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April 27, 2007
Still a Strange Bedfellow
It wasn't that long ago that ex-Georgia Republican Bob Barr was viewed by drug policy reformers as an arch fiend for his implacable opposition to any use of cannabis whatsoever. In fact, it was Barr who cobbled together a bill that successfully delayed the official ballot count when the District of Columbia passed its own medical marijuana legislation. Lately however, Barr, defeated in his last re-election bid by developments unrelated to the drug war, has undergone a change of heart and become a lobbyist on behalf of the demon weed, at least so far as its 'legitimate' medical use is concerned. The reason I know his endorsement is limited is that he signed up as an advisor to MPP, which, in its own medical wisdom, has chosen to support only the 'serious illness' notion of allowable medical use. The ironies of Barr's conversion are well covered by a recent piece in the Austin Chronicle.
What impelled me to write this entry despite being pushed for time, was the Barr Op-Ed in this morning's Chronicle; after my own reference to Ambien yesterday, I found his citation of an 'Ambien Defense' irresistible. For reasons I don't have time to go into right now, it was a relief to discover that my hunch about Bob Barr was correct: the leopard has not changed his spots.
More on that thought, and the reasons behind it, as soon as I have a bit of spare time...
Doctor Tom
Posted by tjeffo at April 27, 2007 04:22 PM