House GOP Wants Cuts To Drug War

When President Obama's drug czar declared an end to the war on drugs, Republicans were apparently listening closely.

House GOP leadership now wants to cash in the peace dividend.

Republican Leader John Boehner (Ohio) and Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) released a set of proposed budget cuts Thursday that included trimming $220 million from drug war spending over the next five years.

The duo propose eliminating the National Drug Intelligence Center, saving $44 million the first year and $220 million over five years, they say.

The NDIC "has been the subject of significant public debate recently because it unnecessarily duplicates the work of other agencies and its justification seems to have more to do with its powerful patron than its benefits to the taxpayer," the leadership team offers.

The NDIC referred a call to the Department of Justice, which did not immediately respond.

The Republicans don't spell out just who that patron might be, but let's piece it together: the center is located in Johnstown, a rural piece of Pennsylvania that may seem an odd place for a drug intelligence center. The area also happens to be represented by Democrat Jack Murtha, an appropriations subcommittee chairman who directs millions each year to government projects in his district. Currently at the center of a pay-for-pork scandal, Murtha is favorite target of Republicans and a close ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

He's also an unabashed supporter of the earmark process and isn't backing down on the NDIC.

"I don't want to point out the obvious here, but for the past few years Republican's were opposed to the NDIC because it wasn't funded in the President's budget, yet this year they are opposed to the NDIC because the President recommended funding it. Make up your mind," said Murtha spokesman Matthew Mazonkey. "What gets lost in this Republican flip-flop distraction is the actual substance to their arguments, and that's because they have none. I don't think anyone is shocked to learn that Republicans haven't a clue what they are talking about when it comes to the NDIC."

Boehner spokesman Michael Steel dismissed the response. "Whether or not NDIC is included in the President's budget, it is widely regarded as a pointless and duplicative waste of the taxpayers' money. That having been said, it is surprising that a President who has promised earmark reform -- though that promise has largely been ignored in the face of squeals from Congressional Democrats -- would now embrace such a notorious earmark from Speaker's Pelosi's prince of pork."

Perhaps the GOP objection to the NDIC is also ideological. It is a conservative mantra that health care decisions should be the private domain of doctors and patients. A top NDIC priority: getting between the doctor-patient relationship by going after providers who prescribe medication at levels it considers unacceptable.

Ryan Grim is the author of This Is Your Country On Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High in America, due out later this month

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Comments

[tensity1]

Be a single-issue voter: marijuana. That simple. If this is important enough to you, nothing else should matter for the next election (our nation can only go up at this point, right?). Let your reps, the pres, and the drug czar know of your voting intentions, and let them know there is a growing movement for single-issue voting on marijuana. Use hand-written letters or non-form emails. If old people and gun nuts can consolidate political and financial power, so can marijuana users. Talk to friends and family. Be more open. Make it a topic of normalcy and rationality. Wear shirts advocating sensible drug policy. Contact commentators and pundits at the major news organizations and blogs and make them aware of the growing movement of MJ voter consolidation. Make the politicians scared of losing office.

[slarabee]

So the result is killing the will of the people. I have contacted our reps and their only response is; "we will keep your thoughts in mind" which amounts to we are going to do it anyway but thank you for your time.

See; http://www.mlive.com/opinion/saginaw/index.ssf/2009/06/legislation_would_undermine_mi.html

and http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x124607712/Bill-would-regulate-medical-marijuana

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/05/will_kuipers_bill_on_medical_m.html

It is important to realize they did this before the act was even given a chance. It only became effective April 4 2009. So they are making a preemptive strike. Must have learned from Bush and Rove.

[slarabee]

Meanwhile the GOP in states like Michigan and New Jersey are openly trying to undermine the will of the people and Medical Marijuana.

In Michigan our State Senators (GOP) are quietly trying to ram through legislation to undermine the Medical Marihauna Act we just passed through a Ballot Initiative with 63% PERCENT OF THE VOTE AND IT PASSED IN EVERY SINGE COUNTY IN THE STATE.

Yet they are trying to change the law in ways that will effectively squash the act entirely.

1. they want all the marijuana that patients use to medicate to come from 1 of 10 licensed growers Licensed of course by the state for one year at 2,500 each. There is no growing for yourself allowed and no caregivers allowed.
2. All Marijuana must be PRESCRIBED by a Doctor. Problem is it is against Federal Law for doctors to prescribe marijuana as it is a schedule 1 drug under federal law.
3. To get around that they "propose" changing marijuana to a schedule 2 drug. What they are not telling the press is that they do not have the power to do that. That is a federal matter.

[juxtapostle]

A pointless waste of taxpayer money... yup, that about sums up the W.O.D.

They could have used a better adjective than 'pointless': 'evil'.

[drewbob]

If it is the conservative mantra to make health care decisions between the doctors and patients then why don't they stop voting to put people in jail over doctor recomended cannabis. And put police and politicians opinions before actual doctors, and oh yeah, those 17,000+ studies that prove the medical efficacy of cannabis for dozens of conditions. The more you think about it the more it annoys you. I've been at my limit for a while now. Anyone else up for a D.C. protest July 4th? It's gonna take a lot of people in the right place to make somthing like this happen quick, otherwise it'll just get dragged out in the buerocracy for the next 20 years.

[emlr]

I just love that an ad for an "Addiction Cure Center: is prominent on this page! LOL!

[greyhound2]

Cut in funding for the War on Drugs? How about eliminating this failed Mad Hatter Tea Party!

There is not one statistic which can show any success in this program and there is a list a mile long to prove its failure. Consider the facts. There are 7.5 million people locked up in jail in the US, more on a per capita basis than any country in the world and in all the recorded history of the world. About 60% of those incarcerated are there on drug charges.

It costs taxpayers about $30,000 per year each to warehouse someone in jail. These drug charge crimes are victim-less and non-violent. These same individuals when released now have a felony conviction, which makes getting a job almost impossible and their lives are ruined.

The people running this insane program think the general public are morons. The only morons are those running the program. With all the information available, this program just goes on and on as the Prison-Industrial complex has its own agenda. It is time to end the hysteria and bring common sense to the drug problems as there are many good ideas listed on this post. Criminalization of drugs has been the wrong approach for years and needs to come to an end. Save lives. Save money.

[knosiswar]

the Prison System is a big fat CASH COW for the Cheney-types of the world. real reform will be fought until we are bankrupt.

[LetMeUnderstandThis]

it is also a recruiting tool for hate groups & gangs.

[CitizenJ]

Congress is the place you go when you are stuck in your high school glory days. You know these guys sit in their cloak rooms snickering trying to come up with the best zinger. I think it must be a requirement of Congressional leadership that you have some type of mental disorder.

[Scarlet Fire90]

Why does it seem that all articles about marijuana have pictures accompanying them of TOTAL SCHWAG POT?! SHOW THE KIND GREEN HUMBOLDT COUNTY!!!!

It's a shame anti-drug people think smokers actually smoke that mexican shake ditchweed shown in the above photo.

[CaptainObvious]

I was just thinking the same thing :)

[Adartist777]

LOLOLOL!!!!!

[confidance government]

Only high-school kids smoke that cr@p.

[Epiphany2b]

I get your point, but perhaps it's best if they do think ya'll aren't getting the really good stuff. You know the flack about the "pot is being "bred" to be 10 times stronger than it was 20 years ago" stuff. Don't what people to think you might be enjoying yourselves.

[AntiSocialite]

Anything that ratchets down our insane spending on "The War on Drugs," is a good thing.

[Bjarni]

As a Libertarian I will never support any GOP member who, voted for FISA, voted for War, voted for Bailouts, Voted for stimulus, voted for Patrioit Act, spoke in favor of Gitmo. A gimmic like this just doesn't cut it, if they want to end the war on drugs, end it, don't just cut 0.1% of it. If they want to save money, why not end the frigging thing, save both in law enforcement wasting majority of their time going after sick people and peaceful potheads and have them go after real, hardened criminals. And save money on prisons, we spend on average close to $34,000 each year per prisoner.

We have many Libertarian candidates running for office in numerous states, both locally and federally within the GOP. Hopefully the Small government, personal responsibility, leave me the f alone conservativies take the party back from the big government, war propagandist, control freak, holier than thou religious nuts.

[ChumpChicken]

I would agree. I just have a feeling that it will take quite a while for Libertarians to actually take back the republican party from the extremists­-conservat­ives. Just look at how little votes Ron Paul received, even with his huge following and large internet operation. The republican party has a long way to go.

Democrats should be fully supportive of efforts to end the WAR on DRUGS. Democrats must stand for social freedoms and responsibility!

[gbrooks]

I'm a libertarian as well Bjarni and feel the same way.

The Republicans are playing games, you know they aren't sincere about actually ending the drug war.

That said, I'll take any reduction in the drug war as a good thing, regardless of whether or not they're just pandering. They won't get my vote, but it's still a good thing.

[Dystopic]

The defaut CONSERVATIVE position is that what you put into your own body, is your own business.

Proves that there have been no conservatives in over 40 years.

[gbrooks]

Absolutely true Dystopic. We're mostly libertarians or independents now and I only joined the GOP to vote for Ron Paul in the primaries.

[Dystopic]

Ron Paul is a great guy, my family knows him well,he delivered my 2 sisters and brother, and was a friend of my dads (dad died in 79).

Ron Paul will never get elected president, plain and simple. He has great plans from 50K feet, but as you get closer, you can see he has no clue on actual real functional government.

You will NEVER get rid of the Fed, the DoE, the DoJ and every other office not specifically outlined in the constitution. He is basically a big talker because he knows he will never have the opportunity to see them implemented.

He has some other views that the vast majority of this country would find abhorrent.

Nice guy, but not the answer to any problems we face.

[jsgaetano]

The US conservative position is that citizens have no rights, only corporations, party members, and their wealthy donors have rights.

[biglimes]

Go figure they'd do the right thing only when it spites someone on the other side. If the Republicans cared as much as they claimed about limiting wasteful government spending, why don't they suggest to end the entire drug war? What could be more on the side of limited government than that? The War on Drugs is a shining example of the very things conservatives and by extension Republicans claim to decry: an over-funded, unnecessary government intervention into the lives of private citizens, a giant taxpayer funded boondoggle that only makes the problem worse ; a vast, secretive group of agencies run by unelected bureaucrats accountable to no one, and a questionable role in which government is neither entitled nor fit to command.

[confidance government]

Murtha is trying to save his own pork, and the GOP are trying to get the libertarians that have gone over to the left back in the fold.

its a start, but the GOP will have to do a lot better than this to win libertarians' support.

[gbrooks]

You are so right.

[grf67]

So the GOP is supporting the drugies and drug dealers. What courage and insight. At least this will make limbaugh happy.

[Dystopic]

As a 15 year functional and successful pot smoker, I know a little bit more than you do on the subject.

Lumpbo was on LEGAL PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.

The GOP should be fighting against the drug war, since it is extremely expensive, totally useless and takes away a right for people to ingest whatever they want into their own bodies.