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New Poll: Democrats and Republicans Agree That the Drug War is a Failure
New Zogby data shows a bipartisan consensus that the drug war is a losing battle:Three in four likely voters (76%) believe the U.S. war on drugs is failing, a sentiment that cuts across the political spectrum â including the vast majority of Democrats (86%), political independents (81%), and most Republicans (61%). There is also a strong belief that the anti-drug effort is failing among those who intend to vote for Barack Obama (89%) for president, as well as most supporters of John McCain (61%).When asked what they believe is the single best way to combat international drug trafficking and illicit use, 27% of likely voters said legalizing some drugs would be the best approach -- 34% of Obama supporters and 20% of McCain backers agreed.* One in four likely voters (25%) believe stopping the drugs at the border is the best tactic to battle drugs -- 39% of McCain supporters, but just 12% of Obama backers agree.* Overall, 19% of likely voters said reducing demand through treatment and education should be the top focus of the war on drugs.* 13% believe that the best way to fight the war on drugs is to prevent production of narcotics in the country of origin.At first glance, 27% support for legalization appears disappointing, but a look at the question itself provides a much more encouraging outlook. Respondents were asked to select "the single best way to handle the war on drugs" and hereâs the breakdown of their responses:Prevent production of narcotics at their country of origin: 12.7%Stopping drugs at the U.S. border:                                         24.8%Reducing demand through treatment and education:         18.7%Legalizing some drugs in the U.S.:                                         27.5%Ending the War on Drugs:                                                      8.2%Not sure/none of the above:                                                  8.1%Legalization was the most popular answer. Support for interdiction/eradication encompassed only 37.5% of respondents, thus the majority clearly supports some level of reform. I donât see how you could look at this without concluding that supply reduction strategies lack public support. A smart politician could easily begin chipping away at the most militaristic aspects of the war on drugs without suffering any political consequences. If there ever existed a tangible political advantage for candidates who play the "tough on drugs" card for votes, those days are behind us. The current political climate favors cutting bad programs and changing business-as-usual in Washington, D.C. The drug war belongs at the top of that list, and while it isnât there yet, we are undeniably on a trajectory towards a unique moment when the political landscape that sustains prohibition will face re-evaluation. At that point, anything and everything weâve understood about the politics of drug policy reform could change overnight.Note: I will begin refering to this concept as "the new drug war politics."
Police Discover Worldâs Largest Marijuana Plants
Drug enforcement officers never tire of their overpowering compulsion to exaggerate marijuana seizures to the point of absurdity. Again and again, weâve caught police making ludicrous claims that contradict basic math and science. The latest example comes from California, where local narcotics officers found some large marijuana plants and tried to frame it as some sort of unbelievable shocker: Marijuana plants seized Monday in Browns Valley and Live Oak "are the largest I've seen," a drug enforcement official said.â¦Some of the plants were 7 feet tall or higher. Most averaged only 5 feet in height but had a circumference of about 12 feet and could have produced about 10 pounds each of marijuana, said Hudson, who called it "some of the highest quality marijuana currently available."It would take about 2,000 normal-size plants to produce an equivalent amount, he said. [Appeal Democrat]That all sounds very exciting and newsworthy, except for one thing: marijuana plants donât yield 10 pounds. They just donât. Thatâs crazy and wrong. To illustrate how absurd this is, I contacted Chris Conrad, a court-qualified cannabis expert and author of Cannabis Yields and Dosage. Hereâs what Chris had to say:Probably they would end up getting about 3-4 pounds of actual bud from a plant that size, depending on how well it is manicured, plus more than that as leaf that could be converted into hash or edibles. Remember that the police use the "bud-leaf-seed" version of cannabis, whereas the actual market is for bud, not leaf or seeds. So cops almost always think there is twice as much 'marijuana' there as does the grower. I was just looking at some big plants in Oregon for a collective, and they claimed 5 pounds per plant, but I think that included the shake, which they said they give away to indigent patients. Visually they looked like 3 pound plants to me, so the implication is that they toss out the fan leaf but keep the bud leaf and trim for patients. That would explain how they could come to 5 pounds.I've never had anyone claim to have gotten 10 pounds from a plant, but quite a few people have boasted about getting between 2 and 5 pounds of bud from one. I haven't had the pleasure of sitting in on the manicure and weighing to see it for myself, yet.Cops often inflate the weight of their yield by using the fresh weight instead of the dry weight of the plants, BTW, so the most typical inflation is 400%; in other words, their alleged 10 pounds is most likely to weigh about 2.5 pounds, based on the typical cop exaggeration.It is almost amusing to picture officers standing around a bunch of big plants issuing arbitrary clueless declarations about the gardenâs quality and yield. They have absolutely no idea what theyâre talking about. Itâs like asking a mugger to appraise jewelry. It might be funny if it werenât for the fact that these spontaneous, incompetent assessments are used at trial to influence how long non-violent offenders will spend behind bars.
The Drug War Bailout
The last time our country faced a major economic crisis, we ended alcohol prohibition. Think about that.
Police Defend the Right to Choke Marijuana Suspects
Watch this video of Mount Juliet, TN police officer Bill Cosby choking a marijuana suspect into unconsciousness during a traffic stop. Officer Cosby apparently believed the suspect was trying to swallow marijuana, however nothing was found in his mouth and he subsequently passed a drug test, proving that he didnât eat it. He just never had marijuana in his mouth. The video is so disturbing, a local judge refused to hear future cases brought by Cosby and the police chief had no choice but to fire him. So youâd think that gratuitous police violence against a non-violent marijuana suspect would find no apologists. Youâd hope that other officers would be universally disgusted by Officer Cosbyâs deplorable example and support his dismissal. And youâd be wrong. I reviewed a comment thread on the case at PoliceOne.com and found that many officers believe choking non-violent marijuana suspects is necessary and even commendable: The charges for the suspect should be reinstated and the officer should be commended for doing his job in a professional manner....This is ridiculous. The officer did nothing wrong and a judge, prosecutor and chief are looking to hang him. It's no wonder we're losing cops by the dozens. Who wants to put their butt on the line when no one appreciates the job you do....After viewing the video, the officer is not out of control or doing anything that isn't called for.These comments imply that you could somehow die from eating marijuana:The officer probably didn't want the guy to die over something as stupid as swallowing some dope....Another Police Officer abandoned by his department because of fear of legal action from a criminal. Of course had he swallowed it and then died the family would have sued because the Police didnt choke it out of him....I hope the Officer is cleared and gets a job at a real department. Also let the bad guys swallow the dope. With luck he will croak and save court costs.This one admits that the choking appears maliciousâ¦then wishes the officer well.That appears to be choking. The fact that it was called a vascular restraint makes it appear as "creative report writing." I pray for Cosby that he makes it through this experience.This one recommends turning off your camera:It has become an awareness to me that these dashcams are causing good cops to get into trouble or fired, so boys turn the damn things off.This one endorses choking and stomping suspects, as long as they're out of the camera frame:Hey brother...choke the asshole out if you are so inclined...stand on his trachea if you want...but how about bringing him to the back of your RMP [squad car]? Could you actually think that was something to get on film? Did you forget about the camera?All of this really speaks for itself. To be fair, some comments were more reasonable, but the overall tone was that the officer shouldnât have been disciplined. That is what real police officers believe, up to and including some of the violent and scary sentiments outlined above. It is really just remarkable to imagine that those who would jettison any accountability for their own violent actions remain steadfast in their insistence that people who use marijuana for fun are dangerous thugs who deserve no mercy. That is the gaping chasm that often separates law enforcementâs self-imposed moral standards from those they apply to everyone else. It is a perfectly horrifying thing to behold, more so when one realizes that no effort was even made to conceal these vile sentiments from the public they serve.Update: Chokings, mistakes, and misconduct aside, the fact that people commonly panic and eat their stash at the sight of police is troubling, isn't it? This needs to stop and I might be the only person who's taken this issue on, by writing Why You Shouldn't Try to Eat Your Marijuana If You're Pulled Over. Unfortunately, more dangerous drugs carry harsher sentences and a greater incentive for desperate people to risk an overdose rather than face prison time. Police use this as an excuse to choke us, but it's actually an exhibit in the absurdity of our drug policy.
