Obama Sends Drug Warriors to UN, DEA to CA: Stop Fighting Bush's Wars

As someone who cares about humane drug policy, I expect politicians to disappoint me. Obama created a rare glimmer of light here with his honesty about his own experience -- but his choice of drug warriors like Joe Biden and Rahm Emmanuel for high level posts has made me wary.

Now, with a new raid on California's medical marijuana dispensaries and with Bush holdovers trying to push the UN to drop support for needle exchange and other harm reduction programs in its document to set drug policy for the next ten years, I am beginning to lose hope.

Amazingly, however, progressives in Congress (!) are speaking out about the possible UN fiasco -- sending a letter to our new UN Ambassador Susan Rice to protest the actions of these officials. Reps. Henry Waxman, Jose Serrano and Barbara Lee write:

Unfortunately, we understand that the U.S. delegation in Vienna has been actively blocking the efforts of some of our closest allies -- including the European Union -- to incorporate into the declaration reference to harm reduction measures such as needle exchange. We find it hard to understand how the U.S. delegation could object to language which would not obligate any country to adopt particular policies with which it disagrees.

I will go further. Obama has said that he supports lifting the federal ban on funding for needle exchange programs in the U.S. and that he supports science-based policy, which backs this action. He has said that he will end the raids on medical marijuana in states that have legalized it.

I suspect that he's afraid that any action in this direction will be jumped on with glee by right-wing critics. I think he fears a repeat of the Clinton administration's "Don't ask, don't tell," culture war disaster. But as he pointed out to his critics in relation to economic policy, "I won."

That's right, Mr. President, you won! And you won not despite taking evidence-based positions on tough issues -- but because you did so.

I think you'll find that when people are worried about their jobs, it's hard for them to work up steam about imaginary bogeymen like those hyped by drug warriors. When you face real problems like feeding your kids, false hypotheticals like needle exchange "sending the wrong message" and turning us into a nation of junkies just don't get traction. (Quick question: would making clean needles available make you start shooting up? Didn't think so -- and same is true for everyone who is not already doing so!).

When your financial future is at risk, it's hard to see spending money on raiding and incarcerating medical marijuana users and distributors as a good investment -- or even to see medical marijuana use as a problem, let alone one worthy of expensive and ineffective police intervention. (Has medical marijuana made your or your kids into dope fiends? Surveys find states with it tend to have *less* use by youth).

Take advantage of this rare opportunity to expose the tired rhetoric of the drug war and do the right thing, as you promised. Support harm reduction like the rest of the developed world does. Recognize how out of touch the U.S. has become in its drug strategy.

This is not the 70s or even the 80s or 90s -- like Bush's economic policies, his drug policies have visibly and risibly failed. The main power drug warriors have left is politicians' outsized fear of their past success. Don't give them undue credit--and don't underestimate how the ground has shifted in favor of sane, humane drug strategy, not war.

Comments

[canadianhomegrown]

I am against all use of manufactured drugs personally. If it grows on this planet naturally it should be legal no matter what. I also have quite a few friends that have fallen to addiction of heroin. I do agree that distrubution of clean needles. Clean needles reduce the chance of users contracting AID/HIV, Hepititus and other diseases that are creating an epidemic in the U.S. . I dont agree with the drugs themselves but if they arent spreading these diseases to others such as their wives and family members I'm all for it. As to the DEA, I think the California police should step up and protect their state. Federal law might rule over state but that doesn't implict that California state police cannot stand up and stop the DEA agents from trashing the medical marijuana venders. The DEA creates fear upon the state police. The state police either wish to be DEA or wish to abolish the DEA. If a plant can save lives then whats the hurt.

[rimchamp77]

The thing that makes the drug war hysteria even more ridiculous is the fact [not opinion] that the Controlled Substances Act - despite hints throughout that there are actual standards [probably intended to be added by "someone else" at a later date] - has no actual measurable standards for risk or harm as criteria for banning or classifying drugs.
IF Barack Hussein Obama [BHO] wanted to end this farce he would submit the task of adoption of actual measurable standards to Congress and order the DEA to cease enforcement until such standards are adopted. BHO needs to complete the Controlled Substances Act with actual measurable standards. Personally, I'd love to witness the fight between racist/prohibitionist demagogues and drug company charlatans on the specific standards to be adopted. It would be worth the televising rights to get a really entertaining reality show on Cspan.

[hightimer]

Here we thought we might have a chance to see some positive change in marijuana policy with the election of Barack Obama and we got nothing but duped again. The question was asked Dec 15th 2008, - http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/open_for_questions_response/

Q: "Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?" S. Man, Denton..... And the response was

A: President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana.

