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New Zealand Are addictive medicines cures or problems? “Legalising cannabis for medicinal purposes would be the thin end of the wedge towards increasing drug use in New Zealand, according to a former detective who now manages a drug education company.” APN News and Media also reports: “Dale Kirk, managing director of MethCon, said taking a softer line on drug offenders would do more harm than good.” “I think we'd see people suddenly developing medical problems to source the drug,” asserts Kirk. The former detective is also concerned about impressionable children and vulnerable teenagers, but especially the many ways in which...

Former New Mexico Republican Gov. Gary Johnson is a teetotaling triathlete who looks the part of the laid-back Mountain West politician. But don’t let the jeans and black mock turtleneck he's sporting on his new website fool you: Johnson is starting to sound like a mad-as-hell populist with an eye cast on 2012 and the building fury aimed at Washington. “I’m finding myself really angry over spending and the deficit,” he said in an interview with POLITICO this week. “I’m finding myself really angry over what’s happening in the Middle East, the decision to stay in Afghanistan indefinitely. I’m angry...

'Record' Afghanistan drugs bust International and Afghan troops have killed 60 militants and made a record drugs haul in an operation in southern Afghanistan, the US military has said.

People suffering from cancer, AIDS and other diseases could turn to marijuana for pain relief under a plan approved Wednesday by an Illinois House committee despite claims that it would be a step toward legalizing pot. Under the legislation, people with a doctor's permission would be eligible for a state registry card allowing up to seven marijuana plants in their homes and 2 ounces of "usable cannabis." The measure is written to expire after three years. Advocates say marijuana eases pain without the side effects of heavier drugs and reduces nausea from chemotherapy. "There is needless suffering going on out...

Medical marijuana advocates were celebrating Thursday night. The U.S. Attorney General has announced plans to end raids on medical marijuana dispensaries that are legal under state law.

Supporters of programs to provide legal marijuana to patients with painful medical conditions are celebrating Attorney General Eric Holder’s statement this week that the Drug Enforcement Administration would end its raids on state-approved marijuana dispensaries. Federal raids on medical marijuana distributors continued at least into the second week of Barack Obama’s presidency, when federal agents shut down at least two dispensaries in California on Feb. 3. Holder was asked about those raids Wednesday in Santa Ana, Calif., at a news conference that was called to announce the arrests of 755 people in a nationwide crackdown on the U.S. operations of...

In the slide show I narrated about the late William F. Buckley, Jr., I didn’t have room to get into a couple of issues we’ve been debating here at the Lab: the Drug Enforcement Administration’s campaigns against medical marijuana and against doctors who treat chronic-pain patients. Mr. Buckley was worried about the D.E.A. well before the OxyContin scare inspired the agency’s Operation Cotton Candy and led to doctors like William Hurwitz and Bernard Rottschaefer being sent to prison. In 1995, after criticizing presidents and members of Congress for pursuing a war on drugs he considered futile, Mr. Buckley wrote: But...

In testimony before Congress last week, former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona said that the Bush administration has an adversarial relationship with science. "Anything that doesn't fit into the political appointees' ideological, theological or political agenda is often ignored, marginalized or simply buried," Carmona said. "The problem with this approach is that in public health, as in a democracy, there is nothing worse than ignoring science or marginalizing the voice of science for reasons driven by changing political winds." This is a common criticism of the Bush administration, made most thoroughly in journalist Chris Mooney's 2005 book, "The Republican War...

Offenders got more than token citations in Denver On Oct. 2, 1937, in the somewhat shady Lexington Apartments at 1200 California St. in Denver, Samuel R. Caldwell became the first person in the United States to be arrested on a marijuana charge. Caldwell, a 58-year-old unemployed laborer moonlighting as a dealer, was nailed by the FBI and Denver police for peddling two marijuana cigarettes to one Moses Baca, 26. If you're wondering why it took the U.S. government so long to bust a pot dealer, it's because until the Marijuana Stamp Act was passed - on you guessed it, Oct....

