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Rhode Island Senate Votes to Create Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
Good news from Rhode Island: PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Rhode Island Senate Wednesday afternoon approved a bill to allow licensed dispensaries -- known as "compassion centers" -- to grow and sell marijuana to the estimated 600 patients who currently have the state's blessing to use the drug for medicinal purposes.The vote was 35-2. The bill now moves to the House. [Providence Journal]This should get through the House, but Gov. Carcieri vetoed a similar bill last year and is likely to do the same this time around. Click here to contact him.
New Hampshire Senate Votes to Legalize Medical Marijuana
Good news from New Hampshire:CONCORD, N.H.âThe state Senate has joined the House in endorsing medicinal marijuana use by residents with crippling ailments.The 14-10 Senate vote Wednesday sent the bill back to the House to review relatively minor changes. If the House endorses the changes and Gov. John Lynch signs the bill, New Hampshire would be the 14th state to legalize medicinal marijuana. [Boston Globe]It looks like this will get through the House, but I don't know anything about Gov. Lynch's intentions. Click here to contact him.
Minnesota Senate Votes to Legalize Medical Marijuana
Good news from Minnesota:After a debate pitting compassion for those suffering from the pain of cancer or HIV-AIDS against concerns about abuse and violence from expanded availability of a "gateway drug," the Minnesota Senate gave tentative approval Wednesday to the use of marijuana for medical purposes in the state. The 36-28 vote came despite questions about whether the measure fully defines who would be eligible and whether it provides proper safeguards against potential abuse. [Star-Tribune]The bill could still get blocked in the House and a veto from Gov. Pawlenty is a definite possibility. If you're in Minnesota, click here to contact your legislators in support of medical marijuana.
Rep. Engel Introduces Bill to Create Independent Drug Policy Commission
This looks promising:WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congressman Eliot L. Engel â the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere â has introduced the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission Act of 2009, a bill that will create an independent commission to evaluate US policies and programs aimed at reducing illicit drug supply and demand."Billions upon billions of US taxpayer dollars have been spent over the years to fight the drug war in Latin America and the Caribbean," says Engel. "In spite of our efforts, since the early 1980s, the number of US lifetime drug users has steadily risen for marijuana, cocaine and heroin. Clearly, the time has come to reexamine our counternarcotics efforts here at home and throughout the Americas." [LAHT]Great. Let's do that. Let's reexamine the hell out of this. Good idea.But I can't wait to see who comes forward to oppose the idea of examining our drug policy and trying to make it less bad. Amazingly, there will be people in Congress who come forward to argue that our drug policy is awesome the way it is and we should be proud that so many people are getting killed because that means things are really getting good.By the way, Rep. Engel who introduced this bill is a strange character who voted the right way on the Hinchey Amendment (to end mmj raids) every single time, but also introduced legislation to ban selling prosthetic penises used to cheat on drug tests.
The Federal Government Grows Some of the Worst Marijuana in America
This story from FOX Memphis provides a rare glimpse into the federal government's massive marijuana grow-op:My favorite part is when Dr. Mahmoud Elsohly boasts about the high quality of the government pot he grows, then proceeds to demonstrate by sticking his hand in a barrel of disgusting brown schwag. It's all ground up, and you can see the stems sticking out. Anyone can plainly see that the government's weed just sucks.I also noticed how the FOX story explained that the marijuana is used for research purposes, but conveniently left out the fact that the government actually provides medical marijuana to a small group of patients, while simultaneously prohibiting medical marijuana under federal law. I guess that contradiction was too much for a local FOX affiliate to explore in a fluffy pot-porn segment. Or, more likely, Dr. Elsohly never mentioned it to the reporter.Given the popular urban myth that government-grown marijuana is super-potent, it's amusing to consider how stunningly bad it actually is. Ironies aside, however, it's actually a serious problem that these guys don't know what they're doing. They won't make any of their product available to researchers seeking to make marijuana an FDA-approved medication, and even if researchers gained access, the material is so weak that you couldn't do much with it.Someone else needs to be growing marijuana for research purposes, but the DEA won't allow it because they're afraid of what the research will show. Our friends at MAPS and ACLU have spent years in court trying to gain approval for one well-qualified scientist to grow research-grade marijuana, and they've been blocked at every turn. Unless the Obama Administration intervenes before May 1, the DEA's Final Order will take effect and the effort to establish an independent source of research-grade marijuana will return to square one.Click here to encourage Obama to support science over politics by allowing independent marijuana cultivation for research purposes.
Even Cowboys Want to Legalize Drugs
This Washington Post story on LEAP's Howard Wooldridge is just awesome:Yes, that is exactly what he's like. I'm honestly not sure I've met anyone in the reform movement as intensely focused as Howard. All he ever does is lobby for reform everywhere he goes, anyone he meets. He rode across the country on horseback doing this. Twice, if I recall correctly. He even lobbied me to support legalizing drugs, which was unnecessary, but I must admit that I did become slightly more convinced.
Jim Webb Says Marijuana Legalization is "On the table"
I didn't get a chance to mention this on Thursday and I didnât want any of you to miss it:The leader of a congressional effort to reform the criminal justice system said Thursday that all issues â including drug legalization â need to be on the table.Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), who has made criminal justice and prison reform a signature issue of his this year in Congress, is the most high-profile lawmaker to indicate openness to drug decriminalization or outright legalization.â¦"Nothing should be off the table," he said. [The Hill]Indeed, why begin the inquiry by politicizing the discussion and arbitrarily dismissing approaches whose merits have yet to be explored? Hopefully, this means we'll be seeing some actual discussion of alternatives to prohibition taking place in Congress. After all, keeping things on the table implies that we will be talking about them rather than pretending they donât exist. Surely, our opponents aren't afraid to debate the subject and would welcome a lively conversation about the pros and cons of legalizing drugs.
several gangsters with 69 charges
Back in my day it was a regular thing to read about 176 people up on 200 charges and this happened every three months or so.The RCMP would run one,Vancouver would run one various local forces ran them
Bullets for ballots
Sounds like Iran/Contra but without the CIA.I sent the article to Dave but you may have to google[24hrsWed April,2009]It shows the Canadian and provincial action plan for dealing with a gang problem.T
Sentencing Postponed in the Charlie Lynch Trial
I spent all afternoon getting geared up to go ballistic over this, only to learn that nothing happened:The sentencing of Morro Bay, California medical marijuana dispensary owner Charles Lynch has been delayed yet again, this time until June 11. According to Reason.tv producer Ted Balaker, who has followed the Lynch saga from its start, the mood in the courtroom was guardedly optimistic, especially as Judge George H. Wu openly expressed his sympathy for Lynch."To be blunt, if I could find a way out, I would," said Wu, referring to mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines that insist Lynch get at least five years in prison. However, Wu summarily dismissed the notion of disregarding the guidelines, claiming it would simply be a "monumental waste of time" because such a decision would be overruled by a higher court. [Reason]I'm not sure what this postponement means. It's definitely not a bad thing, though. If nothing else, it gives us more time to contact DOJ and the White House in support of Charlie. Please do exactly that. Here's some background for those that need it:
Opposing Medical Marijuana is Politically Risky
This new poll from New Hampshire casts further doubt on the rapidly unraveling notion that politicians must support harsh marijuana policies to get votes:The Granite State Poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center showed that 45 percent of residents said they were more likely to vote for a Senate candidate who supports legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes.The poll showed that 24 percent of residents said they would be less likely to vote for such a candidate. Another 26 percent said it would make no difference. [WMUR]Clearly, supporting medical marijuana legalization is by far the safest choice for New Hampshire politicians. The margins are likely smaller in many states, but I bet you'd see a clear preference for pro-medical marijuana candidates throughout most of the country. It's exactly this type of data that matters at this stage in our efforts. We've crossed a threshold in terms of educating our political culture about this issue. They know who we are and what we want. Our biggest challenge is demonstrating that political trends in fact favor reform decisively on certain issues and that opposition to something like medical marijuana will fairly reliably get you in trouble at the polls. The numbers are already on our side, but I suspect we'll have to start being more aggressive to drive the point home. When we start launching vicious swiftboat-style attack ads accusing our opponents of wanting to arrest cancer patients, they'll suddenly become a lot more interested in what the polls say.
