For years federal officials have been trying to scare Americans, especially parents, into believing that marijuana is dangerously addictive. Former drug czar John Walters loved to deploy frightening statistics, as when he told the Cincinnati Post in 2005,  "Nationwide, the number of teens seeking treatment for marijuana abuse or dependency was higher than for all illegal drugs combined." But the latest federal report on drug treatment admissions, released this week, shows that the majority of those…

When medical use of marijuana is illegal, it's not just the patients themselves who get hurt. Today's Chicago Tribune reports the story of police dispatcher Laura Llanes, whose aunt is battling breast cancer and suffering the side effects of chemotherapy. Llanes told the paper that her aunt was "sick constantly, not eating, not having an appetite. She is diabetic. She has to eat. She was whittling away to nothing." So she obtained three joints worth of marijuana for her aunt, and it helped. But when…

MPP Executive Director Rob Kampia discusses the failure of the drug war and the benefits of ending marijuana prohibition with Al Roker on MSNBC. 03/15/2009

There are a lot of colorful characters who, for fun and profit, devote their lives to prolonging the war on marijuana users, no matter how much damage it causes to society or how little it does to stem drug trade violence. Many of these drug warriors are clearly unhinged, their views informed more by blind zealotry than by sober policy analysis. That's why I hesitate to post this video of longtime anti-drug culture warrior Joyce Nalepka attempting to disrupt a recent MPP-sponsored press conference…

John Stossel discusses the conflict between state and federal laws regarding medical marijuana and its victims. Charlie Lynch, who operated a medical marijuana dispensary which was legal under California law, is interviewed regarding his conviction and impending sentencing on federal drug charges for operating his facility.

MPP Executive Director Rob Kampia responds to off-topic criticisms by drug warrior Joyce Nalepka at a press conference announcing the release of a study called" False Positives Equal False Justice", which shows the inadequacy of many substance tests commonly used by police as evidence in drug prosecutions. 03/03/2009

On March 17, 1999, the Institute of Medicine -- in a report commissioned by the White House -- declared, "Nausea, appetite loss, pain, and anxiety are all afflictions of wasting and all can be mitigated by marijuana." The report acknowledged the drawbacks of smoking and urged creation of a "rapid-onset, nonsmoked cannabinoid delivery system," but added, "In the meantime, there are patients with debilitating symptoms for whom smoked marijuana might provide relief." Studies published since 1999 have…

MPP Director of Communications Bruce Mirken discusses marijuana policy and the new drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske, with Rachel Maddow.

Suddenly the folks in TV newsland are very interested in marijuana policy. Lots and lots of stuff coming up, starting tonight: I'm scheduled to be interviewed on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show" tonight, at around 9:45 p.m. Eastern/6:45 Pacific, discussing the newly appointed drug czar. Then, on Friday, ABC's John Stossel looks at medical marijuana and the appalling prosecution of Charles Lynch. Lynch's case will also be discussed in an Al Roker special for MSNBC, which also includes an interview…

One of our members wrote us to report that the March 9 episode of the daytime television show "The Doctors," focusing on illegal drugs, contained a glaring bit of misinformation about marijuana. Here's how our member described it: At one point, one of the doctors made the statement loud and clear,"To all parents of young boys, make sure you let your boys know that...if they use marijuana they WILL grow boobs!" Then they moved on to another subject. While we haven't been able to verify a transcript,…