Blog hoppin'

Tom at the DARE Diary points us to the news that your favorite drug czar and mine, John Walters, saw Congress vote to slash the ONDCP's advertising budget by $20 million, down to $100 million. This is the lowest it's been since the ineffective National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign was created in 1998.

Meanwhile, his blogmate Erik has the latest on meth mania and posts the best ever picture of prohibition profiteer extraordinaire, Mark Souder, which I have promptly stolen and will hold for future use.

Dr. Tom looks at the appeal cannabis has for its users and connects the dots between emotional disorders treated by pharmacology and the same symptoms being self-treated by cannabis consumers.

I didn't blog on this and Pete at DrugWarRant already a good post on it so go there for an overview of the Guatemalan top anti-drug investigator's arrest when he arrived in the US to attend a bogus meeting set up as DEA sting.

While you're at the Rant don't miss Pete's excellent post, We have to take back our country that looks at selling reform with soundbites and an update on a lawsuit over the wrongful death of drug war victim Troy Davis.

Terry Nall has a couple of interesting border stories. On the Canadian side, 2 border agents are in trouble for confiscating 60 lbs of marijuana but allowing the courier to get away. It's not clear how they got caught since they turned the pot in, reporting it as abandoned, but it's a damn shame they will get punished for such a humanitarian deed. One expects they probably thought the guy was a decent fellow and just didn't want to put him in jail.

Meanwhile, in the south, there was a bizarre standoff between US border guards and what appeared to be Mexican police over a truck stuck in the middle in a gully between the two countries.

The US guards were in the process of unloading when the driver, who had fled back over the border, returned with the armed and uniformed men from the Mexican side. The standoff was finally resolved when the Mexicans produced a bulldozer that pulled the truck back into Mexican terrority. Sounds almost like an old Cheech and Chong skit doesn't it?