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George W. Bush on Drugs

President of the United States, Former Republican Governor (TX)

 


Afghans wanted roads; Bush wanted aerial poppy eradication

We visited Afghanistan in 2006. The President turned the conversation with Afghan President Karzai to the training of the Afghan security forces, fighting corruption, and--more troubling--the failing effort to rid Afghanistan of poppy. The President gent suggested that we might have to use some of the methods that had succeeded in Colombia, including aerial spraying.

Hamid Karzai is a proud man, and, as had been the case in my encounter with him the year before, he tended to emphasize the positive. But it was frustrating as he declared problem after problem to be under control. "We're making real progress with the governors on poppy eradication," he said, a statement belied by the estimates of numerous monitoring organizations. "All we need are som alternative crops--maybe pomegranates--for them to grow," he continued, only to note that the road network didn't allow for the transport of perishable fruits and vegetables to market. "So we need roads, roads, roads--as quickly as possible," he added.

Source: No Higher Honor, by Condoleezza Rice, p.445-446 , Nov 1, 2011

Canceled Bolivian trade for failing counter-narcotics

In Bolivia, efforts to promote democracy, social justice, and cultural rights, and to bring about desperately needed structural and institutional changes are, naturally, bitterly opposed by the traditional rulers: the Europeanized, mostly white elite in the eastern provinces, the site of most of the natural resources currently desired by the West.

To punish Bolivians, the Bush administration canceled trade preferences, threatening tens of thousands of jobs, on the pretext that Bolivia was not cooperating with US counter-narcotic efforts. In the real world, the UN estimates that Bolivia's coca crop increased 5% in 2007, as compared with 26% increase in Colombia, the terror state that is Washington's closest regional ally and the recipient of enormous military aid.

As discussed earlier, "drug wars" are curious affairs. The same is true of condemnation (and decertification) for alleged noncompliance with US demands on counter-narcotic efforts.

Source: Hopes and Prospects, by Noam Chomsky, p.215 , Jun 1, 2010

Former bad habits are message to learn from experience

Reporters earlier in the campaign had questioned Bush about whether he had used cocaine in his young adulthood. Bush had consistently brushed aside questions about his past with a deliberately ambiguous quip: "When I was young and irresponsible, I was young and irresponsible." Most reporters and commentators--and most voters, too, I would bet--understood the message. Bush was, in effect, acknowledging that he had made some mistakes involving drinking and drugs, while at the same time refusing to be drawn into an endless line of questioning about exactly what he'd done and how it might affect his fitness for office so many years later. Bush would then segue into the broader point he wanted to emphasize: the most important message baby boomers such as himself could send to their children is that they have learned from experience and that their children should avoid repeating their mistakes.
Source: What Happened, by Scott McClellan, p. 47-49 , May 28, 2008

Considered hypocritical for hard line on cocaine after using

Some critics asserted that [Bush's purported cocaine use in his youth] was a relevant issue. They suggested it was hypocritical for Bush to advocate tough mandatory sentences for users of relatively small amounts of cocaine if he had used it in his past, particularly when he hadn't faced any serious consequences for doing so.

"The media won't let go of these ridiculous cocaine rumors," I heard Bush say. "You know, the truth is I honestly don't remember whether I tried it or not. We had some pretty wild parties back in the day, and I just don't remember."

As I worked closely with Pres. Bush, I would come to believe that sometimes he convinces himself to believe what suits his needs at the moment. Bush has a way of falling back on the hazy memory defense. Bush rationalizes it as being acceptable because he is not stating unequivocally anything that could be proven false.

In other words, being evasive is not the same as lying in Bush's mind. The former is acceptable, but the latter is not.

Source: What Happened, by Scott McClellan, p. 49-50 , May 28, 2008

Nov. 2000: DUI revelation probably cost Bush popular vote

Bush knew he had to address the media feeding frenzy about the DUI story. Breaking so late in the campaign, this story had the potential to alter the race. All the rumors about Bush's wild days of young adulthood were dramatically resurfacing with specific, documented evidence.

Bush said that the DUI story was, in essence, correct. "I've often times said that years ago I made some mistakes," Bush said. "I occasionally drank too much. I did on that night. I was pulled over. I admitted to the policeman that I had been drinking. I paid the fine. I regretted that it happened. I learned my lesson."

He had not disclosed the DUI conviction publicly before because he did not want his daughters to know about it.

