cannabisnews.com: War On Drugs Loses Out To War on Terror





War On Drugs Loses Out To War on Terror
Posted by FoM on November 07, 2001 at 07:10:32 PT
By Tim Johnson, Inquirer Washington Bureau 
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
The war against terrorism is diverting federal agents, patrol boats, and other resources from the war on drugs, the nation's chief drug officer said yesterday. "It's a battle of resources right now," said Asa Hutchinson, chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration. It's particularly an issue for the Coast Guard and the FBI, he said. "When the dust settles, there will be discussions."
The FBI has yanked agents off drug cases for counterterrorism duty, Hutchinson said, and Coast Guard cutters that once were dedicated to patrolling for drug shipments now watch over vulnerable seaports."We've tried to make up the slack," said Hutchinson, a former Republican representative from Arkansas who became the DEA's administrator three months ago.He said it remained to be worked out whether "functional shifts" in the duties of federal agencies are required. A "formal reworking of the jurisdiction lines" may be needed, he said, if the FBI, a major ally in the drug war, withdraws permanently from drug investigations.Since Sept. 11, the FBI has shifted 7,000 of its personnel, or about 1 in 4 employees, to new missions involving terrorism, FBI Director Robert Mueller said Oct. 24.Stuart M. Gerson, a former assistant attorney general, said he thought the FBI may eventually hand off antidrug and some other functions to other federal agencies or to state and local law-enforcement authorities."The driver of this is the need for the FBI to transform itself almost overnight from a criminal-investigations agency to a counterterrorism function," said Gerson, a private litigator in New York.Hutchinson noted that the Coast Guard had pulled as much as 75 percent of its cutter and aircraft fleet from the Caribbean to handle security for seaports."That has an impact," he said. "I don't want Miami and the Caribbean to go back to the way it was in the 1980s." Hutchinson lauded federal counterterrorism efforts but noted there was growing evidence that cash from the drug trade finances organizations that sponsor terrorism, including the Taliban in Afghanistan."We recognize that we have to fight a war on two fronts: counterterrorism as well as counterdrug. And you can't neglect one," he said.Hutchinson said drug smuggling had diminished right after Sept. 11, then increased."The smugglers were saying: 'Hey, this is a bad time. There's just too much heat along the border.' So, they slowed it down. Then they got desperate. . . . They said, 'Well, we got to move it.' They've got a payroll to make. So they started moving it," Hutchinson said. Seizures rose along the border and at airports, he said.On another matter, Hutchinson said U.S. authorities had yet to see a positive impact in Colombia, the world's main source of cocaine, since that South American nation received a $1.3 billion package of U.S. aid last year."We cannot say that there's been a reduction of the supply of cocaine coming into the United States from our efforts at this point," he said. "We do not anticipate that impact for a number of years."Source: Inquirer (PA)Author: Tim Johnson, Inquirer Washington Bureau Published: Wednesday, November 7, 2001 Copyright: 2001 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc. Web Site: http://www.phillynews.com/inq/Contact: Inquirer.Letters phillynews.comRelated Articles:FBI Dropping Other Crime Fighting http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11209.shtml Drug-Policing Efforts May Suffer http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11117.shtmlDEA Says Drug Smugglers Taking Advantage http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11115.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by null on November 07, 2001 at 12:58:02 PT
focused targets
I think there is a clear reason the DEA is trying to shut down cabbabis clubs: Their resources *are* thin. Since they don't have the resources to tackle big drug dealers they are going after easy and cooperative targets. Additionally, we all realize that medical marijuana will eventually *have* to lead to a reclassification. You can't say their is no medicinal use when 20% of the states allow it as a prescription. Reclassification suddenly implies that the laws against cannabis ARE and HAVE BEEN out of line. Suddenly, weed isn't as harshly punishable and offense. People will ask "why is weed such a high percentage of arrests if it isn't a really dangerous Schedule I??" Medical marijuana is a key step towards the ultimate goal of legalisation. The DEA knows and FEARS this. As a last ditch effort with their thin resources they are trying to mend one tiny but highly VISIBLE hole in their wall. THE FLOOD IS COMING. THE WALL IS GOING TO BURST! And when it does I am going to dance a jig around the DEA HQ toking on a J and LMAO. HAHAHA! :P
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Comment #1 posted by MikeEEEEE on November 07, 2001 at 07:47:49 PT
Spin Doctors
On another matter, Hutchinson said U.S. authorities had yet to see a positive impact in Colombia, the world's main source of cocaine, since that South American nation received a $1.3 billion package of U.S. aid last year.See how Hutchinson stalls for time."We cannot say that there's been a reduction of the supply of cocaine coming into the United States from our efforts at this point," he said. "We do not anticipate that impact for a number of years."Anybody with a head on their shoulders knows it's a waste of time. After a few more years they'll create more spin to keep their war.Here's the real threat:
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines01/1107-03.htm
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