A little on 'The War on Drugs'.

This is an attempt at re-education. Much of what we know about cannabis use is wrong.

Cannabis does not kill brain cells also: (both sides). In fact it increases cell growth in the brain. For more interesting facts, check out www.drugpolicy.org.

"Exaggerating marijuana's potential harm only undermines the government's credibility and ability to effectively warn of the harms of truly dangerous drugs," Says NORML Head


The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse says The Truth Is,

6,503 Canadians (4,681 men and 1,823 women) lost their lives as a result of alcohol consumption in 1995, and 80,946 were hospitalized (51,765 men and 29,181 women) due to alcohol in 1995-96.

Motor vehicle accidents, alcohol liver cirrhosis and suicide accounted for the largest number of alcohol-related deaths, while accidental falls, alcohol dependence syndrome and motor vehicle accidents accounted for the largest number of alcohol-related hospitalizations.

Impaired driving is a major cause of death; among fatally injured drivers in 1996, 42% had some alcohol in their blood and 35% were over the legal limit of .08% blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

One in six deaths in Canada is caused by smoking. In 1995, there were 34,728 deaths and 500,345 years of potential life lost due to tobacco use in Canada.

Cannabis has caused ZERO deaths anywhere in the world, ever. It's simply not toxic enough to cause death.

It is not widely known that the origins of cannabis prohibition are based on lies. Canadian prohibition history can be found in more detail here.

In a post last year, I severely criticized a study on climate change by the Fraser Institute. On the topic of legalization of marijuana, which they recommend, I must commend them. I was directed to the study through the Green Party of Canada's policy site.

From the Fraser Institute study:
"At current prices, a marijuana cigarette costs about $1.50 to produce, and sells for around $8.60. Since the consumer currently is willing to pay $8.60, imagine a tax on marijuana cigarettes equal to the difference between the local production cost and the street price. This would transfer the revenue from the current producers and middlemen, many of whom are associated with organized crime, to the government. Crudely, government would have revenue of about $7 per cigarette. Using conservative assumptions about Canadian consumption, this comes to revenue of over $2 billion, and should marijuana be taxed on the same basis for export (leaving aside obvious problems of international diplomacy with the United States), additional revenue could be generated. Further, policing assets currently involved in enforcing marijuana-related statutes could be deployed elsewhere."

"What the analysis reveals is how widespread marijuana use is in Canada and how extensive production is in British Columbia. As a consequence, the broader social question becomes less
about whether we approve or disapprove of local production, but rather who shall enjoy the spoils. As it stands now, growers and distributors pay some of the costs and reap all of the benefits of the multi-billion dollar marijuana industry, while the non- marijuana-smoking taxpayer sees only costs."


Videos

Take a half an hour, and watch the following videos. Some of these video's I'd seen ages ago, but with a couple of these my sister showed me, a collection in my head was complete. Here they are.

We'll start out with something quick, to give you an idea of where we're headed. Check out this trailer from two gentlemen that have created a documentary on the Marijuana industry. Keep an eye out for it in theaters and DVD later this year. www.theunionmovie.com


George Strombolopolous interviewed the producers of the above film. Check it out.



Penn and Teller did a Bullshit episode on the War on Drugs. Watch it below in three parts.

Part 1


Part 2


and Part 3


Ending with something fun, check out this video from The Streets: The Irony of it All. The video illustrates the irony of the legality of alcohol, and the illegality of cannabis.

Let the comments roll in.