Newt Gingrich on OWS
Project Autonomy Launched
A new site called Project Autonomy launched recently as a hub for different groups to come together to develop a network of solidarity to support the continuation and spread of autonomous spaces. Read more at ProjectAutonomy.org.
Our Petition Gathered 2,000+ Supporters
Our petition to make elections transparent and verifiable has passed over 2,000 supporters. Thank you for your continued support. We’ll keep working to bring attention to this and other issues from our goals page. If you have an issue you’d like to gather support for, please submit it in the discussion section or leave a comment.
White House Response Sparks Outrage
When the White House responded to a petition to legalize and regulate marijuana, it sparked outrage among petition supporters who accused the White House of ignoring the direct questions outlined in the petition and instead sticking to a list of irrelevant talking points to avoid the issue. After the White House issued its official response, the petitioners immediately responded with a series of strongly worded petitions to take petitioners seriously. One theory as to why the Obama administration has been cracking down on Marijuana is that the president wants to sure up support and campaign contributions from the major pharmaceutical companies for the coming election. This theory comes from the belief that intellectual property protections allow the drug companies to sell the drugs they manufacture at a substantial markup over and beyond the cost of supply, and, if all drugs were decriminalized, many individuals would turn to the significantly cheaper drugs being offered by other sellers. The original petition and response are posted below.
Petition : Legalize and Regulate Marijuana in a Manner Similar to Alcohol
We the people want to know when we can have our “perfectly legitimate” discussion on marijuana legalization. Marijuana prohibition has resulted in the arrest of over 20 million Americans since 1965, countless lives ruined and hundreds of billions of tax dollars squandered and yet this policy has still failed to achieve its stated goals of lowering use rates, limiting the drug’s access, and creating safer communities.
Isn’t it time to legalize and regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol? If not, please explain why you feel that the continued criminalization of cannabis will achieve the results in the future that it has never achieved in the past?
Response : What We Have to Say About Legalizing Marijuana
By: Gil Kerlikowske
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.
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)
- Monitoring the Future Survey, University of Michigan
Gil Kerlikowske is Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy