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A Drug Raid Goes Viral: Radley Balko on the Missouri SWAT Raid Video

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:30:00 EDT

What happens when video of a routine police procedure is posted online? In the case of a Missouri SWAT raid, outrage, anger, and a viral sensation viewed over 1.2 million times.

Reason Magazine Senior Editor Radley Balko sat down with Nick Gillespie to discuss the raid, the video, and the fallout.

Approximately 10 minutes. Shot by Meredith Bragg and Dan Hayes. Edited by Bragg.

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Madam-Turned-Pol Kristin Davis: Can NY Stand a Governor Who's Convicted Before Taking Office?

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 10:00:00 EDT

Kristin Davis rose to notoriety as the madam who provided New York Attorney General and Gov. Eliot Spitzer with the escorts that led to his demise. Davis ended up going to jail for providing a business populated by and for consenting adults. Spitzer's penalty? Possibly getting a show on CNN.

Now Davis herself is running the Empire State's top slot in Albany, on a platform this is simple and straightforward in libertarian sanity: She wants to legalize (and tax) marijuana and prostitution. For a state as deep in the red as New York, that's no joke. She has also proposed liberalizing gaming laws and called for gambling casinos in the Catskills.

I built a multi-million dollar escort service from scratch before pleading guilty to promoting prostitution. Prostitution in New York is estimated to be a $5 Billion a year business. Legalization and a reasonable tax rate could bring $ 1Billion in new revenues to New York State each year. Legalizing Marijuana would reap another $2 Billion a year. Then New York could balance the budget and still cut property and income taxes.

Additionally, she wants to legalize gay marriage because the state shouldn't discriminate and highlight the inequities of a criminal justice system that treats the politically powerless far worse than the politically powerful. Read more here.

Davis' official campaign site is here.

Davis has enlisted the aid of legendary political operative Roger Stone for a campaign which has no chance of knocking off presumptive gubernatorial shoe-in Andrew Cuomo. But her run gives voice to a series of issues that deserve to be heard now more than ever. And her run gives form to a vision of smart governance and policy that is not simply provocative but utterly persuasive.

Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie sat down with Davis to talk about her platform, the hypocrisy of elected officials, and her coming web-based reality show, Madam Governor, which will document her campaign.

Shot by Dan Hayes, Meredith Bragg and Josh Swain; edited by Swain. Approximately 5 minutes.

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3 Reasons to Legalize Pot Now!

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 06:29:00 EDT

As the United States enters its 72nd year of marijuana prohibition, it's time to consider legalizing pot once and for all, for at least three reasons:

1. The tax revenue and savings in law enforcement costs. A 2005 cost-benefit analysis done by Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron found that legalizing marijuana and taxing it similar to alcohol would generate over $6 billion in new revenue and save nearly $8 billion in direct law enforcement costs. Pot is already the biggest cash crop in many states; bringing it into the open market would pump all sorts of energy into the economy.

2. It's going to happen anyway, so why delay the inevitable? Increasing numbers of Americans realize that pot prohibition is an ineffective and costly policy. A 2009 poll by Zogby found that 52 percent of Americans agreed that marijuana should be taxed and regulated like booze. A Field Poll last year of California residents, who will vote on a legalization ballot initiative in the fall, found that 56 percent wanted legalization. Other polls show historically high percentages favoring legalization. In a world of busted budgets, it's crystal clear that spending time and energy policing marijuana is not worth it.

3. Keep Your Laws Off Our Bodies. Never mind that by virtually every measure, pot is safer and less than disruptive than booze. Pot prohibition in the 1930s was the result of hysteria, not serious threats to society. We own our bodies and should be free to eat, drink, and smoke what we want. And to take responsibility for our actions, whether we're straight or we're stoned.

Approximately 2.30 minutes long. Written and produced by Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie, who also hosts.

Will California Legalize Marijuana? Q&A With Assemblyman Tom Ammiano

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 07:00:00 EDT

Tom Ammiano is a California assemblyman from San Francisco, a former teacher, a long-time civil rights activist and a stand-up comic. Last year, Ammiano introduced a bill to legalize pot in California.

Reason.tv's Paul Feine sat down with Ammiano in March to talk about his life, his bill, and his relationship with Gov. Schwarzenegger.

Approximately 10 minutes. Produced by Paul Feine; shot and edited by Alex Manning.

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Jacob Sullum, Virginia Postrel, & Nick Gillespie on Fox Business' Stossel

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST

On March 4, 2010, Jacob Sullum , Nick Gillespie and Virginia Postrel appeared on a special episode of Fox Business Network's Stossel devoted to prohibition to discuss drug laws, ridiculous media scare stories, and legalizing markets in human organs.

Approximately 30 minutes.

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And come back to Reason.tv March 15 through March 19 for the debut of Reason Saves Cleveland With Drew Carey: How to fix the "Mistake on The Lake" and other once-great American cities, an original six-part documentary series.

Nick Gillespie on PBS's Two-Way Street

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:30:00 EST

On February 19, 2010, Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie made a special apperance via webcam on PBS's Two-Way Street to ask the panel of experts on whether America should look to Portugal's drug policies for its future.

Approximately 1.13 minutes.

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Judge Jim Gray on The Six Groups Who Benefit From Drug Prohibition

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

In 1992, Jim Gray, a conservative judge in conservative Orange County, California, held a press conference during which he recommended that we rethink our drug laws. Back then, it took a great deal of courage to suggest that the war on drugs was a failed policy.

Today, more and more Americans are coming to the realization that prohibition's costs—whether measured in lives and liberties lost or dollars wasted—far exceed any possible or claimed benefits. Reason.tv's Paul Feine interviewed Gray about drug policy and the prospects for reform. The interview was shot by Alex Manning and edited by Hawk Jensen.

Judge Jim Gray is the author of Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do About It: A Judicial Indictment of the War on Drugs.

Approximately 8.30 minutes.

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Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for February 2010

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST

Last month's nannies pulled a modern-day Footloose by banning singing, dancing and rapping at new bars and restaurants—in Snoop Dog's home, no less!

But what about this month?

Check out who's pulling the plug on electric bingo machines (sorry charity fundraisers) and who won't let pet stores sell dogs and cats (seriously?).

But the Nanny of the Month goes to the heartland pol who's waging a very real war on fake pot (A.K.A. spice, K2, genie, black mamba, bliss, dragon, Bombay Blue ...) Ladies and gentlemen, we present Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for February 2010: Kansas State Rep. Robert Olson!

"Nanny of the Month" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Associate Producers are Alex Manning and Paul Detrick. Animation by Meredith Bragg.

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Watch previous Nanny of the Month videos here.

Don't Get Hurt

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST

What if you were injured and developed severe pain that wouldn't go away? Would your government let you take the kind of pain medication you need? If federal officials follow the recommendation of a Food and Drug Administration panel, many of the most effective prescription painkillers—including Vicodin, Percocet, and countless generics—would be banned.

Scott Gardner says that kind of a move would be "intensely cruel."

"I took Vicodin for three years," says Gardner. "I needed it. It got me through a very tough period of my life." The tough period began after a cycling accident shattered the left side of his body. After eight surgeries and countless hours of physical therapy, Gardner's once active life is now filled with limitations. He suffers from chronic pain that prevents him from sleeping more than a few hours at a time, and yet his pain today is nothing compared to the agonizing days and months following his accident.

"When there's nothing but pain, there's no reason to live," says Gardner. "There were times where the only way I could stay sane and civil was because I could take painkillers."

The fear of addiction and abuse already makes many suspicious of pain medication. Media reports about celebrities like Rush Limbaugh or Matthew Perry suggest that it's common for people to become addicted to medications they once took for legitimate medical conditions. And countless public service announcements remind us of the dangers of prescription drug abuse.

Now the old fear of prescription drug abuse takes a new twist. The FDA panel is targeting drugs like Vicodin and Percocet because they contain acetaminophen, a popular painkiller also found in many over-the-counter drugs. Panel members warn that some Americans ingest too much acetaminophen, and overdoses can lead to liver damage, even death.

But maybe the FDA panel isn't putting this threat into context. After all, mundane threats like falling down stairs claim more lives than acetaminophen overdoses. And it turns out the more common fear—that patients will become addicted to prescription drugs—is also overblown. In fact, the barrage of warnings we hear about prescription drugs obscures an important point—people saddled with severe chronic pain need these painkillers.

Says Gardner, "I think people who haven't dealt with pain don't really know what it's like."

"Don't Get Hurt" is written and produced by Ted Balaker, who also hosts. The director of photography is Alex Manning, the field producer is Paul Detrick and the animation in the piece is from Hawk Jensen.

Approximately five minutes. Scroll down for downloadable versions.

To watch this video on Reason.tv's YouTube channel, go here. If you subscribe to the channel, you can also get automatic notifications when new videos go live.

For Reason.com's coverage of "opiophobia," or overblown fears by the government about prescription painkillers, go here.

Rob Kampia Discusses the Marijuana Policy Project

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST

Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie sat down with Rob Kampia, the founder and head of the Marijuana Policy Project to discuss the drug war's long past and (hopefully) short future.

Celebrating its 15-year anniversay, MPP has been a leader in the fight against mindless and destructive prohibitionist policies.

Approximately eight minutes. Shot and edited by Meredith Bragg.

Jessica Corry: Republican Mom for Pot Legalization!

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:01:00 EST

Jessica Peck Corry is a Denver-based attorney, public policy analyst, and political strategist. She has been called one of Colorado’s most influential women by the Denver Examiner and named one of Colorado’s top political "movers and shakers" by the Colorado Statesman.

Reason.tv interviewed Corry on November 10, 2009. On the same day, she spoke to students at the Washington Center for Journalism and Politics on "The Politics of the Drug War" with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Law's Keith Stroup. Stroup's interview is available here. The whole panel, hosted by Reason contributor Terry Michael, can be viewed here

Shot and edited by Reason.tv's Dan Hayes. Approximately 6 minutes.

Terry Michael, Jessica Corry, and Keith Stroup Discuss Marijuana Policy

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:01:00 EST

On November 10, 2009 Reason.tv caught up with the National Organization of the Reform of Marijuana Law Co-founder Keith Stroup, attorney Jessica Peck Corry and Reason contributor Terry Michael. They spoke to students at the Washington Center for Journalism and Politics on "The Politics of the Drug War." Shorter interviews with Stroup and Corry can be viewed here and here.

Shot and edited by Reason.tv's Dan Hayes. Approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Keith Stroup, Co-Founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:00:00 EST

Keith Stroup is an attorney and founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Reason.tv conducted this short interview with Stroup on November 10, 2009. On the same day, he spoke to students at the Washington Center for Journalism and Politics on a panel called "The Politics of the Drug War" with Jessica Peck Corry. Corry's interview is available here. The whole panel discussion, hosted by Reason contributor Terry Michael, can be viewed here.

Shot and edited by Reason.tv's Dan Hayes. Approximately 6 minutes.

Garrett Peck On "The Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America from Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet"

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 07:00:00 EST

Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie sat down with Garrett Peck, author of the new history The Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America From Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet (Rutgers University Press).

