Marijuana Prohibition // Current

Measure to decriminalize marijuana goes on Mass. ballot

While a recent poll showed that more than two thirds of Massachusetts voters favor relaxing laws against marijuana, State... more

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Massachusetts: Three Out Of Four Voters Favor Marijuana

Boston, MA: Nearly three out of four Massachusetts voters support a statewide ballot initiative that seeks to decriminalize the... more

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On the Common, they like the grass

The distinct odor of burning incense - among other things - hung in the air over Boston Common yesterday afternoon during the 2008... more

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Jeffrey Kongslie: Just say 'no' to WAMMfest medication

This coming Tuesday, Santa Cruz City Council members will once again be faced with deciding if the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana WAMM should be granted an exemption to the non-smoking policy for San Lorenzo Park. The stated need for this exemption is to allow members to "utilize their medication" during a festival intended to raise funds and awareness for the organization. I urge the Santa Cruz City Council to oppose this exemption.

While I support the mission of WAMM and I recognize that there are people who legitimately use marijuana for medicinal purposes, I do not believe that sanctioning the use of our public spaces for this purpose, and the likely recreational drug use that will accompany it, is consistent with our goals as a community.

The city of Santa Cruz has invested significant taxpayer resources in ridding San Lorenzo Park, and the adjacent neighborhoods, of chronic drug use so that these spaces are again welcoming to the broader Santa Cruz community, especially families. For the city to then "open the floodgates" to this use for one day seems greatly at odds with its policies the other 364 days of the year.

While the event organizers hope to restrict the use of marijuana to a specific area, it was well-documented by the media that this was not enforced last year. It is not the intent of WAMM to host an event that is a destination for recreational marijuana users, but this trend was also documented by the media. I fear that while WAMM has good intentions, their goals and mission might be compromised by others with different goals. Remember, the 4/20 event at UCSC started out as a small student activity that has now grown to include hundreds of recreational drug users from across the Bay Area.
A concern that has not been addressed are where these "medicated" individuals go after the event. They are now under the influence of a controlled substance. Do they get in their cars and drive? Do they go downtown, just over the bridge? We have also invested significant resources in getting drug use out of our downtown area, and I fear this event will undermine those efforts as well.

Recently my aunt passed away after a brief and intense battle with cancer. During her treatments, she used marijuana medicinally and it was the only thing that enabled her to deal with the side effects. I firmly believe that it is right to have compassion for people with terminal or serious chronic conditions, whose suffering can be lessened by the use of marijuana. But there are more practical ways to express that support. I hope WAMM will rethink its approach to this event, with the understanding that there are community members who support their goals but cannot see the logic of lifting the smoking ban in the park.

I hope that our community leaders will consider the health and well-being of the entire community and our goals for the use of our public spaces when casting their votes on Tuesday.

Jeffrey Kongslie is the co-owner of Vinocruz, a downtown business, and serves on the city's Downtown Commission.This coming Tuesday, Santa Cruz City Council members will once again be faced with deciding if the Wo/Men's Alliance for... more

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2 months ago

Pot rally has cops fuming

Marijuana legalization advocates openly smoked pot at the annual Boston Freedom Rally on Boston Common yesterday, spurring arrests by Boston police.

“It’s one thing to protest the illegality of marijuana, that itself isn’t illegal,” said James Kenneally, BPD spokesman. “People have the right to free expression, but it’s another thing to smoke marijuana, which is an illegal narcotic, during the protest.”

The annual Boston Freedom Rally - described by organizers as “the largest marijuana reform gathering on the East Coast” - drew hundreds of stoners, activists and vendors to the park. They spent the bright, sunny afternoon touting their support for Question 2, which will appear on the ballot in November and would replace criminal penalties for possession of up to 1 ounce of marijuana with a fine of no more than $100.

“It’s a thing where we can unite for a cause to legalize weed, man,” said Howlin’ Jack Boone, 27, of Waltham, lead singer of the rally’s headline band, Graveyard BBQ. “This year we’re hoping for decriminalization, next year it’ll be a celebration.”

The Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition co-sponsored the event, along with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

“We’re close to winning the first major battle with Question 2, and MassCann won’t stop until it’s legal, regulated and taxed,” said Steven Epstein, co-founder of the coalition.

Yesterday’s rally was “a combination of education and activism,” said Allen St. Pierre, NORML executive director.

Or, as guitarist “Brown Bag” Johnson of Graveyard BBQ put it, “We’re fighting against the man, burning the rope and having a good time.”

The arrests ruined the mellow mood for some participants.

“It’s a real fear. When they arrest you, it’s quick and swift,” said pot enthusiast Rachel Elorrisa, 29, of New Hampshire who admitted to “lighting up” before the rally. “Police are out here in street clothes, and when they arrest, you have to sit in that holding area all day.”Marijuana legalization advocates openly smoked pot at the annual Boston Freedom Rally on Boston Common yesterday, spurring arrests... more

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2 months ago

Face Off: Should Marijuana be Legalized? Yes - Opinion

Why is marijuana illegal? Once upon a time, there were several "facts" that made it seem obvious why it should be, but many of those "facts" are simply myths, and ridiculous ones at that.

Myth 1: Marijuana can cause dangerous, psychotic behavior.

Perhaps the most ridiculous of the myths; it is possibly the main reason for its prohibition. Marijuana was demonized and portrayed as a dangerous substance that would make you lose your mind. In fact, marijuana has some medicinal benefits and is less harmful than most of the side effects caused by prescription drugs.

Myth 2: "The War on Drugs" has been incredibly successful in putting away those terrible marijuana users.

