What does an outgoing political party do with it’s remaining time in power? Quietly rubberstamp every piece of ill-conceived legislation they’ve got lying around, it would seem. Here’s a great example of what’s wrong with the Republicans.

“Drug warriors scored a virtual victory after the 2006 U.S. elections when they hurriedly extended the War on Drugs to a psychoactive substance previously exempt: nepetalactone, the main psychoactive ingredient in catnip.”

What harm is there in catnip? Here comes the science: “This psychosexual reaction lasts for 5-15 minutes and cannot be evoked again for an hour or more after exposure.” Were there humans who were somehow abusing catnip? The feline receptors that react strongly to catnip lie in an organ exclusive to cats, yet the chemists say catnip may affect humans like a mild herbal sedative akin to valerian root.

I’m not sure how this is considered a victory for anyone, considering that the War on Drugs has been about as successful as the War on Terror. I guess they believe that passing more laws makes us safer, regardless of the merit of any particular law. It’s hard to justify calling catnip a dangerous drug, and the supporters of the act don’t even try. They seem to be saying anything “psychoactive” is automatically their jurisdiction and their right to regulate.

And let’s face it, the only thing Republicans were ever hesitant to regulate was themselves.