cannabisnews.com: MPP Files Complaint Against Drug Czar





MPP Files Complaint Against Drug Czar
Posted by CN Staff on December 05, 2002 at 16:00:39 PT
By Benjamin Grove 
Source: Las Vegas Sun 
White House drug czar John Walters misused his authority by campaigning against the Nevada ballot initiative that would have legalized possession of up to 3 ounces of marijuana, a pro-pot group alleged in a complaint Wednesday.The Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project, the primary force behind the defeated measure, filed its complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. The counsel is the investigative body that enforces the Hatch Act, which restricts political activity of executive branch employees.
The group wants Walters fired from his high-profile job. The group also said Walters violated Nevada campaign finance law by not filing a campaign report. Group officials asked the Nevada secretary of state's office to fine him up to $5,000."Walters conducted a campaign of lies against Question 9, using the taxpayers' money to spread misinformation," the group's executive director Robert Kampia said.Nevada drew national attention for its ballot initiative to legalize marijuana for recreational use. The Marijuana Policy Project was active in campaigning for the initiative, which voters rejected 61 percent to 39 percent.After the election Walters praised voters for rejecting ballot measures in Arizona, Nevada and Ohio that would have legalized or decriminalized marijuana possession.Walters visited Nevada twice -- in July and October -- to speak against the measure.A Walters spokeswoman today said the group's complaint was nothing more than a "publicity stunt" to appease donors who had helped the group conduct the campaign. U.S. code specifically directs the drug czar to oppose legalizing drugs, spokeswoman Jennifer de Vallance said."The claims are baseless," de Vallance said. "They are looking for a boogey man to point the finger and lay blame. The voters of Nevada recognized that this was a bad deal for them and they acted."Complete Title: Marijuana Project Files Complaint Against Drug CzarSource: Las Vegas Sun (NV)Author: Benjamin Grove Published: December 05, 2002Copyright: 2002 Las Vegas Sun, Inc.Contact: letters lasvegassun.comWebsite: http://www.lasvegassun.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Activists Accuse Drug Czar of Illegal Campaigninghttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14901.shtmlGroup Says Drug Czar Violated Lawhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14899.shtmlRebellion Against the Drug Czarhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14885.shtml 
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Comment #15 posted by afterburner on December 06, 2002 at 14:52:14 PT:
Poster Girl and Boy.
I think the antis are trying to use Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown as poster girl and boy of the anti-drug movement. Whitney's indiscriminate mixing of drugs, legal and illegal, proves not one little thing about whether patients should be allowed to use medical cannabis or whether peaceful adults should be caged for using a plant, which is not a gateway, is not addictive, and is given by the Creator.
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Comment #14 posted by delariand on December 05, 2002 at 22:08:39 PT
Anti-lies south park
It's amazing how south park can make such a clear, logical point on an issue and still be funny. That was an awesome show, and I hope people were paying attention.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on December 05, 2002 at 20:54:51 PT
BGreen
I wish I knew what it meant. Lawyers know how to write things that give them loopholes. That's what they do. Always making a way out of a situation while seeming to be open minded and sure of themselves. It's just double talking. Lawyers are good at that. PS: About Whitney Houston yes Cannabis would help her I do agree. 
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Comment #12 posted by BGreen on December 05, 2002 at 20:26:35 PT
Federal election campaign activities
I wonder if this specific phrase from the paragraph FoM posted has any significance?Are STATE elections considered "Federal election campaign activities?" And if not, could this be Walters' saving grace?
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on December 05, 2002 at 20:03:02 PT
Thanks Byrd
I took this paragraph out of the link you posted and am posting it here. Prohibition on political campaigning Any officer or employee of the Office who is appointed to that position by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, may not participate in Federal election campaign activities, except that such official is not prohibited by this paragraph from making contributions to individual candidates. 
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Comment #10 posted by byrd on December 05, 2002 at 19:53:44 PT
The statue that authorizes ONDPC
is Title 21 Section 1703. I found it at 
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/21/1703.htmlOne of the "goals" is reducing marijuana usage by 80% by December 31, 2003.I can't find anyplace in the statue that says that it's part of Walters' duty to fight legalization efforts. Fancy that.
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on December 05, 2002 at 19:02:17 PT
medicinal toker 
Yes we saw South Park and it was good. 
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Comment #8 posted by p4me on December 05, 2002 at 18:42:59 PT
Looking at the newspaper sources
There are 5 articles put up at Cnews so far today. This one is from the Las Vegas Sun. A second article comes from the Las Vegas Review Journal. That is kind of strange and makes you think that many people have developed an interest in the ongoing cannabis story. Lumberjack Online is from Flagstaff, Arizona and really is not a paper but still speaks to the people that had a vote on a ballot initiative in the last election. Reuters and the Canadian press make the total of 5 articles.So out of 1500 daily newspapers in the country only two make Cnews on the same MPP calling corruption on Walters. I guess government corruption on the cabinet level is not fit to print. Al Gore sure is on the right track in being patriotic by sounding the warning that the American media sucks.I guess the American Cannabis Civil War is not important. I mean even Afganistan does not make the papers. I wonder how many bombs we dropped last month on Afgan rocks but there is no way to get an answer. I thought the Afgan war was costing $4 billion a month but who really knows. Its like this misadministration is just not being open and if they keep it up the real journalist are going to say they are very secretive. But don't count on any serious news or commentary from those 1500 papers. They have to cover sports and human interest stories and car wrecks.1
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Comment #7 posted by medicinal toker on December 05, 2002 at 18:40:00 PT
South Park takes on the anti-pot ad campaign
Anyone seen the new South Park that first aired last night? Hilarious and irreverent as usual. A must see!"My Future Self n' Me A 32 year old man arrives in South Park claiming to be Stan from the future, and Cartman goes into the business of revenge."
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Comment #6 posted by BGreen on December 05, 2002 at 18:32:00 PT
O"Reilly Is A Pompous Ass
Bobby Brown said he was diagnosed bi-polar and that's why he smokes cannabis. He and Whitney said lithium made him a zombie (my word.)Look at Whitneys' first album cover. She was SO THIN. She's ALWAYS been thin. How many frequent cannabis users can be identified by the number of ribs showing through their skin? If she has a drug problem, it isn't cannabis, although cannabis might help wean her off any hard drug she might use, and it might put a little meat on her bones.Whitney Houston will be remembered as one of the greatest singers of all time.O'Reilly will be remembered as "Bill O'Who?"
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Comment #5 posted by mayan on December 05, 2002 at 18:10:16 PT
Carved in Stone?
A Walters spokeswoman today said the group's complaint was nothing more than a "publicity stunt" to appease donors who had helped the group conduct the campaign. U.S. code specifically directs the drug czar to oppose legalizing drugs, spokeswoman Jennifer de Vallance said.Does U.S. code specifically direct the drug czar to oppose legalizing drugs, or does it direct the drug czar to pursue a policy which will decrease drug use & eliminate the black market? Does anyone know the specifics of this U.S. Code? What if the drug czar took his head out of the sand one day & realized that the outright legalization of cannabis was the wisest policy? Would he still be directed to oppose such legalization? If the ONDCP's policies are carved in stone then why do we even need a "drug czar"? Oh yeah, to spread lies & propaganda with taxpayer money! In a previous related article it stated that the U.S. Office of Special Counsel has 200 Hatch Act complaints on it's desk & only 3 attorneys to explore them! It may be a while before justice is done - or not.The way out is the way in - Secret 9/11 Documents:
http://www.hempbc.com/articles/2705.htmlINS To Put Key 9/11 Figure Out Of Investigation Reach:
http://www.madcowprod.com/Who Knew? - New book examines possible White House role in 9/11 attacks: 
http://www.missoulanews.com/AE/News.asp?no=2858The Bagman Cometh:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/archive/scoop/stories/72/a9/200212051608.2b1d41f9.html9/11 "Conspiracies" and the Defactualisation of Analysis: http://www.mediamonitors.net/mosaddeq37.html9/11 Skeptics Unite: http://www.osamaskidneys.com/links.htmlPaul Thompson's Complete 9/11 Timeline: http://cooperativeresearch.org/completetimeline/The People's Investigation of 9/11: http://www.911pi.com/ 
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Comment #4 posted by markjc on December 05, 2002 at 18:05:37 PT
oreilly
i watched the oreilly factor off and on and i didnt see the marijuana segment. what happened? did i miss it or did it not run?
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on December 05, 2002 at 18:05:09 PT
Postponed O'Reilly Program
I just read that they postponed the date of the show until the 20th on MPP and the drug czar. We unfortunately watched the whole program tonight. It's hard for me to watch O'Reilly. He was very cruel talking about Whitney Houston on a segment of the show. She is in trouble and I'm sure if any of you saw the interview last night you saw it too. She doesn't need to be called a degenerate. She's one sick lady and that won't help her. I hope she gets help though. Having all the money to buy all the hard drugs in the world won't solve her problems or anyones. 
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Comment #2 posted by BGreen on December 05, 2002 at 17:54:17 PT
That's The Nicest Thing I've heard Walters Called
"They are looking for a boogey man to point the finger and lay blame."I think it's an unfair slam on all of the real boogey men out there to be linked to Walters.
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Comment #1 posted by Hopeful Freeman on December 05, 2002 at 17:53:02 PT
Power to the voice of the people, not the Feds.
"Walters conducted a campaign of lies against Question 9, using the taxpayers' money to spread misinformation," the group's executive director Robert Kampia said. 
---ONDCP spokesperson Jennifer DeVallance called the complaint "."A Walters spokeswoman today said the group's complaint was "nothing more than a cheap Political Stunt" to appease donors who had helped the group conduct the campaign. U.S. code specifically directs the drug czar to oppose legalizing drugs, spokeswoman Jennifer de Vallance said.---however, The compliant, lodged with the US Office of Special Counsel (OSC), accuses Office of National Drug Control Policy Director John Walters with breaking a law preventing federal officials from using their office to campaign for or against state ballot initiatives. (I wish our main source of information(newspapers) wouldn't try to alter our perception of the situation by the title) Complete Title: Marijuana Project Files Complaint Against Drug Czar
--they make it sound like a group of Chongs are raising a fit over nothing. Reminds me of King George. They can't break the law because they are the law. Thankfully not all people are stuck with such closed minds, thanks to the internet people can find out the truth and throwe it back at'em. Hopefully this will pass in our favor and Mr. John Walters
will lose his job for breaking the law, because if it fails it will prove once again that federal employees can step over laws, and disregard human compasion without the fear of consequences. Lets show them that we do care about the law, and if we want it changed, then feds should let us speak our peace without expecting the federal government to jump infront of the microphone calling us liars, and conartists. Isn't there a reason we have State Laws and Federal Laws? Wasn't it made that way to make sure that the BIG OGRE controlling MILLIONS of peoples lives wouldn't have too much power? A federal law known as the Hatch Act prohibits federal officials from using their offices to influence elections.
I'd say he conned the people of Nevada, and he's insulting the voters of the state as well as the founders of our Country. I wish George Washington was here to use his personal homegrown Marijuana to beat Mr. Walters into submission with. That might be the only thing that could open John Walters eyes, that or a Civil War. 
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