cannabisnews.com: Column: Music, Drugs and Politics





Column: Music, Drugs and Politics
Posted by FoM on September 07, 1999 at 21:03:15 PT
By Tim Jungman, Oklahoma Daily
Source: U-Wire
NORMAN, Okla. -- You know the feeling. You're at the Steve Miller Band concert, listening innocently to Steve explain why his guitar cost $25,000, and all of a sudden it hits you. No, that's not cigarette smoke. Oh my God, something is on fire! Then you spot them, three 45-year-old guys smoking a joint that is reminiscent of a Cheech and Chong flick. 
This happened to me last year when I went to see Steve Miller at the Zoo Amphitheater. My first thought was, "Man, these guys are as old as my dad." They even appeared to be your average lawyer, doctor and accountant. For the next 15 minutes I stood speechless, wondering if all the 45-year-old guys I knew had only given up the superficial aspects of their hippie youth. Immediately I began to imagine the possibilities, and the headlines ... "Good news, drugs have finally won the war." The article would go on to explain that 100 million Baby Boomers and Flower Children stood up and spoke out against the war on drugs and its draconian philosophy. The truth is crystal clear, and it is being ignored for some unimaginable reason. According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, in 1996 more than 60 percent of all inmates were serving time for drug charges. Furthermore, less than 15 percent of those inmates ever receive treatment for their addictions. Don't get me wrong, I am not recommending everyone go out and buy a needle and some heroin and start shooting up to protest the unjust nature of the war on drugs. What you can do is be weary of politicians such as George W. Bush. Although he has not outright admitted, it certainly appears Bush may have used cocaine while in college some 25 plus years ago, which would lead many to believe he also tried marijuana as well. Gov. Frank Keating said Bush's history should not be an issue in the 2000 election. This comment comes as an astonishing surprise considering Keating's stance on this issue during the Clinton campaign. Maybe Keating and Bush are right. Maybe it shouldn't matter what a person has done in the past. Maybe it's the progress that the person has made that should really count. With this in mind, Bush should take a close look at his home state of Texas, where passengers in vehicles can drink beer while driving. However, in the same state, if you are caught with even a gram of marijuana, you will be charged with a felony. If you are poor and can't afford a lawyer, you might sit in jail for weeks, even months, before you see your court-appointed lawyer (Bush voted for a Texas bill to increase pay for public defenders). You may start to feel like you're in a third-world country when you see judges and lawyers herd the poor through Texas' legal system like ranchers and cowboys herd cattle into trucks. America has a serious dilemma on its hands, a problem stemming from perception as much as policy. We have begun to stigmatize drug users. We may view them as being subhuman. In reality, we know that these people are no different than ourselves, our parents and our siblings. Locking these people away is costing us billions of dollars and destroying our legal system. We need to move toward treating addictions through rehabilitation. After all, we might accidentally lock up a future president. Updated 12:00 PM ET September 7, 1999(C) 1999 Oklahoma Daily via U-WIRE 
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Post Comment


Name: Optional Password: 
E-Mail: 
Subject: 
Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]
Link URL: 
Link Title: