Heroin Overdoses as a Result of the Drug War - Needless deaths resulting not from heroin, but from drug war policies that fail our society and in fact make matters worse for all.

Norwegian police are against planned needle rooms for drug addicts - Politiets Fellesforbund, the police’s labor union, states that a needle room for drug addicts is the first step towards legalizing narcotics. The Norwegian Government will during the spring decide whether or not such rooms are legal.

Christiania: It has its own laws - no hard drugs, no weapons, no bulletproof vests - its own battlesong, and its own Pusher Street. But now after 33 years of uncomfortable co-existence with the rest of Denmark, the anarchist commune of Christiania may finally be forced to join the real world, reports Andrew Anthony

UK testing medical marijuana inhaler Device -  Has unlikely future in USA - Plans to make marijuana available by prescription to British multiple sclerosis sufferers also promise to shake up the debate in the USA over legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Outlawing dissent - Spying on peace meetings, cracking down on protesters, keeping secret files on innocent people - How Bush's war on terror has become a war on freedom. 

No child's urine left behind - During his State of the Union address on Jan. 20, President George W. Bush announced a proposal to allocate $23 million for schools to implement drug testing programs.

Medical marijuana store opened in Old Roseville - A medical marijuana store recently opened in Old Roseville. And while the store is apparently operating properly under state laws, federal officials are saying they could shut him down any time they want -- if they had the resources.

He Thought His Medical Pot Was Legal -- Until - Ron Brownlow of Roseville didn't make any secret of his medical marijuana use when he flew from Sacramento to San Diego this month, but his candor at the airports proved costly. 

Calif. Police Return Marijuana to Men - Police pulled over Leo Beus on Sept. 22 because his car had tinted windows. Beus, 47, and his friend, Jon Balesteri, 54, had purchased 18 ounces of marijuana a day earlier at the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Club.

Britain: Pot Reclassification Takes Effect Today - British legal reforms downgrading marijuana from a Class B to a Class C scheduled drug took effect today 29/01/2004, marking the first substantial change to the nation's 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act in more than 30 years. - CNN: [ Brittain cannabislaws has been relaxed ] - [ Irish cannabis users call for government move ] - [ British pot smokers have a lot less to worry about ]

Many cannabis users 'happy to smoke and drive' - Most regular cannabis users admit to driving under the influence of the drug in spite of being aware that it impairs their performance, according to a study today from the Economic and Social Research Council.

Norwegian Woman Faces Deportation For '93 Pot Bust - Southern Oregon resident Kari Rein's homeland of Norway has never been seen as a hotbed for Islamic terrorism, yet she is risking deporation under strict post Sept.  11 immigration policies.

A New Leaf - On Thursday at 4pm, history will be made.  Scotland's first cannabis cafe will open its doors to acclaim from a crowd of assorted `stoners', ageing hippies and even a few trendy middle-class professionals.

Can Taking Cannabis Make You An Even Better Driver? - While no responsible person would ever advocate the use of drugs for drivers, tests using a recently developed video game called Burnout have thrown up some surprise statistics.

Only In Gods Own Country: Feds Bust Medical Pot Patients In Courtroom - California medical marijuana activists are outraged over the arrest last week of two medical marijuana patients who face potential life sentences on federal drug charges after being turned over by local authorities.

Well, You're in a Good Mood Today, Officer... - Israeli police had to close an entire floor of their station because the pungent scent of tons of confiscated marijuana was making them high.

Ohio Priest Charged With Growing Reefer In Rectory - Police said they found a marijuana growing system in a spare bedroom and confiscated about 35 potted marijuana plants, as well as grow lights and instruction books for growing marijuana.

Venezuela Decriminalizes Drug Possession - The democratically-elected government of Venezuela has survived attempted coups - military, economic, and mediatic - and keeps moving forward with the most sweeping reforms and advances in democracy and human rights in the hemisphere today.

NORML: Medical Marijuana Patients In California Top 75000 - The number of patients in California using marijuana medicinally under a doctor's supervision is rising dramatically and now tops 75000, according to estimates released this week.

NORML: Feds To Overhaul Employee Drug Testing Standards - New government standards regulating employee drug screening will strongly encourage employers to conduct hair, saliva, and sweat patch testing among the nation's 1.6 million federal workers.

Study links dagga buzz to 'runner's high' - The same family of chemicals that produces a buzz in marijuana smokers may be responsible for "runner's high," the euphoric feeling that some people get when they exercise, US researchers say.

The War On Drugs is among the most pressing crisis in America, and increasingly, more people are realizing that this drug war is an abject failure. But what can we do? How can we cure our nation's drug war illness? -  Click Here for some ideas

Al Gore's son charged with pot possession - The son of former Vice President Al Gore was arrested Friday night on a marijuana possession charge after police stopped the car he was driving for not having its headlights on.