What impact did the DUI story have on the 2000 election? Karl Rove believed the revelation was responsible for the Republican loss of Maine, where the news had originated, as well as the loss of enough support nationally to cost Bush the popular vote & send the election into overtime

Source: What Happened, by Scott McClellan, p. 52 , May 28, 2008

2006: Asked Mexican president to overturn drug legalization

In April 2006, the Mexican legislature passed a law to legalize the personal use of drugs, including decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. The new law immediately raised an important question about Mexico's commitment to working with the US in any meaningful war on drugs. To the contrary, the law suggested that Mexico really did not care about the personal use of drugs.

Knowing that the Mexican law was a public relations disaster, President Bush decided that this time he would intervene and ask President Fox not to sign the drug law. Reluctantly, President Fox agreed, but only after the whole world got a direct view into how deeply Mexico had descended into the drug culture. If the Mexican legislature has no problem with Mexican citizens using drugs, then certainly the Mexican legislature has no problems with Mexican drug cartels expanding their market into the US.

Source: Minutemen, by Jim Gilchrist & Jerome Corsi, p.158-159 , Jul 25, 2006

Congressional limit on troops in Colombia is “advisory” only

Pres. Bush issued this signing statement instructing federal agencies on his interpretation of Congressional laws:

Dec. 23, 2004: Forbids US troops in Colombia from participating in any combat against rebels, except in cases of self defense. Caps the number of US troops allowed in Colombia at 800.

Bush’s signing statement: Only the president, as commander in chief, can place restrictions on the use of US armed forces, so the law will be construed ‘’as advisory in nature.“

Source: Boston Globe analysis of presidential signing statements , Apr 30, 2006

Never denied using illegal drugs, just "hard drugs"

Drinking was accepted as a given at Yale, and by 1966 drugs had been thrown in the mix. One member of the class of 1968 admitted years later to selling cocaine to George W. Bush during their time at Yale. Another man recalled "doing coke" with George.

George's sister-in-law alleged that W. had snorted cocaine with one of his brothers at Camp David during the time their father was President. "Not once," she said, "but many times."

George never denied using illegal drugs. In 1999 he swore to key political supporters that he had never used "hard drugs," by which he meant that he had never shot up heroin. He admitted to "youthful mistakes." Running for national office, he carefully crafted his response to fall within the federal guidelines for public officials. "As I understand it," he said in 1999, "the current FBI form asks the question, 'Did somebody use drugs within the last 7 years?' and I will be glad to answer that question: 'No.'" He refused to answer any more questions.

Source: The Family, by Kitty Kelley, p.265-266 , Sep 14, 2004

Aggressive drug education, treatment & enforcement

We must stand with our families to help them raise healthy, responsible children. And when it comes to helping children make right choices, there is work for all of us to do. One of the worst decisions our children can make is to gamble their lives and futures on drugs. Our government is helping parents confront this problem with aggressive education, treatment and law enforcement. Drug use in high school has declined by 11% over the past two years.
Source: 2004 State of the Union address to joint session of Congress , Jan 20, 2004

$23 million more for drug-testing in schools

In my budget, I have proposed new funding to continue our aggressive, community-based strategy to reduce demand for illegal drugs. Drug-testing in our schools has proven to be an effective part of this effort. So tonight I propose an additional $23 million for schools that want to use drug-testing as a tool to save children’s lives. The aim here is not to punish children, but to send them this message: We love you, and we do not want to lose you.
Source: 2004 State of the Union address to joint session of Congress , Jan 20, 2004

Use of performance-enhancing steroids sends wrong message

Unfortunately, some in professional sports are not setting much of an example for our children. The use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football and other sports is dangerous and it sends the wrong message: that there are shortcuts to accomplishment and that performance is more important than character. So tonight I call on team owners, union representatives, coaches and players to take the lead, to send the right signal, to get tough and to get rid of steroids now.
Source: 2004 State of the Union address to joint session of Congress , Jan 20, 2004

$600M plan help 300,000 addicts via vouchers

Addiction to drugs is a cause of hopelessness. President Bush announced a 3-year, $600 million federal treatment initiative to help addicted Americans find needed treatment from the most effective programs, including faith-based and community-based organizations. This new investment will make treatment available to help 300,000 more Americans combat their addiction over the next 3 years, by providing vouchers to individuals identified as needing assistance.
Source: 2004 Presidential website, georgewbush.com , Aug 29, 2003