TORONTO (Reuters) - Comedian Tommy Chong has spent almost three decades wringing laughs from cigar-sized joints and smoke-filled vans but now a nine-month jail term has turned him serious and revitalized his flagging career. Promoting his documentary "a/k/a Tommy Chong" at the Toronto International Film Festival, he hopes the film will expose what he says is the U.S. government's heavy-handed dealing with marijuana offenders in the post-September 11 era. "The United States is under martial law, it's under dictatorship," the 67-year-old father of four said in an interview. The film chronicles the Canadian-born comedian's 2003 arrest and imprisonment for selling...

Quote: First hand account from Knick of Evol Intent... Last night, I was booked to play an event about an hour outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. The hype behind this show was huge, they presold 700 tickets and they expected up to 3,000 people total. The promoters did an amazing job with the show.. they even made slipmats with the flyers on them to promote in local shops. So, we got to the show around 11:15 or so and it was really cool. It was all outdoors, in a valley surrounded by huge mountains. They had an amazing light...

The months of recalls and warnings surrounding popular prescription painkillers have done more than frighten consumers, batter drug makers' bottom lines and raise questions about the procedures and criteria by which the Food and Drug Administration approves medications. The fact that so many legal drugs pose serious health risks is also reigniting a debate over the medicinal value of other substances — illegal drugs, particularly marijuana — and what critics believe is the government's continuing resistance to studying their possible benefits. Frustrated researchers say the question is not whether marijuana could serve legitimate medical purposes. Marijuana has been looked at...

After years of false starts, state lawmakers voted Tuesday evening to reduce the steep mandatory prison sentences given to people convicted of drug crimes in New York State, sanctions considered among the most severe in the nation. The push to soften the so-called Rockefeller drug laws came after a nearly decade-long campaign to ease the drug penalties instituted in the 1970's that put some low-level first-time drug offenders behind bars for sentences ranging from 15 years to life. Under the changes passed yesterday, which Gov. George E. Pataki said he would sign, the sentence for those same offenders would be...

Psychotic symptoms more likely with cannabis 16:58 01 December 04 NewScientist.com news service Using marijuana in adolescence and early adulthood can cause psychotic symptoms later in life, a new study suggests. The risk of developing these symptoms is “moderate”, say researchers, though is higher in people with a pre-disposition to psychosis. Up to a third of people develop signs of psychosis at some point during their lives and several studies have already linked cannabis use with psychotic symptoms. But it is often difficult to decipher whether cannabis really triggers psychotic symptoms - such as hearing voices and paranoia - or...

They’re criticized by their parents because they stay up too late and can’t get up for school. They’re considered lazy by co-workers and supervisors who watch them stumble in late for work. Called “night owls” for their unusual wake and sleep patterns, these individuals either adjust by finding jobs with flexible hours, or they become depressed and at odds with family members. According to sleep expert Daniel Kripke, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, night owls can’t help it. They suffer from a lifelong biochemical malfunction within their body’s...

Second Coast Guard Member Asks For Transfer From Westport November 11, 2004 By Bryan Johnson The Samoan woman is claiming racial discrimination; others say it's part of a larger problem there. WESTPORT - For the second time in 13 months, a member of the Coast Guard has asked for a transfer from the Grays Harbor Coast Guard station at Westport. This time, it's a Samoan woman, who is claiming racial discrimination. She says she fears for the safety of her family. Thirteen months ago, an African-American Coast Guardsman also cited racial prejudice in requesting a transfer from the Grays Harbor...

A CHANGE IN MARIJUANA PROSECUTION EYED Chicago Considers Bid To Issue Fines In Certain Cases CHICAGO -- Mayor Richard M. Daley has endorsed a proposal to issue fines for possession of small amounts of marijuana rather than clog the courts with cases that tend to be thrown out by judges. Daley said the volume of marijuana cases that are tossed out by local courts -- upwards of 90 percent, according to one recent study -- mean minor possession is virtually decriminalized in Chicago now. "If 99 percent of the cases are thrown out, when is there a credible arrest for...

