How to End America’s Drug Overdose Death Crisis

Nearly all young people who die of drug overdose begin their drug use with marijuana. A national policy based on harm reduction will never be nearly as effective as a policy based on drug prevention. We support addiction treatment, but admit there is no guarantee of success.

Yesterday a coalition of national groups ran an ad in the Washington Times calling for enforcement of federal marijuana laws, as a step to end the national crisis of drug overdose deaths.  The ad was sponsored by the National Institute of Citizen Anti-drug Policy (NICAP)  Below is most of the full page ad:

“There is virtually no one in America today who does not personally know of a drug-related tragedy among their family, neighbors or
friends. Most parents of victims tell us that, with few exceptions, nearly all these tragedies began with a shared marijuana joint from
a schoolmate. These drug-related harms of addiction, disability, assaults, mass murders and overdose deaths have soared ever since the U.S. Department of Justice six years ago unilaterally suspended enforcement of federal marijuana laws in Stoner States that have
legalized marijuana in direct violation of federal laws and international treaties.

“That ill-conceived DOJ action has enabled the establishment of a Big Marijuana industry that today produces and distributes
dangerous marijuana products throughout the entire nation. All while DOJ continues turning a blind eye to that industry’s overt
widespread violations of the 8 specific DOJ restrictions under which they virtually authorized that dangerous commerce. That DOJ
failure is a key element in the widespread proliferation of addictive, brain-destroying, violence-inducing, high-potency strains of
marijuana being produced and distributed by wealthy drug traffickers without fear of federal prosecution.

“Following that dangerous precedent, State-level pot-money-influenced politicians are now enacting laws authorizing local drug
pushers and users to possess from 20 to 60 marijuana joints or candies of violence-inducing unlimited-high-THC content without fear of arrest. The tragic consequence of this terrible public policy is massive damage to children, families, schools and communities
throughout their entire States.

“Today, American families are losing over 4,000 loved ones to overdose death EVERY MONTH per CDC data, and over twice
that many in addition from drug-related illnesses, accidents, suicides and crime. And as recent news reports reveal, those rates are
increasing exponentially. Additionally, widespread outbreaks of deadly public violence are being reported daily in news accounts of
unprovoked vicious assaults, horrific child abuse and random murders in cities throughout this nation—with near-universal denial by public officials that marijuana could have contributed.

“Therefore, we grassroots Parent Drug Prevention activists are appealing to strong, loyal, leadership of those in government and
the media who will listen to our pleas and rise up and assert their considerable influence to free our people from the slavery of drug
addiction and death by publicizing THE TRUTH ABOUT MARIJUANA and supporting actions that will end this urgent health and-safety drug crisis in America.  DRUG USE AND TRAFFICKING ARE NOT “NON-VIOLENT CRIMES.

“Here’s what must be done to end that marijuana-induced carnage and restore peace and justice in our homes, schools,
playgrounds and communities:

• Congress must force DOJ to end its irrational alliance with the marijuana drug traffickers by restoring enforcement of federal
marijuana laws IN ALL STATES. And prosecuting all illegal drug traffickers.

• Voters must drive from public office all marijuana-friendly hug-a-thug politicians during the coming Presidential elections.
All political debates must feature the nation’s horrible dug crisis.

• Congress must mandate that all investigations of violent crimes include forensic hair-sample drug-testing of all violent criminal
suspects to determine what mind-altering drugs may explain the “unknown cause” of otherwise irrational violence. Because
human hair is a continuous monitor of a person’s drug use, this high-tech diagnostic tool can document past use of drugs for a
period of 3 months preceding the test.

• To protect schoolchildren from the current massive prevalence of drugs in schools, Congress should mandate the non-punitive
Health Screening of All Secondary Schoolchildren by Hair Testing to enable accurate and timely discovery of a kid’s exposure to
the deadly disease of drug addiction, for treatment purposes only. A precedent for the Mandate is in the existing federal Uniform
21 Drinking Age Mandate initiated by President and Nancy Reagan, that reduced teen drunk-driving highway deaths by over 70%.

Therefore, we grassroots Parent Drug Prevention activists are appealing to strong, loyal, leadership of those in government and
the media who will listen to our pleas and rise up and assert their considerable influence to free our people from the slavery of drug
addiction and death by publicizing THE TRUTH ABOUT MARIJUANA and supporting actions that will end this urgent healthand-safety drug crisis in America.

Contributions and Sponsors

Citizens who would like to contribute to the cost of future such ads can send contributions to “NICAP Ad Campaign” PO Box 493, Valley Lee, MD 20692.
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The paid ad was sponsored by DeForest Rathbone, Chairman, National Institute of Citizen Anti-drug Policy (NICAP) and thousands of other Parents throughout
Other endorsers who have contributed to share in the cost of this paid ad. These include:

-Joyce Nalepka, President, Drug-Free Kids: America’s Challenge, Silver Spring, MD
Former President of Nancy Reagan’s National Federation of Parents for Drug-Free Youth (NFP)

-Roger Morgan, Take Back America Campaign, Web Site: www.tbac.us [email protected] #stoppot

-Carla Lowe, Founder, Co-Chair, Citizens Against Legalizing Marijuana (CALM), Web site: www.CALMca.org
“The highly potent, long acting mind altering marijuana today is diminishing the potential of our youth and therefore, the potential of our nation.”

-Shirley Morgan, Welches, Oregon, Web sites: www.protectoursociety.org and www.unwantedpotgrows.com
“You can measure a person’s character by how they protect their community from federally illegal drugs.”

-Ronald L. Kirkish, Coalition For a Drug-Free California

-Ginger Rosela, Advocates for a Drug-Free Calvert County- Team Jake, Maryland Heroin Awareness Advocates

-A. Young, co-founder, Parents Affected By Addiction (PABA) “The legalization of marijuana or the lessening of the crime for carrying minimal levels is bed-partners with the INCREASE in Heroin overdoses and deaths.”

Moms Strong; Headquartered in Arizona, California, Colorado; Mothers of children who have been damaged by marijuana. This group represents a number of mothers who have lost children to suicide directly related to their use of marijuana. Quote: “We are greatly concerned about the number of cases of ‘Cannabis Induced Psychosis’ and ‘Cannabis Withdrawal Suicide Syndrome.'”