However, some explanations are in order. I call this a personal newsletter about the cannabis controversies for a number of reasons. It is personal because...

I know too many people whose lives have been saved or at least made bearable by the medical use of cannabis. I have actually had people tell me, "I haven't tried to kill myself since I found out what marijuana would do for me."

I know too many people whose lives have been wrecked by being arrested "for their own good."

I have seen too many families devastated by the policies supported by the self-proclaimed champions of "family values."

I have seen liars and frauds get rich in the booming hypocrisy industry, while people like Dr. Lester Grinspoon who stand up for the rights of the sick, dying and disabled are ostracized by intellectual poseurs and moral pygmies who forget that Hippocrates said "First, do no harm," and Jesus said to comfort the sick, not to arrest them.

I have had too many young people tell me that they got into trouble with "drugs" because -- in their words -- "When I found out that they had lied to me about marijuana, I thought that they had lied to me about everything else."

I have seen too many people destroyed by alcohol, but never any vaguely comparable damage by even the worst misuse of marijuana. And I know people who have controlled their alcoholism and other substance abuse problems through the medical use of cannabis.

I have seen and worn the fine cloth that can be made from hemp. It is indeed a very beautiful and versatile plant.

So, yes, for these reasons and others, this is a personal effort -- which frankly reflects my own views. No one else is responsible for what it says. While every effort will be made to be accurate, there will no pretense of "objectivity." I have been on record favoring the legalization of marijuana for over twenty-five years.

Nonetheless, I call this a newsletter, because my personal experience also tells me that there is a need for both reporting and interpreting news.

I am continually finding that the best informed people in the world simply do not know what is happening under marijuana prohibition. The truth is both unreported and unbelievable. It can't be happening here, and besides, if it did, they would certainly know about it. But no.

I have had candid conversations with working reporters, who know what is going on, but their editors will not let them write about it. I have even had reporters from some of the leading publications in America call me apologetically after a story under their byline was printed and whisper, "That was not the way I wrote it." This site documents some of the worst "reefer madness" journalism, and it will also report on things that you will not read in most of the major publications.

I have repeatedly heard prohibitionists claim that they have me "on video tape" saying that medical marijuana is just "a scam to get marijuana legalized." They have even said this in testimony before Congress, but they never make any effort to find out what I have really said again and again over many years. This gives me another personal reason to report to you, just to counter the lies they tell. But their attention is flattering, in a way... Obviously, I will be writing more about this.

I have lived in both Washington, D.C. and Amsterdam. I know which city's "drugs" policy works and which does not, and I am disgusted by the lies that the American government tells about one of our oldest allies. I will keep you posted on developments around the world. There are places where things are very much going freedom's way.

I will cover the whole range of the cannabis controversies. Not just the medical and criminal justice issues. As you can see, the emphasis will be on information, not graphics. Note that there are sections on hemp and on the pursuit of happiness.