This is the same government that should have complete control over our health care. <iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JE3FuYaYaIQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> "The government is forcing a form of censorship on us," says Adam Eidinger, co-owner of Capitol Hemp, a two-store chain in Washington, D.C. that is closing its doors for good on August 1, 2012. "They are saying you can't talk about certain subjects if you're going to sell pipes." Capitol Hemp sells clothing and soaps and a vast array of glass and other types of pipes. Police raided Capitol Hemp last fall after an undercover cop reported "unnatural and deceptive" behavior at the company's Adams Morgan branch. What raised the cop's suspicions? According to the police report, employees corrected his use of the word bong and changed the subject whenever he brought up mar1juana. The store's book selection, which included titles on drug legalization, was also cited as proof that the place was really a criminal enterprise. Under current law, drug paraphernalia is illegal, even absent traces of verboten substances. But since anything - from rolling papers to apple cores to beer cans - can be used to smoke pot, federal prosecutors end up relying on "context" to determine when a pipe is just a lawful pipe and not a contraband bong. The government seized over $300,000 of merchandise from Capitol Hemp. After the feds reduced the charges in such a way that a jury trial in federal court was not an option, Capitol Hemp agreed to a deal in which it will "voluntarily" shut down in exchange for the full return of its seized merchandise. When it reopened its doors after the raid, Capitol Hemp dutifully stripped its shelves of any books devoted to drug policy. Eidinger and his partner aren't alone in feeling the heat from federal prosecutors. On May 10, 2012, federal agents raided the homes and stores of 14 hemp-and-head shop owners in Idaho, seizing water pipes, glasswork, and other wares they believe constitute "drug paraphernalia." "The open sale of drug paraphernalia promotes unlawful drug use and helps drug traffickers thrive," announced U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson, who was appointed by Barack Obama, at a press conference about the raids. If such raids are reminiscent of similar actions under George W. Bush, that's because they are. Despite Obama drug czar Gil Kerlikowske admitting that the country "cannot arrest its way out of the drug problem," the Obama administration is doing its damnedest to try. From increasing the number of raids on California's medical-mar1juana dispensaries (which are legal under state law) to pushing for bans on sales of cold medicines, Obama is sadly revealing himself as "just another drug warrior" despite admitting to frequent use of illegal substances. Sadder still: All this is happening as a record number of Americans -- including even religious conservatives such as Pat Robertson -- are voicing support for the legalization of mar1juana. Produced by Joshua Swain. Written by Swain and Nick Gillespie; hosted by Kennedy. About 3 minutes long. Subscribe to Reason's YouTube channel for automatic notification when new material goes live. And go to Reason.tv for downloadable versions of all our videos. For more on President Obama's disturbing record on the drug war, read "Bummer." http://reason.com/archives/2011/09/12/bummer/singlepage And for an in-depth analysis of how drug paraphernalia laws punish controversial speech, read "Bongs Away!" http://reason.com/archives/2009/01/16/bongs-away
Of course, the most that even the most hardcore leftists have asked for is single payer, which is a far cry from "complete control over our health care," but just keep up the lies, lying will cause moderates to vote Democratic in November. BTW, drug policy hasn't changed dramatically in decades, blaming it directly on Obama is disingenuous at best, lying at worst. Keep in mind that this is coming from someone who agrees with you completely WRT drug policy, the WoD is a sacred cow that will be exceptionally difficult to overcome. I lament that Obama has not followed up his 2008 rhetoric on the topic with action to back it up, but I have lamented the same since Bush the elder's presidency.
Idaho officials bust 14 people for selling drug paraphernalia and Spice at Treasure Valley headshops By Patrick Orr — porr@idahostatesman.com Posted: 4:47pm on May 10, 2012; Modified: 7:31pm on May 10, 2012 http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/05/10/2110959/idaho-officials-bust-14-people.html#storylink=cpy District of Idaho U.S. Attorney Wendy Olson said she was not sure how much Spice was seized from shops that sell tobacco and smoking paraphernalia in Boise, Kuna, and Nampa Thursday but did say additional state or federal drug charges are possible against the 16 people indicted on paraphernalia charges. Police are still looking for two people charged in connection with the case: William Oldenberg, 56, who owns and operates the Boise Beverage and Tobacco and Pit Stop Express businesses; and Donovan Johns, 37, co-owner of Boise Beverage and Tobacco. Police arrested the other 14 Thursday. Is it a federal crime to sell drug paraphernalia, like water pipes, bongs, vaporizers and grinders? Yes. Olson said the Boise-area “headshops” were selling drug paraphernalia to drug users and traffickers under the guise of tobacco products, which allowed a federal grand jury to return the felony charges of conspiracy to sell, offer for sale and transport drug paraphernalia; offering drug paraphernalia for sale; and sale of drug paraphernalia. Those crime are punishable by up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Olson said at least nine of the 13 shops were openly selling Spice, and several of those stores sold the synthetic mar1juana to undercover officers. Why are Oldenburg and Johns charged with financial crimes? Federal prosecutors say the pair violated federal rules on reporting income transactions of over $100,000 as they moved money between different bank accounts with money orders and cash transactions. The two men are charged with conspiracy to structure financial transactions, a crime punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison and a $500,000 fine. What do officials say about what they called “Operation Headshop”? “The open sale of drug paraphernalia promotes unlawful drug use and helps drug traffickers thrive,” Olson said Thursday. “These indictments show federal, state and local law enforcement partners will attack drug trafficking on all fronts.” Boise police chief Mike Masterson said the raids should send a strong message “that if you are selling Spice under any name or packaging, you need to stop.” The chemicals uses to make Spice can be as addictive as meth and heroin, detectives say, and young users often end up in our community rushed to emergency rooms. “These chemicals are proven dangerous,” Masterson said. What is Spice? Spice is a mixture of herbs sprayed with a synthetic compound similar to THC, the chemical found in mar1juana. The Legislature made it illegal in Idaho last year. Prior to that, Spice was sold legally at headshops and other places, like a martial arts supply store and a legal documents business. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency labeled Spice “a drug of concern” and says it can cause seizures, high blood pressure and loss of consciousness. It’s now banned in at least 11 states. Who did the year-long investigation? Most Treasure Valley law enforcement agencies have made a handful of arrests for possession and sale of Spice, but the sting this week was the first collaboration between federal, state and local law enforcement. Boise, Nampa, Meridian, Idaho State police, Ada and Canyon county sheriff’s offices, the DEA, Idaho National Guard, IRS and the U.S. Marshals and Attorney’s offices worked on the case. What about previous busts? Boise police arrested four people in September on charges of drug delivery and conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance after officers found 30,000 jars of “Spice” during raids on a warehouse, retail store (the Red Eye Hut) and a house in the Bench. Morgan Alley, who was renting the warehouse and owned the Red Eye Hut and the home, and the three others are scheduled to begin a jury trial in July. Earlier this month the Mini-Cassia Drug Task Force seized 22 pounds of Spice from the Kerb’s Oil in Burley — which law enforcement officials say was worth about $100,000. Warrants also were served at another Burley area store. The Times-News reported that the Minidoka and Cassia counties sheriff’s offices did the raids following a recent spike in the hospitalization of young people smoking Spice. Who was indicted? The people indicted Wednesday by the federal grand jury (none have entered pleas; court dates will be set for later): • Bradley Berquist, 30, owner/operator of Twenty After, and co-owner Gabriel Adam Busby, 37, of Boise. • Thomas Blumke, 38, owner/operator of Other World Gallery, LLC, and manager Crystal Blumke, 32, both of Horseshoe Bend, Idaho. • Yoke Fee Chan, 31, Boise, owner/operator of Royal Smoke LLC. • Hannah Farrar, 24, of Boise, manager of Piece of Mind. • Ali Mayid Kathem, 27, Boise, employee of One Stop Smoke Shack. • Antonio Mendoza, 33, Eagle and Jennifer Dixon, 38, Boise, employees of All Sunshine LLC. • Troy A. Rawlings, 32, Meridian, president of RG Distributing Inc., which owns the Smoke Shack and Smoke Shack 2; company treasurer Jason Guerrero, 33, Boise. • Adam Schreiner, 25, Boise, owner/operator of Bernen’s Pipe Shop LLC. • Raj V. Singh, age unavailable, Boise, owner/manager of Wonderland Hookah and Tobacco Shop. • Anthony Stoner, 33, Eagle, owner/operator of Smoke-N-Accessories. Shops that were raided: • Smoke Shack, 124 13th Ave. S., Nampa. • Smoke Shack 2 482 W. Main Street, Kuna. • Piece of Mind, 3139 N. Cole Road, Boise. •Twenty After, 610 N. Orchard St., Boise. •Wonderland Hookah, 201 W. Boise Ave. • All Sunshine, 540 South Vista Ave., Boise. • Bernen’s Pipe Shop, 2232 West Main St., Boise. • Smoke-N-Accessories, 6419 Ustick Road, Boise. • Royal Smoke, 6811 W. Fairview, Boise. • Other World Gallery, 108 S. 11th St. Boise. • One Stop Smoke Shack, 275 N. Orchard St., Boise. • Boise Beverage and Tobacco, 6469 W. Fairview Ave., Boise. • Pit Stop Express, 10249 W. Fairview Ave., Boise. Patrick Orr: 377-6219 Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/...st-14-people.html#storylink=cpy#storylink=cpy --------------------------------------------- At 5:30 a.m. on May 10, armed men broke into the bedroom of Kirk Kyle Farrar’s 12 year-old daughter and shook her awake. The men led her downstairs at gunpoint and forced her to lie on the floor next to her mother and father, with her hands behind her head. Another armed man took Farrar’s two-year-old son from his crib, and would not let his parents hold him. “My son screamed for his mother for what seemed like an eternity,” Farrar wrote in an email to friends, obtained by Reason. “I will never forget the hopeless feeling of not being able to comfort my son or daughter.” The armed men who broke into Farrar’s home were officers with the Meridian, Idaho, Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. They were executing a federal warrant for Farrar’s arrest for the crime of selling bongs. Farrar’s wasn’t the only family traumatized that morning. Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Idaho National Guard, and four Idaho police departments raided the homes of 13 other headshop owners and employees on May 10. All of the headshops had their inventory seized. One shop lost more than $80,000 worth of merchandise (bongs and pipes marketed as “tobacco water pipes”). Another headshop owner had his and and his employees' vehicles seized. The investigation into these 13 shops and their employees (two of which are still at large) for selling drug paraphernalia was led by U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson, a Barack Obama appointee. Nine of the shops were also accused of selling "spice," a synthetic alternative to the prohibited and significantly safer drug mar1juana. In his email, Farrar denies selling spice. "Piece of Mind Boise has never carried these products EVER! We made a commitment from the start not to carry it because we believe it is dangerous and not being used in a legal fashion." He also notes that his cousin, "[who] has never previously committed a crime and has absolutely no criminal record," has been charged with "with 4 Federal felony charges stemming from selling tobacco products." “The open sale of drug paraphernalia promotes unlawful drug use and helps drug traffickers thrive,” Olson said at a press conference on May 10. “These indictments show federal, state and local law enforcement partners will attack drug trafficking on all fronts.” During a speech at the Center for American Progress earlier this month, Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske said that the law enforcement-only approach to America's drug problem was not "humane, compassionate" or "realistic." He also said that the Obama administration does not believe it can "arrest its way out of the drug problem." Reason spoke to one headshop owner. At his attorney’s behest, this owner declined to go on the record, but did say that local police had been aware of the store’s existence and sales of glass pipes for years, but had never threatened charges or discouraged the business from operating. The owner believes that the raids came at the behest of federal law enforcement officials. According to the Idaho Statesman, “the DEA, Idaho National Guard, IRS and the U.S. Marshals and Attorney’s offices worked on the case,” which the agencies built over the course of an entire year. As if more evidence were needed that President Obama's drug war looks a lot like George W. Bush's: The charges against Farrar and the other Idaho headshop owners are reminiscent of the federal prosecution of actor Tommy Chong under Bush's DOJ. Chong was convicted in 2003 for distributing paraphernalia through his company Nice Dreams Enterprises. Chong was fined $20,000, and made to forfeit his domain name, all of his inventory, and $103,514 in cash.
head shops have always had to claim they are selling their paraphernalia for "tobacco use" only. the dear supreme warrior has started this war on bongs.
The reason there is a war on drugs is because of the right wingers in this country, not Obama or the left. They only do it because they don't want to look bad or too soft. Truth is, we should just decriminalize drugs and institutionalize it. The whole drug trade would collapse. Mexican gangs would be lost and that country might have a future (i.e. illegal immigration issue solved), and it would create another tax revenue stream. Decriminalize addictive drugs. Make it a felony to distribute. Make it available to addicts for a price that pays for all drug-related gov't operations, and instead of spending billions to do nothing, we can probably make millions and actually destroy the industry. Take away their profit motive and yet keep chasing them down and they will disappear - the can't compete with rock bottom prices. And they have no incentive to get new users hooked. As for pot - really, this should just be regulated like alcohol at this point. Decriminalize for sure at the very least. But the above will never happen with the influence of the right wing Mr. Hightop. Ironically that's your party.
Who are the only candidates with any chance at being elected? Politics, you have play the game to win. Ridiculous but true.
Matt Snyder? Ron Paul? R J Harris? Or did you mean a legitimate presidential candidate? Can't think of one.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wWWOJGYZYpk#t=1m35s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The same one still making homophobic slurs at campaign speeches, Thurmond style. The same one whose political philosophy's cowardly, regressive stance on Civil Rights make him the blue-ribbon choice of neo-Nazis and Knights of the KKK everywhere.