Poking Around in a Teenager's Panties is a Sick Crime (Unless It's a Drug Search)
At age 13, Savana Redding was strip-searched by school officials who suspected her of possessing prescription Ibuprofen. It turned out their information was bad, but they are so proud of what they did that they've defended their actions all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Soon, the right to drug-search young girls' underpants may be firmly enshrined in our jurisprudence, so that the whims of drug hysteria will decide when it's appropriate to do that, rather than some old list of high-minded legal principles. That this incident even happened is disturbing enough before one tries to come to terms with the fact that the Supreme Court appears likely to uphold the search. Perverts.
Wow, These 4/20 Celebrations Are Surprisingly Safe
Actually, I'm not very surprised. But this should come as a shock to anyone who thinks we need cops to protect us from the dangers of marijuana:SANTA CRUZ -- The phrase "getting baked" took on a dual meaning Monday for several thousand marijuana enthusiasts who braved record-breaking heat to smoke up at the annual 4/20 party in Porter Meadow at UC Santa Cruz.â¦Despite the 96-degree heat, which shattered a 110-year-old record of 88 degrees for the day, there were no medical incidents reported. [San Jose Mercury News]There were also no reported incidents of anyone stealing from their little sister, or getting straight D's, or leaving their ex-girlfriend 27 messages, or making their mother cry, and other stuff like thatâ¦
If You Think the Drug War Protects Young People, Read This
CNN has a story on teenage drug smuggling that pretty much murders the notion that drug prohibition is creating a barrier between youth and drugs:As an American, [Danny] Santos could freely cross the El Paso-Juarez border and not raise suspicion. At age 15, Santos says, he met "a guy" at a party who introduced him to drug kingpins in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico."You start off as a driver," Santos said. "People feel like they can trust you, then you move up to something bigger."Two weeks later, he got a $4,000 job offer to drive his first load of marijuana across a bridge into El Paso. It was the beginning of a four-year smuggling career.Of course, a 15-year-old kid can't get a job driving a beer truck, but he can make thousands smuggling drugs for a cartel in Ciudad Juarez. Does this sound right at all? US. Customs and Border Protection officials in El Paso and San Diego report that in recent months, they've seen a rise in the number of juvenile drug smugglers getting busted at border checkpoints.So right now, in 2009, the problem of teenagers becoming drug smugglers is escalating. After decades of trying to perfect our drug war strategies, all you have to do is open any newspaper and you'll immediately see some seriously messed-up stuff going on that we didn't even used to have to worry about. It just gets worse all the time every time you look at it and I couldn't exaggerate how bad it is no matter how hard I try. I shudder to consider how much more hell on earth it may take to finally prove that the drug war is the problem and not the solution.
Obama's Fraudulent Pledge to Respect Medical Marijuana Laws
The legal plight of medical marijuana provider Charlie Lynch has provided a useful instrument with which to measure the new administration's commitment to respecting state medical marijuana laws. Attorney General Eric Holder has stated that only cases involving violation of state laws will be pursued, prompting the judge in Lynch's trial to request guidance from the Dept. of Justice before handing down the sentence. Here's what came back: â¦in response to the Court's inquiries, the Office of the Deputy Attorney General has reviewed the facts of this case and determined that the investigation, prosecution, and conviction of defendant are entirely consistent with the policies of DOJ and with public statements made by the Attorney General with respect to marijuana prosecutions.Huh!? That can only be true if Lynch violated California's medical marijuana laws, which hasn't been proven in court (he was only charged under federal law), and is entirely inconsistent with his well-documented cooperation with local authorities including the city council and chamber of commerce. Charlie Lynch is exactly the sort of defendant we aren't supposed to be seeing anymore under Obama, and yet here he is, scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday and the new administration won't lift a finger to stop it. He'll likely receive a 5-year mandatory minimum for doing something the President has repeatedly said would not be prosecuted under his administration. It's just that simple.On Thursday, we'll find out exactly how much Obama's campaign promises were worth. This won't go down quietly. Stay tuned.
