Is the "cannabis eradication" program worthwhile?

[GladiatoRowdy]

Ninety-nine Percent of All Marijuana Eradicated in US is Feral Hemp, Federal Data Reveals 9/3/04
courtesy NORML News, http://www.norml.org

Approximately 99% of all marijuana eradicated by the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program in 2003 was feral hemp -- not cultivated marijuana, according to figures recently published online by the Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics.

According to the DEA data, of the estimated 247 million marijuana plants destroyed by law enforcement in 2003, more than 243 million were classified as "ditch weed," a term the agency uses to define "wild, scattered marijuana plants [with] no evidence of planting, fertilizing, or tending." Unlike cultivated marijuana, feral hemp contains virtually no detectable levels of THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana, and does not contribute to the black market marijuana trade.

NORML Foundation Executive Director Allen St. Pierre criticized the program for spending millions of taxpayers' dollars eradicating hemp. "Hemp is grown legally throughout most the Western world as a commercial crop for its fiber content, yet the US government is spending taxpayers' money to target and eradicate this same agricultural commodity," he said, noting that many of today's current hemp plots are remnants of US-government subsidized crops that existed prior to World War II. "Virtually all wild hemp goes unharvested and presents no legitimate threat to public safety. As such, it should be of no concern to the federal government or law enforcement."

According to DEA figures, Indiana led all 50 states in the volume of ditchweed eradicated, destroying more than 219 million plants. Oklahoma law enforcement eradicated some 10 million plants, and Missouri destroyed an estimated 4.5 million. More than half of all states failed to report their ditch weed totals. California led all 50 states in the number of cultivated plants eradicated in 2003, with the DEA citing nearly 1.2 million plants destroyed.

Begun in 1979, the Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program allocates federal funds to law enforcement agencies in all 50 states for the purpose of uprooting marijuana. For 2003, DEA data indicates that 8,480 arrests were derived from law enforcement raiding over 34,000 outdoor plots, and over 2,600 indoor gardens.

A past NORML report and analysis on domestic marijuana cultivation can be found at http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=4444 online.


http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/352/wildhemp.shtml

[GreenVegan76]

"Feral" marijuana? That's hilarious.

I'm glad all that wild pot (which has virtually no psychoactive properties) is out of our ditches and into DEA statistics.

[GladiatoRowdy]

Originally posted by GreenVegan76 "Feral" marijuana? That's hilarious. I'm glad all that wild pot (which has virtually no psychoactive properties) is out of our ditches and into DEA statistics.

Yeah, especially since it is industrial hemp, which means you would have to smoke a joint the size of a telephone pole to get high.

[Trader_Jorge]

Just for fun, I went back and counted the number of threads andymoon has started (only in D&D -- this doesn't include the Hangout threads) that related to drugs. Obviously, I didn't have time to stop on every thread to investigate its contents, but judging by thread titles and memory, this is the 46th thread he has started that relates to drugs. Most of them had very few views or responses. Draw your own conclusions.


:D

[SpaceCity]

Yeah his posts are nowhere near as entertaining as yours. Rather than spewing hate and lies he tends to post boring facts about how our government wastes our money by supporting outdated laws that cost us even more money.

I would have been much better off not knowing the truth of what is really going on with the War on Drugs.

[Deckard]

I read your stuff, Andy. Press on!

[GladiatoRowdy]

Originally posted by Trader_Jorge Just for fun, I went back and counted the number of threads andymoon has started (only in D&D -- this doesn't include the Hangout threads) that related to drugs. Obviously, I didn't have time to stop on every thread to investigate its contents, but judging by thread titles and memory, this is the 46th thread he has started that relates to drugs. Most of them had very few views or responses. Draw your own conclusions. :D

Of course, the conclusion I reached is that there are so few arguments that support the prohibition of drugs that these threads are preaching to the converted.

I note that you never have anything of substance to add to these threads, further bolstering my opinion that your vitriol is utterly devoid of anything even approaching intelligent or rational discourse. You are nothing more than a parrot, echoing the party line even when you have been proven utterly, incontrovertibly wrong. You also seem to possess the same intelligence level of said parrot, rarely if ever even understanding the idiotic ramblings you post.

SQUAWK

[ima_drummer2k]

Cannabis erection?!?!? Look, I smoked a little weed in college but I can't remember it having that effect on me. If anything, it was the exact opposite. That's why my girlfriend didn't like.....



I'm sorry, what?



Oh.




Nevermind.

