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Obama Isn't Plotting to Legalize Marijuana. But Everyone Else Is.
Whenever matters of marijuana policy make their way into the national spotlight, you can count on coming across some really ridiculous analysis from folks who havenât exactly been paying attention. There are many ways to misunderstand the marijuana debate, my favorite of which might be the theory that -- even though it's all over the news -- it's actually part of a secret conspiracy.
Here, we have the editorial board of The Washington Post speculating that Obama's recent medical marijuana announcement could be part of a plan to legalize marijuana without anyone noticing:
Here, we have the editorial board of The Washington Post speculating that Obama's recent medical marijuana announcement could be part of a plan to legalize marijuana without anyone noticing:
Yet this policy shift leaves significant questions unaddressed, including whether the Justice Department's decision essentially constitutes a first step toward legalizing marijuana. Such an immense policy decision should not be ushered in surreptitiously, but should be tackled head-on, with a full-throated public debate about the possible benefits and consequences.
This is just completely delusional on multiple levels:
1. The administration leaked the story to the AP on a Sunday night, which is the opposite of secretive. That's what you do when you want a week's worth of intensive media coverage.
2. Telling the DEA not to arrest sick people is a far cry from supporting legalization for everyone. It's very possible â and very common â for people to support the former and not the latter. For exampleâ¦
3. The Obama Administration is opposed to legalization. They've said so before and after last week's medical marijuana announcement. That question is not "unaddressed" even remotely.
4. There's a "full-throated public debate" about marijuana legalization going on right now. And The Washington Post has been participating in it with numerous recent stories and editorials. You want us to send more op-eds?
I can't even begin to fathom how The Post came up with this craziness, but if they want more debate, I'm ready to rock. I'll show up at your office tomorrow morning with 15 awesome ideas for marijuana stories that I guarantee you The New York Times hasnât thought of yet. And I ask for nothing in return, except some acknowledgement that marijuana legalization is not a secret conspiracy, but rather a defining issue at this moment in American politics.
Update: Pete Guither has more.
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Medical Marijuana: A New Bill in Congress!
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In The Trenches
Press Release: State Assembly to Hold Historic Hearing on Marijuana Regulation Wednesday 10/28/09
MEDIA ADVISORYÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
OCTOBER 27, 2009
State Assembly to Hold Historic Hearing on Marijuana Regulation Wednesday 10/28
Press Conference at 9 a.m. Followed by Hearing in Public Safety Committee
CONTACT: Bruce Mirken, MPP director of communications â¦â¦â¦â¦â¦ 415-585-6404 or 202-215-4205
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA â On Wednesday, the California Assembly Public Safety Committee will hold a historic hearing on the implications of taxing and regulating marijuana similarly to alcoholic beverages. The informational hearing marks the first time Californiaâs legislature has considered ending marijuana prohibition since California first banned marijuana in 1913. Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), chair of the committee, is author of AB 390, the Marijuana Control, Regulation, and Education Act. A press conference will precede the hearing.
           WHAT: Press conference and Public Safety Committee informational hearing on taxing and regulating marijuana.
           WHO: Speaking at the press conference will be Assemblyman Tom Ammiano; Aaron Smith, Marijuana Policy Project; Stephen Gutwillig, Drug Policy Alliance; and Dale Gieringer, California NORML. Available to answer questions at the news conference and testifying at the hearing will be: Terence Hallinan, former district attorney, City and County of San Francisco; Dan Macallair, executive director, Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice; Jim Gray, retired judge, Orange County Superior Court; Rev. Canon Mary Moreno-Richardson, Episcopal priest, Hispanic Ministries at St. Paulâs Cathedral, San Diego; Tamar Todd, staff attorney, Drug Policy Alliance Network; Allen Hopper, counsel, American Civil Liberties Union.
           WHERE: State Capitol, Sacramento. Press conference in Room 317, hearing in Room 126.
           WHEN: Press conference at 9 a.m., hearing at 10 a.m.
        With more than 29,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit http://MarijuanaPolicy.org.
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Former Drug Czar Lies About His History of Attacking Medical Marijuana
Wow, just watch this video of former drug czar Barry McCaffrey denying that a federal war on medical marijuana ever took place:
Literally every word that leaves McCaffrey's mouth throughout the segment is wildly and demonstrably false as illustrated here by Cato's Tim Lynch. Such staggering dishonesty from a former drug czar shouldnât surprise me, I know, but there's something about the intensity and specificity of McCaffery's claims that just chills the blood. I feel like he crossed a line here, in that even drug czars typically attempt to cloak their fabrications within some sort of contrived fact-like narrative.
