SENATORS, DRUGS AND MONEY

On June 12, while giving a speech in Quebec City, US Drug Czar John Walters
harshly criticized Canada's plans to liberalize its laws regarding the
recreational and medicinal use of marijuana. Canada joins a long list of
nations reconsidering drug policy, in particular, laws regarding marijuana
and especially medical marijuana. While the UK moves towards
decriminalization (see last issue) and other European nations relax
prosecution of simple possession and minor trafficking in marijuana
(Portugal, for instance, has all but legalized simple possession of all
illicit drugs - see http://www.norml.org for more info on Walters' speech
in Canada and European policy changes), here at the Dig, we wondered if
there really is any chance to see a change in climate in DC. With the
upcoming senate seat election in November, we decided to take a little poll
of the candidates. When reached by phone on Friday, Libertarian candidate
Michael Cloud was already up in arms about Walters position. "To my
knowledge the only way one can die from marijuana is if a bale of it falls
on you from a great height," Cloud said from his campaign office. "There
have been zero deaths attributed to medical marijuana and the thing that
bothers me the most is that the Globe the Phoenix and the most
pro-democratic papers in this state refuse to tell the truth about the drug
war."

It could be that the reason the major media players don't report on the
issue is that the major politicos don't discuss it. Three phone calls to
Senator John Kerry's office, whom Cloud is running against in November,
asking for just a position statement on drug policy and medical marijuana
from the good senator, went unreturned. A search of Kerry's official
website (http://www.senate.gov/~kerry/) found no position statement on
medical marijuana. And a quick phone call to local legalization activists,
Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition (MASS CANN), returned a vote of no
confidence on Kerry's pro-drug war positions so far.

Michael Cloud is unimpressed with Kerry. "John Kerry was the guy who voted
for $14 billion for military aid for Colombia to send down troops guns,
airplanes [to assist with drug interdiction]. That's our tax dollars at
work. John Kerry has blood on his hands. We need to immediately end the war
on marijuana; immediately end marijuana prohibition especially for medical
marijuana. Over 500,000 AIDS and cancer patients suffer for lack of medical
marijuana. Anyone who votes to keep medical marijuana illegal, and John
Kerry did, is voting for the torture, pain and suffering of innocent and
helpless patients - and this is wrong "

The Republican Party, suffering from political impotence in Massachusetts,
isn't even fielding a candidate to challenge Kerry. So what of this Michael
Cloud character and the Libertarian bid for Kerry's senate seat? Cloud is
no stranger to local politics having worked on current Libertarian
gubernatorial candidate Carla Howell's senate campaign in 2000. In a press
release last week, Cloud pointed out that as CEO of Howell's senate
campaign he helped raise almost $1 million and Ms. Howell received well
over 300,000 votes in the election, garnering 12% of the total vote for
Senator Ted Kennedy's seat, finishing only several thousand votes behind
the republican candidate that year. With no republican candidate to dilute
conservative donations this election cycle, Cloud insists he will raise
over $1 million for his senatorial run and have even greater voter impact.
Why all this concern over money? "I am being censored, blacked out,
marginalized and denied by mainstream TV, radio and newspaper reporters. $1
million can buy a lot of political advertising and take my message directly
to Massachusetts voters."

Well he'll have to. According to OpenSecrets.org, Kerry spent approximately
$12 million on his last senatorial bid, almost $2 million coming from his
own (or his wife's) pockets.

So, is Cloud a serious threat to Kerry? Well, that all depends. He is
Kerry's only competition at the moment, but Cloud could have the greatest
third-party campaign this state has ever seen and still come up short. That
is, unless the media decides to even the score a little for third party
candidates who don't have such deep pockets.

I gotta' stop saying stuff like that if I expect people to take us
seriously here at the Dig.