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Russell Brand Talks Drug Policy in Parliament

Actor and comedian Russell Brand called for "love and compassion" for drug addicts at an appearance before a parliamentary committee in London Tuesday and suggested that decriminalization

Connecticut Senate Votes to Put Teeth in Racial Profiling Law

"Driving while black" continues to be an issue in Connecticut, and now, the state Senate has voted to beef up the state's 12-year-old racial profiling law, which police departments ha

Fight Against Dutch Cannabis CafÃ© Restrictions Heats Up

The Dutch government plans to implement its Dutch-only "weed pass" system for cannabis coffee houses on the border on May 1, but it faces growing legal and political challenges.

Leonard Pitts Jr. on Obama, Drug Legalization, and Racial Disparities

Pulitzer-winning author Leonard Pitts, Jr., has a piece in the Miami Herald, "

4/20: Party or Protest?

The chancellor of Colorado University in Boulder is totally not down with the school's famous annual 4/20 celebration, this year going so far as to shut down the campus to outsiders and even hiring Wyclef Jean to draw students away from the quad with an afternoon performance.

4/20 Protest at Obama Oaksterdam-area Headquarters

[image:1 align:right]There is a Bay Area 4/20 demonstration against the Obama administration's war on medical marijuana. It's starting a short time from now at the federal building in Oakland, followed by a march at noon Pacific time to Oaksterdam and Obama campaign headquarters, which is around the corner from Oaksterdam University. There is a film festival and benefit party for California NORML and OU starting at 3:00pm, and another event in the area tomorrow.Phil is attending and will be posting a Chronicle report this afternoon -- check back. Visit http://www.canorml.org for sign up for their updates. Following is the CANORML announcement:Fri 4/20 - OAKSTERDAM PROTEST (11:30 - 1:30) and FILM FESTIVAL (3PM - 8PM)JOIN US at 11 AM, at the Federal Building in Oakland (1301 Clay St.) to protest the federal attack on Oaksterdam and medical cannabis. At 12 PM we will be marching up to Oaksterdam to make our views known to the President's campaign. Participants are invited to drop by the Oaksterdam Student Union 1915 Broadway for refreshments after 1 PM.FILM FESTIVAL & 4/20 CELEBRATION - 3 PM - 8 PM at Oaksterdam (1600 Broadway) $10 for benefit of Cal NORML & Oaksterdam U. Featuring: "A NORML Life" (3PM); "California 90420" (4:30 PM) and special premier presentation: "The Green Goddess" (6PM) with in-person Q& A by producer Chris Iverson. Facebook event pageSat 4/21 DEEP GREEN FESTIVAL at Craneway Conference Center, Richmond - noon -midnite Festive Earth Day celebration of the 7 dimensions of cannabis. Look for the CalNORML table!

Happy 4/20

It has been one hell of a year since we last celebrated the increasingly official holiday of the cannabis community. It's been a bumpy ride for marijuana reform, but no one said this struggle was supposed to be easy. The challenges of 2012 are also an opportunity to build a bigger and better movement, and that's exactly what we'll do.

Video: 5 Ways to Avoid Getting Arrested for Pot

I put together a YouTube version of last week's AlterNet piece. Enjoy.

We're Winning Any Time the President is Forced to Say the Word "Legalization"

This MSNBC footage is pretty exciting to see.

Can Obama Win Votes by Waging War on Medical Marijuana? I Don't Think So.

I have a piece at Huffington Post today reminding everyone that Obama isn't making any friends with his escalating war on medical marijuana. It amazes me that it's still necessary to point out that republicans don't support this madness either. Anyone who wants to excuse the Obama Administration's horrible handling of this issue will have to do better than claiming that voters want to see stuff like this. The hell they do. Anyway, check it out.

Obama Addresses Drug Legalization at Cartagena Summit [FEATURE]

The Cartagena summit saw an historic discussion of drug legalization this weekend, with President Obama conceding that the topic is a legitimate one even as he reiterated US opposition to legalizat

5 Ways to Avoid Getting Busted for Pot

The activist-media badasses at AlterNet let me do a big front page story today on how to avoid a pot bust. You might have seen it already, cause this thing got a good amount of traffic, but if you missed it and you aren't yet sick of my know-your-rights lectures, then check it the heck out. And while you're at it, send the link to that friend of yours who's always pushing their luck.

If homophobes are secretly gay, do anti-pot fanatics secretly wanna get high?

[inline:legalizegaypot1.jpg align=right]A widely-publicized (and totally awesome) new study suggests that hating gay people is a sign that you might just be a bit gay yourself.

Will Strip-Searches Stop Terrorism and Save America?

I've got a post up at Flex Your Rights talking smack about the Supreme Court's icky new ruling on strip-searches. Check it out.

Medical Marijuana Crackdown Sparks San Francisco Protest [FEATURE]

A San Francisco medical marijuana community already unhappy with federal raids on dispensaries was outraged and energized by Monday's raid on

Mexico's Former Foreign Minister Castaneda Slams President Calderon Over Drug War in NPR Interview

Jorge CastaÃ±eda, the former foreign minister of Mexico, gave a strong interview to NPR's "Tell Me More" program this afternoon. CastaÃ±eda, a longtime legalization advocate, supported Pres. Calderon during his campaign, but became a critic over the Calderon drug war escalation. In this interview he slams Calderon quite harshly, making a case that the arguments Calderon made for the drug war were false, that "willful homicides" have tripled as a result of it, and that the 50,000 drug war murders, likely over 60,000 by the time Calderon leaves office in December were not worth it:

Dear Media, Please Ask Obama to Explain His Escalating War on Medical Marijuana

[inline:Oaksterdam.jpg align=right]Monday morning's DEA raid of Oaksterdam University is making major headlines, but there's one detail missing from the coverage: why the f#$k is Obama at War with Medical Marijuana in the first place? Seriously, why is any of this even happening at all?