Sep 10, 2008
drug czar, drug war, drug warriors, junk science, MPP
Drug czar John Walters isn't really a free-exchange-of-ideas kind of public servant, so MPP's Aaron Houston and I took the opportunity to ask him a couple questions last week at his press conference announcing the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
In Walters' mind it's bad that kids perceive marijuana as less harmful than methamphetamine, his disreputable anti-marijuana ads work like a charm, and the latest statistics prove that the only way to reduce drug use is by prohibiting marijuana. Oh, but great news – nobody goes to jail for marijuana, and we don't arrest 800,000 Americans for marijuana each year.
Watch how he dodged our questions. First Aaron's ...
... and then mine:
Note to the next drug czar, if we must have one: You can do way better than this. The bar is set pretty low.