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Chronicle Book Review: Hostage Nation

We review a book on Colombia and US drug policy seen through a lens focused on American contractors and Colombian politicians kidnapped by the FARC.

DC: Mayor to Implement Medical Marijuana

 

DC: Mayor to implement medical marijuana

Thanks to everyone who took action on our alert and contacted the mayor’s office!

Dear friends:

We did it! Mayor Vince Gray announced today that the District will be implementing its medical marijuana program. The calls you made and the emails you sent in response to last week’s alert no doubt played a role in today’s announcement and helped illustrate the power of getting involved with local government.

The final regulations are scheduled to be included in the April 15 issue of the DC Register. Shortly thereafter, those interested in opening one of the five dispensaries and 10 cultivation centers in the District will be able to submit applications to the Department of Health. Seriously ill patients whose doctors recommend marijuana will also be able to send in their applications to become registered patients, although they will not be able to legally possess marijuana unless it was purchased from a licensed dispensary.

MPP, with your support, has been fighting for years to see this law take effect. Thanks to the District of Columbia Patients’ Cooperative, and to everyone who took the time to reach out to the mayor’s office, and congratulations to the patients who have waited all too long for this day. It’s been a pleasure working by your sides to make sure patients will finally be protected in the District.

Sincerely,

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Dan Riffle
Legislative Analyst
Marijuana Policy Project

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Obama Announces 420 Gathering on Facebook

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If one thing ought to be undeniably clear by now, it's that the President just loves being lobbied for marijuana legalization. That's why he keeps hosting popularity contests for political issues on the internet, and inviting the decidedly predictable chorus of calls for ending the war on drugs. So, in order to ensure that his next such event is similarly well attended, the President is asking us to join him for a live 4/20 celebration on Facebook that you don't want to miss!

California Gov. Jerry Brown takes a tiny step toward corrections reform.
California Gov. Jerry Brown takes a tiny step toward corrections reform.

California Corrections "Realignment" Not Nearly Enough [FEATURE]

California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill "realigning" corrections in the state, but that's just the tiniest of baby steps toward fixing an out of control prison system. How about some real sentencing reform?
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This Week in History

Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.
prohibition fuels violence (image via Wikimedia)
prohibition fuels violence (image via Wikimedia)

Mexico Drug War Update

More bloody days in Ciudad Juarez, and violence flares in Veracruz as well.
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Maine medical marijuana dispensary.png

Idiot Compares Medical Marijuana Dispensary to Japanese Nuclear Reactor

The East Coast's first dispensary has opened in Frenchville, ME, and although no one has been remotely harmed by it in any way whatsoever, some area residents believe it may only be a matter of time before patient access exacts a vicious toll from innocents in the vicinity. The award for most terrified local moron clearly goes to the guy who went on the news and drew parallels between the horrific nuclear crisis unfolding in Japan and the facility growing marijuana up the road (at 1:47):

prohibition corrupts (image via Wikimedia)
prohibition corrupts (image via Wikimedia)

This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

Missing drug money, meth-dealing sheriffs, cocaine-snorting crooked cops, cops turned robbers -- it's just another week on the corrupt cops beat.

Is DARE Program Worth It?

While participants remain enthusiastic, scientific reviews have been negative on the effectiveness of the DARE program, which started in Los Angeles in 1983. A 2006 report by the U.S. Surgeon General concluded that those who participate in DARE are just as likely to use drugs as those who don’t. Khadija K. Swims, of Grand Valley State University, reviewed several studies on DARE and concluded the program is "ineffective" in preventing future drug, alcohol and tobacco use in adolescents. The results of such studies mean schools can’t spend federal money on DARE. Under rules that went into effect in 1998, the Department of Education requires agencies that receive federal money to prove within two years that their programs reduce drug use among students.
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