Some big players in California's medical marijuana community are behind a new initiative that would create a uniform statewide system of regulations for legal production and sales. 12 comments
ON THE SPEAKEASY BLOG
What if Day Care Workers Get Stoned on Marijuana and Kill Children?
You may think legalizing marijuana is such a great idea, but what if it's actually the worst idea ever? Here's someone who believes the latter, and they've written a letter to their local newspaper explaining why. 3 comments FBI Drug Squad Uses Chainsaw To Invade…the Wrong Apartment
If anyone needs another reminder that the adrenaline-addicted anti-drug armies we've unleashed in our own communities are more dangerous than any drug on the pl 6 comments Obama Interview Ignores Marijuana Legalization Questions
As everyone is probably pretty well aware at this point, one of the most popular activities at the White House is the practice of organizing online forums for people to vote on questions for the president, getting everyone all excited about it,... 8 comments Marijuana Legalization Question Takes First Place Again in Obama YouTube Forum
This video question about marijuana legalization from Stephen Downing, former Deputy Police Chief in Los Angeles and member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, finished first place today in vot 5 comments What's So Funny About the War on Drugs?
For all the progress that's been made towards bringing the drug policy debate into the political mainstream, there remains a tragic tendency among many in the press to burst out laughing at the idea of fixing our disastrous drug laws. The latest 7 comments
Saying "Ron Paul Can't Legalize Marijuana" Is Stupid and Misses the Point of his Candidacy
I don't know how else to describe my reaction to this piece by Chris Roberts in SF Weekly. It's truly a first-rate hack job that must be seen to be believed. 30 comments Drug Policy Reform Gets Standing Ovation in New Jersey Statehouse
Something amazing happened in New Jersey yesterday. It's not the kind of news that's likely to make national headlines, but I think it says a lot about where our nation is heading when it comes to our attitudes about drug use and the criminal... 4 comments Police Refuse to Release Description of Toxic Ecstasy Pills, Increasing the Danger of More Deaths
A string of recent overdose deaths in British Columbia has a lot of people deeply concerned. But this reaction by law enforcement is certain to make the problem worse. 8 comments
How to Write a Clichéd, Unpersuasive Argument Against Drug Legalization
The American Spectator ran an anti-legalization editorial last week that was so over-the-top, I turned it into an instructional guide on bad drug policy writing. I couldn't help myself. The whole thing is over at Huffington Post. Enjoy. 1 comment
Ron Paul Explains Why Other Candidates Won't Discuss the Drug War
If you've been following our coverage of the presidential candidates in New Hampshire, you'll find this to be a refreshing change in tone. 13 comments Major Study Finds No Lung Damage for Marijuana Smokers
Among the most frequent words to fall from the lips of your typical anti-pot propagandist are almost always some sort of insistence that the stuff destroys your lungs. According to them, you hippies are all gonna choke on your bongs, and probably... 18 comments Mitt Romney Promises "A Full Answer" About the Drug War
At least, I hope that's what he meant by this response. 4 comments Ron Paul's Least Controversial Idea: Legalizing Drugs
I've been so busy marveling at the disturbingly idiotic drug policy positions of various republican presidential candidates that I've largely failed to comment on the candidate who is actually fighting for drug policy reform. Iowa doesn't even... 24 comments Rick Santorum on Imprisoning Non-Violent Drug Offenders: "The federal government doesn't do that."
From the same presidential candidate who brought you, "I don't know my medical marijuana laws very well," comes yet another mind-bending morsel of jaw-dropping ignorance. 15 comments Recreational Drug User Asks Newt Gingrich if She Should Be Arrested
…And for like the first time ever, the most notorious blowhard in the GOP has very little to say. 9 comments Mitt Romney Doesn't Know What Industrial Hemp Is
This is…I mean, what can I even…oh whatever, just watch. 5 comments Rick Santorum: "I don't know my medical marijuana laws very well."
An instant classic on the campaign trail in New Hampshire. 2 comments Who Are the Extremists in the Drug War Debate?
This piece has already been cremated by Pete Guither and its ashes thrown from a mountaintop by David Sirota, but in case you missed Kevin Sabet's lament in the New York Times about his lonesome quest to find reasonable voices in the drug war... 1 comment
Strange New Website Attacks Marijuana Legalization… and Vegans
When I arrived randomly at Thoughtful-Living.org, it appeared at first glance to be a website literally created for the dual purposes of opposing marijuana legalization and condemning the practice of eating a vegan diet. And, as crazy as this... 10 comments Newt Gingrich Says George Washington Would Have Punished Pot Growers
Pot growers such as…George Washington? This gem comes courtesy of our friends at SSDP who are on the ground in New Hampshire confronting candidates about the War on Drugs. 0 comments Marc Emery Christmas Prison Blog
Marc Emery is approaching the halfway mark of his prison term. 0 comments
Pain Patients Lose a Leading Advocate, Siobhan Reynolds, 1961-2011
Siobhan Reynolds, founder of the Pain Relief Network and opponents of the "war on drugs," died in a plane crash in Ohio Christmas Eve. 2 comments Jurors Can (and Should) Refuse to Convict in Marijuana Cases
Paul Butler has an important piece in the New York Times reminding all of us that we don’t have to enforce unjust laws when we serve on a jury. 6 comments What if Legalizing Marijuana Turns Our Kids Into A Bunch of Bong-Mongering Hippies?
That's what Sue Rusche wants to know, and someone better give her an answer, because Sue Rusche is one of the nation's leading experts at being afraid of drugs. 17 comments Barney Frank's Awesome Marijuana Legalization Rant
If you haven't seen this yet, please click away my friends, for it is glorious. 6 comments Opponents of Medical Marijuana Get Humiliated in New York Times
Last week's NYT editorial from fanatical anti-pot crusader David Evans generated some powerful responses from readers. Here's my favorite. 12 comments
Breaking: Congress Votes to Kill People
Congressional drug warriors knowingly pushed through legislation this week that won't save taxpayers any money, but which scientifically cannot fail to kill large numbers of people in cruel ways. 7 comments Obama's Drug Czar Blames YOU for Increased Teen Marijuana Use
Just when you thought the medical marijuana debate couldn’t get any uglier, the Drug Czar shows up at your doorstep demanding to know why you want to drug the children. 21 comments Obama's Attack on Medical Marijuana Wins Endorsement from Crazy Person
Last month, I questioned an absurd claim from the White House that President Obama has been "clear and consistent" in his approach to medical marijuana, rather than erratic and hostile. The facts of the matter are so plain that it feels silly to... 6 comments Sheriff Will Pay You $100 to Wear a Wire and Ask People to Sell You Drugs
Stupid silver-bullet strategies to win the war on drugs are as common as the reckless zealots who dream them up, but rarely does one find an example so deeply absurd and irresponsible as this. 28 comments Read all Speakeasy Posts
FROM THE CHRONICLE
This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
Two of our four bad apples this week come from the Big Apple, one for planting drugs and one for transporting them. Of the other two, one picked the wrong friends and the other picked the wrong wife. 1 comment Missouri, Tennessee Ponder Legislator Drug Tests
Bills that would require state legislators to undergo drug tests have been filed in Missouri and Tennessee. They're an unsurprising extension of the drug testing mania that has gripped statehouses, but likely unconstitutional. 4 comments Marijuana Reform Polling Well in Rhode Island
With decriminalization bills pending in Rhode Island, a new poll shows strong support for decrim and even majority support for legalization. 0 comments Colorado Marijuana Legalization Initiative Falls Short, But…
The Colorado Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol initiative hit a bump in the road Friday, falling just short of the number of valid signatures needed to make the November ballot. But it still has 15 days to make up the shortfall. 1 comment Bronx Narc Kills Unarmed Teen
An NYPD narc shot and killed a teenager in his own home as he tried to flush a small amount of marijuana down a toilet. The local community was not happy. 7 comments Sword-Wielding Man Killed in California Drug Raid
A desert drug raid in California has resulted in the year's seventh drug war killing, and it's only the beginning of February. 2 comments Malay Couple Get Life for Half Ounce, Marijuana Plant
A life sentence for growing a pot plant!? It just happened to a Malaysian couple, but, hey, at least the judge suspended the caning. 6 comments California Medical Marijuana Initiative Polls at Nearly 60%
A California medical marijuana regulation initiative is polling right on the cusp of where potential major donors start to feel comfortable. 1 comment This Week in History
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past. 0 comments Indiana House Passes Welfare, Solon Drug Test Bill
Indiana legislators found themselves voting to drug test themselves in a bid to get a welfare drug testing bill passed. It worked, and now the bill heads for the state Senate. 5 comments Mexico Drug War Update
Hopes that things are quieting down in Ciudad Juarez are fading after a bloody week there. And that's just one front in Mexico's drug wars. 1 comment Medical Marijuana Update
From action in state legislatures to raids at dispensaries, there's no let-up in the medical marijuana action around the nation. Here's the latest. 0 comments Montana Marijuana Initiative Saddles Up [FEATURE]
Frustrated with federal and legislative attacks on medical marijuana providers, some Montana activists want to just go for it and legalize marijuana for all, or at least all adults. They're gathering signatures now to do just that. 17 comments "Regulate Marijuana Like Wine" Wins 62% in CA Poll
The California Regulate Marijuana Like Wine initiative got 62% support in a new poll, which could make it more attractive to major donors. But the clock is ticking on it and all the other marijuana legalization initiatives in the state. 7 comments Michigan Deputy Kills Drug Suspect Dragging Him With Car
A Detroit-area man who tried to drive away from a drug arrest was shot and killed by a deputy hanging onto his car door. He becomes the sixth person to be killed in US domestic drug law enforcement operations so far this year. 6 comments This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
More dope-dealin' and/or sticky-fingered cops this week, plus a tweaker judge gets sentenced. 2 comments Drugs Not Driving Gang Violence, CDC Says
A new CDC report has some surprising findings about the links between gang killings and drugs. 10 comments Marijuana Legalization Trails in Michigan Poll
It looks like an uphill battle for marijuana legalization in Michigan this year if a new poll is an accurate reflection of voter sentiments. 2 comments Washington Marijuana Initiative Makes Ballot
Voters in Washington state will have the chance to legalize marijuana this November, after Initiative 502 was certified for the ballot Friday. 2 comments State Employee Drug Test Bills Moving in Florida
First, Florida's Republican legislature approved drug testing of poor people. Now it wants to do the same to state workers, and remove some of their collective bargaining rights along the way. 4 comments Missouri Drive to End Marijuana Prohibition Gets Going [FEATURE]
The "Show-Me Cannabis Regulation" campaign to put a marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot in the Show-Me State is in the signature-gathering stage. 21 comments Medical Marijuana Initiative Campaign Rolling Out in California [FEATURE]
Some big players in California's medical marijuana community are behind a new initiative that would create a uniform statewide system of regulations for legal production and sales. 12 comments This Week in History
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past. 1 comment Medical Marijuana Update
Medical marijuana is an active issue around the country, and especially so these days in California. Here's the latest. 1 comment Virginia Welfare Drug Test Bill Passes Committee
A bill that would subject welfare recipients to drug abuse assessments and possible drug testing if probable cause is found has passed a committee vote in the Virginia House of Delegates. 5 comments Mexico Drug War Update
Ciudad Juarez continues to be a hot spot, with five police officers killed there already this year. But it's not alone. 1 comment 
