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Government Corruption

narcoland.jpg
narcoland.jpg

Chronicle Book Review: "Narcoland"

Anabel Hernandez makes bold--and well-documented -- claims about Mexican government complicity with the Sinaloa Cartel in Narcoland. It would be a real shocker if it weren't all too believable.
Ecstasy seems to be making a comeback.
Ecstasy seems to be making a comeback.

Chronicle AM -- December 4, 2013

Some Denver city council members don't know when to give it a rest, some California US reps want stiffer penalties for pot grows on public lands, the Big Dog speaks on drug policy, Ecstasy may be on the rise, Morocco holds a historic hearing on cannabis, and more.
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opium poppy--UNODC_0.jpg

UN Drug Chief Warns of Afghanistan "Narco-State"

The looming pullout of Western forces from Afghanistan could lead to an economic collapse and the strengthening of the country's opium economy, the UN anti-drug chief warned Wednesday.
marijuana field, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon (wikimedia.org)
marijuana field, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon (wikimedia.org)

De Facto Hash Truce in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley

There will be no meaningful effort to eradicate Lebanese marijuana fields this year. The security situation is too tense, financial compensation for last year hasn't appeared, and the farmers are too angry. Hash heads from Cairo to Ankara to Berlin are smiling.
Caravan for Peace vigil, Brownsville, Texas, August 2012
Caravan for Peace vigil, Brownsville, Texas, August 2012

The Top Ten Drug Policy Stories of 2012 [FEATURE]

In some ways, 2012 has been a year of dramatic, exciting change in drug policy, as the edifice of global drug prohibition appears to crumble before our eyes. In other ways it's still business as usual in the drug war. Here, we look at the biggest drug policy stories of the year.
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the-fire-next-door.jpg

Chronicle Review Essay: What Next for Mexico?

With a new president taking over, Mexico has a chance to rethink its disastrous war on the cartels. Two new books on the Mexican drug wars have a few thoughts about where it's been and where it should go next.
Mexican military displaying detainees (sedena.gob.mx)
Mexican military displaying detainees (sedena.gob.mx)

Amnesty Raps Mexico on Human Rights Abuses in Drug War

Allegations of torture and mistreatment by Mexican soldiers and police have increased dramatically as President Calderon wages his drug war, Amnesty International says in a new report.
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000lebanon.jpg

Drug War Chronicle Book Review: The Lebanese Connection

With The Lebanese Connection, global drug trade scholar Jonathan Marshall has made an important contribution to the literature -- not only of the drug trade, but also of the Middle East, terrorism, covert operations, and failed states.