Those of us working to reform marijuana laws often criticize government officials and the news media for using inaccurate or misleading terminology, but occasionally we pick up some of those bad habits ourselves. I just fell into this trap myself, in a column I just wrote for AlterNet about a recent WHO study and its implications for our drug laws. I used the phrase "whenever a state considers liberalizing its marijuana laws," to refer to proposals to tax and regulate marijuana like alcoholic beverages. But,…

Recently, the ACLU, with the help of travel guru Rick Steves, began airing a 30-minute television program in Washington state to address the issue of marijuana in America. The program, titled Marijuana: It's Time for a Conversation, briefly covers some of the history of marijuana's legal status in America, the problems associated with our treatment of it, and the reasons why we should reconsider how we approach marijuana. Today we present part one of that video, and later this week we'll have parts…

The drug czar's office wants us to believe that marijuana causes or worsens depression. Too bad science keeps moving in precisely the opposite direction, as noted in two articles just published in Cannabinoids, the journal of the International Association for Cannabis as Medicine. In one, Viennese physician Kurt Blass discusses successful treatment of depression with dronabinol (Marinol), the THC pill. In the second, University of Texas researcher Regina A. Mangieri discusses the animal studies in…

Medical marijuana patients in Washington state are allowed to have a 60-day supply of medicine. A process to define what that means in practical terms, overseen by the state Health Department and based on expert input from doctors, researchers, and patients, was going just fine until Gov. Christine Gregoire stepped in, apparently trying to override science with politics. Having tossed out science-based recommendations in favor of a political compromise, it now seems the mess is only worsening and…

Tom Riley's nonchalant statement about the relationship (or lack thereof) between tough drug laws/enforcement and rates of use, cited in Dan's earlier post, contradicts just about everything ONDCP has been saying for years whenever a state considers loosening its marijuana laws. In a March 19 press release, deputy Drug Czar Scott Burns railed against a New Hampshire proposal to decriminalize marijuana, saying such a move "sends the wrong message to New Hampshire's youth, students, parents, public…

Guess what? A report just published in the journal of the Public Library of Science says more Americans have tried marijuana – as well as cocaine – than people in any of the other 16 countries studied. That includes the Netherlands – where 20% of the population have tried marijuana, compared with 42% of Americans – despite the drug's quasi-legal status there. And while U.S. officials regularly badmouth the Dutch system, in which adults can purchase marijuana from regulated businesses, here's another…

A newspaper in Texas essentially rewrites a recent White House press release about the horrors of increased marijuana potency. Reporters who take time to do some actual research can quickly learn that scientists consider these alarming claims completely unproven. One really does get tired of having to repeat this stuff, but repeat it we must -- and will. 

A smattering of news outlets, including Wired, have picked up on a recent study showing that a cannabinoid in marijuana called beta-caryophyllene may have all sorts of useful medical properties and doesn't make the user high. But this is nothing new: A number of cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD) have similarly broad medical potential and no psychoactive side effects. Here's a link to one recent scientific article about CBD.

Hank Sims of the North Coast Journal in Humbolt County, Calif., makes a good point about the true likely consequences of the gaudy, high profile federal raids on marijuana grows in Southern Humboldt County this week: "We’ll know soon whether the operation has any connection to actual, bad crimes — violent crimes. Perhaps it does; more likely it does not. In which case, what will it accomplish? Well, the price of dope has fallen steadily over the last few years, and the regular Mom ‘n’ Pop marijuana…

Short answer: Don't hold your breath! It could certainly be interesting though if Senator Obama offered the slot to Senator Jim Webb (D-Va.), who says the following in his new book: "The time has come to stop locking up people for mere possession and use of marijuana. It makes far more sense to take the money that would be saved by such a policy and use it for enforcement of gang-related activities." Other then Webb, Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico stands out for his yeoman's work on getting…