decriminalization
N.H. House Overwhelmingly Passes Marijuana Decriminalization
Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 2:31pm
By Steve Elliott, Toke of the TownSex workers are not criminals
Submitted by Nicole Seguin on Mon, 03/08/2010 - 8:44am
Women working in the sex trade need protection, not prosecution – which is why soliciting should be decriminalisedHawaii Senate Overwhelmingly Passes Three Bills to Improve Marijuana Laws
Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Thu, 03/04/2010 - 2:50pm
By. Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)
Measures would expand state’s medical marijuana law and reduce the penalty for possession of one ounce to a civil fine
HONOLULU, Hawaii - March 3 - Yesterday, the Hawaii Senate passed by overwhelming, veto-proof margins three measures that will greatly improve marijuana laws in the state:
· SB 2213 passed 20-4, with one excused. This bill would allow counties to license medical marijuana dispensaries.
· SB 2141 passed 24-1. This bill would increase the ratio of plants, ounces and caregivers allowed for each medical marijuana patient.
· SB 2450 passed 22-3. This bill would remove criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana and replace them with a civil fine of up to $300 for a first offense and $500 for a subsequent offense.
Rhode Island Panel Expected To Recommend Decriminalizing Pot
Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Mon, 03/01/2010 - 5:45pm
By. Steve Elliot, Toke of the TownUNODC censors its own website making the case for cannabis decriminalisation
Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Mon, 03/01/2010 - 4:54pm
The page on the UN Office on Drugs and Crime site that we flagged up on the blog earlier this week, has now been censored to remove the section featuring a rare outbreak of pragmatism making the case for cannabis decriminalisation.
These seems rather pathetic. The page in question has sat unmolested since September 2006, over 3 years, only to be stripped of the decrim-arguments now, the day after we blog about it. Why, its almost as if......
Anyway, as people should all know by now the internet never forgets, and you can read the page as it was using the ever useful Internet Archive Wayback Machine.
Latin America Marijuana Movement May Undercut Drug War, UN Says
Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Thu, 02/25/2010 - 1:50pm
By Lucia Baldomir, Business Week
The Vienna-based International Narcotics Control Board, in its annual report today, said it is “concerned” that Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico are promoting possession of drugs, especially marijuana, for personal use.
If not “resolutely countered”, the decriminalization movement “poses a threat” to the “coherence and effectiveness” of the international drug control system and sends “the wrong message to the general public,” the report said.
Fans of pot decriminalization hope to let voters have a say
Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Mon, 02/22/2010 - 1:14pm
By. Lewis Kam, THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Although several bills seeking to legalize pot went up in smoke this legislative session, supporters of a similar citizens’ initiative are moving ahead to bring their measure before voters on November’s ballot.
Calling their campaign “Sensible Washington,” backers of Initiative 1068 issued a news release last week announcing they’ve cleared the statutory hurdles to set the wording for a marijuana decriminalization measure and plan to soon start gathering signatures to qualify the initiative for this year’s general election.
God & ganja: Travel pro Rick Steves says marijuana laws not 'Christlike'
Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Thu, 02/18/2010 - 2:34pm
Travel guru Rick Steves has been flying higher than we might have thought all these years. He's gone public his use of marijuana and support for legalizating the drug. And he makes his case, in part, as a faithful Lutheran who finds activism more "Christlike" than conforming.
Amy Frykholm recently interviewed Steves, prolific guidebook author and Public Television travel show host, about his book, Travel as a Political Act, and his faith for Christian Century. But she saved the dope news for one of blogs that CC hosts, Theolog.
Steves tells her that people should take a "courageous" stand against drug laws that don't work. In the blog, Steves says,
For me, marijuana is not a harmful substance. I consider using it to be a civil liberty and have used it responsibly as an adult for creative purposes. I used to write a popular monthly column in World Concern Magazine, (a great Christian relief organization here in Seattle) and just for fun, I would write the article high. It helped me see things differently.
New approach to sex work
Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 3:25pm
By. NOZIZWE MADLALA-ROUTLEDGE AND LOVEDAY PENN KEKANA The debate is important because by now we, as South Africans, know that what good laws are meant to do and what they achieve in reality are not always the same.
The South African Law Reform Commission has begun a process to review the law on adult prostitution that will culminate in a Bill with one of several options, such as decriminalisation and legalisation.
Rhode Island's largest newspaper: Decriminalize pot
Submitted by Jacob Hunter on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 11:53am
Marijuana is not a particularly healthy thing to put into the body, and some research suggests it’s especially bad for the developing neurology of teens. But is arresting and jailing people for possessing small amounts of it the answer?
That’s a fair question. In our opinion, the answer is no.
It’s time to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of pot in Rhode Island. Education is a more humane way than incarceration and a criminal record to help people and maintain order.
One thing seems clear: Our current approach has been an expensive flop.
Free Marc Emery

