Drug War Chronicle #497 - August 10, 2007

Prohibitionists are fond of referring to medical marijuana as a "hoax" -- a "cruel hoax," when they get excited. But calling it a hoax is the real hoax, and we know because the real live patients keep writing us.

A series of recent articles in the San Francisco Chronicle highlighted the problem of dirty needles in Golden Gate Park, but seemed to blame needle exchanges for the problem. Experts beg to differ.

A bill that defines addiction as a brain disease is moving in Congress. Treatment professionals and recovery advocates laud it. There are skeptics too.

The charges pile up against a pair of former Virginia police chiefs, a Cleveland DEA agent has some explaining to do, and so does a Houston crime lab tech who didn't follow procedures and wouldn't take a drug test.

Now, "smart shops" selling magic mushrooms abound in Holland, but perhaps not for long. Driven by a handful of unfortunate incidents, a move to ban the phantastical fungus is under government consideration.

It was the biggest heroin bust in California history, but thanks to overzealous law enforcement, the charges have now been dropped.

Kansas passed a law in 2005 requiring law enforcement agencies to report on racial profiling complaints, but only about one-third of agencies are complying.

In 2003, then Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra vowed to eliminate drugs in his country. He didn't, but his police managed to eliminate 2,500 drug "suspects" by gunning them down without trial. Now that Thaksin has been overthrown, investigations into the mass killings are getting underway.

Are we about to see "Plan Mexico"? The US and Mexican governments are currently negotiating what could be a multi-hundred-million dollar anti-drug assistance package to help that country in its battle with wealthy and violent drug trafficking organizations.

The executioner's ax fell on three more drug war unfortunates in Saudi Arabia this week.

Sativex, the THC-based sublingual spray, has been approved for use in cancer pain by Health Canada.

"Jury Duty: A Day in the Life of Our Corrupt War on Drugs," "Marijuana Dealers Offer Schwarzenegger One Billion Dollars," "What's a gram of cocaine go for where you live?," "Who should be the next Drug Czar?," "yet another letter from a medical marijuana patient that the feds claim don't exist...

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Transform guide to making the case, UK MP Harry Cohen, IDPC critique of World Drug Report, Huffington Post on the marijuana-mental illness craze, Dominic Holden in Seattle's The Stranger, The Arrest of Michael C. Kelley, Howard Lotsof ibogaine video, Legalise Drugs to Beat Terrorists editorial, review of Canada's medical marijuana program, Tony Papa, DrugTruth Network, Hecklers on prison abolition.

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

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