Really though, what we're seeing here is the emergence of an interesting and increasingly common phenomenon: the once proud drug war cheerleader who now has no recollection of any drug war ever taking place. The closer we get to finally banishing this colossal mess into the bowels of history where it belongs, the harder it will be to find anyone who admits having been involved in any of it.
The federal war on medical marijuana was McCaffrey's legacy, so it's perfectly fitting that he would come unhinged after a week of listening to the whole country celebrate its collapse. As galling as his denials may feel to those who've born the brunt of this brutal crusade, we could instead interpret this bizarre behavior as a tacit acknowledgment that what he did was wrong. It's probably the best we're ever going to get.
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It's Official: The Media is in Love With Marijuana Legalization
It all started last winter when, after decades of spoon-feeding the American public an infinite litany of anti-pot propaganda pieces, the press rather spontaneously discovered that it's better for business to talk about legalization instead. In an industry that was virtually devoid of voices for reform just a couple years ago, one can now scarcely find a prominent political pundit with anything nice to say about our marijuana laws.
This segment from This Week with George Stephanopoulos might be the best example yet:
Here, let's try to paraphrase that:
George Will: Legalizing marijuana will destroy the drug cartels.
John Podesta: It'll be legal once everyone figures out it can pay for health care.
Laura Ingram: Cancer patients, botox, whatever. Gimme some brownies!
Al Hunt: Now that my kids are all grown-up, I suppose I'm cool with it.
Cynthia Tucker: Really, we need to rethink all our drug laws, not just marijuana.
That's about as solid a bipartisan consensus as you'll ever see on a Sunday talk show, and you've gotta wonder how much longer the war on marijuana can survive in a political climate like this.
Event
Town Hall Forum: Exploring the Role of the Medical Community in Shaping Drug Policy
Town Hall Forum Tuesday at Columbia Medical School: Exploring the Role of the Medical Community in Shaping Drug Policy
In The Trenches
Exploring the Role of the Medical Community in Shaping Drug Policy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Contact: Tony Newman 646-335-5384
October 26, 2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Gabriel Sayegh 646-335-2264
Town Hall Forum Tuesday at Columbia Medical School: Exploring the Role of the Medical Community in Shaping Drug Policy
Topics to be Discussed: Marijuana Policy, Heroin Maintenance Programs and Other Health Strategies to Reduce the Death, Disease and Suffering Associated with both Drug Use and Drug Policies
Nationally and locally, a shift in the 40-year-old drug war is underway. President Obama has stated he wants to advance a public health approach to drug policy, and Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, has called for an end to the term âwar on drugsâ because it signifies a war on people. Congress is close to removing the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine and ending the federal ban on funding syringe exchanges, which reduce the spread of blood-borne diseases. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder instructed federal agencies not to target patients who comply with state medical marijuana laws, raising new questions about federal marijuana policies. In New York, Governor Paterson enacted reform of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, signifying a shift away from a criminal justice-oriented approach to drug policy in favor of a health-oriented approach.
What is the role of the medical community in shaping health-oriented approaches to drug policy? This town hall-style seminar will explore the role of the medical and research community in shaping a more evidenced-based drug policy. Drs. H. Westley Clark and Ethan Nadelmann will give presentations on what components an evidenced-based drug policy should include, and discuss the role the medical community can play in their development.
Speakers:
H. Westley Clark, M.D., J.D., M.P.H.
Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Ethan Nadelmann, Ph.D., J.D.
Founder and Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, the nation's leading organization promoting policy alternatives to the drug war that are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights.
Moderated by Dr. Carl Hart, Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology of Columbia University
Time:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Tuesday, October 27th 2009 from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Place: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â First Floor Hellman Auditorium
                      New York State Psychiatric Institute
1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032
This event is free and open to the public.
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Students for Sensible Drug Policy UK Conference 2009: Building a Movement -- Inspired, Educated, Motivated
Students for Sensible Drug Policy UK cordially invites you to attend our launch conference at Leeds University Union From Friday, 27 November 2009 - 18:00 To Sunday, 29 November 2009 - 17:00