Few Americans typically give much thought to the $200 million hemp industry: a $200 million market that includes such wide-ranging products as bread, clothing and soap. But this week hemp producers are getting a powerful marketing boost from an unlikely source—the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Nearly two and a half years ago, the put a chill into the hemp marketplace by interpreting the definition of marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act to include hemp food products. Their logic was that ingestible hemp contained THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and therefore was a Schedule 1 controlled substance, just like marijuana. Never mind that hemp...

SALEM, Ore. -- A measure on Oregon's Nov. 2 ballot to expand the medical use of marijuana is drawing fire from state district attorneys and the White House drug czar, who says it would turn the state into a "safe haven for drug trafficking."Measure 33 would make it easier for ailing people to obtain marijuana and allow them to possess more of it -- up to a pound at a time. It also requires that indigent patients be given free marijuana.But White House drug czar John Walters, echoing criticism by Oregon's district attorneys, calls Measure 33 a fraud on Oregon...

Washington, DC: Three out of four illicit drug users in the United States are marijuana smokers, according to survey data released today by the Department of Health and Human Services.According to the department's annual "National Survey on Drug Use and Health," an estimated 19.5 million Americans currently use illicit drugs (as defined as use within the past month). Of these, 14.6 million - or 75 percent - self-identify as marijuana smokers.By comparison, only 2.3 million Americans reported using cocaine, approximately one million reported using LSD, and fewer than 120,000 said that they currently use heroin. In addition, an estimated 97...

From the AP: Marijuana Advocates Forget to File for Ballot LAS VEGAS (AP) - An initiative to legalize pot in Nevada might go up in smoke after organizers forgot to file 6,000 petition signatures by a June 15 deadline. Clark County (search) Registrar Larry Lomax said Billy Rogers, president of the political consulting firm seeking to qualify the petition, is pleading for him to accept the 6,000 names. "Unfortunately, the state law says they have to turn it all in by June 15," Lomax said.

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Ever since prescription painkillers such as OxyContin became the drugs of choice among dealers and addicts in Appalachia, the days of small-town pharmacists dispensing medicines from behind an ordinary counter have become a quaint memory.Now, many pharmacies have turned into virtual fortresses. Some now have bars over the windows. The most sought-after drugs are stored in vaults. The pharmacists often work behind safety glass, and some have even armed themselves. Surveillance cameras and alarm systems monitor every spot.Pharmaceutical companies have also adopted practices from the banking industry, delivering prescription pills in armored trucks protected by armed...

Doctor Who Recommended Medical Pot Gets Restraining Order vs. Ashcroft A federal judge awarded a West Slope doctor who recommends medical marijuana a temporary restraining order against Attorney General John Ashcroft. Mollie Fry, whose clinic in Cool was raided by federal agents three years ago, will appear in a San Francisco court next week to hear whether a judge will make the order permanent. "I feel beaten and I'm asking him to stop beating me," Fry said. The temporary restraining order, approved by U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup, elated Fry. "We need to continue to struggle against those who...

Police state, ho!by John Whitehead6/28/04 With each passing day, America is inching further down a slippery slope toward a police state. Soon, we’ll have picked up so much momentum that there will be no turning back. Incredibly, not too many people appear concerned. Bombarded by media images and a mind-numbing entertainment culture, people seem to be so distracted that they do not even realize that our civil liberties are slowly and stealthily eroding away. Yet the signs of a police state are everywhere. They have infiltrated all aspects of our lives, from the mundane to the downright oppressive. We were...

THE average cannabis joint is no stronger than it was 25 years ago, say EU experts. They have analysed official data from across the EU and concluded there have been no significant changes in cannabis potency. Levels of the drug's active ingredient - D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - has remained virtually constant. Cannabis resin (hashish) produced overseas comprised about 70 per cent of the UK market, with the rest being marijuana, around half of which was imported. On the typical British joint, the report said: "The absence of any decline in the amount of herbal cannabis or resin used may suggest there...

