Poll: Marijuana Law Reform

[_CY_]

Why unarmed teen killed by police over a few grams of pot hasn't led to national protests

The death of Zachary Hammond, a white South Carolina teen shot by police, hasn't led to widespread outrage. But it's more complicated than just a matter of race, analysts say. August 6, 2015

Zachary Hammond was on a first date with a girl on July 26 in Seneca, S.C., when they stopped at a Hardee’s parking lot in his car. Police said they suspected the girl of selling marijuana and set up a sting operation to try and catch her in the act.

When confronted with law enforcement, Mr. Hammond attempted to flee and a police officer shot him twice. In the end, Hammond had been killed and his companion was charged with a minor drug possession.

The death of Hammond, who was 19, bears some strikingly similarities to the death of Samuel DuBose, a Cincinnati man who was shot by a police officer on July 19. In both cases, the two men were unarmed and the official police record that said the suspects attempted to run officers over has been called into question by conflicting sources. The difference in media attention thus far, however, is notable.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Up...led-by-police-hasn-t-led-to-national-protests

 

[Dave70968]

Somebody call up the Canadian County Sheriff for a soundbite on why this death was worth it.

 

[TenBears]

If pot were made legal what would happen to corrections corporation of America? They donate to a lot of self important politicians

 

[jfssms]

Somebody call up the Canadian County Sheriff for a soundbite on why this death was worth it.

Without dope money his department couldn't and wouldn't be able to serve his constituency.

 

[_CY_]

Better late than never: The DEA admits that marijuana is safer than heroin
August 6, 2015

The DEA has finally admitted that this is safer than heroin.

It's official: the U.S. government's top drug cop has acknowledged that marijuana is less dangerous than heroin.

At a meeting with reporters yesterday at the headquarters of the Drug Enforcement Administration, acting chief Chuck Rosenberg said that "heroin is clearly more dangerous than marijuana," Matt Ferner of the Huffington Post reports. This clarifies a statement he made last week, when he told reporters that marijuana was "probably not" as dangerous as heroin, adding "I'm not an expert."

This shouldn't be news. Researchers have known for decades that marijuana is a much safer substance than heroin -- and nearly all other psychoactive drugs, for that matter. Heroin overdoses kill thousands of people each year, while marijuana has no known toxic dose. It's considerably less habit-forming than heroin, alcohol, nicotine and other drugs. And medical marijuana treatments hold a lot of potential -- particularly as an alternative to dangerous prescription painkillers.

As far back as 1972, a federal report commissioned by President Richard Nixon recommended that marijuana use and possession be decriminalized, arguing that "neither the marihuana [sic] user nor the drug itself can be said to constitute a danger to public safety."

But Nixon ignored the report's findings. Marijuana was left on Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act, the most restrictive category, reserved for drugs that "have no currently accepted medical use in the United States, a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision, and a high potential for abuse." Other Schedule 1 drugs include heroin and LSD.

In recent years as public opinion on marijuana has shifted and the science on the drug becomes more settled and accepted, the DEA has stuck with its anti-marijuana stance. Former DEA administrator Michelle Leonhart, who resigned under a cloud of scandal and managerial lapses earlier this year, famously refused to say whether marijuana was less dangerous than crack or heroin in a 2014 congressional hearing. The exchange drew widespread ridicule.

Under Leonhart, the DEA also repeatedly challenged the White House on marijuana reform measures, aggressively pursued medical marijuana raids in defiance of congressional mandates, and was ridiculed by congressmen for its opposition to industrial hemp.

And in that context, Rosenberg's cautious acknowledgement on the relative safety of marijuana is indeed news. It's a small sign that under its new leadership the DEA may start staking out policy positions that are more in line with the White House, Congress, and the American public.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...a-admits-that-marijuana-is-safer-than-heroin/

 

[TenBears]

Better late than never: The DEA admits that marijuana is safer than heroin
August 6, 2015

The DEA has finally admitted that this is safer than heroin.

It's official: the U.S. government's top drug cop has acknowledged that marijuana is less dangerous than heroin.

