Common Sense

That’s a gubernatorial candidate’s drug policy. Really, it’s Kinky Friedman’s, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Friedman created a controversy Wednesday when he claimed the musicians and artists who fled Hurricane Katrina had returned to New Orleans but the “crackheads and thugs” remained in Houston. He later amended his statement to say many evacuees who remain in Houston are good citizens, not drug addicts or criminals.

Friedman has written extensively and talked freely about his own past cocaine use.

“A former cokehead should have more sympathy for crackheads,” said Heather Guntert, a spokeswoman for Democrat Chris Bell. Bell admits he tried marijuana “maybe four times” in college.

“I have empathy with these people. I know how they think,” Friedman said in an interview with the Houston Chronicle/San Antonio Express-News. “I’m not saying this moralistically. I know how I was. I know the effect cocaine and many of these drugs have on your willpower and your dreams. They distance you from your better angels.”

I gotta say, I have some sympathy for all drug users, but much less for cokeheads. Crazy musicians spending thousands on blow, why should I feel sorry they are addicted? Coke doesn’t even make you a better musician like heroin does. I’m on narcotics around the clock now, so I’m really not going to judge anyone who is self-medicating with illegal drugs.
Still, I think his drug policy is more spot on than anything any Republican has ever come up with.

Friedman also opposes putting nonviolent drug addicts in prison, preferring rehabilitation services.

“There’s a reason to rehab them, because the human spirit is important to save,” he said. “(And) I want room to put the real baddies in there. And by the way, some of them are politicians. Not just pedophiles, but politicians as well.”

I agree, there are quite a few politicians that I would put on par with Charlie Manson or Ted Bundy. One of their names starts with ‘B’ and ends in ‘ush.’ It’s funny, because W was also a cokehead. Small world, huh.

Finding a way to get people sober instead of jail time for minor drug convictions would definitely be a better way to go. Also, having harsher penalties for crack than coke seems inherantly racist, at least that’s what I learned in that one West Wing episode about mandatory minimums. Rehab doesn’t always work though, I know that from watching Intervention.
While we’re talking about drug policy, I want to harp about some of the rules we have to live by that I think are stupid. I think that if you are handicapped and in a lot of pain, you should be allowed to do whatever drugs you want. Do you have terminal brain cancer? You can shoot smack in line at Starbucks if you want. Can’t walk because of constant horreindous pain in your knee and thigh? Take as many Vicodin as you can carry.

I came to this realization when I had to call in yet another refill on my Ultram and they had to call my doctor for authorization and they were worried that I was taking 2 more pills a day than I was supposed to. She also seemed surprised I hadn’t been prescribed anything stronger after a month. If I hadn’t just woken up, I might have yelled at the nurse. I don’t know how else to describe the pain without excessive use of the word ‘motherfucker.’ I’ll take whatever I need to manage the pain.

That’s what I would have said. But I didn’t, so now I only have one more refill after this bottle and I guess I should only take 8 pills instead of 10. I damn well better get some Vicodin to deal with surgery recovery or I will yell at somebody, though.

I think Chet Edwards should introduce legislation to do what I’ve just suggested. The mistreatment of the handicap at least deserves some loopholes in drug laws. Right now all we get are a few closer parking spaces and 1 out of 5 buildings has a ramp. Come on Chet, help a constituent out.