tagged w/ Decriminalization
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The End of Prohibition
"I think this would be a good time for a beer," Franklin D. Roosevelt said upon signing a bill that made 3.2-percent lager legal again, some months ahead of the full repeal of Prohibition. I hope Barack Obama will come up with some comparably witty remarks as he presides over the dismantling of our contemporary forms of prohibition—laws that prevent gay marriage, restrict cannabis as a Schedule I Controlled Substance, and ban travel to Cuba. "You may now kiss the groom," perhaps, or—a version of the comment he once made about smoking pot—"I inhaled—that was the point."
Prohibition now is different from Prohibition then. When the 18th Amendment went into effect in 1920, it was a radical social experiment challenging a custom as old as civilization. Its predictable failure—the gross insult to individual rights, the impossibility of enforcement, the spawning of organized crime—came to an end when Utah, of all places, became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment in 1933. Today prohibition is a byword for futile attempts to legislate morality and remake human nature.
Our forms of prohibition are more sins of omission than commission. Rather than trying to take away longstanding rights, they're instances of conservative laws failing to keep pace with a liberalizing society. But like Prohibition in the '20s, these restrictions have become indefensible as well as impractical, and as a result are fading fast. Within 10 years, it seems a reasonable guess that Americans will travel freely to Cuba, that all states will recognize gay unions, and that few will retain criminal penalties for marijuana use by individuals. Whether or not Democrats retain control of Congress, whether or not Obama is re-elected, and whether they happen sooner or later than expected, these reforms are inevitable—not because politics has changed but because society has.
Source: http://www.slate.com/id/2234017/The End of Prohibition
"I think this would be a good time for a beer," Franklin D.... more
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In Italy, the law against homophobia didn't passed, while in the US president Barack Obama signed a law that states as a federal crime any attack against a person only for his sexual orientation or sexual identity.
http://www.inaltreparole.net/en/world/leggecontroomofobiausa011109.htmlIn Italy, the law against homophobia didn't passed, while in the US president Barack... more
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Every 18 seconds, an American is busted for drug possession, according to Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) crime statistics released Monday - but is the sum of the costs worth it?Every 18 seconds, an American is busted for drug possession, according to Federal... more
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The politics and policies of drug prohibition are a failure primarily because they are not effective in actually prohibiting people from obtaining and using drugs, and also because the evidence supporting those policies are weak.The politics and policies of drug prohibition are a failure primarily because they are... more
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On the one hand, marijuana is practically legal—more mainstream, accessorized, and taken for granted than ever before. On the other, kids are getting busted in New York City in record numbers. Guess which kids.On the one hand, marijuana is practically legal—more mainstream, accessorized, and... more
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Far from protecting us and our children, the war on drugs is making the world a much more dangerous place.
SO FAR this year, about 4000 people have died in Mexico's drugs war - a horrifying toll. If only a good fairy could wave a magic wand and make all illegal drugs disappear, the world would be a better place.
Dream on. Recreational drug use is as old as humanity, and has not been stopped by the most draconian laws. Given that drugs are here to stay, how do we limit the harm they do?
The evidence suggests most of the problems stem not from drugs themselves, but from the fact that they are illegal. The obvious answer, then, is to make them legal.Far from protecting us and our children, the war on drugs is making the world a much... more
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While California is going bankrupt, one business is booming. "How Weed Won the West" is the story of the growing Medical Marijuana industry in the greater Los Angeles area, with over 700 dispensaries doling out the buds. Following the story of Organica, a southland dispensary owned by Jeff Joseph that was raided by the DEA in August of '09, the film shows that although much has changed with Obama in office, the War on Drugs is nowhere near over. From Kevin Booth, the producer/director of Showtime's "American Drug War", How Weed Won the West shows how California could be an example to the rest of the country by showing how legalizing marijuana can benefit the economy.
Starring Alex Jones, Ethan Nadlemann, Craig X Rubin, Doug Stanhope, Jeff Joseph, Theresa Blaylock, Don Duncan, Bill Kroger, and more.
A Kevin Booth Film
Edited by Ryan Kaye
Coming to DVD October 15!
Pre-order now at http://SacredCow.com
and get special VIP access to free digital download outtakes!While California is going bankrupt, one business is booming. "How Weed Won the West"... more
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In a backlash against the US 'war on drugs', Latin America turns to a more liberal policy
The economic and social cost, plus European moves towards liberalisation, have emboldened some Latin American states to try new approaches.In a backlash against the US 'war on drugs', Latin America turns to a more liberal... more
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Denver's marijuana policy review panel agreed Wednesday to send a letter to the presiding judge of Denver County Court urging a $1 fine as penalty for possession of marijuana of less than an ounce.Denver's marijuana policy review panel agreed Wednesday to send a letter to the... more
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Just days after the Mexican Congress decriminalized marijuana, Argentina's judiciary has followed suit. In a case involving five youths in possession of some "marijuana cigarettes," the Argentine Supreme Court declared, unanimously, "the unconstitutionality of prison for private consumption."
The justices' logic smacks of horse sense:
Supreme Court Justice Carlos Fayt, who at one time supported laws that make personal use of marijuana illegal, told the state-run Telam news agency that "reality" changed his mind.
"Each individual adult is responsible for making decisions freely about their desired lifestyle without state interference," their ruling said. "Private conduct is allowed unless it constitutes a real danger or causes damage to property or the rights of others."
This Latin embrace of decriminalization is anything but unexpected. Back in February of this year, former presidents of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico very publicly urged Obama to decriminalize marijuana.
“It makes no sense to continue a policy on moral grounds without getting the desired results,” said Gaviria [former president of Colombia] “Obama, being a pragmatist, should recognize these failures.”
That recognition has yet to come, but wonks and sober-minded activists are speaking up, working to create political space that an Obama, or any other future president, might occupy.
"It seems quite clear that drug policy based primarily on interdiction and enforcement has failed," said Robert Pastor, a Latin America national security adviser for President Jimmy Carter in the late 1970s. "Therefore, it's natural for people to stand back and ask, 'Is there a better way?' "
These efforts are still timid, and largely at the fringes, if not in the shadows, of the national spotlight. But as more and more nations in our hemisphere decriminalize - and I believe that we will see this ripple throughout South America in the next couple years - positive results will make the "better way" apparent to anyone willing to look south.Just days after the Mexican Congress decriminalized marijuana, Argentina's judiciary... more
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The United States spends nearly $50 billion each year on the war on drugs, to little avail: illegal drugs remain prevalent, and drug-funded groups continue to spread violence from Mexico to Afghanistan. The new White House drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske, says he wants to end the drug war, but other men in his position have tried and failed to do just that. In this illustrated history, Ricardo Cortes shows how science, politics, ego, and scandal transformed a public-health initiative into a century-long military campaign.The United States spends nearly $50 billion each year on the war on drugs, to little... more
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Localization. Localization. Localization.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House today passed legislation that removes a decade-old provision that has prevented Washington, D.C., from implementing the medical marijuana law passed by 69 percent of capital voters in 1998.
Known as the Barr amendment, the provision has forbidden the city from extending legal protection to qualified medical marijuana patients and has been derided by advocates for years as an unconscionable intrusion by the federal government into the District's affairs.WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House today passed legislation that removes a decade-old... more
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In an about face, the United Nations on Wednesday lavishly praised drug decriminalization in its annual report on the state of global drug policy. In previous years, the UN drug czar had expressed skepticism about Portugal's decriminalization, which removed criminal penalties in 2001 for personal drug possession and emphasized treatment over incarceration. The UN had suggested the policy was in violation of international drug treaties and would encourage "drug tourism."In an about face, the United Nations on Wednesday lavishly praised drug... more
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In a major coup for pro-legalization group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Nicholas Kristof, columnist for The New York Times, hitched himself to the group's mantra in a Sunday editorial exploring the downfalls of a government fighting a war against its own people.
From The New York Times:
Here in the United States, four decades of drug war have had three consequences:
First, we have vastly increased the proportion of our population in prisons. The United States now incarcerates people at a rate nearly five times the world average. In part, that’s because the number of people in prison for drug offenses rose roughly from 41,000 in 1980 to 500,000 today. Until the war on drugs, our incarceration rate was roughly the same as that of other countries.
Second, we have empowered criminals at home and terrorists abroad. One reason many prominent economists have favored easing drug laws is that interdiction raises prices, which increases profit margins for everyone, from the Latin drug cartels to the Taliban. Former presidents of Mexico, Brazil and Colombia this year jointly implored the United States to adopt a new approach to narcotics, based on the public health campaign against tobacco.
Third, we have squandered resources. Jeffrey Miron, a Harvard economist, found that federal, state and local governments spend $44.1 billion annually enforcing drug prohibitions. We spend seven times as much on drug interdiction, policing and imprisonment as on treatment. (Of people with drug problems in state prisons, only 14 percent get treatment.)
Kristof prominently quotes Norm Stamper, a former police chief and member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. He also pulls some ideas from Jeffrey Miron, a Harvard economist who has become a leading anti-prohibition advocate for his analysis of the economic impact of black markets.In a major coup for pro-legalization group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition,... more
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Half a million people die in the United States every year because of drugs and alcohol.
Marijuana has yet to kill one person, however.
A smoker would have to consume nearly 1,500 pounds of marijuana within about fifteen minutes to induce a lethal response. That would cost approximately 3 million dollars.
Ranked by dependence, marijuana is less addictive than coffee:
http://tinyurl.com/lv9ucr
Source:
Jack E. Henningfield, PhD for NIDA, Reported by Philip J. Hilts, New York Times, Aug. 2, 1994 "Is Nicotine Addictive? It Depends on Whose Criteria You Use."Half a million people die in the United States every year because of drugs and... more
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The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act makes New Jersey the next in line to recognize marijuana's medicinal properties. 14 states have now acknowledged this.
Make sure to check out the video that goes with the article, too.The New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act makes New Jersey the next in... more
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Now Delaware has joined a handful of Northeastern states considering legalizing the medical use of marijuana.Now Delaware has joined a handful of Northeastern states considering legalizing the... more
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