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Obama to Reconsider Federal Blockade Against Medical Marijuana Research
Wow, it's almost hard to keep up. Here's yet another potentially major breakthrough on the medical marijuana front:Days before President Bush left office in January, his administration fired a parting shot at Professor Lyle Craker's eight-year quest to cultivate marijuana for medical research by abruptly denying him a federal license despite a nearly two-year old Drug Enforcement Administration law judge's recommendation that he receive one.But the new administration led by President Obama, who has publicly backed the use of marijuana for medical purposes to stave off pain, might reverse the decision and keep Craker's license application from going up in smoke.A source familiar with the case said the White House will likely demand that the decision be reviewed."Basically they want to do an autopsy of what occurred and have it go through a proper review," the source said. [National Journal]Anonymous sources can be misleading, so I called Aaron Houston at MPP, who told me the story is true and graciously did not request anonymity. Of course, it remains to be seen whether the administration's review ultimately results in reversal of the research blockade, but the fact that they're looking into it is a very positive indication. It should prove difficult to examine this issue without seeing it for what it is: a prolonged and transparently dishonest effort to obstruct medical marijuana research by preventing researchers from producing marijuana and denying them access to existing sources.Given yesterday's reaffirmation of Obama's pledge to respect state medical marijuana laws, it seems that a positive pattern has emerged here. The new administration is re-evaluating the issue from multiple angles and finding that medical marijuana has been mishandled at the federal level in more than one way. It's tremendously encouraging to see the executive branch taking interest in corrupt political obstructionism at the DEA. I'd encourage them to expand the inquiry beyond just medical marijuana.
Attorney General Holder Says Feds Will Respect State Medical Marijuana Laws
At a press conference yesterday:U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. said Wednesday that the Justice Department has no plans to prosecute pot dispensaries that are operating legally under state laws in California and a dozen other states -- a development that medical marijuana advocates and civil libertarians hailed as a sweeping change in federal drug policy. [Los Angeles Times]This should remove doubt once and for all about the direction the new administration is heading with regards to medical marijuana. There's been some confusion about this, but Holder himself has been consistent in maintaining that medical marijuana providers operating legally under state law will be left alone.The biggest remaining question is what will become of unresolved criminal cases initiated during the Bush administration. Charlie Lynch, whose recent federal conviction has become a national controversy, will be sentenced next week. Lynch and others like him are lingering casualties in a war that's been called off at the highest levels of government. The president and attorney general are on the right track, but the job isnât done until the innocent victims of the war on medical marijuana are set free.
DEA Mexico Chief Reyes Lists Reasons To End Marijuana Prohibition
From an article published on
Former Drug Czar Doesn't Care if you Grow Marijuana
From our friends at SSDP, here's video of former drug czar Barry McCaffrey sounding strangely agnostic about the marijuana debate:It's really a remarkable statement from a guy who presided over a massive escalation of the war on drugs. He says now that he's "not in public life" he doesn't care anymore. So I guess as drug czar he was just doing his job? Unbelievable.
Behind Bars in the Land of the Free
The Cato Institute is hosting an online debate/discussion on incarceration, featuring posts from experts with diverse perspectives on the issue. I haven't had time to dig into it yet, but Pete Guither has posted some interesting excerpts and reactions.
The Debate Over Medical Marijuana Should Have Ended a Decade Ago
NORML's Paul Armentano has a piece at reason marking the 10th anniversary of the government-funded Institute of Medicine report, which proved beyond any doubt that marijuana is medicine. The debate should have ended right then, but our opponents adopted a desperate strategy of claiming that the report said something other than what it clearly said.Fortunately, the American people took matters into their own hands we've made tremendous progress over the past decade towards increasing patient access and changing the tone of the debate. Our opponents have almost entirely conceded marijuana's medicinal value and now resort to the pathetic fallback position of saying that smoking is bad and patients should take THC pills instead.We've been proven right morally, scientifically and even politically. But it's still amazing to think that only a few short years ago our opponents were still claiming that marijuana wasn't medicine. Now that everyone knows those people were dead wrong, it's worth considering how phenomenally irresponsible it really was to withhold the truth about a medicine that could have helped people. Paul makes an important point that after years of legal medical access in several states, anyone can plainly see that opponents of medical marijuana weren't just wrong about science. They were wrong about every single bad thing they said would happen if medical marijuana became legal. Many of those people are still considered experts on drug policy. They shouldnât be.
Is it Even Intellectually Possible to "Oppose" Medical Marijuana?
I was taking this online poll at The Chicago Tribune about medical marijuana and the wording got me thinking:Do you support the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes?Naturally, over 90% said yes because only a small number of really difficult people still have a problem with medical marijuana. But what do these people even mean that they don't "support the use of marijuana for medical purposes?" There are FDA approved medications with the same active ingredient as marijuana. Saying "marijuana isn't medicine" isn't an opinion, it's a factual error.Really, the poll question might as well read: Do you support the use of medicine for medicinal purposes?
Police Dispatcher Fired for Giving Medical Marijuana to Sick Relative
Via MPP, another example of the daily idiocy that will continue until medical marijuana use is protected throughout the country:Laura Llanes does not regret buying her aunt marijuana, even though it has cost her a job as police dispatcher.She was stunned, nevertheless, when she was fired last week after admitting she bought the marijuana to help relieve her aunt's suffering through breast cancer and chemotherapy.Marijuana for medicinal purposes is legal with a prescription in 13 states; Illinois is not one of them.Llanes, 28, of Lake Villa remains adamant she did the right thing, saying her biggest mistake was telling a few co-workers what she had done: "They ratted me out."Her aunt, who lives in Aurora, was "sick constantly, not eating, not having an appetite. She is diabetic. She has to eat. She was whittling away to nothing," said Llanes."I thought I will get her some marijuana so it would get her to eat. It worked. She did get the munchies." [Chicago Tribune]It's a sad story to be sure, but if there's a bright side, it's that this entire story in The Chicago Tribune makes opponents of medical marijuana sound like monsters. There's a bill in the Illinois legislature to end this madness once and for all. I hope the state's legislators read the paper today, because this story tells you everything you need to know about why medical marijuana laws are needed.
Ron Paul Murders Stephen Baldwin in Marijuana Legalization Debate
Whether you love Ron Paul, hate Stephen Baldwin, or just like to watch videos on the internet, this is for you:
Police Lobby for Harsh Marijuana Laws
Pete Guither points out that police don't just enforce harsh drug laws. They actively try to convince legislators to support laws that give them more power to put people in jail. Something to keep in mind the next time police say they're "just enforcing the law."
Pennsylvania Liquor Store Employees Will Now be Nicer to You
Via Radley Balko, the irony is truly staggering:HARRISBURG, Pa. â Pennsylvania liquor store clerks need to be more bubbly when they're selling Champagne.The state's Liquor Control Board is spending more than $173,000 to try to make workers friendlier and more well-mannered at the nearly 650 stores it operates. The board says it wants to make sure clerks are saying "hello," "thank you" and "come again" to customers shopping for wine and spirits. [Comcast.net]Seriously, alcohol users donât need you to be nicer to them. Just be glad you can buy alcohol in a safe place, with products labeled for purity and no fear that you'll be charged with "intent to distribute" if police find a case of beer in your trunk.Instead of being nicer to alcohol users, can we finally stop destroying people's lives for choosing other intoxicants instead?
Police Shoot Unarmed Marijuana Suspect
As long as the war on marijuana continues, police will continue shooting harmless people:GRAND RAPIDS -- The family of a Grand Valley State University student shot by police said he did nothing to provoke gunfire in a drug raid at the student's off-campus apartment."All he had time to do was cover his face from a flashlight in his eyes, and they shot him," George Copp said today. [MLive.com]Police havenât even announced what, if anything, was found in the raid. Of course, the shooting was reprehensible either way, but it's just another reminder that police use these violent, confrontational tactics without even having good information. Believe me, if there was more than a pinch of dope in that apartment, the police would have told everyone about it by now. The one thing we do know about Derek Copp is that he's a hippie and he smokes pot. We know this because some intrepid journalist got into his Facebook page and published portions of it in the newspaper. Great job! Now that you're done frolicking on Facebook, can you please go find out why the hell the cops shot this guy?
Suppressed cure for cancer and other illnesses
Please watch the whole thing before making a judgement on it.
THE BOTTOM OF THE MIND - Part 4 by Kay Lee
THE BOTTOM OF THE MIND: Depression - Part 4 by Kay Lee Â
the 36th in one month
And the Premier wants a prison just for gang members.Where do these people do their research.In the 70's it was addicts that were segregated as it was felt it was spreading the plague to do otherwise.
Thanks for all you do!
This is a thanks for ya you do. I am a loyal supporter of this site with medical issues that some of your news helps me with.
New Drug Czar Appointed, Makes Ridiculous Remark
At his nomination announcement yesterday, drug czar appointee Gil Kerlikowske got his first chance to practice saying stuff that makes no sense:For too long, we have operated, as the Vice President said, in silence when it comes to making our country drug free and reducing the demand for drugs. [NYT]Oh, crap. He said "drug free." He's one of those people. I mean, honestly, since when is there a shortage of proud prohibitionists proclaiming important progress at every opportunity? If there was ever a moment when no one was yelling about making the country drug free, somebody should have told me so I could bask in it.Other things worth noting about the drug czar appointment:*The position has been downgraded from cabinet status. Interesting, but thatâs the way it was before Bush, so not a huge deal. *The nomination announcement was made by Joe Biden, who carried on about his work on drug policy. Not encouraging. *Joe Biden says the drug czarâs office "hasn't gotten the attention that it should have,â which I think means he wants the new drug czar to be more visible than in the past. Sounds potentially annoying.All of this serves to remind us that the drug war doctrine still rules in D.C., but I donât think our cautious optimism about the new drug czar is misplaced. New opponents have taken the stage and we will challenge them as we did their predecessors. The reform argument is gaining a lot of momentum this year and the new administration will face unprecedented pressure to acknowledge fundamental flaws in our drug policy. Stay tuned.