Jack Daniel

Former Congressman Patrick Kennedy says pot is bad, mmkay?

By Jack Daniel on June 28, 2013 Legislation, News, Say what?

Patrick Kennedy, the former Democratic Congressman from Rhode Island, is not a fan of marijuana legalization, and he wants everyone to know about it. The son of the late Teddy Kennedy, the wildly popular long time Senator from Massachusetts, Patrick is riding the coattails of his family name on a whirlwind media tour to promote his new prohibitionist group, SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana).
After visits to nationally syndicated cable television shows like Bill Maher and Piers Morgan, Kennedy’s latest soapbox comes in the form of an op-ed piece that was graciously printed by the notoriously conservative and anti-cannabis San Diego Union-Tribune.
In the piece, Kennedy says, “When I woke up after the 2012 election, two states had voted to legalize marijuana. That day I also ‘woke up’ to how naive I had been. ”

Caribbean countries following US lead on cannabis reform, for better or worse

By Jack Daniel on June 27, 2013 Global, Legislation, News

When most people think of Jamaica, the first two things that come to mind are usually relaxing reggae music and killer cannabis. Yet, even though weed is widely accepted in public on the irie isle and brings in big tourism dollars, smoking marijuana is still technically illegal in Jamaica.
In an attempt to capitalize on a rise in support for marijuana decriminalization, organizations like the Ganja Law Reform Coalition and the Rastafari Millennium Council are making a push to convince the Jamaican government to end 100 years of prohibition on the marijuana plant.

Three men sentenced to death by hanging for selling weed in Malaysia

By Jack Daniel on June 20, 2013 Culture, Global, News

Malaysia.

Deep in the conservative heartland of the upper Malaysian peninsula, the state of Kelantan was once known for its secluded location and coastal piracy, but today is known more for the strict Islamic order that has been put in place by the long standing hardline government. It is that draconian set of laws that has three friends facing death by hanging after being found guilty of selling weed in a hospital parking lot.
The isolated region has been ruled by the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) since 1990. With a Muslim population of over 95%, the PAS has managed to pass local laws in Kelantan that segregate supermarket lines, as well as public seating, by gender. They have restricted public performances by women if any men are present, and have placed outright bans on many traditional Malaysian forms of theater.

Ivy League professor wants all drugs legalized, mocks marijuana use

By Jack Daniel on June 18, 2013 Culture, News, Say what?

Growing up in a rough Miami neighborhood in the 1970’s, Carl Hart was no stranger to life on the streets. One of eight kids, living in decrepit low-income housing projects, Hart watched his abusive father physically torment their mother for years.
Raised amid gunshots, domestic violence, and utter poverty, Hart was using and pushing a variety of drugs, had held someone at gunpoint, was committing robberies, and had unknowingly fathered a child – all by the age of 16. He seemed to be right on track to becoming another statistic in south Florida, another wasted youth.

ACLU report highlights financial impact of the war on weed

By Jack Daniel on June 12, 2013 Culture, News

Last week we gave you several headlines about a recent ACLU survey which showed that statistics covering marijuana arrests across the nation were falling along strict, and disturbing, racial lines.
According to the report, on the national level blacks are four times more likely to be arrested for a weed-related crime, despite the fact that blacks and whites use marijuana at relatively equal rates. That disparity in arrest rates jumps as high as 18 to 1 in cities like St. Louis where local Metro Police Chief Sam Dotson dismisses accusations of racial profiling with blockhead quotes like, “Law enforcement is not…black and white.”

U.S. pushes for continued pot prohibition at global summit on drug reform

By Jack Daniel on June 12, 2013 Culture, Global, News

Organization of American States logo.

Leaders and representatives of the 34 nations that make up the Organization of American States (OAS) held its annual general assembly meeting last Thursday in Guatemala to discuss a range of issues, with a debate about marijuana legalization expected to take center stage.With many of the OAS member-nations being wracked by drug war related violence, a debate over immediate solutions to curb illegal narcotics trafficking was considered to be a top priority by many attending and observing the 3-day meeting. Instead, the conference concluded with no specific judgment being given regarding the decriminalization or legalization of drugs like cannabis in the Western Hemisphere.

The fastest man alive stays a step ahead of pot controversy

By Jack Daniel on June 4, 2013 Culture, News, Say what?

Usain Bolt.

The race is on to see which celebrity or famous athlete can make the biggest pot-related headline, and Usain Bolt, the fastest man on the planet, has sprinted to the head of the pack.
Anti-cannabis groups are up in arms about a new ad campaign by American clothing manufacturer, The Pothead Diaries. Bolt, the reigning Olympic champion in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay kicked up dust with pot critics when he posted pictures to his Instrgram account showing him flaunting the controversial duds.

Study shows more kids experimenting and overdosing on prescription pills

By Jack Daniel on June 3, 2013 Culture, Medical, News

Ritalin, still more deadly than cannabis.

Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital recently conducted a study to determine the correlation between the rise in the number of adults on prescription drugs, and the number of children who accidentally ingest them. Shocking nobody, the team found that as the sheer number of drug prescriptions goes up, so does the number of kids being poisoned by them.

Newly elected Los Angeles mayor supports full legalization of cannabis

By Jack Daniel on May 29, 2013 Culture, Follow that story, Legislation

Eric Garcetti.

Just over a week ago, on May 21st, the voters in the city of Los Angeles resoundingly passed Proposition D, an ordinance designed to raise taxes on sales of medical marijuana and limit the total number of allowable weed dispensaries in the city to 135 storefronts or less. On that same ballot was a hotly contested and grossly over-funded mayoral race pitting two openly pro-cannabis Democratic candidates against one another, resulting in a dominant win for LA City Councilman Eric Garcetti who captured 54% of the vote.
In spite of one of the lowest voter turnouts in the city’s history, Garcetti overcame the aggressive financial campaigning that Los Angeles’ most powerful labor unions could throw at him, becoming the city’s 42nd mayor, and earning himself the power to rule over everything from potholes to pot shops in the nation’s second largest city.

Hunger strikes and protests forcing medical marijuana reform in Israel

By Jack Daniel on May 28, 2013 Global, Legislation, Medical

Israel Minister of Health Yael German.

Facing increasing opposition from doctors and patients who support and depend on the use of medical marijuana, Israel’s Minister of Health, Yael German, has seen her Facebook page dominated by dissent, and a full-scale hunger protest form on her front lawn.
The protests spawned from a recent increase on the regulations that govern the country’s blooming medical marijuana program, specifically on what illnesses would be eligible for treatment with some Kosher Kush.

Author Jack Daniel