prohibition

More Prohibition Fatalities

Kirk Tousaw — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:56:53 -0800

CN BC: ‘Magic’ Mushrooms Suspected In Fatality

RCMP here have issued a warning against consuming magic mushrooms, after the death of a B.C. man.

Cpl. Bryson Hill said preliminary results from an autopsy performed on a 23-year-old man who died while in the Halfway Hot Springs Nov. 8, indicate his death could be linked to him taking what he thought were hallucination-causing magic mushrooms or psilocybin mushrooms.

News reports identified the man as Dieter Eggers of Taylor, near Fort St. John.

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Sacked Adviser Urges Cannabis Probe

jeremiah — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:46:33 -0800

Sacked government drugs adviser Prof David Nutt has called for a Royal Commission to investigate whether cannabis should be decriminalised.

Editors note: Read more about the David Nutt affair here on Cannabis Culture.

Prof Nutt told the BBC the possibility of allowing Dutch-style cannabis cafes should be "explored".

STOP BILL C-15!: Eugene Oscapella to the Canadian Senate

jeremiah — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:56:27 -0800

CANNABIS CULTURE - Founder of the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy speaks to the Canadian Senate about the dangers of Bill C-15 and mandatory minimum sentences.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW TO STOP BILL C-15

Boomers See Views Relaxing on Marijuana

jeremiah — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:41:19 -0800

Joe Lee, 62, a regular pot smoker, runs a vintage-record shop in Rockville. He says he has noticed more public acceptance of the drug than when he used it while an art student in Baltimore in the 1960s. (Photo by Bill O'leary)Smoking pot isn't what it used to be for Joe Lee, a 62-year-old vintage-record dealer in Rockville.

Back in the late 1960s, as an art student in Baltimore, he kept his landlord in a constant state of suspicion, with clouds of marijuana smoke poorly masked by clouds of incense.

Should Pot Be Legal?

jeremiah — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:28:36 -0800

At left, Dave Evans of the Drug Free America Foundation. At right, Judge James Gray, a pro-marijuana advocate.Editor's Note: This is the first installment of a two-part debate CBS News.com is hosting between James P. Gray, a retired Orange County, Calif. judge who nowadays is a speaker for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, and David Evans, an author and advisor to the Drug Free America Foundation. Part 2 will be published on Tuesday.

Lies About Marijuana Drive People to a Much More Harmful Drug - Booze

jeremiah — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:43:42 -0800

Professor David Nutt didn’t play the game. As the chief drug policy advisor in the British Government, an unspoken part of his job description was to help maintain a public fiction about marijuana – or cannabis, as it is known in the U.K. and other parts of the world. Specifically, he was expected to further the misperception of cannabis as a substance worthy of being classified and prohibited in a manner similar to more dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine.

Web Opens Up Fresh Drug Market in Europe

jeremiah — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:20:25 -0800

A new front is opening in the war on drugs, with the internet emerging as an option to buy a plethora of hallucinogenics and synthetic drugs, according to the EU's drugs watchdog, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).

The availability of everything from magic mushrooms to 'fashionable' synthetic drugs and their "aggressive marketing and intentional mislabelling" are complicating the fight against drug abuse in Europe, warns the Lisbon-based agency in its annual report.

Mexican Mayor Announces Death of Drug Boss Hours Before Body Found

jeremiah — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:51:42 -0800

Mauricio Fernandez, the mayor of San Pedro Garza GarciaMauricio Fernandez could have been forgiven for sounding triumphant when he announced that the drug boss who had threatened to assassinate him had been shot dead by police in Mexico City.

Fernandez, the mayor of San Pedro Garza Garcia, the country's wealthiest municipality, was applauded when he revealed that Hector 'Black' Saldaña, a cartel chief turned kidnapper, had been killed.

My LTE in the Langley Advance Newspaper

Kirk Tousaw — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:51:37 -0800

Drugs: Legalization reduces crime

Dear Editor,

Brutal Drug War Erupts in Rio

jeremiah — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:07:45 -0700

Many residents of some of Rio de Janeiro's worst slums are fleeing their homes to escape a drug war that has left part of the Brazilian city in ruins, and killed a dozen people.

Smoke rose from the smoldering wreckage of a police helicopter shot down by drug gangs Saturday, while eight buses burned and gunfire filled the air in the slum of Morro dos Macacos.

Police say the fighting broke out early Saturday when one of the city's three main drug gangs invaded the area in an attempt to expand its territory.

The Solution to Our Environmental Woes is to End Prohibition

jeremiah — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:38:18 -0700

The best solution to our environmental problems is to end prohibition. There is no other viable option short of the immediate end to military conflict that will have the same positive impact on the ecosystem.

Our first step towards a sustainable existence should begin with cannabis. Its assimilation into our civilization is the safest, simplest, most efficient immediate solution that we can implement in time to prevent an ecological catastrophe.

The Age of Unreason

Ed Rosenthal — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:05:16 -0700

The battle between myth and reason was the heart of the Renaissance, which ushered in the Age of Reason.

For the first time in two millenia, philosophers and scientists were discovering or rediscovering ideas that we take for granted today; the ideas of cause and effect, the use of observation and controlled experiments.