Austin is becoming the headquarters for the Libertarian Party. The Libertarian Party selected an Austinite to run for president and several state party positions are occupied by people in Austin. The Libertarians believe in liberty. The party platform calls for the government to get out of their lives. "It's not the government's job to tell you how to live your life or to do things that they think are in your best interest. The only valid function of government is to protect your property," Libertarian Presidential candidate Michael Badnarik said. Badnarik understands the odds. "Being realistic, my job is to...

Vin Suprynowicz: Libertarians aim to 'cost Bush the election' On June 14, the Seattle Times editorialized that the entrance requirements for the tedious, moribund, rigorously stage-managed turn-offs that today pass for our presidential "debates" should be loosened -- but not too much. The paper's intent was to get Ralph Nader included. The solution? "It's time to reconsider the current format and the lock on presidential debates by the two major parties," the Times recommends. Right on. But wait. There still has to be "some cutoff point in voter popularity," the Seattlites immediately added. "Otherwise, George Bush and John Kerry would...

ENGLAND fans will be allowed to smoke dope before Sunday’s crunch clash with France — to keep them calm. Cops in Lisbon plan to crack down on drunk supporters while turning a blind eye to those spotted puffing on a spliff. Pot-smoking fans have been assured they will not be arrested, cautioned — or even have their drugs confiscated. Last night experts said the Portuguese police’s “Here We Blow” policy would reduce chances of a punch-up between rival fans. Alan Buffry of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance said: “If people are drinking they lose control, if they smoke cannabis they don’t....

Tanya Smith is sporting a broken left arm, and she says a South Bend police officer is to blame. Police Chief Thomas Fautz said he has been reading reports of the incident, and so far he hasn't found any evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the officers involved. He said he cannot provide many details about the incident since it is an open investigation, and police policy keeps him from talking about it. He did confirm that the officer injured the woman. Smith, a 25-year-old Elkhart resident, said she and a friend, Felicia Bradley, had gone to Benchwarmers early...

How Police Deal With A Barking Dog Situation Many questions surfaced after a Bixby family's dog is shot. The News on 6 was first to tell you about Fluppy Sunday night. The 6 year old golden retriever had to be put to sleep after a Bixby Police officer shot it three times. John and Cathy Benzinger say Fluppy was tethered to the fence in their backyard when police came out to answer an alarm call Saturday morning. Police say Fluppy was barking and approached Officer Cory Forister, so he shot the dog. He says he had to protect himself....

The wonderful thing about having Canada as a neighbor was always knowing that its Molson-drinking, "eh"-affixing, health-care-socializing denizens were a mostly harmless bunch. Not any longer if you're U.S. drug czar John Walters. Wally is exercised about BC Bud, a high-grade, high-potency, high-price marijuana that will get smokers giggling quicker than the more mundane stuff grown in Mexico or that hollow out behind Uncle Billy's shed in Eastern Kentucky. Walters apparently has it figured that if the old-fashioned stuff could make the characters in "Reefer Madness" act so insanely, this nuevo-reefer must be, well, as bad as crack. "Canada is...

With pot and porn outstripping corn, America's black economy is flying high Illegal migrants provide the muscle for US black market Duncan Campbell in Los Angeles Friday May 2, 2003 The Guardian Marijuana, pornography and illegal labour have created a hidden market in the United States which now accounts for as much as 10% of the American economy, according to a study. As a cash crop, marijuana is believed to have outstripped maize, and hardcore porn revenue is equal to Hollywood's domestic box office takings. Despite laws that punish marijuana cultivation more strictly than murder in some states, Americans spend...

OK, let's combine into a single thread(easier to bookmark) all our favorite images of the stupid anti-war protests. Ironic or altered, all are welcome. Here's a few to start: On the other hand... This one actually was pretty good...

This is so simple, I am amazed no one has thought of it soonerJust stop using for one year. Just say no.Think of the drug lords of Columbia, Afganistan, etc that would be put out of business.The funds from the federal government would quickly get diverted elsewhere.Then, after the Feds have been asleep for a while , BONGO, your right back at it!