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Granny 3 Cops 1
"I don't know what kind [of gun it was] and it was rusty, but apparently it was working well." http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2006/11/21/1121copshot.html The police claim they did everything by the book.
I Met Pete Guither!
One of many highlights at the SSDP Conference was finally meeting DrugWarRant blogger Pete Guither. Here I am with three of my favorite writers: Scott Morgan, Radley Balko, Nick Gillespie, Peter Guither Peteâs got some excellent coverage of the conference (scroll down to Saturday and Sundayâs posts).
Is It Time for Direct Action to Shut Down DEA Headquarters?
One of the nice things about coming to Washington is more stimulating dinner discussions than I'm accustomed to out in the boondocks. Last night, I had the chance to have dinner with a couple very well-versed in both drug policy reform and mass protests agitating. As conversation turned to what can be done about the drug war, one of them suggested it was time to crank it up a bit, and he had a very concrete suggestion: a direction action protest to surround and shut down DEA headquarters in suburban Arlington, Virginia.
Anybody want to jump on board?
Anybody want to jump on board? http://www.politicalcrossfire.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=70616 Chymical wrote: 99% low level anti-social crime GONE! Thousands of preventable 'bad-bag' deaths GONE!
SSDP Conference Invigorates and Educates Students and Non-Students Alike
The Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) conference in Washington, DC saw its third and final day, and it was a rousing weekend for drug reformers. About 300 student activists from around the country showed up for a weekend of lobbying, strategizing, and setting the direction of the organization for the near term.
Thank You Milton Friedman
Nobel Prize winning economist Milton Friedman passed away today at the age of 94. Friedman was a brilliant and tireless advocate for civil liberties and personal freedom, which he viewed as essential to ensuring the long-term economic health of our society.His Open Letter to Bill Bennett could easily be one of the best arguments ever written against the drug war:This plea comes from the bottom of my heart. Every friend of freedom, and I know you are one, must be as revolted as I am by the prospect of turning the United States into an armed camp, by the vision of jails filled with casual drug users and of an army of enforcers empowered to invade the liberty of citizens on slight evidence. A country in which shooting down unidentified planes "on suspicion" can be seriously considered as a drug-war tactic is not the kind of United States that either you or I want to hand on to future generations.Hopefully, Friedmanâs passing will provide an opportunity for many to reflect on his words.
Hoyer vs. Murtha on drug policy
After reading that Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) is supporting Steny Hoyer for Majority Leader (Frank is one of the best members of Congress as far as our issue is concerned -- he has spoken at several of our events), I decided to take a look at how their records look on drug policy. According to Cannabis Culture magazine's "USA 2006 Stoner Voters Guide," John Murtha scored a "failure" grade, opposing medical marijuana by voting against the Hinchey amendment, supporting aerial coca eradication in Colombia (spraying of poisons) and other evils. He did vote against increasing funds for the Byrne grant program to the task forces. Hoyer, by contrast, scored an A -- the only Hoyer vote Cannabis Culture didn't like was for authorizing continuation of the drug czar's office. According to the Drug Policy Alliance voter guide, Hoyer, while not leading any drug policy reform efforts, nevertheless scored 100% correct on issues of recent concern, compared with a 33% showing by Murtha. If I'm not mistaken, Murtha did vote in favor of the Hinchey medical marijuana amendment two years ago, but switched to anti- last year and again this year. Perhaps then there is hope for him. But in the meanwhile, as far as drug policy reform is concerned, Hoyer has a far better record. (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.)
Heading to DC for SSDP!
After five longs days incommunicado in darkest Dakota, I am crawling out of my cave and heading for the East Coast to check out the Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) conference this weekend in Washington. It takes a lot to draw this High Plains drifter to the big city, but the SSDP conference looks to be worth it.
DEA: Mind-Altering Drugs are Available in Stores, But Donât Buy Them
Someone needs to remind the DEA and CBS 4 in Denver that many people actually enjoy doing drugs. DEA Warns Over-The-Counter Drug Is Like Acid encourages people not to take salvia. It also identifies by name several stores you shouldnât go to because they sell it and describes vivid hallucinations you can avoid by not smoking it.The thing is, suggesting that a drug is "a lot like taking acid" and complaining that it is available "at the Head Quarters on South Marion Street in Denver" is a curious way of discouraging salvia experimentation. I wonder how the proprietors of Head Quarters feel about local news exposing them for selling potent legal drugs and giving away their location.Dave Chappelle once did a skit in which he played a crack addict addressing a group of school children about the dangers of crack. During the course of his presentation, he inadvertently provided numerous details about where crack could be purchased, at which point the students all started taking notes.This is just like that, except itâs not supposed to be funny.
Whatâs Up With People Putting Pot in Each Otherâs Food?
In New Mexico, total panic erupted after three Burger King employees served pot-laced burgers to police. The men are getting charged with felony assault on police officers, the officers are suing Burger King, and their attorney is calling the suspects âhoodlumsâ in the newspaper. No doubt these âhoodlumsâ will get the full treatment.Meanwhile, in New York, a judge has recommended the reinstatement of a police officer who failed a drug test for marijuana. It turns out the officerâs wife admitted serving him spiked meatballs in the hopes of ending his dangerous career in law-enforcement.Leaving aside the question of whether the "I got drugged" excuse would work for anyone other than a cop, you gotta wonder whatâs gonna happen to the wife. My guess is that she gets in considerably less trouble than the Burger King Three. In fact, my money says she doesnât even get charged.Either way, I hope weâve all learned a valuable lesson about why you shouldnât drug people against their will. Itâs a waste of resources. Otherwise useful resources.
Can We Fix the Crack/Cocaine Sentencing Disparity Already?
Our good friend and occasional Speakeasy contributor Eric Sterling has a superb op-ed in the LA Times on the crack/cocaine sentencing disparity.
I'm sick and tired of begging my fellow citizens to not throw me in jail...
...because I might smoke something of which they don't approve. Imprisoning people for drug use or possession is a violation of fundamental human rights, and I don't give a rat's ass what the law says. The US government and the governments of all the states are committing massive human rights violations with their drugs policies, and those Good Germans who allow it to continue are complicit.
Marijuana Delivery Services: They're Great
But Iâm not sure we need newspapers writing about them. The Hartford Courant has a fairly positive take on New York Cityâs thriving underground marijuana industry. Letâs hope it doesnât provoke the wrong people.
Forfeiture Insanity: Three Cars for Oxycontin Possession
Thatâs right possession. Via The Agitator, the Morris County Prosecutorâs Office in New Jersey has gone crazy, drug war style. Theyâre cracking down on prescription drug abuse, primarily by indiscriminately confiscating automobiles from all sorts of people, including a cop.From dailyrecord.com: Parent Gerard Trapp, a Bloomfield police officer, said the seizure of three family cars is extreme, since neither he nor his wife knew of any alleged drug use by their son, and Trapp Jr. was charged with a relatively minor offense. He was never accused of being a dealer or supplier.This sort of mind-numbing injustice comes naturally to many local-level drug warriors. Iâm shocked, but only sort of, having been recently shocked over and over again by equally horrible tales of forfeiture abuse.
Roger Goodman Race
As of late last night but with only 36 out of 137 precincts reporting, Roger Goodman was leading with 55.7 percent in his race for state representative in Washington State -- despite his opponent quoting from DRCNet's interview in Drug War Chronicle with Roger published a few years ago in an attack mailing a short time before the election. For those of you who don't know who Roger is, he heads the King County Bar Association Drug Policy Project in Seattle, and the Voluntary Committee of Lawyers, a close ally of ours. Roger emceed our Perry Fund reception in Seattle in June of last year.
A Disappointing Night for Reform
The three most important drug reform initiatives have failed today. Question 7 to legalize marijuana in Nevada lost 56-44. Amendment 44 to legalize marijuana in Colorado lost 60-40. And Initiative 4 to protect medical marijuana patients in South Dakota lost 53-47.I was optimistic, particularly about South Dakota, but overall, tonightâs outcome is more disappointing than surprising. Legalizing marijuana by popular vote is a huge challenge, and while it hurts to lose, these are necessary steps in order to move the discussion forward. And itâs exciting to see so many votes for reform. Surely, marijuana prohibition is the only criminal law thatâs opposed by such a large segment of the population. Even in defeat, the results in Nevada and Colorado show that an eventual victory on this issue is clearly within striking distance.Onward.
Looking Bad for the Statewide Marijuana Initiatives
It's just after 1AM Eastern time, and it looks like the Colorado, Nevada, and South Dakota marijuana initiatives are all headed for defeat. It ain't over 'til it's over, of course, but it's almost over.
Big Loss for Ernest Istook
Rep. Earnest Istook (R-OK) went down hard tonight in the Oklahoma Governorâs race.Istook was the author of the ridiculous "Istook Amendment" which banned transit authorities from selling ad space to drug reformers and was quickly shot down by a federal judge in a no-brainer first amendment ruling.Istook vacated his seat in the House to run for Governor, so it looks like heâll now have plenty of time on his hands to re-familiarize himself with the Bill of Rights.
Last Minute Lies in Nevada and South Dakota
Opponents of MPPâs ballot initiatives have resorted to making stuff up out of thin air. Not that they were telling the truth before, but theyâve achieved a new level of dishonesty somehow.In Nevada, the ironically-named Committee to Keep Nevada Respectable has produced a radio ad saying that the law will prevent workplace drug-testing. Thatâs a great idea for a law, but Question 7 doesnât do anything like that.
Ted Haggard Scores Small Victory in the Meth War
Thereâs one less bag of meth on the street thanks to Rev. Ted Haggard, who apparently enjoys buying the drug and then throwing it away. Of course if Haggardâs partial confession is true, he at least helped fund the speed-dealing gay prostitute industry, and everyone knows those guys hate freedom.On Chris Matthews Sunday morning, Andrew Sullivan suggested that the evangelical community might want to take a step back from power politics and do some soul-searching. Thatâs one option, but for Coloradoâs most demoralized evangelicals, let me recommend legalizing marijuana. Hey, at least itâs not meth.