Drug Laws

Raich and Torture

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Even though it would still not be just in a free society:

To ban marijuana, Congress should have amended the Constitution through the arduous process prescribed by the Framers, just as it did when it banned alcohol. Instead it has amended the Constitution through legislative assertion and judicial acquiescence.

Aand, I think a pretty strong case can be made that the alcohol ban was itself unconstitutional.
On a related note Radley Balko argues that the federal medical marijuana ban may in fact be torture.

Medical Marijuana in Congress

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Here is one small action you can take to help return freedom and sanity to the United States:

In the next few weeks, the U.S. House of Representatives will be voting on an amendment that would end the federal government’s barbaric attacks on seriously ill patients in states with medical marijuana laws. We are in striking distance of passing the amendment, but we need your help to do it.
The Hinchey-Rohrabacher medical marijuana amendment* would bar the U.S. Department of Justice — including the Drug Enforcement Administration — from spending any money to raid or arrest bona fide medical marijuana patients.

Take action now! Contact your representative direcctly now or go to the Marijuana Policy Project Take Action Now page to use their automated email system.

Beyond Raich

This entry was posted in Capitalism Drug Laws Federal Government Law Enforcement Libertarianism War on Terrorism on by

Why exactly are the drug terorists waging this war on supposedly free people? Dennis Perrin has a few thoughts in answer:

Still, it seems comical that at this late date we’re dealing with shit like this, esp given the larger and more pressing horrors of the world. But systems of control are self-perpetuating, as are the delusions that keep them humming. And criminalizing marijuana requires massive delusion and lying by those who seek control. To be expected. To paraphrase Bill Hicks, alcohol and cigarettes do nothing creative for you and accelerate your chances for death, yet they’re legal. Weed, on the other hand, opens a door in your mind and lets you see how you are getting royally fucked on a regular basis, yet it’s illegal. Coincidence . . .?

Go read the rest!
Via Arthur Silber.

Supreme Court Supports Federal Thugs

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In Gonzalez V. Raich the US supreme court ruled in favor of the federal thugs, justice department and congress, who would deny individuals living in the land of the supposedly free the authority to grow and use marijuana for medical purposes.
They had an opportunity to fix years of misapplication of the commerce clause and to reaffirm the concepts of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as they recently did in Lawrence. They failed.
There is more The Volokh Conspiracy, How Appealing, Scotus Blog and I’m sure all over the media and blogosphere as the day goes on. The full decision is here (PDF).
Update: Information on using so-called democratic means as called out in the opinion can be found at the Marijuana Policy Project site.
Update2: Zombyboy has a somewhat less radical reaction than the above and concludes with:

What we get today is two irrational decisions rolled up in one: the decision to expand commerce control over increasingly non-commercial endeavors and the decision to continue to insist that marijuana is a more dangerous drug than any of the opiates that are commonly prescribed to relieve pain. Sorry, but I just don