1. Editorial: There's Always Another Drug Cartel...

The capture of cartel leader Javier Arellano-Felix made a lucky day for the US DEA. But even they don't think anything's really going to change from it.

2. Feature: Colorado Marijuana Possession Legalization Initiative Makes the Ballot

An initiative that would legalize the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by adults in Colorado has been certified for the November ballot. Now the campaign gets underway.

3. Feature: "Beyond Zero Tolerance" Conference Aims to Provide New Paradigm for Educators

For the past two decades, school districts across the land have adopted zero tolerance policies for drug use and other misbehavior. In October, a conference in San Francisco will point to a better approach.

4. Feature: SSDP, Drug War Rant Blog Score Media Hit with Attack on DEA Drug-Terror Exhibit

The DEA got more than it bargained for when it brought its drug-terror traveling exhibit to Chicago last week.

5. Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

It's an unusual week for the corrupt cops stories, with a narc caught thieving, a cop caught making false arrests, a jail guard caught trafficking in a big way, and a state judge caught with methamphetamine and precursors.

6. Latin America: US Feds Bust Major Mexican Trafficker, Expect Violence, Continued Drug Trafficking as Result

Federal law enforcement officials risked serious injury from all the back-patting going on at their Thursday press conference celebrating the capture of drug lord Javier Arellano-Felix. But they also acknowledged his arrest would ultimately amount to little.

7. Harm Reduction: Global Harm Reductionists Issue Urgent Declaration Calling for Action on Drug Use and HIV

With governments slow to adopt harm reduction measures to fight the spread of injection drug use-related HIV and some UN agencies acting more as obstacles than as assets, 19 international and regional harm reduction and other groups issued a joint declaration this week seeking to incite some movement.

8. Methamphetamine: One Month in One Texas County Courthouse Opens a Window on the Drug War Version 2.006

Grayson County, Texas, is nothing special, just your average heartland county. That's what makes a review of its court cases so revealing.

9. Methamphetamine: Third Murder Trial For Woman in California Meth Poisoning Infant Death Case

California prosecutors hope the third time is the charm in their effort to secure a murder conviction against a woman whose infant son had methamphetamine in his blood when he died. She's already serving 10 years for child endangerment.

10. Southwest Asia: Afghan Opium Cultivation Jumps to Record Level

Preliminary reports suggest the Afghan opium crop will be at record levels and 40% larger than last year, despite hundreds of millions of dollars spent to suppress it.

11. Europe: British Public Supports More Rational Drug Policies, Survey Says

A new survey of British attitudes toward drug policy reform suggests a new realism and pragmatism. Will the politicians follow the wisdom of the voters?

12. Weekly: This Week in History

Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.

13. Weekly: The Reformer's Calendar

Please click here to submit listings for events concerning drug policy and related topics

[inline:appointmentbook.jpg" align=right]August 19-20, Seattle, WA, Seattle Hempfest, visit http://www.hempfest.org for further information.

August 22, 9:30-11:30am, Chicago, IL, "Intersecting Voices: Impacts of Illinois' Drug Policies," forum by the Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy. At the Institute for Metropolitan Affairs, Roosevelt University, Congress Lounge, 2nd Floor, 430 S. Michigan Avenue, call (312) 341-2457 by August 18 to RSVP. For further information, contact Kathleen Kane-Willis at...