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U.S. Drug Czar Slams MMJ During S.F. Event
Posted by CN Staff on January 08, 2013 at 06:06:57 PT
By Chris Roberts, S.F. Examiner Staff Writer
Source: San Francisco Examiner
San Francisco -- The nation’s top drug cop advocated a “different approach” to narcotics enforcement — and stressed that there is no “war on drugs” — but had stern words Monday for the San Francisco-bred medical marijuana movement. Drug users need treatment and education rather than jail terms, according to Gil Kerlikowske, the former Seattle police chief who now heads President Barack Obama’s Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Speaking at a gathering of law enforcement officers at the University of San Francisco, Kerlikowske also said that calling cannabis medicine “sends a terrible message” to the nation’s teens. High school students are more likely to smoke marijuana than tobacco due to the growing “perception” that marijuana is less harmful, he said. “We have to ask if we doing everything we can to empower them to make a healthy decision about their future,” he said.Kerlikowske was in town to highlight the Obama Adminstration’s “21st-century” approach toward drug use. Also in attendance were Mayor Ed Lee, San Francisco police Chief Greg Suhr, and Berkeley chief of police Michael Meehan — who served under Kerlikowske as a narcotics captain on the Seattle police force. San Francisco has more than 20 licensed and taxpaying medical marijuana dispensaries. Across California, there are more than 1,000 — all of which pay state sales tax — according to Americans for Safe Access, a medical marijuana users’ advocacy group.Federal law enforcement officials have long been at odds with state and local policymakers on medical marijuana. Pressure from the federal Justice Department has shut down seven San Francisco medical marijuana dispensaries since Oct. 2011. Before taking office, Obama said that marijuana would not be a law enforcement priority for his administration. Attorney General Eric Holder reiterated that statement, though U.S. prosecutors have since noted that marijuana remains illegal under federal law and a public health nuisance. Kerlikowske noted that neither he nor his office have any sway over the Justice Department, and “I wouldn’t suppose that I should tell The City what to do differently.” California was the first state to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes in 1996. Today, eighteen states and the District of Columbia now allow the medical use of marijuana, and adults in two states — Colorado and Washington — can legally possess small amounts of marijuana.Kerlikowske had stern words for legalization, which is often painted as a solution to the public health and budget woes caused by drug use. “The Obama Administration strongly believes it is a false choice,” he said, and not “ground in science.”“Medicinal marijuana has never been through the FDA process,” he added. “We have the world’s most renowned process to decide what is medicine and what should go in peoples’ bodies. And marijuana has never been through that process.”Researchers at the University of California San Francisco and elsewhere have found that cannabis may be effective in relieving “wasting symptoms” caused by cancer and HIV/AIDS, may aid sleep and stimulate appetite, and may be effective in treating chronic pain and other ailments.Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA)Author: Chris Roberts, S.F. Examiner Staff WriterPublished: January 7, 2013Copyright: 2013 San Francisco ExaminerContact: letters sfexaminer.comWebsite: http://www.examiner.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/daH56jJACannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #18 posted by The GCW on January 09, 2013 at 12:15:34 PT
News from behind enemy lines.
Pot opponents regroup following Wash., Colo.
voteshttp://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_22340242/pot-opponents-regroup-following-wash-colo-votes
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Comment #17 posted by Had Enough on January 09, 2013 at 10:03:13 PT
Kool-Aid #12…
Comment #12 wrote...“”Only one of two ways to describe Mr. Big Cop; He is either the biggest most deceptive liar in gov, or the dumbest cop ever?””It appears both roles are played…He is dumb to think that he can keep on deceiving people…But still…some are drinking his unKool-Aid…
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Comment #16 posted by ekim on January 09, 2013 at 09:49:54 PT
and the bees where are the bees
http://michiganmedicalmarijuana.org/index.php?showtopic=42181&pid=422117&st=0&#entry422117
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Comment #15 posted by The GCW on January 09, 2013 at 08:48:19 PT
Hemp
Farmers will not risk losing property the same way medical cannabis activists will take risks but once hemp is free from federal insanity farmers will grow it.There is a push for a sustainable lifestyle in America and given the opportunity, hemp will farm successfully. With that said, those who profit off the petro status quo must stop hemp with all their evil might.
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Comment #14 posted by museman on January 09, 2013 at 08:24:08 PT
Smoke and Mirrors
That about sums up the government.
