September 6, 2017

The maximum price of the minimum wage

from The Washington Times:  When the bill for feel-good economics comes due, only the ignorant scream.
Regulation Nation

When cowards give in to looters, the American people are the losers

from The American Spectator:  Republicans wave the white flag on Obamacare as RINO senators and governors move toward a blueprint for surrender. When they ran for election, the GOP put on their masks. When they failed to act, they took them off.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

Wisconsin moves to be first state ever to nullify federal cannabis prohibition through legislation

from The Free Thought Project:  State nullification of federal marijuana prohibition is completely constitutional, with the feds having little, if any, recourse to stop the process. Until now, cannabis has been legalized ONLY through direct initiative of the people, not by our so-called representatives.
The War on Unapproved Voluntary Exchange

Internet censorship bill would spell disaster for speech and innovation

from Electronic Frontier Foundation:  The bill, named the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act, would not stop sex traffickers (its stated pretense), but it would chill free expression.
Indoctrination and Censorship

A 2020 Democratic agenda is emerging

from The Washington Post:  Intolerant and unrealistic, the party ditches pretended moderation and will openly fight for their left-wing agenda.
Politics and Other Official Acts of Corruption

5 Reasons Conservatives Should Support Pot Legalization

by James McClure.   Ever wonder how to bring up marijuana with your conservative friends, family or coworkers? You're in luck because there's an activist group that specializes in getting that sort of discussion started. RAMP (Republicans Against Marijuana Prohibition) is dedicated to persuading people to rethink their position on cannabis. We     ... MORE

A. Barton Hinkle: Coming Out of the Drug War Haze?

Cautious optimism may be appropriate. President Obama's recent speech on the opioid overdose epidemic offers a ray of hope that the country's approach to drugs might one day adopt what has been called the first rule of American business: When all else fails, try doing it right. Noting with considerable understatement that "treatment is    ... MORE

Support For Marijuana Legalization Hits All-Time High

by Christopher Ingraham.     A new survey released today by the the Associated Press and the University of Chicago finds that a record-high percentage of Americans -- 61 percent -- say they support marijuana legalization. The survey uses the same question wording ("Do you think the use of marijuana should be made legal, or not?") on marijuana as  ... MORE

Ilya Somin: Supreme Court Dismisses Nebraska-Oklahoma Lawsuit Against Marijuana Legalization In Colorado

Drug warriors take one on the chin.     The Supreme Court today refused to hear a case filed by the states of Nebraska and Oklahoma claiming that neighboring Colorado’s legalization of marijuana violates federal law and inflicts various harms on them: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to consider a lawsuit from Nebraska and         ... MORE

Pot Will Pump $44 Billion A Year Into Economy By 2020

by Jonah Bennett.  A profitable growth industry.  Marijuana in the U.S. will become a $44 billion a year industry by 2020, according to a Monday report by Marijuana Business Daily. Currently, the cannabis industry in the U.S. is projected to be anywhere between $14-$17 billion in 2016. If existing economic and legal trends continue at the current rates, ... MORE

Medical Marijuana Miracle: Watch This Mom Stop Her Daughter’s Violent Seizure in Its Tracks With Cannabis Oil

by Justin Garner.  Last week we reported on a historic study that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology in April. 10,000 neurologists from around the world will have a chance to see the remarkable effectiveness of using a cannabis extract called cannabidiol (CBD) to treat seizures. As medical science explores this pathway  ... MORE

VIDEO: The Man Who Wants To Stop Pot In California

Legal Pot Causes Drug Cartel Revenues To Plummet

by Oscar Pascual. free market 1 black market 0. Marijuana legalization may have accomplished what the War on Drugs has failed to do — put the squeeze on Mexican drug cartel activity. The U.S. Border Patrol has released 2015 data showing that the number of marijuana seizures throughout the southwest U.S./Mexico border has fallen to the   ... MORE

Australia About To Legalize Growing Marijuana Nationwide

by Steve Mollman.      Australia appears set to legalize the growing of marijuana for medical use nationwide. A bill introduced to parliament Wednesday (Feb. 10) by the Liberal Party would amend the Narcotic Drugs Act 1967. It looks guaranteed to become law, as the main opposition party immediately pledged support for it. Under the proposal a national ... MORE

Boston Police Seek Charges Against Marijuana Advocate

by Milton J. Valencia.      Boston police are seeking criminal charges against Bill Downing, one of the state’s most vocal marijuana legalization supporters, a move that his lawyer calls retaliation for his criticism of the state’s regulation of the medical marijuana industry. A magistrate judge is scheduled to consider whether to approve a complaint filed by  ... MORE

Colorado Celebrates Marijuana Legalization Anniversary; Massive Drop In Arrests and Millions In Tax Revenue

by Art Way.  More than three years have passed since Colorado residents voted to legalize marijuana, which immediately allowed adults to possess and cultivate limited amounts of marijuana. This past New Year’s Day marked the two year anniversary of adults being able to legally buy marijuana in Colorado.  The policy is still in its formative stage,  ... MORE

The Federal Ban On Medical Marijuana Was Not Lifted

by Jacob Sullum.   Contrary to what you may have read or heard, Congress did not quietly lift the federal ban on medical marijuana. Nor did it lift the ban loudly. It did not lift the ban at all. Here is what actually happened. In December 2014, Congress approved an omnibus spending bill that included a rider prohibiting the Justice Department   ... MORE

Michael Thomsen: Legalizing Weed Isn’t Enough

Permit marijuana use in public.    Recreational marijuana use has been legal in Seattle since 2012, but I still felt like I was getting away with something when I walked into a dispensary there this fall. There was a bouncer waiting behind a roped-off entryway on the otherwise quiet Capitol Hill side street. He passed my driver’s license through a  ... MORE

Christopher Ingraham: One Of The Biggest Arguments Against Marijuana Legalization Is Falling Apart

Drug use continues a decade-long drop.     America's high school students are using drugs and alcohol at or near the lowest levels on record, according to federal data released Wednesday. The 2015 Monitoring the Future Survey, conducted by the University of Michigan and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)        ... MORE

Guess What Marijuana Is Being Blamed For Now

by Sean Willliams.       We're less than three weeks away from the calendar ticking over to a new year -- a year that very well could be the most important for the marijuana industry to date. We can certainly look back on some of the milestone events within the marijuana industry over the past two decades and argue that they've been pivotal        ... MORE

Montana Man Walks Thanks To Jury Nullification

From the Tenth Amendment Center. In Montana, citizens rendered a marijuana law unenforceable through jury nullification. Recently, a man was arrested for possessing a small amount of marijuana, but the judge could not find one single person willing to sit on a jury and convict him. Unable to seat a jury, the judge was forced to give up and offer ...  MORE

Going To Pot? Canada Leads Way In Legalizing Marijuana

by Michel Comte. Justin Trudeau raised eyebrows when he admitted to having dabbled in marijuana while a member of parliament, but his pledge as prime minister to legalize pot has been broadly cheered. He said in a policy speech on Friday that his Liberal government would introduce legislation as early as 2016 to legalize marijuana, making Canada  ... MORE

Some Members Of Congress Want To Stop Squandering Tax Money On The DEA's Failed Marijuana Eradication Program

by Christopher Ingraham.    The Drug Enforcement Administration is not having a great year. The chief of the agency stepped down in April under a cloud of scandal. The acting administrator since then has courted ridicule for saying pot is "probably not" as dangerous as heroin, and more recently he provoked 100,000 petition-signers and seven       ... MORE

Justin Gardner: Colorado Juries Keep Letting People Go for Driving on Weed; The Prosecutors And Cops Are Furious

When the state is arbitrary and capricious. Colorado prosecutors are getting frustrated at jurors for daring to exercise rationality instead of blindly following the will of the State. A growing number of juries are acquitting people of driving under the influence of cannabis, even when tests show they are over the state’s legal blood-THC limit.   ... MORE