MarijuanaNews.com : Drug Czar’s Massive Anti-Cannabis Media Campaign Shows How Prohibitionist Propaganda Machine Works In (Fill In Blank for Your Community), Says (Fill In Blank with Name of Someone In Jail.)

style=’mso-ansi-language:EN-US’>Posted March 12, 2003
Analysis by Richard Cowan

As the nation gears up for war, one might think
that there would be a need for national unity and concern about the credibility
of the government, but apparently not.
See

href=”http://marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=625″>They’ve Lied to Us About
Marijuana, So How Do We Know That They Aren’t Lying About Iraq? Credibility in
Time of War.

Instead, the government has turned up the volume in its prohibitionist
propaganda campaign against cannabis.
See

href=”http://marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=634″>The Seemingly Inexhaustible
Torrent Of Prohibitionist Propaganda Reminds Me Of The Greek Myth About
Hercules And The Stables Of King Augeas. Analysis By Richard Cowan

There is nothing really new here, except that
the Drug Czar has gotten some establishment organizations to further prostitute
themselves to the war on cannabis. The whole campaign can be found online at
href=”http://www.mediacampaign.org/”>http://www.mediacampaign.org

style=’mso-ansi-language:EN-US’>The first item below, their press release,
gives an overview of the whole mess. However, my “favorite” is the second item,
a suggested Op-ed that shows propagandists how to create the impression that
there is a spontaneous local concern.

Of course, this is supposed to be about saving
the children, but it makes real “drug education” all the more difficult. Notice that they even say that “marijuana can be as dangerous as so-called “hard drugs” and can have many of the same consequences.”

This is the same as telling kids that the risks from hard drugs is the same as the risks from cannabis. That is very dangerous.
See

href=”http://www.marijuananews.com/need_for_drug_prohibition_educat.htm”>The
Need For Drug Prohibition Education.
Analysis By Richard Cowan.
How Can Parents Tell Their Children The Truth In A Sea Of Lies About Marijuana?

FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Jennifer de Vallance (202) 395-6618 / Erika Batcheller (202) 828-8821
March 10, 2003

Health,
Education, Safety Experts Join White House Drug Czar to Educate Parents About
Risks of Youth Marijuana Use

style=black’>—American Lung Association, American Medical Association,
AAA and The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Among Experts
Participating in National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign’s Marijuana Prevention
Initiative—

(Washington)
—The
nation’s leaders in health, education, and safety
are
continuing an effort to educate parents about the serious risks of teen
marijuana use. Together with White House Drug Czar John Walters, seven national
organizations have signed onto a new “Open Letter” that gives parents
specific
facts
about marijuana’s health and social consequences for teens. Starting today, the
letter will run in more than 300 newspapers nationwide.

The
letter, part of the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s National Youth
Anti-Drug Media Campaign, warns about lung damage, physical and mental health
consequences, and risky behaviors linked to youth marijuana use. Signatories
include the American Medical Association, the American Lung Association,
See

href=”http://marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=639″>Brtsh Lng Fndtn Lies 2 U W
Txt. Prohibitionist Propaganda: New Medium, Old Methods.
style=color:black’>
and links

the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, the American Psychiatric
Association,
See

href=”http://marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=557″>Classic Reefer Madness At
London Times: “Woman who killed father ‘driven mad by cannabis.’”
Quacks and Hacks and Schizophrenia. Is It Paranoid to Distrust Politicized
Science?
and

href=”http://marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=117″>Journal of the American
Medical Association Reports Big Jump In Use Of Psychiatric Drugs On Children
Under 5! Context For Medical Marijuana Debate.
and
links

the American Automobile Association,
See

href=”http://marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=601″>Driving and Cannabis
Prohibition: A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Police State. Analysis by
Richard Cowan and a Report from DRCNet.
and
links

the National Education Association,
See

href=”http://www.marijuananews.com/marijuananews/cowan/legalize_marijuana_and_improve_h.htm”>Legalize
Marijuana and Improve High-School Academic Performance? Holland Ranks First –
The US Very Low
and
links

and the National Crime Prevention Council.
See

href=”http://marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=637″>Cannabis Friendly Cities Rank
Highest In International Quality of Life Survey. For personal safety, “Lowest
scoring city in North America is Washington D.C” Lessons for Civic Leaders.
Special Report.
and links

“We’re speaking directly to parents about the specific ways marijuana can
damage a young person’s future,” said John P. Walters, Director of
National Drug Control Policy.
See

href=”http://marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=582″>Walters Puts The Media to the
Test By Taking Hyper-Lying to A New Level. Blood Libels To Justify Police
State. San Diego Medical Activist Faces Federal Charges for 20 Plants.
and

href=”http://marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=508″>Marijuana Bigger Problem Than
Meth? DEAland And The Bush Administration Have a Very Serious Walters Problem.
We Couldn’t Make This Up!

