Drug War Chronicle #533 - April 25, 2008

In what is most likely the first salvia arrest in the county, a North Dakota man with an interest in herbalism and spirituality faces years in prison for $32 worth of salvia leaves he bought on eBay.

A bill that would legalize the medical use of marijuana will be introduced next week in the Mexican Chamber of Deputies. It is part two of a three-part marijuana reform package; a decrim bill was introduced last fall, and an industrial hemp bill is pending.

Clergy are speaking out against the war on drugs! Donate $16 or more (or whatever you can afford) and we'll send you a copy.

A perverted Oklahoma sheriff gets indicted, an Atlanta narc goes on trial, an Indiana jail guard goes to jail, a Santa Fe narc doesn't -- and a cop who made these pages three years ago is found not guilty.

Florida is about to become the next state to ban salvia divinorum as a bill to do so passes the state Senate and heads for the governor's desk.

A Florida judge has thrown out racketeering and conspiracy charges against 23 defendants in the Tampa Latin Kings case, citing the FBI and Tampa police use of a snitch who committed crimes and basically created the conspiracy.

An Argentine federal appeals court has ruled that simple drug use or possession should not be a criminal offense and has thrown out thousands of pending possession cases. The country's high court could still overturn the ruling, but it is line with the position of the Argentine government.

The Iranian government may be widely viewed as Islamic hard-liners, but when it comes to drug use, they are taking an increasingly pragmatic approach. Now, it's syringes in vending machines for a nickel.

The head of the Dutch police union says it's time to just legalize cannabis, and a Dutch mayor wants to start regulating growing.

Both Saudi Arabia and Iran have been busy executing drug offenders recently, but now the Saudis are taking some heat from Syria over their treatment of Syrian drug offenders.

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

"Virginia v. Moore: Just Another Dumb Ruling, Not a Full-blown 4th Amendment Crisis," "The Heroin Addict President Can't Save Us From the Bombs of Xyzistan," "Drug Czar Creates Handy Guide For Teens on Where To Obtain Prescription Drugs," "Police Admit Humiliation After 4/20 Celebration at UC Santa Cruz," "4/20 Gets Bigger Every Year," "How Can We Debate Them if They Don't Even Know What Decriminalization Means?," "A Great 4th Amendment Ruling in Alaska," "Mexico City: Goths and Rockeros and Jipis, Oh My!," "European Pressure: Turkey Must Fight Drug War, or Else," "Marijuana: Lead-Laced Pot Newest Prohibition-Related Disaster."

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