San Francisco Chronicle Catches Drug Czar in a Crazy Lie
The drug czar's recent claim that there are more medical marijuana dispensaries than Starbucks stores in San Francisco has finally achieved the level of public embarrassment it so thoroughly deserved.
SF Chronicle obtained the alleged dispensary list from ONDCP and found double listings, closed businesses, and even a business in Los Angeles. With their fraud fully exposed, ONDCP has issued a totally bizarre reply saying it's "good news" that their story got press.
Itâs straight-up insane. By the time you get to the part about how many Taco Bells there are in San Francisco, youâll join me in hoping Sarah Palin is the next drug czar so we can at least get MSNBC to give these clowns the daily fact-checking they deserve.
San Francisco's Department of Public Health, which issues permits for medical marijuana dispensaries, is also befuddled by the federal data.
"It was extremely incorrect," said Larry Kessler, a senior health inspector at the department. "I don't know how they got that." [San Francisco Chronicle]
SF Chronicle obtained the alleged dispensary list from ONDCP and found double listings, closed businesses, and even a business in Los Angeles. With their fraud fully exposed, ONDCP has issued a totally bizarre reply saying it's "good news" that their story got press.
Itâs straight-up insane. By the time you get to the part about how many Taco Bells there are in San Francisco, youâll join me in hoping Sarah Palin is the next drug czar so we can at least get MSNBC to give these clowns the daily fact-checking they deserve.
People Who Punish Other People for Using Marijuana
Hereâs a substance abuse counselor describing a new diversion program for marijuana offenders:
Could it be that marijuana wasnât impacting their lives? If you forced a bunch of people into treatment for enjoying poetry, theyâd be confused too. But after 48 hours of court-mandated therapy, I bet theyâd tell you whatever you wanted to hear just to get the hell out of there. People can be terribly insincere when you hold a gun to their head.
Iâm not saying there arenât people who can benefit from marijuana treatment, but rather that having some in your pocket is a wildly insufficient diagnostic criteria for marijuana addiction. Thatâs like saying youâre an alcoholic if you have beer in the fridge.
And yet, despite the complete lunacy of indiscriminately forcing recreational marijuana users to complete drug addiction treatment, there are some who strongly believe a harsher approach is needed:
No, there donât have to be consequences for your actions. There just donât. If someone smokes marijuana 1,000 times and nothing bad happens, then itâs all good. There is no logical reason on earth why there have to be consequences for people who enjoy marijuana. Just leave them alone.
"We've had two groups go through the program now, and we are just thrilled with the results we've seen," she said. "Individuals are coming in with no real perception of how marijuana is impacting their lives." [Toledo Blade]
Could it be that marijuana wasnât impacting their lives? If you forced a bunch of people into treatment for enjoying poetry, theyâd be confused too. But after 48 hours of court-mandated therapy, I bet theyâd tell you whatever you wanted to hear just to get the hell out of there. People can be terribly insincere when you hold a gun to their head.
Iâm not saying there arenât people who can benefit from marijuana treatment, but rather that having some in your pocket is a wildly insufficient diagnostic criteria for marijuana addiction. Thatâs like saying youâre an alcoholic if you have beer in the fridge.
And yet, despite the complete lunacy of indiscriminately forcing recreational marijuana users to complete drug addiction treatment, there are some who strongly believe a harsher approach is needed:
Bowling Green Police Chief Gary Spencer said he does not believe allowing people charged with a crime to complete an educational program and have the charge dismissed deters future crime.
"I'm not sold on any diversion program because I think it's a 'get out of jail free' card," he said. "It's giving someone a warning. To me, there has to be consequences for your actions."
No, there donât have to be consequences for your actions. There just donât. If someone smokes marijuana 1,000 times and nothing bad happens, then itâs all good. There is no logical reason on earth why there have to be consequences for people who enjoy marijuana. Just leave them alone.
Mexican Gangs Threaten School Children
Every day, the stories coming from Mexico get worse. Nothing surprises me at this point. Not even this:
MEXICO CITY â Elementary school teachers are the latest victims of an exploding extortion racket in the border city of Ciudad Juárez, as criminal gangs threaten educators to either hand over their coming Christmas bonuses or see harm done to their families or students, teachers' groups say.
With Monday a school holiday and news of the threats spreading in the media, on the Internet and by word of mouth during the long weekend, there were fears that an increasing number of parents would keep their children at home today, forcing additional schools to close. [Dallas News]
Is anybody going to come forward and claim this is just a temporary problem? Shall we double our drug war donations to restore law and order? Letâs get real. The drug war is destroying the entire country before our eyes and thereâs no limit to how bad it can get.
Itâs amazing to witness the criminal feeding frenzy that is now erupting all over the country now that the drug war has turned Mexicoâs justice system into a complete mockery. Dangerous levels of police corruption have created a horrific laboratory in which violent criminals have begun experimenting with all sorts of terrible schemes. Can you even imagine whatâs next?
If anything can solve the crime problems plaguing Mexico, it will have to be the exact opposite of everything we're doing right now.