Too bad being right can hurt your campaign. Friedman calls for decriminalization of mar1juana By JANET ELLIOTT and PEGGY FIKAC Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau AUSTIN — Independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman today called for the decriminalization of mar1juana to avoid further clogging state prisons with nonviolent offenders. He also said he would favor a review of people already imprisoned on mar1juana charges to "rehab them, try to get them back into society." "We've got to clear some of the room out of the prisons so we can put the bad guys in there, like the pedophiles and the politicians," said Friedman, a humorist and author. Friedman said he doesn't yet have specifics on how decriminalization would work, including what amount of mar1juana a person could possess without being charged. He did say that he doesn't favor making mar1juana legally available for purchase. "I'm not talking about like Amsterdam," he said. "I agree with (U.S. Sen.) John McCain that we've lost the drug war," Friedman said. "Drugs are more available, they're cheaper. "It's clear to me, if you've lost the war on drugs then you've got to go some other direction. You can't keep banging your head against the wall." Friedman's comments on mar1juana came one week after he created a controversy in Houston when he said the musicians and artists who fled Hurricane Katrina had returned to New Orleans but the "crackheads and thugs" remained behind. He later added that many evacuees who remain in Houston are good citizens. The candidate said today that crack cocaine "is a different deal" from mar1juana. "mar1juana is a very different situation. It's not like crack and (other) drugs that create violence," he said. Friedman discussed his prior cocaine use last week in an interview with the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News. He also has written extensively and talked freely about his cocaine use when he was a satirical musician during the 1970s and early 1980s. He said the deaths of two close friends spurred him to change his lifestyle and he has not used illegal drugs since 1985, when he left New York to return to Texas and began writing detective novels. Friedman also added that while he knows most of the New Orleans evacuees are black, "crackheads come in all colors of the rainbow. So do racists." "I'm not a racist. I'm a realist," said Friedman, adding that he is the only gubernatorial candidate addressing the issue of crime in Houston. Political scientist Bruce Buchanan of the University of Texas at Austin said Friedman is "off the beaten path. There's no question about that. That's his whole schtick." "By traditional standards, we would all dismiss this out of hand," Buchanan said. But he said that "given the fluidity (of the governor's race) ... we have to wait awhile. The die has not yet been cast." "He's new to the political game. He's still thinking it through. He still tends to say what he thinks whenever asked. And because of these special circumstances, it might not undermine his candidacy yet," Buchanan said. Mark Sanders, spokesman for independent gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn, said, "She is opposed to the legalization of illegal drugs." Robert Black, spokesman for incumbent Rick Perry, said, "The governor does not agree with Kinky and does not believe mar1juana should be legalized." Democrat Chris Bell also is not in favor of legalizing mar1juana. "Drugs are illegal for a reason," said Bell's campaign manager, Jason Stanford. "The last thing we need is to give kids the message that drugs are OK. They pose a serious problem to our communities." Libertarian candidate James Werner, however, said he would go further than decriminalization and support the "legalization, taxation and regulation of drugs in order to reduce the tremendous amount of crime associated with drug use and distribution." "It will be treated like alcohol," Werner said, adding that he would start with mar1juana and move toward legalization of all drugs. Friedman also said he would like to put inmates to work outside the confines of prison walls. "Let them paint poor people's houses, fix up the state parks, things like that," he said. "It would be good for them and good for us." http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.mpl/front/4185281
I hear ya. I had this very same discussion with a close friend this morning, who insists that Kinky just sunk his campaign by coming out in favor of decriminalization, even though he and I both are in favor of it. I don't know....the whole focus of Kinky's campaign is to bring people out to the polls to vote for him that never vote in the Governor's race in Texas. Will this bring out closet pot smokers who never had a reason to vote? Or will it backfire and bring out all the scaredy cats to vote for "law and order" Rick Perry? Only time will tell.....
how is this relevant to the governor's race? erase every state law regarding possession and you still have the feds. you still have federal drug laws, border controls, cooperation with federal drug law enforcement agencies, etc. you will still have tons of state resources committed to the war on drugs. this is a federal issue, in my mind.
In a two person race this would be flat out suicide. But maybe Kinky has poll data that most of his supporters are High Times subscribin, patcholi smellin hippie types (and before you bash...am kidding...I support Kinky). Myself I think its a BAD strategy. Counting on pot smokers to stop watching reruns of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and go to the polls is a longshot. Giving fear monger Religeous Reicht types to go out to the polls and vote for Perry is a more likely outcome. Since we all KNOW they love to raise thier voices in an Alleluja on election day.
Maybe I'm being a wide-eyed idealist here - but, maybe, just maybe - Kinky isn't saying this from any concern with polling numbers or his voting constituency. Maybe he just believes it. I know that sort of thing seems terribly out-of-place in politics - but it might actually be possible with someone who hasn't been part of the machine for most of their natural life. Most politicians don't even know what their favorite color is until they see the polling numbers. "The numbers say blue? Very well, then. My favorite color is blue! I love blue! All of my ties are blue!"
I have no doubt Kinky is sincere with this statement. This is good news for us "anybody but Perry" voters because Kinky's campaign now has a hole blown in the side and it should start sinking now. Hopefully Chris Bell can reap the benefits and beat Perry in November.
I'm all for legalization. And I don't even frickin' smoke weed. Simple policy logic here, folks. So, freaking, simple.
Kinky spoke his mind on issue. Many are predicting his honest stance on an issue will hurt him. I hope that it won't. Maybe I'm too insulated, but it seems like more and more people are coming around to legalizing mar1juana. It is refreshing to see candidates say what they think is a good idea, and not pander to polling strategy. I honestly think the premature declarations of his candicies demise won't be fulfilled. I guess we will just find out.
I think Kinky is just speaking his mind, as he said he'd do running for governor. I happen to agree with him, because we need the space in our prisons for what I consider to be the real criminals. I've always thought that what people do in the privacy of their own home is their business, as long as they don't injure someone else. I feel that way about a lot of things considered "bad" by a lot of folks. Kudos for Kinky. It won't affect my vote, and I'm still undecided about the people running against Perry. Whoever has the best chance on election day of beating the corrupt guv will get my vote. Any of the 3 running against him would be a vast improvement. Keep D&D Civil.
This is a big reason why I could never be a politician. I would speak out on this topic honestly, the VAST majority of the people would agree with me, and idiots like Bell's campaign manager would say things like "Drugs are illegal for a reason. The last thing we need is to give kids the message that drugs are OK. They pose a serious problem to our communities." Unfortunately people like that don't know that the Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914 was passed with less than an hour of debate on concerns of "cocainized ni**ers" and "mexican loco weed rapists." The AMA was against criminalizing drugs, but during the debate, one of the Senators lied when asked about the AMA's position and said they were fully behind it. The drug war is based on lies and racism, steeped in corruption and prejudice, and results in pain and death inflicted worldwide. And my opinion is what will keep (save?) me from serving as an elected official.
Jules: So, hash is legal there, right? Vincent: It's legal, but it ain't 100% legal. You can't just walk into a restaurant, roll a joint, and start puffing away. You have to smoke either in your home, or certain designated places. Jules: And those are hash bars? Vincent: Right...it breaks down like this. It's legal to buy it, it's legal to own it, and if you're the proprieter of a hash bar, it's legal to sell it. It's legal to carry it, but that don't matter, because check this out; If you're in Texas and a cop pulls you over, it's ILLEGAL for them to search you. I mean, that's a right the cops in Texas DON'T have. Jules: I'm going, man. That's all there is to it, I'm f*cking going... Vincent: I know man...you'd dig it the most. But, you know what I like most about Texas? It's the little differences. I mean, they got the same sh*t there that they got here, but there it's just a little different Jules: Example? Vincent: You can walk into a movie theater and order a beer. I'm not talking about a little paper cup, I'm talking about a GLASS of beer. In Dallas, you can order a beer at McDonald's. Do you know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in Dallas? Jules: They don't call it a quarter pounder with cheese? Vincent: No, they got the metric system over there. They don't know what the f*ck a quarter pound is. They call it a "Royale with cheese" Jules: Royale with cheese...what do they call a Big Mac? Vincent: A Big Mac's a Big Mac, but they call it "Le Big Mac" Jules: Le Big Mac...what do they call a Whopper? Vincent: I don't know, I didn't go into Burger King
but it has no business being a federal issue. some politician 2000 miles away in DC should have absolutely no authority to tell me what i can and cant put in my body. it should be strictly an state issue.
I almost agree with Kinky. I don't support legalization, but I would reduce all possession-type crimes to misdimeanors with community service attached. Of all things criminal, having a joint should be at or near the very bottom of the list.
Keep in mind that you started this... Can you explain why you don't support "legalization?" I actually prefer the term "regulation" in that I would regulate mar1juana much like alcohol and tobacco are regulated, but I am interested to learn why you support criminalization of mar1juana.
I'm not sure. Maybe because I don't like stoners. I have had friends that smoking it ruined their lives. (To be fair, I have had friends who smoke mar1juana and were fine, and friends who alcohol ruined their lives.) Maybe I should be for the legalization as long as companies can still choose to not hire anyone who smokes it.
