"Canada is exporting to us the crack of marijuana." --JOHN WALTERS, White House drug czar

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2004 Time, Inc. ^ | August 23, 2004 | Anita Hamilton

[Gorons]

Hope we can post articles from Time like this for free discussion - Am somewhat aware of copyright laws but am just taking a stab here.

[bird4four4]

"It's still a dangerous drug," says James Capra, the DEA's chief of domestic operations. "People are killing each other over it."

Well, there's DEA logic for you. People kill each other over something, must mean that it's a very dangerous thing. Well people kill each other over money. Is money dangerous? I guess I should no longer carry any cash on me, someone might kill me for it.

[William Terrell]

I think the real question is whether James Capra, the DEA's chief of domestic operations, would have a job if cannabis were legalized. The conventional wisdom is, never take counsel for the continuation of a policy from those who depend on its continuance for their livlihood.

They're liable to make rash claims and ridiculous statements.

[PaxMacian]

"50,000 commercial pot growers"

How free can you be if you can't plant a seed for a flower?

[Xenalyte]

"The crack of marijuana."

That's a lot like Tuna of the Dirt chicken. And Turkey of the Jungle bananas. And Pork of the Orchard apples.

[Bacon Man]

That's a lot like Tuna of the Dirt chicken. And Turkey of the Jungle bananas. And Pork of the Orchard apples.

Dont' forget Toilet Paper of the Outhouse Writing Paper.

[poodle]

Walters is a professional liar hired by those that want to preserve a fraud know as cannabis prohibition. The guy needs to be shown some justice and sentenced accordingly.

There is a story gathering steam about the Canadian prohibition laws being struck down by the courts. I am one that says the laws on cultivation, trafficking, and possession of laughing grass is legal in Canada. There is a thread on it that will explain the situation- http://www.commongroundcommonsense.org/index.php?showtopic=6332&st=60

Sativex will receive market authorization in Canada as early as January. This is a big development also- http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread20050.shtml

The prohibitionists really are wearing out their favorite chant- Pot is stronger now. Can't they go back to "It causes mental illness" and "Think of the children"?

I do wonder if they did a focus group to see if "crack of marijuana" was the most demonizing term they could come up with. Good bud might be comparable to hash, but cocaine? Walters sounds stupid using such a term.

[robertpaulsen]

"James Capra, the DEA's chief of domestic operations, would have a job if cannabis were legalized."

It's the DEA not the MEA.

I'm sure he would.

[William Terrell]

Since the users of cocoa and opium derivatives are such a small percentage of the pop, and cannabis users are such a large percentage of the pop, dropping cannabis from the rolls would lose Mr. Capra and the DEA virtually all its power. Perhaps it would be merged into the BATF making it the BADTF.

[IGBT]

If we can drug test transportation workers coast to coast because of safety concerns why can't public school students/teachers be tested for health and safety in education/work place?? Drug testing has cleaned up a lot of work places. It's obvious to the most casual observer the public schools are a huge market place for the sale and distribution of illegal drugs and undermining our kids future. Just last week a story was running on CNN.. the US was at the bottom of the heap in science and math skills..can't do numbers if your dizzy on dope...

[rommy]

why can't public school students/teachers be tested for health and safety in education/work place? How would you feel if the school sent a letter home saying something like this. "Dear Sir or Madam, We, in our infinite wisdom have decided that your son or daughter is probably a dope fiend. We base this judgement on the fact that they are under eighteen and they go to school. Because we have reason to believe they are hooked on some sort of illegal drug, we are going to randomly test them for drug usage. They will be required to produce urine samples on command and may be required to give other bodily fluids. We don't really need your permission for this, we just thought you should know." You can't drug test every student in a school because it's a violation of the 4th Amendment. Students, unlike job applicants, are not making a choice. They have to be in school whether they like it or not. Furthermore, do you really want to get the government involved in drug testing large segments of the population?

[robertpaulsen]

"a small percentage of the pop"

Of what? I don't understand "pop".

A small percentage of DEA arrests? Of convictions? Of incarcerations? Of tons of seizures? Of dollars of seizures?* Of their overall focus/effort?

99% of marijuana arrests are made at the state or local level. Look at the DEA budget and you'll see that about half of it is for drug awareness/education and anti-drug advertising and the other half is for drug interdiction at our borders and overseas.

You can pull marijuana out and it wouldn't change a thing at the federal level.

If marijuana were legalized and regulated, I would posit that the number of DEA agents would increase to prevent marijuana exports to other countries. In addition, I agree the BATF would expand -- to the BATFM to monitor marijuana retail licensing and growing operations.

