John Sinclair: Pot's new Cold War

from the Detroit Metro Times:



Pot's new Cold War
Obama administration heightens tensions over medical marijuana

By by John Sinclair
Published: July 20, 2011


It was great to see my dear comrade Ed Rosenthal with Larry Gabriel in last week's Higher Ground. One of the greatest developments in American jurisprudence, in my experience, was when the San Francisco jury that was instructed to convict Ed for growing marijuana found out after the trial had ended that he had been cultivating the weed under contract to the city of Oakland.

I happened to be in San Francisco for the Rosenthal verdict, and was truly amazed the next day when the jury held a press conference to denounce the judge and prosecutor. Had they known the facts, seven members of the jury told the media, they would never have convicted the defendant. We need to hear this more often!

This week's column examines some other bizarre twists and turns in the battle against the War on Drugs. First, my readers will be happy to hear that opposition to the Dutch government's plans to bar "drug tourists" from the nation's 750 coffeeshops is starting to grow. DutchNews.nl reports that the city council of Tilberg has instructed the mayor "not to accept the system unless the government makes it compulsory."

This pleasant little university town, best known for its imaginative music festivals, has now joined Breda, Den Bosch and Eindhoven in opposing the legislation, along with the city councils of the Hague, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Utrecht and Maastrich — a good sign that the present system will prevail. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://metrotimes.com/mmj/pot-s-new-cold-war-1.1177460

minds about how it feels to be railroaded....

one of the most perplexing. I just don't understand their motivation.

more from the article>

"The medical marijuana movement is reeling," Phillip Smith reports in the Drug War Chronicle, "after the Obama Justice Department released a memo declaring that it might prosecute large-scale medical marijuana cultivation operations and dispensaries even in states where they are operating in compliance with state laws."

The memo, written by Deputy Attorney General James Cole, is a masterpiece of sophistry worthy of Harry Anslinger, the godfather of the War on Drugs, noting that "Congress has determined that marijuana is a dangerous drug and that the illegal distribution and sale of marijuana is a serious crime that provides a significant source of revenue to large scale criminal enterprises, gangs and cartels."

The Justice Department's commitment to this twisted concept has been evident in the increased federal marijuana raids — purported to be at twice the rate of the Bush administration — and a recent round of what Smith calls "threatening letters from local U.S. Attorneys to governors and legislators in states considering or implementing medical marijuana distribution programs."

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"Relations between the medical marijuana movement and the Obama administration are starting to feel like the Cold War," Smith writes, going on to quote Dale Gieringer of California NORML on the current state of the conflict: "They want to put a stop to any large-scale distribution of medical marijuana, but all they're doing is prolonging the conflict between federal law and reality. We have to put pressure on Obama," Gieringer insists. "He owes us an explanation of his waffling on this issue, and certainly his failure to address rescheduling.

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