Going, going, gone in Louisiana. Who's next?
Meet Mephedrone, the Latest "Drug Menace" [FEATURE]
A new designer drug is generating the same old knee-jerk prohibitionist responses. Be scared, very scared!
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Chronicle
Latest News
Police Can Kick Down Doors in Drug Searches, Some Justices Say
Police officers who smell marijuana coming from an apartment can break down the door and burst in if they have reason to believe this evidence might be destroyed, several Supreme Court's justices suggested Wednesday. In the past, the high court has said police usually cannot enter a home or apartment without a search warrant because of the 4th Amendment's ban on "unreasonable searches and seizures."
Latest News
War on Marijuana Grow-Ops in British Columbia Has Unexpected Casualties
In the war on marijuana grow-ops, municipalities across the Lower Mainland are slapping homeowners â including those with no link to illegal drugs â with a hefty bill for an inspection of their property, saying the fees cover the costs involved. Critics say the safety inspections are a substitute for police raids of suspected grow-ops. Police cannot enter a home without reasonable grounds for believing that they will find illegal activity. However, safety inspectors can just go in and look around. If they find a grow-op, they call police, who are usually waiting at the curb.
In The Trenches
Canada: Voice Your Opposition to Costly Mandatory Minimum Sentencing for Drug-Related Offenses (Action Alert)
The federal government of Canada is currently considering Bill S-10, which proposes legislative amendments that, among other things, would introduce mandatory minimum prison sentences for certain drug-related offenses. Research clearly demonstrates that mandatory minimum sentences are extremely expensive to the taxpayer and do not meaningfully improve public health and safety nor reduce drug use or crime in communities.
The Urban Health Research Initiative is inviting concerned health practitioners, scientists, researchers and academics in Canada to join it in supporting evidence-based drug prevention and treatment initiatives and opposing the introduction of costly and ineffective mandatory minimum sentencing legislation. Please see the sign-on letter at http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6452/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4894.
Latest News
Prohibition-Created Drug Trafficking Organizations Intensify Attacks in Mexico's Richest City
Drug trafficking organizations fighting over Mexico's richest city have launched a wave of attacks against police and rivals since New Year's Eve, crushing hopes of a fall in violence and alarming business leaders.
Latest News
Medical Marijuana Bills Introduced in Washington
Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, and Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver, announced Tuesday that they had introduced House and Senate bills to clarify the state's medical marijuana regulation.
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John Stossel Debates Drug Legalization with Ann Coulter
I enjoyed watching this, although what we get from Ann Coulter here is pretty much what you'd expect from your average kneejerk drug-hating authoritarian. Though obnoxious at times, keep in mind that you're watching a perfectly civil conversation about legalizing drugs on a FOX program. That's awesome.
Latest News
Hearing Delayed on Medical Marijuana Case After Compassion Clubs Objects to DEA Obtaining Confidential State Records
The Michigan Association of Compassion Clubs filed an emergency motion to halt the federal government's efforts to gain access to confidential medical marijuana records compiled by the state.
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Meet the Man Who Gets His Marijuana Directly from the Federal Government
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Miami Herald has a great profile of Irv Rosenfeld, one of four medical marijuana patients who still receive a monthly supply from the federal government. Yeah, you read that right. He gets a tin full of joints sent to him in the mail each month by the U.S. government. Irv's story has received some good coverage in the past, and you can bet that he'll continue making noise until everyone knows the truth.
Chronicle
Juarez
Mexico Drug War Update
New year, new body count in Mexico's seemingly unending prohibition-related violence. It's up to 136 so far this year.
Chronicle
In the bull's eye at the state house (image via Wikimedia)
Synthetic Marijuana Ban Mania Continues
Despite a nationwide emergency ban by the DEA, some state legislators still feel impelled to ban synthetic cannabinoids at the state level.
Latest News
Updated NORML Report Reviews Nearly 200 Studies on the Therapeutic Use of Cannabis
NORML has recently posted online the fourth edition of its popular and comprehensive booklet, "Emerging Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids: A Review of the Recent Scientific Literature." Updated and revised for 2011, this report reviews approximately 200 newly published scientific studies assessing the safety and efficacy of marijuana and its compounds in the treatment and management of nineteen clinical indications: Alzheimerâs disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), chronic pain, diabetes mellitus, dystonia, fibromyalgia, gastrointestinal disorders, gliomas and other cancers, hepatitis C, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hypertension, incontinence, methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA), multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, pruritus, rheumatoid arthritis, sleep apnea, and Touretteâs syndrome.
Latest News
Sessions Should Re-Think Marijuana Policy (Opinion)
Columnist Ron Crumpton exposes and discusses Senator Jeff Sessions' antiquated and unscientific approach to marijuana policy.
Event
"I'm Dangerous with Love" Opening
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Can a psychedelic plant release your demons? I'M DANGEROUS WITH LOVE Opens at New York’s IFC Film Center on Wednesday January 12, 2011 "Bursts on the screen like a circus fire. A movie you'll never forget."
African shamans have used Ibogaine in their rituals for centuries, but in the US it is classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance and illegal, so Dimitri must work in underground networks to guide addicts through the same detox that he says saved his life. I'M DANGEROUS WITH LOVE traces Dimitri's risky journey as he treats desperate drug users. It follows this man of edgy energy as he goes from one addict to the next without stopping to catch his breath. It also follows him on his own search for recovery when one session goes bad in a remote snowed-in Canadian home, and a quiet young man almost dies. Dimitri must decide whether or not to continue his mission. Is he serving the addicts or simply releasing his own demons? To find answers, Dimitri travels to Gabon, West Africa, to consult with Bwiti shamans, and puts himself through a punishing Iboga initiation. Filmmaker Michel Negroponte follows him on this journey to find his own answers. "A haunting, visceral exploration of addiction and one contemporary man's fearless and determined quest for healing and redemption through the ancient wisdom of the Bwiti and their 'magical' plant, Iboga. For those seeking a path out of darkness, this film is not to be missed." Charles Shaw, AlterNet “A powerhouse: brutally honest, hilarious, incisive, heroic. It capture’s a character who lives against the odds. Negroponte doesn’t just go the extra mile to capture story and character – he goes an extra light year and takes the audience with him. Its one of those docs that’s going to walk all over the festival circuit like it fucking owns the place.” -Sheffield Doc/Fest I'M DANGEROUS WITH LOVE
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I'M DANGEROUS WITH LOVE is about addiction and rehabilitation, activism and shamanism. It features Dimitri Mugianis, once the heavily addicted front man for the band Latest News
Two Border Towns Changed by Drug Prohibition War
Tornillo, Texas and Guadalupe, Mexico are two small towns separated by only a fence. In one, residents go about their daily business. In the other, the community lives in constant fear. KTSM in Texas reports on how the drug prohibition war has deeply changed the relationship between the border towns.
Latest News
Drug Prohibition Violence: 30 Murders in 3 Days in Brazilian City That Will Host 2014 World Cup Matches
A northeastern Brazilian city that will host 2014 World Cup football matches has recorded 30 murders in three days as drug trafficking gangs battle. Police in the city of Salvador say the outbreak of violence began this weekend after the arrest of a drug gang leader.
In The Trenches
Your Turn to Comment on Medical Marijuana in Colorado (Action Alert)
Do you care about how medical marijuana is distributed? Here's your chance to comment:
On January 27 and 28 the Colorado Dept. of Revenue is considering adopting wide-ranging rules governing medical marijuana stores and producers. The proposed rules are available HERE (in highlights). These rules embody the most comprehensive medical marijuana distribution system in history. While considering this system, it is crucial that Department officials hear from patients and advocates about the importance of maintaining patient privacy and closely guarding patient health records. Sensible Colorado and allies will be sending out suggested "talking points" on privacy and other issues soon. In the meantime, please review the proposed rules and send comments to the Department by Friday Jan. 14 at: [email protected] or Colorado Department of Revenue If you would like to attend the Hearing and have an accessibility issue, send an email to: [email protected] **Start off the New Year by supporting Sensible Colorado's quest to advocate for patients and reform marijuana laws for all adults. Click HERE to help today! |
Event
re:Form -- Art Auction and Cocktail Reception
An art auction and cocktail party is being held in Los Angeles to benefit the Drug Policy Alliance. For more information and to register, see: http://www.reformartauction.org/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Latest News
Poor Economy Forces Georgia to Rethink Drug Criminalization
The high price of enforcing criminal penalties on non-violent offenders has Georgia's new Republican governor rethinking a major linchpin in US domestic policy: the drug war. Roughly 19 percent of Georgia's prison population was incarcerated on drug offenses in 2009, according to a report by the Office on National Drug Control Policy. Nationally, nearly half of all arrests are due to laws criminalizing the cultivation, sales and use of cannabis, which has been shown to be less damaging to human health than alcohol or tobacco.
Latest News
More Than 30 Killed in Drug Prohibition Violence in Acapulco in 4 Days, Including 2 Cops Shot in Tourist Area
The body of a murdered man found dumped on a main road into Acapulco Monday brought the four-day death toll in the once peaceful Pacific coast Mexican resort city to 31. With the weekend toll, Acapulco is facing the highest levels of drug prohibition violence since President Felipe Calderon declared war on drug trafficking organizations in 2006.