ON THE SPEAKEASY BLOG

Nation's First Medical Marijuana TV Commercial

CNN reports that a dispensary in Sacramento has run the nation's first medical marijuana television commercial. 2 comments

We Are All Californians

Norm Stamper, former police chief of Seattle, wants all of us to support California's Prop 19 initiative to legalize marijuana this November. He writes about it in The Huffington Post this week. 0 comments

No Blogging from Me This Week

I've finally succumbed to the call of Burning Man and will be spending the next week in Black Rock City covered in dust and sweat. I'm excited and slightly terrified.I'll be returning to civilization on Sept. 7th and will do my best to resume... 1 comment

Facebook Censors Marijuana Legalization Ad

Facebook may be the nation's hottest social networking site, but the company is no friend to the nation's hottest political issue. A marijuana legalization ad from the Just Say Now campaign has been banned for its use of a pot leaf image,... 5 comments

DEA Seeks Ebonics Translators to Decipher Black Peoples' Phone Conversations

Ever since NAACP endorsed marijuana legalization in California, there's been a raging debate over whether the drug war targets black communities. Looks like the DEA just settled it. 25 comments

Judge Orders Man to Write Report on Why Medical Marijuana is Bad

I guess it’s better than sending them to jail, but forcing offenders to draft political opinions smacks of drug war brainwashing. 8 comments

Kelly Ayotte Supports Persecuting Medical Marijuana Patients

Kelly Ayotte, former attorney general of New Hampshire and the state's leading Republican contender for Senate, wouldn't tell a disabled Navy veteran Manchester GOP Candidate Fair and Straw Poll that he was a criminal for needing medical marijuana. But it's hard to distinguish her position from that idea. 9 comments

A Trillion Drug War Dollars

Houston-area journalist Clarence Walker reflects on a trillion drug war dollars spent in: 2 comments

Gary Johnson Says Legalize Marijuana on MSNBC

If you want to legalize marijuana as badly as I do, it's time to start paying attention to Gary Johnson. This MSNBC interview is just a preview of the awesomeness that's going to happen when he runs for president in 2012. 8 comments

Rand Paul & Medical Marijuana [Updated]

See updates below.[image:1 align:left caption:true]Mike Meno at MPP points out that Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul no longer supports medical marijuana. That's right, folks. Rand Paul, son of the famously libertarian-leaning and... 17 comments

Is Obama Planning to Allow More Medical Marijuana Raids?

In the aftermath of a couple very questionable DEA raids of medical marijuana providers, not to mention the nomination of notorious drug warrior Michele Leonhart to head the DEA, we're forced to question once again whether President Obama intends... 9 comments

The Drug Czar's Only Job is to Oppose Legalization (And He Sucks at It)

Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske is back in damage control mode again following Mexican President Felipe Calderon's call for a debate on legalizing drugs. 12 comments

Grandmother's Death in Botched Drug Raid Leads to $4.9 Million Settlement

The 2006 killing of Kathryn Johnston gave the American public a window into the rampant incompetence and needless violence that so often characterizes modern drug enforcement. A massive settlement announced today will hopefully serve as a vivid... 13 comments

Searching Black People for No Reason Isn't Police Work, It's Discrimination

If you don't think racial profiling is a real problem, I'd like to introduce you to some young men who beg to differ. Anyone in the black community who opposes marijuana legalization should see this video: 4 comments

If We Legalize Marijuana, We'll Bankrupt Canada's Pot Economy

It's an open secret that the Canadian economy has long been propped up by substantial marijuana exports to the U.S. market. 9 comments

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FROM THE CHRONICLE

Mexico Drug War Update

The big news in Mexico this week was the capture of "La Barbie," a major figure in the drug wars. Will it make any difference? 0 comments

Weird Drug Politics in the Kentucky Senate Campaign [FEATURE]

The drug war has become an issue in the Kentucky Senate race after Republican Rand Paul attacked federal funding of drug task forces. 6 comments

This Week in History

Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past. 0 comments

Germany to Approve Sativex, But Not Medical Marijuana [FEATURE]

Despite some confusing reporting in the past couple of weeks, the bottom line in Germany is "no" to medical marijuana, but "yes" to Sativex. 1 comment

California Legislature Passes Marijuana Decriminalization Bill

In California, small time pot possession is still a misdemeanor even though the maximum sentence is a $100 fine. The legislature has just passed a bill to fully decriminalize it by making it an infraction. 11 comments

This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

Oh, temptation, such a torment for the weak-willed. A South Carolina cop peddle's his drug dog's training dope, an Iowa cop gets caught with a bunch of coke, and a Florida trooper is profiling out-of-state pain patients and stealing their medicine. 1 comment

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