American Drug War NewsBlog

Freeway Rick is a free man!

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:10:00 +0000

The real Rick Ross spent 20 years in prison for his crimes... but now that he's a free man, he's got big plans for the future. Ross sat down with FOX 11's Chris Blatchford after his prison release to talk about the past, present and future. (continue)

Want cannabis totally legal in California?

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:07:00 +0000

The Tax Cannabis 2010 campaign kicked off its statewide signature gathering efforts today at a press conference at the NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) Convention in San Francisco. Proponents of the campaign to legalize, tax, and regulate cannabis (marijuana) in California, announced that they will begin gathering the 433,000 signatures of registered California voters necessary to qualify the initiative for the November 2010 statewide ballot. (continue)

California dreaming of full marijuana legalisation

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:44:00 +0000

Medical marijuana has become big business in California and the drug is approved for a range of conditions and for “any other illness for which marijuana provides relief”. In these straitened financial times, booming sales and healthy tax revenues mean that full legalisation of cannabis may be just around the corner. (continue)

Become a fan of HWWW on Facebook!

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0000

How Weed Won the West on Facebook

Can Smoking Marijuana be Considered a Religion?!

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 02:12:00 +0000

I opened my 2007 Reason article about religious drug use with the case of Dan and Mary Quaintance, the Pima, Arizona, couple who founded the marijuana-venerating Church of Cognizance. Having unsuccessfully tried to fend off federal marijuana charges by citing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), they are currently serving five and two to three years, respectively, in federal prison. (continue)

Raids shut down 14 sellers of medical pot

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:36:00 +0000

SAN DIEGO — Local and federal investigators shut down 14 medical marijuana dispensaries and arrested 30 people after an undercover operation allegedly found widespread violation of the state's medicinal pot law by storefront sellers.

The actions, announced Thursday, amount to one of the most aggressive law enforcement steps yet to thwart what has become rampant growth in California cities of storefront operations purporting to legally sell medical marijuana to qualifying patients. (continue)

Is America ready to admit defeat in its 40-year war on drugs?

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:20:00 +0000

That "war" has incarcerated an average of a million US citizens a year, as every stratum of American society demonstrates its insatiable need to get high. And it has also engulfed not only America, but the Americas. (continue)

"How Weed Won the West" Trailer #1!

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 04:30:00 +0000

Coming to DVD October 15 - Preorder now @ SacredCowStore.com!

Legalizing marijuana could lead to economic highs

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:50:00 +0000

This is a frightening subject for soccer moms and politicians everywhere, but facts are stubborn things. In an open letter to the President, Congress, and all state governments, more than 500 notable economists, including Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman, argue that legalization of marijuana could not only save the government money, but generate revenue in the billions. (continue)

Mexico decriminalizes small-scale drug possession

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:42:00 +0000

Mexico decriminalized small amounts of marijuana, cocaine and heroin on Friday — a move that prosecutors say makes sense even in the midst of the government's grueling battle against drug traffickers. (continue)

Is LSD Good for You?

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:06:00 +0000

As the FDA paves the way for clinical LSD trials, scientists are exploring its medical benefits. Is acid the new Xanax? (continue)

ACLU sues Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio over immigration detention of citizens

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:43:00 +0000

The American Civil Liberties Union is accusing Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his deputies of violating the constitution by arresting two men near a workplace immigration raid. A federal lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges that Julian and Julio Mora’s truck was stopped as a result of racial profiling on Feb. 11. Deputies were raiding 66-year-old Julian Mora’s employer when they arrested the two men and took them to the company’s offices. (continue)

Impact Of Cannabis On Bones Changes With Age, Study Finds

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 07:43:00 +0000

The study has found that although cannabis could reduce bone strength in young people, it may protect against osteoporosis, a weakening of the bones, in later life. The team at the University of Edinburgh has shown that a molecule found naturally in the body, which can be activated by cannabis – called the type 1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1) – is key to the development of osteoporosis. (continue)

Cocaine Contaminates Majority of U.S. Currency

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:58:00 +0000

For cocaine users, a rolled up $20 bill may be the most convenient tool for snorting the powder form of the drug. Or so it would seem from a new analysis of 234 banknotes from 18 U.S. cities that found cocaine on 90 percent of the bills tested. (continue)

Drug War Ceasefire Comes to Seattle

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:32:00 +0000

Cops and prosecutors believe they have enough dirt on more than a dozen Central Area drug dealers to send them to jail. But they're not going to prosecute--not yet --under a new community policing tactic that offers drug dealers amnesty for their crimes if they enter job training programs. (continue)

American Drug War returns to Showtime August 1

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:30:00 +0000

The election of President Obama has brought us a new Drug Czar who claims he wants to end the Drug War as we know it; but at the same time, the prisons continue to be filled at record rates. (continue)

Cronkite on the Drug War

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 22:29:00 +0000

He publicly condemned the war on drugs, working on TV projects that highlighted its human costs and helping the Drug Policy Alliance raise money. (continue)

Cele Castillo Headed to Prison & Needs Your Help!

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:14:00 +0000

Vietnam veteran and former DEA agent Celerino 'Cele' Castillo III is getting ready to serve a 22 month jail sentence. Listen to Cele tell his side of the story in this exclusive telephone interview with Kevin Booth, recorded July 15, 2009.

MP3 Link: http://www.sacredcow.com/cele_715.mp3

Cele needs all the media attention he can get, so please pass this on to whoever you can. You can donate to Cele's legal fund at his website - http://powderburns.info

This is only the latest twist in the long story of Cele's life, known to many from "American Drug War" and his auto-biography "Powderburns". For more info on the case, read Bill Conroy's report from The Narcoshpere on NarcoNews.com: http://narcosphere.narconews.com/notebook/bill-conroy/2009/07/cele-castillo-ordered-report-federal-prison

He's Not High: Inside Barney Frank's Plan to Legalize Marijuana

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:22:00 +0000

While Congress debates health care, handles the economic downturn, and the quagmire in Afghanistan, Congressman Barney Frank is eyeing America's draconian pot policies. (continue)

America's Love-Hate History with Pot

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:46:00 +0000

With a New CBS News Poll Finding 41% Now Support Legalization, CBSNews.com Examines Changing Views of Marijuana in the U.S. (continue)

DEA: Prescription Drug Abuse Is Epidemic

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:27:00 +0000

Nearly 7 million Americans abuse prescription drugs, federal officials said. The Drug Enforcement Administration said that's more than the number of people abusing cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, ecstasy and inhalants combined. (continue)

The Never-Before-Published Letter From LSD-Inventor Albert Hofmann to Apple CEO Steve Jobs

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:26:00 +0000

Steve Jobs has never been shy about his use of psychedelics, famously calling his LSD experience "one of the two or three most important things I have done in my life." So, toward the end of his life, LSD inventor Albert Hofmann decided to write to the iPhone creator to see if he'd be interested in putting some money where the tip of his tongue had been. (continue)

Twitter High: California Group Sells Medical Marijuana Online

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:34:00 +0000

Artists Collective, a non-profit California medical marijuana delivery service, is now Twittering out its goods, and all it takes to get high is a doctor's note. They've got everything from brownies to blunts and the delivery is free. (continue)

Rhode Island Senate commission to study marijuana decriminalization

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:27:00 +0000

Weeks after legalizing the sale of marijuana to sick people, lawmakers have voted to explore how much Rhode Island might collect in revenue if it were to make all sales of marijuana legal and impose a “sin tax” of $35 per ounce. (continue)

Drug cocktail may have killed Michael Jackson

noreply@blogger.com (ADW) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:02:00 +0000

Science correspondent Tom Clarke explains the effects of the painkillers that have been linked to Michael Jackson's death. (continue)