Drug War keeps lots of people in business

Today's New York Times has a short and sweet letter responding to John Tierney's excellent column on marijuana policy from a few days ago.

Sanity on Marijuana

Published: August 29, 2006

To the Editor:

“Lighting Up in Amsterdam,” by John Tierney (column, Aug. 26) is an intellectual breath of fresh air.

A half million arrests a year: that’s hard to take, but it does keep lots of people employed, on both sides of the law.

Gerald M. Sutliff
Bakersfield, Calif., Aug. 26, 2006

StopTheDrugWar.org Speakeasy now open

Stop the Drug War (DRCNet) just launched an entirely-revamped website, complete with a kickass "Speakeasy" blog system that lets readers start their own "soapbox" blogs.

Get blogging, whydoncha?

Senators to Drug Czar: "You don't deserve a paycheck"

The Senate Appropriations Committee slammed the Drug Czar and his staff for "lethargy" and lack of communication, and moved to cut their salaries in half last month.

From the committee's report of H.R. 5576, the 2007 Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, the District of Columbia and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act:

The Committee recommends an appropriation of $11,500,000 for ONDCP's salaries and expenses. This amount is $11,809,000 below the budget request and $15,139,000 below the fiscal year 2006 enacted level.

The Committee is extremely displeased with the performance of ONDCP staff regarding their communication with the Committee and their responsiveness to congressional inquiries. ONDCP's lethargy and the inadequate information provided severely impacts the ability of the Committee to conduct its oversight and make budgetary decisions in a timely manner. This kind of unresponsiveness on the part of ONDCP results in an unnecessary waste of time and energy; numerous follow up communications are required in almost every instance. The Committee is particularly concerned that ONDCP has attempted to prevent the Committee from meeting with the directors of ONDCP programs. Therefore the Committee has reduced the salaries and expenses budget to more closely reflect actual performance.

Lethargy, eh? Sounds like ONDCP staffers have been smoking some of the evil marijuana they claim causes laziness and amotivation... ZING!

Link (search for "office of national drug control policy")

Government anti-drug ads are a waste

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 28, 2006
CONTACT: Tom Angell – (202) 293-4414 or tom//at//ssdp.org

GAO: Government Anti-Drug Ads Don’t Work

Congressional Auditors Say Budget Should be Slashed

WASHINGTON, DC – The Government Accountability Office (GAO) ruled on Friday that the White House’s $1.2 billion anti-drug ad campaign is not only ineffective, but encourages some teens to try drugs. The GAO, Congress’s auditing arm, recommended that funding for the ads be cut despite President Bush’s request for another $120 million to produce more ads next year.

“Young people see right through the government’s offensive propaganda campaign,” said Kris Krane, executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. “We hate being lied to, and these ads clearly stretch the truth. It’s no wonder the government’s efforts have a boomerang effect.”

Some of the popular ads, produced by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), claim that using marijuana supports terrorism, causes people to shoot their friends in the face, run over little girls on bikes, and become pregnant.

The GAO, in examining the methodology of a federally-funded long-term evaluation of the ads, found “no evidence of a positive outcome” and “significant unfavorable effects,” including that “greater exposure to the campaign was associated with weaker anti-drug norms and increases in the perceptions that others use marijuana.”

The ads have also been criticized as ineffective and counterproductive by the White House Office of Management and Budget, the Republican Study Committee, Taxpayers for Common Sense, the National Taxpayers Union, and Citizens Against Government Waste, among others.

After the federally-funded study repeatedly showed unfavorable results, ONDCP cut funding for the evaluation and prevented pending reports from being released.

SSDP hosts an online action system where citizens can ask Congress to cut funding for the ads. The group recently ran a parody of an ONDCP ad in a popular music magazine, highlighting the ineffectiveness of the government campaign. See http://www.ssdp.org/ads for more information.

The GAO report can be viewed at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d06818.pdf

Students for Sensible Drug Policy, a national organization with college and high school chapters, is committed to providing education on harms caused by the War on Drugs, working to involve youth in the political process, and promoting an open, honest, and rational discussion of alternative solutions to our nation's drug problems.

# # #

Here's SSDP's spoof anti-drug ad featuring footage from "Snakes on a Plane":

Have you talked to your parents about Joyce Nalepka?

"Students for Sensible Drug Policy is a militant fringe of the drug legalization movement. As parents, we would treat membership in SSDP as firmly as we would treat drug use. Stop the behavior and resign from the group or pay your own tuition."

