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Marijuana and the War on Drugs: Where Will it All End? (Opinion)

Susan Walker reports on a study of the alcohol and drug prohibition eras conducted by Euan Wilson of The Socionomics Institute. Wilson's research includes the role of social mood during prohibition, and provides a fascinating look at when and why society sanctions drugs -- and when society decides enough is enough. Walker says the takeaway message is that the same social mood that drives the stock market also plays a significant role in popular attitudes regarding the prohibitions against drugs and alcohol.
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Insite Activist Threatens Civil Disobedience

If the federal government seeks to permanently shutter Insite, Vancouverites can anticipate a loud and unrelenting outcry from advocates, health care professionals and drug users who support the Downtown Eastside supervised injection site. Closing Insite, "will be seen as a personal affront to the city of Vancouver," said Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users activist Dean Wilson, noting residents in this city, including Mayor Gregor Robertson and at least four former mayors, are generally in favor of harm reduction drug treatment that includes supervised injection.
In The Trenches

Do Your Friends Support Medical Marijuana? (Action Alert)

 

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Dear friends,

Chances are, your friends and family support medical marijuana. But they probably don't know that medical marijuana programs and patients around the country are under attack by the federal government right now.

We're counting on you to let them know about the attacks and tell them how to help stop them. Thanks to supporters like you, the Attorney General has already received 13,803 messages. Help us double that number by forwarding the message below.

Sincerely,

Ethan Nadelmann
Executive Director
Drug Policy Alliance

--------FORWARD THE MESSAGE BELOW--------

Hi,

Did you know that medical marijuana programs across the country are under threat? Even though the Obama administration promised to leave medical marijuana alone, in the past few months the federal government has been threatening state officials, warning them that they still have the power to arrest and prosecute people who are legally licensed to grow and sell medical marijuana.

This is just crazy, because the laws haven't changed! Really, just a few lawyers in the federal government have been sending these letters to states where medical marijuana programs are just getting off the ground, in an effort to stop them. This scare tactic already worked in Washington State, and we can't let it happen anywhere else.

To put an end to this intimidation, we don't need any laws changed – we just need the Attorney General to tell the people sending the threats to stop. Click here, and join me in asking Attorney General Holder to keep the Obama administration's promise to leave medical marijuana alone!

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These Are Your Rights on Drugs (Opinion)

Scott Lemieux, Assistant Professor of Political Science at The College of Saint Rose, discusses the Supreme Court's continued long-standing assault on constitutional protections in service of the war on drugs (or, as it might be more accurately described, the war on some classes of people who use some types of drugs).
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Fixing the Fiasco of the NYPD's Marijuana Arrests

Two New York State legislators have proposed a simple, effective legislative fix to New York City's 15-year marijuana arrest craze. Senator Mark Grisanti, a white Republican from Buffalo, and Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, a black Democrat from Brooklyn, have together offered legislation that would strike from the law the misdemeanor for simple marijuana possession of less than an ounce. The NYPD made 50,000 of these marijuana possession arrests in 2010 and 500,000 arrests since 1997.
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Another Drug Case Dismissed in Connection with San Francisco Police Misconduct Probe

Another drug case was dismissed in connection with allegations of police misconduct by San Francisco officers. More than 85 cases have been dropped because of a string of videos released by Public Defender Jeff Adachi that he said show misconduct by plainclothes officers performing drug busts at residential hotels in the city. The latest dismissal might not be the last related to the police misconduct allegations. Adachi said last week that the district attorney's office has provided him with a list of 6,900 cases involving officers from the previous videos, which appear to show officers from the Police Department's Southern Station entering rooms without a warrant or consent, contradicting what was written in the officers' reports.
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"The more I get into politics, the more I realize I'm a guitar player." (Image via Wikimedia.org)
"The more I get into politics, the more I realize I'm a guitar player." (Image via Wikimedia.org)

Willie Waffles on Johnson Endorsement

Willie Nelson and the Teapot Party's endorsement of pro-legalization Republican presidential candidate Gary Johnson has been undone -- but Willie still thinks he's a "good guy."
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Escalating Drug Prohibition Violence in Northern Mexico Overwhelms Authorities

Northern Mexico’s drug prohibition war continues to claim victims, with more than 360 bodies discovered in mass graves just last week. The situation in Northern Mexico is devolving into chaos as prohibition-created organizations fight for control of the lucrative Northern Mexico drug route into the United States. The Mexican government is powerless to end the violence. Overpowered authorities basically have abandoned the area, recognizing their inability to restore any sort of order to the area.
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This Week in History

Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.
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In The Trenches

Urge Governors to Stand Up for Patient Rights (Action Alert)

 

Patients, Activists, and Friends—

In the past few months, United States Attorneys General in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Rhode Island, and Vermont  have issued letters threatening federal action against any entity, including state employees, participating in state sanctioned medical cannabis programs.  While our community has seen these types of letters under previous administrations, it is disappointing to see President Obama sanction this behavior.

