Drugs & Prohibition

Weed Country: Welcome to the Garden

"In a remote wilderness tucked deep inside the border of California and Oregon – known as the Emerald Triangle – marijuana flourishes. Farmers in this area can earn millions in a single summer, but with that kind of reward comes huge risk. Growing marijuana here is a cutthroat business -- where only the best survive. WEED COUNTRY, a new six part series on Discovery Channel premiering Wednesday, February 20, 10|9c, shows the battle between cops, dealers and the growers looking to engineer some of the most powerful marijuana on earth." Continue reading →

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FL cops raid home of wheelchair-bound Rx-marijuana activist who’s to have legislation named for her

"Cathy Jordan’s celebrity in the area of medical cannabis, including her conviction that the herb has helped her battle her Lou Gehrig’s disease, does not insulate her from existing marijuana laws. Jordan’s husband, Robert, told the Herald that his Parrish home in Beck Estates on 98th Avenue in Parrish was raided shortly after 2 p.m. Monday by deputies and detectives with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office drug intervention unit who wore ski masks. No arrests were made Monday but a total of 23 marijuana plants, including two waist-high nearly mature plants that Cathy Jordan uses for her treatment plan, and a crop of seedlings, were confiscated by authorities." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFL cops raid home of wheelchair-bound Rx-marijuana activist who’s to have legislation named for her

Drones patrolling U.S. borders spark controversy over privacy

"Intended to protect the borders from illegal crossings and the import of illegal drugs, ten drones flown by U.S. Customs and Border Protection have also sparked a controversy over privacy. The plane are piloted remotely and their images are reviewed in real time by agents at Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, Arizona. The data is used to help direct agents on the ground or in a helicopter to make a bust. 'The fact we can turn the lights off, we are almost stealth,' said director of Air Operations Dave Gasho. And that, critics say, that is the problem." Continue reading →

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Washington state bill would forgive all minor marijuana convictions

"Washington state Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (D) has a novel idea: now that marijuana is legal in the state, he wants people convicted of minor, state-level marijuana offenses to get a clean slate. Fitzgibbon introduced H.B. 1661 on Feb. 5, a bill that he told Raw Story was inspired by Washington prosecutors who dropped all of their pending misdemeanor marijuana cases in December following legalization’s passage at the ballot box. Many times a marijuana conviction can disqualify one for numerous jobs, public housing opportunities and educational financing: harms Fitzgibbon hopes to undo by allowing prior offenders to petition for their charges to be vacated." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWashington state bill would forgive all minor marijuana convictions

Illegal Drugs: The great experiment

"Decriminalising consumption does nothing to break the grip of gangsters over the drug business. For that to happen, production and distribution also need to be legalised. That is why the experiment under way in the United States is so important. Colorado and Washington now have the chance to create a legal but regulated market in marijuana, similar to those for tobacco or alcohol. One immediate consequence is that the United States will be in breach of the UN Convention. Good. It should now join Latin American governments in an effort to reform that outdated document to allow signatories room to experiment. Imposing a failed policy on everybody benefits nobody." Continue reading →

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Drones, Assassinations, and the Drug War

"The Chinese military recently planned to assassinate by drone a suspected drug lord hiding out in Myanmar who was accused of having murdered 13 Chinese soldiers. While Chinese authorities ultimately decided not to carry out the assassination and ended up capturing the guy and having a court sentence him to death, the episode clearly points in the direction that both the Chinese communist regime and the U.S. government are taking their respective countries. After all, China could justify the assassination of the suspected drug lord in the same way that the U.S. government justifies the assassination of suspected terrorists." Continue reading →

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Doors swing open for advocates of marijuana legalization on Capitol Hill

"Advocates for the legalization of marijuana plan to step up their political giving and lobbying efforts now that members of Congress are taking an interest in changing federal drug laws. The lobbyists say lawmakers who wouldn’t give them the time of day are suddenly interested in meeting with them and introducing legislation following the approval of ballot initiatives in Colorado and Washington that legalized recreational use of the drug. Lobbyists say the battle that is brewing over drug laws will be far-reaching and not confined to recreational use of marijuana." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDoors swing open for advocates of marijuana legalization on Capitol Hill

Bipartisan Hemp, Medical Marijuana Bills Introduced in Congress

"It's a marijuana policy trifecta on Capitol Hill now: recreational marijuana, medical marijuana, and hemp. Earlier this month, reformist House members filed bills to end federal pot prohibition and tax the trade and last week to legalize hemp. Now, some of those same legislators -- joined by more -- have filed bills that would protect medical marijuana patients and providers and some senators have filed their companion bill to legalize industrial hemp." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBipartisan Hemp, Medical Marijuana Bills Introduced in Congress

West Virginia Bill Would Drug Test Teens for Driver Licenses

"A bill introduced Tuesday in the West Virginia House of Delegates would require prospective teen drivers to pass three separate drug tests before receiving a full drivers' license. It's only the latest drug testing proposal to emerge at the statehouse in Charleston this year. Introduced by Del. Joe Ellington (R-Mercer), House Bill 2528 would require teens to 'pass a drug test designed to detect illegal consumption of controlled substances' before getting a learner's permit, before getting an intermediate license, and before getting a full license." Continue reading →

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AZ Court Says You Don’t Have to Be High to Get a DUI

"An Arizona appeals court has ruled that marijuana users don't need to be actually impaired to be successfully prosecuted for driving under the influence. The ruling came Tuesday in the case of a man who tested positive for an inactive marijuana metabolite that remains in the body for weeks after the high from smoking marijuana has worn off. The ruling in Arizona v. Shilgevorkyan overturned a decision by a superior court judge who said that it didn't make sense to prosecute people for driving under the influence if they're not actually under the influence." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAZ Court Says You Don’t Have to Be High to Get a DUI