War on Drugs // Current

Two OC Pot Dispensaries Raided and Busted

The WAR on Drugs continues... This last Friday at 4:30 PM the Orange County... more

DreSandoval
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Medical-marijuana fight brewing between Senator Chris Romer, weed advocates

Senator Chris Romer has been the state legislator most willing to wade into the... more

atomiclegion
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Wu-Tang Clan Bus Gets Fucked With

West Memphis police busted eight members of Wu-Tang's Clan's entourage on Monday... more

copperdragon
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America’s ‘Preposterous War On Pot’ Continues

Seven million Americans have been arrested since 1995 on marijuana charges and 41,000... more

WakeUpPeople
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Accept the facts – and end this futile 'war on drugs'

We are handing one of our biggest industries over to armed, criminal gangs

The proponents of the "war on drugs" are well-intentioned people who believe they are saving people from the nightmare of drug addiction and making the world safer. But this self-image has turned into a faith – and like all faiths, it can only be maintained by cultivating a deliberate blindness to the evidence.

The recent furore about the British government's decision to fire its chief scientific advisor on drugs, Professor David Nutt, missed the point. Yes, it is shocking that he was ditched for pointing out the mathematical truth that taking ecstasy is less dangerous than horse-riding, and that smoking cannabis is less harmful than drinking alcohol. But this is how the war on drugs has to be fought. The unofficial slogan of the prohibitionists for decades has been: The facts will only undermine the war, so invent some that show how successful we are, fast.

Look at the United States, the country that pioneered the drug war, and still uses its military and diplomatic might to demand the rest of the world cracks down. In 1998, the Office of National Drug Control Policy was ordered by Congress to stop funding any scientific research that might give the impression that we should redirect funding from anti-trafficking busts into medical treatment of addicts, or that there is any argument to legalise, regulate or medicalise drug use.

It's Nutt cubed: only tell us what we want to hear. So, to give a small example, the ONDCP spent $14bn on anti-cannabis adverts aimed at teenagers, and $43m to find out if the ads worked. They discovered that kids who saw the ads were more likely afterwards to get stoned, so the evidence was suppressed, and the ad campaign marched on.

What would happen if we started to build our drugs policy around the facts, rather than our desire for a fuzzy feeling inside? Prof Nutt only took baby steps in this direction before he was booted out. He argued that we should rank drugs by the harm they do, rather than by the size of the panicked headlines they trigger. Now the row is fading, it is possible to see how conservative he was. A must-read new report out this week – "After The War on Drugs: Blueprint for Regulation", by the Transform Drug Policy Foundation – follows the facts as far as they will take us. It shows that the rational solution is to take the drug market back from the unregulated anarchy of criminal gangs, and transfer it to pharmacists, off-licences, and doctors who operate in the legal economy. To see why this is necessary, we have to look at some of the facts our politicians refuse to see:

Fact One The drug war hands one of our biggest industries to armed criminal gangs, who unleash terrible violence across the country. When alcohol was prohibited in the US in the 1920s, it didn't vanish. No: armed gangsters like Al Capone stepped in and sold it – and they shot anybody who got in their way. Yet today, Wine Rack does not shoot up Threshers. Oddbins does not threaten to kill anybody who sees its staff selling wine. Why? Because it wasn't the booze that caused the violence; it was the prohibition. Once alcohol was reclaimed for legal businesses, the dealer-on-dealer violence swiftly stopped.

Where there is a huge profit to be made in a black market – it's 3,000 per cent on drugs today – people will fight and kill to control it. Arrest a dealer, and you simply trigger a new war for his patch, with the rest of us caught in the crossfire. In 1986, the Nobel-prize winning economist, Milton Friedman, calculated that there are 10,000 murders in the US alone every year caused this way. Legalise, and you bankrupt most organised crime overnight. With their profits in freefall, the gangsters don't suddenly become cuddly – but the huge financial incentives >> http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-accept-the-facts-ndash-and-end-this-futile-war-on-drugs-1818167.htmlWe are handing one of our biggest industries over to armed, criminal gangs The... more

copperdragon
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Marc Emery Rallies at MP Offices Across Canada

CANNABIS CULTURE - Supporters of Marc Emery showed up at their member of parliaments'... more

copperdragon
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Drug War Remembrance

Editors Note: This article was written last Remembrance Day by Steve Rolles of the UK's Transform Drug Policy Foundation. Besides a steady growth in US Troop levels, political strife, and death tolls, little has changed in Afghanistan - and this post is as poignant today as it was a year ago.

Remembrance Sunday, a tradition that seemed to be waning in its national importance, has assumed a new meaning and relevance for the younger generations with the event of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. The day is still marked by the wearing of poppies, a tradition that grew out of the emergence of the flowers on the battlefields in the Flanders and Picardy regions of Belgium and Northern France at the end of World War I.

It is hard to escape the dual-symbolism of the poppy in relation to the Afghanistan conflict. Over 800 coalition soldiers have died in Afghanistan, over a hundred of them British - at least some of which have been as a direct result of anti-drug operations aimed at eradicating the poppy harvest that provides the raw opium that in turn feeds over 90% the West's demand for illicit heroin. Many more Afghans have also died, both combatants and civilians. The symbolic historical links of the poppy with death are not just the blood red from battle fields but also the opium connection; the poppy being used as a traditional tombstone emblem to symbolise eternal sleep.

The Afghan conflict is, of course, more complex than merely a war on drugs, but the massive illicit profits that flow from the poppy fields are fueling the violence, and helping destabilize the entire region. Eradication of the illicit trade is a key element of the coalition and now NATO strategies into which billions of pounds has been poured, and for which no let up is on the horizon. Yet there is nothing from the experience of the past 7 years to suggest it is even remotely possible, as recent bumper harvests and stockpiling demonstrate.

It also needs to be repeated that it is the prohibition of opiates for non medical use that creates the illicit trade in the first instance. There is no violence, criminal profiteering or terrorism associated with the 50% of global poppy production (for medical use) that is entirely legal and regulated. It is prohibition that creates the link between drugs and terror, and prohibition that is responsible for the nexus of their respective wars - which become increasingly difficult to disentangle as each year passes.

If we do make the terrible decision to send soldiers to war, with all the consequences and bloodshed that entails, then we should have a damn good reason for doing it. An unwinnable and counterproductive war against drugs comes nowhere close. Whilst we remember our fallen soldiers with poppies, we should not forget that their fellow soldiers continue to die in a pointless fight against poppies.

We may not know yet how to solve the complex issues of international terrorism, but we do know how to solve the problems created by the drug war.

- Article from Transform Drug Policy Foundation on November 10, 2008.

http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/content/drug-war-remembranceEditors Note: This article was written last Remembrance Day by Steve Rolles of the... more

copperdragon
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Johnson: Drug enforcement pricey waste

The Prohibition against drug use is causing more trouble and expense than the drug use... more

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10 days ago
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CCHQ's Reality Check - November 9th, 2009

In this episode of Cannabis Culture's "Reality Check" - Footage of the Canada-wide... more

copperdragon
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11 days ago
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Lies About Marijuana Drive People to a Much More Harmful Drug - Booze

Anti-pot propaganda drives most people to drink alcohol instead. But booze is far more dangerous than marijuana.
Professor David Nutt didn’t play the game. As the chief drug policy advisor in the British Government, an unspoken part of his job description was to help maintain a public fiction about marijuana – or cannabis, as it is known in the U.K. and other parts of the world. Specifically, he was expected to further the misperception of cannabis as a substance worthy of being classified and prohibited in a manner similar to more dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine.

He made a big mistake at the end of last month. In a lecture at King’s College in London, he spoke honestly – and truthfully – about the fact that cannabis is less harmful than alcohol and urged the government to factor the relative harms of substances into their policy-making. Moreover, he accused the British government of ignoring the evidence about the true harms of cannabis in order to reclassify the drug and increase penalties for possession.

Reacting with the logic and reason of pub patron after last call, Home Secretary Alan Johnson immediately demanded that Prof. Nutt resign as the head of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. He said Prof Nutt had "crossed the line between offering advice and … campaigning against the government on political decisions."

More accurately, Prof. Nutt crossed the line between deceiving citizens and being honest with them. The home secretary, a former member of Parliament, is no doubt comfortable with a little verbal jousting over public policy decisions. What he could not abide by was a top ranking official threatening the anti-cannabis mythology embraced at the very top level of government. Based on Nutt’s fateful bout of truthfulness, Johnson said he had “lost confidence” in Nutt as an advisor.

In a letter to Professor Nutt, Mr. Johnson explained how the system is supposed to work. He said: "As Home Secretary it is for me to make decisions, having received advice from the [Council] ... It is important that the Government's messages on drugs are clear and as an adviser you do nothing to undermine the public understanding of them ... I am afraid the manner in which you have acted runs contrary to your responsibilities."

The Home Secretary’s chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson put a similar spin on this hostile reaction to fact-based statements to the public. "These things are best sorted out behind the scenes,” he said, “so that the government and their advisers can go to the public with a united front."

In the real world, what this means is that advisors are free to provide research or reports based on an honest assessment of the scientific evidence, but when this research is completely ignored in setting policy, they are expected to keep their mouths shut and move on as if nothing ever happened.

This is all part of the game the government plays in order to maintain marijuana prohibition. In the United States, there are many examples of significant advisory opinions related to marijuana being completely ignored – even where the opinions were part of a decision-making process that should have led to action by the federal government.

In 1970, Congress established the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse to study marijuana and make recommendations about how to control its use. The Commission’s final report suggested removal of criminal penalties, noting, “The actual and potential harm of use of the drug is not great enough to justify intrusion by the criminal law into private behavior.” President Nixon ignored the Commission’s findings and launched and all-out war on marijuana users.

In 1988, Francis Young, an administrative law judge at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), following hearings to determine whether marijuana should be placed into a less restrictive category under the Controlled Substances Act, wrote that marijuana should be moved from Schedule I (theAnti-pot propaganda drives most people to drink alcohol instead. But booze is far more... more

copperdragon
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Rising Tensions in Venezuela and Colombia

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has urged his armed forces to be prepared for... more

AlexBush
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11 days ago
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Britain Becomes "Designer Drugs" Capital Of Europe

Britain has become the online "designer drugs" capital of Europe with more than a... more

atomiclegion
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15 days ago
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UK Science chief backs cannabis view -- BBC NEWS | Science & Environment |

Professor John Beddington, the UK's chief scientist, would not be drawn on whether the... more

jkw077
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18 days ago
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Marc Emery 24/7 Prison Vigil - Day 28

Free Marc Emery! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d00VGxPGuEE&feature=player_embedded

copperdragon
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19 days ago
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Why gay marriage, getting high, and going to Cuba will soon be legal.

The End of Prohibition "I think this would be a good time for a beer," Franklin D.... more

atomiclegion
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19 days ago
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5 weeks ago was our last full day together

It's almost 11pm on Sunday, November 1st. Five weeks ago, Marc and I were spending our last night together, counting down the 11 hours until his court appearance and incarceration on Monday, September 28th.

We spent our last Saturday and Sunday nights staying late at the office with our friends/employees, smoking a lot of cannabis and talking about good memories. Marc signed the last sets of "Prince of Pot" DVDs, large and small "FREE MARC" posters, and copies of CC #57 (printed the day of the raid, and released with a warning sticker on the final seed catalogue).

We took some photos of everyone together in our store/office those nights, and cherished every moment, knowing that we would soon be torn apart for what could be five long years...

I'm crying now, remembering how precious and important those last few days were. It was hard to come to terms with the fact he was going to jail. We knew it was coming and we accepted that, but it doesn't make being separated any less painful. We tried to do everything as we would normally do, but also take time out to just love each other, and had a beautiful final few days together (though every day we spent together was wonderful, and the last few months especially so).

Everything seems much more intense lately. I cry almost every day because I miss Marc so much, and sometimes I cry when reading the newspaper because I'm just so sad and concerned about the way our country is changing. The Stephen Harper Conservative government is taking Canada in a very scary direction -- they've doubled the prison budget, introduced laws to eliminate parole and early release, passed laws that take away the double time credit for pretrial imprisonment, restrict prisoners' rights and rehabilitation programs (no more farming or animals, fewer in-person visits, and possibly even taking away voting privileges like in the USA), and spending undisclosed billions of dollars on the military... Those are just some parts of the overhauling of Canada, and there is so much more everyone should know...

Marc wrote an incredible review of the Conservative Party's terrible impact on Canada called "Stephen Harper and The End of Days (of Canada as we know it): Revelations about the Conservative Party's direction for Canada", and it can be heard on his fourth "Prison Pot-cast" audio report (click here to listen). You should also listen to his other "Prison Pot-cast" recordings, as it gives you a look into his daily life and thoughts while behind bars.

It's difficult accepting what has happened but I'm staying very strong, and I'm learning a tremendous amount running every part of our organization and business, and managing various campaigns. I get through each day with a lot of support, and Marc calls me at least 4 times every day. I get to visit him every Sunday; in fact, I saw him earlier tonight. Visiting Marc is one of the best parts of my life -- seeing him, looking into his eyes, examining his face and remembering what it was like to kiss and touch him...

The glass barrier and awful little metal sound grate prevent us from being able to make any physical contact, but we put our hands up to the glass and stare into each others' eyes. I so cherish that one hour together each week... I can't imagine what it'll be like to not see Marc this often. I don't know if I'll be able to visit him in the USA, as he might be far away in Florida, Georgia, Texas, or wherever there's space in the federal prison system, and I might not be able to make it to his facility...

I wish he could just serve his time in Canada. People should be contacting the Justice Minister and asking him to have Marc charged for the same crimes in Canada -- after all, selling seeds is against the law, the Vancouver Police investigated Marc in 2003 (but the Crown refused to lay charges), Marc conducted his activities in CONTINUED> http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/node/20407It's almost 11pm on Sunday, November 1st. Five weeks ago, Marc and I were spending our... more