[twhy77]

Originally posted by ima_drummer2k Cannabis erection?!?!? Look, I smoked a little weed in college but I can't remember it having that effect on me. If anything, it was the exact opposite. That's why my girlfriend didn't like..... I'm sorry, what? Oh. Nevermind.

You have a huge head.








:D

[VooDooPope]

Originally posted by andymoon SQUAWK

Too Funny!

CAGE CLOSED

[GladiatoRowdy]

Originally posted by VooDooPope Too Funny! CAGE CLOSED

I warned him about posting his garbage in my threads. If he continues to ignore my warnings, he deserves nothing less than a well crafted insult.

[Rockets2K]

Originally posted by andymoon I warned him about posting his garbage in my threads. If he continues to ignore my warnings, he deserves nothing less than a well crafted insult.

I will admit, that was one of the funnier responses to good ol' TJ....

I agree, the lower amount of responses in these threads is mainly caused by the majority of the readers already agree and so there isnt many arguments going on(which is the only way some threads get so many responses).

[Batman Jones]

Keep posting, andy.

[GladiatoRowdy]

Originally posted by Rockets2K I will admit, that was one of the funnier responses to good ol' TJ.... I agree, the lower amount of responses in these threads is mainly caused by the majority of the readers already agree and so there isnt many arguments going on(which is the only way some threads get so many responses).

Honestly, this is the part that bothers me the most about the drug war. Virtually everyone I talk to, no matter their political persuasion, knows and admits that prohibition doesn't work, but still the politicians and big money interests simply refuse to acknowledge the facts and continue to persecute innocent people whose only "crime" is their choice of intoxicants.

[GladiatoRowdy]

Originally posted by Batman Jones Keep posting, andy.

If you think an idiotic "response" from traitor_jorge is going to dissuade me, then you do not have any clue as to the depth of my convictions on this issue.

Mark my words, whoever is instrumental in overturning worldwide prohibition will eventually be given a Nobel peace prize. I'm not saying that will be me, but someone will join Mandela in the ranks of people who have helped to correct injustice in this world.

[Trader_Jorge]

May I propose a single thread to post the drug comments in? These daily threads on the same issue are unnecessary in my opinion and it is a fact that they require Clutch to shoulder the burden of additional bandwidth requirements.


Alternatively, andymoon, perhaps you could donate a dollar to the tipjar for each new weed thread that you start? Let's put your strength of conviction to the test.

[GladiatoRowdy]

Originally posted by Trader_Jorge May I propose a single thread to post the drug comments in? These daily threads on the same issue are unnecessary in my opinion and it is a fact that they require Clutch to shoulder the burden of additional bandwidth requirements. Alternatively, andymoon, perhaps you could donate a dollar to the tipjar for each new weed thread that you start? Let's put your strength of conviction to the test.

When you commit to contribute a dollar for every moronic post you "contribute" (post eligibility to be determined by the rest of the board), come and see me.

Seriously, traitor, I would see a point if I actually created "daily threads" in the first place. I have minimized my posts on this topic as was suggested by people whose opinions I care about (read: not yours) and have begun posting redundant and additional information in already existing threads (see the "Corrupt Cops Story" thread).

If you are seriously worried about Clutch's bandwidth, maybe you should consider throwing your keyboard in the trash, which would immediately eliminate 95% of the idiotic, vitriolic, and just plain stupid posts this board sees. I would venture a guess that this board holds my contributions in FAR more esteem than yours and would be happy to wager a year off the board based on a vote of the members. Take me up on the wager or shut the he!! up, imbecile.

[jiggadi]

Post on andymoon. I was at the Guadalupe River this weekend and there were a ton of people smoking pot there. And not only teenagers by the way. Obviously these folks would have to have some sort of job to be spending money and having a good time. I also saw some belligerent drunks out there making asses out of themselves but it was legal for them to buy the alcohol.

[basso]

andy, does W's rumored drug use make you more likely to support him?

[GladiatoRowdy]

Originally posted by basso andy, does W's rumored drug use make you more likely to support him?

Nope, because he has been a hypocrite about it. He has (by all reports) used a myraid of drugs in his lifetime and didn't spend so much as a single night behind bars as a result of it. He has turned around and condemned men and women to prison for doing the same things he has done in his life. He continues to support prohibition in the face of scientific evidence on top of his own experiences in this area and that is the very definition of hypocracy.

I understand that Kerry supports the same system that GWB does, so this issue is a wash between the two, advantage nobody. That is why I am basing my vote this year on the War on Terror, the economy, the deficit, etc. If it were any other year, I would have supported Kucinich during the Dem primaries and probably would have ended up voting for Nader because of his stance on prohibition, but there is something more important to take care of this November.