cannabisnews.com: Prop 1 Pits Proponents Against Law Enforcement Prop 1 Pits Proponents Against Law Enforcement Posted by CN Staff on April 01, 2003 at 15:38:59 PT By William J. Renton Jr. Source: Columbia Daily Tribune Passage of Proposition 1 on April 8 would undermine the medical integrity and safeguards established by the federal drug approval process, compromise law enforcement efforts to combat drug trafficking, and endanger the public health and safety. Moreover, this bill, which would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana and would permit possession with a physician’s recommendation, would directly conflict with federal law. Marijuana use is prohibited under federal law because it has never been proved in sound scientific studies that marijuana can be used safely and effectively as medicine. These are precisely the reasons marijuana is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance and has not been approved as medicine by the Food and Drug Administration.The bill is promoted by groups whose ultimate goal is the legalization of all drugs, one state at a time. This is reflected in the fact that Proposition 1 is worded and structured similarly to the marijuana legalization laws that have been enacted in several other states in recent years. It’s no secret that a small but well-financed legalization lobby has gone from state to state attempting to sell voters and legislators on the false concept of "medical" marijuana.The Drug Enforcement Administration’s main reason for opposing Proposition 1 is not that it was written by persons who seek all-out legalization of drugs, but rather, that DEA is fundamentally opposed to the bill because it circumvents the federal drug approval process that has protected the U.S. health-care system for decades. The United States is the safest country in the world in which to obtain legitimate pharmaceutical drugs. Our laws require that before a drug can be sold to the public as medicine, the manufacturer must demonstrate - through rigorous and scientifically sound clinical studies - that the drug is safe and effective for its intended use. Federal law makes no exception for any drug. To do so would be to undermine the integrity of the entire process. It is particularly troubling that those who favor Proposition 1 are willing to circumvent the FDA approval process for the very drug - marijuana - that happens to be the most widely abused illegal drug in the United States.In 2001, at DEA’s request, the FDA completed a thorough analysis of the relevant medical, scientific and abuse data. It concluded that marijuana continues to meet the criteria for placement in Schedule I - that is, it has a strong potential for abuse and no credible medical value that outweighs its harmful values. The complete analysis was published in the Federal Register on April 18, 2001. On the question of whether marijuana can be used safely and effectively as medicine, the FDA noted that "there have been no studies that have scientifically assessed the efficacy of marijuana for any condition" and that "there are no FDA-approved marijuana products." The FDA concluded that marijuana does not have an accepted medical use in treatment or an accepted medical use with severe restrictions.The known risks of marijuana use are not outweighed by any potential benefits. In addition, the agency cannot conclude that marijuana has an acceptable level of safety without assurance of a consistent and predictable potency and without proof that the substance is free of contamination. Therefore, the FDA concludes that, even under medical supervision, marijuana has not been shown to have an acceptable level of safety.The work at DEA to prevent the violence of drug crime and the misery of drug addiction is more important than ever, but some say we should not continue the fight against drugs. They suggest that if we simply legalize drugs, then the violence and addiction associated with illegal drugs will fade away. They could not be more wrong.U.S. drug policy is working. Overall drug use in the United States is down 50 percent since the late 1970s; that is 9.3 million fewer people using illegal drugs. Cocaine use in this country has dropped by an astounding 75 percent during the past 15 years. Currently, 5 percent of the population uses illegal drugs of any kind. By any standards, those are some pretty good numbers, but when you think of these numbers as lives saved rather than mere statistics, it brings home even more the need to continue this important mission.Given the proven links between drug abuse and other social problems such as crime, domestic violence and child abuse, legalization of drugs and the corresponding rise in use would overwhelm our criminal justice and social welfare systems.Drug legalization is an unworkable and uncompassionate suggestion to remedy a complex problem. It would lead to higher crime rates and more suffering. And it would send a message that we know is wrong: that illicit drugs are not dangerous. They are dangerous, and any legitimate study of legalization does conclude that most of our citizens would use drugs if they were legal. We need a balanced approach to fighting drugs - one that incorporates education, enforcement and treatment. Legalizing drugs is not the answer; it is simply surrender. It is writing off those who are still in the grip of addiction and despair. Isn’t every life worth fighting for?My thoughts go immediately to the excellent commercial produced on behalf of the United Negro College Fund that exclaims, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." I would like to ask Columbia voters how many potentially productive Columbia citizens they are prepared to waste.Note: Passage endangers public health and safety. William J. Renton Jr. is special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s St. Louis office.Source: Columbia Daily Tribune (MO)Author: William J. Renton Jr. Published: Tuesday, April 1, 2003Copyright: 2003 Columbia Daily TribuneContact: editor tribmail.comWebsite: http://www.showmenews.com/Related Articles:Prop 1 Pits Proponents Against Law Enforcement http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15848.shtmlMarijuana Proposition Worries Law Enforcementhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15845.shtmlWhite House Weighs in on Pot Issue http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15835.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by John Tyler on April 02, 2003 at 10:23:50 PT End cannabis prohibition People want cannabis prohibition ended. Why is that so hard for the gov. to understand? [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Kevin Hebert on April 01, 2003 at 18:15:39 PT: My Response To The Columbia Daily Tribune Dear Editors:It was appropriate to publish DEA agent William Renton Jr.'s "Prop 1 Pits Proponents Against Law Enforcement" on April Fool's Day, but it didn't fool me.Proposition 1 would reduce the punishment for simple possession of a very small amount of marijuana to a fine instead of jail time. This tiny step towards drug policy sanity will not "legalize drugs" amd it will not lead to increased robberies, murders, or the apocalypse.Of course, even the most modest, incremental step away from our current prison-bursting, criminal enriching policy is a great threat to William Renton. His livelihood is dependent on convincing the public that without people like him to arrest drug users, society would surely collapse. There is nothing more cynical than watching a Drug Enforcement Agent defend his job, even as our streets are awash in drugs and criminals get disgustingly rich from our stupid policies. The marijuana policy Renton supports has made the mildly intoxicating, simple-to-grow plant worth as much as solid gold. A rational policy would be to regulate and tax the plant as we do alcohol or tobacco. Proposition 1 does not go nearly this far; instead, it will keep your sons and daughters out of jail for having a joint in their possession. Please read the proposition and decide for yourself.Sincerely, Kevin M. Hebert [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by afterburner on April 01, 2003 at 18:11:01 PT: Somebody Hold Me Back. If cannabis belongs in Schedule I, why did it take 31 years to release the reasons to the public? Oct 27, 1970 The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act is passed. Part II of this is the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) which defines a scheduling system for drugs and places most of the known hallucinogens (LSD, psilocybin, psilocin, mescaline, peyote, cannabis) in Schedule I. -History of Marijuana by Narconon Southern California. http://www.marijuanaaddiction.info/history-of-marijuana.htm--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Contents Federal Register Vol. 66, No. 75 Wednesday, April 18, 2001 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Drug Enforcement Administration NOTICES Applications, hearings, determinations, etc.: Gettman, Jon; petition to reschedule marijuana denied, 20037–20076 [01–9306] [TEXT] http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2001_register&docid=01-9306-filed [PDF] http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2001_register&docid=01-9306-filed.pdf Anybody have time to wade through all this? Start out by banishing forever one of the worst phrases ever to be used in the corporate setting: "We've always done it that way." Let go of the past. Things are different today, and will be far more different tomorrow. Constant, relentless change with markets, products, technology, customer behaviors and attitudes is the new reality. -Time For A Little "Innovation Oxygen"ego destruction or ego transcendence, that is the question. Time For A Little "Innovation Oxygen" [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by puff_tuff on April 01, 2003 at 16:25:42 PT Meanwhile, back in Canada April 01, 2003Cauchon says pot law valid despite rulings in three provinces against itBy LOUISE ELLIOTT Canadian Presshttp://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2003/04/01/55803-cp.html [ Post Comment ] Post Comment