cannabisnews.com: U.S. Drugs Head Slams Soft UK U.S. Drugs Head Slams Soft UK Posted by CN Staff on June 19, 2002 at 07:20:52 PT By Sinead O'Hanlon Source: Reuters The U.S. drugs chief has slammed Britain's controversial "softly softly" approach to cannabis, saying a high-profile pilot programme has only increased usage in drug-plagued areas.Asa Hutchinson, director of the powerful U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday that a flagship south London pilot programme -- where police stopped arresting people for cannabis possession -- had seen a jump in cannabis users and led children to believe it was legal. "Clearly, the evidence is that the pilot project in that area where they only issued citations for marijuana use, rather than an arrest, is that it increased usage," he said."Wherever you are dealing with harmful drugs, that is not the objective that we want to have."Hutchinson, in Europe to discuss international drug strategies and attend a high-level crime conference in London, said police were dealing with the cannabis problem from the standpoint of prioritising thin resources."But that is sending a very mixed message to young people. As I travelled the neighbourhood, I asked about the young people and the impact on them and the response that came back was that most of them think it is legal now."I have great concerns about the debate that may lead to a reduction of enforcement activities on cannabis. If we are to effectively confront drugs problems in our society, we cannot accept the myth that marijuana represents no harm -- it does."SOFTLY SOFTLY The "softly softly" approach to cannabis in south London was pioneered by Metropolitan police commander Brian Paddick -- dubbed "Commander Crackpot" by the media -- who was later transferred out of the area pending an investigation that he allowed cannabis to be smoked in his home.The programme has provoked widespread debate in Britain, which has one of the highest levels of drugs use in Europe -- particularly among the young with a third of teens admitting to regular use of marijuana.A recent government survey in the U.S. showed about 18 percent of those aged 18-24 had used illegal drugs, falling to nine percent of those aged 12-17.Critics blame the tolerant British approach for increasing numbers of young children smoking the drug and for bringing them into contact with dealers.But last month, a parliamentary committee report urged the government to face reality and relax rules governing use of the drug enjoyed by around five million people across the country.Home Secretary David Blunkett has said he wants to downgrade cannabis to the lowest risk Class C drug category, making possession of small amounts a non-arrestable offence.A two-year independent inquiry concluded in 2000 that police wasted too much time trying to clamp down on soft drugs -- but meanwhile Britain tops the European Union in drug-related deaths, mostly from heroin.WAR ON TERROR Hutchinson said the DEA's work had changed significantly since the attacks of September 11, with more importance placed on the gathering and sharing of intelligence internationally."There is a clear connection between drugs and terrorism. As long as you have drug trafficking, there will always be a funding pool for terrorist activity," he said.The U.S.-led war on terrorism in Afghanistan and the replacement of the Taliban by a new government had reduced the amount of heroin coming out of the region by up to 30 percent this year but it would be an ongoing battle.Hutchinson denied that the war on drugs could never be won, saying it was "being won every day" and that drugs usage had dropped 50 percent in the U.S. over the last 20 years."We have to demonstrate that we have had success and that we will continue to have it...not give in to those who advocate giving up our anti-drug efforts." Source: ReutersAuthor: Sinead O'HanlonPublished: Tuesday, June 18, 2002Copyright: 2002 Reuters UnlimitedRelated Articles:Pot Policy Scandalizes Drug Czarhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13146.shtmlDEA Chief Discusses Drug War http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13134.shtml Police Chiefs Set To Extend Soft Line on Drugs http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13125.shtmlCannabisNews DEA Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/DEA.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #17 posted by military officer guy on June 19, 2002 at 19:44:13 PT vote libertarian two words... vote libertarian... we will win this war... [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by freedom fighter on June 19, 2002 at 18:23:15 PT Every American should should be ashamed of this. "We have to demonstrate that we have had success and that we will continue to have it...not give in to those who advocate giving up our anti-drug efforts."SUCCESS my arse! Unless you mean those who advocate you to cease arresting the pot smokers. Just when are you, Mr. Ass, the murderer are going to give up?Reality is a "bitch", CANNABIS smokers are here now and will still be there 10 thousand years later. Like it or not. Sorry, Mr. Ass, this is reality!And the reality really sucks! Mr. Ass is gonna kill many more human beings in hope that he would meet a child or two that will say, "Maryjewannna is illlegal!" Your hands are all red!ff [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by WolfgangWylde on June 19, 2002 at 16:22:35 PT Sam Adams - "This is great" I couldn't agree more. The "boiling point" for tolerating U.S. hegemony on the Drug War has already been reached. With Asa in the UK, and Walters in Canada, running around telling other countries how to govern themselves, its sure to drive a wedge between these countries and DEA-land. Other Nations don't like being told how to do things, and rightly so. All it really does is call for comparisons on the editorial pages in Canada and the UK between various harm reduction approaches and the results of U.S.