I just got an email from the white house re marijuana

[Mojorabbit]

and I am totally pissed off at this drek.
mojorabbit


What We Have to Say About Legalizing Marijuana

By Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy

When the President took office, he directed all of his policymakers to develop policies based on science and research, not ideology or politics. So our concern about marijuana is based on what the science tells us about the drug's effects.

According to scientists at the National Institutes of Health- the world's largest source of drug abuse research - marijuana use is associated with addiction, respiratory disease, and cognitive impairment. We know from an array of treatment admission information and Federal data that marijuana use is a significant source for voluntary drug treatment admissions and visits to emergency rooms. Studies also reveal that marijuana potency has almost tripled over the past 20 years, raising serious concerns about what this means for public health – especially among young people who use the drug because research shows their brains continue to develop well into their 20's. Simply put, it is not a benign drug.

Like many, we are interested in the potential marijuana may have in providing relief to individuals diagnosed with certain serious illnesses. That is why we ardently support ongoing research into determining what components of the marijuana plant can be used as medicine. To date, however, neither the FDA nor the Institute of Medicine have found smoked marijuana to meet the modern standard for safe or effective medicine for any condition.

As a former police chief, I recognize we are not going to arrest our way out of the problem. We also recognize that legalizing marijuana would not provide the answer to any of the health, social, youth education, criminal justice, and community quality of life challenges associated with drug use.

That is why the President's National Drug Control Strategy is balanced and comprehensive, emphasizing prevention and treatment while at the same time supporting innovative law enforcement efforts that protect public safety and disrupt the supply of drugs entering our communities. Preventing drug use is the most cost-effective way to reduce drug use and its consequences in America. And, as we've seen in our work through community coalitions across the country, this approach works in making communities healthier and safer. We're also focused on expanding access to drug treatment for addicts. Treatment works. In fact, millions of Americans are in successful recovery for drug and alcoholism today. And through our work with innovative drug courts across the Nation, we are improving our criminal justice system to divert non-violent offenders into treatment.

Our commitment to a balanced approach to drug control is real. This last fiscal year alone, the Federal Government spent over $10 billion on drug education and treatment programs compared to just over $9 billion on drug related law enforcement in the U.S.

Thank you for making your voice heard. I encourage you to take a moment to read about the President's approach to drug control to learn more.

[Ohio Joe]

1. "visits to emergency rooms" .... I call bullshit

I've never even heard of anyone going to the emergency room because they got high.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Neither have I, for marihuana

Read gateway drug, that's what he's talking about, the weed will lead to heroin and narc an you see...

Translating from buroecratize that makes scccaaarrryyy.

For the record the worst I saw from weed as a medic...was a bad case of both giggles and munchies. And yes we were called.

[Mojorabbit]

11. This potency thing gets me also

The stuff that was around in the late 60's and early 70's blows the stuff available now totally away.

[XemaSab]

18. So instead of smoking one or two joints

a person looking to get high is going to take one or two hits.

You'd think the government would be happy that people are smoking less. :P

[SkyDaddy7]

25. Maybe whats "available"...

but the fact is there are many new strains that are more powerful if grown correctly. The best growers in the world will proudly admit this fact. Not gonna go into details but I have smoked my share of the finest the world has to offer for 40yrs & yes some of today's strains are leaps & bounds better than they were 40yrs ago. That is not a bad thing it is a good thing especially for people like myself who have neuropathic pain due to a spinal cord injury.

Having said that Cannabis is not nearly as harmful to ADULTS as alcohol...It does not destroy lives except when it comes to the legal system like alcohol does.

[musette_sf]

36. no kidding

[Electric Monk]

14. Some kid baked a batch of pot brownies and gave them out at school, without mentioning they were

laced with pot. Some of the kids who ate them 'felt weird' and went to the ER, because they didn't know what they'd ingested.

This was in my local news a couple years back.

That's the only time I've ever heard of someone going to the hospital over pot, though.

It's not nice to give a 'surprise high' of any kind to people who don't want one.