37 Students and the ACLU File Lawsuits against the Goose Step Creek Police - As you may recall, last month Stratford High School in South Carolina was assaulted by the local police department when they launched a Rambo like commando style raid on 107 innocent students. - [ Fallout Continues in Goose Creek ] - [ South Carolina Students Terrorized ] 

Innocent People Killed During Drug War Crackdown - "Most of the time when I speak of the injustice of the drug war, I am speaking of the failed policies here in America. But we need to remember that Nixon's foreign policy began the spreading of American drug policy to other nations".

Appeals Court Sets Aside Federal Marijuana Law  - A federal appeals court allowed two very sick California women on Tuesday to use marijuana, setting aside longstanding federal drug laws that bar such cultivation even for medical purposes. - [ US court rules for medical marijuana use ]

Web pioneer eyes internet pot - Warren Eugene, a pioneer of Internet gambling, sees a lucrative new on-line frontier in a Canadian law that allows people with certain illnesses to grow and smoke their own marijuana.

MONTREAL - Quebec police move in on pot cafe - Dozens of customers were drinking coffee and passing around pot when police officers arrived. Authorities confirmed that the joint, called Chez Marijane, had been under surveillance since the doors opened.

MONTREAL - Montreal 'bring your own pot' cafe opens - Montreal police are expected to keep a close watch on Saturday's opening of a new marijuana cafe in the city. That won't be difficult, because there's a police station just down the road.

MONTREAL  - Cannabis  cafe opened - Several dozen Montrealers experienced high times on Saturday as a marijuana cafe opened its doors less than a block away from a police station. Hugo St-Onge, leader of Quebec's Bloc Pot party, was all smiles as he cut a Red, Black and Green ribbon and declared the cafe officially opened.

The Immigration Trial of Tarjei Straume:  Mister Nixon, you may call your next witness - "He's a hippie, and we don't like hippies. I'm sure Sammy don't like hippies. 'Specially them hippies mess'n 'round with dope". - "Please note that my client was convicted for cannabis and not marijuana" - "Mister Lennon, you've been dead about nine years now, haven't you ?"

Political madness infects marijuana debate - When it comes to marijuana laws, governments on both sides of the border blow more smoke than an Okanagan forest fire.

Pot Chemical Significantly Reduces Chronic Pain In Humans  - Administration of the CT-3 cannabinoid significantly reduces chronic pain in humans compared to placebo, according to the results of clinical trial data published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association

Sign the appeal to reform the UN Conventions on Drugs - Considering that, despite the massive amount of police power and other resources devoted to the application of such UN Conventions, the production, consumption and trafficking of prohibited substances have increased exponentially over the last 30 years, which constitute a genuine failure as police and prison authorities

George McMahon Was About To Die. Then He Discovered Marijuana - George McMahon smokes ten joints a day, over a quarter ounce of marijuana. The street value of that amount of marijuana is over $100, but since 1992, McMahon has been getting it for free. Once every four months, he drives from his Texas home to Iowa, where he picks up four metal canisters, each containing 300 joints — about a half pound of marijuana - grown, rolled, prescribed and distributed by the federal government.

Md. Starts To Allow Marijuana Court Plea - Silver Spring lawyer Jonathan L. Katz considers it a defense attorney's dream: A Maryland law taking effect today allows anyone convicted of possessing marijuana to argue for a drastically reduced sentence if the drug was used for medical purposes.

Love tokin' leads to 'double duty' - Tokers marries in jail - The judge performed a wedding ceremony for an inmate and his fiancee only moments after sentencing the groom to more time in prison for hiding marijuana in his underwear.

Nordic – Baltic Ministerial Meeting on Cooperation on Drug Abuse Control - The Norwegian Government in December last year launched a three year`s comprehensive, multisectorial strategy and action plan on alcohol and drug abuse problems; the overall objective being to achieve a significant reduction of the social and health-related harm caused by substance abuse.

Johnny Depp would score pot for his kids - To keep his kids safe, "Pirates of the Caribbean" star Johnny Depp says that if his kids choose to smoke pot, he will score it for them. - [ Johnny Depp in Paradise ]

Health Canada's marijuana 'disgusting', say users - Returning government pot - Some of the first patients to smoke Health Canada's government-approved marijuana say it's "disgusting" and want their money back. - [ Prairie Plant Systems ]

Belgium set for prescription cannabis - The decision by the Dutch government to legalize cannabis prescriptions for patients suffering from serious illnesses has aroused the interest of countries in Europe and beyond. - [ Dutch to prescribe cannabis ]

DEA set to battle pot food - Consuming a chunk of organic health food is a act of drug abuse in the eyes of the Drug Enforcement Administration — if it contains, as some snacks do, hemp as an ingredient. An appeals court in Alaska says residents can possess up to a quarter-pound of pot for their own use.

Amsterdam's key stoned cops face drug cafe ban - Being drunk on duty is one thing, but the Dutch government is concerned that too many of its police officers are getting stoned on and off duty and is to ban them from coffee shops. Witnesses described occasions when officers were so high on xtc that they could not even find Amsterdam's main shopping street, Kalverstraat, just two minutes away from the station.

Bobby Brown Released on good behavior :O) - Brown pleaded no contest Friday to charges of possessing less than an ounce of marijuana, speeding and having no proof of insurance or a license.

Dutch to prescribe cannabis - From Monday, Dutch doctors will be able to prescribe medicinal cannabis to patients. Other countries, including the UK, are also considering allowing the sale of the drug in pharmacies. - [ Dutch to sell medical pot ]

Christiania is here to stay: Thousands of people have held a protest in Copenhagen to voice support for the city's famed hippy enclave Christiania. "The government doesn't want ordinary Danes to see that there is an alternative way to live," writer Ebbe Kloevedal Reich told supporters. - [ Protest over Danish hippie quarter ] - Please sign Christiania's petition for freedom to exist: This Way

Pot Safe For HIV Patients, Study Says - Patients Inhaling Cannabis Experienced No Detectable Change In Viral Load. - Patients who smoked marijuana increased their CD 4 and CD 8 T lymphocyte cell counts by approximately 20 percent - .[ Clinical trial data ]

Bobby Brown arrested, again - Singer Bobby Brown was arrested on a probation violation while dining with his wife, Grammy winner Whitney Houston, police said Saturday, August 23. - [ More ] - [ Choke ]

Grow Pot Everywhere!: Marijuana crop found in NYC park - Two men were arrested Wednesday after they were caught tending to more than 200 plants in the northern section of Floyd Bennett Field in the Gateway National Recreation Area, Capt. Martin Zweig of the U.S Park Police said Thursday.

North of the Border, Marijuana Policy Is Changing Radically - The White House Is Not Happy - these reforms have the Bush administration steaming.  Asa Hutchinson, a senior official in the Department of Homeland Security, warned Canadian journalists that their country would face "consequences" it passed decriminalization.

Marijuana Legalization: The Time Is Now - The concept of marijuana legalization has gone in and out of vogue over the past 20 years, as several states, either de jure or de facto, have decriminalized its possession and use. Some describe the cause of decriminalization in the 1970s as a wave of permissive liberalism. This is hardly the case.

Fake checkpoints - Colorado pigs can set up fake checkpoints in hopes of sniffing out "illegal drugs".

Most pot informants are right next door - As a general rule of agriculture, says Seattle attorney Jeff Steinborn, "If you are going to grow dope, it's best not to tell anyone about it." That's especially important in Washington, one of the top states for indoor marijuana grows and busts - almost all of which are sparked by tips from informants you had figured to be friends, visitors, or relatives.

Seattle pot is produced with pride by growers who say that B.C. bud sucks - Each day, 2 million Americans smoke marijuana, among them many thousands of Seattleites. And, according to sources in the pot community, those Seattleites aren't smoking B.C. bud, at least not to the degree they were a few years ago, despite press accounts and law-enforcement claims that what's harvested in British Columbia one day hits the streets of Seattle the next.

Testing hypotheses about the relationship between cannabis use and psychosis - Cannabis use does not appear to be causally related to the incidence of schizophrenia, but its use may precipitate disorders in persons who are vulnerable to developing psychosis and worsen the course of the disorder among those who have already developed it.

Janet Reno Dance Party - The last-day candidates were full of proposals. They called for more beer promotion, flexible building codes, tax-deductible lap dances, a ban on salaries for legislators, public nudity, marijuana legalization, longer names, slot machines, a closed border with Mexico, an ash tray exchange program for smokers, the transfer of all paper transactions to the Internet, dispute resolution modeled on TV sitcoms - and, perhaps, a carefully thought-out combination of tax hikes and spending cuts to resolve California's budget crisis.

Rastafarians to meet in Kingston - Rastafarians from around the globe will gather next week to discuss issues central to their faith, including the use of marijuana and repatriation to Africa.

Ed Rosenthal Goes Free - The cultivation expert, publisher, journalist, photographer and movement radical told Cannabis Culture the night before the sentencing that he was confident he would be released pending appeal of his conviction earlier this year on charges that he illegally grew medical marijuana in Oakland.

NORML: A marvelous victory for Ed Rosenthal - Federal Judge Rejects Government's Anti-Medicinal Pot Stance Sentences Noted Marijuana Cultivator To One Day In Prison For Medical Marijuana Grow Operation.

Dopey Days: The token sentence given to a California marijuana grower exposes the clash between that state's lenient approach to drugs and the federal government's medieval one, writes Duncan Campbell.

Windsor Leads Way On Legal Pot A judge has ruled that possession of up to 30 grams of marijuana is legal in Detroit's wide-open neighbor to the south.  But Windsor is not yet Amsterdam, and if you're thinking of crossing the border to toke on a joint along Ouellete Avenue, think again: Windsor police say they will continue to enforce long-standing drug laws despite the judge's ruling. 

