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Weekend Roundup

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This was quite a week in drug war news, and by all indications, the focus on this long-neglected topic is not going away.

– Senator Jim Webb of Virginia is leading the effort to reform the criminal justice system. Webb has consistently been one of the loudest (and loneliest) voices on this issue, as other politicians often see it as too risky. This is the right time for this kind of reform to happen, though, and it’s already starting to happen in some states. Patty Murray is one of Webb’s co-sponsors for a bill that would set up a blue-ribbon commission tasked with an 18-month review of the train wreck our criminal justice system has become.

– During the internet town hall that President Obama held this week, he was finally able to acknowledge the fact that questions about marijuana’s illegality have dominated each of these online forums. Unfortunately, he treated it as if the interest in the issue was something to be mocked. I want to agree with Scott Morgan here that Obama gets this issue more than he pretends to, but that’s not going to be enough sometimes. In a week where Obama was dealing with the crisis in Mexico, for him to make a joke about what’s arguably the biggest reason Mexico has that crisis makes him look incredibly out-of-touch.

As I’ve said before, the illegality of marijuana is not the most important issue America faces, but it is an important issue for a number of reasons, and it’s the issue where the policies we currently have are the most detached from reality. That’s why questions about it dominate these online forums, because prohibition has become such a dangerous spectacle that we’re desperate to finally break the silence over it.

– A week after Eric Holder promised that the DEA would not raid medical marijuana dispensaries that are complying with state law, the DEA raided a medical marijuana dispensary in San Francisco. The DEA claims that it was in violation of state law, but won’t say which one. The speculation is about their financial dealings, either a failure to pay taxes or a policy that allows low-income people to obtain medicine for free. Either way, city officials didn’t seem to be aware that the raid was happening, so the DEA apparently believes that they, and they alone, will be the ones determining whether or not a dispensary is violating state law.

If so, this completely undermines the policy that Obama and Holder have announced. As we’ve discovered here with our medical marijuana laws, unless you have a clear defense against being arrested (or having your supplies confiscated), nothing is going to stop it. If the DEA can just say (without proof or agreement from state or local officials) that a facility is in violation of state law, it’s not much different from the Uncle Jimbo policy, where all you need to do is say something at the time of the raid in order to justify it. If this raid was not based on an actual violation of state law, either people in the DEA’s office need to be shown the door, or Obama’s policy is still an empty promise.

– Speaking of this state’s medical marijuana laws, another patient received some long-delayed justice this week. Timothy Adams of Kennewick was able to pick up 40 marijuana plants and growing equipment that was taken from him by police in 2005. An Appeals Court judge ruled that Adams was wrongly convicted in 2007 and was entitled to his stuff back.

– The decriminalization bill in Olympia may have died, but it’s been inspiring more and more people to speak up on the issue. Lynnwood state representative Mary Helen Roberts doesn’t understand why it’s a crime to grow a plant in one’s house.

– Remember the weird editing from the Jon Stewart/Jim Cramer interview? The reason for it was because Cramer said that he’d be ok with legalizing drugs (specifically cocaine).

– The Drug War Chronicle has a plus-sized roundup of the week’s corrupt cop stories.

Comments

  1. 1

    I was fascinated to learn tonight, from surfing the internet, that the brilliant psychiatrist who runs the federal government’s drug abuse research is Leon Trotsky’s great-granddaughter.

  2. 2

    She was appointed to that post in 2003, in the early days of the Chimp administration, and has been making research waves ever since.

  3. 3

    A smart scientist who is using medical facts to debunk anti-drug moralizing — and is the direct lineal descendant of a top Bolshevik to boot — how the hell did that one get past the people who vetted appointees for the most anti-science president of all time?

  5. 5

    @ 3

    how the hell did that one get past the people who vetted appointees for the most anti-science president of all time?

    Those people were extraordinarily renditioned. They are in Syria now and won’t be making those kind of pro-science mistakes again.

    I had so much more harm to do… all cut short by this damned “democracy”!

  6. 6

    Oh jebus – you fucking morons expect him to keep his promises? You’re dumber than I thought.

    “95% of all Americans making under $200k will get a tax cut.”
    – Gone faster than the PI

    “I’m not taking your guns” that’s Eric Holder’s job…

    “Hope” “Change” – I hope I have some change left when O’s out of office.

    I told you so.

  7. 7

    Typical HA Saturday night:

    “Hang all right wingers using their own rope”
    “Kill all conservatives”
    “Eat their children”
    “Confiscate the wealthy’s assets and kill them”

  11. 11

    Ummm, pretty please, while you’re doing all this reform to make it easier for Jeff Spicoli to get his BC bud, can you find the time to legalize the posession of large quantites (ok, astronomical) of Oxycontin?
    Thank you, Cheeses!

  12. 12

    @9 “We need a little levity around here!”

    We can always count on you for that, although I have to admit your goat routine gets somewhat cloying.

  15. 15

    Pelletizer@12: His routine?

    9. Roger Rabbit spews: Poor Mr. C is reduced to blaming DSHS’s screwups on Roger Rabbit! What makes you think I worked for DSHS, C? Didn’t I say I was a judge? Boy, is your head ever fucked up. You’ve been fucking goats too long for your own good, boy. http://horsesass.org/?p=8915

  17. 17

    Pelletizer@12: His routine?

    9. Roger Rabbit spews: Poor Mr. C is reduced to blaming DSHS’s screwups on Roger Rabbit! What makes you think I worked for DSHS, C? Didn’t I say I was a judge? Boy, is your head ever fucked up. You’ve been fucking goats too long for your own good, boy. http://horsesass.org/?p=14353

  19. 19

    Pelletizer@12: His routine?

    15. Roger Rabbit spews: @10 & 11 – Your candidate and party LOST, cyniklown! Ha ha ha! So your new mantra is to pretend the election didn’t matter? News flash, you clusterfucked repugs are on your way OUT OF POWER and competent liberals will be running the show from now on! America will be respected and prosperous again despite you ignorant fools! Now go “service” your goat, she’s waiting for you in the barn! http://horsesass.org/?p=10574

  22. 22

    Pelletizer@12: His routine?

    25. Roger Rabbit spews: @10 Why does a Montana goat rancher care what Seattle does about the viaduct? As this doesn’t affect you, I assume you’re fulminating about it only because you can’t get any action in the goat shed and have nothing else to do. http://horsesass.org/?p=11288

    That’s enough for now. There are so many more!

  23. 23

    Puddy would have posted them in one longer post by the SPAM filter may have thrown Puddy into the SPAM “footlocker”.

    Pelletizer, you are too easy a target. You should show Mrs Pelletizer some of your “greatest” handiwork as documented above. You like goats like headless lucy hates blacks… 24×7

  24. 24

    RR- please, a little compassion here. If I am to be the de facto leader of the Dark Side (until Darth Cheney returns), I’ll need some help legitimizing my little problem.
    Love to keep chattin’ you peeps up, but i’m afraid I’ve taken 8 too many Viagra, and I can no longer feel the keyboard.

  25. 25

    Did Puddybudy just snuggle up to the rabbits furry paw for a few lucky rubs or just order Hausenfefer?

  26. 26

    posted this on the wrong topic. ahem–speaking of weekend roundup, did you all turn off your lights at 8:30??

  27. 27

    I beleive that what Obama was mocking was the concept that legalizing marijuana would put a serious dent in the budget deficits or that it would constitutte a serious approach to deficits.

  28. 28

    Puddy–
    Good recap of the worst of Roger Rabbit.
    Perhaps we ought to call him Goat Enforcer?
    Anyway, Rog is an attorney..
    So when confronted with the Truth, he coils up into the snakey slug he is…and fights back with goat diatribe’s.
    He’s old and in poor health…so as a compassionate Conservative I ususally just let himself babble and drool down his chin…Rog always manages to minimize himself and his argument with the Goat Fornication schtick.
    He’s as predictable as Obama is on Socialism.
    Thanks for layin’ it out Puddy.

  29. 29

    Dengle, just clarifying whom likes to bring the goat attack on HA. Puddy doesn’t know a Hausenfefer and wouldn’t get with 10 football fields of his “furry paw”.

    Cynical, that’s no excuse for Pelletizer lying about himself and his love of “goats”.

    Steve and ekim are in the bullpen with their goat remarks. Puddy has them all documented. Puddy delivered Pelletizer’s choice ones, ones he sometimes repeated for additional effect.

  30. 30

    If you guys are so sensitive about Roger talking about your goatfucking ways then maybe you should just leave and not come back.

  31. 31

    @29 “goat remarks” “Puddy has them all documanted”

    Does anybody else find this to be more than just a little bit strange?

  32. 32

    to all iRRRRR

    Is this REALLY the way you want o spend your time? Seems to em you all need a joint.

  33. 33

    @28
    I love it when the republicants display their hatred of attorneys, but run to them when they need to turn the vote around. How many did you need to try and put Lossi in the guv’s mansion (one for each county in Washington, if we’re not mistaken here. And you still had your worthless ass handed to you- goddamned justice!)? Alas, all that GOP money, donated and wasted. Now THAT’S fiscal responsibility!

  34. 34

    @22 Hey, gee thanks for reposting those, puttybutt! I’d forgotten I’m so funny! Of course, you trolls are EASY to make fun of!

  35. 35

    @33 Lotta good their attorneys did ’em, hey? Two million bucks to lose 4 more votes …

    HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR

  40. 40

    Cynical@39, they won’t even admit they were doubtless part of the 9/12 10% crowd, so why do you think they would admit to #39? Bunch of aweless fools.

    Anagram of aweless is weasels. Goldy’s weasels.

  41. 41

    From the LA Times yesterday:

    If you are reading this newspaper, the likelihood is that you agree with the Obama administration’s recent attacks on conservative radio talker Rush Limbaugh. That’s the likelihood; here’s the certainty: You’ve never listened to Rush Limbaugh.

    Such candor from a libtard newspaper. Yep, sounds like most of the HA weasels here.

  42. 42

    @41 I’ve listened to Rush Limbaugh. One time when I was hopping across the vast empty spaces of eastern Montana I listened to him for about 90 minutes. He was ranting about how Bill Gates would qualify for benefits under Bush’s prescription drug program. (What’s the problem? Doesn’t Gates pay enough taxes to deserve Medicare benefits?) Never once in the whole hour-and-a-half did Rush mention there are millions of senior citizens who have to choose between paying for their medications or food. In short, he used the richest person in the world as an example of why we don’t need a Medicare prescription benefit without ever mentioning the people who need this help. That’s when I decided Limbaugh is irredeemably dishonest.

  43. 43

    @15
    We know you where a judge. What you never told us what Dog shows did you participate in.

    Here or overseas?

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