Before we get started, let me make clear that this list is not “The Best People” or “The Worst People” or “The Most Important People”.  It is also not NORML’s official endorsement or condemnation of anyone listed.  This is merely my review of some of the personal stories in cannabis law reform, some whom you’ll recognize, others who appear briefly in a news report and are forgotten, that I felt needed recognition.  In fact, if you count them up, it’s more than ten people.

The Top Ten People in Marijuana in 2011 (audio mp3)

10. William Breathes – Journalism defeating unscientific and inaccurate DUID laws in Colorado

William Breathes, Denver WestWord's pot critic

When you say “medical marijuana” to most Americans, they will think “California”.  But Colorado has actually the most regulated and state-developed medical marijuana program in the country.  Per capita, Denver has far more medical marijuana dispensaries than Los Angeles or San Francisco/Oakland.  So I had no doubt that someone from Colorado would have to be included on this list.

Unfortunately, most of activism headlines out of Colorado in 2011 detailed the kind of immaturity and shenanigans that reflect poorly on marijuana activism.  2011 saw Miguel Lopez hectoring a legislator into dropping a patient privacy amendment, lecturing legislative committees, and accused of stealing and destroying legalization petitions.  Corey Donahue was jailed for disrupting a meeting organizing supporters of a legalization initiative, had his “Crazy for Justice” propose making April 20th a state holiday, and is accused of stealing documents from the state’s medical marijuana enforcement division (awaiting re-trial following mis-trial because Miguel Lopez was filming the jury selection).  Kathleen Chippi, Robert Chase, and Laura Kriho boasted openly about their active opposition to legalization efforts.

Thankfully, the “pot critic” of Denver’s alt-weekly, WestWord, comes to the rescue with an inspiring tale of one journalist’s use of the scientific method to help defeat bad anti-cannabis legislation.  Colorado had proposed a “5ng/mL per se DUID” standard, sort of the idea represented by a 0.08 blood-alcohol level to supposedly net drunk drivers.  The problem is that cannabis isn’t alcohol.  The science shows no reliable “impairment standard” for THC for every person.  Marijuana smokers can test above 5ng without displaying any impairment, and frequent consumers, like medical marijuana patients, can be way above 5ng with no recent consumption at all.

Breathes, a patient, took it upon himself to abstain from marijuana use for fifteen hours.  He was then tested and found to be at 13.5ng/mL, even as he was completely sober after a night of restful sleep.  This front-page news and subsequent support from new studies and a deadlocked task force of experts forced the Colorado legislators to kill the proposal.  Which, sadly, was then embraced by…

9. Alison Holcomb – New Approach Washington’s legalization adopts Colorado’s defeated DUID provision

Alison Holcomb of ACLU-WA

Washington State is poised in 2012 to have a marijuana legalization proposal on the ballot that stands a serious chance of winning.  Alison Holcomb, the Drug Policy Director at ACLU of Washington, has done a remarkable job lining up high-profile supporters, including travel guru Rick Steves, Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes, former US Attorney John McKay, and former FBI Special Agent in Charge of Seattle Division, Charles Mandigo; as well as securing the big-dollar funding an initiative needs to be successful.

However, controversy within the Washington marijuana movement erupted as activists got wind of the details within I-502, the Holcomb-sponsored marijuana legalization initiative.  ACLU’s polling showed the two biggest obstacles to legalization support among the public are “What About the Children?!?” and “Beware the Stoned Drivers!!!”.  To assuage the public’s fear of stoned teenagers, I-502 sets a 21 age limit and zero tolerance for any use by drivers in that age group.  More controversially, to mitigate the stoned driver fear, I-502 adopts the same 5ng/mL per se DUID standard that had just been defeated in Colorado.

That DUID standard has caused longtime legalization advocates, including NORML attorney Douglas Hiatt, NORML Board Member Jeff Steinborn, and Seattle Hempfest Director Vivian McPeak, to publicly condemn I-502.  (To their credit, none of them have been arrested for stealing from and disrupting their opposition, a la Colorado above.)  It will be up to the voters in the Evergreen State to decide whether a few innocent tokers jailed on DUID is worth the potential of all tokers being innocent of possession.

8. Willie Nelson – the case of the living legend and the evaporating marijuana

How do you turn six ounces into three ounces into just a pot pipe? Ask Willie!

