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Colorado Announces Plan to Tax Medical Marijuana
The wave of sanity rolls on:In an opinion that could generate more revenue for cash-strapped governments and give additional legitimacy to a fledgling industry, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said Monday that the state can collect sales tax on medical marijuana."Medical marijuana is tangible property that is generally subject to state sales tax," Suthers, a Republican, wrote in response to a query from Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat.The opinion also said medical-marijuana dispensaries must obtain retail-sales licenses from the state to do business. [Denver Post]It sucks that it took an economic crisis to advance the idea that it makes more sense to generate revenue from the marijuana economy than waste billions trying in vain to destroy it. Of course, we'd have gladly paid the government millions many years ago to stop arresting patients.
As Long as the Drug War Continues, So Will the Corruption
Stories like this one about the endemic drug war corruption gripping Mexican law enforcement are a dime a dozen. But I don't get bored reading them, because there's always a new and compelling example of what a mess all of this is:Reporting from San Luis Potosi, Mexico -Â The lie-detector team brought in by Mexico's top cop was supposed to help clean up the country's long-troubled police. There was just one problem: Most of its members themselves didn't pass, and a supervisor was rigging results to make sure others did. [LA Times]Yeah, it's awfully hard to purge corruption when the people in charge of investigating it are corrupt themselves. It's insane to spend a billion dollars trying to fix Mexican law enforcement, when the cartels can just spend more to make sure it stays broken.
Will Foster is Almost Free. You Can Help Open That Prison Door By Acting Now
The Drug War Chronicle has written several times about the trials and tribulations of medical marijuana patient Will Foster, who is currently sitting in once again in an Oklahoma prison, jerked back from the new life he had made in California by a vindictive and corner-cutting Oklahoma parole bureaucracy. But while Foster certainly appears to have been the victim of vengeful parole department employees, who charged him with ficticious parole violations--causing him to be locked up in a California jail for 16 months before being extradited back to Oklahoma--the parole board itself has done the right thing. In a hearing last week, the board rejected the charges against Foster and recommended he be released. But there's one more step. Under Oklahoma law, the governor signs off on all parole board decisions. This is where you can help. There is still time to write or call the governor to encourage him to follow the parole system's recommendation and FREE WILL FOSTER. Please ask that Will be given time served and set free to return to his family in California. Please call Gov. Brad Henry's office at 405-521-2342 Or fax a letter to 405-521-3353. Make sure you identify Will as Will Foster, #25271. The argument is simple: Will Foster is a non-violent offender who has served enough time and plans to leave the state to settle in California. Keeping him in prison or on parole in Oklahoma serves neither justice nor public safety and is not worth Oklahoma taxpayers' money. Read the link above to get informed before you call or write if you need to. Be polite and to the point. Will Foster, who never did anything to anybody, has been in the clutches of Oklahoma justice for 15 years for growing some plants to ease his pains. He's almost free. You can help open that prison door. Do it.
Marijuana is Practically Legal (But Only For Aging White People Who Live in the Suburbs)
Washington Post has a light-hearted story, Boomers see views relaxing on marijuana, that looks at marijuana use among suburban adults in the D.C. area. The gist is that lots of yuppie-types have been having a blast for many years, but it just recently became ok to talk about it, thanks to the evolution of cultural attitudes about marijuana. Obviously, it's awesome to see the media finally picking up on how normal and boring most marijuana users are. Replacing the old stereotypes is a necessary step towards reform, and few would argue that D.C.'s affluent suburbs need to be purged of professionals who puff in private. So this reaction from local law-enforcement is as predictable as it is revealing:Most Washington area police departments enforce the laws that make marijuana illegal, officials said. A Montgomery County police spokesman would not comment other than to say that the department has seen no spike in marijuana use by older residents and is not targeting those users.I suppose we can't let old white people become collateral damage in our crusade to arrest entire generations of young black and Hispanic men for smoking pot? Our laws against marijuana owe their origins to the most vicious and transparent racism, and today, the drug war delivers on its hateful promise in the form of gratuitous disparities at every stage of the criminal justice system. How remarkable it is to find police literally admitting that their great war doesn't target the most privileged among us. I wonder, how freely did the words flow from the police spokesman's mouth as he unintentionally confirmed the vast disparity that defines and sustains the war on marijuana? It's powerfully ironic that, in an attempt to say as little as possible, the officer ended up epitomizing the pure injustice that has long characterized the enforcement of our marijuana laws.
If You Care About Ending the Drug War, Watch This
For the many of you who weren't able to attend the International Drug Policy Reform Conference, here's Ethan Nadelmann's opening speech:Wow.
The American Way; Self-Government, Self-Medication!!
President Obama has won the Nobel Prize for Peace on promises of de-nuclearization.
Off to Albuquerque
The 2009 International Drug Policy Reform Conference kicks off tomorrow evening, which means we'll be in Albuquerque for the rest of the week. It also means I probably won't be posting for a few days, because my fingers will be caked with enchilada sauce (and if anyone knows where to get good Mexican food in Albuquerque, please hook me up in comments). If you're going to the conference, please keep an eye out for me and say hi. I always enjoy meeting readers, so feel free to get all up in my business. The best place to find me is at the premiere of the new Flex Your Rights film 10 Rules For Dealing With Police, which I co-wrote and canât wait to unveil. It's going down on Thursday at 8:45pm. It's so cool, you should really just get in the car right now and start driving to New Mexico.Anyway, the blog should back in action next week. If anything huge happens in the meantime, I'm sure Pete Guither will be all over it.
American Medical Association Ends Opposition to Medical Marijuana
Enemies of medical marijuana have almost completely run out of talking points, and now they just lost one of their favorite remaining arguments:HOUSTON --- The American Medical Association (AMA) voted today to reverse its long-held position that marijuana be retained as a Schedule I substance with no medical value. The AMA adopted a report drafted by the AMA Council on Science and Public Health (CSAPH) entitled, "Use of Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes," which affirmed the therapeutic benefits of marijuana and called for further research. [Opposing Views]I wonder how long it will take for the DEA to correct their website.
Everyone Loves Marijuana Prohibition (Except the 44% Who Don't)
The CBS debate between Judge James Gray and David Evans continues today, and you are going to absolutely love it (if your idea of a good time is listening to a judge explain why the drug war doesnât work, while a frustrated drug warrior sputters redundantly).I think my favorite part is an attempt by Evans to explain all the reasons why you canât compare alcohol prohibition with drug prohibition. This one topped his list:(1) During prohibition the government sought to restrict the consumption of alcohol although lacking the consensus of the nation. Even during Prohibition most people had experience with and accepted alcohol. That is not the same today for illicit drugs. Prohibition went against the national consensus whereas the current drug policies do not.Apparently, David Evans hasnât checked out the comment section yet. Incredibly, he appears not to even understand why he was invited to participate in a marijuana legalization debate in the first place. Literally, the whole point of this dialogue is to indulge the raging debate over marijuana policy that now grips the nation. If there were a "national consensus" in favor of marijuana prohibition, you wouldn't have spent the last two days on the CBS website arguing against legalization.
David Evans nearly sent me over the edge
This is my response as written on cbsnews.com to Part 2 of the "discussion" between Judge James Gray and David Evans of the Drug-Free America Foundation. When I read the first part yesterday I was bothered by Evans but it was typical prohibitionist rhetoric. Today he made me irate. _______________________________________________ I had to take a few moments to calm down otherwise I might have said something that could have caused me some serious trouble. Evans said that Gray called him a racist. Gray never implied or said that Evans was a racist. He did state the undeniable fact that war on "some" drugs treats the races unequally. This statement from Evans shows he is either delusional or racist. I hope it is the former. "Prohibition did not cause an increase in the overall crime rate but there was an increase in the homicide rate. However, the increase in homicides occurred mainly in the African-American community, and African-Americans at that time were not the people responsible for trafficking in alcohol."
The Debate Rages On (And We're Winning it)
CBS is hosting an excellent point-counterpoint discussion about legalizing marijuana, featuring Judge James Gray of LEAP and David Evans of the Drug Free America Foundation. You rarely get to see the debate unfold in this much detail, so it's a very illuminating dialogue, even though Evans has thus far failed to actually address Gray's main arguments. Judge Gray just laid down the law in his last entry, so we'll find out tomorrow if Evans has anything left. On a side note, my attention was immediately drawn to the pictures of Gray and Evans that appear at the top of the page. Judge Gray appears in full color, while Evans is in black & white. This struck me as the perfect metaphor for the debate that follows.
Medical Use... why are we stuck like this?
Hello. My name is Anthony. I am an epileptic. My doctors have been trying to help me for a while now, switching from prescription to prescription, different doctor to a different specialist....
Marijuana Legalization Confusion in Connecticut
Drug policy reformers did a double-take today when the following "Budget Suggestions" were discovered on the website of Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell:January 9, 2009: Decriminalize marijuana â allow for medicinal purposes and collect taxes on it purchase. Create a tax stamp for these packages â anyone caught with a bag of marijuana without the stamp should face harsher penalties than someone caught with a bag with a stamp.February 3, 2009: Legalize marijuana and have the Department of Agriculture grow it for sale in 1 ounce bags -- sell it over the Internet.March 2, 2009: Increase revenue by legalizing marijuana and administering its sale and tax to be sold in pharmacies as well as in liquor stores. Apply law enforcement standards currently used for alcohol. This would save money in not having to chase drug dealers and generate huge revenues.This is surprising stuff to see on the site of a governor who'd vetoed medical marijuana legislation. And, unfortunately, it was too good to be true. It turns out these ideas came from unnamed current or former state employees as part of a program called the Innovative Ideas Initiative. They're not endorsed by the Governor's Office, although a much better job could have been done to explain the source of the proposals when posting them under a picture of Gov. Rell. It wasn't until reporters started calling her office today asking about marijuana legalization that the whole story emerged.So I suppose you could argue that there's not much of a story here, but I do find it amusing to see the debate over marijuana legalization popping up where you least expect it.
Is There Something "Liberal" About Improving Our Drug Policy?
Pete Guither caught this strange quote from deputy drug czar Tom McClellan in an AP story about expanding drug treatment:McLellan, insisting heâs not "a wild-eyed liberal," said expanding treatment wouldnât negate the war on drugs."Law enforcement is necessary, but itâs not sufficient," he said. It's just a stupid and completely unnecessary attempt to label anyone with concerns about our heavy-handed drug policy. The whole concept that only liberals care about this is pathetically simple-minded and dishonest, as anyone who's been watching FOX News lately could tell you. By McClellan's strained logic, his own boss, drug czar Gil Kerlikowske, would also be a "wild-eyed liberal" for criticizing the idea of fighting a "war on drugs." Anyone endeavoring to define the political identity of the drug reform movement is wasting their breath. The idea that our drug policy sucks is far too widespread to be contained within any vague political parameters and I'm quite sure Tom McClellan knows that, even if he conveniently pretends not to.
What Drives Medical Marijuana Prices In California?
When you take the time to look at whatâs really going on with the suppliers of medical marijuana these days itâs no wonder that there is so much political opposition to medical marijuana dispensar
Docket No. DEA-331 reopened for public comment, new deadline is 11/27/09
The DEA issued an NPRM to place 5-MeO-DMT in Schedule I and has reopened the period for public comment because the first notice was defective. So far one substantial objection has been posted which objects primarily on grounds the Controlled Substances Act is unconstitutional rather than the sham findings for placement in Schedule I. I'll copy some of that argument below from PUBLIC SUBMISSION DEA-2009-0008-0007.1.
Shades of 1986 anti-crime bill
Senator Grassley's bold amendment to stifle any discussion or study of legalization is erriely similiar to the language in the infamous 1986 anti-bill crime bill that included the crack cocaine dispar
New Evidence Proves That Legalization Won't Increase Marijuana Use
No concept is more central to any defense of our oppressive marijuana laws than the argument that use will increase dramatically under legalization. Opposition to marijuana reform rests in its entirety upon the premise that marijuana = bad & more marijuana = more bad. And yet, there exists a powerfully simple example of how wrong that is. There's really nothing groundbreaking about this latest data, but I can only assume it's surprising new information for anyone who thinks legalization is a one-way ticket to oblivion:Dutch among lowest cannabis users in Europe-reportAMSTERDAM, Nov 5 (Reuters) - The Dutch are among the lowest users of marijuana or cannabis in Europe despite the Netherlands' well-known tolerance of the drug, according to a regional study published on Thursday. Among adults in the Netherlands, 5.4 percent used cannabis, compared with the European average of 6.8 percent, according to an annual report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, using latest available figures. [Reuters]When it comes to debating the impact of allowing marijuana sales, there is no data more important, more relevant and more revealing than this. The Dutch people can buy marijuana anytime they want, but a huge majority of them choose not to. All of this serves to illustrate a very simple, yet significant, fact about marijuana that everyone should know: people who donât want marijuana will not use it no matter how legal and available it is. The very idea that there exists a vast population of potential marijuana users deterred solely by the drug's illegal status is just wrong. That's not how this works. You see, no one respects our marijuana laws. People who enjoy marijuana will overwhelmingly make their own decision about it and the only thing the government can do is literally rip it out of our freedom-loving hands one at a time. We all know how badly that effort has played out.The bottom line here is that when we debate marijuana policy, we are not weighing competing visions of how much marijuana use is acceptable in our society. The only question to be addressed â the only issue we have control over â is whether it makes moral and practical sense to punish people for marijuana. We don't get to decide how many people will use it. But it's our decision how to treat those who do.
Another Legalization Discussion From FOX News
Check out LEAP's Jack Cole on Andrew Napolitano's Freedom Watch program: When you've got a cop and a judge on FOX News talking about ending the drug war, you know we're headed in the right direction.