Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Bill to Assess US Drug Policy Introduced in Congress This is... interesting Today, Congressman Eliot L. Engel [^] the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere [^] introduced the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission Act of 2009, a bill that will create an independent commission to evaluate US policies and programs aimed at reducing illicit drug supply and demand. Rep. Engel said, "Billions upon billions of US taxpayer dollars have been spent over the years to fight the drug war in Latin America and the Caribbean. In spite of our efforts, since the early 1980s, the number of US lifetime drug users has steadily risen for marijuana, cocaine and heroin. Clearly, the time has come to reexamine our counternarcotics efforts here at home and throughout the Americas." The Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission will be required to submit recommendations on future US drug policy to Congress, the Secretary of State, and the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) 12 months after its first meeting. I haven't been able to find this bill on Thomas (probably not available yet). If anyone has the text of it, I'd be interested in reading it. This could be good, it could be bad. The devil is in the details (particularly the makeup of this "Commission.") Update: Text of the bill still not available (Thomas is a bitch to link to), but the remarks of Engel when introducing the bill are not encouraging: Let me be absolutely clear that this bill has not been introduced to support the legalization of illegal drugs. That is not something that I would like to see, nor is it my intent to have the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission come to that conclusion. Nothing like pre-judging what the results of an inquiry can be. And, of course, this means that the composition of the Commission will likely be such that only "proper" (ie, worthless) conclusions will be forthcoming. 10:38:01 PM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []

Combatting Swine Flu with Cannabis? Fascinating Cannabis Science Inc., an emerging pharmaceutical cannabis company, reported today on the current state of development of its whole-cannabis lozenge in response to Homeland Security Administration Secretary Janet Napolitano's declaration of a public health emergency to deal with the emerging Swine Flu pandemic. The Company's non-toxic lozenge has properties that could alleviate many of the symptoms and harmful effects of the H5N1 bird flu and H1N1 swine flu viruses, and has offered its assistance to HSA today in a letter to Secretary Napolitano. The Company has offered to produce up to 1 million doses of its whole-cannabis lozenge, and provide them to HSA for distribution at cost. The claims include the fact that marijuana (although specifically not smoked marijuana) can reduce excessive inflammation that can lead to lethal effects of influenza. So, what are the odds that Secretary Napolitano will accept this generous offer? [Thanks to Show Me The Facts] 10:36:16 AM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []

By and large, voters are not stupid Chicago Sun Times Editorial: In Illinois, people who suffer from cancer and smoke marijuana to stem their nausea, reduce their pain or improve their appetite -- well, those folks are criminals. This must end, and fortunately a proposal before state lawmakers would bring much-needed common sense to the medical use of marijuana by legalizing it. [...] We suspect many state lawmakers would like to vote for this measure but fear the political backlash, though the vast majority of them come from safe districts. We suggest they consider a few facts. By and large, voters are not stupid. By and large, they understand the difference between legalizing marijuana for severely sick people under tight controls and passing out joints on playgrounds. The vast majority of voters have a relative or friend who has suffered greatly from cancer, AIDS or another brutal illness. Are we a compassionate society? If so, we will pass this bill. 10:04:17 AM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []