A dissection of anti-marijuana propaganda

[RainDog]

Since various people on DU have posted anti-marijuana propaganda lately, I thought it might be instructive to look at one incident.

Here's the post:

He's not opposed to decriminalization. He just questions the arguments in this case.

The way Taube "questions the arguments" is to use racist dog whistles that reflect concern if marijuana is legal in cities with high rates of crime (as tho those cities already do not have access to illegal marijuana, or that those cities don't reflect the crisis of the death of manufacturing in the U.S. - the cities he notes include Detroit and Milwaukee.)

TAUBE: The myth of the mellow pothead

Correlation between marijuana use and cutting crime is cloudy

By Michael Taube Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Do you think there’s a correlation between marijuana legalization and lower crime levels?

I certainly don’t. However, some individuals and groups are attempting to creatively connect the dots using some local data collected in Denver.

THIS IS THE BIG LIE.

Here's what happened: when marijuana legalization was on the ballot in Colorado, law enforcement agencies lobbied against marijuana and predicted crime would soar as a consequence. The big lie is to pretend marijuana advocates claimed crime would be reduced, or that current stats indicate a correlation.

What happened was this (as Jonathan Turley reports, tho I posted this here from other sources earlier in the year, as well.)

Colorado is reporting $7.3 million in taxes for sales, not including medical marijuana sales taxes and licenses. When medical marijuana is included, the amount rises to $12.6 million. The trend is a steady increase: $1.4 million in January, $1.43 million in February and now $1.898 million in March. At the same time, Denver is reporting a slight decrease in crime. That may have no relation to the law but advocates point out that opponents predicted a sharp increase in crime. Notably, since recreational marijuana is taxed more heavily than medical marijuana, the tax revenues for recreational marijuana are expected to bring in the greatest amount of revenue for the state.

http://jonathanturley.org/2014/06/04/legal-pot-sales-soar-nationally-as-colorado-reports-continuing-increase-in-sales-and-a-decrease-in-crime/

Back to the ever-so-reasonable Taube - As I’ve written in the past, I support marijuana decriminalization because I don’t feel people should have permanent criminal records for possessing a few joints. The push for marijuana legalization has always worried me for a number of reasons, however.

Unscientific assumptions such as a correlation between pot use and reduced crime levels is certainly one of them.

The prohibitionists KNOW science is not on their side, as far as marijuana having no medicinal value or being more addictive than cocaine or heroin.

So, now they have fashioned a MYTH about claims made by those who support legalization to try to undermine actual scientific claims, and the overwhelming reality that marijuana prohibition is one of the most idiotic laws ever created in this nation. Not one of the worst - there are far worse - but this one is one of the most idiotic because it came about because of liars and is continued because of liars.

Michael Taube is a contributor to The Washington Times. <--- yeah, this was considered a valid source here for those who want to spread propaganda. fwiw. The owner of the Washington Times was a major contributor to the Republican Party all through the Bush Sr. and Jr. years - and, as Robert Parry has documented (he's a Pulitzer-nominated former Newsweek reporter who left mainstream media after he saw the collusion between mainstream media and political right wingers) Rev. Moon was a major financial backer of fascist regimes in Central America during the Reagan/Bush years when the U.S. supported "freedom fighters" who were raping and killing nuns because they were socialists.

So, know the tactics the prohibitionists are using as they lose the hearts and minds of the American people (not that they ever had them in the first place, unless someone was already a right wing Nixon and Reagan loving creep.)

oh, and here's the link to Taube's misinformation: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/3/taube-the-myth-of-the-mellow-pothead/

hey, Taube, I'm calling you out for posting these lies. Didn't you do your research?