Group Aims To Dispel Misconceptions About Substance Sustainability is a prevalent topic of discussion at the U, and the Students for Sensible Drug Policy are promoting another method of sustainability-hemp. The third annual Hempfest begins Sept. 29 on the Union Patio. "Hempfest is dedicated to promoting the sustainability and versatility of hemp and marijuana," said Valerie Douroux, director of SSDP at the U and a film and media arts major. Douroux wants students at the U to know the difference between hemp and marijuana and how they could be used to better the community and world, she said. [continues 287 words]
Prohibition has failed -- again. Drug prohibition has proven remarkably ineffective, costly and counter-productive. 500,000 people are behind bars today for violating a drug law - and hundreds of thousands more are incarcerated for other prohibition-related violations. There is a smarter approach usually called harm reduction. Reducing the number of people who use drugs is not nearly as important as reducing the death, disease, crime, and suffering associated with both drug misuse and failed policies of prohibition. Ethan Nadelmann is the founder and executive director of the DRUG POLICY ALLIANCE, the leading organizations in the United States promoting alternatives to the war on drugs, grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights. He received his BA, JD, and PhD from Harvard, and a Master's degree in international relations from the London School of Economics. He authored COPS ACROSS BORDERS and co-authored POLICING THE GLOBE: Criminalization and Crime Control in International Relations. [continues 5301 words]
If you choose to partake, at least do it right The leaves are changing color, and it's not because you ate a special mushroom pizza. The air is crisp, the nights are getting longer, and you're drinking coffee at 4 am. It's fall, and time to go back to school. Before you set up your new MacBook and stake out your dorm room claim, take a moment to educate yourself on the local drug scene. You don't want to get kicked out of a head shop, land in the local lock-up, or buy crappy drugs. [continues 1323 words]
A West Virginia University student organization is collecting signatures for a petition in support of legalizing marijuana in the country. The Students for Sensible Drug Policy have joined in a movement across college campuses in support of Proposition 19, California's legalization measure being voted on in November. Drew Stromberg, president of WVU's SSDP chapter, said his group has joined a challenge called, "Just Say Now Campus Challenge: Legalize Marijuana." The aim of the challenge is to collect signatures in support of legalization of marijuana, Stromberg said. [continues 297 words]
Californians have a chance to make history in November when they vote on Proposition 19, which would legalize marijuana for adults over 21. Polls collectively show voters split but leaning toward this momentous stand against failed marijuana prohibition. Ten weeks from Election Day, it's clear how much Prop. 19 has already accomplished for the drug policy reform movement. Prop. 19 is arguably the highest profile voter initiative in the nation and has unleashed a torrent of global interest. The initiative has generated thousands of international stories, explicitly discussing this alternative to our disastrous policies. In particular, Prop. 19 has radically accelerated the public's understanding of the relative harms of marijuana, tobacco and alcohol, validating the widespread suspicion that a fundamental hypocrisy lies at the heart of the outright ban on marijuana -- as evidenced by the endorsement of former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders. [continues 426 words]
Ten Weeks From Election Day, It's Clear How Much Prop. 19 Has Already Accomplished for the Drug Policy Reform Movement. Californians have a chance to make history in November when they vote on Proposition 19, which would legalize marijuana for adults over 21. Polls collectively show voters split but leaning toward this momentous stand against failed marijuana prohibition. Ten weeks from Election Day, it's clear how much Prop. 19 has already accomplished for the drug policy reform movement. Conventional wisdom about changing marijuana laws previously called for waiting until at least 2012. It was assumed waiting would allow the reform movement time to build more support for the issue and to rely on the larger, younger electorate that inevitably accompanies a presidential election. Sensing the time was right this year, Oakland-based medical marijuana entrepreneur Richard Lee ignored that conventional wisdom. He brought together a top notch team to carefully draft an initiative, put up his own money to collect signatures, built an impressive campaign, and took Prop. 19 to the people. [continues 542 words]
KALAMAZOO - Kalamazoo city voters won't be deciding a marijuana enforcement ballot proposal until at least November 2011, after a petition initiative to put it to a vote in November fell more than 700 signatures short. Kalamazoo City Clerk Scott Borling said Friday fewer than five of every dozen signatures appearing on the petitions were from Kalamazoo residents who are registered to vote here. Petitions circulated by the Kalamazoo Coalition for Pragmatic Cannabis Laws sought to change the way small amounts of the drug are dealt with by city law enforcement. The amendment proposed making possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana by those 21 or older "the lowest possible priority" for law enforcement. [continues 458 words]
