cannabisnews.com: Drug Czar Defends Campaign To Stop Marijuana Drug Czar Defends Campaign To Stop Marijuana Posted by CN Staff on October 23, 2002 at 08:00:33 PT By H. Gregory Meyer, Tribune Staff Reporter Source: Chicago Tribune On his first visit to Chicago as the nation's latest drug czar, John Walters sounded an alarm Tuesday about marijuana use by millions of Americans. His visit comes as states including Arizona and Nevada consider ballot initiatives that would loosen laws restricting marijuana use and after others have passed laws allowing the medicinal use of the psychoactive drug. "Baby Boomer parents think it's the soft drug. We've been told it is the drug there is all this hysteria about, that this is all reefer madness," he said in an interview with the Tribune's editorial board. "There's a kind of reefer madness-madness going on here."He brought charts correlating youths' cutting classes, stealing, attacking others and destroying property with how often they smoke the drug. He warned that the potency of marijuana has increased markedly in recent years.Though conceding that drug prevention, treatment and enforcement programs are best left up to the states, he defended recent trips to Nevada and other states to stump against ballot questions that would decriminalize marijuana use."I made the decision to go into the states I went into reluctantly," he said. "I certainly understand the dangers of federal officials, a White House official, coming to a state and talking about a state ballot issue. We didn't use to do this. But I was contacted repeatedly by people in these states who are working in prevention who said they are being drowned out by misrepresentations by people who have a lot of money and who have millions of dollars to spend on these campaigns."Walters also railed against the recent passage by eight states of initiatives to legalize prescription use of marijuana for medical purposes. He said that marijuana has no medicinal value and that despite the votes to legalize medical marijuana use, "science is not based on plebiscite. Science is based on fact."Bill Piper, associate director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance, a Washington, D.C., group that supports many drug-liberalization initiatives, criticized Walters' stand against the state initiatives."They're using the drug czar's office to engage in electoral politics, to influence voters, when his office is supposed to be coordinating the drug war," Piper said. "They realize that they have a problem on their hands, that they're really out of touch with the American public."Walters, the chief of staff of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under the first Bush administration, faced a bruising confirmation battle last year after he was nominated by President Bush. Critics said he relied too heavily on an enforcement-heavy approach that led to the incarceration of thousands on drug charges.But his visit Tuesday to the Haymarket Center, a leading drug-treatment facility with offices around Cook County, impressed the center's president."As far as treatment is concerned, I was very much pleasantly surprised that he was open to the idea that treatment works, and that funds be made available to pay for treatment models," said Raymond Soucek, the center's president.Walters spent much of his trip talking about how to spend a proposed $1.6 billion in federal funds for drug treatment over the next five years.Complete Title: Drug Czar Defends Campaign To Stop Marijuana Legalization Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)Author: H. Gregory Meyer, Tribune Staff ReporterPublished: October 23, 2002Copyright: 2002 Chicago Tribune CompanyContact: ctc-TribLetter Tribune.comWebsite: http://www.chicagotribune.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Drug Policy Alliancehttp://www.drugpolicy.org/Propriety of News Release Questionedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14529.shtmlNevada Pushes Next Frontier: Legalizing Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14503.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #14 posted by FoM on October 23, 2002 at 15:35:08 PT Off Topic But Interesting I hope all the young people around 18 are ready to be drafted because it looks like the draft might come back again. You might want to vote on this poll.Should the U.S. reinstate the military draft? Yes -- 48% No -- 45% Not Sure -- 8% http://www.cnsnews.com/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on October 23, 2002 at 15:06:39 PT LTE Sirs, John Walters makes it sound like Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement are able to outspend anti-marijuana forces because they have three millionaires who donate to their cause. Yet his office has recently mounted a vast anti-marijuana advertising campaign, buying full-page ads in papers all over America week after week and airing a spate of new TV and radio commercials. How much money has this campaign cost? We've all paid for a piece of it, it's part of the $20 billion per year federal drug war budget. Whatever the Nevada campaign spends was raised from voluntary donations. John Walters has the involuntary financial support of every taxpayer in the country. However, the NRLE has something the drug czar can't beat at any price - an idea whose time has come. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by Dark Star on October 23, 2002 at 14:36:24 PT Painting a Target on Your Back Cool. I did not suspect you of evil intent. That is not the point. These people are paranoid to begin with, and need not the slightest excuse to start gunning for the likes of you and me. Think whatever you like, but do not necessarily type it! [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by idbsne1 on October 23, 2002 at 14:33:54 PT I understand......sorry... I have never harmed anyone in my life... and never plan to... unless in self defense or to protect my family and home as my Book tells me....But if the American public can watch bloody violence in movies, TV shows, etc.... and be rubberneckers on the freeway looking at the horror that someone went through and have some morbid fascination with it (which I NEVER do)...I can make a joke about evil people's demise....idbsne1 [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by Dark Star on October 23, 2002 at 14:22:38 PT We're Out of Control Okay, gang. A little too much information. Today we've heard here that one of our members was involved in a justifiable homicide, and now another is suggesting Cabinet members as sniper targets. We all hate prohibition, the War on Drugs, and hypocrites in government, but-------For better or worse, this is a public forum. If you think that the powers that be are not scrutinizing it, you are dangerously naive. How anonymous do you think you can be?Just a friendly suggestion. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by idbsne1 on October 23, 2002 at 14:10:27 PT Just a joke..... Yoohoo????Sniper guy?I got 3 for ya.....John Walters, John Ashcroft, and Asa Hutchinson....Forget the innocent people.....:)idbsne1 [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by trainwreck on October 23, 2002 at 10:53:50 PT Political Science Why take aspirin when one has a headache? To feel better.Why smoke a joint when sick? To feel better.My favorite nonesense arguement he makes all the time is that there's no "science". Science, my friends, is based upon observation. And there is no special rule that says an observation must be made by a "scientist" to be true. If thousands of sick people find they feel better after smoking a jay, that's as credible as any scientific evidence--indeed that is scientific evidence. One doesn't need to do alot of fancy statistical analyses to observe the truth. Statistics are handy when the truth isn't so obvious. The bottom line is they believe sick people must not be allowed to feel better by smoking weed, because it drives a wedge in to the war on drugs and undercuts the rhetoric and lies necessary to keep the war machine oiled and fueled. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by st1r_dude on October 23, 2002 at 10:07:14 PT scared they'll loose their jobs.... "I made the decision to go into the states I went into reluctantly," he said. "I certainly understand the dangers of federal officials, a White House official, coming to a state and talking about a state ballot issue. We didn't use to do this. But I was contacted repeatedly by people in these states who are working in prevention who said they are being drowned out by misrepresentations by people who have a lot of money and who have millions of dollars to spend on these campaigns."john, shouldn't you have said (more accurately): " i was contacted by people in these states who are working in prevention (ie: cops, cops, DEA, cops, cops, others that get the big federal dollar to enforce cannabis prohibition)who are scared they will loose their cushey jobs of busting and jailing cannabis consumers."he say's he went reluctantly - GIVE ME A BREAK ! does this guy know how to lie or WHAT ?it's all about that eazy government dollar...move on nevada and arizona - let's put this prohibition nonsense to rest, once and for all. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by canaman on October 23, 2002 at 09:38:02 PT Is the czar the reincarnation of Henry Anslinger? "There's a kind of reefer madness-madness going on here." Walters said.Ha Ha, real funny play on words czarster, King of the Madmen, PerpeTraitor of the lies, you best get out of the way your unholyness because the Truth is eating you alive!There I feel better now. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by mayan on October 23, 2002 at 09:21:31 PT "Carrot on a Stick" "Walters spent much of his trip talking about how to spend a proposed $1.6 billion in federal funds for drug treatment over the next five years."If marijuana is legalized in Nevada there won't be pot smokers coerced into treatment facilities & in turn, these facilities won't receive as much federal funding. Walters is using our tax dollars as a "carrot on a stick"!!! I hope Nevadan's remember Yucca mountain!unrelated -Major Events on Saturday, October 26th! Protest the Crimes of the Government,the 9/11 Cover-up and the Imperial invasion of Iraq. Marches in WASHINGTON, D.C. and SAN FRANCISCO: http://www.fromthewilderness.com/events.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by MikeEEEEE on October 23, 2002 at 08:32:06 PT Morons I'm tired of hearing about this moron, just vote YES! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by goneposthole on October 23, 2002 at 08:31:52 PT Honestly the man is dumber than I look. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by pokesmotter on October 23, 2002 at 08:14:00 PT: this guy will never learn He [walters] said that marijuana has no medicinal value and that despite the votes to legalize medical marijuana use, "science is not based on plebiscite. Science is based on fact." i guess that depends on what "facts" you choose to look at. nationally televised debate i would like to see: dr. russo vs john walters. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by WIndminstrel on October 23, 2002 at 08:08:32 PT "who have millions of dollars to spend..."??? Remind me what the ONDCP's budget is? How 'bout that of the DEA? Talk about over-funded propaganda campaigns!Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain [ Post Comment ] Post Comment