Cliff Kincaid
Obama's pro-marijuana legacy claims more victims
By Cliff Kincaid
His days as a member of the "Choom Gang" of heavy dope smokers are behind him, but President Obama's pro-pot policies are destroying lives on a regular basis. However, don't look for that death and destruction to be included in a story about Obama's legacy.
In one of the most recent cases, the Boston Herald reports that David Njuguna was driving high on "medical marijuana" when his car careened off the Massachusetts Turnpike at 81 miles per hour, slamming into State Trooper Thomas L. Clardy's parked cruiser and killing the law enforcement officer. Reports suggest the crash may have been deliberate.
Njuguna, a reputed black Muslim from Kenya, has been charged with manslaughter, motor vehicle homicide by negligence, and motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence of drugs.
The Boston bombers, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, were also Muslim potheads.
Another paranoid pothead, Zachary T. Hays, randomly fired three rounds into another vehicle near Lake Delton, Wisconsin, killing an Illinois woman on vacation with her family. The Wisconsin State Journal said the killer's brother told investigators that Hays had smoked marijuana and was "acting extremely paranoid" when he shot and killed Tracy Czaczkowski, a wife and the mother of two children.
Back in Massachusetts, a well-funded pro-marijuana campaign insists that a measure on the November 2016 ballot to legalize the drug "will create safer communities." The Boston Globe reports that a major financial contributor to the campaign is Susan Mosher Ruiz, who with her husband, Rene, was "charged with possession of drugs with intention to distribute in 1999 after [a] friend died at her dorm apartment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where authorities found nitrous oxide, marijuana, and other drugs."
The charges were apparently dropped after the husband paid a fine.
Republican Governor Charlie Baker, Attorney General Maura Healey, and Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh co-wrote a column against legalizing marijuana, noting, "Regular use that starts in adolescence has been shown to impair brain development, shrink school and career outcomes, and even lower IQ." They also noted a scientific correlation "between regular marijuana use and severe mental health issues."
Regarding the death of the state trooper, Boston Magazine reported that Njuguna had previously penned a Facebook post that read, "Just did 160 mph from Springfield to Webster in 25 minutes, good thing I wasn't pulled over, I'm never ever going to do that again... Y.O.L.O...."
Trooper Clardy, a devoted father and family man, was laid to rest at Saint Michael's Church on March 22, 2016.
Njuguna, who had a medical marijuana card for an unknown ailment, had bought four marijuana cigarettes just an hour before the crash, and a burnt marijuana cigarette was found in Njuguna's car. His lawyer says he has no memory of what happened.
The marijuana "joints," or cigarettes, were reportedly purchased at New England Treatment Access (NETA) in Brookline, Massachusetts. NETA has a "discount program," telling potential customers, "If you've never shopped at NETA, then come on by and we will give you a onetime $49 credit when you spend $1."
Wayne Sampson, executive director of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, spoke out against legalization, saying, "The number of people killed every year in drunk driving accidents is very high. Certainly by making marijuana available legally, it's only going to put an additional burden on public safety."
The Worcester, Massachusetts Telegram & Gazette reported that close to 25,000 people already possess medical marijuana cards in the state.
Sampson said the users simply "paid a doctor to give them a prescription so they can use" the drug at their own convenience for purposes that could be completely unrelated to health problems.
In an understatement, Governor Baker said the fact that Njuguna "is alleged to have had marijuana in his system at the time that he crossed three lanes of traffic and at full speed ran into Trooper Clardy's vehicle raises questions that I hope are fully vetted as part of that investigation."
There is no indication, however, that the Obama administration is backing away from its pro-pot stance. Obama, who also used cocaine, has claimed that marijuana is no worse than booze, and his administration has encouraged liberalization of marijuana laws.
© Cliff Kincaid
May 23, 2016
His days as a member of the "Choom Gang" of heavy dope smokers are behind him, but President Obama's pro-pot policies are destroying lives on a regular basis. However, don't look for that death and destruction to be included in a story about Obama's legacy.
In one of the most recent cases, the Boston Herald reports that David Njuguna was driving high on "medical marijuana" when his car careened off the Massachusetts Turnpike at 81 miles per hour, slamming into State Trooper Thomas L. Clardy's parked cruiser and killing the law enforcement officer. Reports suggest the crash may have been deliberate.
Njuguna, a reputed black Muslim from Kenya, has been charged with manslaughter, motor vehicle homicide by negligence, and motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence of drugs.
The Boston bombers, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, were also Muslim potheads.
Another paranoid pothead, Zachary T. Hays, randomly fired three rounds into another vehicle near Lake Delton, Wisconsin, killing an Illinois woman on vacation with her family. The Wisconsin State Journal said the killer's brother told investigators that Hays had smoked marijuana and was "acting extremely paranoid" when he shot and killed Tracy Czaczkowski, a wife and the mother of two children.
Back in Massachusetts, a well-funded pro-marijuana campaign insists that a measure on the November 2016 ballot to legalize the drug "will create safer communities." The Boston Globe reports that a major financial contributor to the campaign is Susan Mosher Ruiz, who with her husband, Rene, was "charged with possession of drugs with intention to distribute in 1999 after [a] friend died at her dorm apartment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where authorities found nitrous oxide, marijuana, and other drugs."
The charges were apparently dropped after the husband paid a fine.
Republican Governor Charlie Baker, Attorney General Maura Healey, and Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh co-wrote a column against legalizing marijuana, noting, "Regular use that starts in adolescence has been shown to impair brain development, shrink school and career outcomes, and even lower IQ." They also noted a scientific correlation "between regular marijuana use and severe mental health issues."
Regarding the death of the state trooper, Boston Magazine reported that Njuguna had previously penned a Facebook post that read, "Just did 160 mph from Springfield to Webster in 25 minutes, good thing I wasn't pulled over, I'm never ever going to do that again... Y.O.L.O...."
Trooper Clardy, a devoted father and family man, was laid to rest at Saint Michael's Church on March 22, 2016.
Njuguna, who had a medical marijuana card for an unknown ailment, had bought four marijuana cigarettes just an hour before the crash, and a burnt marijuana cigarette was found in Njuguna's car. His lawyer says he has no memory of what happened.
The marijuana "joints," or cigarettes, were reportedly purchased at New England Treatment Access (NETA) in Brookline, Massachusetts. NETA has a "discount program," telling potential customers, "If you've never shopped at NETA, then come on by and we will give you a onetime $49 credit when you spend $1."
Wayne Sampson, executive director of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, spoke out against legalization, saying, "The number of people killed every year in drunk driving accidents is very high. Certainly by making marijuana available legally, it's only going to put an additional burden on public safety."
The Worcester, Massachusetts Telegram & Gazette reported that close to 25,000 people already possess medical marijuana cards in the state.
Sampson said the users simply "paid a doctor to give them a prescription so they can use" the drug at their own convenience for purposes that could be completely unrelated to health problems.
In an understatement, Governor Baker said the fact that Njuguna "is alleged to have had marijuana in his system at the time that he crossed three lanes of traffic and at full speed ran into Trooper Clardy's vehicle raises questions that I hope are fully vetted as part of that investigation."
There is no indication, however, that the Obama administration is backing away from its pro-pot stance. Obama, who also used cocaine, has claimed that marijuana is no worse than booze, and his administration has encouraged liberalization of marijuana laws.
© Cliff Kincaid
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