Canada's reefer sanity -In the near future, if a bill in the Canadian Parliament passes as expected, you won't be arrested any longer in Canada for having a few joints in your pocket or a few cannabis plants in the basement. You'll pay a fine (eventually) and that's it.

GW and Bayer Announce Marketing Agreement on Pioneering New Cannabis-based Treatment - GW Pharmaceuticals plc (“GW”) and Bayer AG (“Bayer”) have entered into an exclusive marketing agreement for GW’s cannabis-based medicinal extract product, to be marketed under the Sativex® brand name.

Changes to pot laws must bring health focus - Federal Health Minister Anne McLellan supports decriminalizing marijuana possession if the move is accompanied by a new national drug strategy of education, information and treatment.

Police Error: Angela Talaska, 34, was arrested and accused of dealing marijuana after as many as 20 West Allis police officers raided her home May 5. But Officer Chad Evenson, who obtained the warrant, forgot to get it signed, then collected the signature after the raid without telling the court commissioner the bust had already occurred.

Four UT players arrested after marijuana found - Four Texas football players were arrested after police found a small amount of marijuana in the car they were riding in. - [ I Smelled Marijuana On UT Athletes ]

School Bus Driver Reports Stolen Marijuana - According to police in Dublin, Ga., John Randolph called to report a burglary at his home. Among the items missing were a gun, $30 and four "dime" bags of pot.

Teens accused of using stolen Indian pipe to smoke pot - Four New York teens are accused of stealing an American Indian peace pipe from a high school display case -- and then using it to smoke lovegrass.

Pot dealer wants his marijuana cookies delivered in jail - Patriquen is serving a six-year sentence at a minimum-security prison in Canada. He said he needs the weed to control back pain from an auto accident. If the government won't provide the pot, Patriquen contends he should get out of the joint.

NORML: Use Of Vaporizers Drastically Reduces Toxins Associated With Marijuana Smoke - Toxins in marijuana smoke may be eliminated by the use of a vaporization device, according to the findings of a study conducted by California NORML and the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), and funded in part by the NORML Foundation.

Lindesmith: British Medical Journal Publishes Junk Science Editorial - An editorial in the May 3rd edition of the British Medical Journal repeats numerous thoroughly debunked reefer madness claims and makes the novel claim that marijuana may cause 30,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom. The editorial was written by and based on the research of John Henry, professor at the Imperial College School of Medicine in London. The main problem with the research in question is that it’s based on the known risks of cigarette smoking and assumes that marijuana causes as much harm. Prof. Henry’s simplistic analysis uses the number of deaths caused by tobacco to extrapolate the number of deaths marijuana would cause - if it posed the same health risks as tobacco.

Cannabis Shrinks Tumors; Government Knew in ‘74 - A Spanish medical team’s study released in Madrid in February 2000 has shown that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active chemical in marijuana, destroys tumors in lab rats. These findings, however, are not news to the U.S. government. A study in Virginia in 1974 yielded similar results but was suppressed by the DEA, and in 1983 the Reagan/Bush administration tried to persuade U.S. universities and researchers to destroy all cannabis research work done between 1966 and 1976, including compendiums in libraries. - From freddiefreak/snips 2000: THC- Treated Rats  Lived Longer,  Had Less Cancer

Medical Marijuana Movement Notches Several Victories - Two states move closer to legalizing medical marijuana, while court battles in two other jurisdictions end with favorable verdicts for legalization proponents. 

BMJ "Scare Mongering" Editorial Alleges Pot Contributes To 30,000 Deaths Per Year In UK - NORML Foundation Executive Director Allen St. Pierre criticized an editorial published today in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) hypothesizing that marijuana smoking may be responsible for an estimated 30,000 deaths a year in the UK.

US Says Canada Cares Too Much About Liberties - Terrorism Report Also Says Too Little Spent On Police - The United States says the lack of funding for police and restrictive privacy legislation in Canada are frustrating probes of political extremists. 

Canada : Loosening on marijuana laws before Parliament adjourns for the summer - It was a singular rather than a joint statement Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien made, and he certainly has raised hopes for the nation's estimated 2 million marijuana smokers.

I'm in utter shock: Manley says he regrets never having smoked pot - No, never," Manley deadpanned when asked if he'd ever smoked pot. I regret that, now, because apparently it's `de rigueur.'

Dutch coffeeshop guru reports from Europe - Buds and travel looking good this summer - "There are so many Spanish people growing pot, and the climate is ideal for it, with ongoing small harvests and two big harvests per year," he explained. "The genetics could use some improvement, and there are Dutch people working on that, but the quality and cleanliness of the weed is great, almost all of it grown outdoors under organic natural conditions."

Teen Gets 26 Years For Selling Grass - Like throwing someone in a garbage can - Alexander's relationship with pot has cost him 26 years, a hit by the drug war in the U.S.  designed to stop the use of marijuana.  The results have been questionable as the U.S.  continues to have one of the highest marijuana consumption rates in the world.

Drug Deaths Hit Lowest Level in a Decade in Germany - The number of people who died last year as a result of taking illegal drugs fell to the lowest level since 1990 last year, according to Germany's top drug official.

Canada to press ahead with pot decriminalization - "as soon as possible" - Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, setting the stage for another clash with the United States, said Tuesday he would soon introduce legislation to decriminalize the possession and cultivation of small amounts of marijuana.

DEA, 'High Times' go head to head in pot debate - Heads vs. Feds - Sparks will fly tonight. - Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. According to a National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 37 percent of Americans aged 12 and older have smoked at least once in their lifetime.

Hemp foods on the ropes - Impossible to keep lit - Products containing the active ingredient in marijuana remain on the shelves as a federal court reviews a ruling that would ban them.

Cape Town: Dagga linked to University attacks - The smoking of marijuana in residences at the University of Stellenbosch (US) may have led to an attack on two students of the university.

Canada: One-third of people under 25 toking up - The percentage of Canadian youth who smoke marijuana -- 58% have tried it by age 24, according to the poll -- has been continually rising since 1993 and is now among the highest in the world.

Teen drops marijuana in courtroom - Robin Loftin, 18, was charged with contempt of court and sentenced to two days in jail for taking the illegal substance into Judge Walter Parr's courtroom at magistrate court.

Prince Harry's puffing irks Charles - Charles, who watches Prince Harry closely since he admitted smoking cannabis two years ago, is said to be "very worried". Charles is also said to be concerned about his son's relentless partying.

Georgia player kicked - Georgia basketball guard Wayne Arnold was kicked off the team Friday after being charged in a marijuana case that also involved five football players.

Cannabis laws turning patients - A motorbike smash made Matt Sullivan a paraplegic. Cannabis laws have made him a criminal.

Ticket to ride: Sniffing Money - Our money is now so contaminated with cocaine, heroin and Ecstasy that the latest drug craze has become sniffing paper bills to get a cheap high! That's the alarming word from officials at the U.S. Treasury Dept. and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Good Neighbor Policy - The war on lifestyles - Mr. Carpenter asks Washington to stop its demeaning and costly "spectacle of alternatively bribing and threatening its neighbors to do the impossible."

Lagos: National Assembly Poll: Massive Turnout - A SIDE negligible cases of violence, the first in the set of elections scheduled to usher in a new administration in the country were yesterday held on a promising note. The National Assembly polls were generally peaceful with turnout massive in most states.

Mexico: - Cover-up - Mexican authorities have arrested 41 police officers for protecting drug dealers who were accused of selling cocaine and marijuana to schoolchildren in central Mexico.

Pot refugee makes his case - Medical marijuana is the best treatment for an American refugee claimant suffering from a rare disease, a cancer specialist testified Friday. - - - Must-Reads: [ The Kubby Files ]

Griffin arrested on marijuana charge - Rockets forward Eddie Griffin was arrested and charged with marijuana possession after the car he was driving was stopped by police. He was released from jail Monday after posting $500 bond.

Hemp Industry Schedules: National Day Of Action To Protest Hemp Foods Ban - A coalition of activists will converge on Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) offices nationwide on Monday, April 21, to protest the agency's new regulations criminalizing hemp food products.

Bongs over California: Still legal - In another sign of the state-federal split over drugs, a state appellate court ruled Tuesday that possession of marijuana pipes is legal in California, just six weeks after bong-sellers around the nation were the targets of federal raids. 

Senate OK's medical marijuana - The Senate bill was approved 29-17 despite the objections of opponents who denounced the measure as a stepping stone to legalizing marijuana altogether. Twenty-four Democrats joined five Republicans in support of the bill, which would set a maximum fine of $100 and no jail time for defendants who can convince a judge they need to smoke marijuana for medical reasons. Nine Republicans and eight Democrats voted against the measure.

MJ now legal in dutch pharmacies - Pharmacies may fill prescriptions for marijuana and patients can get the cost covered by insurance, according to a law that went into effect Monday.

It's not like he was desperate: He was a well-respected college president. His wife arranged studio classes at the local museum. The picture of a serene upper middle-class life was shattered by the couple's arrests on marijuana charges - along with their teenage son and 22-year-old daughter.

The Woody Harrelson's spring 2001 bus trip - The real deal - A longtime environmental activist, Woody Harrelson, was arrested in June 1996 and acquitted after planting hempseeds in Kentucky. Later that year, he was arrested with others for climbing the Golden Gate Bridge to protest the cutting of redwoods. - [ More Harrelson ]

Balanced strategy - United States Drug Czar John Walters told Congress that the White House is employing a "balanced strategy" of drug education, treatment, and interdiction, and called for increased student drug testing, at a reauthorization hearing yesterday before the House Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources.

