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Showing posts from May, 2013

A Needed Law Suit to Overturn Prohibition

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what the Covington & Burling pro bono program ought to do from wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_the_War_on_Drugs Several authors have put forth arguments concerning the legality of the War on Drugs . In his essay The Drug War and the Constitution , [1] Libertarian philosopher Paul Hager makes the case that the War on Drugs in the United States is an illegal form of prohibition, which violates the principles of a limited government embodied in the Constitution . Alcohol prohibition required amending the Constitution , because this was not a power granted to the federal government. Hager asserts if this is true, then marijuana prohibition should likewise require a Constitutional amendment. Federalism argument In her dissent in Gonzales v. Raich (a case argued by Randy Barnett ), Justice Sandra Day O'Connor argued that drug prohibition is an improper usurpation of the power to regulate interstate commerce , and the power to prohibit should be reserved

Time to Legalize Some Drugs

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published October 2, 1987 Westchester Gannett newspapers Legalize the plant drugs Cannabis, Coca and Opium William Raspberry is mistaken if he thinks the government has not been going after consumers.  Indeed, in all of the victimless or "vice" type of crimes, drug type laws have been the ones where the customer is most vigorously prosecuted. Raspberry seems unaware of the large numbers of drug users serving jail sentences for mere possession with thousands having served sentences of ten years for having as little as one marijuana cigartette.  Although marijuana penalties were reduced during the 1970s in a few state, the definiton of a "drug dealer" is broad enough to allow or mandate a disproprtionate jail term for friends who pass a joint around in social sessions on private property. Likewise with the rise in popularity of cocaine and the raise of political opportunists such as Rudolph Giuliani, who find it advantageous to theoir political careers to set up elabp

Another Reason for Another Protest at Covington & Burling

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protect freedom of medicine and diet from pharmacratic mercantilism http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2013/05/berkeley_marijuana_activists_protest_attorney_gene.php#more While the cannabis communities of Colorado and Washington await a response to recently-passed marijuana laws from Attorney General Eric Holder , it seems he's busy writing other speeches: graduation remarks for the University of California at Berkeley law school commencement, which as held over the weekend. Ganja activists took the opportunity to swarm the campus and even went so far as to fly a custom banner over the outdoor Greek Theater that read: "Holder: End Rx Cannabis War #peace4patients," according to the Huffington Post . The group was with Americans for Safe Access and were protesting the recent federal action against the Berkeley Patients Group and raising awareness for their new group, Peace for Patients aimed at stopping the war on medical cannabis users. "Patients will not stand

Free Dana Beal

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Ibogaine anti addiction activist currently incarcerated and up for parole Free Dana Beal! Founder of the Global Marijuana March. Great letter. Some history of Dana's activism. Please share! Thanks to all the great people helping Dana out. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Kuby http://cannabis.wikia.com/wiki/Dana_Beal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dana_Beal https://www.facebook.com/groups/143405647913  Dana wrote the following model letter for early parole.  He wrote:  "No two letters should be exactly the same, but the contents of the last paragraph should go in each one." State of Nebraska Board of Parole PO Box 94754 Lincoln, NE 68509-4754 [date] Dear Sir or Madam: I have read that due to prison overcrowding, you have a program of early parole (furlough) for non-violent offenders and inmates with health problems.  I think Irvin Dana Beal should be at the top of your list.  He's had two heart attacks in the past 18 months, including full cardiac arrest on

Fake Reformist Jimmy Carter Against Legalization

http://reason.com/blog/2013/05/17/jimmy-carter-comes-out-against-marijuana#comment Recall how Carter hid behind a sole reformist appointee (Peter Bourne) to fool many into supporting him as a "reformist" U.S. President.

Mike Grey is Dead

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http://www.drugpolicy.org/blog/remembering-mike-gray-drug-policy-pioneer   May 2, 2013 - By Marsha Rosenbaum   Mike Gray, who passed this week, was a prolific writer , producing screenplays, books, and documentaries. Right from the beginning of our movement, Mike was a major player in drug policy reform. His 1998 book, Drug Crazy: How We Got into this Mess and How We Can Get Out , which was among the first to parallel alcohol and drug prohibition, was both historical and solution-oriented. The book was a brilliant work of journalism that instantly became a mainstay in drug policy libraries all over the world.   In the early days of the Lindesmith Center (which later became the Drug Policy Alliance), the highly accessible writing that characterized Drug Crazy provided an invaluable resource for our focus on public education. To this day, the history outlined in this “cla

My College's Disturbing Disregard for Freedom of Medicine and Diet

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http://southmallblogger.blogspot.com/2013/05/my-colleges-disturbing-disregard-of.html