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

Drug War Chronicle #505 - October 12, 2007

1. Feature: Canada's New Drug Strategy: Mandatory Minimums In, Harm Reduction Out

Canada's ruling Conservative Party has unveiled a US-style drug strategy with mandatory minimums and without harm reduction. It's not getting a friendly reception.

2. Europe: North Wales Top Cop Calls For Legalization, Regulation of Drugs

Another leading police official has called for an end to drug prohibition.

3. Prohibition: San Francisco Mayor Says Drug War an "Abject Failure," Sheriff Agrees

Mayor Gavin Newsom has criticized the nation's political leadership -- including his own party -- for continuing a drug war that causes crime and doesn't work.

4. More Web Site Success: Another Big Digg Hit Last Week Massively Increased Our Web Site Traffic

Massive increases to our web site traffic have increased our costs, and we need your help to pay for it.

5. Weekly: Blogging @ the Speakeasy

"The Drug Czar's Blog Accidentally Admits That Drug Laws Ruin Lives," "The Truth About Why Republican Candidates Oppose Medical Marijuana," "When The Drug Czar Says We're Winning The Drug War, It Means Nothing," "Mitt Romney's Horrible Encounter With a Medical Marijuana Patient," "McCain and Giuliani Say Terrible Things to a Medical Marijuana Patient."

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

This week, it's not individual cops, but entire drug squads gone bad, and, of course, the requisite drug-smuggling prison guard.

8. Drug Treatment: GAO Study Reveals Abuse Allegations, Deaths at Residential Treatment Programs

A stint in teen boot camp can prove infinitely more deadly than the original problems they purport to address.

9. Tobacco: California City Becomes First to Ban Smoking In One's Own Home

The northern California town of Belmont has enacted a partial indoor smoking ban affecting people in multi-home dwellings.

10. Southwest Asia: US Turns Up the Pressure to Spray Poppy Fields, Afghan Government Resists -- So Far

US drug warriors have long wanted to unleash herbicidal sprays as a weapon to put a dent in Afghanistan's burgeoning opium poppy crop, but the Afghan government of President Hamid Karzai -- along with a number of NATO allies -- has staunchly resisted American entreaties. In the wake of the country's record-breaking opium harvest this year, however, the Americans are turning up the pressure, but so far to no avail.

11. Southeast Asia: Burmese Opium Production on the Rise

Poppy planting was up 29% the first half of this year, while opium production jumped by 46%, according to a new UN report.

12. Middle East: Lebanese Political Crisis Means Bumper Hash Crop

A Lebanese government paralyzed by political infighting and a Lebanese Army busy fighting with Islamic radicals have provided all the impetus necessary for farmers in the Bekaa Valley to return to their favorite cash crop.

13. Europe: Dutch to Ban Magic Mushroom Sales

Holland's ruling conservative government is trying to roll back tolerance policies.

14. Weekly: This Week in History

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

15. 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.

16. 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!

17. 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.

18. 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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