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Alert: CALL CONGRESS Today to Stop Dangerous Mycoherbicide Bill!
UPDATE ON VOTE RESULTS HERE Earlier this year, DRCNet reported on a push by the drug czar and drug warriors in Congress to pass a reckless bill to research the use of mycoherbicides -- toxic, fungal plant killers -- as a means of attacking illicit drug crops. Even government agencies are unenthusiastic about this one -- our article cited the Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection, the Department of Agriculture, the State Department, the CIA and even the DEA as agencies that have rejected the idea as dangerous for health and the environment as well as likely to meet with resistant strains of poppy and coca against which it would be ineffective.
A Slippery Slope
Eric Sterling has another good rant on his Justice and Drugs blog. Sterling notes, among other things, that the rationale used to prohibit certain drugs could just as easily be applied to other recreational activities like skiing.Just think of how many persons are killed and injured skiing and snow boarding each year nationwide â an average of more than 38 persons per year, according to National Ski Areas Association. One could ask, what does skiing accomplish? What good is skiing? Well, it is fun, it is exciting. Isnât it exciting because the speed creates a sense of risk? If we focused our attention just on hospital emergency rooms, we might think that skiing ought to be outlawed.It might be an interesting exercise to imagine what the world of skiing would look like if it were outlawed. Imagine who would make skis, how it would be taught, where it would be done. Does anyone doubt that while there would be much less skiing, it would be much more dangerous to those who do ski, than it is now?I agree that the analogy is appropriate, and I therefore urge you Eric to shut up about the dangers of skiing, lest that too should be taken from us. Because you see, those who seek to save us from ourselves will not recognize the threat of black-market skiing. They will accept casualties as a necessary and temporary inevitability on the road to a world without skiing.And when that doesn't work, they'll try to flatten out the mountains.
Readers, Thanks for Your Help. Keep Those Corrupt Cop Story Tips Coming!
On Friday, I blogged about how for the first time in years I hadn't run a "This Week's Corrupt Cops" piece because I couldn't find any stories. The response has been most gratifying, with several of you sending stories I hadn't seen my way via the blog.
Dawn of the Meth
From BostonHerald.com:Deadly meth marching toward New England: DEA battles Midwest scourge before it hitsThe Hub is winning the war on crystal methamphetamine thanks to lessons learned from battles waged in the meth-gripped West and Midwest, a top federal drug official said yesterday, but she warned that the addictive drug is on a destructive march toward the East Coast.Should I start putting sandbags around my house?If I didnât know better, Iâd be bracing myself for a narcotic sandstorm of crystallized chaos. Iâd be plugging my nostrils with cotton balls and spray-painting "stolen" on my valuables so I canât pawn them.But Iâm not stupid. I know that meth doesnât "march" anywhere, or make decisions of any kind. Meth doesnât arrive at your doorstep like a military recruiter or Jehovahâs Witness and try to talk you into choosing a new direction in life.The Herald makes it sound as if meth arrives arbitrarily and just finds its way into your nose or something. Like it instantly turns your life into a horrifying before & after shot, and the survivors can see the trail of debris winding its way back to Iowa as they escape by helicopter.
What Will a Democratic Congress Mean for Drug Reform?
One of the articles I'm working on this week will be called "Drug Reform and the Democratic Congress: What's Really Going to Happen?" I've already talked to a number of inside the beltway drug reform types--the folks who actually work the halls of Congress--and I've got feelers out to more, as well as to the offices of several of the congressional Democrats who will be chairing key committees.
Drug war tagets young minorities
Back in the 1960s a phrase often repeated went something like this: "If you're white, you're all right; if you're brown, stick around; if you're black, stay back." This phrase aptly describes how the drug war relates to race when it comes to youth. The most recent data available (2001) support this idea. For instance, looking at national detention rates for juvenile drug offenders the rate (per 100,000) for whites was 3; for Hispanics it was 8; for blacks it was 22. In other words, black youth were more than 7 times more likely to be detained that white youth and almost 3 times more likely than Hispanics. Hispanic youth were almost 3 times more likely than whites to be detained.