Supreme Court Restricts Warrantless Vehicle Searches
The Supreme Court's decision in Arizona v. Gant today was a pleasant surprise. The Court struck a blow against the deeply flawed search-incident-to-arrest doctrine that has permitted police to perform a vehicle search anytime someone in the car is arrested. For the last 28 years, concerns over officer safety have been held to permit ridiculous numbers of automatic vehicle searches that had more to do with the drug war than officer safety. My thoughts on the case are over at Flex Your Rights.
The Mainstream Media Wishes You a Happy 4/20
NYT celebrates the annual marijuana holiday with a cheerful piece about how everyone loves marijuana and wants it to be legal. At least that's what I picked up from the article. No quote in there from Calvina Fay warning that the fun will soon be replaced by great misery.Better yet, The Hill has a piece noting some support for legalization in Congress, namely from Reps. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.), Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), and Ron Paul (R-Texas). Well, that's a start I guess. When these courageous leaders are re-elected, perhaps others will finally get the message that working to fix bad drug laws is something a lot of people support. Here's an interesting quote:"There are a lot of people who understand that [the current war on drugs has been a failure], but they are afraid to politically say so," Rohrabacher said. "If it was a vote â a blind vote where nobody knew who was voting â you would have overwhelming support for legalizing marijuana out there, but they will never vote for it because they are afraid of taking on a controversial issue."After all the heat Obama has taken for opposing legalization, we're finally on pace to turn that logic on its head. Rohrabacher's theory underscores the important point that the challenge for us lies not so much in convincing politicians to change their minds about legalization, rather we must get them to act on what many of them already know in their hearts.And best of all, our friends at NORML are launching a national TV ad campaign. It's about damn time.Oh, and Steve Bloom has "The Real Story of 420" in case anyone's confused about that.
Baptist Pastor Assaulted After Refusing Police Search
Cross-posted from Flex Your RightsThis story has been circulating around the web and is generating some media attention as well:Obviously, this is a deeply troubling example of a worst-case outcome for a citizen who asserted constitutional rights during a police encounter. Given that our mission is to help people understand and assert these rights, we regret that events like this happen as often as they do. Fortunately, the internet itself has become a useful tool not only for educating the public about their rights, but also for exposing police who violate the constitutional rights of the people they're supposed to protect. Some might say Steven Anderson's experience is an example of how police just do whatever they want. Yet Steven Anderson is exactly the type of brave citizen whose decision to assert his rights could ultimately have a meaningful impact. It is precisely because too many police officers continue to recklessly disregard the basic rights of innocent people that we must make sure all citizens have the tools to confidently assert their rights if and when they feel compelled to do so. This incident will likely culminate in a high-profile lawsuit that could change the way similar situations are handled in the future. If it weren't for Anderson's decision to flex his rights, there's no question that the officers he encountered would be out there right now abusing other people, instead of being investigated for civil rights violations.Protecting Yourself at Police CheckpointsInside-the-border checkpoints like the one Anderson encountered are dubious in their legality and rely heavily on coercion. Although you are not technically obligated to answer any questions or agree to a search, officers will generally expect you to comply and will usually become aggressive if you donât cooperate. If you choose to flex your rights in this situation, do so politely and don't be surprised if the situation escalates. If officers ask to search your vehicle and you refuse, they can legally conduct a dog-sniff of the outside of your vehicle (provided that a dog is present at the scene). If the dog indicates that there is contraband in your vehicle, that creates probable cause for officers to conduct a search. Unfortunately, officers sometimes falsely claim that the dog has detected contraband so that they can perform a search legally. In this situation, state clearly that you don't agree to the search, but do not resist. You can challenge the search later.If you feel that your rights were violated, don't say anything to the officers. Write everything down as soon as possible and contact an attorney. Click here for more on responding to police misconduct.
Deprivation of Rights/Oppression - how I got into politics, and how they've beaten me...
My experiences have shown me how little Government (collectively) cares for the Rule of Law, and the "rights" of the people they claim they can overcome at will.