-style zero tolerance, and its clear who comes out on top in that debate. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by paul peterson on June 19, 2002 at 10:55:34 PT: question for a scientist (like st1r dude) Here's my question: If there was a volcanic eruption, like 250 million years ago that lasted some thousand years, and which put copious amounts of "sulfur dioxide" into the atmosphere, would that huge concentration cause the 1) oceans, 2) fresh water stores and 3) atmosphere itself to go acidic or caustic? Either way, would the "neuroprotective" effects of some precursor "cannabinoids" (if they existed in nature, that is) possibly give the creatures that had already developed a 1) sensitivity and 2) taste & 3) habit of grazing on the cannabinoid plants AN INCREASED POTENTIAL FOR SURVIVAL and selectively culled out the "mammals" that were too dense to know any better by then? Is this why all mammals alive now are reefer sensitive? Doesn't this gravitate towards a scientific basis for a god given right to smoke? PLEASE, ANYBODY OUT THERE, LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS- ASA HUTCHINSON, JOHN WALTERS, NEED NOT APPLY, THANK YOU NOT. PAUL PETERSON 312-558-9999 http://ILLINOIS-MMI.org [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by E_Johnson on June 19, 2002 at 10:25:35 PT Asa Hutchinson is a cold-blooded murderer People in LA are dying because of this man:http://www.vasilisa.com/LACRC/photos.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by Sam Adams on June 19, 2002 at 09:16:06 PT this is great Remember when Reagan's limo was pelted with eggs over there? The more extreme the Republicans get, the faster the WOSD will end.I'm sure "Asa" noticed that everyone at the "High Crime" conference just HAPPENED to get up to get coffee or hit the men's room during his talk. It's kind of like the guy peddling the new, better, wagon wheels back in the 1920's - soon to be irrelevant.No matter how much hot air our fundamentalist Christian blowhards come up with, Canada, England, and the rest of the EU are NOT to convert to prison-happy police states like the U.S. So threats and extreme rhetoric will only further marginalize our position as time goes on. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by kaptinemo on June 19, 2002 at 08:12:41 PT: "Teaching Grandma how to suck eggs." At least, that's how I remember the phrase.On the international stage, America is still a stripling. A dangerously callous, strapping, loudmouthed stripling, who deigns to lecture nations whose cultures have been around for thousands of years...and have had a long and successful way of dealing with 'drug problems' in generally sensible ways. That is, sensible until Uncle started sticking his nose in their affairs. And demanding that they adhere to his cloud-cuckooland vision of a drug-free planet.I've been wondering when the Bushies would go beyond the bounds of tact and begin hectoring the nation Bush needs the most support from to invade Iraq about it's increasingly effective cannabis policy in Lambeth. The Bushies remind me of the bully who, after beating you for your lunch money, wants you to smile and make cooing noises when he shows you his favorite train set - as if he hadn't just bashed you black and blue moments before. And can't understand why you are so reluctant to get anywhere near him. All the short-term memory problems of a stereotypical pot-head, looks like. Only they putatively have no excuse. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by john wayne on June 19, 2002 at 08:09:18 PT we have barry to thank Remember McCaffrey from the Clinton years? He's the one who, with dis-information and purple faced histrionics first propelled the disgusted British towards a policy flavored with legalization. Perhaps Ass-a will widen the hole in the dike by continuing to try to stuff the hard line down the Brits throats. Hey, my tax dollars aren't totally wasted. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by cltrldmg on June 19, 2002 at 08:00:15 PT Who the hell... ...does he think he is, criticising other countries' domestic policies? Who elected this guy again? Certainly not the citizens of the UK. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by TroutMask on June 19, 2002 at 07:58:31 PT Maybe some truth? "drugs usage had dropped 50 percent in the U.S. over the last 20 years"He may have something there. Back in the 70's the joints were huge. It's hard to smoke even half as much these days.;)-TM [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by xxdr_zombiexx on June 19, 2002 at 07:53:39 PT Walters will accomplish with Lies What we have been attempting to accomplish with the Truth. It seems feasible that this onslaught against the Free world (which is the essence of capitalism) will eventually hit a wall, as criticism from canada indicates. GHopefully there will backlash in the UK as well.Asa Hutchinson is a Pathological Liar. I feel sorry for his children.Cannabis Prohibition is a Psychological warfare campaign waged against Americans and all regular, normal, everyday people everywhere.******** Asa Hutchinson, director of the powerful U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday that a flagship south London pilot programme -- where police stopped arresting people for cannabis possession -- had seen a jump in cannabis users and led children to believe it was legal. ***********Pot smokers came out into the daylight and smoked without fear. That is bad for American cannabis Jihad."led children to believe it was legal"...what an odd thought.1: it makes no difference what children believe about cannabis laws - they are not to have any (w/o pediatrician advice, of course).2: If children grasped about Cannabis and the War against it some of the main issues we see as adults, then the children's critical thionking is functioning properly. Hooray!3: Adults get to do pretty much what they want and children dont. We drive and earn money and stay up late and eat stuff we shouldnt. Children are prohibited from many many things that are appropriate for Adults. This is not new in the least. This is PSYCHWAR attack on Parents and an attempt to "shame" them into thinking thier pot smoking was bad when they were young.