America opens its first pot cafeAmerica’s first “pot cafe” has opened its doors in Portland, Oregon. Certified medical marijuana can get their dose of Mary Jane from the “budtenders”, as well as food, should the munchies strike. Trippy.
Illicit drugs
Dr David Nutt is not the new Galileo
Dope-loving Britons are hailing Dr David Nutt — the UK government drugs advisor whose views on cannabis got him sacked — as a “modern-day Galileo”. Get real, says Brendan O’Neill: Galileo was a pioneer; Nutt is a famewhore.
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Deadly drugs: users vs. deaths vs. media coverage
Is Dr David Nutt correct that cannabis is no more harmful than alcohol? Does the drug just suffer from bad press? Data journalist David McCandless mashes up the government’s own data on drug death, users and press coverage to find out.
David Nutt: Governments should get real on drugs Nutt: Why cannabis isn’t as dangerous as you think
Former UK chief drugs adviser David Nutt explains what’s wrong with the government’s current drug classifications, and why he believes cannabis isn’t as damaging as cigarettes or alcohol.
Drugs vs. booze
Debate is heating up in the UK after the government’s former chief drugs adviser, Dr David Nutt, was sacked over his views that cannabis is less harmful than cigarettes and alcohol. Now the scientific community is coming to his defence.
Needle syringe program a better investment than the stock market
A new study has found that every dollar spent on needle and syringe programs saved the states and the Commonwealth four dollars, writes Dr Alex Wodak.
The magazine getting high on the economy’s lows
The global financial slump has been a disaster for most magazines, but for the mellow folk at High Times, it’s been a real trip, with more people toking up to get through the tough economic times. “Weed is recession proof,” says editor Bobby Black.
Republican moms heart marijuana
“As a Republican mother committed to legalizing marijuana, political life can be lonely,” admits Jessica Peck Corry. “But while many in my party whisper about the Drug War’s insanity, we should shout it from the rooftop: the time to legalize is now.”
A trip down memory lane…
Mother Jones presents a detailed historical timeline of drug use in the ‘Altered States of America’.
Nice people take drugs. No really. I saw it on a bus
If you are travelling around central London this month, don’t be surprised to see a double-decker bus carrying the campaign slogan “Nice People Take Drugs”, writes President of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation Dr Alex Wodak.
Olé! Cocaine all over Spain
No wonder those Spaniards have a reputation for being party animals — what with all that fiesta and siesta. It seems that the air in Spain is full of cocaine.
Humankind cannot bear very much reality, especially about illicit drugs
How can a 1998-2007 global increase of opium production of 102% and cocaine production of 20% be accurately described as ‘containment’? Dr Alex Wodak writes.
“Going for Growth” in crime, prisons and taxes
The Coalition Government’s Election 2007 Policy, “Tough on Drugs”, was released over the weekend. If this desperate policy is ever implemented, we can be confident of a growth in crime which will require increased resources for police and prisons and which in turn can only be paid for by increased taxes.
A 1% chance: The stats on the AFL’s farcical drug regime
The AFL’s illicit drugs policy is a farce that fails to deter players. So if we assume perfectly random testing – that is, all players face an equal chance of being detected at any time – we can estimate a player’s chances of getting caught.
But Senator Brandis, Cousins never tested positive
There is a fatal flaw in Senator George Brandis’s criticism of the AFL over its handling of the Ben Cousins affair, writes Adam Schwab.
Ben Cousins and the futility of the war on drugs
Ben Cousins gets charged with possessing an illegal drug and thousands of dollars of Western Australian taxpayers’ money will be wasted on processing, charging and prosecuting him. Why not spend the money more wisely, argues Greg Barns.
War on Drugs: coming soon to a gym near you
After stunning successes against the cocaine and heroin drug barons, the War on Drugs is taking on the Mr Bigs of body building.
AFL blaming the whistleblowers, not the system
The real story behind the latest AFL drugs story is the critical failure of the AFL drug detection and results management system. Blaming ambitious journalists does nothing to disguise that, writes Adam Schwab.
Democracy, the opiate of the (Afghan) people?
Back in 2000, Afghanistan’s production of opium poppies fell dramatically to around 100 metric tons. This week, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime reported in its World Drug Report that, five years after the invasion by the West to restore democracy, opium production has reached a record high.
