No, it’s not a delicious fried pastry, it’s the product of American politicians doing what they do best: pandering to overfunded lobbyists and being malicious douche bags. Needless to say, Stoner Culture would most likely not exist at all if SOPA (House Bill 3261) or PIPA were to pass. You can also say goodbye to all your other favorite drug resources as well! Erowid, Bluelight, TCC, DMT Nexus, Opiophile, etc etc. I don’t think a single one of them would exist.

If either SOPA or PIPA pass, dark times will lie ahead for the drug enthusiasts of America. We will no longer have access to the resources that have helped make us responsible and safety-conscious drug users.

Us stoners have a reputation of being so-called “slacktivists” – only complaining about problems without taking any action or offering up solutions. So let’s change that image! Go here: http://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml and tell your representative to vote against SOPA and PIPA as hard as they can. Remind them that as their constituent, they are working for you, more than they’re working for any lobby group or PAC.

Update: It looks like something happened! Google has reported 4.5 million signatures on their petition to stop SOPA/PIPA, and millions of others have signed at Avaaz, Fight for the Future, and the White House petition sites. An impressive number of websites blacked out their content, or publicly protested yesterday. Wikipedia, Craigslist, Mozilla Firefox, Reddit, Wired, Cracked, Ars Technica and Google (and a long list of 10,000 less prominent sites) went completely black yesterday, or joined the virtual rebellion by posting up messages and selectively censoring their sites.

In the most satisfying news, it would also appear that at least 10 senators have withdrawn support for SOPA. Three House Reps who initially co-sponsored the bill have backed out, weakening support at the very base. Politicians from all walks of life, including republicans from the deep South, withdrew their support. It may have taken the entire internet rising up, but it proves that – if nothing else – they aren’t completely bought out just yet.

Lotus

We don’t talk much about politics here, I think mostly because we’re apathetic and/or disillusioned. There are precisely two politicians I genuinely think would be appropriate leaders of our fair country. One of them is the highly polarizing Ron Paul. No, I do not think he’s the second coming of Jesus, and I definitely don’t approve of his views on church and state or abortion. But overall, there’s probably not a more sincere, consistent and honest politician that actually has a chance at becoming president.

The other is the largely unknown former governor of New Mexico: Gary Johnson. A young, active, perhaps more progressive version of Ron Paul, Johnson has gained notoriety (and respect) for having climbed Mts. Everest, Elbrus, McKinley and Kilimanjaro, performing impressive 140+ mile triathlons, and a 100 mile run through the Rocky Mountains. He also survived a 50 foot fall from a paragliding accident and treated his pain with medicinal marijuana.

No, he is not a myth, though he might sound too good to be true. He is highly vocal about his disdain for the War on Drugs, specifically the War on Marijuana. In fact, he has been firmly (and loudly) of this opinion as far back as 1999, long before the argument was part of public discourse.

Nowadays, he is trying to gain footing to stage a serious presidential run, likely in 2016. Just today an op-ed piece authored by none other than Johnson was published in Big Government – a strictly right-leaning website. In the article Johnson argues for the end of the War on Drugs, citing the fiscal, social and international benefits that could come with it. And… well, I’ll let you read it for yourself:

http://biggovernment.com/gjohnson/2012/01/16/its-time-to-end-the-war-on-drugs/#more-408344

A new survey reports that a majority of Americans support the legalization of marijuana. Angus Reid Public Opinion has found that 55% of Americans support legalization of marijuana. This is higher than both their 2009 and 2010 surveys, in which Americans favored it 53% and 52%, respectively.
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In this passionate open letter to Americans, writing staff of “The Wire” point out some of the obvious flaws with the drug war, and make a suggestion of what the average, broke, well-meaning American can do to help. The authors do suggest that perhaps the role of TV writer is not the best suited for social commentary. I wholeheartedly disagree. If there is a better suited role than the most universal form of American entertainment to shed light on an issue, I’d love to hear it. Obviously this can go wrong, in the form of Fox News, for example, but when it goes right, I’ll be damned if it isn’t spectacular.

As an avid “The Wire” enthusiast, I was excited to read this. It wasn’t too surprising, however, given the nature of the show, to learn of their opinions on the matter. Regardless, I think it could be a very beneficial, and perhaps enlightening, read to the less “involved” in our culture.

