Monday, April 2, 2007

Open Thread The Illinois State University student newspaper reports on Thursday's panel: Group claims prohibition, war on drugs is a failure, and even includes a picture of us (that's Greg Francisco speaking, with George Pappas next to him and then me). thehim has the Drug War Roundup (Battling over Medical Marijuana in Washington State). Also check out the Maher video he posted (at the end, he has some good commentary on legal vs. illegal drugs). Nat Hentoff has the first part of what should be an excellent series on Bong Hits for Jesus: Will the Supreme Court hold high the banner 'Bong Hits 4 Jesus,' or crush free speech? We are in a time when many Americans are far more knowledgeable about Anna Nicole Smith than about the Bill of Rights--its contents and its future as the Constitution keeps shrinking. Scary. Hentoff also reminds us of the words of Justice Robert Jackson in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette: "No official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox politics, nationalism, religion, or any other matters of opinion, or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein." The DEA claims that it can't act quickly enough to allow hemp farming licenses in North Dakota for the 2007 growing season. Joseph Rannazzisi, a deputy assistant administrator at DEA, told Johnson in a letter this week that "it would be unrealistic ( and unprecedented ) to expect DEA to make a final decision on any application to manufacture any controlled substance within the timeframe you suggest..." Manufacturing a controlled substance? It's growing hemp. In Hartford, Dr. Robert L. Painter has some good commentary: Taking The Crime Out Of Drugs. 12:58:06 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []