Drug czar: Feds won't support legalized pot

[Newsjock]

Source: Fresno Bee

The federal government is not going to pull back on its efforts to curtail marijuana farming operations, Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy, said Wednesday in Fresno.

The nation's drug czar, who viewed a foothill marijuana farm on U.S. Forest Service land with state and local officials earlier Wednesday, said the federal government will not support legalizing marijuana.

"Legalization is not in the president's vocabulary, and it's not in mine," he said.

Kerlikowske said he can understand why legislators are talking about taxing marijuana cultivation to help cash-strapped government agencies in California. But the federal government views marijuana as a harmful and addictive drug, he said.

"Marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal benefit," Kerlikowske said in downtown Fresno while discussing Operation SOS -- Save Our Sierra -- a multiagency effort to eradicate marijuana in eastern Fresno County.

Read more: http://www.fresnobee.com/832/story/1553061.html

[villager]

1. Because "change" isn't supposed to, you know, actually mean "change"

n/t

[WriteDown]

3. Maybe he said "pain" and we misheard him. nt

[No Elephants]

47. Possibly. After all, we all misheard "Read my lips: NO. nude. Texans."

Apparently, America need a giant hearing aid.

[FiveGoodMen]

5. We all misunderstood

We thought "change" meant more freedom, but as it turns out, it will probably more arrests.

I would never vote for McCain/Palin. But I would never vote for Obama again. He's just put a more intelligent face on the same old fascism.

[Iowa]

31. Well said. I agree.

[Leftist Agitator]

41. "He's just put a more intelligent face on the same old fascism."

Indeed.

[IndianaGreen]

25. If elections really brought change, they would be outlawed

That's what the great anarchist Emma Goldman said almost a century ago. She is still right!

[No Elephants]

48. Wow. And I thought Nader caught on long before I did. I'm impressed.

[mdmc]

2. something Obama and the corporations are on the same page on

cHange
_O
_P
_E

[villager]

4. he's on far too many same pages with corporations...

n/t

[mdmc]

33. yes

[ixion]

6. so very stupid

and short-sighted.

And, oh, Marijuana is non-lethal / non-addictive and non-toxic... thereby rendering it distinctly NOT a dangerous drug.

Thanks for nuthin', Gil.

[crikkett]

10. It's quite dangerous to Big Pharma, Prison, Alcohol, Timber and Chemical interests

and imagine how society will change - suddenly a whole class of criminals will have to be released from prisons, and imagine the impact of a population that sees the fnords. There really are a lot of reasons to keep pot illegal, and they all have to do with fascism.

[Zhade]

23. Thank you. That it's still called dangerous in this day and age is a crime.

NT!

[tridim]

7. That's what happens when your drug czar is a drug warrior and propagandist

FIRE HIM.

[rcrush]

8. Thats what happens when you let Biden nominate your Drug Czar

[Mojorabbit]

9. This is a huge disappointment. nt

[downindixie]

11. What a fruitcake!

I wish there were a way to sue people in government who lie!x(

[No Elephants]

49. Sadly, the only recourse we have is our vote.

Seemed so important the first time. Seems so inadequate now.

[SteveM]

12. This is what happens when prohibitionism becomes entrenched...

gay rights, ganja, guns, reproductive rights, liquor, tobacco; all of it produces entrenched bureaucracies built around a police/military model no one wants to get rid of until sufficient bloodshed is experienced. We have an Afghanistan on our borders to show what comes of the War on Drugs.

[pleah]

13. Hey, Gil, what are YOU smoking?

So, he is ignoring all the research about the benefits of the herb? Sigh, we have a long fight ahead of us.

[No Elephants]

50. What makes you think he's ignoring the research? He's only hoping everyone else is.

[bc3000]

14. This is a non story

Of course the feds are not going to support legalization. Did anyone honestly think they would?

The issue is whether or not they will enforce federal laws in places that have legalized or decriminalized. It's a matter of enforcement priorities. Eric holder has already said that they will no longer enforce marijuana laws where states have made it legal.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/26/holder-vows-to-end-raids_n_170119.html :

After the inauguration, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) continued to carry out such raids, despite Obama's promise. Holder was asked if those raids represented American policy going forward.

"No," he said. "What the president said during the campaign, you'll be surprised to know, will be consistent with what we'll be doing in law enforcement. He was my boss during the campaign. He is formally and technically and by law my boss now. What he said during the campaign is now American policy."

