Saturday, November 13, 2004

Raich v. Ashcroft I really believe that the upcoming Supreme Court case Raich v. Ashcroft (documents) could be the biggest event in drug policy reform in the next four years, and I'll be following it closely here. I'll probably be adding a full page guide to the case shortly. There's a fabulous article (thanks, Scott) about Angel Raich in tomorrow's LA Times. It's a great overview of the person and the case, and worth checking out. Also: On Monday, Georgetown Law SSDP and the American Constitutional Society will be hosting a symposium on the case, featuring Eric Sterling, Executive Director, Criminal Justice Policy Foundation; Peter J. Cohen, M.D., Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center; Mark Moller, Senior Fellow in Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute; Sally Satel, M.D. and Author, American Enterprise Institute; Keith Stroup, Executive Director, National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. 6 pm to 8 pm - Georgetown Law - 12th Floor of Gewirz, 120 F Street NW - Washington, DC Check it out if you can, and let me know about it. 1:50:42 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

The dangerous odor From New York Newsday (Thanks, Herb): [Security guard] Tomika Thomas told police she smelled marijuana when she spotted the 16-year-old boy standing alone under a tree outside Booker T. Washington High School when other students were in class or the cafeteria. Thomas said she approached the student and tried to detain him, but he became aggressive, pushed her, then reached under his shirt. "She thought he was reaching for a weapon. She drew and fired one time, striking him in the foot," Sgt. Paul Accardo said. Police found no drugs or weapons on the boy, who ran away after being shot and was caught by a second security guard. Yep. She smelled marijuana. I'm not excusing the boy's alleged aggression, but this all started because she thought she smelled marijuana? Is this to be the norm in our society now? If so, I want no part of it, and I call for some bright chemist out there to develop a THC-free Pot Purfume and Cologne. I'll wear it proudly. And if I get hassled by a security guard or attacked by one of Lisa Madigan's dogs, I'll be happy that I am contributing to the demise of the prohibitionist's sniff, and that some day in the future, we will no longer have security guards shooting 16-year-olds because of a supposed odor. 8:46:47 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []