cannabisnews.com: Official: Obama To Name Seattle Chief Drug Czar





Official: Obama To Name Seattle Chief Drug Czar
Posted by CN Staff on February 12, 2009 at 16:22:13 PT
By Philip Elliot, Associated Press Writer
Source: Associated Press
Washington, DC -- President Barack Obama has selected Seattle's police chief to be the nation's next drug czar, an administration official said Thursday.Gil Kerlikowske will lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy, a position that has in past administrations been a Cabinet-level post, according to an official who would speak only on the condition of anonymity because no official announcement has been made.
The official did not know if the position would be a Cabinet post, but said its status would become clear when Kerlikowske was announced. The official did not know when the appointment would be announced.Kerlikowske — pronounced "kur-luh-COW-skee" — joined Seattle's police force in 2000. He previously worked at the U.S. Justice Department, where he oversaw community policing grants. He also has worked as a police officer in Florida and New York.Advocacy groups greeted the news with mixed views."While we're disappointed that President Obama seems poised to nominate a police chief instead of a major public health advocate as drug czar, we're cautiously optimistic that Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske will support Obama's drug policy reform agenda," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, a leading advocate of alternatives to the war on drugs."What gives us hope is the fact that Seattle has been at the cutting edge of harm reduction and other drug policy reform developments in the United States over the last decade," Nadelmann said.Norm Stamper, who preceded Kerlikowske as Seattle's police chief and is now a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, said he was disappointed a policy wonk wasn't the pick, but hopes Obama will use the position seriously."My belief is that he would be a huge improvement over his predecessor, John Walters. (Kerlikowske is) an open-minded, thoughtful individual who is much more likely than John Walters to entertain dialogue about the failure of the drug war and what an effective alternative might look like," Stamper said."I'm encouraged by President Obama's positions on medical marijuana, needle exchange and other drug policy issues, and Chief Kerlikowske seems like an effective advocate for carrying out that enlightened, progressive agenda."Source: Associated Press (Wire)Author: Philip Elliot, Associated Press WriterPublished:  February 12, 2009 Copyright: 2009 The Associated PressRelated Articles:Kerlikowske Seen as a Progressivehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24477.shtmlObama Taps Police Chief for Administration Jobhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24476.shtml
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on February 14, 2009 at 18:20:42 PT
BGreen
That was worded badly. If you say yes it seems like you are against legalization. 
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Comment #22 posted by BGreen on February 14, 2009 at 18:07:58 PT
The wording is confusing but ...
I think what they mean is legalizing MMJ in MO, even if it is still illegal on the federal level.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #21 posted by BGreen on February 14, 2009 at 18:02:52 PT
Another poll
Ozarks PollWould you favor the legalizing of marijuana for medical purposes only in Missouri?
Ozarks Poll
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Comment #20 posted by Dankhank on February 14, 2009 at 13:04:36 PT
JoeC
great letter
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Comment #19 posted by Dankhank on February 14, 2009 at 13:01:37 PT
forgot to mention
I voted yesterday.I vote in all of them offered here, just for the record ...Peace to all who vote ... :-)
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on February 14, 2009 at 06:25:36 PT
John Tyler 
Thank you. It' now 76%.
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Comment #17 posted by John Tyler on February 13, 2009 at 21:34:28 PT
Poll update
Poll update 
Yes 75.1% with 2,477 votes
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Comment #16 posted by museman on February 13, 2009 at 14:39:27 PT
runruff
"Unfortunately there will always be a place in powerful governments for "useful idiots"!"Kind of makes a good case for something like a 
"Government of the People, by the People, and For the People." Didn't we have used to have some little thing lying around called a 'constitution' that supposedly addressed that issue?No time like the present to dust off 40 years of bad policies, non-representation, unconstitutional powers, and maybe even some mention of "High Crimes and Misdemeanors."FREE MOTA FOR ME 'N YOU
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on February 13, 2009 at 14:04:40 PT
 potpal 
Have a nice weekend. I am very happy with the way we are moving. After all these years of being controlled by drug warriors it makes me feel good inside that change is happening. They are playing this song on satellite radio now. It makes me smile.Cat Stevens - Oh Very Young (live)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_eUnxDE8YY
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Comment #14 posted by potpal on February 13, 2009 at 13:44:42 PT
Ahhh a pause that refreshes...