At a meeting with reporters yesterday at the headquarters of the Drug Enforcement Administration, acting chief Chuck Rosenberg said that "heroin is clearly more dangerous than marijuana," Matt Ferner of the Huffington Post reports. This clarifies a statement he made last week, when he told reporters that marijuana was "probably not" as dangerous as heroin, adding "I'm not an expert."

This shouldn't be news. Researchers have known for decades that marijuana is a much safer substance than heroin -- and nearly all other psychoactive drugs, for that matter. Heroin overdoses kill thousands of people each year, while marijuana has no known toxic dose. It's considerably less habit-forming than heroin, alcohol, nicotine and other drugs. And medical marijuana treatments hold a lot of potential -- particularly as an alternative to dangerous prescription painkillers.

As far back as 1972, a federal report commissioned by President Richard Nixon recommended that marijuana use and possession be decriminalized, arguing that "neither the marihuana [sic] user nor the drug itself can be said to constitute a danger to public safety."

But Nixon ignored the report's findings. Marijuana was left on Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act, the most restrictive category, reserved for drugs that "have no currently accepted medical use in the United States, a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision, and a high potential for abuse." Other Schedule 1 drugs include heroin and LSD.

In recent years as public opinion on marijuana has shifted and the science on the drug becomes more settled and accepted, the DEA has stuck with its anti-marijuana stance. Former DEA administrator Michelle Leonhart, who resigned under a cloud of scandal and managerial lapses earlier this year, famously refused to say whether marijuana was less dangerous than crack or heroin in a 2014 congressional hearing. The exchange drew widespread ridicule.

Under Leonhart, the DEA also repeatedly challenged the White House on marijuana reform measures, aggressively pursued medical marijuana raids in defiance of congressional mandates, and was ridiculed by congressmen for its opposition to industrial hemp.

And in that context, Rosenberg's cautious acknowledgement on the relative safety of marijuana is indeed news. It's a small sign that under its new leadership the DEA may start staking out policy positions that are more in line with the White House, Congress, and the American public.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...a-admits-that-marijuana-is-safer-than-heroin/

Now if they would admit that it is safer than alcohol, we could get something done.

 

[_CY_]

a little pot from colo ..

 

[_CY_]

In Texas, police search woman’s vagina for marijuana
August 13, 2015

Here we go again.

A Spring woman claims sheriff’s deputies violated constitutional protections by conducting a body cavity search on the concrete of a Texaco gas station parking lot during a routine traffic stop in late June.

Charnesia Corley, a 21-year-old African American, was driving in northern Harris County around 10:30 p.m. on June 21 when a male deputy pulled her over for allegedly running a stop sign. He said he smelled marijuana, handcuffed Corley, put her in his vehicle and searched her car for almost an hour. He didn’t find any pot, according to her attorney, Sam Cammack.

Returning to his car where Corley was held, the deputy again said he smelled marijuana and called in a female deputy to conduct a cavity search. When the female deputy arrived, she told Corley to pull her pants down, but Corley protested because she was cuffed and had no underwear on. The deputy ordered Corley to bend over, pulled down her pants and began to search her.

Then, according to Cammack, Corley stood up and protested, so the deputy threw her to the ground and restrained her while another female was called in to assist. When backup arrived, each deputy held one of Corley’s legs apart to conduct the probe.

Incredibly, a spokesperson for the Harris County Sheriff’s Department told a local TV station that “the deputies did everything as they should.” And so there you have it. Holding a woman down and forcibly penetrating her vagina to search for pot is official policy in Harris County.

Keep in mind that under Texas law, it takes more than four ounces of marijuana to bring a felony charge. This is what four ounces of marijuana looks like. It seems doubtful that a woman could be casually driving around with that much marijuana stuffed into her vagina. So Corley was forced to the ground, stripped, and penetrated to search for evidence that at worst would have amounted to a misdemeanor. Which means that the Harris County Sheriff’s Department believes its perfectly acceptable to allow a stranger to forcibly probe a woman’s vagina in order to prevent her from possessing a personal-use quantity of marijuana. And even that happened without a warrant, based only on one deputy’s claim to have smelled the drug.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...o-search-for-marijuana/?tid=pm_opinions_pop_b

 

[montesa]

Man that's just crazy. Did they find any weed?

 

[YukonGlocker]

That s$hit is ridiculous...it must stop.