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High School Censors Marijuana Legalization Editorial in School Newspaper
Last month, we saw teachers suspended for teaching students about their rights during police encounters. Now, another school is sending the message that the drug war is more important than education:
The idea that discussing marijuana legalization somehow encourages illegal drug use is impressively stupid and wrong. It's the sort of thing you might believe if you go around destroying legalization editorials instead of reading them and trying to understand the arguments.
It's bad enough that students are denied access to education simply for using marijuana. It's bad enough that we punish drug use so harshly that teens are afraid to talk to us and ask for help if they need it. So I guess I shouldnât be surprised that when a young person stands up and bravely challenges adults to think differently about drug policy, their ideas will be treated as a dangerous threat. How dare students speak out about the policies that affect their lives?
Still, it is times like these -- when the drug war's defenders overstep the most basic principles of free speech and civil discourse â that the intellectual bankruptcy of their belief system rings the loudest. Every idea is worthless until it can be proven to withstand reasoned criticism, and the drug warriors have failed that test more times than we could possibly count.
TEXASÂ -- The newspaper adviser at Big Spring High School resigned May 28 after the principal pulled the last issue of the paper, which included an editorial advocating the legalization of marijuana.
Bill Riggs told Midland, Texas, television station KWES that he resigned as the adviser for The Corral because of a difference of opinion with administrators and that he did not want the journalism program to suffer.
Steven Saldivar, superintendent of the Big Spring Independent School District, said the editorial conflicted with the district's policy of discouraging illegal drug use. [SPLC.org]
The idea that discussing marijuana legalization somehow encourages illegal drug use is impressively stupid and wrong. It's the sort of thing you might believe if you go around destroying legalization editorials instead of reading them and trying to understand the arguments.
It's bad enough that students are denied access to education simply for using marijuana. It's bad enough that we punish drug use so harshly that teens are afraid to talk to us and ask for help if they need it. So I guess I shouldnât be surprised that when a young person stands up and bravely challenges adults to think differently about drug policy, their ideas will be treated as a dangerous threat. How dare students speak out about the policies that affect their lives?
Still, it is times like these -- when the drug war's defenders overstep the most basic principles of free speech and civil discourse â that the intellectual bankruptcy of their belief system rings the loudest. Every idea is worthless until it can be proven to withstand reasoned criticism, and the drug warriors have failed that test more times than we could possibly count.
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1st Annual Tacoma HempFest
Tacoma Hemp Company and Eat/Fly are proud to present the 1st Annual Tacoma Hempfest!
In The Trenches
Press Release: Details of the New Philadelphia Marijuana Procedure
CONTACT: [email protected] or 215 586 3483
Philadelphia: Details of the new marijuana procedure
by Chris Goldstein 6/9/2010
The DAâs office reports that six marijuana consumers entered the new diversion program for minor pot possession yesterday, the first time it was available. Here are the main points of the new procedure:
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â No criminal prosecution in court
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â No bail money required for release: Previously all minor marijuana offenders had a bail amount set. If they could not come up with bail money they were held until arraignment. Today, those who enter into the diversion program are released after processing.
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â No drug conviction on record: By entering the new diversion program an individual pleads to a lesser offense. This means: Students will not lose loans; teachers and others will not face losing employment; public record searches will not reveal a marijuana related conviction
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Offense is automatically expunged: Entering the new diversion program also means the arrest is expunged from the individualâs permanent record, without having to hire an attorney.
The change in marijuana possession procedures was announced by District Attorney Seth Williams in April and vocally backed by Pennsylvania State Supreme Court.
Philadelphia is the only jurisdiction in Pennsylvania that cannot issue the summary violations on the street to the offender. Thus, officers will still be required to take marijuana consumers briefly into custody to process them into the new diversion program.
Still, the possibility of taking over 4,700 small pot possession cases out of the criminal court system should have a tangible impact on court efficiency. The new diversion program, if employed in a majority of these type of cases, could save the Public Safety budget hundreds of thousands of tax dollars this year alone.
The cost savings would be closer to $3million every year if Philadelphia Police were given the same power as their peers around the state to issue the marijuana possession summary violations on the street.
PhillyNORML conducts annual reports on the local marijuana arrests. More info:
Philly: Marijuana mug shots cost city $3million annually
Philly: White women rarely arrested for pot
PhillyNORML is the local chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. The group meets twice each month to plan reform activities.
Â
Original blog link: http://www.examiner.com/x-29881-Philadelphia-NORML-Examiner~y2010m6d9-Philadelphia-Details-of-the-new-marijuana-procedureÂ
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Berkeley City Council Medical Cannabis Subcommittee Meeting
Please join Berkeley Patients Group, Patients Care Collective, and the Cannabis Buyers Coop of Berkeley for our presentation tonight at the City Council Subcommittee meeting on Medical Cannabis.
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Press Release: MPP Kicks Off Summer Tour with Launch of Mobile Giving Campaign
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
JUNE 9, 2010
MPP Kicks Off Summer Tour with Launch of Mobile Giving Campaign
Supporters Will Be Able to Text Donations as Part of âGive by Cellâ Campaign in Conjunction with Upcoming Slightly Stoopid Tour
CONTACT: Mike Meno, MPP director of communications â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦ 202-905-2030 or [email protected]
WASHINGTON, D.C. â The Marijuana Policy Project today announced a new partnership with Guide by Cell, Inc. that will enable supporters to donate to MPP through the convenience of their cell phones. As part of the âGive by Cellâ campaign, supporters can text âMPPâ to 20222 to make a one-time donation of $5 to MPP, the nationâs leading marijuana policy reform organization.
        âThis new mobile giving campaign will make donating to MPP easier than ever before,â said Andrea Farnum, MPP director of Grants and VIP Outreach. âWe are very excited about this opportunity to provide supporters with an easy and efficient method of helping to end marijuana prohibition in the United States.â
        Give by Cell is the mobile division of Guide by Cell, Inc., is the worldâs largest provider of cell phone audio tours, text messaging interactions and Apple iPhone downloadable applications. For more information, visit www.guidebycell.com or www.givebycell.com.
        MPPâs text-giving campaign is being launched as the MPP partners with renowned San Diego-based band Slightly Stoopid for their upcoming U.S. tour, âCauzin Vapors ⦠Legalize It,â on which theyâll be accompanied by hip-hop superstars, Cypress Hill, The Expendables, Collie Buddz, and reggae legends, Steel Pulse on select dates.
        Starting in mid-July, the tour will wind across the country, from California to New York, with stops at this yearâs acclaimed Lollapalooza festival in Chicago and the Mile High Music Festival in Colorado. MPP will be tabling at performances and have representatives at each show to answer questions and provide information about the ongoing campaigns to end marijuana prohibition in the U.S. For more information, and a complete list of tour dates, visit www.slightlystoopid.com.  Â
        With more than 124,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.mpp.org. For more information about MPPâs Give by Cell campaign, visit http://www.mpp.org/donating/give-by-cell.html
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Everyone Loves to Read About Marijuana Legalization
Popular political blogger/statistician Nate Silver says that this post about marijuana legalization was his second most-read piece ever. He became famous for his presidential election polling, but the success of that one marijuana post just shows the intense public interest in reform, especially on the web.
Everywhere you look, even the mainstream press is picking up on the fact that people want to talk about this. Just look at NPR's The New Marijuana series, which has churned out more marijuana stories this week than I have time to read. CBS has been doing the same thing with Marijuana Nation, CNBC had a big hit with Marijuana Inc., and even Fox News has recruited John Stossel and Judge Napolitano to trash the drug war on Rupert Murdoch's dime.
If you think I'm exaggerating what's going on here, just look at the Google Trends results for the search term "marijuana legalization":
It's incredible to see our progress displayed so vividly, and anyone who doesn’t want legal marijuana in America should think twice about wasting their time trying to stop it. More people are scanning the web for news about marijuana legalization than ever before, and the media is working hard to give them exactly what they want, which results in yet more people reading and searching for news about marijuana legalization.
The whole process cascades and feeds on itself, spontaneously turning longtime observers into voices for reform, and literally creating more news by emboldening activists to launch new campaigns. It's awesome, and it absolutely won't stop until our marijuana laws are fixed forever.
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Drugged Driving: Michigan Supreme Overturns ItselfâDriving With Pot Metabolites Not a Crime
The Michigan Supreme Court Tuesday ruled that it is not illegal to drive while having marijuana metabolites in the body, reversing a 2006 decision by a more conservative version of the court. Marijuana metabolites are not a controlled substance under state law, and their mere presence thus cannot be the basis of a conviction under the state's drugged driving law, the court held.
The ruling came in People v. Feezel, in which the court overturned the conviction of a driver in the death of a severely drunk pedestrian walking in the middle of a five-lane road at night. The driver, George Feezel, was himself borderline intoxicated on alcohol, blowing a 0.009, and also tested positive for marijuana metabolites, which can linger in the system for days or weeks after the pot high is gone. Feezle was not convicted of drunk driving causing a death, but was found guilty of second-offense drunk driving, leaving the scene of a fatal accident, and driving under the influence of marijuana, although there was no testimony to the effect that he had used marijuana that evening and there was testimony to the contrary.
The court ruled that a Washtenaw County jury should have been allowed to hear evidence the victim was drunk, remanding the case back to circuit court. But in ruling that marijuana metabolites are not a controlled substance, the court invalidated what was in effect a per se zero tolerance drugged driving law that allowed for people to be convicted of driving while impaired when they were not actually shown to be impaired.
"We hold that 11-carboxy-THC is not a schedule 1 controlled substance under MCL 333.7212 [controlled substances act] and, therefore, a person cannot be prosecuted under MCL 257.625(8) [drugged driving act] for operating a motor vehicle with any amount of 11-carboxy-THC in his or her system," read the opinion.
The opinion, largely a demolition of the previous Supreme Court's 2006 ruling in People v. Derror that marijuana metabolites are a controlled substance, thus allowing for drugged driving convictions based solely on their presence, noted that Michigan is now a medical marijuana state and that allowing Derror to stand would unfairly impact medical marijuana patients.
Under Derror, Justice Corrigan wrote for the majority, "individuals who use marijuana for medicinal purposes will be prohibited from driving long after the person is no longer impaired. Indeed, in this case, experts testified that, on average, the metabolite could remain in a personâs blood for 18 hours and in a personâs urine for up to 4 weeks."
It's not just about medical marijuana patients, the opinion suggested: "Thus, under Derror, an individual who only has 11-carboxy-THC in his or her system is prohibited from driving and, at the whim of police and prosecutors, can be criminally
responsible for choosing to do so even if the person has a minuscule amount of the substance in his or her system. Therefore, the Derror majorityâs interpretation of the statute defies practicable workability given its tremendous potential for arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement."
It is neither fair nor just nor in the interest of public safety to charge people with drugged driving who arenât impaired. Finally, there is a Michigan Supreme Court that recognizes that.