ALBANY - The Democrats who control the State Assembly, many of them black or Latino residents of New York City, saw a proposal to decriminalize the open possession of small amounts of marijuana as a simple matter of justice: too many black and Latino men were being arrested because, after being stopped by the police, they were forced to empty their pockets. But the Republicans who run the State Senate, all of them white and most of them from suburban or rural districts, saw decriminalization differently: as an invitation for young people to use drugs and as a declaration that Albany was soft on crime. [continues 839 words]
Who is this Lori Santos? Why does her letter get in RN&R and not mine? She says that addiction is an illness and not a moral judgment. Who is she trying to fool? Of course it's a moral issue. You have to have respect for yourself not to take drugs. Poeple who take drugs have no respect for themselves. Of course it's a moral thing. [Perhaps] she's trying to divert attention because she has a member or members of her family who are into drugs. [continues 104 words]
HAMILTON, Ont. - Walter Tucker was probably grinning from the heavens as a small party of friends gathered at the Fletcher Creek park last month to share some cannabis "sacrament" and spread his ashes over the verdant countryside. The 79-year-old legal gadfly and pot-smoking preacher had finally returned to the lush pastoral retreat he called Clearwater Abbey where he founded the Church of the Universe in 1969. He and his disciples had enjoyed an idyllic romp on the site for several years - soaking up the sun, growing and smoking pot, and cavorting in the nude - until their eviction in 1986 over a lease dispute. [continues 749 words]
California's Best Weed Converges on Northern California This Weekend Amid a tumultuous summer for California weed, there will be a number of positive developments at this weekend's third-annual High Times Medical Cannabis Cup. Thousands of California patients and supporters are snatching up tickets. The 38-year-old weed-culture publication is bringing its 25-year-old contest from Amsterdam to the Bay Area for the third time in as many years, part of its new, medical-cannabis cup circuit, which now includes annual events in Los Angeles, Denver and Detroit. [continues 371 words]
Is Sacramento's Cycle of Bike Crimes and Misdemeanors a Never-Ending Game of Law Enforcement Vs. Tweakers Tag? Christopher Allen Fontaine should be used to taking wrong turns. On probation since Dubya's first term, the hard-luck 28-year-old was grinding his bike down the wrong side of a Rancho Cordova street when a patrol cruiser's piercing squawk signaled that an all-too-familiar humbling was at hand. The hound-eyed probationer, halted for the moving violation on May 22, had his person and possessions searched by two of the Sacramento County's finest. Deputies found a glass pipe in his backpack and a plastic bag containing crunchy crystal meth in the front pocket of his pants. The pipe's spout was caked with white and black residue. [continues 1588 words]
When a Proposed Marijuana Ordinance Is a Proxy for a Different Debate With Chicago's murder rate up 35 percent and the city too broke to hire more cops, a plan to ticket people caught with small amounts of marijuana instead of arresting them suddenly has wings. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has given it his blessing. Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy says the proposed ordinance would free up more than 20,000 hours of police time for more pressing concerns. It could save $1 million in enforcement costs and generate millions more in fines. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle says minor possession cases clog the criminal justice system and affect poor and minority families disproportionately. [continues 769 words]
Policy Clears Committee After Changes to Ease Aldermen's Concerns A panel of Chicago aldermen spent three hours Thursday voicing skepticism about Mayor Rahm Emanuel's marijuana ticket proposal, then all but one council member voted for it. If the plan wins final approval at Wednesday's City Council meeting, police could be issuing pot-possession tickets as early as July. Officers would continue to arrest people caught smoking marijuana or carrying it on park or school grounds. Authorities also would arrest anyone younger than 17 caught with pot or anyone they believed was trying to sell the drug. [continues 449 words]
We learn from history that men learn nothing from history. Consider marijuana. Way back in the early 20th century a bunch of do-gooders decided to end the sale and consumption of alcohol. The period at the time became known as prohibition. We know what happened next. For the uninformed, that stupidity lasted about 12 years and gave rise to the gangs that went on to satisfy the thirst that the law could not quench. Sensibly, the law was ended plus the congress realized that alcohol was a source of revenue. [continues 81 words]
