Barry McCaffrey vs Marijuana
General Barry McCaffrey is best known for being in charge of the failed drug war while Clinton was in office. During his time as the Drug Czar he also offered Tv stations financial incentives (using tax dollar money) to smuggle anti drug messages into their television programming. In 2005, the Government Accountability Office found that the ONDCP had violated domestic propaganda and publicity prohibitions by preparing prepackaged news stories that did not disclose to television viewers that the government had produced them and had illegally spent appropriations to develop, produce and distribute the covert propaganda. Due to a three year statute of limitations the GAO opinion (B-303495) was limited to fiscal years 2002, 2003 and 2004 however its detailed analysis of the core legal issues involved is applicable to the McCaffrey era ONDCP propaganda scandal. During his time in office the use of all drugs increased across the board. In 1996 22.1% of respondents to a poll stated that they had used illegal drugs compared to 28.4% in 2001. Even though drug usage rates increased while he was the Drug Czar he has since found a new source of income by spitting the same tired propaganda on news outlets. Generally he is used as the voice of prohibition and I personally feel he does a great job since he still believes the same propaganda he used in 1997 will work today. He’s a very soft target in any debate and he could probably get cut down by an 8th grade debate captain. Here’s some of his greatest hits.
