Monday, August 16, 2004

Some good reading There's lots that I missed while I was gone. Here's a few good items worth reading. More may be coming later. Stephen Young is a good friend and an excellent drug policy reformer. You should read his article The Colonel's Weed, which was recently printed in the Chicago Reader, telling about the hemp farm run by the Chicago Tribune in the 1930s. Potent Argument: The Latest Marijuana Scare by Jacob Sullum at Reason -- another rebuttal of the ridiculous Reuters article by Maggie Fox. Yet Another Drug War Failure by Ted Galen Carpenter at CATO Institute -- while the Drug Czar has admitted Columbia is a failure, Carpenter notes that it was doomed to failure. 'Big decline' in Colombia cocaine shows that the BBC knows how to report and actually questions the Drug Czar's statements, particularly when they contradict each other. Would that more U.S. press would follow suit. Pseudoaddicts vs. Pseudopatients by Jacob Sullum again - at Hit and Run, a fascinating post about the DEA's new pamphlet (pdf) on pain medication for doctors. Baylen at D'Alliance tells us about a paper in Utah that's got their act together. 9:06:07 PM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []

Yet another medical use for marijuana.... Yawn... Apparently marijuana may be useful in shrinking cancerous tumors in the brain. Libby at Last One Speaks has the story, as do several other bloggers and drug policy reform sites. It's almost old news -- there have been so many studies showing the medical benefits of marijuana, and now there's one more. What makes it not old news is the fact that the U.S. government still promotes the blatant lie that there is no scientific evidence of the medical value of marijuana. And so, for that reason it is a critical piece of news. Yet, as my friend Scott notes, it's off the radar not only of the U.S. government, but most of the mainstream media as well. When I did a Google news search, I noticed coverage of the story in UK, South Africa, Ghana, Australia, India, Canada, Germany and all over the world. However, in the U.S., the Washington Times put in a tiny mention, along with a TV station in Indiana and Kentucky, and some coverage in science journals. Maybe it's still coming? I can hope. But where's AP and Reuters, who seem ready to pass on the Drug Czar's distortions and lies at the drop of a hat (and without question)? 8:24:40 PM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []

Sorry for the delay Apologies for the extended time without posting. I had less access to wireless time when I was out of town than I expected. Plus, I was busy having fun! I'll be back posting tonight, and starting to work on voting guides for more states. A big thanks to all those who wrote me while I was gone and kept me up to speed. 5:21:27 PM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []