Ending the war on pot. Obama says he doesn’t want to end up a forgotten, no-name president. His refreshingly frank comments on marijuana legalization suggest a big way he could make that happen. David Remnick’s new, long profile of President Barack Obama in The New Yorker
is filled with all sorts of revelatory tidbits, none more ... MORE
by Joshua Miller. Advocates of marijuana legalization, emboldened by successes with ballot questions in Colorado and Washington state, are laying the groundwork for such a battle in Massachusetts in the next presidential election year. “In 2016, Massachusetts will find itself in the crosshairs for cannabis reform,” said Allen St. Pierre, ... MORE
A case for persuasion over force. As a Denver Post columnist from 2004-11, I spent a considerable amount of time writing pieces advocating the legalization of pot. So I was happy when Colorado became one of the first to decriminalize small amounts of "recreational" marijuana. I believe that the war on drugs is a tragically ... MORE
Robby Soave reports on drug war tyranny. Civil libertarians are criticizing Ohio police for arresting a driver because his car contained a compartment that could theoretically store illegal drugs, though no drugs were found at that time. The driver, 30-year-old Norman Gurley of Michigan, was pulled over for speeding. A highway patrolman ... MORE
Rocky Mountain high gets a new meaning. America's first retail stores selling marijuana open for business in
Colorado on Wednesday, putting the western state in the vanguard of the
country's evolving attitudes on legalizing the drug. Officials in the state famous for its ski resorts and breathtaking
mountain vistas have issued 348 retail ... MORE
The idea is spreading in Latin America. It’s barely been a month since Uruguay moved to legalize marijuana, and yet the effects of the decision are already being felt well outside of its borders. Neighboring Argentina, a long-time proponent of keeping marijuana illegal, gave its first indication that Uruguay’s pivot has tempted it to at least ... MORE
by Jacob Sullum. A new A.P. poll finds that the number of Americans who oppose marijuana legalization has fallen dramatically in the last few years. In a survey completed last week, 29 percent of respondents said they opposed “legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use,” compared to 55 percent ... MORE
By Malena Castaldi and Felipe Llambias, Reuters. Uruguay became the first country to legalize the growing, sale and smoking of marijuana on Tuesday, a pioneering social experiment that will be closely watched by other nations debating drug liberalization. A government-sponsored bill approved by 16-13 votes in the Senate provides ... MORE
Where to sign the petition in California. Possessing up to an ounce of marijuana in California is an
“infraction” punishable by a $100 fine. In other words, state law
treats pot smoking as a transgression akin to jaywalking or fishing
without a license. Yet growing and selling marijuana are felonies
that can send you to prison for years. ... MORE
by Nick Gillespie. Years from now, 2013 isn’t going to remembered as the year when Obamacare went down faster than a Clinton-era White House intern, President Rand Paul made a name for himself by filibustering against drone strikes and secret kill lists, or Miley Cyrus twerked onstage as sexily as a Rhesus monkey with electrodes ... MORE