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Comment #13 posted by runruff on January 09, 2013 at 07:17:00 PT
Any Way, it is all smoke and mirrors.
Yes cannabis ss a medicine threatens a multi-billion dollar industry but industrial hemp threatens the very foundation of american industry as it operates today.How hard will the dynastic industrial heirs fight to retain their wealth, power and control? This is the question.
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Comment #12 posted by runruff on January 09, 2013 at 07:07:03 PT
Gil is a used car salesman with a badge.
Only one of two ways to dicribe Mr. Big Cop;
He is either the biggest most deceptive liar in gov, orthe dumbest cop ever?
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Comment #11 posted by The GCW on January 09, 2013 at 06:08:08 PT
Will RE-legalizing cannabis help?
Colorado has second-worst rate of pain pill abuse http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_22336231/colorado-has-second-worst-rate-pain-pill-abuse-0-There is a reasonable opportunity to lower those stats once cannabis is sold in stores rather than by people who often sell hard drugs. But prescribed pain meds are not going away. Nor should they; people need them. I know when I'm in pain, I'd be disappointed if I could not receive them.
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on January 09, 2013 at 05:05:58 PT
Why Marijuana Should Be Legal for Adults
January 9, 2012(CNN) -- David Frum is one of today's best and most reasoned conservative political voices, so his recent CNN.com op-ed on marijuana policy was just a little disappointing. Not because he advocates the drug's decriminalization -- he rightly thinks locking people up or arresting them for casual use is a bad idea -- but because he opposes its legalization for adults.
I agree with much of what he says about pot's potential harm, especially for the young and the psychiatrically ill. Like Frum, I am a father who worries about my kids getting sidetracked by cannabis before their brains have a chance to develop. But I am also a physician who understands that the negative legal consequences of marijuana use are far worse than the medical consequences.
Frum would reduce the punishment for marijuana use for adults but nominally maintain its illegality in order to send a message to young people that pot is a "bad choice," as if breaking the rules wasn't as much an incentive as a deterrent for adolescents. Kids are smart enough to recognize and dismiss a "because I said so" argument when they see one. By trying to hide marijuana from innately curious young people, we have elevated its status to that of a forbidden fruit. I believe a better approach is to bring pot into the open, make it legal for people over the age of 21, and educate children from a young age about the actual dangers of its recreational use.URL: http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/09/opinion/nathan-legal-marijuana/?hpt=hp_t3
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Comment #9 posted by Had Enough on January 09, 2013 at 00:57:58 PT
Obama and the Drug Czar...
White House: “We’re in the Midst of a Serious National Conversation on Marijuana”by Erik Altieri, NORML Communications Director January 8, 2013
In October of 2011, the White House issued an official response to a petition NORML submitted via their We the People outreach program on the topic of marijuana legalization. Despite being one of the most popular petitions at the site’s launch, the answer we received was far from satisfactory. Penned by Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske, the response featured most of the typical government talking points. He stated that marijuana is associated with addiction, respiratory disease, and cognitive impairment and that its use is a concern to public health. “We also recognize,” Gil wrote, “that legalizing marijuana would not provide the answer to any of the health, social, youth education, criminal justice, and community quality of life challenges associated with drug use.”Well, just over a year later, the White House has responded again to a petition to deschedule marijuana and legalize it. The tone this time is markedly different, despite being penned by the same man.Addressing the Legalization of MarijuanaBy Gil KerlikowskeThank you for participating in We the People and speaking out on the legalization of marijuana. Coming out of the recent election, it is clear that we’re in the midst of a serious national conversation about marijuana. At President Obama’s request, the Justice Department is reviewing the legalization initiatives passed in Colorado and Washington, given differences between state and federal law. In the meantime, please see a recent interview with Barbara Walters in which President Obama addressed the legalization of marijuana.Barbara Walters:Do you think that marijuana should be legalized?President Obama: Well, I wouldn’t go that far. But what I think is that, at this point, Washington and Colorado, you’ve seen the voters speak on this issue. And as it is, the federal government has a lot to do when it comes to criminal prosecutions. It does not make sense from a prioritization point of view for us to focus on recreational drug users in a state that has already said that under state law that’s legal.…this is a tough problem because Congress has not yet changed the law. I head up the executive branch; we’re supposed to be carrying out laws. And so what we’re going to need to have is a conversation about how do you reconcile a federal law that still says marijuana is a federal offense and state laws that say that it’s legal.When you’re talking about drug kingpins, folks involved with violence, people are who are peddling hard drugs to our kids in our neighborhoods that are devastated, there is no doubt that we need to go after those folks hard… it makes sense for us to look at how we can make sure that our kids are discouraged from using drugs and engaging in substance abuse generally. There is more work we can do on the public health side and the treatment side.Gil Kerlikowske is Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy No tirade about protecting our children. No alarmist claims about sky rocketing marijuana potency and devastating addiction potential. Just a few short paragraphs stating we are “in the midst of a serious national conversation about marijuana” and deferring to an interview with the President where he stated arresting marijuana users wasn’t a priority and that the laws were still being reviewed. While far from embracing ending marijuana prohibition, the simple fact that America’s Drug Czar had the opportunity to spout more anti-marijuana rhetoric and instead declined (while giving credence to the issue by stating it is a serious national conversation) is at the very least incredibly refreshing, if not aberrational. We can only hope that when the administration finishes “reviewing” the laws just approved by resounding margins in Washington and Colorado, they choose to stand with the American people and place themselves on the right side of history. “We the People” are already there.http://blog.norml.org/2013/01/08/white-house-were-in-the-midst-of-a-serious-national-conversation-on-marijuana/
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Comment #8 posted by Relfving on January 08, 2013 at 15:24:25 PT:
Decriminalizing Marijuana and Offering Therapy
"Drug users need treatment and education rather than jail terms, according to Gil Kerlikowske, the former Seattle police chief who now heads President Barack Obama’s Office of National Drug Control Policy."Compared to the European Union and the U.S., Portugal’s drug use numbers are impressive. Following decriminalization in 2001, Portugal had the lowest rate of lifetime marijuana use in people over 15 in the in, E.U.: 10%.The most comparable figure in America is in people over 12: 39.8%.According to the Time article, a CATO study concludes that Portugal’s legalization program is a resounding success having reduced overall drug use, HIV cases, and cutting addiction rates by half across the board with all hard (addictive) drugs.This is an extremely unique report because Portugal, unlike other countries, didn’t just “dabble” in decriminalization for a select group or demographic, they simply LEGALIZED EVERYTHING.Currently in Portugal,If an individual is caught in possession of a modest quantity of drugs (below ten daily doses), and police have no further suspicions or evidence that more serious offenses such as sale or traffic are involved, the drug will be seized and the case transmitted to a local Commission composed of 3 members (a lawyer, and two from a range of doctors, social assistants, and psychologists), supported by a technical team. The Commission meets the person in order to evaluate his/her situation and with the aim of eventually diverting the person from prosecution or sending them to treatment. If the user presents evidence that use is occasional or regular, but not habitual (addicted), the proceedings are dropped”.By embracing the idea that a nation’s drug problem is a health and human services issue, not a law enforcement problem, Portugal helped to reallocate financial resources from law enforcement to address the underlying issues of the health effects of addiction. By doing so, Portugal removed the criminal element behind their illicit drug industry.Spain and Italy have done the same. The United States should use this model. We have 5% of the world's population and 25% of the world's prison population.
Half of the prison population is for drug offenses. This is terrible and must be stopped. The failed drug war costs $100 billion a year. It costs $45,000 per person. That is very expensive public housing.
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Comment #7 posted by Had Enough on January 08, 2013 at 10:40:08 PT
About Czars…
“” U.S. Drug Czar Slams MMJ During S.F. Event””Czars belong in Russia…not in the “United States of America”************Czar (also spelled as tsar) literally means an emperor or a male monarch. It was the imperial title of Russian rulers, who ruled Russia from 16th century until the Bolshevik revolution in 1917. The title Czar is derived from the Latin word Caesar, the title of Roman emperors. Czar also means a person having great power. The Russian Czars were the rulers of Russia, whose reign began with Ivan, the Terrible and ended with Nicholas II. They ruled for nearly 350 years. Here is a brief history and timeline of the Russian tsars or Czars.Click to see more…http://www.buzzle.com/articles/history-and-timeline-of-russian-czars.html************
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Comment #6 posted by Dr Ganj on January 08, 2013 at 09:00:27 PT:
Feds Verses Harborside
http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_22328784/federal-judge-grants-harborside-reprieve
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Comment #5 posted by HempWorld on January 08, 2013 at 08:33:10 PT
museman Back? Yeah!
What about all the other stuff we put into our bodies but has never gone through the FDA process?All the substances that kill as opposed to marijuana which does not kill and has never killed?Substances like; water, cigarettes?Cigarettes kill 440,000 Americans each year directly and 38,000 indirectly through 2nd hand smoke, mostly children (in excess of 100 a day)440,000 is 1205.479452054795 Americans A DAY! EVERY YEAR!And these are the mortality statistics from the year 2000! Go figure!
US Deaths in the Year 2000!
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Comment #4 posted by The GCW on January 08, 2013 at 08:02:45 PT
More, Ignorant Approaches to Cannabis
Ex-RI Rep. Kennedy lobbies against legal marijuanahttp://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_22331087/ex-ri-rep-kennedy-lobbies-against-legal-marijuanaPROVIDENCE, R.I.—Former Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy says he's established a group to lobby against legalized marijuana.
The ex-congressman says efforts around the United States to legalize marijuana are well-intentioned but misguided.The Providence Journal reports ( http://bit.ly/yXauJR) that Kennedy's group, Project SAM—for Smart Approaches to Marijuana—will instead lobby for increased treatment for marijuana and drug abuse.-0-Cannabis prohibition and extermination is ignorant. -Nothing smart about it.
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Comment #3 posted by museman on January 08, 2013 at 07:55:13 PT
just more lies from a lying government
"...and stressed that there is no “war on drugs” That's right 'drugs' don't suffer the jack-boot, people do. The 'war' was always about class, creed, spirituality, and keeping the truth from the people."Drug users need treatment and education rather than jail terms"Yes, because working slaves bring in more tax revenue than prisoners. But prisons still need populations to continue their corporate profits..."calling cannabis medicine “sends a terrible message” to the nation’s teens."Especially when you compare it to other REAL drugs. Teens are smarter than you mr Big Cop, they know that cannabis is harmless, but when you compare it to the other drugs readily available like tobacco and alcohol, and pharmaceuticals they
tend to believe that 'if cannabis is ok and the government says its bad, then all the other things government says are bad might not be so bad after all -THAT'S THE MESSAGE YOU ARE SENDING!!!!!"“Medicinal marijuana has never been through the FDA process,” he added. “We have the world’s most renowned process to decide what is medicine and what should go in peoples’ bodies. And marijuana has never been through that process.”And that 'world renowned process' (ripping off and trying to redirect the fact that cannabis is the 'plant of renown') -run, administrated, and controlled by the Pharmaceutical Corporations, has been responsible for more deaths and destruction of bodies and lives than actual war.So this is the "Obama Adminstration’s “21st-century” approach toward drug use"Why am I not surprised?
findmehere
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Comment #2 posted by afterburner on January 08, 2013 at 07:34:10 PT
Integrative Medicine Beyond the Current DC Reality
“Medicinal marijuana has never been through the FDA process,” he added. “We have the world’s most renowned process to decide what is medicine and what should go in peoples’ bodies. And marijuana has never been through that process.”Ha ha ha! Good one, Gil. The FDA is a joke. It is controlled by medical lobbyists of the AMA, pushing an out-dated reductionist medical viewpoint. That view includes the simplistic active ingredient fallacy and the synthetics are better than organics fallacy. That view is at odds with the scientific wholistic research of the wellness movement, a movement which includes millions of Americans and many in other countries.
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on January 08, 2013 at 06:56:13 PT
Really?
Kerlikowske also said that calling cannabis medicine “sends a terrible message” to the nation’s teens. High school students are more likely to smoke marijuana than tobacco due to the growing “perception” that marijuana is less harmful, he said.& that marijuana remains illegal under federal law and a public health nuisance.-0-Really? Comparing tobacco to cannabis? Defend tobacco which kills over 1,000 Americans daily with a pure green plant which has not killed one soul in over 5,000 years of documented use?How is cannabis a "public health nuisance and tobacco better for high school students?High school students should not use either, but tobacco is one of the most addictive substances on earth and it kills people.Gil is sending a dangerous, misleading and disappointing message to Americans!The federal government's position on cannabis is harming Our country!!!
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