[GreenVapor]

“Marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal benefit.”
— White House drug czar Gil Kerlikowske, at a Fresno, Calif., press conference yesterday

DAMNDAMNDAMNDAMNDAMNDAMNDAMNDAMNDAMNDAMNDAMNDAMNDA MNDAMN

[Smilodon]

I just saw this and immediately wrote a letter to Obama.

[kalikilla]

so he is saying my back pain is going away by itself! its like magic . . . . in a way politics is like magic cause they take our taxes and make them dissapear!

[Smilodon]

You can also write the president

The URL is http://www.mpp.org/federal-action.

[Scullycat]

Dangerous?!? Where is the *evidence* to support that claim?

[ironchefblue]

Can you cite a source?

[Oldog4tz]

Drug czar says U.S. won't back pot legalization

Published online on Wednesday, Jul. 22, 2009
By Marc Benjamin / The Fresno Bee

The federal government is not going to pull back on its efforts to curtail
marijuana farming operations, Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House's
Office of National Drug Control Policy, said Wednesday in Fresno.

The nation's drug czar, who viewed a foothill marijuana farm on U.S. Forest
Service land with state and local officials earlier Wednesday, said the
federal government will not support legalizing marijuana.

"Legalization is not in the president's vocabulary, and it's not in mine,"
he said.

Kerlikowske said he can understand why legislators are talking about taxing
marijuana cultivation to help cash-strapped government agencies in
California. But the federal government views marijuana as a harmful and
addictive drug, he said.

"Marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal benefit," Kerlikowske said in
downtown Fresno while discussing Operation SOS -- Save Our Sierra -- a
multiagency effort to eradicate marijuana in eastern Fresno County.

Marijuana plants valued at more than $1.26 billion have been confiscated and
82 people arrested over the past 10 days in Fresno County. The operation
started last week and is continuing.

By comparison, Tulare County's leading commodity -- milk -- was valued at
about $1.8 billion in 2008.

Officials say the marijuana-eradication operation will cost hundreds of
thousands of dollars, but the exact amount won't be known until agencies can
add up staffing, vehicle and other costs.

In Operation SOS, more than 314,000 plants were uprooted in 70 gardens --
numbers expected to rise as the enforcement action continues. Agents also
seized $41,000 in cash, 26 firearms and three vehicles.

Planning for the operation began in February and focused on marijuana crops
being backed by Mexican drug cartels, Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims
said.

Mims said many cartels are involved, but she would not name any because the
investigation is still under way. All but one person arrested was from
Mexico, officials said.

One hundred growers may still be on the loose, said Fresno County sheriff's
Lt. Rick Ko. Many may have gotten rides out of the area, but some could
still be in the Sierra, Ko said.

Last year, Fresno County deputies seized 188,000 marijuana plants.

In just one week, nearly twice as many plants were seized, Mims said, "so
you can imagine how many we were missing."

Statewide, more than 5.3 million plants were seized in 2008, or two of every
three confiscated in the United States, said Bill Ruzzamenti, director of
the Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.

"The amount of drugs out there scares most of us," he said.

Volunteers are going into the gardens to clean up trash, dead animals and
pesticides to return the land as close to its original condition as
possible. But it could take years for the land to recover, because little
can be done once fertilizers and pesticides seep into the ground or stream
beds.

"For every acre of marijuana grown, 10 acres are damaged," said George
Anderson with the California Department of Justice.

http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/1553061.html

[BrattonBasher]

I believe an apology is in order. Obviously in the context of growing on public land, MJ is going to take a hit. But if this clown does not back off that statement about the medicinal value of MJ, then he sure has some explaining to do about his tenure as Seattle Police Chief. He was very MMJ friendly before he took the Czar job.

[bwd]

It's dangerous when grown by mafia, and if they were talking about that in specific, then fine. This jerk lumped Cannabis into commodity trafficking and tried to once again tarnish the herb. What a dumbass, terrible choice of words..

[Eazy]

"Marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal benefit"

Ummm...it cured my back pain and resolved obstructive sleep apnea.

Alcohol and tobacco are dangerous and have no medicinal benefit whatsoever. Both are highly addicting yet they are freely sold throughout the country.

This ought to tell you how true and profound the conspiracy to oppress us is!

Obama lied to us during his campaign!

Told you so!

[ironchefblue]

Thanks for the article and link Olddog4tz.

So much for a progressive police chief sticking to his moral standards when he steps up the the federal level, what an asshole.

[Oldog4tz]

Here's what Pete Guither @ Drug WarRant has to say. another view



I love this drug czar!

I am becoming a huge fan of Gus Kerlikowske.
But, you say, how can that be? Kerlikowske opposes marijuana legalization.