A wide-ranging social history that begins with the end of Prohibition and runs up to the current craze over great domestic wines and small-batch spirits, The Prohibition Hangover helps explain why Americans continue to have such an ambivalent relationship toward drinking. Engaging, well-written, and packed with an infinite number of fascinating interviews and historical anecdotes, The Prohibition Hangover is required reading for anyone interested in understanding the past 80 years of American business and culture.

For Peck's official site, go here.

To buy the book, go here.

Related Reason.tv videos include Beer: An American Revolution and Jerome Tuccille on "Gallo Be Thy Name."

Would ObamaCare Kill Medical Innovation?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST

As health care reform inches closer to reality, a massively important question becomes even more pressing: Will ObamaCare kill the sorts of medical innovation that makes the United States the leader in bringing new treatments, technology, and procedures to market?

"America is the only industrialized nation that doesn't have a national health plan," says Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.), former Gov. Howard Dean (D-Vt.), and countless others who want the United States government to guarantee health coverage to all.

Protesters at a recent rally in downtown Los Angeles demanded universal coverage. They told Reason.tv that America is a cruel land where profits come before people.

"It's disgusting!" said one woman. "There should be no profits in health care!" What about those who argue that profits drive medical innovation? "I think that's kind of sick," declared another protester, who wants the U.S. to be more like Canada, where government policy keeps drug prices, and drug company profits, lower than in America.

Many regard the profit motive as cruel, but might it actually produce compassionate results? After all, America has generated vastly more medical innovations than other nations. Included in the long list is the innovation that saved the life of Dave Christensen, construction supervisor, husband, and father. After being diagnosed with cancer, Christensen was lucky enough to be given a then-experimental drug that probably wouldn't have been developed or brought to market in any other country in the world.

If America follows the lead of the rest of the world and clamps down on profits in health care, who will make tomorrow's wonder drugs?

"Drug companies that take big risks may make big profits," says Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie, who hosts the video. "But I say, Good for them. If they're saving lives, I hope they make a killing."

"Would ObamaCare Kill Medical Innovation?" runs about seven minutes. Producer-Writer: Ted Balaker; Producer: Hawk Jensen; Director of Photography: Alex Manning; Associate Producer: Paul Detrick.

Special thanks to the Independence Institute for arranging and underwriting travel to Canada.

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Jerome Tuccille on "Gallo Be Thy Name"

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:00:00 EDT

When Reason.tv last checked in with author Jerome Tuccille (in July 2008), it was to discuss a new edition of his classic libertarian-movement memoir, It Usually Begins with Ayn Rand.

Now Tuccille is back with a new book that explores the lives and times of Ernest & Julio Gallo, the California brothers who went from relative obscurity to being the biggest winemakers in the world.

Gallo Be Thy Name: The Inside Story of How One Family Rose to Dominate the U.S. Wine Market is a mesmerizing story of true crime, murder, Prohibition, family drama, and capitalism. It is also an engrossing social history of the last 100 years of America and explains how we went from a nation that gulped Thunderbird, Ripple, Boone's Farm and other Gallo-created plonk to a country of refined Chardonnay and Zinfandel sippers.

Approximately 10 minutes. Interview by Nick Gillespie; shot by Meredith Bragg and Dan Hayes and edited by Meredith Bragg.

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What Do You Get When You Cross Ronald Reagan and Woody Harrelson?

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:00:00 EDT

Recently, Reason.tv's Ted Balaker sat down with California State assemblyman and U.S. Senate candidate Chuck DeVore.

While the Republican is aiming to Democratic incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer, Devore discusses bipartisan state and federal spending sprees. California remains mired in permanent fiscal crisis because the state spends "every last penny and then some," say DeVore, while noting "the unprecedented increases in state spending under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger."

The novelist and former soldier addresses the historic Bush-era spending binge, but says the "big thing is the order of magnitude shift" under President Obama. "So instead of a multi-billion dollar program, now we're on to trillions."

Other topics include: ObamaCare, foreign policy, California's lax welfare-to-work rules, why the tea party movement is here to stay, and what it's like being a pro-hemp politician in conservative Orange County, California.

Producer is Ted Balaker, director of photography is Alex Manning, field producer is Hawk Jensen, and associate producer is Paul Detrick.

Approximately 8.30 minutes. Scroll down for downloable versions and embed code.

The Secret History of Getting High in America

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EDT

Ryan Grim's new book explores the long and tangled roots of drug use and prohibition in America.

This Is Your Country on Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High is essential reading for anyone interested not only in understanding why drug policy always goes wrong but also how it just might be reformed.

Grim, the senior congressional correspondent for The Huffington Post and a Reason contributor, sat down with Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie. Shot by Dan Hayes and edited by Meredith Bragg.

Approximately 10 minutes. Scroll down for downloadable and audio versions.

"Weedman: The Remarkable Journey of Jimmy Divine"

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EDT

Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie recently sat down with John McCaslin, the co-host of radio's America's Morning News (listen online here), a writer for The Washington Times, and the author of the new book Weed Man: The Remarkable Journey of Jimmy Divine.

Weed Man tells the story of Jimmy Moree, who literally stumbled into drug smuggling when he tripped over a bale of marijuana that had washed ashore on a Caribbean island. Moree, soon to be nicknamed "Jimmy Divine" rapidly became the biggest pot smuggler of them all in the 1970s and his story, expertly told by veteran newsman McCaslin, is a potent tale of drug policy, racially charged social relations, substance abuse, law enforcement perfidy, and much more.

In this interview, McCaslin discusses the likely future of drug policy under President Barack Obama (whose drug czar just announced that "legalization is not in the president's vocabulary" and that "marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal value") and the rampant hypocrisy among DC pols when it comes to using illegal substances.

Approximately nine minutes. Shot by Dan Hayes and Meredith Bragg; edited by Meredith Bragg.

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"This is an injustice and I think everyone has gotten the message."

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Charlie Lynch is the medical marijuana dispensary owner whose business, fully legal under California state law, was raided by federal agents in 2007. Lynch was charged with five counts of violating federal drug laws. He faced as many as 100 years in prison, but on his June 11, 2009 sentencing date many expected the mandatory-minimum five-year sentence.

Although the fact that Lynch was prosecuted at all is an affront to anyone who believes in the 10th Amendment or the efficacy of medical marijuana, Lynch and his attorneys were relieved with the 366-day sentence delivered by U.S. District Court Judge George Wu. Lynch is free pending appeal, and his attorneys are hopeful he can avoid prison entirely. If he is imprisoned, the actual time he would spend behind bars would likely be about four months.

Defense attorney Reuven Cohen expects that his client will be among the last dispensary owners prosecuted in our nation’s failed war on drugs. "I really think," says Cohen, "you're looking at, if not the last, then the penultimate or third to last medical marijuana dispensary prosecution in the United States....This is an injustice, and I think everyone has gotten the message."

This video update is approximately three minutes. Produced by Ted Balaker; shot by Alex Manning and Paul Detrick.

The reason.tv documentary short, "Raiding California," which brought the Lynch case to a national audience, is here.

Reason’s coverage of the Lynch saga is here.

UPDATE: LYNCH SENTENCED TO ONE YEAR AND A DAY; FREE PENDING APPEAL Medical Marijuana's Whipping Boy, Charlie Lynch, To Be Sentenced June 11

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:22:00 EDT

UPDATE ON JUNE 11: Reason.tv's Ted Balaker, on the scene at the Lynch sentencing, reports that Charlie Lynch has been sentenced to three one-year sentences that will run concurrently, plus one day in jaul.

Lynch is free pending appeal and his lawyers, says Balaker, seem extremely happy and relieved with the sentence and are convinced they will knock it down much lower and that Lynch will not be in prison anytime soon.

Look for video of the post-sentencing press conference at Reason.com and Reason.tv soon.

Charlie Lynch is the medical marijuana dispensary owner whose business, fully legal under California state law, was raided by federal agents in 2007.

At his federal trial last year, Lynch was not allowed to mention the legal status of medical marijuana under California state law while conducting his defense. The predictable—and outrageous—verdict? Lynch was found guilty of distributing pot and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.

After several delays, Lynch's sentencing is scheduled for 10A.M. Pacific Time on Thursday, June 11.

Will justice be served? Or will an innocent man pay for the crimes of a government that is out of control? President Barack Obama has said he will stop federal raids against dispensaries in states that have made medical marijuana legal. Will that pledge make a difference in Lynch's sentencing?

Reason.tv has been covering the Lynch saga since it began. For more videos and information on the case, go here now.

This video was edited by Alexander Manning; additional footage provided by Rick Ray.

Approximately 3.20 minutes. Scroll down for audio, iPod, and HD versions.

The song "Whipping Boy" was written and performed by Chris Darrow. Courtesy of Everloving Music.

Go here for Reason's extensive and continuing coverage of Lynch's case.

And come back here on June 11 for an immediate report on the Lynch sentencing.

Fox News Channel Red Eye Host Greg Gutfeld on Media Bias, Liberal Intolerance, and Why Drugs Really, Really, Really Need to Be Legal

Mon, 18 May 2009 12:00:00 EDT

Before he became the host of Fox News Channel's rollicking late-night show Red Eye in January 2007, Greg Gutfeld had worked at magazines as varied as The American Spectator, Prevention, Men's Health, Stuff, and Maxim UK. And, as the fortysomething California native once told Reason.tv, he applied for—and was rejected with extreme indifference—a job at Reason.

Gutfeld appeared recently at Reason Weekend, the annual event held by the nonprofit that publishes this website, where he was interviewed by Reason Senior Editor Katherine Mangu-Ward on topics ranging from media bias to intolerant liberals to the health benefits of smoking to the reason why the drug war is the dumbest thing imaginable. With the possible exception of Bill Maher.

Approximately 30 minutes. Warning for viewers prone to high-blood pressure, heart palpitations, and sour-puss syndrome: Gutfeld mixes humor, outrage and language salty enough to cure a side of bacon. Proceed at your own caution.

Downloadable audio podcast, iPod, and HD versions below.

Should Charlie Lynch Spend the Rest of His Life in Jail, Or Even a Single Day, For Operating a Legal Medical Marijuana Dispensary?

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:00:00 EDT

The sentencing of Morro Bay, California medical marijuana dispensary owner Charles Lynch has been delayed yet again, this time until June 11. According to Reason.tv producer Ted Balaker, who has followed the Lynch saga from its start, the mood in the courtroom was guardedly optimistic, especially as Judge George H. Wu openly expressed his sympathy for Lynch.

"To be blunt, if I could find a way out, I would," said Wu, referring to mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines that insist Lynch get at least five years in prison. However, Wu summarily dismissed the notion of disregarding the guidelines, claiming it would simply be a "monumental waste of time" because such a decision would be overruled by a higher court. Reason.tv will post a video of today's proceedings soon. In the meantime, you can follow the case at Lynch's website, online here.

Charlie Lynch is a California resident who owned and operated a medical marijuana dispensary that was fully legal under a Golden State law.

In 2007, federal agents and San Luis Obispo sheriffs raided his home and dispensary and in 2008 he was found guilty in federal court of five counts of distributing drugs.

Because he was tried in a federal court, Lynch's defense team was not allowed to argue that its client was fully complying with state law.

