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SXSW Day 3: Muslims In The Media, Cannabis Innovation & More
In this July 8, 2007 photograph, the sculpture called "The Mustangs," depicting a group of wild galloping horses, overlooks the engineering building on the University of Texas at Austin campus. (Wikimedia Commons / Zereshk)
March 13, 2016
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SXSW Day 3: Muslims In The Media, Cannabis Innovation & More

Posted in Journalism, and SXSW

I’ve made it to day 3, despite barely any sleep.

“Ovarian Psycos,” the documentary I saw last night, was an incredible story of women of color standing up for their identity, their agency, and their right to take up space in the world. I also took a few minutes to talk with the creators of “Night of the Slasher” about their hopes for plans for turning their short film into a horrifying and funny full-length feature.

I was back this morning to attend “American Muslim Media: Taking Back Our Narrative,” a panel about how digital and social media can change the way people look at the religion and lives of the millions of Muslims living in the United States.

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Tax Revenue Expected To Reach $125 Million As 2015 Colorado Cannabis Sales Near $1B
This November 25, 2009 photograph shows a close-up of a lush bud of cannabis in a legal medical marijuana grow house in Denver, Colorado. (Flickr / Coleen Elliott)
January 26, 2016
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Tax Revenue Expected To Reach $125 Million As 2015 Colorado Cannabis Sales Near $1B

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

Colorado’s legal marijuana business boomed last year, with total sales in the state nearing the $1 billion mark, according to current estimates.

Official figures for marijuana sales in December won’t be available until next month, but Ricardo Baca, a staff writer for The Denver Post’s The Cannabist, reported on Jan. 13 that total marijuana sales, including for both recreational and medicinal purposes, had reached $895 million by November.

With cannabis taxed in three ways by the state, including two different kinds of sales tax, Colorado had earned $121 million through that month. That figure represents an especially important windfall for education, Baca noted:

Read moreTax Revenue Expected To Reach $125 Million As 2015 Colorado Cannabis Sales Near $1B
Clemency Is Not Enough: Thousands Still Imprisoned For Nonviolent Marijuana Crimes
In this September 1, 2015 photograph, U.S. Marshals surround a handcuffed black man in part of a nationwide series of drug busts. (Flickr / US Marshals Service Office of Public Affairs)
January 4, 2016
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Clemency Is Not Enough: Thousands Still Imprisoned For Nonviolent Marijuana Crimes

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

Two men serving life sentences for marijuana-related convictions were among the dozens of nonviolent drug offenders who recently had their sentences commuted by President Barack Obama.

While advocates for reform of the three-decade war on drugs applaud Obama’s efforts to free hundreds from unfair sentences, some also fear the president hasn’t gone far enough to change federal laws that leave thousands more imprisoned, with some still facing life in prison.

“At the federal level there’s not been a significant change in law,” said Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), in an interview with MintPress News.

Read moreClemency Is Not Enough: Thousands Still Imprisoned For Nonviolent Marijuana Crimes
Over Half Of Americans Now Support Cannabis Legalization
A close-up photograph of a THC crystal-covered bud of high quality cannabis. August 22, 2013. (Flickr / Don Goofy)
November 23, 2015
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Over Half Of Americans Now Support Cannabis Legalization

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

Keith Stroup, founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML, noted in an Oct. 30 article for Alternet that a majority of Americans support marijuana legalization.

Quoting a recent Gallup poll, he reported, “Among those poll respondents age 18 to 34, 71 percent endorse legalization. Among respondents age 35 to 49 years of age, 64 percent support legalizing marijuana. Among those age 65 and up, support fell to 35 percent, but this too reflected a sharp increase in support.”

Of the 23 states which offer some form of access to medical marijuana, four states plus the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for recreational use.

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Over $1 Trillion Spent Since Nixon Began The War On Drugs
Richard Nixon's presidential portrait. December 24, 1971. (Wikimedia Commons / White House)
November 12, 2015
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Over $1 Trillion Spent Since Nixon Began The War On Drugs

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

The “war on drugs” costs Americans a staggering amount of money every year that it persists. Despite the billions they receive, federal, state and local law enforcement have a proven inability to stem the flow of drugs on the nation’s streets.

Since Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs in June 1971, the cost of that “war” had soared to over $1 trillion by 2010. Over $51 billion is spent annually to fight the drug war in the United States, according to Drug Policy Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting more humane drug policies.

It’s also taken a massive toll on human lives. In 2013, at least 2.2 million people were incarcerated in the U.S., withsome estimates reaching 2.4 million, making the U.S. home to the world’s largest prison population. A vast number of those prisoners are victims of the war on drugs, reported Alejandro Crawford in U.S. News and World Report in March:

Read moreOver $1 Trillion Spent Since Nixon Began The War On Drugs
Army Vet Faces Felony For Helping Other Veterans Treat PTSD With Cannabis (Updated)
Sean Kiernan turned to cannabis treatment after an almost fatal struggle with PTSD.
November 11, 2015
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Army Vet Faces Felony For Helping Other Veterans Treat PTSD With Cannabis (Updated)

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

Even though more states are legalizing medical marijuana, and federal officials have claimed that the prosecution of pot smokers is no longer a priority, the “war on drugs” continues to destroy the lives of Americans suffering from dire medical conditions.

Sean Kiernan is a U.S. Army veteran from Rancho Santa Fe, California, who, along with his wife, pleaded guilty earlier this year to felony charges related to growing marijuana for other veterans.

Kiernan attempted suicide in 2011, nearly becoming part of a horrifying statistic: Although the figure is disputed, some estimates suggest that an average of 22 veterans commit suicide each day. Still struggling two years later, Kiernan was involuntarily committed by officials at a Veterans Affairs hospital, an experience which he says led him to embrace the benefits of cannabis over pharmaceutical drugs.

Read moreArmy Vet Faces Felony For Helping Other Veterans Treat PTSD With Cannabis (Updated)