Drug War Chronicle #544 - July 25, 2008

A former State Department official who fought the Afghan drug war has taken to the New York Times to tell why the failure of the program is everybody else's fault not his.

With South Dakota's annual Sturgis Motorcyle Rally just a few days away, state law enforcement is gearing up for unwary travelers. Eric Sage was one of their victims last year. He's not going this year, but he just filed a civil suit over his mistreatment.

Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) has made a political career out of being "tough on drugs." Now, in an election year where Obamamania has already swept his district, a newly-formed political action committee wants to make him pay for it.

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

StoptheDrugWar.org's executive director recently did a 25-minute debate on drug legalization on a network that airs across Europe and the Middle East. Video is online here.

Three cases of crooked cops in Florida this week, and a pair of asset forfeiture abuse situations in St, Louis and Muncie, Indiana.

Last year, Hawaiian teachers agreed to a labor contract that included random drug testing. Now, with one eye on costs and the other on the Constitution, they are balking, and the Republican governor is most unhappy.

If a police officer smells marijuana coming from a car, that's not enough evidence to arrest everyone in it, the Washington state Supreme Court has ruled.

Research from Italy suggesting that whole-plant marijuana extracts provide more effective pain relief than isolated compounds from the plant should be welcome news for medical marijuana supporters.

The man who until last month was in charge of US anti-drug efforts in Afghanistan accuses the Karzai government of involvement in the drug trade. He's not too happy with the US military and NATO, either.

The resort to the ultimate sanction for drug offenders continues apace in China and Saudi Arabia.

Health officials in Quebec are planning to open a safe injection site in Montreal, then Quebec City, and maybe more.

South Australia has now criminalized the possession of high intensity lights, reflectors, and anything else that might be used to grow marijuana. You now have to prove you weren't going to grow pot to avoid prosecution instead of the state having to prove you were.

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

"Needle Exchange Saves Lives. Why Are We Still Arguing About It?," "A Revealing Remark From the Deputy Drug Czar," "The Drug War Doesn't Reduce Drug Use. Drug Users Reduce Drug Use.," "In New Orleans, You Can Get 5 Years in Prison for a Joint of Marijuana," "Police Kill Dog During Drug Raid, Find No Drugs," "Barack Obama Proposes 'Shifting the Model' on the Drug War," "Video Highlights from Vienna Drug Policy NGO Forum," "Drug Smugglers Use Hurricane for Cover."

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