Opponents of marijuana legalization have never been shy about predicting consequences of biblical proportions should the drug become legal: pot will lead to rape; a scourge of crime will sweep the land; cartels will rise like Cthulhu and enslave us all; brains will be baked in America’s laboratories of democracy. After 7 months of totally legal pot … Continued
The War on Drugs appears to be winding down, and the vast majority of Americans seem think that it hasn’t been a success. A majority also would like to see marijuana legalized. Many states have already taken steps to decriminalize or even legalize. With full legalization under way for the first time in Washington and Colorado, … Continued
Stopping overdoses means having an open, educated, honest discussion about drugs and how to use them safely. This horrifies many people who seem to think that the only thing one can say about crack or meth or heroin is “EVIL SUPERDRUG! Never, ever touch it!” The people receptive to this scaremongering are not the users. This … Continued
Everybody Hates John Boehner The other day, two seemingly contradictory stories appeared in my inbox almost simultaneously. The first was yet another story on how unpopular the Republican Party is right now, thanks to their doomed, incoherent budget strategy: “NBC/WSJ poll: Shutdown debate damages GOP.” The short of it is that only 24% of Americans … Continued
For the first time, a majority of Americans now support legalizing marijuana, according to a new poll by the Pew Research Center. For the first time in more than four decades of polling on the issue, a majority of Americans favor legalizing the use of marijuana. A national survey finds that 52% say that the use … Continued
19-year-old fights creationism in public schools. The American Conservative on 25 nasty years of Cops. New York state first to up gun control post-Sandy Hook. Four years of Obama being “funny.” Reminder that Eric Holder is still an awful person and a liar. Obituary for a life that could have been a great deal shorter, … Continued
“I don’t care because it doesn’t affect me.” While speaking recently with a good friend of mine, an anti-drug war activist, she said that phrase frustrated and angered her more than any other. Hers is a common grievance among intellectuals and activists concerned with social welfare. The great dream of Marx and other socialists was … Continued
Classical liberals tend to promise too much when we talk about life under our ideal political institutions. This is not unique among ideological groups. Marx labeled his theory “scientific socialism” because he believed that he had discovered the fundamental pattern of history. His was a theory of everything. Thesis, antithesis, synthesis; capitalism passing into socialism passing … Continued