Bless Willie Nelson, he’s been a lifetime supporter of NORML and voices many pro-legalization ads on our radio show.  He’s always been synonymous with pot smoking.  But this year, he was one of the 850,000+ arrests for marijuana possession.  The case of Willie Nelson in Sierra Blanca, Texas, shone a spotlight on the idiocy of marijuana prohibition.  In its prosecution, it highlighted the disparity of the “justice” system when it comes to drugs and the rich and famous vs. the poor and anonymous.  The fallout has been a nascent political movement and another successful year of touring for the 78-year-old.

In late 2010, Willie was busted by Border Patrol when his tour bus passed through Sierra Blanca, Texas.  Cops seized six ounces of marijuana according to the reports.  In response, Willie notified Steve Bloom of CelebStoner that he was calling for a “Teapot Party” to promote the cause of legalization, which in 2011 gained mainstream political coverage for endorsing Republican Gary Johnson for president, before backpedaling to account for the singer’s support of Democrat Dennis Kucinich.

As Winter 2011 gave way to Spring, the six ounces of marijuana somehow became just three ounces of marijuana.  The county attorney joked, “Between me and the sheriff, we threw out enough of it or smoked enough so that there’s only three ounces, which is within my jurisdiction.”  But the traditional media didn’t get the joke when they reported Willie would be able to get out of jail time if he sang “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain” in court and pay a fine.  The judge confirmed the hoax and said Willie could just plead guilty by mail and pay a fine.

Also in the Spring of 2011, eleven hours’ drive across the state in Tyler, Texas, a jury sentenced Henry Walter Wooten to 35 years in prison (that’s 420 months; dig the irony) for the possession of four-and-a-half ounces of marijuana.  He did have two felony convictions from around two dozen years ago, one for having a gun without a permit and another for selling cocaine.  Most of all, he can’t sing “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain” worth a damn.

This summer, prosecutors agreed to let Willie plead guilty not to three ounces of marijuana but just possession of paraphernalia, which put him out $780 in fines and court costs.  In that deal, there was no punishment or acknowledgement of possession of any marijuana.  But so far the judge isn’t accepting that, saying the singer doesn’t deserve “special treatment”.

7. Patricia Spottedcrow – Single mother of four imprisoned a decade over $31 worth of pot

Patricia Spottedcrow got ten years for selling $31 worth of marijuana.

Every year there are busts of marijuana consumers that tug at the heart strings.  This year, the tale of Patricia Spottedcrow in Oklahoma garnered national attention:

(AOL News) Patricia Marilyn Spottedcrow, a 25-year-old mother of four, and her mother, Delita Starr, 50, sold an $11 dime bag to a police informant in Oklahoma on Dec. 31, 2009. The informant returned two weeks later to buy $20 of marijuana. Spottedcrow, who worked in nursing homes before her arrest, told The Oklahoman she did it to get some extra money.

The women were charged with drug distribution and possession of a dangerous substance in the presence of a minor, because Spottedcrow’s children were in the house during the transaction. They were offered plea deals of two years in prison but decided to enter a guilty plea instead, a gamble they took because neither had prior convictions and because the amount of drugs sold was so small.

The gamble did not pay off. Spottedcrow was given sentences of 10 years in prison for distribution and two years for possession, to run concurrently. When she was picked up to be taken to prison, she had marijuana in her jacket pocket, which led to another two-year concurrent sentence and a fine of nearly $1,300.

The judge in this story feels like she was compassionate in not sentencing the grandmother of Spottedcrow’s children, ages 9, 4, 3, and 1, to any jail time so she can raise the grandkids while mom is in prison.  Gee, thanks judge!  The family is so struggling to make ends meet they sell dime bags, so lets give grandma four mouths to feed all by herself.

But at least this high-level criminal mastermind is behind bars.  Oklahoma is safe now that $31 worth of weed was taken off the streets and an underpaid nursing home attendant is locked up.

6. Mackenzie Allen – Former cop’s legalization question tops Presidential survey

Continuing a theme he established even as a candidate, President Obama solicited the American people on their concerns on the most pressing issues facing America today.  In January, he utilized YouTube to have citizens ask video questions, to be voted on for response.  Mackenzie Allen, a retired law enforcement officer who represents LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) asked the top rated question, which garnered 13,842 votes – over 1% of all votes cast (people could vote for more than one question).  Of the 193,060 people who voted more than 7% voted for the LEAP question.  That’s about one in fourteen people who took the time to Ask Obama.

