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Feature: Vancouver's Safe Injection Site Gets Only Limited Continuing Exemption

by psmith, September 07, 2006, 07:02pm, (Issue #452)
Insite, Vancouver's pioneering safe injection site, has won a temporary reprieve from the Canadian government, but now the government wants more research and is refusing to pay for it.

Feature: Afghan Opium Crop Hits Record as Violence Increases

by psmith, September 07, 2006, 05:51pm, (Issue #452)
The West faces a crisis in Afghanistan, as opium cultivation rises to all-time record levels and a reinvigorated Taliban insurgency takes on NATO and the US.

Attention Night Owls: Your Editor Will Be on the Radio Sunday Night

by psmith, September 07, 2006, 04:06pm
Chronicle editor Phil Smith (that's me) will be the guest on Kootenay Co-op Radio's "Fane of the Cosmos" program Sunday night.

Feature: Law Enforcement Against Prohibition Stirs the Waters in Ireland

by psmith, September 07, 2006, 03:44pm, (Issue #452)
LEAP member former Florida police chief Jerry Cameron went to Ireland and managed to really roil the waters.

Health Board Okays Needle Exchange

from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 07, 2006
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Beheadings a Sign of Mexico Turf War: Bloody Scene in Once Tranquil State Underscores Growing Violence

from Houston Chronicle, September 07, 2006
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Europe: Scottish Police Move Toward Warnings for Simple Marijuana Possession

by psmith, September 07, 2006, 03:13am, (Issue #452)
Scottish police have embarked on a pilot program where people caught with small amounts of marijuana are warned, not arrested.

Pain Medicine: DEA Set to Ease Restrictions on Schedule II Prescriptions

by psmith, September 07, 2006, 03:07am, (Issue #452)
The DEA has issued new "proposed rules" to again allow doctors to prescribe Schedule II pain relieving drugs for up to 90 days on one prescription instead of the current 30 days.

Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

by psmith, September 07, 2006, 03:02am, (Issue #452)
The temptations of the border tarnish another Texas lawman's badge, a Tulsa cop is convicted of being too helpful to a drug dealer, and a pair of Newark's finest plea to a pill-pushing scheme.

Southeast Asia: Australian Foreign Minister "Grateful" for Indonesia's Tough Drug Stance After Four Australians Sentenced to Death for Smuggling

by psmith, September 07, 2006, 02:53am, (Issue #452)
With six young Australians now facing the death penalty for drug smuggling in Indonesia, Australia's foreign minister pronounces himself "grateful" for the Indonesians' tough stance.

Canadian Federal Government Demands More Research on Safe Injection Site, But Won't Pay For It

by psmith, September 06, 2006, 05:16pm

The Canadian federal government -- relatively hostile to harm reduction measures like safe injection sites since the Conservative Party took power in the last elections -- will not fund further res

Home Town Bust

by psmith, September 06, 2006, 02:45pm

Huron, South Dakota, is nothing special. It's a town of about 12,000 people on the plains of Eastern South Dakota.

DEA Issues Policy Statements on Pain Management, Prescribing Practices

by psmith, September 06, 2006, 01:10pm

Here are the links to the two DEA policy statements. I tried pasting them into this blog, but that crashed it. Sorry about that.

Calling in the Drug Calvary

from Los Angeles Times, September 06, 2006
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Five years after their removal from power: The Taliban are back

by psmith, September 05, 2006, 05:55pm
SENLIS COUNCIL NEWS RELEASE
5 SEPTEMBER 2006



Five years after their removal from power: The Taliban are back

Afghanistan Five Years Later--The Return of the Taliban

from Senlis Council, September 05, 2006
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Rainbow Farm Deaths Remembered: Supporters Mark Fifth Anniversary of Campground Standoff

from South Bend Tribune, September 05, 2006
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GW Pharma Files Cannabis-Based Pain Drug Sativex for Marketing Approval

from Financial Times, September 05, 2006
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In Afghanistan, A Symbol for Change, Then Failure

from New York Times, September 05, 2006
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The Afghanistan Debacle

by psmith, September 05, 2006, 01:52pm
On Saturday, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime released its estimate of the 2006 Afghan opium crop, and the numbe

Swiss Heroin Model Reporting Benefits

from Swiss Info, September 05, 2006
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What's a Guy Gotta Do to Get Some Justice Around Here?

by psmith, September 04, 2006, 04:45pm
In 2003, Harrison County (Mississippi) Sheriff George Payne got a tip from a confidential informant (that's law-speak for "snitch") that marijuana plants were being grown on land leased to the Boarhog

Drug Election Agency

from Daily Camera, September 04, 2006
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Opium Cultivation Rose 60% in Afghanistan This Year, All-Time Record, UN Says

from Associated Press, September 03, 2006
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Guatemala Begins Eradication of 6 Million Poppies

from Dominican Today, September 03, 2006
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Looking at Louisiana's Heroin Lifers

by psmith, September 02, 2006, 11:11pm
During the research I did for Friday's feature article on the prisoners doing "Katrina time", two of the of

Drug Users Go to Court to Keep Safe Injection Site Open

by psmith, September 01, 2006, 03:38pm
Press Release – For Immediate Release, August 31, 2006 Drug Users go to Court to keep Safe Injection Site Open Vancouver – The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) will seek an injunction

Bay Minette Man Gets 30 Years for $20 Marijuana Sale (Alabama)

from Mobile Press-Register, September 01, 2006
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Drug Policy Forum Reflects on Successes

from Lawrence Journal World, September 01, 2006
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Feds Take Aim at "Guru of Ganja"

from Oakland Tribune, September 01, 2006
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Bungled DEA Raid Raises Troubling Questions

by psmith, September 01, 2006, 02:22pm
California NORML Release, Aug 31 2006 Yesterday's DEA raid at Trichome Healing Center in Van Nuys ended in a stand-down. No arrests were made. An undercover DEA team arrived without a warrant.

Marijuana: DEA Steps in Deep Doo-doo in Denver With Abortive Bid to Defeat November Legalization Initiative

by psmith, September 01, 2006, 12:11am, (Issue #451)
The DEA has managed to make itself the issue this week in the Colorado marijuana legalization initative campaign.

Feature: Living on Katrina Time -- Lost in Louisiana's Gumbo Gulag

by psmith, August 31, 2006, 07:40pm, (Issue #451)
A national scandal is brewing in the Big Easy over thousands of people imprisoned without access to lawyers or the courts.

Feature: Brazilian President Signs New Drug Law -- No Jail for Users

by psmith, August 31, 2006, 04:25pm, (Issue #451)
Brazilian President "Lula" da Silva signed into law a bill that will keep most drug users out of jail last week. Is the glass half-full or half-empty?

Feature: Medical Marijuana Victory in South Dakota Court Battle Over Ballot Language

by psmith, August 31, 2006, 02:58pm, (Issue #451)
A South Dakota judge has thrown out the attorney general's medical marijuana initiative ballot summary as biased and unfair and replaced it with language of his own crafting.

State of Siege: Drug-Related Violence and Corruption in Mexico

from Washington Office on Latin America, August 31, 2006
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CWA Votes in Favor of Marijuana for Medicinal Use (Australia)

from ABC News (Australia), August 31, 2006
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UK Drug Deaths on the Rise, Despite Government Pledge

from The Independent, August 31, 2006
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Latin America: Guatemala Imposes "State of Prevention" in Drug Crackdown

by psmith, August 31, 2006, 02:58am, (Issue #451)
Guatemalan authorities declared a form of martial law in San Marcos province this week in a bid to crack down on opium growing and drug trafficking.

ONCDP Media Campaign: Drug Czar's Anti-Drug Ads a Flop, GAO Says

by psmith, August 31, 2006, 02:51am, (Issue #451)
The drug czar's office wants $120 million more this year for its much criticized Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign -- but the GAO says it doesn't work and is a waste of money.

First Amendment: Kenneth Starr Joins Appeal of 9th US Circuit Ruling in "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" Case

by psmith, August 31, 2006, 02:44am, (Issue #451)
Former Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr is joining forces with an Alaska school district in hopes they can get the US Supreme Court to overturn an appeals court decision upholding the First Amendment rights of a high school student.

Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

by psmith, August 31, 2006, 02:36am, (Issue #451)
An encore performance by an Alabama judge with a serious bad habit, some Chicago cops copping pleas for robbing drug dealers, a pair of US air marshals being sentenced for acting as drug couriers, and a small-town Texas police chief looking for work after there were too many questions about where some drug money went.

Law Enforcement: Drug War Takes Another Officer's Life

by psmith, August 31, 2006, 02:32am, (Issue #451)
Another police officer has been killed fighting the war on drugs.

US Officials Grapple With Worsening Narcotics Trade in Afghanistan

from St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 30, 2006
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Medical Marijuana Debate to Feature Top Government Official, Pulitzer Prize Winner

by psmith, August 30, 2006, 02:29pm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 30, 2006 Medical Marijuana Debate To Feature Top Government Official, Pulitzer Prize Winner Drug Czar Special Assistant David Murray to participate; journalist Claren

Afghan President Says Opium Production Threatens Nation

from Associated Press, August 30, 2006
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Cannabis Farms Spread to Suburbs (England)

from The Guardian, August 30, 2006
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Doing "Katrina Time"

by psmith, August 29, 2006, 10:33pm
It has been a scandal festering for a year now. Thousands of people being held in the Orleans Parish Prison and other facilities when Hurricana Katrina hit a year ago today are still behind bars.

Gilberto Gil is Still Making Beautiful Music -- This Time About Drug Legalization

by psmith, August 29, 2006, 03:43pm
Music lovers have long appreciated Brazilian composer and musician Gilberto Gil's enormous talent and his contributions to bossa nova, tropi

South Arizona Couple Defend Religious Use of Marijuana

from Arizona Daily Star, August 29, 2006
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Surge in Heroin Deaths Leads Families of Victims to Speak Out

from KSDK News Channel 5, August 29, 2006
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ASA Study Looking for Medical Marijuana Patients Who Didn't Use Because the Feds Said It Had No Medical Value

by psmith, August 28, 2006, 06:23pm
FOR YOUR IMMEDIATE CONSIDERATION, PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY: Dear ASA member, patients, physicians and supporters: Americans for Safe Access is conducting a nationwide research study and is looking f

Fall is On the Way: It's Time for Football, the Changing of the Leaves, and...

by psmith, August 28, 2006, 04:04pm
helicopters over America.

Hippie Town Under Pressure in Copenhagen

from Reuters, August 28, 2006
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DEA Raises Cash to Fight Drug Issue

from Rocky Mountain News, August 28, 2006
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Police to Start Ecstasy Tests (For Drivers) (Australia)

from ABC News (Australia), August 28, 2006
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Drug Arrests Up in Vancouver

from Toronto Globe & Mail, August 28, 2006
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Serbia in the Middle of Balkan Drug Route

from Radio B92, August 28, 2006
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Kabul Conference Tackles Rising Opium Farming

from Radio Free Europe, August 25, 2006
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Poppy Scare in New Mexico!!

by psmith, August 25, 2006, 03:24pm
There was a story in the Santa Fe New Mexican this morning titled "Seized Poppies Perplex Officials" in which police raidin

Somalis Flog Woman for Selling Marijuana

from Associated Press, August 25, 2006
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Sentencing: Illinois Drug War at Full Throttle, Study Finds

by psmith, August 25, 2006, 02:41am, (Issue #450)
Illinois may be only #2 when it comes to locking up drug offenders, but it is trying hard.

Feature: Seattle's Hempfest Going Strong at 15

by psmith, August 25, 2006, 12:35am, (Issue #450)
The world's largest pro-marijuana rally celebrated its 15th birthday in Seattle last weekend.

Feature: Pain Doctor William Hurwitz to Get New Trial

by psmith, August 24, 2006, 11:00pm, (Issue #450)
In a case with national implications, a prominent pain physician jailed as a drug dealer has won a right to a new trial.

