The 'war' on drugs was lost before it had ever begun. The futility of prohibition is finally beginning to dawn, writes Dan O'Brien EFFORTS to stop people taking intoxicants will be in vain for as long as human nature is as it is. The downsides of prohibiting substances that people want to consume outweighs the upsides. For softer drugs, such as cannabis, the case for decriminalisation is overwhelming. These realities are at last having an effect on the debate in many countries, Ireland included. Just last week the Mexican supreme court in a majority decision ruled that a "cannabis club" was not breaking the law by growing and transporting the drug for its members' recreational use. North of the Rio Grande, some US states have decriminalised marijuana in recent years and many more are allowing its use for medicinal purposes. [continues 1034 words]
GOFFSTOWN - A Weare couple whose son's alleged marijuana distribution ring got them and 11 other people arrested said before his arraignment that drug laws need to be changed. James Cashman, 25, of 64 Burnt Hill Road, Weare, was arraigned in Goffstown District Court yesterday, where Judge Paul Lawrence set bail at $100,000 cash. Police said Cashman sold marijuana out of the home for at least a year and had as many as 130 customers a week, many of them high school students. He's charged with nine counts of selling a controlled drug and one count of conspiracy to sell drugs, police said. [continues 663 words]
The opening of Scotland's first 'hash cafe', the Purple Haze on Portland Place in Leith, went off today with a bang, but without a bong earlier this evening. Quite a crowd, perhaps fifty people, had gathered outside the cafe for the big event. At least a dozen of them must have been genuine customers rather than part of the the massed ranks of media observers not quite managing to blend into the background. The official opening time was 4pm, but some wiser heads had anticipated the inevitable media scuffle and had arrived earlier so they could find a seat. [continues 399 words]
BOSTON - Thousands of pot smokers and marijuana supporters rallied for support of marijuana legalization on Boston Common Saturday at the 14th annual Freedom Festival. Forty-five people were arrested according to published reports, all for marijuana possession and distribution. A fair number of people did not seem to mind the presence of law enforcement, as droves of men, women, and some children found seats on the lawn to enjoy the sights, music, beautiful weather, and in some cases a hit of pot smoke from a tobacco pipe. [continues 744 words]
