6 Aug
Former New Mexico governor and presidential hopeful Gary Johnson has a plan for cutting government spending.
The libertarian-minded Republican’s campaign released a Web ad Friday that declares the war on drugs is a waste of taxpayer dollars. Mr. Johnson has repeatedly called for the legalization of marijuana. Here’s the video:
5 Aug
by Jeremiah Vandermeer – Wednesday, August 3 2011
The latest stats show the number of Americans who use marijuana has gone up since last year. If the government really wanted to reduce marijuana use, they would legalize it.
The AFP reports:
SAMHSA also looked at Americans’ marijuana use and found that numbers using pot in the past month were up for the two years covered by the report: 6.4 percent of Americans aged 12 and older said they had used marijuana in the past month compared to six percent in 2007-2008.
In the 12- to 17-year age group, marijuana use fell, but seven percent of US teens still use cannabis, the report said.
The 10 states that saw the highest use of marijuana were Alaska, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.Medical marijuana is legal in all of those states except for Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Perceptions of the dangers associated with marijuana use were lowest in the 10 states where the drug was used the most, according to the study.
Drug Warriors love to shout in booming voices that if we legalized marijuana, stoners would begin coming out of the woodwork and cause an epidemic of bong-rips and bloodshot eyes. Scientists completely disagree, and say that marijuana law reform does not lead to an increase in usage.
In fact, they say just the opposite. Evidence from countries like Portugal and the Netherlands shows that liberalizing drug laws actually leads to a decrease in usage. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Drug Warriors.
Don’t believe me? Listen to The Young Turks:
8 Jul
Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, will be a guest onReal Time with Bill Maher on July 8th at 10 p.m. ET/ PT.
Mr. Nadelmann will be interviewed one-on-one with Mr. Maher at the top of the show and will discuss the war on drugs and movement to end marijuana prohibition.
The topic of the war on drugs is timely as there was an avalanche of media coverage about the failed drug war in June.
The Global Commission on Drug Policy (Kofi Annan, Former Presidents of Colombia, Mexico and Brazil, Richard Branson etc) made worldwide news calling for an end to the war on drugs.
June 17th was the 40th anniversary of Nixon declaring the War on Drugs. This generated another wave of coverage slamming the drug war.
On June 22nd, Barney Frank and Ron Paul introduced federal legislation to end marijuana prohibition.
Described by Rolling Stone as “the point man” for drug policy reform efforts, Ethan Nadelmann is widely regarded as the most prominent proponent of drug policy reform.
Tony Newman 646-335-5384 or Tony Papa 646-420-7290
2 Jun
Federal lawmakers have reintroduced legislation to provide for additional and necessary legal protections for state-authorized medical marijuana patients.
House Bill 1983, the States’ Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act, would ensure that medical cannabis patients in states that have approved its use will no longer have to fear arrest or prosecution from federal law enforcement agencies. It states, “No provision of the Controlled Substances Act shall prohibit or otherwise restrict in a State in which marijuana may be prescribed or recommended by a physician for medical use under applicable State law.”
The measure also calls for an expedited rescheduling review by the federal government that would reclassify cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act, recognizing the plant’s accepted medical use and streamlining the federal approval process for medical marijuana research.
Sixteen states — Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington — and the District of Columbia have enacted laws protecting medical marijuana patients from state prosecution. Yet in all of these states, patients and providers still face the risk of federal sanction — even when their actions are fully compliant with state law. In fact, in recent months federal officials have stepped up their threats against state recognized patients and providers, stating, “The United States Attorneys Office … will vigorously prosecute individuals and organizations that participate in … activity involving marijuana, even if such activities are permitted under state law.”
It is time that we allowed our unique federalist system to work the way it was intended. Patients and their state representatives should have the authority to enact laws permitting the medical use of cannabis — free from federal interference.
Please write your members of Congress today and tell them to stop targeting and prosecuting medical marijuana patients and providers. For your convenience, a prewritten letter will be e-mailed to your member of Congress when you enter your contact information below.
Thank you for assisting NORML’s federal law reform efforts.
1 Jun
As you’ve heard many times over the past months, LEAP has been preparing for the launch of our new website, and it’s finally up and running! Please click over and look around – we’d love to hear your feedback! LEAP extends our sincere appreciation to the Riverstyx Foundationfor generously funding the redesign.
As you’re exploring the new site, be sure to sign the petition located on our front page from global advocacy organization AVAAZ. Their public petition in support of the Global Commission on Drug Policy’s recommendation for countries to establish a system of legalized regulation is a huge step forward in drug policy reform. As LEAP supporters, you should be a part of this by signing the petition and continuing to move legalization forward. Let’s help them reach one million signatures!
We hope you enjoy our new site. Projects like this are made possible by donors like you. Please consider making a donation today in support of LEAP’s work.
Major Neill Franklin (Ret.)
Executive Director
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