Pro-Pot Group Challenges Bush Marijuana Policy (BARF ALERT)

Focus On The Family | January 9, 2003 | David Brody

[Sparta]

A pot-legalization group is taking on the White House over marijuana.

A group that wants to see marijuana legalized is angry with the Bush administration because they say the government is being too critical of pot.

The issue all started with a letter from Scott Burns, the deputy director of the Office of National Drug Control. In the letter, Burns told district attorneys across the country that they must better educate the public about marijuana use.

Keith Stroup, who heads up the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), claims the administration is going over the top suggesting that marijuana is the biggest drug threat in America.

"We're simply going to call them on this lie," Stroup said. "The Bush administration, for some reason, is in the process of ignoring the real drug problems we face and instead focusing their entire anti-drug apparatus on responsible marijuana smokers."

But Burns said it's time to get serious about the problem.

"It's something that the administration, I believe, has an obligation to talk about," Burns said.

He added that in some parts of the country heroin is the biggest problem. In other parts, it's cocaine. But the common thread is marijuana.

"We can't ignore marijuana," Burns said. "Sixty percent of the folks addicted to drugs in this country are using marijuana. If we don't talk about it and talk about it loudly, we're ignoring two-thirds of the problem."

As for his letter to prosecutors to raise awareness about marijuana, he said the response has been sobering.

"I've received calls from prosecutors all across the country who have said, 'I didn't know,' " Burns said.

That is precisely the reason for the letter: to make sure everyone knows that the problem is getting worse every day.

[Sparta]

"We can't ignore marijuana," Burns said. "Sixty percent of the folks addicted to drugs in this country are using marijuana. If we don't talk about it and talk about it loudly, we're ignoring two-thirds of the problem."

How many of those people are using alcohol Mr. Burns? Should we ban alcohol too?

BTW: Who are Focus On The Family?(sarcasm)

[Mike4Freedom]

But Burns said it's time to get serious about the problem.

It is time to get serious about getting the Federal Government in compliance with the constitution. They have no constitutional authority to ban drugs at all.

It is time to get serious about the government not lying to our youth. Every time some DARE policeman tells a class that all drugs are deadly and draws no distinction between Marijuana and the hard stuff, he sets up some kids for a fall. They see that the adults are lying to them as soon as one of their friends uses Marijuana with no consequences. The next logical step is that it is all a lie and the whole drug thing is just a bunch of puritans who don't want anyone to have any fun. Next step-hard drugs, courtesy of the drug warriors.

[Anti-Bubba182]

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[dead]

Sixty percent of the folks addicted to drugs in this country are using marijuana.

Perhaps sixty percent of the people in drug treatment are using marijuana. But EVERYBODY in drug treatment for marijuana is there because a court ordered them to go when they got busted for pot possession. Nobody needs treatment to quit smoking pot. If somebody wants to stop smoking pot, they just stop smoking pot.

So basically, the government forces people to seek treatment they don't need, and then cite the number of people in treatment as evidence of a problem.

And it is evidence of a problem - the problem is the war on drugs.

[Texas Eagle]

A pot-legalization group is taking on the White House over marijuana.

Idiot potheads.

[JanineC]

Thank you! I agree. As the other poster mentioned...how many are using alcohol?? Alcohol is one of the most dangerous drugs around. The only difference is it is abitrarily legal. Alcohol causes more physical damage to the body and brain than most other "street" drugs. It also causes more violence than most other "street" drugs.

[motzman]

Idiot potheads

Great arguement. I'm convinced.

[bigfootbob]

Texas turkey. I hope NORML prevails and to help them along I just paypaled them $50.00. It's time to stop this insanity. We have other VERY series problems in this Country without wasting peoples lives over marijuana. Tax it, and cut our income and or payroll taxes.

[unspun]

Shame on you! Don't offend our Free Republic narcoanarchists! </sarc>

[unspun]

Find a forum.

[Kevin Curry]

Mike4Freedom sez Dop iz gud 4 U.

[davisdoug]

We must remember that these programs are big money. Good buddy of mine, with bad luck, has participated in every program Kalifornia has to offer. Anger management, Alcohol School etc... It's all about additional tax dollars and campaign contributions. Fact of the matter is the teachers of these programs are employed because they needed a job and are seriously worse off, addictively speaking, that 90% of the students. The other 10% should be serving time.

[motzman]

Found one; been here a lot longer than you.

[unspun]

How many recruits have you gotten, so far?

[motzman]

Hey, I've converted quite a number of Dems to the GOP.

How bout you?

[unspun]

You'll have a difficult time converting the GOP into the Constitutional Right to own Narcotics and be Stoned party.

[unspun]

Or does GOP to you mean, Ginsberg, O'Leary & Panthers?

[motzman]

You'll have a difficult time converting the GOP into the Constitutional Right to own Narcotics and be Stoned party.

Who's trying to do that? The GOP and The Dems are wrong on this issue, that's all.

So hostile....

[motzman]

Or does GOP to you mean, Ginsberg, O'Leary & Panthers?

Who's "O'Leary"?.....Or maybe you mean Timothy Leary? Oh, yeah-he's my idol.

Next slander, please.

[Sparta]

He never said that. He was just saying that DARE is engaging in outright lying and exaggeration of the dangers of marijuana. Everyone knows pot is harmful to the smoker, but causes no harm to others and you can make the arguement that alcohol is more harmful than marijuana.