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Antonio Maria Costa

  • by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director March 26, 2008

    White HouseIt took less than one week for the White House to begin publicly lying about New Hampshire House Bill 1623, which seeks to make the possession of up to one-quarter ounce of pot a fine-only offense.

    In a factually and grammatically challenged press release, Deputy Drug Czar Scott Burns alleged that the proposal — which passed the House last week by a 193 to 141 margin — would decriminalize the “manufacturing” and “distributing” of “over 90 marijuana joints.”

    Okay, aside from the fact that the measure applies to possession offenses only, one has to ask, what is up with the White House calculators? If one-quarter ounce of pot equals roughly seven grams, and if one joint contains roughly one gram of marijuana, then what the Hell does the Drug Czar’s office think is in the other 83+ joints?

    Of course, regardless of whether it’s the Deputy Drug Czar Scott Burns, White House Drug Czar John Walters, or UN Drug Czar Antonio Maria Costa, there’s not a Drug Czar alive who can’t help but lie about marijuana. (more…)

  • by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director March 12, 2008

    UN Drug Czar Antonio Maria Costa made a rare appearance before the drug law reform community last November when he gave the keynote address at the Drug Policy Alliance’s bi-annual conference in New Orleans. It appears that we made quite an impression.

    Speaking in Vienna this week, Costa commented on his brief appearance with this ad hominem attack:

    “I attended the meeting of the Drug Alliance [DPA] in New Orleans last December, 1200 participants, 1000 lunatics, 200 good people to talk to. The other ones obviously on drugs.” 

    Of course, the idea of Mr. Costa — who just yesterday told the New York Times that pot use poses a greater danger to society than the use of cocaine or heroin — calling us crazy would be ironic if it wasn’t so insulting.

    That said, unlike Mr. Costa, I’ve chosen not to articulate my thoughts with epithets. Rather, I’ve decided to simply post some of Mr. Costa’s previous statements and let the readers decide who is “obviously on drugs.” (more…)