Financed by marijuana taxes, of course. But those agencies will grow.

* Marijuana represents about 15% of what Americans spend on illegal drugs.

[William Terrell]

Pop=population.

A small percentage of people who are taking cocoa and opium derivatives, between 6% and 8% last I saw the numbers.

99% of marijuana arrests are made at the state or local level. Look at the DEA budget and you'll see that about half of it is for drug awareness/education and anti-drug advertising and the other half is for drug interdiction at our borders and overseas.

Then why are greater than half of people in federal prisons there for those offenses?

Ah, so the DEA budget doesn't allow pursuit and prosecution of cannabis related offenses, there being no money in the budget for them?

You can pull marijuana out and it wouldn't change a thing at the federal level.

LOL

15% of America's drug money goes to cannabis? And 8% are using cocoa and opium derivatives? And The taxpayer is spending billions on this "war", gouging the constitutions, corruption of law enforcement agencies with "funding" from asset seizures, destroying families, killing people, escalating costs for incarceration and filling the prisons for that?

[robertpaulsen]

"Then why are greater than half of people in federal prisons there for those offenses?"

I would hazard a wild guess that they were either trafficking or dealing illegal drugs, that's why.

The DEA focuses on federal drug offenders, the majority of which end up in federal prison. Unlike local law enforcement, where a drug arrest will end up, most likely, in a probation.

"Ah, so the DEA budget doesn't allow pursuit and prosecution of cannabis related offenses, there being no money in the budget for them?"

If the DEA had the money and the manpower to go after cannabis users, they'd be all over California, arresting people by the thousands. They go after the marijuana traffickers and dealers.

"The taxpayer is spending billions on this "war", "

About 1% of the budget is spent on the WOD, about half of that at the border where they can use the additional help anyway.

[IGBT]

...the government is already involved in large scale drug testing ie.transportation,military,air traffic control,police-fire commerical truck drivers..the mechanics at the dealer I do biz.with tests all his mechanics and tech's. I'am not willing to give the drug dealers a "safe place to hide" in our public schools or else where. The supreme court handed down language to the feds years ago that allowed the testing of safety sensitive workers, " diminished expectation of privacy" due to the responsibility they have to the public to provide a safe and reliable service or product to the public. We can continue to fool our selves and allow drug dealers to thrive and profit off our kids..or we can make the necessary changes needed to provide a safe and reliable learning environment by employing the tools at hand and available with a proven track record in the work place. After all..aren't we supposed to be preping and training kids for entry into the work place?? How are they going to get a job if they can't pass a pre-employment drug test?? Or worse yet..because we didn't provide a drug free learning enviroment and they ended up in trouble with the law and now have a criminal record..they may never qualify for any worth while job. I've seen the positive life saving effect of drug testing and know from first hand experience it works. We need to change with the times..the drug dealers are taking full advantage of our williness to resist change consequently providing criminals..sellers and users a place to hide in our learning institutions and school yards. I'am not willing to ignore the obvious...

[William Terrell]

The DEA focuses on federal drug offenders, the majority of which end up in federal prison. Unlike local law enforcement, where a drug arrest will end up, most likely, in a probation.

What's a "federal drug offender" that is not a state drug offender, except those actually captured coming on the American shores?

Probation or not, over half of the space in federal prisons is wasted by cannabis offenders. That, right there is a money drain. Then we have the entire due process course from investigation to sentencing that costs money.

About 1% of the budget is spent on the WOD, about half of that at the border where they can use the additional help anyway.

I'd think it would be a lot more. Got a source?

I doubt seriously that if cannabis were dropped from the schedule, we would have a DEA as such.

[superskunk]

"The crack of marijuana."

That's a lot like Tuna of the Dirt chicken. And Turkey of the Jungle bananas. And Pork of the Orchard apples.



I would have said, "Like chicken of the sea", bu that's just me talkin'.

[superskunk]

I say decriminalize it all! Let adults do what they want and give life in prison to anyone who supplies a kid. If we do this, some will do till they die, literally. For others, being legal will ruin the appeal. Problem solved. We can spend the money on the deficit and the military.

[Xenalyte]

Did you hear about Jessica's original problem with "Chicken of the Sea"? That's what the SNL sketch is taking off on.

[Clemenza]

Back when I was in high school, my state rep (a DEM by the way) came and gave a talk about this "more potent" form of Marijuana that was hitting the street.

Every few years, we keep hearing about this more potent ganja that will supposedly corrupt our minds. Well, I've tried everything sourced from cannabis and, no, I have never become a dope fiend.