Monthly Archives: September 2013

Administration Gives States Conditional Okay on Marijuana Legalization

"Attorney General Eric Holder told the governors of Colorado and Washington Thursday that the Justice Department would not -- at least for now -- block their states from implementing regimes to tax, regulate, and sell marijuana. The memo listed a number of activities that could draw federal prosecutorial attention or result in a Justice Department reassessment, including sales to minors, profits going to criminal actors, diversion to pot prohibition states, marijuana sales as a cover for other drug sales, violence and the use of firearms, drugged driving and other 'adverse public health consequences,' and growing marijuana on public lands. That leaves some wiggle room for federal prosecutors." Continue reading →

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What the Justice Department Pot Memo Means

"How soon is 'relatively soon?' The answer is 296 days. That’s how long it took for the Obama Justice Department to respond to the passage of last November’s historic statewide ballot measures in Colorado and Washington authorizing the commercial production and retail sale of cannabis to those over the age of 21. Cannabis law reformers welcomed the Justice Department’s directive, though some also expressed skepticism. Their caution is understandable. In a 2009 memo (the Ogden memorandum), the administration pledged not to intervene in medical cannabis states. But federal officials reversed course in 2011. Yet there are indications that things may be different now." Continue reading →

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Mexico City mulls legal marijuana ‘clubs’

"The capital hosted a three-day forum on drug policy amid a growing debate in Latin America over the course of the region’s deadly struggle against narcotrafficking, with President Enrique Pena Nieto taking a stance against legalization. Esthela Damian, a councilwoman of the city’s ruling Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), told AFP the proposals on the table include allowing the cultivation of three cannabis plants per person, as well as a system of cooperatives or 'non-profit private clubs.' Mexico City, home to almost nine million people plus 11 million more in its suburbs, has stood out from the rest of the country in recent years by legalizing abortion and allowing gay marriage." Continue reading →

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NJ Weedman on Jury Nullification vs. The Drug War

"NJWeedman, a medical marijuana patient fighting bone cancer and a pot legalization advocate, found himself in trouble after being pulled over by a New Jersey state trooper with more than a pound of marijuana in his possession, as well as a large sum of cash. This was sufficient to trigger a 'possession with intent to distribute' charge, and he faced up to a decade in prison if convicted. Because he represented himself and argued not for his innocence but against the morality of the law itself, NJWeedman believes he was acquitted by 'jury nullification.'" Continue reading →

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Kim Dot Com resigns from Mega to pursue plans for NZ political party

"Internet mogul Kim Dotcom said on Thursday he was resigning from his new venture Mega to focus on fighting extradition to the United States and his plans for a New Zealand political party. The 39-year-old, who was arrested when armed New Zealand police involved in the US probe raided his Auckland mansion, confirmed that he had resigned as a director of Mega at an August 29 board meeting. Dotcom said he was still working on development of a web-based music service called Megabox. The extradition case has dragged on in the courts and is subject to numerous appeals, with Dotcom estimating earlier this year that his legal bills could exceed US$50 million." Continue reading →

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Developers Scramble to Build NSA-Proof Email

"Edward Snowden’s revelations about the NSA’s mass internet surveillance is driving development of a slew of new email tools aimed at providing end-to-end encryption to users, and it has boosted interest in existing privacy tools too. Jon Callas, a Silent Circle founder, says his company is planning to take another run at secure email. He says he’s primarily concerned with email metadata like the sender, receiver and subject line, as well as the IP addresses and transit server information in the header of encrypted email." Continue reading →

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Privacy fears cause more to cover online tracks

"The Pew Research Center report said 86 percent of US Internet users have taken some steps to avoid online surveillance by other people or organizations. 'Our team’s biggest surprise was discovering that many Internet users have tried to conceal their identity or their communications from others,' noted Sara Kiesler. 'It’s not just a small coterie of hackers. Almost everyone has taken some action to avoid surveillance. And despite their knowing that anonymity is virtually impossible, most Internet users think they should be able to avoid surveillance online — they think they should have a right to anonymity for certain things, like hiding posts from certain people or groups.'" Continue reading →

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Man rescued to death by Australian ambulance helicopter

"The 68-year-old man was bushwalking with a group at Macs Cove, near Mansfield in Victoria's north-east, when he broke his ankle about 10:30am AEST yesterday. The ambulance helicopter was sent in to rescue the man about midday because of the terrain. However, Ambulance Victoria chief executive Greg Sassella says at about 12.30pm he fell approximately 30 metres to his death while he was being winched into the helicopter with a paramedic. Mr Sassella says Ambulance Victoria has suspended all winch rescues while the equipment is tested and an investigation is completed. Mr Sassella says the winch equipment will be thoroughly tested." Continue reading →

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Will Warrants for Searches Become a Thing of the Past?

"Help us ask the Supreme Court to review a terrible decision made by the 9th Circuit Court. Here's what happened: Border guards seized an American citizen's computer when he re-crossed the border from Mexico. They did this because the man had an old criminal record, NOT because there was evidence of a new crime. This was clearly an illegal search without a warrant. He was arrested and convicted on the basis of forensically-uncovered, deleted files. Nevertheless, the 9th Circuit upheld this seizure as a legal search. This decision combines with other recent events to erode the 4th Amendment close to a vanishing point. We want to reverse this trend!" Continue reading →

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No possession of drugs required for Malta drug possession charges

"A recent case in which a man was charged in court with possession of cannabis - even though the police found no cannabis on his person - turns out to be far more commonplace than one would think. According to criminal lawyer Dr Joe Giglio, this case was no by means a one-off incident. In fact he claims that as many as half the cases pressed by the police for possession of illicit substances will not be based on the discovery of any drugs in the possession of the accused, adding that the police have a standard formula for how to extract such confessions from unwitting suspects." Continue reading →

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