New Drug Czar

AIR DATE: Tuesday, March 17th 2009
POSTED BY: JULIE SABATIER
Photo credit: Nemone / Flickr Creative Commons

President Obama has nominated Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske to head the Office of National Drug Control Policy (i.e., if confirmed he'll be the new "drug czar"). Though Kerlikowske comes from a strong law enforcement background, his approach to drug policy has been called progressive. He presided over a city known for drug courts and needle exchange programs, a tolerance for the yearly Hempfest and mobile methadone vans. Some people are also saying that having a stepson with multiple marijuana charges has given Kerlikowske a painful but invaluable understanding of the complexities of drug problems.

What will all of this mean when he takes the national stage, and what will that national stage mean for the Northwest? What is your experience with state and national drug laws? What are you hoping will change — or stay the same?

GUESTS:

Tagged as: crime · drugs · law · marijuana

Photo credit: Nemone / Flickr Creative Commons

If I wanted to climb Mount Hood, officials at the Forest Service would tell me to get training and recommend guide services to help me get to the top and back down safely. If I wanted to use a drug, the czar would say there is no safe use, and he would use scare tactics to discourage me. Mountaineers have organizations that train them to be safe, but each individual who chooses to use drugs must reinvent the wheel when it comes to figuring out what is safe and what isn't.

I doubt Kerlikowske will do anything to help educate people how to safely use drugs, and will only perpetuate the myth that drug use has no value and cannot be done safely.

skeptica —

While I'm hopeful the drug czar will nurture meaninful change, I don't see catalysts yet. Why do so many use drugs? Do they escape boredom, or the lack of opportunity to do useful things with their lives? When will we truthfully address the reasons we produce and consume drugs in the first place? I hope people learn the true causes of their suffering so they can eventually eliminate them.

trurl9 —

Why do people use drugs? For nearly every drug there are four basic ways it's used:

1. Use- the drug is simply used to facilitate some goal. Cafeine or the coca leaf are used to be alert and have energy. Opiates are used for pain, even psychedelics have been used by computer programers who have said that low doses have helped their process.

2. Recreation- the drug is used for fun. Alcohol is our main drug for this one, but of course nearly every other drug is used this way.

3. Spiritual/religious use- japanese tea ceremonies, wine use durring communion, rastas smoking ganja, shamans using psychedelics.

4. Abuse- this one doesn't need any eplanation, since it is the only category our government admits exists (except when it comes to our exceptions of alcohol, nicotine and caffeine).

What I find really it intersting is that nearly every psychoactive drug is used in all four ways! This makes perfect sense because psychoactive drugs interact with our mind and minds are complex and diverse.

skeptica —

"drug czar"

First of all let's get rid of this Conservative idea that we need any kind of "Czar" (from the Roman Caesar) of anything. We don't need small government top down strongman dictators, Monarchs, Kings, or the current Conservative version "Unitary Executives",   in the US or even the world.

What we do need are citizen leaders who ask citizens to brainstorm and come up with many ideas and then discuss those ideas and try out the best and see if they work any better than the old ideas that did not work.

We need Lincolns' idea of Government of the People, by the People, and for the People.

Tom D Ford —

Your liberalism is showing :p 

But really, why can't we move past the name calling and just focus on a very real issue.  The war on drugs is too expensive. Rampant, unregulated drug use is clearly not a viable option (google the effects of opium in China).  We, conservatives, moderates, and liberals, need to work together to find a viable compromise.

BTW, I am one of those conservatives that needs small, decentralized government (as the Constitution guaranties me).

johnqpublic12 —

If you legalize drug use and only the government can supply it AT COST to people who register, take classes about drugs use, and are given licenses to use, the people who will use drugs no matter what the law will get their drugs without having to commit crimes, the drug dealers and smugglers will go out of business for lack of profits, crimes committed to get drugs will stop, gangs funded by drugs will essentially go out of business, the international drug trade will stop, thuggish dictators who arm themselves through drug money and rule through fear and intimidation funded by drugs will have to change their ways, and the massive amounts of money currently spent on police and prisons can be spent on other things or not even be collected as taxes.

Let’s just acknowledge that some people are going to use drugs no matter what, and let’s just give them their drugs at cost  in a way that saves all the rest of us from the detrimental problems associated with outlawing drugs and the subsequent “Drug Wars” problems.

