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WASHINGTON, DC -- The Super Bowl advertisements claiming that Americans who use illegal drugs help finance terrorists were dishonest, outrageous, and a waste of taxpayers' money, the Libertarian Party charged today.
"These Super Bowl ads were Super Bowloney," said Ron Crickenberger, the party's political director. "For the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy to claim that drug users are to blame for financing terrorists is like a maniac who kills his parents, and then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan.
"The fact is, it's the War on Drugs that causes the very problem these ads complain about. The War on Drugs enriches terrorists, finances violence, and makes America less safe. And no amount of advertising spin can change that."
On Sunday, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) spent about $3.4 million to run two 30-second advertisements during the Super Bowl. It was the largest single government ad purchase in U.S. history.
One of the ads, which pretended to show a terrorist buying weapons, explosives, and fake passports, asked: "Where do terrorists get their money? If you buy drugs, some of it might come from you." In the other ad, young people matter-of-factly made statements like, "I helped kill a judge."
However, in reality, the War on Drugs -- not peaceful Americans who use drugs -- is responsible for funneling tens of billions of dollars into the hands of murderous terrorists, said Crickenberger.
According to the United Nations, the illegal drug trade is worth $400 billion a year, he noted. And according to the Hoover Institution, drug prohibition drives up the prices of drugs by about 17,000%.
"The War on Drugs is a price support system for terrorists and drug pushers," he said. "It turns ordinary, cheap plants like marijuana and poppies into fantastically lucrative black market products. Without the War on Drugs, the financial engine that fuels terrorist organizations would sputter to a halt."
That's not the only way the War on Drugs makes America more vulnerable to terrorists, said Crickenberger. The War on Drugs also misdirects police resources.
In 2000, for example, police arrested an estimated 734,498 people for marijuana violations, most for simple possession, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Report.
In addition, more than 8,000 military personnel participate in anti-drug missions on U.S. soil, and more than 19,000 state and local police work full-time on drug cases. The total cost: About $50 billion a year at the federal, state, and local levels.
"Law enforcement agencies have only a finite amount of money, people, and time to investigate crimes," said Crickenberger. "It's clear that politicians have made the tragically ill-advised decision that detecting murderous terrorists is less important than arresting non-violent Americans who choose to use marijuana or other drugs."
So who is really to blame for helping terrorists?
"Forget what you saw on the Super Bowl," said Crickenberger. "If you are looking for the real cause of the drugs and terrorism connection, you need look no further than the politicians who voted for the War on Drugs, the federal bureaucrats who administer it, and the ONDCP spin-meisters who try to blame the 95 million Americans who have used illegal drugs."
"These Super Bowl ads were Super Bowloney," said Ron Crickenberger, the party's political director. "For the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy to claim that drug users are to blame for financing terrorists is like a maniac who kills his parents, and then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan.
"The fact is, it's the War on Drugs that causes the very problem these ads complain about. The War on Drugs enriches terrorists, finances violence, and makes America less safe. And no amount of advertising spin can change that."
On Sunday, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) spent about $3.4 million to run two 30-second advertisements during the Super Bowl. It was the largest single government ad purchase in U.S. history.
One of the ads, which pretended to show a terrorist buying weapons, explosives, and fake passports, asked: "Where do terrorists get their money? If you buy drugs, some of it might come from you." In the other ad, young people matter-of-factly made statements like, "I helped kill a judge."
However, in reality, the War on Drugs -- not peaceful Americans who use drugs -- is responsible for funneling tens of billions of dollars into the hands of murderous terrorists, said Crickenberger.
According to the United Nations, the illegal drug trade is worth $400 billion a year, he noted. And according to the Hoover Institution, drug prohibition drives up the prices of drugs by about 17,000%.
"The War on Drugs is a price support system for terrorists and drug pushers," he said. "It turns ordinary, cheap plants like marijuana and poppies into fantastically lucrative black market products. Without the War on Drugs, the financial engine that fuels terrorist organizations would sputter to a halt."
That's not the only way the War on Drugs makes America more vulnerable to terrorists, said Crickenberger. The War on Drugs also misdirects police resources.
In 2000, for example, police arrested an estimated 734,498 people for marijuana violations, most for simple possession, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Report.
In addition, more than 8,000 military personnel participate in anti-drug missions on U.S. soil, and more than 19,000 state and local police work full-time on drug cases. The total cost: About $50 billion a year at the federal, state, and local levels.
"Law enforcement agencies have only a finite amount of money, people, and time to investigate crimes," said Crickenberger. "It's clear that politicians have made the tragically ill-advised decision that detecting murderous terrorists is less important than arresting non-violent Americans who choose to use marijuana or other drugs."
So who is really to blame for helping terrorists?
"Forget what you saw on the Super Bowl," said Crickenberger. "If you are looking for the real cause of the drugs and terrorism connection, you need look no further than the politicians who voted for the War on Drugs, the federal bureaucrats who administer it, and the ONDCP spin-meisters who try to blame the 95 million Americans who have used illegal drugs."
