Rob Kampia on Anderson Cooper 360 CNN 06/16/2009
Comments (25)
June 17, 2009
June 17, 2009
MPP Executive Director Rob Kampia debates the benefits of marijuana over Marinol, the FDA drug approval process, and how an end to marijuana prohibition could help America on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360. Arguing for the Prohibitionist position is David Evans of the Drug Free America Foundation. This is part of a week-long program on the debate over the future of marijuana policy. 06/16/2009
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25 Comments, Comment or Ping
josh
Rob did great but I wish he had more time to speak…
Jun 17th, 2009
kent
low hanging fruit 872,000 pepole busted if 1/2 get a lawyer it’s almost 1 billion $ rember follow the money
Jun 17th, 2009
Evan Stow
Great last word.
Jun 17th, 2009
Kentucky HomeGrown
Well he did good, could have been better had he had more time but at least AC let him have the last word this time. Normaly they let the prohibitionest have the last word.
Only thing, he never addressed the usage increase that was suppose to happen. We all know that the 22million out there that smoke will not change much if prohibition ended. Non Smokers are not going to run out and start using marijuana, nor would anyone start using heroin if it was availible, it just wont happen. In fact the usage will decrease, the proof is in all the countries that have changed their laws over the last 10 years or so. Its a fact!
Anyhow when will we stop being nice to these liers? When will we start getting mad and calling these prohibitionests out? When will we call out “you are lying sir and here is the proof….”? We ned to get stronger on these lying prohibitionests!
Jun 17th, 2009
Steve
Notice starting at 4:00 David Evans shows his true motivations as a pure prohibitionist speaking of the social costs of alcohol and tobacco being unrecoverable. This is a man whose answer to all three of these drugs, currently legal or otherwise, is prohibition. This is an answer that has been proven in our own recent history to be far more damaging to both the drug users and innocents alike than the drugs themselves. I am speaking of course of alcohol prohibition and the criminals promoted to legendary status such as Al Capone. The parallels in today’s world are obvious and we can see them in our lives everyday when we pick up a newspaper and read another article about cartel violence on our southern border and the cartel drug lords terrorizing innocent people who have nothing at all to do with marijuana or its use..
Jun 17th, 2009
Matt
Great arguments brought forward Rob. When they brought up the point about marinol as well as other cannabinoids, use that against them. What does it say if our government is taking THC and other cannbinoids, making it synthetically in a lab and putting it in a pill? Yet, they say the raw, natural form of cannabis is not medicine. Apparently it is medicine and our government is throwing it in our face. They can no longer say cannabis is not medicine when they are making these pills. That is ludicrous. Not only do they get rich off of the pills, they get rich off of prohibition. Can’t patent a plant and stop people from growing in their basement. It makes no sense and I don’t know how anyone is buying it.
Jun 17th, 2009
Ray
I’m getting kinda excited..!! I know that outright legalization isnt going to happen real soon.. (AS LEAST IT DOESNT LOOK LIKE IT?) But Dr Sanja Gupta was on Anderson Cooper’s 360 tonight.. and alot of people were expecting him to say some real cross things about Medical Marijuana.. And he didn’t … He said the Marinol was Synthetic. And that for some diseases, Medical Marijuana has some promise helping… He kept mentioning studies that showed it was helping this and that.
Jun 17th, 2009
Joel
David Evans doesn’t want to be wrong, so he just would not allow legalization of marijuana to begin with. If legalize marijuana is bad then why are the prohibitionist afraid? Are the prohibitonist afraid of being wrong again?
Lets legalize it and find out the truth !
Jun 18th, 2009
im tired
It seems like every old fart out there against weed says the same damn thing over and over, when will they just suck it up and admit that pro’s of weed by far out way the con’s in so many ways.
Jun 18th, 2009
Joel
If legalize marijuana will cause the apocalyptic affect, will the law be reversed and the prohibitionist will become heros? I guess it will never happen because prohibitionist are more afraid of being wrong. It kind of makes me wonder what is their real purpose?
Jun 18th, 2009
Christian
Joel: It kind of makes me wonder what is their real purpose?
Answer: To wake people up from biases and racism, and promote something that should of never been hyped so dangerous as it was.
So basically, a prohibitionists main effort is to end the government’s PROPAGANDA OF FEAR.
Will someone please think about the INVISIBLE SOCIETAL COSTS??
Oh god, think of the children! Think of the children! They’ll all be smokin pot, omg!
And because it will be legal, think about how easy it is for them to obtain it, so easy, that all other drugs will be ‘meh’. THEN WHO WILL BUY ALL OUR FDA APPROVED MDMA, VICODIN, OXYS, MORPHINE, SOMAS, NORCOS, RITALIN and more!!!!!
BIG PHARMA WILL NOT HAVE COMPETITION! MUHAHAHA!
Jun 18th, 2009
ChrisfromTN
Remember the first guy to plublicly spring the “message it sends to children” line? Actually, I don’t know if he was the first, but democratic presidential candidate John Edwards volunteered this as the reason he opposed marijuana legalization. I now wonder if he thinks we should criminalize adultery. I’m sure he can provide first hand testimony to the dangers associated with that. I mean, c’mon, what about the children? If you had just smoked a little mj, John, I’m sure your family would be much happier, whether they realize it or not.
The “what about the children” line is a softball lobbed over center plate.
As for the social costs, Radical Russ from Norml had a great point: people are smoking marijuana NOW, so we’re already absorbing these imagined societal costs, be there any. David Evans’ kung fu is so-so.
Jun 18th, 2009
Christeen Landino
Rob did a great job. Too bad AC did not allow more time for education of the American public. I’d say AC360 only did about AC180’s worth as far as letting the public know the truth. But then the truth would set us free and corporate america just can’t have that happen. It would cut into their oil profits, cotton profits, lumber profits, etc. As far as what about the children – why are alcohol ads allowed on tv? Advertising does more to glorify alcohol. It used to be no alcohol ads, but you could have cigarette ads, now with the big no for tobacco you see ads for alcohol. They are both dangerous as are all the pharmaceuticals that are advertised now. I’m more afraid of alcohol and tobacco than I am of marijuana – and that’s with 45 years experience with all three. Legalize it. Keep up the great work Rob and MPP.
Christeen Landino
MINORML Treasurer
Jun 18th, 2009
Michael
I like the arguement presented by the gentlemen for the leagilzation personally, it seems like those against it don’t have a solid argument against it.
Jun 18th, 2009
Jack Diodato
I would like to see Rob a little quicker on pointing out basic key winning points of the argument, please. For example, this man represents the argument of a “Drug Free” America, yet he is arguing against a simple, safe, non-addictive medicinal herb. By Law, it is not now, nor ever was a drug. Yet this prohibitionist is demanding we all take drugs instead. Is he that stupid? Or does he think we’re that stupid? Please Rob, calmly, attack, attack, attack.
Jun 19th, 2009
TimJ
Please Get my wader on….
I am a 52yrold Disabled legal MMJ Patient here in California..Thursday on 6/11..Pomona Police came to my home and said I was going to jail for Felony Cultivation to gain entry and confiscated my 11 ea plants of Medical Cannabis. They told me as I was trying to show my Doctors Recommendation that they did not care anything about that at all and that I was in violation of Federal law and would be hearing from the DA…
So who do you think I Believe is telling the truth?????
So nobody gets in serious trouble if they are not criminals???
I have been set up by the System and now face Felony prosecution…All while supposedly I am perfectly legal by state laws….
Jun 19th, 2009
JackGrabit
Just legalize it and move-on to the real issues of our world!
Jun 19th, 2009
Dave
All rights derive from property and prohibition is one way for them to show you that you don’t own your body. The worst part is, no one even seems to notice this point.
Jun 19th, 2009
Tim
Yet AGAIN Rob Kampia does a tremendous job! Way to go! Spell out the facts in a reasonable and practical matter, and make sensible arguments to oppose the prohibitionists. Thanks for the great work Rob!
Jun 20th, 2009
Scott S.
I have to bring this up. With any drug, there is a cost to society. Alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine, have a cost, of usage, to society. Without prohibition, we have a cost, but we also have taxes. With prohibition, we still have a cost, of usage, plus we have the cost of prohibition.
Here are the choices. Pay the costs of drug use plus the insurmountable costs of prohibition, or pay the cost of the drug with the help of the taxes gained from selling the drug legally.
It’s a no-brainer
Jun 21st, 2009
kory
Excellent last word!!! couldn’t have said them better myself
Jun 21st, 2009
Matthew C Howard
I think the most compelling argument in favor of legalizing cannabis is that it is less dangerous than tobacco and alcohol. That alone should be reason enough. Why should we allow our politicians to tell us which intoxicants we can and can’t use?
Also consider the various carcinogenic chemicals the FDA allows in our foods and hygiene products. They are not protecting the American public, and are still trying to act like big brother…
Jun 22nd, 2009
matt from linden ca
I cant understand why you removed my post’s,
I wrote about how rob kampia should be a little more aggressive with his anwsers about prohabition.And ask the prohabitionist quiestions debunking there anwsers.
Do it while he isnt stoned,his eyes alone make him look perma-baked.
Jun 25th, 2009
Willis R. Stuckey Sr.
57 years old and disabled with cronic RA in my spine. Without legal marijuana I am subjected to the whims of my VA doctor who is governed by Big Brother. I want to live a normal life, I want to have a good apetite, I want to have a good bowel movement daily and I want to be able to sleep at night without the need to get up and crawl to the bathroom to take a leak. Medicinal marijuana allowes me the pleasure of just doing that without the ill effects of those legal medicines which my body rejects violently. Lets get the people back to work, lets help the people to keep or buy their own piece of american dream, and lets release all those falsely imprisoned for such really stupid reasons. While we’re at it, lets tear down that old and sagging wall we have built around Cuba for far too long. Vive America!
Jul 25th, 2009
kevin
I’m simply amazed at the attitudes that the conservatives have towards the decriminalization of marijuana. Their evidence is only the manufactured stories that were developed years ago to thwart the public’s knowledge on marijuana. They actually do the same thing with the subject that they do when they’re up for either reelection or election, they say what they feel like their constituents want to hear whether it is true or not, and usually not. The alcohol industry doesn’t want the competition with marijuana being decriminalized. The tobacco industry is simply jealous of marijuana. I would feel much safer working around someone who has taken a few puffs of herb than someone who has downed a beer. Healthwise there’s no comparison between marijuana and tobacco, tobacco has the spiked nicotine and the 90 weight gear oil tar that sticks to your lungs and takes days or even weeks to eventually breathe out. Marijuana’s ‘tar’ is, in contrast, like either 5w motor oil or plain mineral oil and doesn’t stick to your lungs, but aspires out quickly, as in minutes. Alcoholic’s tend to expand to heroin if they expand at all. Heroin acts on the brain in the same manner as alcohol. According to former Surgeon General C.Everet Coop, nicotine is the most addictive substance with Heroin a distant second. Alcohol is legal and to some the gateway to heroin. Tobacco is legal and is still killing thousands a day. Marijuana isn’t decriminalized and hasn’t caused a death by itself yet. So wise up people, the only thing in the way of decriminalization is the brain dead conservatives who want to continue to pour billions into a drug war that they are probably getting kick backs on too.
weed friendly since 1973
Oct 19th, 2009
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