Yearly Archives: 2013

Seattle police distribute marijuana education via Doritos bags at annual Hempfest

"Seattle police plan to mingle with the 85,000 people expected to attend this year’s Hempfest to hand out bags of Doritos with information about what is and is not legal now that Washington’s Initiative 502 has been passed. The vote legalized possession and established a statewide system of regulations for the growing, processing and distribution of marijuana. The bags include a link to an FAQ on SPD’s website entitled 'Marijwhatnow? A Guide to Legal Marijuana Use In Seattle,' which explains the nuances of Washington’s new law." Continue reading →

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Texas deputy sues woman for ‘mental anguish’ after he kills her son-in-law

"Corina Padilla, who witnessed the incident, said that her brother-in-law never touched the officers and was backing away with his hands up when they shot him. 'At no moment did Kemal assault the officer,' she insisted. 'An unarmed man, a family guy, father and husband of three girls was killed. He had no criminal record. He was self-employed in import-export of very expensive rugs from Turkey and Persia.' Padilla said that Yazar was suffering from stress and had consumed some tea that caused him to hallucinate. She lashed out at Pullen for the 'outrageous' lawsuit. Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia agreed that the suit was 'unprecedented.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTexas deputy sues woman for ‘mental anguish’ after he kills her son-in-law

CA Attempt To Ban E-Cigarettes, Vaporizers Fails

"SB 648 would place vaporizers under the same stringent restrictions as tobacco cigarettes, banning their use in public buildings, restaurants, workplaces, hotel lobbies, playgrounds, within 20 feet of exit doors, etc. There is no evidence that vaporizers pose an appreciable second-hand smoking risk to the public. Users are known to vaporize in elevators and crowded rooms without any detectable odor or adverse notice. Bystanders are routinely exposed to worse emissions from kitchens, grills, garden plants, buses, chimneys, detergents, room deodorizers, gas stations, etc." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCA Attempt To Ban E-Cigarettes, Vaporizers Fails

Wisconsin: Increased Penalties for Marijuana Possession Sought

"Legislation is pending in the Senate and Assembly that seeks to allow municipalities to penalize marijuana possession offenders in instances where the District Attorney has refused to prosecute. At a time when many states and local jurisdictions are moving away from spending limited resources to target minor marijuana offenders, it makes little sense to enact legislation allowing for the continued prosecution of such persons in instances where the District Attorney has decided to forgo such actions." Continue reading →

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Circle startup CEO: Taking magic mushrooms can help solve business problems

"'It completely changes how you think,' Evan Reas of Circle told Business Insider on Wednesday. 'About your problems, about yourself, everything. It forced me to ask, ‘Is what I’m doing important?' 'When you work on a problem for a long period of time, you build up biases and filters and it becomes harder to get fresh thoughts. Mushrooms eliminates those biases.' Psychedelic substances are no stranger in the tech industry. Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs said in 2005 that doing LSD was one of the most important experiences in his life. Douglas Englebart, the father of the computer mouse, also experimented with LSD, as did Microsoft founder Bill Gates." Continue reading →

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10 Geniuses Who Used Drugs — And Their Drugs of Choice

"Is intelligence related to an increased likelihood of recreational drug use? It's an interesting hypothesis, and one that's been gaining momentum in recent years. If a definitive link between intellectual capacity and drug use does exist, it will likely be some time before anyone establishes one. Having said that, this much is for certain: history has more than its fair share of experimenting experimentalists. Let's meet 10 of history's most influential scientific and technological visionaries, along with their drugs of choice." Continue reading →

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CNN highlights how marijuana prohibition harms children

"'Think of the children,' is usually the rallying cry of opponents of drug legalization. But CNN on Thursday highlighted how marijuana prohibition was actually harmful to some children who were denied the potentially life-saving drug. In a segment on The Lead, CNN host Jake Tapper interviewed a man whose young daughter suffers from a rare form of epilepsy that causes her to have daily seizures. The condition has been treated with a special strain of marijuana, but the young girl is currently prohibited from using it under New Jersey state law. Brian Wilson recently confronted Gov. Chris Christie (R) about the issue." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCNN highlights how marijuana prohibition harms children

Drawing Down: How To Roll Back Police Militarization In America

"The damage inflicted by the country’s 40-year drug fight goes well beyond prisons. It’s also been the driving force behind America’s mass police militarization since at least the early 1980s, and the best way to rein in the trend would be to simply end prohibition altogether. Complete legalization is, of course, never going to happen. But even something short of legalization, like decriminalization, would take away many of the incentives to fight the drug war as if it were an actual war. The federal government could also leave it to the states to determine drug policy, and with what priority and level of force it should be enforced." Continue reading →

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The Surveillance Speech: A Low Point in Barack Obama’s Presidency

"Why, he used to think just like us when he was younger, and promises to consider our arguments. But some decisions just have to be made by the grownups. Do we know how much he loves us? Can we even imagine how awful he would feel if anything bad ever happened while it was still his job to ensure our safety? By observing Obama's condescension, I don't mean to suggest tone was the most objectionable part of the speech. The disinformation should bother the American people most. The weasel words. The impossible-to-believe protestations. The factually inaccurate assertions. They're all there." Continue reading →

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Utah Uses Eminent Domain to Seize Land of … Uncle Sam

"In March, Gov. Gary Herbert (R) signed a controversial law authorizing the use of eminent domain to capture some of the millions of acres that the federal government owns here. The law was tailor-made to provoke a lawsuit, possibly reaching the US Supreme Court, and to inspire other Western states to enact similar legislation. Other states have tried similar tactics and failed. For example, the US government controls about 80 percent of the land in Nevada. In a case in the 1990s, the state argued that this violated the equal footing doctrine, which holds that states should be treated equally when admitted to the Union. A federal judge rejected the case." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUtah Uses Eminent Domain to Seize Land of … Uncle Sam