Bruce Mirken on The Rachel Maddow Show 03/11/2009

Comments (28)
March 12, 2009

MPP Director of Communications Bruce Mirken discusses marijuana policy and the new drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske, with Rachel Maddow.

The opinions expressed below by our viewers and posters do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Marijuana Policy Project. These views are those of the individual authors alone. MPP does not condone or support the illegal use of marijuana. We do encourage open and frank discussion, but if a comment has been posted that is in some way significantly inappropriate, please e-mail us at socialnetwork@mpp.org to report it. Thank you, and we're looking forward to what you think!

28 Comments, Comment or Ping

Eric

Bravo, Raccel and Bruce, bravo. It is so good to hear a reasonable discussion on the issue take place on American TV. I also think as much as this segment is a reality check for anti-legalization zealots, it’s a reality check for us as well. I think Bruce very eloquently illustrated that we can’t go around villianizing every politician who isn’t 100% behind legalization, that we have to respect and hold up politicians who have a reasonable outllok on the situation, and that change is going to be slow, but we have to focus on making positive steps instaed of burning bridges. I’ve heard a lot of people criticize Obama for saying he isn’t in favor of legalization, but we have to remember that these people need to win elections and as strong as our movement is, a pro-legalization stance during an election is a very good way to lose a lot of votes. What we need to do is spread the facts about cannabis to people who choose to believe lies and half-truths, expose these numerous anti-cannabis ad-campaigns for what they are, and make it so that pro-legalization is not a stance that can lose you an election.

Mar 12th, 2009
Christian Conservative

As a nation, we have the choice between either spending $20,000 a year to lock up a marijuana user or collecting sales tax on the individual’s purchase of this widely used and relatively safe product.
If we want to tax the home-grown group, we could consider a $100 per year permit for a dozen plants.
It’s time to put the criminal drug dealers out of business and let ordinary Americans use or grow a little marijuana in their own back yards.

Mar 12th, 2009
Shawn Kashay

Marijuana in america has been so negative, but reallly what are the effects marijuana? Well, Hungry, Happy, Sleepy is reallly what you will get, but what are the harms? Is it physically addictive, does it really impair your judgement? These are the questions you need to ask. The BIG ONE you’ll get is the “gateway drug” (drug leading to worse drugs and outcomes) it is only a gateway drug to the weak, but rerally it is a “gateway” drug because the goverment has put this negattive image on it putting it in the catergory with other drugs such as crack, cocain, acid, shroom, and extacy.. BUT! is it really even able to compare to any of these highly addictive and hallucinative drugs? no! Have you heard of the legal drug 18 -year-olds called salvia… Well i have personal tried this and it makes you go crazy an indiscribable drug that you cant control your self on. They should (cops and goverment everyone) should be focusing on other drugs and problems and stray marijuana away away from that catergory. I hope our goverment will sooner or later find a way to conrol the legaliztion of marijuana and make it useful with limitation but none the less giving the american the choose to use this substance. this was very confusing to write but i hope you get were im coming from.

Mar 12th, 2009
Free The Plant

WALLS COME TUMBLING DOWN – Paul Weller

You don’t have to take this crap
You don’t have to sit back and relax
You can actually try changing it

I know we’ve always been taught to rely
Upon those in authority -
But you never know until you try
How things just might be -
If we came together so strongly

Are you gonna try to make this work
Or spend your days down in the dirt
You see things can change -
YES an’ walls can come tumbling down!

Governments crack and systems fall
’cause Unity is powerful -
Lights go out – walls come tumbling down!

The competition is a colour TV
We’re on still pause with the video machine
That keep you slave to the H.P.

Until the Unity is threatend by
Those who have and who have not -
Those who are with and those who are without
And dangle jobs like a donkey’s carrot -
Until you don’t know where you are

Are you gonna realize
The class war’s real and not mythologized
And like Jericho – You see walls can come tumbling down!

Are you gonna be threatend by
The public enemies No. 10 -
Those who play the power game
They take the profits – you take the blame -
When they tell you there’s no rise in pay

Are you gonna try an’ make this work
Or spend your days down in the dirt -
You see things CAN change -
YES an’ walls can come tumbling down

Mar 12th, 2009
Bret

I think Bruce made one of the biggest points for the legalization of marijuana and that is to cut off the biggest portion of gang income. The DOW is dropping like a rock and everyone is loosing a buttload of money, but drug dealers are still making it strong. why don’t we turn this economic meltdown on the drug dealers and gangs and put all the money that they’re making into our pockets? what are they going to do when THEY start loosing their income?