Click here to view the embedded video.

As a police officer, I saw how waging the war on drugs has cost a trillion dollars and thousands of lives but does nothing to reduce drug use. Should we discuss legalizing marijuana and other drugs, which would eliminate the violent criminal market?

As an honorable mention, our own Erik Altieri in September penned NORML’s legalization question which garnered the most votes in the “We the People” survey.  This latest incarnation of “Change.gov” / “Open for Questions” / “Citizen’s Briefing Book” / “Ideas for Change” / “Ask Obama” marked the ninth time the president has asked and the ninth time the American people have screamed, overwhelmingly, “legalize it!”

Click here to view the embedded video.

5. U.S. Attorney Laura E. Duffy – One of four engaged in “crack down” on California medical marijuana

Laura E. Duffy, US Attorney for Southern District of California

The four US Attorneys in California, apparently acting without direction from President Obama or Attorney General Holder, moved to crack down on what they consider to be “abuses” of medical marijuana laws of California.  Referring to Proposition 215, the 1996 initiative that excepted medical use of marijuana from criminal prosecution, Andre Birotte Jr., U.S. attorney for California’s central district, said “What we’ve seen, unfortunately, is the Compassionate Use Act has really turned into the Commercial Use Act.”  (It remains unclear to me why federal US Attorneys think they have standing to evaluate what is and isn’t an abuse of state law, but I’m one of those weirdos who’s read the 9th and 10th Amendments to the Constitution.)

But I’ve singled out Laura E. Duffy of the four because she went above and beyond her colleagues in not only ignoring her boss’s previous policy statements and the 9th & 10th Amendments, but in also threatening the 1st Amendment over medical marijuana:

(California Watch) Federal prosecutors are preparing to target newspapers, radio stations and other media outlets that advertise medical marijuana dispensaries in California, another escalation in the Obama administration’s newly invigorated war against the state’s pot industry.

U.S. Attorney Laura E. Duffy, whose district includes Imperial and San Diego counties, said marijuana advertising is the next area she’s “going to be moving onto as part of the enforcement efforts in Southern California.” Duffy said she could not speak for the three other U.S. attorneys covering the state but noted their efforts have been coordinated so far.

“I’m not just seeing print advertising,” Duffy said in an interview with California Watch and KQED. “I’m actually hearing radio and seeing TV advertising. It’s gone mainstream. Not only is it inappropriate – one has to wonder what kind of message we’re sending to our children – it’s against the law.”

4. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer – loves fed marijuana policy, hates fed immigration policy

To be fair, this ability is not uncommon among politicians.

There was no shortage of state governors I could have chosen for this spot.  New Jersey’s reprehensible Chris Christie has stonewalled every step of the way in implementing The (No) Garden State’s medical marijuana law, even trying to turn the mandated six dispensaries into only four, limited to growing but three strains statewide that measure less than 10% THC.  Montana’s quirky Brian Schweitzer won praise for vetoing an attempt to repeal medical marijuana, only to earn scorn for allowing “Repeal Lite” to pass without his signature.  Washington’s spineless Chris Gregoire line-item vetoed a legislative measure to establish regulated medical marijuana dispensaries on the pretense of protecting state workers, as did Rhode Island’s invertebrate Lincoln Chafee, when the feds sent a threatening letter.  But then Gregoire and Chafee petitioned the feds to reschedule cannabis so they could operate their dispensaries.  Maryland’s sensible Martin O’Malley signed an expansion of affirmative defense and Delaware’s compassionate Jack Markell signed his state into becoming the 16th medical marijuana state.  Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s vile Mary Fallin signed a law that could mean a life sentence for making pot brownies, but Connecticut’s reasonable Dan Malloy made his state the 14th to decriminalize personal possession by adults.

However, for sheer boldfaced unadulterated political hypocrisy, I have to recognize Arizona’s two-faced Governor Jan Brewer.  First she campaigned against Prop 203 but later said she “believed in the will of the people” who passed that medical marijuana initiative.  Then she was lecturing police that they didn’t do enough to campaign against Prop 203 while admitting that she was “too busy” to do more herself.  Then she was stonewalling on the issuance of dispensary permits that the “will of the people” approved, because she was suing to see that the “will of the people” be denied by a federal court.

In other words, if the people of Arizona pass a law to get illegal marijuana to Arizonans, because Washington DC is out of touch, then the “will of the people” be damned.  Gov. Brewer will sue in federal court to uphold federal law.  But if the people of Arizona pass a law to get illegal Mexicans out of Arizona, because Washington DC is out of touch, then the “will of the people” is sacred.  Gov. Brewer will sue in federal court to uphold state law.  (I have no word on the governor’s position on illegal Mexican immigrants who need medical marijuana, but I’ll bet it is confusing.)

3. Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson – former Republican, now Libertarian presidential candidate

Former NM Gov. Gary Johnson with me (in low light)

On the other end of the governor spectrum we find former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson.  The two-term Republican governor had been touting his “Our America Initiative” in 2010 and appearing at NORML Conference and other pro-marijuana festivals in full-throated support of legalization of marijuana for adult use.  His vocal support only grew in April 2011 as he announced his run as a Republican for the presidential nomination of the party, and not only continued to appear at pro-legalization rallies, and even had Willie Nelson’s Teapot Party (briefly) endorse his presidential run.

Alas, the Republican party and traditional media didn’t agree and denied Johnson all but a couple of chances on the national debate stage to state his case.  The marijuana issue was ignored despite strong public inquiry about it, even among Republicans.  Johnson continued to speak out on the issue to those who would listen.  But this week, he has abandoned his bid for the Republican nomination and taken up a presidential campaign for the Libertarian ticket.

To his credit, Rep. Ron Paul remains in the race for the Republican nomination and even comes in 2nd in the current polling in advance of next Tuesday’s Iowa caucus.  Paul, a longtime supporter of NORML’s mission, has also introduced The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2011 and been a co-sponsor of other pro-marijuana federal legislation.  But the last time Rep. Paul spoke directly to an audience of marijuana activists was 1988.

2. Rep. Barney Frank – the lion of legalization retires from Congress

After sixteen terms in the US House of Representatives, liberal Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts is set to retire.  He’s sponsored or co-sponsored just about every pro-marijuana bill that has ever died in Congress.  He’s spoken directly to pro-marijuana audiences.  For me, though, my favorite Barney Frank moments are when he is chiding conservatives on their decidedly big-government, wasteful-spending, anti-states-rights support of marijuana prohibition:

Click here to view the embedded video.

1. Steven DeAngelo – Harborside’s CEO rebukes recreational legalization on Weed Wars

Harborside CEO Steven DeAngelo and me

Last year I was very encouraged by one Bay Area medical marijuana entrepreneur.  In 2010, Richard Lee put 1.5 million dollars of his own money to legalize marijuana for adult use, regardless of the reason why someone might choose to use it.  For months, I had predicted that the longer medical marijuana was an “industry”, the more that industry would fight to protect itself, even from legalization.

In 2011, I have been discouraged to have been proven right by another Bay Area medical marijuana entrepreneur, Steven DeAngelo of Harborside Health Center, the world’s largest marijuana dispensary.  In January, the IRS was auditing the books of Harborside, building a case that the dispensary was in violation of IRS Section 280E, which explicitly bans any tax deductions related to “trafficking in controlled substances.”  The pressure on DeAngelo wasn’t surprising.  ”If 280E is applied literally and strictly,” DeAngelo said, “it has the potential to close down Harborside and every other medical cannabis dispensary.”

In an effort apparently calculated to steer the IRS away from any claim that Harborside’s business might not be serving strictly medical needs, DeAngelo began casting aspersions on Richard Lee’s legalization effort, which he had publicly supported the year prior.  ”I warned people who were pushing Prop. 19 that losing elections would have consequences,” DeAngelo said, “In large part what we’re seeing is the consequences of an overreach by our community.”  DeAngelo published a manifesto entitled “At the Crossroads, or Wellness, Not Intoxication”, where he chides the legalization supporters fighting for a right to recreational cannabis use, saying, “very little cannabis use is actually for recreational purposes, or intoxication. This truth is not negated by the fact that many users of cannabis buy into the misconception that their own use is recreational.”

Steven and his brother Andrew DeAngelo then became the subjects of a Discovery Channel reality show called Weed Wars.  In the press tours promoting the show, both brothers clearly said “I don’t believe that any psychoactive substance should be used for recreation“ and “we do not support the legalization of cannabis for recreational purposes.”  Activists were outraged and what followed from Steven DeAngelo were semantic explanations and rhetorical absurdities.