Legalize but don't allow commercialization, we need to get and keep the profits out of drugs so that there is no advertising to attract new users, and so the world drug trade collapses.

Tom D Ford —

I would also like to add that I have a B.S. in Biochemistry (GPA of 3.7), and am now a graduate student working 70 hours a week doing research in neuroscience, and I also smoke pot and have been fascinated with psychedelics since I saw a drug awareness poster in the fourth grade. 

Had I been caught smoking pot in college, I would have lost my financial aid (due to federal law) and been forced to drop out. Then instead of going to work to advance biomedical science, I would have ended up either in some kind of unskilled job or used my chemistry knowledge to become a clandestine chemist. Fortunately I no longer have to rely on financial aid, and so I can now be judged by my performance in school and in the lab, rather then by my drug use.

I do feel bad that the money I spend on drugs ends up in the hands of criminals, and would much rather give it to honest business people and the government. Unfortunatly if I risked growing/making my own drugs I could be arrested go to jail, and lose my more important dreams in life. My money thus goes to the black market. Yes I bear responsibilty for some of the terrible things that happen in the black market, but so does our drug policy which helps divert billions of dollars to drug gangs and terrorists around the world. The UN says that the taliban have made hundreds of millions of dollars from the Heroin trade:

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29099&Cr=Afghan&Cr1=UNODC

skeptica —

I think I understancd part fo the problem with the allure of drugs. I used Methamphetamine for 13 years. I also used Cocain and Marijuanan. Life is really hard for too many people across this country. And the fact that I am mentally ill didn't help. But the pressures of life got to me so much so that I needed an outlet. At 25 I had a fairly narrow view of my options. So I started using as a way to cope with the wild thoughts and emotional upheaval I have gone through all of my lfe. I can say that I have had to pay dearly for that use. Drug use led me to prison. I will be on parole foir my mistakes while on meth until 2018. One thing that is happening is that mental health is turning a corner from being a taboo thing to being sometihing that is part of everyone's life. The more mental health is addressed the more we will be able to treat those who are driven to abuse substances.

Chrissy4605 —

Drug use is detrimental to the progression of a society, but the excessive cost of blanket prohibition is far more so.  We need to find a balanced policy which can mitigate the damage done by both the "War on Drugs" and rampant drug abuse.  The free market has long been America's method of choice for finding balance, so lets move the less lethal drugs out of the black market to allow the free market forces of educated consumer choice and supplier branding dictate our society's view of drugs and the people who use them.

johnqpublic12 —

"The free market has long been America's method of choice for finding balance..."

Ah the story of the Unicorn of the Conservatives is brought out once again. The mythological beast called the "free market" that magically cures every ill, makes everyone rich, and makes it so no one has to do actual work, everyone just collects their capital gains, dividends and interest.

But of course in reality, the most capitalistic of all markets is also the most regulated of all markets, the stock markets.

The most recent example of a free market is that of Derivatives, which Conservative Republicans  prevented from regulation or oversight with the law they pushed through in 1999 and which has subsequently brought the world economy to a stop and which we are suffering from in our Recession.

Even the God of Conservative Free Markets, Alan Greenspan, has admitted that his belief in Free Markets was a mistake, that they don't work out!

But that disproved Free Market Unicorn just won't die the death it deserves, it keeps getting repeated like Goebbels advised so that the ignorant masses continue to believe it is true.

Tom D Ford —

The classic arguments against smoking marijuana are it is bad for learning, it leads to stronger drugs, it hurts productivity on the job, it creates dangerous drivers, and so on.

I am retired. I smoke a tiny bit of pot daily and have for years. None of the classic arguments apply to me. I smoke to improve my mood, ease my aches, enjoy gardening in my own yard, and enjoy listening to and playing music.

Drinking alcohol does nothing positive for me. No prescription has ever helped as much as my tiny toke a day.

I do not have a medical permit because I don't trust the government with this information. Pot is my private business, not the government's.

Why on earth do I still need to fear the police when I am doing zero harm to anyone? Where is the rationality of our pot policy?

It makes no sense that the government would consider it better for society for me to be in prison than enjoying a simple and harmless end of life in retirement improved with a tiny dose of daily marijuana.

noname —

Is addiction a disease or a crime?  I thought this was settled in the 1970s.

Like carpenters see nails to hammer, cops see crimes to prosecute.

