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Federal Prosecutor Drops Medical Marijuana Charges
Some interesting news from New Mexico:On June 30, 2009 in the Federal District Court of New Mexico, Assistant US Attorney John Anderson agreed, on the record, to Honor the Medical Marijuana Recommendation of Charles Smith of Shasta Lake, California. Federal District Court Magistrate Judge Lorenzo Garcia further agreed to accept the Stateâs proposed recommendation of a Conditional Discharge upon provision of Mr. Smithâs Medical Marijuana Recommendation to the US Attorneyâs office. This historic moment occurred during the federal Governmentâs prosecution of cases related to the Annual Rainbow Gathering that occurs in different states around the country and involves a large Federal Law Enforcement presence.â¦This is the first time in modern history, in which it is known that the US Attorney and the Federal District Court agreed to accept medical marijuana recommendations and licenses in order to dismiss marijuana possession charges. And the universe didnât collapse. Not only that, the story has gotten no press whatsoever. Often, when the government refrains from doing something cruel to someone, there isn't much of a news story left to report. This just goes to show how silly it is to assume that there's a political imperative requiring us to continue aggressively enforcing bad drug laws. There isnât. See how easy it is to just leave patients alone? Next time, try not arresting them in the first place.
A Deadly Addiction You Never Saw Coming
BBC News reports on the death of a Chinese teen who was beaten to death in a rehab center for internet addicts. Apparently, addiction to the internet is a major concern in China:China is increasingly taking action against what it sees as a pandemic of web addiction.Some estimates suggest up to 10% of the country's 100 million teenage web users could be addicted, and a growing number of rehabilitation services exist.However, there is little consensus on how to treat the addiction. In July, China's Ministry of Health formally banned the use of electroshock therapy as a treatment option.Well, that's good. Yeah, giving shock treatment to 10 million youth who spend too much time online definitely sounds kind of insane. Really, the whole idea of widespread internet addiction sounds pretty ridiculous and I'm inclined to assume it has more to do with a cultural paranoia about computers than an actual epidemic of compulsive web surfers.But as crazy as all this sounds, it's really not all that different from the way our government deals with marijuana users.
Marijuana is Safer Than Viagra
Is there anything it canât do?A fifty-five year old man has confessed to using marijuana in order to sexually please his wife.Bal Birju was charged with possession of thirty grammes of marijuana.In court he said he preferred to use the marijuana rather than the popular Viagra which can be dangerous. [i995fm]Makes sense to me. Unfortunately, we're reminded once again of the one indisputable risk associated with using marijuana: they'll put you in jail for it.
"Marijuana Is Safer" authors Tvert and Armentano appear at Oaksterdam University
The student union at Oaksterdam University in downtown Oakland was buzzing yesterday afternoon as several dozen people gathered together with Marijuana is Safer authors Paul Armentano of NORML and Mason Tvert of SAFER to celebrate the brand new book's release. (Co-author Steve Fox of MPP was on the East Coast. The book also boasts a foreword by Norm Stamper, the former police chief of Seattle.) After an hour or so of schmoozing, book selling, and signing, Armentano and Tvert were joined by Oaksterdam's Greg Grimala for an informal discussion about the book, whose thesis--that marijuana is safer than alcohol--is an outgrowth of work originally done by Tvert as he organized college campuses around the issue of inequality in punishments for students got smoking pot as opposing to underage drinking. Armentano, who has been keeping a keen eye on marijuana research for years, supplies much of the hard science. "The fact that we're even having this discussion is a measure of marijuana's relative harmlessness," Tvert pointed out, adding that he thought the alcohol vs. marijuana comparison was an excellent tactic. "Parents can understand alcohol, and we can make the comparison between it and marijuana. Within that framework, you get them to start thinking about marijuana the same way they think of alcohol. The discussion of alcohol provides a reference point, and that will only further the debate." Tvert will be hitting the road to promote the book in coming weeks. Armentano said yesterday the book was shipping to bookstores in the East now and would be showing up on the West Coast soon. He also said he had directed that a review copy be sent to StoptheDrugWar.org, so look for a book review here next week. (The Chronicle is on vacation this week.) Tvert, Armentano, Grimala
Marijuana used for methadone withdrawal in Vancouver program
A new program based in Vancouver,B.C.
