Left and Right Agree That Civil-Forfeiture Laws Must Be Radically Reformed When the public is more afraid of the cops than the bad guys, the system is broken. There's reason for some law-abiding Americans to worry about their pocketbook becoming lighter after a visit from the lawman. Bonnie and Clyde never pretended to be anything but robbers. A 64-year-old Texas woman, for example, was accused of being a drug dealer simply because she was carrying cash in her pickup truck from the sale of her land. The cops took her money, though she had never been convicted of a crime in her life. She had to sue in federal court to get all of her money back. [continues 409 words]
A LEADING American newspaper has come out in favour of the legalisation of marijuana, in an editorial which compares the drug's ban to that of alcohol in the Prohibition era of the Twenties. Calling on the federal government to follow the lead of a number of states in allowing citizens to consume marijuana for recreational purposes, The New York Times said the evidence was "overwhelming" that moderate cannabis use was less dangerous than alcohol and tobacco. And while the newspaper's editorial board called for sales to be limited to those over the age of 21 due to concerns about the effect of the drug on adolescent brains it said the social costs of criminalising marijuana were unsustainable. [continues 145 words]
The Agency Is Caught Between States That Lean Toward Marijuana Legalization and Law Enforcement That Maintains a Hard Line WASHINGTON - For narcotics agents, who often confront hostile situations, Capitol Hill has been a refuge where lawmakers stand ready to salute efforts in the nation's war on drugs. Lately, however, the Drug Enforcement Administration has found itself under attack in Congress as it holds its ground against marijuana legalization while the resolve of longtime political allies - and the White House and Justice Department to which it reports - rapidly fades. [continues 1142 words]
As revolutions go, it is hardly an overnight Leninist coup. National statutes, UN protocols and who knows how many luckless souls bolted up in cells round the world affirm that the old prohibitionist order has not collapsed. But the wheel on drug policy is slowly beginning to turn, both within the United States and further afield. The war on drugs has been a losing fight for 40 years. The response to unending failure has always been to demand more law enforcement and more prison cells. [continues 596 words]
Marijuana is no longer whispered about nor hidden in back rooms and basements. It has slowly come into the open in American life despite decades of federal prohibition and laws treating the drug as more dangerous than meth and cocaine. When The New York Times' editorial board made a full-throated call this weekend for the government to end its ban on weed - and let states decide how to regulate it - the newspaper reflected what a majority of Americans have told pollsters: Marijuana should be legal. [continues 510 words]
I'm looking forward to voting on the Florida constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana. Even though some may abuse a useful tool, many more would be helped by its medicinal qualities. I have a condition for which there is no known cause and no known cure. It visits every person when they least expect it and stays longer than welcome. Those of us with polymyalgia rheumatica take varied medications to help us move our hands, arms and legs every day. Some mornings, I cannot make a fist to wash my face, pour a cup of coffee, or reach an itch on my shoulder. A lot of the medications for this condition have annoying side effects. A physician I visited initially said that more relief - and a quicker remission and recovery - can be attained with medical marijuana. [continues 96 words]
Reports repeatedly conclude habitual drug use in the United States is the root cause for children from Central America to illegally come here. The drug cartels there use violence to make them leave, or the children can stay and be killed. The armed forces, several thousand law enforcement employees, miles of fences and walls, electronic and air spying, jails and deportation proceedings - all of these combined will not greatly alleviate this latest immigration problem we bring upon ourselves. Besides, all of them are a great waste of time, money and manpower except for those among us who want to make money by these means. [continues 96 words]
On this 28th day of July, marking 25 years since the discovery of the hepatitis C virus, we are calling attention to World Hepatitis Day. Why? To begin with, because more than 50,000 Quebecers have the disease. In Canada, the figure is 300,000 to 350,000 people, more than a quarter of whom do not know they have it. Next, because there are new, highly effective treatments for treating and eradicating hepatitis C, with cure rates exceeding 90 per cent. However, in Canada, fewer than 5 per cent of people with hepatitis C have, to date, obtained treatment for it. Hepatitis C is transmitted through the blood. In other words, any act that can cause the blood of two individuals to come into contact can constitute a risk of transmission: parlour-based tattooing and piercing; sharing drug-use equipment and personal-hygiene items; transfusion prior to 1992; and sometimes even certain risky sexual practices. [continues 314 words]
Arbitration Rulings Show It's Considered a 'Disability' MONTREAL - A war of words has broken out over a fired cocaine-using locomotive engineer. Canadian Pacific chief executive Hunter Harrison lashed out when CP was ordered this month to reinstate the engineer even though an arbitrator confirmed the employee had "consumed cocaine at a time and of a quantity which could impact his work performance." Harrison said: "On my watch, this individual will not operate a locomotive." The engineer's union - Teamsters Canada Rail Conference - called Harrison's comments an "unjustified and unprecedented" personal attack, arguing the worker deserved a second chance. [continues 1456 words]
New York Times Latest Voice To Join Call For The Legalization Of Marijuana The political debate over marijuana legalization in Canada could soon intensify, following a New York Times editorial that calls for the U.S. federal government to repeal its 44-year ban on pot. The influential newspaper, which says the question of legalization should be left up to individual U.S. states, is running a six-day series on the issue, and has reignited a hot debate among Americans. [continues 680 words]
