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2008 Aspen Legal Seminar
Join NORML this summer for a two-day CLE program at The Gant in Aspen, CO.
Our always outstanding line-up of speakers this year includes
* John Wesley Hall, the current President Elect and soon to be President of NACDL
Event
Break the Chains: Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference
Break the Chains is actively involved in the campaign to equalize federal sentences for cocaine offenses.
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Event
Olsen v. Mukasey, No. 07-3062, St. Louis, MO
Oral argument in Olsen's claim for religious use of marijuana will be heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, at the Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse in St. Louis, Missouri.
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Sky train attacker a 'gentle soul'.
So read the headline in one of Vancouver's daily freebies.The article goes on to tell of a man's fall into addiction and violent robbery and the damage he's done.The crown is asking for a sentence of 10 years.The man did hit several women over the head with an iron pipe.At this point he has to be punished.The defense is asking for 6 years which is still a big chunk out of someone's life.The man's wife tells of a wonderful husband and father that loses his job through government policy betrayals and a failure to be retrained with any success.He then becomes depressed and self medicates with crack cocaine.Only in the era of prohibition could such a tragic miscalculation happen.The criminal nature of the control of drugs under prohibition assures that people like this guy can obtain any and every drug known to man.The people selling these drugs have no pride in their work or care for the well being of their clients.They offer the most addictive drug with the shortest period of intoxication.Why not?
Chronicle
Politics: New York Governor Admits Past Cocaine, Marijuana Use, Few Are Bothered
New York Gov. David Paterson admitted to using cocaine and marijuana in the 1970s, and for the most part, the silence has been reassuring. A few ardent prohibitionists complained, though.
Chronicle
Drug Treatment: Idaho Senate Overrides Governor's Funding Increase Veto, Battle Continues
Idaho legislators want to increase funding for drug treatment and prevention, but the governor vetoed their funding line-items. Now, the state Senate has overridden one veto, and it's time for the House to step up to the plate.
Chronicle
Search and Seizure: US Supreme Court to Decide Warrantless Search Case
The US Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether police need a search warrant to enter a residence after an informant has gone in and made a drug buy. Some federal courts have held that by allowing the informant in, the resident has consented to a police search.
Chronicle
Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
Our corrupt cops are all southern-fried this week. An Atlanta narc cops a plea in fallout from the Kathryn Johnston case, a Mississippi cop heads for prison, a pair of Florida jail guards will be looking out from the other side of the bars, and a Florida sheriff has some problems in his department.
Chronicle
They Won't Give Up -- Alaska Supreme Court Hears Oral Argument in State's Bid to Overturn Legal Marijuana At Home
For more than 30 years, Alaska's courts have held that the state constitution's privacy provisions protect citizens who want to smoke and possess small amounts of marijuana in their homes. Last week, the Alaska Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the state's latest effort to undo the status quo.
Chronicle
No Evidence Needed? War on Salvia Divinorum Heating Up -- YouTube Videos Play Role
Using YouTube videos of young people under the influence of salvia divinorum as exhibit number one, legislators across the country are stepping up efforts to ban the intense, fast-acting hallucinogen.
Chronicle
Medical Marijuana: California Dr. Molly Fry Sentenced to Five Years
Dr. Molly Fry and her companion, attorney Dale Schafer, were sentenced last week to five years in federal prison as marijuana traffickers for providing marijuana to patients in compliance with California's Compassionate Use Act. At least -- and unusually -- the judge let them out on bail pending appeal.
Chronicle
Marijuana: Barney Frank to Introduce Federal Decriminalization Bill
Saying marijuana policy should not be a federal issue, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) said last week he plans to introduce a federal decriminalization bill.