cannabisnews.com: Drug Czar's Office Reviewing Request for Report





Drug Czar's Office Reviewing Request for Report
Posted by CN Staff on January 17, 2003 at 10:09:23 PT
By Ed Vogel, Review-Journal Capital Bureau 
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal 
A spokesman for the Office of National Drug Policy said Thursday it would be "silly" for Drug Czar John Walters to file campaign expenditure reports for speaking out against marijuana legalization in Nevada. "Part of the job of the drug czar is to talk about the problem of drug abuse in America, which he feels would be worse with drug legalization," spokesman Tom Riley said. "He doesn't file a campaign statement in each state he goes to. That would be silly." 
Riley said Walters has received a letter from Secretary of State Dean Heller in which he was asked to explain why he should not comply with the state's campaign contributions and expenditures law. That law requires every person who advocates or opposes a ballot question in Nevada to submit reports detailing his contributions and expenditures. Walters visited Nevada three times in the fall to speak out against Question 9, which would have allowed adults to possess as much as 3 ounces of marijuana in their homes. The ballot question failed by a 61 percent to 39 percent vote in the November election. His office also ran many television commercials warning residents of the dangers of marijuana use. Riley said staff lawyers are reviewing the Heller letter, and he does not know whether they will respond. Heller asked for a response by Jan. 27. In a Wednesday interview, Deputy Secretary of State Susan Bilyeu speculated that a federal law or court decision might exempt Walters from the reporting law. People who do not submit the required information face $100-per-day fines. Riley declined comment on whether there is a law or ruling that frees Walters from obeying the Nevada law. "His job is to speak out on the harm of illegal drugs," Riley said. "He does it in every state and will continue to do it. He is not going to file a campaign statement in every state he goes to." Heller sent the letter to Walters after receiving a complaint about the drug czar's failure to follow the law from the Marijuana Policy Project. The Washington-based organization was the parent organization of Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement, the group that campaigned for legal marijuana. It spent $1.8 million during the fall on the unsuccessful campaign to pass Question 9.Note: Official: It would be 'silly' for Walters to comply with Nevada law.Complete Title: Drug Czar's Office Reviewing Request for Campaign ReportSource: Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV)Author: Ed Vogel, Review-Journal Capital BureauPublished: Friday, January 17, 2003Copyright: 2003 Las Vegas Review-JournalContact: letters lvrj.comWebsite: http://www.lvrj.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Marijuana Group: Feds Broke Lawhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15209.shtmlDrug Czar Asked for Explanationhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15202.shtmlMPP Files Complaint Against Drug Czar http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14902.shtml
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Comment #13 posted by CorvallisEric on January 18, 2003 at 13:31:59 PT
Nasarius
I guess the "smart card" idea fits in with their desire to restrict sales to Swiss residents only, which means there will still be an underground market of sorts. What would happen if the State of Utah decided that alcohol could be sold only to Utah residents at their ski resorts? Thanks for translating; I'm looking forward to part 2.
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Comment #12 posted by John Tyler on January 18, 2003 at 07:16:22 PT
Is it silly? 
"A spokesman for the Office of National Drug Policy said Thursday it would be "silly" for Drug Czar John Walters to file campaign expenditure reports for speaking out against marijuana legalization in Nevada." Isn't it interesting that the Fed. gov. thinks it is "silly" for them to comply with laws that the rest of us have to deal with? Is it also "silly" for the other local anti groups that sprang up to campaign against the recent inititative that may not have complied with the election reporting laws either? Does the same law apply to all, or is that just "silly" too?
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Comment #11 posted by Nasarius on January 17, 2003 at 17:01:23 PT
Translation, part 1
Here are the first few paragraphs of that article. Very interesting..."A Country in Fog"Every fourth youth in Switzerland smokes pot. Hash and marijuana are becoming everyday drugs. Legalization should be coming soon. At the core would be an official smart card, with which consumers could purchase their rations.Stefanie Stähli sits in Interregio Zürich?Chur - smoker, second-hand car - a joint in her dainty hand. She is 19, wearing a black pullover, black jeans with wide impacts, sneakers with thick soles. Black hair, blue eyes, her skin is white as lime; a piercing shows in her lower lip. Her clothing style is called "Progressive Trance", after the music that she listens to: hard techno. KV-Teacher Stähli finds harmony elsewhere - by smoking pot. "Everyone has something in their life, that they do not want to do without", she says.Pot smokers in everyday life in Switzerland: On the ranks of the ice hockey stadiums lie the remnants of hash cigarettes. The joint circles at recess areas. And these days, the Zürich sports shop Sportplausch Wider touts a cool Alpine herdsman in traditional dress, who pulls on a joint the size of an Alpine horn with pleasure.Cannabis is everywhere. At the end of January, the parliamentary advisory comission will reach a conclusion about the liberalization of the consumption of cannabis. In March, the Nationalrat [first chamber of the national legislature in Switzerland] will presumably decide upon the issue. There is already wide agreement over how the moderate consumption of hashish for the Swiss population should be controlled: with a smart card. Like a prepaid telephone or ATM cash card, the cannabis card grants a maximum credit, somewhere between 50 and 100 francs per day and an eventual weekly limit of 350 francs.
