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Will U.S. Drones Join Mexico's Drug Prohibition War?

Without leaving American airspace, remotely piloted surveillance drones — outfitted with cameras that provide real-time video — fly along the Texas border searching U.S. territory for drug smugglers, illegal immigrants and potential terrorists. Does the U.S. government ever risk the international fallout of using the aircrafts' high-tech surveillance abilities to take a peek south of the border — or share what they see with Mexican counterparts fighting for their lives? The American public likely never will know.
Latest News

Mexico's Drug Prohibition War and U.S. business

Drug prohibition violence is beginning to affect multinationals -- and not only on the border. "It's Al Capone and Tony Soprano doing whatever they want with little or no actual police interference," says Tom Cseh, deputy director of Vance International, a security firm in Mexico City. Among the recent reported incidents: Caterpillar ordered 40 American employees with children home after a shootout at a school in Monterrey earlier this fall; oil-services giant Schlumberger (SLB) said prohibition violence in northern Mexico hurt third-quarter earnings; and Canadian mining company Goldcorp (GG) plans to build a landing strip to fly gold out of a mine instead of hauling it on unsafe highways.
In The Trenches

Patient Starts 29th Year in Federal Medical Cannabis Program (Press Release)

For Immediate Release: November,19 2010

Contact: Hiedi Handford at 406-594-7932 or Irv Rosenfeld at 954-536-9011

Patient Starts 29th Year in Federal Medical Cannabis Program (11/20/2010)

{Fort Lauderdale, FL} -- Irvin Rosenfeld is one of only four medical cannabis patients in the country that receive cannabis legally from the federal government.  Irv will celebrate his 28th anniversary in this unique program on Saturday, November 20, 2010.

Irv is a 57 year-old successful stockbroker from South Florida.  Irv uses medical cannabis to relieve chronic pain and muscle spasms caused by a rare bone disease. When he was 10, doctors discovered that his skeleton was riddled with more than 200 tumors, due to a condition known as Multiple Congenital Cartilaginous Exostosis.  Despite six operations, he still lives with scores of tumors in his bones.

After a long struggle with the federal government, Irv Rosenfeld won the right to access medical cannabis in 1982. Thirteen people with debilitating conditions were allowed into the Compassionate Investigative New Drug (IND) Program to receive federally-grown medical cannabis.  In 1992, President George Bush discontinued the program, but Irv still receives 9 ounces of cannabis rolled into cigarettes every 25 days from the federal government. The cannabis is grown by NIDA at the University of Mississippi.  Over the 29 years in the program, Irv has received more than 120,000 medical cannabis cigarettes and is in good health because of it.

Irv will be speaking about the federal program and his participation in it at KushCon2 in Denver, CO December 17-19, 2010.

Irv's book is called "My Medicine: How I Convinced the Federal Government to Provide My Marijuana and Helped Launch a National Movement".  Copies of the book may be purchased by visiting www.mymedicinethebook.com.  Proceeds from the book help to cover expenses while traveling to educate people about medical cannabis.

_____________________________________________________

*MORE INFORMATION ON IRV ROSENFELD*
http://www.mymedicinethebook.com/

*MEDIA CONTACT*
Irv is available for press interviews.  Please contact Hiedi Handford: [email protected]

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Michele Leonhart
Michele Leonhart

Surprise! DEA Boss Opposes Marijuana Legalization

Obama's nomination of Michele Leonhart to head the DEA is generating a lot of discussion about how horrible she is. In particular, this exchange from yesterday's Senate hearing is raising disturbing questions about what she'll do with the vast, unchecked drug war powers the President seeks to bestow upon her:

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The Dutch government doesn't want your business. (image via Wikimedia)
The Dutch government doesn't want your business. (image via Wikimedia)

Dutch Want to Ban Foreigners From Marijuana Coffee Shops

The election of a rightist governing coalition in the Netherlands will result in the banning of foreigners from the country's famous coffee shops. Are windmills and tulips enough to get you to go?
Chronicle
Latest News

Maine Medical Marijuana Caregivers Form Trade Association

Jonathan Leavitt of Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine says the group is being formed to make sure caregivers have a voice when policy decisions are made. Leavitt says that since the spring, medical marijuana caregiver networks have generated 500 good jobs throughout Maine.
Chronicle
meet the new boss, same as the old boss
meet the new boss, same as the old boss

Senate Holds Hearings on Controversial DEA Nominee [FEATURE]

Despite facilitating perjury, prosecuting medical marijuana cases, blocking research, and sitting on rescheduling petitions, Michelle Leonhart's nomination as DEA adminstrator sailed through the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday.
Latest News
Latest News

L.A. City Council Eases Restrictions on Medical Marijuana Outlets

The City Council tweaked its medical marijuana ordinance today to ease restrictions that would have drastically reduced the number of dispensaries allowed to continue operating in Los Angeles. Councilman Paul Koretz said that under the original ordinance, "we would have, I believe, unintentionally and erroneously disqualified some dispensaries...and these (amendments) would reinstate some that I believe would have been removed by mistake."
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How Not to Legalize Marijuana

Believe me, I understand as well as anyone the frustration that often gets stirred up in the fight for marijuana reform. Watching as our opponents lie relentlessly, as innocent lives are lost, as another opportunity for peace and justice slips by each day this vicious war rages on, I can completely sympathize with anyone who's more than a little upset about it. But whatever you do, make sure it isn’t this:

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Latest News

Will Illinois Lawmakers Legalize Medical Marijuana?

Lawmakers are deciding whether Illinois will become the 16th state to legalize medical marijuana. Illinois lawmakers are in Springfield for a veto session and SB 1381 is one of the bills up for discussion. The bill was written by state Senator Bill Haine (D-Alton), a former prosecutor.
Chronicle
pile-of-cash_0.jpg
pile-of-cash_0.jpg

This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

More Jail Guards Gone Wild! Plus a Georgia cop gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and three Maryland cops get nailed for their shenanigans.
Chronicle
Ciudad Juarez
Ciudad Juarez

Mexico Drug War Update

Running gun battles in Matamoros, hundreds of residents fleeing a town in Tamaulipas, and Ciudad Juarez retains its title as Murder City. Oh, and this year's death toll just passed 9,000.
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Mexico’s Regional Newspapers Limit Reporting of Drug Trafficking Organizations’ Role in Prohibition Violence

Mexico's regional newspapers are failing to report many of the murders, attacks on police and other violence linked to the nation's drug prohibition war, a new analysis shows. Regional journalists said they routinely do not report the role of the traffickers in the mounting violence. They said that with the central government unable to protect prosecutors and police, they feel forced to chose between personal safety and professional ethics.
Event

Training Session -- Medical Marihuana in Michigan: Guidance for Local Governments

The Ottawa County Planning Commission is pleased to announce that it has scheduled a training titled, Medical Marihuana in Michigan: Guidance for Local Governments.

In 2008, Michigan voters approved a state-wide ballot initiative to permit the medical use of marijuana. The state legislature then adopted the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MMMA). Since the passage of the Act, local governments have been working to interpret the new law, and ensure that their community is protected from any unintended negative effects. This training will provide information that will assist local governments in understanding the MMMA. In addition, information will be provided about issues that the Act does not address. This includes but is not limited to the following: federal preemption of the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act; zoning for dispensaries and marijuana businesses; and approaches that can be utilized by local units of government to regulate medical marijuana.

The training session is open to local government officials, students, and all interested citizens. The instruction for this seminar is being donated by attorneys Ronald A. Bultje, and Daniel R. Martin, from the law firm of Scholten Fant; as a result, this seminar is free and open to the public. 

A minimum number of participants is necessary for all training sessions; therefore, pre-registration is appreciated. To register for classes or obtain additional information, please contact the Ottawa County Planning and Performance Improvement Department at (616) 738-4852.

Latest News

Drug Prohibition Related Cases Clogging Philippine Courts

Drug prohibition related cases are clogging the dockets of the country’s courts and, as a result, jails are filled with drug suspects. Former Supreme Court Associate Justice Adolf Azcuna and present head of the Philippine Judicial Academy, said, "If you want to restore the drug offenders, you should be improving the places where you help drug addicts recover from their addiction."
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Mandatory Minimums for Drug Crimes Are a Giant Step Backward for Canada (Opinion)

Erika Sasson, a former federal prosecutor in Toronto, opines that when Prime Minister Stephen Harper prorogued Parliament last December, at least one good thing happened: Bill C-15 was temporarily put to rest. That bill sought to introduce mandatory minimum prison sentences for drug offenses, in order to tackle “organized crime and serious drug offenses.” Now in its newest iteration as Bill S-10, the draft legislation has already survived a second reading and has a very good chance of becoming law.
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