U.S. to yield marijuana jurisdiction to states The headline itself is a generous interpretation of AG Holder’s comments, but it’s a great thing to see in “print,” because it establishes, as a sort of reality, the truth of how the U.S. can extricate itself from this whole marijuana mess — merely yield marijuana jurisdiction to […]

Nate Silver in his post Americans Growing Kinder to Bud brings us this pretty chart regarding polling data on marijuana legalization over the past 40 years. It’s a fascinating chart. You see the clear temporary reversal of opinion trends during the Reagan “Just Say No” era, but since then the trend toward legalization has moved […]

Attorney General Eric Holder in a press conference today about the arrest of members of the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel, with DEA head Michele Leonhart standing next to him, was asked about the medical marijuana raids and the fact that Obama had promised to end them during his campaign (scroll to the 25 minute mark in […]

The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) is the “quasi-judicial control organ monitoring the implementation of the United Nations drug control conventions” (makes me queasy just writing it). It is also the most out-of-touch hard-core international drug warrior body out there. Unfortunately, it has, for way too long, had significant influence in determining international drug control […]

Philadelphia Will Do reports about some reactions to New Jersey’s medical marijuana bill:

Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R-Bergen): ‹It‰s the wrong thing for people in New Jersey and the wrong thing for our children.Š
Joyce Nalepka, president, DrugFree Kids: ‹There is no therapeutic use of this, and this is a bill based on a lie.Š
David Evans, executive director, Drug Free School Coalition: ‹This is dressed up as compassion but this bill is way, way too looseá It will be too easy to get marijuana.Š
John Tomicki, executive director, League of American Families: ‹Parents are alarmed they‰ve given the green light for marijuana use.Š
Terrence Farley of the anti-medical marijuana law enforcement group Safe Approved Medicine for New Jersey: ‹Marijuana is not medicine.Š

and more…

Update: I kept searching Ö because that‰s what I do when I‰m done a post, I keep gathering information about it! Ö and learned more about Gerald Cardinale, my new favorite New Jersey senator:

‹Moderate use of marijuana causes brain cells to die,Š Cardinale said. ‹That‰s why the federal government made marijuana forbidden.Š

Hey! Somebody needs to head over to the ‹Why is marijuana illegal?Š page at Drug WarRant and learn some fun historical facts. I can‰t wait for the debate in the Assembly.

In Washington, marijuana decrim was shot down by this horrifying story from Democratic State Senator James Hargrove:

Jim Hargrove, after emphasizing he’s a college graduate, said that he saw one of his former fraternity brothers who smoked pot back in the day and — apparently because of marijuana — the poor pothead was still wearing the same trench coat he had 20 years ago.

Smoking marijuana causes people to wear the same trench coat for 20 years. That’s why it’s illegal!
In Montana, as part of a medical marijuana education event at the state Capitol, there were “five live, flowering and very odiferous cannabis plants on display in the second floor rotunda.”

Rep. Tom McGillvray, R-Billings, told the Bozeman Chronicle that he was furious over the cannabis rally. According to House Majority Leader Margarett Campbell, D-Poplar, McGillvray wanted security guards to remove the marijuana plants from the rotunda but was told the display was legal under Montana law.
“You don’t get to pick and choose which events are covered under the First Amendment,” Campbell said.