The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has a mission of reducing substance use disorder. Occasionally ONDCP has made common sense suggestions to deal with drugged driving. It seems now that “woke” political views are diverting its attention away from what it should be doing.

July 8, 2021 the ONDCP requested public comments on “Application of Equity in U.S. National Drug Control Policy.” ONDCP seeks public input on how their actions or inactions affect select communities of interest to the White House.

They may not have expected my response:

As a 2012 recipient of ONDCP’s Advocate for Action award, I am disgusted to learn that taxpayer resources are being wasted learning how ONDCP’s policies and programs can more effectively advance equity, rather than learning how to meet ONDCP’s mission to “reduce substance use disorder and its consequences.”

In light of inconsistent and ineffective responses from the Federal Government to the fact that 18 states (plus D.C.) have legalized recreational marijuana in conflict with the Controlled Substances Act, you should be concerned about your mission, not current ‘woke’ politics.

As Hudson Institute described last week, the “Colorado Experiment” on legalizing recreational marijuana has failed. The black market flourishes. Arrest rates for young blacks and Latinos have risen dramatically. Corruption has spread more widely. Use by youth has increased. Cannabis Use Disorder has worsened so that, “For youth, the number developing CUD, only three years following initiation, rises to over 20 percent.”

As if Federal inaction and State illegal actions weren’t enough, we now have evidence of Federal complicity in making the situation worse, not better.

The CDC issued guidance in 2017 incorrectly stating, “…it is unclear whether marijuana use actually increases the risk of car crashes.”

We supplied an analysis refuting that and other misleading statements in CDC’s guidance

The CDC issued renewed guidance in 2020 that refuted their 2017 guidance

In spite of a 12/28/2020 written statement to this author by CDC Marijuana and Public Health that the 2017 guidance would be withdrawn, the dangerously misleading 2017 statement is still live on the internet. Check it out.

If you do your job rather than asking for silly statements about ONDCP’s equity initiatives, I submit that you would do far more for disadvantaged populations than anything that could possibly emerge from your current misguided efforts.

Sincerely,

Ed Wood

President, DUID Victim Voices