Marijuana: "Lowest Priority" Local Initiatives Make Ballot in Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, and Missoula

by psmith, August 24, 2006, 06:56pm, (Issue #450)
Local initiatives that would make adult marijuana offenses the lowest law enforcement priority have made the ballot in Missoula, Montana, and three California cities.

Latin America: Brazilians Oppose Marijuana Legalization By Wide Margin, Poll Finds

by psmith, August 24, 2006, 05:39pm, (Issue #450)
A poll done by one of Brazil's leading newspapers suggests that marijuana legalization has a long way to go.

Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

by psmith, August 24, 2006, 05:35pm, (Issue #450)
We have a Southern trifecta this week, with missing evidence in Alabama, a rogue task force in Mississippi, and a drug-dealing jail guard in Louisiana.

Asia: China Begins Debate on First Comprehensive Drug Law

by psmith, August 24, 2006, 05:31pm, (Issue #450)
The Chinese government this week began discussing what would be that country's first law aimed specifically at controlling drug abuse.

Industrial Hemp: California Assembly Passes Hemp Bill, Will Schwarzenegger Sign It?

by psmith, August 24, 2006, 05:26pm, (Issue #450)
A bill that would allow legal hemp production in California has passed both houses and now awaits the governor's signature.

Medical Marijuana: No More Prison Threat for Renee Boje After Feds Accept Symbolic Plea

by psmith, August 24, 2006, 05:21pm, (Issue #450)
The federal case against medical marijuana refugee Renee Boje has ended not with a bang but with a whimper as, after eight years, the feds let her cop to a plea for possession of a 1/2 gram of pot.

Asset Forfeiture: Federal Appeal Upholds Seizure of Cash Despite Lack of Drugs

by psmith, August 24, 2006, 05:10pm, (Issue #450)
Got cash in your car? A federal appeals court just made it easier for the police to seize it as drug money even if there are no drugs around.

Brazilians Reject Marijuana Legalization

from , August 23, 2006
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Court Rules 2003 Money Seizure Correct Despite No Drugs Found

from Associated Press, August 23, 2006
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Latin America: US Feds Bust Major Mexican Trafficker, Expect Violence, Continued Drug Trafficking as Result

by psmith, August 17, 2006, 10:36pm, (Issue #449)
Federal law enforcement officials risked serious injury from all the back-patting going on at their Thursday press conference celebrating the capture of drug lord Javier Arellano-Felix. But they also acknowledged his arrest would ultimately amount to little.

Feature: SSDP, Drug War Rant Blog Score Media Hit with Attack on DEA Drug-Terror Exhibit

by psmith, August 17, 2006, 05:41pm, (Issue #449)
The DEA got more than it bargained for when it brought its drug-terror traveling exhibit to Chicago last week.

Feature: Colorado Marijuana Possession Legalization Initiative Makes the Ballot

by psmith, August 17, 2006, 03:46pm, (Issue #449)
An initiative that would legalize the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana by adults in Colorado has been certified for the November ballot. Now the campaign gets underway.

Feature: "Beyond Zero Tolerance" Conference Aims to Provide New Paradigm for Educators

by psmith, August 17, 2006, 02:28pm, (Issue #449)
For the past two decades, school districts across the land have adopted zero tolerance policies for drug use and other misbehavior. In October, a conference in San Francisco will point to a better approach.

Marijuana Policy Reform is Emphasis at Hempfest

from Seattle Times, August 17, 2006
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Survey: Parents Clueless On Drugs, Booze at Teen Parties

from USA Today, August 17, 2006
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Harm Reduction: Global Harm Reductionists Issue Urgent Declaration Calling for Action on Drug Use and HIV

by psmith, August 17, 2006, 01:15am, (Issue #449)
With governments slow to adopt harm reduction measures to fight the spread of injection drug use-related HIV and some UN agencies acting more as obstacles than as assets, 19 international and regional harm reduction and other groups issued a joint declaration this week seeking to incite some movement.

