Author Archives: Áine MacDermot

Marijuana Martyr : The Story of Bernie Ellis

Bear witness with me please to the end of what has been nothing less than a slow and torturous cannabis prohibition persecution, sorry, prosecution of a most decent fellow named Bernie Ellis. On his bucolic and much-loved Tennessee farm Mr. Ellis … Continue reading

Posted in Notebook | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off

Mexico sees sense in war on drugs

On 18 August Mexican security forces discovered the body of the mayor of Santiago “handcuffed and blindfolded” and dumped on the side of the road. Edelmiro Cavazos‘s death was the latest in a conflict that has claimed 28,000 lives over the past … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

Did the Veterans Administration Unseat Marijuana From Schedule I?

To be a Schedule I drug, a substance must meet 3 qualifications: There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision, AND The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

In drug war, the beginning of the end?

Between 1971, when Richard Nixon launched the war on drugs, and 2008, the latest year for which official figures are available, American law enforcement officials made more than 40 million drug arrests. That number roughly equals the population of California, or … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Cannabinoids: The Marijuana Miracle Medicine

With protections for VA medical marijuana patients now secured by VHA DIRECTIVE 2010-035, some are wondering why the DEA continues to treat marijuana as a Schedule I drug. And what — if any — is the significance of the Directive in light of last year’s federal … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off