Author Steve Elliott ~alapoet~

Mexican Victims Of Drug Violence: End The War On Drugs

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 20, 2012 Global, News

Despite fear, Mexican victims of Drug War on Caravan for Peace to visit El Paso-Juarez border to deliver clear message: End the War On Drugs

Families, including exiled residents of Juarez — epicenter of Drug War violence — and relatives of the more than 60,000 killed in the Drug War, go to DEA to demand alternatives to costly, catastrophic failure of drug prohibition, military aid, and the open gun market

Members of the Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity will gather on Tuesday in front of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) division office in El Paso to demand accountability from the principal United States government agency charged with prosecuting the drug war in both Mexico and the U.S., and to seek a dialogue about the costs of this war — and how to bring it to an end.

Families carrying large and small pictures of loved ones lost in Mexico’s Drug War will join Mexican exiles and U.S. families and communities hurt by the Drug War in actions and community events designed to call attention to the human and economic toll of this war on both sides of the border.

N.M. State Employee Fired For Legally Using Medical Marijuana

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 20, 2012 Medical, News

THC Finder

A state employee in New Mexico — where medical marijuana is legal — says she was fired after a drug test showed she had been using cannabis, under a doctor’s orders, to treat post traumatic stress disorder.

The woman told reporters she had never reported for work impaired, and “was just looking for relief,” reports Stephen C. Webster at The Raw Story.

“I just wanted to be able to get up and live my life the way I used to,” she said.

Toke of the Town Video of the Day: Hollyweed, USA

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 20, 2012 Culture, Products

Laffin’ Place

The “Hollywood” sign was famously defaced in 1976 after the decriminalization of marijuana in California

On January 1, 1976, the iconic “HOLLYWOOD” sign was altered to read “Hollyweed” by the late Danny Finegood of Los Angeles and a few of his college friends. The stunt — celebrating the decriminalization of marijuana in California — got worldwide publicity at the time.

To accomplish the stunt, Finegood and his buds used ropes and sheets, and reportedly spent only around 50 bucks for materials. The prank was a class project while he was an art major at Cal State Northridge. (Yes, he got an “A” for the project.)

Finegood considered himself an environmental artist, not a vandal. In a letter to the L.A. Times in 1983, he said of the “Hollyweed” sign: “An artist’s role throughout history has been to create representations of the culture he exists in. By hanging four relatively small pieces of fabric on the landmark, we were able to change people’s perception of the Hollywood sign.”

Legalization Or Sham? The I-502 Debate at Seattle Hempfest

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 20, 2012 Culture, Legislation, News

Perhaps the most anticipated and certainly the most heavily attended of all the Hemposium speaker panels at Seattle Hempfest 2012 was the I-502 debate, which took a balanced look at the marijuana “legalization” initiative which will be on this November’s general election ballot in Washington state.

Infant Drug Tests For Marijuana Are Unreliable: Researchers

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 16, 2012 Medical, News

The Daily Caller

Women in many states have gotten in deep legal trouble — including losing custody of their kids — after showing up positive for marijuana on hospital drug tests. But the most commonly used methods for detecting cannabis exposure are unreliable when used on infants, and “should not be reported” without more tests and followup by hospital staff and social workers, according to a new study recently published in the journal Clinical Chemistry.

While infant drug tests are commonly used across the United States, it’s often done only in cases where the mother has some history of substance use, reports Stephen C. Webster at The Raw Story. Positive results for marijuana on the immunoassay drug test are often followed by a more targeted THC test to confirm the results.

Colorado Marijuana Legalization Would Add $60 Million A Year

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 16, 2012 Legislation, News

~ alapoet ~

New Report Documents Fiscal Impact of Amendment 64, the Initiative to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol

Nearly $60 Million Saved and Generated for Colorado in First Year; Up to $120 Million in New Revenue and Savings Projected after 2017

A new report released Thursday by the Colorado Center on Law and Policy (CCLP) documents that Amendment 64, the Initiative to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, would provide the state savings and tax revenue of nearly $60 million in its first year. According to the report, the state is conservatively projected to save and earn up to $120 million annually after 2017.

Amendment 64 proposes a system to regulate and tax marijuana in Colorado similarly to alcohol. In addition to state and local sales taxes, the initiative directs the General Assembly to enact an excise tax of up to 15 percent on wholesale sales of non-medical marijuana.

Caravan For Peace Arrives In Phoenix; Calls For End To Drug War

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 16, 2012 Culture, News

Caravan4Peace

Caravan participants, together with national and local community leaders, expressed their solidarity with those incarcerated

Participants Denounce the Incarceration of Immigrants and the Incarceration of People Who Use Drugs

During symbolic visit to “Tent City” jail, poet Javier Sicilia and other Mexican victims of War On Drugs to condemn inhumane practices of Joe Arpaio, longtime drug war enforcer and anti-immigrant sheriff

On third stop of cross-country journey, Caravan expresses its solidarity with those incarcerated and demands an end to drug war that has resulted in more than 60,000 killed and 10,000 disappeared in Mexico

On Thursday, the “Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity” will visit Maricopa County’s notorious “Tent City” jail to denounce the criminalization and inhumane treatment of immigrants and people who use drugs.

Led by Mexican poet Javier Sicilia, the Caravan will condemn the dehumanizing practices of Joe Arpaio, the infamous anti-immigrant sheriff and former DEA agent, who has made enforcing the failed prohibition of drugs a centerpiece of his career.

Police Claim Handcuffed Marijuana Suspect Shot Himself In Head

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on August 15, 2012 News

Facebook

Chavis Carter was only 21 when he died of a gunshot wound while handcuffed in the back of a police patrol car

Police in Jonesboro, Arkansas, are claiming the death of a man they detained on marijuana charges in the back of a squad car was the result of shooting himself in the head while his hands were cuffed behind his back.

The officers claim that Chavis Carter, 21, killed himself after being searched on suspicion of possessing marijuana, reports Steve Watson of Infowars.com. Officers had double-locked the handcuffs to make it harder for the lock to be picked, but they claimed Carter was somehow miraculously able to pull out a hidden gun, raise it to his head and pull the trigger while they were briefly away from the car.

The cops claimed they found a .380 handgun and a spent cartridge in the back seat next to Carter’s slumped body. They claimed the gun “must have been overlooked” when they searched Carter — twice.