Use faith-based programs for addicted Americans

Last year, approximately 100,000 men and women seeking treatment for drug addiction did not receive the help they needed. The President’s plan is designed to complement existing programs and ensure that Americans struggling with addiction have access to a comprehensive continuum of effective treatment and support service options, including faith-based and community-based programs, and ensure that these options are more readily available.
Source: 2004 Presidential website, georgewbush.com , Aug 29, 2003

Turned from alcoholism by power of prayer

In September 2002, Bush invited five religious leaders-three Christian, one Jewish, one Muslim-to meet with him in the Oval Office. “You know,” he said, “I had a drinking problem. Right now I should be in a bar in Texas, not the Oval Office. There is only one reason that I am in the Oval Office and not in a bar. I found faith. I found God. I am here because of the power of prayer.”

Bush seldom refers to his drinking days & almost never acknowledges how close he came to wasting his life altogether. Although he was born to wealth and privilege, up until 1992 his career was a study in failure.

In that confessional conversation, Bush told the clergymen that his favorite psalm was Psalm 27, one of the Bible’s most searing statements of loneliness and remorse.

There is nothing divine about the American political process. Yet leadership remains the greatest mystery in politics. Bush was hardly the obvious man for the job. But by a very strange fate, he turned out to be the right man.

Source: The Right Man, by David Frum, p.283-84 , Jun 1, 2003

$2.8B more for Drug War, for state treatment & abroad

Bush started the day with a narrower and more deliberate approach, unveiling a $2.8 billion proposal to curb illegal drug use. His campaign pitched the drug-policy speech as his main event, continuing the weeklong theme of “giving parents the tools they need.”

Clinton has requested $19.26 billion for antidrug measures in the fiscal 2001 budget, and has increased the drug-fighting budget more than $6 billion since 1993. A Bush aide said the governor’s five-year, $2.8 billion plan would be in addition to the current baseline budget laid out by the Clinton White House. Gore is proposing antidrug measures that would cost $5.3 billion over 10 years.

Among Bush’s proposals are providing $1 billion to states for treatment programs and conducting a state-by-state inventory of treatment needs and capacity, and increasing funding for the Western Hemisphere Drug Elimination Act by $1 billion over 5 years.

Source: Anne E. Kornblut and Glen Johnson, Boston Globe, p. A6 , Oct 7, 2000

Clinton-Gore drug policy is inconsistent and has failed

Calling teen drug statistics “one of the worst public policy failures of the ‘90s,” Bush described a mounting national crisis. “From 1979 to 1992, our nation confronted drug abuse successfully. Teen drug use declined each and every year,” Bush said. “Unfortunately, in the last 7-1/2 years, fighting drug abuse has ceased to be a national priority.” Blaming a lack of funding and an inconsistent policy, Bush listed a litany of troubles: the doubling of teen drug use, the growth of methamphetamines, the increase of the number of high school seniors who use marijuana.

Gore aides dismissed the Bush statistics, saying they did not take the overall picture into account. Since 1992, the number of drug users ages 25 to 34 has dropped 39%, and drug use by teenagers ages 12 to 17 declined 21% between 1997 and 1999, a Gore spokesman said: He added, “Al Gore and this administration proposed the largest antidrug budget ever and under this administration drug arrests are up while drug use is down.”

Source: Anne E. Kornblut and Glen Johnson, Boston Globe, p. A6 , Oct 7, 2000

1968: Anti-drug poster boy for Air National Guard

Bush's Texas Air National Guard included many sons of privilege. Only Bush, however, was promoted as the Guard's anti-drug poster boy, one of life's little ironies given the difficulty he has had answering the cocaine question all these years later. "George Walker Bush is one member of the younger generation who doesn't get his kicks from pot or hashish or speed," reads a Guard press release of 1970. "Oh, he gets high, all right, but not from narcotics."
Source: Shrub, by Molly Ivins, p. 4-5 , Oct 1, 2000

Feds must help border counties fight drug traffickers

The federal government has a critical responsibility to enforce our nation’s drug laws and to stop international drug traffickers. In our battle against the international drug trade, the Southwest border is the front line. Much of the burden from this national battle falls on border counties, whose limited resources are already stretched thin. The federal government must step up and do its part.
Source: Southwest Border Initiative, in “Renewing America’s Purpose” , Jun 7, 2000

