Wednesday, October 29, 2003

Winning the War on Drugs I realized today that I missed something from the government's most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Of course, they distributed the results they wanted known widely through press releases -- lots of statistics about various changes in drug use patterns, and some play on the fact that there were 19 million current illicit drug users. However, I had not seen any reports that showed lifetime illicit drug use, but I knew it had to be in the report. Sure enough, in Table C.13 we discover: Lifetime Any Illicit Drug % 46.04% Lifetime Any Illicit Drug # 108,250,000 Lifetime Marijuana % 40.38% Lifetime Marijuana # 94,946,000 That's right. Over 100 million people have used some illicit drugs in their lifetime and almost that many have used marijuana. Practically 1/2 of the population. So what does this tell us? (of course these are things that most of us in the drug policy reform field already know) Over 80% of people who have used drugs are not current drug users, let alone abusers (so much for the certain enslavement properties of drugs). Arresting drug users is futile, since you'd have to arrest half of all U.S. citizens. This inspired my latest design for the Drug WarRant merchandise at CafePress: Of course, if we actually put all those who have used illegal drugs in jail, it would cost over two trillion dollars a year to do so (just imagine the tax rates for the remaining population!) 2:17:41 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Help reduce the number of those !#^$%#* TV Commercials! In my in-box today from the Drug Policy Alliance: If you could slash the amount of your tax money being spent on absurd TV ads comparing marijuana smokers to terrorists, would you act right now? Is the pope catholic? Does a bear shit in the woods? Is the Drug Czar an unethical taxpayer-funded lobbyist? You have an opportunity today to cut those ads and save taxpayers $50 million a year. Right now Congress is debating how much of your money should be spent on the anti-drug ads next year. The House wants to spend $150 million, but the Senate only wants to spend $100 million. Your Senator, Richard Durbin, is on the committee that will make the final decision. And I can pretty much count on him doing the right thing, but I'd like to follow up anyway. What do I do? 1) Call Senator Durbin's office TODAY. Call the Capitol Switchboard for free at 1-800-839-5276 and ask for Senator Richard Durbin. Tell him you strongly oppose wasting taxpayer money to support government advertising campaigns that are ineffective and can be produced privately. Tell his office, "I want Senator Durbin to save taxpayers $50 million by only spending $100 million on the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, part of the Transportation-Treasury appropriation bill. In a time of war and deficit spending he should go with the Senate spending level, not the $150 million the House wants to spend". Actually, he should go with the spending level of $0, but I guess you gotta take what you can get. For more on this, visit the Drug Policy Alliance. Oh, and by the way, the new anti-marijuana ads produced by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Partnership for a Drug- Free America, will utilize sarcasm. Right. The effort launches with a pair of 30-second spots. In "Pool," a toddler carries an inflatable raft to a swimming pool and places it in the water. As she teeters on the edge, a voiceover says: "Just tell her parents you weren't watching her because you were getting stoned. They'll understand." The other ad, "Pick Up," shows a group of young boys leaving a baseball field. One sits on the curb, waiting to be picked up, as day turns to dusk. The voiceover says, "Just tell your little brother that you forgot to pick him up because you were getting stoned. He'll understand." I can't wait. Thankfully they'll be out in time for Thanksgiving. (via TalkLeft) What's that phone number to call my Senator again? 1:46:05 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

You look nervous... Again, via TalkLeft (as always on top of everything and incredibly prolific), the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that nervousness alone cannot support a vehicle search when police stop the car for a traffic violation. The court invalidated a consent to search that was obtained during the stop. Noting that innocent people are frequently nervous when confronted by a law enforcement officer -- a phenomenon Judge Rosemary Barkett said is shared by lawyers presenting cases to appellate judges -- the court said more is necessary to change a traffic stop into a drug search. 1:22:01 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Sigh... Via TalkLeft and NORML: Pot Smokers Arrested In America At A Rate Of One Every 45 Seconds Washington, DC: Police arrested an estimated 697,082 persons for marijuana violations in 2002, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual Uniform Crime Report, released yesterday afternoon. The total is among the highest ever recorded by the FBI, and comprised nearly half of all drug arrests in the United States. If only we could convince Osama to smoke some pot... 1:16:34 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

What are they smoking? Via Vice Squad, this article by Deroy Murdock at NRO All seriousness aside, as funnyman Steve Allen often said, federal drug warriors keep embarrassing themselves by enforcing pointless, oppressive policies that merely ignite tax dollars as if with a Zippo lighter. Like every White House since Nixon's, the Bush administration continues the collective, bipartisan hallucination that Uncle Sam's heavy hand can crush the desire of millions of Americans to alter their states of consciousness. Fortunately, some judges, states and cities have soured on the costly and cruel war on drugs as it grinds through its 30th futile year. 1:07:44 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []