Weekly: This Week in History
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.
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Wall Street Journal Says Marijuana Legalization Could Save Mexico
You know things have changed when mainstream media coverage of the war on drugs increasingly looks like this:
The whole piece is excellent and it's exactly this sort of thorough reporting that's been missing from the drug policy debate for far too long.
In the 40 years since U.S. President Richard Nixon declared a "war on drugs," the supply and use of drugs has not changed in any fundamental way. The only difference: a taxpayer bill of more than $1 trillion.
A senior Mexican official who has spent more than two decades helping fight the government's war on drugs summed up recently what he's learned from his long career: "This war is not winnable." [WSJ]
The whole piece is excellent and it's exactly this sort of thorough reporting that's been missing from the drug policy debate for far too long.
Event
Medical Marijuana Cable Show "It's the Law"
Two local lawyers will take a closer look at medical marijuana in Maine -- Roger Katz and Walter McKee will host "It's the Law" on Time Warner Cable channel 9.
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Heroin trials to begin in Vancouver,No out of towners need apply
I read a tiny article in one of the local free daily papers that alluded to a heroin trial that is to begin in town soon.If I don't get on this one I'm taking a hostage.I have the medical need and all
In The Trenches
Cheech & Chong and more: a sneak peak at our gala program
Dear friends:
Our 15th Anniversary Gala, on January 13 in Washington, D.C., will honor the dedicated legislators, celebrities, and patients who have fought for an end to marijuana prohibition. Have you reserved your ticket yet?
Here are just a few highlights from our program for the night:
- Comedy icons Cheech and Chong will be honored with the Trailblazer Award for drawing attention to the movement.
- Former Gov. Gary Johnson of New Mexico â a fierce advocate for medical marijuana access â will speak about his vision for ending marijuana prohibition.
- We'll present awards to legislators, a patient, and a physician for outstanding advocacy and leadership in marijuana policy reform.
Please join us in toasting 15 years of remarkable progress. Reserve your ticket to our 15th Anniversary Gala today.
I look forward to seeing you on January 13.
Sincerely,
Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.
P.S. There are only eight days left in our matching campaign! A major philanthropist has committed to match the first $2.35 million that MPP can raise in 2009. Make twice the impact and donate today.
Blog
Medical Marijuana Comment Approved on the Fresno Bee Opinion Talk Blog
http://fresnobeehive.com/opinion/2009/12/what_are_your_dumbest_trends_o.html
My local newspaper, The Fresno Bee, posted an entry in their Opinion Talk Blog asking, "What are your dumbest trends of the decade?"
and continues:
As this decade stumbles to a conclusion, media outlets have begun putting together their best and worst lists. So I'll join in with my picks of the dumbest trends of the decade, and I hope you'll add yours in the comments section. There are plenty of possibilities in this bizarre decade.
I submitted the following comment about medical marijuana, and they included it:
One of the dumbest trends of the decade has to be that city and county governments waste so much time and resources that could be better used to better their communities on trying to circumvent California State Medical Marijuana Laws.
Blog
The Most Insane Anti-Marijuana Argument Ever
Anyone can dream up dumb reasons for keeping marijuana illegal, but it takes guts to equate pot prohibition with the survival of Western civilization. Mary Grabar at Pajamas Media shows us how it's done:
You know, marijuana has only been illegal for 72 years. This isnât a brick in the foundation of anything. Marijuana's prohibition was born out of absurd racist demagoguery, and the counter-culture that subsequently emerged was a symptom of prohibition, not a justification for it.
Ironically, Garbar is trying to fan the flames of what she sees as a massive culture war over marijuana, yet as the comments indicate, she can't even get her own conservative readership to buy into it.
The sanction for alcohol use has lasted for millennia. It has become part of our rituals at meals, celebrations, and religious services. That is a large part of why Prohibition failed.
Marijuana, in contrast, has always been counter-cultural in the West. Every toke symbolizes a thumb in the eye of Western values. So it follows that in order to maintain our culture, we need to criminalize this drug.
The prohibition against marijuana is one brick in the foundation of our society.
You know, marijuana has only been illegal for 72 years. This isnât a brick in the foundation of anything. Marijuana's prohibition was born out of absurd racist demagoguery, and the counter-culture that subsequently emerged was a symptom of prohibition, not a justification for it.
Ironically, Garbar is trying to fan the flames of what she sees as a massive culture war over marijuana, yet as the comments indicate, she can't even get her own conservative readership to buy into it.
In The Trenches
2010: The Year Dispensaries Died?
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In The Trenches
How Chase Bank cheated drug policy groups out of $25,000
Friends,
Recently, I asked you to vote for Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) in a competition on Facebook that would have earned us $25K and a shot at $1 million. Thousands of you took action, catapulting SSDP into fourteenth place. We needed to place within the top 100 to win, so victory was assured.
Or so we thought. As the New York Times reported this Saturday, during the final days of the contest, Chase rigged their own system to obscure the vote count and then revoked the winnings of a few groups, including SSDP and the Marijuana Policy Project!
Clearly, Chase can't be trusted to handle our money. This morning, I canceled my credit card account with Chase, and I hope you'll join me. Please make the Chase Boycott Pledge at http://www.ChaseBoycott.com
To be clear, this isn't sour grapes over not receiving a grant -- this is about demanding honesty and accountability of a corporation that handles billions of dollars of American assets. The banking giant had every opportunity to disqualify us from the start if they disagreed with our mission. Instead, they used our social networks to generate free advertising for their brand, and then revoked the winnings after the contest was over without providing an explanation. When asked by SSDP and the New York Times to produce a vote tally, they smugly refused.
Chase executives are not only out of touch with the principles of honesty and transparency, but they are also out of touch with the majority of Americans when it comes to drug policy. Did you know that 75% of Americans think the War on Drugs has failed and that 53% support legalizing marijuana? This is a mainstream issue that's gaining more support every day.
By boycotting Chase, you'll be sending a message to corporations that they need to earn your trust before they earn your money. http://www.ChaseBoycott.com
And by making a donation to SSDP today, you'll be sending a message that organizations like ours don't need to rely on grants from big banks so long as we can rely on the generosity of supporters like you.
If you donate $25 today, and 999 others take a stand with you, we'll raise the $25,000 that Chase revoked. With more than 400,000 supporters on our e-mail list and Facebook networks, we can make that happen.
Will you step up and help us reach that goal by making a donation of $25 right now? http://www.ssdp.org/donate
Never defeated,
Micah
Micah Daigle, Executive Director
Students for Sensible Drug Policy
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