President Reagan's Sec. of State Against the Drug War

Loretta Nall — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:43:19 -0700

This is a great piece from a very respectable and influential person.

Wall Street Journal
George Shultz on the Drug War
The former secretary of state has long doubted the wisdom of interdiction.

Ottawa
By MARY ANASTASIA O'GRADY

When George P. Shultz took office as Ronald Reagan's secretary of state in 1982, his first trip out of the country was to Canada. His second was to Mexico.

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Who’s Behind Pot Prohibition? The Answer Is Obvious

jeremiah — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:03:26 -0700

Without a doubt the question I’m most often asked professionally is this: “Why is marijuana still illegal?”

The common inference behind this question is that there must be some behind the scenes cabal of Big Pharma, Tobacco, and Alcohol executives conspiring to keep cannabis illegal. By contrast, the real culprits behind pot prohibition are far more overt.

Prohibition Claims Another Victim

Kirk Tousaw — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:44:23 -0700

This is an unspeakably tragic story. As a parent, it is the kind of story that makes me fearful of the world that my children will inherit.

Canada: One Bad Choice Cost Her Life

Before moving to Grande Prairie from the Vancouver Island city of Nanaimo, Darren Steinke and his sister, Heather Work, would often get stern lectures from their mother about the dangers of doing drugs.

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Marijuana Arrests Drop For First Time Since 2002

jeremiah — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:02:01 -0700

Drug War protester at Huntington Beach, Calif. (Photo by The November Coalition)Marijuana arrests in the United States declined in 2008 -- the first such drop since 2002 -- according to figures released by the FBI today.

The Racism of Marijuana Prohibition

jeremiah — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:58:51 -0700

Illustration by Larmee, indymedia.orgThe Times' Aug. 30 article, "Marijuana’s new high life," does a great job describing the cultural mainstreaming of marijuana. Pot is indeed flourishing in "civilized society" as never before, and the movement to end decades of failed prohibition has picked up unprecedented momentum. But that debate has largely ignored the people most impacted by our current policies -- the rising number of people, particularly young people of color, arrested on marijuana charges each year.

Vancouver like Chicago in the 20s?

Kirk Tousaw — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:22:46 -0700

So the BBC does a trash piece on Vancouver and hilarity ensues.

CN BC: BBC Latest To Pick Up On Vancouver’s Gang Violence

Solicitor General Kash Heed said Thursday that we have to acknowledge the problem highlighted in the international coverage, while recognizing that a lot has been done to combat gangs.

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Mexico Decriminalizes Small-Scale Drug Possession

jeremiah — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 08:55:57 -0700

Mexico decriminalized small amounts of marijuana, cocaine and heroin on Friday — a move that prosecutors say makes sense even in the midst of the government's grueling battle against drug traffickers.

Prosecutors said the new law sets clear limits that keep Mexico's corruption-prone police from shaking down casual users and offers addicts free treatment to keep growing domestic drug use in check.

Save our Forests: Legalize Pot

jeremiah — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:55:22 -0700

Add to the ever-growing list of arguments in favor of the decriminalization of marijuana this: Legalizing pot may save one of our most precious natural treasures - our national forests.

Cannabis Get-Together At Award-Winning Park in UK

jeremiah — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:01:47 -0700

The Legalise Cannabis Alliance from the UK will hold an anti-prohibition event at the award-winning Cannon Hill Park in Birmingham.Cannon Hill Park is one of the premier parks in the city of Birmingham as well as the West Midlands and has been awarded Green Flag status as a result of its beautiful flowerbeds, lakes, pools and a wonderful selection of tree species. But on August 9th 2009 the park will play host to a group of people who are advocating an entirely different type of plant: the much maligned cannabis plant.

Driven To Drink By Marijuana Laws?

jeremiah — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:42:18 -0700

Tough marijuana laws are driving millions of Americans to a more dangerous mood-altering substance, alcohol.

The unintended consequence: violence and thousands of unnecessary deaths. It’s time, therefore, for a serious public debate of the case for marijuana versus alcohol.

Anti-Prohibition Rally In Nepal

jeremiah — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:19:57 -0700

CANNABIS CULTURE - The people of Nepal held an anti-prohibition rally in the capital Kathmandu on June 26, 2009. Organized by a young man named Sujan, the rally was made up of 30 cars, decorated with pro-legalization and anti-prohibition signs.

The organization responsible for the event is made up of an alliance of taxi drivers, individuals and various cultural communities in the country.

UN Office of Drugs and Crime Calls for Decriminalization

jeremiah — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:21:36 -0700

The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime released a report yesterday calling for the decriminalization of casual and addict drug use and personal cannabis production.

The CTV news piece on late night terrorist police raids on gardeners

marc — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:25:16 -0700

The winner of the award for Perfect Description of the Reason Behind Marijuana Prohibition and the Nazi Holocaust and Every Other Historical Barbarism goes to Toronto narc Paul McIntyre speaking last week on CTV news about the nightly raids on pot gardeners: “We’re paid to go out every night to keep arresting these guys.”

Based on its vast historical precedent, scapegoating the dreaded other (“these guys”) for profit (“we’re paid”) has created an abundance of job opportunities in the exciting field of marijuana prohibition: