NEWS OF THE WORLD: This is the astonishing picture which could destroy the career of the greatest competitor in Olympic history. In our exclusive photo Michael Phelps, who won a record EIGHT gold medals for swimming at the 
Beijing games last summer, draws from a bong. The glass pipes are generally used to smoke cannabis. And after sporting chiefs announced laws which mean four-year bans for drug-taking, Phelps’ dreams of adding to his overall 14 gold medal tally at the 2012 games in London could already be OVER. Those dreams seemed the last thing on his mind when he puffed from the bong during two days of partying with students last November, a quiet time in the swimming calendar when athletes would not expect to get tested for drugs. One party-goer who witnessed the star’s behaviour told the News of the World: “He was out of control from the moment he got there. “If he continues to party like that I’d be amazed if he ever won any more medals again.” MORE
WIKIPEDIA: Yellow journalism is a type of journalism that downplays legitimate news in favor of eye-catching headlines that sell more newspapers. It may feature exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, sensationalism, or unprofessional practices by news media organizations or journalists.
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Olympic great Michael Phelps acknowledged “regrettable” behavior and “bad judgment” after a photo in a British newspaper Sunday showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe. In a statement to The 
Associated Press, the swimmer who won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Games did not dispute the authenticity of the exclusive picture published Sunday by the tabloid News of the World. “I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment,” Phelps said in the statement released by one of his agents. “I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.” MORE
UPDATE: The International Olympic Committee and two of Michael Phelps’ leading sponsors expressed support for the Olympic great Monday, a day after he apologized for being photographed in a British newspaper inhaling from a marijuana pipe. The IOC said Monday it was confident Phelps would learn from his “inappropriate behavior” and continue to serve as a role model. Luxury Swiss watchmaker Omega termed Phelps’ actions a private matter and “nonissue.” Swim wear manufacturer Speedo called the 23-year-old American a “valued member of the Speedo team.” “Michael Phelps is a great Olympic champion,” the IOC said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press. “He apologized for his inappropriate behavior. We have no reason to doubt his sincerity and his commitment to continue to act as a role model.” MORE
RELATED: Will Michael Phelps have to go to court for his actions? No. (Nor should he have to.) Will any law enforcement jurisdiction in America conduct a systematic raid of a college dorm at a prominent university with the goal of arresting everyone in possession of marijuana? Of course not. If such an action was taken on a broad scale, the 
arrests would likely be in the thousands. At the same time, will poor Americans, overwhelmingly minority in ethnicity, continue to be arrested by local police for the possession of small amounts of pot? Absolutely. MORE
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WIKIPEDIA: Gotcha journalism refer to methods of interviewing which are designed to entrap the interviewee into making statements which are damaging or discreditable to their character, integrity, or repute. [1] The aim is to capture footage or recordings of the interview which can be selectively edited, compiled and broadcast or published for propaganda purposes. [2]
SALON: Many people assume that marijuana was made illegal through some kind of process involving scientific, medical, and government hearings; that it was to protect the citizens from what was determined to be a dangerous drug. The actual story shows a much different picture. Those who voted on the legal fate of this plant never had the facts, but were dependent on information supplied by those who had a specific agenda to deceive lawmakers. You’ll see below that the very first federal vote to prohibit marijuana was based entirely on a documented lie on the floor of the Senate. You’ll also see that the history of marijuana’s criminalization is filled with:
- Racism
- Fear
- Protection of Corporate Profits
- Yellow Journalism
- Ignorant, Incompetent, and/or Corrupt Legislators
- Personal Career Advancement and Greed
These are the actual reasons marijuana is illegal. MORE
MANSFIELDNEWSJOURNAL: A 62-year-old grandmother’s way of dealing with pain has her in trouble with the law. She has fibromyalgia, glaucoma, asthma and sleep apnea. Police removed about 30 marijuana plants from her yard Sept. 15. She was indicted in January for possession and illegal cultivation of drugs. She now faces up to 13 years in prison. When asked for his opinion on the case, METRICH Enforcement Unit Commander Lt. Dino Sgambellone deferred to his job. “In law enforcement, it really doesn’t matter what our opinions are for using marijuana for medicinal purposes, because in Ohio, it is against the law,” he said. “My job is not to pick and choose what laws I will enforce. Rather, it is to enforce the law regardless of my opinion of it.” MORE
NORML: The FBI has released its annual report on Crime in the United States 2007. Once again, the number of people in the United States arrested for marijuana has gone up. 872,721 Americans were arrested for 
marijuana in 2007, and of those arrests, 89% or 775,138 were arrests for simple possession – not buying, selling, trafficking, or manufacture (growing).
This represents an increase in marijuana arrests of 5.2% from the previous year and the fifth straight year marijuana arrests have increased from the previous year. Now a marijuana smoker is arrested at the rate of 1 every 37 seconds and almost 100 marijuana arrests per hour.
Perhaps most disturbing is comparing marijuana arrests to violent crime. This year, while 775,138 Americans were arrested for mere marijuana possession, only 597,447 people were arrested for all violent crimes combined, which includes murder, non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. MORE
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