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Dear friends, The DEA’s vendetta against medical marijuana patients and providers keeps getting more and more infuriating. Mendocino County, California passed a new medical marijuana ordinance this year that allows local growers to apply for a cultivation permit with the sheriff. But earlier this month, the DEA swooped in and raided the home of the program’s first applicant. Agents took money and property but made no arrests. What a slap in the face to the local government! The DEA has gone too far, and President Obama needs to replace Acting Administrator Michele Leonhart. The president has directed federal officials to stop wasting time and money on medical marijuana prosecutions. Yet even though Leonhart is blatantly flouting his directive, he’s nominated her to become the permanent head of the DEA. Together with our allies in the movement to end marijuana prohibition, we’re calling on President Obama to withdraw her nomination. Our whole movement is united and working together to demand a DEA administrator who respects the right of patients to use their legal, doctor-recommended medicine. Will you join us? The raid in Mendocino County is part of a disturbing trend. DEA agents have raided four other medical marijuana providers in the past few weeks. The timing is hardly coincidental — California voters could pass a ballot initiative in November that would make marijuana legal throughout the state, and I suspect the DEA is conducting the raids to intimidate growers and activists. President Obama has called federal medical marijuana raids a waste of resources. Yet his nominee continues to relentlessly harass patients and providers. If she refuses to respect the administration’s stated principles, the president needs to find a new nominee who will. Tell the president to withdraw Michele Leonhart's nomination for DEA administrator. Sincerely, Bill Piper |
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 | Initiate This! | | |
| By now you probably know that voters will be deciding on a number of initiatives this fall. The most prominent is Proposition 19, commonly called Tax Cannabis 2010. It will allow Californians 21 and over to possess up to one ounce of cannabis and give state and local governments the ability to tax its sale. Medical marijuana initiatives will also be the ballot in Arizona, Oregon, South Dakota, and Detroit, Michigan. These initiatives, particularly Prop 19, will change marijuana policy forever. Legal cannabis in California and Detroit. State licensed dispensaries in Oregon. Two more states join 14 others to permit medical marijuana. This is real progress! If you're as passionate about these possibilities as we are, you'll be following these initiatives right up to election day. And we're here to help. We've set up the following links to help you stay ahead of the news: | | |
 | California: Control and Tax Cannabis, Prop 19
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 | Arizona: Arizona Medical Marijuana Initiative, Proposition 203
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 | South Dakota: South Dakota Medical Marijuana Act, Initiated Measure 13
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| You can also follow these initiatives and more at our Media Activism Center: http://www.mapinc.org/resource/ No one else offers the depth, breadth and timeliness of drug policy news as does DrugSense. Over the past 15 years, we've honed our craft and broadened our databases to enable you to have the initiative information you need, when you want it. While we offer this information to you for free, it's not free to produce. We rely on supporters like you to help defray costs by donating to DrugSense. http://www.drugsense.org/donate Your donation supports services that keep this information flowing. And because, we're an educational 501(c)(3) non-profit, so your contribution is both tax deductible and funds a great cause. Donating is quick, easy, and secure. Just visit http://www.drugsense.org/donate. You can also make your check or money order payable to DrugSense and mail it to:
Or you can donates toll free by calling 1-800-266-5759. Regardless of their outcome, these initiatives will forever change the face cannabis in the U.S. You can both follow and support them by donating to DrugSense.
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After presiding for years over the bloodiest drug war escalation in history, Mexican President Felipe Calderon is finally ready to discuss legalization.
Bishop Ron Allen has been one of the loudest opponents of Prop 19. As this interview shows, he's also a raving paranoid nutjob who knows next to nothing about drug policy:
Earl Ofari Hutchinson at New America Media notes that last week's major reform of crack cocaine sentencing guidelines failed to meet with much opposition from the right. It's another powerful sign that drug war politics are changing before our eyes.