No justification, just a staff written contradicting one liner, yeah he's giving our effort a lot of thought right.

The fact is this, we have reached a time in our country where the majority vote doesnt mean much. States across the nation are in fact so tired of denying what the people want they are voting to remove Citizen Initiatives, and or to restrict the amount of time we are allowed to gather enough signatures to initiate. This means we will lose the ability as citizens to propose new bills in some states and marijuana policy will then become impossible to change. How is it possible?

~The only people that ever died from using marijuana are the ones the DEA shot!

[Brinna]

Every single public poll supports safe access to medical cannabis by a wide majority. DEA raids on medical cannabis dispensaries target the ill and disabled; are mean spirited; and do nothing to reduce illicit drug use. The public speaks, but politicians don't listen. But now I have a solution. Ever since I heard about the January raids I have been answering all fund raising phone calls and mail that I get from the Democratic Party with this response:

"I will not give another cent to the Democratic Party until they support a complete overhaul of our Federal drug policy; stop the Federal persecution of medical cannabis users, providers and caregivers; and remove Cannabis from it present Schedule I classification."

When I speak with fundraisers on the phone, I am always polite, but I tell them in no uncertain terms what my position is, and that I will no longer be donating until the party's policies change, and I ask them to please give this feedback to their supervisors.

Money talks volumes, and it seems to be a language politicians understand. I am putting that unfortunate reality to work, and hope others do the same.

[fredamae]

DE-Schedule Cannabis.

[fredamae]

Good Article!

$10,000,000,000.00 Tax Dollars spent ANNUALLY for Just Cannabis Eradication Programs.

The Opponents can "jump up and down on this" All Day Long and yet they Will Not be able to sway the Majority from Seeing that Ending Cannabis Prohibition is Actually not only Compassionate, but Fiscally responsible too!.

[iblogleft]

Thank you.

Something must be done. The people have spoken up time and time again.

Keep writing everyone, keep up the pressure. Too many are suffering and dying for people to think this is a "back-burrner" issue.

[MarkEntry]

President Obama does that which will further his political ambitions. He will listen when enough Americans stand up & speak out against the continuation of the evils of prohibition. This is why everyone must contact their elected officaials and politely, but firmly demand that the war on marijuana users be ended. Let them know that the only policy tha will be acceptable is the legalizationn of marijuana. http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ This madness must stop, now.

[aahpat]

The only thing that surprises me is that it is taking so long for drug policy reformers to see that they are getting the royal screw by the Obama drug war gang.

Drug warrior Obama will NOT do anything that he promised drug policy reformers during the campaign just to connive from them their vote.

One of Obama's first acts, minutes after the swearing in, was to appoint career drug warrior Edward Jurith Acting Drug Czar. Jurith who, on July 25, 2001 as Acting Drug Czar, released the statement: "Drugs often touted as harmless, such as marijuana and Ecstasy, are obviously dangerous and addictive...". Jurith, who presided over the medical pot raids in Northern California on Jan. 22, 2009 just two days after the Obama inauguration. Reformers like to hope that the raids were a last act of Bush hold-overs. Actually the raids were an inaugural act for the drug warriors of the Obama administration by Bush hold-over Jurith who Obama PROMOTED.

[TRYKER]

Ooooo, I hated reading that. What a disappointment. We really need to STAND UP on this "illegal marijuana" bullsh*t.
IF Obama doesn't know already, and I'm very surprised to surmise he hasn't figured this one out, we absolutely have to get on him about this.
The wrongs of the policy are so many, it isn't possible to list them, but our tax money should not be spent raiding med clinics and jailing herb smokers.....IT IS UTTERLY RIDICULOUS!

[iblogleft]

At least I know he is an interim until an appointment is made. Obama is seriously quiet on this issue though.

[slarabee]

Legalize or Decriminalize. These are the only real options.

[j.gold]

Legalize it for adults and tax it.. Use taxes for rehab, needle programs etc. End of story.

[TRYKER]

I don't think the govt has any business even taxing marijuana. It should be left completely alone and govt should move on to its real duties.
An herb that anyone can grow and use for anything is much more likely to be an over-all benefit to society. Our founding fathers grew it and used it and wrote the "Declaration of Independence" for chrissakes...HOW BAD CAN IT BE???????
What do we think Thomas Jefferson meant when he added in black letters permanently..."the pursuit of happiness" if he would jail pot smokers???
LET US GET REAL.