CNBC Interview with MPP’s Bruce Mirken
April 22nd, 2009 by RickBruce Mirken, a communications director at the Marijuana Policy Project, was interviewed on CNBC. Mirken brings up points like; two-thirds of the Mexican cartels’ profit comes from marijuana and that marijuana has consistently been the top cash crop in the United States, which the cartel’s have received the majority of profit from.
Even after he told the CNBC reporter, that two-thirds of the cartel’s profit comes from the distribution of marijuana, she interrupts her guest and asks if the cartels would just move to hardcore drugs. Another guest starts dropping some interesting statistics to the other Guest, John Carnevale, President of Carnevale Associates and asks him why marijuana can’t be legalized.
Carnevale actually has the audacity to say that the answer is quite simple. He adds that the reason marijuana can’t be legalized because there would be a greater demand for it and more people would be doing it.
Even the another reporter tells John about the success in the Netherlands, where the stats show the exact opposite — but Carnevale sticks to his guns and even goes on to claim that the reason marijuana is illegal is because it is a harmful drug and serves no medicinal purposes? I think 13 states and growing would beg to differ, along with all the scientists and doctors that aren’t paid by the government to speak out against marijuana.
Carnevale denies that the prohibition of marijuana is similar to the failed prohibition of alcohol. He even dodges a statement about marijuana being less addictive and toxic than alcohol by bringing other drugs into the discussion. Back-peddling, trying to stand on some firm ground, Carnevale then brings up the point that they all like to bring up — the children. How Carnevale brought this up is sheer lunacy by implying that if marijuana would be legalized then a 3 or 5 year old would have it available to them.
Carnevale goes on to say that alcohol is the leading cause of people going to the hospital and that the social abuse of it has cost $200 billion. He forgot to mention the deaths that alcohol has caused, not just the trips to the doctor. Granted none of these things are good yet alcohol is still legal and marketed worldwide. Saying that marijuana can’t be legalized because we didn’t get it right with alcohol is just purely hypocritical.
