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Drug War Chronicle Book Review: "God's Middle Finger: Into the Lawless Heart of the Sierra Madre," by Richard Grant (2008, Free Press, 288 pp., $15.00 PB)
Feature: The Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy -- More, Better Drug War?
Feature: In Bold Step Backward, Canadian House of Commons Passes Mandatory Minimum Drug Sentencing Bill
Medical Marijuana: California Dispensary Operator Charles Lynch Sentenced to a Year and a Day, Remains Free Pending Appeal
Harm Reduction: Overdose Prevention Bill Introduced, Study Released
Reportaje: DC toma providencias para promulgar penas más duras contra el khat
Reportaje: Republicanos y fiscales neoyorquinos intentan bloquear reforma en legislación Rockefeller de última hora
Charlie Lynch Sentenced to Jail for Medical Marijuana
In that respect, today's outcome brings back memories of the government's epic campaign against Ed Rosenthal, in which federal prosecutors exhausted phenomenal resources, drew virulent public criticism, frustrated the trial judge, and ultimately walked away disappointed. Rosenthal's persecution and ultimate vindication galvanized national support for medical marijuana, thus the Lynch trial feels very much like a parting shot from an entrenched clan of desperate drug war demagogues who've all but expended their legal and political resources while alienating the American public at every turn.
The fatal flaw in the federal war on medical marijuana has always been that if you try hard enough to put people in jail for it, you'll lend urgency and credibility to the movement for reform.
MPP Condemns Prison Sentence for Medical Marijuana Defendant Charles C. Lynch
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEÂ Â Â
JUNE 11, 2009
MPP Condemns Prison Sentence for Medical Marijuana Defendant Charles C. Lynch
Law-Abiding Medical Marijuana Collective Was Licensed by City
CONTACT: Bruce Mirken, MPP director of communications, 415-585-6404 or 202-215-4205
                Aaron Smith, MPP California policy director, 707-575-9870
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA âThe Marijuana Policy Project strongly condemned today's federal sentencing of Charles C. Lynch, a California medical marijuana provider who worked scrupulously to follow state and local laws but now faces one year and one day in federal prison.
   "Years from now, Mr. Lynch may well be remembered as the last American to go to federal prison for a mistake, the final victim of an already repudiated policy well on its way to the ash heap of history, but whose mean-spirited effects still linger," said MPP executive director Rob Kampia. "This sentence is a cruel and pointless miscarriage of justice. Mr. Lynch and his attorneys say they plan to appeal, and we hope they succeed. With federal law enforcement at the Mexican border so overwhelmed that traffickers coming through with up to 500 pounds of marijuana are let go, even one more penny spent persecuting a man who is not a criminal in any rational sense of the word is an outrageous waste of resources."
   In February, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that henceforth the Drug Enforcement Administration would only conduct enforcement actions against medical marijuana defendants who were violating both state and federal law, reversing the Bush administration's policy of ignoring state medical marijuana laws.
   Lynch's medical marijuana collective was licensed by the city of Morro Bay, and officials routinely inspected the facility to monitor compliance with state and local laws. But because federal law makes no statutory allowance for medical marijuana, all evidence related to California's medical marijuana law was barred from his trial.
   With more than 27,000 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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Americans for Safe Access: June 2009 Activist Newsletter
U.S. Supreme Court Affirms California Medical Marijuana ProgramHigh Court Refuses to Hear County Challenge to State Law
The case, brought by San Diego County and joined by two others, alleged that the federal prohibition of marijuana preempts the state law that allows legal access for qualified patients. County officials were resisting the legislature's mandate to implement a identification card program for medical marijuana patients. "No longer will local officials be able to hide behind federal law and resist upholding California's medical marijuana law," said ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford, who helped argue the case. "The courts have made clear that federal law does not preempt California's medical marijuana law and that local officials must comply with that law." The San Diego Superior Court and the Fourth District Court of Appeals both rejected the argument, which was followed by the California Supreme Court's refusal to review the case in 2008. ASA filed a lawsuit in January against Solano County for its refusal to implement the state ID card program. "This decision and our lawsuit against Solano will undoubtedly have an impact on the other 10 counties that have failed to implement the ID card program," said Elford. Colusa, Madera, Mariposa, Modoc, Mono, San Bernardino, San Diego, Solano, Stanislaus, and Sutter counties have each been notified about their obligation to implement the ID card program. ASA worked with the ACLU Drug Law Reform Project to litigate the San Diego case, with both organizations on the side of the California Attorney General defending the state's medical marijuana law. The County of San Bernardino joined San Diego County in its original lawsuit and the subsequent appeals. The ID card program was established in 2004 with the legislature's passage of SB 420, the Medical Marijuana Program Act. The ID cards are intended to assist law enforcement identify qualified patients and protect those patients from wrongful arrest. |
ASA Defends Marijuana Seizure Ruling on AppealCalifornia Court Considers Law Enforcement LimitsThe right of California patients to both organize collectives to grow medical marijuana and be protected from unreasonable search and seizure was defended by ASA last month before a state appeals court. Butte county officials are trying to overturn a lower court's decision that had removed restrictions the county had imposed on patient collectives. |
ASA Chapter Profile: Honolulu, HawaiiSince it was formed last September, ASA's Honolulu, Hawaii chapter has been growing steadily and gaining ground in the fight for medical cannabis patients rights. Honolulu ASA is the only advocacy group on the island which works exclusively for medical cannabis issues. In the past few months, Honolulu ASA has formed alliances with other advocacy groups on Oahu such as the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii and the West Oahu Hope For A Cure. |
Rhode Island Senate Votes to Open Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) â Rhode Island would be the third state in the nation and the first on the East Coast to allow nonprofit stores to sell marijuana to medical patients under legislation approved Tuesday by state lawmakers.
The state Senate voted 30-2 to adopt a measure permitting three stores to sell marijuana to more than 680 patients registered with the state Department of Health. It now heads to Gov. Don Carcieri, who has previously vetoed bills legalizing marijuana for medical use.
A veto from the governor is almost certain, but towering majorities in the House and Senate should make it possible to override the veto. That's exactly how Rhode Island's original medical marijuana law was passed. Maybe Carcieri should just sign the damn thing and save himself the double embarrassment of not only trying to stand between seriously-ill patients and their medicine, but also failing at it.
Drugs and Terror on the Daily Show
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
Gretchen Peters | ||||
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Did you notice anything missing from this conversation? Seriously, if we're concerned about the drug trade funding terrorism, the only answer is to fundamentally rethink our drug policy. This problem didn't just arrive on our doorstep last year. We've been fighting a hopeless and counterproductive war against these guys for decades and they're more powerful now than ever before. The solution is to do the opposite of what we're doing, not to make little adjustments or try a little harder.
Wrong Door Drug Raids Are No Laughing Matter
I don't exactly understand what the agenda behind this video is supposed to be, but it kind of gave me the creeps. I think it's supposed to be funny and I wonder if the creators realize how true it really is.
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