[Scuba]

28. Thirty-plus years in healthcare and I never heard of even one ER trip due to pot. n/t

[Bozita]

2. *cough* ... BULLSHIT! ...*cough*

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Translation...we are getting rich

From this war and police can crack down...

Yes call me cynical, will be here all week.

[yurbud]

24. and banks get rich laundering the drug money

[CrispyQ]

35. Disgusting.

I'm so disgusted with this broken, corrupt system, I can hardly even follow politics anymore. It just raises my blood pressure. I don't know how I'm going to muster up enough "give a fuck" to fill out my ballot.

[Tx4obama]

5. So, is there a link to: - the president's approach - ?

The last line of the OP says: I encourage you to take a moment to read about the President's approach to drug control to learn more.

Was there a link in the email for that?

[Mojorabbit]

6. Here is what was directly under that line

Resources:

National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Marijuana Facts (ONDCP)
Drug Abuse Warning Network (HHS)
Treatment Episode Data Set (HHS)
National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS)
Check out this response on We the People.

Stay Connected

Stay connected to the White House by signing up for periodic email updates from President Obama and other senior administration officials.

[Mojorabbit]

8. these are links in the email

and I am not sure how to make them come thru here

[Mojorabbit]

9. Here is the link. I clicked on it and copied it

http://www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/2011-national-drug-control-strategy?utm_source=wethepeople&utm_medium=response&utm_campaign=ondcp

[Tx4obama]

13. Thank you. n/t

[DLine]

7. What a cop out!!!!

"To date, however, neither the FDA nor the Institute of Medicine have found smoked marijuana to meet the modern standard for safe or effective medicine for any condition."

Well how about non-smoked marijuana? I use marijuana almost daily but I rarely smoke it. I much prefer my vaporizer over smoking.

[ArcticFox]

10. Screw Obama and his minions

There is nothing unsafe or ineffective about smoked marijuana.

Even Tylenol is both less safe and less effective.

[Bozita]

12. A lot of PDs are financing their own ranks with the drug forfeiture laws.

Allen Park, MI recently bought new squad cars with those funds.

Why don't we have bankster forfeiture laws?

Take their fucking cars, houses, and anything else they bought with those illegally obtained funds, That includes gifts to spouses, family and friends.

Why not?

[villager]

15. typical of the horseshit and lies spewing from this administration

n/t

[XemaSab]

16. What We Have to Say About Legalizing Beer

By Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Beer Control Policy

When the President took office, he directed all of his policymakers to develop policies based on science and research, not ideology or politics. So our concern about beer is based on what the science tells us about beer's effects.

According to scientists at the National Institutes of Health- the world's largest source of drug abuse research - beer use is associated with addiction, obesity, and cognitive impairment. We know from an array of treatment admission information and Federal data that beer use is a significant source for voluntary drug treatment admissions and visits to emergency rooms. Studies also reveal that beer potency has almost tripled over the past 20 years, raising serious concerns about what this means for public health – especially among young people who drink beer because research shows their brains continue to develop well into their 20's. Simply put, it is not a benign drug.

Like many, we are interested in the potential beer may have in providing relief to individuals diagnosed with certain serious illnesses. That is why we ardently support ongoing research into determining what components of beer can be used as medicine. To date, however, neither the FDA nor the Institute of Medicine have found beer to meet the modern standard for safe or effective medicine for any condition.

As a former police chief, I recognize we are not going to arrest our way out of the problem. We also recognize that legalizing beer would not provide the answer to any of the health, social, youth education, criminal justice, and community quality of life challenges associated with beer.

That is why the President's National Beer Control Strategy is balanced and comprehensive, emphasizing prevention and treatment while at the same time supporting innovative law enforcement efforts that protect public safety and disrupt the supply of beer entering our communities. Preventing beer use is the most cost-effective way to reduce beer use and its consequences in America. And, as we've seen in our work through community coalitions across the country, this approach works in making communities healthier and safer. We're also focused on expanding access to treatment for addicts. Treatment works. In fact, millions of Americans are in successful recovery for drug and alcoholism today. And through our work with innovative beer courts across the Nation, we are improving our criminal justice system to divert non-violent offenders into treatment.