I don't know Chief Kerlikowske.  No doubt he's an excellent person. But the opportunity is to lead with a vision of hope and opportunity, which would best come from the personal experience of recovery voiced by a well-informed advocate for addiction treatment.

jrenaud —

Current drug laws are antiquated and most exist out of fear and ignorance.  Narcotics which affect the reward system in a way which results in addiction deserve their bans.  But there are enormous benefits to the responsible use of psychedelics and marijuana.  It's time for the government to educate themslves on these substances and re-evaluate what should be banned and what should be regulated.

Therapeutic use of psychedelic mushrooms and LSD saved me from suicidal depression and addiction problems.  It's a shame to see these tools punished.

Stephen Schieberl —

I grew up with an addict and was exposed to the drug scene at an early age.  As a child my mother actually used me and my brother to make her drug deals. 

Despite this exposure I have a quite liberal view of drug use.  The reality is that drugs will never go away.  Instead of scare tacticts we should be educating people.  Instead of a revenue suck with mandatory sentences we should legalize drugs with heavy taxes that would then create a revenue stream to pay for programs. 

Venessa —

Firstly, let me offer my condolences regarding your childhood.

Taxes are rarely the solution to any problem.  Allowing producers to offer their drugs in the free market will both create huge profits and huge public pressure to offer treatment options to their consumer base. (Just like big tobacco.)

johnqpublic12 —

The last year for which I have figures is 1998, but these figures are indicative of the current situation.

1998 Deaths caused by Tobacco  - over 500,000

1998 Deaths caused by Alcohol - over 130,000

1998 Deaths caused by Marijuana - 0

Enough said.

valdaquende —

does no one remember prohibition in the 1920's & 30's - it was a failed policy that increased the power and influence of organized crime

our current prohibition is destroying people all over the world - witness mexico gang killings or afghanistan drug trade

legalize it all, tax it just like alcohol

gericw —

I have had a struggle with my 24 yr old daughter using drugs since she was 13.  She was using benzoid pills and when she found out she was pregnant a so called friend told her to go to the Methadone Clinic and get on Methadone so that CSD would not take her baby away.  She did that 3 yrs ago and is still on Methadone because they don't want to help her get off.  They make big money at the Clinic keeping people on Methadone.

Since she has been there I know of 3 people who have died using other drugs with the Methadone.  Plus, a large number, including her, still use other drugs.  Our tax money is paying her bill and most of the other people that go there.  It costs $10 per day for her dose times 365 days times 3 + yrs and that's one person.

Her child was born drug free, thank the Lord, but she is involved with DHS and now may have her son taken away.  The Methadone Clinics are a Money Making business and I hate it.

pattymac —

Patty,

   You make some valid points. I wish your daughter the best.

Benjamin —

From what little I have heard about the Seattle Police Chief, he seems like he will have an objective and educated view in his role of federal drug czar. As for needle exchanges, I like the concept, but being a recovering IV addict myself, I never used them for fear of the police presence that I knew existed around exchange sites in Portland. The methadone vans are a bad idea. The last two clinics I worked in were methadone so I am very familiar and I think methadone is appropriate in some situations. The reason the vans are a bad idea is it just offers the heroin addict an easy opportunity to "get well" until they can obtain more money to resume their heroin habit. Now they're talking about methamphetamine. OPB needs to get in the solution. Do you know that there was a proposed follow up campaign to the "Faces of Meth" program? It was to be called, "Faces of Hope." Unfortunately, they couldn't get it funded. I think TOL should discuss more solutions and less problems.

Ben Randolph benjamin@compassionateinterventions.com

Benjamin —

WAY too much pro-drug focus OPB!!!  I'm a young person who has seen the affect of so called "harmless" drugs like pot, and witnessed the mind-slowing, mind-numbing, delayed-reaction impacts of marijuana.  Medical pot is just an excuse to use it while snubbing the police.  I've known WAY too many so called "medical" users who said "I can't use as much as I want, I've got a card!"  There's no dosing, no follow up from a qualified medical professional, and no maximum use amounts.  Would we do the same thing for painkillers like Oxycontin or Moraphine?  Can you picture a doctor signing a card and saying "take as many pills as you like?"  And yet we do the same thing for pot, and call it medicine.  At the same time, we have so heavily demonized tobacco cigarettes (while de-emphasizing pot) that we are actually reaching a point where tobacco use is shunned, but you can use marijuana all you want.  Absolutely rediculous!   Studies are indicating that nicotine actually has thereapuetic benefit for conditions like Parkinsons, breast cancer, and Attention Deficit Disorder.  Yet we would laugh at considering the use of "medicinal tobacco."  At the same time, no one has EVER killed anyone because he was driving under the influence of nicotine.  By contrast, people HAVE died in train accidents because the conductor had used pot in the last 24 hours.  Medical nicotine?  Don't look for campaigns to promote it anytime soon.  Yet we actually SUPPORT the idea that "everyone should be a pot head" - first by trying to pretend its medicine, then by getting full legalization and selling it at convenience stores to minors - when pot slows the brain and is basically like drinking booze.  It simply doesn't make sense.  Please, go kill your brain cells in the drug infested jungles of Central America.  The terrorists will thank you.

And by the way OPB, please STOP the pro-drug mantra.  Today's program was WAY TOO HEAVILY SLANTED toward the "lets all get high" mentality, with precious little counterpoint to the pothead from Seattle.  It would have been much more fair to have BOTH sides of the pot debate represented.  I'm appalled at your lack of consideration for the destruction these substances cause in families everywhere.  All while everyone naively thinks its harmless.

GentlePerson2 —

OPB didn't slant anything. You heard the people who called or emailed. These are the feelings and views of listeners, whether you agree or not. The balance could only have been changed if more 'anti-marijuana' people had called or emailed.

This is not a medical marijuana issue, as far as I am concerned; it's one of personal choice. If a person chooses to smoke marijuana, rather than smoking tobacco or drinking alcohol, that should be just that ... their choice.

As for "demonizing tobacco (while de-emphasizing pot)", I would respectfully point out that, as I said, in 1998, over 500,000 people died from the use of tobacco. There were 0 that died from marijuana use.

As far as I am concerned, tobacco SHOULD be demonized; just look at the numbers. Marijuana may not be totally harmless, but it is FAR less harmful than the legal drugs Americans take every day. And as long as is rolled in with drugs like crack and heroin, people (and, in particular, kids) will 1) try marijuana, 2) realize that it is relatively harmless, 3) recognize that they have been lied to with regard to marijuana's effects and 4) assume that they've been lied to about the other, harder, drugs that are available and 5) try them.

valdaquende —

Drugs have been and always will be an inherant urge in every society thats ever existed,its probably hardwired into man,its been used by bushman to shamens,to modern man.  So having said that of course if we were all practicing meditation or yoga or whatever helped us achieve that mental and spiritual peace we would all be more productive and incitefull,but the pressures of life have caused all men at all times to seek  release or some way to achieve an altered state of conciousness,otherwise why did jungle tribes figure out how to brew beer or use phsycotropics gathered in the jungle.  Its a quest that man has always pursued,Im not saying that we as a species need to move on and become a more evoled species but no one ever smoked weed and then went out and commited a crime, operating machinery of any kind under the influence of drugs legal or prescribed is foolish and illegal,but this never ending war on drugs will never be won untill the lives of the world's citizens are spiritually correct.  Life is much harder than it needs to be,how about a good education for all,universal health care,safe streets,pure food,less control of our lives by giant (to big to fail) corporations,either we become humanists and treat each other with care and a true regard for our own humanity or we will suffer the consequences of our need for some relief from our perceived suffering via the use of drugs.  All of which enables criminal gangs and cartells to run wild and cause death and suffering to all societies,see Mexico,that could happen anywhere and probably will if the causes for mans need for escape or relief are not addressed.  Social justice is the cure,unfortunately the non humanists of the world will never allow that its just not profitable,and societies are to hard to control without fear poverty and injustice.  Sadly its seems to be our self created hell on earth,until that changes drugs and their inherant damage to society will be with us,and therefore unsolveable.

Buckeyeboy —

If marijuana use were legalized in the US then it would be a legitimate, taxable activity making $$ for our communities, rather than making money for black marketeers and draining our law enforcement resources and stigmatizing something that more than half of all living Americans have done at one time or another. Legalize and regulate and apologize to those who've been penalized for moderate involvement with pot.

jeanievonbeanie —

The actress Natasha Richardson was in a terrible ski accident today and they say she received a severe brain injury and is in critical condition.

I guess its time we appoint a ski czar, put criminals to work selling and distributing skis for us, stop the instruction of safe ski techniqes and market dangerous forms of skiing to our rebelious and depressed youth (all in the name of protecting them, of course.

skeptica —

Comments are now closed.



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