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Will DEA Help States Implement Medical Marijuana Laws?

I like the way Eric Sterling frames his concerns about Michele Leonhart's nomination to head the DEA:

Aside from the Mexican drug trafficking organizations, the big challenge for the next DEA administrator is to help the states and D.C. implement their medical marijuana laws. President Obama’s nominee, Michele M. Leonhart, has been at the top of DEA for seven years as deputy and acting administrator. Previously she was DEA special agent-in-charge in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. Since 1997, she has led DEA in resisting state medical marijuana laws. She lacks an essential qualification: a commitment to working with the states to implement these compassionate laws. The Senate Judiciary Committee should look closely at her record and her willingness to carry out that mission. [Washington Post]

Medical marijuana is indeed the most volatile political issue the DEA deals with. Any questionable move on their part is guaranteed to ignite an immediate firestorm of protests and bad press. But Eric isn't just asking DEA not to attack people for medical marijuana activities. He's suggesting that DEA could actually help with the implementation of new laws, for example by providing regulators at the state level with a realistic assessment of what their enforcement priorities will be.  

It's an idea so crazy it just might work. But in order for it to happen, the White House will have to improve on its position that medical marijuana raids are a poor use of resources and acknowledge instead that the government actually has a responsibility for making this medicine readily and safely available to the people who need it.
In The Trenches

Drug Truth 04/26/10

Cultural Baggage * Century of Lies * 4:20 Drug War NEWS Cultural Baggage for 04/25/10 29:00 Pat Lykos, district attorney of Harris County/Houston sees need for continuity and to change drug laws LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/2880 TRANSCRIPT: Tues Century of Lies for 04/25/10 29:00 John H. Richardson of Esquire, Dr. Steve Beyer's "Singing to the Plants" + US Govt LSD archive & surprise, surprise: marijuana backstage at Houston's International Fest LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/2873 TRANSCRIPT: Wed 4:20 Drug War NEWS, 04/26 to 05/02/10 Link at www.drugtruth.net on the right margin - Sun - John H. Richardson reporter for Esquire discusses marijuana law/drug war Sat - Dr. Steve Beyer, author "Singing to the Plants" Fri - Pat Lykos, district attorney of Harris County 2/2 Thu - Pat Lykos, the district attorney of Harris County 1/2 Wed - Dr. Vanda Felbab-Brown testifies before Congressional sub committee on drug war Tue - Dr. Ethan Nadelmann, Dir of Drug Policy Alliance testifies before Congressional sub committee on drug war Mon - Marijuana smoke at Houston's "International Fest" Programs produced at Pacifica Radio Station KPFT in Houston, 90.1 FM. You can Listen Live Online at www.kpft.org - Cultural Baggage Sun, 7:30 PM ET, 6:30 PM CT, 5:30 PM MT, 4:30 PM PT - Century of Lies, SUN, 8 PM ET, 7 PM CT, 6 PM MT & 5 PM PT Who's Next?": El Paso Councilman Beto O'Rourke + Houston Councilman & former police chief Clarence Bradford Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, www.audioport.org We have potcasts, searchability, CMS, XML, sorts by guest name and by organization. We provide the "unvarnished truth about the drug war" to scores of broadcast affiliates. You can tune into both our 1/2 hour programs, live, at 6:30 central time on Pacifica's KPFT at http://www.kpft.org and call in your questions and concerns toll free at 1-877-9-420 420. The two, 29:00 shows appear along with the seven, daily, 3:00 "4:20 Drug War NEWS" reports each Monday morning at http://www.drugtruth.net . We currently have 72 affiliated, yet independent broadcast stations. With a simple email request to [email protected] , your station can join the Drug Truth Network, free of charge. Check out our latest videos via www.youtube.com/fdbecker Please become part of the solution, visit our website: www.endprohibition.org for links to the best of reform. "Prohibition is evil." - Reverend Dean Becker, DTN Producer, 713-462-7981, www.drugtruth.net
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Marijuana Will be Legal Soon (And if You Don't Like it, Move to Canada)

If I didn't want legal marijuana in America, I'd be seriously unsettled by the existence of a national marijuana holiday that gets more press than Thanksgiving. The mere fact that multiple news organizations marked April 20th by conducting national polls on legalization is itself a profound statement about where we're headed, more so when you look at what those polls show:

*A national CBS poll found 44% support for legalization.

*A national AP/CNBC poll found that 56% believe marijuana should be treated the same or less strictly than alcohol.

*Another CBS poll found that 56% of Californians support legalization, as the issue heads to the ballot this Fall.

Maybe it won't happen this year or even the next, but it's just an indisputable fact that we're heading towards majority support for legalization. Those majorities could quickly move to end prohibition in many states, and there's little the opposition could say that hasn't been said a million times before. The American people have been subjected to decades of vicious anti-pot propaganda, and yet this is where we find ourselves.

If there was ever any doubt before, it should now be perfectly clear that those who've invested themselves in the political war on marijuana are fighting a losing battle. We'll soon be finding out who was right and who was wrong. The debate will be settled once and for all in the most logical way possible: letting adults buy marijuana at marijuana stores and seeing if our society gets destroyed.

Anyone who remains convinced that this can’t possibly work would be well advised to just wait it out. Let your apocalyptic theories speak for themselves once the law changes and if everything goes to hell, I'm sure you'll have a delightful time pointing that out to all of us. But don't waste your time and ours on an argument you're eventually going to lose anyway. If you're so worried about the children, go read them a book.
Chronicle

Public Opinion: Battle of the Marijuana Polls

Two national polls on marijuana legalization came out this week. One lowballs support levels at 33%, while the other is in line with other recent polls at 44%. In either case, we're not over the top yet, except maybe out West.
Chronicle
Chronicle

Weekly: Blogging @ the Speakeasy

"Marijuana Will be Legal Soon (And if You Don't Like it, Move to Canada)," "Blogger Forces Drug Czar's Office to Correct False Information," "Happy 4/20," "Will the Economic Argument Help Legalize Marijuana? Yes," "Three Reasons to Legalize Marijuana Now."
Chronicle
Chronicle