The campaign to legalize marijuana is attracting much more money than opponents, but Tax Cannabis 2010 backer Richard Lee worries that it might not be enough. Hundreds of California citizens allied with the state's medical cannabis industry outspent law enforcement establishment by a ratio of five to one on the effort to roll back eighty years of pot prohibition in the now-broke Golden State. Campaign finance reports released last week show Tax Cannabis 2010 received $176,430 in monetary contributions from this period, which covers April 1 to June 30, 2010, and also received $37,609 in non-monetary contributions for a total of $214,040. The drug law reform group has an ending cash balance of $61,933 after expenditures. [continues 720 words]
As a representative of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, the primary organization working to reduce the negative impact that both drug abuse and drug policies have on young people and students, I couldn't disagree more with the statements made by Lyndon E. Lafferty ("Don't let the marijuana myth live on," July 25). Claiming that more teens are in treatment for marijuana than any other drug is a distortion. They aren't there because they think they have a problem. They are placed into treatment because they have been arrested for marijuana possession and given an ultimatum. Getting arrested and thrown into the criminal justice system is the biggest problem marijuana has caused many of these young people. I saw this firsthand during my time as a substance abuse counselor with teens. [continues 141 words]
As a representative of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, the primary organization working to reduce the negative impact that both drug abuse and drug policies have on young people and students, I couldn't disagree more with the statements made by Lyndon E. Lafferty ("Don't let the marijuana myth live on," July 25). Claiming that more teens are in treatment for marijuana than any other drug is a distortion. They aren't there because they think they have a problem. They are placed into treatment because they have been arrested for marijuana possession and given an ultimatum. Getting arrested and thrown into the criminal justice system is the biggest problem marijuana has caused many of these young people. I saw this firsthand during my time as a substance abuse counselor with teens. [continues 125 words]
Michele Leonhart has been a nightmare as the head of the DEA. Following recent raids, medical marijuana advocacy groups have called on President Barack Obama to withdraw nomination of Michele Leonhart to be DEA administrator. The following organizations have called on President Obama to withdraw the nomination of Leonhart if she does not end the attacks on individuals acting in compliance with state medical marijuana laws and commit to making decisions related to medical marijuana based on science, not a personal anti-marijuana bias: California NORML; Drug Policy Alliance (DPA); Law Enforcement Against Prohibition; Marijuana Policy Project; National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML); and Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP). [continues 424 words]
Can Oaksterdam Weed Magnate Richard Lee Push Legalization Over The Top? (July 29, 2010) One day last month, Richard Lee was able to snatch a few minutes of freedom from the chaos of his daily life at his Oaksterdam University, the centerpiece of Oakland's marijuana district. In the previous 15 minutes he had checked the enrollment figures for a growing workshop he was scheduled to teach that weekend, made a snap decision about some future students who said they were promised reduced tuition and had his photo taken for High Times magazine, constantly consulting with his assistant while rolling around the aisles on two floors of his flagship business. [continues 2896 words]
With Only a Few Months to Go Until the Election, the Campaign to Legalize Marijuana in California Has Only $50,000 in Cash on Hand. The Question Now Is: How Can It Win? Today, at least a third of Americans say they've tried smoking weed. Is it possible that after half a century of increasingly mainstreamed pot use the public is ready for marijuana to be legal? We may soon find out. California has long been on the front lines of marijuana policy. In 1996, it became the first state to legalize medical cannabis. This year, the Tax Cannabis initiative -- now officially baptized Proposition 19 -- may very well be the best chance any state has ever had at legalizing the consumption, possession and cultivation of marijuana for anyone over 21. [continues 4084 words]
New Mexico's medicinal marijuana program is running dry. The state has only 11 growers to satisfy the demand of the 2,000 patients prescribed cannabis for chronic illness. This position leaves many patients rationing medication or turning to the illegal market, while the state wants to ensure that its program for growing cannabis remains legal, said Len Goodman, executive director of NewMexicann, a nonprofit organization that grows medicinal marijuana. Goodman said his company distributes to about 750 patients but said he cannot provide enough for all of them. [continues 577 words]
Editor; Junk food will kill many times more Canadians this year than all illegal drugs combined. Drugs aren't the problem. Drugs do not possess magical powers that force people to do things. It is our ridiculous, racist, arbitrary and wildly counterproductive prohibition laws causing the problems. And that is not an 'opinion', as this article was; it is backed by a century of science, history and common sense. We live in a culture that glamorizes sex, fun, danger, thrills, law scoffing, risk-taking, rule breaking, power, wealth-acquisition and authority resisting. We advertise booze, fast cars, fast food, violent movies and video games and drugs of all kinds right on TV. [continues 280 words]
