Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Happy 75th Birthday, Willie [Via NORML] 11:45:31 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Lies and the lying liars... There are so many ways to lie, and the drug czar knows them all. But it's a game of sorts -- his office likes to pretend they're not really lying, that they're... technically telling the truth. Usually they use the sleight of hand lie -- unrelated or irrelevant statements intended to mislead "Evidence now tells us that the higher-than-ever potency of today's marijuana translates into serious health consequences for teens. Among teens who are receiving treatment for drug abuse or dependence, more than 60% report marijuana as their primary drug of abuse." Marijuana contains hundreds of carcinogens. Two prime examples of the sleight of hand lie. The first one simply ignores the fact that most people in for marijuana treatment are there not because of any dependence, but because they were referred there by the criminal justice system. So the statistics have absolutely nothing to do with higher THC or addictive qualities of marijuana. The second is intended to imply that marijuana causes cancer (Since the largest study in the world -- funded by the U.S. government -- proved that there is no risk of lung cancer from smoking marijuana, Walters cannot come out and say that marijuana causes cancer, but he can use the sleight of hand lie. And then there's another kind of lie. Simply find someone so utterly and incredibly low that they don't mind giving the obvious lies, and approvingly link to them. 11:35:01 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

The legalization of meat - an allegory Someone approached me with a question: We already have two legal meats in this country, beef and pork. And these have caused all sorts of problems with cholesterol, heart attacks and obesity. People like them too much, so we'll probably never be able to get rid of them, but why should we add another dangerous meat, by legalizing chicken? And so I answered: This is a free country and you don't get to decide that people in power like pork so it's OK, but I can't be allowed to like chicken. You can (and should) inform me of the real dangers involved in any of the meats and encourage me to consume them responsibly, but you can't sit there swallowing sausage and send me to jail for my chicken breast. Chicken is actually better for you than beef and pork in many ways. Legal chicken could mean that some people will occasionally eat chicken instead of beef. And that's a good thing. Imagine if, when you went to Wendy's, instead of just having hamburgers, you could instead get a grilled chicken sandwich or chicken nuggets. How is that a bad thing? Chicken has a whole range of nutritional and health benefits. Making chicken illegal has not stopped people from eating meat (or even eating chicken). And it's caused a host of other problems. You're a moron. 6:31:56 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Open Thread Nice to see a college OpEd with some sense. This is how the world looks when you are only able to perceive one side of things. Then the only question you can ask is how to make prohibition work and you are unaware that the word "whether" exists. How dysfunctional is the drug war? Just check this out: A D.A.R.E. officer(!) arranges a major drug transaction... in the parking lot of an elementary school. Investigators are onto the rogue officer and tape the transaction, while accidentally broadcasting it over the police scanner to anyone who might be listening. 11:36:58 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []