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Drug War Chronicle #632 - May 14, 2010

1. Feature: Police Officer Deaths in US Drug War a Rare Occurrence, Despite Popular Belief

Policing the drug laws is supposed to be dangerous work, but the numbers year after year don't seem to bear that out. And too often when police do get killed enforcing prohibition, the very aggressive tactics that they claim keep them safe are the ones that do them in. The human (and canine) targets of aggressive raids pay the price, too.

2. Feature: The Global Marijuana Marches, Part II

The fever to free the weed burned hot in Rome and Buenos Aires and Mexico City last Saturday as the second round of the Global Marijuana March took place.

3. Prohibition: Drug War is a Failure, Associated Press Reports

The Associated Press has just declared the war on drugs a failure. When will the politicians admit the same?

4. Appeal: 2010 is Important in Drug Policy -- And So Are You

2010 is a critical year in the effort to end prohibition and the war on drugs. The StoptheDrugWar.org (DRCNet) "Changing Minds, Changing Laws, Changing Lives" campaign is asking for you to pitch in -- your support is more important now than it has ever been before!

5. Law Enforcement: Missouri SWAT Team Gets Restrictions After Outrage Over Dog-Killing Pot Raid Video

Police in Columbia, Missouri, have endured all kinds of criticism in the week since a video of one of their SWAT raids went viral. This week, they issued new policies regarding SWAT raids. It's a start, but only a start.

6. Canada: "Prince of Pot" Marc Emery Jailed, Ordered Extradited to US

Canadian Justice Minister Rob Nicholson Monday signed the extradition for "Prince of Pot" Marc Emery to begin serving five years in a US federal prison for selling pot seeds over the Internet. He was jailed on the spot in Vancouver, and could be in the American gulag by the time you read this.

7. Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

The beat goes on. This week, we have a trio of ethically-challenged cops, and, of course, another crooked jail guard.

8. Latin America: Mexico Drug War Update

El Chapo had the personal cell phone numbers of Mexican officials charged with hunting him down? A seizure this week hints at the extent of the Sinaloa Cartel's intelligence gathering and just why Chapo Guzman always seems to be at least one step ahead of the authorities.

9. Southeast Asia: Not Executing Drug Offenders Sends Wrong Signal, Singapore Says

Singapore's law minister justifies the mandatory death penalty for drug offenders. Unlike the rest of us losers, Singapore hasn't lost the war on drugs, he said.

10. Afghanistan: Fungus Afflicts Poppy Crop, Farmers Blame US, NATO

Up to a quarter of the Afghan poppy crop could be lost to a mysterious fungal disease especially afflicting Helmand and Kandahar provinces. Suspicious Afghan farmers are pointing fingers at the US and NATO.

11. Latin America: Public Sees Drug Trafficking Widespread, On the Rise, Regional Polling Finds

In a series of public opinion polls last year in Latin America, the Gallup organization looked at perceptions of drug trafficking. The results may be surprising.

12. Weekly: This Week in History

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

13. 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.

14. Students: Intern at StoptheDrugWar.org (DRCNet) and Help Stop the Drug War!

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

15. Weekly: Blogging @ the Speakeasy

"Drug Czar Admits Failure, Pledges to Continue It," "John Walters Still Thinks the Drug War is Awesome," "The Dog-Killing Drug Raid That Pissed Off America," "Do Cops Get Drunk at Anti-Pot Conferences?," "Utah Cops Create Website for Snitching on Marijuana Gardens," "Gary Johnson Talks Marijuana Legalization on the Colbert Report," "DEA Accidentally Argues for Marijuana Legalization."
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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