Weekly: This Week in History
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.
One in Three Hit Songs Contain Drug References
When the kids aren't sniffing poo and gobbling Aqua Dots, they're listening to drug-laced rap anthems and probably thinking about getting wasted:
Ultimately, drugs are just part of our popular culture and that isn't going to change. What can change is the drug war mentality that glorifies some of the worst aspects of our society. Chart-topping rap music, for example, has turned drug-dealing thugs into folk heroes. The music doesn't inspire this activity, rather it documents it, providing listeners with a window into a world that is unfamiliar to most.
Rap stars and rockers will always brag about misbehaving, and awestruck youth will always gaze curiously at this dramatic spectacle. But tabloid headlines and sensational lyrics aside, many of our celebrities are hardworking people who've learned to use drugs responsibly. Maybe they're not such bad role models after all.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, who studied the lyrics of hundreds of popular songs, found that one in three mention alcohol or drug use.I was initially surprised by the 1 in 3 result. It sounds like a lot, hence the scare story from Reuters. But if you think about what makes a song popular, it makes perfect sense. Popular music has to resonate with the "cool" kids, and you can't win them over by singing about puppy dogs and the pleasures of sobriety.
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Most lyrical references to substance use were associated with partying, sex, violence and, or humor. The use of drugs and alcohol was motivated by peer pressure, sex, and, or money. Only four songs explicitly had anti-use messages. [Reuters]
Ultimately, drugs are just part of our popular culture and that isn't going to change. What can change is the drug war mentality that glorifies some of the worst aspects of our society. Chart-topping rap music, for example, has turned drug-dealing thugs into folk heroes. The music doesn't inspire this activity, rather it documents it, providing listeners with a window into a world that is unfamiliar to most.
Rap stars and rockers will always brag about misbehaving, and awestruck youth will always gaze curiously at this dramatic spectacle. But tabloid headlines and sensational lyrics aside, many of our celebrities are hardworking people who've learned to use drugs responsibly. Maybe they're not such bad role models after all.
Popular Children's Toy Revealed to Contain Club Drugs
Instead of debating whether or not marijuana decriminalization sends the wrong message to children, maybe we should spend more time ensuring that kid's toys aren't made of club drugs:
NEW YORK (CNN) -- U.S. safety officials have recalled about 4.2 million Chinese-made Aqua Dots bead toys that contain a chemical that has caused some children to vomit and become comatose after swallowing them.Well, if the DEA can prosecute convenience store clerks for unknowingly selling supplies that could be used to make meth, surely they will go after Walmart for accidentally selling GHB to small children. Right? Better yet, perhaps ONDCP will now claim that this problem could have been headed off sooner by drug testing 1st graders.
Scientists have found the popular toy's coating contains a chemical that, once metabolized, converts into the toxic "date rape" drug GHB, or gamma-hydroxy butyrate⦠[CNN]
Cannabis and Cannabinoids in 21st Century Medicine: Medical Marijuana in the Clinic
Dr. David Bearman, a Santa Barbara, California physician and surgeon with Wisconsin roots, will be presenting at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Dr. Bearman is one of the most clinically knowledgeable physicians in the U.S. in the field of medical marijuana. He has spent 40 years working in substance and drug abuse treatment and prevention programs. Dr. Bearman was a pioneer in the free and community clinic movement. His career includes public health, administrative medicine, primary care, pain management and cannabinology. He is on the Board of Advisors for the group Patients Out of Time [http://www.medicalcannabis.com/] and worked closely with them to present the Fourth National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics in Santa Barbara, CA in April 2006.
Medical Marijuana Panel Discussion at Saint Joseph's University
Medicinal Use of Marijuana: A Panel Discussion Pro's and Con's
Whether marijuana will relieve your side effects or symptoms is questionable. But the risks of smoking pot are clear. Examine the facts about marijuana before making your decision.
Grand Opening of Oaksterdam University
You are invited to the Grand Opening of Oaksterdam University. At 8:00 p.m. we will be screening a cannabis docu-comedy that will be released in theatres in major markets next spring. If you liked "Super-Size Me" you will like this, and the Producer /Director Alex Campbell will introduce the movie.
Denver Voters Make Marijuana the Lowest Law-Enforcement Priority
It's always exciting to see the drug war lose at the ballot box. In 2005, the citizens of Denver, CO voted to legalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana. Rather than respecting the will of the people they serve, Denver police continued performing marijuana arrests, relying on state laws that remain unchanged.
Yesterday, Denver voters spoke out against the war on marijuana users once again, making marijuana enforcement the city's lowest law-enforcement priority. The measure, which passed with a solid55% 57% of the vote, reads as follows:
The measure won't end marijuana arrests in Denver, but it demonstrates that Denver voters truly are committed to reigning in police who still believe they're serving the community by arresting people for America's pettiest crime. It shows that 2005's victorious legalization vote was not an anomaly. And it sticks a finger in the eye of the Denver City Council, which insanely claimed the measure sent the wrong message, while simultaneously courting Coors Brewing Company to sponsor city facilities.
So long as protecting and serving remains the top law-enforcement priority, arresting marijuana users must be the lowest. That is, until the glorious day when busting people for marijuana ceases to be a law-enforcement priority at all.
Yesterday, Denver voters spoke out against the war on marijuana users once again, making marijuana enforcement the city's lowest law-enforcement priority. The measure, which passed with a solid
The Denver Police Department and the City Attorneyâs Office shall make the investigation, arrest and prosecution of marijuana offenses, where the marijuana was intended for adult personal use, the Cityâs lowest law enforcement priority.Congratulations to our friends at SAFER who've now successfully mobilized the citizens of Denver to challenge marijuana prohibition in their city not once but twice.
The measure won't end marijuana arrests in Denver, but it demonstrates that Denver voters truly are committed to reigning in police who still believe they're serving the community by arresting people for America's pettiest crime. It shows that 2005's victorious legalization vote was not an anomaly. And it sticks a finger in the eye of the Denver City Council, which insanely claimed the measure sent the wrong message, while simultaneously courting Coors Brewing Company to sponsor city facilities.
So long as protecting and serving remains the top law-enforcement priority, arresting marijuana users must be the lowest. That is, until the glorious day when busting people for marijuana ceases to be a law-enforcement priority at all.