SWAT Raids Often Target Innocent People
In addition to killing an unarmed mother of six and shooting a baby, it turns out that the SWAT team in Lima, OH has been raiding innocent people quite regularly:LIMA - More than a quarter of the 198 raids by the Lima Police Department SWAT team in the last seven years came up empty-handed without finding drugs, weapons, paraphernalia or money.And nearly a third of the time, police do not find drugs or a weapon. Drugs alone were found in nearly two-thirds of the raids and a weapon, by itself, was found one-third of the time. [LimaOhio.com]Thatâs a lot of innocent doors getting kicked in and a lot of innocent people having guns held to their head. Yet, the Lima PD actually thinks itâs something to be proud of:"That means 68 percent of the time, we're getting guns or drugs off the street," said Maj. Kevin Martin, who called the numbers a success.Nothing could more perfectly illustrate the complete detachment that underscores a policy of routinely terrorizing innocent citizens. Think about this: the Lima officer who shot Tarika Wilson claimed that he killed her because he was startled by the sound of gunfire caused by his fellow officers shooting dogs elsewhere in the house. That is sort of thing that can happen during these raids, and they know it. Thus, Maj. Martinâs statement reveals that Lima PD has learned nothing after killing Wilson and shooting her babyâs finger off. They are proud that some of the people whose lives they endanger in these raids turn out to be actual criminals. The rest just donât factor into the equation. Not even little babies.
Nasal Congestion Sufferer Arrested for Buying Too Much Cold Medicine
The drug warâs mindless persecution of sick people goes beyond medical marijuana:MASON CITY â Gary Schinagel has suffered from chronic nasal congestion from the time he was a youngster.When he was a child growing up in Sheffield his family doctor told him, âGary, this is something youâll be dealing with all your life.âLittle did he know.Last Wednesday, Schinagel, 47, a senior investment associate at Principal Financial Group in Mason City, was arrested for the illegal purchase of pseudoephedrine. [Globe Gazette]Arrested for buying cold medicine. Itâs happened before, too. Can you even imagine how many cold sufferers have declined to purchase cold medicine for fear of having their door kicked in by the cops?If you donât know about things like this, you donât fully understand what the drug war does. The real drug war consists of the accumulation of every mindblowingly absurd outcome our policies have produced. Itâs not just a game of cops and robbers. Itâs a philosophy that corrupts our consciousness, permeates our policymaking, and eventually results in completely normal and innocent people being arrested all the time for some of the stupidest reasons one could possibly imagine. Also: On a very related note, this weekend CVS wouldn't sell Radley Balko the medicine he needed.
When Police Mistake Chocolate For Hashâ¦
NaturalNews.com has the unbelievable story of a Canadian couple who run a small chocolate company. Guess what happens when you try to cross back and forth between the U.S. and Canada with large quantities of chocolate?Hint: Itâs horrible.
Stop illegal immigration: End the war on drugs
Image by WRDLWordle Mexico is exporting poverty and importing dollars. The US is exporting dollars and our borders are being scammed on a massive scale. This situation will continue as long as Mexico cannot provide opportunities to its people. What needs to happen so that Mexicans want to stay in Mexico?
Poll Shows Strong Support in Mexico for Drug Legalization
A BBC World Service poll released Monday found Mexicans evenly divided on the question of whether drug legalization should be considered as a solution to the nationâs problem with drug war violence. 44% of respondents agreed that legalization of drugs should be considered, while 46% disagreed. Additionally, a full 80% believed that "the government should consider seeking other alternatives to end the problem."These results reflect widespread frustration with the increased drug trade violence triggered by President Calderonâs efforts at cracking down on traffickers. Police are being killed at alarming rates, with some even fleeing to the U.S. in search of asylum. Civilians are being massacred in shootings by police and grenade attacks by drug traffickers. Bloody botched police raids and gratuitous human rights violations by the Mexican army have terrorized the population. Affluent Mexicans are having microchips implanted in their flesh in case of kidnappings and the traffickers are driving modified James Bond-style getaway vehicles.These are the inevitable consequences of a brutal civil war that continues to enrich powerful drug lords at the perpetual expense of peace and social order. Anyone living on the front lines of Mexicoâs expansive drug war battlefield can plainly observe the contributions of Calderonâs crackdown towards increasing the bloodshed. Things didnât get better, they got worse. Thatâs how this works, always. Calderonâs drug war troop surge has now elevated the lessons of prohibition within the public consciousness. He has created an interactive national exhibit of the drug warâs horrific futility. And each passing day brings more news of destruction and death, more opportunities for the drug war faithful to finally reject the great hoax that has infected their democracy and now consumes their environment. The drug war is not going to start working one day, so itâs no surprise that Mexicans are ready to begin discussing alternatives. Their numbers will only continue to grow. And you can bet that this conversation scares the great drug lords far more than Calderonâs corrupted drug war army ever will.
