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Awesome: Marijuana Compound Might Cure Breast Cancer

While police and cement-skulled Washington bureaucrats are busy trying to eradicate this infinitely useful plant, scientists around the world are constantly uncovering new evidence of marijuana's medical potential. The latest news is that the marijuana-derived compound CBD may stop the spread of breast cancer: A compound found in cannabis may stop breast cancer from spreading throughout the body, according to a new study by scientists at California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute. The researchers are hopeful that the compound called CBD, which is found in cannabis sativa, could be a non-toxic alternative to chemotherapy."Right now we have a limited range of options in treating aggressive forms of cancer," said lead researcher Dr. Sean D. McAllister, a cancer researcher at CPMCRI, in a news release. "Those treatments, such as chemotherapy, can be effective but they can also be extremely toxic and difficult for patients. This compound offers the hope of a non-toxic therapy that could achieve the same results without any of the painful side effects." [FOX News]Ok, how cool is that? Breast cancer is one of the most loathsome diseases known to humankind, and the cure just might be contained within the world's easiest-to-grow plant. It is just delightfully ironic that while the drug war political machine continues to turn out anti-pot propaganda at alarming rates, scientists are touting it as a potential "non-toxic" alternative to various common medical procedures. I really can't think of anything more ridiculous than the fact that we are still debating the relative toxicity of marijuana in a nation that prescribes adderall to 8-year-olds and imports GHB laced children's toys from China.I have a feeling that marijuana could cure every disease on earth and there would still be idiots passionately demanding that we banish it from the planet:Drug Czar: Marijuana is more dangerous than ever.Marijuana: I can cure cancer.Drug Czar: I'd like to see some conclusive research on that.Marijuana: I doubt that you really would.Drug Czar: This is just propaganda from the well-funded pro-drug lobby.Marijuana: FOX News?Drug Czar (exasperated): Oh, yeah? Well today's marijuana is worse than cancer.Marijuana (gazing upwards): Forgive him, Father…It was put here for a reason. Several reasons, it seems. Let's start figuring out what they are and stop looking for evil where there is none.

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People are Licking Toads Again

The harder you try to keep people sober, the sooner they will run off in search of new and bizarre ways get super wasted. For one thing, certain kinds of toads have drugs in them and you can get wicked high just by licking one. A 21-year-old man has been accused of using a toad to get high.Clay County sheriff's deputies said David Theiss, of Kansas City, possessed a Colorado River toad with the intention of using it as a hallucinogenic.Experts said it's possible to lick the toad's venom glands to achieve psychedelic effects. [KMBC.com]So what's the penalty for toad possession, anyway? And how the hell do they know what you're gonna use it for? In the interest of public safety, I've compiled these handy harm reduction tips for toad-tasting troublemakers:1. Licking Colorado River toads produces psychedelic effects. Licking poison dart frogs produces instant death.2. If police ask what your toads are for, don't say "Oh, I was gonna lick 'em and get f*cked up, officer."3. Frogs with long tails and no legs are snakes. Don't lick snakes.4. If your toad turns into a prince, stop licking it. You've had enough.5. Don't blog while frogging.This awesome YouTube video says that hallucinogenic frog venom is only illegal if you extract it, and then goes on to explain exactly how to do that. So now I'm wondering how this young man got arrested to begin with. Was he wandering the street covered in toads mumbling prophecies of a terrible plague?Whatever else is true, I doubt the drug war will prove effective in curbing frog venom consumption. But I'd give anything to see Mark Souder standing before Congress demanding action against these subversive amphibians stupifying our society with their psychedelic secretions.

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Pain contracts

I have recently been transferred to a pain clinic to get my opioids. In order to relieve the pain I suffer with daily, I have had to give up the one pain reliever that works. I now can only use the pills they give me, not the plant that grows naturally & does far less to damage my body than the pills do.

