This Week: Research Finds Marijuana Fights Cancer; 5 Surprising Consequences of the War on Drugs; Prison Spending Impacting Higher Education; David Axelrod on Obama’s 2nd Term Drug War Plans; Parody Ads Mocks Obama’s Kal Penn Ad for Hypocrisy on Marijuana Policy; Libertarian Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson Presses for Marijuana Legalization; Should Grandma Smoke Pot?; Marijuana in System Not Enough to Prove Impairment; German Gov Shuts Down Planned Cannabis Rally; Obama’s Embarrassing Silence on Medical Marijuana; and more.

MEDICAL/HEALTH

Research Finds Marijuana Fights Cancer –   Mounting evidence shows ‘cannabinoids’ in marijuana slow cancer growth, inhibit formation of new blood cells that feed a tumor, and help manage pain, fatigue, nausea, and other side effects.

 Non-Psychotropic Cannabinoid Proves Safe in Humans — The oral administration of the non-psychotropic cannabis plant constituent cannabidiol (CBD) is safe and well tolerated in humans, according to clinical trial data published online by the journal Current Pharmaceutical Design.

POLITICS/LEGAL

Obama’s Embarrassing Silence on Medical Marijuana — I’ve heard many democrats address Obama’s handling of the marijuana issue by asking, “what do you expect?” and I’m happy to answer them. I expect change. Absent that, I expect an explanation. An explanation is something you ought to have when you’re arresting millions of people to protect them from a piece of plant material they put in their own pocket. The billions we spend trying to stop people from relaxing in this particular fashion should be subject to the same scrutiny as any other enormous amount of money our government spends, if not far more.

5 Surprising Consequences of the War on Drugs — Nearly every American, whether or not they actually use drugs,  is affected by conditions the drug war creates.

Prison Spending Impacting Higher Education–  California spent $592 million on corrections in 1980. That spending has jumped to $9.2 billion in 2011.  Meanwhile, higher education spending has decreased. Researchers found that there is a trend to pay University of California and California State University faculty less money than in the past.

Parody Ads Mocks Obama’s Kal Penn Ad for Hypocrisy on Marijuana Policy — President Barack Obama’s new ad featuring stoner duo Harold and Kumar drew accusations of hypocrisy on Tuesday from critics who note that the beloved potheads could easily be arrested under the White House’s current drug policy. Now drug policy reformers are out with a parody ad that depicts what might actually happen if the president spontaneously dialed up a pair of marijuana users to ask for their support.

David Axelrod on Obama’s 2nd Term Drug War Plans — Essentially no change or hope in store.

Marijuana in System Not Enough to Prove Impairment — A woman who admitted to using marijuana before getting into her car has been acquitted of impaired driving, with the Saskatoon judge saying he was not convinced her ability to operate a vehicle was affected.

Libertarian Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson Presses for Marijuana Legalization — Still struggling to break through in the presidential race, Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson on Tuesday rallied outside the Democratic National Convention with other critics of the federal government’s war on drugs and blasted both President Obama and GOP rival Mitt Romney for ignoring the issue.

Should Grandma Smoke Pot Infomercial Final Cut – Robert Platshorn, America’s longest serving marijuana prisoner (he spent over 30 years in federal prison) has released a new infomercial, currently running in Florida and soon to go nationwide, “Should Grandma Smoke Pot?”  Watch it and donate to help this important work more air time.

LA City Funds Go Up In Smoke — The Los Angeles City Council’s decision to ignore the fact that the majority of their constituents support the use of medical marijuana, and its availability through legitimately run medical marijuana dispensaries, is already costing the financially depleted city thousands of dollars.

German Gov Shuts Down Planned Cannabis Rally — A cannabis demonstration and parade planned for Saturday in Cologne, Germany — which was shaping up to be the largest marijuana protest ever held in Germany — is being shut down at the last minute by the Versammlungsbehörde, a local government office that oversees public gatherings.