It was easy. This is something that should happen more often, because
it is not that hard to do. Show up at an event, wear a tie, look
clean-cut, then boom, wham, there's someone jumping in front of the
cameras, shouting about medical marijuana and the immorality of the
current Drug War." Adam Eidinger- Mintwood Media Collective, US Shadow
Representative candidate for the DC Statehood Green Party

IT'S NOT EASY BEING A MEANIE - A DRUG CZAR INTERRUPTED

The official launch by US Drug Czar John P. Walters of the Office of
National Drug Control Policy's new National Media Campaign
anti-marijuana ads got off to a rocky start at the National Press Club
in Washington, DC, Tuesday, when a protestor leaped upon the stage and
began shouting, waving about a sign, and throwing flyers decrying the
federal war on medical marijuana into the crowd of assembled press
representatives, drug law reformers, and prohibition supporters.

Adam Eidinger saw a press advisory the night before the press
conference, and decided to do something dramatic to draw more
attention to the ongoing federal crack down on medical marijuana.

Eidinger, founder of the Mintwood Media Collective, a public relations
group focused on social issues, and currently a candidate for US
Shadow Representative to the US Congress for the DC Statehood Green
Party, got together with Kevin Zeese of Common Sense for Drug Policy
and created flyers, printed on one side with the question, "Is The
Drug Czar's Ad Campaign Just Drug War Propaganda," and on the other a
portion of Daniel Forbes' recent article for DrugWar.com detailing
federal opposition to citizens' marijuana initiatives around the
country, particularly in Michigan.

"When the Drug Czar began to speak, Adam rushed the podium with a sign
that said, 'Free Bryan Epis,'" Zeese told DrugWar.com. "He started
shouting about Epis being sentenced to 10 years in jail next week in
California for medical marijuana, that there will be demonstrations
that day and to join us, and for the government to stop harassing
medical marijuana patients. Then they rushed him as he threw some of
the flyers out into the audience. As he was being escorted out, I
jumped up and threw more flyers, so they covered the whole floor at
the event."

The US Surgeon General was there, as were representatives of the
American Medical Association and the National Medical Association.
After Eidinger was ejected, Walters gave a speech alledging marijuana
is a very dangerous drug and should be kept away from children, one of
the most common drug warrior excuses for continuing the War. An
unidentified representative of the NMA also spoke, asserting that
marijuana was a gateway drug into the illegal drugs culture,
specifically a danger for African-American youth, according to a
report on the press conference from William D. McColl, Director of
National Affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance. Representatives from
reforms groups NORML, the DPA, and the Students for Sensible Drug
Policy were in the audience.

The new anti-marijuana ads have been released simultaneously with the
increased federal crack down on medical marijuana growers and users in
California. This official press conference was held the same day that
the city of Santa Cruz, California, handed out medical marijuana from
the city hall steps in defiance of federal prohibitionist enforcers.

There will be a protest in Sacramento on Sunday, Sept. 22, and both in
Sacramento at the federal courthouse on Sept. 23, and in DC as well,
protesting the sentencing of Bryan Epis, and the federal War on
medical marijuana in general.