This all culminated in the fourth installment of Weed Wars closing with Steven DeAngelo saying “I don’t believe in legalizing cannabis for recreational purposes; I think cannabis should be used for purposes of wellness.”  Again, activists were outraged, pointing out DeAngelo was a lifelong legalization activist.  DeAngelo responded again with more rhetoric about believing nobody should be subject to criminal penalties for marijuana and justifications about promoting “wellness” and dissing “recreation” being just a strategy for achieving legalization (which he’s told the public he’s against).  He even tries to shift the blame to editing at the Discovery Channel, when his appearances on live TV show that he meant exactly what he said after editing on Weed Wars.

Download the NORML Daily Audio Stash for 2008-08-12

Download audio file (NORML_Daily_AudioStash_2008-08-12.mp3)

Today is Government at Work day… and most of them are in recess.  So I’m bringing back the interview with Rep. Barney Frank on his HR5843 bill to end federal penalties for personal marijuana possession.

Then I’ve got the executive producer of a new film chronicling the work of hemp activists, Rod Pitman.  It’s called “Hempsters Plant the Seed” and a screening will be held this Thursday at 7pm and 10pm at Portland’s Bagdad Theater (yes, it is spelled that way).

CNN has a feture called “iReport” where you can send in your comments and video replies to their stories.   The Barney Frank press conference is the subject, and I am thrilled to note that almost all of the comments were positive for our side, or as CNN puts it, “The overwhelming majority of iReporters who responded favor legalization”.  As of 8:15pm PT they had 221 iReports submitted.  Here is CNN’s select sampling of 15:

Marijuana bill sparks debate among iReporters – CNN.com
qotsa7777: I absolutely agree with the legalization of recreational marijuana use as a means to end the damaging and unproductive war on responsible, non violent users, but if we deny individuals the right to cultivate and sell marijuana for profit (with regulation similar that of alcohol), than we continue to perpetuate the most damaging aspect of marijuana prohibition: the funneling of money to gangs.

TJ1: I have been in hiding too long on this subject. I have a medical disorder that marijuana helps…. why should I have to hide responsible use of this what I consider to be very helpful to me?

Aoman: These issues should be left up to the states to decide. Let the DEA worry about drugs that are actually harmful to society.

Oilengineer: I am completely fine with the idea that individuals can make their own decisions on drugs.

LindaLou65: I’m not sure how many are aware of the fact that marijuana is used to treat HIV and AIDS patients.

Bigsilk: I will admit, however, 100 grams is a lot of weed. I would say that for most recreational smokers, that’s at least three or more month’s worth of pot. Maybe a hundred grams is a little high (pardon the pun).

GarthC420: [My Dutch husband] explained that in the Netherlands marijuana is just another tobacco product, and it doesn’t have this big forbidden taboo surrounding it like in the U.S. When the U.S. goes so far as to have news coverage of arrests of individuals for personal use pot gets better publicity then any trendy witty commercial drug dealers could air on TV.

Lascivius: There is no doubt in my mind that marijuana doesn’t ruin lives (unless you count the legal problems that it causes in peoples’ lives). It is also my opinion, being the child of an abusive alcoholic father, that marijuana use is far less harmful to lives than the use of alcohol can be.

Sensibleguy: Short and sweet, here’s the case: Marijuana is not harmful. It is not physically addictive (like alcohol/cocaine can be), mentally destructive (acid, alcohol), does not carry serious side effects (prescription meds), and does not cause cancer (cigarettes).

cweezy172: I smoke pot every night before I go to sleep, it has reduced my general stress in life, and improved my quality of life. I recently (June) graduated with a 3.8 from a Master’s program and got a pretty good job, which I am currently excelling in.

Missbosshawg: I don’t smoke pot, but have a lot of friends who do. Most who are 40 and 50 years old. I have never seen any of these people violent or commit crimes. They are hard working people who pay their taxes, own their own homes and volunteer in our community.

EyeiandiEye: It is a great disparity in the American courts to allow this catastrophic aspect of the drug war to go any further.

And this next one is my favorite, so I bring it to you in its entirety:

Denbee: I am a 58-year-old Vietnam veteran. American troops in Vietnam were generally split into two groups, the boozers and the tokers. In two years of Vietnam I never once saw anyone who was high on pot turn to violence. Never once saw anyone high slurring their speech or being aggressive or vomiting all over themselves and others. The worst I can say about the tokers is that we broke into the mess hall one night and stole a 5 pound carton of strawberry ice cream (shared among 12 of us) and it was wonderful!

So given the violent history of alcohol and the aggressiveness and stupidity it causes I made a choice 40 years ago and it was one of the best choices I have made. I am a responsible husband and father; I am a cardiovascular technologist and have been employed with the same employer for 36 years. I have been married for 26 years. I am a runner and have run for over 20 years. Oh, I have smoked marijuana almost everyday for the last 40 years also. Should we make room in the jail for me?

So, if you’re keeping score, that’s thirteen mostly positive responses to the idea, and a couple that criticize it for not going far enough into legalization. That leaves us the two hilarious negative responses:

Jennb: Americans have displayed a serious lack of judgment recently. Do you think they can utilize this substance without affecting others? Do we want more people driving while intoxicated? Do we want our children to go to their friend’s house, where their friends parents use only a little pot? Should we allow teens to use this substance without consequence? No, No, No, No, No!

Jenn, you write as if these things aren’t already happening!  Everyone who wants to smoke pot is doing it right now.  Making pot legal doesn’t change DUI laws – if you’re busting pot DUIs now, you can continue to bust pot DUIs when it’s legal, and you’ll have more police resources to do so because they won’t be taken off the streets to haul in and process someone for merely possessing it.  Finally, Frank’s bill clearly says “adults”.

TAZER357: I cannot even grasp why the liberal left seem to want the country getting high. Oh wait, on second thought, it makes perfect sense. If the country is high, then they wont really know what the liberal left is really doing to the country. My personal opinion is that if people really want to get high, they will either take their chances with the law, or they can pay for a ticket to Amsterdam.

What an appropriate user name.

Download the NORML Daily Audio Stash for 2008-07-30

Download audio file (NORML_Daily_AudioStash_2008-07-30.mp3)

We’ve got plenty of coverage from today’s press conference on Capitol Hill.  Congressman Barney Frank announced HR5843 and was followed by Rep. Clay & Rep. Lee, plus Allen St. Pierre, Rob Kampia, and Bill Piper.  The Drug Czar even sent Dr. David Murray to try to dazzle reporters with his 20-page full-color anti-pot propaganda.

Also our regularly scheduled Cannabis Science with Dr. Mitch.  Today we look at a study that shows family mealtimes – sitting around the table together for supper – improve the chances of teen girls avoiding marijuana use, but not teen boys.  (There are families that can get a teen boy to sit for a dinner at the table?)

Then we finish up the interview with Kevin Hoover, who grilled Deputy Drug Czar Scott Burns when he showed up in Arcata, California for a photo-op.

Finally, today is Intern Appreciation Day here at the Stash.  Find your nearest intern and give them a great big hug.

Legislators aim to snuff out penalties for pot use – CNN.com
“The vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government’s business,” Frank said during a Capitol Hill news conference. “I don’t think it is the government’s business to tell you how to spend your leisure time.”

CNN.com now has the video of some of the press conference.

The Raw Story | Bush drug warrior crashes pot press conference
On Wednesday, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) held a press conference to tout his pot-decriminalization bill, that even defenders admit has an almost non-existent chance of becoming law in the near future.

Frank, however, found himself alongside The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s “chief scientist” and two aides who were dispatched to provide instant rebuttal. Given the bill’s chances of passage, Bush Administration surrogate Dr. David Murray’s impassioned arguments that seemed more appropriate in Reefer Madness were greeted with plenty of puzzled glances.

Why did the White House feel it necessary to send at least three staffers to Capitol Hill to place in every reporter’s hand a copy of its 20-page, color-copied “2008 Marijuana Sourcebook?” RAW STORY posed this question to Murray.

“It is our responsibility to be aware of policy developments,” he said, explaining that Frank’s attempt to modify the controlled substances act was very much of interest to the Bush administration’s pot prohibitionists.

How pathetic are the government’s pot prohibitionists?  First of all, the chances that this bill will pass are slim-to-none right now.  Second, even if the bill moves forward, it won’t be heard until the next Congress, and this Dr. David Murray, appointed by George W. Bush, won’t even be around anymore.  Third, these minions of the Drug Czar are required by LAW to lie to the public about marijuana – even if Jesus himself appeared at that press conference to say that cannabis is the sacred healing herb given by God to Man and no man has the authority to deny it to another, the ONDCP would be required by LAW to say, “no, it isn’t”.

You remember Dr. David Murray?  He’s the guy who testified to Congress in 2007 on medical marijuana, delivering these gems:

These modern-day snake oil proponents cite testimonials—not science—that smoked marijuana helps patients suffering from AIDS, cancer, and other painful diseases “feel better.”

The “Snake Oil” gambit, one of my favorites.  Cousin to the “Why not smoke crack?” argument.

[T]he Department of Health and Human Services…, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy issued an advisory reinforcing the fact that no sound scientific studies have supported medical use of smoked marijuana for treatment in the United States…

…because the Department of Human Services refuses to allow anyone to study medical use of smoked marijuana.

[T]he idea of telling suffering patients that the best we can do for them is to encourage them to inhale the hot smoke of a burning weed, of unknown dose and purity, seems medieval at best.

The idea of locking people up for doing so seems medieval, period.

Medical marijuana laws lead to drug-related violence. Since the first medical marijuana law passed in the United States, as many as 20 “legal” medical marijuana providers have been killed around the country, mostly in robberies.

If prohibition didn’t jack up the price of a weed to palladium-like levels and prevent people from acquiring it cheaply and easily, there wouldn’t be much incentive to rob a provider.

[O]ur investment in medical science is at risk if we do not defend the proven process by which medicines are brought to the market and to patient-physician relationships. All drugs must undergo rigorous clinical trials before a drug can be released for public use. The responsibilities of the public health system are to ensure the safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of contemporary drugs.

You know, like the proven process that brought us Vioxx, Phen-Fen, Chantix, and so many other pharmaceuticals that have killed and harmed infinitely more people than marijuana.

Legislators aim to snuff out penalties for pot use – CNN.com (CNN) — The U.S. should stop arresting responsible marijuana users, Rep. Barney Frank said Wednesday, announcing a proposal to end federal penalties for Americans carrying fewer than 100 grams, almost a quarter-pound, of the substance.

Current laws targeting marijuana users place undue burdens on law enforcement resources, punish ill Americans whose doctors have prescribed the substance and unfairly affect African-Americans, Frank said, flanked by legislators and representatives from advocacy groups.

“The vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government’s business,” Frank said during a Capitol Hill news conference. “I don’t think it is the government’s business to tell you how to spend your leisure time.”

Reps. William Lacy Clay, D-Missouri, and Barbara Lee, D-California, said that in addition to targeting nonviolent offenders, U.S. marijuana laws also unfairly target African-Americans.

Clay said he did not condone drug use, but he opposes using tax dollars to pursue what he feels is an arcane holdover from “a phony war on drugs that is filling up our prisons, especially with people of color.”

Too many drug enforcement resources are being dedicated to incarcerating nonviolent drugs users and not enough being done to stop the trafficking of narcotics into the United States, he said.

Frank said there were about a dozen states that already had OK’d some degree of medical marijuana use and the federal government should stop devoting resources to arresting people who are complying with their state’s laws.

In a shot at Republicans, Frank said it was strange that those who support limited government want to criminalize marijuana.

If HR 5843 were passed by the House, marijuana smokers could possess up to 100 grams — about 3½ ounces — of cannabis without being arrested. It would also permit the “nonprofit transfer” of up to an ounce of marijuana.

The resolution would not affect laws forbidding growing, importing or exporting marijuana, or selling it for profit. The resolution also would not affect any state laws regarding marijuana use.

“To those who say that the government should not be encouraging the smoking of marijuana, my response is that I completely agree,” said Representative Barney Frank (D-MA). “But it is a great mistake to divide all human activity into two categories: those that are criminally prohibited, and those that are encouraged. In a free society, there must be a very considerable zone of activity between those two poles in which people are allowed to make their own choices as long as they are not impinging on the rights, freedom, or property of others. I believe … criminalizing choices that adults make because we think they are unwise ones, when the choices involved have no negative effect on the rights of others, is not appropriate in a free society.”

Rep. Frank, along with co-sponsors Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Lacy Clay (D-MO), urged lawmakers to support HR 5843, An Act To Remove Federal Penalties for the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults, which would eliminate federal penalties for possession of up to 100 grams of marijuana, and for the not-for-profit transfer of up to one ounce of marijuana. Other co-sponsors of the measure include Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI); Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR); Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA); Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Rep. Ron Paul R-TX).

This proposal reflects the basic recommendations of the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse (aka the Shafer Commission) in its groundbreaking report to Congress in 1972 titled Marihuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding.

“There is absolutely nothing wrong with the responsible use of marijuana by adults and this should be of no interest or concern to the government,” said NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre. “It makes no sense to continue to treat nearly half of all Americans as criminals. “

“I am a 42-year-old man, a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, I pay my taxes and, like millions of other Americans, I occasionally smoke marijuana. I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would wish to treat me like a criminal, based on my responsible use of marijuana. It is time we stopped arresting responsible marijuana smokers, and HR 5843 would do that under federal law.”

This is the first federal marijuana decriminalization bill to be introduced in Congress since 1978, and reflects the changing public attitudes that no longer support treating responsible marijuana smokers like criminals. According to a nationwide Time/CNN poll, three out of four Americans now favor a fine only, and no jail, for adults who possess or use small amounts of marijuana.

Each year in this country we arrest more and more of our citizens on marijuana charges. In 2006, the last year for which the data are available, we arrested 830,000 Americans on marijuana charges, and 88 percent of those arrests were for personal possession and use, not trafficking. They were otherwise law-abiding citizens who smoke marijuana.

Since 1965, a total of nearly 20 million Americans – predominantly young people under the age of 30 — have been arrested on marijuana charges; more than 11 million marijuana arrests just since 1990.

Currently 47 percent of all drug arrests in this country are for marijuana, and another marijuana smoker is arrested every 38 seconds. Police arrest more people on marijuana charges each year than the total number of arrestees for all violent crimes combined, including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

As President Jimmy Carter said in a message to Congress in 1977, “Penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to the individual than the use of the drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against the possession of marijuana in private for personal use.”

For More Information, Contact:

NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre; allen@norml.org; 202-483-5500

or Legal Counsel Keith Stroup: keith@norml.org; 202-483-5500

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and representatives of organizations supporting reform of marijuana laws will hold a press conference on Wednesday to discuss Frank’s “Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008.” The bill, H.R. 5843, would remove federal criminal penalties for personal possession of up to 100 grams of marijuana or the nonprofit transfer of up to an ounce of marijuana. It would not change federal statutes forbidding cultivation, import, export or for-profit sale of marijuana.

WHAT: Press conference to discuss H.R. 5843.

WHO: U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.); Rob Kampia, Marijuana Policy Project; Bill Piper, Drug Policy Alliance; Allen St. Pierre, National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

WHEN: Wednesday, July 30, 10:00 a.m (ET).

WHERE: Room 2220, Rayburn House Office Building.

We will have audio from the press conference and Allen St. Pierre’s prepared remarks for you tomorrow morning.  Then on Friday, tune in for a very special interview with Congressman Barney Frank himself.

This is the first positive marijuana policy reform legislation to be introduced on the Hill for thirty years.  Congressman Frank will be fighting an uphill battle, so make sure you call your Congressperson today and urge them to cosponsor or at least support Barney Frank’s HR5843 (full text here).

Tom Gregory: Barney Frank Ignites Congress for Common Sense – Politics on The Huffington Post

America yearns for tomorrow while neo-conservatives, frightened evangelicals, and the old-guard cling to yesterday’s well-formed lies. Iraq is a lie, fossil fuel is a lie, political boundaries are a lie, right-wing religion is a lie, and so are America’s money wasting, prison-crowding, twentieth-century marijuana laws.

In response to public pressure, scientific evidence, and a lack of fear, twelve states have passed marijuana legislation in conflict with federal law. In California, medical marijuana has been dispensed since 1996. Despite federal views to the contrary, the sky has not fallen down over the golden state’s liberal herbal policy.

In 1992, Bill Clinton admitted to having “experimented with marijuana a time or two.” But, he famously claimed, “I didn’t like it, and didn’t inhale and I never tried it again.” Challenges to twenty-first century America have warranted a new look at unwarranted fears: Barack Obama supports marijuana for glaucoma, cancer patients, and medical use. He has said, “the war on drugs has been an utter failure, we need to rethink it – decriminalize our marijuana laws.”

John McCain’s moth-eaten, opposition to marijuana for medical use, is another signal his presidency would be a roadblock to a new America. McCain states: “I still would not support medical marijuana because I don’t think the preponderance of medical opinion in America agrees with the assertion that [marijuana] is the most effective way of treating pain.”

In part 2 of my interview with Congressman Barney Frank, he talks bluntly and plainly about an issue that clouds the path towards a new America. His reasonable, live and let live position makes sense, moving us into the twenty-first century, at last.

Click here to view the embedded video.