****** "Clearly, the evidence is that the pilot project in that area where they only issued citations for marijuana use, rather than an arrest, is that it increased usage," he said. ********Clearly my arse. What this shows is that 1 area of tolerance in a sea of intolerance creates a collection point. It means NOTHING more than this. Again this is PSYCHWAR and a vicious attempt to influence not just the politics of a major Ally, but to specifically alter what they think.It must chap Asa's hide to have UK Constabularies endorsing decrim and legalization efforts. (maybe if they were more gun-friendly??)********* Critics blame the tolerant British approach for increasing numbers of young children smoking the drug and for bringing them into contact with dealers. *********Hello?????....The children were already smoking...even though they shouldnt be. Prohibition doesnt prevent that...Ending prohibition - which is not reflected by this British experiment - will result in decreased use among teens, eventually. It will take longer than it did in the Netherlands, largely because of the overwhelming intensity of the effort put into cannabis prohibition. In the USA Cannabis Prohibition is argulably MORE important than Terrorism. (I keep thinking that the "Dept of Homeland Security's biggest enemy will be cannabis culture) This is why Hutchinson and Walters are traipsing about the Free world preaching anti-freedom in the Guise of Cannabis War.***** "There is a clear connection between drugs and terrorism. As long as you have drug trafficking, there will always be a funding pool for terrorist activity," he said. ******Yawn...Blaming Cannabis for the effects of Prohibiton, plain and simple. Without the War on drugs, there is no significant profit in drug trafficking. Not significant enough to allow the US FEDERAL GOVERNMENT to make clandestine funds for clandestine wars, that is. Support Prohibition, Support Organized Crime. Prohibition IS corruption. This from the Country so Corrupt even the Presidency was stolen.***** Hutchinson denied that the war on drugs could never be won, saying it was "being won every day" and that drugs usage had dropped 50 percent in the U.S. over the last 20 years. ******God... what an idiot. And shame on any idiot that actually believes this to be real or true.**** "We have to demonstrate that we have had success and that we will continue to have it...not give in to those who advocate giving up our anti-drug efforts." *****I know these sorts of people. They are part of what I call the Culture of Incompetence. It flourishes in all government. It is a buffer zone for the truly corrupt. Everybody has lurid tales of how completely incompetent and stupid some government official is - it matters not where.That incompetent boob protects via inertia some deeply corrupt person or agency. I worked for a big County Government in the greater Atlanta area and it is so corrupt, its corruptness is not considered "newsworthy". It despicable. But therein lies Asa's steady paycheck - Lying for the Boobs. (Not the same ones prohibited by John Ashcroft, btw).ALL WAR IS BASED IN DECEPTION - sun tzuFREEDOM ENDURES [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by TroutMask on June 19, 2002 at 07:53:20 PT Voop! Voop! Red alert! Red alert! Begin damage control! War on Drugs failing...must...bring...out...vast...stupidity....This would be hilarious if it weren't so sad. But the stupider the US looks, the quicker this bad dream will end. I think the rest of the Western world has had enough of this US BS.-TM [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by SirReal on June 19, 2002 at 07:36:23 PT Right **Off topic**Go Go Nevada! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by SirReal on June 19, 2002 at 07:34:23 PT ..... ...I can hear the Brits snickering.....people love to stick it to the U.S.. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by st1r_dude on June 19, 2002 at 07:32:23 PT yeah right, asa - whatever "Clearly, the evidence is that the pilot project in that area where they only issued citations for marijuana use, rather than an arrest, is that it increased usage," he said.Clearly this guy is a moron...hey assa, i'm a scientist - show me the numbers and the proof how you came to this conclusion - oh, i'm sorry - you da guvment, you aren't required to do scientific research and present the data for peer evaluation...my bad.this guy is totally missing the point why britain is doing this...what a maroone: A two-year independent inquiry concluded in 2000 that police wasted too much time trying to clamp down on soft drugs...two years is an adequate time frame - independent study - absolutely required to remain bias free.asa: where's the data ? show me the independent study (non-government sponsored) data...yeah, that's what i thought you'd say - your job would be history with the real data.st1r [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by SirReal on June 19, 2002 at 07:31:43 PT uh huh.... Sas says...."We have to demonstrate that we have had success and that we will continue to have it...not give in to those who advocate giving up our anti-drug efforts."..............."otherwise, my job and a shit load of local state and federal jobs have no meaning" [ Post Comment ] Post Comment