Rachel Hoffman Fallout: One Officer Fired, Others Reprimanded
At long last, weâre seeing some accountability for the officers who got Rachel Hoffman killed after coercing her into working as an informant in the mindbending botched drug sting disaster of the century:Police Chief Dennis Jones requested that investigator Ryan Pender's employment be terminated.Jones also wanted this disciplinary action taken: Deputy Chief John Proctor, reprimand; Capt. Chris Connell, two-week suspension without pay; Lt. Taltha White, two week suspension without pay; Sgt. David Odom, two week suspension without pay; Sgt. Rod Looney, two week suspension without pay.Jones is reassigning White, Odom and Connell within the department."We have taken the necessary time to conduct a thorough and honest review and asked others to examine our operations," Jones says in the statement from the city. He said he has contacted Hoffman's family and provided a report."While we cannot change the events of May 7, we can make the type of changes within the department to help ensure our future actions are consistent with policy," Jones said.[City Manager] Thompson also issued a reprimand to Jones to require a stronger level of supervision from top to bottom in the department. [Tampa Bay Online]Anything resembling police accountability in the war on drugs is so rare that we should really take a moment to just reflect on this. Miraculously, weâve reached a point where all you have to do to get the cops in trouble is be a pretty white girl with a loving family and hundreds of friends, get sucked into a steaming cauldron of first-rate drug enforcement incompetence, and perish dramatically on 20/20âs tear-jerker TV special of the season. Thatâs what it takes, because despite the all-encompassing aversion of police officials towards acknowledging even mild misconduct, itâs still easier than conceding that the entire drug informant system is fundamentally corrupt and perverted to its core. This isnât about Officer Pender, it isnât about Tallahassee, and it isnât going to get any better just because a couple incompetent cops got called out. The Burn Emâ & Bail Drug Informant Circus of Horror is a national tour sponsored by the war on drugs and it wonât go away until every last one of us makes it abundantly clear that we want no part of this. Not with our money, not in our community, and not in our name.
Crack the Disparity Newsletter Vol. 1, No. 2
[Courtesy of the Crack the Disparity Coalition] Secure Fairness in Crack Cocaine Sentencing -- Join Lobby Day this Spring Plans are underway for the second national lobby day for crack cocaine sentencing reform in Washington, DC, hosted by the Crack the Disparity Coalition. An exact date has not yet been set but we invite advocates from around the country to attend the Capitol Hill event this spring. As a participant, you will speak with Members of Congress and their staff about the unjust sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine and the need to eliminate it. Training and materials will be provided to you. Look for more details in the December issue of the Crack the Disparity Newsletter. Home for the Holidays By Karen Garrison Karen Garrison is the mother of twin sons sentenced to nearly two decades for a first-time nonviolent crack cocaine offense. Her son Lawrence will soon be released due to the U.S. Sentencing Commission's recent changes to the sentencing guidelines for crack cocaine offenses. The dream will be a reality for one of my sons who will be home this December. It has been 10 years and Lawrence and Lamont's room has hardly been touched. I covered the beds with heavy plastic. Long ago I gave away their clothes and shoes to shelters and halfway houses, not only because of their weight loss, but clothing goes out of style in a period of ten years. I must now begin to prepare a place for one of my twins, never forgetting that one will remain behind unjust bars. I am buying sheets, towels, and gathering healthy recipes he will enjoy preparing. I will try to purchase new furniture and have already bought the paint for his room. Coming home to those same bunk beds would just make it harder on both of us. Those are the beds he shared with his twin brother Lamont. Commute Crack Cocaine Sentences in Time for the Holidays By Jasmine Tyler This month the Crack the Disparity Coalition launched the "Home for the Holidays" campaign to rally support for individuals serving excessive penalties for crack cocaine offenses who have filed commutation requests with President George W. Bush. The President expressed concern for the crack cocaine sentencing disparity in the early days of his administration. The sentencing disparity "ought to be addressed by making sure the powder-cocaine and the crack-cocaine penalties are the same," he said in 2001. "I don't believe we ought to be discriminatory." Advocates are hoping to capitalize on these sympathies to expedite applications for crack cocaine cases and increase recommendations for clemency. The campaign is promoting support for clemency applicants seeking relief from the uniquely severe penalties for low-level crack cocaine offenses that subject defendants possessing as little as 5 grams of crack cocaine to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years. A powder cocaine defendant must be convicted of selling 100 times that amount to trigger the same sentence. Since Congress has yet to act to alleviate this disparity, advocates' focus this fall is to ensure that those who are seeking clemency do not go unheard. Teen Profiles Crack Cocaine Reformer: Pamela Alexander - A Profile in Courage By Laura S., Cincinatti, OH This article was reprinted courtesy of TeenInk.com, a nonprofit, national teen magazine, book series, and website devoted entirely to teenage writing and art. On December 11, 2007, members of the United States Sentencing Commission voted unanimously to make a groundbreaking change in one of their policies. They decided that the disparity between sentences for crack cocaine crimes and those involving powder cocaine was exceedingly unjust and prejudiced. With crack users being predominantly black and powder cocaine users predominantly white, the Sentencing Commission judged the much harsher sentences for crack users to be racially biased at their core. The Commission therefore has allowed thousands currently imprisoned for crack cocaine violations to appeal their sentences before federal judges, in an effort to shorten these sentences where feasible. While this represents a major step toward racial equality and justice, one uncelebrated, independent woman put her career on the line for this same issue - seventeen years ago. Petition President Bush Join citizens concerned about the harsh mandatory minimum sentences for low-level crack cocaine offenses by telling President George Bush and Pardon Attorney Ronald Rodgers to expedite and give special consideration to commutation applicants serving excessive sentences for crack cocaine. Sign a petition by clicking here. Save the Date September 24-27, 2008: Congressional Black Caucus Foundation 38th Annual Legislative Conference, Washington, D.C. September 26-September 28, 2008: Critical Resistance 10th Anniversary Celebration and International Conference and Strategy Session, Oakland, CA October 19-22, 2008: International Community Corrections Association 16th Annual International Research Conference, "Risk, Resilience and Reentry," St. Louis, MO Spring 2009: Crack the Disparity Lobby Day, Washington, D.C. Media Attention Daily Press Editorial on Equalization of Crack and Powder Cocaine Sun-Sentinel Coverage on Prison Term Reductions for Cocaine Cases Kansas City Star Coverage on Former Kansas City Royal Baseball Player Willie Mays Aikens The Crack the Disparity Coalition includes the American Bar Association, American Civil Liberties Union, Break the Chains, Drug Policy Alliance, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Open Society Policy Center, Restoring Dignity, Inc., Students for Sensible Drug Policy, The Sentencing Project, and United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society.
