Cannabis Freedom

Reason Mag editor Jacob Sullivan is interviewed by the Western Standard.

My favorite question: "Can you get a little bit high?" Wow, the ignorance propagated by the drug tyrants never cease to amaze me. I really like the answer. To summarize, if cannabis were legal there would be a full range of preparations ranging from super potent hashish to mild teas and salves, much like you can buy alcohol in forms ranging from O'Douls at less than 1% to Everclear at 95% alcohol.

Cannabis is so expensive and rare right now virtually the only economical form is unprocessed smokable bud. Users don't experiment with preparations because the risk of messing things up and loosing it are too great. Manufacturing preparations brings a whole plethora of legal risks, like additional charges if discovered. You could feasibly make a pain relieving salve that doesn't intoxicate you at all but that wouldn't make much since unless you could afford those risks.

I've been sick. I left work early yesterday and I've been feeling progressively worse. I think I'm just going to write the rest of the night.

This news kinda sucks. I've been to South Padre before, beautiful white sand beaches. Back in the 90's it was much cleaner than Daytona or Panama City, Beach Florida, both hot vacation spots. Destin is the Gulf Coast's best kept secret, but I digress. One of the benefits to S. Padre is its proximity to Matamoros, Mexico. It only takes an afternoon to go shopping at the markets of Matamoros, with plenty of time to get back to the the States before dark.

Now we're getting warnings that a Mexico is gangland territory due to violent thugs armed to the teeth with guns purchased with obscene black market drug profits.

News of gun battles between Mexican soldiers and drug cartels in border cities are keeping tourists away and prompting many parents to dole out a stern warning: "Don't go to Mexico."

That's bullshit mang! Instead of keeping cannabis safe and legal, we're fueling third world tribal wars. Instead of allowing cannabis cultivation here we're outsourcing the job to violent criminals in Mexico, that even makes less sense than outsourcing computer phone support to countries that don't speak understandable English.

There is another consequence to this insane policy. Do you really think that good ole Jose' is going to want to raise his babies in the midst of a civil war. I'd hightail it across the border where its safer and my job prospects are a lot better. Is it possible that the illegal immigration problem is really a refugee problem fueled by the war on drugs?

From The Smoking Gun's monthly mug shot gallery. To think that this poor sucker had to probably had to stand in front of a judge with this shirt on. Note to self - dress Republican.

As a life-long dog lover I'm constantly astounded of the misuse and abuse of canines by K9 police units. In 1994 I witnessed the abuse of a dog by his uniformed handler from the window of a coffee shop in Memphis, TN. The officer hit the dog multiple times with his closed fist because the dog was chewing on the hard plastic backseat of the police cruiser. When the police officer returned to the seat at the counter, instead of apologizing to the mortified patrons, he let us know how sick he was of that "God damned dog."

I imagine cases like this are widespread and go unreported because of the mythical belief in a "new professionalism." Today I was saddened by the comments of a reader on the Reason Magazine website, announcing the death of a police dog under the care of a police handler, saddened but not surprised. These dogs are often mistreated, beaten, caged for long hours and forced to ride entire shifts in the backseat of a squad car. They are trained to attack people, to bite, to be aggressive. They are used to intimidate non-violent activist and protesters at rallies. The are used to subdue unarmed human beings that aren't a threat to anyone.

The misuse of "drug dogs" has been thoroughly documented. Some of the most damning evidence comes from former drug cop, Barry Cooper, who publicly admits that he has made his dog "false alert" in order to gain probable cause to search a drug suspect. We often get the message that drug dogs are infallible or are objective observers, and that may be the case if not for unscrupulous officers who will do anything for a collar. You can add these poor creatures to the long list of victims of the war on drugs. As smart as some dogs are, they can still be tricked, manipulated, and confused by not just "drug dealers" but by the police who train them.

The use of dogs in police work is an anachronism from a sick era when police didn't like getting their hands dirty with minorities. Technology like the "Taser," despite its own controversy, has replaced the justification for the use of dogs in takedowns. If a foot chase is a justification for having a dog pursue a suspect, police departments may want to instead review the physical fitness requirements of their officers.

I'd like to see some reputable animal protection organizations, humane societies, and owners clubs to step up and join me in the call for the elimination of canines in police work. Together lets bring law enforcement into the 21st century. The use of man's best friend in police work isn't just inhumane to people, it's inhumane to the dogs as well.

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Paul Armentano, of NORML at Lew Rockwell has an excellent commentary this morning on ending the costly "War on Drugs." The Agitator, Radley Balko, has a poll up on Jury Nullification. Before you answer you might want to read this opinion article from Time, by the writers of HBO's The Wire.

Update: The Agitator has linked to this outstanding 2002 opinion piece on jury nullification.