Drug WarRant has a new category: Guest Drug WarRant.

Got something to say about the Drug War? Can’t fit it in the 250 words letter to the editor format? Don’t want to bother maintaining your own blog? Have your own blog, but are itching to say something that won’t fit your format? Tired […]

Thailand: US Official Declares War On Drugs A Success.

William J.æ Snipes, the regional director of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, said the war on drugs has been effective… “Temporarily, we look at it as successful,” he said.

I had a slightly different view in my recent post on Thailand. But I guess that the DEA feels that the death of 2,245 people without investigation is just peachy-keen in an effective war on drugs.

The Thai government appeared to condone killing of drug suspects by unknown assailants as one method of fighting the drugs war,” [Amnesty] said.
Rights groups say most of the deaths were extrajudicial killings by police and security forces, in some cases under pressure to clear so-called blacklists of suspected drug dealers and users in their areas.
Amnesty said that on February 20, Somjit Kuanyuyen learned she was on a blacklist and reported to her local police station in Ban Lam District.æ After signing a paper and being told by police she was safe, Somjit returned home.
“Four unidentified men in a one-tonne pickup truck with darkened windows drove up to her house and shot her seven times in front of her seven-year-old granddaughter and her seven-months pregnant daughter,” Amnesty said.

Hey, it saves all that pesky evidence gathering and trials and stuff. No wonder the DEA likes it.

Thanksgiving Day at 1:00 pm Eastern, C-Span is airing a debate that includes a drug policy debate between William Bennett (moralizing drug warrior and gambler) and Kurt Schmoke (former Mayor of Baltimore and drug policy reform advocate).
Bennett’s a smooth talker, doesn’t get ruffled easily, and can make up “facts” on the spot to support anything he wants, but Schmoke’s no pushover. Should be interesting.

The lesson has already been learned with alcohol prohibition. We tried to engineer an alcohol-free society and ended up with huge criminal enterprises, government corruption, children lured into organized crime and random violence that took the lives of countless innocent people.

– Kurt Schmoke, Mayor of Baltimore

Drug-control programs are among the most successful public policy efforts of the latter half of the 20th century.

– William Bennett, former drug czar

Update/Correction: Schedule adjustment. The 1 pm Eastern program is a debate “Are we Sacrificing Civil Liberties to the War on Terrorism?” (also interesting) and the Bennett/Schmoke event is shown at 8 pm ET.

8:00pm ET:
-The Role of the Supreme Court: Ann Coulter, David Limbaugh, Alan Dershowitz and Barry Lynn discuss the question: “Is the Supreme Court Overstepping its Boundaries?” This event was held in October at Regent University in Virginia Beach.æ-The Future of American Drug Policy: Republican activist William Bennett and Democratic Congressman Charles Rangel argue against marijuana legalization, and Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson and former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke argued for it. This event was held last month in New York City, hosted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.

æ

From an editorial in the Aberdeen (SD) American News:

In a strange effort to protect the American public, the federal government has taken a hard stand against using marijuana for medicinal purposes…. Is the motivation to protect American consumers or is it to allow pharmaceutical companies sufficient time to develop a synthetic version of […]

M.A.S.H. (Mobilizing Activists and Students for Hemp) is a student group I work with, and they are holding a Hempfest next week.

Thursday, December 4 3:00-8:00 pm Bowling and Billiards Center Activity Room Illinois State University (Normal, IL) Bands: Full Size Jimmy, Stefan Robinson from Free Space Music, Jaik Willis, Mike Williams, White Horse, […]