Why cannabis must be legalized – a non-user’s perspective

The federal government recently refused to reclassify cannabis, stating it still hasn’t been proven to have medical value. Of course, it’s a tough thing to prove when the government allows very limited research on the subject. And to be honest, even if they do reclassify it, we don’t much care anymore. We want full legalization, even though neither Alex’s mother nor myself use cannabis. Why? Continue reading “Why cannabis must be legalized – a non-user’s perspective”

Vote for Ron Paul?

I’m now a registered republican so I can vote for Ron Paul in the Oregon primaries. I’m not saying I’ll vote for him if he gets the nomination (so no political commentary, please), but I think he would bring issues up that too few Americans are considering. The drug war is by far the biggest issue that needs to move into the spotlight. Continue reading “Vote for Ron Paul?”

Portugal’s successes overstated?

I can’t find the specific article now, but the news is fairly old: Portugal decriminalized most drugs a while back, and it’s been touted as a huge success

There was a wonderful quote somewhere out there about the numbers being “misleading”. The claim is that during the time since Portugal decriminalized, the U.S. had also seen a reduction in drug abuse and needle-sharing HIV infections. Taking this quote as a fact, why would the U.S. bother to tax and legalize marijuana? Continue reading “Portugal’s successes overstated?”

Why prop 19 must not fail

(UPDATE! Russ of NORML does a much better job of explaining how prop 19 rocks)

I’ve been reading a lot about prop 19, and how various people think it needs to wait another two years to get some refinements. Generally speaking, it’s too strict, and takes away more freedom than it gives. Some of the anti-prop-19 propaganda is below — some is fact, some is exaggerated, and some (I believe) is completely made up: Continue reading “Why prop 19 must not fail”