puff_tuff
(superposter)
3/10/01 09:19 AM
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Politicians rule out legalization of drugs
[Post#: 103853
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Saturday 10 March 2001
Politicians rule out legalization of drugs
Legislators from North and South America refuse to debate topic at Ottawa summit
Mike Blanchfield
Ottawa Citizen
North and South American politicians rejected as inappropriate a proposal by a Colombian congressman to debate legalization of drugs at an international conference hosted by Canada this week.
At a preliminary meeting in Ottawa last September to plan the conference, the Colombian politician attempted to get the controversial legalization proposal on the agenda of the first meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas.
But Julio Angel Restrepo, the Colombian opposition congressman, did not make the trip to Ottawa for the conference and was not among the 100 lawmakers from 27 countries to attend this week's inaugural meeting of the organization.
"He (Mr. Restrepo) is not here," Colombian Senator Antonio Guerra said yesterday in a brief interview. "That topic will not be discussed here. I don't think this is a forum to do so."
When Mr. Restrepo called for a legalization debate last fall, he received media coverage in Canada and in his country. The Colombian government opposes legalization and recently accepted more than $1.3 billion in U.S. military aid to fight the war on drugs.
Canadian Alliance MP John Williams, a forum member, agreed that drug legalization would have been an inappropriate agenda item.
"It (drug use) destroys societies. Therefore, legalization is not an issue, so that debate will not happen here."
The forum has been set up to mirror the Organization of American States, but also includes opposition politicians. Delegates hope their conference influences some of the discussion by their political leaders at next month's Summit of the Americas in Quebec City.
The Ottawa meeting, sponsored by Parliament, was held to discuss a variety of topics, including free trade, eradicating poverty, and eliminating crime and corruption. Colombia is seen as the problem child of the Americas because it supplies most of the world's cocaine.
Mr. Restrepo, who acknowledged he was raising a "taboo" subject, had hoped that the forum would allow a debate on drug legalization.
"Legalization could mean depriving drug traffickers of the powerful economic ingredient that makes this illicit activity so lucrative," he said last fall.
In their meeting yesterday, the delegates also agreed that more had to be done by the international community to attack the bank accounts of drug barons. But legalization was never mentioned as a way of doing that. Instead, the debate was filled with fiery war-on-drugs rhetoric.
"The fight against drug trafficking and money laundering is a universal struggle," declared Antonio Posso Delgado of Ecuador.
At the same time, he was also critical of the massive U.S. military aid package to Colombia, much of which will be used to directly fight drug producers by using helicopters to spray toxic chemicals on coca fields.
Mr. Delgado said the military intervention would destabilize neighbouring countries such as his own.
"It could turn South America into a sort of Vietnam. This is not good for anyone," he said.
Mr. Guerra defended Colombia's right to "ask for international aid to battle against drug trafficking." But he candidly admitted that the American aid package is too heavily weighted toward military hardware instead of humanitarian aid.
Many observers predict thousands of people will be displaced, causing a widespread humanitarian crisis within Colombia once the spraying of fields begins.
Mr. Guerra said Colombia simply cannot confront the people responsible for its drug problem -- heavily-armed guerrillas and insurgents -- without a massive influx of military aid.
Ottawa Citizen
pufftuff
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FlashGordon
(old hand)
3/11/01 01:46 AM
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Re: Politicians rule out legalization of drugs
[Post#: 104027
/ re: 103853
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Doesn't Canadian Alliance MP John Williams, know that prohibition and american war on drug users cuases deaths from overdoses and disease and violent crime and truely destroys families well feeding into organized crime and coruption ?
Ending the drug war is a assult on the Aliances "family values" not familys , families will be better off .
The anwser is harm reduction with the seperation of the drug market into legal soft drugs like marijuana ,which is less addictive than cafeine and has been shown to actually have health benefits especially in regard to stress the silent killer, and hard drugs should be available on prescription and paid for by health plan used in safe injection sites ,so its off the street, with availability of clean needles to prevent disease and supervision and treatment services with methadone readily availble to help addicts recover in a wholistic approach.
Legal marijuana also would alow them to detoxify from hard drugs or alcohol as many find it an aid to recovery and abstinace .
addicts are people with a health problem and should be dealt with as such not as criminals . I think its high time north and south america looked at the kind of solutions europe has been offering to the "drug problem" .
Amerika has to stop being a rogue policeman that is out of step with the rest of the world comunity .
I am embarrassed for my countrymen that Canadian Alliance MP John Williams, could be so stupid and say something so ignorant .
Somebody please dig up his email I think we need to educate this politician !
John Gordon http://www.bcmarijuanaparty.ca/c_john_gordon.htm Vancouver- Kensington .
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puff_tuff
(superposter)
3/11/01 08:55 AM
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Re: Politicians rule out legalization of drugs
[Post#: 104087
/ re: 104027
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Here you go Flash
Name:
Mr. John Williams
Political Party:
Canadian Alliance Caucus
Constituency:
St. Albert
Province:
Alberta
Telephone:
(613) 996-4722
Fax:
(613) 995-8880
Email:
Williams.J@parl.gc.ca
Find any MP here.
pufftuff
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FlashGordon
(old hand)
3/11/01 02:40 PM
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Re: Politicians rule out legalization of drugs
[Post#: 104160
/ re: 104087
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Thanks puff tuff, guy deserves his ass kicked .
I wrote him hope others will too .
John Gordon http://www.bcmarijuanaparty.ca/c_john_gordon.htm Vancouver- Kensington .
