If you're looking for a good pot party on the right (Edmund Burke meets Cheech and Chong), check out the pages of National Review. Legalization of marijuana is founder William F. Buckley Jr.'s pet cause. (Mr. Common Touch has admitted to toking on his yacht in international waters.) Senior Editor Richard Brookhiser thinks marijuana is medicine. In the Aug. 20 issue, Editor in Chief Richard Lowry weighs in with "Weed Whackers: The anti-marijuana forces and why they're wrong." [continues 613 words]
Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in United States of America vs. Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative. At issue is whether the nation's drug laws can be nullified for so-called medical necessity. The court could go further and decide that state laws legalizing pot for medical purposes are unconstitutional because drug policy is an area pre-empted by federal law. California is one of eight states whose citizens decided they were competent to make certain scientific judgments. In 1996, voters passed Proposition 215, allowing anyone to treat himself with a joint for any illness, on a physician's recommendation. [continues 583 words]
If marijuana is medicine, Dr. Jack Kevorkian wrote the prescription. Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in United States of America vs. Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative. At issue is whether the nation's drug laws can be nullified for so-called medical necessity. The court could go further and decide that state laws legalizing pot for medical purposes are unconstitutional because drug policy is an area pre-empted by federal law. California is one of eight states whose citizens decided they were competent to make scientific judgments. In 1996, voters passed Proposition 215, allowing anyone to treat himself with a joint for any illness, on a physician's recommendation. [continues 586 words]
If marijuana is medicine, Dr. Kevorkian wrote the prescription. Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in United States of America vs. Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative. At issue is whether the nation's drug laws can be nullified for so-called medical necessity. The court could go further and decide that state laws legalizing pot for medical purposes are unconstitutional because drug policy is an area pre-empted by federal law. California is one of eight states whose citizens decided they were competent to make scientific judgments. In 1996, voters passed Proposition 215, allowing anyone to treat himself with a joint for any illness, on a physician's recommendation. [continues 584 words]
Almost seven weeks into his administration, President George Bush has yet to appoint a drug czar. For a nation in which addiction has become a chronic problem and drugs take a devastating toll, that does not inspire confidence. There are three names on the short list for director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy: former Rep. Bill McCollum (R-Fla.), Florida drug czar James McDonough and Maricopa County, Ariz., prosecutor Rick Romley. Robert B. Charles, former chief of staff to the House Speaker's Task Force on Drugs, believes McCollum is the ideal candidate. Charles told me: McCollum was a congressional leader on drugs. He pioneered legislation on drug-free workplaces. He worked closely with local activists and professionals in the areas of prevention, treatment and enforcement. And he has the stature to command instant attention. [continues 559 words]
Almost seven weeks into his administration, President George Bush has yet to appoint a drug czar. For a nation in which addiction has become a chronic problem and drugs take a devastating toll, that does not inspire confidence. There are three names on the short list for director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy - former Rep. Bill McCollum, Florida Republican, Florida drug czar James McDonough and Maricopa County, Ariz., Prosecutor Rick Romley. Robert B. Charles, former chief of staff to the House Speaker's Task Force on Drugs, believes Mr. McCollum is the ideal candidate. Mr. Charles told me: "McCollum was a congressional leader on drugs. He pioneered legislation on drug-free workplaces. He worked closely with local activists and professionals in the areas of prevention, treatment and enforcement. And he has the stature to command instant attention." [continues 570 words]
Almost seven weeks into his administration, President George Bush has yet to appoint a drug czar. For a nation in which addiction has become a chronic problem and drugs take a devastating toll, that does not inspire confidence. There are three names on the short list for director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy -- former Rep. Bill McCollum, R-Fla., Florida drug czar James McDonough and Maricopa County, Ariz., Prosecutor Rick Romley. Robert B. Charles, former chief of staff to the House Speaker's Task Force on Drugs, believes McCollum is the ideal candidate. Charles told me, "McCollum was a congressional leader on drugs. He pioneered legislation on drug-free workplaces. He worked closely with local activists and professionals in the areas of prevention, treatment and enforcement. And he has the stature to command instant attention." [continues 559 words]
Speaking at George Washington University last week, New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson invoked the biggest lie of the drug-legalization movement: The drug war is a multibillion dollar flop. Johnson is the first governor to call for unconditional surrender - the legalization of cocaine and heroin as well as marijuana. He smoked pot regularly as a student and found it delightful and salutary. ``I hate to say it, but the majority of people who use drugs use them responsibly,'' the Republican said. Clearly, Johnson hasn't spent much time in prisons, rehab centers, homeless shelters, emergency rooms or the seedier sections of our inner cities. [continues 604 words]
Giving kids condoms doesn't promote promiscuity. Providing welfare benefits for unwed mothers doesn't encourage illegitimacy. And distributing needles to addicts has no impact on drug use. Liberals have abolished cause and effect. Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala announced April 20 the administration will not lift the ban on federal funding of needle exchange programs. Congress had loudly threatened to reinstate the ban, if Shalala lifted it, and the president's own drug czar fought the move. Then, as a statement of ideological commitment, the secretary declared that while federal money won't be available, such programs an effective way to fight AIDS and don't encourage addiction. Sure, and they also build strong bodies in 12 ways and are clinically proven to fight cavities. [continues 592 words]
GIVING kids condoms doesn't promote promiscuity. Providing welfare benefits for unwed mothers doesn't encourage illegitimacy. And distributing needles to addicts has no impact on drug use. Liberals have abolished cause and effect. On April 20, Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala announced that the administration will not lift the ban on federal funding of needle-exchange programs (NEPs). Congress had loudly threatened to reinstate the ban, if Shalala lifted it, and the president's own drug czar fought the move. [continues 625 words]