Really, I don't see what more we can ask for. Act locally, get it legalized or decriminalized where you live, and the Feds won't interfere.

[Zhade]

24. Except that the raids on LEGAL CLINICS keep happening!

Obama is a fucking liar.

[truedelphi]

46. I know I keep looking for a good appointee

but so many appointments have been lacking.

Sotomayor, Neil Barofsky, and one or two others were excellent choices. Too many appointments made by Obama do not differ much from what some Republican would have made.

[eShirl]

15. "Marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal benefit," LIAR n/t

[joeybee12]

16. You know, this guy was one of the few who I thought would be a good appointment...

...now it appears he's changed his tune to continue to spout nonsense.

[Wizard777]

17. More SPECIOUS SCIENCE from the Obama Administration. No CHANGE in this approach.

It hasn't worked before and it will continue to not work regardless of who occupies the White House. That's not where the changes need to be made.

Now Marijuana growth is bad for the environment. I think I've heard it all now. The biggest environmental crime ever committed was the illegalization and eradication of Marijuana at the advent of the automobile. They love CO2 and suck up all you can offer. Then reward you with a nice sticky bud. You only have to remove one species from any ecological system to cause the entire system to collapse. Right there we bloody are aren't we? We need to restore our ecosystem to it's original composition. Marijuana and all. I would love to hear Al Gore's take on the bionomics of this.

[cindyperry]

18. Damn

there goes the party. :(

[rms013]

19. My Job as Drug Czar

My job as drug czar is to manage a multi-billion dollar organization whose mission statement is:

The mission of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States and bring to the criminal and civil justice system of the United States, or any other competent jurisdiction, those organizations and principal members of organizations, involved in the growing, manufacture, or distribution of controlled substances appearing in or destined for illicit traffic in the United States; and to recommend and support non-enforcement programs aimed at reducing the availability of illicit controlled substances on the domestic and international markets.

In carrying out its mission as the agency responsible for enforcing the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States, the DEA's primary responsibilities include:

* Investigation and preparation for the prosecution of major violators of controlled substance laws operating at interstate and international levels.


* Investigation and preparation for prosecution of criminals and drug gangs who perpetrate violence in our communities and terrorize citizens through fear and intimidation.


* Management of a national drug intelligence program in cooperation with federal, state, local, and foreign officials to collect, analyze, and disseminate strategic and operational drug intelligence information.


* Seizure and forfeiture of assets derived from, traceable to, or intended to be used for illicit drug trafficking.


* Enforcement of the provisions of the Controlled Substances Act as they pertain to the manufacture, distribution, and dispensing of legally produced controlled substances.


* Coordination and cooperation with federal, state and local law enforcement officials on mutual drug enforcement efforts and enhancement of such efforts through exploitation of potential interstate and international investigations beyond local or limited federal jurisdictions and resources.


* Coordination and cooperation with federal, state, and local agencies, and with foreign governments, in programs designed to reduce the availability of illicit abuse-type drugs on the United States market through nonenforcement methods such as crop eradication, crop substitution, and training of foreign officials.


* Responsibility, under the policy guidance of the Secretary of State and U.S. Ambassadors, for all programs associated with drug law enforcement counterparts in foreign countries.


* Liaison with the United Nations, Interpol, and other organizations on matters relating to international drug control programs




My salary (as of 9/15/06) is $183,000.00 per year. This does not include expenses such as travel, drivers, auto et cet.

WHY in Hell would I want the legalization of Marijuana? This is a major part of my organizations efforts to show success in the war on drugs. If it wasn't illegal I wouldn't have such easy pickings to put on my accomplishments. I mean they have pot clubs in many states and everyone knows where they are.

In summary the war against drugs is a way to control the population through intimidation and incarceration, seize assets for law enforcement agencies so they can add to their budget, and obfuscate the constitution of the United States. No matter what facts are out their I am committed to my career and to the industry it creates.

[marshall]

39. Is "Drug Czar" an official title?

It sounds too much like "Drug Lord" for me. At first I thought the article was about the illegal drug bigwigs in Colombia or wherever trying to keep drugs illegal because it keeps their prices up.

[Flaneur]

42. Kerlikowske is director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy

aka the drug czar.

[marshall]

45. So does that mean Czar is an official title?

[Flaneur]

51. No. His official title is director of ONDCP.

"Drug czar" is just a cutesy authoritarian appellation.

[sofa king]

20. A thought experiment.

Let's say we make cranberries illegal. Cranberries are now illegal to harvest, it's illegal to study cranberries for their nutritional or medicinal properties, and foreign studies of cranberries are no longer acknowledged by the federal government.

Now, because some people like cranberries enough to harvest them anyway, and some people like buying stuff just because it's illegal, and some people are willing to protect their illegal harvest and sales with violence because they are forced to operate outside of the protection of the law, we have the same thing:

Cranberries are dangerous and have no medical benefit.

What is the one thing we can change that instantly makes cranberries both not dangerous and medically useful?

[TommyPaine]

21. *sigh* The war on personal freedom continues...

So Kerlikowske, our old head copper here in Seattle, says it's no longer a "War on Drugs". Okay, just call it for what it is--War on Personal Freedom.

Alcohol is extremely dangerous, though in some forms it has medicinal benefits (namely red wine).
Tobacco is extremely dangerous, and has virtually no medicinal benefits (nicotine may help stave off some neurological disorders).
Marijuana is the least dangerous of these three and has PROVEN MEDICINAL BENEFITS, yet the ignorant totalitarians insist on the same anachronistic thinking. Why doesn’t the gubmint go ahead and make “Reefer Madness” mandatory viewing in all public schools?

[Zhade]

22. Kerlikowske is a fucking idiot, or a liar. Pot is MEDICALLY PROVEN to be beneficial.

NT!

[fascisthunter]

30. I caught that BS too

[maxsolomon]

26. i know they don't want to provide the GOP with any lines of attack

but come on.

Gil doesn't actually believe that it is dangerous & without medicinal benefit. he HAS to say it. he knows that the danger comes from the illegality.

sigh...

maybe in the second Obama term they'll get some stones.

[Zhade]

27. No, he doesn't have to say it. You're advocating he lie. That's fucked up.

NT!

[maxsolomon]

28. you're on my ignore list

but i'm sure what you had to say was fascinating.

[grantcart]

34. I am a little suspicious - I checked many stories and the 'no medicinal value' goes

back to a single source - the Fresno Bee.


it wasn't on any of the TV clips.


I find it hard to believe that he said the words that they are attributing to him.

[dougkeenan]

40. No, he doesn't have to say it.

No one has to lie. None of us know what Gil believes, only what he says.

[Uncle Joe]

29. Did anyone believe that creating any position in the U.S. Government subliminally referred to

as a czar; would end up promoting or advocating more freedom for the American People?

It's not up to Kerlikowski or Obama to change their vocabulary, it's up to the American People to change ours' and with it our mentality and I find the word czar; being incorporated in to the government supposedly by "We the People" to be harmful and addictive to those people and corporations lusting for power and control.

[Vidar]

32. Way to pick the wrong side again!

[Rex]

35. Gil is a fucktard.

And makes it obvious.

[tridim]

36. Just as I predicted, Gil's statement has pissed off the entire MMJ community

http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Marijuana+is+dangerous+and+has+no+medicinal+benefit%22&hl=en&safe=off&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7ADBF_en&start=20&sa=N

1500 links so far.. IMO this is good for our movement, Gil's comment has lit a fuse.

[mr_smith007]

37. Kerlikowske needs to brush up

on some medical literature. "Marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal benefit," Kerlikowske said in downtown Fresno while disdiscussing Operation SOS.

Doesn't get anymore ignorant than that. If, god forbid, he or a family member goes through chemotherapy, faces mental conditions such as PTSD, chronic insomnia, chronic nerve or skeletal pain etc etc, maybe he will do a scholar.google.com search on marijuana and actually learn something.

[Romulox]

38. Notice the bloated "clean up" costs hyped in this story?

Sounds to me they are trying to establish the case for millions of dollars to "clean up" marijuana grow sites.

This is Joe Biden type hysteria. How come nobody asks that old yutz about his continued support for the War on (people who use) Drugs?

[GeorgeGist]

43. Willful ignorance is addictive, dangerous ...

and of no social benefit.

[daggahead]

44. Craziness ...

The legalization of carrying a conceal gun into a bar is legal, but smoking pot isn't. Hmm ... in which situation am I more likely to get shot?