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Police Kill Dog During Drug Raid, Find No Drugs

No one is entitled to their opinion on the drug war unless they understand how often this happens:

WAREHAM — A pit bull was fatally shot after police were confronted by the dog while executing a search warrant at 298 Onset Ave. on Wednesday, Chief Thomas Joyce said Thursday night.
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The dog was "growling and acting in an aggressive manner," the report said, so an officer used a Taser in an attempt to make it back off.

"The dog retreated approximately 6 inches and then charged at the entry team growling and showing his teeth," the report said.
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"Unfortunately, at this point the officers feared for their safety and the dog had to be put down," according to the report. Chief Joyce said the dog was shot once by an unidentified officer.

According to police, a search of the premises netted several items often used in packaging drugs, but no illegal drugs were discovered, and no arrests were made. [SouthCoastToday.com]

This isn't the first time police who failed to locate any drugs have called attention to the discovery of so-called drug packaging materials. They should be more surprised not to find such items. Guess what, people package things. It doesn’t make someone a drug dealer and any reporter who references such nonsense is complicit in a petty, backhanded attempt to smear a guy whose dog just got killed for no good reason.

But that's just my opinion. Some nice people in the comment section beg to differ:

Here is the truth. The owner has been busted for drugs and gun charges in the past. He got lucky this time, he must have sold all his drugs before the raid.
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…usually when it gets to the point the DEA and a Task force is raiding your house it because they have had hours upon hours of documented proof the residents are dealing drugs . if these alleged drug dealers lived next door to u with crack heads coming and going all hours of the night I bet you would be glad they raided that house! The dog was an unfortunate casualty of war.
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they should have shot the owner instead.

Well, at the risk of satisfying such vicious bloodlust, allow me to point out that plenty of people are killed by police during drug raids that didn't turn up any drugs.
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Barack Obama Proposes "Shifting the Model" on the Drug War

From a recent interview in Rolling Stone:

The War on Drugs has cost taxpayers $500 billion since 1973. Nearly 500,000 people are behind bars on drug charges today, yet drugs are as available as ever. Do you plan to continue the War on Drugs, or will you make some significant change in course?

Anybody who sees the devastating impact of the drug trade in the inner cities, or the methamphetamine trade in rural communities, knows that this is a huge problem. I believe in shifting the paradigm, shifting the model, so that we focus more on a public-health approach. I can say this as an ex-smoker: We've made enormous progress in making smoking socially unacceptable. You think about auto safety and the huge success we've had in getting people to fasten their seat belts.

The point is that if we're putting more money into education, into treatment, into prevention and reducing the demand side, then the ways that we operate on the criminal side can shift. I would start with nonviolent, first-time drug offenders. The notion that we are imposing felonies on them or sending them to prison, where they are getting advanced degrees in criminality, instead of thinking about ways like drug courts that can get them back on track in their lives -- it's expensive, it's counterproductive, and it doesn't make sense.


I've heard it said, and I agree, that this is a solid response from a mainstream politician on the presidential campaign trail. But I also think it simply reflects a realistic summary of what the centrist, mainstream view on U.S. drug policy sounds like. In other words, rather than commending Obama for not spouting tired war metaphors, let us welcome the new status quo.

We've reached a point at which this type of rhetoric is probably the most politically palatable perspective a serious candidate could offer. We've heard McCain making some similar points, and while I certainly won't be holding my breath, I think the possibility exists that we'll make it through the entire campaign without witnessing any serious controversy surrounding the concept that our drug war needs a major ideological makeover.

(This blog post was published by StoptheDrugWar.org's lobbying arm, the Drug Reform Coordination Network, which also shares the cost of maintaining this web site. DRCNet Foundation takes no positions on candidates for public office, in compliance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and does not pay for reporting that could be interpreted or misinterpreted as doing so.)

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Vandu celebrates it's 10th

The Vancouver area network of drug users celebrated it's 10th anniversary on Saturday,July 19,'08.The week started out with co founder and media spokesperson Ann Livingston having to deal with another
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Salvia -- gateway to . . . what?

Okay, I admit it. At the ripe old age of 55, overcome by curiosity, I decided to try salvia. Didn't care much for it; fortunately, the high only lasted about 15 minutes.
In The Trenches

The Sentencing Project: Disenfranchisement News/Updates 7/18/08

Louisiana: Bill Requiring Voting Rights Notification Gets Thumbs Up from Local ACLU The ACLU of Louisiana has applauded Gov. Bobby Jindal's recent signing of a law that mandates the Department of Public Safety and Corrections to notify people leaving its supervision about the process of regaining their voting rights. The law, which goes into effect August 15, also requires the Department to provide returning citizens with voter registration applications. "By requiring notice of voting rights reinstatement to those completing their felony sentences, the Louisiana legislature and Gov. Jindal have taken an important step towards ensuring that all of Louisiana's eligible voters can exercise their fundamental right to vote," said Marjorie Esman, Executive Director of the ACLU of Louisiana, which lobbied in favor of the bill. "The enactment of this legislation shows that the right to vote transcends partisan politics," Esman said. "This bill is about the strength of our democracy." Louisiana's current law bans nearly 100,000 citizens from voting until they have completed parole or probation. Thousands more are kept from the polls because they wrongly believe that they cannot regain their right to vote, according to the ACLU. "The ACLU of Louisiana will be working with Voice of the Ex-Offender (VOTE) to help ensure that the Department of Public Safety and Corrections implements the bill quickly and effectively," said Norris Henderson, VOTE's founder and director. - - - - - - Help The Sentencing Project continue to bring you news and updates on disenfranchisement! Make a contribution today. Contact Information: e-mail -- [email protected], web: http://www.sentencingproject.org.