Readers, I need your help! Where are the corrupt cops?
Some of you have undoubtedly noticed that the long-running "This Week's Corrupt Cops" feature was missing this week. That's because I didn't have any stories for it. Now, it may have been because there was no corrupt cop news in the past week, but I find that hard to believe given the outstanding record our police have built up over the years.
How Did You Celebrate Meth Day?
Meth is the worst drug since marijuana, a fact worth considering on National Methamphetamine Awareness Day, which weâll be celebrating every November 30th until everyone is aware, or we find something else to be hugely concerned about.Meth was invented during the summer of 2004 by Al Qaeda bio-terrorists and quickly made headlines nationwide, mainly because it was cynically designed to only affect white people. When the Office of National Drug Control Policy got wind of the problem in 2005, they launched a three-prong strategy of creating a national holiday, arresting convenience store clerks who sell "cooking" materials, and campaigning against ballot initiatives to legalize marijuana, which causes meth use in children.Bill Piper at the Drug Policy Alliance celebrated Meth Day with a great editorial. Itâs kinda long though, so you might wanna pop an Adderall before attempting to read the whole thing.
Seven Million -- and Counting
The Bureau of Justice Statistics annual report on use of the criminal justice system has come out, and there is landmark grim news: There are now seven million people under criminal justice control -- in prison or jail, on probation, or or parole -- in the United States. I am having trouble finding a link to the report -- maybe it's not posted yet -- but Phil will be covering this in Drug War Chronicle tonight. So check back for more details on the bad news...
Police Looking Worse and Worse in Atlanta "Drug Raid" Killing
Now it seems that one of the officers involved in the deadly "drug raid" in Atlanta last week previously lied about an incident in which he caused a head-on car crash. Yet the Atlanta police kept him on the force, and his "credibility" was good enough to get a no-knock warrant to break down someone's door. Also, the confidential informant is no longer confidential, somehow. But why? Read Radley Balko's analysis in The Agitator.
UNODC Director Insults Entire World With Absurd Declaration
The discussion surrounding opium cultivation in Afghanistan has spiraled out of control as public officials who've accomplished nothing attempt to update us on their progress. From the Washington Post: "History teaches us that it will take a generation to render Afghanistan opium-free," UNODC executive director Antonio Maria Costa said in a statement.What the hell is he talking about? The history of what? Iâm not aware of any historical event that demonstrates the effectiveness of drug eradication, yet Costa is offering us a time-table. Pete Guither says itâs pathetic and I agree. But itâs also insulting to anyone who has better things to do than read made-up nonsense in the newspaper.
Press Release: Salt Lake City Conference Confronts the Meth Crisis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2006 PRESS CONTACT: Luciano Colonna, 801-635-7736 SALT LAKE CITY CONFERENCE CONFRONTS THE METH CRISIS: National Conference brings all sides together to address the realities of methamphetamine use in America
The War on Medical Marijuana Patients Continues...But Why?
Medical marijuana activist Dustin Costa was convicted in federal court last week and could now spend the rest of his life in prison. Costaâs was the first federal trial of a medical marijuana patient in three years, demonstrating that the feds remain willing to pervert justice and lie to jurors in order to undermine Californiaâs medical marijuana law.The defense was prohibited from informing jurors that Costa is president of the Merced Patients Group and that his 908 plants were unquestionably intended for medical use.Meanwhile, further north, the Washington State Supreme Court recently upheld the conviction of medical marijuana patient Sharon Lee Tracy.
Latest on Atlanta Police Killing of Elderly Woman in Drug Raid
The killing of an elderly Atlanta woman after she shot and wounded three undercover policemen during a nighttime drug raid just might end up shedding some much needed light on the sordid business that is drug law enforcement in these United States. What we're seeing so far is not exactly a shining endorsement of the Atlanta Police Department's REDDOG (Run Every Drug Dealer Out of Georgia) drug squad or what looks to be the mindless search warrant machinery of the Fulton County courts. Just today, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which deserves kudos for being all over this travesty, reported that the snitch on whose word the warrant was based now says he never bought drugs at Johnston's address, and the narcs involved in the raid asked him to lie about it after the fact.
