Perception Often Trumps Reality in Drug Legalization Movement
Congressman Bob Barr, April 19, 2002
For those involved in American political life, there is an old saying that "politics is perception," meaning more often than not the facts of an issue are secondary to its presentation. More and more, we are seeing this firsthand. Serious national issues, which deserve intelligent, reasoned public debate, are being hijacked, packaged and sold to the American people just as a Madison Avenue public relations agency might promote the latest breakfast cereal. The truth takes a back seat to hidden agendas, and to influencing public opinion in support thereof. Facts and real science are irrelevant.
Nowhere has this subversive campaign been more effective than on the very important issue of drug legalization. Funded by wealthy pro-legalizers, such as billionaire, George Soros; promoted relentlessly by individuals with large public audiences, including talk radio hosts; and championed by a handful of public officials such as New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, the drug legalization effort is breaking into the mainstream, despite the very serious consequences to our young people and American society as a whole, of drug legalization.
The facts about mind-altering drugs, for those who choose to acknowledge them, are clear: marijuana, as a mind-altering drug, numbs your perceptive and cognitive abilities; diminishes memory; and reduces the body’s immune system. Moreover, it’s clearly a "gateway drug;" children who use marijuana are 16 times as likely to use another drug like cocaine, heroin or LSD. Nationally, an estimated 100,000 individuals are in treatment for marijuana use. The Department of Justice, under the Clinton Administration no less, pointed out there are 10,000 studies proving that marijuana is dangerous, and not a single legitimate study exists that concludes it has any medical value. In fact, marijuana smoke contains roughly 30 times as many carcinogens as cigarette smoke, proving this substance is demonstrably harmful, if not deadly.
Recently, I have come under fire from Atlanta radio personality, Neal Boortz, and others in the pro-drug movement, for my efforts to stop the legalization of marijuana in the District of Columbia. I take criticism from the pro-drug lobby as evidence I must be doing something right.
One thing these critics choose to overlook, is that my amendment blocking this initiative was passed by both the House and Senate -- not just me -- but the entire Congress, and then signed into law by former President Clinton.
Also lost in the cloudy logic of drug legalizers, is the fact that Congress has an explicit constitutional responsibility to oversee the governance of the District of Columbia, which, of course, is not a "state;" were D.C. a state, it would have much more leeway to regulate its internal procedures. Moreover, in legislating that D.C. drug laws should be consistent with federal laws, Congress is taking a reasonable and limited step to ensure that the governing body of our nation’s capitol does not pass laws subverting the intent of those federal laws passed by the very institution - the United States Congress - for which D.C. serves at the capitol. It was the Clinton Justice Department that defended my amendment in federal court, against the pro-drug lobby; and I expect the Bush Administration to do the same. These two Administration’s different in many way, agree on the sound policy that mind-altering drugs, including, yes, marijuana, has no business being marketed by Madison Avenue hucksters or for sale in your neighborhood drugstore.
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Bob Barr represents Georgia’s Seventh District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He serves on the House Financial Services, Judiciary, and Government Reform Committees.
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