Mike Tyson has Honest and Wise Words for Lindsay Lohan

Learn Some of the Most Important Arguments and Facts Against Marijuana Legalization

Film Review: Lifetime “Liz & Dick,” a Recipe for Lindsay Lohan to Relapse

Last night’s world-premier of the long-awaited Lifetime biopic “Liz & Dick” starring Lindsay Lohan and Grant Bowler, was the most insensitive portrayal of a Hollywood movie star I have ever seen!  My outrage is not about how Elisabeth Taylor was portrayed however, but rather how producers used Lindsay Lohan and her life of struggle with addiction to market the film.  In short, what we saw last night looked like the story of Elisabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, but sounded like the story of a nasal, raspy-voiced teenager pained by lovelessness.

For one, I congratulate Lindsay for keeping her end of the bargain and finishing the film.  If I had a word of advice for the producers, the lack of interest in getting Lindsay voice trained for this role is quite pathetic.  For the kind of low-budget film this was, even Elisabeth Taylor who herself was sober and was surely turning over in her grave last night, would have said that Lindsay was the only draw for people to see this film and for all the wrong reasons.

Message to the producers and marketing department of “Liz & Dick:  Using a person’s personal tragedy and affliction to humiliate them and exploit them to make money is reprehensible!  Lindsay Lohan is struggling to stay sober and the producers of “Liz & Dick” asked Lindsay to smoke like a chimney, pretend she was an out of control drunk, knowing she was struggling to get sober and even act out a part of attempted suicide by prescription drug overdose!  There is nothing more psychologically harmful I can think of, that would cause a person to relapse back into addiction than this.  Given all the psychological grief this film probably caused Lindsay Lohan, it is a miracle she did not relapse and kill herself. 

Lesson:  Among other things, addiction is about triggers.  It’s about conflict and inner trauma.  Addiction causes PTSD in people and it stays with some people even after they achieve long term sobriety.  Never assume it is okay to let someone who is struggling to get sober drink or use.  NEVER.  

In case you may think we haven’t been here before, Heath Ledger’s death and the life he lived right before his death will tell a story few bother to research or talk about.  The fact of the matter is that Heath was experimenting with drugs to better identify with certain roles he was playing.  Check the record.  It’s a fact.  If Lindsay Lohan relapses badly, the producers of “Liz & Dick” will have to check their conscience!

Message to Lindsay:  Well done, kid.  Stay sober and stay away from users and abusers like Charlie Sheen.

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How to Help Your Sober Friend or Loved One During the Holidays

Thanksgiving is the beginning of many holiday festivities.  From parties, holiday shopping, special events like tree lighting ceremonies, the next six weeks are all about celebrating tradition.  But for people who are sober, the holidays are often very difficult and because we lack support socially, many of us relapse.  For newly sober people, the holidays can be an emotional tug of war, driving them back to drink or use so quickly, some do not survive.  This can also be true for people with long-term recovery.

Family get-togethers can make recovering folks very uncomfortable also, because the family is often lost in how to relate to a person in recovery.  Family members and friends often wonder if it is okay to drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes in front of their sober friend or loved one.  All kinds of tip-toeing and walking on egg shells can occur, making the person in recovery even more uncomfortable. 

As we know, Thanksgiving is the time in which we reflect on the things for which we are grateful.  I know that for me, recovery is the one thing I am more grateful for than anything else.  Because had I not gotten sober, I would have missed out on anymore Thanksgiving holidays.  Without my recovery, I would not have the host of friends for which I am so very grateful and would not have amazing opportunities to help others.  Recovery has given me the gift of a second chance at life with clarity and focus, love and the kind of happiness I never knew before. My recovery truly is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

On this Thanksgiving, I give thanks to all the families and friends who have supported their friend or loved one in their recovery.   

Here are a few holiday tips for family and friends of people in recovery:

• Give lots of smiles and hugs, being nice is the best thing you can do

• Don’t be critical about recovery; try not to talk about negative things

• Don’t drink in front of anyone sober, especially anyone newly sober

• Don’t smoke or use in front of anyone sober, especially anyone newly sober

• Don’t have alcohol or any other easily accessible drug in your house or office 

• Talk about healthy activities like hiking, golfing, bike riding, fishing etc.

• Talk about healthy eating and plan a brisk walk after Thanksgiving dinner

• Talk about the wonders of faith if the recovering loved one got sober through a faith-based program 

Hopefully these tips will inspire more of the same.  Wishing everyone a happy and joyous Thanksgiving.  Please buckle up and don’t drink and drive or drug and drive.

The Ogden Memo Should be Annulled by the Obama Administration

Marijuana legalization advocates have all kinds of plans to move forward to other states with their legalization agenda.  For some reason, voters in Colorado and Washington State have bought into the idea that marijuana can somehow be compared to alcohol, which is what made voters pass measures in both states by a narrow margin. 