Joe Biden: We Don't Like Him Either
Delaware Senator Joseph Biden Jr. wants to be President too. You may remember Joe Biden from the horrible RAVE Act he sponsored, which subjects business owners to federal prosecution if they fail to prevent drug use on the premises. Worse yet, Biden actually wrote the law that gives us a Drug Czar. Seriously. Al Gore invented the internet or whatever. Joe Biden invented ONDCP. I wonder what he was thinking. Was Biden concerned that the drug war was all injury and no insults? If so, he certainly succeeded in making prohibition more annoying, what with the terrorism ads, the interference in local politics, the podcasts, the blog, Andrea Barthwellâ¦the list goes on.Either way, Biden can now take some credit for ONDCPâs numerous contributions to the drug war status quo, and should either be very proud or ashamed depending who you ask. It would be unfair not to mention that Joe Biden doesnât like John Walters, who he says runs ONDCP "like an ivory tower." One might credit Biden with taking a stand for accountability, but youâd have to ignore the irony of his complaints that the "Drug Czar" position he created seems to lend itself to tyranny. That drug war cheerleaders so often prove to have high political ambitions is probably no coincidence. From Harry Anslingerâs race-baiting demagoguery to Karen Tandyâs campaign against Tommy Chong (which swept her into the top office at DEA), drug war grandstanding is one way to get your name in the paper. Running for President is another.Electioneering laws prevent us from opining on the merits (or lack thereof) of various presidential candidates. So Iâll just say this: if the 2008 presidential election comes down to a contest between Rudy Giuliani and Joe Biden, the prison industrial complex canât lose.(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.)
Rudy Giuliani: We Don't Like Him
It became clear last week that Rudy Giuliani intends to be our next president. Notwithstanding the possibility that a pro-gay rights, pro-choice Republican might not do so well in the primaries, it's worth noting that Giuliani is an absolute horror show with regards to crime and drug policy.
The Neverending Story
Well...for those of us who came of age in the 60's (sorry, Dave, you're not included), the idea that, 40 years on, such a benign herb as marijuana would not only still be illegal, but causing more and more human pain and suffering through its prohibition, was unthinkable.
Militarization of police forces/Atlanta woman
A very good editorial by David Borden, as usual. The militarization of virtually all US police forces is not good. I remember a friend of mine from youth, who always wanted to be a soldier--like his eventual father-in-law, he dreamt of the military. Then, he could not qualify for the military because of some weird heart thing. He is still alive today, but the military would not accept him.
Another Raid Gone Wrong: 92-Year-Old Woman Killed, 3 Officers Injured
Again and again, it just keeps happening. This time a 92-year-old woman was killed after shooting three officers in a no-knock drug raid on her home. Officers claim that drugs were purchased at the home, but from a man who remains unidentified at this time.More importantly, a 92-year-old woman named Kathryn Johnston died defending her home against intruders who broke in without announcing themselves. She lived quite a long life only to die an innocent death at the hands of public servants.Radley Balko sums it up best:Paramilitary tactics don't defuse violent situations, as police groups and their supporters sometimes claim. They create them. They make things more volatile for everyone -- cops, suspects, and bystanders. Does anyone honestly believe that Ms. Johnson would have opened fire had a couple of uniformed officers politely knocked on her door, showed her a warrant, and asked if they could come inside?Violating the sanctity of the home with a violent, forced entry -- all to enforce laws against consensual acts -- simply isn't compatible with any honest notion of a free society.Police can have their submachine guns and bulletproof vests. They can have their blast shields and helmets. They may surround homes in order to prevent the escape of suspects, and if they have a warrant supported by probable cause to believe criminal activity is taking place inside, they may initiate contact. What more do they need? Why must they invade homes anonymously like burglars or rapists? Why, after so many innocent people have died, does this recklessness continue?The sad answer is that the drug war accepts the death of innocent people as a necessary casualty. The drug war turns police into soldiers whose lives are valued above those of the innocent people they fight to protect.Itâs time to bring home the troops.