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Maybe They Just Like the Way it Smells
People are getting wasted on cocaine again. Science Blog reports on data from the University of Florida that may suggest a coming epidemic:
Ok, Now I'm Pissed
This is outrageous:The Chicago Crime Commission will hold its Stars of Distinction, 2006 Awards Dinner to recognize outstanding individual and organizational contributions in fighting crime. DEA Administrator Karen P. Tandy will accept the Education Award along with Museum for Science and Industry partners responsible for bringing âTarget America: Opening Eyes to the Danger Drugs Causeâ to Chicago.
No Winners in Chicago Open Air Drug Market Bust
An article by Michelle Keller in the Chicago Tribune today very factually reported on a police raid and shutdown of an open-air drug market. Fourteen suspects described as gang members were charged with conspiracy and delivery of a controlled substance, according to the article.
Another Reason to Get High With Grandma
The New York Times reports that the value of traditional Alzheimerâs medications has been dramatically overstated:More and more often, it seems, drugs that were widely thought to be effective against serious illnesses turn out to show little or no value when tested in large, impartial clinical trials insulated from drug company influence.â¦These discouraging results speak mostly to the desperate need for effective new treatments for Alzheimerâs.Desperate need for effective new treatment, huh? Look no further. In fact, marijuana may eliminate the need for Alzheimerâs treatments altogether, since it seems to actually prevent the onset of the disease.I have enough experience with Alzheimerâs to know that families confronted with it will usually try anything. Itâs ironic to think that the family values fanatics who arbitrarily oppose medical marijuana may soon find themselves shoving a bong in grandmaâs mouth.
Doing "Ant Work" on the Drug War With Mainstream Press Reporters
When I read the autobiography of 20th Century Salvadoran revolutionary leader Miguel Marmol some years ago, one phrase from the book stuck with me. When Marmol talked about the tedious, day-to-day organizing over the long-term to build a revolutionary movement, he called it "trabajo de hormigas," or "ant work." I thought the term was especially apt and evocative, suggesting the unglamorous, but necessary, laying the groundwork for change.
Countdown to the November elections
Election day is now three weeks away, and the Chronicle will be focusing on drug policy-related races across the country between now and then. With most people's attention focused on whether the Democrats will regain control of the House and/or Senate, the drug policy-related races and ballot questions are not getting much attention, except at the local and state level, but there are some important drug policy-related questions being decided on election day. Expect to see a lot of articles focused on the elections between now and November 7, and, of course, the Friday following the election.
WELL, GEE WHIZ!!!
WELL GEE WHIZ--I bet Gordon and Constance Gee are getting tired of that joke, among many others, by now. Anyway, nobody is going to be asking for any Gee whiz. Class structure in America has never been more clearly delineated. The wife of the Chancellor of Vanderbilt University can be outed as a pot smoker in the Wall Street Journal, and all anybody does is titter. For the rest of us, it's a different story.
Federal jurors buy testimony by pot-smoker, set him free
I felt this would be an interesting read for everyone concerned.It's written by a local newspaper journalist from San Antonio, TX. Federal jurors buy testimony by pot-smoker, set him free Web Posted: 10/12/2006 12:58 AM CDT
"We'll need grinders and large bongs"
From CNN.comCanadian troops fighting Taliban militants in Afghanistan have stumbled across an unexpected and potent enemy -- almost impenetrable forests of marijuana plants 10 feet tall.
More Silliness from the Drug Czar
When the paranoid family values fanatics at Focus on the Family write news stories based on quotes from John Walters, you know what youâre gonna get:
This is Your Government on Drugs
What happens when a satirical TV program tricks 50 members of Italian Parliament into taking a drug test? Controversy.From News.com
The Chronicle plans a trip to the Andes
Snowflakes are falling in the Dakotas today. With winter coming to the High Plains, it's a good time to be thinking about heading south, and that's just what I intend to do in a few weeks, probably in early January. Thanks to a targeted gift from an individual donor (the same guy who financed my Afghanistan trip last year), I will be heading to Bolivia and Peru to report on the status of the Andean drug war.
Finally, A Local Newspaper Drug Bust Story That Asks the Right Question
My job requires me to look at countless drug-related newspaper articles every day in search of drug policy news. Most of those articles are not about drug policy, but about the more mundane daily drug busts. And the vast majority of articles about drug busts follow a simple template: Report the bust, report the cops' self-congratulatory remarks about making a difference. It is extremely rare for these run-of-the-mill drug bust stories to carry any context or raise the larger questions about the (f)utility of our current drug policies. That's why it's so heartwarming to come across a story like the one that was published in the Easton (Pennsylvania) Times-Express on Sunday.
How Can We Say No To Drugs, When We Can Pay For Wars In South America!
In 1996 the federal govenment and DEA could only account for 6% of all federal dollers spent on the war on drugs !
DEA vs. ONDCP: Whose Propaganda is Worse?
The DEA has announced its latest attempt to discourage marijuana use among teens who visit anti-marijuana websites. Theyâve created an online magazine called âStumble Weedâ and it isnât very good.
Petitioning for the Right to Petition
Tireless DrugWarRant blogger Pete Guither continues to generate press coverage of his campaign against the DEAâs traveling museum exhibit:
What's up with these "pain contracts"?
Spurred by the federal government's crackdown on prescription drug abuse, doctors around the country are resorting to "pain contracts" with patients in an attempt to protect themselves from charges they are Dr. Feelgoods. Such contracts typically require the patient to agree that "lost, stolen, or misplaced" drugs are not to be replaced and that the patient agree to be drug tested. Patients who refuse to sign such an agreement or who test positive for non-prescribed drugs--i.e. marijuana--are likely to be cut off.
Paging Orrin Hatch
Update 10/25/06: Hatch's office informed us that Dallas Austin's parents were instrumental in getting the Senator involved. We've now contacted the D.C. Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the hopes of tracking down this latest victim's family. They've promised to look into it. Yet another American has been imprisoned in Dubai on a pitifully small possession charge:From Gulfnews.com:Dubai: An American visitor who said he was unaware that he was carrying marijuana with him, which was found in his luggage at airport, will spend four years in jail.
Taking the Moral High Ground
(from DrugWarRant)Â Long-time DRCNet collaborator and current Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative Associate Director Troy Dayton is organizing religious leaders in support of Question 7 to legalize adult marijuana use in Nevada.The Reno Journal-Gazette now reports that 32 churches in the state have pledged to support the initiative:
A Capacious Body Cavity and Some Questions
A small story from the Columbia Tribune in Missouri caught my attention this morning. "Cavity Search Turns Up Mixture of Drugs," was the headline. A gentleman was busted by the cops and arrested "after police conducted a cavity search and found a mixture of drugs hidden inside his body." It was quite a haul: Roughly eight ounces of powder cocaine, crack, ecstasy pills, and marijuana.