The New York Times has seen the light. On Sunday, the paper editorialized in favor of an end to the federal ban on marijuana. According to Tony Newman of the Drug Policy Alliance, the Gray Lady has become the first major national newspaper to support legalizing marijuana. The Times did not celebrate marijuana use; it simply addressed the downside of prohibition - 658,000 arrests for marijuana possession in 2012, with a disproportionate representation of young black men. The editorial also laid out a rational view of marijuana. While research suggests that marijuana can have adverse affects on adolescent brains - - hence the paper's support for a ban on sales to those under 21- it's not as hazardous to health as alcohol and tobacco. The paper also made this commonsense but rare assertion: "Moderate use of marijuana does not appear to pose a risk for otherwise healthy adults." [continues 440 words]
Someday, we'll look back on two federal prohibitions - on same-sex marriage and marijuana - and ask ourselves: "How were we ever so dumb? What's the big deal?" Indeed, more and more people are asking that question every day. Even before the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, several states moved to recognize same-sex marriage. Massachusetts was the first, in May 2004. Today, either by legislation or court order, marriage equality is the law in 19 states, plus the District of Columbia. Courts in 14 other states, most recently Virginia, have ruled to strike down bans on same-sex marriage. While those decisions remain on appeal, it's clearly only a matter of time before all 50 states accept the fact that every American, gay or straight, should be free to marry the one he or she loves. [continues 402 words]
Three medical marijuana caregivers are ready to open a shop for their patients now that the Ferndale City Council has approved their plan. Adam Applebaum, CEO of Meridian Wellness, told city council members he and two other caregivers will service up to five patients each, as allowed under the state's medical marijuana law. Patients would be serviced by appointment and the facility would host educational seminars and other meetings, Applebaum said. "It is very hard for a patient to get matched with a caregiver," he said Monday, adding that some patients are hesitant to have caregivers come to their homes. "This way we can facilitate a neutral ground with security." [continues 385 words]
A proposal to legalize possession of marijuana won't appear on November ballots in Grosse Pointe Park after all. Organizers of the effort learned Monday that city officials had found a technicality - an incorrect date of Feb. 27 instead of June 27 on one set of signatures -- that invalided their petition drive. "It's my fault - I put down a two rather than a six," said Tim Beck, 62, of Detroit, who helped organize petition drives in 16 other cities for marijuana questions headed for ballots this year. [continues 250 words]
President's Views On Medical Use Unfair, Some Say Some doctors are raising concerns that the national body representing them has outdated views on medical marijuana that are creating barriers for patients who could benefit from the herb. Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti, president of the Canadian Medical Association, recently told the Citizen there isn't enough medical evidence to support medical marijuana use, and that people who seek the drug in doctors' offices are just looking for "dope." Dr. Marcia Gillman, a physician who specializes in palliative care at Montreal's Jewish General Hospital, said Monday that Francescutti has a duty to be well-informed, which is "clearly not the case here." [continues 548 words]
S.F. startup brings medical marijuana to clients' doorsteps. Tap your smartphone to summon delivery of medical marijuana, arriving more quickly than a Domino's pizza. Brant Ward / The Chronicle An Eaze delivery person will arrive at a medical marijuana patient's door with buds sealed in plastic bags. That's the vision for a San Francisco startup launching Tuesday that says it wants to be the "Uber of pot." Eaze (www.eazeup.com) says it has relationships with an unspecified number of local dispensaries as well as dozens of drivers piloting their own vehicles. Deliveries will be free for patients, with driver fees and Eaze paid by dispensaries in exchange for gaining new business. [continues 874 words]
A Republican congressman from Pennsylvania says he has filed a bill to legalize nationwide the kinds of non-psychoactive medical marijuana treatments that have attracted dozens of families to Colorado. Dubbed the "Charlotte's Web Medical Hemp Act of 2014"- after the name of the Colorado-developed marijuana strain most famously used in the treatment - U.S. Rep. Scott Perry's bill would exclude all hemp, as well as the non-psychoactive compound cannabidiol, or CBD, from the federal government's laws against marijuana. [continues 176 words]
Washington - Concerned that federal policies toward marijuana usage in states that have legalized the drug often are "at odds with one another," the four U.S. senators from Colorado and Washington state are asking the White House to intervene and establish "consistent and uniform" guidelines across the administration. In a letter dated Monday, the senators expressed frustration with what they saw as conflicting messages coming from various federal agencies. And they urged Attorney General Eric Holder and Denis McDonough, the White House chief of staff, to help develop a single policy that would respect the rights of their states to regulate the fledgling industry. [continues 270 words]
Every now and then, a good deed go unpunished. So it appears with San Jose's regulation of medical marijuana distributorships. Some wrenching decisions loom for the mayor and City Council, including whether to put any tax measures on the ballot, and every serious policy debate this fall will be complicated by heated races for mayor and several Council seats. But at least there will be no ballot battle over the city's new laws regulating medical marijuana operations. Signatures for a referendum on the rules passed in June fell short, and activists have given up on a separate measure they hoped would hoodwink voters into substituting bogus regulations for the council's plan. It's taken years, but San Jose now has rules that will continue the availability of medical marijuana while protecting neighborhoods and the city's potential to attract good jobs. [continues 366 words]
Goal is to help parents and teens recognize recruitment techniques and drug operations B.C. anti-gang police and educators have prepared a booklet to help parents understand how gangs work so they can better protect their children. Called Understanding Youth and Gangs, the publication explains how teens are most vulnerable to being recruited by gangs when they have a driver's licence and a need for cash. It says the dial-a-dope delivery system for illicit drugs is usually the point of entry for some youth, who get sucked in by the promise of earning big money. [continues 476 words]
