DANIEL FORBES says that the Drug Czar is lying. Say it ain’t so!

I wonder about the propriety of Drug Czar John Walters interfering in state elections anyway:

One reason for the ballot-box failure may have been the full-throttle, anti-marijuana campaign tour by White House Drug Czar John P. Walters. Walters, whose official title is director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, inveighed against the demon weed in campaign swings through Ohio, Arizona, and Nevada (twice). At the heart of Walters’ sermon: “It is not your father’s marijuana.” Today’s users, he claims, confront pot that’s up to 30 times stronger than what aging baby boomers smoked.

Forbes says that this isn’t true, and it looks like an outright lie. What’s more, what’s an appointed bureaucrat doing going around trying to influence state elections?

The problem is, the Drug Czar’s job is entirely political, and entirely bogus — which probably makes telling lies in political campaigns seem like a natural extension of the Czar’s ordinary duties. And heck, it probably is. But, as with the public health lies discussed below, it’s yet another reason for the public to distrust the government, one that will come back to bite us when trust is really needed. These sorts of lies aren’t just cute politics-as-usual. They’re destructive as hell.

Extra blogger bonus — the piece cites, and links to, Mark Kleiman.