Jack Cole spends his days speaking out against current American drug policy, traveling around and talking to any group interested in hearing what he has to say about what he calls drug policy "failure" in the United States. Cole - who spoke at the University of Massachusetts Wednesday night as part of a Cannabis Colloquium put on by the UMass Cannabis Reform Coalition - worked in the New Jersey state police department for 26 years, 14 of which were spent as an undercover narcotics officer investigating cases ranging from small street dealers to large-scale drug trafficking organizations. [continues 552 words]
Two of the three Massachusetts ballot questions -- the "Right to Repair" and medical marijuana ballot initiatives -- passed last night and will become law. The physician-assisted suicide ballot question was too close to call at the time of publication, with a 40,000 difference between yes and no votes as of 2:30 a.m. The medical marijuana initiative passed with 63 percent of the vote, winning a majority of votes in all but two Bay State towns. Massachusetts ballot question 1, "Right to Repair," passed with 85 percent of the state's votes. [continues 798 words]
To the editor, If health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be legal and there would be no medical marijuana debate. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail cells are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents. The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican immigration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been counterproductive at best. White Americans did not even begin to smoke pot until a soon-to-be entrenched federal bureaucracy began funding reefer madness propaganda. [continues 107 words]
In just over a week's time, thousands of people across Massachusetts will be taking time out of their day to find a nearby polling station, to cast their vote in the 2012 presidential election. There will be a few things on their minds, namely, who should be the next president of the United States. But there is another pressing issue concerning many residents of Massachusetts. Question 3 on the state ballot will determine whether marijuana ought to be legalized for medical purposes. If passed, it would be a significant step towards total legalization of marijuana for recreational use. [continues 767 words]
Dear Editor of the Massachusetts Daily Collegian, The last place to get information about cannabis (marijuana) is the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Study: Marijuana negative health claims go up in smoke, Feb. 1, 2012) which uses lies, half-truths and propaganda in order to perpetuate government subsidized prohibition. Why would anyone believe cannabis is a Schedule I substance alongside heroin while meth and cocaine are only Schedule II substances? Asserting cannabis is less fatal than tobacco and alcohol is a gross understatement. In over 5,000 years of documented use there isn't one dead body to show cannabis has ever killed anyone. That's safety on a Biblical scale. A sane reason to cage responsible adults for using the God-given plant (see the first page of the Bible) doesn't exist. Truthfully, Stan White Dillon, Colorado [end]
Unlike tobacco, smoking marijuana - even when done regularly - does not damage the performance of people's lungs, according to a recent study published by The Journal of the American Medical Association. The two-decade research, which followed 5,000 people who smoked an equivalent of one joint per day over the course of seven years, found out that despite their regular marijuana use, subjects were still able to push out a normal amount of air in one second after taking a deep breath. [continues 801 words]
This past Saturday and Sunday were dedicated to the annual celebration known as "Extravaganja," an event organized by the University of Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition. As in past years, the event showcased local musicians, guest speakers and vendors in the Amherst town common. In the rain on Saturday and the sunshine on Sunday, an enormous crowd formed to show their support of the CRC's views on marijuana legality and to smoke without worry. The featured speaker at Extravaganja was John Sinclair, who became famous after being arrested in 1969 for attempting to sell two joints to undercover policemen and was sentenced to ten years in prison. His official website explains that "Sinclair was released from Jackson Prison when the 29-month campaign to gain his freedom climaxed in the mammoth 'John Sinclair Freedom Rally' at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan on December 10, 1971, where John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Stevie Wonder, Allen Ginsberg, Phil Ochs, Bobby Seale and others performed and spoke at the eight-hour long event in front of 15 thousand people." [continues 535 words]
Dear Editor, If Michelle Durant and the University of Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition are going to make Massachusetts the first state (Mass. Supports Marijuana Reform Laws Statewide, Nov. 22, 2010) to legalize cannabis, you must get it in gear. California's Proposition 19 organizers are already planning another proposition for 2012 and Colorado also is preparing initiatives for 2012 to legalize cannabis. Washington, Oregon, Nevada and others may join in. Perhaps the next step is to make the effort to legalize the plant a race. There is some question as to which state will be first. Becoming the first state could appeal to America's competitive spirit and may help get cannabis legalized sooner. As a Colorado cannabis activist and citizen, I challenge Massachusetts, California and the rest of the states to a race to legalize cannabis. If I were a gamblin' man, I'd bet on Colorado by an hour. Truthfully, Stan White Dillon, Colorado [end]
Marijuana advocates and enthusiasts statewide rejoiced as Massachusetts saw success for approval of several marijuana reform public policy questions in 74 towns in the 2010 election. Voters in 18 districts across the state were asked nine questions on the use of medical marijuana and nine questions on the legalization and taxation of marijuana for distribution to the public. The questions showed that the majority of voters in Massachusetts are in favor of medical use and the repeal of prohibition on sales. [continues 752 words]
Dear Editor, Robert Sharpe (Letter: Marijuana Prohibition Has Failed, Oct. 6, 2010), got an arrow-splitting bull's-eye exposing the failure of cannabis (marijuana) prohibition. A sane or moral reason to cage responsible adults for using the relatively safe, God-given plant cannabis doesn't exist. Ending cannabis prohibition and extermination is one of the most important issues of our time. Truthfully, Stan White Dillon, Colorado [end]
Dear Editor, Re: "Prohibition is not working," Daily Collegian 9/28 If health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be legal. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Like any drug, marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail cells are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents. The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican immigration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been counterproductive at best. White Americans did not even begin to smoke pot until a soon-to-be entrenched federal bureaucracy began funding reefer madness propaganda. [continues 107 words]