Great discussion…I give it 1.3 billion stars

Mar 12th, 2009
Legalization

Bruce did a great job here. I hope he gets his point across!

Mar 13th, 2009
Paul

An interview very well done. Thank you Bruce. I just wish more would be done with Florida. I know Florida’s time will come, and perhaps it will require Federal legislation on the issue, but Floridians are being punished as if they live in United Arab Emirates. After all Florida is a pivotal state.

Mar 13th, 2009
Juliea

WOOOHOOOO! I think it’s great that we are getting closer and closer to the decriminalization of marijuana. It’s obviously the right and logical things to do, and the public opinion obviously overwhelmingly thinks so. It’s a matter of time, my friends.

Mar 13th, 2009
Mert

Wow… Did I hear right? President Obama actually did something right?! OMG… It’s a miracle…. All of his policies are going to fail horribly but I think this is the only stance and policy where he is doing well!

Thank you, Obama, for relaxing crimilization of Marijauana and stopping federal raids on medical marijuana users.

This may make up for the fact that you’re bankrupting our country, turning it towards socialism and we all know that socailism eventually turns to communism. This may make up for the fact that you want to give America to the poor, illegal immigrants, and terriost.

Thanks for doing at least ONE thing right… the only thing right!

Mar 13th, 2009
Nancy McInerney

I am a nurse, a social worker, a mother and wife and I believe that legalizing marijuana could benefit our society in many ways. Medical marijuana has been proven to help those with cancer, HIV, multiple sclerosis, sickle cell disease, etc. Taxing marijuana would undoubtedly help our desperate economy. The fear that has been put upon this herbal substance astounds me. No, I don’t want my children smoking pot all day but I don’t want them to abuse alcohol all day either. Making it legal is not going to change how much or when people use marijuana. It’s out there now except now the money is going to gangs and people who I would rather not have the money. We need to wake up and deal with this rationally once and for all.

Mar 13th, 2009
Paul Whittaker

I’ve heard the financial arguments about lost revenue (how American!) manymanymanymanymany times now. But what about the civil liberties arguments? What Article of the Constitution gives the federal government the power to tell us what we can and cannot consume? Or is talk of freedom unAmerican? I smoked marijuana (heavily) in college and today I’m “healthy as an ox” at 54. I don’t need the government to decide this for me.

Mar 13th, 2009
Dove

I find it interesting, and perplexing, that no one has attacked the pharmaceutical companies, who dispense medication (like candy), market their wares through the media, and the long-term effects of these drugs or those that have been responsible for deaths.

As well, why has no one brought up the fact that marijuana is only a stepping stone, as is alcohol or the legal pharmaceuticals, for those who have an addictive personality? Addiction is a personality as well as a medical disorder and should be treated as such.

A person with an addiction problem will find “something” to which they will become addicted…whether it is a drug, a person, or something that consumes their lives and causes problems for them or the people in their lives.

When we decriminalize and regulate marijuana, be it for medical or personal use, we decrease, through legislation and regulation, and through educational programs, the percentage of drug “abuse” and thwart the illegal drug trade.

Mar 13th, 2009
David Roberts

Marijuana and other illegal drugs have proven the free market theory – a totally unregulated business or certainly one that is not a government regulated business is the most successful world wide, even while every government in the world strives to destroy it. I let the facts speak for themselves.
I use marijuana to stimulate my appetite as I have liver disease and it is the safest appetite stimulant, period. The point about how prohibition has funded and actually caused the rise of the terrorist drug gangs is also valid. Alcohol prohibition taught us what prohibition rather than regulation, taxation and control does to men and women who seek the prohibited products and the government trying to stop it…both get out of control and liberty suffers.
Taxing and regulating marijuana will eliminate it as a gateway drug – (don’t have to know an illegal drug dealer who will also sell you dangerous drugs); provide funding to stressed government entities; alleviate prison crowding and crowded court dockets; allow millions natural pain relief; restart the hemp fabric industry; make paints effective again; manufacture paper that uses 1/4 of the chemicals that wood pulp paper does and give a higher quality product for the same cost; provide food for animals and oil for industry and diesel fuel use, just to name a few. The legal drug companies, DuPont Co. and Hearst Corp don’t want it to happen because hemp products are cheaper, better and longer lasting than their products and compete with them directly.

Mar 13th, 2009
Isabel

BRAVO! Thank you Rachel & Bruce for your insight and foresight into Medicinal Marijuana; unfortunately I don’t see Mr. Obama moving Cannabis out of its current class by the end of his first term. MAYBE he will fulfill his promise as he exits the White House in 4 years.

Mar 13th, 2009
John

nice to see a SMART discussion on cannabis, unlike that tool glenn beck, and his smug faces, and his jokey bobble head graphics underneath Rob Kampia (in a cheap effort to discredit Rob, or the subject matter altogether?) Glenn is SO ill informed, but sadder still, is happy in his ignorance. and is perpetuating the misinformation, and the “reefer madness” hysteria campaign. much like stephen baldwin who was made a fool by Ron Paul last night on Larry King. kudos Rachel and Bruce, we need more serious, valid discussion about a serious topic.
watch Al Roker on MSNBC Sunday night at 10:00 PM EST
hopefully this has more up to date information than Marijuana Inc.
keep your eyes peeled on Minnesota, Illinois, and New Jersey who i believe within the year will be our 14 15, and 16th medical marijuana states.

Mar 14th, 2009
WC Greene

thank you for having Bruce. Its very important to educate people especially the difference in pot and crack or heroin. They need to to definitely allow medical marijuana . I am condidered a “intractable” pain patient. (incurable suicide level pain) and have been for over 7 1/2 years.I am to the point of moving to a state where it has been legalized ,dont really want to but where I live they drug test you all the time and if the terst shows any sign of illegal drugs they will not prescribe the pain medicine you still need. I’m going to be in severe chronic pain for the rest of my life and also be treated like a criminal because I want to use something that actually helps reduce my pain level without opiods.

ty you again
God bless
Billy

Mar 15th, 2009
fighting4commonsense

How wonderful and refreshing to see this issue talked about rationally!!! Great job, Rachel and Bruce!!!

Mar 15th, 2009
fighting4commonsense

P.S. Everyone with any interest in this subject should read Chapter 4 of “The Emperor Wears No Clothes” by Jack Herer. The vile roots of marijuana prohibition, the back door to killing the hemp industry that could have left us with a strong economy and health ecology, will shock you! The whole book is availabe to read free, online at http://www.jackherer.com, click on the “emporer” tab on the top. Then contact your congresspeople. It’s not too late for the truth to set us free. For more information on hemp also visit http://www.votehemp.com

Mar 15th, 2009
Brian

Great job Bruce ! Tip of the hat to you !

Mar 15th, 2009
vanessa

check out the caption at 4:01-4:20… is it wrong? or????

Mar 15th, 2009
joe

i’m just happy to see America is having a rational, adult conversation about reforming these archaic laws that obviously have never been effective. i am a father and, honestly, marijuana use by my son when he gets older is the LEAST of my worries.

Mar 16th, 2009
qn

A simple analysis of the responses to this interview clearly indicates a need for reasonable dialogue for marijuana reform. Interviews like this is illuminating because it debunks the overplayed misconception of marijuana advocacy as being “irrational.” It appears that MPP supporters are coming out of the shadows adding weight to the argument.

Mar 16th, 2009
Rhayader

That was a great interview by Ms. Maddow. This is one of the first TV interviews I have ever seen on the subject that did not descend into stupid munchie jokes and laboring on tangential issues. Many thanks to Rachel and, of course, to Bruce. Great stuff.

Mar 16th, 2009
David

I love this video. I very much appreciate the respect that Rachel offered during this interview. Very professional. What a breath of fresh air for a change.

Mar 24th, 2009
Ben

Bruce is a very smart and well spoken individual. And no offense, but is he cross-eyed?

Mar 25th, 2009
Phil

Bruce is a great spokesperson in every way. It makes me glad to be associated with this organization when I see Bruce presenting to a nationwide audience like that.

May 5th, 2009

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Bruce Mirken on The Rachel Maddow Show 03/11/2009

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