Drugs

A Far Cry From “I’m Not a Chicken, You’re a Turkey”

By Alexandra Wexler on Jun 12, 2009 8:35am

Remember the last time you did drugs? Well, probably not. Regardless, remember the last time you watched an anti-drug commercial? You probably laughed. Really hard. Because, after all, most of them are seriously dumb. However, we recently came across a couple of ads that will make you think once, or twice, or eight times before doing them again. These are not the anti-drug commercials of your childhood. This is some scary sh*t. Prepare to be FREAKED… Read More

Television

Mary-Louise Parker Slurping an Iced Coffee or The History of Cannabis?

By Caroline Stanley on May 21, 2009 1:07pm

There’s a new promo for the upcoming season of Weeds floating around the Internet that’s basically an advertisement for weed. Not that we’re complaining; we just find it an interesting marketing move on Showtime’s part. Last year’s Season 4 premiere was the network’s most-watched telecast on record, so it makes sense that they’re pulling out all the stops to create some viral buzz (we’re looking at you, Alanis and nude Nancy), but why bet on pot instead of your product to lure new viewers in? It seems kind of juvenile. Also: we don’t know any stoners who watch the show. Do… Read More

Web

This Morning’s Top 5 Cultural Stories

By Caroline Stanley on May 14, 2009 8:43am

1. Remember this cartoon in Rolling Stone magazine mapping out the “Indie Rock Universe”? We don’t either but it’s causing a real shit storm. [via Pitchfork]

2. The War on Drugs is rebranding itself, placing “a greater emphasis on rehabilitation and treatment for drug offenders.” Meanwhile, marijuana is more potent than ever.… Read More

Web

Pic of the Day: Why You Don’t See Meth Mouth in NYC

By Caroline Stanley on May 11, 2009 1:29pm

Because according to this pretty (and kind of surprising) infographic from Good Magazine, local law enforcement officials in New York and New Jersey make more drug-related arrests due to marijuana and cocaine. Is anyone else surprised to see that heroin is so hot in New England? Or that coke is so big in the… Read More

Film

Will Schwarznegger Save Humanity Once More?

By Caroline Stanley on May 7, 2009 2:29pm

Will Arnold Schwarznegger legalize and tax pot in California to help lessen his state’s deficit woes? At this point he’s only open to discussing it, so we’re in for a bit of a wait. In the meantime, let’s take a look at his track record — on the big screen, that is. After the jump, five films where Arnold single-handedly did us a solid. Note: our beloved Kindergarten Cop didn’t make the cut — in that movie he goes undercover to find a drug dealer. It just didn’t seem appropriate. Even if we were dying to link to this. … Read More

Politics

Will Obama Declare War on the War on Drugs?

By Jessica Loudis on Mar 19, 2009 6:18am

When Barack Obama picked Joe Biden to be his running mate last September, drug-policy reform activists were displeased. Prospects for revamping the Bush administration’s zero-tolerance approach, critics felt, were undermined by the veteran lawmaker from Delaware — a man who played a major role in crafting some of the country’s harshest drug legislation. Such fears have been allayed in recent weeks, though, with Obama stating his intent to shift from a punitive stance to one that focuses on minimizing health risks. In practical terms, this entails supporting needle-exchange programs, ending raids on medical-marijuana facilities, and, many hope, transforming drugs from a criminal issue into a health one. … Read More

Books

Exclusive: Author Tony O’Neill On the Three People You Don’t Want to Meet in L.A.

By Caroline Stanley on Nov 17, 2008 8:40am

New York Times best-selling author and former keyboardist for the Brian Jonestown Massacre Tony O’Neill has a new autobiographical novel out called Down and Out on Murder Mile, which draws heavily upon his experiences as a heroin addict in Los Angeles and London.

On Wednesday he will return to L.A. to read at Skylight Books on Vermont alongside his literary hero, Dan Fante (Chump Change, Mooch, Spitting Off Tall Buildings).

O’Neill says that he loves his old hometown, but there’s always a part of him that will regard that city as the scene of the crime…with that in mind, after the jump, find the three people who he doesn’t want to run into while he’s back.

Names and minor details have been changed to protect the guilty. … Read More