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Semanal: Blogueando en el Bar Clandestino

“Sentencian a Charlie Lynch a prisión por marihuana medicinal”, “Senado de Rhode Island vota por inaugurar dispensarios de marihuana medicinal”, “Redadas antidrogas en direcciones equivocadas no son cosa de risa”, “Congreso de EE. UU. pide a Ministerio de Justicia que explique mejor política para marihuana medicinal”, “No más $$$ = No más prisiones”, “El <em>khat</em> es una planta inofensiva. ¿Entonces por qué intentar prohibirla?”, “Holder reitera promesa de respetar legislación sobre marihuana medicinal”, “Robots antidrogas no son la respuesta”, “Malos policías captados en vídeo”, “Cámara canadiense aprueba proyecto antidelincuencia con mínimas obligatorias para marihuana y otros delitos de drogas”.
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Por favor: ¡No dispare!

El asesinato de Tarika Wilson, una madre desarmada que sujetaba a su hijo, quien terminó lisiado, es una consecuencia inevitable del empleo excesivo de equipos SWAT y la paramilitarización cada vez mayor de la lucha contra la droga.
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In The Trenches

Help Us Reform Marijuana Laws in Breckenridge

Help Legalize Marijuana in Breckenridge! Sensible Breckenridge, a local reform group working with Sensible Colorado, recently began gathering signatures to remove criminal penalties for adult marijuana possession under the Breckenridge City Code. This prestigious group, led by Breckenridge Town Councilman Jeffrey Bergeron and local attorney Sean McAllister, needs YOUR help gathering signatures to qualify the measure for the November 2009 ballot. Signature gathering started last week, and the group must turn in 1000 signatures by July 13 to make the ballot. In addition to removing criminal penalties for the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by adults 21 and older, the ordinance would also remove adult paraphernalia penalties. If you wish to volunteer, please call 970-453-6594 or email [email protected]. To learn more about Sensible Colorado's work, or to donate to this important cause, check out our website at www.sensiblecolorado.org.
In The Trenches

Drug Truth 06/23/09

The Unvarnished Truth From the Drug Truth Network Century of Lies for 06/21/09, 29:00 Allan Clear, Exec. Dir. of the Harm Reduction Coalition on what we have wrought & Chris Hermes of Americans for Safe Access on "land mark decision" on medical marijuana + "World's Most Intersting Man" III LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=node/2463 TRANSCRIPT: TBD Cultural Baggage for 06/17/09, 29:00 Casper Leitch, producer and host of Time4Hemp.com, discusses history of his efforts + Bruce Mirken of the Marijuana Policy Project on the legislatures over ride of the governors veto in Rhode Island & more LINK: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=node/2462 TRANSCRIPT: http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/?q=node/2462#comments 4:20 Drug War NEWS, 6/22 to 6/28/09 Link at www.drugtruth.net on the right margin - Sun - Mike Gray, chair of CSDP's OpEd in Time Union/Albany NY Sat - Allan Clear, Exec. Dir of Harm Reduction Coaltion Fri - Chris Hermes, spokesman for Americans for Safe Access on landmark decision for medical marijuana Thu - Bruce Mirken of MPP vs. Terrence Farley on CNBC 2/2 Wed - Bruce Mirken of MPP vs. Terrence Farley on CNBC Tue - Vancouver Sun: "SUPPRESSED REPORT RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT DRUG POLICY" Mon - Nicholas D. Kristof of the NY Times, is 40 years of drug war enough? Programs produced at Pacifica Radio Station KPFT in Houston, 90.1 FM. You can Listen Live Online at www.kpft.org - Century of Lies, SUN, 8 PM ET, 7 PM CT, 6 PM MT & 5 PM PT: NEXT: TBD - Cultural Baggage WED, 12:30 PM ET, 11:30 CT, 10:30 MT & 9:30 AM PT: NEXT: Moises Naim, Editor Foreign Policy Magazine Hundreds of our programs are available online at www.drugtruth.net, www.audioport.org We have potcasts, searchability, CMS, XML, sorts by guest name and by organization. We provide the "unvarnished truth about the drug war" to scores of broadcast affiliates in the US, Canada and Australia! We now feature TRANSCRIPTS of most of our programs again! Check out our latest videos via www.youtube.com/fdbecker Please become part of the solution, visit our website: www.endprohibition.org for links to the best of reform. "Prohibition is evil." - Reverend Dean Becker, DTN Producer, 713-849-6869, www.drugtruth.net
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Police Applaud Themselves For Raiding Innocent People and Killing Dogs

Police in Prince George's County, MD have completed their internal investigation of the botched raid on the home of Berwyn Heights Mayor Cheye Calvo. Their disgusting, though unsurprising, conclusion is that they did a terrific job:

The findings of the internal review "are consistent with what I've felt all along: My deputies did their job to the fullest extent of their abilities," Sheriff Michael Jackson said at a news conference.
…
"I'm sorry for the loss of their family pets," Jackson said. "But this is the unfortunate result of the scourge of drugs in our community. Lost in this whole incident was the criminal element. . . . In the sense that we kept these drugs from reaching our streets, this operation was a success." [Washington Post]

Except that they could easily have intercepted the package before it was ever delivered, thereby eliminating the need for the violent raid entirely. Killing the dogs was completely unrelated to the goal of intercepting the drugs and it's just supremely dishonest to equate those two outcomes. Radley Balko has more on the fundamental incoherence underlying these latest claims from the PG County Sheriff's Office.

In the end, Sheriff Jackson is making a powerful statement to the public: this could happen to you. He's proud of his officers' actions and he has no intention of trying to prevent this from happening again. Cheye Calvo filed a lawsuit today that will hopefully change that.
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Marijuana Debate on CNN




Rob Kampia's closing line is right on target. As the debate heats up, we're seeing our opposition desperately invoke the horrors of alcohol and tobacco in a cynical attempt to frame legalization in a familiar and negative context. The simple response is that those drugs are far more dangerous. The harms they cause are only relevant to the discussion insofar as they illustrate the mindless hypocrisy of our marijuana laws. If the most workable alcohol and tobacco policy is legalization, then the same must absolutely be true of marijuana.

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Is DEA Illegally Forcing Agents to Serve in Afghanistan?

Interesting piece from McClatchy:

WASHINGTON — As the Obama administration ramps up the Drug Enforcement Administration's presence in Afghanistan, some special-agent pilots contend that they're being illegally forced to go to a combat zone, while others who've volunteered say they're not being properly equipped.

In interviews with McClatchy, more than a dozen DEA agents describe a badly managed system in which some pilots have been sent to Afghanistan under duress or as punishment for bucking their superiors.

They're suing and it will be interesting to see how this turns out. Their argument is that DEA agents are technically civilians and can only be sent into a war zone voluntarily. Makes sense to me. Of course, I'm sympathetic to any argument that begins with "the DEA shouldn’t be doing this…"
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Tiempos difíciles: Protestas californianas por recortes presupuestarios para VIH/Sida – Fondos del cambio de jeringas están en riesgo y desaparecerán los de la Propuesta 36

En un intento de forcejear con el colosal <em>déficit</em> presupuestario del estado, el gobernador californiano Arnold Schwarzenegger quiere recortar los fondos para los programas de VIH/Sida y los programas de tratamiento de la Propuesta 36 [<em>Proposition 36</em>]. Protestas a causa de los primeros ocurrieron la semana pasada en ciudades por todo el estado.