[vta]

Drug Czar/Ex-seattleite Gil Kerlikowske's Still A Real Prude When It Comes To Pot.

Former Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske appears to be ever more out of sync with progressive thinking on drug policy, after the American Medical Association's recent announcement that it is asking the federal government to consider legalizing medical marijuana.

Over the past few months, Kerlikowske, now the nation's drug czar, has repeatedly stated he is opposed to any such thing.

"Using smoked marijuana as a way to administer some type of drug isn't something that is approved through medicine," Kerlikowske told NPR ( by medicine, he apparently means medical science ). He acknowledged that scientific research is looking at the medicinal uses of cannabis, but said that conclusive results are needed.

His remarks sounded a note of caution in the aftermath of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's announcement that his office would de-emphasize medical-marijuana cases.

But don't get carried away, says Kerlikowske. "Attorney General Holder issued very clear guidelines to U.S. attorneys about the appropriate use of Federal resources," he notes in a written statement. "He did not open the door to legalization." Furthermore, at a conference last month of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Kerlikowske cited a Washington Post op-ed by Law Enforcement Against Prohibition ( LEAP ), a national pro-legalization group comprising current and former law-enforcement officials, punctuating his remarks by saying, "All of us in this room are far too familiar with the lost promise of a child and the spiraling tragedies resulting from addiction."

Kerlikowske's position puts him at odds with a prominent LEAP advisory-board member: Norm Stamper, Kerlikowske's predecessor as Seattle Police Chief. In light of the AMA's announcement, Stamper asks: "Will our drug czar now find room in his lexicon, or time on his schedule, for a debate on medicinal cannabis?"

"Better yet," Stamper continues, "let's have Gil sit down with a dying patient suffering from a wasting disease, facial melanoma, or other crippling pain. Let him talk with a person whose intolerance of opioids has made his or her life, what's left of it, a living hell. Until you've actually listened to the story of ailing people who've clearly benefited from smoking pot, you can't really appreciate how maddening and stupid and arrogant it is for our leaders to inform these patients that they're criminals if they seek relief from a naturally occurring weed."

Source: Seattle Weekly (WA)

[chef]

I like Stamper, known a few doods named Gil in my lifetime & all have been dicks lol

God I 'd like to bitch slap that son of a bitch. What an ignorant f*ck

[SpasticGramps]

Stamper is a great voice for us. The Drug Nazi Czar sucks at life.

[anikas88]

wasnt this guy touted as promarijuana a while back ago?

"Using smoked marijuana as a way to administer some type of drug isn't something that is approved through medicine," Kerlikowske told NPR ( by medicine, he apparently means medical science ).

Good point. I'd even add to that MODERN mediine because in the "old days" shaman medicine men used to reccomend many native plants that were to be inhaled by smoke as a remedy.

Even the indians used smoked tobacco as a medicine before the white man came along and figured out how to deliver it via a patch.

but guess what, people still prefer to smoke tobacco insted of soley using a patch.

I hate when LEO try's to act like scientists or doctors.

I also hate that many people and congress et al thinks it's acceptable for Leo to act as scientists or doctors.

[DankSide]

I want to interview Gil myself and when he notes that there is no evidence of marijuana used in medical scenarios I will cite what the AMA just said, throw him a list of what can be treated by mmj and tell him he's just propagating outdated beliefs.
Why didn't NPR take care of any of that in their interview?

[j6p]

"Using smoked marijuana as a way to administer some type of drug isn't something that is approved through medicine," Kerlikowske told NPR ( by medicine, he apparently means medical science ).

MMJ can and should be vaporized or consumed in edibles by patients if feasible, and both of these methods are widely used. Kerlikowske's bias is obvious since he only mentions smoking, which is counter intuitive to medicine for many of the Teeming Masses.

[pipeline]

I believe the man is powerless. Seems like he's just the public relations person to relay to everyone how the administration will work... The medical use of cannabis is not going to make their organization any money... It will just make their job harder, and will make public acceptance of their draconian policies that much more difficult...

[Totah Sam]

I guess we're going to follow the U.K.'s lead in throwing out the science and embracing outdated propagandist ideology. When the truth doesn't suit you, lie long and loud enough until people believe the lie over the truth. Which I think is what prompted the AMA's reversal. The scientific community got a little pissed off at the callous treatment of one of their own. Suddenly we're back to Galileo. Instead of burning at the stake, careers and reputations are crushed.

As long as rich old racist white men hold the reins to power, we are going to be their serfs. This country is as close as it has ever been to falling apart. Believe it or not America, Marijuana/Hemp is a great way to stimulate the economy with minimal damage to the environment. A whole new set of job skills are going to prop up. Anyone can grow marijuana/hemp. There are so many different products that can be derived from hemp. So, what are the politicians doing? Trying to hold on to power and letting the country fall further into ruin.

The utter stupidity is astounding. How did we ever become an industrialized nation? Seriously. I've never seen so much backward thinking in my life. Thousands and thousands of people have had their lives destroyed. Not by marijuana but the war on marijuana. We all know this. We see the statistics and studies. We've seen where countries that have legalized drugs have actually dropped in drug use. Because, instead of jailing them, they offer drug treatment programs. Brilliance! All the money being funneled into prosecuting, incarcerating and housing inmates was given to treatment programs. And you know what? The cost of the treatment programs didn't even come close to the expense of housing, feeding, and clothing inmates. Some very intelligent person realized that drug abuse comes from emotional/mental issues. They need help. Not incarceration. People who overuse drugs are dealing with personal demons and need the help. People who use drugs recreationally, are not going to become hopeless addicts. Just like social drinkers.

This political bullshit is really chapping my ass.