Latest
Latest News
Blog
The Dog-Killing Drug Raid that Pissed Off America
This FOX News segment with Judge Napolitano is a must-see that really captures how everyone is feeling about the raid in Missouri.
Radley Balko follows up with the best piece yet written about this epic drug war controversy. There is nothing more important to understand here than the fact that everything that took place in that video is standard operating procedure in the war on drugs. The vilification of drugs and drug users has given birth to a vicious recklessness that characterizes modern drug enforcement even, and sometimes especially, when police perfectly follow the law and the orders they're given.
Until that changes, nothing else ever will.
Blog
Do Cops Get Drunk at Anti-Pot Conferences?
While reading this MPP post, I kept wondering to myself what the scene was like at the hotel bar:
Keep all of this in mind the next time you hear police insisting that they're "just doing their jobs" when they arrest people for marijuana. While it's true that many officers do recognize the colossal injustice of our marijuana policies, the fact is that large factions within the law enforcement profession are deeply invested, both financially and emotionally, in this great war against millions of peaceful citizens.
Thus, it should come as no surprise that their entire industry is rippling from the pro-legalization shockwave that surges before their eyes. Having failed on every measurable level, the people who took responsibility for containing the marijuana situation in America surely have a lot to talk about. And I'm not the least bit surprised that we weren't invited to participate.
But let's be clear: while these folks obviously prefer to plan their next steps privately, the same isn't true of the movement for reform. Our events are open to the public and our agenda is displayed openly for all to see. Anyone with concerns about the direction of marijuana policy in America is welcome to participate in the conversation. Rather than recoiling in fear at the prospect of new policies, the anti-marijuana crowd would do well to better educate itself about what we're trying to do and why.
After so many years of willfully ignoring the case for legalization, our opponents have been rendered hopelessly incapable of understanding and adapting to the discussion taking place all around them. Their only hope may be to begin feigning sympathy for our concerns in exchange for a seat at the table when inevitable changes are enacted. If police want credibility in the marijuana debate, they can begin by working to prevent outrages such as this and acknowledging that the current approach is very far from perfect.
Law enforcement officials from all over the nation have descended upon San Diego, California this week to attend a conference for the National Marijuana Initiative (NMI) and the California Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP).
â¦
The agenda for the publicly funded conference, held at the prestigious U.S. Grant Hotel from May 10 through May 13, is not available to the public. In fact, the conference is under the close guard of about a dozen San Diego Police officers and even some military personnel.
We do know that former U.S. Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey was a featured speaker. According to his press release, McCaffrey laid out talking points against Californiaâs Tax Cannabis 2010 initiative. Thatâs right, your tax dollars are essentially being used to hold an anti-reform campaign rally behind closed doors.
Keep all of this in mind the next time you hear police insisting that they're "just doing their jobs" when they arrest people for marijuana. While it's true that many officers do recognize the colossal injustice of our marijuana policies, the fact is that large factions within the law enforcement profession are deeply invested, both financially and emotionally, in this great war against millions of peaceful citizens.
Thus, it should come as no surprise that their entire industry is rippling from the pro-legalization shockwave that surges before their eyes. Having failed on every measurable level, the people who took responsibility for containing the marijuana situation in America surely have a lot to talk about. And I'm not the least bit surprised that we weren't invited to participate.
But let's be clear: while these folks obviously prefer to plan their next steps privately, the same isn't true of the movement for reform. Our events are open to the public and our agenda is displayed openly for all to see. Anyone with concerns about the direction of marijuana policy in America is welcome to participate in the conversation. Rather than recoiling in fear at the prospect of new policies, the anti-marijuana crowd would do well to better educate itself about what we're trying to do and why.
After so many years of willfully ignoring the case for legalization, our opponents have been rendered hopelessly incapable of understanding and adapting to the discussion taking place all around them. Their only hope may be to begin feigning sympathy for our concerns in exchange for a seat at the table when inevitable changes are enacted. If police want credibility in the marijuana debate, they can begin by working to prevent outrages such as this and acknowledging that the current approach is very far from perfect.
