Free Republic

Singer Joss Stone recently sat for an interview with Britain’s Star magazine and it has anti-drug campaigners freaking out. You may have guessed it…the 22-year-old admitted to smoking weed on a regular basis, calling it “fun”. How often does Stone do drugs? Well she said it depends on the day and if the studio allows smoking or not and what song she is working on. Joss said, “I smoke weed, but I don’t think it’s really a drug. It’s more an herb. I don’t regret saying that at all. I think everyone smokes weed and people who say they don’t...

Illicit drugs are in the news again, with talk of creating safe injection sites in major metropolitan centres, and the potential decriminalization of possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use. These discussions cause me a certain amount of personal turmoil. I have written in this space before about my own negative experiences with substance abuse, as well as my belief that all drugs should be decriminalized and regulated. I continue to struggle to reconcile these apparently opposing views on illicit drugs. I'm not a believer of the 'harmless' theory of marijuana use. I'm one of those guys whose...

Bradley Nowell of the band Sublime sang of smoking two joints in the morning and smoking two joints at night. George Mcmahon, a medicinal marijuana user, smokes 300 pre-rolled joints a month and it is perfectly legal. After suffering a lifetime of pain, Mcmahon is now one of only five citizens in the United States to receive federal medical marijuana. Mcmahon feels he is one of the lucky ones and wants to get the message out that marijuana can be beneficial to patients in need, and sometimes is a better cure than many painkillers prescribed today. Each month Mcmahon receives...