This Week’s Drug Roar

As you can guess, it takes a lot of drugs to get through one episode of Gossip Girl. (Not really.) And, yes, I’m still doing the drug column: This week it’s about the side-effects of drug prohibition. The column wanders a bit too much — digesting the info I come across into streamlined columns is hard sometimes — but I think I make some okay points. I guess.

Recently In Me

This week’s Drug Roar column is up. It’s about how the media covers drugs, using the example of marijuana. I guess. As usual, I’m blogging at drugroar.com.

Also, I wrote this little column about Buzz Bissinger and blogs and truth and baseball in last week’s paper. And, for some reason, reviewed The Price is Right.

Today on DrugRoar.com

I wrote late last night about the scare over “skunk cannabis” in England, which is leading the government to increase the penalties for possession and sale of the drug. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that marijuana use can be lethal, too, which is a level of lie even our politicians won’t touch. (Not that the Inquirer won’t.)

This Week’s Drug Roar

It’s about marijuana decriminalization, the “duh” of drug policy reform. (I forgot to post this Tuesday, mainly because I was sick.) As usual, I’m blogging at drugroar.com nearly every day.

Today On DrugRoar.com

Yes, I’m blogging here every day, for the most part. Today, I write about the big drug bust today and the staunch rhetoric of public officials — ahem, Mr. Mayor — who should know better.

Drug Roar

Look, this column is super-topical: Both Obama and Clinton aren’t progressive when it comes to drug law reform. Actually, they’re pretty much the same as Ronald Reagan. Ooh, goody!

Ron And Barney Go To White Castle

My Drug Roar column this week will be about Barney Frank’s marijuana decriminalization bill, introduced today.

But — oh yes! — did you know who is the lone co-sponsor of the bill?

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) joined Frank as a co-sponsor of the bill.

Ohh, yeah! And you wondered why I endorsed Ron Paul on this website back in February? Uhh, right: Ron Paul may have some stupid ideas, and he may have the most annoying supporters in the world — but at least he doesn’t want to lock you up for smoking weed.

But mainly I’d like to thank Frank and Paul for giving me a nice easy column topic for next week. Hooray!

Drug Roar

This week’s Drug Roar column is up. It’s about low-arrest drug crackdowns. And we have a fun new logo on the front page, thanks to Alex Fine. And, yes, sadly, this is serious stuff again; it pains me to be so unfunny! Intentionally, I mean.

I’m also blogging at drugroar.com.

I Write Something Serious For Once

After 2 1/2 years (or so) of making stupid jokes for this website and for PW, the paper’s finally letting me write something serious! Okay, so I’ve done that in the past, but whatever, I couldn’t think of a better intro to let youse know about my new weekly column about drugs.

The first one’s about the recent “historic” cocaine bust in Philadelphia. Here’s an excerpt:

And if there is a short–term paucity of cocaine on the streets, it’s not just users who are harmed. The head of Atlanta’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force credits stronger policing against drugs for the city’s 2007 uptick in robberies, burglaries and auto thefts.

More murders, Jack Killorin told the Atlanta Journal Constitution March 9, could be on the way: ”If the market here gets unstable down to the street, then the streets will get bloody.”

Whoo! More murders! I can’t wait ’til those hit Philadelphia. The column is called Drug Roar, and I’m also going to be blogging at drugroar.com starting later this week. I’m not sure how many of you will be interested, but if I can’t shamelessly promote myself here, where can I?

Drug Roar [PW]