KanMan
03-02-2007, 03:31 PM
U.S. drug czar lacks credibility
Friday, March 2, 2007
U.S. drug czar lacks credibility
By MINDELLE JACOBS
Edmonton Sun (http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Columnists/Jacobs_Mindelle/2007/03/02/3684860.html)
U.S. drug czar John Walters is the public face of America's war on drugs -- a debacle that has imprisoned staggering numbers of Americans with no upside in sight.
His visit to Canada last week was an unsettling reminder of the deep divide over drug policy between blinkered political ideology and long-established science.
Walters is fond of claiming marijuana is a dangerous drug and that most addicts are hooked on pot.
He popped north of the border to pat the Harper government on the back for its "co-operation" on the anti-drug front.
And he made the peculiar declaration -- with no context -- that there are more American teens seeking treatment for marijuana dependency than any other drugs, including booze.
Walters made it sound like there are hundreds of thousands of U.S. teens who can't get through the day without a couple of joints.
It's great for whipping up anti-pot hysteria, but the truth is rather banal, says Ethan Nadelmann, founder and executive director of the New York-based Drug Policy Alliance.
Yes, most people in drug treatment in the U.S. are there for using pot, he says. But most of them are in treatment not because they're addicted to pot, but because they got caught toking up by the cops or school officials or their employers.
For most of them, going for help was the only alternative to jail, being booted out of school or losing their jobs, says Nadelmann.
Walters also reiterated his displeasure at the flow of so-called B.C. bud to the U.S. What he neglected to mention is that Canada plays an infinitesimal role in feeding the appetite of U.S. potheads. Most of the marijuana available in the U.S. is produced domestically or imported from Mexico.
So how credible is Walters, the director of U.S. National Drug Control Policy, in helping shape effective anti-drug strategies and winning over the public?
Well, you be the judge. Let the facts speak for themselves. In 1980, there were 50,000 people in jail in the U.S. for non-violent drug offences. Now, there are almost 500,000 in prison.
"My message for Canadians is if you want to look south, the thing to keep in mind is that the dominant context of American drug policy is arrest and incarceration," says Nadelmann.
Like Canada, the U.S. spends three-quarters of its drug war resources on policing, prosecution and prisons.
Of the $368 million spent in Canada in 2004-05 on fighting illicit drugs, only $51 million went to treatment programs and only $10 million each was targeted at harm-reduction and prevention initiatives.
Similarly, drug treatment is badly underfunded in America. Health professionals estimate that only one in 10 people receive the treatment they need, according to the U.S. Drug Policy Alliance.
Ironically, while the Harper government plans tougher sentences for drug offenders, individual U.S. states are thumbing their noses at Washington and liberalizing their drug laws.
Over the past decade, more than 150 drug-policy reforms have been enacted by voters and legislators in 46 states. The changes include allowing people to grow and use pot for medical purposes and diverting non-violent drug offenders from prison into treatment.
"These (reforms) are bubbling up all across the country," says Nadelmann.
Walters may be Uncle Sam's top drug prohibitionist, but it seems Americans are increasingly tuning him out.
Contact: [email protected]
Edmonton Sun (http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Columnists/Jacobs_Mindelle/2007/03/02/3684860.html)
Friday, March 2, 2007
U.S. drug czar lacks credibility
By MINDELLE JACOBS
Edmonton Sun (http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Columnists/Jacobs_Mindelle/2007/03/02/3684860.html)
U.S. drug czar John Walters is the public face of America's war on drugs -- a debacle that has imprisoned staggering numbers of Americans with no upside in sight.
His visit to Canada last week was an unsettling reminder of the deep divide over drug policy between blinkered political ideology and long-established science.
Walters is fond of claiming marijuana is a dangerous drug and that most addicts are hooked on pot.
He popped north of the border to pat the Harper government on the back for its "co-operation" on the anti-drug front.
And he made the peculiar declaration -- with no context -- that there are more American teens seeking treatment for marijuana dependency than any other drugs, including booze.
Walters made it sound like there are hundreds of thousands of U.S. teens who can't get through the day without a couple of joints.
It's great for whipping up anti-pot hysteria, but the truth is rather banal, says Ethan Nadelmann, founder and executive director of the New York-based Drug Policy Alliance.
Yes, most people in drug treatment in the U.S. are there for using pot, he says. But most of them are in treatment not because they're addicted to pot, but because they got caught toking up by the cops or school officials or their employers.
For most of them, going for help was the only alternative to jail, being booted out of school or losing their jobs, says Nadelmann.
Walters also reiterated his displeasure at the flow of so-called B.C. bud to the U.S. What he neglected to mention is that Canada plays an infinitesimal role in feeding the appetite of U.S. potheads. Most of the marijuana available in the U.S. is produced domestically or imported from Mexico.
So how credible is Walters, the director of U.S. National Drug Control Policy, in helping shape effective anti-drug strategies and winning over the public?
Well, you be the judge. Let the facts speak for themselves. In 1980, there were 50,000 people in jail in the U.S. for non-violent drug offences. Now, there are almost 500,000 in prison.
"My message for Canadians is if you want to look south, the thing to keep in mind is that the dominant context of American drug policy is arrest and incarceration," says Nadelmann.
Like Canada, the U.S. spends three-quarters of its drug war resources on policing, prosecution and prisons.
Of the $368 million spent in Canada in 2004-05 on fighting illicit drugs, only $51 million went to treatment programs and only $10 million each was targeted at harm-reduction and prevention initiatives.
Similarly, drug treatment is badly underfunded in America. Health professionals estimate that only one in 10 people receive the treatment they need, according to the U.S. Drug Policy Alliance.
Ironically, while the Harper government plans tougher sentences for drug offenders, individual U.S. states are thumbing their noses at Washington and liberalizing their drug laws.
Over the past decade, more than 150 drug-policy reforms have been enacted by voters and legislators in 46 states. The changes include allowing people to grow and use pot for medical purposes and diverting non-violent drug offenders from prison into treatment.
"These (reforms) are bubbling up all across the country," says Nadelmann.
Walters may be Uncle Sam's top drug prohibitionist, but it seems Americans are increasingly tuning him out.
Contact: [email protected]
Edmonton Sun (http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Columnists/Jacobs_Mindelle/2007/03/02/3684860.html)