-Joyce Nalepka,
Professional Lunatic

From a 2002 essay/rant entitled "Applaud Souder's efforts to fight illegal drug use", which oddly enough, I just found out about.

Now, what parent would punish their kid for being involved in SSDP when they could get this cool Proud SSDP Parent merchandise??

Czar's Reefer Madness.

Check out this great op-ed in the NY Times by John Tierny (MAPINC) about the Bush Administration's pointless obsession with marijuana and how the Netherlands actually manages to have less drug users and focus on real crime. Here are some snips from the letter:

---------------------------

The Dutch generally use drugs less than Americans do, according to national surveys in both countries ( and these surveys might understate Americans' drug usage, since respondents are less likely to admit illegal behavior ). More Americans than Dutch reported having tried marijuana, cocaine and heroin. Among teenagers who'd tried marijuana, Americans were more likely to be regular users.

"Drug policy is irrelevant," says Cohen, the former director of the Center for Drug Research at the University of Amsterdam. It's quite logical, he says, to theorize that outlawing drugs would have an impact, but experience shows otherwise, both in America and in some European countries with stricter laws than the Netherlands but no less drug use.

"Prohibition does not reduce drug use, but it does have other impacts," [Cohen] says. "It takes up an enormous amount of police time and generates large possibilities for criminal income."

-------------------------

I think John Walters is having a bad week.

News flash: Gov't anti-drug ads don't work

Actually, we already knew that. But this time, it's been confirmed by the Government Accountability Office (Congress's auditing arm). Oh, wait...the GAO has already criticized the Drug Czar's media campaign in the past? Damn, I guess this isn't news afterall. But SSDP is still putting out a press release on Monday to make sure the media knows that the drug warriors are spending our hard-earned tax dollars on ads that not only are ineffective, but cause more youth drug use.

In the meantime, have a looksee at this Associated Press piece on the new GAO report.

The Government Accountability Office based its recommendation on its review of an independent evaluation of the media campaign by Westat Inc.

The government has spent about $1.2 billion since 1998 on scores of television, print and radio ads designed to discourage drug use among youth. The ads also describe parents as the anti-drug. President Bush requested another $120 million for next year.

Westat found the ads had no "significant favorable effects" in deterring children from trying marijuana or in getting them to stop. Rather, it found that more 12 1/2- to 13-year-olds and girls were trying the drug after seeing the ads, the GAO said.

So the government's propaganda ads actually increase teen drug use? That's of no consequence to Drug Czar John Walters.

"We have dealt with criticism of the campaign from adversaries, including those who advocate the legalization of drugs," he said.

Suuuuure, Johnny. The White House Office of Management and Budget, the Republican Study Committee, and researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (who have all criticized the ads as ineffective) must all support drug legalization, right?

Simple Reminder that Prohibition Doesn't Work.

I went to the package store last week to get a six-pack of my favorite micro-brew, Newport Storm, and when asked to show my I.D. , I realized I didn't have it on me. I even happen to know the cashier at this store, but she still had to say:

"I'm sorry, but without an I.D. we can't sell this to you."

Simple and efficient way to keep drugs out of the hands of "children". But that is clearly not what the drug warriors are concerned with. If alcohol were illegal, I would have no trouble getting it without proof of age. It just might be lesser quality and more dangerous.

Snakes: The Muthaf*ckin Anti-Drug

Check out this video we made, which pokes fun at our favorite anti-drug commercials (with a little help from Sam L. Jackson)...


I guess joining the mile "high" club isn't as harmless as we thought!

With chapters on over 75 campuses across the country, Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) works on changing Drug War policies at the local, state, and federal levels. When feeling especially creative, we sometimes make videos that highlight the ridiculousness of the government's anti-drug propaganda.

Enter your e-mail address to receive timely and important news and action alerts and join the thousands of students, alumni, and supporters staying in touch with SSDP.

Email Address:

And click here to find out how you can help us cut the multi-million dollar budget for the government's anti-drug media campaign, whose ads are no less ridiculous than the one you just saw.

Cops Say Legalize Drugs

Want to find out why? Check out the 13 1/2 minute video from Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) hosted on SSDP's MySpace page (it's the second of three videos on the left side of the page).

Thanks to Radley at The Agitator for agitating bloggers like us to get as many people as possible to watch this powerful and concise video indictment of the failed War on Drugs.

Check it out, and show your friends and family afterwards.

Oh yeah, and befriend SSDP on MySpace, whydoncha?