I hope Mayor John Cook realizes that the debate for marijuana legalization needs to happen. After vetoing a unanimously approved resolution calling for such a debate last year, Cook and the rest of America have watched Mexico's drug war death toll exceed 22,000 people. Despite increasing troops and escalating a war on drugs, there has been no decrease in drug use, availability or flow over the border. There has only been more bloodshed. Like Mayor Cook, I don't want young people using marijuana. But I understand that keeping it illegal doesn't stop teenagers from having easy access to it. [continues 87 words]
I hope Mayor John Cook realizes that the debate for marijuana legalization needs to happen. After vetoing a unanimously approved resolution calling for such a debate last year, Cook and the rest of America have watched Mexico's drug war death toll exceed 22,000 people. Despite increasing troops and escalating a war on drugs, there has been no decrease in drug use, availability or flow over the border. There has only been more bloodshed. Like Mayor Cook, I don't want young people using marijuana. But I understand that keeping it illegal doesn't stop teenagers from having easy access to it. [continues 81 words]
Tvert: Unlike Alcohol, Marijuana Causes No Deaths Outlawing marijuana steers people toward drinking alcohol, the director of a marijuana advocacy organization said in a speech at Northwestern on Wednesday evening. The Food and Drug Administration does not approve of marijuana and the federal government classifies it as an illegal drug. But Mason Tvert, executive director for Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation, said to nearly a dozen NU students that marijuana is safer than alcohol and should be legalized. Peace Project and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws-Students for Sensible Drug Policy co-sponsored the event to prompt NU students to scrutinize the country's drug policy and foment dialogue about it, Peace Project President Alexa Razma said. [continues 388 words]
KALAMAZOO - A student drug policy reform organization at Western Michigan University is joining a local marijuana reform group's efforts to soften pot laws in the city of Kalamazoo. The Kalamazoo Coalition for Pragmatic Cannabis Laws wants to amend the city charter to state that the possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana by those 21 and older should be "the lowest possible priority" for law enforcement. If approved by voters, Kalamazoo would become the first city in Michigan with such a law. [continues 379 words]
While sex was the headlined hypocrisy behind U.S. Rep. Mark Souder's resignation, the pietistic politician's sanctimony didn't stop there. Most of them wouldn't know Souder from Torquemada, but more than 200,000 Americans have taken a hit to their college educations thanks to his vigilance for virtue. Souder is the Moses of legislation denying federal financial aid to students convicted of a drug offense. No other crimes. Just drugs. Say your prayers every day, call Mom every night, get busted for pot and that big tuition bill is all on you. [continues 405 words]
Mark Souder resigned his congressional seat on Tuesday, confessing to an affair with a staffer and ending an eight-term career as a Republican from Indiana. In stepping down, he asked God for forgiveness in a rambling, all-caps public statement. "I SINNED AGAINST GOD, MY WIFE AND MY FAMILY BY HAVING A MUTUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH A PART-TIME MEMBER OF MY STAFF," he wrote. "MY COMFORT IS THAT GOD IS A GRACIOUS AND FORGIVING GOD TO THOSE WHO SINCERELY SEEK HIS FORGIVENESS AS I DO." [continues 558 words]
Tenants caught growing as few as six marijuana plants in their dwellings could face automatic jail terms of at least nine months, under a federal drug-sentencing bill revived Wednesday that imposes harsher penalties on home renters than on owners. The bill, introduced for the third time after dying twice before, proposes mandatory minimum jail terms for a variety of drug-related crimes, removing discretion for judges to sentence as they see fit. The Harper government's proposed legislation imposes stiffer punishment on renters than it does on homeowners, because involving a third party is one of several aggravating factors. [continues 468 words]
A pair of pro-marijuana events are coming to Corvallis as advocates push to get a measure aimed at legalizing the drug on the November ballot. Local pot promoters are planning a Corvallis Marijuana March on Saturday to coincide with marches in other cities organized by Cures Not Wars, a New York-based group that opposes the war on drugs. Sponsored by the Corvallis Cannabis Movement and Students for a Sensible Drug Policy, the local event will begin at 2 p.m. with a rally at the Benton County Courthouse. The march will start at 4:20 p.m., winding around the courthouse, the police station and City Hall before turning west on Monroe Avenue to Oregon State University and then heading back to Central Park. [continues 217 words]
As a Federally Licensed Medical Marijuana User who is also married to one, I consider DARE nothing less than a government-sponsored hate-crime. Sending military cops in to teach kids about drugs is like sending in a priest to teach them about sex: "Just don't, or you will be in trouble." Also, the fact that taxpayers' dollars are used for this fear and fealty campaign is sick and reprehensible in the extreme. It should be illegal to go into schools and deliberately frighten and mislead kids, but no, we use taxpayers' dollars and send cops in to do it! It isn't just irresponsible, it is obscene! [continues 425 words]
Editor, the Times: To The Editor, RE: Gangsters, meth dealers targeting 12-year-olds, Times April 23. "The only objective for organized crime is to make money and they don't care who consumes their product," he said. And this is because of prohibition. Honestly, what evidence, if any, do the police have to support the notion that more jails and more cops is going to fix this problem? They don't have any, because there isn't any. All the evidence shows that prohibition is the cause of this mess, not the solution to it. [continues 141 words]
Students for Sensible Drug Policy," or SSDP for short, is an organization comprised of student-run chapters at more than 100 colleges and universities around the country. Its goal is to achieve "a just and compassionate society where drug abuse is treated as a health issue instead of a criminal justice issue." They work towards this goal by encouraging "young people to participate in the political process, pushing for sensible policies . . . while fighting back against counterproductive drug war policies." Recently, the outreach director of the northeast and mid-Atlantic regions, Stacia Cosner, contacted me in regard to a column I wrote a few weeks ago about medicinal marijuana. She wanted to know if anyone would be interested in starting an SSDP chapter at N.C. State. I told her that I'm sure there are students here who would be interested and that an SSDP chapter would be beneficial to students at State - I'm hopeful I'll be able to find enough students w! ho agree with me. [continues 412 words]
Regarding Pat Doyle's March 25 column, if health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be legal. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail cells are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents. The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican immigration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. [continues 162 words]
Two bills that would end the criminal prohibition of marijuana use came before the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee last Wednesday. The first bill -- proposed by Rep. Edith Ajello, D-Providence, whose district includes College Hill -- would legalize the drug under certain conditions. The second bill -- introduced by Rep. John G. Edwards, D-Tiverton and Portsmouth -- would decriminalize marijuana consumption and levy a $150 fine for possession. The two bills come on the heels of a March recommendation by a state Senate study commission that the state decriminalize small amounts of the drug. [continues 910 words]
It's no secret that students smoke marijuana. Yet the stigma associated with the drug is such that even a head shop employee will deny that his customers use the glass bongs for anything besides tobacco or the incense for anything besides covering up the smell of cats. They don't even want to hear why you're buying the detoxifying drinks. "I am taking a test tomorrow, and I definitely smoked this morning," said one local customer inquiring about such detox products. [continues 1036 words]
In 2008, 63 percent of Michigan voters said "yes" to proposal one, which legalized the use of medical marijuana under physician appointment. Surrounding the Medical Marijuana Act of 2008 has been a firestorm of controversy, especially concerning the workplace. Section four of the Medical Marijuana Act of 2008 states that medical marijuana patients "shall not be subject to arrest, prosecution or penalty in any manner or denied any right or privilege including but not limited to civil penalty or disciplinary action by a business or occupational or professional licensing board or bureau, for the medical use of marihuana in accordance with this act." [continues 1237 words]
A national youth and student drug reform organization says young Canadians don't put much stock in the federal government's anti-drug approach, so it has created a new website it says may better educate young people about the risks they take by using drugs. Canadian Students for a Sensible Drug Policy designed www.not4me.org, which it says moves away from the government's "just say no" approach, which it calls ineffective. "One of the biggest failings of previous youth drug education programs is that young people don't take them seriously," said Caleb Chepesiuk, CSSDP staff member. [continues 145 words]
Dear Editor, Regarding Jess Eddy's April 9th column, if health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be legal. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Like any drug, marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail cells are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents. The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican immigration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been counterproductive at best. White Americans did not even begin to smoke pot until a soon-to-be entrenched federal bureaucracy began funding reefer madness propaganda. [continues 135 words]
