Drug War Chronicle #601 - September 18, 2009

San Diego may be a gleaming, coastal California city, but when it comes to medical marijuana, it's more like Fresno-by-the-Sea. The latest round of dispensary raids has patients and advocates fuming and looking for ways to extract political revenge and gain a little justice.

The number of marijuana arrests last year declined for the first time since 2002, the FBI said in its Uniform Crime Report this week. The overall number of drug arrests also fell slightly. The down-tick seems to be the result not of enlightened policing, but of law enforcement agencies feeling the budgetary pinch.

The Higher Education Act's "Aid Elimination Penalty," or anti-drug provision, is poised for further watering down after the House of Representatives passed a bill that would limit it to people with drug sales -- not drug possession -- convictions. But the provision's author, Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) kept fighting almost until the end.

To kick off our autumn fundraising drive, StoptheDrugWar.org is pleased to offer the exciting new book, "Marijuana is Safer -- So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?," as our latest membership premium -- donate $36 or more and we'll send you a copy for free! Things are happening, and the importance of your support at this time could not be greater.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon's war against drug cartels reached a milestone late last week, but not the kind he's looking for: This year's prohibition-related death toll has gone over the 5,000 mark.

More fun for the Philly narcs, a New Jersey ICE employee goes down, and a Brooklyn drug squad supervisor gets off easy.

The State Department and President Obama have issued the annual, congressionally-mandated list of countries not complying with US drug war objectives. The only countries listed as not in compliance are three with which the US has chilly relations, while countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan, elements of whose governments are deeply implicated in the drug trade, get a pass.

And then there were two: Pennsylvania's Board of Pharmacy has issued new regulations allowing pharmacies to sell syringes without a prescription. That leaves Delaware and New Jersey as the only states that don't.

Minneapolis has become the largest US city without a drug squad after the chief axed it as part of an effort to reduce a $5 million budget gap.

Indonesia has a new drug law, but it looks pretty much like business as usual for Southeast Asia, home of some of the world's harshest drug laws.

Faced with thousands of drug tourists flooding into their towns each week, the mayors of two Dutch border towns ordered their cannabis coffee shops to quit selling marijuana as of Wednesday. Coffee shop owners went to court last week to block it, but so far with no luck.

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

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.

Every two years drug policy reformers from across the United States and around the world come to the International Drug Policy Reform Conference to listen, learn, network and strategize together for change. This year the conference is in Albuquerque, in November, and StoptheDrugWar.org is a partner.

"Former Mexican President Proposes Legalizing Drugs in Mexico AND the US," "The Marijuana Ads That ABC, FOX, and CBS Refused to Show You," "The Weekly Standard Cheers on Mexican Drug War Bloodshed," "No Matter How Bad You Think the Drug War Is, It's Worse," "Using Drug Laws to Steal From Innocent People," "US Forest Service Apologizes for Racist Marijuana Warning," "Drug War Violence is Destroying Mexico's Economy," "The Manhattan DA's Race: The Princess of Darkness vs. Two Former Coke-Snorting Assistant DAs," "A Victory in the House of Representatives," "ALERT: Crucial Vote on Souder's Law Happening Tomorrow -- YOUR PHONE CALLS NEEDED!," "Drugs the Most Numerous Arrest Type in '08, Though Down Slightly from '07, FBI Reports," "Room for Debate on Mexico's Drug Decriminalization Law."

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