Breaking News:Dangerous Delays: What Washington State (Re)Teaches Us About Cash and Cannabis Store Robberies [REPORT]

Drug War Chronicle #502 - September 22, 2007

1. Editorial: Sometimes the Drug War Makes Me Dizzy

Early drug prohibitionists probably didn't have today's drug war in mind when they set world drug policy on the course it still follows today. If they could see it all, it would probably make them dizzy.

2. Feature: CAMP Makes Little Headway Against California Marijuana Growers

California's Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) has been eradicating pot plants for nearly a quarter-century. It's a losing battle.

3. Feature: Wisconsin Medical Marijuana Bill to Be Introduced

Ten years ago this week, Wisconsin medical marijuana patient Jacki Rickert led a 210-mile "Journey for Justice" to the state capitol in Madison. This week, she was back and being honored as two representatives announced they were introducing a medical marijuana bill with her name on it.

4. Appeal: Massive Increases to Our Web Site Traffic Have Increased Our Costs...

Massive increases to our web site traffic, particularly during the last three months, have forced us to upgrade our web server -- not once, but twice -- and have increased our costs. We need your help to pay for it.

5. Weekly: Blogging @ the Speakeasy

"Company That Killed Iraqi Civilians Gets Lucrative Drug War Contract," "Chris Dodd Advocates Marijuana Decriminalization," "Department of Justice Spends Millions on Munchies," "When Cops Ask For Machine Guns, You Know the Drug War Has Failed," "DEA Director Makes Bizarre Remark at Alberto Gonzales Farewell Ceremony," "Medical Marijuana Advocate Memorialized in US House of Representatives," people we know sentenced to prison, Richard Paey pardoned, "Take this Drug Tax and..."

6. Students: Intern at DRCNet and Help Stop the Drug War!

Apply for an internship at DRCNet for this fall (or spring), and you could spend the semester fighting the good fight!

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

Not just your usual weekly batch of law enforcement miscreants, although we do have the mandatory crooked jail guard or two.

8. Pain Patients: Florida Prisoner Richard Paey is Pardoned

Florida pain patient Richard Paey won some justice Thursday when Gov. Charlie Crist went beyond his family's request for clemency and instead pardoned him in full. The wheelchair bound prisoner was three years into a mandatory minimum 25-year sentence as a drug trafficker for fraudulently trying to obtain pain pills. Now he is no longer even a convicted felon.

9. Medical Marijuana: Bryan Epis Re-Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison

The first California medical marijuana provider prosecuted by the feds was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison -- again -- but Bryan Epis remains a free man for now.

10. Drug Testing: ACLU Will Sue to Block Hawaii Teacher Testing

In return for a wage increase, a Hawaii teachers' union bargaining unit agreed to a program of random, suspicionless drug testing of teachers. Now, the ACLU will challenge the program in court.

11. Certification: White House Says 20 Countries Are Major Drug Producing or Trafficking Nations, But Only Two Political Enemies Get Decertified

In its annual exercise in certifying the compliance of other countries with US drug policy objectives, the Bush administration this week listed 20 major producing or trafficking nations, but singled out only political foes Myanmar and Venezuela for decertification.

12. Death Penalty: Four More Drug Offenders Sentenced to Death in Vietnam, 17 Hung in Iran

Vietnam sentences more people to die for drug trafficking, while Iran hangs 17 for similar offenses.

13. Europe: European Parliament Committee Calls for Pilot Project on Medicinal Opium in Afghanistan

A committee of the European Parliament has called for a pilot project for diverting illicit Afghan opium to the licit medicinal market.

14. Latin America: Rio Cops Rounded Up in Drug Corruption Probe

For the second time in less than a year, dozens of Rio de Janeiro police have been arrested in a drug prohibition-related corruption sweep.

15. Web Scan

Drug War Jeopardy, National Household Survey, Stars and Bars, David Borden interview, WriteAPrisoner

16. Weekly: This Week in History

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

17. Announcement: Prison-Related Poetry Contest by Shot Caller Press, LLC

Shot Caller Press, LLC is conducting a poetry contest with cash prizes for prisoners, ex-prisoners, family members or friends of prisoners, prison guards, prison volunteers, or prison workers.

18. Feedback: Do You Read Drug War Chronicle?

Do you read Drug War Chronicle? If so, we need your feedback to evaluate our work and make the case for Drug War Chronicle to funders. We need donations too.

19. Webmasters: Help the Movement by Running DRCNet Syndication Feeds on Your Web Site!

Support the cause by featuring automatically-updating Drug War Chronicle and other DRCNet content links on your web site!

20. Resource: DRCNet Web Site Offers Wide Array of RSS Feeds for Your Reader

A new way for you to receive DRCNet articles -- Drug War Chronicle and more -- is now available.

21. Resource: Reformer's Calendar Accessible Through DRCNet Web Site

Visit our new web site each day to see a running countdown to the events coming up the soonest, and more.
Permission to Reprint: This issue of Drug War Chronicle is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Articles of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

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