The Marijuana Legalization Debate Gets Uglier (And Other News)

I've been traveling this week and missed a lot of crazy and/or interesting stories, so let's try to get caught up here.

*How perfect is it that opponents of marijuana legalization in California are taking money from the alcohol industry? Accepting drug money from beer distributors completely punctures the "public safety" rhetoric of the pot prohibitionists and reveals their pathetic role as lobbyists for the few industries that actually benefit from keeping marijuana illegal. Check out this CNN segment in which SAFER's Mason Tvert bludgeons these idiots with their own hypocrisy.

*In related news, the good folks at the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company have cancelled their membership with the California Beer and Beverage Distributors in response to the group's opposition to Prop. 19. Their statement isn't really pro-legalization, but they want to make it clear that the company wants nothing to do with lobbying against marijuana. I'll drink to that.

*The Heritage Foundation released a rambling, mindless report on the horrors of marijuana legalization. Nothing new here except that their decision to put it together is indicative of how close we're getting and how desperate our opponents have become. Pete Guither has a good take on it.

*This piece from The Onion is clever, but I'm not exactly laughing:

Mexico Killed In Drug Deal

MEXICO CITY—In the latest incident of drug-related violence to hit the country, all 111 million citizens of Mexico were killed Monday during a shoot-out between rival drug cartels.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the violence was sparked by a botched drug deal involving an estimated 20 kilograms of marijuana, a dispute that led low-level members of the Sinaloa cartel to open fire on local dealers in Culiacán. Within seconds, the gunfire had spread to Chihuahua, Michoacán, Yucatán, and, minutes later, the other 27 Mexican states, leaving every person in Mexico dead.

This is supposed to be a joke, but it only works because Mexican drug war violence has become so widespread and indiscriminate. If the drug war worked at all, the situation in Mexico wouldn’t lend itself to this sort of satire.

*I agree with Pete Guither that this story from the University of Maryland is a great example of the important work SSDP chapters are doing around the country and beyond. Unfortunately, it's also a chilling example of how school administrators will say anything to oppose reform, even when presented with an easy opportunity to save lives. Certain administrators at UMD will be the first to applaud when Irina Alexander graduates this Fall, but only because they never want to see her in their offices again.
 
*And finally, my favorite headline of the month, Grow-op bears to be fed dog food until winter, B.C. ministry orders, from the Vancouver Sun:

"Every one seems to have forgotten the drug bust," said RCMP Sgt. Fred Mansveld with a laugh. "Now we've got movie stars donating money for them. No one's talking about drugs — it's all about black bears and dog food."

Classic.