Let's all take a moment to rejoice in the fact that John Walters is history! Wonder which pharmaceutical company he'll end up working for?Have a nice weekend.
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Comment #13 posted by runruff on February 13, 2009 at 09:59:42 PT
DEA will live in infamy!
If America ever recovers from damage done by the, "Son of 
Babs", and we are able to carry on as a free country, I foresee a time when Nixon's ruse will be revealed and understood by our future citizens. Just imagine If you were looking back on the recorded history of the DEA? Does it not compare to Mussolini's Black Shirts, Hitlers Brown Shirts and of course Stalin with his multi-tiered national police body guard modeled after Cesar's Praetorian Guard. People loyal to him whom he often referred to as his "Useful Idiot's". For all of their shallow, inflated egos, DEA Agents are real duffuses! Useful idiots to the occupant of the white house but more accurately hit men for mega-corps!I expect to see this department melt away with time. Unfortunately there will always be a place in powerful governments for "useful idiots"!
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Comment #12 posted by unkat27 on February 13, 2009 at 09:15:48 PT
Sign Petition for New Drug Czar
This link was sent to me by the SSDP (Students for Sensible Drug Policy). It's a petition to let the new Drug Czar know how many Americans support drug law reforms. i think its a good idea.I hope this link works.Sign the Petition"http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=31vNqUnV7cOpikN4THj1z6RVYVnx4B%2BC"
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Comment #11 posted by JoeCitizen on February 13, 2009 at 08:33:43 PT
Wrote this feedback to Northstar Writers Group
"Gregory D. Lee is a retired DEA Supervisory Special Agent"Could you please have someone with medical experience comment on this matter, rather than a retired DEA agent with very biased views?Mr. Lee said, "With the president’s pro-drug policy, his constituents won’t have to go on the street corner anymore to buy their “dose” of marijuana for whatever ails them, like an eating disorder, hang nails or sore feet."This is a ridiculous statement. No doctor is going to recommend medical cannabis for a hang nail or sore feet.Has Mr. Lee ever witnessed someone using medical cannabis to combat the nausea of chemotherapy? I have. Has he ever seen a Multiple Sclerosis patient use it to quiet his shaking? I have. Has he ever seen someone with a chronic spinal injury have to choose between a fistful of incapacitating opiates and muscle relaxers or the far less incapacitating medical cannabis? Again, I have.It is a cruel joke that you would allow this biased and uneducated man to comment on this issue. Please have people with actual expertise in medicine comment. Preferably someone with compassion and a heart.
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Comment #10 posted by dongenero on February 13, 2009 at 08:19:57 PT
comment 7
Who is this guy, Rip Van Winkle?Rah,rah, sis-boom-bah Goooooo.......Reagan Drug Policies!!??Glad someone found this guy and dusted him off along with his "way-back" machine. I think the conservatives are going to implode soon.
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Comment #9 posted by Hope on February 13, 2009 at 07:20:21 PT
Yuck... comment 7
That arrogant load of poppycock showering the DEA with poppycock praise is a tribute to the DEA written by a retired DEA agent.Nasty.Spit. Spit. Spit.
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on February 13, 2009 at 06:14:09 PT
The GCW
Thank you. I voted on this poll too.
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on February 13, 2009 at 06:10:21 PT
Obama Supporters Want the DEA to Go Away
Marijuana Minions: Obama Supporters Want the DEA to Go Away*** February 13, 2009To the horror of millions of Barack Obama supporters, the Drug Enforcement Administration is still enforcing federal marijuana laws! Despite President Obama’s campaign promises to halt DEA raids on so-called “medical marijuana” dispensaries, they continue. I guess DEA didn’t get the memo. According to White House spokesperson Nick Shapiro, “The president believes that federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws, and as he continues to appoint senior leadership to fill out the ranks of the federal government, he expects them to review their policies with that in mind.” In other words, when the president gets his new guy to run the DEA, he or she will make darn sure those raids on marijuana dispensaries stop. There must be a lot of sick people in California needing their cannabis medicine. Mr. Shapiro failed to mention that the Los Angeles Times reported that there are as many as 11 “dispensaries” within a two-mile radius in some parts of the marijuana-friendly city, prompting increased DEA action. With the president’s pro-drug policy, his constituents won’t have to go on the street corner anymore to buy their “dose” of marijuana for whatever ails them, like an eating disorder, hang nails or sore feet. Complete Article: http://www.northstarwriters.com/gl064.htm
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Comment #6 posted by Hope on February 12, 2009 at 21:38:27 PT
From comment 1" What's this mean?
