Free Republic

<p>Santa Cruz, California police pulled over a car with tinted windows — a no-no in California — last September, reports the Santa Cruz Sentinel. Inside they found two men and 18 ounces of "Purple Haze" brand marijuana worth about $3,000.</p>

Those who advocate treatment as a more effective approach to drug abuse than prison have a new and unlikely poster child. Rush Limbaugh. Long a supporter of sending drug addicts "up the river," including those hooked on prescription medications, Limbaugh now resides on the wrong side of his own line in the sand. I hope his stint in drug rehab will render him "born again" on this issue. I have no interest in vilifying Rush Limbaugh for being a drug addict. This unhappy condition can befall anyone regardless of income, race, intelligence or ideology. Misconstrued as a failure of character,...

Senator Richard J. Durbin (D., Ill.) is 58 years old and a graduate of Georgetown Law School. He has been in federal elected office for more than 20 years. His official duties include appointments on his chamber's Judiciary Committee, the Governmental Affairs Committee, the Committee on Rules and Administration, and the Select Committee on Intelligence, as well as about a dozen subcommittees. His demeanor is serious, sober and focused. So why does Durbin want juries to ignore federal law? Durbin is currently seeking cosponsors for a bill that allows federal juries to be informed when defendants facing medical marijuana charges...

As citizens of a free country, most Americans doubtless view the government as supportive of patients' rights and of innovative medical treatments. And this is largely a good view, unless your doctor believes that the best medicine for you is marijuana, in which case the only thing you'll receive from the federal government is jail time and a criminal record. There is, however, hope of change on the horizon. This October, Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) will introduce the Truth in Trials Act in the Senate. For the first time ever, Congress will entertain a bill proposing a federal law to...

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- A measure to reduce penalties for medical marijuana is moving forward in the Senate. The legislation passed through the amendment stage Tuesday on the Senate floor and there was no debate on the issue. A vote could come as soon as Wednesday. A matching bill already has passed the full House of Delegates. The bill would allow people charged with possession of small amounts of marijuana to present evidence that they have a medical condition that can be helped by smoking pot. The maximum penalty for possession of marijuana for medical purposes would be a $100 fine....