NPR Celebrates 4/20 by Getting the Story Wrong
On Monday, National Public Radio marked the unofficial marijuana holiday 4/20 with a story called, “What If Marijuana Were Legal? Possible Outcomes?” We were not impressed, but you can listen to the story and read a transcript here.
After reviewing it, I wrote the following e-mail to the reporter and assorted NPR honchos:
I read the transcript of this — haven’t had the chance to hear it on the radio today — and I must say I’m profoundly disappointed. You weren’t interested in talking to us for the piece, but if you had, we might have helped you avoid some factual errors and highly questionable conclusions presented effectively as uncontested fact.
For example, vaporizers such as the Volcano, are not “supposed to provide a milder smoking experience.” They allow inhalation of cannabinoid vapors without smoking – and thus without the tars and other combustion products implicated in respiratory problems caused by smoking. A minor point? Maybe, but not when you consider that the health risks of smoking are cited regularly by proponents of prohibition as one of the great dangers of marijuana.
And the suggestion that legalization would lead to more potent marijuana stands economic reality on its head. Economic and policy experts who have studied this conclude pretty much across the board that prohibition increases the potency of whatever contraband substance is prohibited. As Dr. Stephen Kisely wrote in the Dec. 2008 Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. “Where potency has increased, this could actually be due to the drug’s illegal status. Reducing the bulk of contraband enhances logistics of supply and profitability. For instance, the major effect of alcohol prohibition in the United States was an increase in the consumption of spirits at the expense of beer.”
This is not exactly rocket science, but since you had the issue addressed by a spokesman for a group of narcotics officers, you got the official law enforcement spin, not actual research. And I can’t help but note that while you told me when we spoke a few weeks ago that you didn’t want to use advocacy groups for one side or the other, you did end up using advocates for the pro-prohibition side, but not their opponents (and if NPR doesn’t recognize that narcotics officers’ groups are advocates for prohibition, you guys need to get out more).
I will not belabor you with further examples, but there are several others I could cite. Please understand that my dismay is not about MPP not being mentioned or quoted — frankly, we get plenty of press, and one story more or less is no big deal — it’s about NPR’s consistent failure to do competent reporting on marijuana issues. This is not just you, it appears to be a systemic problem with NPR’s news, and it’s a constant source of frustration to those of us who wish that such a large, influential, noncommercial broadcast network had higher standards.
Regards,
Bruce Mirken, Director of Communications
Marijuana Policy Project
Postscript: I did get a response from the reporter, which he asked me to keep confidential, and I will honor that request. Suffice it to say that it did not address the story’s errors of fact.
37 comments
This is highly disappointing, so many factual fallacies. Increase in emergency visits for a drug that is not fatal? please. Drug usage causing people to cut class and fail, as if people don’t do that if weed was legal or not. Cartels trying other less profitable venues for cash and succeeding? If they fail at those things now, why would they succeed when pot is legal? They wouldn’t, and with the amount of extra law enforcement on the streets, they would probably get caught even more.
Clearly, he only wants to remain confidential because of his failures in cognitive thought and professional journalism.
Could NPR be nervous about it’s funding from Uncle Sam??
Although I missed the original story Monday, I heard the follow-up today. As NPR acknowledged, the responses they received were largely objecting to very much the same issues that Bruce observed. I’m glad my local NPR-affiliated station does a better job of reporting than NPR itself does.
It was interesting that they did quote one of the few positive reactions to the story that they received. It was from a person who claimed she could “read people’s auras.” This person indicated that all drugs — including marijuana — interfered with her reading of their “auras.”
I don’t usually dismiss someone’s belief system and won’t here. I will observe that if the prohibitionists are pretty much reduced to depending on mystics to carry their water, things are looking up from our point of view.
Listeners angered by the anti-legalization message of NPR’s 4/20 marijuana story missed the subliminal message: Marijuana prohibitionists will continue their shameless misrepresentation of marijuana facts long after legalization. A 40 years habit dies hard.
Mis informing the public should be illigal and should have a manditory sentence of 10 years.
This is still a major habit of the uneducated media who repeatidly haven’t enough respect for the issue of marijuana. If they don’t get it right, so what did it matter? It’s not exactly frontline news the next day that they got it wrong. Marijuana is still a joking issue, get it, no one cares.
Now I’m glad I didn’t hear the piece. Nice work on the rebuttal. Refuting the misinformation and steering the argument is crucial. I expect more from NPR.
The NPR is supposed to get it wrong. The “NO” generation still runs the place and is pulling the strings of its so called journalists. For as long as their heart pumps blood to their over-ripe bodies they will get it wrong. They take money from special interest like the politicians and sit on their moral highchairs popping pills and washing them down with scotch. They are unaware about the internet playing a role in our understanding of issues (called research). Until they know that we are not as stupid as they think we are. They will keep this up until they find that we are pushing back at them. They need to lose viewers and money before they wake up. They only look at the profits, and not the people unless the people are causing them profit loss. Wake up NPR were not stupid.
Remember when our country had a drug problem, so we declared a war on drugs, and now you can’t buy drugs anymore?
Earth Day: what a joke, I was listening to Morning Joe today and heard them talking about green fuel alternatives for future cars and they talked about every alternative accept Hemp. What BS, I won’t buy into the idea until they get real and quit all the lies. If they really wanted to help the environment they would legalize Hemp!
Bruce, although I didn’t catch the broadcast, rumor has it that Burnett did admit to a pro-prohibition bias though it was buried in the fine print so to speak.
I feel as betrayed by NPR now as I did by Obama in the online townhall; both entities I viewed as fair and analytical and they both corrupted that view by being dogmatic.
I just can’t believe that the thinking-man’s news station would channel Anslinger so blatantly.
Mis informing the public should be illigal and should have a manditory sentence of 10 years.
Ummm, no, not at all. “Misinformation” does not qualify as speech unprotected by the first amendment.
Anyway, a friend of mine sent me a link to this story a couple days ago, and I was astonished at the lack of substance. It didn’t even seem to me that any “experts” were actually interviewed; it was almost as if the author was guessing at what people would say.
The claims about emergency room visits and a lack of influence on drug gangs seemed particularly off-base. Irresponsible reporting all around.
The NPR must issue retractions for any reported information proven to be false.
If they are going to lie in their press releases and not issue retractions, you can release his rebuttal.
And the suggestion that legalization would lead to more potent marijuana stands economic reality on its head. Economic and policy experts who have studied this conclude pretty much across the board that prohibition increases the potency of whatever contraband substance is prohibited. As Dr. Stephen Kisely wrote in the Dec. 2008 Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.
Even before that, here is a report from 1972 published by Consumer Union (Edward M. Brecher and the Editors of Consumer Reports Magazine):
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/cu/CU68.html
My support for NPR will now go to MPP
I donated them my old car…
NPR stands for National Propaganda Radio … and PBS is the Propaganda Broadcasting System … don’t trust what you hear from them.
Bruce, excellent letter. You couldn’t have said it any better . Your professionalism and superior knowledge are just what we need to move this issue forward. Thank you and thank you MPP
Thank you again, Bruce. Keep up the good work.
I’m so glad I don’t have Bruce’s job. I’d have turned into Lewis Black with a REAL anger issue long ago… Much Respect, Bruce
Bruce good read I have a line you could use it can be used back on you but at least you have factsto back you up (it’s hard for someone to understand somthing when their paycheck is tied to them not understanding it)cops,DEA,and so on keep up the good work and don’t be afraid to call them liers when they lie rember a person once said tell a lie enuf times and pepole will belive it
Guys, I just sent in a little form complaining about NPR’s article. Could all of you do the same?
And after 13,000 votes the decision to legalize marijuana (even after this poorly written article’s Prohibitionist lean) was……..
91%
http://www.npr.org/news/specials/userpolls/marijuana_420.html
Should you wish to contact management:
http://help.npr.org/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=5670&task=ticket
Now you see why we in the broadcast world refer to NPR as National Propaganda Radio.
I just wanted to say that our MPBN (public broadcast) and a local reporter here in Maine is doing ba GREAT job for us! check out the link on our page
The story just talked about the Volcano being the most popular item at a head shop. They simply said that it “does the job just fine.”
Not sure what the OUTRAGE is a all about, however we should be able to appreciate when some NPR folk attempt to think like cannabis users that they can not catch all the nuanced realities of TRUE CANNABIS USERS. That does not mean they can not attempt to appreciate the frustrations cannabis users are going through.
We now have OBAMA! onboard as president and orator of the GREATEST DEMOCRACY the world has ever seen (WE ACTUALLY OVERWHELMINGLY VOTED FOR HIM – CAN YOU BELIEVE IT NOW!!! and he COPS A HILLARY AND BILL CLINTON BULLSHIT (CAN I SAY THAT) “potheads are not supposed to be taken seriously attitude”!!!
WE CAN ONLY HOPE
AUDACITY!!!
BIDEN, CLINTON, OBAMA
WHAT A TEAM!!!
FOR CANNABIS LEGALIZATION!!!
BTW Volcano is the BEST!!!
ALSO
BTW DEA are LIARS
Not sure why the CLINTONS supported them so WHOLEHEARTEDLY.
NOW OBAMA NEEDS TO SOMEHOW GET PAST ALL THAT (BS)
AUDACITY
Hahaha, check out NPR’s link. To the left of the article is a ‘listeners poll’ i found the results entertaining.
Hate to continue on this subject about how everyone is saying how bad NPR got it so wrong… Now we can see why other non-mainstreamers feel – they are not being heard and understood.
OBAMA! What is AUDACITY? Is it ONLY campaign RETORIC?
WE ARE EXPECTING SOOOO MUCH MORE THAN THAT!!!
Thanks anti prohibition!!!
NPR.ORG SEARCH listeners poll
Now if we can get a cannabis conversation going on PBS!!!
OBAMA
ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING???
ARE YOU EVEN A PART OF THE CONVERSATION???
REMIND US AGAIN…
WHY ARE YOU PRESIDENT OF THE USA???
WHO DO YOU REPRESENT???
ONE LAST IMPORTANT DISCUSSION
OBAMA
Did Hillary take away your NARDS???
ASK BILL
If you are not sure.
So…what’s new. It’s just another truck load of the SOS. If 80% of We the People lean on anything to make our point…it should be the Information/Data Quality Act. Any information, past, present or future disseminated should be based on science not politics, and any false or misrepresentations should be immediately corrected. Remember…their production number was just another little play, and almost as funny as Refer Madness.
NPR needs to get its head out of the Reefer Madness era and get its facts straight. Obviously law enforcement will lie… maybe they should go to someone who is knowledgeable about the effects of drugs.
What “if” gramma had testicles?
She’d be grampa!
What “if” marijuana were legal?
NPR calls it a scenario, and let’s pretend. All things considered, their “experts” are great pretenders. NPR calls it an exercise. But, is it a exercise in futility. They ought to pretend like they know what they are talking about, take their own advice, and mellow out. By the way…we all know that NPR has been leaned on, but once again this is a perfect example why we should enforce the Information/Data Quality Act, whether the DEA likes it or not. Like Moses said…”They are…who they are.”
I just read the NPR transcript. These people are insane. More emergency room visits??? Why??? That doesn’t even make sense, and isn’t even explained. It is nothing more than a random comment meant to scare people who just don’t know any better. Then this dumb guy mentions an increase in potency??Really?? The legalization would promote a cost leadership situation where people would in turn attempt to produce as much product at the smallest cost possible, as opposed to the product differentiation that we have now; people actually competing for your business through the sell of smaller quantities that recieve much more attention through out the cultivation process. Next they say that kids will start to smoke pot more if it is made legal?? Really???? At least they address that kids already drink and smoke cigarettes, what they don’t adress is the FACT that illegal drugs are easier for underage teens to obtain that alcohol, cigarettes, or anything that they have to go to the local store to purchase for that matter. Making it legal would make it extremely more difficult for children to purchase, recieve, find, etc. Lastly, that professor that said it deteriorated mylan sheeth in children and young adolesents; so does alcohol. Dont let our kids drink or smoke… anything!!! That is not the federal governments responsibility, it is the parents. As far as marijuana keeping you home from work and school, then you have a bigger problem, this could have easily been to blame on alcohol, or heroin, or cocane, and in most cases it is; NOT marijuana. I am a full time college student that makes amazing grades and am a PROUD smoker of the herb. I deeply believe that the real threat of legalization to which our country cowers is the useful resource of hemp taking over the cotton and textile industries. This way of thinking that was presented to our country via NPR is ancient and ignorant, and will be done away with soon. I still cannot believe the level at which this story was presented in comparison to the disappointing amount of research of which was obviously not done on the matter.
Makes sense to me! NPR you suck! Smokem if ya gottem
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