Of course he does. He's the drug czar and required to by law.

It's the way he does it -- so deliciously ridiculous.


"Legalization is not in the president's vocabulary, and it's not in mine," he said. [...]
"Marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal benefit," Kerlikowske said in downtown Fresno ...

This is pure gold. He said this in California! "Marijuana has no medicinal benefit." In California where everybody knows somebody who is benefitting medicinally from marijuana.

You see, our old drug czar would have attacked this with subterfuge. He would have said something like "The FDA and other legitimate medical organizations will never accept smoked drugs as medicine. We have to turn to medical professionals for the proper development of drugs from cannabis, with properly controlled doses, not the false and damaging hope of a dangerous smoked drug just because it makes people feel good. What message are we sending to the children?" And some people would have nodded and thought that sounded reasonable.

Not Kerlikowske. He goes into California and says that marijuana has no medicinal benefit. Well nobody really believes that anymore -- even the hard core drug warriors out there are trying to convince people that other existing drugs provide the same or better benefit as marijuana. By claiming no medicinal value, Kerlikowske looks like a doofus, and by extension, so does the entire U.S. marijuana policy.

And that 'legalization not in his vocabulary' business, over and over again -- more fabulous stuff. It sounds stupid and totally childish. And not just to us.

Of course, we need to ridicule him for this and take advantage of it. Point out the Emperor's New Clothes. But this is easy stuff. And we can make it work for us.

When it comes to marijuana, I love Gus.

However, that does not mean that I'm sold on him as drug czar in all areas. Not in the least. I'm very concerned with the damage that he may cause in the area of prescription drugs -- he's really big on pushing the abuse/overdose messages there (it seems to be a personal agenda for him) and I worry that the government may go even further overboard in terms of making it hard for doctors to prescribe what is necessary for pain management.

But today, he's making me smile.

Originally Posted by kalikilla

so he is saying my back pain is going away by itself! its like magic . . . . in a way politics is like magic cause they take our taxes and make them dissapear!

Somehow my eyeballs magically don't hurt anymore either after smoking herb... must be all placebo effect...

I once saw a MS patient go from being miserably bedridden to doing jumping jacks after using cannabis. Those placebos sure are amazing!

I read that article, by the way, here is another link to it: http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/co...alue-marijuana (Also, read the first comment under the article. I found it quite humorous, especially the last sentence. He makes a good point.)

My favorite part is where Gil says, “Legalization is not in the president's vocabulary, and it's not in mine.” I'm just sitting there stunned after I read this. I'm thinking, you know, it's not what's in your vocabulary, sir, it's what's in the people's vocabulary that matters. You are supposed to be representing us, and working towards making the desires of the masses a reality!

Damn, these guys really boil my blood. They get into office and their ego inflates in size 100,000x. Isn't it funny how politicians kiss our asses while on the campaign trail, but as soon as they get what they want, they begin pushing us around? FORCING us to fit the mold of their ideas for a better America?

Perhaps Kerlikowske is the latest victim of the secret society's dark room manipulation/terrorism sessions. "Do what we say or else..."

[VooDoo Chile]

As BB mentioned, this latest statement doesn't jive with Kerlikowske's policies during his tenure as Seattle's police chief. They're an MMJ state for christ's sake. For the life of me, I can't wrap my head around this one. Maybe it has something to do with him speaking in Fresno? Or as someone else mentioned, the physical location of the grow field. But, I wouldn't go so far as to say that Obama's going back on his campaign promise as Eazy suggested. Perhaps this statement's purpose was to deter the state legislature from completely legalizing marijuana. If the state chooses to do that, it could potentially start a major fight between Ca and the feds. That's assuming the feds refuse to change the federal drug scheduling of course, and this seems like a prime indicator that they're not interested in doing so.

Sigh. I might have to take down my lil "Yes we Can(nabiss)" Obama pic from my English 436 blog.

[RelaxationExpress]

Kerlikowske was never in favor of the Wash MMJ law, HOWEVER, as an elected official in charge of Law ENFORCEMENT, he complied with the will of the voters of his state, unlike a lot of his brethren. He is now in a Federal law enforcement position and as such, it really should be no surprise that he is taking this position; especially on a grow of this size and one that is controlled by what looks like foreign nationals that are members of a large drug cartel on FEDERAL land. This was obviously NOT a MMJ grow so he has little to no flack to put up with from the medical community and the negative press that can come of that.

Originally Posted by RelaxationExpress

Kerlikowske was never in favor of the Wash MMJ law, HOWEVER, as an elected official in charge of Law ENFORCEMENT, he complied with the will of the voters of his state, unlike a lot of his brethren. He is now in a Federal law enforcement position and as such, it really should be no surprise that he is taking this position; especially on a grow of this size and one that is controlled by what looks like foreign nationals that are members of a large drug cartel on FEDERAL land. This was obviously NOT a MMJ grow so he has little to no flack to put up with from the medical community and the negative press that can come of that.

