Quick Hits (News)Court Rejects Pot BanBy: Associated Press Anchorage -- The Alaska Court of Appeals has rejected a request by the state to reconsider a decision allowing adults to possess small amounts of marijuana for personal use. Click here for the full story. Valley Tops State's Pot BustsBy: Marc Benjamin (The Fresno Bee) Three Central Valley counties were among California's top 10 in marijuana plants removed as the central Sierra usurped Northern California as the place marijuana is most likely to be found, according to statistics released by the state Department of Justice. Click here for the full story. Blacklisting JudgesBy: Staff (NYT) The founding fathers, whose brilliant design for the federal government was based on three coequal branches, would be horrified to learn of Attorney General John Ashcroft's latest idea for improving the American justice system. Click here for the full story. Kennedy Calls for Shorter SentencesBy: Staff (Fresno Bee) SAN FRANCISCO -- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy said that prison terms are too long and that he favors scrapping the practice of setting mandatory minimum sentences for some federal crimes. Click here for the full story. |
Growin' Our Own (Feature stories)"Why is Rush Limbaugh the only person treated like this in America?"By: Elmore Stone The title of this story is a quote from ditto-doper's attorney Roy Black. Yeah, and I think it is a very valid question. To put it another way 'why is Rush Limbaugh not in jail awaiting trail on federal and state illegal drug charges'? Quoting Limbaugh's statement which Black prepared: " 'What these records show is that Mr. Limbaugh suffered extreme pain and had legitimate reasons for taking pain medication,' Limbaugh read. 'Unfortunately, because of Mr. Limbaugh's prominence and well-known political opinions, he is being subjected to an invasion of privacy no citizen of this republic should endure.' " Click here for the full story. Comparing Two CasesBy: David Michael, Attorney at Law I have reviewed all 80 pages of the 23 December 2003 decision by the Canadian Supreme Court in R. v. Malmo-Levine and R. v. Caine, dealing with the issue of whether or not criminal penalties for the simple possession of marijuana violates Canadian constitutional principles. I have also considered this foreign decision as it might relate to the recent medical marijuana victory of my clients, Angel Raich and Diane Monson, in the Ninth Circuit in Raich and Monson v. Ashcroft and Tandy, also decided this month on 16 December 2003. Click here for the full story. Doctors Tread a Thin Line on Marijuana AdviceBy: David Tuller (NY Times) For doctors who want to discuss using medical marijuana with their patients, the line between advice and advocacy remains almost as blurred as it was before a recent court decision guaranteed a physician's right to address the issue openly. Some doctors are relieved that the United States Supreme Court let stand a lower-court decision two weeks ago that barred the federal government from punishing doctors who advised patients that marijuana might ease some symptoms. Click here for the full story. America's Costly Fixation on PrisonsBy: Molly Ivins It's an odd country, really. Our largest growth industries are gambling and prisons. But as you may have heard, crimes rates are dropping. We're not putting people into prison for hurting other people. We're putting them into prison for using drugs, and as we already know, that doesn't help them or us. Click here for the full story. |
Pipeline (Other stuff)Medical pot Wins a Legal Victory U.S. Appeals Court Ruling is Likely to Face a ChallengeBy: Bob Egelko (SF Chronicle) Medical marijuana advocates scored a potential legal breakthrough Tuesday when a federal appeals court ruled that two Northern California women could use locally grown pot without risking federal prosecution. Click here for the full story. Rush and Drugs -- the Conservative DilemmaBy: Steve Dasbach Conservative icon Rush Limbaugh has confirmed the rumors - he's addicted to prescription pain medication. It's obvious that he has broken our nation's drug laws. Which poses an interesting dilemma for his fellow conservatives. Click here for the full story. Budding Medical Marijuana Clubs may Spur RegulationsBy: Beth Fouhy (AP) OAKLAND - If there's an epicenter of the nation's medical marijuana movement, it may be right here in a gritty six-block area near City Hall, where at least eleven dispensaries sell pot to any California resident with a doctor's note. Click here for the full story. Stigma Weakens for Politicans Who Smoked PotBy: Connie Cass (AP) WASHINGTON - When it comes to marijuana, youthful indiscretion has come of age. Lots of politicians, including three of the Democratic presidential candidates, show no fear of fessing up to lighting up in their wild-oats days. Click here for the full story. |
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