The good, the bad and the ugly

Hope this posts. Blogger has been working in fits and starts today. It took all morning to publish a couple of items on the other blog.

Anyway, it's my last day of freedom for a while. It's back to work tomorrow and it's promising to be a brutal seven weeks coming up but then they tell me the worst will be over. Meanwhile, the drug war news is backing up like a clogged drain in my inbox, so I'm just going to do a quick hit post to clear some of this stuff out that's worth reading but I don't have time to fully pontificate on.

More supression of medical research proving marijuana use is not harmful. A story on a study done over five years in Jamaica that reveals there was no difference in children's development between those born to mother's who smoked marijuana during pregnancy and those who didn't.

A long but excellent read on The US Gulag Prison System. Steve Lendman breaks connects the dots between the drug war, the prison industrial system and the greater goals of the government to strip us of our civil rights. [hat tip Tammera Halphen]

The WaPo has a good profile piece on a pain management doctor, who knows the practice from both sides -- as a patient and a provider. [hat tip Jay]

A good editorial from the Chicago Tribune on the FDA's absurd justification for refusing to validate the medicinal worth of marijuana.

The ONDCP's statement on the FDA's decision. Provide your own vomit bucket. You'll notice Johnny boy doesn't mention that former sidekick Andrea Barthwell is making a ton of money shilling for Sativex -- which is essentially a tincture of the natural plant. But that will be sold by big pharma companies, so it's aokay. [hat tip Tim Meehan]

The editor of Scientific American slams the FDA in this piece. I'm told the comments are fascinating. I haven't had time to read them yet. [hat tip Vleeptron]

The NYT also slams the FDA's decision, noting as have many others how disingenous an argument the agency makes to justify its decision since they cite lack of research while simultaneously preventing any research from being conducted.

Take your blood pressure pills before reading this hopelessly lame op-ed from some backwater Bozo who thinks the FDA decision is just great because it will somehow magically make tokers disappear and he won't have to worry about waiting in line to pay for gas anymore. [hat tip Richard Lake]

Finally, if you're still with me, here's a sweet little video featuring Rob Kampia explaining the origin of the 420 holiday. [hat tip Preston Peet].