But he specifically stated that cannabis "has no medicinal value".

[clinton]

Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

Go to WH site - fill out contact form - or call the WH directly and make your seves known.

clinton

[420love]

I think they are focused on the negative impact of marijuana prohibition, which creates a guerilla farming situation and pollutes the earth. legalize and tax this crop and this goes away.

Originally Posted by clinton

Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

Go to WH site - fill out contact form - or call the WH directly and make your seves known.

clinton

With all due respect, what will calling them directly and complaining accomplish? They'll probably just act like, "yeah yeah ok, sorry about that, thanks for calling blah blah...", and hang up, move on to the next complainer, etc., before calling it a day, going home, eating some goulash, shitting, showering, and hitting the sheets to rest up for another day of mask-wearing and deception tomorrow. Seriously...

I'm telling you guys... purchase time on public access television and let it all out there! That's how you spread awareness!

[420love]

I will say, Obama is definately not getting re-elected. We will most likely see legalization by the next 1-2 presidential terms. I think Ron Paul will win next term... So it may be a little while longer before it's finally realized and the public is free.

[naturalmystic]

This is crazy how a federal agent can makeremarkslikethis without citing any proof. The guy is nuts. If we could all make statementslike this and people believed them we would all be selling shit that does not work, like the pharmaceuticals that pollute people everyday. And that is legal. Alchohol and tabacco are legal and they are the two of the leading killers in America. They sure as hell don't carry any medicinal value. They are killing us softly and we can't stand for this anymore..Weneed to stand up and fight the fight..Show us proof...

Originally Posted by 420love

I think Ron Paul will win next term...

I hope so.

He's the one and only politician I've ever had a good gut feeling about in my entire life. He radiates genuine honesty. You can see it in his eyes... and I remember one time watching a news program where he was debating with somebody on this very issue, and he became visibly upset with the non-sensical claims his opponent was spewing. Seeing him actually have passion for defending his righteous position made me feel real good about the potential positive change he could bring to the White House... if only he could catch a break...

[RelaxationExpress]

Originally Posted by Cannabliss

But he specifically stated that cannabis "has no medicinal value".

Never said he was smart... LoL

He has to toe that line otherwise he would be going against one of the biggest Reasons for the schedule 1
Classification would be easier to challenge if the Drug Czar or head of the DEA admitted to the medical value

[VooDoo Chile]

Originally Posted by 420love

I will say, Obama is definately not getting re-elected. We will most likely see legalization by the next 1-2 presidential terms. I think Ron Paul will win next term... So it may be a little while longer before it's finally realized and the public is free.

LMAO. This is funny shit I've heard all week. Thanks for the laughs dude!!!!!!!!

Ron Paul '12! You do realize that Ron Paul picked up less than 1% of the vote, right? IIRC, the only state he did well in during the primaries was Neveda, where he picked up something like 15-25% of the vote. That's it. And that was his best showing.

Ya outta dig on that one dude's thread, ya know, the guy that's devoted an entire thread to posting Ron Paul's every move. Seems a tad obsessive, but who cares! No one ever said pledging undying allgiance to Ron Paul had to make sense!

Next you'll be telling us how Ron Paul is this generation's Thomas Jefferson.

Originally Posted by VooDoo Chile

LMAO. This is funny shit I've heard all week. Thanks for the laughs dude!!!!!!!!

Ron Paul '12! You do realize that Ron Paul picked up less than 1% of the vote, right? IIRC, the only state he did well in during the primaries was Neveda, where he picked up something like 15-25% of the vote. That's it. And that was his best showing.

Ya outta dig on that one dude's thread, ya know, the guy that's devoted an entire thread to posting Ron Paul's every move. Seems a tad obsessive, but who cares! No one ever said pledging undying allgiance to Ron Paul had to make sense!

Next you'll be telling us how Ron Paul is this generation's Thomas Jefferson.

That was last election... obviously the next one would and should be a lot different. He's got a lot of time to build up supporters between then and now, especially with Obama starting to show that he isn't really the "hope" as he was advertised.

After this, I think people may start to be fed up (FINALLY! ... ?) with the classic cookie-cutter, plastic, predictable, thumbs-up-when-making-a-point politician, and may look to alternatives such as Paul. Maybe people will start looking in the eyes, and start trusting their gut felings, rather than naively gulping down the spoonfuls of verbal bullshit the usual culprits serve to us.

If his support is low, then everyone who knows about him should start working to spread awareness of him to generate even more support... and those people will spread it to others, and so on... that's how you get it done.