Yearly Archives: 2013

Police Made One Marijuana Arrest Every 42 Seconds in 2012

"Residents of two states voted to legalize marijuana in 2012, but despite an increase in public support for liberalizing drug policy, American police arrested about the same number of people last year on pot-related charges as in 2011. Data released Monday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation show there were an estimated 1,552,432 arrests for drug-related crimes in 2012 – a slight uptick from the 1,531,251 drug arrests in 2011. Marijuana offenses accounted for 48.3 percent of all drug arrests, a slight reduction from 49.5 percent in 2011, which itself was the highest rate since before 1995." Continue reading →

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Pot And Pregnancy: It’s Harmless, So Why Are Moms Still Prosecuted?

"Weighing decades of research, it’s fairly safe to say that marijuana during pregnancy has very little to no effect on the developing fetus. Unfortunately, child welfare laws in many states do not agree. Some states equate smoking marijuana while pregnant — whether to alleviate nausea, vomiting, stress or depression — with felony child neglect or abuse. Given that marijuana is the most widely used drug by women of child-bearing age, and the potential for women to use marijuana without knowing they’re pregnant, this is a women’s rights issue. Why should a woman surrender autonomy over her body, her children and her approach to motherhood to civil authorities, whether she uses cannabis or not?" Continue reading →

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FDA rewrites opioid narcotic labels to limit use for pain

"The new guidelines will not place formal new restrictions on prescriptions by physicians who treat patients for pain, but administration officials announcing the change made clear they hope to chasten physicians who prescribe the medications for anything other than ongoing, intractable pain. The revision made by the FDA would not just remove 'moderate pain' from the agency’s list of approved uses for the medications: It aims to get patients and their physicians to focus not only on levels of pain, but on how long it can be expected to persist and what alternatives exist to relieve it." Continue reading →

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Medical pot: Will Colorado’s “green rush” last?

"Twenty states have now legalized the medical use of marijuana for the treatment of things like glaucoma, the effects of chemotherapy, and chronic pain; defying federal laws that still consider marijuana more dangerous than cocaine and methamphetamine. In Denver, if you want to find a medical marijuana dispensary, just look for the green cross. You won't have to go far. There are 204 of them in the Mile High City -- that's roughly three times the number of Starbucks and McDonald's combined. They come in all sizes and shapes. There is the health food store motif and '70s style head shops. There are storefronts pitching low cost weed, and boutiques offering gourmet ganja." Continue reading →

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Federal marijuana decision clears way for Oregon hemp production

"Oregon is one of seven states with laws that permit the production of industrial hemp, a non-intoxicating relative of marijuana grown for its sturdy fiber and seeds. Elsewhere in the country, hemp advocates have reacted to the federal government's new position on cannabis by moving ahead with legal hemp production. Kentucky's top agriculture official said the Cole memo is all he needs to move forward. India is the largest market for Canadian hemp by weight, though the United States buys more hemp seed than any other country, generally for food and beauty products. China, also a major international exporter of hemp, tends to produce hemp that's used for textiles." Continue reading →

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Fighting marijuana … or reality?

"Americans are becoming deaf to the critics of pot legalization. Their hyperbolic claims about the dangers of pot -- along with the realistic ones -- are being dismissed by a justifiably cynical public. Anti-marijuana propaganda isn't stopping the march toward national legalization, but the opposition is losing its voice as it screams about the falling sky. A majority of Americans favor full legalization. So why can't the opposition discuss these problems realistically? It's simple: Because the only rational conclusion is that the dangers of pot are not sufficient to warrant its prohibition. Yet those who have an ideological opposition to legalization appear immune to reason." Continue reading →

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Kansas rejects marijuana advocacy group’s bid to adopt a highway

"State officials say that it’s not their beliefs that the state finds problematic, but the fact that what they advocate directly contravenes state law. The possession, distribution and consumption of marijuana is illegal in Kansas. 'We don’t want to advertise for that because their name is gonna be on our signs and I don’t think that’s acceptable,' said Benny Tarverdi of the Kansas Department of Transportation. The Department also told Eyewitness News 12 that this is only the second application it’s denied in the past decade. The first was from the KKK." Continue reading →

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Citing Racial Disparities, Rand Paul Favors Restoration Of Felon Voting Rights

"Acknowledging racial disparities in U.S. drug and sentencing laws, Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is calling for the restoration of felon voting rights in state and federal laws. The Tea Party favorite also says the consequence of those punitive measures is the chief culprit behind voter disenfranchisement in African-American communities. 'The biggest impediment to voting rights, right now, are convicted felons. One in three young black males has been convicted of a felony and they’ve lost their voting rights. I think it dwarfs all other (election-related) issues,' says Paul." Continue reading →

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Don’t Cage My Speech! A Student Schools His College

"When Chris Morbitzer and his University of Cincinnati (UC) chapter of Young Americans for Liberty sought permission to gather signatures across UC's campus for a time-sensitive, statewide ballot initiative, their request was denied. Morbitzer was told that if he and his group were seen gathering signatures outside of the school's tiny and restrictive 'free speech zone,' campus security would be called and they could be arrested. Dismayed that he might not be able to gather many signatures if he was confined to a free speech zone that comprised just 0.1% of campus, Morbitzer took a bold step: He sued his university." Continue reading →

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Law Aimed at Sex Offenders Feeds into the Growing Surveillance State

"ACLU attorney Michael Risher opened his argument by evoking the compelling image of a registrant who wishes to make an anonymous critical comment about his local police department on the online comment section of his local newspaper, 'His speech will be chilled knowing that the police has his online identities down at the station.' There are signs that restricting registrants' access to the Internet, in particular social media, is a growing trend. North Carolina has banned registrants from social networks like Facebook and other chat rooms, and Pennsylvania is considering similar legislation. Earlier this year, a similar ban in Indiana was struck down by a court of appeals." Continue reading →

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