************ 10 RULES FOR DEALING WITH THE POLICE AVAILABLE ONLINE Flex Your Rights has made their new film, 10 Rules for Dealing with Police, available for free on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmrbNLt7Om8 For more information see: http://flexyourrights.org/10_Rules/ ************ WILL CALIFORNIA LEGALIZE MARIJUANA? Q&A With Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, Who Wants to do Just That. http://reason.com/blog/2010/04/13/reasontv-will-california-legal ************ In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,010 Canadian adults, two-in-five respondents (42%, -2 since May 2008) believe Canada has a serious drug abuse problem that affects the whole country. [continues 460 words]
The Group NORML Will Work With SSDP to Push Forward on Drug Law Reformation. Claude Laude, a sophomore philosophy major, and Tyler Markwart, a senior organic agriculture and philosophy student, have spearheaded a new effort at WSU to reform drug laws. The two students are the respective presidents of the WSU chapters of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, and Students for Sensible Drug Policy, national organizations who share a general goal of decriminalizing and legalizing marijuana. The organizations were formed this year and have been growing and gaining recognition at WSU. They will host public events to gain support of pro-legalization of marijuana legislation in Washington. [continues 288 words]
National Student Organization Forms New Anti-Drug Website A national youth and student drug reform organization says young Canadians don't put much stock in the federal government's anti-drug approach, so it has created a new website it says may better educate young people about the risks they take by using drugs. Canadian Students for a Sensible Drug Policy designed www.not4me.org,which it says moves away from the government's "just say no" approach, which it calls ineffective. [continues 400 words]
A national youth and student drug reform organization says young Canadians don't put much stock in the federal government's anti-drug approach, so it has created a new website it says may better educate young people about the risks they take by using drugs. Canadian Students for a Sensible Drug Policy designed www.not4me.org, which it says moves away from the government's "just say no" approach, which it calls ineffective. The key is to talk with young people, not at them, said Tamara Kalnins, 24, a member of the group's board of directors. The group is particularly concerned with the government's decision to exclude alcohol, tobacco and pharmaceuticals from its prevention strategies. [end]
Editor, I'm a member of UNM's chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, and as such, it's one of my primary objectives to adequately inform students and faculty about the issues of drugs, the laws surrounding them and their impact on our world. It makes sense that New Mexico has a drug problem. Our high poverty levels, proximity to Mexico and significant minority populations are important factors that make New Mexico particularly susceptible to the negative effects of the illegal drug trade. [continues 348 words]
Daniel Panzer said he tried everything to fight off his insomnia. But the sleeping pills prescribed to the first-year chemistry student by his doctor were not working. Only medical marijuana, he said, would relax him and help him sleep. However, the residence halls have a strict policy against its usage, even though Panzer had the necessary paperwork to prove he needed marijuana. He said he would sometimes have to walk to a friend's apartment to smoke a joint and then walk back in order to fall asleep. [continues 599 words]
Regarding Matt Cameron's March 31 column ("Highly liberating"), the drug war is largely a war on marijuana smokers. In 2008, there were 847,863 marijuana arrests in the U.S., almost 90 percent for simple possession. At a time when state and local governments are laying off police, firefighters and teachers, this country continues to spend enormous public resources criminalizing Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis. The end result of this ongoing culture war is not necessarily lower rates of use. The U.S. has higher rates of marijuana use than the Netherlands, where marijuana is legally available. An admitted former pot smoker, President Obama has thus far maintained the prohibition status quo rather than pursue real change. Would Barack Obama be in White House right now if he had been convicted of a marijuana offense in his youth? [continues 85 words]
Dear Editor, Regarding Sara Conn's Friday column ("What are the pros and cons of Mary Jane being legal in California?"), if health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be legal. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail cells are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents. The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican immigration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been counterproductive at best. White Americans did not even begin to smoke pot until a soon-to-be entrenched federal bureaucracy began funding reefer madness propaganda. Marijuana prohibition has failed miserably as a deterrent. The U.S. has higher rates of marijuana use than the Netherlands, where marijuana is legally available to adults over 18. Students who want to help end the intergenerational culture war otherwise known as the war on some drugs should contact Students for Sensible Drug Policy at www.SchoolsNotPrisons.com. Robert Sharpe Common Sense for Drug Policy, policy analyst Washington, D.C. [end]
I am writing in response to Alex Gratzer's April 2 column, "Respect medical marijuana." If health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be legal. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail cells are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents. The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican immigration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been counterproductive at best. White Americans did not even begin to smoke pot until a soon-to-be entrenched federal bureaucracy began funding reefer madness propaganda. [continues 78 words]