Our commitment to a balanced approach to beer control is real. This last fiscal year alone, the Federal Government spent over $10 billion on beer education and treatment programs compared to just over $9 billion on beer related law enforcement in the U.S.

Thank you for making your voice heard. I encourage you to take a moment to read about the President's approach to beer control to learn more.

[XemaSab]

17. Two more things:

1) This letter is illiterate and I suspect that the person who wrote it was high at the time.

2) That's 19 billion dollars, or 63 dollars for every person in the US. The money would be better spent buying everyone an 8th of bud for all the good it's done.

[lunatica]

19. They must protect Big Pharma

And the paramilitarization of the police so they can be prepared for those terrorists by smacking them potheads around and throwing their asses in jail. Even if they're sick and old.

[jeff47]

20. No, big pharma would love to sell pot.

Asset forfeiture laws, on the other hand...

[lunatica]

31. They'd love it only if they could get a monopoly on growing it

And the government knows that isn't going to happen. They're also invested in the prison system being filled and their War on Drugs. Legalizing it would eliminate a hell of a lot of government jobs.

[uncle ray]

33. then why don't they?

there is nothing stopping them.

[jeff47]

34. Because it's illegal.

Just because they sell some drugs doesn't mean they can sell them all. They can't sell meth or cocaine either, even though highly addicted customers are dream customers.

[msongs]

21. murdering people by drones good, pot bad. family values in action nt

[SoCalMusicLover]

22. BLAH BLAH BLAH

Hope....

BLAH!!

Change...

BLAH!!

Donate To My Campaign...

BLAH!!

What Choice Do You Got?

BLAH!!

Same Shit, Different President.

[blkmusclmachine]

23. The WH **LIES**

You lie!

[piratefish08]

26. Drugs is bad, m'kay? unless Pharma is making them.

someone will be along shortly to remind us that Obama is in favor of legalizing marijuana though.

[mdmc]

27. How is the drug war better then regulation?

I just got this email as well..

[Vinca]

29. Have there been more deaths from marijuana use or the drug wars?

This is ridiculous. Marijuana is no worse than booze and I don't see them clamouring to take cocktail hour away.

[randr]

30. Follow the money

It all boils down to the fact that $19B of our tax money ends up in the hands of those who lobby the most for it. Law enforcement and "education and treatment programs" are a waste of money and the problems they see associated with use are bullshit.
GET THE GOVERNMENT OUT OF OUR PERSONAL LIVES

[DLine]

32. Everybody who signed the white house petition got this email..

Now go sign this petition.

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/actually-take-these-petitions-seriously-instead-just-using-them-excuse-pretend-you-are-listening/grQ9mNkN


and this one..

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/regulate-tobacco-and-alcohol-manner-similar-marijuana-and-other-currently-illegal-substances/rZpdbT2z


and maybe this one just because..

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/publicly-request-resignation-gil-kerlikowske/KVxx6PK1

[ecstatic]

37. I support science and I support legalization

If someone wants to smoke (and possibly become ill as a result), let them. Just don't do it while driving or while operating something that could endanger others.

[progressoid]

38. ...use is associated with addiction, respiratory disease, and cognitive impairment.

Alcohol use is associated with addiction, liver disease, and cognitive impairment - legal.

Tobacco use is associated with addiction, respiratory disease, and cancer - legal.

[w8liftinglady]

39. Hmmm. I was the head nurse of the MICU of a large hospital for 5 years.

I saw MULTIPLE,MULTIPLE alcohol poisonings.I lost several teenagers that way.

I NEVER saw a patient with marijuana toxicity.I had many end-stage AIDS and cancer patients who benefited from the "off label" use of marijuana to counteract their chemo and medications.

I cared for well over 10,000 patients during that time frame.
Never.
Never.


This is pure crap.