About the Drug Policy - Covington and Burling Connection

An Interview By The Federal Triangle:
About Appearances of Conflict of Interest with Covington & Burling’s pro-bono advisement relationship with drug policy reform organizations

With 'ML' Marialuisa S. Gallozzi, with C&B since 1987, in 1988 “assigned to take primary responsibility for advising the [drug policy] foundation”

By “FMD” Freedom of Medicine and Diet/ Douglas Willinger

FMD- As reported in FMD, from the initial Drug Policy Foundation biennial report, Arnold Trebach-Kevin Zeese preface letter identifies Covington & Burling’s pro-bono program linkage to the Drug Policy Foundation:

“… the leading Washington, D.C. law firm Covington & Burling accepted the Foundation as a pro bono publico [for the public good] client in regard to cooperate and tax matters in 1988. We have received valuable advice from Marialuisa Gallozzi, the Covington & Burling associate assigned to take primary responsibility for advising the Foundation. Having Covington and Burling in our corner is a source of great comfort.”

People throughout the drug policy reform movement are asking about this advisor-advisee relationship- owing to what they see as a clear potential for how advice from this law firm may affect the drug policy reform organizations, owing to C & B’s long history of clientele. Founded in 1919 at the start of the great growth in U.S. regulatory law, C&B is big into pharmaceuticals and other industries that benefit from the hysteria over the illegalized drugs, particularly Tobacco, there’s a clear interest in keeping up the hysteria over “cocaine” in order to obscure and keep illegal Coca Leaf, and thus a potential conflict of interest in this C&B relationship with drug policy reform organizations.

ML- Absolutely, FMD. A great many thanks for the opportunity to address this appearance of conflict of interest. As the attorney ‘assigned primary responsibility for advising the Foundation’ of this pro-bono program of this major food-tobacco-pharma industry law firm, I have an obligation to the public and to Covington & Burling to make myself available to answer questions regarding this pro bono relationship with the Drug Policy Foundation- now Drug Policy Alliance and other such organizations dedicated to reforming the laws regarding the now illicit drugs. Particularly at a time of this “Fast & Furious” controversy regarding a government program under U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, to flood illicit gun markets in order to better arm the various drug gangs so they may shoot and kill more people, including U.S. border guards, and thereby continue and even escalate this drug war that was started in part by Covington & Burling’s co-founder, James Harry Covington, one time U.S. Congressman from the Maryland eastern shore. You see, Holder is from Covington & Burling, and so is his assistant AG Breuer. And Holder in particular, among his legal practices, represented some pharmaceutical companies- indeed as Covington is perhaps the largest legal representative of much of the pharmaceutical industry. Indeed, with the Controlled Substances Act granting so much power to the USAG, it can be said that the CSA thus so empowers a recent former Covington & Burling attorney who has represented big pharma- so likely guaranteeing a good show at some upcoming Congressional hearing on Fast & Furious.

FMD- Go on.

ML- Covington is the largest representative of so much, including food, drugs-pharmaceuticals. Its first client was the National Canners Association- still a client as the National Food Processors Association. The firm became THE firm for coordinating the defense of the cigarette industry- to sell what would be otherwise deemed a adulterated and mis-branded substance- oh but for the tradition established with that 1906 act for excluding a list of the additives.

Indeed Covington was established in the wake of and along with the tremendous rise in government regulatory expansion, indeed so much centralization in so much at that time, like a re-codification of cannon law to further centralize power within and near Rome.

Indeed, our founder James Harry Covington was involved in the drug war’s creation. Our founder was in the U.S. Congress when the 1906 U.S. Food and drug act was being crafted into the 1914 Harrison Narcotic Act which he than upheld as a federal judge regarding giving the power over health choice to the U.S. Department of Treasury!
As so much of this has created problems that concern many people, such as the tremendous increase in the prison population, it leads us to assist the various organizations that are set up to challenge such problems; but since we represent such a broad array of industry, that we inevitably get caught up in issues that threaten the established interests that we have and continue to represent. By long representing much of the drug-pharmaceutical industry for instance we end up representing those that benefit from the current century old drug control scheme. Hence our involvement with the drug policy reform or legalization movement inevitably raises conflicts with our established interests we represent.

FMD- Such as interests benefiting from this drug war as …?

ML- Various drugs that would be to some degree displaced by legalized Marijuana, Opium, Coca leaf.

Recently 10 pharmaceutical products were enumerated as potentially threatened by legalized Marijuana. Jack Herer of course pointed out the numerous industrial products likewise threatened by legalized Marijuana or rather, in many cases, Hemp, as they don’t use it for its medicinal-psychoactive properties. And of course that elephant in the living room ignored by everyone but yourself of Tobacco-Virginia Bright Leaf cigarettes by Coca Leaf particularly as both are plant-stimulants each respectively with nicotine or cocaine- two well known substances though blatantly perceived differently. You already done a masterful job with your DPF published papers during the early 1990s, though they have not published you since 1992. That is so weird given the potential effectiveness of your arguments to actually undermine support for the drug war regarding cocaine. Yet Ira Glasser, who anyone who can google can find takes Tobacco cigarette industry money, runs away from addressing the issue.

