Drug War Chronicle #518 - January 11, 2008
Feature: International Campaign to Stop Drug Executions Gearing Up
Some 32 countries have laws on their books allowing for the death penalty for drug offenses. A new report details the situation and lays the groundwork for a campaign to stop it.
Drug War Chronicle Book Review: "Drugs and Justice: Seeking a Consistent, Coherent, Comprehensive View," by Margaret Battin, et al. (2008, Oxford University Press, 279 pp., $21.95 PB)
We review "Drugs and Justice: Seeking a Consistent, Coherent, and Comprehensive View" and find it a valuable, thoughtful, and more accessible than you might think contribution to the literature.
Law Enforcement: Ohio SWAT Team Kills Woman, Wounds Toddler in Drug Raid
An Ohio SWAT shot and killed a young black mother and wounded the toddler she was holding in her arms during a routine drug raid last Friday. An angry community wants some answers and some accountability.
Latin America: Drug Gang Battles Cops, Soldiers in Mexican Border Town
The new year has brought more drug war violence to the Mexican border, as drug gunmen battled cops and soldiers in a bloody confrontation in Rio Bravo, across the river from McAllen, Texas.
Pain Medicine: Advocacy Group to Challenge Controlled Substances Act In Lawsuit Aimed at Protecting Physicians, Patients
The arrest and prosecution of a Kansas pain management physician and his nurse wife have prompted a leading pain advocacy group to file a lawsuit challenging the application of the Controlled Substance Act when it comes to doctors and patients.
Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
There's some funny accounting in some Mississippi anti-drug task forces, there's a bunch of dope missing from the Boston police evidence room, and crooked cops are headed for prison in Chicago, Nashville, and New Haven.
Appeal: DRCNet Made Amazing Progress in 2007 and We Need Your Help for 2008
An outline of DRCNet's plans and recent accomplishments and an appeal for your support to make it all happen.
Weekly: Blogging @ the Speakeasy
"The Truth About Driving When You're High on Marijuana," "The Drug War is a Training Camp for Corrupt Cops," "Police Who Steal From Drug Suspects Are Charged With Theft of "Government" Property," "Ecstasy Laced With Meth is Bad, But it's Not My Fault," "SWAT Team Shoots Baby, Kills Mom in Drug Raid Gone Wrong," "Traffickers Are Hiring Flat-chested Women to Smuggle Drugs in Their Bras," "Alert: A SWAT Team Shot a Mother and Child Last Week -- Take Action Now to Stop the Madness!," "A Column That Deserves a Mention -- AJC's Cynthia Tucker Compares the Drug War with Prohibition," "Barack Obama's Criminal Justice and Drug Policy Record," "Good Guys, Bad Guys: Bills Filed to Improve or Worsen Crack Cocaine Sentencing."
Students: Intern at DRCNet and Help Stop the Drug War!
Apply for an internship at DRCNet for this fall (or spring), and you could spend the semester fighting the good fight!
Psychedelics: Nebraska Moves to Ban Salvia Divinorum
The Nebraska attorney general and at least one legislator want to protect Cornhusker youth from salvia divinorum by sending them to prison for five years if they get caught with it.
Marijuana: Vermont Governor Open to Discussing Decriminalization, He Says
Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas says he is willing to discuss marijuana decriminalization. He is responding to a proposal from a key Democratic legislator, and he's taking a much softer stance than he did just a couple of months ago.
Law Enforcement: Dallas Police to Accept Recruits With Past Drug Use
The Dallas police department will now hire applicants who admit to past hard drug use -- but only if it was more than 10 years, the applicant was under 21, he didn't shoot up, and he only did it once.
Law Enforcement: DEA to Hire 200 New Agents
Thanks to the budget bill passed by Congress last month, DEA will be able to end a hiring freeze and sign up 200 more Special Agents.
Weekly: This Week in History
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.
Feedback: Do You Read Drug War Chronicle?
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Job Opportunity: Graphic Designer, Marijuana Policy Project
The Marijuana Policy Project is seeking a Graphic Designer for its Washington, DC headquarters.
Webmasters: Help the Movement by Running DRCNet Syndication Feeds on Your Web Site!
Support the cause by featuring automatically-updating Drug War Chronicle and other DRCNet content links on your web site!
Resource: DRCNet Web Site Offers Wide Array of RSS Feeds for Your Reader
A new way for you to receive DRCNet articles -- Drug War Chronicle and more -- is now available.
Resource: Reformer's Calendar Accessible Through DRCNet Web Site
Visit our new web site each day to see a running countdown to the events coming up the soonest, and more.
Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.