Continuing Criminal Mercantilism 2010

In the U.S.

- 3 of 4 liberalization initiatives regarding MJ fail, the one that passes, for medical marijuanna, is highly restrictive and barely passes;

- officials target the caffeine content of beverages loaded with alcohol and sweetner- ignoring the long tradition of mixing alcohol with caffeine (and other stimulants- notably Vin Mariani and other wines of coca), while distracting from the utter lack of ingrediant labeling on beverages containing alcohol- hence resulting in a lack of information for consumers, for instance those seeking to avoid high fructose corn syrup, as the sweetner type is unlabled

- officials promise new warning lables on cigarettes, while all the while continually sidesteeping the matter of labeling ingrediants

In short, while activists chip at the edges, the core of criminal mercantilsim remains intact.