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A burger with bullets
Last night I was sitting at my computer playing a little on line poker when I thought I heard three rapid shots.After about 10 minutes the police arrived with lights but no sirens and were met with th
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Colorado Announces Plan to Tax Medical Marijuana
The wave of sanity rolls on:
It sucks that it took an economic crisis to advance the idea that it makes more sense to generate revenue from the marijuana economy than waste billions trying in vain to destroy it. Of course, we'd have gladly paid the government millions many years ago to stop arresting patients.
In an opinion that could generate more revenue for cash-strapped governments and give additional legitimacy to a fledgling industry, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said Monday that the state can collect sales tax on medical marijuana.
"Medical marijuana is tangible property that is generally subject to state sales tax," Suthers, a Republican, wrote in response to a query from Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat.
The opinion also said medical-marijuana dispensaries must obtain retail-sales licenses from the state to do business. [Denver Post]
It sucks that it took an economic crisis to advance the idea that it makes more sense to generate revenue from the marijuana economy than waste billions trying in vain to destroy it. Of course, we'd have gladly paid the government millions many years ago to stop arresting patients.
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As Long as the Drug War Continues, So Will the Corruption
Stories like this one about the endemic drug war corruption gripping Mexican law enforcement are a dime a dozen. But I don't get bored reading them, because there's always a new and compelling example of what a mess all of this is:
Yeah, it's awfully hard to purge corruption when the people in charge of investigating it are corrupt themselves. It's insane to spend a billion dollars trying to fix Mexican law enforcement, when the cartels can just spend more to make sure it stays broken.
Reporting from San Luis Potosi, Mexico -Â The lie-detector team brought in by Mexico's top cop was supposed to help clean up the country's long-troubled police. There was just one problem: Most of its members themselves didn't pass, and a supervisor was rigging results to make sure others did. [LA Times]
Yeah, it's awfully hard to purge corruption when the people in charge of investigating it are corrupt themselves. It's insane to spend a billion dollars trying to fix Mexican law enforcement, when the cartels can just spend more to make sure it stays broken.
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In The Trenches
Help put medical marijuana on the ballot in Arizona
Dear friends:
Weâre getting close.
In Arizona, an MPP-sponsored signature drive to place a medical marijuana initiative on the ballot in November 2010 is moving into the home stretch. If the campaign collects more than 250,000 signatures before the end of February, the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project could qualify for the ballot earlier in the election year than any other initiative in Arizonaâs history.
As of now, the campaign has collected more than 175,000 signatures, almost three-quarters of the way towards our goal. But it costs about $2 to collect each signature, so we need help to get the rest of the way there.
Can you help us finish the job by making a contribution to the campaign today? Every $20 contribution gets us 10 signatures closer to our goal.
A recent poll showed that 65% of Arizonans support the proposed initiative, so once the measure qualifies for the ballot, it will very likely pass. This means that by supporting this signature drive, you can directly help protect seriously and terminally ill patients in Arizona from arrest and jail. The initiative, which would allow for a system of state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries in the state, could also serve as a model for other states considering medical marijuana laws.
I know you agree that patients should never be sent to jail just for following their doctorsâ advice. With a contribution today, you can help make sure medical marijuana patients in Arizona donât have to fear this fate.
Thanks in advance for your support. And whether or not you are able to make a contribution today, please forward this e-mail to anyone who might be interested in this campaign.
Thank you,
Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.
P.S. As I've mentioned in previous alerts, a major philanthropist has committed to match the first $2.35 million that MPP can raise from the rest of the planet in 2009. This means that your donation today will be doubled.
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Will Foster is Almost Free. You Can Help Open That Prison Door By Acting Now
The Drug War Chronicle has written several times about the trials and tribulations of medical marijuana patient Will Foster, who is currently sitting in once again in an Oklahoma prison, jerked back from the new life he had made in California by a vindictive and corner-cutting Oklahoma parole bureaucracy.
But while Foster certainly appears to have been the victim of vengeful parole department employees, who charged him with ficticious parole violations--causing him to be locked up in a California jail for 16 months before being extradited back to Oklahoma--the parole board itself has done the right thing. In a hearing last week, the board rejected the charges against Foster and recommended he be released.
But there's one more step. Under Oklahoma law, the governor signs off on all parole board decisions. This is where you can help. There is still time to write or call the governor to encourage him to follow the parole system's recommendation and FREE WILL FOSTER. Please ask that Will be given time served and set free to return to his family in California.
Please call Gov. Brad Henry's office at 405-521-2342
Or fax a letter to 405-521-3353.
Make sure you identify Will as Will Foster, #25271. The argument is simple: Will Foster is a non-violent offender who has served enough time and plans to leave the state to settle in California. Keeping him in prison or on parole in Oklahoma serves neither justice nor public safety and is not worth Oklahoma taxpayers' money.
Read the link above to get informed before you call or write if you need to. Be polite and to the point. Will Foster, who never did anything to anybody, has been in the clutches of Oklahoma justice for 15 years for growing some plants to ease his pains. He's almost free. You can help open that prison door. Do it.
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Marijuana is Practically Legal (But Only For Aging White People Who Live in the Suburbs)
Washington Post has a light-hearted story, Boomers see views relaxing on marijuana, that looks at marijuana use among suburban adults in the D.C. area. The gist is that lots of yuppie-types have been having a blast for many years, but it just recently became ok to talk about it, thanks to the evolution of cultural attitudes about marijuana.
Obviously, it's awesome to see the media finally picking up on how normal and boring most marijuana users are. Replacing the old stereotypes is a necessary step towards reform, and few would argue that D.C.'s affluent suburbs need to be purged of professionals who puff in private. So this reaction from local law-enforcement is as predictable as it is revealing:
I suppose we can't let old white people become collateral damage in our crusade to arrest entire generations of young black and Hispanic men for smoking pot? Our laws against marijuana owe their origins to the most vicious and transparent racism, and today, the drug war delivers on its hateful promise in the form of gratuitous disparities at every stage of the criminal justice system.
How remarkable it is to find police literally admitting that their great war doesn't target the most privileged among us. I wonder, how freely did the words flow from the police spokesman's mouth as he unintentionally confirmed the vast disparity that defines and sustains the war on marijuana? It's powerfully ironic that, in an attempt to say as little as possible, the officer ended up epitomizing the pure injustice that has long characterized the enforcement of our marijuana laws.
Obviously, it's awesome to see the media finally picking up on how normal and boring most marijuana users are. Replacing the old stereotypes is a necessary step towards reform, and few would argue that D.C.'s affluent suburbs need to be purged of professionals who puff in private. So this reaction from local law-enforcement is as predictable as it is revealing:
Most Washington area police departments enforce the laws that make marijuana illegal, officials said. A Montgomery County police spokesman would not comment other than to say that the department has seen no spike in marijuana use by older residents and is not targeting those users.
I suppose we can't let old white people become collateral damage in our crusade to arrest entire generations of young black and Hispanic men for smoking pot? Our laws against marijuana owe their origins to the most vicious and transparent racism, and today, the drug war delivers on its hateful promise in the form of gratuitous disparities at every stage of the criminal justice system.
How remarkable it is to find police literally admitting that their great war doesn't target the most privileged among us. I wonder, how freely did the words flow from the police spokesman's mouth as he unintentionally confirmed the vast disparity that defines and sustains the war on marijuana? It's powerfully ironic that, in an attempt to say as little as possible, the officer ended up epitomizing the pure injustice that has long characterized the enforcement of our marijuana laws.
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If You Care About Ending the Drug War, Watch This
For the many of you who weren't able to attend the International Drug Policy Reform Conference, here's Ethan Nadelmann's opening speech:
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