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Top Drug War Advocate Publicly Humiliates Himself

On Nov. 1, Congressman Mark Souder (R-Ind.) sent a letter to his colleagues in Congress accusing hundreds of mainstream public health and education organizations of supporting "drug legalization." Now 16 of these organizations are calling on Souder to retract his statement and agree to a sit-down meeting so they can explain what they are actually trying to do. Is Mark Souder insane? Why would he attack mainstream public charities? I'll explain. In 1998, Mark Souder authored the Aid Elimination Penalty of the Higher Education Act, a law that denies financial aid to students with drug convictions. Since then, a massive coalition of public health, education, legal, and policy organizations has formed to oppose the law. Their arguments include:1. College education is proven to reduce drug use. Therefore, forcing students out of college obviously and undeniably increases drug use overall.2. The penalty only affects good students. If you’re getting bad grades you can’t get aid anyway.3. Students arrested for drugs get punished in court. It’s not like they’re getting away with anything.4. Taking away opportunities from students sends a message that we don't want them to succeed in life. Students must be encouraged, not pushed down.5. The penalty disproportionately affects minorities due to disparities in drug arrests and convictions.6. The penalty only targets low-income students. These are the very people the HEA is supposed to help.7. Judges already have the authority to revoke financial aid if they think that's a good idea.Rather than attempting to understand these persuasive arguments, Mark Souder simply attacked and disparaged his critics, calling them a "small but determined coalition of drug-legalization groups." He attempted to mislead his colleagues in Congress about the agenda of his opponents. And he did it because he's embarrassed that so many reputable organizations have condemned his terrible ideas.It is no surprise that drug reform groups oppose the HEA Aid Elimination Penalty. StoptheDrugWar.org is one of them. But to attribute drug legalization sympathies to groups like the National Education Association and the United Methodist Church just makes Souder look like an idiot. His bizarre attacks have now earned him some unfavorable media attention at The Hill and The Politico. Beyond that, he's alienated all of the top organizations working on education and addiction issues; groups he'll have to work with so long as he continues to saunter around ignorantly fighting the drug problem.It just tells you everything you need to know about Mark Souder to see him spit on organizations that work to educate America's youth and help people recovering from addiction. And it tells you everything you need to know about the drug war's political leaders that Mark Souder is highly regarded among them.

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Lamar Alexander Acknowledges the Futility of the Drug War

Sen. Lamar Alexander, Republican from Tennessee, obliquely acknowledged the futility of the drug war in comments made supporting a bill to combat illegal logging of which he is a cosponsor, on Tuesday of last week: The Senator from Oregon [Ron Wyden (D)] made a point that is maybe the central point here when he compared our efforts to stop illegal logging to our efforts to stop the bringing of illegal drugs into the United States. We all know the tremendous amount of effort we go to, for example, to keep cocaine out of the United States. We send millions of dollars to Colombia and to other countries and we try to stop that. But the real problem we have is we are a big, rich country, and there is a big demand for cocaine here. So no matter what we do in the other countries, the cocaine still keeps coming in, and the same with other illegal drugs. Here we have a chance to make a much bigger difference than we can with illegal drugs. We still are creating the demand problem. This is a country that accounts for 25 percent of all the wealth in the world. It is a country that perhaps buys a huge volume of illegal timber from around the world. Well, we can stop that. This is not a drug addiction, this is a business practice, and it is a practice we can stop according to the laws of this country. When we stop it, we will make an enormous difference for our country and for the other countries. So what is the next logical step in this line of reasoning? Visit the Thomas web site and find page S13967 in the Congressional Record to see it in print. Thanks to DPA's Grant Smith for the tip.

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Hemp On the Menu in Bismarck, North Dakota

Bismarck's Bistro restaurant is known for its fine, grass-fed North Dakota beef and fine wines, but the menu last night included a tasty garden salad with hemp oil dressing. Hemp isn't usually on the menu--at least so far--but the folks at the Bistro added it in honor of the plaintiffs in a case that is being heard at the federal courthouse here this morning. In a little less than an hour, North Dakota farmers Wayne Hauge and Roger Munson, who is also a state senator, and their attorneys, will be in federal court to argue motions in their case against the DEA for refusing to act on their applications to grow hemp. The farmers have the support of the state government, which, in the face of DEA intransigence, has acted to get the DEA out of the way, as well as the hemp industry, some of whose representatives were at the dinner table at the Bistro last night. The attorneys told me last night the most likely outcome of today's hearings is that the judge will not rule immediately, but take the motions under consideration with a ruling to come shortly. The government will ask for a dismissal, but the hemp attorneys think that's unlikely. The hearing will last until about noon, then there will be a post-hearing press availability, which I will attend before heading back to central South Dakota. Yesterday, on the way up here, my gas mileage sucked as I fought bitter winds out of the northwest. Local TV news reported gusts of 74 mph yesterday. The wind is still blowing, but at least this afternoon it'll be at my back as I scoot across the lonely prairies. Look for a feature article on the hemp hearing on Friday.

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Marijuana Evolves Faster Than Human Beings

Explaining the failure of marijuana prohibition is easy. Sociology, economics, history, and psychology can all help to explain why a safe and popular drug cannot be removed from the market by force. Still, there is another important reason why marijuana is here to stay: it evolves at an incredibly rapid pace, becoming stronger and more profitable every day.The vigorous growth and adaptability of the marijuana plant has long frustrated efforts by law-enforcement to thwart its production. Specific strains are easily cross-bred, producing offspring that emphasize certain qualities, thus growers in Oregon can develop a strain that grows well in Oregon's climate with minimal effort. Hybridization not only improves potency, but can also shorten flowering time and increase yield, thereby enabling growers to produce more in less time. We're witnessing a situation in which the biological vigor of the plant itself has far outpaced law-enforcement efforts that were never effective to begin with. Indoor-grown strains can advance through 3-4 generations in a year's time, with the best specimens from each batch selected for cloning or crossbreeding. Each successive generation carries on the best traits of the former, which explains why growers can now accomplish in a basement what used to require an acre or more in the woods.The great irony of all this is that drug warriors still think increased marijuana potency is an argument for their side. In reality, nothing could better illustrate the failure of their efforts to reduce the drug's production. Harsh marijuana laws have incentivized growers to produce a stronger product, which carries the same penalties by weight, while commanding higher prices on the street. As the bitter debate over marijuana legalization rages on, the plants will grow ever faster, bigger, and stronger. Marijuana is one of nature's most remarkable creations, and it is unbelievable that so many people still haven't figured out that this plant is here to help us. From healthy foods to a promising cancer cure, we should be grateful that cannabis sativa grows and evolves as vigorously as it does. With every forward step in marijuana's evolution, the war against this resilient plant becomes less and less effective.Note: Thanks to court-qualified cannabis expert Chris Conrad for answering growing questions, and to pot-paparazzi Steve Bloom for turning me on to the government's awesome 2008 cultivation assessment, which got me thinking about this.

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SENDING THE WRONG SIGNAL TO YOUNG PEOPLE

note: this commentary was originally broadcast on WRFN-LP, Nashville Tennessee, on the Green Hour radio show. Other stories from the show can be found at my main blog, Deep Green Perspective.   Our truth in strange places award this month goes to Senator Christopher Dodd, of Connecticut, one of the long-shot contenders for the 2008 Democratic nomination, who said in the course of the Oct. 30 debate, in defense of his call for decriminalization of marijuana, “We’re locking up too many people in our system here today. We’ve got mandatory minimum sentences, they are filling our jails with people that don’t belong there. “My idea is to decriminalize this, reduce that problem here. We’ve gone from 800,000 to 2 million people in our penal institutions in this country. We’ve got to get a lot smarter about this issue than we are. And as president, I’d try and achieve that. “

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Feds Predict Major Drop in Marijuana Prices

Unless you measure success by the number of people arrested, the failure of the war on marijuana is becoming more obvious than ever before. A new Department of Justice report, Drug Threat Assessment 2008, reveals that increased indoor cultivation is flooding the U.S. market with high quality marijuana. As a result, marijuana users may soon be getting more bud for their buck:In the section, "Predictive Estimates," the report concludes:• Increased cannabis cultivation may result in reduced marijuana prices.The recent increases in cannabis cultivation and marijuana production within the United States coincide with the continued flow of marijuana from foreign sources, which may lead to market saturation [in] major markets. This saturation could reduce the price of the drug significantly. [CelebStoner.com]That's good news for marijuana enthusiasts and bad news for anyone invested in trying to eradicate America's #1 cash crop. Ironically, drug warriors have often cited increased potency as evidence that marijuana is becoming more harmful. This is all nonsense, because users adjust their dose to achieve the desired effect, just as an alcohol user might drink a 12 ounce beer, but not 12 ounces of vodka (not to mention the lack of evidence that marijuana is harmful even in large doses). Nevertheless, the real story here is that marijuana eradication efforts are failing to affect price and supply. What then is the point of spending billions in an unsuccessful attempt to eradicate this plant? What desirable outcomes are being achieved in exchange for the innocent lives disrupted or lost in the course of this fruitless crusade? Reasonable people can disagree about marijuana use, but who among us cannot think of better things for police to do than this? Anyone who ever thought we might someday purge this plant from our borders can now be relieved of that foolish notion. Opponents of marijuana and its users must now take stock of the situation and ask whether the indefinite continuation of this endless cat and mouse game is desirable. It is amusing, perhaps, to the marijuana fans among us to hear that the price of a ¼ bag could go down soon. But remember how much our nation has sacrificed in a hopeless effort to prevent this from happening. Remember how many of our friends and neighbors have been yanked off the streets, forced out of school or work, even lost custody of their children, all because of the stupid idea that we could successfully wage war on marijuana.I don't begrudge any of you your cheap bags of good bud, but don't get too comfortable. The war on marijuana may have failed, but it still sucks.

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Eighty-Year-Old US-Mexico Drug Program is Far Over Budget

A DRCNet member who blogs at the Daily Kos, among other places, sent me a fascinating article he found recently in the New York Times web archive about the US-Mexico drug war. According to the article, titled "US to Join Mexico in Fight on Drugs" and published in May 1925: The drug treaty which will be formulated in El Paso by the Commissioners of the United States and representatives of the Mexican Government Is expected to achieve two results -- elimination of the constant stream of drugs which Is pouring into the United States through Mexico and helping to clean out from the border towns several groups of American and foreigners who 'have made large sums of Money through the drug traffic. Eight two and a half years later, President Bush has proposed spending another $1.5 billion on the drug war south of our border. But according to the US General Accountibility office: According to the US interagency counternarcotics community, hundreds of tons of illicit drugs flow from Mexico into the United States each year, and seizures in Mexico and along the US border have been relatively small." Can we agree at a minimum that this project is far over budget?

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One in Three Hit Songs Contain Drug References

When the kids aren't sniffing poo and gobbling Aqua Dots, they're listening to drug-laced rap anthems and probably thinking about getting wasted:Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, who studied the lyrics of hundreds of popular songs, found that one in three mention alcohol or drug use.…Most lyrical references to substance use were associated with partying, sex, violence and, or humor. The use of drugs and alcohol was motivated by peer pressure, sex, and, or money. Only four songs explicitly had anti-use messages. [Reuters]I was initially surprised by the 1 in 3 result. It sounds like a lot, hence the scare story from Reuters. But if you think about what makes a song popular, it makes perfect sense. Popular music has to resonate with the "cool" kids, and you can't win them over by singing about puppy dogs and the pleasures of sobriety. Ultimately, drugs are just part of our popular culture and that isn't going to change. What can change is the drug war mentality that glorifies some of the worst aspects of our society. Chart-topping rap music, for example, has turned drug-dealing thugs into folk heroes. The music doesn't inspire this activity, rather it documents it, providing listeners with a window into a world that is unfamiliar to most.Rap stars and rockers will always brag about misbehaving, and awestruck youth will always gaze curiously at this dramatic spectacle.  But tabloid headlines and sensational  lyrics aside, many of our celebrities are hardworking people who've learned to use drugs responsibly. Maybe they're not such bad role models after all.

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Popular Children's Toy Revealed to Contain Club Drugs

Instead of debating whether or not marijuana decriminalization sends the wrong message to children, maybe we should spend more time ensuring that kid's toys aren't made of club drugs:NEW YORK (CNN) -- U.S. safety officials have recalled about 4.2 million Chinese-made Aqua Dots bead toys that contain a chemical that has caused some children to vomit and become comatose after swallowing them.Scientists have found the popular toy's coating contains a chemical that, once metabolized, converts into the toxic "date rape" drug GHB, or gamma-hydroxy butyrate… [CNN]Well, if the DEA can prosecute convenience store clerks for unknowingly selling supplies that could be used to make meth, surely they will go after Walmart for accidentally selling GHB to small children. Right? Better yet, perhaps ONDCP will now claim that this problem could have been headed off sooner by drug testing 1st graders.

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Denver Voters Make Marijuana the Lowest Law-Enforcement Priority

It's always exciting to see the drug war lose at the ballot box. In 2005, the citizens of Denver, CO voted to legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana. Rather than respecting the will of the people they serve, Denver police continued performing marijuana arrests, relying on state laws that remain unchanged.Yesterday, Denver voters spoke out against the war on marijuana users once again, making marijuana enforcement the city's lowest law-enforcement priority. The measure, which passed with a solid 55% 57% of the vote, reads as follows:The Denver Police Department and the City Attorney’s Office shall make the investigation, arrest and prosecution of marijuana offenses, where the marijuana was intended for adult personal use, the City’s lowest law enforcement priority.Congratulations to our friends at SAFER who've now successfully mobilized the citizens of Denver to challenge marijuana prohibition in their city not once but twice. The measure won't end marijuana arrests in Denver, but it demonstrates that Denver voters truly are committed to reigning in police who still believe they're serving the community by arresting people for America's pettiest crime. It shows that 2005's victorious legalization vote was not an anomaly. And it sticks a finger in the eye of the Denver City Council, which insanely claimed the measure sent the wrong message, while simultaneously courting Coors Brewing Company to sponsor city facilities. So long as protecting and serving remains the top law-enforcement priority, arresting marijuana users must be the lowest. That is, until the glorious day when busting people for marijuana ceases to be a law-enforcement priority at all.

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Study: College Educated People are More Likely to Support Marijuana Legalization

Supporters of marijuana policy reform have long been viciously mischaracterized and stereotyped by our opposition. We are called druggies and losers. Our views are dismissed as unserious and irresponsible, fueled perhaps by excessive consumption of the drugs we want legalized. But according to Gallup Poll data, we are more likely to be college educated:Americans with some college education -- from those who have attended at least one college course to those who have postgraduate degrees -- are somewhat more likely than those without a college degree to say marijuana should be legal in the country. Thirty-seven percent of adults with a college education support legalization, compared with 31% of those with no college education.This makes perfect sense if one understands that opposition to the war on marijuana users emerges from a thousand perspectives: economics, public health, human rights, civil liberties, and on and on. Of course, one needn't attend college to recognize the absurdity of this massive war against otherwise law-abiding Americans, but it is important to dispel the notion that marijuana reformers are foolish or naïve. We are not. And we have degrees to prove it.By contrast, there are many ways in which a lack of education may contribute to a belief that it is wise to criminalize vast portions of the population and attempt to uproot America's #1 cash crop. But let's not forget that the architects of the war on marijuana users are, themselves, very cunning and deliberate in their actions. They've been effective in stigmatizing their opposition as hacks and weirdos, while fostering a false belief among politicians that reform is political suicide. The future of marijuana policy reform lies in breaking free from the stereotypes imposed on us by our oppressors and revealing our movement as the compassionate, intellectual brain trust that it has blossomed into. This may be inevitable, but in the meantime, let's all try to use proper spelling and punctuation in our blog comments (like the smart, serious people this Gallup Poll reveals us to be).

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Drug Scare: Kids in Florida are Getting High by Sniffing Feces

You can urine test them. You can take away their financial aid for college. But you can't stop the kids from getting high. Some people will try anything, and I don't think arresting them is going to help:Information BulletinNew Drug – JENKEMOn 09/19/07 Cpl. Disarro received and email from a concerned parent regarding a new drug called “Jenkem”. The parent advised their child learned about this drug through various conversations with several students at Palmetto Ridge High. Jenkem originated in Africa and other third world countries by fermenting raw sewage to create a gas which is inhaled to achieve a high. Jenkem is now a popular drug in American Schools. Jenkem is a homemade substance which consists of fecal matter and urine. The fecal matter and urine are placed in a bottle or jar and covered most commonly with a balloon. The container is then placed in a sunny area for several hours or days until fermented. The contents of the container will separate and release a gas, which is captured in the balloon. Inhaling the gas is said to have a euphoric high similar to ingesting cocaine but with strong hallucinations of times past. [Snopes] This doesn't sound like a good idea. But what shall we do about it? You can't pop people for poop possession, or piss-test people for piss sniffing. Should we launch a massive public education campaign warning kids that fermenting their excrement and breathing in the resulting fumes will get them wasted? That could backfire.So I don't know what the solution is. For starters, we should wait to see if this is a real problem or just another hysterical response to a couple gross, though isolated, incidents. If there really is a rising trend of Florida youths sniffing fermented feces, maybe it's just an overreaction to the Miami DEA Chief's recent claim that marijuana will kill you.

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Arresting Marijuana Users Sends the Wrong Message to Children

Has anyone ever told you that we must never change our marijuana policy because doing so would send the wrong message to children? I'll bet they have, because this particular argument is as ubiquitous as it is absurd. Just listen to John Edwards at Sunday night's Democratic Presidential Debate explaining why he opposes marijuana decriminalization:Because I think it sends the wrong signal to young people. And I think the president of the United States has a responsibility to ensure that we're sending the right signals to young people. [MSNBC]That is all he said. It is apparently the totality of his position; the most important and compelling argument he can put forth to explain why it is necessary to arrest nearly a million people each year for having marijuana. Are you listening children of America? It is essential that you refrain from using marijuana, because if you do, the government will arrest you and give you a criminal record that will haunt you for the rest of your life. That is why you shouldn't use marijuana.Threatening to arrest and criminalize our children is, rather obviously, the stupidest solution to youth drug abuse ever conceived. It completely contradicts the message that we want them to be healthy and successful in life. The penalties for marijuana (criminal record, loss of college aid, loss of drivers license, loss of public housing, jail time, etc.) are all designed to reduce a person's potential. The contradiction between saying we'll help people with drug problems, only to then injure them with harsh laws, confuses even me. If the whole point is to send a message, then I suppose it matters little whether the punishment fits the crime. Are proponents of the "message to children" model for marijuana policy admitting that we can destroy adult users in order to coerce compliance from children? If so, how badly shall we injure the adult users that we catch?In the end, it all comes down to the question of what the appropriate punishment for marijuana really is. If we are truly comfortable with our marijuana laws, we should have no problem discussing them as part of a comprehensive drug education program for young people. But I have a feeling that if teachers were required to warn high school students about the HEA Aid Elimination Penalty, that law would cease to exist in the very near future.

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Drew Carey Cares About Medical Marijuana

You might remember Drew Carey from his hit sitcom The Drew Carey Show. Now he's hosting reason.tv, which has a great new episode about medical marijuana:This program totally confirms my pre-existing belief that we must defend patient access to medical marijuana, and that the spineless bureaucrats who want to take it from them should be tossed into the Potomac.Interestingly, the DEA refused to be interviewed by Drew Carey for the episode. If they are tired of discussing this issue, perhaps they should stop raiding dispensaries and terrorizing patients and caregivers.

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Cowards: Democratic Front-Runners Reject Marijuana Law Reform

Critics of marijuana policy reform are fond of dismissing the idea as a liberal fantasy. Unfortunately, last night's Democratic Presidential Debate revealed that the party's so-called leaders would still rather play politics than stand up for the 800,000+ Americans that are needlessly arrested each year for the world's pettiest crime:Tim Russert: Senator Dodd, you went on the Bill Maher show last month and said that you were for decriminalizing marijuana. Is there anyone here who disagrees with Senator Dodd in decriminalizing marijuana? [MSNBC]Clinton, Obama, Richardson, Biden, and Edwards all raised their hands. Only Dennis Kucinich stood with Senator Dodd on this important question. John Edwards was quick on the draw, pulling out the oldest pro-drug war line in the book:Russert: Senator Edwards, why?Edwards: Because I think it sends the wrong signal to young people. And I think the president of the United States has a responsibility to ensure that we're sending the right signals to young people.Ladies and gentlemen, welcome once again to the brain-dead world of mainstream drug war politics. It is a peculiar place where we ruin real lives in order to send fake messages. It is a vacant echo chamber in which those speaking the truth are singled out for ridicule, attention seekers spew tiresome incoherencies, and the rest cower embarrassed behind their podiums praying never again to be asked such a horrible thing.Shameful and cowardly as their responses may be, the democratic front-runners were clearly sidelined by Russert's cheap hackery. Drug policy is so much more than a yes or no question, and this drive-by shooting approach to the marijuana debate trivializes the issue and obscures any diversity of opinion. I am saddened, but not at all surprised, that this question provoked this response when asked this way.If we've learned anything from the brutal war that's been waged in our names for far too long, it is that many of our leaders would sooner allow it to continue for decades than speak one word of the truth that stands naked before us all. With that in mind, I'm asking all of you to do something. Find out when the candidates are speaking in your area and attend the events. Bring friends. Bring a video camera. Dress well and arrive early. Sit where you can be seen and raise your hand high just a moment before they open the floor to questions. Ask whatever you like. Maybe something like this:Senator/Governor/Congressman _______,Over 800,000 Americans were arrested for marijuana this year. Some went to jail. Others lost their jobs, lost custody of their children, lost their driver's licenses, lost public housing, lost financial aid for college, the list goes on. Many people think these punishments are more damaging than the drug itself.What do you think the punishment should be for someone who uses marijuana?It is one thing to say you don't support marijuana decrim. It is quite another to describe how specifically you would go about destroying the lives of the millions of Americans who enjoy marijuana. Let's find out where they really stand on this issue.

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Bill O'Reilly Doesn't Want You to Get High

Our friends at reason have a new video site that we're told will be featuring lots of drug policy content in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, they're featuring this classic duel between Bill O'Reilly and Saying Yes author Jacob Sullum:Predictably, O'Reilly shouts at him and even calls him a "pinhead," but Sullum holds his own. What fun.It is just unbelievable that we must even debate the concept that drugs can often be helpful and good. Of course they can. Only an idiot would suggest otherwise and, obviously, Bill O'Reilly is exactly that type of idiot.

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What Motivates the Leaders of the Drug War?

Following this week's departure of DEA Administrator Karen Tandy, Pete Guither explores the motivations of the shot-callers in America's brutal war on drugs. Are they serious? Cynical? Smart? Stupid? Insane? Who would want to put their name on something so grotesque, only to walk about each day insisting that it is gorgeous? Years ago, I interned for Eric Sterling at CJPF and asked him what motivates the proud champions of this great disaster. Eric used to write federal drug laws, and while he did so as an observer rather than a drug warrior, he's been closer to the belly of the beast than most. I don't remember everything he said, but the point that stuck with me was that, as a nation, we've invested so much in the name of destroying drugs. To wake up and acknowledge this colossal error is to trivialize the incalculable sacrifices we've already made. For all the lies told and lives lost, those responsible have a powerful incentive to maintain that victory awaits atop the hill. This is necessary so they may sleep at night, and also to placate the many Americans who still willfully sacrifice their tax dollars to the war and their neighbors to the gulag.The actual depth of their convictions notwithstanding, the mighty drug war architects surely feel the pressure of widespread and growing intellectual skepticism that now surrounds them at every turn. For this reason, one can never overstate the extent to which prohibitionist political posturing is now shaped literally by a desire to refute and antagonize their opposition. The more outrageous their positions become, the more evident this is. That is why, when discussing simple commonsense issues like medical marijuana and hemp, the drug warriors are quick to dismiss their critics as instruments and/or representatives of the "pro-drug lobby." They are driven, at least in part, by pure animosity towards us; a deep-seated compulsion to reject our philosophy. They believe that associating an idea to our movement is inherently derogatory to that idea, thus they brand as "pro-drug" anyone who opposes them, despite the failure of that label to even vaguely describe our agenda. It is enough to make one wonder what sorts of bizarre things they could be cajoled into saying simply by proposing the opposite.As Pete stresses, we cannot claim to know what goes on between the ears of the bold and brave bureaucrats that give drug war orders from behind their desks in D.C. We can only guess what they are thinking. But the consequences of the choices they make are very real and very hideous to behold.

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