psmith
Stories by psmith
Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
by psmith, September 19, 2006, 11:41pm, (Issue #454)
A pair of crooked prison guards and an emerging scandal in Baltimore make the radar this week.
Law Enforcement: Jackson, Mississippi's Mad Mayor Melton Indicted for Drug Enforcement Crimes
by psmith, September 19, 2006, 11:37pm, (Issue #454)
Jackson, Mississippi, Mayor Frank Melton has been playing drug warrior since day one. Now he finds himself on the other side of the law.
Law Enforcement: Cops Used Hidden High-Tech Surveillance on Kansas Rock Festival-Goers
by psmith, September 19, 2006, 11:31pm, (Issue #454)
A hi-tech surveillance company's bragging about its secret demonstration during a music festival has drawn criticism for police about the operation.
US Raps Venezuela, Myanmar on Illegal Drug Trade
from Reuters, September 19, 2006Location:
Bolivia Drug Fight Faulted: The White House Cited Concerns About Contributions to the Illegal Drug Trade By Bolivia
from Associated Press, September 19, 2006Location:
On the Thai Coup Attempt
by psmith, September 19, 2006, 02:31pm
The mass media today are full of reports about the slow-motion military coup attempt taking place in Thailand.
Willie Nelson Cited for Drug Possession (Again)
from Associated Press, September 18, 2006Location:
Legalize All Drugs, Say Lib Dems (UK)
from BBC, September 18, 2006Location:
Media Regularly Misreport Marijuana/Drug Stories, New Book Charges
by psmith, September 18, 2006, 01:57pm
Press Release from the Marijuana Policy Project:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 18, 2006
Media Regularly Misreport Marijuana/Drug Stories, New Book Charges
Other Chapters in "Pot Politics: Mar
Marijuana Debate Still Smoking
from Daytona Beach News-Journal, September 18, 2006Location:
A Look Inside Brazil's Drug "Commands"
by psmith, September 18, 2006, 01:16pm
Brazil, Latin America's largest and most populous nation gets surprisingly little press in the US.
Doctor Convicted of Drug Conspiracy to Be Retried (Dr. William Hurwitz)
from Washington Post, September 17, 2006Location:
50 Arrested at Marijuana Rally (Boston Freedom Rally)
from WCBV-TV 5, September 17, 2006Location:
San Deigo Leading Backlash Against California Medical Marijuana Law
from Associated Press, September 16, 2006Location:
Owner of Marijuana Cafe Sent to Jail (Vancouver)
from Toronto Globe & Mail, September 16, 2006Location:
Just Say No to Meth Registries
by psmith, September 15, 2006, 02:21pm
What sort of criminal offender merits the special distinction of being placed on a public registry? Only the most dangerous, or is it the most demonized?
Man Is Jailed in Alleged Online Sale of Marijuana (Craig's list)
from Los Angeles Times, September 15, 2006Location:
Afghan Fighting Blamed for Opium Bonanza
from The Daily Telegraph, September 15, 2006Location:
Bolivia Seeks Coca Legalization, Path to the Sea
from Jerusalem Post, September 15, 2006Location:
Sentencing: US 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals Throws out Crack Cocaine Sentence
by psmith, September 14, 2006, 08:05pm, (Issue #453)
A federal appeals court has thrown out a long crack cocaine sentence, saying the sentencing guidelines that call for tougher sentences for crack than cocaine are no longer mandatory, but only advisory since last year's US Supreme Court ruling in Booker.
Latin America: Colombia's FARC Guerrillas Say End Drug Prohibition
by psmith, September 14, 2006, 07:34pm, (Issue #453)
In an unusual communique, Colombia's leftist FARC guerrillas called for the global legalization of drugs.
Feature: California Activists Look for Triple Play in November
by psmith, September 14, 2006, 07:05pm, (Issue #453)
"Lowest law enforcement priority" marijuana initiatives are on the ballot in three California cities, and organizers say the prospects for victory look good.