He had to flee:  Jail awaited for drug crimes - The land where he was born and ran for political office and beat back cancer would no longer tolerate the man or his medicine.  Immigration officials are pushing to deport Kubby for drug violations stemming from a 1999 bust of his medical marijuana garden in Squaw Valley. - [ The Kubby Files ]

Hysterical home of love&glory, God, svada, bullshit etc.: Man arrested for wearing T-shirt - About 100 anti-war demonstrators marched through a US mall to protest against the arrest of a shopper who wore a T-shirt that read "Peace on Earth" and "Give Peace a Chance".

The Desinformation Age: They lie to you every single day - How George W. Bush and Saint Colin of Powell are lying America into an unnecessary war - and what honest journalists can do about it.

In twist, feds grab Internet domain names - Visitors to "pipesforyou.com" for instance, are greeted with a message informing them that a Pennsylvania federal court has "restrained" the sites at the request of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Santa Fé: Medical marijuana bill goes to full House - The legislation would make marijuana possession and use legal under state law for patients seriously ill with cancer, glaucoma, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, HIV or AIDS and certain spinal cord injuries.

Hottopic New Scientist : - special report on marijuana - Past commissions and reports have tried to clear the clouds of unreason but have been universally ignored. In this special section we make our own attempt to tackle the key issues, including findings from the Netherlands where possession of small amounts of marijuana has been legal for over a decade. Our report (see right hand column of this page) homes in on four key claims frequently made by the US National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Bongs over Bhagdad - The War on Drugs needs a little sexing up for the public eye every so often, something to distract the populace from the fact that it's been a dismal failure from the perspective of everyone but the thriving U.S. prison industry.

Dozens busted on so called drug paraphernalia - Operation Pipe Dreams - Federal law now makes it a crime to sell products mainly intended for the use of 'illegal drugs', including such things as bongs, marijuana pipes, “roach” clips, miniature spoons and scales.

Berry farmer gets three years probation - A Carlton berry farmer won’t have to serve jail time for growing what he described as “the mother lode” of marijuana. According to local law enforcement officials, the THC-content of Finke’s marijuana was substantially higher than that which is traditionally found on the streets.

Letter from Ed Rosenthal to all of he's supporters - "Let me assure you that this trial was just the first battle in an engagement that will eventually exonerate me. My case is the "tipping point" for medical marijuana laws. The outcome of my appeal will affect all marijuana users in the U.S., whether medical or recreational. My conviction and the attention it's gotten place the country's marijuana policies under scrutiny for the first time in our lives".

California: Bipartisan marijuana bill planned - Three California members of Congress are preparing a bipartisan bill to let medical marijuana users, growers and providers protect themselves from federal criminal conviction.

Eureka/Humbolt: County may close Clam Beach on '4:20' - After hundreds of people gathered there during last year's annual "420" celebrations, Humboldt County officials said Wednesday they're going to ask the Board of Supervisors to close the beach this time around.

Former child star pleads innocent - Former "Eight is Enough" child star Adam Rich pleaded innocent to misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Teenage girl (14) shot by DEA agents dies in hospital - A teenage girl, shot and killed by federal drug agents, was a victim of excessive force from law officers who were investigating her father, relatives and friends say.

Snap Me Perfect: Everage must go if he's guilty - "Marijuana is the launching pad" - After the news hit that Brandon Everage had been busted on a marijuana charge, I headed for the bookshelf.

Charges unlikely vs. ex-chief - Police chief Wood Holbrook was fired Thursday night by Marblehead Village Council. Two current Marblehead police officers and one former officer testified that Holbrook suggested they carry drug paraphernalia "pipes" and target Village Council members to plant phony evidence.

Dog Drug Search Turns Up Pipe - Student Suspended - The search was conducted while students were locked in classrooms.

Legal pot would be budget boom - Right now any high school kid can get a bag of pot without too much trouble, but it's difficult for them to get alcohol because it is legal. So if prohibition isn't working, why are we spending so much money on it? We could get relief from our substance abuse control problems and help Michigan's budget to boot, says Kathy Kennedy who is an activist with "Cures Not Wars."

Dude, you're busted - The actor who gained fame and a cult following as the slacker "Steven" in commercials for Dell computers was arrested buying a small bag of marijuana, police said.

Teens See Little Risk in Ecstasy - Teen use of Ecstasy has leveled off, but most American youngsters see no great risk in experimenting with the drug, according to a study released Tuesday by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

Witnesses: Former policeman sold crack - A former Waterloo police officer used to accompany a drug dealer on cocaine runs to California, according to a man serving time for selling the product they brought back.

Teenager busted for marijuana gets 26-year sentence - Alexander was 18, a senior at Lawrence County High with two classes left before graduation. The "new kid" turned out to be an undercover drug agent. And four sales, together worth about $350, landed Alexander a 26-year prison sentence.

Battle lines blurred in war over marijuana - Until now, the fight to decriminalize marijuana and make it available to cancer, AIDS and other patients has taken root in famously liberal venues such as Santa Cruz, Mendocino County and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Alberta: Court rulings have chipped away at federal restrictions - Minor physical conditions from writer's cramp to colour blindness are enough to qualify now for home delivery of medical marijuana - with no doctor's prescription needed. 

The Triangle Ed-Op: Bush administration overly aggressive in drug war - What is shocking is that the Bush administration has followed a stubborn one-way policy in its war against drugs, and has thus paid no attention to the laws of states like California which have legalized medical marijuana on the basis that it eases the pain of patients who are sick or dying.

Man sues police over strip-search - James S. Campbell says police told him he fit the profile of a drug dealer so they pulled down his pants and searched him -- in public.

Japan: Three men busted for smuggling pot from the U.S - Police and customs authorities have arrested three Japanese men on suspicion of smuggling marijuana from the United States.

"Let's not panic on the eased restrictions" - Humboldt County's new district attorney, Paul Gallegos, has as advertised produced a sweeping proposal to substantially increase the amount of pot that medical marijuana patients can grow.

Conflicting Pot Laws Entangle User - Tenant with a prescription for marijuana confronts federal disapproval. - If he had kept quiet, nobody would ever have known about the marijuana plants growing in David Basford's living room.

Santa Fe: Medical marijuana bill alive - A bill to legalize medical marijuana got off to a lackluster start in its first legislative committee hearing. - [ Medical-Marijuana Bill Clears First Hurdle ]

Italy: Smoking Weed on School Trip Not a Crime - An Italian court has ruled that taking 40 joints of hashish on a school trip is not a crime. - [ Annullata sentenza che condannava per spaccio uno studente ]

Why is the government sending Ashley's father to prison for medical marijuana when they give it to me for free? - Elvy Mussika, a glaucoma patient who is one of seven legal patients provided marijuana by the Federal government, appeared at a press conference in San Diego today. She stood in front of a billboard that featured 8 year-old Ashley Epis, daughter of a federal prisoner who was sentenced to ten years for growing medical marijuana that he believed to be legal under California's medical marijuana law.

NORML: Jurors In Rosenthal Case Reject Their Own Verdict - Demand New Trial For City-Sanctioned Medical Pot Provider. - "Ed Rosenthal has shown great personal courage throughout this ordeal, even as he faces the likelihood of a long prison sentence. We must not let this decision stand, says Keith Stroup of USA-NORML.

Could cannabis smokers be the unlikely saviours of the British economy? - Cannabis economy brings in £11bn - Research has revealed that Britain's 'cannabis economy' is worth £5 billion a year in sales alone. A major new study is being used to advise well known household and high-street companies about the gains and losses they face as cannabis smoking becomes commonplace.

Blind injustice - "Last week, I did something so profoundly wrong that it will haunt me for the rest of my life. I helped send a man to prison who does not belong there".

Jurors who convicted Rosenthal seek new trial - In an unusual show of solidarity with the man they convicted last week, five jurors in the trial of a medicinal marijuana advocate issued a public apology to him today and demanded that the judge grant him a new trial.

Jurors Denounce Their Own Verdict - After she and her fellow jurors found Ed Rosenthal guilty of federal marijuana cultivation and conspiracy charges in San Francisco last week, Marney Craig discovered that that she had made a terrible mistake.

Medical pot jury may speak out - After the verdict, several members of the jury expressed regret and anger that they were explicitly forbidden from considering testimony about medical pot and that Oakland city officials who worked with Rosenthal were not allowed to testify. Sources told The Examiner that several members of the jury are planning to hold a press conference in support of Rosenthal before the sentencing hearing on Tuesday.

U.S. man wins marijuana exemption - Kubby's permit allows him to travel with up to 360 grams (12 ounces) of pot and grow 59 plants at a time for medical use. It also allows him to store up to 2,655 grams (six lbs) of marijuana. Both Kubby and his lawyer agree that's a lot of pot. - [ Pot-TV ]

Kazakhstan Contemplates Legalizing cannabis - Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has asked for a study on the effects of decriminalizing or even legalizing hashish and cannabis.

Everybody's High: - Like It Or Not - Getting Stoned Is Just A Matter Of Degree.  Our Brains Give Us All A Marijuana-Like High Every Day.

Rats and ganja seeds - The first of the new slew includes rats. Yes, the rodent variety. Rats apparently adore ganja seeds, whether they're stored under beds or planted in the fields. There is deep speculation as to whether or not the seeds actually strengthen the mental capacities of the rats, because they can rarely be outsmarted. They appear to communicate with each other very well, and will dig the seeds out of the soil wherever they're planted.

Drug Cop Says Fighting Marijuana Battle Futile - Unless it's prepared to bolster police resources, the federal government should consider legalizing and regulating the sale of marijuana, says the sergeant in charge of a Vancouver police drug squad.

Mobile: Child punished for taking vitamin pill - A third-grader who took a vitamin with his lunch at school was suspended for five days for violating the Mobile County system's zero-tolerance policy for substance abuse.

Norway: School shrink charged with marijuana sales - A 30-year-old school psychologist is supposed to have grown large amounts of marijuana in his apartment. He has confessed to selling 8.1 kilos of the lovegrass.

Pot trial focus on DEA agent - Did a top DEA agent tell local medical marijuana advocates they would be left alone by the feds? The question was the center of legal skirmishing Monday, as lawyers for marijuana guru Ed Rosenthal filed an appeal in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals trying to force Judge Charles Breyer to allow testimony from Mary Pat Jacobs, a key defense witness.

Pot project yanked from science fair - A 13-year-old student at Ralston Intermediate School in Belmont has been told she can't present her science project. - [ School bans pupil's medical marijuana project ]

Police arrest woman, 70, with pot in her oven - Bernice Harper was charged with first-degree possession of marijuana Sunday after officers recovered a 1½ pounds of marijuana.

Suit alleges conspiracy in Mena's death - A retired FBI agent filed a federal lawsuit Thursday, alleging a conspiracy to cover up the deliberate murder of a Mexican immigrant who was killed in September 1999 when Denver police raided the wrong house.

Make pot - not war: - American embassy hosts Israeli Pot Party - Leaders of Israel's pro-marijuana party, who may win their first parliament seat in next week's national elections, were unexpectedly invited to the U.S. Embassy yesterday to explain their make-pot-not-war program.

Medical Marijuana Groups Post Billboards - My Dad is not a criminal - On 30 billboards across California, Ashley Epis holds a sign that reads, "My Dad is not a criminal." Her father, Bryan Epis, is serving a 10-year federal sentence for growing cannabis for a Chico medical marijuana club.

Bobby Brown released - Brown, the husband of pop diva Whitney Houston, had been serving an eight-day jail sentence since last Friday, after pleading guilty to a 1996 drunken driving charge.

Marijuana activist seeks dismissal of cultivation charges - The attorney for Steve McWilliams will ask a federal judge today to drop all charges against the medical marijuana activist. Although McWilliams closed his Shelter from the Storm cannabis center in November, he remains one of San Diego's most visible advocates for medical marijuana.

Medical-pot guidelines might OK less than 3 pounds - The amount of marijuana that sick people could keep to ease their symptoms will likely be less than the three pounds a citizens task force recommended, when proposed guidelines go to the San Diego City Council for review next month.

Marijuana celebrity's trial begins - As a marijuana celebrity, Ed Rosenthal has been on a career high. The author of a dozen cannabis self-help books and a magazine advice column, "Ask Ed," Rosenthal is the pothead's answer to Ann Landers, Judge Judy, Martha Stewart and the Burpee Garden Wizard all in one.

Student Group Forces Marijuana Vote - A group of students at the University of Missouri-Columbia have gathered enough signatures to force a vote in the city on legalizing marijuana for medical use. - [ Columbia, Mo., will consider easing pot laws ]

GW-Pharma Sets Up Launch of Cannabis Drugs - GW Pharmaceuticals, which has a Home Office licence to produce cannabis-derived medicines said yesterday that it was on track to launch the first of its products before the end of the year.

The High Country - The biggest field I’ve ever seen - Despite pressure to eradicate the healing herb, the back country of Jamaica remains covered in broad swaths of ganja.

Teen pleads guilty to tampering with teacher's coffee pot - Surdoval is accused by Greensburg police of dumping a substance into Firmstone's coffee pot sometime between Oct. 14 and 22. When she made a pot of coffee on Oct. 22, the teacher noticed that the water in the pot's reservoir turned pink, and she never drank the coffee...

Truth Campaign: Your Government Is Lying To You - The White House’s anti-marijuana propaganda campaign has taken on an increasingly alarmist and extremist tone – arguably crossing over any reasonable line of probity. The Bush Administration’s latest rhetoric does not qualify as a mere exaggeration; they are flat-out lying to the American public.

Marijuana cafe proposed for Saskatoon - City officials in Saskatoon have received a proposal to set up a Dutch-style cafe where small amounts of marijuana can be consumed.

Mexico shutters anti-drug office - Members of a Mexican federal anti-narcotics squad were detained and their office abruptly closed after soldiers found almost five tons of marijuana in their building. -[ Drogue saisie dans les services antinarcotiques mexicains ] - [ Comments: Nine people, seven of them anti-narcotics workers, were arrested ]

Pot bust yields stash at Tucson business - Pima County Sheriff's deputies seized 40 bales of marijuana Saturday at what they said appears to be a Tucson paint and body-shop.

Teens turn to cough syrup for highs - "They smoke marijuana and chug Robitussin," said Shonna Hines, intervention prevention specialist for Educational Service District 123 in Pasco. "What I've been told is that it makes their high last longer."

Former Dolphin Beavers charged with dealing marijuana - Beavers and Charles A. Shorts II, both of Houston, were arrested Dec. 27 after their truck was stopped on a highway about 40 miles south of Indianapolis.

Drug War Victims

John Le Carré: Has The United States Of America Gone Mad ?