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on January 17, 2003 at 16:42:10 PT
Cato Daily Dispatch for January 17, 2003
Nevada Files Complaint Against White House Drug Czar's Campaigning"Derided by the White House as 'nothing more than a cheap political stunt,' marijuana advocates' attempt to hold Office of National Drug Control Policy head John P. Walters' feet to the fire for his overt, taxpayer-funded political campaigning against drug-reform state ballot initiatives bore some small fruit this week," according to Reason Online. "Responding to a formal complaint from backers of the Nevada marijuana legalization measure that received 39 percent of the vote in November, Nevada Secretary of State Dean Heller formally charged the nation's drug czar to issue 'a written response to the complaint' by January 27th."In an article written for the Cato Institute, War on Drugs Costs American Lives and Liberties, Deroy Murdock questions the involvement of the federal government in the drug war, pointing out that under President Clinton, "the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy allowed the TV networks to re-sell some $25 million in ad time the Office purchased. In exchange, broadcasters inserted anti-drug messages in NBC's 'ER,' Fox's 'Beverly Hills 90210,' and other shows. The Drug Czar's office even suggested script alterations. "That's awful, but that's entertainment. Far worse, U.S. News & World Report, Parade, USA Weekend and three other major magazines split $4.9 million in similar federal credits for publishing anti-drug news articles. McCaffrey's office even helped choose writers for two anti-drug pieces in The Sporting News. "The War on Drugs burns through innocent human lives, tax dollars and civil liberties more swiftly than a joint at a jazz festival. Cops certainly should prevent those on illegal drugs or legal alcohol from operating cars and heavy machinery. Beyond that, government should do little more than counsel moderation. That's sound advice for adults who seek mind expansion, from either marijuana or martinis. As for the War on Drugs, it's high time to hoist a white sheet up the nearest flag pole."http://www.cato.org/dispatch/01-17-03d.html
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Comment #9 posted by Nasarius on January 17, 2003 at 16:07:30 PT
Article on Legalization in Switzerland
It's in German...I'm working on a translation, but it is a long article.http://www.facts.ch/facts/factsArtikel?artikelid=250416&rubrikid=782
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Comment #8 posted by delariand on January 17, 2003 at 13:23:01 PT
What has become of liberty
"Part of the job of the drug czar is to talk about the problem of drug abuse in America, which he feels would be worse with drug legalization," spokesman Tom Riley said. "He doesn't file a campaign statement in each state he goes to. That would be silly." Translation:Based solely on his personal opinion, John Walters has authority to spend taxpayer money, say whatever he'd like on television, and break any state laws. What, you want him to be accountable for his actions, like any other American citizen? What do you think this country is, the land of the free, where all men and women are created equal? That would be silly.
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Comment #7 posted by MikeEEEEE on January 17, 2003 at 12:42:30 PT
Another word for spin master
drug czar John P.(piss in the bottle) Walters
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Comment #6 posted by p4me on January 17, 2003 at 11:48:36 PT
Was a crime committed by Walters?
"His job is to speak out on the harm of illegal drugsI call bullshit again. The issue is the job and responsibility of responding to the Secretary of State of Nevada. Why not say something else that does not address the issue like"My mother is sick." So its his job to spread lies. We know he is a professional liar. Why is he not responsible for filing the papers in question and is it a crime if he doesn't?And what kind of coposed thought could ever result in "It's silly." What is the Nevada's response- "Your reply was childish?" Good thing the press is not concerned about informing the public of government corruption, stupidity, and arrogance or people would really be pissed off.There is the issue of a crime by a cabinet member of the White House. The issue is not silly. The response however is childish.Has anyone erver heard of crimes against humanity or is that a silly subject too like treason and murder and governmental corruption that has rotted every institution of government? Oh, silly me. Silly me, my ass.
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Comment #5 posted by greek_philosophizer on January 17, 2003 at 11:31:59 PT:
Walters worried?
If Walters could have cited a 
legal reason for not filing I 
think he would have done so.Resorting to the term "Silly"
makes me suspect he is worried.
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Comment #4 posted by TroutMask on January 17, 2003 at 11:10:07 PT
Anything Goes!
"Part of the job of the drug czar is to talk about the problem of drug abuse in America, which he feels would be worse with" (insert anything here).So the drug czar can campaign against any political issue (or candidates???) coming up for vote that he thinks would make the problem of drug abuse worse?Wow, that's some leeway! As long as he "thinks" that any issue or candidate will make drug abuse worse, he can campaign against it. Sounds like a blank check to me!Nah, that's not silly...-TM
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on January 17, 2003 at 10:51:09 PT
You Can't Fight City Hall
That's what we were always told but with the Internet and organizations with ideas we can fight city hall and maybe even win! I sure hope so! I feel better now! The world has serious issues happening and changing the laws on Cannabis should be done soon so we can concentrate on what is worth citizen's concerns.PS: Sometimes City Hall is on our side like wonderful Santa Cruz and you don't need to fight them!
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Comment #2 posted by VitaminT on January 17, 2003 at 10:41:05 PT
Laws are for the little people - not CZARS!
Yeah, It's silly for Walters to comply with the law - just like it's silly for Americans to believe ANYTHING coming from the morons at ONDCP.Just like it's silly for any good American to comply with ANY law prohibiting the GOOD HERB!
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Comment #1 posted by 420toker on January 17, 2003 at 10:24:22 PT
He had better get silly then
He had better get silly then. My recomendation is to go after local anti groups in navada with the fines, it will mean something. Even if Walters is immune because of the fed. connection I dont think the anti's in navada are, and $100 a day will really hurt them. 
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