“Marijuana
is riskier than many parents think. Smoking marijuana hurts young bodies and
minds, and more young people are in treatment for marijuana than for all other
illicit drugs combined.”

According
to the American Psychiatric Association, marijuana use may trigger panic
attacks, paranoia and even psychoses, especially if users are suffering from
anxiety, depression, or having thinking problems.
“Smoking
marijuana can injure or destroy lung tissue. Marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70
percent more of some cancer causing chemicals than does tobacco smoke,”
said John L. Kirkwood, President and CEO of the American Lung Association.

“Teens
who are high on marijuana are less able to make safe, smart decisions about sex
- including saying no,” said Sarah Brown, Director of the National
Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. “Teens who have used marijuana are
four times more likely to get pregnant or get someone pregnant than teens who
haven’t.”

Research
shows that teens listen to their parents when it comes to decisions about drug
use. Two-thirds of youth ages 13-17 say fear of losing their parents’ respect
is one of the main reasons they don’t smoke marijuana or use other drugs. What
parents do and say matters.

Parents
can help keep their kids drug-free by asking questions and staying involved in
their childrens’ lives. More information about the effects of marijuana use and
its signs and symptoms, as well as advice for parents on keeping kids
drug-free, can be found on ONDCP’s Media Campaign Web site for parents at
href=”http://www.theantidrug.com”>www.theantidrug.com.

Parents
can also call the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at
1-800-788-2800 for free resources. Information for youth about marijuana can be
found by visiting
style=’mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:”Times New Roman”;mso-bidi-font-family:
Arial’> www.freevibe.com.

The new
ad is a follow up to an “Open Letter to Parents About Marijuana” that
ran in newspapers last September and was signed by 17 leading public health,
parenting and drug prevention groups, including the American Academy of
Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family
Physicians, the National PTA, and the American College of Emergency Physicians.

The ads
are one part of the largest and most comprehensive initiative ever undertaken
to prevent youth marijuana use. More kids use marijuana than cocaine, heroin,
ecstasy and all other illicit drugs combined. While marijuana use has declined
slightly in the last year, the number of 8th graders who used the drug doubled
between 1991 and 2001 from one in ten to one in five.

In 1998,
with the bipartisan support of Congress and the President, ONDCP created the
National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, an effort designed to educate and
empower youth to reject illicit drugs. Counting on an unprecedented blend of
public and private partnerships, non-profit community service organizations,
volunteerism, and youth-to-youth communications, the Campaign is designed to
reach Americans of diverse backgrounds wherever they live, learn, work, play,
and practice their faith.

style=’mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:”Times New Roman”;mso-bidi-font-family:
Arial;color:black’># # #

For more
information on the ONDCP National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign visit

href=”http://www.mediacampaign.org”>www.mediacampaign.org,
href=”http://www.freevibe.com”>www.freevibe.com,
or

href=”http://www.theantidrug.com”>www.theantidrug.com.

Op-Ed: Marijuana
is Riskier Than You Think

style=’color:red’>Ever wonder why kids get the idea that marijuana is harmless?

style=’color:black’>See

href=”http://marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=629″>“Marijuana Isn’t Harmless.”
Okay, But Why Isn’t Sold Over the Counter? Or Would You Ban Something That
Causes 300,000 ER Visits Every Year, And Kills A Child Every Month? (Trick
Question)

Just take a look
around. It’s in blockbuster teen movies, popular songs and jokes on late night
television. It’s in magazines, on clothing, and even on the Internet. It’s no surprise that despite the
accumulating scientific evidence of the harm that marijuana can do, kids – and
many parents – still see the drug as “no big deal.”

In fact, marijuana use by kids
style=’mso-bidi-font-style:normal’>is a big deal, and it is
style=’mso-bidi-font-style:normal’> a serious problem in our
community. “We are seeing more and more
young kids smoking marijuana every year,” says [LOCAL HEALTH OFFICER].
style=”mso-spacerun: yes”> “Last year in our community, [INSERT NUMBER]
of kids were admitted into drug treatment for marijuana use.

Marijuana is not only bad for our children, it is bad
for our schools, our families and our entire community.
style=”mso-spacerun: yes”> We need to do something to stop the trend.”
style=’mso-bidi-font-style:normal’>

Nationwide, kids use
marijuana more than all other illegal
drugs combined.
See

href=”http://marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=608″>Walters Tells a New Lie. Oh
Happy Day! People Need Treatment If They Are Sent to Treatment, By Definition.
And How Do They Treat “Marijuana Addicts?” We Couldn’t Make This Up, But They Did.

