cannabisculture.com
Celebrate

Happy 4:20 to all the cannabis consumers out there. The sun is shining and it's warm in lovely downtown Noho this afternoon. Altogether a good day to feel good. If you're reading this blog I assume you already know what 4:20 is, but just in case, here's an explanation that I liked last year.

There's no celebrations planned here, however if you're at Niagara Falls our dauntless neighbors in Canada will be having a smoke-out at the US border in the middle of Rainbow Bridge. There will be speakers of course and one assumes the sweet smell of, as John Walters puts it, "the crack of cannabis" will be wafting over the water. Fair warning, possession is illegal in Canada again pending future decrim legislation and you can get busted for smoking. From what I hear though, it's worth taking a chance for a hit of that "White Widow" weed.

The rally starts at 4:20pm of course. We're sorry we can't be there but the May Day Million Marijuana March is right around the corner. Something to plan for.

honeynet.org
High Times in Baghdad

Hard to believe High Times is 30 years old. It feels like just yesterday I was hanging with one of their first photographers, Johnny "Photon" Farrell, discussing potential centerfolds. Now three decades later, since "Operation Pipe Dreams" shut down their major source of advertisers -- bong makers -- the magazine is changing its focus this year, concentrating on a wider range of political subjects. However, they haven't forsaken marijuana news entirely. They report there's plenty of cannabis in the new liberated Iraq.

"There are few laws in Iraq right now," writes Dave Enders, High Times's man in Baghdad, "so although drug possession was punishable by death before, you can now pass a spliff openly in front of the cops."

The expanded coverage simply paints a bigger picture .

He also writes about U.S. soldiers and the nutty do-gooders who've swarmed into Iraq and about Hamid, "a 26-year-old translator/bodyguard/heavy-metal fan." Hamid was an Iraqi soldier until he deliberately shot himself in the leg to avoid fighting the Americans and now smokes weed and writes protest lyrics set to the tune of "The Wall" by Pink Floyd: "We don't need no occupation, We don't need no CPA. . . . "

"The desire to leave," Enders concludes, "is the only thing US soldiers and Iraqis have in common."

HT has kept the luscious centerfolds but to quell the complaints of their loyal readers who miss the old format, they have also spun off a new magazine, Grow America, for those who are only interested in cannabis-related issues.

For myself, I kind of like the new format. General politics are inextricably linked to drug policy reform and our work will mean nothing if we let the politicians destroy civil society in the interim. We're wishing High Times success with this new editorial policy. Who knows, if they keep this up we might start reading the magazine regularly again.

Kdrink Company Speaks

We were talking about this coca based beverage last week. It seems Kokka Royal Food & Drink Company saw Talk Left's post on the subject and sent her an email that they asked be published. She of course was happy to do so.

We remind you that Kdrink, contains energy from 15 vitamins and minerals, 12 amino acids and 14 to 16 alkaloids that are found naturally in coca leaves. There is no cocaine in this drink. In their own words:

One of the big mistakes about the coca leaf is to confuse it with the cocaine. Cocaine is one of the 14 alkaloids of the leaf and need to be procesed and mixed with other 15 chemical components to arrive firstable to cocaine sulfate and afterwards to cocaine cloridrate. Between the other alkaloids we can find globuline, pectine, engonine etc. that have such a good benefits for health that we cannot find it in other natural product. In fact Andine people is using it since precolombine period under hunger, extreme work and other unhuman situations.

...There is a social problem about the coca bush that cannot be solved by eradication of plantations. Only the alternative products will have the solution and this is a reallity that only knows who knows the Ande.

The language barrier notwithstanding, their letter makes a lot of sense and they at least are coming up with constructive suggestions. The reality is not much else but coca will grow in these regions and alternative uses could stop the endless cycle of jungle cocaine production.

The peasants growing the plant are not the ones making money on the black market. It would be easy to pay them a comparable amount for their crops by developing a commerical US market for legal uses of the herb.

See Talk Left for the full text of the letter.

customwire.ap.org
Ship of Fools

This is rather amusing in a perverse way. Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo arrived in Cartagena to discuss anti-drug strategies with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. Shortly before they were to meet on the Uribe's prize naval flagship, about 37 pounds of cocaine and 22 pounds of heroin were found in the engine room.

One wonders if it was for personal use of the crew. The Gloria, pride of the Colombian Navy was due to was to embark on a six-month trip to the United States and Europe. The trip will probably be delayed however, as Uribe has suspended the entire 75 man crew and arrested three sailors.

Toledo had come to discuss regional cooperation in combating cocaine production. He wryly noted that "drug trafficking is a problem and the events on that ship are evidence of that." Citing a need for a common strategy, Toledo suggested governments pool their resources and complained that consumer nations should be doing more to help. He also denied that the Shining Path was contributing to civil unrest in Colombian border areas despite this statement from a man claiming to be the last living leader of the group, threatening renewed violence.

Keep an eye on our neighbors to the south. While we are all distracted by Iraq and the elections, from Venezuela to Bolivia and beyond, US meddling is creating a tinder keg that could blow up at any minute.

psu.edu
Don't Get Mad...

Dwight Meredith at Wampum makes an important point on the correlation of Creekstone Farms' run-in with the USDA over mad cow disease testing and the Bush administration's protecting big business from free market competition with small companies.

I spoke of this testing last week. Dwight eloquently explains the larger failures of this policy, noting well how it threatens to destroy small entrepreneurial operations and ignores the best interests of the taxpayer both financially and in public safety. It's disturbing reading.

I mean can anybody tell me why the same test that the USDA contends would cost $325 tax dollars per head could be delivered by Creekstone at $18.oo? Political patronage is nothing new but our government is still bound by oath to serve its citizen's needs first; not to serve them up as a sacrifice to political interests.

Last word on the subject goes to Dwight's closing remarks.

It should be the job of the USDA to ensure a safe food supply, not to make choices for consumers among safe alternatives.

The large companies just want the government, in the form of the USDA, to insulate them from free market competition. The Bush administration, in the form of the USDA, is doing so.

[Thanks to Atrios for pointing us to the link.]

i.cnn.net
Treatment over Incarceration

It seems even in the home of the draconian Rockefeller Laws, the alarming cost of imprisoning drug offenders is making alternative approaches attractive. Talk Left posted an interesting article this morning on the first prosecution-run program in the country to divert prison-bound felony offenders to residential drug treatment. The offender is convicted but the sentence is deferred pending the successful completion of a treatment program at which time the charges are dismissed. Failure results in fast track incarceration.

The program is only open to non-violent offenders but that should still help in prison overcrowding in New York State. According to the King's County AG's Office press release:

The number of offenders in New York State prisons for drug offenses has increased dramatically, from 3,000 at the onset of the crack epidemic in 1986, to more than 20,000 today. Almost one-half of all state prison inmates are drug offenders, many of whom committed non-violent crimes to support their drug habit.

The program shows great success both in rehabilitation and cost effectiveness. The numbers speak for themselves.

As of March 2004, 1950 defendants have been accepted into the program, 390 are still in treatment and 743 have completed the program and have had their charges dismissed..... Eighty-nine percent of DTAP's graduates who are able to work are employed.

....analysis of the savings realized on correction, health care, public assistance and recidivism costs combined with the tax revenues generated by the DTAP graduates reveals that diversion to DTAP has resulted in economic benefits of $28.8 million dollars per the 743 graduates.

....DTAP graduates had re-arrest rates that were 33% lower; re-conviction rates that were 45% lower; and were 87% less likely to return to prison than those of a matched comparison group.

The program actively seeks repeat offenders and provides assistance in obtaining and maintaining employment. A welcome contrast to the mindset that created the mandatory minimums and zero tolerance laws that caused the overcrowding in the prisons in the first place.

city-and-guilds.co.uk
Friday Newsletters

A lot of interesting items this week. DRC Net has a lengthy interview with pain management specialist Dr. Robert Kale, whose well-regarded clinic was shut down when the DEA wrongfully accused him of over-prescribing pain relievers and now refuses to return his license even though he has been cleared by the medical board.

Drug Sense Weekly has a related piece on Jeb Bush's crusade to document every prescription drug consumer in Florida.

DRC also has good news on the medical marijuana bill in Connecticut which has successfully advanced through one more committee while Drug Sense reports on a rarely used lesser harm provision invoked by U.S. District Judge A. Howard Matz in sentencing medical marijuana defendants Lynn and Judy Osburn.

Meanwhile Drug Policy Alliance has developments on the efforts of Congress to pass the "drugged driving" legislation we have been discussing.

HR 3550, which the House passed as part of a massive transportation bill earlier this month, mandates that states adopt drugged-driving laws that criminalize driving with any unlawful detectable amount of a controlled substance present in the body, or when a person's mental or physical faculties are affected to a noticeable or perceptible degree. The bill would also allow states to punish those who refuse to submit to a drug test and increase penalties for first-time and repeat offenders.

Keep an eye on your local politicians. No telling how they might react to this federal mandate.

candidesign.co.uk
Thought Police

I'm back in Lovely Downtown Noho and the weather is finally warm. I'm about to go sit on the stoop for the first time this year and finish Jules' book. I'll be back later but first this troublesome report. We've talked before about the failure of the current prison system to provide rehabilitation services to the inmates.

Here's a case of a functioning rehab program dismantled on questionable grounds by prison officials.

York Correctional Facility in East Lyme, said Wednesday that 15 women inmates lost up to five years of work when officials at the prison's school ordered all hard drives used for the class erased and its computer disks turned over.

The reason for this dramatic action? One of the students in Wally Lamb's class had won the prestigious $25,000 PEN American Center prize for her writing. Since she was writing about her life inside, perhaps the prison feared the exposure the award will bring. For whatever reason the program was shut down. As Lamb said, "It flies in the face of the First Amendment."

In litigation commenced by the state, the inmates successfully petitioned the court to have their work and the program restored and will not be required to forfeit the prize nor the other royalties from the sale of the book. Further, prize winner Barbara Lane will not have to pay an invoice the prison had previously delivered for $339,505, charging for room and board at $117.oo per day.

Understatement of the week goes to Connecticut AG Richard Blumenthal.

"....they ought to receive the benefits of genuine rehabilitative activity because we need to provide incentives for them to lead law-abiding and productive lives."

It's good to see some sense being shown by the AG however, I think charging $117.oo per diem for bad food and a cell in an overcrowded jail should also be a crime.

usatoday.com
The Drug Czar Misinformation Tour

John Walters is a busy guy these days. He's now in Florida lecturing Hispanic parents about the evils of that Canadian cannabis.

Recent government studies have shown that Hispanic youth are trying drugs in greater numbers than other ethnic groups but then again Hispanics are also the faster growing demographic in the country.

``Canada is exporting to us the crack of marijuana, and it is a dangerous problem,'' Walters said.

He goes on to say it is important to focus on marijuana because of its accessibility and the growing numbers of youths who are being treated for problems stemming from its use.

Let me remind you before I leave that number one, the only reason the number of youths going into therapy for alleged marijuana "addiction" is that juvenile offenders opt for treatment rather than jail. They have to say they are addicted. We addressed the misleading statistics coming from emergency rooms yesterday and again Canadian cannabis comprises 1.5 percent of the marijuana seized by federal agents.

Here's the money line:

Some factors that contribute to the rising numbers include a higher poverty rate and less education, as statistics show that more than two in five Hispanics who are 25 or older have not graduated from high school.

Cause and effect here folks. They are arrested and incarcerated for minor possession charges at a greater rate than white middle class kids and then are prevented from obtaining an education and/or decent employment on account of their criminal records.

Legalization would keep the drugs off the street and give these kids a better chance to avoid the pitfalls of drug abuse.

Sunset and Vine

The fabulous Boi from Troy hosts Carnival of the Vanities #82 with an oh so gay Hollywood theme. I'm always expecting these guys to kick me out -- they are so young and Republican and I am so not. But I hope they don't. I'm becoming rather fond of them and they do throw a great party. Besides, where else can you see stars like these?

Canadian Cannabis Crisis?

I was wondering why Australia was outlawing hydroponic pot while decriminalizing plants grown by other methods. I thought I smelled John Walters' hand in that policy and now here he is chastising the Canadians for exporting the "crack of marijuana" to the United States." You guessed it -- hydroponic cannabis.

Walters urged Ottawa to recognize the problem of hydroponics, which employs nutrient-rich solutions rather than soil. "It is often grown inside under lights, and Walters said it sold for as much as cocaine." As if Ottawa doesn't already know that after the Barrie bust.

Walters counsels the Canadian government to show leadership in combating this "dangerously potent" plant which he blames for 120,000 emergency hospital admissions. That would include of course, those who say -- break their ankle playing sports and admit to having smoked a bowl three weeks prior.

Although he values US good will, Prime Minister Paul Martin is not falling for the rhetoric. Washington's own data shows that of all the illegal pot seized by U.S. agents only 1.5 percent came from Canada and he intends to press ahead with plans to end jail terms for people caught with small amounts of marijuana.

And while Walters speaks of safety his true concern appears to be about the velocity of US dollars crossing the border. He said that Canadian producers had a multibillion dollar marijuana growing business and that 80 to 90 percent of revenues came from the United States. Revenues that could be staying inside the US if our legislators would stand up to the prohibition protectors and legalize.

In all the years I smoked cannabis, the only emergency I ever saw was when someone ran out of herb. Cannabis can't kill you and the kids today are OD'ing on Special K and other bizarre and unknown but low cost chemicals of doubtful origins, because they can't afford cannabis, which as Walters himself points out has become more expensive than gold under the prohibition.

poidesign.com
In a Whirl

I've been crazy busy for the last 24 hours and I'm in a rage about an unpleasant encounter I just had with MCI. I'll be posting on that after I've contacted the AG and the Secretary of State and then I'm dumping that bullshit company as my phone carrier.

I was already cranky after days on end of rain and cold. Won't see the sun today either but at least it's warmer. I had my winter coat back out twice in the last week already. The bulbs don't seem to mind either way though and the crocus and rapidly budding daffodils are helping dispel the gloom.

Meanwhile the question of the moment is: Who was that attractive young man escorting Louise Driscoll around town? I stopped by their table to say hi but only got his name, Jason. I think it was a date since Louise looked so gorgeous in that blue tank top but neither one of them were saying. Can't wait to get the details but Louise is lying low. Could this a relationship brewing?

Meanwhile, I'll be going out of town tomorrow for a few days so posting will be lighter than usual but I expect to be able to check in occassionally. While I'm gone you can get the news that matters at Drug War Rant . In fact there's important news breaking on Afghanistan right now and as always when I'm over my head, Pete leaps into the breach and brings you the story.

Check out today's post. It's a long but comprehensive look at how the US supported the Taliban with millions of your tax dollars right up until mere days before 9/11, for allegedly eliminating opium poppy cultivation. The trouble with that is although they stopped cultivation, they were stockpiling opium to raise the price and not only refused to give up Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaida but were in fact supporting him and are now reaping the benefits of the hoarded dope.

Oh, and for those of you who have been following the saga of my smoking cessation, it's now six and half weeks without a cigarette. Although I may never feel really free of the desire, I think I can declare this a victory.

Down on the Farm

This is interesting. The poppy eradication started in the eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan this week. Government soldiers acting on orders from President Hamid Karzai intend to destroy eight to 10 per cent of the crops but the farmers will be allowed to harvest the rest.

Farmers bemoan the loss of income as poppy cultivation brings US$ 2,000 per half acre but are resigned to the partial destruction of their crops. One would think the remaining 90% would be enough to keep them from falling back into abject poverty and we also wonder what possible effect eradicating such a small percentage of the crop will have on the heroin supply. It looks like an attempt to create the illusion of cooperation with western anti-drug programs on the Afghani government's part.

In any event unless alternative crops and marketing are developed, the farmers do not appear to be planning to stop cultivating the flowers soon.

If the government could not find us other sources we will cultivate poppy again," one farmer said. "We know opium is 'haram' ( forbidden ) but in critical situations, Islam allows you to do every possible thing for your survival. When you are hungry nothing is haram."

citrano.com
Random Selection

We're running late this morning so just a quick but disturbing item from this week's Drug Sense Weekly. Louisiana State Judge Larry J. Green ruled that a drug-sniffing dog's random inspection of a Slidell parking lot didn't violate a motel guest's Fourth Amendment rights.

Detective James McIntosh of the St. Tammany Parish Drug Task Force, using a technique he learned at a law enforcement convention in Texas cruised the lot on a "fishing expedition" that eventually led to the discovery of heroin, cocaine and marijuana in the guest's room and car.

We are flabbergasted that the judge ruled this did not violate his Fourth Amendment rights and hope the defendant John Val Popoff appeals this ruling to a higher court. This would be dangerous precedent to leave on the books unchallenged.

coxandforkum.com
Mad Mad World

To those of you are also following my Detroit guest blog, forgive the redundancy but this is important enough to cross post and thanks to my fellow DNews bloggers, Cox and Forkum, for the graphic. I only wish they were leaning more towards our side.

I don't get this. The Bush administration wants to test our hair, saliva and sweat before we can get a job. In his State of the Union address, Bush told us he wants to spend 23 million dollars to test our children's urine before they can receive a publicly funded education.

The White House Prohibition Protectors say "random drug testing of students can survive legal challenges and is 'dirt cheap'." And indeed the price has dropped as a drug testing industry mushroomed in response to the ill-advised policy of treating teenagers like criminals.

So explain this to me, if our government is so vitally interested in what we voluntarily put into our bodies, why did the Department of Agriculture refuse to allow a Kansas beef producer to test all of its cattle for mad cow disease, saying such sweeping tests as proposed by Creekstone Farms were not scientifically warranted?

Lobbying groups for cattle ranchers and slaughterhouses, who called 100% testing misleading to consumers because "it would create a false impression that untested beef was not safe", were pleased by the decision. Gary Weber speaking for the cattlemen's association said it was "absolutely not about the money."

Yeah, right. Speaking as a consumer who must trust the FDA to certify the safety of what I have no choice but to consume -- since I don't own a ranch -- I would rather be "misled" by 100% testing of my food than invaded by 100% testing of my bodily fluids.

The Pause that Refreshes

Talk Left has an interesting item up this morning on a new product being marketed in Peru. KDrink reportedly tastes pretty much like any iced-tea drink but contains a trace 0.6 milligrams of coca leaf. That's not enough to get you high folks, but it is enough to fail a drug test so keep that in mind if you're planning to bring any home from your next trip to the southern hemisphere.

The company wants to import the drink into the US, the problem being of course that notwithstanding the popular myth that Coca Cola contains cocaine, even such trace amounts in the ingredients are illegal in this country. Now Coke actually buys 100 metric tons of dried Peruvian coca leaves each year from which their "secret cocaine-free formula" is extracted. Interestingly, Stepan Co. factory in Maywood, N.J., the company that makes the mix also provides legal cocaine for the US pharmaceutical industry. Rumor has it some of that cocaine ends up on the black market.

In any event, the article notes the Peruvian's historic use and the health benefits of this plant.

Thousands of years before the existence of processed cocaine, highland Indians chewed coca to ward off hunger and fatigue. Considered an integral part of Peruvian culture, coca is offered to Andean gods and sold in packaged tea bags in grocery stores.

Silvia Dongo, a pharmaceutical chemist who helped develop Kdrink, says the beverage provides energy from its 15 vitamins and minerals, 12 amino acids and 14 to 16 alkaloids that are found naturally in coca leaves.

"Drinking coca beverages is a way to seek a natural and healthy stimulation," she says.

Thousands of years of use haven't harmed and in fact have helped the Andean people to survive and could be of benefit to Americans as well, being a healthier alternative to coffee. However, as Talk Left notes, "somehow, we think Drug Czar John Walters and AG Ashcroft will find a way to keep it from coming to America."

fayhart.com
Do The Math

The April issue of Econ Journal Watch reports that the majority of economists believe that current drug prohibition strategies are an expensive failure and favor drug policy reform.

In 1995 only 58% concurred, but that has reportedly grown to a broad consensus with most economists agreeing that the current policies do not work and should be changed in the direction of some form of legalization. There is disagreement about the degree of change but all agree the War on Drugs is simply not a cost effective program.

In fact, NORML News reports:

A 2001 economic analysis of American drug policy by the National Resource Council determined that America spends twice as much money annually to combat illegal drugs as it spent fighting the Persian Gulf War, yet there is no evidence indicating that existing policies are either working or cost-effective. "It is unconscionable for this country to continue to carry out a public policy of this magnitude and cost without any way of knowing whether, and to what extent, it is having the desired result," the study's author concluded.

Of course there have been studies done that prove the War on Drugs is a failure but our government's answer to that is to suppress the results and order a new study done by a "friendlier" company that will deliver the numbers they seek.

Eyes on You

I've been fascinated lately with how easily we dismiss our privacy these days. Take how casually we accept being video-taped dozens of times a day on public web cams for instance. How many patrons at the ElboRoom in Ft. Lauderdale realize or even care that they are being watched right now?

That's not to say that I don't love being able to see the beach there or in Maui in real time. For a traveler like me, being able to see London, or New York or Amsterdam or Brazil is priceless but it comes at a cost that we don't really think about paying.

Earthcam is just one company offering hundreds of sites of public surveillance. The possible viewers are endless and it's not much of stretch to imagine this kind of network being used to track individuals. I wonder for instance how many people at the Anchorage Alaska DMV or on this street in Miami realize they are being watched by thousands of strangers on the internet?

The same satellite technology that brings us the convenience of cell phones and GPS systems in our cars, leaves us increasingly vulnerable to unreasonable scrutiny for political reasons. Just something to think about.

And speaking of public scrutiny, check out the Loftcube Project. These guys from Berlin came up with a great concept -- kind of a portable penthouse, but the view cuts both ways. Talk about living in glass houses... Go through the whole menu. It's well worth a walk through. I especially loved the swivel showerhead that also watered the plants.

Work In Progress

My friend Jules Siegel can only be called a Renaissance man. He's an extraordinary artist and writer with a checkered past, a restless spirit and a new project. In his words:

I am a Yellow Dog Democrat. Even so, as a graphic designer and former political public relations consultant, I am dismayed by the Kerry Flash ads running on the New York Times website. I haven't seen any of his TV spots, but if they are as bad as this, we are in trouble.

Kerry should attack the medium, not the message. He doesn't have enough money to respond to every Bush ad on its merits. He has to attack the obscene trick of trying to buy the election.

.... I tried my hand at some rudimentary web animation, and came up with Get used to it, a 284k QuickTime movie.

.... I will appreciate your comments. This is a first try at defining a concept. It can go anywhere. Once I have something that really works, I plan to distribute it as widely as possible.

I loved it. Email your comments here.

cannabisfarm.org
Going Dutch

Holland appears to have its own version of our prohibition pushing Souder and Walters. Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner and Health Minister Hans Hoogervorst, under pressure from outside governments including the US, have been messing around with Holland's 30 year old defacto legality of cannabis coffeehouses.

Nol van Schaik, owner of "Willie Wortel Cannabis Shops"; and its Hempcity website sent out a translation of the latest news. Donner and Hoogervorst attempted and failed to get the cannabis cafes shut down by promoting legislation restricting smokers to outside the establishments, and then by restricting them to local consumers only.

Their latest scheme is to ban cannabis with high content THC called Nederweed in the cafes and reclassify the plant as a hard drug. At the same time the Amsterdam City Council is calling for legalizing the production of Nederweed to get it out of the hands of criminals.

Donner and Hoogervorst propose further US style provisions such as increased penalties for possession, school zone enhancements and eliminating all cultivation of the plant, which is now allowed by licensed growers. These proposals are promoted as based on health and safety concerns of course, however their practical effect would be to put supply into the hands of a few big criminal organizations and create a prison gulag of non-violent consumers, not unlike our own.

The good news is the Amsterdam City Council will present it case to the legislature a day before Donner and Hoogervorst push their prohibition plans. One hopes the contrast in logic will continue to be apparent. Meanwhile the Willie Wortel's Sativa Shop is still in business and is building a bed and breakfast on top of the shop.

gospelcom.net
Happy Holiday

I think there must be some kind of crazy celestial energy going on, because the town is kind of silly but at least everybody is laughing tonight. I've been unexpectedly waylaid all afternoon, and now I'm off to see Michael and Irma, it's her birthday, so I won't be blogging again today.

I'll be spending this Easter home alone this year, although I have a date to watch some of the Red Sox game with Darren, who is working at City tomorrow. I have some interesting news on Amsterdam that I'll be blogging in the a.m. but meanwhile, a happy Holy Saturday to all of you who celebrate the Ascension.

Peace be with you and with your spirits.

drcnet.org
Souder's War

I haven't read all of this yet, it's a lengthy five part series but it's great reading so far. The Media Awareness Project has archived the entire April Fool's hearing transcript of Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources hearings on medicinal marijuana. Although led by our "favorite" Prohibition Fool -- Mark Souder -- they were no joke.

Souder stacked the committee with his favorite House jesters but many of the participants did not perform as Souder would have liked. I doubt he expected such a strong argument on the Anti-prohibition side.

Rep. Eleanor Norton ( D-DC ) came out of the gate blazing making some strong points.

I would think, though, that the fact that we have eight to 10 states moving ahead to legalize medical marijuana would have caused far more vigorous federal research and leadership than we have seen thus far.

...When it comes to medical marijuana, we are about a serious matter and one that, frankly, I think our government could have found the answer, one way or the other to, long before now. But the greatest objection I have is not about this medical controversy.

...It is putting young people in jail for smoking pot. Wherever you stand on these matters, it doesn't seem to me that we ought to ruin a kids life by giving him a record for smoking pot.

There's plenty more of that kind of talk while Souder can only whine. "We fought a war and said federal law prevails. You don't have a right to nullification. Now, how we enforce those is another question," he said.

The trouble with that statement is, it's a lie. You do have a citizen's right (that was established at the formation of our government) to nullification. Souder's War is a war on you and me folks. It's a war on your personal sovereignty.

We cannabis consumers are not criminals. It's time to vote Souder and those of his prohibitionist ilk out of office so we stop being treated as such.

ixmedia.com
Smoke the Vote

Not registered to vote or no longer living where you are registered? NORML has launched a new site, smokethevote.org, where you can change your address or register for the first time. They have also started the first ever political action committee of its kind, NORML PAC to award pro-cannabis candidates financial help with their campaigns. And while you're at the site, check out Mark Fiore's flash animation -- the War on Drugs featuring John Walters and a cast of thousands.

And since you're already thinking about voting, hop across the big pond and help the marijuana reform activists in the UK with this poll on legalization. No registration is required and literally only takes a second. It's a simple point and click on the yes or no. When I voted it was 68% in favor.

Let them know, you smoke and you're going to vote. Thanks.

Good Reads

I'm enjoying the Detroit News guest slot but it's interfering a little with my usual routine so I hadn't checked on Pete at Drug War Rant for a few days. He's on a roll, read everything he wrote this week. He's got an good take on Ashcroft's new war on porn and a fabulous deconstruction (or would that be demolition) of a Mark Kleiman piece on drug control. I love it when he takes on Kleiman. He always tears Mark to shreds, but it does it so politely. I wish I could manage that kind of civility with the man.

Across the pond, there's an excellent op-ed piece in the Belfast Telegraph on cannabis policy. Features editor Eamonn McCann looks at the politics of legalization in Ireland and makes some good points about how people perceive public support for it. He asks why, with so many people agreeing privately that it makes sense, don't they come forward to change the laws?

Using a survey done in Vermont and Rhode Island he illustrates this odd anomaly. On the question of whether medical marijuana should be legal, 71% in Vermont and 69% in Rhode Island said yes. However, when asked if they thought the majority of voters agreed with them, 37% and 60% respectively thought they were not. It doesn't make sense. As McCann says:

The only explanation I can think of is that the relentless promotion of untruth about marijuana has so clouded the minds of ordinarily intelligent people that even thinking on it makes them feel dizzy.

This reinforces my long-held belief that rational discussion of drugs problems will continue to be impossible while marijuana remains tainted by illegality.

Perception is everything.

[Link thanks to Eric Mytko ]

God Works In Mysterious Ways

Stumbled across a couple of stories about church and state today on the NORML site. In Vermont, Roman Catholic Bishop Kenneth Angell -- supports the Senate-passed medical marijuana bill while state Rep. David Zuckerman proposed adding medical marijuana to the list of medications that would be studied for "pain management" in "the medical school, residency programs and nursing schools in Vermont."

And in Ohio, The Rev. Richard Arko pleaded guilty to growing marijuana in the church rectory. He was given a suspended sentence and placed on probation for two years. Police searched his church based on an informant's tip and found 35 plants. Talk Left has more of the story.

Although probation would be the norm for a first offense in Ohio, prosecutors asked for a prison sentence, arguing that a priest should be held to a higher standard than others. Fortunately, Judge Patricia Cosgrove declined to make an example of Rev. Arko, citing letters she received from parishoners attesting to Rev. Arko's positive contributions to their lives.

The Reverend loses his calling, the parishioners lose a good pastor and the informant, who ruined the peaceful existence of this church, is accused of stealing credit cards and checks from Rev. Arko and the parish.

Is civil society served here? It seems a harsh sentence for a gardener and and his flock, not to mention it could not have occurred if cannabis were legal.

The Envelope Please....

Wow, if I knew I would be nominated for so many awards, I would have started blogging a long time ago. First the Koufax nomination and now an Oscar. Okay, I know this is for Carnival of the Vanities #81 where everyone was nominated for something but this week's host, Ross White at Leaking Pure White Noise, is a way cool guy with a fun blog and it feels just as much an honor.

Check out all the nominees. As Ross says, "the winner is -- you, the readers."

november.org
Losing The War

Our government spends millions of your tax dollars on international drug eradication programs alone and in yet another example of the failure of these policies the US State Department released the 2003 drug cultivation figures for Mexico. The report states, "despite intensive Mexican eradication programs -- [there was] an overall increase in marijuana and opium poppy cultivation."

Rather an understatement in light of a 70 percent increase in marijuana and a 78 percent increase in opium poppies They also seized a record amount of drugs and arrested two cartel "kingpins" among many smaller dealers with no effect on the flow of drugs into the US. The lesson is obvious. The more they interdict and eradicate, the more production goes up to compensate.

Under the Bush administration, the total cost of enforcing the prohibition has risen to almost 40 billion dollars. This criminal waste of your tax dollars has resulted in the wholesale poisoning of large tracts of the planet with herbicides and given us the largest prison population in the world. It has done nothing to eliminate the availability of street drugs nor the problems of drug abuse.

It's time to admit the War on Drugs has failed miserably and to reallocate the resources spent on punitive measures to harm reduction programs instead.

Action Alert

Your First Amendment rights are at serious risk. The prohibitionists are trying to shut the debate down and prevent us from communicating with each other by sneaking through modifications to FEC regulations that would forbid non-profit, citizen based reform organizations from collecting certain private donations and otherwise restrict their activity.

DPA has the info and an easy link to fight this legislation.

The Drug Policy Alliance and other advocacy groups could be barred from communicating with supporters about the political actions of federal officials up for re-election. That's the goal of a Federal Election Commission (FEC) draft opinion to be voted on later this month. The proposal, broader and more punitive than an earlier one also condemned by the Alliance, would represent one of the worst assaults on the freedom of speech and association ever proposed in the United States. It would severely hamper our ability to communicate urgent drug policy reform messages to you in the future.

The chilling effect of the FEC proposal on free speech cannot be overstated. Adoption of the draft opinion would rework and expand the definition of "expenditures" to include any communication that "promotes, supports, attacks, or opposes" a candidate for federal office. This would give Members of Congress who are running for re-election a green light to introduce and pass harmful drug policies right before Election Day while restricting the Alliance's ability to run advertisements in a newspaper or send out emails alerting you to their actions. The FEC draft opinion is especially nefarious because it seeks to change the rules for nonprofit advocacy in the middle of this important election year.

This is aimed at drug policy reform and other politically progressive NGOs but can and will be used against anyone with a cause that displeases this administration.

It only takes a minute to click the link and send a prewritten letter and there is only one day to make your voice heard. Please help.

vpc.org
No slackers, ghosters, or whiners need apply.

I actually wrote this for my Detroit News guest blog, but it set off the censor-meter and wouldn't post the whole thing so I'm posting it here in it's entirety and pointing to it from there instead.

Since the Insta-Pundit insists on keeping this story alive, I'm weighing in on his "Kos Kontroversy".

Kos may have said it badly, but he was right about this part. Those men were there by choice, knowing full well what they were facing. No one lied to get them to enlist and they made more in one day than the reservist, who was told he would get an education for a few weekends of training exercises a year, did in a month.

In contrast, the four men who died so horribly applied for this job.

You are assessed in the field by the BSC leadership and at initial training by staff. If you do not appear to be a team player or have attitude problems, we will terminate the process. Quiet professionals are what we seek as long term partners in this work.

Blackwater Security Consultants is focused on moving forward in the market with the best human resources who will receive a market setting standard for fair pay. BSC understands it can only be as good as its resources and top notch performers are what we seek to provide on the market. If this sounds acceptable to you and is the type of work you seek, then submit your resume today.

The title of this post also comes from that site. It sounds pretty clear to me and I think Glenn Reynolds should post the family history of every man lost in this war so far, as he did for these four high paid soldiers-of-fortune before he starts throwing any more stones.

umm.edu
Long Term Care

I see way too many of these stories. DEA intimidation has left the practice of pain medicine is such a sorry state that patient's have to choose between breaking the law or suffering debilitating physical distress. A lot of these sad tales seem to come from Florida, where apparently if you're Rush Limbaugh you can get away with illegally procuring medication, but if you're Richard Paey, a 45-year-old father of three who sits in a wheelchair, debilitated by multiple sclerosis and chronic pain from botched back surgery, you will receive a 25-year mandatory minimum sentence for forging prescriptions to treat your pain.

Despite months-long surveillance of Paey's activities, there was never any evidence that he resold the painkillers. Nonetheless, he is now charged with drug trafficking for self-medicating because his doctors would not or could not prescribe him appropriate levels of medication.

To be fair, prosecutors did offer a couple of rather generous (for a prosecutor that is) plea agreements, which he rejected on the firm belief he should not be charged with a crime for attempting to resolve his medical problems on his own. As this excellent editorial points out, neither he nor any chronic pain patients who have been forced to doctor shop and worse to get sufficient amounts of medicine belong in jail.

This is an abuse of our criminal justice resources. Paey is not a man who belongs in prison. What he and other pain patients need is a health care system that will respond to their affliction. (Paey now has a morphine pump in his back to dull the pain. His wife says, ironically, it provides him with more narcotics than he was getting from the Percocet, which is 98.5 percent Tylenol.)

We agree. Personally, I think the agency has outlived any usefulness it may have ever had, but that aside, it's clearly long past time for the DEA to get out of the business of harassing and imprisoning the chronically ill citizens of this country and their caregivers.

news-star.com
Farmers Vow to Resist Eradication

Afghani opium farmers staged a demonstration on Monday, chanting anti-government slogans and vowing to resist President Hamid Karzai's plans to destroy their crop.

"We will fight," said a demonstrator on the outskirts of the eastern city of Jalalabad. "They will either destroy our harvests or kill us. We will not let them do this even if they send planes and tanks."

Farmers took their complaints to their local authorities saying they needed the income since a quarter of century of warfare has destroyed the infrastructure needed for other crops.

They said they would stop growing the opium poppies if the central government provided assistance to rebuild their roads, schools and hospitals.

Local officials refused to comment about the protests and said the opium eradication policy was decided by Kabul.

Meanwhile the central government, at the urging of the US, is planning to start eradication attempts this week in an effort to head off the annual harvest which is about to begin. The plan appears to have been concocted at last week's conference in Berlin, where western nations as predicted offered only 4.5 billion in aid rather than the 28 billion Afghanistan requested as being necessary to rebuild the infrastructure.

Once again our governments' solution is to spend money on destructive rather than constructive policy which will do almost nothing to eliminate the poppy harvest and will only cause further suffering for the indigenous Afghanis trying to scratch a living from land, too long devastated by warfare.

The people are, some three years later, still without a stable government or even decent roads. Is this what the Bush adminstration meant when they called the war Operation Enduring Freedom? Free to do what one might ask.

Time Won't Let Me

I hate when they change the clocks. I mean come on, can't they just pick one zone and stick with it? It throws me off worse than jet lag; not to mention with the two blogs and the day job, I'm pretty burned out. It's going to be an early night.

I'm listening to Air America as I post this. My favorite counter-culture hero Barry Crimmins is on "The Majority Report" with Janeane Garofalo and they're talking to Kos. I like the format and they're talking about the brouhaha Kos had with the BPAC of the blogosphere that ended with Kerry pulling Kos' link from his campaign site. I think Kerry was an idiot to alienate the Kos crowd and I would love to blog it at the DetNews as I listen but there's no way I can muster up the energy right now.

I'm really enjoying the Detroit News gig though. I was a little nervous at first; I'm not good at 'group' but my fellow bloggers have been nice and I thought it interesting in reading the bios that an admiration for Thomas Jefferson and Mark Twain ran a common thread across our political spectrum. I'm looking forward to some civilized debates in the near future.

Meanwhile the weirdest thing happened in this post. When I took the graphic from google, I used a shot of those little rose in a glass tube displays, and it changed to a mother's day rose today. I wonder how they did that and whether I shoud be worried about it?

Finally for those of you who have been following the Kicking Butts thread, today is five weeks without a cigarette. No way could I give up the wellbutrin and the tobacco in a mint yet, and I still have way bad moments when I really want a smoke, but I think I can say I've won.

Teaching Common Sense

I suppose no one is surprised there is a organization of Students for Sensible Drug Policy but how many of you realize there is also an Educators For Sensible Drug Policy. Formerly known as Teachers Against Prohibition, this group is in a better position than most of us to assess the effects the War on Some Drugs has on our children. According to their mission statement:

Educators For Sensible Drug Policy opposes criminal prohibition of drugs. Not only does it subject otherwise law-abiding citizens to arrest, prosecution and imprisonment for what they do in private, but prohibition is a proven failure as a drug control strategy.

Unfortunately, our schools are often times the battlegrounds upon which the "War on Drugs" is waged, with our children always ending up the victims. EFSDP is committed to combating the Higher Education Act Amendment, D.A.R.E. in our schools, and the drug testing of students who wish to participate in extra-curricular activities.

Teachers are forced to witness the harms of the prohibition on a daily basis while struggling to maintain educational standards with inadequate funds due to state budgets decimated by drug war costs. As they point out:

Our government spends roughly the same amount of money to incarcerate a non-violent marijuana user for one year as it does to pay a teacher to educate an entire classroom for the same amount of time... Which has a more positive effect on society?

I think the answer is obvious. Think about that when the prohibitionists claim they are winning this war.

[Link thanks to Tammera Halphen]

cnn.com
Checkpoints

Iran arrested 7,700 drug smugglers, distributors, and addicts on drug charges and the confiscation of 6.4 tons of contraband during the two week celebration of the Persian New Year. Law enforcement officials have no explanation why this was double the amount seized during the previous holiday season.

One might think however, that since Iran forms part of a major smuggling route, and despite the electronic fence and checkpoints separating the two countries, it has something to do with the record poppy crop in neighboring Afghanistan.

Interestingly, the busts come on the heels of the Afghanistan donors conference in Berlin we told you about previously, where Iran signed a regional agreement to crack down on the illegal drug trade.

advantageservice.net


Don't Say it With Roses

If you're thinking of giving your sweetheart one of those little roses in a tube that bristle near the cash register of every convenience store, think twice. You might get caught up in an undercover sting. In their relentless drive to waste your tax dollars on nonsensical paraphernalia arrests, and as a culmination of an undercover operation that has been ongoing since January, 23 store clerks in Tennessee were busted for delivering drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor, for selling the roses.

Apparently crack addicts use these little tubes to ingest their drug and while the sale and purchase are legal, the clerks were arrested for acknowledging they knew they were being used as crack pipes. Are they serious? I understand an addict's second choice is to break a car antenna off and use that. In a way these poor under-paid clerks were preventing that act of vandalism.

According to Sgt. Buddy Rhett, ''We're not asking the markets to quit selling roses,'' he said. ''We're asking them to quit selling roses to be used for crack pipes.''

Does anyone really believe these arrests will stop people from smoking crack and are not just an easy target used to pump up arrest statistics? And why aren't the officers out there solving the burglaries and other petty crimes associated with crack addiction, instead of busting a minimum wage worker for doing his job?

beardodrome.com
Set Ups

Judge John G. Baker of the Indiana Court of Appeals stated in a recent decision that, research "revealed no case in any American jurisdiction" like the one decided recently by a three-judge panel of the court." Almost two years after the fact, the court chastised their State Police for knowingly endangering the citizens of French Lick by encouraging an informant high on booze and cocaine to speed through town.

Why would the police act so irresponsibly, you ask? In a clear example of how the war on some drugs and users is more dangerous than the use of said drugs, they did it so they could make a traffic stop to bust his passenger for possession of cocaine. The article does not state the weight of the seized drug, but if it fit in his pocket, it's unlikely to have been a large amount. The court in any event, rightly suppressed the evidence obtained in this outrageous fashion, effectively dismantling the case.

In other news, Baruch Jairo Vega, a South fashion photographer in Florida, found the government has no loyalty to its "informants", when he received a four-month prison sentence on a misdemeanor tax charge.

Vega, who had set up at least 114 Colombian drug traffickers, was a key player in the DEA's high-profile Operation Millennium that resulted in the conviction of former Medellín Cartel leader Fabio Ochoa. He gained their cooperation with deceit and with the full knowledge and blessing of the DEA, tricked many of these traffickers into paying millions of dollars in "fees' to assure lenient treatment -- which he then pocketed.

He probably thought he had a good deal going at the time but there appears to no honor among thesethievess. Vega claims the government has taken his Miami Beach penthouse, most of his photography equipment, and $1.5 million in his bank accounts.

''They left me with nothing -- after all I did for them,'' he said.

With Permission of the Author

The incomparable Anntelope is one of my favorite cyber-list acquaintances. We both have the same kind of wider view of the world and I love her dry sense of humor. She's also an accomplished poet and posted this on-list today in the context of a discussion. I found it sad but moving and wanted to share it.

*The Naked Ache*
(aka *substance abuse*)

they want me to paint its portrait
as it tears around the corner
the tip of its tail showing
only for an instant

they want me to tell them
*how does it FEEL*
when your blood turns to pus
and runs down the inside of your leg
stinking so bad
children make faces
and tell their mothers

Ah, but what*s the point
even after I do my best to explain
regurgitating my innards and a few vital organs in the process

they still don*t get it
they look coldly at my guts in a pile
then simply tell me
to *just say no.*

Okay
*NO*
I said it
now fucking what?

copyright Anntelope - Winter - 2002
http://www.eastvillagepoetry.com

*[Editor's Note: The asterisks denote other symbols that Blogger doesn't reproduce and I don't know to restore. The original is more graphicly beautiful. Sorry and thanks Anntelope.]

erowid.org
Take a Little Trip

Ryan Grim posts at Slate saying that LSD use has dramatically declined among our young people in the last four years. Statistical evidence indicates it has gone from 6.6 percent in 2000 to 1.9 percent in 2003.

It begs the question, to what can we attribute this decline? The prohibitionists might suggest their anti-drug propaganda is working, but that seems unlikely. The market for other hallucinogenic drugs remains strong and what LSD is available has merely quadrupled in price. How to explain it?

The best explanation is a bust, a really big bust. The DEA claims it reduced the LSD supply by "95 percent" with two arrests in rural Kansas in November 2000... [T]he DEA seized the largest operable LSD laboratory in agency history, as well as 91 pounds of LSD and precursor compounds for the potential manufacture of nearly 27 pounds more. If you define a dose of LSD as 100 micrograms, Apperson and Pickard had around 400 million hits in stock. At the more common dosage level of 20 micrograms, the two were sitting on 2 billion hits.

It's not easy to make LSD and it could well be that these two were the last major suppliers left in the US. The practical effect of course is that consumers switched to other more readily available and often more harmful drugs. The prohibitionists will tell you this is progress. I disagree, I think it's a big step backwards in harm reduction.

thisislocallondon.co.uk
In The Name of the Law

Another horrifying story about a Nightmare Raid in Brooklyn. The police busted into the right apartment number, unfortunately in the wrong building. As a result, 84-year-old Martin Goldberg suffered facial injuries and his 82 year old wife, Leona - who uses a walker - is in the hospital with an irregular heartbeat. Small wonder.

Goldberg, a World War II vet, said he and his wife were alone in their apartment Wednesday when six cops knocked on the door and yelled, "Police, open up! This is a drug bust."

Goldberg said that when he opened the door, they shoved him out of the way and rushed inside, bruising his cheeks with their shields. "It was a very threatening experience," he said. "They charged in like an army. They knocked pictures off the wall."

Goldberg said they told him and his wife of 59 years, who was lying in bed, to get on the floor, but dropped the demand once they realized how old the couple was.

You would think they would have also realized that they were in the wrong apartment but instead they interrogated Mr. Goldberg and executed their search warrant, ransacking the couple's home for two hours in search of a "6 foot tall black man". Apparently they didn't believe he doesn't hang around doing drugs with a 24 year old and genuinely did not know the "perp".

It brings to mind another recent victim of the NYPD.

Browne said a deputy inspector was present during the raid. After a Harlem woman, Alberta Spruill, died of a heart attack on May 16, 2003, after cops burst into her apartment and exploded a flash grenade, the NYPD decided to assign a ranking officer to all drug raids.

In Spruill's case, they also had the wrong apartment.

What are these cops pumped up on? Wouldn't you think when they bust in and find bedridden elderly people they might consider the possibility they had bad information? The 'crack house granny' notwithstanding, how many 80 year olds do you know that are dealing cocaine? It's just outrageous.

[Link via Bob Armstrong]

It All Makes Perfect Sense

This piece arrived from Doug McVay via Preston Peet and evoked this Roger Waters song in my head. We were just talking about Uribe's warm reception in DC. How unsurprising that Colombia will now commit an unknown number of their own soldier's lives in trade for increased US funding to combat alleged "narco-terrorism."

Colombia could send a contingent of troops to support US-led forces in Iraq, as part of an attempt to secure an intensification of the US military aid it receives to combat domestic drugs-financed insurgents.

The move is being considered following a visit last week to Washington by President Alvaro Uribe, according to a well-placed Colombian government source.

Mr Uribe, the US's staunchest ally in Latin America in its "war on terrorism", asked the US government to raise the limit on the number of US military personnel and contractors allowed to operate in the country under Plan Colombia, the counter-narcotics aid programme.

They want to double the number of personnel in the name of a failed war on drugs. Four hundred extra personnel does not sound that alarming unless you realize that it translates into the extinction of not only the biodiversity of the flora and fauna in the Amazon rain basin but in the human diversity as well.

The prohibitionists are thinking this is a done deal.

An increase in the number of US personnel operating in Colombia would have to be approved by Congress, a decision that is likely given the relative success of Plan Colombia and Mr Uribe's domestic security policies.

Don't let them get away with it. It would cost you fifty cents to call your Congressperson's office and tell the sweet young intern to pass on a message telling them not to fund this scheme .

thecannabible.com
Maui Wowie

My email has been screwed up for a couple of weeks and my messages aren't arriving chronicologically so this media advisory just showed up from The Hawai'i Cannabis (THC) Ministry. Their motto is, "We use cannabis religiously and you can, too."

Roger Christie's organization just filed suit against John Ashcroft and the DEA asking for injunctive relief against the arrest and prosecution of sacramental cannabis consumers on the islands.

They are optimistic that they will prevail under the precedent set in the recent ruling by the 9th Circuit court in Raich v. Ashcroft. We wish them well, but think he would get more support if you could lift quotes from the media alert page and also if that page didn't morph into the index page the minute you click off it.

Seems a little paranoid to me to protect the site that fully, but I guess when you grow up in New Jersey, it's hard to trust the public.

[Link thanks to Paul von Hartmann]

www.uottawa.ca
DaBomb Bombed

Quick update on this story. It turns out the "bomb" was a hoax. The early report in the Union News, as usual did not quite get it right. For instance I have it on authority that the courthouse was not evacuated immediately, but I had forgotten about the daycare center across the street which according to all reports was emptied quickly and would explain why they didn't just bring the package back outside the building.

The local paper had an accurate report but apparently the Gazette has now instituted a new registration system that is so tiresome, I'm not linking to them in protest. However to summarize, the package was finally exploded by the bomb squad inside the courthouse some four hours later and it appears the postmaster probably had a few words to say to the mail carrier in private, although he was supportive of his guy in his public remarks.

Meanwhile, Henning was at the scene and posted these observations.

This town hadn't seen this much excitement in a long time.

Nobody's Fool

It turns out I really will be guest blogging at the Detroit News for the next month, but the joke was still on me because I didn't get to start today. The internet gremlins blocked my email and in the end I spoke to Felix on the phone.

It worked out really. I was glad to talk to him in real life because I wanted a feel for what this site was about and he sounded pretty laid back. I'm still thinking he must not realize that I'm probably a little far to the left for this midwest crowd but the other bloggers look like a fun enough bunch and you know me -- I'm looking forward to joining in on the conversation.

President Bush Legalizes Marijuana

Historic Executive Order to Take Effect on April 20

April 1, 2004

Washington, DC: In a move that astonished conservatives and liberals alike, President George W. Bush issued a surprise executive order today legalizing the possession and sale of marijuana in the United States. The order will take effect on April 20, long considered marijuana smokers' independence day.

When asked about the sudden change of heart, President Bush explained; "The other night Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Powell and I were in the war room mulling over how to sway public opinion on the war in Iraq. We were stuck in the same rut of tired old ideas and were in desperate need of creative new ways of thinking. That's when Karl Rove pulled out a fatty." While Bush admitted that it had been 30 years since his last toke, he figured, "Why not. I am the President. What can they do, arrest me?"

President Bush made the announcement in his weekly radio address, saying that it's "high time" we reformed our marijuana policies. "The reality is," said the President, "marijuana is far less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco and far too many people have had their lives ruined after being arrested for nothing more than a doobie. Besides, my Pink Floyd records haven't sounded this good since my days at Yale. Boy, those were some good times."

Newly appointed Drug Czar Keith Stroup hailed the move as a great step forward for America. "For 33 years NORML has worked to show that marijuana smokers are no different than the average American. Thankfully we finally have a president who has come to his senses on this issue, albeit with a little help from his old friend Mary Jane." Stroup went on to announce that his first move as Drug Czar will be to free all marijuana smokers currently incarcerated, and to form a commission to study reparations for all former marijuana prisoners. He also outlined the newest ONDCP ad campaign, "Don't Bogart That Joint," featuring the newly reunited Cheech and Chong. The campaign is designated to promote civility and sharing amongst cannabis consumers.

Of course, not everyone was thrilled about the President's sudden change of heart. Sue Rusche, over-protective soccer mom and founder of National Families in Action, lashed out at the president from behind her bottle of valium saying that the president's decision would send the wrong message to children. Former Drug Czar Bill Bennett, when questioned about the executive order outside of the Sands Casino in Las Vegas, could only mutter, "I need a cigarette."

Meanwhile, Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN), author of the Higher Education Act Drug Provision that has denied federal financial aid to over 140,000 students with drug convictions, nearly broke into tears upon hearing the announcement. "My children are near college age and now they may never receive a college education," stated Souder in an impromptu press conference with former ONDCP Director John Walters. "There is no way I will risk sending my kids to school with a bunch of pot smoking hippies." John Walters, looking overly mellow for a man having just lost his job, simply passed a blunt and replied, "Just hit this Mark. You need to loosen up. You're starting to harsh my buzz."

Meanwhile marijuana smokers nationwide took to the streets to celebrate their newfound freedom. A haze of sweet smelling sativa smoke wafted over the nation's capitol as Americans of all walks of life flooded Washington, DC for the first ever legal smoke-in. The gathering featured over a million people, without a single arrest. "This is the best day of my life," said local hot dog vendor Joe Giamatti, "I ran out of hot dogs two hours ago and now they're buying up all the buns. Thank you President Bush!"

In the wake of Bush's executive order, NORML's Board of Directors issued a statement announcing that the organization will gladly go out of business effective April 20. "It took 33 years," said the statement "but our work here is finally done. Our staff can finally go home and get baked in peace."

For more information, have a happy April Fools Day. To help make the above scenario a reality, join NORML today at www.norml.org.

This was the best APRIL FOOL'S joke I received today. Hope you all had some fun too.

lyonswolivar.com
Short Takes

I have a few odd items this morning. First of all, get yourself over to Drug War Rant for the promo material about tonight's program, Peter Jennings on ecstasy. Thanks also to Pete for posting the actual warrant used to search the Dagy family home for using too much electricity and this story on Michael Newby a young black man shot three times in the back by a police officer and then charged with drug and weapon offenses three months after he was killed.

In other news, the Interfax news service reports two unidentified people flung glue and water at drug policy reform benefactor, George Soros outside of a human rights forum in Kiev. No one quite knows why.

And trading on the success of the Most Wanted card series, the secretive Washington-based PR firm the Rendon Group created a deck of playing cards featuring Columbian "narco-terrorists". The trouble is no one wanted to deal.

State officials, as well as U.S. Ambassador to Colombia William Braucher Wood, eventually decided that the vast reaches of Colombia where terrorists camp and redeploy was not suitable. The State official said, "The terrain. Three warring armies. These guys are out in areas where the people are barely literate."

Rendon Group, claims to have produced the cards at the request of the Colombian Defense Ministry, however some diplomats were "surprised" to find out last year that a defense contractor working in Colombia used its contract dollars to produce the decks.

And finally, here's one reason I don't have very many female friends. Normal women do this all the time, but I would rather have a root canal than be at this party. I mean you do it once, and before you know it, they expect you to do it all the time.

wopc.co.uk
Life is Funny, But It's Not a Joke

Well this is kind of cool. The Detroit News just invited me to be a guest blogger on their website. I sent in the application so long ago, I had almost forgotten about it. The timing is not great; it's going to be a busy month for me but I think it would be fun. And although the theme over there is skewed towards straight presidential politics, I would love a chance to spread some Last One Speaks style logic around the mid-west, so I sent in my acceptance.

They say they give you editorial control over your content and their few rules seem reasonable enough. I loved this one in particular.

The News will kill such posts as well as blogs that commit ad hominem attacks aimed at anyone who is not a public figure .....

I believe that means I can still call Bush our Commander in Thief.

