Author Archives: Pete

“bullet”Last One Speaks gives us a Guardian Unlimited article which concludes that persecuting marijuana users may be un-Christian: Jesus was almost certainly a cannabis user and an early proponent of the medicinal properties of the drug, according to a study … Continue reading →

Via NORML: San Mateo, CA: Approximately one out of four patients suffering from HIV has smoked marijuana within the past month to relieve symptoms of the disease, according to clinical findings published in this month’s issue of the Journal of … Continue reading →

More details on the story I mentioned yesterday are available from Americans for Safe Access. In a stunning display of duplicitous double dealing, federal agents yesterday seized two medical marijuana patients from a California state courtroom after the local prosecutor … Continue reading →

Via TalkLeft: Here we go….the federal government is overhauling the way it drug tests employees. It is moving from urine tests to saliva, hair testing and sweat tests. Major corporations are expected to follow suit. Here’s what’s planned: Saliva testing, … Continue reading →

Via Al Giordano’s BigLeftOutside: The latest: a reform of the penal code that, while increasing penalties for drug traffickers like every other country, has just decriminalized possession. According to the oligarch’s daily El Universal, which leads its report in a … Continue reading →

Tonight’s episode of The West Wing dealt with mandatory minimums and judicial discretion, with some very powerful moments. The episode included a scene with a fictional character from a real, and important organization: Families Against Mandatory Minimums. At one point, … Continue reading →

This tale of Feds stepping in on medical marijuana cases in California again comes from Hilary McQuie of Americans for Safe Access: Today [Tuesday] in Sacramento, two medical marijuana patients in their 50’s were sitting in a California state court … Continue reading →

Via Hit and Run comes this disturbing article by Ted Galen Carpenter at the Cato Institute. He starts by talking about recent drug war censorship developments in the U.S. (such as Istook’s folly), and then moves to a more global … Continue reading →

I talked a while back about the notion of being “smart” on crime (rather than “tough” on crime), and hoped that more politicians would pursue that notion. Well here’s another one. Via SFGate: Kamala Harris was sworn in Thursday as … Continue reading →

Check out a wonderful OpEd by Martin Haines, a retired Superior Court judge and a former State Bar Association president, published Thursday in the Asbury Park Press. Some important stats, plus these comments: The evidence is crystal clear: The drug … Continue reading →