As has been noted in comments, there have been tons more media reaction to the ignorant columns by Brooks and Marcus. If you haven’t watched the Chris Hayes video about his own experience having to do with class privilege in the drug war, you should.
We really should thank David Brooks and Ruth Marcus (and a few others in their category) for creating such a firestorm of discussion about cannabis in the media.
Boy, have times changed! Remember when the drug czar would just put out a press release and all the media would dutifully print the lies? We still have a ways to go, but there are powerful national discussions happening now, and that’s a good thing for us. It was critial to break through the national fog caused by the propaganda of prohibition.
It must really suck right now to be David Brooks.
It probably has always sucked to be David Brooks…
An open letter to David Frum:
Thanks for killing my desire to end any possible “Epistemic Closure.”
David, as you’re aware, when opposition ideas and ideology are always avoided one tends to live in a sort of intellectual bubble. I believe that you’ve championed the idea of epistemic closure as problematic for society and governance.
Years ago David, I selected you as one of the most intelligent voices on the right. I read and used you as a way to avoid the one-sided information trap. I almost always disagreed with you, but I found you a valuable tool.
Now, you’re just a TOOL!
How can I continue even thinking about reading you any longer now that you’ve decided to partner with Kevin Sabet and Patrick Kennedy? That is, I looked to you as someone who understood having a blind side on an issue wasn’t a good thing. You’re so blinded on this issue of cannabis you’re not even aware of it.
Your positions on cannabis are based on the exact same ignorance as other prohibitionists. You’ve fallen for reefer madness propaganda and yellow journalism just like any other SUCKER.
Maybe I put too much faith in you David, but you’re a life-long reader and I appreciated that. Too bad you decided you didn’t need to educate yourself on this issue.
I certainly hope your not receiving any monetary compensation for your work with SAM. Because if you are, you are RIPPING them off. William Randolf Hearst and Harry J. Anslinger would be proud of your work.
Epistemic Closure my ass you arrogant conservative so-called intellectual. You thought you’d just show up and act serious and that would work? WTF?
And, David, the smart cannabis activists on this blog are going to rip me a new one just for looking at your work in the first place. And, they’d be right.
Frum gave up with the “axis of evil” PR phrase, so I’ve long seen him as a propagandist, not a thinker.
If you want a thoughtful Canadian conservative, try Andrew Coyne. He’s rather meh on the issues of drug policy, but sees the writing on the wall.
After watching the discussion below, are too many media outlets inviting those from the Addiction Industrial Complex to provide ‘balance’ to the conversation?;
http://tinyurl.com/n7ahqkd
Note that the addiction guy is not for incarceration, nor is he for legalization. Civil fines? Forced rehab? SAM anyone?
I would think anyone in the addiction/rehab business would quietly look forward to legalization. After all, their dogged insistence that marijuana is addictive will only increase patients and their bottom line once legalization is widespread and abuse goes up, right?
Yeah, right.
excelent point, howard! rehabs should support legalization inorder to pump up their bottom lines. there would be millions of slaves to cannabis that need high priced relief.
I believe that the rehab industry actually knows that they stand to lose almost all of their marijuana treatment business if they don’t continue to have referrals from the justice system to treat a non existent addiction. Therefore they continue to profit from and support continued prohibition.
Yes, exactly. Legalization of cannabis is going to kill their subsidized business. They pretend to care about public health. Bullshit. Thankfully their days really are numbered.
Exactly, so use it as a weapon to castrate them when they show up. Point out the hypocrisy they demonstrate; that the only possible reason for them supporting the continuation of prohibition is so they can make more money from ‘justice system’ referrals if it stays. That the numbers of ‘treatment center’ owners who oppose legalization is proof of this.
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Could I get a little help? I’ve been trying to find out how many people died in Colorado on the 1st with all that store bought muggles. I’ve Googled just about every possible combination of words but so far the only deaths reported that I can find was just from those fun loving rascals who made a joke about people overdosing. Surely the Denver Penitentiary was filled to overflowing levels with cannabis addled drivers and the hospitals closing their doors because all the surgeons were cannabis addled! C’mon, what are the odds that nothing like that happened?
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Does anyone else recall the episode of the Beverly Hillbillies in which Granny decided to cook smoked crawdads for dinner but ended up getting busted for attempted possession of drugs?”
“I’m going down to the lake to smoke some crawdads, but first I need a little pot!”
Oh yeah! That was one of my favorite episodes!
I don’t remember that particular episode. But you know what I do remember? Every damn word to the series song. And now it’s running a loop through my head. Dammit Duncan! ;).
if it counts, my first pipe for smoking herb was a corn cob pipe. Sold at stores all over TX and NM in the early ’70s.
Saw an episode of the Outer Limits (original) last night that I hadn’t see before – Expanding Human. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expanding_Human
Sensible on Weed
CN Source: National Review January 06, 2014 Editorial
USA — Launching 17 million “Rocky Mountain High†jokes, Colorado has become the first state to make the prudent choice of legalizing the consumption and sale of marijuana, thus dispensing with the charade of medical restrictions and recognizing the fact that, while some people smoke marijuana to counter the effects of chemotherapy, most people smoke marijuana to get high — and that is not the worst thing in the world.
Marijuana Access On The Horizon
By Anemona Hartocollis January 06, 2014
CN Source: New York Times
New York — Nancy Rivera, a cancer survivor, has a bag of pills in her night stand — white, gold and rust, big and little, antidepressants, antiemetics and tranquilizers — given to her by doctors. So it always seemed hypocritical to her that while she could possess such powerful mind-altering pharmaceuticals in fairly generous quantities, she was not allowed to legally smoke marijuana to relieve the nausea and pain of her cancer and chemotherapy. Now her wish may be a step closer to reality as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York plans to announce in the State of the State address on Wednesday that he will use his executive powers to allow 20 hospitals across the state to dispense medical marijuana, state officials said.
“The anti-marijuana campaign is a cancerous tissue of lies, undermining law enforcement, aggravating the drug problem, depriving the sick of needed help, and suckering well-intentioned conservatives and countless frightened parents.
William F. Buckley Requiescat In Pace
Commentary in The National Review, April 29, 1983, p. 495
Peru Calls for Debate on the Legalization of Marijuana
Peru should consider legalizing marijuana, the former head of the country’s National Drug Control Commission has said. Uruguay recently became Latin America’s first nation to legalize the marijuana industry, encouraging its neighbors to follow suit.
Can Hemp, Marijuana and Mushrooms Fix Fukushima?
Part 3: The Dangers of Nuclear Power Jan 6 2014
CANNABIS CULTURE – Hemp, cannabis and mushrooms can be used to clean up and protect us from radioactive pollution and nuclear disasters.
The medical miracle express otherwise known as marijuana and its analogs is the little engine that could. New research reveals CB2 receptor drugs related to cannabis have a pain-relieving potential for osteoarthritis:
The cannabinoid that’s the focus of their research is a synthetic analog designated JWH133.