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Last updated 2015/12/12
I've been keeping a random list of interesting web sites and resources for several years and here's my list. It's by no means complete, and new and interesting stuff is happening all the time.
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Help and Information about Addiction - http://www.addictiongroup.org
See also the book "Chasing the Scream" about how Europe is handling the drug crisis much better than the US is.
This writeup is from a friend of mine who was involved with the medical marijuana issue in California a number of years ago. Here's his summary of the state of affairs about that issue. I think you'll find it informative. Here you can also find more Cannabis Information.
American scientists are prohibited from studying medmar because the DEA controls access to the actual plant and substance so they can't study it.All US based pot research is based on arrest and accident statistics. Not the science and chemistry of the plant itself and direct research into its effects on individuals. You can't give grass to people to test its effects. You can't own cannabis plants to study it as a scientist. The DEA does not allow permits to do so. Period.
Further, foreign studies have no effect on the DEA and government and are considered irrelevant.
They even tried to outlaw hemp fiber hats from being imported to "keep kids from smoking them". I had a friend who imported hempseed for an ingredient in health food and was arrested. They outlawed hempseed and hemp based foods that have no THC (the active ingredient) in them at all.
Meanwhile, the British and Canadians have produced several medicines to address various ailments from the study of cannabis, which the DEA claims has no medicinal value.
The entire medmar movement is a two phased revolution against this prohibition in my opinion. The first phase involves the right of Americans to choose their medicines and make decisions about health. They want to be able to try cannabis to see if it helps their issues. The second part is the actual prohibition against personal use of cannabis which has a very low social impact in a legal or semi-legal setting vs tobacco which is legal.
All of the arguments offered by government regarding the hazards of cannabis have been shot down as the propaganda they are. Britain decriminalized it as has Canada and they will adequately demonstrate that the social impact is low. There are degrees of regulation but the only real harm is the fact that it is in a black market and profiteers in the illegal drug trade are benefiting, somewhat.
The real truth is that the average cannabis user is supplied by a local producer. There are exceptions that are a result of the prohibition like Mexican drug gangs growing it here in the states at a high volume. Simple regulation involving a tax stamp and a growers license would eliminate that.
There are tests to see if a person is driving under the influence.
The biggest opposition probably will come from the drug testing industry. They don't tell you that tests have at least a 25% false positive rate and even a bagel with poppy seeds will test positive for heroin use.
I can find some fact pages in this regard but basically the emperor wears no cloths. It is a fine intoxicant and given the fact that millions of otherwise law abiding Americans use it without negative effects, there is no excuse for its prohibition.
As for further info on medmar, I will see what I can find. There are a number of states who have passed medmar laws and more who are considering them. There is one here in Hawaii. [In fact, I believe NM has a law allowing it as well, but the governor is afraid of harassment and so refuses to allow it in the state contrary to the will of the state house. - PK]
When we worked on making the CA law we all understood that it wasn't the best solution and would have rather have done it another way but there was no democratic way to make that choice. Meanwhile, The Feds continue to harass and abuse people whom the law should protect and there are true horror stories of abuse, imprisonment and deaths in this regard which further reinforces the argument that its the prohibition, not the drug and by flaunting the will of the people, the Gov becomes the enemy.
Lincoln said that "Prohibitions make crimes out of things that are not crimes". There are far more important things to spend money on than enforcing pot laws. Too many people are in prison for marijuana offenses which are largely nonviolent in nature and that isn't just my opinion. Our prison population represents over 1 in 100 adult Americans and many of those people are there because of politically motivated and ineffective drug laws. You can't legislate morality but you can reduce harm. Beyond that you are simply wasting money and ruining lives.