The consensus thinking among libertarians is that the standard by which people should judge any law or government program is whether the benefits of that law or government program outweigh the costs associated with its enactment or enforcement. With that in mind, can anybody name for me any example from history when any government of any kind has ever been able to prevent its citizens from partaking of any vice by prohibiting that behavior? No? Then explain how the United States Federal Government intends to stop the use of a substance that can be routinely cultivated in an average person's closet. [continues 783 words]
Amherst Common once again played host to the annual cannabis celebration known as Extravaganja on Saturday. For the 19th consecutive year, the common was flooded with people, unwashed masses milling, moving and dancing under a thick haze of marijuana smoke. The weather for this year's Extravaganja was less than optimal; dark clouds and light drizzles dominated the skies for most of the day. That did not deter the crowd, however, as marijuana enthusiasts from the Pioneer Valley and beyond were in full force. Sleeper tents of all sizes peppered the common to provide festival-goers with temporary relief, as well as to shelter the hard-core who camped out for the event. [continues 532 words]
Driving home from the gym I saw a man, presumably a student by his age, who appeared to have drugs in his vehicle. The man, in handcuffs, stood on the side of the road looking rather distraught as the officer talked to him with a stern look upon his face. All this was a short glimpse, yet to him will surely result in an addition to his criminal record. So I write this article, not justifying selling or using drugs, but to point out that the war on drugs is possibly the most corrupt, disgusting, authoritarian movement present in the nation. I know now that my article will gain support from the Cannabis Reform Coalition, however many are probably still concerned over what the legalization of other substances would imply. [continues 683 words]
Rep. Ellen Story (D-Amherst) introduced a bill to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana to the current session of the Massachusetts General Court last month. Last November, 69 percent of the Third Hampshire District voted in favor of a public policy question instructing her to support such a measure. The bill, titled "The Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act," was drafted by Richard M. Evans, an attorney from Northampton. The bill would legalize the possession, consumption and sale of marijuana for people over 21 and establish a series of licenses requiring annual fees. A cultivation license would cost $500 per year and enable holders to "possess, propagate, grow and cultivate cannabis and carry on such other horticultural activities as are reasonably required for the commercial cultivation of cannabis." Growers, however, could only sell to the holder of a processing license. A processing license would cost $1000 and would only allow licensees to obtain marijuana from a cultivator or an importer. Processors would have to make sure each cannabis package had proper tax stamps, warnings about a $5000 fine for driving while under the influence of marijuana and a label indicating each strain's tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) level. [continues 981 words]
Dear Editor, RE: "Mass Weighs Pros And Cons Of Legal Marijuana;" April 1 Bull's-eye! It's time to completely re-legalize cannabis (marijuana) and one reason that doesn't get mentioned is because it will lower deadly hard drug addiction rates. DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) will have to stop brainwashing youth into believing lies, half-truths and propaganda concerning cannabis, which creates grave future problems. How many citizens try cannabis and realize it's not nearly as harmful as taught in DARE-type government environments? Then they think other substances must not be so bad either, only to become addicted to deadly drugs. The old lessons make cannabis out to be among the worst substances in the world, even though it's less addictive than coffee and has never killed a single person. [continues 81 words]
Two Massachusetts legislators have introduced a bill that would make the sale of marijuana by licensed distributors legal in the state. House Bill 2929 and Senate Bill 1801, introduced in the statehouse March 23, was sponsored by Amherst Rep. Ellen Story, Northampton state Sen. Stan Rosenberg and petitioned for by Northampton attorney Richard Evans. The bills seek to tax and regulate the cannabis industry, stating that "previous efforts have not succeeded in eliminating or curtailing marijuana use and abuse." The bills would also create a regulatory board, the Cannabis Control Authority, to supervise the distribution and sale of marijuana in Massachusetts. [continues 1248 words]
On March 2, the Massachusetts state legislature's Joint Committee on the Judiciary heard testimony on Senate bill no. 1801, "An Act to Regulate and Tax the Cannabis Industry." This was the second time in less than six months the legislature heard testimony on the subject, with the Joint Committee on Revenue having held a hearing on an identical House bill in early October 2009. The bill was written and brought forth by Richard M. Evans, of Northampton, Mass. When asked about the likelihood of the bill passing into law, Evans said he feels his legislation is a long-shot. [continues 695 words]
Unknown to most students, some of their professors have been advocating the growing of marijuana on campus since 2001. This movement took a blow earlier this month when the Drug Enforcement Administration rejected University of Massachusetts Professor Lyle Craker's request to become a marijuana manufacturer on Jan. 12. Craker, a horticulturist in the Department of Plant, Soil and Insect sciences submitted his application in 2001 to receive a license to grow large amounts of marijuana in a controlled environment to further study its effects for medical use. [continues 469 words]
Before this election, I was genuinely concerned that we as a people may have lost control of our very own legal system. That was until I witnessed the democratic and libertarian victory of Question 2 in Massachusetts. Despite almost every major state politician coming out of the woodwork to stand against the ballot initiative, it remained popular from the outset right through the election, passing with an overwhelming 70 percent to 30 percent. Nearly everyone supposedly representing and protecting us in government and law enforcement wanted the measure dead, including Deval Patrick, John Kerry, Mitt Romney and the district attorney of every state country. But all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't keep pot from being nearly legal again. [continues 511 words]