Many parents are
surprised to learn that kids as young as 12 or 13 are using the drug. In fact, between 1991 and 2001, the number
of 8th graders who used marijuana doubled from one in ten to one in
five.

See

href=”http://marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=577″>New Dutch Study on
“Licit and illicit drug use in the Netherlands” Shows Why
International Anti-Dutch Prohibitionist Propaganda Campaign Is Vital to Drug
Warriors. How Ideology Works.

Marijuana
is riskier than people think, especially for kids. Research shows that the drug
can lead to a host of significant health, social, learning and behavioral
problems in young users.

Kids
who use marijuana are more likely to struggle in school. Marijuana impairs the
ability of young people to concentrate and retain information during their peak
learning years, when their brains are still developing. Even short-term use can cause problems
with memory, learning, cognitive development and problem solving. Research also shows a link between adolescent marijuana use and a decrease in academic achievement.

style=’color:red’>[QUOTE FROM A LOCAL OFFICIAL ABOUT NEGATIVE EFFECTS]

Some of the effects
of marijuana can last a lifetime. Prolonged use of the drug leads to some changes in the brain that are
style=’color:red’>similar to those caused by cocaine, heroin and alcohol.

See

href=”http://marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=322″>As Predicted, NIDA Buys Its
Press Release: “Marijuana has as much potential for abuse … as cocaine and
heroin.”

For some young users,
marijuana can lead to increased anxiety, panic attacks, depression and other
mental health problems. Kids who use
marijuana are more likely to get in trouble with the law,
style=’color:red’>lose scholarships
See

href=”http://marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=65″>Drug Arrest Record Disclosures
On Student Loans Go Into Effect

or drop out of sports or other extracurricular activities. Kids who
smoke marijuana are also more likely to take risks, such as having sex,
committing crimes or driving under the influence.

Marijuana is
addictive.
See

href=”http://marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=491″>Hyper-Lying: Walters Takes War Propaganda to A New Level: “Marijuana is two-thirds of the addiction problem in America today.”

It’s news to many parents
that more teens go into drug treatment with a primary diagnosis of marijuana
dependency each year than any other illicit drug. Among drug treatment facility admissions for marijuana in 1999,
more than half first used marijuana by the age of 14, and 92 percent by the age
of 18. Marijuana use is also three times more likely to lead to dependence
among adolescents than adults.

New
research tells us that early marijuana use can also lead to other drug
addictions later in life.
See

href=http://marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=619> The Gateway Theory Won’t Die Because It Tells Prohibitionists Something They Want to Believe, But The Truth Tells Them Something They Refuse to Hear.

style=’color:red’>[QUOTE FROM A LOCAL TREATMENT FACILITY]

See

href=”http://marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=452″>Conference On Rehab
Racketeers Tied To Bush Will Raise Important Issues: Saving Children From Drug
Treatment Abuse. Saving DEAland from Drug War Lite. A Conference That Should Embarrass
Washington.

What can parents and other adults do to help educate children? First of all, they need to become educated
themselves.

“Some adults may have used a less potent form of marijuana in their
youth.
See

href=”http://marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=597″>Dan Forbes Documents Walters’
Lies About Potency. Understanding That The War On Cannabis Is Built On Lies Is
Key to Understanding More Than Just Drug War.
and links

They may think that if they survived just fine, so will their children. But that isn’t necessarily the case.

Marijuana is more potent now and there is
much better science today about its harmful effects. Adults in our community
need to take marijuana seriously and learn about the dangers of the drug,”
style=’color:red’>says [COMMUNITY LEADER].

Parents should talk to their kids about the risks of marijuana use
and become more involved in their children’s lives. While they may feel there
is nothing they can do to overcome the influence of their children’s peers and
popular culture, the truth is far different.

Research repeatedly
shows that parents are the most powerful influence on their children when it
comes to drugs. In a recent study, 49 percent of teens who had not tried
marijuana credited their parents with the decision – more than five times the
number of teens who cited peer influence.
If the only references to marijuana in your house come from films,
jokes, songs or TV shows, your children are not getting the whole story.

It is time for a
“wake-up call” to parents, community leaders, family physicians, the media,
teachers and other adults who influence kids in our community. We need to let kids know how marijuana
affects their minds and their bodies; how it interferes with schoolwork, sports
and scholarships; and how it can affect their futures. And we have to let kids know that marijuana can be as dangerous as so-called “hard drugs” and can have many of the same consequences. Young people need to know
that despite popular images of marijuana around them every day, marijuana use
is not cool or a laughing matter.

For more information,
please contact [LOCAL DRUG COALITION].

[ADD YOUR NAME, TITLE, ORGANIZATION AND A ONE
SENTENCE DESCRIPTION OF YOUR ORGANIZATION]