While many promises have been made by Obama to end raids on the medical cannabis community, these DOJ threat letters are yet another tactic of the federal government to interfere with patients’ right to safe access.  ASA recently issued Obama’s Medical Cannabis Report Card, showing he has failed at improving conditions for our community.  These threat letters are further evidence of the broken promises of the current administration and proof  that our community is under attack. 

Over the next couple of weeks, our community must call upon our state representatives for leadership.  We must urge our governors, whether they have received a threat letter or not, to join Americans for Safe Access in a push back against the U.S. Attorneys who have issued these threat letters against our community. 

In order to make this campaign a success, your governors needs to hear from you.  As a constituent, ask for his or her leadership against federal interference.  Call your governor today and use the following script.  Please find contact information for your governor below.  The District of Columbia should reach out to Mayor Gray whose number is listed below, and also included in the electronic action alert. 

Governor (or Mayor for DC Residents)—

As a concerned medical cannabis community member and your constituent, I am worried about the impact these threat letters from the Department of Justice and the potential for federal interference will have on safe access to medical cannabis in my state.  Letters have been issued to eight states so far, and we need to send a message asserting our state’s right to safe access. We need you the lead the charge to end federal interference and work toward creating policies that will resolve the federal conflict once and for all.

Thank you.


You may also participate in our online action alert by clicking here to ask your governor and congressional leaders to take a stand for safe access.

Thank you. 

Americans for Safe Access

REPRESENTATIVE CONTACT INFORMATION

ALASKA
Governor Sean Parnell
Tel: (907) 465-3500

ARIZONA
Governor Jan Brewer
Tel:(602)542-4331

CALIFORNIA
Governor Jerry Brown
Tel:(916)445-2841

COLORADO
Governor John Hickenlooper
Tel:(303)866-2471

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Mayor Vincent Gray
Tel:(202)727-2980

DELAWARE
Governor Jack Markell
Tel:(302)577-3210

HAWAII
Governor Neil Abercrombie
Tel:(808)586-0034

MAINE
Governor Paul LePage
Tel:(207)287-3531

MARYLAND
Governor Marin O'Malley
Tel:(410) 974-3901

MICHIGAN
Governor Rick Snyder
Tel:(517)373-7858

MONTANA
Governor Brian Schweitzer
Tel:(406)444-3111

NEVADA
Governor Brain Sandoval
Tel:(702)687-5670

NEW JERSEY
Governor Chris Christie
Tel:(609)292-6000

NEW MEXICO
Governor Susana Martinez
Tel:(505)827-3000

OREGON
Governor John Kitzhaber
Tel:(503)378-4582

RHODE ISLAND
Governor Lincolin Chafee
Tel:(401)277-2080 ext 227

VERMONT
Governor Peter Shumlin
Tel:(802)828-3333

WASHINGTON
Governor Christine Gregorie
Tel:(360)753-6780

Americans for Safe Access

Please support ASA!

On The Web:

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ASA's Online Store

"Gear up" for medical cannabis activism with ASA's new T-shirts, hats, stickers, bags and more! All proceeds go to ASA advocacy

 

Latest News

Drug Warriors Gun Down Young Father (Opinion)

James Peron, President of the Moorfield Storey Institute, recounts the recent drug prohibition related death of a young husband, father, and Iraq veteran who was shot at 71 times by heavily armed men who then allegedly prevented medical assistance from being given until he was dead. The heavily armed men were from the Pima County Sheriff's Department. Another drug raid gone bad.
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This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

San Francisco narcs have some explaining to do, a Kentucky sheriff gone wild, a California cop gone rogue, and an Iowa cop with a troublesome cocaine habit.
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Mexico Drug Prohibition Baron Named 'World’s Most Wanted' After Osama's Death

Enriched by drug prohibition, Joaquin Guzman Loera reportedly possesses a personal fortune capable of rivalling Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. Loera is believed to be responsible for more deaths in the United States than bin Laden because of his drug transportation business and the inherent dangers associated with it created by prohibition.
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