: Saturday, February 9, 2002Copyright: 2002 Tallahassee DemocratContact: tdedit taldem.comWebsite: http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/Related Articles & Web Site:Drug Policy Alliancehttp://www.drugpolicy.org State's First Lady Vows To Toughen Drug Fighthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11935.shtmlJeb Bush Urged To Reconsider Drug Law View http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11893.shtml Perhaps Daughters Arrest Will Trigger New Thinkinghttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11885.shtml 
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Comment #6 posted by goneposthole on February 10, 2002 at 05:54:37 PT
drug money
Black market money in Europe has been converted to US dollars to avoid taxes.They (the dollars) will be converted to euros for ease of hiding cash transactions in the drug trade. 500 euro denomination is less trouble and more desirable than 100 dollar bill.
http://home.flash.net/~rhmjr/index.html
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Comment #5 posted by DdC on February 09, 2002 at 14:26:29 PT
JEB BUSH CAUGHT IN ILLEGAL DRUG COVER-UP SCANDAL
Date: Fri, 08 Feb 2002 16:13:09 -0500
From: "Cranial Improvement"
Subject: JEB BUSH CAUGHT IN ILLEGAL DRUG COVER-UP SCANDALPlease note that this is an advertisement for the Inquirer, not the NYT. But that being said I thought it should at least get some "web".-CIJEB BUSH CAUGHT IN ILLEGAL DRUG COVER-UP SCANDAL 
 
JEB'S DAUGHTER, NOELLE Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the President's brother, is caught in an illegal drug cover-up scandal involving his 24-year-old daughter Noelle.A week before Noelle's recent arrest for prescription fraud, she tried to illegally acquire prescription medications THREE more times at THREE different pharmacies. But pharmacists were told to keep the police out of it.In an ENQUIRER exclusive, the issue that is on sale now contains a copy of Noelle's forged prescription, reveals how she tried to score the dangerous narcotic OxyContin … and more.http://www.nationalenquirer.com/stories/feature.cfm?instanceid=20585"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on February 09, 2002 at 10:23:05 PT
Jose 
Bill O'Reilly twisted it to his favor. He said that Israelis and middle eastern men help transport the drugs from Amsterdam. The bet was on producers not transporters. I guess we support Terrorists in the USA because we support Israel.
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Comment #3 posted by Jose Melendez on February 09, 2002 at 10:14:45 PT:
whatever happened to the X bet?
Does anyone know the status of the bet O'Reilly made with Nadelmann about where most ecstasy in the US comes from?
 I just read something that claims 80% of the methamphetamines comes from California, and I know the bet ignored the concept that pills are popular because marijuana is illegal*, but I still wondered what the result was...* pills are esier to hide from radical and habitual prohibitionists.
Arrest Prohibition 
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Comment #2 posted by lookinside on February 09, 2002 at 08:50:44 PT:
Ethan Nadelmann...
A good and honest man...The problem with honest men is that they very often cannot understand DIShonest hypocrites like the Bush family.... I hope the voters in Florida see Jeb and Dubya for what they are...Criminals...
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Comment #1 posted by Robbie on February 09, 2002 at 08:37:35 PT
Way to go, Ethan!
Published in Tallahassee no less! I'm sure it will provoke a negative reaction in some quarters, where they'll see it as partisanship and being unfairly directed towards the Bush family/ The fact is that this article covers two fundamental truths: well connected people have drug problems, but not not drug convictions, and the government, in this arena, needs to transform law enforcement into health care. Let's hope a lot of people in Tallahassee read this.
DRCNet interview with Noam Chomsky
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