With hiatus’ second annual National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws interview, we asked NORML how the country has changed since George W. Bush took office. Suspecting that the more conservative president would bring a greater inctionary tone to the country in regards to drug policy, along with appointing stauncher officials to public office, I once again turned to one of the most vocal groups working for the reformation of what many see as outmoded laws.
Guardian
“”It’s hard to get more conservative than the Clinton administration already was,”” NORML Affiliate Coordinator Kris Krane said.
As it stands, there were more marijuana arrests under Clinton than any other administration.
“”Bush has very little to do with the everyday arrests of pot smokers,”” Krane said. “”That’s really more of a local enforcement issue.””
As to whether Bush’s presence will have a trickle-down effect on the country, making enforcement and punishment more stringent, it’s too early to tell.
At the top level, however, it’s another story. Bush has brought in John Walters as the new Drug Czar, and their relationship has gone on a rather expected route.
“”The ONDCP [Office of National Drug Control Policy, a organization set up during Clinton, which Walters now heads] took out two ads during the Superbowl this year, totaling $30 million, which then equated drug use with terrorism.””
This is a connection that many find highly suspect and that Krane refers to as “”paper thin.”” According to Krane, marijuana — and most drugs in general — “”come from either within the United States, or from Canada, Mexico or Jamaica, not terrorist countries at all.””
Admittedly, the focus of the terrorism-drug link would have to be centered on the Afghanistan heroin that has been getting so much press coverage.
“”Eighty percent of the world’s heroin does come from Afghanistan,”” Krane said. “”But only 10 percent of America’s supply can be traced back to the Middle East. What is really going on here is that a very unpopular program — the war on drugs — which people have been increasingly un-supportive about, has been tagged onto a program that people are very accepting of.””
The response of the public has been less than favorable, and the campaign has received a lot of negative press and criticism as a result.
A major flaw in this terrorism-drug argument is that it blames the American consumer for terrorism. In reality, drug purchasers are inadvertently funding suspected terrorist groups as much as the average soccer mom is.
What Krane calls a “”disconnect”” takes place when you ignore the fact that oil and diamonds are more readily used as methods to generate money for terrorist groups.
“”The soccer mom who drives all over town and fills up her giant Ford Explorer wouldn’t be said to be supporting terrorism,”” Krane said. “”And the oil families are known to be financially sympathetic to terrorist groups.””
Similarly, the international diamond trade has had charges alleging that groups are using diamond-rich areas as a means to their own ends, and yet “”when you buy a diamond ring you’re not said to be supporting terrorists.””
Under the Bush administration, the Higher Education Act has found stronger enforcement as well. The act states that any student who is convicted of a drug charge will lose financial eligibility for a year, two charges for two years, and three convictions will result in the loss of eligibility for financial aid.
This has translated into numerous students losing the ability to attend college and other forms of higher education, or has put them in greater fiduciary troubles.
Krane cites “”upwards of 40,000″” students have been affected by this stronger enforcement: “”It used to be that an unmarked box [indicating a drug conviction] would be generally ignored,”” Krane said. “”But now a blank box is treated as an admission of guilt.””
In addition, the federal government has also beefed up its attacks on cannabis clubs, especially in San Francisco. California is one of 11 states to decriminalize possession of marijuana and is fairly lenient: It is now only punishable by a fine of $100 for less then 28.5 grams. The Golden State is also No. 1 in terms of population and marijuana market share, and is second in estimated production weight, meaning we’ve probably got more pot smokers per capita than anywhere else in the United States.
“”Most progressive movements start in California,”” Krane said. “”And marijuana legalization is no exception. [California was] the first to legalize marijuana for medical use, and the cannabis clubs there are serving as an example for other states who want to move in similar directions. There is definitely an element of the federal government trying to make an example of their ability to control this issue.””
Only a few weeks ago, the Drug Enforcement Agency raided a club in San Francisco that had worked out a deal with local authorities and was legally facilitating the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
“”What we’re seeing is a crackdown on cannabis clubs,”” Krane said. “”California and San Francisco are serving as the front lines on the medical marijuana issue. Most elected officials, with the exception of the governor, are very supportive of medical marijuana. Politicians have started to notice that marijuana is no longer political suicide, and they are listening to the people.””
Krane returns to the implications of our post-Sept. 11 nation, as do most things these days.
“”A lot of civil liberties are being challenged and lost,”” he said. “”There is a big spillover from the war on terrorism into the war on drugs.””
This gives the government far more room to play on people’s irrational fears and scale-up the attack on marijuana smokers.
As volatile as all this must seem, there is still a slow growth of hope: With California as a trend-setter, other states are beginning to take notice and move forward.
“”I think we’ll see Maryland pass some kind of medicinal marijuana laws very soon,”” Krane said. “”They had legislation that was one vote shy of moving through their state congress, and that is a lot closer than they have ever come in the past.””
Meanwhile, NORML encourages you to let your elected officials know how you feel about marijuana. After all, the more pressure they feel, the more likely they are to do something about it.
For more information about national, state-by-state and county-by-county breakdowns of laws see http://www.norml.org.
