BLOG
In Case You Haven't Heard Enough Cops Talk About Legalizing Drugs This Yearâ¦
Here's Nick Gillespie interviewing Jerry Cameron from LEAP:
Obama Goes to War Against Afghan Opium
In a renewed effort to stamp out the Taliban by cutting off their cash flow, Obama is sending 20,000 troops into opium producing regions of Afghanistan. It's going to be a disaster. Jacob Sullum dug through this New York Times story and found several reasons why this plan will fail spectacularly:1. Although the Taliban "often fade away when confronted by a conventional army,"they "will probably stand and fight" to protect their revenue stream.2. "The terrain is a guerrilla's dream. In addition to acres of shoulder-high poppy plants, rows and rows of hard-packed mud walls, used to stand up grape vines, offer ideal places for ambushes and defense." Â 3. "The opium is tilled in heavily populated areas...The prospect of heavy fighting in populated areas could further alienate the Afghan population."4. "Among the ways the Taliban are believed to make money from the opium trade is by charging farmers for protection; if the Americans and British attack, the Taliban will be expected to make good on their side of that bargain."5. Opium poppies are "by far the most lucrative crop an Afghan can farm."6. "The opium trade now makes up nearly 60 percent of Afghanistan's gross domestic product, American officials say."7. "The country's opium traffickers typically offer incentives that no Afghan government official can: they can guarantee a farmer a minimum price for the crop as well as taking it to market, despite the horrendous condition of most of Afghanistan's roads."8. "Even if the Americans are able to cut production, shortages could drive up prices and not make a significant dent in the Taliban's profits."There's also the fact that there's enough opium buried somewhere in Afghanistan to supply the entire world for years. Sorry guys, eradication won't work. Stop trying it.
Seriously, Don't Try to Eat Your Marijuana if You're Pulled Over
We've seen this before and it just keeps happening:NAPLES â A Naples man was caught in the middle of a marijuana feast Friday night, a Sheriff's Office arrest report said.Carlos Mauricio Rodriguez, 21, 6465 College Park Circle Unit 30, had more than the munchies. He was arrested and charged with marijuana possession and tampering with evidence.â¦"When I walked up to the passenger of the vehicle I noticed the white male eating something. I also noticed suspect marijuana on his shirt and shorts," the report said. "I pulled the male out of the vehicle at this time. After the male was outside the vehicle I told him to open his mouth. When he opened his mouth I observed more suspect marijuana." [Naples Daily News]Listen dudes, eating your pot is not the answer. If a cop sees you eating something, it's on. Nobody snacks during a traffic stop. If the cop even vaguely suspects that you've got something in your mouth, you could get choked unconscious.If your stash is small enough to eat, it's probably small enough to escape detection anyway, so chill the hell out and learn your rights.
A plan to end prohibition!
For many years I have known prohibition is a failure, the war on drugs is a falure. The biggest challange is what to use in its place.
Mexican Senate Votes to Decriminalize Drug Possession
Good news from Mexico:MEXICO CITY, April 28 (Reuters) - Mexico's Senate approved a bill on Tuesday decriminalizing possession of small amounts of narcotics for personal use, in order to free resources to fight violent drug cartels.The bill, proposed by conservative President Felipe Calderon, would make it legal to carry up to 5 grams (0.18 ounces) of marijuana, 500 milligrams (0.018 ounces) of cocaine and tiny quantities of other drugs such as heroin and methamphetamines.Mexico's Congress passed a similar proposal in 2006 but the bill was vetoed by Calderon's predecessor Vicente Fox, under pressure from the United States, which said it would increase drug abuse, but now is worried by the drug-related violence along its border. [Reuters]These are pathetically small amounts of drugs, but seeing any type of drug policy reform happening in Mexico is a positive development. When decriminalizing drug possession to help focus on the cartels doesn't work, maybe we can finally start talking about legalizing drugs to de-fund and destroy the cartels entirely.