Colbert vs. Zero Tolerance Drug Policies
Nailed 'Em - War on Birth Controlwww.colbertnation.comColbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical HumorTasers
Former Surgeon General Says Legalize Marijuana
Dr. Jocelyn Elders ignited a firestorm when she proposed studying the merits of drug legalization while serving as Surgeon General under President Clinton. It was a bold move back then and she's still eager to speak out in favor of reform:Youâre also a vocal proponent of medical marijuana. Why?I have been speaking out about it for a long time. Iâm a member of the board of advisors of a medical marijuana group. To me, itâs not nearly as toxic for our bodies as tobacco or alcohol. It should be legalized. As far as we know, it doesnât cause lung cancer, it doesnât cause people to go out and drive drunk and commit crimes. If it helps reduce the nausea and vomiting and reduce leg cramps, make patients feel better, whatâs wrong with that? We should make it available to people who need it. I feel if people want marijuana, they could get a prescription. Then we can tax it and know who is getting it. I donât think it is a drug that is doing harm to this country. By arresting people, putting them in jail for crimes related to marijuana, weâre spending millions on drug enforcement and it causes more problems. Young people are convicted of a crime, they canât get money to go to school, we have over 2 million prisoners and many related to drug useâit is a vicious cycle and one we created. [New America Media]She gets it. In fact, she got it a long time ago.
Amsterdam vs. Bill O'Reilly
O'Reilly said a couple pretty nasty things about the Dutch recently, prompting this delightful response from some genius on YouTube:Now O'Reilly responds to the response, and check how he addresses the question of why rates of marijuana use are lower in the Netherlands than the U.S.:Why have so many more people in the USA, where marijuana is illegal, tried it? 40% of people in the USA compared to 22.6%...OREILLY (interrupting): The way they use statistics in the Netherlands is different, plus it's a much smaller country.Huh? The guy just lies so reflexively, it's astonishing. Of course, by denying the validity of the statistics, he tacitly acknowledges that they would be significant if they were true. Well, they are true, Bill, which means all your paranoid fulminations about the horrors of legalization are nonsense. I just hope he's right that the U.S. is on course to implement Dutch-style drug policies.
Media Hypocrisy in the Marijuana Debate
Russ Belville shares the fascinating story of some "higher ups" at CBS pulling the plug on a NORML radio show that was about to go on the air. The whole thing is magnificently absurd considering that CBS owns Showtime, home of the hit series Weeds. If CBS has a problem with marijuana, then they really shouldnât be out there making money by sensationalizing it. Boy, it would really suck for CBS if word got out among Weeds viewers that the show's corporate owners have some kind of problem with debating marijuana laws.
Marijuana is Safer Than Water
I sometimes wonder if we rely too heavily on the argument that marijuana is safer than alcohol and tobacco. People who don't know anything about marijuana (which comprise a substantial portion of our opposition) may have a hard time understanding what we mean by that. Moreover, it's tricky to compare the totality of harm produced by those drugs vs. marijuana because our opponents obscure the analysis by blaming the harms of alcohol and tobacco on their legality.Inevitably, the argument that marijuana is safer than alcohol and tobacco suffers by virtue of the fact that those drugs are pretty dangerous. Being safer than them doesnât mean it's safe. So for a while now, I've been trying to think of something else to compare it to and I think Pete Guither nails it in this post.
BMW and Mercedes Use Hemp in Their Cars
Remind me why hemp is illegal to grow in the U.S.:â¦if you drive a BMW or a Mercedes Benz, or wear Armani jeans or Patagonia shirts, you could be consuming hemp.Its fiber turns up in car door panels, insulation and clothing. Its seeds make tasty granola and frozen desserts, its oil expensive cosmetics and ecologically friendly soap.If you use these products, you wonât be jailed for possession. But would-be hemp farmersâ fear of arrest is what keeps the U.S. importing the stuff instead of growing its own. [Bloomberg]I don't write about hemp often, mainly because it's not actually a drug, but it bears repeating that the only reason hemp cultivation is illegal is because a bunch of paranoid drug warriors are utterly terrified of it. As stupid as the arguments against legalizing marijuana are, the case against hemp is even more mindless and pathetic. Just pause for a moment and think about the fact that the DEA banned a substance used to make door panels for luxury cars, simply because it's related to marijuana. That level of marijuana hysteria probably wouldnât be possible in the current political climate, but we're stuck with it until Congress admits this is ridiculous. And I guarantee you that if Congress attempts to legalize hemp cultivation in the U.S., there will actually be people who freak out about it and try to argue that hemp somehow endangers America's youth.
The Constitution, America's Conscience!
The SPIRIT of 1776 was the HOLY SPIRIT and is our TRUE NORTH! The American dream is, "for the power of love to overcome the love of power." We will overcome!
The Need for Prescription Drug Harm-Reduction
Today I had the second appointment with my psychiatrist. In ten minutes, I was prescribed a 5 month supply of the stimulant medication Adderall.
Want to Prevent Marijuana Growing on Public Land? Legalize it
The widespread destruction of our national forests caused by illicit marijuana cultivation is becoming a bigger story every summer. The problem just keeps getting worse and it seems that Mexican cartels arenât the only ones cashing in on it:Forest Service law enforcement staff was doubled from 14 to 28 agents in California between 2007 and 2008, said spokesman John Heil, resulting in the eradication of 3.1 million marijuana plants in the last fiscal year.Congress is responding too, with a recent $3 million supplemental appropriation secured by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) that allowed the Park Service to add 25 new law enforcement officers to its Pacific Region parksâ¦[New York Times]The more marijuana gets planted, the more jobs are created for people to cut down the plants, which causes still more marijuana to get planted. The harder you try to put a stop to this, the worse the damage gets. The cops doing this work wonât hesitate to tell you that there's more of it every year. We haven't even scratched the surface of how bad it's going to get:"As more pressure happens in California, they're going to start looking at Oregon, Nevada and Idaho," said Krogen, of the High Sierra Volunteer Trail Crew. "Then they'll start looking at the Southeast too, closer to distribution."Does anyone really believe that law enforcement is going to solve this problem? I'm sure going on treasure hunts in the woods is a popular assignment, but I have a hard time believing that these guys actually think they're accomplishing anything. The bottom line is that legalization is absolutely the only option that exists for controlling where, how, and by whom marijuana is grown. I hope it won't require the permanent destruction of precious natural resources across the country to illustrate that fact. It never ceases to amaze me that all of this is happening because the government wonât let people grow their own marijuana.
More Evidence That Marijuana Prevents Cancer
Paul Armentano at NORML has the details. He rightly points out that we can only imagine how much progress could have made towards developing promising marijuana-derived treatments if the government and the press hadnât spent the last several decades trying to vilify marijuana instead of examining its potential.It's a plant, and like other plants, it's here to help us. It's probably just a matter of time until marijuana's full potential as a cancer cure is discovered, and when that happens, the consequences of decades of mindless anti-pot propaganda will be revealed like never before.
Trick Question on the DEA Job Application?
Anyone applying for a job at the Drug Enforcement Administration must answer this question:That's funny, I thought there was no such thing as "legally prescribed" marijuana under federal law. Either this is an idiot test for prospective applicants, or we've come so far that the DEA is beginning to lose track of its own ideology.
Cop Accidentally Reveals the Wisdom of Marijuana Legalization
As the call for legalization continues to reverberate louder than ever before, the hired soldiers in the war on drugs are seeking to defend their livelihood with arguments of unprecedented desperation and incoherence:Legalization is not the solution, [statewide CAMP Commander Michael] Johnson said, given that most of the pot is being grown illegally on public parkland by foreign citizens who cannot be taxed. [San Francisco Chronicle] You won't have to tax them because they'll be out of business. No one's going to buy some crappy weed that's grown illegally and destructively in our national forests if there's an alternative. The instant you allow California's legions of skilled and socially conscious marijuana growers to operate in a regulated and legitimate environment, everything ugly and uncontrollable about the state's marijuana industry will change overnight.Just watch how he proves my point:"I've been doing this for five years, and there just seems to be more and more of it everywhere," Johnson said. "We don't even bother with medicinal grows. What we're concerned about is the destruction of the habitat."See how he admits that the "medicinal grows" are not what's causing the problem? That's because they're legal and regulated. It really isnât any more complicated than that.