FMD- Oh yes. Did you read my accounts about him? Asides from 1995 with my COCA '95 panel they have not placed me on any panels, nor accept any of my panel proposals except the 1999 History Panel which nonetheless did not include any speakers on the Coca-cocaine issue, even rejecting such proposals as Coca Turning over a new leaf towards reducing health care costs with Dr Lester Grinspoon and Tinctures of Opium Wines of Coca Popular Pre Prohibition Uses of what became today’s white power poisons of abuse, with numerous speakers including Dr, John Morgan and former DPF employee, the writer Cynthia Cotts. The pharma tobacco drug legalization conflict is undeniable. The DPF clearly went away from the Coca cocaine issue, for instance discontinuing holding a regular “cocaine” panel after the 1992 DPF conference- though all in spite of the clear message of 1986 that reformers had to address the drug that was used for the post death of Len Bias by overdose hysteria used to generate public support for more draconian drug contraband penalties of cocaine. And it has gone conservative. We already had NORML and were to additionally get Marijuana Policy Project. Groups as the Drug Policy Foundation and its successor Drug Policy Alliance are about the broader issue of the popular illicit drugs which of course includes cocaine. So why not address it to belay the hysteria? Why keep cocaine a feared “narcotic” while nicotine remains part of a larger chronic poison taking some 440,000 premature lives annually within the U.S. and 6 million plus (if not as high as 40 million) annually worldwide, and 100+ million within the last calendar-century. Why deny the benefits of the Coca leaf- the stimulant according to UCLA’s Dr Ronald K. Siegel, the toxicologist who testified at the trial regarding Len Bias’s cocaine overdose supplier’s trial, that is the safest of its category? Why? Just look at the history, the 20th century drug control scheme in the U.S. came via the USDA- Department of Agriculture. Agricultural Mercantilism. This has raised numerous eyebrows.

ML- I can imagine seeing those eyebrows. A food and drug and insurance attorney at this powerhouse of a law firm for big pharma and the cigarette industry with a pro bono program advising drug policy reform/legalization organizations. And oh boy what a conflict. Our firm represents the interests that benefit from the “drug war”- so people are naturally going to wonder. Especially with no information forthcoming from myself, Covington nor any of these drug policy organizations since FMD began spotlighting this connection back in early 2008.

FMD- Indeed.

ML- This cigarette industry and that of the patent – aka patentable synthetic substances rather then un-patentable natural plant substances were and are the main beneficiaries of this new drug control scheme, of cocaine something to be feared by being required to be labeled while caffeine and nicotine were not, and to be arbitrarily deemed deleterious to human health irregardless of the concentration by a USDA that had been established to protect the interests of domestic business rather than health, thus favoring domestic Tobacco from the foreign market threat of the ‘Tobacco Habit Cure” of Coca Leaf.

Anyone with a background in vocal arts or anesthesiology would know this history.

FMD- Ah yes- Vin Mariani!

ML- Indeed, Vin Mariani.

Way better than powder cocaine, or cigarettes.

Popularized by Angelo Francois Mariani.

He was born December 17, 1838; and died April 1, 1914.

http://freedomofmedicineanddiet.blogspot.com/2009/02/coca-come-back.html

A Corsican by birth who moved to Paris to become a pharmacist in service to Parisian women who liked performing in opera, who all found Coca beneficial for the vocal cords and providing useful energy.

He understood Coca, deemed in South America as the essence of MamaCoca - the Earth Mother Figure - Most Special Gal. He bottled her essence. It gave a lot of people benefit, and was a good thing.

Alas the public allowed itself to be bamboozled by a “liberal-progressive” media that lied through its teeth, confusing “cocaine” in people’s minds from delightful alternative to caffeine to alluring concentrated white power poison of abuse. A mind over matter. Confuse the mind to allow destructive policies confused as beneficial and necessary but rather a deceptive self perpetuating lie. Result countless trillions in law enforcement/civil rights violations, plus trillions in added health care costs with some 100 million premature deaths resulting from this market distortion suppression of cocaine, protection-promotion of tobacco actually meeting the definition of adulterated and mis-branded.

This is to the benefit of a disastrous decision made in the early 1900s.

With the dragging of their feet regarding the Coca leaf issue, it is understandable that people are going to inquire upon what is tying this down and hence wonder about this linkage between the drug policy reform organizations and Covington & Burling.

What are they going to do- have the world think they hired me to suppress drug policy reform, drastically needed change in policies that are a continuing mega boondoggle health care human rights disaster?! Google my name with the terms “pharmaceutical” and there will be hits, only leading people to further wonder about this Covington and Drug Policy Reform organizations relationship. Even moreso given that current USAG Eric Holder's scandal- "Fast & Furious."

Tobacco the most dangerous was protected by the ban on Coca via the ridiculously overly simplistic hysteria against “cocaine”.

A mega colossal disaster, with a chain reaction of effects and successive reactions like a dog eternally chasing its tail.

We get the crack epidemic.

We get the trillions on added health care costs from the cigarettes.

We get amnesia about the Vin Mariani era.

Don’t they remember Vin Mariani?

It started as a favorite of Parisian stage performers helping tone their voices and given useful energy, not the up – down and afterward harshness of refined cocaine.

That was why cocaine was remembered favorably- as a delightful alternative to caffeine and even nicotine. And who would think of using the latter two as they bastardized cocaine starting during the mid 1880s.

So why has the Drug Policy Foundation stopped your excellent efforts to address cocaine after the 1992 conference?

People going to ponder that, knowing that its my name, an attorney specializing in food, drug and insurance, from Covington with its lengthy and extensive experience, and plus that with the clear market protection angle of the drug war that you cover but which all of the good old boy, fraternalistic orderesque organizations are naturally too chicken to do, so people are going to wonder about this program and ask, Bottleneck or Facilitator?

They have not yet let me stand up. The DPA would not even approve that excellent plenary panel on Agricultural Mercantilism with the former U.S. prosecutor Sheila Eubanks you made for the 2009 and 2011 DPA conferences.

Either we continue to stonewall, but more people will see this as an admission of the utter corruptness of Washington D.C. Fewer may want to send money to such foundations as the “Drug Policy Foundation” or Drug Policy Alliance” if it is seen as a tool of a Washington D.C. cigarette-pharmaceutical legal powerhouse founded by a man who helped found prohibition!

Or we do the right thing- for freedom of diet and medicine.

Covington & Burling has a long history going back to the very foundations of the great 20th century “war on drugs” or rather some drugs, a great deception that gets people to confuse its effects as somehow its continuing justification. People see the problems with prohibition and with ultra concentrated drugs – a situation engendered in most cases by Prohibition’s Iron Law that was the subject of an article by NORML’s Dick Cowan in the National Review way back in December 1986. They overlook the iron law of prohibition – remember when cocaine was in Coca Cola rather than taken as now. The FDA has been reluctant to approve other drugs taken in such a manner, such as nicotine nasal spray because of the pharmacokinetics how drugs are assimilated into the human body, aka slow versus fast all at once release. Its an issue known by science yet disregarded by that Basilica on the New Tiber- the U.S. Congress with its blatant cigarette-pharma mercantilism dating back at least to 1906.

Our founder was in the U.S. Congress when the 1906 US Food and Drug Act was being crafted into the 1914 Harrison Narcotic Act which he than upheld as a federal judge regarding giving the power over health choice to the U.S. Department of Treasury!

As for the advice I have given the DPF and any other such drug policy related organizations, that can wait for my upcoming public presentations, including those that the Drug Policy Alliance needs adding to its conferences, complete with a minimum of 20 minutes of question and answer time with the audience.

Give me the opportunity to answer any such questions about such advice, along with what I and Covington & Burling shall be doing to assist in the re-legalization of Coca Leaf and other plant preparation products, including possible class action suits on behalf of the global public against a scheme denying us the benefits of Coca, instead perverting its use for the sake of protecting the most intrinsically dangerous drug its class- Tobacco.

I will answer questions about that by being available for questions as a participant in the various drug policy reform organization conferences, including DPA, Harm Reduction Coalition, and Marijuana Policy Project and to provide an overview of what I and Covington must do with a full scale legal effort, both internationally and within the U.S. Just think about the arguments used against Obama Care, particularly those regarding the Commerce Clause. We can use momentum from this to scrap the Cigarette-Pharma-Market-Protection "Controlled Substances Act" drug-war-scam.

We have a moral obligation to reverse the madness.

And to think of the juxtaposition. After, accordingly Washington, D.C. is the city of the beautiful virgin, though now, given the political dynamics, particularly Ledochowski’s Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, remains a city of the great whore.

From the very beginning, the city was intended to celebrate the mystery of Virgo – of the Egyptian Isis, the Grecian Ceres and the Christian Virgin. This truth – and this truth alone – explains the structure of the city, and the enormous power of its stellar symbolism. Washington, D.C., is far more then a city of zodiacs – it’s a city which was built to celebrate a massive cosmic symbolism, expressed in stars. Its the main buildings – Capitol, White House and Washington Monument – mark on the Earth the annual renewal of that magical pyrotechnic display in the skys, which occurs on the days around August 10. (page 344)

From whatever direction one approaches the history of Washington, D.C., the processional avenue of L’Enfant seems always to find its way into the story, and the tale is usually linked with Masons. If we glance at the history of the capital from the viewpoint of, say, sculpture, we find a seamless fabric which joins together generations of artists through almost two centuries. And, this is a fabric woven in the vicinity of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Today, the Old Post Office is set back from Pennsylvania Avenue, oriented to the squares drawn on the original map along D Street, as though some planner had forgotten about what L’Enfant had indicated on his map. Across the road is the beaux arts building that once housed the most influential newspapers in the city, the Washington Evening Star, its façade still looking down onto the statute of Benjamin Franklin, who occupies the triangular-shaped declivity in Pennsylvania Avenue. It is entirely fitting that this building, so intimately linked with a setting star, should look onto one of the most influential of early American Masons, one who had knowledge of the stars and was a keen astronomer. The sculpture, commissioned of Jacques Jouvenal as a gift to the city by the newspaper proprietor Stilson Hutchins, was designed to look onto Pennsylvania Avenue from 10th Street [note. It sits on the south-eastern corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 12th Street, being re-located there in 1982], because in those days the avenue was flanked by printers and newspapers: within a stones throw was the largest litho printer in the United States. Now the printers and newspaper have fled in the wake of threatened and actual development, leaving Franklin, displaced from his original symbolism, raising his right hand as though astonished in their disappearance. Nonetheless, there seems to be a destiny even in accidents, and this placing of a Mason on one side, and a building named after an evening star, is propitious.

The Evening Star departed its famous building in 1955, leaving only its stellar name in metallic and lapidary inscriptions overlooking the Pennsylvania frontage. The reception hall of the newspaper has been revamped in modern times, but it is possible that a meaningful symbolism has survived from earlier days. In its marble floor is a huge sunburst, or starburst pattern. The five splendid radiants throw their beams out toward this magical avenue, as though he were part of the profound secret of Washington, D.C. [emphasis added] (pp 311-312)

Does the state of Franklin, on its pedestal below the campanile, hold up its hand in amazement of this solar wonder? (page 344)

This account’s fixation upon the Eastern Star upon the Evening Star building may be misleading as it is to his 4 o’clock; curiously the book fails to mention the address of where Ben Franklin’s statute actually stares in astonished amazement diagonally across the intersection of Pennsylvania and 12th Street. 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue- the Covington & Burling building.

http://savethecapitalcity.blogspot.com/2007/06/benjamin-franklins-mysterious-sunfire.html

Consider, the continuing to this very day ancient regime, and its many wars not limited to its insane pervert cocaine to protect cigarettes drug war, but including Ledochowski’s vicious counter reformation revenge for the Kulturkampf, with Maximillian Kolbe’s “our war” deification of the Mary figure, suggestive of this woman, born on the Winter solstice as the Mother of War (some variant of Mary Lou given Louise=warrior?), at that spot of Washington, D.C. described by a Masonic book as the center of the universe where Ben Franklin’s statute stares in wondrous astonishment. Is not that suggestive that Covington is at the center of the universe? And that we have a job we must do!

FMD- Absolutely! Ben Franklin and everyone else are awaiting the Covington & Burling - Marialuisa Gallozzi move to end the travesty of anti Opium-Coca pro cigarette criminal mercantilism.

http://freedomofmedicineanddiet.blogspot.com/2008/08/1904-2004-usda.html

"The Farmer and the Cowman"

I'd like to say a word for the farmer,
He come out west and made a lot of changes
He come out west and built a lot of fences,
And built 'em right acrost our cattle ranges.
The farmer and the cowman should be friends,
Oh, the farmer and the cowman should be friends

Rogers, Richard and Hammerstain, Oscar. Oklahoma: Broadway Cast Album. Laurence Guittard, Christine Andrea, Mary Wickes et al. Mus. Dir. Jay Blackton. Red Seal, 1980; cited by Marialuisa S. Gallozzi in her USDA conference paper: "The Food Industry's View About the Development of Plant-made Pharmaceuticals and Industrials" presented at the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum, Arlington, Virginia February 19-20, 2004

The Evil 'Drug' Prohibition to Promote Tobacco Cigarettes
http://freedomofmedicineanddiet.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-evil-prohibition-to-promote.html

MisManaged Drug Policy Reform Organizations - DPF/DPA
http://freedomofmedicineanddiet.blogspot.com/2010/07/peter-lewis-ira-glasser-is-waste-of.html

2012 - April 1 - South Mall Blogger
http://southmallblogger.blogspot.com/2012/04/2012-april-1.html

South Mall Blogger
http://southmallblogger.blogspot.com/