Drug War Chronicle #593 - July 10, 2009

South Dakota's loudest voice for marijuana law reform has just been silenced. In imposing a sentence for a marijuana possession conviction, a Rapid City judge has ordered Bob Newland to shut up about legalizing it.

The Marijuana Policy Project has a TV ad campaign supporting the taxation and regulation of marijuana running in California. But don't be surprised if you haven't seen it -- several major TV stations don't want you to.

You see it all the time: A kindergartener arrested for kissing a classmate, a middle school student strip-searched in a desperate hunt for Ibuprofen, a high schooler jailed for bringing a joint to school. It's all part of the "War on Kids," according to a new documentary by that name. We review it this week.

A crooked Chicago cop goes to prison and a pair of jail guards get stung.

It's not just teachers, health care, and parks that are facing the budget axe in California. Some state narcs could be out of a job, too.

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Things are getting very bloody in Afghanistan as thousands of US Marines pour into Helmand province, the country's opium capital, in a bid to drive out the Taliban.

Mexico's prohibition-related violence is very ugly, and it's not just the narcos committing atrocities. The Mexican military has been accused of more than 2,000 human rights abuses, ranging from theft and robbery to rape, torture, and murder as it wages war on the so-called cartels.

Since cannabis went back to being a Class B drug in England, London police have been ticketing and fining marijuana users like crazy. But funny thing -- they aren't bothering to pay the fines.

The Danish government cracked down on the Christiania enclave's famous "Pusher Street" six years ago. But now, with the hash trade spreading across the city and fomenting gang violence, "Pusher Street" doesn't seem so bad in retrospect, and Copenhagen officials are pondering whether to open Amsterdam-style coffee shops.

The future of Holland's pragmatically tolerant approach to cannabis sales is up for debate this year. A government commission has recommended making the coffee shops "members only," but also legalizing the supply of cannabis to the coffee shops. Neither is likely to fly within the broader European Union context.

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

"Snitch Exposed in Charlie Lynch Case," "South Dakota Judge Sentences Marijuana Reform Activist to Shut Up," "California TV Stations Try to Censor Marijuana Debate," "New Michael Phelps Ad Tries to Capitalize on Marijuana Controversy," "Jim Webb's Quest to Reform the War on Drugs Gains Momentum," "Excellent Drug Policy Book Available for Free."

Bryan Epis was the first medical marijuana provider to be prosecuted by the federal government, and he is one of dozens of people whose fate is still caught up in the federal system despite recent policy shifts by the Obama administration. Bryan is asking all of us to take action to help those who have risked much to help patients.

Apply for an internship at DRCNet and you could spend a semester fighting the good fight!

The Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative (IDPI), based in Washington, DC, is seeking a new executive director to lead efforts toward non-punitive, non-coercive drug policies nationwide.

The Marijuana Policy Project is hiring fall interns to work in their State Policies and Federal Policies departments.