Radio Ad Calls Out Politicians Who Have Used Marijuana
The radio ad begins by naming names: prominent government officials who have
admitted to using marijuana. The list includes President George W. Bush,
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former President Bill Clinton,
former Vice President Al Gore, and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
The ad then asks, "Is it fair to arrest three-quarters of a million people a
year -- for doing what presidents and a Supreme Court justice have done?"
It's a great question -- and one you can bet a lot of politicians wish wouldn't
be asked.
The ad, sponsored by the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), began airing in early
July and will air through the summer.
You can hear it for yourself here:
http://www.mpp.org/site/c.glKZLeMQIsG/b.1852815/k.7BB6/MPPs_new_radio_ad_names_p
rominent_officials_who_have_used_marijuana.htm
"Nearly 100 million Americans, including the politicians named in the ad, have
used marijuana -- and the vast majority have gone on to lead successful lives,"
said Rob Kampia, MPP executive director. "Our government has spent hundreds of
millions of tax dollars on ads claiming that the use of marijuana leads to
addiction, illness, and destruction, but for the overwhelming majority of
responsible, adult marijuana users -- just as for responsible, adult alcohol
users -- that simply isn't true.
"Marijuana prohibition has completely failed to stop marijuana use, while
giving unregulated criminals a monopoly on the marijuana market," Kampia
continued.
Kampia notes that alcohol and tobacco, the two most commonly abused drugs in
the U.S., are both legal. He further notes that research shows that marijuana
is safer than both of these drugs.
Of course, believing this is not to endorse marijuana use, any more than
believing that cigarettes and liquor should be legal implies an endorsement of
the use of those substances.
MPP says it "believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with
marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol."
Polls indicate that huge and growing numbers of Americans agree with MPP on
this. Late last year, a Gallup poll found that 36 percent of Americans now
favor re-legalization, up from 25 percent in 1995. And younger Americans (aged
18 to 29) are the strongest supporters of marijuana law reform, with 47 percent
endorsing re-legalization.
(Sources: MPP: http://MarijuanaPolicy.org
Gallup poll: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6717 )
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