Supports military package to Colombia to fight drug supply

Bush has said little on the drug issue. His campaign spokesman said the governor favors the Colombian military package [which would eradicate drug suppliers], “to make sure their military is well-trained and well-equipped to fight the drug traffickers.” Bush is still trailed by unsubstantiated allegations of cocaine use. Bush also is a strong supporter of faith-based initiatives to fight addiction.
Source: Boston Globe, p. A21 , Mar 5, 2000

Stronger penalties for first time cocaine possession

As governor, Bush favored tougher laws for drug offendors, including signing legislation that allows judicial discretion to sentence first-time offendors possessing less than one gram of cocaine to a maximum of 180 days in jail. (Previously, first-time offendors received automatic probation.) Bush is still trailed by unsubstantiated allegations of cocaine use.
Source: Boston Globe, p. A21 , Mar 5, 2000

Full background checks on drug use for all appointees

Bush was asked whether as President he would insist that he his appointees undergo full FBI background checks, which include questions about drug use. He would, he replied. “Could I pass the challenge of a background check? My answer is absolutely,” Bush said. “Not only could I pass the background check and the standards applied to today’s White House, but I could have passed the background check and the standards applied on the most stringent conditions when my dad was President -- 15-year period.”
Source: R.W.Apple, New York Times, p. A12 , Aug 30, 1999

Parents make up for past by warning kids against drugs

Bush said that parents have a responsibility to make up for their youthful mistakes by warning their children to stay away from drugs. “One of the interesting questions facing baby boomers is, have we grown up? Are we willing to share the wisdom of past mistakes? And I think the message ought to be to all children, ‘Don’t use drugs. Don’t abuse alcohol.’ That’s what leadership is all about.”
Source: Mary Leonard, Boston Globe, p. A3 , Aug 22, 1999

Supports tough drug laws as well as drug education programs.

Drugs and alcohol destroy lives. We have toughened laws for people who sell drugs. We also spend millions of dollars on education programs such as “Safe and Drug-free Schools” grants.
Source: www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/faq_index.html 12/31/98 , Dec 31, 1998


George W. Bush on Alcoholism

Only a change on the inside allowed quitting alcohol

It was a simple question. "Can you remember the last day you didn't have a drink?" Laura asked. She wasn't threatening or nagging. She did expect an answer.

"Of course I can," came my indignant response. Then I thought back over the previous week. I went on racking my memory for a single day over the past few weeks; then the past month; then longer. I could not remember one. Drinking had become a habit.

I have a habitual personality. I smoked cigarettes for about nine years. I quit smoking by dipping snuff. I quit that by chewing long-leaf tobacco.

In 1986, after my 40th birthday dinner, I awoke with a mean hangover. I told Laura I would never have another drink. She looked at me like I was still running on alcohol fumes. Then she said, "That's good, George."

I knew what she was thinking. I had talked about quitting before, and nothing had come of it. What she didn't know was that this time I had changed on the inside--and that would enable me to change my behavior forever.

Source: Decision Points, by Pres. George W. Bush, p. 1-2 , Nov 9, 2010

1976: DUI resulted in $150 fine & no driving in Maine

I spent Labor Day weekend 1976 at our family's house in Kennebunkport, Maine. That Saturday night, I was at a bar. We had a great old time, until the drive home.

A local policeman thought it was odd that I was going about 10 mph and had 2 wheels on the shoulder. When I failed the straight-line walk, he took me to the station. I was guilty and told the authorities so.

I was also embarrassed. I had made a serious mistake. I was fortunate I hadn't done any harm to my passengers, other drivers, or myself I paid a $150 fine and did not drive in Maine for the proscribed period. The case was closed. Or so I thought.

That fall, I started thinking seriously about settling down. The DUI was part of it, but the feeling had been building for months. My rootles ways were getting a little old. So was I. The big 3-0 had come in the summer. I had pledged that I would spend my first ten years after college experiencing a lot and not getting tied down. That was a promise I had kept. But the decade was almost up.

Source: Decision Points, by Pres. George W. Bush, p. 25 , Nov 9, 2010

1995: Should have disclosed DUI during Texas jury duty

I had considered disclosing the DUI [which was exposed on election eve 2000] four years earlier, when I was called for jury duty. The case happened to involve drunk driving. I was excused from jury duty because, as governor, I might later have to rule on the defendant's case as part of the pardon process. As I walked out of the courthouse, a reporter shouted, "Have you ever been arrested for DUI?" I answered, "I do not have a perfect record as a youth. When I was young, I did a lot of foolish things. But I will tell you this, I urge people not to drink and drive."

