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If "No one goes to jail for marijuana," why keep it illegal?
There are so many stupid arguments against reforming marijuana laws that one could be driven to madness attempting to enumerate them, but there's certainly a place on the list for the claim that decriminalization is pointless because nobody gets punished for pot anyway:
Illinois Just Says No to Drug Treatment (Jails Will Remain Open for Business)
The idea that drug treatment is a more effective, more affordable alternative to putting drug offenders in prison is so popular these days that you can even find the President talking about it. Unfortunately, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn seems determined to prove everyone wrong:
The Politics of Incarceration Will Have to Change When the Money Runs Out
[inline:incarceration.jpg align=right]Reducing incarceration rates is a hot topic this month as state governments desperately seek to decrease spending. It's an important and encouraging trend, but one that gets predictably sidelined when certain interests exert malicious influence over the process. This example from Indiana pretty much sums it up:
Former Congressional Staffer Admits Mistakes in the War on Drugs
Kevin Ring has an appalling piece in The Daily Caller spelling out the careless and politically-motivated process through which new drug laws are created. This is some really jaw-dropping stuff.
Colombian President Is Cool with Drug Legalization
Though not the most stirring endorsement he could have given, Santos made it clear that efforts to legalize drugs won't meet with much opposition from him.
Holder's Latest Comment About Medical Marijuana
[inline:wheelchair.png align=right]The Attorney General seldom discusses federal policy regarding medical marijuana, so even a brief remark is enough to get my attention. His latest comments at an event in Missoula were hardly groundbreaking, but interesting nonetheless.
Medical Marijuana Isn't Grown by Mexican Drug Cartels
[inline:plantpic.png align=right]Dennis Romero at LA Weekly is supremely confident that medical marijuana laws are generating revenue for Mexican traffickers:
Reason.tv: How to Deal with Cops
Reason.tv has a fun interview with Flex Your Rights founder Steve Silverman.
Mexican Drug Traffickers Break Out of Jail Whenever They Want
As if you needed another reason to wince in exasperation at the total failure of each and every ongoing drug enforcement effort in Mexico, here we go again.
Hillary Clinton Says Drugs Are Too Expensive for Legalization
In an interview on Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a very precise demonstration in how to dramatically misconstrue the fundamentals of drug prohibition. It's one of those perfectly incoherent explanations that would be almost comedic if it weren't for the tens of thousands who get murdered in the streets thanks to logic like this.
Obama Opposes Drug Legalization, But Hasn't Explained Why
[inline:obamahead.png align=right]Having already commented on what I liked about Obama's comments on Thursday, I think it's equally important to take a look at what was missing. By acknowledging legalization as an "entirely legitimate topic for debate," the President has elevated the conversation still further into the realm of mainstream political acceptance, but with that comes a heightened obligation for our political leaders to clearly articulate and defend their positions. Obama's polite, predictable response leaves unanswered most of the defining questions in the drug policy debate and ultimately fails to address the concerns that make this issue a top priority for a large segment of the American public.
Obama Says Drug Legalization is "An Entirely Legitimate Topic for Debate" [Updated]
The staggering vote count and significant media coverage of the demand for discussion of drug policy in today's YouTube interview were too great to ignore.
If You Have Drugs, Don't Agree to a Police Search
It seems like such a simple concept, but for some irrational reason, a lot of people still don't get it. Here's another example of what happens when you give police permission to search your house for drugs:
Anti-Pot Legislator in Trouble for Faking Illness to Get Medical Marijuana Card
Opponents of drug policy reform like to portray themselves as defenders of law and order, and yet you can't always count on them to obey the law themselves.
Will Obama Discuss Drug Legalization on Thursday?
Well, he sure as hell didn't go there during the State of the Union, but the President will have a good opportunity to comment on the drug war this Thursday when he takes questions from the public in a live interview on YouTube. If he's classy enough to answer the question that got the most votes, then we'll soon find out what he has to say about this:
More FOX Coverage of Botched Drug Raid Killings
Radley Balko was on Freedom Watch last night for the second time this month, discussing the SWAT killing of Todd Blair that went viral last week.
Another Chance to Ask Obama About Legalization
[inline:obama.png align=right]President Obama will be doing a live interview on YouTube this Thursday and, yet again, he wants us to vote on which questions we want answered. I've lost count of how many online voting contests we've been through at this point, but it's a pretty safe bet that questions related to legalizing marijuana and ending the drug war will get the most votes. That's what always happens with these things and if you just sort the page by popularity, you'll see it's about to happen again.
DEA Report Expresses Profound Hatred of Marijuana and Activism
[inline:plantpic.png align=right]Everyone's talking about this DEA report from the summer that failed to make the rounds until now, probably because they didn't exactly send us our own autographed copies. It's called DEA Position on Marijuana, and as you'd guess from the title, it's as heavy a dose of hysterical anti-pot propaganda as anyone could ever cram into 50 pages.
If You Thought Fake Marijuana Was Crazy, Here Comes Fake Cocaine
As DEA works to drive synthetic marijuana products like Spice and K2 off the shelves, a new legal drug menace is already taking its place.