More and more of the masses are realizing that marijuana criminalization is absurd and pointless. So much is happening that is bringing us closer and closer to legalization, and finally a tearing down of the US Berlin Wall.

• Medical Marijuana Bills are hitting all kinds of states including Illinois, Minnesota, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey. There’s a significant chance of medical marijuana being legalized in these states within the year. In addition Rhode Island and Montana are expanding their laws.

Joycelyn Elders, MD, former US Surgeon General:
“The evidence is overwhelming that marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS — or by the harsh drugs sometimes used to treat them. And it can do so with remarkable safety. Indeed, marijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe every day.”

Ralph Nader, LLB, attorney, author, and consumer advocate:
“The criminal prosecution of patients for medical marijuana must end immediately, and marijuana must be treated as a medicine for the seriously ill…

Research has shown marijuana to be a safe and effective medicine for controlling nausea associated with cancer therapy, reducing the eye pressure for patients with glaucoma, and reducing muscle spasms caused by multiple sclerosis, para- and quadriplegia…

Physicians must have the right to prescribe this drug to their patients without the fear of the federal government revoking their licenses, and doctor-patient privacy must be protected. The Drug Enforcement Administration should not be practicing medicine.”

Ron Paul, MD, Member of the US House of Representatives (R-TX):
“After deferring to the DEA, your release reads that, ‘FDA is the sole federal agency that approves drug products as safe and effective for intended indications.’ Why then has the FDA failed to respond to the 1999 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report which concluded that marijuana’s active components are potentially effective in treating pain, nausea, the anorexia of AIDS wasting, and other symptoms, and should be tested rigorously in clinical trials?

It perplexes us that even though the FDA is responsible for protecting public health, the agency has failed to respond adequately to the IOM’s findings seven years after the study’s publication date. Additionally, this release failed to make note of the FDA’s Investigational New Drug (IND) Compassionate Access Program, which allowed patients with certain medical conditions to apply with the FDA to receive federal marijuana. Currently, seven people still enlisted in this program continue to receive marijuana through the federal government.

The existence of this program is an example of how the FDA could allow for the legal use of a drug, such as medical marijuana, without going through the ‘well-controlled’ series of steps that other drugs have to go through if there is a compassionate need.”

Drew Carey Defends Medical Marijuana

Michal Phelps

After Michael Phelps famous bong hit Kellogg’s dropped their endorsement of the popular swimmer. However, after they dropped the athlete Kellogg’s stocks (and reputation) started to bomb. Vanoo, a reputation monitoring company stated that out of the 5,600 company reputations it monitors, Kellogg ranked ninth before losing Phelps. It ranked 83 shortly after cutting Phelps lose. Not even an industry-wide peanut scare inflicted as much damage on the food company’s reputation. People apparently love pot more than they hate salmonella from peanuts.

Bill Maher on Michael Phelp’s Pot Issue

DEA Marijuana Raids

DEA Stop Raiding DispensariesAs of Feb 25th, Eric Holder the Attorney General announced that the DEA would stop raiding medical marijuana clinics in 13 states. Raids on medical marijuana distributors continued at least into the second week of Barack Obama’s presidency, when federal agents shut down at least two dispensaries in California on Feb. 3. Obama indicated during the presidential campaign that he supported the controlled use of marijuana for medical purposes, saying he saw no difference between medical marijuana and other pain-control drugs. Holder was asked about those raids at a news conference. He said such operations would no longer be conducted. “What the president said during the campaign … will be consistent with what we will be doing here in law enforcement,” he said. “What (Obama) said during the campaign … is now American policy.”

California Marijuana Regulation

California to regulate and tax marijuana. Montana, Hawaii, Vermont and Washington have already introduced bills that would decriminalize marijuana. Pot a Neglected Revenue Source For California

Rachel Hoffman

A huge media interest was created around a 23 yr Tennessee girl attending Florida State University, Rachel Hoffman. She was under drug court supervision for possession of 25 grams of marijuana during a traffic stop on February 22, 2007. On April 17, 2008, she was busted in her apartment by Tallahassee, Florida police for possession of 151.7 grams of cannabis, and 6 ecstasy pills and was threatened with a charge of manufacturing. Faced with a possible prison sentence if charged and convicted, she agreed instead to serve as a confidential informant to buy 1,500 ecstasy pills, 2 ounces of cocaine, and a handgun, using $13,000 cash in a buy-bust operation. While she worked undercover, police lost track of her and she was killed by two assailants. Deneilo R. Bradshaw, 23, and Andrea Jabbar Green, 25, have been charged with armed robbery in connection with the events leading up to Hoffman’s death. Additional charges are pending.The Tallahassee Police Department admits that Hoffman had no training to work undercover, she did not know the two men targeted in the sting, and she had no experience with cocaine or firearms.

Media Explosion

With over four different mainstream specials about marijuana legislation and internet search traffic exploding, it’s clear that legalization is on the minds of Americans. Additionally on both Change.gov and Change.org marijuana was the biggest issue.

Change!

People want change!In several major polls between 40-50% of Americans support ending marijuana prohibition. Brave politicians like Ron Paul are paving the path toward legalization.

Pot Legalization - In the News

• The New Politics of Pot - Can it go legit? How the people who brought you medical marijuana have set their sights on lifting the ban for everyone
• The Drug Wars Collateral Damage - Drug prohibition militarizes our police, enriches our enemies, undermines our laws, and condemns our sick to suffering.
• Marijuana Laws Are Complete Lunacy - An examination of the drug laws in the United States
• It’s the Pot Economy, Stupid - Marijuana already plays a huge role in the California and national economies. It’s a revenue opportunity we literally can’t afford to ignore.
• Attorney General Shifts in Marijuana Policy - Attorney General Eric Holder signaled a change in medical marijuana policy Wednesday, saying federal agents will target marijuana distributors only when they violate both federal and state law.
• Ending the “War on Drugs”: The Fierce Urgency of…When? - Ending the drug war, diverting funds from drug busts to prevention and treatment, taxing (and rigorously controlling) a regulated market would help pull the U.S. and the global economy away from the precipice of depression.
• Medical Marijuana Bill Clears Senate - A bill giving medical-marijuana patients better access to the drug won final approval from the state Senate 02/25/09, sending it on to the House for consideration.
• Legalize It - Ammiano to Introduce Legislation Monday to Allow Pot — and Tax It
• State Law precedes Federal Law - Medical marijuana case appealed by the City of Garden Grove was denied review by the US Supreme Court.
• Smoke This Recession - It’s simple: First we tax the booze. Then we legalize the pot. Done.
• Truth Prevails - A review of the changing tides of state marijuana legislation.

Crime and Marijuana

• Stimulus Plan For Mexican Gangsters - Obama’s promise not to crack down on medical-marijuana use raises the stakes for traffickers.
• Pot Legalization Could End Border Violence - Arizona’s Attorney General, said that while he’s not in favor of legalizing marijuana, he thinks it should be debated as a way of curbing violence in the increasingly deadly clashes between Mexico’s gangs.
• Front Line: Mexico, Losing the war on drugs - Explore how the illegality of drugs has created vast cartels in Mexico that leads to thousands of deaths each year.

Medical Marijuana

• Medical Marijuana Benefits - Mitch Earleywine, Ph.D. is an associate professor of psychology at SUNY Albany who believes marijuana should be legalized for medical purposes.
• Study: Marijuana Appears to Slow Cancer Growth in Laboratory Setting - Certain marijuana components may suppress the tumors of highly invasive cancers, a new study finds.

Cannabis Videos

• Smoking! US Pot Industry Booming - With more than 20 million customers nationwide, the U.S. marijuana market is estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars. As NBC’s Trish Regan reports, pot has become the lifeline for a number of communities

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

• The History of Marijuana - Woody Harrelson narrates on a very interesting and highly informative documentary on the history of US law and drug policy regarding the highly controversial substance cannabis.
• The UNION: The Business Behind Getting High - BC’s illegal marijuana trade industry has evolved into a business giant, dubbed by some involved as ‘The Union’, Commanding upwards of $7 billion Canadian annually.
• Marijuana Inc. - CNBC’s Trish Regan goes behind the scenes to explore the inner workings of this secretive industry, focusing on Northern California’s “Emerald Triangle,” now the marijuana capital of the U.S. In this scenic pocket of America, the pot business, much of it legal under state law, now makes up as much as two-thirds of the local economy.
• Reefer Madness - A 1936 exploitation film revolving around the tragic events that ensue when high school students are lured by pushers to try “marijuana”: a hit and run accident, manslaughter, suicide, rape, and descent into madness all ensue.
• DL Hughley, Legalize It - D.L. Hugley discusses Marijuana legalization on his CNN television show, “D.L. Hughley Breaks the News”
• Stephen Baldwin Vs. Ron Paul on pot - Debate on CNN’s Larry King between libertarian Congressman and former presidential candidate Ron Paul, M.D. and, well, actor Steven Baldwin.

State by State Marijuana Laws

More Marijuana Resources

• Pot Facts
• Scientific Studies of Pot
• Why is marijuana illegal?
• Principles of Responsible Cannabis Use
• Marijuana Smoking Etiquette
• NORML Freedom Card