Pubdate: Sun, 03 Jun 2012
Source: Nevada Appeal (Carson City, NV)
Copyright: 2012 Nevada Appeal
Contact:  http://www.nevadaappeal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/896
Author: Guy W. Farmer
Note: Guy W. Farmer was a foot soldier in the War on Drugs in six
countries during his 28-year diplomatic career.

DRUG LEGALIZATION? NO THANKS

The drug legalizers and the potheads are upset at the Obama
administration for cracking down on medical marijuana dispensaries
even though the president was an "enthusiastic" (his word) weed-smoker
in high school.

Although Nevada voters legalized medical marijuana several years ago,
they've never fallen for the spurious arguments put forward by
organizations like the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy
Project, which want to authorize the recreational use of marijuana as
a prelude to the legalization of even more dangerous drugs. Nevadans
have twice rejected by 60-40 margins ballot proposals to legalize
personal doses of pot.

This is an election year, however, and the MPP is once again pushing
its drug-friendly agenda in several states, but not in Nevada. I guess
the drug legalizers finally realized that Nevada is not quite as
liberal as they had assumed; it was an expensive lesson for them and
we profited from their failure. Good for us!

The legalizers offer three bad arguments:

"The drug war has failed." No it hasn't. Former Federal Drug Czar John
Walters, writing recently in the neo-conservative Weekly Standard,
noted that illegal drug use by Americans has dropped by almost 40
percent over the past 30 years. Marijuana use is down by almost half
since its peak in the late 1970s, and cocaine use is down by 80
percent since its peak in the mid-1980s. "The decades of decline
coincide with tougher laws, popular disapproval of drug use and
powerful demand reduction measures," Walters wrote.

"Drug enforcement keeps the price of illegal drugs at hundreds of
times the simple cost of producing them." Not true, Walters counters,
because in order to destroy the criminal market legalization would
have to include a massive price cut, dramatically stimulating use and
addiction. "More people using drugs more frequently will result in
more addiction," he adds.

And finally, drug legalizers argue that harsh drug laws have filled
our prisons with low-level, non-violent offenders. False, Walters
writes, because the portion of the prison population associated with
drug offenses has been declining, not growing ... "and diversion
programs for substance abusers have grown to such an extent that the
criminal justice system is now the largest single reason for Americans
to enter drug treatment programs." That's a success story.

Next time you think about using drugs you might recall the tragic
stories of celebrities like singers Michael Jackson and Whitney
Houston, and "Painter of Light" Thomas Kincaide, all three of whom
died from drug-related causes. "Comedians" like Bill Maher and Jon
Stewart might joke about drug use, but drugs aren't funny; they're
deadly. That's why I applaud the Obama administration for cracking
down on illegal drug use and for raiding medical marijuana
dispensaries that are nothing more than fronts for drug traffickers
and Mexican drug cartels.

Marijuana smoke isn't medicine and potheads aren't "patients." Those
who wish to treat themselves with THC, the active ingredient in
marijuana, should obtain a prescription for Marinol from their family
physician. It's as simple as that.
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MAP posted-by: Matt