Europe: British Public Supports More Rational Drug Policies, Survey Says

by psmith, August 16, 2006, 09:16pm, (Issue #449)
A new survey of British attitudes toward drug policy reform suggests a new realism and pragmatism. Will the politicians follow the wisdom of the voters?

Southwest Asia: Afghan Opium Cultivation Jumps to Record Level

by psmith, August 16, 2006, 04:22pm, (Issue #449)
Preliminary reports suggest the Afghan opium crop will be at record levels and 40% larger than last year, despite hundreds of millions of dollars spent to suppress it.

Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

by psmith, August 16, 2006, 03:29pm, (Issue #449)
It's an unusual week for the corrupt cops stories, with a narc caught thieving, a cop caught making false arrests, a jail guard caught trafficking in a big way, and a state judge caught with methamphetamine and precursors.

Pain Sufferers Turn to "Shrooms"

from Chicago Sun-Times, August 16, 2006
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More Than 130 Arrested in Breakup of Heroin Ring

from New York Times, August 16, 2006
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Methamphetamine: One Month in One Texas County Courthouse Opens a Window on the Drug War Version 2.006

by psmith, August 16, 2006, 12:58am, (Issue #449)
Grayson County, Texas, is nothing special, just your average heartland county. That's what makes a review of its court cases so revealing.

Methamphetamine: Third Murder Trial For Woman in California Meth Poisoning Infant Death Case

by psmith, August 15, 2006, 09:02pm, (Issue #449)
California prosecutors hope the third time is the charm in their effort to secure a murder conviction against a woman whose infant son had methamphetamine in his blood when he died. She's already serving 10 years for child endangerment.

Padua Builds Wall in Drugs Battle (Italy)

from British Broadcasting Corporation, August 11, 2006
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DEA Puts Brakes on Big Ecstasy Ring

from Contra Costa Times, August 11, 2006
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Japan Suspects It's Target of Drug Trade

from Associated Press, August 11, 2006
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Hearing Scheduled on Medical Marijuana Ballot Item (South Dakota)

from Associated Press, August 11, 2006
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Harm Reduction: Boston About to Move to Supply Addicts with Heroin Antidote

by psmith, August 10, 2006, 08:16pm, (Issue #448)
Faced with a rising number of heroin overdose deaths, Boston is about to join the handful of cities that supply the heroin antidote naloxone to drug users.

Marijuana: Colorado Legalization Backers Turn In 110,000 Signatures in Ballot Bid

by psmith, August 10, 2006, 05:14pm, (Issue #448)
Marijuana legalization could be on the ballot in Colorado in November. Initiative organizers turned in more than 110,000 signatures Monday.

Feature: Federal Sentencing Reform Goes NASCAR

by psmith, August 10, 2006, 04:48pm, (Issue #448)
With the federal prison system stuffed with nonviolent drug offenders, activists are turning to the NASCAR circuit to rally support for a federal parole bill.

Marijuana: Michigan Organizers Hand in Signatures for Two Local Ballot Initiatives

by psmith, August 10, 2006, 02:31pm, (Issue #448)
Local organizers in two Michigan communities submitted signatures for marijuana-related initiatives this week and are now awaiting official word on whether they will make the November ballot.

Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

by psmith, August 10, 2006, 02:10pm, (Issue #448)
More problems in Memphis, a former cop goes down in St. Paul, and a Virginia deputy gets caught smuggling goodies into the local jail.

Middle East: Now, Israelis Call for Boycott of Hezbollah Hashish

by psmith, August 10, 2006, 01:28pm, (Issue #448)
Lebanese hash has long been a favorite with Israeli tokers, but now some are calling for a boycott, saying the trade helps fund Hezbollah.

Drug Users Say No to Hezbollah, Call for Wartime Hashish Boycott

from The Forward, August 10, 2006
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In This War, Technology is Key

from Business Week, August 10, 2006
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Feature: South Dakota Medical Marijuana Patient Sues Attorney General Over Bad Ballot Summary Language

by psmith, August 10, 2006, 01:12am, (Issue #448)
South Dakota's medical marijuana campaign has sued the state attorney general over ballot explanation they charge is illegally misleading.

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