Drug Czar Gets Caught Lying and Contradicting Himself
Remember last week when the new drug czar Gil Kerlikowske dusted off the old drug czar pocket manual and whipped out the classic "marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal benefit" line? Well, Tim Dickinson at Rolling Stone recalls his recent interview with Kerlikowske, in which the new drug czar claimed the verdict wasn't in yet on marijuana's medical benefits:This is a striking departure from what Kerlikowske told me in an interview in May.Because of the restrictive terms the Vice Presidentâs office imposed on our interview, Iâm not at liberty to quote the drug czar directly.But when I asked Kerlikowske for an example of how he hoped to bring sound science back to Office of National Drug Control Policy, he told me that science would answer whether smoked marijuana has any medical benefit.Thatâs a question that science answers, he told me, not ideology.So when the drug czar is talking to Rolling Stone, he cares about science, but when he's hanging out with a bunch of drug cops in California, he's got no problem spouting off pathetically false and antiquated drug war propaganda. Beautiful. Of course, even the earlier position about waiting for the science to explain everything to us is flagrantly dishonest. Everyone knows what the science says and it's been that way for a long time now. It's really just disgusting to act confused about it when an extraordinary number of real human beings with real illnesses are standing before you eager to share the stories of how medical marijuana has improved and sometimes saved their lives.So whichever position the drug czar ultimately decides to stick with, he's a liar either way.
Crack Sentencing Reform Bill Passes Full Judiciary Committee
Last week we reported that the crime subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee had unanimously passed H.R. 3245, a bill to reduce federal crack cocaine penalties to the same level as those for offenses involving powder cocaine. The full Judiciary Committee approved the bill today, we just heard, by a vote of 16-9. I'll post back with a link to the roll call when it becomes available on Thomas, or follow the link to the bill above to check in the meanwhile. Reports indicate it is expected to be taken up on the floor of the House of Representatives, and that a bipartisan Senate bill is expected out soon too. So this is big news. Not the only big news -- read more in our current top Chronicle feature, "Winds of Change Are Blowing in Washington -- Drug Reforms Finally Move in Congress."
Mexico's Drug War is Eventually Going to Collapse
President Calderon's epic drug war escalation is rapidly becoming an unprecedented exhibit in the absolute futility of everything drug prohibition stands for. The harder you fight, the more you lose, and that realization is increasingly beginning to sink in:There are now sustained calls in Mexico for a change in tactics, even from allies within Calderón's political party, who say the deployment of 45,000 soldiers to fight the cartels is a flawed plan that relies too heavily on the blunt force of the military to stem soaring violence and lawlessness. [Washington Post]No kidding. How are soldiers supposed to "stem soaring violence" when their deployment is causing it? Violence is what soldiers do for a living. U.S. officials said they now believe Mexico faces a longer and bloodier campaign than anticipated and is likely to require more American aid.They didn't anticipate this. Seriously. Anyone who's surprised by this outcome has no business working on international drug policy, let alone allocating American tax dollars towards programs that do the exact opposite of what they think.U.S. and Mexican government officials say the military strategy, while difficult, is working.What does that even mean? You said you were trying to reduce violence and you increased it. Unless your goal is to eventually kill everyone in Mexico, it's not working."This battle is a full frontal assault," Monte Alejandro Rubido, Calderon's senior adviser on drug policy on Mexico's National Security Council, said in an interview. "There are no alternatives."Yes there are. And the only rational and humane choice you have is to begin discussing them now before thousands more lives are needlessly lost. There is only so much the Mexican people can tolerate and it's really just a matter of time before the war has to be stopped. This plan didn't work last year and it wonât start working next year. It's not hard to understand the reluctance of so many who bear responsibility for this to admit that they've been wrong all along. The countless lives lost and destroyed are not something anyone wants on their conscience and the human mind is a powerful tool for shielding desperate people from uncomfortable truths. Still, the battlefield that smolders before us is obviously here to stay as long as we continue down the hopeless path our governments have chosen for us. As long as this has gone on, it nonetheless stands to reason that it cannot continue forever.It is vastly nobler to admit failure in the name of progress than to continue it out of fear and shame.