The results of the Drug Policy Alliance’s Rush to Judgment are in, and they’re not pretty. We gave citizens the first national opportunity to weigh in on the fate of America’s most famous narcotics addict, Rush Limbaugh, and people responded in record numbers. Almost 10,000 took the 24 hour poll, which was accompanied by a gripping flash animation that illustrated the two options. In the end, voters showed very little mercy: 66% demanded that Limbaugh be prosecuted to the full extent of current drug laws, and just 33% called for him to be left alone.

The results probably would have been different if we had been talking about any other addict, but Rush Limbaugh happens to be a hypocrite who loudly supported harsh penalties for drug users until it became clear that he himself was one. One of the Drug Policy Alliance’s core principles is that no one - even Rush -should be punished just for what they put into their own bodies, but we do agree with many of our members that Rush’s past stance on penalties would not benefit anyone, including himself.

The Alliance created this referendum in order to generate dialogue. “Rush has a massive platform to say what he thinks about the drug war and his own case, and we thought the American public deserved a shot too," said Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance. The poll’s unprecedented success was largely due to the compelling visuals that accompanied it - Rush to Judgment. This animation was a first for the Alliance, and it became an internet phenomenon, popping up on computer screens nationwide and sites including commondreams.org and alternet.org. We look forward to using this powerful technology more and more in the future. In the meantime, log on to our discussion boards to participate in the debate. We will follow Rush’s case to see if a jury of his peers agrees with our voters’ judgment.