Feature: The DEA's New Proposed Policy Statement on Pain Prescribing -- What Does It Mean?
by psmith, September 14, 2006, 05:04pm, (Issue #453)
The DEA last week issued a new policy statement on prescribing opioid pain medications, and we try to figure out what it means.
Judge Throws Out Marijuana Proponents Challenge (Colorado ballot language)
from Associated Press, September 14, 2006Location:
NEW NORML REPORT SUMMARIZES THE ROLE OF CANNABIS IN MODERATING DISEASE PROGRESSION - Review Of 120+ Recent Scientific Trials Reveals That In US, Politics Trumps Science
by psmith, September 14, 2006, 01:21pm
NEW NORML REPORT SUMMARIZES THE ROLE OF CANNABIS IN MODERATING DISEASE PROGRESSION - Review Of 120+ Recent Scientific Trials Reveals That In US, Politics Trumps Science
September 13, 2006 - Washingto
Making Sense of the DEA's New Proposed Policy Statement on Pain Prescribing
by psmith, September 14, 2006, 12:55pm
There are definitely mixed feelings in the pain medicine community when it comes to the DEA's new proposed policy statement on prescribing pain medications.
ONDCP: Senate Panel Recommends Cutting Salaries at Drug Czar's Office
by psmith, September 14, 2006, 03:13am, (Issue #453)
In a heads-up to drug czar John Walters, a Senate panel has voted to slash funding for salaries and expenses at his office by more than half.
Latin America: In Break With Campaign Promises, Peru's New Government Will Accelerate Coca Eradication
by psmith, September 14, 2006, 02:45am, (Issue #453)
Peruvian President Alain Garcia campaigned on a promise to stop coca eradication. Now, he's changing his tune -- and his policies.
Marijuana: Texas Gubernatorial Candidate Kinky Friedman Says Legalize It
by psmith, September 14, 2006, 02:06am, (Issue #453)
One Texas gubernatorial candidate wants to legalize marijuana. Is anyone surprised that candidate is Kinky Friedman?
AP Interview: Kinky Friedman Calls for the Legalization of Marijuana
from Associated Press, September 13, 2006Location:
Latin America: In Southern Colombia, It's Aid Out, Soldiers In
by psmith, September 13, 2006, 10:17pm, (Issue #453)
US AID is pulling out of southern Colombia and the Colombian army is rolling in, as Washington and Bogota give up on the province of Caqueta.
Europe: Portugal Approves Safe Injection Sites, Moves to Start Prison Needle Exchange Programs
by psmith, September 13, 2006, 10:10pm, (Issue #453)
Portugal continues down a progressive path toward harm reduction with moves to open a safe injection site and establish a needle exchange program in the prisons.
Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
by psmith, September 13, 2006, 10:05pm, (Issue #453)
The rotten odor of drug war-related police corruption wafts across Tennessee from the banks of the Mississippi to the hazy hills of the Great Smoky Mountains, and that's just half of our corrupt cops this week.
Kohl Scores Easy Victory Over Masel (Wisconsin Primary)
from Capital Times, September 13, 2006Location:
Report from the National New Democratic Party Convention in Quebec
by psmith, September 13, 2006, 03:12pm
Report from DANA LARSEN
President, eNDProhibition
The unofficial anti-prohibition wing of Canada's NDP.
http://www.endprohi
Panel Advises Cutting Salaries at Agency (ONDCP)
from Associated Press, September 13, 2006Location:
Latino Leaders Take Position Against Drug War
by psmith, September 13, 2006, 03:09am
From the Drug Policy Alliance:
Latino Leaders Take Position Against Drug War
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Last week in Los Angeles, 2,000 Latino activists and leaders from all over the U.S.
Alcohol Reform Has Lethal Consequences
from Moscow Times, September 13, 2006Location:
Heroin Lifers, DEA Pain Guidance, California Lowest Priority Initiatives
by psmith, September 12, 2006, 02:37pm
Those are the feature stories I think I will be doing this week. It doesn't always happen that way, though.
