What is most interesting about this is that Lungren, who is a very astute politician, really thinks that the way to the Republican nomination is through campaigning against medical marijuana. He may be right. While polls consistently show that a substantial majority of the public supports medical marijuana, the hard-core Republican right, especially the so-called religious right and the "family values" scammers like Gary Bauer’s Family Research Council, have made it a "litmus test" issue. Medical marijuana is a part of the pro-drug, anti-child scheme to legalize crack vending machines for nursery schools and – as Steve Forbes said – make America safe for "Columbian (sic) style drug cartels."

The following is excerpted from a February 3^rd article the Sacramento Bee (opinion@sacbee.com http://www.sacbee.com/about_us/sacbeemail.html Website: http://www.sacbee.com

"California Attorney General Dan Lungren said Monday that drug abuse by juveniles is on the rise, and he blamed part of it on the passage of the medical marijuana initiative approved by voters in 1996.

In his seventh and final "State of the Public Safety" address, Lungren touted a steady decline in California's crime rate during the past four years. He pointed to statistics released Monday showing that the number of serious reported crimes in selected cities and counties was down by 7.4 percent during the first nine months of 1997, compared to the same period in 1996. (Ed. note: Actually, "serious reported crime" is down all over the country. Rudy Giuliani is playing the same game in New York City.)

But Lungren, a Republican who is running for governor, said in a speech to the Comstock Club that drug use among young people has "risen dramatically, threatening the drop in crime that California has achieved." (Ed. note: If marijuana use causes crime, then how is it that marijuana use is up but crime is down?)

Lungren noted that he strongly opposed Proposition 215, which legalized marijuana use for medical purposes when approved by a physician, and he said the measure sent a "damaging signal" to both adults and young people.

"As a result," Lungren said, "Here in California our young people are using marijuana more than at any other time during the last 10 years." (Ed. note: Reported marijuana use started increasing all over the country in 1992, probably earlier.)

According to Lungren, the only other state that experienced an increase in illegal drug use by minors last year was Arizona, which also approved a medical marijuana initiative in 1996. (Ed. Note: This is simply absurd. No, it is simply a damned lie. Again, marijuana use has been increasing all over the country for several years.)

Saying he also is very concerned about methamphetamine use by youths in California, Lungren said he plans to spend more than $2 million from a new $18.2 million federal grant to launch a public-awareness campaign about the adverse health and safety effects of that drug, commonly known as crank. (Ed. Note: Why should youths believe someone who lies about marijuana when he warns them about speed? Why is speed use increasing? Could it be because millions of school children are being prescribed Ritalin while they are being told to "just say no to drugs?" Should all substances that should not be used by children be denied the seriously ill. No one will ask him that.)

"To kids who think crank is cool, we will show them that meth users are nothing but tremendous time bombs," the attorney general said. (Like kids who use Ritalin?)

But in a press conference after his speech, Lungren said he would not favor a proposal advanced last month by Lt. Gov. Gray Davis, a Democratic candidate for governor, to allow random drug tests of high school students. (Ed. note:Anyone who thinks that it is just the "right" that is authoritarian is missing the point.)

"I don't see the great need for that right now," Lungren said. "We need to get our cultural focus back on track." (Ed. note: Whatever that means.)

Lungren covered a lot of ground during his 45-minute speech: He credited the three-strikes-and-you're-out sentencing law for the sharp drop in violent crimes. He advocated adding home burglars to a new sentencing law that calls for a minimum 10-year prison term for carrying a gun while committing certain crimes. And he renewed his call for making public the names of juveniles who have been arrested for serious crimes.

But Lungren became most passionate when he spoke on one of his favorite topics -- decaying "cultural attitudes." Lungren recited the violent lyrics of a best-selling video game, and he decried the marketing of marijuana "trading cards" to youths.