Opponents of drug policy reform like to portray themselves as defenders of law and order, and yet you can't always count on them to obey the law themselves.
Friends,
Marijuana reform is dominating the list of questions President Obama will be answering as part of his continued State of the Union address tomorrow night. Pot is already in the top questions - can you make sure the top questions for Obama are about marijuana?
This is an incredible opportunity to hear Obama's views on drug policy. Our friends at Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) have a great question at the top of the list, and we're asking supporters to help keep it there for Obama to see.
Retired Deputy Sheriff and LEAP speaker MacKenzie Allen asks:
"As a police officer, I saw how waging the war on drugs has cost a trillion dollars and thousands of lives but does nothing to reduce drug use. Should we discuss legalizing marijuana and other drugs, which would eliminate the violent criminal market?"
It's an important question that we think Obama should answer. Can you help us make sure he does by giving LEAP's question a 'thumbs up'?
President Obama will begin answering questions from his YouTube page tomorrow, January, 26th, so time is running out. We want to hear what Obama has to say about the war on drugs, and this is the perfect forum for him to do so.
Thank you so much for your continued support.
Brian Sonenstein
JustSayNow.com
The International Hempology 101 Society announces the 1st Annual Cannabis Convention at UBC.
Hosted by the brand new University of British Columbia Hempology 101 Club and the Social Justice Center, this premier event features several prominent anti-prohibitionists from the US and Canada.
This gathering will give students, activists, medical patients and interested members of the public a chance to interact while learning about some of the latest developments in cannabis law, science and archaeology. Admission is free and open to the public.
Author Chris Bennett will begin the convention with comments on his latest publication, Cannabis and the Soma Solution.
He will be followed by Joanna McKee, a veteran Washington State activist who will provide an overview of the changes she has seen since that state passed medical cannabis laws in 1996.
Dr. Paul Hornby will follow with a discussion of his research on cannabinoids, extractions, fertilizers and genetics.
Also coming from the Seattle area is lawyer Jim Doherty from Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, who will attack the ideals of the War On Drugs from the perspective of someone who has seen the futility of its practice.
Finally, local lawyer John Conroy, counsel in many important drug related cases including In-Site, will wrap things up with closing arguments.
This event is modeled upon the 11 Cannabis Conventions hosted by the UVSS Hempology 101 Club at the University of Victoria. Now the largest student club on campus every year, the UVSS Hempology 101 Club also provides a free, non-credit lecture series which is available live on-line and recorded on YouTube. All live broadcasts and YouTube links can be found at hempology.ca.
With student clubs at the University of Victoria, Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, and now UBC, Hempology 101 plans upon spreading to more post-secondary schools in the near future.
The event will be available live on-line. For more information contact Ted Smith at [email protected].
In an effort to get more owners of medical marijuana businesses to properly remit sales and use taxes, the city of Boulder, Colorado is hosting an informational seminar on marijuana taxes.
The seminar will focus on the city's tax rules as they pertain to medical marijuana businesses, and will include topics such as audits and tax returns.
The event requires reservations. To reserve a spot, call 303-441-4017.
Well, he sure as hell didn't go there during the State of the Union, but the President will have a good opportunity to comment on the drug war this Thursday when he takes questions from the public in a live interview on YouTube. If he's classy enough to answer the question that got the most votes, then we'll soon find out what he has to say about this:
Radley Balko was on Freedom Watch last night for the second time this month, discussing the SWAT killing of Todd Blair that went viral last week.
