Shifting Rhetoric From Decades Old "War On Drugs"

By Kevin Kelley.

From an article by Mike Lillis at The Washington Independent:

Quietly, free of headlines and fanfare, the Obama White House is toning down the bellicose “war-on-drugs” position that’s defined the country’s narcotics policy for the last 25 years.

Appearing in Vienna last week for the 53rd annual United Nations meeting on global drug policy, administration officials shifted away from the decades-old approach of attacking drug use as a crime to be penalized. Instead they moved toward a strategy of tackling addiction as an illness to be treated, a number of health and human rights advocates who attended the event told TWI.

Drug reformers for years have promoted so-called “harm reduction” measures as a more effective and humane way to treat drug addiction and the diseases that often accompany it — an approach that runs counter to the punitive attitude epitomized by the Reagan administration’s “war on drugs.” And while the Obama White House — behind Gil Kerlikowske, the White House drug czar, and his deputy, Thomas McLellan — remains officially opposed to the hot-button harm reduction language, officials have also conceded that the current strategy isn’t working, advocates say. That sharp break from past administrations has left reformers hopeful that the Obama White House will mark a new era in the nation’s fight against drug abuse — one that prioritizes treatment and prevention above rap sheets and prison time.

“There was virtually no reference to a criminal justice approach,” Allan Clear, executive director of the Harm Reduction Coalition, an advocacy group, said of the U.S. delegation in Vienna. “I’m just so used to being appalled by their behavior … It was very encouraging.”

Deborah Peterson Small, executive director of Break the Chains, another group advocating for drug-policy reforms, agreed, noting a brand new willingness among White House officials to embrace certain elements of the harm reduction strategy. When she spoke about treatment reforms to U.S. drug officials in Vienna in 2008, Small said, the entire delegation walked out on her. “This year it was completely different,” she said. “We finally had a sense that they were listening.”

The comments mark quite a departure from those that drug reformers were making a year ago at the same U.N. event, where the Obama administration killed international efforts to include harm reduction language as part of a U.N. document that will guide the next decade’s global drug policy. Harm reduction refers to things like drug-substitute treatments and clean-needle exchanges — programs being tried (with promising results) in a number of countries to battle the spread of HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C and other drug-related illnesses. The White House has argued that the broad harm reduction language is “ambiguous” and could include controversial programs the administration doesn’t support, including drug legalization, drug consumption rooms and heroin prescription initiatives.

This news is very promising for some, but is far from the absolute goal of legalization. It would most likely be safe to assume that once sensitive legislative measures, such as health care or immigration reform, are done with, the Administration might take a more open approach to politically risque subjects.

States Lessen Marijuana Restrictions

By Kevin Kelley

A USA Today article recently published has identified a growing trend among states becoming more willing to address the legalization of marijuana, but not outright.  These moves have been coming in steps, with passage of legislation allowing for medical marijuana use or decriminalization of the substance.  Marijuana still remains as an illegal drug, but many local governments are taking steps to lessen limits, and the movement is gaining converts - conservative converts who were once the stalwarts of drug enforcement.

James Gray, a former superior court judge and congressional candidate has officially changed his position, stating that it is becoming easier for children to acquire the drug then compared to alcohol because marijuana is not regulated by the government.  Steven Gutwillig of the Drug Policy Alliance had stated that "we are absolutely in an important new era in which increasing majorities of Americans are not just questioning the wisdom and efficacy of marijuana prohibition but are demanding alternatives."

According to Kurt Gardinier, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, politicians have been increasingly tackling this once politically risky subject because "politicians are finally catching up with the American public."  We can only hope that this trend continues and debate on the subject does not stop.

Refocusing Our Efforts

By Kevin Kelley

Late last year, the realization that universal health care would be passed, and so the goals of this website were under reevaluation.  While the authors of this site firmly believe that the legalization of marijuana could positively contribute the the overall benefit and well being of the general population, it is also evident that the two positions - universal health care and the legalization of marijuana - will not merge.  This does not dampen the call for legalization.  While health care legislation has taken a surprising turn in recent months since December 24th, 2009, the debate still continues, and so shall this website. 

With that being said, I would like to address the adjusted goal of this website.  While the combination of health care reform and marijuana reform seems to be far fetched, I still strongly believe that any reduction in restrictions on the drug should be made carefully, and any benefits should be closely guarded, as to not allow state and federal governments to miss out on any possible advantage.  For this reason, the call for fiscal responsibility still stands, as well as the protection of government resources to help prevent monetary crises, such as what states are currently experiencing.

The U.S. Department Of Justice And Medicinal Cannabis

By Kevin Kelley

In a momentous step in the right direction, the United States Department of Justice has issued a directive that will protect medicinal cannabis users in states with laws allowing marijuana use.  Although seen by some as side stepping the issue of complete legalization, this news is a relief for those with medical problems, in which marijuana helps aid.  Under the Bush administration, the federal government would enforce anti-marijuana laws regardless of state codes.  This shift is a departure of the previous administration's policy and appears to be promising in reforming the nation's antiquated approach to drugs.  Currently, there are 14 states that allow such use, with California law makers contemplating full-on legalization.

The concern of this website is the potential misappropriation of funds obtained from legalization, or in the meantime, from any sort of civil fine collected from decriminalization.  It will be interesting to see the amount saved by this new new directive, now that agents can spend their time doing more worthwhile pursuits.

Unemployment And Health Care

By Kevin Kelley

With the country in the midst of it's worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, unemployment rates are reaching their highest levels in recent history, and with the rise of unemployment includes the rise of uninsured.  Although employees can maintain their employer-based health coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA), the cost is unrealistically high, consuming the majority of one's unemployment benefits, if not higher.  In addition to the high cost, many laid of workers who are unable to afford health care will lose coverage altogether, and for those with preexisting conditions, it establishes a dangerous cycle, with the worker finding themselves in a predicament where no insurer would sell them a policy that will cover preexisting conditions at any price.

The inability to pay for health care leads to other problems as well.  If the individual cannot afford to continue coverage, then they risk becoming uninsured, and they face the possibility of having to pay the burden of a costly illness.  If they do pay for continuation, then they risk the inability to pay other obligations, such as house or car payments, which could lead to further economic endangerment.  If you consider the average unemployment benefits versus the average COBRA cost, for families, it could consume up to 84% of their monthly unemployment income.  For individuals, the average is lower, consuming close to 30%.  Considering housing and food cost for the typical individual $800 per month, this leaves workers in a tough situation.

61% of those under the age of 65 receive their benefits from an employer.  Becoming uninsured, those people are more likely to forgo medical care and develop a preexisting condition.  Those who do decide to get help face medical debt, with 61 percent of adults who were uninsured at some point in 2007 having medical debt or problems with medical bills.  If you consider that every time the unemployment rate rises one percentage point, the number of uninsured Americans rise by about 1.1 million.  Considering the current economic climate, this statistic is alarming, considering the lasting economic impact it will have on these individuals, and the American workforce in general, when these workers eventually become employed.  Both medical problems and medical debt will still be there, causing an extra burden on the middle class.

For additional information, read here.

Cigarette Taxes

By Kevin Kelley

Considering a comparable industry, taxation on cigarette consumption is a good place to look when considering the benefits of legalization of marijuana for the purpose of creating a tax base for funding universal healthcare.  Currently, both the federal and state governments impose a tax on cigarettes, with income from cigarettes adding up to a significant amount for some states.

Although there have been increased legislation against cigarettes, with income derived from taxation decreasing steadily since 2002, with the federal cigarette tax collecting only $7.7 billion in 2005, compared to $8.1 billion in 2002, this is still a considerable amount.  The individual states have also seen monetary gains.  California earns about $1 billion a year, while Minnesota earns roughly half that.  Just using these figures as a comparison, and using the proposed bill by Senator Max Baucus, the income generated at the federal level for the taxation of cigarettes constitutes almost ten percent of the total estimated cost of health reform, according to the Congressional Budget Office.  Estimates for the legalization of marijuana has placed the figure around this level to even higher, with such a disparity due to the fact that it is difficult to gauge illegal consumption.  Potentially, marijuana could offer far greater tax benefits that the government could use for funding universal health.

Here is a map depicting various state taxes on cigarettes (click to enlarge):

Overall Health Care Performance

By Kevin Kelley

A report by the Commonwealth Fund has scored the states on health care, based on several factors.  Here is a visual aid to explain the data (click to enlarge):