Wow. A member of Congress quoting Anslinger and debunking the gateway. Thought I'd never see the day.
Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen vs. FBI Director Robert Mueller
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
If I were Filthy Rich...
This weeks Powerball Lottery is at $170 million dollars. I never buy tickets, but still occasionally daydream about how I'd spend the money. So if I were a millionaire, most of my money would go towards drug law reform in Iowa. I would run commercials and put stuff up on billboards. Throw some charity balls. We'd piss off a lot of people, and It’d be a lot of fun.
The other day, I was trolling for prohibitionists sites, just to keep an eye on what they were doing and saying, it’s never really anything groundbreaking. But I came across a non-profit society called Save Our Society from Drugs. The site lacks any real substance as far as persuasive arguments go. But I did find an interesting page that I’ll link here called “Follow the Money Trail”. It gives a list of wealthy contributors to past and current drug legalization ballots.
A guy by the name of George Soros appears on the list the most. Apparently he is the 29th richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of over $11 billion. If these figures are correct, the amount of money he’s donated to drug law reform is just a shiny flash in the pan, but hey, Mr. Soros, we still respect you. Cheers.
The other day, I was trolling for prohibitionists sites, just to keep an eye on what they were doing and saying, it’s never really anything groundbreaking. But I came across a non-profit society called Save Our Society from Drugs. The site lacks any real substance as far as persuasive arguments go. But I did find an interesting page that I’ll link here called “Follow the Money Trail”. It gives a list of wealthy contributors to past and current drug legalization ballots.
A guy by the name of George Soros appears on the list the most. Apparently he is the 29th richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of over $11 billion. If these figures are correct, the amount of money he’s donated to drug law reform is just a shiny flash in the pan, but hey, Mr. Soros, we still respect you. Cheers.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
New Poll Shows Ohio Support for Medical Marijuana at 73%
A recent KCCI poll shows support in Iowa at only 53%, with 9% undecided, still a majority but not quite as good as Ohio. Come on Iowa, we can do better.
Here is a link to the article.
The end of the article mentions the following:
"The Office of National Drug Control Policy's 2008 Marijuana Source Book reported that marijuana accounted for 40 percent of drug arrests nationally -- but only 2.5 percent of inmates in state prisons across the nation are there for marijuana-only offenses.
The report disputes the notion that marijuana can be legalized for medical use without creeping into the rest of the population. It cites federal statistics that show eight of the 10 states with the highest percentage of residents who used marijuana within the past month also were states with medical marijuana programs. Five of the 10 states with the highest percentage of new youth marijuana users also had medical marijuana programs in place. "
I followed the link to Marijuana Source Book but the information wasn't there. This statistic peaks my curiosity so I'll check up on it later -- because this seems to contradict findings in a recnt state-sponsored student survey in California that found marijuana use among students have gone down since 1995 (see page 25) but remained relatively stable in recent years.
BTW, I obviously hate the ONDCP and recommend a book called "Lies, damned lies, and drug war statistics" By Matthew B. Robinson, Renee G. Scherlen.
The authors speak at the Cato Institute in this video.
If you want to become even more agitated at the ONDCP, watch this Video link to Congress's Domestic Subcommittee oversight hearing on The National Drug Control Strategy, Budget, and Compliance: Priorities and Accountability at ONDCP. Its frustrating when you hear how much is spent on futile efforts on supply side reduction when all the evidence points to the fact that it SIMPLY DOES NOT WORK, and this guy can say with a straight face that he cares about the well being of the American people -- that he actually wants drug use to decline in the county. I beg to differ. Well alas, I guess we won't have to deal with him anymore.
There's is a new drug czar now...who's been recently quoted as saying this:
"Regardless of how you try to explain to people it's a 'war on drugs' or a 'war on a product,' people see a war as a war on them," he said. "We're not at war with people in this country."
It's gonna take a little more than just a slight change in catch phrases and rhetoric to fix our current state of affairs but I shall try and be optimistic. The comments in the story also seem very encouraging...
Here is a link to the article.
The end of the article mentions the following:
"The Office of National Drug Control Policy's 2008 Marijuana Source Book reported that marijuana accounted for 40 percent of drug arrests nationally -- but only 2.5 percent of inmates in state prisons across the nation are there for marijuana-only offenses.
The report disputes the notion that marijuana can be legalized for medical use without creeping into the rest of the population. It cites federal statistics that show eight of the 10 states with the highest percentage of residents who used marijuana within the past month also were states with medical marijuana programs. Five of the 10 states with the highest percentage of new youth marijuana users also had medical marijuana programs in place. "
I followed the link to Marijuana Source Book but the information wasn't there. This statistic peaks my curiosity so I'll check up on it later -- because this seems to contradict findings in a recnt state-sponsored student survey in California that found marijuana use among students have gone down since 1995 (see page 25) but remained relatively stable in recent years.
BTW, I obviously hate the ONDCP and recommend a book called "Lies, damned lies, and drug war statistics" By Matthew B. Robinson, Renee G. Scherlen.
The authors speak at the Cato Institute in this video.
If you want to become even more agitated at the ONDCP, watch this Video link to Congress's Domestic Subcommittee oversight hearing on The National Drug Control Strategy, Budget, and Compliance: Priorities and Accountability at ONDCP. Its frustrating when you hear how much is spent on futile efforts on supply side reduction when all the evidence points to the fact that it SIMPLY DOES NOT WORK, and this guy can say with a straight face that he cares about the well being of the American people -- that he actually wants drug use to decline in the county. I beg to differ. Well alas, I guess we won't have to deal with him anymore.
There's is a new drug czar now...who's been recently quoted as saying this:
"Regardless of how you try to explain to people it's a 'war on drugs' or a 'war on a product,' people see a war as a war on them," he said. "We're not at war with people in this country."
It's gonna take a little more than just a slight change in catch phrases and rhetoric to fix our current state of affairs but I shall try and be optimistic. The comments in the story also seem very encouraging...
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Great Medical Marijuana Business Seminar in Los Angeles on May 23-24, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Cannabis Career Institute Workshop May 23-24
The Cannabis Career Insitute is going to be hosting a workshop on May 23 and 24, 2009 on how to safely own and operate a Medical Marijuana Dispensary. As the Charles Lynch case has shown us, the DEA seems intent on ignoring State's Rights, and the laws passed by states who have legalized Medical Marijuana. With 14 states having legalized Medical Marijuana, and with several others (including my own state of New York), it is imperiative that Medical Marijuana growers, suppliers, caregivers and patients have reliable sources of information so that they can take every step possible to be safe against the DEA's war on Medical Marijuana, which amounts to a war on innocent American Citizens. The Cannabis Career Institute is helping to fill a void that needs to be filled.If you cannot make this workshop, they have a online course available through their Cannabis Career Institute web site.
Medical Marijuana Dispensary/Business Work Shop
Time: May 23, 2009 at 11am to May 24, 2009 at 11am
Location: Los Angeles, Ca
Organized By: George Grimes
Event Description:
Learn what it takes to safely own and operate a medical marijuana dispensary business and enjoy all the benefits of the medical cannabis industry.
For Additional Information Join the Weedworks Network.
Cannabis Career Institute
Remember Rachel Hoffman.
Twenty grams. That’s the amount of marijuana that Rachel Hoffman was pulled over with in Tallahassee, Florida. The amount that began the unfortunate series of events that lead to her death.
She died one year ago today when two drug warriors, looking to advance their careers in their chosen fight, the War on Drugs, sent her off with a wire and $13,000 cash to buy 1,500 ecstasy pills, 2 ounces of cocaine, and a handgun.
What little training she had wasn’t enough. Had she been able to contact her lawyer, maybe he would’ve told her it was a bad idea.
But she was looking at prison time, a felony record. All that money and effort spent towards school? For what? Her degree would be worthless. And prison time for four years? She was in the prime of her twenties.
Death. Always the ultimate consequence but never more than fleeting in our minds, especially when you’re young. Perhaps that way of thinking is a necessity. A mental barrier needed to disguise the inevitable in certain situations, to keep us sane and focused, when in the current moment there is nothing but madness.
So she decided to do it.
Rachel Hoffman was just 23 years old, and yes, she smoked marijuana. And that’s how it all began.
I know Rachel Hoffman. I see her everyday. Little bits and pieces of her at least in half a dozen or so of the people I know.
She was the smartest girl in my class in college, who loved, of all bands, the Beatles, and smoked every single day but never drank alcohol. She was a girl I used to work with, who bought a little more than she needed and sold the rest to friends, so she could smoke for free in order to make rent and pay her way through school. The hippie girl I see on Wednesdays listening to the live bands play at the local bar.
Today is the anniversary of a day that deserves no celebrations, only necessary reflection. For all the victims of this insane war the government has waged against a plant and on those who can’t quite grasp, or refuse to accept, their official version of the truth.
Today we should remember Tarika Wilson, Ryan Frederick, Cory Maye, Peter McWilliams, Officer Ron Jones, Veronica Bowers, Charity Bowers, John Hirko, Isidro Aviles, Ashley Villareal, Alberta Spruill, Alberto Sepulveda, Mario Paz, Kathyrn Johnson, Anthony Andrew Diotaiuto, Clayton Helriggle, Derek Hale, Lynette Gayle Jackson, and last but not least, Payton & Chase, and so many others.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Prohibition laws don't actually prevent people from using illegal drugs? What?!?
An October 2007 Zogby Poll asked "If hard drugs like Heroin and Cocaine were legalised, would you be more likely to try them?
99% answered: NO
What? You mean they're really aren't that many Americans sitting around their living rooms saying "Gosh darned it, I really wanna try that heroin. But golly gee, if only it were legal I'd go out and get me some right now."
But actually, if the point of all these prohibition laws is to win America the gold medal at the prison olympics, and/or to create a failed state in Mexico, and/or to allow local SWAT and DEA to compete over who'll be the first department to kill more dogs than Michael Vick, and/or to make a mockery of our consitutional rights and the intentions of our founding fathers...well, then, maybe they're right, and maybe I'm the one who needs to do a little soul searching.
99% answered: NO
What? You mean they're really aren't that many Americans sitting around their living rooms saying "Gosh darned it, I really wanna try that heroin. But golly gee, if only it were legal I'd go out and get me some right now."
But actually, if the point of all these prohibition laws is to win America the gold medal at the prison olympics, and/or to create a failed state in Mexico, and/or to allow local SWAT and DEA to compete over who'll be the first department to kill more dogs than Michael Vick, and/or to make a mockery of our consitutional rights and the intentions of our founding fathers...well, then, maybe they're right, and maybe I'm the one who needs to do a little soul searching.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