Really? If you see successful as spending billions in tax dollars to incarcerate 37 million non-violent drug offenders, then sure. But, Jeffrey Miron, professor of economics at Harvard, says the legalization of marijuana would generate a tax revenue of $6.2 billion annually if taxed similar to alcohol and tobacco. We would also save $7.7 billion in government expenditure.

Some drug offenders serve more time than child molesters, and it costs between $20,000 and $30,000 per person per year to keep them in prison. I believe our tax dollars and our law enforcement would serve better purposes elsewhere and considering the state of our economy, that tax revenue might be a much-needed boost.

Myth 3: If legalized, there would be an increase in marijuana use, especially among youth. Use of most substances, including alcohol, is more prevalent among teenagers and 20-somethings. These are the people that are prone to experimentation, legal or not. Getting in trouble for underage use of legalized marijuana would be much less detrimental to teenagers' futures than sticking them with a misdemeanor or felony offense for the rest of their life.

Also, advertising would undoubtedly be restricted just as it is for cigarettes and alcohol, so no marketing for kids.

No Joe Camel, no Mary Jane.

In the Netherlands, the sale of marijuana is tolerated. The number of users did increase after more shops started selling it, but according to a recent World Health Organization survey, after that increase, Americans continue to use more marijuana than the Dutch.

Myth 4: Increase in use would mean more health problems. Marijuana smoke does contain carcinogens like cigarettes, but it tends to be used much less to achieve the desired result. The National Institute of Health's statistics show that 400,000 people die a year in cigarette-smoking related deaths. Yet, it also shows that there is no record of any marijuana related death in known history. These are some of the facts, and they are why I support the legalization of marijuana.

I'm not even a user, but I think people should educate themselves on the facts of this, or any issue, before drawing conclusions based on hearsay. In my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons in this case.Why is marijuana illegal? Once upon a time, there were several "facts" that made it seem obvious why it should be, but... more

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2 months ago

Traffic Stop Leads to Moonshine Bust in Unicoi County

Published: September 8, 2008 A South Carolina man is only facing a citation after the Sheriff of Unicoi County allegedly... more

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3 months ago

Marijuana Mash-Up

I've had enough with the anti-marijuana propoganda,the war on drugs,doctors pushing hard drugs on sick patients instead of... more

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3 months ago

Medical marijuana's eco boomtown

It's estimated that $143 million in medical marijuana sales have netted $11.4 million in state and local taxes annually,... more

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3 months ago

The Killing of Rachel Hoffman and the Tragedy That Is Pot Prohibition

(you must see this to believe this... don't they have any clue that pot is not like hard drugs that get people killed) by Paul Armentano
Rachel Hoffman is dead. Rachel Hoffman, like many young adults, occasionally smoked marijuana.
But Rachel Hoffman is not dead as a result of smoking marijuana; she is dead as a result of marijuana prohibition.
Under prohibition, Rachel faced up to five years in a Florida prison for possessing a small amount of marijuana. (Under state law, violators face up to a $5,000 fine and five years in prison for possession of more than 20 grams of pot.)

Under prohibition, the police in Rachel's community viewed the 23-year-old recent college graduate as nothing more than a criminal and threatened her with jail time unless she cooperated with them as an untrained, unsupervised confidential informant. Her assignment: Meet with two men she'd never met and purchase a large quantity of cocaine, ecstasy and a handgun. Rachel rendezvoused with the two men; they shot and killed her.

Under prohibition, the law enforcement officers responsible for brazenly and arrogantly placing Rachel in harm's way have failed to publicly express any remorse -- because, after all, under prohibition Rachel Hoffman was no longer a human being deserving of such sympathies.

Speaking on camera to ABC News' "20/20" last week, Tallahassee Police Chief Dennis Jones attempted to justify his department's callous and irresponsible behavior, stating, "My job as a police chief is to find these criminals in our community and to take them off the streets (and) to make the proper arrest."
But in Rachel Hoffman's case, she was not taken "off the streets," and police made no such arrest -- probably because, deep down, even they know that people like Rachel pose no imminent threat to the public. Instead, the officers on the scene secretly cut a deal with Rachel: They told her that they would not file charges if she agreed to go undercover.
Rachel became the bait; the Tallahassee police force went trolling for sharks.

In the weeks preceding Rachel's murder, police told her to remain tight-lipped about their backroom agreement -- and with good reason. The cops' on-the-spot deal with Rachel flagrantly violated Tallahassee Police Department protocol, which mandated that such an arrangement must first gain formal approval from the state prosecutor's office. Knowing that the office would likely not sign off on their deal -- Rachel was already enrolled in a drug court program from a prior pot possession charge, and cooperating with the TPD as a drug informant would be in violation of her probation -- the police simply decided to move forward with their informal arrangement and not tell anybody.

"(In) hindsight, would it have been a good idea to let the state attorney know? Yes," Jones feebly told "20/20." Damn right it would have been; Rachel Hoffman would still be alive.
But don't expect Jones or any of the other officers who violated the department's code of conduct -- violations that resulted in the death of another human being -- to face repercussions for their actions. Obeying the rules is merely "a good idea" for those assigned with enforcing them. On the other hand, for people like Rachel, violating those rules can be a death sentence.
Of course, to those of us who work in marijuana law reform, we witness firsthand every day the adverse consequences wrought by marijuana prohibition -- a policy that has led to the arrest of nearly 10 million young people since 1990. To us, the sad tale of Rachel Hoffman marks neither the beginning nor the end of our ongoing efforts to bring needed "reefer sanity" to America's criminal justice system. It is simply another chapter in the ongoing and tragic saga that is marijuana prohibition.

Paul Armentano is the deputy director for the NORML Foundation in Washington, D.C.

2008 Independent Media Institute. All rights reserved.
View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/93082/(you must see this to believe this... don't they have any clue that pot is not like hard drugs that get people killed) by... more