MetaFilter posts tagged with legalization

Who did and who didn't inhale?

PeterMcDermott — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:37:45 -0800

Drug war

caddis — Fri, 22 May 2009 06:35:21 -0800

The Portugal experiment. On July 1, 2001, a nationwide law in Portugal took effect that decriminalized all drugs, including cocaine and heroin. Under the new legal framework, all drugs were “decriminalized,” not “legalized.” Thus, drug possession for personal use and drug usage itself are still legally prohibited, but violations of those prohibitions are deemed to be exclusively administrative violations and are removed completely from the criminal realm.... The data show that, judged by virtually every metric, the Portuguese decriminalization framework has been a resounding success. Within this success lie self-evident lessons that should guide drug policy debates around the world. (pdf of complete paper) Winds of change are blowing and a primary driver appears to be that very American value - money.

Marijuana Goes Mainstream

Joe Beese — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:57:53 -0800

The New York Times discovers the significance of today's date. "Allen F. St. Pierre, the executive director of Norml, said he had cautioned supporters that any legal changes that might occur would probably be incremental. “The balancing act this year is trying to get our most active, most vocal supporters to be more realistic in their expectations in what the Obama administration is going to do,” Mr. St. Pierre said."

Green Grow the Rushes Go

saulgoodman — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:16:32 -0800

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is signalling that marijuana policy will now be considered a matter of state jurisdiction. For obvious reasons, medical marijuana champions are celebrating the administration's committment to depart from the Bush and Clinton eras' previous policies of conducting frequent DEA Raids on medical marijuana dispensaries in California. But with recent signs of a U.S. economy in even more rapid decline than anyone anticipated, and with California being particularly hard hit, some California politicians are suggesting the time has finally arrived to end the prohibition and put full legalization of marijuana on the table, pointing to potential windfalls in the range of a billion dollars in new tax revenue annually. Presumably, one could also expect to see a significant boon in California's tourism industry.

Bad medicine

kid ichorous — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:46:02 -0800

The owner of a California medical marijuana dispensary has been found guilty of violating federal drug laws. [LA Times] FTA: ...jurors had a clear sense that Lynch was not an ordinary street-corner drug dealer, but the fact that he was dispensing medical marijuana didn't matter under federal law. [...] "It was a tough decision for all of us because the state law and the federal law are at odds." Detailed coverage of the trial by Reason TV. Federal raids on California's medical dispensaries were recently featured on MeFi.

Dope wars for policy wonks

PeterMcDermott — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 09:58:54 -0800

Historically, drug laws have been a reactive response to a moral panic. Increasingly though, some governments are now seeking a more rational basis for drug policy. For the first time ever, all interested parties have been invited to get involved in the creation of the UK's next ten year drug strategy though many senior government advisors have been openly critical of some of the premises. Ultimately, arguments about drug policy often boil down to arguments about personal values, and the extent to which individual liberty trumps the collective good. For a long time though, we passed laws based on hypothetical future scenarios that may or may not have been sustainable by the data. One tool for making rational decisions about drug policy is modelling. In the past, this tended to be limited to policy wonks working in government departments, academia or think tanks. However, the Drug Policy Modelling Programme at the University of New South Wales have published their modelling tools and methods on their website. Now you too can download SimDrug and test your own assumptions about what would happen with illicit drug markets if YOU were drug czar.

Like Freakonomics man...

i_am_a_Jedi — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 18:55:14 -0800

On the Legalization — or Not — of Marijuana (via - with Pete's response)

Mexico set to legalize personal amounts of pot, cocaine, heroin

ericb — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 17:54:28 -0800

Mexico Poised to Allow Drugs for Personal Use -- Mexico’s Congress has approved a bill decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine and heroin for personal use. President Vicente Fox is expected to sign the bill.

It's the Chronic - what? - Polls of Zobgy!

DragonBoy — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 08:43:08 -0800

Nearly Half of Americans want to let states legally regulate and tax marijuana the way they do liquor and gambling.
Zogby International will pimp there services to just about anyone these days, including NORML for a poll on American's attitudes towards pot. According to the poll 65% of 18-29 year olds and 50% of 50-64 year-olds are cool with weed being legal and controlled like booze. The former slackers of Generation X, 30-49 year-olds, oppose it by 58% and the geezers over 65 oppose it by only 52%.

The pool shows some interesting generational attitudes. Is the 30-49 age group still following Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" mantra or is this the attitude of parents worried about their kids? I thought these folks were supposed to be the slacker generation, and now they're the strongest opponents to legalization.

I can stop if I want to!

geoff. — Fri, 04 Jun 2004 18:14:30 -0800

National Review, Pro-Drug? I was searching for information of drug use in Vietnam and during wars in general, when I found this gem. Scroll halfway down to a very interesting pro-drug discussion between the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience and Mr. William Buckley. A little dated (1990), but I never thought I'd come out of an article thinking to myself, "Maybe all drugs should be legal."

Economists on drugs

trharlan — Thu, 01 Apr 2004 21:00:24 -0800

A slim majority of sampled economists favor drug decriminalization, according to this .pdf article in the newly-launched Econ Journal Watch.
Via Marginal Revolution.

Drugs are bad, mmmkay?

geoff. — Tue, 27 Jan 2004 19:24:31 -0800

Rep. Kirk (R), states, that Washington now must fuse counterterrorism and counternarcotics into an inseparable mission. It seemed almost inevitable, but could this indicate use of broad (possibly unconstitutional) anti-terrorism legislation for prosecuting drug users? With Britain downgrading marijuana, and much of the Western world softening on drug use, it seems that the United States won't give up. In fact, they even have Wal-Mart in on the action.

Legalize it, y'all?

mikrophon — Fri, 16 May 2003 14:25:04 -0800

The Citypaper, sort of the Fox News of Nashville newspapers, ran an editorial today advocating the partial legalization of drugs and prostitution in Nashville. Could such an idea ever be sold in the Buckle of the Bible Belt?

skallas — Wed, 31 Jul 2002 20:58:25 -0800

Nevada may be the first state to decriminalize marijuana. In the meantime Drug Czar John Walters believes that if drugs were decriminalized users shouldn't have the rights everyone else has.

semmi — Sat, 23 Mar 2002 19:09:59 -0800

Cannabis is given health all clear in UK

4midori — Wed, 01 Aug 2001 11:13:21 -0800

Canada strongly considering decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana

sylloge — Mon, 30 Jul 2001 12:46:07 -0800

Marijuana use legal for terminally ill "Canada became the first country in the world on Monday to allow terminally ill patients to grow and smoke their own marijuana, overriding protests from doctors who said the decision could put them in an awkward situation."

rushmc — Sat, 28 Jul 2001 11:39:02 -0800

The Economist calls for the legalization of drugs in this editorial. Plus these articles [per A&LD]. We are always led to believe that only fringe (read criminal and self-interested) elements favor this course...does anyone know any other "mainstream" groups/people with the nerve to publicly state their support? Or better yet, an online list of same.

bytecode — Fri, 06 Jul 2001 05:38:46 -0800

Medical marijuana not as effective as previously thought. Should this study affect the legalization talks?

tamim — Sun, 29 Apr 2001 14:16:58 -0800

Mark your calendars for next Saturday's (May 5th.) Million M a r i j u a n a March, being organized in 120 cities around the world.

Postroad — Wed, 28 Feb 2001 07:19:10 -0800

Belgium agrees to legalize pot Will this change in the legalization of pot change in our country too some 75 years from now?

Steven Den Beste — Sun, 01 Oct 2000 00:20:23 -0800

The Dutch demonstrate yet again that they have the most open-minded and progressive culture on the planet. They've also legalized cannibis.

snakey — Mon, 24 Jul 2000 11:22:25 -0800

Legal weed in Alaska? It could be true, very soon. Tell your friends in AK to register to vote!