(cross-posted to The Agonist)
California — The nation’s top anti-drug official said people need to overcome their “reefer blindness” and see that illicit marijuana gardens are a terrorist threat to the public’s health and safety, as well as to the environment. John P. Walters, President Bush’s drug czar, said the people who plant and tend the gardens are terrorists who wouldn’t hesitate to help other terrorists get into the country with the aim of causing mass casualties. Walters made the comments at a Thursday press conference that provided an update on the “Operation Alesia” marijuana-eradication effort…. “Don’t buy drugs. They fund violence and terror,” he said…. After touring gardens raided this week in Shasta County, Walters said the officers who are destroying the gardens are performing hard, dangerous work in rough terrain. He said growers have been known to have weapons, including assault rifles…. “These people are armed; they’re dangerous,” he said. He called them “violent criminal terrorists.”…. Walters, whose official title is director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said too many people write off marijuana as harmless. “We have kind of a reefer blindness,’ ” he said.
I’m curious; why is it that seemingly everything this Administration deems “bad” is equated to terrorism? If they want us to agree with something on the relatively evil of something- in this case (GASP!!!) marijuana- why can’t or won’t they simply try to reason with us, instead of engaging in the de riguer fear-mongering that characterizes virtually everything this Adminstration touches?
Stem cell research? Health care reform? Immigration reform? Social security reform? What…and let the Democrats terrorists win??
I’m not going to expound on the joys of illegal drug use…though at one point it my life, it worked well for me (there’s a time and a place for that…it’s called “college”, y’all….). While drug addiction is never a good thing, I’ve long since tired of this Administration using it to burnish their credentials as soldiers in the global war on terror. I’m also sick to death of the effort to paint marijuana as the portal to Hell. If alcohol and tobacco are still legal and social acceptable, I see no reason why marijuana should not be as well. The only difference is that we’ve allowed those in power to convince us that marijuana is an evil gateway drug. Today marijuana; tomorrow meth, crack, and OxyContin. OK, then we’re going to address alcoholism and tobacco addication, right? RIGHT?
Er…not exactly….
Let’s face it, y’all…when it comes to the “war on drugs”, we’re a nation of (&^%$#@ hypocrites who’ve allowed ourselves to being thoroughly propagandized by a government beholden to- among other things- alcohol and tobacco interests. Since marijuana growers don’t donate to Republican or Democratic campaign coffers, they haven’t been able to purchase legislative support. This has nothing to do with whether or not marijuana sponsors terrorist groups. It has everything to do with the reality that if marijuana growers want their product to be legal, they can purchase political sponsorship- just like every other special interest group. Hey, it’s the American Way, no?
