Drug Czars Unite to Speak Against Proposition 19
An unprecedented collection of directors of the Office of National Drug Control Policy from the past three administrations to the present one have joined their voices to explain the dangers to California if the proposition to legalize marijuana is passed in November.
These experts from the fields of policy, education, treatment, prevention and law enforcement dismiss the idea that any other country's drug legalization experiments have legitimacy as examples comparable to the scale of what California's considering. What they do understand deeply as a result of their day to day involvement with the tragedy of the effects of drug abuse is the certain increase in marijuana use and the certain vast increase to the state in the societal costs of addiction. They note that "For every dollar society collects in taxes on alcohol, for example, we end up spending eight more in social costs. That is hardly a recipe for fiscal health."
In contrast to the often compared addictive, legal substances of tobacco and alcohol, they point out that marijuana is much easier to cultivate and process at home, so why should people pay taxes on their crops? Independent studies have failed to find financial benefit for the state in either tax revenue or in reduction of law enforcement costs.
Their take? It's a dangerous idea.
Comments
I highly doubt you will reply
I highly doubt you will reply to this, or even post it, but here goes:
If cannabis has no medicinal values explain the following: US Patent 6630507 - Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants; issued October 7, 2003. (Actually there are ~30 patents pertaining to this). Why is NIDA supplying “medicinal marijuana” in the form of rolled joints to four American citizens? Why does the AMA call for the rescheduling of cannabis from a schedule I substance to a schedule II substance? Why does David Krahl, PhD, the former Deputy Director of Drug Free America Foundation call for the legalization/regulation of medicinal “marijuana”?
same old song, but its so
same old song, but its so badly played it sounds even worse today. common sense is nearly absent in this debate at this point. these authors and many like them are still clinging to the old Reefer Madness mentality.
Children are always at risk in a society that treats them like commodity and not as citizens and actual humans. They are put in harms way by adults, be they poor or rich, its the adults who put children in harms way - not a drug - that many use that doesn't turn them into foaming at the mouth, deviants.
The Four Tops
I couldn't remember whether it was the Temps or the Tops - had to look it up.
Adults, for sure, put children in harm's way. And addicted adults put even more children in even worse harm's way. SAMHSA says it's at least 75% of children who are in foster care because of substance abuse - do you think that legalizing marijuana will improve that statistic? Everyone agrees that use will go up. So will the numbers of kids whose parents are too stoned to care.
SAMHSA's numbers are for
SAMHSA's numbers are for "substance abuse". This includes all substances including hard drugs, alcohol and pharmaceutical drugs. Nothing about these numbers are specific to marijuana. This simply says that a vast majority of irresponsible parents abuse substances. With 75% of children in foster care from substance abusing parents, and with SAMHSA's numbers showing the prevalence of drug use in America after 4 decades of a war on drugs, it shows specifically that what we are doing to control drugs in this country isn't working.
To blame a particular substance for the irresponsibility of a parent removes the personal responsibility from that adult. If a parent is abusing ANY substance and putting children in harms way, that denotes that they were an irresponsible parent before they began abusing drugs. Otherwise they wouldn't be abusing drugs in the first place. That's a problem with the parent, and shouldn't be blamed on anything else but the parent. Hold the parent responsible just as we do now. Just removing that substance from the picture won't create a perfect parent. And blanket criminalization obviously doesn't remove the substance from the picture. Many parents use cannabis, alcohol and other substances without ever putting their children in danger. All parents should be expected to take FULL responsibility for their children. If they do not then they should be punished for what they do. We should not be punishing all adults for the irresponsibility of a small fraction of individuals. And we definitely should not be breaking up families over cannabis as we are doing now. How many of those 75% are children who's parents found themselves on the wrong side of the law involving cannabis and actually never posed any real threat to them? Prop 19 will most definitely improve that statistic. No longer will a disgruntled ex, neighbor or landlord be able to weave a tall tale and destroy the lives of both parent and child using the content of the parent’s urine. When our policies are causing more harm than what we are trying to protect against, those policies need to be changed.
You republicans confuse me.
You republicans confuse me. You are all about small government and wanting the government to stay out of our lives. But yet you continue to come up outlandish reasons why marijuana should be illegal. Pointing at studies of it is harmful, is it a gateway drug, etc…it doesn't matter. For every study found to support one argument we will find just as many for the counter argument. It comes down to one thing. I believe that I served my country and had friends die and wounded in Iraq so that every american can make their OWN decision. Open your eyes marijuana is a safer drug than alcohol…anyone that has ever smoked the drug will tell you that. Stop this ridiculous prohibition that was started with LIES and continues to be supported by LIES.