I hope this not someone's idea of an elaborate April Fools joke, but if it is -- it's a really good one. And if it's not, I love the idea of starting this gig on April Fools day but I think the joke may be on the Detroit News.

Gilmore v. Ashcroft

My friend John Gilmore has been arguing against the indignities of privacy invasion by our government for a long time. Under post 9/11 homeland security excesses, he has had a lot more to fight about. Unfortunately, a US federal court shot down his lawsuit against our US Attorney General this week. The suit was filed after he was not allowed to board a commercial airliner because he refused to show identification.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston granted motions to dismiss John Gilmore's lawsuit against Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and government officials, saying the court may toss out cases when they're not based on a clear legal theory or when they are factually insufficient.

Illston also rejected Gilmore's claims that the ID requirement violated his constitutional protection from illegal searches and seizures.

The judge simply did not agree with his claims although the case is still alive since she refused to reach some of the issues for lack of jurisdiction.

The judge also tossed out claims that the vague regulations violated due process. But she did so because challenges to regulations from the Federal Aviation Administration or the Transportation Security Administration fall under the jurisdiction of the appellate courts.

Gilmore is undeterred.

"Judge Illston confirmed I do have standing to challenge but said, `You're in the wrong court,'" Gilmore said Tuesday. "I need to go to the court of appeals. I will continue working on the issue. This isn't the end."

You can be certain you'll hear about this case again. John has the time and the determination to see this through to SCOTUS if necessary, and he's not one to get discouraged over set-backs along the way. For background and a look at the pleadings, check John's website on the subject, freetotravel.org. And while you're there check out the rest of his site that details some of his many other projects.

By the way, the graphic for this post comes from John's site. He was kicked off another plane for refusing to remove that pin.

colombiaweek.org
Warm Welcome at the White House

Colombia Week has a new issue out with an excellent op-ed on "the victories" in the drug war. Thanks to US funded aerial eradication efforts, the CIA estimates 21% of the Colombia coca crop has been eliminated. Bush and his minions --never ones to let a little thing like the truth get in the way of a good photo op-- have declared this proof positive that the war on drugs is working.

However as W. John Green points out:

U.S. street prices for cocaine have not risen a cent and that the drug's supply has remained steady.

...as coca cultivation has been hampered in one place, it has moved on to others.

...spraying has pushed many coca farmers further into the Amazon and led many others to avoid detection by planting the crop on smaller parcels and interspersing it with vital food crops.

...the spraying is becoming more dangerous for the pilots. In 2003, at least six went down and four of those were shot out of the sky by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the country's largest guerrilla group.

Meanwhile, Uribe is in Washington, bartering trading rights for more "military aid", apparently unconcerned that the agreements would not be signed until 2006 when there should be a new administration. I don't like the sound of this.

Interviewed by the Bogota daily El Tiempo, Colombian Ambassador to the United States Luis Alberto Moreno said a Democratic presidential victory would not jeopardize support for Plan Colombia or a trade pact. "John Kerry's main foreign policy advisors, Rand Beers and Sandy Berger, know the situation perfectly well," Moreno said. "Kerry has always voted in favor of Colombia when the issue has come up before Congress."

Uribe, with the support of Bush, Tom Daschle and Henry Hyde is also asking to double the cap on military personnel and civil contractors allowed to be stationed in the country, but there's a least one legislator with common sense inside the beltway. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Illinois) on March 22 told Congress she opposes deepening U.S. involvement in that country's war:

"President Bush's policy in Colombia is a miserable failure. Risking the lives of more U.S. soldiers and wasting millions more taxpayer dollars on private military contractors will only make that policy worse. The Colombian people deserve more from the Bush administration than a policy that will escalate violence and do nothing to promote a peaceful resolution to a civil war that has ravaged that nation for more than forty years."

Indeed they do.

www.uottawa.ca
It's DaBomb

The rumor mill runs amok in lovely downtown Northampton tonight. I was home sick, only blocks away and missed all the excitement and I am not at all vouching for the veracity of this, but I do trust my sources to at least get close to the true facts.

It seems that someone posted a package to John Ashcroft this afternoon, in the mailbox right in front of the courthouse. The person who did the pickup allegedly brought it into the building to have it scanned by the metal detectors at the public entrance on Gothic Street. I would guess he found it slightly suspicious, but not enough to risk public embarrassment if he was wrong and called in the bomb squad. He probably knows the guards. So they all had a look. Unfortunately, they saw a clock and a mass of something in the package.

The ensuing uproar was apparently a sight to behold. Every form of law enforcement officer in the immediate area reportedly showed up for this one, including of course HazMat and the bomb squad.

There was apparently also a great deal of confusion at the courthouse over the incident and it took 45 minutes before they decided to evacuate the building. This is a lose, lose situation for the postman and the courthouse guards could be reprimanded as well I suppose for misuse of government scanners or something. I hope nothing bad happens to them.

No one could tell me what happened to "the bomb", but no one got hurt and the consequences remain to be seen. I think the three of them must have either just freaked when they realized it really could be dangerous or more likely, were stuck keeping it because the scans are recorded and they had a protocol to follow. Otherwise, I can't figure out why they wouldn't have just brought it back outside. I know these men. They're macho guys. They would not be afraid to move it again and there are parking lots all around the building.

We'll be posting the local coverage on this one tomorrow.

ncihc.org
Battered Population Syndrome

In a moment of synchronicity, I stumbled onto this story about Afghanistan in the NYT today, G.I.'s in Afghanistan on Hunt, but Now for Hearts and Minds [Free Reg Required]. Our military is trying a different tack with the indigenous these days. In a kind of good cop/bad cop scenario, they use bribery first and only resort to intimidation if bribery doesn't work.

...on this afternoon, his mission was not combat. It was the distribution of blankets, shirts and sewing kits to destitute Afghan villagers.

For the previous hour, American Army medics had doled out free antibiotics, asthma medication and antacids. Lieutenant Finn sipped tea with Muhammad Sani, a wizened village elder, and offered to pay for a new school or well.

"The more they help us find the bad guys," Lieutenant Finn explained, "the more good stuff they get."

As the effort to find Osama bin Laden and uproot the Taliban intensifies, the United States military is shifting tactics. A mission once limited to sweeps, raids and searches has in recent months yielded to an exercise in nation building. The hope is that a better relationship with local residents and a stronger Afghan state will produce better intelligence and a speedier American departure. But the tension between building schools one day and rounding up suspects at gunpoint the next makes the prospects for success far from clear.

November is coming on fast and the pressure is on. We're sending 150 men at a time to cover 15-25 mile chunks of land at the Pakinstani border, that contain along the lines of, "more than 300 villages, three major ethnic Pashtun tribes, countless subtribes and a smuggling route used by the Taliban and Al Qaeda to slip from Pakistan into Afghanistan."

Our guys are supposed to win over the people, who have been burned by the broken promises of many "liberators" in the decades past. I don't why they think tactics like this will help.

Visibly angry, the Americans tied the teenager's hands, placed a burlap sack on his head and pushed him down a steep hillside. As an American soldier knelt on the boy's back and pushed his face into the dirt, Sergeant Jarzab demanded to know if there were more hidden weapons.

"He's a liar, and he's going to Cuba," the sergeant shouted, although he later ordered the boy freed. The boy insisted he had found the mortar and planned to sell it.

As watching Afghan women wailed and recited prayers, one sergeant placed the mortar round on the teenager's back, and another held the captured rifles in the air. A soldier snapped a souvenir photo of the Americans and their quarry.

We destroyed their country. We alternate between bringing aid and terrorizing their villages. How are these uneducated people to know whether to welcome us or fear us?

At 6 the following morning, Captain Condrey and his soldiers woke up in the riverbed. Within an hour, 80 curious Afghan villagers were sitting on the riverbank staring at them.

The moment seemed to epitomize the overwhelming power the American military wields in Afghanistan, but also how separate it remains from Afghan society.

The article details three days with this platoon on their patrol. It's long and disturbing, but well written. As they say, worth reading in full.