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Bar Owner Tells Pot Smokers to Light Up
Schnarr, 62, says he is not acting out of a love of cannabis - he says he hasn't smoked the stuff since he was a soldier stationed in Southeast Asia in the 1970s. Rather, he's looking for new sources of income. "I stay up at night," he said.
by Erik Altieri, NORML Communications Director November 26, 2012 In the wake of the historic votes for marijuana law reform on November 6th, there has been a renewed focus on the topic and a shift in tone amongst the mainstream media. While previously, many outlets have either covered our efforts with a wink and a nod (or didn’t cover them at all), now that two states have called for the end of marijuana prohibition, reporters are rushing to cover the story. Along the way it seems they are also getting a crash course education in the concepts of civil liberties, federalism, and the disasters of our country’s prohibition on cannabis. Many are beginning to wake up to the reality that we have long identified: cannabis prohibition is a failed policy that has destructive effects on our society and these effects can be remedied by legalization and regulation.
New York Times & Washington Post Opine for Marijuana Reform
Reps. Ron Paul and Barney Frank to Obama: Leave pot smokers alone
Two House lawmakers are urging President Obama not to interfere with recent state decisions to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Reps. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and Barney Frank (D-Mass.) wrote to Obama Wednesday asking his administration not to prosecute residents of Colorado and Washington, where voters just passed ballot measures to legalize the drug.I guess it shouldn't have been such a surprise to me that most of my incoming election-night texts, emails, tweets and whatever else had to do with the passage of Colorado Amendment 64—you know, the pot one—some along the lines of "I'm moving to Colorado," or "You can expect a visit soon!" Then the headlines zipped around as Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper made a crack about Cheetos . And scenic photos of Colorado on Facebook featured the same pithy captions that they did when medicinal marijuana was first legalized : "Is that a cloud or pot smoke lol" (Perhaps I can have the joy of being the first to introduce you to words like " ganjapreneurs " and " budtenders .") Now, we'll go through some of the same growing pains we went through a few years ago. It has taken a long time and a lot of campaigning and legislation to get to where we are, and the marijuana business continues to be very complicated.
Ganjapreneurs, Governments Await Signal From Feds on Recreational Marijuana | Business on GOOD
Satterberg dismisses all misdemeanor marijuana cases
King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg has dismissed all misdemeanor marijuana possession cases currently pending in Washington’s largest county. Taking action following Tuesday’s landmark vote on marijuana legalization, Satterberg said there would be “no point” in continuing to prosecute the 175 people currently facing misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession. Friday’s announcement followed the passage of Initiative 502, which legalized marijuana possession of one ounce or less in Washington State. The law also called for a legal framework under which marijuana could be grown and sold; both those activities remain illegal outside the medical marijuana industry.
Posted September 7, 2012 in Criminal Law by Larry Bodine Judge Richard A. Posner of the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Photo courtesy University of Chicago Law School. Richard A.
Respected Federal Judge Calls for Legalizing Marijuana
Juicing medical marijuana the latest trend in amazing cures
(NaturalNews) There have been a few articles written about the multitude of environmentally sustainable industrial applications of hemp. There have been perhaps many more written about the medical applications of cannabis. Now there is a formerly skeptical California doctor who has found the optimal method of using marijuana for health.
Teen Pot Smoking 'Surges' While Staying the Same
According to the latest Partnership Attitude Tracking Survey , the percentage of high school students who said they had ever tried marijuana fell between 2010 and 2011, the percentage reporting past-year use remained the same, and the percentage reporting past-month use rose slightly. But that is not what the press release from the Partnership at Drugfree.org (formerly the Partnership for a Drug-Free America) said. The organization, which sponsors the survey together with the MetLife Foundation, led with this instead: "National Study: Teen 'Heavy' Marijuana Use Up 80 Percent Since 2008, One in Ten Teens Reports Using Marijuana at Least 20 Times a Month." Sexier, right?Obama Tries to Rewrite His History of Promising Forbearance for Medical Marijuana Suppliers
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone ( noted earlier today by Mike Riggs) , President Obama was asked to reconcile his administration's crackdown on medical marijuana with his promises of tolerance and noninterference in this area. His reply : Here's what's up: What I specifically said was that we were not going to prioritize prosecutions of persons who are using medical marijuana. I never made a commitment that somehow we were going to give carte blanche to large-scale producers and operators of marijuana [dispensaries]—and the reason is, because it's against federal law. I can't nullify congressional law. I can't ask the Justice Department to say, "Ignore completely a federal law that's on the books."
U.S. Ignores Voices Of Reason On Drugs
"When you have 40 years of a policy that is not bringing results, you have to ask if it's time to change it." Those are the words of former Colombian president Cesar Gaviria, and they make a lot of sense. It's been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. If that is true, then the American "war on drugs" is completely insane.
Why Snoop Dogg's Marijuana Bust Is No Joke
One night in another life, I and another comedian were returning from a gig in Northern Oregon. We had decided to red-eye the drive, making it to San Francisco without stopping.Gingrich Proposed the Death Penalty for Pot Smokers -- Even Though He Admitted to Smoking it Himself
December 13, 2011 | Like this article? Join our email list: Stay up to date with the latest headlines via email. Over the weekend, struggling Republican presidential candidate Gary Johnson reminded MSNBC viewers that GOP frontrunner Newt Gingrich had once to called to punish some drug offenders with death.Reefer Madness
When he ran for president, Barack Obama defended the medical use of marijuana and said that he would not use Justice Department resources to override state laws on the issue.Wounded Iraq Veteran to Government: Allow Research On Treating PTSD With Medical Marijuana
More than 10,000 people in over 40 states have joined a popular campaign on Change.org launched by a former U.S. Marine calling on multiple government agencies to stop blocking research of medical marijuana’s potential treatment of PTSD for veterans. Sergeant Ryan Begin, a retired member of the United States Marine Corps, is leading the campaign on Change.org following news that the Department of Health and Human Services denied a study protocol submitted by researchers requesting to purchase marijuana to study the plant’s potential use in treating post-traumatic-stress disorder. “I served two tours in Iraq and was hit by an improvised explosive device, losing my right elbow and then enduring over 30 surgeries,” said Sergeant Ryan Begin, who launched the campaign on Change.org.Marc Emery's Prosecutor Switches Sides; Joins ACLU, Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes, and TV Host Rick Steves in Backing Inititiave The former U.S.