In The Trenches
Free screening of award-winning medical marijuana documentary Waiting to Inhale this Monday
| ||||||
Marijuana Policy Project Alert | May 12, 2010 | |||||
| ||||||
 | ||||||
Free screening of award-winning medical marijuana documentary Waiting to Inhale this Monday Dear friends: Canât afford the price of admission to see a movie these days? Youâre not alone. But thereâs good news: this Monday the New Deal Café in Greenbelt will be hosting a free screening of Waiting to Inhale, a documentary examining the arguments surrounding the movement to legalize marijuana for medical treatment. Here are the details: What: Free screening of Waiting to Inhale Where: New Deal Café, 113 Centerway, Greenbelt, MD 20770 When: Monday, May 17, 7:00 p.m. (Optional vegan buffet dinner at 6:30 â $13) Produced by Jed Riffe and funded in part by the Marijuana Policy Project, Waiting to Inhale examines the debate over marijuanaâs medical efficacy and whether and how to make it available to seriously ill patients suffering from diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, and multiple sclerosis. Among other awards, the film was named Best Documentary at the Eureka International Film Festival and the New Jersey Film Festival, and won the 2007 CINE Golden Eagle. You can check out a preview of the film here. Following the film, MPPâs Karen OâKeefe will lead a discussion about the film and legislation recently considered in Maryland and passed in Washington D.C. As Director of State Policies, Karen was the lead drafter of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act and has actively lobbied for the passage of medical marijuana laws in state legislatures around the country. For more, please visit waitingtoinhale.org or contact Cam MacQueen at [email protected]. Sincerely,
Dan Riffle  |
| |||||
We are required by federal law to tell you that any donations you make to MPP may be used for political purposes, such as supporting or opposing candidates for federal office. | Â | |||||
| ||||||
In The Trenches
LEAP's Dispatches from the Front Line... May 2010
|
Latest News
Latest News
Blog
Utah Cops Create Website for Snitching on Marijuana Gardens
As outdoor marijuana cultivation continues to surge in our nation's forests, police are growing increasing desperate in their miserably failed attempts to put a stop to it. I think police in Utah are about to find out what happens when you ask people on the internet to help you fight the drug war.
The instant the site's link was posted at NORML, commenters began proposing a coordinated effort to submit false information and send police on long pointless marches into the wilderness. Soon, the site may have to be updated to remind everyone that submitting a false report is a crime, thereby deterring genuine tipsters from participating.
Meanwhile, some more charitable folks have been sending in tips on how to eliminate illegal outdoor cultivation entirely, by reforming our marijuana policies. It may not sink in right away, but maybe the long hikes will give Utah's marijuana warriors a chance to reflect on the absurdity of the situation.
The instant the site's link was posted at NORML, commenters began proposing a coordinated effort to submit false information and send police on long pointless marches into the wilderness. Soon, the site may have to be updated to remind everyone that submitting a false report is a crime, thereby deterring genuine tipsters from participating.
Meanwhile, some more charitable folks have been sending in tips on how to eliminate illegal outdoor cultivation entirely, by reforming our marijuana policies. It may not sink in right away, but maybe the long hikes will give Utah's marijuana warriors a chance to reflect on the absurdity of the situation.
Blog
Gary Johnson Talks Marijuana Legalization on the Colbert Report
I keep hearing rumors that former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson is going to run for President. And if his campaign sounds anything like last night's Colbert appearance, the other republican candidates better start practicing their anti-pot propaganda:
He should turn this into a campaign ad. If Johnson is able to pick up where Ron Paul left off, while picking up some new folks as well, we could see a heated and potentially consequential drug policy debate happen in the republican primaries. The possibility of a Johnson candidacy is huge for a few reasons:
1. He's a badass who came out for legalization while in office many years ago and has significant comfort and experience debating drug policy.
2. He's extremely popular with libertarians, who can use their massive web presence to fund and promote him.
3. The media's recent fascination with marijuana legalization will bring more attention to his candidacy.
4. There's a general sense that the likely republican candidates all suck horribly, thereby creating more room for Johnson to shine.
5. There won't be an Obama/Clinton war eating up half the press coverage, so the republican primaries will get twice the exposure we saw in '08.
Of course, for a variety of legal and practical reasons, we don't endorse candidates. And he's not even officially running yet. I'm just saying this promises to be an awesome situation that I'm sure we'll be talking about a great deal in the future. The fact that Johnson is already preaching legalization on the Colbert Report -- before even declaring his candidacy -- is a great sign in terms of the kind of press he can get and the kind of things he's likely to say.
(This blog post was published by StoptheDrugWar.org's lobbying arm, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also shares the cost of maintaining this web site. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Gary Johnson | ||||
| ||||
He should turn this into a campaign ad. If Johnson is able to pick up where Ron Paul left off, while picking up some new folks as well, we could see a heated and potentially consequential drug policy debate happen in the republican primaries. The possibility of a Johnson candidacy is huge for a few reasons:
1. He's a badass who came out for legalization while in office many years ago and has significant comfort and experience debating drug policy.
2. He's extremely popular with libertarians, who can use their massive web presence to fund and promote him.
3. The media's recent fascination with marijuana legalization will bring more attention to his candidacy.
4. There's a general sense that the likely republican candidates all suck horribly, thereby creating more room for Johnson to shine.
5. There won't be an Obama/Clinton war eating up half the press coverage, so the republican primaries will get twice the exposure we saw in '08.
Of course, for a variety of legal and practical reasons, we don't endorse candidates. And he's not even officially running yet. I'm just saying this promises to be an awesome situation that I'm sure we'll be talking about a great deal in the future. The fact that Johnson is already preaching legalization on the Colbert Report -- before even declaring his candidacy -- is a great sign in terms of the kind of press he can get and the kind of things he's likely to say.
(This blog post was published by StoptheDrugWar.org's lobbying arm, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also shares the cost of maintaining this web site. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)
Event
re:Form -- An art auction and cocktail party to benefit the Drug Policy Alliance
Please join us for this art auction and cocktail reception.
In The Trenches
Free Medical Marijuana Trainings in Colorado Springs, Ft. Collins, and Denver!
What do the new state medical marijuana laws mean for patients? Free statewide trainings next week! |
|
Event
Free Medical Marijuana Laws Training
Sensible Colorado is holding this training to discuss the new state laws and their effect on medical marijuana patients.
Event
Free Medical Marijuana Laws Training
Sensible Colorado is holding this training to discuss the new state laws and their effect on medical marijuana patients.
Event
Free Medical Marijuana Laws Training
Sensible Colorado is holding this training to discuss the new state laws and their effect on medical marijuana patients.
In The Trenches
Drug Truth 05/11/10
Cultural Baggage * Century of Lies * 4:20 Drug War NEWS
Cultural Baggage for 05/09/10 29:00 Richard Lee, founder Oaksterdam Univ on Ca tax & regulate measure, Matt Elrod of Drug Sense re Canadian drug laws + Irven Rosenfeld, author of "My Medicine" who gets 300 joints thru the DEA every 28 days
LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/2897
TRANSCRIPT: Tues
Century of Lies for 05/09/10 29:00 Cliff Thornton, Dir Efficacy discusses drug reform in Connecticutt & need to hold official accountable, Barry Cooper speech in Austin challenging officials & Mary Jane Borden of Common Sense re changes following med MJ laws
LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/2898
TRANSCRIPT: Wed
4:20 Drug War NEWS, 05/10 to 05/16/10 Link at www.drugtruth.net on the right margin -
Sun - Cliff Thornton of Efficacy speaks on holding politicians accountable Sat - Matt Elrod of DrugSense speaks of drug war hysteria in Canada Fri - Richard Lee, founder Oaksterdam Univ & Judge James Gray speak of need for change to drug laws Thu - Richard Lee, former Houstonian leads legalization effort in California Wed - Former Narc, Barry Cooper gives speech at state capitol in Austin Tue - Irvin Rosenfeld, author "My Medicine" receives 300 joints via the DEA every 28 days + Willie Nelson parody Mon - Mary Jane Borden of Common Sense for Drug Policy re marijuana use in medical states
Programs produced at Pacifica Radio Station KPFT in Houston, 90.1 FM. You can Listen Live Online at www.kpft.org
- Cultural Baggage Sun, 7:30 PM ET, 6:30 PM CT, 5:30 PM MT, 4:30 PM PT
- Century of Lies, SUN, 8 PM ET, 7 PM CT, 6 PM MT & 5 PM PT
Who's Next?": Irvin Rosefeld, federal MMJ patient, author "My Medicine" + former narc Barry Cooper
Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, www.audioport.org We have potcasts, searchability, CMS, XML, sorts by guest name and by organization. We provide the "unvarnished truth about the drug war" to scores of broadcast affiliates. You can tune into both our 1/2 hour programs, live, at 6:30 central time on Pacifica's KPFT at http://www.kpft.org and call in your questions and concerns toll free at 1-877-9-420 420.
The two, 29:00 shows appear along with the seven, daily, 3:00 "4:20 Drug War NEWS" reports each Monday morning at http://www.drugtruth.net . We currently have 73 affiliated, yet independent broadcast stations. With a simple email request to [email protected] , your station can join the Drug Truth Network, free of charge.
Check out our latest videos via www.youtube.com/fdbecker Please become part of the solution, visit our website: www.endprohibition.org for links to the best of reform. "Prohibition is evil." - Reverend Dean Becker, DTN Producer, 713-462-7981, www.drugtruth.net