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Drug use doubles among U.S. baby boomers and seniors

“For adults aged 50 to 54, the rate more than doubled from 3.4 percent in 2002 to 7.2 percent last year. For those aged 55 to 59, it more than tripled from 1.9 percent to 6.6 percent. ‘Among those aged 60 to 64, the rate increased from 1.1 percent in 2003 to 3.6 percent in 2012,’ the report added. Marijuana — ranked on par with heroin under federal law, despite a trend towards legalization at the state level — was the most commonly used illegal drug. Current use between 2007 to 2012 grew from 5.8 percent to 7.3 percent of the overall population, and the number of Americans who used marijuana daily or almost daily grew from 5.1 million in 2007 to 7.6 million in 2012.” Continue reading →

Mexico’s Vicente Fox pushes marijuana debate to forefront

“Former President Vicente Fox grew up on a farm here in rural Guanajuato, one of Mexico’s most conservative states. He is the kind of guy who wears big belt buckles, collects hand-tooled saddles and worships the free market. Fox has always fancied himself a policy maverick. And these days, the former standard-bearer of Mexico’s conservative National Action Party, or PAN, has emerged as one of Latin America’s most outspoken advocates of marijuana legalization. This summer he has significantly ramped up his efforts. In June, he declared that he would grow the plant if it were legalized and added that he’d like to see marijuana sold in Mexican convenience stores.” Continue reading →

Kentucky agriculture head: Grow hemp, we’ll see what Justice Department does

“Kentucky’s Commissioner of Agriculture James Comer said Attorney General Eric Holder’s announcement last week of changes in the Justice Department’s marijuana policy could mean that the state can move ahead with industrial hemp farming. Comer intends to forge ahead with industrial hemp in hopes that federal policy will continue to mellow with regards to marijuana. ‘This is going to happen sooner than many of us thought,’ said Comer. Comer is sanguine enough about the outcome that he is already courting hemp processing companies in hopes that they will do business in the state. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (R) issued a statement supporting Comer on Wednesday.” Continue reading →

California Gold Rush county votes to secede and form state of ‘Jefferson’

“Leaders of a rural Northern California county are inviting communities in both California and Oregon to join them after voting on Tuesday to pursue seceding from the state. The Redding Record Searchlight reported that the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to form their own state, ‘Jefferson,’ in a 4-1 vote, citing a lack of representation at the state level and complaints about a $150 fire prevention fee for homeowners in smaller counties like Siskiyou. More than 100 residents reportedly packed the meeting, most of them supporting the decision. At least one neighboring county, Humboldt County, is considering a similar plan.” Continue reading →

New documentary puts Donald Rumsfeld on the hotseat about Iraq

“Former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld wriggles out of straight answers on the Iraq war in Errol Morris’s new documentary, screening in Venice Wednesday. ‘The Unknown Known’ takes its title from a 2002 speech Rumsfeld gave to justify the invasion. Asked at the time whether Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, he replied that there are ‘things we do not know we don’t know.’ In the film, Morris repeatedly attempts to quiz Rumsfeld on this and other decisions taken by a man accused of disastrous mismanagement of the war and condoning policies on interrogation which led to cases of extreme abuse of prisoners.” Continue reading →

Mexico leader to discuss alleged U.S. spying with Obama

“Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said Wednesday he would voice concerns about alleged US spying on his emails to US counterpart Barack Obama, warning it would be illegal if proven true. The new claims of spying in Latin America came two months after allegations of widespread US electronic espionage in the region that infuriated allies and rivals alike. ‘If it is proven that an action took place, with the use of espionage means, this is clearly not permitted and it is outside the law,’ Pena Nieto told reporters during a layover in Canada on his way to Saint Petersburg.” Continue reading →

Florida man cites ‘Bush doctrine’ after pre-emptive killing of neighbors

“Lawyers for a Florida man this week cited President George W. Bush’s pre-emptive war in Iraq and the ‘Bush Doctrine’ as a defense after their client killed two neighbors and attempted to kill a third on Labor Day. According to officials in Titusville, Woodward had snuck up on his neighbors while they were having a Labor Day barbecue. Police responding to the scene found that Gary Lee Hembree, Roger Picior and Bruce Timothy had all been shot. Hembree and Picior were later pronounced dead. Blake survived, even though he had been hit 11 times. In their motion, Woodward’s attorneys claimed that the victims had called him names and threatened to ‘get him.'” Continue reading →

Watch What Happens When the Camera is Turned On Cops

“There are now over 50,000 SWAT raids annually in America — the types of raids that were designed for and then perfected in the streets of Fallujah and Kandahar. Without radical restraints on the state’s power to initiate and dispense lethal force through its law enforcement agencies, our rights to life, liberty, and property are and will continue to be severely threatened. Yet despite the fact that U.S. law enforcement eerily resembles East Germany’s Stasi with even greater technological tools to inflict terror, all it takes is a tiny little camera on a cop’s chest to drastically minimize abuse, arbitrary coercion, and makes cops act like the peace officers they are intended to be.” Continue reading →