Stefanik caught up in `Reefer Madness’
The Front Page
Morning Update
Monday, April 11, 2022
By Ken Tingley
Rep. Elise Stefanik showed a healthy dose of “Reefer Madness” last week in voting against a bill that would decriminalize marijuana at the federal level while her district increasingly embraces recreational marijuana.
“The soft-on-crime approach to this legislation would incentivize bad actors and transnational organizations to flood our communities with drugs,” Stefanik told The Post-Star.
I’m still trying to figure out what “transnational organizations” are coming to flood our communities with marijuana when medical and recreational marijuana are both already legal, but it does sound frightening. Perhaps, there is a marijuana cartel running plants from Canada.
My own contention is the congresswoman’s vote just shows how out of touch she has become. Just about any local community leader would confirm for her that opioids and heroin are of far more concern than recreational marijuana.
It is as if the 37-year-old congresswoman is of an era when “Reefer Madness” was accepted science.
During the 1930s, the film “Reefer Madness” circulated the country promoted as a documentary narrated by a high school principal to warn parents and grandparents of the evils of the “demon weed.”
The film shows high school students smoking pot and quickly going insane, playing evil jazz music, being committed and going on a murder spree. Not the mellow scene most of us are more familiar with these days.
Perhaps they showed the film in Stefanik’s private school in Albany and it stuck.
Perhaps all those brains at Harvard were too busy studying to do anything recreational.
The film’s true value today is in its absur, much like Rep. Stefanik’s opposition to decriminalizing marijuana.
William F. Buckley, the renown conservative commentator, once said: “Even if one takes every reefer madness allegation of the prohibitionists at face value, marijuana prohibition has done far more harm to far more people than marijuana ever could.”
But considering the number of prisons in Rep. Stefanik’s district, perhaps she is just supporting a local business at the expense of those who light up.
Earlier this month, Rep. Stefanik voted against another marijuana bill that would implement a process for state suppliers to make marijuana legally available to researchers.
That common sense bill passed 343-75 in the House with all 75 nay votes coming from Republicans who are apparently against research.
Those first county-culture hippies of the 1960s were encouraged to turn on, tune in and drop out. They are all in their 70s now. Perhaps, Rep. Stefanik should get their insights of how many of them went on a murder spree.
As a college student in Kentucky, one of my colleagues from the school newspaper grew a patch of marijuana on her pig farm - Hey, it was Kentucky. After another stressful late night putting out the newspaper, I often drove the van going back to campus so my colleagues could smoke in the back. I don’t remember any evil jazz music but there was plenty of Jimmy Buffet. And while these were “insane” times, I don’t recall any of them being committed. I don’t even recall any arguments.
I suspect, anyone who has been to college in the past 75 years has some experience with marijuana. The reality is that it is also readily available to high school students locally.
Twenty years ago when we at the Glens Falls newspaper were working on our series on underage drinking, one high school student told us it was very difficult to buy alcohol, but if we wanted some marijuana he could have it at the newspaper in 10 minutes.
I imagine that is the same now, but I doubt it is because of any bad actors from a transnational cartel.
Maybe the local congresswoman is lacking those life experiences from her college years at Harvard. Or perhaps, cognac was the drug of choice in Cambridge in 2006.
Medical marijuana is legal and helping people with chronic pain nationwide.
Recreational marijuana is legal in 18 states. Recent polls show that the public overwhelming supports it being legal and less than 10 percent are opposed.
Considering the amount of agricultural land in Rep. Stefanik’s district, she might want to get on board with a cash crop that could bring in significant revenues to help her struggling district where health care and jobs are far more important issues.
When Rep. Stefanik first ran for office in 2014, she said she was against legalization. She said at the time: “Serious questions remain about ramifications for law enforcement and other unintended consequences associated with recreational use of marijuana.”
Her thinking needs a reset. People have changed their minds. She should change hers.
Soldier response
If you didn’t see the response from Bryce Crandall, whose story of service in Afghanistan I told last week, here is what he had to say:
“Thank you, Ken - and thank you all for the kind thoughts! I couldn't be more appreciative of my family & friends, as well as the community that I grew up in. All of those folks gave me something to come home to and helped me stay on my feet when I returned. I have to give a huge shoutout to everyone at the Brain Treatment Foundation. They were able to help me when I absolutely needed it most. If you're looking for a worthy charity to support, check them out!”
Poughkeepsie event
I spoke to a class of journalism students at Marist College last month. It was another great event and a reminder of how sharp our leaders of tomorrow are. There was great energy in the room. I hope we all will continue to support local news outlets to make way for the next generation of journalists.
Up next, SUNY Plattsburgh, followed by my lecture at SUNY Adirondack on April 26.
Tweet of the Day
Having taught in Great Meadow Prison and worked for justice reform, I continually experience those who are in prison for long time for minor offenses (and those who commit great harm to many never go to jail--white collar crimes). The War on Drugs, those imprisoned for marijuana, the racial disparity in arresting and sentencing, the lack of programs both in prison and once someone gets out of prison all show the need for criminal justice reform. The Innocence Project, Prison Action Network work and many organizations are working for reform...and so is the bail reform bill which has been targeted for continual attack based on very few facts and mostly prejudice. Stefanik's statement are part of the continual and obsessive Republican script about soft on crime, defunding police, , pedophiles, left wing socialists...all attacks. The problem i think with legalizing marijuana is that it has become a big corporate industry, like corporate big farms, leaving out the small rural farmers and farmers of color. Gov. Hochul is trying to change that--giving small growers a bigger chance to get into the market which is always taken over by the big guys. so yes to small farmers, to hemp (which was in the past illegal because big corporations didn't want competition), to safe use of marijuana (protective legislation about amounts sold and strength), to good research, to supporting local farmers, to fairness and justice....
I think we have to remember that Stefanik is playing chess. Her votes have nothing to do with her constituents. Her votes reflect what plays well on Fox, the national news and her future as vice/president. Then she can use her voting record to make points in the future. It's all a big game and no one cares. She will be voted in again because she is the big "R" on the ticket and Trump's buddy.