Bong Hits 4 Jesus

Last week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that a Juneau, Alaska, high school principal violated a student's First Amendment rights when she suspended him for displaying a "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner during an off-campus parade. Since students were let out of school specifically to attend the parade, the court concluded, the event was analogous to a field trip, making this a student speech case, as opposed to an ordinary First Amendment case. Even so, the court said, the school's disciplinary action was not justified, since the banner was not disruptive. The punch line is that the kid says he was not making a pro-pot statement or attacking the war on drugs; he just wanted to attract cameras and get on TV.

[Thanks to the Drug War Chronicle for the tip.]