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General News    H3'ed 4/20/14

Special Report: End the Drug War! Happy Marijuana Legalization Day!

By Linn Washington, Jr. and students  Posted by Dave Lindorff (about the submitter)       (Page 1 of 3 pages)   5 comments
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Protesters calling for pot legalization (
Protesters calling for pot legalization (
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A Special Report today on the issue of ending Marijuana Prohibition and the massively destructive War on Drugs, by TCBH! collective journalist Linn Washington, Jr. and three students in his Temple University journalism class:


Marijuana: Facts and Falacies , by Linn Washington


There are no legal observances marking the special April 20 holiday"at least not yet. But 4/20 has national holiday-like trappings among pot smokers across America as a special day and/or special time for cannabis consumption.

There are 4/20 'happenings' around the nation on April 20 and/or at 4:20pm. And, this year those 'happenings' have a heightened interest due to major changes on marijuana from full legalization in Colorado and Washington State to public opinion polls consistently showing overwhelming support for ending the expensive and ineffective War on Weed.

Disgraced former U.S. President Richard Nixon, forced to resign from office for serious misdeeds, launched the War on Weed months before the 1972 release of the report from his presidential commission that studied the drug. One major conclusion of that commission was to decriminalize marijuana. The Schafer Commission was chaired Raymond Schafer, an ex-governor of Pennsylvania whose credentials included being a former federal prosecutor, a conservative and a Republican. Members of that Schafer Commission included two U.S. Senators and one Congressman -- persons who were not 'stoners' in tie-dye tee shirts.


Common Sense on Cannabis: Legalizing Medical Marijuana Long Overdue in Pennsylvania , by Olivia La Bianca


A big reason why Philadelphia State Representative Mark Cohen keeps pushing for the legalization of medical marijuana in Pennsylvania is reality: many people need the substance for treatment of their illnesses and other states have already approved medical use of marijuana.

"Right now, marijuana is readily available to the vast majority of Pennsylvanians, but it's illegal. This bill sets up a statutory framework which legalizes the use of marijuana for medical purposes," Cohen said about his legislation (House Bill 1181) introduced on April 15, 2013 that would legalize the use of medical marijuana in the state.

Medical marijuana is already legal in 20 states including two states adjacent to Pennsylvania: New Jersey and Delaware. Maryland, another adjacent state -- recently approved medical marijuana legislation and similar approval is pending New York state, located north of Pennsylvania...


State Sen. Leach: Promise of Pot Tax Profits will Prompt Pennsylvania Legalization , by Abigail Ferenczy

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Dave Lindorff, winner of a 2019 "Izzy" Award for Outstanding Independent Journalism from the Park Center for Independent Media in Ithaca, is a founding member of the collectively-owned, journalist-run online newspaper (more...)
 

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