On Thursday, April 23, 2009, Lynch is scheduled to be sentenced. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and, despite some positive statements from the Obama administration's Justice Department about respecting state laws regarding medical marijuana, Lynch's future is darker than midnight. Indeed, the simple letter of the law dictates he go to prison.

The polite term for Lynch's predicament is Kafkaesque. He is a guiltless man who genuinely helped the sick in his community and is being punished for caring. Now he faces at least five years—and potentially much more—in one of the most sickening and barbaric displays of how the drug war is carpet-bombing huge swaths of American life. Indeed, to call Lynch's plight Kafkaesque is to hide the brutality of America's longest-running and most-destructive war behind an aesthetically comforting phrase.

Charlie Lynch's life has been destroyed by policies and priorities so idiotic and corrosive that they create or exacerbate every negative outcome they purport to address. It is the logic of bombing the village in order to save it raised to an exponential degree and all Americans who believe in the smallest doses of freedom, compassion, rule of law, personal autonomy, and federalism should bear witness to the horror of what has already happened and will likely be made still worse on April 23.

Reason has been following Lynch's story since it began. Below is a chronology and selected bibliography of our print and video coverage of Lynch and the monsters who have prosecuted him like some warped Inspector Javert.

We will be reporting live here on April 23, as soon as the Lynch verdict is announced.

Charles Lynch Chronology

April 1, 2006 ... In accordance with state and local law, Charlie Lynch opens Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers medical marijuana dispensary in Morro Bay, California.
March 29, 2007 ... Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents and San Luis Obispo County Sheriff deputies raid Lynch's home and dispensary.
April 7, 2007 ... Lynch reopens his dispensary with the blessing of the City of Morro Bay.
April 14, 2007 ... The DEA threatens Lynch's landlord with forfeiture unless he evicts the dispensary.
July 17, 2007 ... Federal agents arrest Charlie Lynch, and charge him with violating federal drug laws. Lynch spends three nights in a federal detention center before being released on $400,000 bail. Lynch is confined to home detention and monitored by federal agents.
June 10, 2008 ... Reason.tv exposes a national audience to the Lynch saga with the documentary short Raiding California: Medical Marijuana and Minors.
July 28, 2008 ... Reason covers day one of U.S. vs. Charles C. Lynch: Entrapment? Lynch Trial Update

July 29, 2008 ... Silencing Owen: Lynch Trial Video Update
"Jesse Baldridge": Lynch Trial Update
July 30, 2008 ... Earthquake in the Courtroom: Lynch Trial Update
July 31, 2008 ... Charlie Takes the Stand: Lynch Trial Update
August 1, 2008 ... Lynch Checked with DEA Before Opening Dispensary: Lynch Trial Update
August 2, 2008 ... The Penultimate Day: Lynch Trial Update
August 4, 2008 ... Waiting for the Jury: Lynch Trial Video Update
Charlie's Fate in Jury's Hands: Lynch Trial Update
August 5, 2008 ... GUILTY: Lynch Trial Video Update (includes exclusive interview with jury foreperson)
Charlie Lynch Found Guilty in Gross Miscarriage of Justice
October 6, 2008 ... Free Charlie Lynch Rally: Video Update
November 2008 ... Medical marijuana makes conservatives forget federalism
March 23, 2009 ... Fate on Hold: Will Charlie Lynch Spend Decades in Jail? (Video Update)
March 25, 2009 ... Will the Justice Department's new medical marijuana policy save Charlie Lynch?
April 20, 2009 ... Obama's DOJ Won't Intervene in Charlie Lynch Case

Glenn Greenwald on Drug Decriminalization in Portugal and Obama's Iffy Take on Civil Liberties

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Salon columnist and bestselling author Glenn Greenwald is the author of a new Cato Institute policy paper on Portugal's pathbreaking and hugely successful drug decriminalization program.

Greenwald sat down with Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie to talk about the lessons from Portugal—and Barack Obama's decidedly disappointing performance so far on drug policy, executive power, and civil liberties. Approximately nine minutes. Shot by Dan Hayes and Meredith Bragg; edited by Dan Hayes.

Go here for audio podcast.

Jacob Sullum at Hampden-Sydney College

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:00:00 EDT

In September 2008, Reason senior editor Jacob Sullum spoke at Hampden-Sydney College in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia, as part of a lecture series sponsored by the school's Center for the Study of Political Economy. His talk, Voodoo Pharmacology: Drug Use and Loss of Control, is approximately one hour.

High Times' Cannabis Cup Vid

gillespie@reason.com (Nick Gillespie) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Here's some March Madness even basketball haters can get behind.

High Times' annual Cannabis Cup issue in on newsstands now and the video above follows the mag's top "ganja guide," Jorge Cervantes on a fun and interesting tour of Amsterdam's coffee shops. When is Rachel Ray going to smoke in Amsterdam on $40 a day? Or Anthony Bourdain do a No Reservations episode from the Greenhouse?

Obama, You're No Stranger to the Bong

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 07:00:00 EST

Thank you, President Obama, for keeping your campaign pledge to end raids on medical marijuana dispensaries that are legal under state laws in California and elsewhere. Thank you for reversing an inhumane policy established by the Clinton administration and continued by the Bush administration.

Given the experience you and other elected officials have had with illegal drugs and your willingness to challenge the status quo, now is the time to reconsider decades of prohibitionist drug policies that have succeeded only in massively increasing the toll of human misery, violence, and hypocrisy. As with alcohol prohibition, the drug war intensifies and exacerbates every negative outcome it is ostensibly designed to combat.

President Obama, do the right thing and end the war on drugs.

"Obama, You're No Stranger to the Bong" was written, performed, and edited by Paul Feine; special thanks to Alex Manning.