""If you don't help those who are dependent, you are half way there because they are going to commit crime to get money and pay for the drug," Gaviria said."Does he really mean to say "you are ONLY half way there"? It seems kind of a lame statement somehow to say , "If you don't" and "You are half way". Maybe a mistranslation or something or maybe I'm not understanding what's being said?
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Comment #5 posted by the GCW on February 12, 2009 at 19:11:07 PT
POLL
Should marijuana be taxed and regulated like alcohol and tobacco? 
Yes 
Nohttp://www.poconorecord.com/Currently there is 73.9% yes, out of 1588 votes.
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on February 12, 2009 at 19:05:24 PT
Seattle Police Chief May Be Next Drug Czar 
February 13, 2009http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/us/politics/13czar.html
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Comment #3 posted by The GCW on February 12, 2009 at 18:22:43 PT
Phelps news has plenty of humor.
Here's one of them that has a haha.US CA: PUB LTE: Michael Phelpshttp://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n166/a05.html?397"Here ... have a cigar!" 
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on February 12, 2009 at 16:43:17 PT
Sounds Good To Me
A new beginning. What a nice thought.
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Comment #1 posted by Taylor121 on February 12, 2009 at 16:42:01 PT
Ex-presidents of Latin America urge legal mj
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (CNN) -- Former presidents of Mexico, Colombia and Brazil called Wednesday for the decriminalization of marijuana for personal use and a change in tactics on the war on drugs, a Spanish news agency said. Ex-presidents Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico, Cesar Gaviria of Colombia and Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil made their announcement at a meeting in Brazil of the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy, the EFE news agency said."The problem is that current policies are based on prejudices and fears and not on results," Gaviria said at a news conference in which the commission's recommendations were presented.The 17-member panel worked on the report for a year and will forward it to all Latin American governments as well as the United States and the European Union, EFE said. Gaviria said the time is right to start a debate on the subject, particularly with the pragmatic openings provided by the election of President Barack Obama in the United States."In many states in the United States, as is the case in California, they have begun to change federal policies with regard to tolerating marijuana for therapeutic purposes. And in Washington there's some consensus that the current policy is failing," EFE quotes Gaviria as saying.Decriminalization should be accompanied by treatment for addicts and public service campaigns on abuse prevention, the commission said. "If you don't help those who are dependent, you are half way there because they are going to commit crime to get money and pay for the drug," Gaviria said.Cardoso said the group called for only the decriminalization of marijuana and not other illicit drugs because "you have to start somewhere" and it would have been unrealistic to ask the same for all drugs, EFE said.Marijuana was chosen because it is grown in all countries in the region and because it is "less harmful."The decades-old criminalization of personal consumption has failed to stop the plant's cultivation and distribution, the group said.The commission urged that all current criminal prosecution be aimed at drug cartels and organized crime and not marijuana smokers, EFE said.Zedillo did not attend the news conference but worked on the report, Cardoso said.Wednesday's recommendation was the second time in less than a week that a Latin American government official called for decriminalization.A mayor in Peru suggested Friday that the federal government legalize illicit drugs and administer them through the national health ministry.Gusto Sierra, the mayor of the Surquillo district in Lima, said a federal drug law is hypocritical because it allows maximum legally allowed quantities for some drugs and plants but doesn't say where to acquire them, the Peru 21 newspaper reported in a front-page story headlined "Say yes to drugs?"Sierra said he will take the matter up with the nation's executive branch.Zedillo served as president of Mexico from 1994-2000. Gaviria was president of Colombia from 1990-94. And Cardoso led Brazil from 1995-2002.http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/02/11/brazil.marijuana/and Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN11358345
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