Friday, April 27, 2007

Open Thread 9:16:33 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

A former political hack talks about medical marijuana He's long been both a hateful drug war cheerleader and and embarrassment to Illinois (see this for some examples), and now former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert has weighed in on the medical marijuana debate in Illinois with this letter in the Chicago Sun-Times As a former schoolteacher and coach and father of two, I believe in giving our kids a drug-free future. He's being modest. He forgot to mention his role as "Mark Foley enabler." Illegal drugs are responsible for the loss of 17,000 American lives annually, and marijuana is by far the most used and abused of these drugs. Don't you love it? The joys of juxtaposition. How many of those 17,000 deaths were caused by marijuana? None. Sounds like a good reason to me to get people to use it. More kids use marijuana than cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and all other illicit drugs combined. ... and you'd prefer the reverse? Legislation that allows, supports or recognizes marijuana as a medicine is irresponsible, shortsighted and sends the wrong message to our youth. What message is that? That we care for our sick people? It's interesting that you care so much about messages to youth (Did I just say "messages to youth"? As in instant messages to youth?) There is absolutely no sound scientific evidence that marijuana has any medicinal value. The Food and Drug Administration is the only agency that can designate a substance as a medicine and to date has not done so. No sound scientific evidence, except of course the absolute piles and piles of sound scientific evidence. And the FDA is the lapdog of the pharmaceutical industry, which doesn't want medical marijuana interfering with profits. Oh, did we mention that Hastert received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry, and that members of his family work as lobbyists for that industry? Legalization of any kind will also have unintended consequences: each person injured in driving and work-related accidents committed by those under the influence, and unborn babies harmed by abusing mothers. And what does that have to do with medical marijuana? urge the General Assembly to think twice about supporting legislation that softens the stance that marijuana is dangerous, addictive and illegal. I would hope that everyone could agree that there is no legitimate place in our society for marijuana use. No, I think we agreed that there was no legitimate place for a corrupt Speaker of the House, so we got rid of you from that position. 8:38:40 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []