U.S. drug czar calls for end to "war on drugs" finally?

jack oats · Jun 12, 2009

Hey GC. Thought I'd share a news article that will interest us. Discuss.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration's top drug cop plans to spend more money on treating addiction and scale down the "war on drugs" rhetoric as part of an overhaul of U.S. counternarcotics strategy.
But don't expect the White House to consider legalizing marijuana, drug czar Gil Kerlikowske said on Friday.
"The discussion about legalization is not a part of the president's vocabulary under any circumstances and it's not a part of mine," Kerlikowske said in a telephone interview.
As head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Kerlikowske coordinates the efforts of 32 government agencies to limit illicit drug use.
He has been in office less than a month, but the Obama administration has already taken a less confrontational approach to the nation's 35 million illegal drug users.
The FBI is no longer raiding state-approved facilities that distribute marijuana for medical purposes, and the White House has told Congress to eliminate the sentencing disparity between powder and crack cocaine.
Kerlikowske said he hopes to ditch the chest-thumping military rhetoric at the center of U.S. policy since President Nixon first declared a "war on drugs" 40 years ago.
"We should stop using the metaphor about the war on drugs," said Kerlikowske, a career police officer who headed the Justice Department's community-policing initiative under President Clinton. "People look at it as a war on them, and frankly we're not at war with the people of this country."
Nevertheless, Kerlikowske also plans to disrupt trafficking across the Mexican border through a new focus on the guns and cash that travel south, as well as the drugs coming north.
U.S. drug policy has been criticized for focusing too much on fighting supplies from Colombia and other countries in South America and not enough on curbing demand at home, the world's largest drug market.
BALANCING THE APPROACH
Kerlikowske said a more balanced approach was needed, with greater emphasis on treatment programs, especially in prisons.
"It's clear that if they go to prison and they have a drug problem and you don't treat it and they return ... to the same neighborhood from whence they came that you are going to have the same problem," he said. "Quite frankly people in neighborhoods, police officers, et cetera, are tired of recycling the problem. Let's try and fix it."
Obama, who described youthful marijuana and cocaine use in his autobiography, has proposed a budget for the fiscal year starting in October that boosts funding for substance abuse programs by 4 percent to $3.6 billion.
Needle exchanges for intravenous drug users, now banned at the federal level, will be considered a healthcare issue, he said.
Click to expand...

U.S. drug czar calls for end to war on drugs | Special Coverage | Reuters

BrizzlyBear · Jun 13, 2009

Yeah, okay.

That's like calling an end to his job. He doesn't actually mean it.

SuperMonkey26 · Jun 14, 2009

jack oats said:

"The discussion about legalization is not a part of the president's vocabulary under any circumstances and it's not a part of mine," Kerlikowske said in a telephone interview.
Click to expand...

Still sounds pretty useless to me.

piedpiper · Jun 14, 2009

I love the part where Kerlikowske says that Obama won't even discuss legalization.

Old Stoner GTO · Jun 14, 2009

"Rhetoric" is the key word here. All the damn SOB's are going to do is change the RHETORIC. They'll change the War on Drugs to "Keep America Safe - Stay Off Drugs" or some crap like that, that's all.

Another thing I found sad, but funny, is the article stated they will "stop the FBI" from raiding MMJ dispensaries. The FBI?

They must've merged with the DEA, LOL...

And by the way, the MMJ dispensaries are STILL being raided. So much for the pre-election "rhetoric."

Lying SOB's...

smokesomebuddha · Jun 14, 2009

obama is a fucker

Duplicity · Jun 14, 2009

Obama cares much more about what people are going to read about him in history books than what citizens today feel about him. Pretty sad but thats how it goes.

TheHerbHunt · Jun 14, 2009

obama is a fucking liar, but hes black and thats one of the things that got him elected (no offense to my black brothers im not racist) but when the reporters asked black voters why they voted for obama less than 20% of them had a valid reason...oh and he promised to legalize bud. We should have gone with the old vietnam vet with the beer baroness drifting granny

SuperSilverHaze · Jun 14, 2009

well obama told in a interview that he relizes the problem with weed in america, he understands that america wants it legal and regulated. but as of right now he has plenty of other things to think about. North korea.iraq,stockmarket,, but when those things settle down in the next couple years i believe obama will start to work on the problem

Old Stoner GTO · Jun 14, 2009

Wow, there are STILL people out there who've been "hoodwinked" by Obamamania, LOL...

Obama has stated, most vehemently, I might add, that he has NO INTEREST in the legalization of weed.

Hoodwinked again!

Vote LIBERTARIAN next time. Research 'em, THEY are what we need!

Gilu · Jun 15, 2009

SuperSilverHaze said:

well obama told in a interview that he relizes the problem with weed in america, he understands that america wants it legal and regulated. but as of right now he has plenty of other things to think about. North korea.iraq,stockmarket,, but when those things settle down in the next couple years i believe obama will start to work on the problem
Click to expand...

no he won't

this is the best time to fight for legalization
with shitty economy they might actually listen to us.

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U.S. drug czar calls for end to "war on drugs" finally?

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U.S. drug czar calls for end to "war on drugs" finally?

jack oats Registered User

BrizzlyBear Blazing The Green

SuperMonkey26 Bow before SuperMonkey

piedpiper Registered User

Old Stoner GTO Get Turned On

smokesomebuddha Steal Your Face!

Duplicity Cannaseur

TheHerbHunt Banned

SuperSilverHaze Politks talk funny :) Gold Member

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SuperSilverHaze Politks talk funny :)
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