The Reason.tv Talk Show, Episode 10

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST

Reason.tv's Michael C. Moynihan and Nick Gillespie recently sat down with Julie Stewart, founder and head of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, and Mark Hemingway, a staff reporter at National Review Online.

In a wide-ranging and freewheeling discussion, Stewart and Hemingway discussed the rise of mandatory drug sentencing laws, right-wingers and marijuana use, conservatives vs. libertarians, just how bad President Barack Obama might turn out to be, and much, much more.

Approximately 20 minutes. Shot by Dan Hayes and edited by Roger Richards.

Go here for audio podcast.

Former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper on the High Costs of the Drug War

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EDT

Norm Stamper is a cop who saw it all during his 34 years on active duty. As police of Seattle from 1994 through 2000, he was in charge during violent World Trade Organization protests in the Emerald City.

Stamper, who holds a Ph.D. in leadership and human behavior from United States International University, has emerged as one of the most thoughtful and outspoken critics of the war on drugs, which he believes causes untold misery, undermines effective law enforcement, and doesn't begin to pass any sort of cost-benefit analysis. As important, the libertarian Stamper believes that the drug war—and other wars on the behaviors on consenting adults—does great violence to the idea that we own our bodies.

Stamper is the author of the Breaking Rank: A Top Cop's Exposé of the Dark Side of American Policing (2005) and now works with Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), a nonprofit created by former cops to "reduce the multitude of unintended harmful consequences resulting from fighting the war on drugs and to lessen the incidence of death, disease, crime, and addiction by ultimately ending drug prohibition."

For an audio podcast version, go here.

Drug Education with Ali G

paul.feine@reason.tv (Paul Feine) — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Before he was Borat, comedian Sacha Baron Cohen was Ali G. In this clip, Ali G indulges in a bit of drug education.

Saving An Innocent Man From Death Row

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Reason Senior Editor Radley Balko discusses the Cory Maye story, the war on drugs. the militarization of police, and more.

Back to Mississippi Drug War Blues: The Case of Cory Maye

Mississippi Drug War Blues

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Update (November 20, 2009): On Tuesday of this week, the Mississippi State Court of Appeals ordered a new trial for Cory Maye. This is heartening news for Maye, who has been in prison since December of 2001. Defense attorney Bob Evans said of the decision, "I am, needless to say, delighted. I'm just ecstatic. We hoped against hope all along that this would happen." Reason senior editor Radley Balko, who has written extensively about the case, had this to say: "At worst, he's guilty of poor judgment under some pretty traumatic circumstances. He had no criminal record, wasn't a drug dealer and has been a model prisoner. Cory Maye isn't a threat to society. Let him go back to Monticello to be a father."

Update (February 9, 2009): We're proud to announce that Mississippi Drug War Blues: The Case of Cory Maye, by writer-producer Paul Feine and editor-producer Roger M. Richards, was awarded the Best Documentary Short prize at the 2009 Oxford Film Festival in Oxford, Mississippi.

Mississippi Drug War Blues originally aired on May 7, 2008.

At 11p.m on December 26, 2001 police in Prentiss, Mississippi raided the residence of Cory Maye, a 21-year-old father who was at home with his 18-month-old daughter Ta'Corriana.

The cops were looking for drugs and smashed through the back door. In the ensuing chaos, Maye hunkered down with his daughter in a bedroom and when the police broke down that door, he fired three bullets, one of which killed Officer Ron Jones. Maye testified in court that the police did not identify themselves until after they had entered his residence; indeed, he testified that they did not identify themselves until after he had fired his shots. Once they did, he said he put his weapon on the floor, slid it toward police, and surrendered.

The police, who refused to talk with reason.tv, tell a different story. They claim that they identified themselves multiple times before entering Maye's house and bedroom, and that there was no way Maye couldn't have known who they were. A jury rejected Maye's case that he was acting in self-defense and he was sentenced to death for the murder of Officer Ron Jones.

"Mississippi Drug War Blues" is a story about the intersection of race (Maye is black and Jones was white); the war on drugs; the disturbing increase in the militarization of police tactics; and systemic flaws in the criminal justice and expert-testimony systems.

It is a tragedy in which one man is dead and another may spend his life in prison.

It is the subject of an October 2006 story in reason by Senior Editor Radley Balko, whose coverage of the case led to Cory Maye receiving new legal representation and his death sentence being changed to life in prison. To read the original story, please go here.

In September 2006, Cory Maye's new legal team of Robert Evans and lawyers from the Washington, D.C.-based firm of Covington and Burling was given two days to argue their post-trial motion that his guilty verdict should either be overturned or that he should be granted a new trial.

After the hearing, the judge ordered a new sentencing trial, determining that Maye's trial attorney was competent during the guilt phase of his trial, but incompetent during the death penalty phase. He ruled against all of the remaining defense arguments, including concerns about confidential informant Randy Gentry, discrepancies in police testimony, the venue for the trial, and problems with controlling precedent in the state with respect to self-defense.

Prosecutors eventually agreed to drop their pursuit of the death penalty. Earlier this year, Maye was again sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Because of the delays associated with acquiring new representation, Cory Maye's case in May 2008 is still in the early stages of his appeal. His legal team anticipates the case will be heard in the fall.

If the Mississippi State Court of Appeals denies Maye relief, he'll then appeal to the Mississippi State Supreme Court. If he's again denied relief, he'll begin his federal appeal process in the United States District Court in the Southern District of Mississippi, and then to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

In early 2008, a state district court judge in Mississippi denied attempts by Maye's attorneys to bring in Dr. Steven Hayne for questioning (Hayne, who performed the autopsy of Ron Jones, was a key witness for the prosecution). Maye's lawyers had hoped to question Hayne under oath about recent revelations about Hayne's questionable autopsy procedures and questionable credentials, first reported in reason, then touted by the Innocence Project and its Mississippi chapter. Maye's lawyers plan to raise their concerns about Hayne in the appeal.

Cory Maye is currently housed in Unit 32, the high-security wing at Mississippi's Parchman Penitentiary. His daughter Ta'Corrianna lives in Covington, Louisiana with her mother Chanteal Longino. His son Cory, Jr. lives in Jackson, Mississippi.

RIP, Albert Hofmann

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Albert Hofmann--the Swiss scientist who synthesized LSD for the first time in 1938--died Tuesday. He was 102 years old.

Watching this little video makes the walls breathe just like LSD (but without the commitment).

If Ecstacy Were Legal

paul.feine@reason.tv (Paul Feine) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:50:00 EDT

The fine people at MAD TV give us a glimpse of a world without drug prohibition.

WFB on Drugs

ted.balaker@reason.tv (Ted Balaker) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:06:00 EST

He was my kind of conservative, and in this 1996 interview, William F. Buckley, Jr. attempts to pry open the mind of the host, and convince him that, as a National Review cover once put it, "The War on Drugs is Lost."

W.F.B., R.I.P.

Why is pot illegal?

ted.balaker@reason.tv (Ted Balaker) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:40:00 EST

Well, it's because it turns you into a do-nothing slacker, like the ones depicted in this "Above the Influence" documentary. No, wait--it's because it turns you into a murderous sex-crazed zombie.

In this video clip, the Marijuana Policy Posse offers a different take.

'They're Getting High for Free'

jsullum@reason.com (Jacob Sullum) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 13:02:00 EST

During the Super Bowl, as is its wont, the Office of National Drug Control Policy unveiled a new anti-drug PSA, featuring a curiously chatty drug dealer who complains that his business is down because all the kids are getting high off the pills they find in their parents' medicine cabinets. Presumably intended as a warning to parents, the ad also functions (like so much anti-drug propaganda) as a tip for kids. The drug dealer and the ONDCP may be equally imprudent in calling attention to the free highs available in the bathroom, but only one of them actually exists.

At Best Week Ever, Dan Hopper uses the new spot as an excuse to collect "The 10 Funniest Anti-Drug Commercials in Advertising History." Some of his choices, including the one featuring the fried egg representing your brain on drugs, the one showing a girl diving into a dry swimming pool, and the one in which Pee-Wee Herman warns kids that crack is both instantly addictive and instantly deadly, are justly recognized as classics. But a few of them I'd never seen before, including Hopper's top pick, in which the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles teach a classroom of schoolchildren how to respond when confronted by a fellow pipsqueak with a handful of joints. Michaelangelo, who suggests ordering a pizza, is clearly confused: That's what you do after smoking the pot.

Personally, I'm partial to the spot in which a heroin-chic Rachel Leigh Cook trashes a kitchen to demonstrate what happens after you snort a certain white powder, which merits only an "honorable mention" from Hopper. Here the creative geniuses at the Partnership for a Drug-Free America have managed to take the fried-egg ad, which was so hyperbolic it was legendary, the object of universal derision and satire (except at the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, where it is still recalled with pride), and make it even more over the top. Plus she looks kinda hot swinging that frying pan.

Legal Absinthe in the US

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:51:00 EST

(Click on the image to play the video.)

After nearly a century of prohibition, la fee verte is once again legal in the US.

Legal, that is, as long as it contains less than 10ppm (parts per million) of thujone. Thujone--the active chemical in grand wormwood, one of the many herbs used to make absinthe--has long been thought to be resonsible for creating the magical sense of lucidity that many absinthe enthusiasts report.

Around the turn of the 20th-century, absinthe was adored by some of the most prominent artists, poets, and writers in Europe and the US, including Manet, Rimbaud, Lautrec, Baudelaire, Degas, Wilde, Van Gogh, London and Hemingway. Immortalized in many works of art, absinthe has become perhaps the most mythical alcoholic drink the west has ever known, and its mystique was only enhanced when it was banned in many European countries and the US in the early part of the 20th-century.

Efforts to ban absinthe were spearheaded in the late 19th-century by French prohibitionists who formed a curious coalition with French winemakers. Their successful propaganda campaign condemned absinthe as a drink that causes illness, criminal activity and, ultimately, insanity. Today, while there is disagreement about the psychotropic effects of thujone, the amount of thujone present in pre-ban absinthes and whether today's legal absinthes (with <10ppm thujone) can be called genuine, it's clear that absinthe is as safe as any other alcoholic drink.

For more information about absinthe (including how to get your hands on the green fairy), go here .

Enthusiasts may want to check out Barnaby Conrad's Absinthe: History in a Bottle , a lovely coffee table book.

Heroic Fire Fighter Faces Uncommon Peril

paul.feine@reason.tv (Paul Feine) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:07:00 EST

In this clip, an unsuspecting fire fighter is subjected to marijuana smoke while fighting a fire. Witness the horrific effects of this nefarious substance!

Aliens Stole My PSA Money

jsullum@reason.com (Jacob Sullum) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 18:24:00 EST

Students for Sensible Drug Policy reports that the omnibus spending bill the House has approved and the Senate is considering cuts funding for the federal government's obnoxious anti-drug ads by 40 percent, allocating half of what the Bush administration requested. (Congress had to get the money for projects like the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service somewhere.) Here SSDP briefly reviews two decades of anti-drug propaganda and questions Slate writer Seth Stephenson's judgment that the latest batch of TV spots is "very possibly the most effective, and least offensive, anti-marijuana campaign ever created."

Don't smoke reefer, Dewey!

ted.balaker@reason.tv (Ted Balaker) — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:20:00 EST

Clip from "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story"

RELATED: Weed vs. Booze

Scrutinizing Drug War Propaganda

paul.feine@reason.tv (Paul Feine) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:47:00 EST

The Office of National Drug Control Policy spends an awful lot of our money to convince us that drugs are bad. How convincing can they be, however, if the substance of their message crumbles in the face of criticism? What are we to make of the fact that ONDCP doesn't allow comments on their ads posted to YouTube?

In this clip, John Holowach, the director of the forthcoming documentary, HIGH: THE TRUE TALE OF AMERICAN MARIJUANA, scrutinizes an ONDCP public service announcement.

Weed vs. Booze

ted.balaker@reason.tv (Ted Balaker) — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 13:38:00 EDT

Quick! What percentage of Americans believe marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol?

What would you say if 100 grand were on the line?

KEEP stanHOPE ALIII...

ted.balaker@reason.tv (Ted Balaker) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 17:32:00 EDT

Ahh never mind.

Stick with the likes of Ron Paul or Chris Dodd if you're looking for a presidential candidate who wants to liberalize drug policy. Doug Stanhope has pulled out.

But you can still check out the comic's rant on medical marijuana; his rant on freedom is here.

"Building webs is for suckas"

ted.balaker@reason.tv (Ted Balaker) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 17:15:00 EDT

Hot boxing your dog: not cool.

Dabbing spiders with drugs: also not cool.

After watching this piece, you legalizers might have some rethinking to do. No one wants to end up as the crack spider's bitch.

(Thanks to Michael O for the tip)

Drug War "abject failure"

ted.balaker@reason.tv (Ted Balaker) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 12:31:00 EDT

(Click and look for video on right)

So says San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.

So full steam ahead toward legalization, right? Not really .

"End this war on drugs. Now, that is an attack ad by any politician, what I just said, they would be desperate to find that tape of what I just said," Newsom said.

The mayor insisted, however, that he wasn't calling for the legalization of all drugs - just a recognition that the current approach isn't working.

"I'm not saying (legalization). I'm saying get real about it," he explained.

Magic Weed

ted.balaker@reason.tv (Ted Balaker) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 11:06:00 EDT

The story of cannabis, Part 1.

Find subsequent parts under the "related videos" column here.

Sullum vs. O'Reilly on Drugs

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 15:43:00 EDT

In this classic O'Reilly Factor segment, Reason's Jacob Sullum enters the "no-spin zone" to discuss his book, Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use. Highlights include O'Reilly calling Sullum a "pinhead" and warning him to "stay away from my family." Much of the action happens after the host lets Sullum have the last word. Enjoy!

Government Pot

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 17:25:00 EDT

Irv Rosenfeld has been smoking 11 ounces of marijuana every month for the past 25 years. Who is is supplier? None other than our own federal government!

Reason.tv - Topics

A Drug Raid Goes Viral: Radley Balko on the Missouri SWAT Raid Video

Madam-Turned-Pol Kristin Davis: Can NY Stand a Governor Who's Convicted *Before* Taking Office?

3 Reasons to Legalize Pot Now!

Will California Legalize Marijuana? Q&A With Assemblyman Tom Ammiano

Jacob Sullum, Virginia Postrel, & Nick Gillespie on Fox Business' Stossel

Nick Gillespie on PBS's Two-Way Street

Judge Jim Gray on The Six Groups Who Benefit From Drug Prohibition

Reason.tv's Nanny of the Month for February 2010

Don't Get Hurt

Rob Kampia Discusses the Marijuana Policy Project

Jessica Corry: Republican Mom for Pot Legalization!

Terry Michael, Jessica Corry, and Keith Stroup Discuss Marijuana Policy

Keith Stroup, Co-Founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws

Garrett Peck On "The Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America from Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet"

Would ObamaCare Kill Medical Innovation?

Jerome Tuccille on "Gallo Be Thy Name"

What Do You Get When You Cross Ronald Reagan and Woody Harrelson?

The Secret History of Getting High in America

"Weedman: The Remarkable Journey of Jimmy Divine"

"This is an injustice and I think everyone has gotten the message."

UPDATE: LYNCH SENTENCED TO ONE YEAR AND A DAY; FREE PENDING APPEAL Medical Marijuana's Whipping Boy, Charlie Lynch, To Be Sentenced June 11

Fox News Channel Red Eye Host Greg Gutfeld on Media Bias, Liberal Intolerance, and Why Drugs Really, Really, Really Need to Be Legal

Should Charlie Lynch Spend the Rest of His Life in Jail, Or Even a Single Day, For Operating a Legal Medical Marijuana Dispensary?

Glenn Greenwald on Drug Decriminalization in Portugal and Obama's Iffy Take on Civil Liberties

Jacob Sullum at Hampden-Sydney College

High Times' Cannabis Cup Vid

Obama, You're No Stranger to the Bong

The Reason.tv Talk Show, Episode 10

Former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper on the High Costs of the Drug War

Drug Education with Ali G

Saving An Innocent Man From Death Row

Mississippi Drug War Blues

RIP, Albert Hofmann

If Ecstacy Were Legal

WFB on Drugs

Why is pot illegal?

'They're Getting High for Free'

Legal Absinthe in the US

Heroic Fire Fighter Faces Uncommon Peril

Aliens Stole My PSA Money

Don't smoke reefer, Dewey!

Scrutinizing Drug War Propaganda

Weed vs. Booze

KEEP stanHOPE ALIII...

"Building webs is for suckas"

Drug War "abject failure"

Magic Weed

Sullum vs. O'Reilly on Drugs

Government Pot

Madam-Turned-Pol Kristin Davis: Can NY Stand a Governor Who's Convicted Before Taking Office?