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shiznitz
(journeyman)
3/12/01 08:52 PM
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Re: Politicians rule out legalization of drugs
[Post#: 104589
/ re: 104160
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I just cannot believe how stupid the United States is, and what's worse is that many countries, including Canada, follow their lead. They can't seem to understand that the War on Drugs is not working, nor will it ever work. The solution does not involve jail time, or charges being laid against them. When will America realize that they are wrong? Actually, I think they have already realized this, it's just that they are too ignorant to accept it. And when will other countries such as Canada be able to stand up to the States, and decide what to do on their own? I congradulate the European countries who are now realizing that the USA is wrong, and they are changing the way things get done. Holland, the "pioneer's" should be a role-model for other countries, instead of looking up at the big and powerful United States of America.
LEGALIZE...
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FlashGordon
(old hand)
3/13/01 02:22 AM
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First we take Berlin then we take manhatan
[Post#: 104650
/ re: 104589
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shiznitz
check out richard cowans 420 news http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-587.html and www.marijuananews.com
http://www.marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=415
For exciting news on legalization in europe that main stream us media isnt even reporting
John Gordon http://www.bcmarijuanaparty.ca/c_john_gordon.htm Vancouver- Kensington .
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shiznitz
(journeyman)
3/13/01 09:33 AM
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Re: First we take Berlin then we take manhatan
[Post#: 104728
/ re: 104650
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Thanks Flash!
LEGALIZE...
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FlashGordon
(old hand)
3/27/01 02:25 AM
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Re: Politicians rule out legalization of drugs
[Post#: 109369
/ re: 103853
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This is what the guy actually wrote back and the outdated inbred arguements he actually stooped to could i please have all of your letters emails and responses on this to forward to this lout
Dear Mr. Gordon,
Thank you for your email. Your opinion differs from my own, however, I
stand by my previous statement about illegal drugs.
Illegal drugs are a curse on our society. Cocaine, heroine and
hallucinogenic drugs are dangerous. They destroy lives and they destroy
societies. There is no place for the recreational use of these drugs in a
developed society.
People think that marijuana is a mild and harmless drug, however it is a
mood-altering drug. All studies show that people who eventually use hard
drugs normally start by using soft drugs. Marijuana is known as the
"gateway drug" to hard substance abuse.
At no point in time would I want to be part of a system that condones
conning our young people into thinking that mind altering drugs are
beneficial.
If we go to the core of any large country we can see the devastating effects
of drugs on society, Vancouver being a prime example.
Yours truly,
John Williams
-----Original Message-----
From: Williams, John - M.P.
To: Williams, John - Riding 1
Sent: 3/12/01 2:50 PM
Subject: FW: an embarassment
-----Original Message-----
From: John Gordon [mailto:johngordon@home.com]
Sent: March 11, 2001 5:34 PM
To: Williams.J@parl.gc.ca Subject: an embarassment
John Gordon http://www.bcmarijuanaparty.ca/c_john_gordon.htm Vancouver- Kensington .
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shiznitz
(member)
3/27/01 06:01 PM
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Re: Politicians rule out legalization of drugs
[Post#: 109565
/ re: 109369
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Oh my God, I cannot believe he wrote that...
I'm gonna write him right now...
LEGALIZE...
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shiznitz
(member)
3/27/01 06:21 PM
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Re: Politicians rule out legalization of drugs
[Post#: 109574
/ re: 109369
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I wrote an e-mail to him, here it is:
Dear Mr. Williams,
You claim that "It (drug use) destroys societies. Therefore, legalization is not an issue..." But do you know why drug use
destroys societies? Canadian Drug Law is the problem. These
laws do much more harm than good; they cost millions, if not billions, in tax-payers money. They break families apart. I agree that hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine are a problem, but the way Canada
deals with it is not the correct way. Canada must stop looking up
to the United States, and figure out that the War on Drugs is a failure. Legalization would be a much better solution. I will not get into the details as I am sure you already know about the benefits. But that makes me wonder, why has Canada not changed it's laws? It has been proven that soft drugs such as marijuana are not nearly as harmful as other legal drugs such as nicotene, alcohol, even caffeine. It is obvious, and neccessary, that these ridiculous laws be changed.
You also claim that "marijuana is a mood-altering drug. All studies show that people who eventually use hard drugs normally start by using soft drugs. Marijuana is known as the 'gateway drug' to hard substance abuse." Studies show that people who use hard drugs normally start by using soft drugs. Of course they do, since caffeine and nicotene are all soft drugs. Are you saying that soft-drinks and caffeine are "gateway drugs", because those who use hard drugs usually start by drinking a coke or smoking a cigarrette? These so called "facts" are misleading, and should note be used to prove your point. How can you say that soft drugs like marijuana are gateway drugs? If I were to eat a chocolate bar, and then go try cocaine, would you consider prohibiting chocolate? After all, studies would show that those who use hard drugs usually consume chocolate first. You get my point. Please stop peddling these misleading "facts" and get your facts straight.
You say "At no point in time would I want to be part of a system that condones conning our young people into thinking that mind altering drugs are beneficial." But who are you to say that they are not beneficial? Are you a doctor? A scientist? Have you done research proving that these drugs are not beneficial? I would like to see evidence, facts. No, not your misleading, untrue facts; REAL FACTS. It is not drugs that are doing most of the damage, it is the War on Drugs. Please reconsider your views on illegal drugs, I'm sure it will benefit everyone. Thank you for your time.
LEGALIZE...
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