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Medical Marijuana Has Nothing to do with Teenage Pot Smoking
[inline:wheelchair.png align=right]The drug czar's shameful attempt to blame increased teenage pot use on the medical marijuana debate has already been ripped to confetti by almost
A Revealing Conversation with the Drug Czar
In case you haven't seen it yet, the latest issue of The Nation is loaded with enough excellent drug policy coverage to keep you busy for hours. There's a heavy focus on the case for reform, but Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske also stops in for a long interview that I might find encouraging if we hadn't heard all of this stuff from him before.
More Proof that Changing Marijuana Laws Doesn't Hurt Children
The first and last thing almost any opponent of marijuana reform will tell you is that if we ease up on marijuana enforcement, our children will pay the price. Reforming marijuana laws, they claim, "sends the wrong message" to our young people and paves the path to a life of addiction, crime, and lost promise.
If Pot Were Legal, No One Would Grow it in the Woods
Can you even think of anything besides marijuana that is grown secretly in the woods? Of course not, because hiking over mountains through dense underbrush with pounds of fertilizer on your back is so stupid and crazy that no one would ever do it unless there were millions of dollars at stake. Unfortunately, there actually are people making millions off these operations and the U.S. Congress is so fed up with the situation that they've issued a resolution demanding that something be done about it.
Gary Johnson's Medical Marijuana Use: Why it Matters
When I first saw the headline yesterday that former New Mexico Governor and Republican presidential hopeful Gary Johnson had smoked marijuana as recently as 2008, I admit I rolled my eyes. Would his strong pro-reform message be maligned as the predictable position of a pothead-for-president? My concern changed to excitement when I read that he'd used marijuana for pain relief following a horrific paragliding accident:[image:1 align:left caption:true]
Feds Threaten Crackdown if Oakland Allows Large Marijuana Grows
[inline:calileaf.jpg align=right]Here's another reminder that Obama's DOJ hasn't exactly forgotten about all that naughty medical marijuana commerce going on in California.
Legal or Not, Synthetic Marijuana is Here to Stay
Spice was destined to become a phenomenon. For decades, magazines like High Times have advertised famously fake pot products that apparently sold well enough to support a robust marketing campaign, despite being completely useless. Anyone could have predicted that a legal marijuana substitute capable of producing the familiar buzz of pot itself would be massively successful. That's exactly what happened, and regardless of the pending federal ban announced this month by the DEA, there's good reason to believe this drug is here stay.
Flex Your Rights on Freedom Watch with Judge Napolitano
Steve Silverman and I appeared on yesterday's episode of Freedom Watch on FOX Business Network to discuss our latest film, 10 Rules for Dealing with Police. The movie has gotten a lot of attention this month, and it was a blast appearing on a show that I've praised in the past.
Colorado Collects Millions in Marijuana Tax Revenue
Opponents of marijuana legalization are habitually dishonest and wrong about all sorts of things, but one of their most recklessly fraudulent claims is that legal marijuana won't generate significant tax revenue. This isn't even a matter of speculation. It's already happening.
Learning the Wrong Lesson From Prop 19
This post at PoliceOne.com epitomizes the narrow-minded satisfaction with Prop 19's failure that we knew to expect from drug war supporters.
Geraldo Lashes Out Against Moustache Profiling in the War on Drugs
[image:1 align:right]Geraldo Rivera isn’t a big fan of the latest TSA procedures, which resulted in this rather surprising comparison:
Surprise! DEA Boss Opposes Marijuana Legalization
Obama's nomination of Michele Leonhart to head the DEA is generating a lot of discussion about how horrible she is. In particular, this exchange from yesterday's Senate hearing is raising disturbing questions about what she'll do with the vast, unchecked drug war powers the President seeks to bestow upon her:
How Not to Legalize Marijuana
Believe me, I understand as well as anyone the frustration that often gets stirred up in the fight for marijuana reform. Watching as our opponents lie relentlessly, as innocent lives are lost, as another opportunity for peace and justice slips by each day this vicious war rages on, I can completely sympathize with anyone who's more than a little upset about it. But whatever you do, make sure it isn’t this:
Dishonest Prosecutor Claims an Ounce of Marijuana Can Make 1,000 Joints
Here's another example of the absurd and deceitful tactics that inevitably characterize any argument against reforming marijuana laws:
A Cop's Advice on Dealing with Cops
Neill Franklin from LEAP has an awesome piece in The Huffington Post today on the importance of knowing your constitutional rights during police encounters. It includes a cool slideshow of all the rules from 10 Rules for Dealing with Police. Check it out.
Medical Marijuana Stops Spread of Breast Cancer
It's amazing how many groundbreaking treatments can be derived from a Schedule I drug with no medical value.
AZ Medical Marijuana Vote in Closest Split
(Update: It's down to just 724 votes behind, as of Friday afternoon, and I was mistaken before, counting goes on till Tuesday.
These "Stoners Against Legalization" Fools Should Have Opposed Steve Cooley, Not Prop 19
On November 2nd, I was walking through Oaksterdam with Steve Silverman, when we happened across a group of misguided young pot-grower types clad in "No on 19" t-shirts flyering the neighborhood with anti-legalization propaganda. "Are you seriously out here defending marijuana prohibition?" Steve asked, to which their spokesman replied, "I like things the way they are now." I suggested that if he really cares about medical marijuana, maybe he should stop worrying about Prop 19 and put his time and energy into defeating Steve Cooley. His response was classic: "Who the hell is Steve Cooley?"
Mother Tests Positive for Poppy Seeds, Cops Take Her Newborn Baby
With all the recent discussion of marijuana legalization, it's easy to forget how many other ways the drug war is ruining innocent lives. This disturbing story from Pennsylvania is another example of how inaccurate and irresponsible drug testing practices are creating nightmares for innocent families.
Mark Your Calendars for Drug Policy Reform in LA
Mark your calendars. The International Drug Policy Reform Conference will convene in Los Angeles on November 2-6, 2011. Should be awesome.