Drug War Chronicle #483 - April 27, 2007
Open Letter: You Screwed Up the "Snitch" Story, Anderson Cooper
A report by CNN's Anderson Cooper for Sixty Minutes on the "Stop Snitching" movement missed the mark widely. In this open letter to Cooper, DRCNet executive director David Borden lays out the real deal.
Feature: Drug Czar Reluctantly Admits Cocaine Prices Have Dropped in Quietly Released Report
Two years ago, drug czar John Walters trumpeted rising cocaine prices as evidence the drug war was working. But the overall trend is toward lower prices and higher purity, and Walters doesn't want to talk about that.
Feature: Cannabis Nation Celebrates 4/20 -- Dozens of Campus Actions, Mass Arrests in Denver, Foiled in Las Vegas
Last Friday was 4/20, the unofficial holiday for marijuana aficionados. On campuses across the country, students came out. In Denver and Las Vegas, though, there were problems.
Weekly: Blogging @ the Speakeasy
In addition to the weekly reporting you see here in the Chronicle, DRCNet also features daily content in the way of blogging, news links, redistributed press releases and announcements from our allies and more.
Alert: Do You Live in AK, CO, CT, GA, IL, IA, KS, MD, MA, NH, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, RI, TN, UT, VT, WA or WY? If So, We Need Your Help
E-mails and phone calls are urgently needed to certain US senators to help repeal a bad law at the juncture of drug policy and education.
Book Offer: Lies, Damn Lies, and Drug War Statistics
An important new book debunks literally years of statistical legerdemain by the nation's central drug policy office -- and is DRCNet's latest premium for our members.
Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
Three police officers and a prison guard arrested, and another prison guard gets sent to prison. Once again, we present the corrosive impact of the drug war on police ethics and morality in all its mundane banality.
Search and Seizure: Supreme Court Takes Up Rights of Vehicle Passengers
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday in a case that revolves around whether passengers in a vehicle stopped by police are "seized" like the driver.
Southwest Asia: Drug Trade a Pillar of the Afghan Economy
The opium economy is the leading employer in Afghanistan, despite limited eradication efforts funded by the west.
Europe: Belgium, Germany Need to Open Their Own Cannabis Coffee Shops, Says Dutch Mayor
The Belgian and German governments are complaining about Dutch border city coffee shops that cater to their citizens, but a Dutch mayor suggests they just open their own.
Latin America: As Blood Continues to Flow, Mexico's Opposition Calls for Drug Legalization -- Starting with the US
With bloody drug prohibition-related violence unabated despite the latest round of government military offensives, leading members of Mexico's main opposition party are calling for drug legalization as way out.
Web Scan
Time on Ecstasy research, Radley Balko on Measuring Prohibitions, new CannabisResource site, Oaksterdam News, Drug Truth Network, HRC web site relaunch, Alternet on South America drug war.
Weekly: This Week in History
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.
Job Opportunity: Program Officer, Health Media Project, OSI
The Open Society Institute seeks a full-time Program Officer in its New York office to assist with their Health Media Project.
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Announcement: New Format for the Reformer's Calendar
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