Without further ado: The Wire’s War on the Drug War

Apparently the DEA really doesn’t discriminate. I suppose this is a good thing, since blacks outnumber whites 4-1 in American jails, and they are outnumbered 6-1 in the population of the US. But once again, the lack of oversight and general lack of interest in gathering worthwhile evidence tacks on another repetitive mark under “failed police raid on innocent American’s home.” This time, however, the victim of the raid was not an average American. Where most people would have neither the time nor resources to pursue any type of restitution, this UC Hastings professor vows to take his case as far as possible. At one time even being quoted saying he will not stop until “I see [the agents'] houses sold at auction and their kids’ college tuitions taken away from them.”

While it’s fairly unlikely that any repercussions will befall the individual officers involved in this case, it is possible that the infuriated professor, Clark Freshman, will see some sort of monetary compensation. It is historically a fruitless venture to take on any wing of the American government, especially the judicial sect. And for obvious reasons. But then again, this is not the ordinary citizen, and he probably has some friends in high places. I’ll be interested to see how this one turns out.

You can view the full story here.

Pot legalization advocates are undeterred by the defeat of Prop. 19.

Everything but the period in the above sentence links to an LA Times article covering the response by various legalization bodies to Prop. 19′s defeat. A heartening read for the disappointed armchair cannabis legalization activist in all of us. Check it out and please leave feedback on this article or the site in general by commenting below!

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I introduced AB390 not only to address California’s growing economic crisis but, more importantly, to begin a rational public policy discussion about how best to regulate the state’s largest cash crop, estimated to be worth roughly $14 billion annually. Placing marijuana under the same regulatory system that now applies to alcohol represents the natural evolution of California’s laws and is in line with recent polls indicating strong support for decriminalizing marijuana.
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Full article at the SF Gate. This piece was written by Tom Ammiano, the man who introduced bill AB390.

In case you haven’t heard, the Californians have introduced a bill which would allow for legalized and taxed marijuana. Here’s the full text of the bill, in case you’re interested in reading it.

If you’re joining us after a couple bowls, which is more than likely the case, here’s a handy diagram showing what needs to happen for this bill to pass (click for big):

All credit goes to VladTemplar for originally writing this.

So you want to know the state of the law eh? Then listen up.

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From the Boston Herald:

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Activists who want joints sold over the counter like cigarettes are bankrolling a Bay State pot referendum backers claim will simply clear the air of piddling marijuana cases choking the court system.

The Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy, which placed Question 2 on the November ballot, collected from the Marijuana Policy Project $200,000, about 30 percent of its total. Indeed, about 90 percent of the $635,000 the committee has raised comes from people who live out of state.

On its Web site, the marijuana project’s mission statement states clearly: “Adults who use marijuana should be able to obtain it from legally regulated establishments and not from illegal drug dealers.”

Woody Kaplan, a Hub real estate developer and self-styled “provocateur” who donated $10,000 to the state ballot initiative, also backs the call for legal pot sales.

“I believe taxing and regulating is a much better way than what the ballot question proposes,” said Kaplan, who held a $250-a-head fundraiser for the Marijuana Policy Prject earlier this month.

“This is government making a choice that something that is clearly destructive – alcohol – is OK, but somebody smoking marijuana isn’t,” Kaplan told the Herald.

Daniel R. Lewis, 62, of Coral Gables, Fla. – the scion of the Progressive Insurance fortune and a self-confessed former toker – also would like to see grass legalized and regulated.

“I think it’s a relatively harmless drug, as compared to alcohol,” said Lewis, who gave $5,000 to the pot project.

The group also counts among its backers actor Jack Black, talk show host Bill Maher and former wrestler and Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, and uses Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Mansion for its lavish fund-raisers.

If passed, the ballot initiative would make having an ounce or less of marijuana a civil offense punishable by a $100 fine. Minors’ parents would be notified, and the kids would have to complete a drug awareness program.

Middlesex County District Attorney Gerard Leone slammed the pot activists as out of touch and predicted the measure would be a gateway to weaker drug laws.

“Question 2 will allow a foot in the door to people with a misguided, radical agenda,” Leone said.

Whitney Taylor, campaign manager, pointed to a Suffolk University poll that showed 72 percent of voters support the ballot question.

“They are not out of the mainstream,” Taylor said. “They are the mainstream.”

Kaplan, a 66-year-old board member of the Godless America PAC, which “mobilizes nonbelievers for political activism,” said he’s heard it all before.

“Same-sex opponents said if you allow same-sex marriage, people would marry dogs,” Kaplan said. “Yeh, right. It’s just fear tactics, and it’s absurd.”

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Comment below.