Obama Supports Ending the Cocaine Sentencing Disparity
Good news from Washington, D.C.: Justice Department officials this morning endorsed for the first time proposed legislation that would eliminate vast sentencing disparities for possession of powdered versus rock cocaine, an inequality that civil rights groups say has disproportionately affected poor and minority defendants. Newly appointed Criminal Division chief Lanny A. Breuer told a Senate Judiciary Committee panel this morning that the Obama administration would support bills to equalize punishment for offenders accused of possessing the drug in either form, fulfilling one of the president's campaign pledges. Breuer explicitly called on Congress to act this term to "completely eliminate" the sentencing disparity. [Washington Post]The cocaine sentencing disparity has been a festering indefensible abomination for decades, and now that we're finally on track to fix this mess once and for all, I don't hear anyone complaining. It's great that the new administration is following through on their promises to support sentencing reform, but it's also just appalling to think that it's taken this long to get any momentum going towards fixing this notorious injustice. There was never anything to be afraid of. Fixing dumb laws is the duty of the Congress and they'd be hard pressed to find a dumber one than this. Don't make this more complicated than it has to be. Just fix it already.
Rhode Island Senate Votes to Create Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
Good news from Rhode Island: PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Rhode Island Senate Wednesday afternoon approved a bill to allow licensed dispensaries -- known as "compassion centers" -- to grow and sell marijuana to the estimated 600 patients who currently have the state's blessing to use the drug for medicinal purposes.The vote was 35-2. The bill now moves to the House. [Providence Journal]This should get through the House, but Gov. Carcieri vetoed a similar bill last year and is likely to do the same this time around. Click here to contact him.
New Hampshire Senate Votes to Legalize Medical Marijuana
Good news from New Hampshire:CONCORD, N.H.âThe state Senate has joined the House in endorsing medicinal marijuana use by residents with crippling ailments.The 14-10 Senate vote Wednesday sent the bill back to the House to review relatively minor changes. If the House endorses the changes and Gov. John Lynch signs the bill, New Hampshire would be the 14th state to legalize medicinal marijuana. [Boston Globe]It looks like this will get through the House, but I don't know anything about Gov. Lynch's intentions. Click here to contact him.
Minnesota Senate Votes to Legalize Medical Marijuana
Good news from Minnesota:After a debate pitting compassion for those suffering from the pain of cancer or HIV-AIDS against concerns about abuse and violence from expanded availability of a "gateway drug," the Minnesota Senate gave tentative approval Wednesday to the use of marijuana for medical purposes in the state. The 36-28 vote came despite questions about whether the measure fully defines who would be eligible and whether it provides proper safeguards against potential abuse. [Star-Tribune]The bill could still get blocked in the House and a veto from Gov. Pawlenty is a definite possibility. If you're in Minnesota, click here to contact your legislators in support of medical marijuana.
Rep. Engel Introduces Bill to Create Independent Drug Policy Commission
This looks promising:WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congressman Eliot L. Engel â the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere â has introduced the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission Act of 2009, a bill that will create an independent commission to evaluate US policies and programs aimed at reducing illicit drug supply and demand."Billions upon billions of US taxpayer dollars have been spent over the years to fight the drug war in Latin America and the Caribbean," says Engel. "In spite of our efforts, since the early 1980s, the number of US lifetime drug users has steadily risen for marijuana, cocaine and heroin. Clearly, the time has come to reexamine our counternarcotics efforts here at home and throughout the Americas." [LAHT]Great. Let's do that. Let's reexamine the hell out of this. Good idea.But I can't wait to see who comes forward to oppose the idea of examining our drug policy and trying to make it less bad. Amazingly, there will be people in Congress who come forward to argue that our drug policy is awesome the way it is and we should be proud that so many people are getting killed because that means things are really getting good.By the way, Rep. Engel who introduced this bill is a strange character who voted the right way on the Hinchey Amendment (to end mmj raids) every single time, but also introduced legislation to ban selling prosthetic penises used to cheat on drug tests.
The Federal Government Grows Some of the Worst Marijuana in America
This story from FOX Memphis provides a rare glimpse into the federal government's massive marijuana grow-op:My favorite part is when Dr. Mahmoud Elsohly boasts about the high quality of the government pot he grows, then proceeds to demonstrate by sticking his hand in a barrel of disgusting brown schwag. It's all ground up, and you can see the stems sticking out. Anyone can plainly see that the government's weed just sucks.I also noticed how the FOX story explained that the marijuana is used for research purposes, but conveniently left out the fact that the government actually provides medical marijuana to a small group of patients, while simultaneously prohibiting medical marijuana under federal law. I guess that contradiction was too much for a local FOX affiliate to explore in a fluffy pot-porn segment. Or, more likely, Dr. Elsohly never mentioned it to the reporter.Given the popular urban myth that government-grown marijuana is super-potent, it's amusing to consider how stunningly bad it actually is. Ironies aside, however, it's actually a serious problem that these guys don't know what they're doing. They won't make any of their product available to researchers seeking to make marijuana an FDA-approved medication, and even if researchers gained access, the material is so weak that you couldn't do much with it.Someone else needs to be growing marijuana for research purposes, but the DEA won't allow it because they're afraid of what the research will show. Our friends at MAPS and ACLU have spent years in court trying to gain approval for one well-qualified scientist to grow research-grade marijuana, and they've been blocked at every turn. Unless the Obama Administration intervenes before May 1, the DEA's Final Order will take effect and the effort to establish an independent source of research-grade marijuana will return to square one.Click here to encourage Obama to support science over politics by allowing independent marijuana cultivation for research purposes.
Even Cowboys Want to Legalize Drugs
This Washington Post story on LEAP's Howard Wooldridge is just awesome:Yes, that is exactly what he's like. I'm honestly not sure I've met anyone in the reform movement as intensely focused as Howard. All he ever does is lobby for reform everywhere he goes, anyone he meets. He rode across the country on horseback doing this. Twice, if I recall correctly. He even lobbied me to support legalizing drugs, which was unnecessary, but I must admit that I did become slightly more convinced.
Jim Webb Says Marijuana Legalization is "On the table"
I didn't get a chance to mention this on Thursday and I didnât want any of you to miss it:The leader of a congressional effort to reform the criminal justice system said Thursday that all issues â including drug legalization â need to be on the table.Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), who has made criminal justice and prison reform a signature issue of his this year in Congress, is the most high-profile lawmaker to indicate openness to drug decriminalization or outright legalization.â¦"Nothing should be off the table," he said. [The Hill]Indeed, why begin the inquiry by politicizing the discussion and arbitrarily dismissing approaches whose merits have yet to be explored? Hopefully, this means we'll be seeing some actual discussion of alternatives to prohibition taking place in Congress. After all, keeping things on the table implies that we will be talking about them rather than pretending they donât exist. Surely, our opponents aren't afraid to debate the subject and would welcome a lively conversation about the pros and cons of legalizing drugs.
several gangsters with 69 charges
Back in my day it was a regular thing to read about 176 people up on 200 charges and this happened every three months or so.The RCMP would run one,Vancouver would run one various local forces ran them
Bullets for ballots
Sounds like Iran/Contra but without the CIA.I sent the article to Dave but you may have to google[24hrsWed April,2009]It shows the Canadian and provincial action plan for dealing with a gang problem.T
Sentencing Postponed in the Charlie Lynch Trial
I spent all afternoon getting geared up to go ballistic over this, only to learn that nothing happened:The sentencing of Morro Bay, California medical marijuana dispensary owner Charles Lynch has been delayed yet again, this time until June 11. According to Reason.tv producer Ted Balaker, who has followed the Lynch saga from its start, the mood in the courtroom was guardedly optimistic, especially as Judge George H. Wu openly expressed his sympathy for Lynch."To be blunt, if I could find a way out, I would," said Wu, referring to mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines that insist Lynch get at least five years in prison. However, Wu summarily dismissed the notion of disregarding the guidelines, claiming it would simply be a "monumental waste of time" because such a decision would be overruled by a higher court. [Reason]I'm not sure what this postponement means. It's definitely not a bad thing, though. If nothing else, it gives us more time to contact DOJ and the White House in support of Charlie. Please do exactly that. Here's some background for those that need it:
Opposing Medical Marijuana is Politically Risky
This new poll from New Hampshire casts further doubt on the rapidly unraveling notion that politicians must support harsh marijuana policies to get votes:The Granite State Poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center showed that 45 percent of residents said they were more likely to vote for a Senate candidate who supports legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes.The poll showed that 24 percent of residents said they would be less likely to vote for such a candidate. Another 26 percent said it would make no difference. [WMUR]Clearly, supporting medical marijuana legalization is by far the safest choice for New Hampshire politicians. The margins are likely smaller in many states, but I bet you'd see a clear preference for pro-medical marijuana candidates throughout most of the country. It's exactly this type of data that matters at this stage in our efforts. We've crossed a threshold in terms of educating our political culture about this issue. They know who we are and what we want. Our biggest challenge is demonstrating that political trends in fact favor reform decisively on certain issues and that opposition to something like medical marijuana will fairly reliably get you in trouble at the polls. The numbers are already on our side, but I suspect we'll have to start being more aggressive to drive the point home. When we start launching vicious swiftboat-style attack ads accusing our opponents of wanting to arrest cancer patients, they'll suddenly become a lot more interested in what the polls say.
Poking Around in a Teenager's Panties is a Sick Crime (Unless It's a Drug Search)
At age 13, Savana Redding was strip-searched by school officials who suspected her of possessing prescription Ibuprofen. It turned out their information was bad, but they are so proud of what they did that they've defended their actions all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Soon, the right to drug-search young girls' underpants may be firmly enshrined in our jurisprudence, so that the whims of drug hysteria will decide when it's appropriate to do that, rather than some old list of high-minded legal principles. That this incident even happened is disturbing enough before one tries to come to terms with the fact that the Supreme Court appears likely to uphold the search. Perverts.
Wow, These 4/20 Celebrations Are Surprisingly Safe
Actually, I'm not very surprised. But this should come as a shock to anyone who thinks we need cops to protect us from the dangers of marijuana:SANTA CRUZ -- The phrase "getting baked" took on a dual meaning Monday for several thousand marijuana enthusiasts who braved record-breaking heat to smoke up at the annual 4/20 party in Porter Meadow at UC Santa Cruz.â¦Despite the 96-degree heat, which shattered a 110-year-old record of 88 degrees for the day, there were no medical incidents reported. [San Jose Mercury News]There were also no reported incidents of anyone stealing from their little sister, or getting straight D's, or leaving their ex-girlfriend 27 messages, or making their mother cry, and other stuff like thatâ¦
If You Think the Drug War Protects Young People, Read This
CNN has a story on teenage drug smuggling that pretty much murders the notion that drug prohibition is creating a barrier between youth and drugs:As an American, [Danny] Santos could freely cross the El Paso-Juarez border and not raise suspicion. At age 15, Santos says, he met "a guy" at a party who introduced him to drug kingpins in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico."You start off as a driver," Santos said. "People feel like they can trust you, then you move up to something bigger."Two weeks later, he got a $4,000 job offer to drive his first load of marijuana across a bridge into El Paso. It was the beginning of a four-year smuggling career.Of course, a 15-year-old kid can't get a job driving a beer truck, but he can make thousands smuggling drugs for a cartel in Ciudad Juarez. Does this sound right at all? US. Customs and Border Protection officials in El Paso and San Diego report that in recent months, they've seen a rise in the number of juvenile drug smugglers getting busted at border checkpoints.So right now, in 2009, the problem of teenagers becoming drug smugglers is escalating. After decades of trying to perfect our drug war strategies, all you have to do is open any newspaper and you'll immediately see some seriously messed-up stuff going on that we didn't even used to have to worry about. It just gets worse all the time every time you look at it and I couldn't exaggerate how bad it is no matter how hard I try. I shudder to consider how much more hell on earth it may take to finally prove that the drug war is the problem and not the solution.