cannabisnews.com: Lawmaker Shocked at Metro Role in Pro-Marijuana Ad Lawmaker Shocked at Metro Role in Pro-Marijuana Ad Posted by CN Staff on October 23, 2003 at 22:17:13 PT By Brian DeBose and Denise Barnes Source: Washington Times The chairman of the House subcommittee on drug addiction said he is "outraged" over ads on Metro buses and in subway stations promoting marijuana use and risky sex. Rep. Mark Souder, Indiana Republican, has sent a scathing letter to Richard A. White, Metro's chief executive officer, decrying the "Legalize and Tax Marijuana" ads — public service announcements placed by Change the Climate, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit. "I was flabbergasted. Drug use and pregnancy are two of the strongest things that prevent young people from finishing school and becoming successful," Mr. Souder said in the letter. "And in D.C. of all places, why would you want to promote this?" One poster shows a young couple in a romantic embrace and urges, "Enjoy Better Sex!" Two other ads ask commuters to "Save Our Taxes!" and "Protect Our Children!" by legalizing and taxing marijuana. The ads appear on the exterior of 50 Metro buses and inside 150 others. They also are posted at 10 subway stations. The campaign began last month and will continue until the end of this month. The Washington Times had reported earlier this month that the ads had drawn the ire of D.C. Council member Jim Graham, chairman of Metro's Board of Directors. "It's an extremely sensitive [subject,] but one that we have to tackle. I was very upset to see Metro [posting] ads about marijuana and sex. We have a responsibility to the public in advertising to be truthful," Mr. Graham said yesterday. "We will address this issue during an upcoming board meeting." Mr. Graham, Ward 1 Democrat, said the board needs to review its policies so that First Amendment considerations are not allowed to compel Metro to accept these types of ads. In the letter to Mr. White on Wednesday, Mr. Souder criticized the transit system for its handling of the pro-marijuana ads. "At a time when the District of Columbia is suffering from the dual epidemics of substance abuse and sexually transmitted disease, we were shocked to learn that Metro is posting advertisements encouraging illegal drug abuse and risky sexual activity," he said. About 60,000 — or more than 10 percent — of the District's 572,000 residents are addicted to illicit drugs or alcohol, according to a study released this week by Mayor Anthony A. Williams. Drug addiction costs the city $1.2 billion annually in illness, premature death, crime and incarceration, the study states. According to the D.C. Health Department, the city reports the highest rate of new AIDS cases per capita in the nation and ranks near the top in infection rates of other sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea and chlamydia. "Newly reported syphilis cases, while declining nationally, have increased 55 percent in the District between 2000 to 2002," Mr. Souder said in the letter. He leads the House Government Reform subcommittee on criminal justice, drug policy and human resources. He told The Times yesterday that he expected more responsibility from Metro officials — "people who should have known better." "It is one thing for this group to promote their cause, but I am more aggravated that Metro would help them," he said. Metro policy requires the system to reserve at least 10 percent of its advertising space for nonprofit groups. Two years ago, Metro officials rejected Change the Climate's ad campaign but reversed the decision after the American Civil Liberties Union took up the group's cause, citing the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech. Joseph White, founder and president of Change the Climate, has told The Times that his group is not advocating the use of marijuana but is seeking to prod discussion about drug laws. The ad campaign is the group's third in the metropolitan area since 2001. On Thursday, Metro's Operations Committee will hear a proposal that would allow the transit system's Marketing Department to use public service ad space to market the system to customers, said Leona Agouridis, Metro's assistant general manager for communications. "Thirteen percent of our current advertising inventory is set aside for PSAs. We looked at the utilization rate of local and federal governments, and they use about 3 percent of the total ad space," she said. The proposal would continue to keep 3 percent of ad space for the jurisdictions that fund Metro and allow the staff to use the other 10 percent to advertise ridership. "We are aggressively trying to build ridership and revenue," Ms. Agouridis said. Complete Title: Lawmaker 'Shocked' at Metro Role in Pro-Marijuana Ads Source: Washington Times (DC)Author: Brian DeBose and Denise BarnesPublished: October 23, 2003Copyright: 2003 News World Communications, Inc. Website: http://www.washtimes.com/Contact: letters washingtontimes.comRelated Articles & Web Site:Change The Climatehttp://www.changetheclimate.org/Scrap The Pot and Sex Adshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17468.shtmlPro-Pot Ads To Be Posted at 10 Metro Stationshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17456.shtmlGood Riddance To Sex-and-Marijuana Ads http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17419.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #15 posted by jose melendez on October 25, 2003 at 10:02:37 PT here's the link The Drug War Goes Privatehttp://www.ariannaonline.com/columns/files/051001.html The Drug War Goes Private [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by jose melendez on October 25, 2003 at 10:01:41 PT bet he's also tied to DynCorp The Drug War Goes Private Filed May 10, 2001 When long-time drug warriors like Congressmen Dan Burton and Mark Souder start blasting American anti-drug efforts in Latin America, you know that something is rotten in Peru. And Colombia. And Washington. That's exactly what happened last week when representatives of the State Department, the DEA, U.S. Customs and the drug czar's office appeared in front of the House Committee on Government Reform to discuss the United States' role in the midair murder of an American missionary and her infant daughter last month in Peru. Well, not exactly ``discuss.'' More like equivocate and pass-the-buck. Just another day on the hill for drug warriors. It's as if these apparatchiks had all morphed into a famous character from that other war: Sgt. Schultz from ``Hogan's Heroes.'' They knew ``noth-ing!'' How many planes have been shot down over the years? They didn't know. Who had ultimate authority over the CIA contractors who fingered the plane? Nobody could say. How many different contractors are being used in the drug war down there? Dunno. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by jose melendez on October 25, 2003 at 09:59:32 PT special interests Sic 'em!NOVEMBER 8, 2001SOUDER SIGNS LETTER URGING PRESIDENT TO SUPPORT ANDEAN REGIONAL INITIATIVEWASHINGTON, D. C. - Led by U.S. Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN), several House members co-signed a letter to President George W. Bush today urging him to "seriously consider a veto" of the Fiscal Year 2002 Foreign Operations appropriations bill unless the final version of the bill provides enough funding to properly support the Andean Regional Initiative.The Senate funded the Andean Regional Initiative at $547 million for Fiscal Year 2002. That figure is $184 million below the administration's request. The Foreign Operations appropriations bill is currently in conference."We strongly support your position that the level of funding provided by the Senate for the Andean Regional Initiative is critically insufficient to meet the pressing needs of the program, which is vital to our relations with our neighbors in the Western Hemisphere and our common efforts with them to promote stable democracy and combat the illegal drug trade," the members wrote. "We fully support your view that this amount is insufficient, will undermine our continuing efforts to promote a balanced strategy, and will prevent the effective implementation of our current program of assistance to Colombia and other nations." http://www.house.gov/souder/releases/011108d.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by 13th step on October 25, 2003 at 09:15:27 PT Let's see who he's owned by... Souder is evil.http://opengov.media.mit.edu/EX/0000/000/400/385/Hmm, I see Eli Lilly, Beer retailers, and the NRA.So, if it's not pharm drugs, beer, or guns, Souder is against it. You know, good *family* things. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by jose melendez on October 25, 2003 at 08:07:47 PT Eli Lilly: GOT PRICE FIXING? Any other industry would be charged with price fixing for this:http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/7046973.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by Petard on October 25, 2003 at 06:39:58 PT Tell Souder to cut Viagra Somebody tell Souder, Ban those ads for Viagra to "save the children" from learning it's OK to pop a pill for recreational purposes, and, to help prevent the spread of VD amongst the members of the Congress as those old farts won't continue to indulge in the prostitution of teenage girls without their little blue pill, much less the young adult Congressional staff members won't suffer sexual harrassment physically without it. Tell him to ban lot's of the Eli Lilly products too, that oughta go over real well with his constituency back in Indiana where Lilly is based. All those "feel good" pills with a high potential for abuse and addiction coming out of Indianapolis should be Schedule III more so than cannabis. Bet Souder himself is addicted to Lilly, he probably couldn't survive without the cash from them. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by mayan on October 24, 2003 at 16:53:42 PT jose... You caught the irony that I also recognized immediately. Souder said..."I was flabbergasted. Drug use and pregnancy are two of the strongest things that prevent young people from finishing school and becoming successful."Mark Souder's 1998 Higer Education Act has cut financial aid eligibility for thousands of young people and yet he is so worried about them finishing school and becoming successful. What an absolute idiot. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by jose melendez on October 24, 2003 at 12:41:20 PT Souder Out of Control So much for caring about education.from:http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n329/a06.html U.S. Rep. Mark Souder briefly argued Saturday with students who approached him outside the University of St. Francis, protesting a drug policy he drafted. Souder, R-4th, appeared at a Sallie Mae Fund financial aid seminar and left Gunderson Auditorium quickly as Shawn Heller, national director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, stood up to ask him about the 1998 Higher Education Act. Heller and four other members from the group followed Souder outside, asking him about provisions in the act which can cut financial aid eligibility for 12 months for a first conviction of drug possession, two years for a second and indefinitely for a third conviction. "If you use drugs, you lose your loan," Souder said, stopping on his way to his car to talk to the students, who were from Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Ind. The act took effect for the 2000-2001 school term. Heller, 22, said the law is flawed because it punishes students of poor and working class backgrounds. Souder told Heller and the other students that more than 400 members of Congress voted for the bill. An amendment regarding the drug policy is under way to help interpret the law, he said. "No one who's ever committed a drug crime in their life should be denied a loan," Souder said heatedly while holding his open hand close to Heller's face. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by jose melendez on October 24, 2003 at 12:29:51 PT Can't have it both ways, Souder! "I was flabbergasted. Drug use and pregnancy are two of the strongest things that prevent young people from finishing school and becoming successful," Mr. Souder said in the letter. "And in D.C. of all places, why would you want to promote this?" hmm, let's see if his logic applies elsewhere, from:http://washingtontimes.com/national/20031009-114953-8616r.htm"The District of Columbia is a failed laboratory experiment for gun control," Mr. Souder says. "It has one of the most comprehensive bans on firearms in the nation, and it also has one of the highest violent-crime rates in the nation. "In fact, in 2002 it had the highest per-capita crime rate of any city in the nation. This is not a coincidence. The simple fact is, when law-abiding citizens are forbidden by their government from protecting themselves, they become easy prey for those to whom a gun ban is just one more law to break." Yet, from:http://www.rileyhospital.org/document.jsp?locid=1439In 1996, suicide was the ninth leading cause of death in the United States. Firearms were the number one cause of completed suicide attempts. National Vital Statistics Reports, 1998For young people, 15-24 years old, suicide is the third leading cause of death, behind unintentionals injury and homicide. Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Health Statistics In 1997, more teenagers and young adults died from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza and chronic lung disease combined. National Center for Health Statistics, 1994 A youth aged 10-19 committed suicide with a gun every six hours in 1992 - 1,426 young people in one year. National Center for Health Statistics, 1994 Got hypocrisy? Drug war is fraud. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by mamawillie on October 24, 2003 at 10:50:44 PT I'm not a fan of these ads I admit, I dont' think the shock value is very good for the cause, though it is amusing to sit back and watch the antis get in a twitter....still, I find the ads a tad irresponsible..NEVERTHELESS, the metro is PUBLIC transportation, right? So let all the antis get their panties in a wad becase there will never be anything they can do about it since (I hope) all lawsuits would conclude with the ads running their course. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Virgil on October 24, 2003 at 07:29:52 PT Souder gets louder and still makes no sense Souder is one crazy rabido. He is completely upside down from reality and here the media spouts his officialeze. The Metro opposed the ads and had to yield in face of a legal challenge. They opposed by violating the constitutional principle of free speech and Souder is outraged. If he walks around upside down all the time someone is going to hang him that way or maybe bury him that way.The guy is a disgrace to America. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by lag on October 24, 2003 at 06:55:26 PT unless they did give a description...can't say that I understand the message. Too early...need to go back to sleep.Who are these ads submitted by? What group? That would give a lot of context to them, if you ask me. Help us understand the ads more. I understand the tax marijuana one, but the sex one has me a little confused. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by lag on October 24, 2003 at 06:51:39 PT the most pointless article Maybe it's the fact that I just woke up, but I think our journalists need to be more truthful, at least just as truthful as our ads. Then why aren't they providing a description of what the ads say? Context is a very important thing, and what I notice those with an agenda drop very quickly.It is true...these people are becoming their own joke...but when will people learn to laugh again, so these clowns can be shown what they truly are? [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by BlakNo1 on October 24, 2003 at 06:45:20 PT: egad To parphrase Robert Anton Wilson, people like Souder can't stand the thought that somewhere,someone is having a good time..... [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by goneposthole on October 24, 2003 at 04:44:20 PT Mark Souder is shocked Shocked!Two people sharing a plant and an embrace. Shocking stuff.Of course, what he doesn't fing shocking is the DEA swat teams charging into a house at 4:00 AM and shocking, terrorizing, generally causing mayhem and a possible violent outcome of some innocent's life. That wouldn't be shocking to Mr. Souder, he would just calmly resign himself to the fallaciousness of a drugwar gone bad and totally insane. That kind of stuff is normal for Mr. Souder. There is nothing wrong with killing people over cannabis, but don't be sharing a little love. It's shocking, I tell ya, just shocking.Enough to make you cry... and puke, too.Have a good day, no matter who you are. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment