Blogging for Freedom

The 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, released today, should change peoples' minds about what's really dangerous. Our government has done such a great job demonizing marijuana that binge drinking (defined as consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in one sitting) among teens has increased.

Read the SAFER press release here.

"General campaigns warning of the dangers of alcohol have not been effective, researchers said. They said it is better to teach students to resist peer pressure, show them how alcohol can interfere with academic goals and strictly enforce minimum-age laws. Task force members stressed a need for colleges and communities to work together to fight what they called the "culture of drinking" at U.S. colleges.

The study by the Task Force on College Drinking estimated that drinking by college students contributes to 500,000 injuries and 70,000 cases of sexual assault or date rape. Also, 400,000 students between 18 and 24 years old reported having had unprotected sex as a result of drinking.

Motor vehicle fatalities were the most common form of alcohol-related deaths. The statistics included college students killed in car accidents if the students had alcohol in their blood, even if the level was below the legal limit.

Students who died in other alcohol-related accidents, such as falls and drownings, were included. Those who died as a result of homicides or suicides were not.

(The University of Wisconsin-Madison has long been considered one of the hardest-drinking campuses in the country, but in recent years, there has been only one student death clearly linked to alcohol. That was in April 2001 when a freshman, later determined to have a high blood-alcohol content, fell from a second-story balcony during a beer party.

(Also, between 1995 and 2000, 68% of reported sexual assaults at UW-Madison - 144 out of 213 - involved alcohol.)"  from Associated Press, April 2002

I want to add my own tribute to Steve Irwin, the Australian Crocodile Hunter, as he exemplifies the kind of spirit that accomplishes miracles.  The news of his tragic death has stunned the world. His work on this planet has benefitted us all, his love for wildlife has educated us, his famous passion for conservation has inspired us.  His legacy will live on through the continued effort of all the people everywhere who will fondly remember him always. 

Our thoughts and prayers are with his beloved wife Terri, their children Bindi and Baby Bob, his father Bob, his best mate Wes, and all his friends and family. He is loved and honored by millions.

The world has lost a truly unique and special person.  

God speed, Steve. You will be greatly missed.

Finally, the American justice community is questioning the Constitutionality of Bush's use of so-called "signing statements."  Read the entire article here: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060731/edwards

by Peter Gorman, Cannabis Culture magazine

"In the 33 years since its inception, the US Drug Enforcement Administration has been responsible for the prosecution of nearly 600,000 US citizens on drug violations, the seizure of hundreds of millions of dollars in assets, and the deconstruction of dozens of major drug cartels. On the same watch, the governments and militaries of countless countries have been corrupted by the lure of drug cash; the price of hard drugs has dropped worldwide while potency has increased dramatically; and hundreds of innocent US citizens have been the victims of the DEA’s gung-ho style in raids. What’s wrong with this picture?"

Read the history of the War on Drugs and the DEA