Politically, it would not have been a problem to reveal the DUI that day. The next election was two years away, and I had quit drinking. I decided not to raise the DUI for one reason: my girls. Barbara and Jenna would start driving soon. I worried that disclosing my DUI would undermine the stern lectures I had been giving them about drinking and driving. I didn't want them to say, "Daddy did it and he turned out okay, so we can, too."

Source: Decision Points, by Pres. George W. Bush, p. 75-76 , Nov 9, 2010

Avoided DUI publicity to keep daughters from their own DUI

On Labor Day weekend in Kennebunkport in 1976, Bush, who was then 30, had a few too many beers in an evening out on the town with friends. He then drove back to his parents' house. A police officer observed Bush slipping on and off the curb, and administered a field sobriety test. The officer booked him on a misdemeanor--driving under the influence--and released him 90 minutes later. Bush's blood alcohol level was 0.10, the legal limit at the time. The officer later recalled, "The man was a picture of integrity. He was very cooperative." Bush paid a $150 fine and had his Maine driving privileges rescinded for thirty days.

At a hastily-called news conference on Nov. 2, 2000, Bush admitted everything, saying, "It's an accurate story. I'm no proud of that. I regretted that it happened. I learned my lesson."

So why did Bush not talk about it publicly? As he explained after the arrest was revealed, "I made the decision that as a dad I didn't want my girls doing the kinds of things I did.

Source: Courage and Consequence, by Karl Rove, p.189-190 , Nov 2, 2010

2000 election eve DUI revelation got campaign off-message

On Nov. 2, Fox News called asking for confirmation that Bush had been arrested in 1976 in Maine for driving under the influence of alcohol.

The timing of the DUI disclosure--4 days before Election Day, with the candidates tied in the polls--was suspicious.

Did this last-minute revelation of Bush's decades-old DUI hurt? Yes, a lot. First, it knocked us off at a critical time. The campaign was swamped with questions about Bush's past drinking, if there had been other arrests, whether he had bee truthful with reporters before, even if he was drinking again now. This was not a good note on which to close a nearly two-year bid for the presidency.

Second, we had made a big issue of Gore's credibility and now we had a problem with Bush's. Many Americans had been drawn by his pledge to restore integrity to the Oval Office and now he had surprised them with a DUI.

A large number of voters--especially evangelicals and social conservatives--decided not to vote, taking votes away from Bush.

Source: Courage and Consequence, by Karl Rove, p.192-193 , Nov 2, 2010

2001: Both daughters arrested for alcohol possession

A waitress became suspicious of the license Jenna handed her. The photo looked "slightly off;" Jenna would not be served. "Whatever," Jenna said, according to the police report. The waitress brought Barbara and two friends margaritas and tequila shots. After other patrons pointed out that Barbara was the same age as Jenna, the manager called 911. By the time officers arrived, the drinks were gone. When an officer asked Jenna for the identification she had used, she handed it over and started to cry.

For Barbara, it was a first offense. But two weeks before, Jenna had pleaded no contest to possession of alcohol. In response to the new charge, Jenna pleaded no contest to misrepresenting her age. Her driver's license was suspended for a month. She paid a $600 fine, and got three months of deferred adjudication, a form of probation, plus 36 hours of community service. Barbara also pleaded no contest and was sentenced to deferred adjudication. Both had to attend alcohol awareness class as well.

Source: In the President`s Secret Service, by R. Kessler, p.197-198 , Jun 29, 2009

A “carefree lad” who drank but never did drugs

If Bush had used illegal drugs [as a youth, when he was arrested for drunk driving], few around him knew about it. “I don’t know why he said all this about drugs,” his girlfriend from 1970 to 1972, said. “He never did anything like that. He was the straightest guy I knew. The most we ever did was go to a party and drink beer.”

“I’ve never known him to take drugs, and he’s never talked to me about taking drugs,” his college roommate said. I’ve never been with him when he was taking drugs. He drank in college, and he drank as an adult. I never saw him drink to excess any more than anyone drinks to excess in college.

I was unmarried and single,“ Bush would latter say. ”I deny every a

Source: A Matter of Character, by Ronald Kessler, p. 40 , Aug 5, 2004

Spiritual reawakening ended beer and bourbon consumption

[In 1986] Bush had a reawakening of his Christian faith. While vacationing in Kennebunkport, the Reverend Billy Graham, a family friend, talked to him about accepting Jesus Christ as his personal savior. He began to study the Bible and recommit his faith As his spiritual life evolved, Bush began to reconsider his nightly consumption of beer and bourbon. He knew that drinking sapped his energy. Others noticed that it made him overly feisty and annoying.
Source: A Matter of Character, by Ronald Kessler, p. 47-49 , Aug 5, 2004

1985: Stopped drinking when reconfigured by deepening faith

Bush has joked that he is so cheap he only stopped drinking because he saw the bar bill. The truth is that his moral compass and sense of values were being reconfigured by his deepening faith.

Like many extroverts, he drank because he thought it extended him: "Drinking magnified aspects of my personality that probably don't need to be larger than they already are. After [one particular] night of drinking, I came back to the hotel room and told Laura I was through." He looked in the mirror and said, "Someday, I might embarrass my father." And he never took another drink.

The ability to follow through on his commitment reveals the kind of man that faith was making him. Whether he quit initially because he found it something he could not control or so as not to embarrass his father, the all-important point is that he found the discipline to serve a cause greater than himself. He made a major, life-changing move based on something that heretofore had been lacking in his life: purpose.

Source: The Faith of George W. Bush, by Stephen Mansfield, p. 71-72 , Apr 12, 2004

Changed license in 1995 to avoid DUI arrest disclosure

Bush took one step to keep [his drunk driving arrest] under wraps in March 1995, when his driver’s license number was changed. MSNBC.com first reported this in August 1999. At the time, MSNBC’s sources said that Bush got his license number changed because he was worried about an arrest record surfacing. “He has an arrest record that has to do with drinking,” a source said then. “He’s worried it will come out, but his handlers keep assuring him it won’t.” The allegation was not disclosed by MSNBC.com at the time because the arrest could not be confirmed.

Also in August 1999, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles told MSNBC.com that changing one’s driver’s license number was “highly unusual” and that it is done only when the holder of the license can prove that someone is using the license number for illegal activities. Repeated calls to Bush at the time were unanswered, until [they stated] Bush’s license number was changed for “security measures.” He declined to comment further.

Source: MSNBC.com , Nov 4, 2000

Quit drinking when alcohol started to compete with family

Bush told Oprah and her millions of female viewers he gave up drinking because “Alcohol was beginning to compete with my affections for my wife and my family. It was beginning to crowd out my energy. And I decided to quit.” He said Laura had not quite given him an ultimatum. “But I think she got disappointed in some evenings.. There were some times when she said ‘you need to think about what you’re doing.’”
Source: AP Story, NY Times , Sep 19, 2000

Identifies with former addicts based on former alcoholism

Bush told a group of recovering drug addicts that he still identifies with their struggle, more than a decade after he gave up alcohol. Bush told the young men his Christian faith was critical in shaping his turnaround. He cast his battle in simple terms, saying: “Just like you, I’m on a walk, and it’s a never-ending walk as far as I’m concerned. I used to drink too much and I quit drinking. I want you to know that your life’s walk is shared by a lot of other people. Even some who wear suits.“ Bush has said he was never addicted to alcohol. But since giving up drinking in 1986 at age 40, he described that as a turning point in his life.
Source: Boston Globe, p. A12 , Jan 22, 2000

Did not use drugs for the last 25 years

Source: Time Magazine, p. 34 , Aug 30, 1999

Encourages abstinence from tobacco, drugs or alcohol.

Government can only be a part of the solution. I encourage all young people to take care of their bodies and abstain from using tobacco, drugs or alcohol. With clear minds, young people can achieve their goals and dreams.
Source: www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/faq_index.html 12/31/98 , Dec 31, 1998

More federal funding for all aspects of Drug War.

Bush adopted the National Governors Association policy:

Source: NGA policy HR-13: Combating and Controlling Substance Abuse 00-NGA2 on Aug 15, 2000

Rated F by VOTE-HEMP, indicating an anti-hemp voting record.

Bush scores F by VOTE-HEMP on pro-hemp legalization policies

VOTE HEMP is a non-profit organization dedicated to the acceptance of and free market for Industrial Hemp. Industrial Hemp is non-psychoactive low THC varieties of the cannabis sativa plant. Currently, it is illegal for U.S. farmers to grow Industrial Hemp because it is improperly classified as a "drug" under the Controlled Substances Act. Since changes in law require shifts in thinking and this requires education in the facts, our primary goal is the education of legislators and regulators, farmers and businesses, students and other concerned citizens.

Source: VOTE-HEMP website 02n-HEMP on Dec 31, 2003

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