cannabisnews.com: Drug Czar Skirts S.F. Proposal to Grow Its Own Drug Czar Skirts S.F. Proposal to Grow Its Own Posted by CN Staff on July 26, 2002 at 07:26:38 PT By Rob Morse Source: San Francisco Chronicle Moment worthy of Cheech and Chong: Thursday morning the Bush administration's drug czar, John Walters, pulled up in front of The Chronicle with a CHP and Secret Service escort. Two minutes after the drug czar went into the building, a homeless guy staggered by smoking a joint. The CHP and Secret Service guys didn't bat an eye. In his meeting with The Chronicle editorial board, Walters avoided the issue of whether he'd scramble the helicopters and special forces if San Francisco becomes a marijuana-producing nation within a nation. Walters is no mindless brute or puritan, but a knowledgeable guy who can cite scary statistics on teenage marijuana use and the ill effects of weed as shown by brain scans -- something that might be given to some of our city officials. Walters said he only knew what he'd read in the papers about Supervisor Mark Leno's proposal that San Francisco should grow its own pot, perhaps using poor people and homeless as cultivators. "I've seen a lot of bad things done to poor people in my time," said Walters, "but to turn them into drug producers . . ." This bud's for us. There are too many jokes about drugs, as Walters said. Not all are great, but what the heck. Alan Tobey says San Francisco's municipal marijuana should be called "Willie Weed." Where's Caen when we need him? They always said this was the city of Herb. Baggies, dad, by the bay. Richard Lewin writes from British Columbia to brag about its highly potent "B.C. Bud" (Walters recently was in B.C. trying to figure out how to keep it from finding its way here.) Lewin says, "Maybe I can help. Hydroponics on every high-rise!" Except that pointy one, of course. But there's already a garden planned for the roof of the Academy of Sciences' new building, and Yerba Buena Gardens means "Good herb gardens." Enough jokes. The serious question for voters, as a headline writer at this paper once wrote, will be: "Doobie or not doobie." Not much grass in this park: Merchants got a chuckle from Mayor Willie Brown's remark the other day about the redesigned Union Square: "In the world of mayors, I'll get credit for this square," he said. "It's up to my successor to figure out how to pay for it." He was joking -- I hope and Gavin hopes. There was an ingenious public- private scheme to pay for it through the parking garage, and some of the ancillary work was done pro bono by local firms. It was an old-fashioned barn- raising, hold the barn, raise the handrails and raze any place the homeless could sleep. Brown said the pigeons are having their own opening of Union Square, but "I have 18 months left to keep the pigeons out." I don't think he was joking. Micromanaging may be for the birds, but he loves it. Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2002/07/26/MN16517.DTL Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)Author: Rob MorsePublished: Friday, July 26, 2002 Copyright: San Francisco Chronicle - Page A - 2 Contact: letters sfchronicle.comWebsite: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/Related Articles:Voters To Decide On Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13523.shtmlSan Francisco Puts Growing Marijuana on Ballot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13517.shtmlSan Francisco Eyes Marijuana Farminghttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13512.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Post Comment