In 2009, the Obama Administration issued the Ogden Memo, which stopped many of the federal raids on marijuana dispensaries due to a lack of federal resources.  As we reflect, the results of the "well-intentioned" Ogden Memo only made matters worse.  Marijuana cultivation and abuse became even more out of control and because marijuana was legal in some states for so-called medicinal purposes, the federal government was forced to work with state laws. 

Abuses kept happening and marijuana related crimes went up, use rates went up, illegal cultivation went up and communities began to complain.  New avenues were taken with landlord evictions, to enforce marijuana laws by an amendment to the Ogden Memo.  A tactic that has been able to curb some of the brute force illegality.    

Marijuana legalization is a popular argument socially speaking, where voters are far more inclined to reluctantly view a drug that has serious consequences, as benign, because many voters have falsely been made to believe that many quality of life crimes for which people get incarcerated are related to marijuana use alone.   In Colorado and Washington State, marijuana advocates have gotten away with comparing marijuana to alcohol, to pass state measures for recreational use, all in the name of so-called social equality and reform.

According to the latest information on the White Houses’ position, the Obama Administration’s policy on marijuana legalization remains unchanged.  

There is no question that voters are not being dealt a full deck of cards relating to caveats of marijuana legalization.  Marijuana advocates have left a deliberate void of information regarding science and abuse statistics.  Enforcement issues on drugged driving are especially troubling.  The void of information also excludes workable solutions for consequences people face who are confronted with recovery from marijuana addiction, as well as those who become further addicted to hard drugs because of marijuana abuse. 

The idea of comparing marijuana to alcohol has also not been carefully examined by marijuana advocates.  The result of this is marijuana panders to alcohol, making marijuana into a choice, not an alternative.  If there is anything we can be sure of, it is that our policy on alcohol is deeply flawed.  From a production perspective marijuana is nowhere near comparable to alcohol, which is regulated by the federal government and subject to more than 200 processes of oversight before it is made available to consumers.  Alcohol production is also carefully guarded and the process in which to produce alcohol is left to trained professionals. 

In the case of marijuana however, anyone can take a few seeds and start a backyard grow.  Maturation takes about three months and illegal distribution and sale can become a lucrative business for anyone willing to break federal or state law.  There is no way to unilaterally enforce what people wildly grow without oversight.  A situation drug cartels find favorable.  

In closing, one could conclude that the Ogden Memo may have been well intentioned to protect real medical marijuana patients.  But let the results show that this policy has been fully railroaded by marijuana legalization advocates, drug traffickers and drug abusers.  The federal government would be best served to enforce the Controlled Substances Act fully and annul the Ogden Memo once and for all.  

The Longer the Feds wait to Respond to Marijuana Legalization in Colorado and Washington State, the More Damage is Done

When Proposition 19 was on the ballot in California, Attorney General Eric Holder made several clear and resounding statements that if Prop. 19 were to pass, Holder would “vigorously enforce” the Controlled Substances Act.  The President also made his position crystal clear in the National Drug Control Strategy report of 2010, that he is opposed to the legalization of marijuana for recreational use.

Since the passage of Colorado Amendment 64 and Washington State Initiative 502, we have been hearing the sound of crickets.  Where is the leadership?  Drug legalizers are already talking about the potential “domino affect” passage of the Colorado and Washington measures could have.  If the deafening silence on the part of the federal government continues, it will send a massage that enforcing White House policy on marijuana legalization is not a priority.

One indication that legalization is getting a free pass, is that the president did not address the issue of the Colorado and Washington State measures in today’s press conference.  Passage of these measures however constitutes a crisis. 

It is also possible that the President is silent because he may feel provoked by the drug legalizers as they are bragging on the Internet that “Colorado Amendment 64 got more votes than President Obama.”

The climate to further legalization however, is somewhat favorable for legalizers.  In the eyes of the voters they have crime statistics and incarceration issues on their side.  While irresponsible at best, the argument of “no one should go to jail for pot” has been catching on.  But we should not let those arguments fool us.  If we look at some of the direct consequences of the Colorado and Washington State measures, we can easily see that these states have just made it a whole lot easier for drug cartels to sell pot and other hard drugs.  They have also made it a lot easier for kids to lie about where they got their pot.  We should carefully examine how this will affect crime and victimization in those communities.

The federal government and the Department of Justice have an obligation to respond to the American people.  Even more, the feds and the DOJ owe a clear position and strategy to parents raising children and those of us who have fought long and hard days, months and years to defend White House policy. 

With medical marijuana wreaking havoc in our communities, we have seen enough of the abuses!  Repealing the Colorado and Washington State measures will cost millions.  Taking the measures to court to put them on hold may be the best option yet, as America cannot afford to hear the message that legalization should continue.  Too much is at stake and we are not prepared for the social, economic and physical consequences of legalized marijuana.  We need swift action and we need it now.  Justice delayed is justice denied.