Drug Czar John Walters: The Irony And The Idiocy

Just days before the FBI released statistics indicating that police in 2007 arrested over 872,000 Americans -- the most ever reported in law enforcement history -- for violating pot laws, reigning Drug Czar John Walters alleged on C-Span, "We didn't arrest 800,000 marijuana users. ... That's [a] lie."

(Watch the video of Walters' remarks here.)

The Czar's nose grew another six inches when he uncorked this whopper: "The fact is today, people don't go to jail for the possession of marijuana. Finding somebody in jail or prison for possession of marijuana is like finding a unicorn. It doesn't exist."

(The video can be seen here.)

Question: Why does the Drug Czar feel obligated to go to such absurd lengths to hide the fact that the criminal prohibition of cannabis is responsible for the arrest of hundreds of thousands of otherwise law-abiding Americans every year?

After all, the US Drug Enforcement Administration and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy typically issue chest-thumping press releases when they achieve record busts for offenses involving cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine? Why then do they shy away from making similar proclamations for pot?

Perhaps it's because, deep down, even the Drug Czar knows that the use of cannabis does not pose anywhere near the health and safety threat as does the use of other intoxicants, including alcohol, and that most Americans -- rightly -- would be outraged to learn that our nation's so-called war on drugs is really just an assault on young adults and minorities caught with small bags of weed.

Comments

[AntipasLucas]

I have just one question that, surely, the Head of the United States Office of National Drug Control Policy should be able to quickly answer in a simple yes or no.

Dear Mr. Walters,

is marijuana deadly with no medical value?

[outsidespace]

I can't believe this level of deceit has been glossed over. I know the elections and our precarious economy is taking center stage, but I echo drewbob's curiosity as to why this is in the style section. The amount of time, money and resources being poured into the criminalization of such a relatively innocuous herb - cannabis - makes my stomach turn and my head ache when I see how little time, money and resources are being put into education and health care. This is political!

[Izadorra]

It's called policing for profit. Confiscation laws have been changed to include all law enforcement agencies, City, County, State, and Federal (even the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in CA), to share the confiscated assets from these busts.

An article was written some years ago that talked about this. 20/20 did a story about the Donald Scott case in California where a man was targeted by law enforcement because of the property he owned. Five agencies served an unlawfully obtained warrant in order to find any illegal substance. Before the bust went down they passed around a real estate appraisal to let the officers know what the prize was. Donald Scott was shot and killed in his own home and no drugs or pot plants were found. Read more here http://thedesmonds.com/arp.html.

[drandall24]

Why does the drug czar get away with cracking jokes and mocking concerned citizens. There is no other social issue where this would be tolerated.
Marijuana was made illegal in the late 1930's because of racism toward Mexicans and African-Americans. It remained illegal throughout the 60's and 70's as a way to combat the "counter-c­ulture." Then in the 80's came the crack epidemic and Raegan's "Just Say No" campaign. It remains illegal to this day because the government is in bed with the alcohol, tobacco, and mostly the pharmaceutical companies. Now is the time for legalization. We are no longer "stoners" or "hippies," decriminalization advocates are now articulate and passionate citizens. However, it won't be easy because legalization will require the government to fess up to over 70 years of lies, injustices, and atrocities.

[drewbob]

Another beautifully written piece by Mr. Armentano that should be good enough to persuade anybody willing to read it that cannabis shouldnt be illegal. Im just curious as to why its being buried in the style section?

[Bill in CT]

There is more to this argument than how many are actually arrested and what are the actual penalties suffered. This is yet another tired example of how our elected officials lack the foresight and courage to stand up to the politically safe status quo. The use of marijuana is as widespread as it has ever been. Yet, we never hear about people being arrested for robbing convenience stores or homes to pay for their "habit" like with crystal meth or crack. We do not hear about the crazed stoner going out to his car and bringing back a gun and shooting a room full of people, like with alcohol. The only real crime we hear about from this drug is in the enforcement of its prohibition. Of course the reason is astoundingly simple. People do not become addicted to marijuana. They do not become psychotic, or violent, or sick or dangerous to those around them. Marijuana is inherently safe to use, as has been concluded in thousands of separate studies.
Yet, though there is no evidence showing the negative impact of using marijuana, and we are still wasting huge sums of money destroying people’s lives! This is not political leadership. The responsible use of marijuana should be legalized. We must start electing officials who respect ALL of our rights. We must start electing officials who ask tough questions, and LISTEN to the answers and do not just go along with their party vote. We really do need change in government.

[jasonmoore]

I wonder what can be done from a legal standpoint if marijuana prohibition was attacked from its foundation. If legislators were made aware of the perjuries, racism and lack of scientific method behind the origin of marijuana prohibition it may promote in legislators an awareness of their own responsibility to correct this policy and apologize for 30 years of arrest and arrest records that have accumulated from policies created in this manor. It is nothing more then reckless that legislation founded in perjury in 1937 still dominates our policies in 2008. Furthermore any legislator who does not see the common sense errors in the testimonies given during the hearing on The Marihuana Tax Act should be voted out for incompetence or racism.

[harrymellon]

This is beyond ridiculous. Let people have their herbs and lock up the real criminals.­..this is about privatizing prisons to make money for Bush cronies and under Clinton same thing happened. Time to wake up and take action. Marijuana is essentially harmless but its illegality ruins families.