Pot Crimes May Get Less Attention
from San Francisco Chronicle, September 12, 2006Location:
Hastert's Office Balks at Counter-Narcotics Plan
from The Hill, September 12, 2006Location:
Errata: Will the Real UISCE Please Stand Up?
by psmith, September 12, 2006, 12:02am, (Issue #453)
Getting the right acronymic organization is sometimes difficult.
Canadian MP Libby Davies--statement on Insite and NDP Harm Reduction Resolution
by psmith, September 11, 2006, 11:34pm
Federal NDP Passes Emergency Motion to Protect InSite, Safe Injection Site
Dear Friends,
The work and action taken at the grass roots level to bring the issue of InSite to national and international
My Border Blues
by psmith, September 11, 2006, 09:01pm
I really dislike crossing international borders. I've been doing a lot of it lately in the past few years, particularly since my partner and I got a summer place outside Nelson, BC.
Premiere of Award-Winning Medical Marijuana Documentary & Debate in D.C. Sept. 13
by psmith, September 11, 2006, 12:50pm
Pulitzer Prize Winner Clarence Page to Moderate Debate Between White House Officials, Leading Reform Advocates
CONTACT: Bruce Mirken, MPP director of communications, 202-215-4205 or 415-668-6403
CWA Joins Fight to Legalize Cannabis (Australia)
from The Age, September 11, 2006Location:
Crossing the Border
by psmith, September 08, 2006, 12:38pm
I'm off to Spokane, Washington, in a few minutes, which means I will be crossing the US-Canadian border at one of the remote ports of entry above Spokane.
Marijuana: In Annual Harvest Roundup, 98% of All Marijuana Seizures Are Ditchweed
by psmith, September 07, 2006, 10:23pm, (Issue #452)
Law enforcement authorities seized a whopping 233 million marijuana plants last year under a DEA program. Too bad 98% of them were ditchweed.
Harm Reduction: Pittsburgh Needle Exchange Wins Health Board Approval for Continued Operation
by psmith, September 07, 2006, 09:55pm, (Issue #452)
Pittsburgh's sole needle exchange program is one step closer to being formalized after its legality was challenged earlier this year.
South Asia: India Rebels Threaten to Kill Drug Traffickers, Tobacco Dealers
by psmith, September 07, 2006, 09:31pm, (Issue #452)
Separatist rebels in the Indian state of Manipur are threatening to execute drug traffickers and have already done so.
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, 2006Location:
Beheadings a Sign of Mexico Turf War: Bloody Scene in Once Tranquil State Underscores Growing Violence
from Houston Chronicle, September 07, 2006Location:
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, 05:16pmThe 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, 02:45pmHuron, 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, 01:10pmHere 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, 2006Location:
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
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, 2006Location:
Rainbow Farm Deaths Remembered: Supporters Mark Fifth Anniversary of Campground Standoff
from South Bend Tribune, September 05, 2006Location:
GW Pharma Files Cannabis-Based Pain Drug Sativex for Marketing Approval
from Financial Times, September 05, 2006Location:
In Afghanistan, A Symbol for Change, Then Failure
from New York Times, September 05, 2006Location:
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, 2006Location:
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, 2006Location:
Opium Cultivation Rose 60% in Afghanistan This Year, All-Time Record, UN Says
from Associated Press, September 03, 2006Location:
Guatemala Begins Eradication of 6 Million Poppies
from Dominican Today, September 03, 2006Location:
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, 2006Location:
Drug Policy Forum Reflects on Successes
from Lawrence Journal World, September 01, 2006Location:
Feds Take Aim at "Guru of Ganja"
from Oakland Tribune, September 01, 2006Location:
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, 2006Location:
CWA Votes in Favor of Marijuana for Medicinal Use (Australia)
from ABC News (Australia), August 31, 2006Location:
UK Drug Deaths on the Rise, Despite Government Pledge
from The Independent, August 31, 2006Location:
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, 2006Location:
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, 2006Location:
Cannabis Farms Spread to Suburbs (England)
from The Guardian, August 30, 2006Location:
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
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