Government is meant to protect the people… smoking marijuana does not indanger the public. Washington please reread the constitution and declaration of independance, for some reason I think you may have a copy printed in China that is grossly inaccurate.
Republicans are not to blame
Republicans cannot and should not take the blame for our failed drug policies. The Drug War was a bi-partisan effort. It was built on the backs of Democrats like vice president Joe Biden and departing Obama Chief-of-staff Rahm Emanuel just as much as any Republican. And now we have notable conservative Republicans taking notice of the enormous fiscal waste and the inexcusable violations of our civil liberties in the name of protecting us from drugs. With the Republican party returning to it's roots of fiscal sensibility, personal responsibility and respect for the Constitution; The Drug War is now the antithesis of the Republican ideal. With 2008 presidential candidate Dr. Ron Paul (R-TX) and 2012 presidential candidate and former Governor Gary Johnson (R-NM) campaigning on the platform that the Drug War has been an expensive failure, our best chance for real change in drug laws may lie with the Republican party. It is becoming politically toxic within the Republican party to continue to back such an obvious waste of taxpayer resources. Prop 19 is polling consistently higher in California than any candidate or incumbent for senate or governor in the state. That's true bi-partisan support. And the whole country, red or blue, is taking notice.
God! When are some of you
God! When are some of you going to wake up? People are going to use it REGARDLESS of LEGALITY, period! You anti-marijuana people need to wake up and get a clue. You are a very SMALL MINORITY in California, even among politicians and officials. The major majority of California’s voters ARE IN FULL SUPPORT of prop 19. You can cry, snivel p*ss and moan all you like, but it won’t change one single thing. Prop 19 IS GOING TO PASS, PERIOD, and there’s absolutely NOTHING WHATSOEVER you can do about it. Jumping on here and reading some of the stupid silly comments some of these posters makes is really as fun as reading the funny papers when I was a kid. What I’ve noticed is it’s always the same old snivelers crying about the same old thing, singing the same old song. Here, let me pull out my violin and play it, it’s the worlds smallest and I’m sure I can play the worlds SADDEST song for you. Do some research wake up and smell the pot smoke
NO ONE is going to pay
NO ONE is going to pay dispensary prices for cannabis then mark it up to sell on the street. It's available for far less in the underground economy than it is in a legal dispensary. In order to compete with street prices one would have to sell anything they bought in a legal brick and mortar store for LESS than they paid for it. Oh, wait a minute, I forgot about your prohibitionist math. When using prohibitionist math when you buy high and sell low you make a profit. Well then, that explains it.
What ever happened to your shrill cries that the cartels would be the ones selling to minors? As it stands minors have unfettered access to any drug they desire. Ask any minor which is easier for them to get right now, drugs or alcohol. Most kids can get almost any drug you name with just a couple of phone calls. Dealers don't card. Legal businesses do.
When prop 19 passes will kids still have access to drugs? Of course they will, but cannabis will be harder for them to get. Ecstasy, coke, meth, and heroin on the other hand will still be available with just a couple of phone calls, dealers still won’t card, cannabis retailers on the other hand will.
GROWS ANYWHERE
Anyone can grow marijuana in their bedroom closet in a tiny studio apartment if necessary. Don't count on the state collecting much tax revenue, but you can sure as hell count on a huge increase in youth and adult marijuana use, crime and a myriad of health and social problems--and, of course, an enormous increase in costs.
Anyone can grow marijuana in
Anyone can grow marijuana in their bedroom closet now if they want to put the time and effort in it. In fact it occurs quite frequently now. This is because there is no retail sales of cannabis. Contrary to popular belief, growing cannabis is not as simple as putting a seed in some soil and putting it under a lamp. It's actually quite complex and time consuming. The vast majority of cannabis consumers would rather obtain their cannabis in a legal retail environment as opposed to going through the time and effort of growing it themselves or buying it on the black market.
With the current black market conditions that lack any kind of controls or age restrictions, you cannot make cannabis more available to kids than it is right now. It can be found for sale in any high school in America. No drug dealer asks for IDs. And it is that very black market that spawns the vast majority of drug related crime. With the drug war in Mexico that has claimed more lives than the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and the 9/11 attacks combined. With violence spilling over into American cities like El Paso, Chicago, and Oakland, fueled by cannabis sales, I really fail to see how legalization could result in a huge increase in crime. How much worse can it get and what would cause it?
You are correct that there will likely be an increase in adult usage. But this will correspond with a decrease in adult alcohol and pharmaceutical usage as adults take advantage of having a safer legal alternative to these substances. Thus creating an overall drop in negative health and social consequences resulting from recreational substance usage.