Police Kill Really Small Dog, Claim it Threatened Them
This is getting really out of hand. What kind of cop is scared of a Jack Russell terrier?HALTOM CITY â An internal investigation is under way after a Haltom City police officer fatally shot a Jack Russell terrier Monday afternoon while officers were serving a search warrant.The officer, who was not identified, remained on duty, police said Friday.But family members at the house where the shooting occurred said Friday that Willy, the 40-pound terrier, never attacked the officer. [Ft. Worth Star-Telegram]Ok, obviously thereâs some sort of major misunderstanding going on here, because the number of household pets being killed by police has gone from alarming to inconceivably, mindblowingly outrageous and intolerable. Of course, police are heroes who would never kill animals just to be mean (only sociopaths are cruel to animals), so the answer must be that police are disproportionately terrified of dogs.Cynophobia is the clinical name for an abnormal fear of dogs, i.e., a specific phobia related to dogs. The dog is a domesticated superpredator; this in combination with increasing media coverage of dog attacks could be contributing factors for development of this fear. A 1992 study of cynophobia among children and adults [1] reported that actually experiencing dog attacks does contribute to cynophobia. [Wikipedia]So if your job often involves going around yelling and stomping your way into peopleâs houses, youâre disproportionately at risk for unpleasant dog encounters. Horror stories of rookies getting their nuts bit off are surely passed down within the ranks, resulting in a climate of hostility towards the canine species. So, at the risk of sounding condescending, letâs just clarify a few things:1. Dogs bark at everyone. It doesnât mean theyâre challenging your authority.2. Many species of dogs are really weak. These can usually be identified by their small size. Donât assume that all dogs are as vicious as the ones at the police station.3. No police officer has ever been killed by a dog (I tried googling it and mostly just found stories of dogs being killed by police). Â 4. Dog bites can be effectively treated through the miracles of modern science. Shooting guns indoors is generally much more dangerous.I apologize to the many brave men and women in law enforcement who arenât terrified of small dogs. This is embarrassing, I know, but weâve got to get this out in the open so we can move on.
New Developments in the Ryan Frederick Case
Ever since Ryan Frederick was charged with murder for killing a police officer who he mistook for a burglar during a botched drug raid, the case against him has become increasingly difficult to believe. Despite finding no evidence of cultivation, prosecutors are now claiming Frederick had been growing marijuana prior to the police raid and that he knew police were coming and planned the murder. It just doesnât make sense, particularly insofar as a suspect whoâs expecting police doesnât need to shoot them. If he wanted to escape, he could just leave before they came.Radley Balko has the details here and some additional analysis here.
Why has Russia said no to Methadone?
Despite having nearly a million heroin addicts, with HIV spreading rapidly through that population, Russia's government has very tragically said no to methadone maintenance. According to a short video posted by the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU), 80% of all new HIV cases in Russia are due to needle sharing by injection drug users. Check out the video here: Check out HCLU here.
Idiot Proposes Lengthy Prison Sentence for George Michael
George Michaelâs latest drug arrest has reduced Ross Clark at The Times Online to a sputtering mess. In an embarrassing editorial entitled It's just as wrong to use drugs as it is to sell them, Clark compares drug use to child pornography and calls for casual users to serve long sentences: With stolen goods, illegal weapons and child pornography, the law is clear: the user is as guilty as the supplier. The police didn't let Gary Glitter off with a little rap on the knuckles and the rest of us didn't shake our heads and say: âPoor Gary, how sad that he has fallen victim to these evil porn dealers.âHe was prosecuted, quite rightly, on the basis that those who provide the market for child porn are implicated in its production. So why then do such different attitudes persist in the case of drugs? If it is wrong to produce and trade drugs, then it is equally wrong to use them.Clark goes on explain that drug addiction doesnât happen to intelligent people:â¦Among drug users and drug peddlers alike, there are, of course, sometimes mitigating circumstances. If you have been brought up by drug addicts, beaten and abused, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise if you grow up with a somewhat confused sense of right and wrong.But none of this applies to George Michael, who is intelligent enough to know that taking crack is not just an issue of personal liberty: there is a clear association between use of the drug and propensity to commit violent crime. If caught with illegal drugs he should be treated to no less a punishment than if he had smuggled them into the country and sold them on the streets.Dude, chill out. No one wants to spend $250,000 imprisoning a guy for $20 worth of dope. Iâm sure you had fun writing this, but do you actually agree with your own idea? Did you know that it costs money to keep people in jail? If you hate drug users so much, do you really want to pay for all their food and clothes and healthcare for 10 years every time we catch one? No you donât, so shut up before we lock George Michael in your pantry and make you take care him forever.
Cop Fired For Choking Marijuana Suspect
See!? There really is accountability in the war on drugs. All you have to do is get video of a cop nearly killing a guy over a petty misdemeanor. Seriously though, as rare as this is, it does send an important message that there can be consequences for police who use excessive force against peaceful suspects:MT. JULIET, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee police officer has pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault charges after he was caught on video using a chokehold on a man suspected of hiding marijuana in his mouth.An attorney for Cpl. William Cosby says he pleaded not guilty Thursday.A lawyer for the city of Mt. Juliet, about 20 miles east of Nashville, says Cosby has been fired.Cosby's attorney, Chuck Ward, says the decision to fire Cosby shows the city believes him to be "guilty until proven innocent."Video from a city police car shows Cosby using a chokehold on 26-year-old James Lawrence Anders Jr. during an April traffic stop. The video then shows Anders passing out.Charges including marijuana possession were later dropped. Anders is suing over the incident.The story went out on AP and was covered in several news outlets. One thing that remains unclear to me is whether the suspect ever even had any marijuana. If anyone can locate additional coverage or the actual video, please send it to me. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â [Thanks, Nate] Update: That was fast. You can watch the video here. There was no marijuana in the suspect's mouth and he tested negative for marijuana use. Thanks, Zane.Â
Salvia is Potent, But is it Dangerous?
The Washington Post has a trainwreck of an editorial calling for preliminary discussion of prohibiting salvia. They seem to think the DEAâs job includes evaluating drugs scientifically and that videos of people getting high on YouTube prove that salvia is dangerous. The one thing thatâs missing is any evidence of the drug actually hurting anyone.Pete Guither rips it into confetti, so Iâll hold my breath. My thoughts on salvia hysteria are here.
Obama's Contradictory Position on the Drug War
At a campaign appearance in Jacksonville, FL, Barack Obama proposed federal drug war funding as a solution to the cityâs problems with violent crime:I will ensure that we fund the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program, which has been critical to creating the anti-gang and anti-drug task forces our communities need. And I will make sure our federal law enforcement agencies are equipped to fight terrorism and crime by ensuring that the FBI and DEA are appropriately staffed and that federal-local law enforcement task forces have the support they need. [Florida Times-Union]He said the same thing in New Orleans, thus itâs becoming increasingly clear that Obama really does believe that aggressive drug enforcement can function as a crime control mechanism. For a quick tutorial on how absurd that is, Iâd refer him to Mexico, where President Calderonâs attempted crackdown has escalated violence throughout the country with no end in sight.Moreover, Obamaâs praise for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grants ignores that programâs role in producing some of the most egregious civil rights catastrophes in modern drug war history. Byrne funding was responsible for the notorious fiascos in Tulia and Hearne, TX, in which large numbers of innocent African-Americans were rounded up and framed for drug crimes. Overwhelming abuse of the program led Texas to ban multi-jurisdictional drug task forces entirely. Obamaâs remarks yesterday are therefore simply impossible to reconcile with his calls for "shifting the paradigm" in the war on drugs. He has frequently called attention to the over-incarceration of non-violent drug offenders, yet now pledges to continue the exact tactics that have played such a prominent role in producing our alarming prison population. As Radley Balko explains:Because most Byrne grants are also tied directly to drug arrests, they encourage local police departments to use their manpower and resources on nonviolent drug offenses instead of more serious crimes like rape, robbery, or murder.It seems Obama is trying to have it both ways, scoring points for forward-thinking ideas on incarceration at the national level, while simultaneously promising more policing and drug enforcement to audiences that are concerned about crime. Iâd still prefer to think heâs serious about working to reduce our prison population, but he wonât get far without looking at the way our drug laws are enforced. If he plans to dangle federal drug war dollars in front of bloodthirsty local narcotics task forces, you can bet those guys will do what they do best: fill our prisons as fast as they can with anyone they can get their hands on. Thatâs just how the drug war works. Politicians fund prohibition. Prohibition funds violence. Politicians feel pressured and fund more prohibition. If Obama wants to change the outcome, heâll have to change the process. (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.)
Another Sign That Medical Marijuana Laws Are Working
Regulating medical marijuana under state law makes it possible for police to protect private property: Mendocino County sheriff's deputies arrested eight Sacramento-area men Friday on suspicion of robbing at gunpoint a Laytonville man who grew marijuana in his garden for medical use.The men, who range in age from 18 to 24, are from Citrus Heights, Elk Grove and Sacramento, and are facing armed robbery and conspiracy charges. [Sacramento Bee]Itâs nice to see police helping patients and turning their attention towards real criminals.