Crowd at U-M Hails Medical Marijuana Thousands of marijuana proponents, many openly smoking the drug, crowded the University of Michigan's Diag on Saturday for the 39th-annual Hash Bash. Police estimated 5,000 people were there, drawn by sunshine as well as enthusiasm for Michigan's 15-month-old law legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes. "How many of you are patients? Hold up your cards!" shouted Hash Bash emcee Adam Brook, 42, of Royal Oak. Hundreds held aloft the state cards that show they are patients who can legally possess up to 2.5 ounces of the weed. [continues 289 words]
Legalization of Drugs Is the Only Solution to an Out-Of-Hand Problem. I was astonished by yesterday's letter to the editor "Illegal drugs don't make the criminal." This is an extremely misled and perverted view on our war on drugs. The author slanders Mexicans and skews reality with factoids such as "these people were violent, murderous psychopaths independent of (and before) entering the drug trade." How well does he know these people? This makes the border violence seem irrational and unstoppable. "Plata or plomo" (in English "silver or lead") is the slogan of the drug cartels. This means that to maintain power, cartels bribe politicians and police, and if that fails, they remove their obstruction via assassination. How can you arrest all the instigators of the violence when they themselves are the puppetmasters manipulating a marionette government? [continues 556 words]
Colin Mangham's response to a call for ending drug prohibition ( Letters, March 29) is troubling. Drug abuse is bad, but Mangham's argument is worse. He points to " legalizers" as the sole reason that prohibition policies have failed to deter youth drug use. Wrong. Youth drug use has risen since the criminal prohibition of substances began because the " prohibitors" have tried to shame and scare young people, instead of providing honest, health-based information on drugs. As an example, Mangham perpetuates the ridiculous idea that we can somehow talk about drugs without using the definition of the word. Aspirin is a drug; so are alcohol, caffeine, marijuana, codeine. Young people disregard the false information they receive from fear-based education programs; this creates an information vacuum, making them vulnerable to incorrect information. [continues 69 words]
Regarding Samuel Blackstone's March 23rd column, if health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be legal. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail cells are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents. The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican immigration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been counterproductive at best. White Americans did not even begin to smoke pot until a soon-to-be entrenched federal bureaucracy began funding reefer madness propaganda. [continues 70 words]
Editor, Regarding Zach Gould's March 8 column, I would like to comment that the drug war is largely a war on marijuana smokers. In 2008, there were 847,863 marijuana arrests in the U.S., almost 90 percent for simple possession. At a time when state and local governments are laying off police, fireghters and teachers, this country continues to spend enormous public resources criminalizing Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis. The end result of this ongoing culture war is not necessarily lower rates of use. [continues 145 words]
************ Unless You're Living It By Charles Bowden, High Country News http://www.alternet.org/story/146172/ ************ New report finds drug prohibition, stricter law enforcement key sources of violence and gun crime Proposed "tough on crime" policies such as mandatory minimum sentences will be costly for taxpayers and may actually increase violence in Canadian communities http://uhri.cfenet.ubc.ca/content/view/83 ************ Century of Lies - 03/21/10 - Christopher Pezza [continues 374 words]
************ HOW MANY MEXICAN DRUG WAR DEATHS CAN WE ATTRIBUTE TO U.S. POT LAWS? By Paul Armentano It was less than one year ago when acting U.S. DEA administrator Michelle Leonhart publicly declared that the escalating violence on the U.S./Mexico border should be viewed as a sign of the "success" of America's drug war strategies. http://www.alternet.org/story/146090/ ************ By Charles Shaw The first time I heard former Yippie activist Dana Beal mention ibogaine I couldn't have cared less what he was talking about. [continues 325 words]
Dear Editor, Regarding Robert Stutman's Mar. 1st op-ed, if health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be legal. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail cells are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents. The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican immigration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been counterproductive at best. White Americans did not even begin to smoke pot until a soon-to-be entrenched federal bureaucracy began funding reefer madness propaganda. [continues 72 words]
************ 5 WAYS OBAMA AND CORPORATE MEDIA ARE FIGHTING MARIJUANA REFORM By Daniela Perdomo While marijuana is more mainstream than ever, legalization still faces backlash from the powers that be. http://mapinc.org/url/EGPJ6Ecn ************ In April 2009 Transform published a groundbreaking report, titled 'A Comparison of the Cost-effectiveness of the Prohibition and Regulation of Drugs' We sent a copy to the Secretary of State in July 2009 with the letter below. Our tardiness was to put to shame however, by the time it took the Home Secretary to respond - we received his response today, 15th Feb 2010 - eight months later. [continues 560 words]
