Drug WarRant

Via Radley Balko…

NHP Troopers Sue Department Over K-9 Program

LAS VEGAS — A group of Nevada Highway Patrol troopers and a retired police sergeant have filed a racketeering complaint against the NHP and Las Vegas Metro Police in U.S. District Court. […]

The complaint alleges that the drug-sniffing dogs used by troopers in the program were intentionally being trained to operate as so-called trick ponies, or dogs that provide officers false alerts for the presence of drugs.

The dogs were being trained to alert their handlers by cues, instead of by picking up a drug’s scent by sniffing, the complaint said. When a dog gives a false alert, this resulted in illegal searches and seizures, including money and property, the complaint said.

The 103-page complaint alleges that Perry, along with others, used the K-9s to undermine the program to systematically conduct illegal searches and seizures for financial benefit.

The complaint also alleges the defendants, which also includes the state’s Public Safety Department and individuals in NHP and Metro, were involved in a Federal RICO conspiracy, also known as the Federal Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Of course, we’re very much aware that drug-sniffing dogs often falsely alert to please their handler, which is one of the problems of using the dog sniff as the basis for a search anyway. But to have this level of conspiracy and to actually have state troopers file a racketeering complaint against their own agencies… that’s unheard of!

Kudos to those troopers. We need honest officers like them to step forward, or it’s almost impossible to stop the corrupt ones from destroying the rule of law.

Billboard on carding children:

Dear Dad:

Here’s their website.

Nice piece on The Daily Show

One in five young people…
Continue reading →

Chicago to Decriminalize Marijuana

The Chicago City Council passed — by a vote of 43 to 2 — an ordinance today that will decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. People caught with less than half an ounce of marijuana may now be given a ticket rather than be arrested. The fine will be $250 at first, and more for subsequent tickets. People caught smoking on school grounds or in public will still be arrested, as will those without an ID or under age 17.

This is a positive move. Although, as Ethan says:

But the devil is very much in the details as to whether the new ordinance will ultimately do more good than harm. The fine of $250, and possibly more, is excessive — and may result in undue hardship for young and poor people without the resources to pay. Police will retain the legal authority to arrest rather than ticket people for marijuana possession, thereby allowing for the perpetuation of racial bias in enforcing the state’s marijuana laws. More people may be stopped and charged with marijuana possession offenses than before. And the mayor and police chief’s insistence that their proposal “is not decriminalization” is less than reassuring.

Remember that NYC is also decriminalized for possession of small amounts not in public view…

I think the one positive thing in all of this is that the Mayor and the City Council felt that they could enact a provision that would at least seem to lessen the penalties for marijuana without fear of political fallout. That bodes well for the future.

Tech week for my show in Chicago, which opens on Friday. It’s going great, but keeping me busy. I’ll be posting more about it later, but in case you’re interested, it’s The Living Canvas: Eureka! running June 29 – August 11 at National Pastime Theater.

The Alternative World Drug Report

The Alternative World Drug Report, launched to coincide with publication of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s 2012 World Drug Report, exposes the failure of governments and the UN to assess the extraordinary costs of pursuing a global war on drugs, and calls for UN member states to meaningfully count these costs and explore all the alternatives.

After 50 years of the current enforcement-led international drug control system, the war on drugs is coming under unparalleled scrutiny. Its goal was to create a “drug-free world”. Instead, despite more than a trillion dollars spent fighting the war, according to the UNODC, illegal drugs are used by an estimated 270 million people and organised crime profits from a trade with an estimated turnover of over $330 billion a year – the world’s largest illegal commodity market.

In its 2008 World Drug Report, the UNODC acknowledged that choosing an enforcement-based approach was having a range of negative “unintended consequences”, including: the creation of a vast criminal market, displacement of the illegal drugs trade to new areas, diversion of funding from health, and the stigmatisation of users.

It is unacceptable that neither the UN or its member governments have meaningfully assessed these unintended consequences to establish whether they outweigh the intended consequences of the current global drug control system, and that they are not documented in the UNODC’s flagship annual World Drug Report.

This groundbreaking Alternative World Drug Report fills this gap in government and UN evaluations by detailing the full range of negative impacts resulting from choosing an enforcement-led approach.

Legal Aid Society Sues New York City over Bogus Pot Arrests

The lawsuit filed against the city and the Police Department Friday seeks the court to declare the practice illegal under state law and forbid officers from making the bogus arrests for which they should already be punished.

UAE death sentence for British man on ‘drugs charge’.

21-year-old man sentenced to death for selling 20 grams of pot.

The DEA head’s performance in the House hearings has been getting play all over.

Chart: What The DEA Refuses To Admit About Drugs in U.S. News and World Report is just one example.

Having it as the top story on the Huffington Post with the huge headline “Is She High?” was priceless.

Politico: DEA chief deflects pols’ pot questions

And the comments at all these places is overwhelmingly… unsupportive of Michele Leonhart.

All it takes is some members of Congress willing to do the right thing and stand up and ask for the truth. Of course, Leonhart can’t answer the question truthfully, because if she did, she’d negate the reason for much of her budget while also undermining many of the unscientific and self-serving administrative rulings made by the DEA. And so she has to answer as an ignoramus, because looking stupid is less of political suicide than telling the truth.

It’s another step toward the ultimate dismantling of this destructive agency.

Top DEA agent won’t admit heroin more harmful than marijuana

During a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, Drug Enforcement Administrator Michele Leonhart repeatedly refused to admit that anything was more addictive or harmful than marijuana.

Democratic Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado pressed Leonhart on whether illegal drugs like methamphetamine and crack, as well as legal prescription drugs, caused greater harm to public health compared to marijuana. But within a three minute time-span, Leonhart dodged his questions eleven times.

“Is crack worse for a person than marijuana?” Polis, who has called for an end the prohibition on marijuana, asked.

“I believe all illegal drugs are bad,” Leonhart responded.

“Is methamphetamine worse for somebody’s health than marijuana?” Polis continued. “Is heroin worse for somebody’s health than marijuana?”

“Again, all drugs,” Leonhart began to say, only to be cut off by Polis.

“Yes, no, or I don’t know?” Polis said. “If you don’t know this, you can look this up. As the chief administrator for the Drug Enforcement Agency, I’m asking a very straightforward question.”

Let’s have some fun.

Somebody tipped me to this bizarre piece saying “worth a read”…

END THE VIOLENCE, LEGALIZE ALL DRUGS – A PIPE DREAM by Devvy, The Dynamite Redhead (!) Yep. She describes herself as an independent voter and a “constitutionalist who believes in the supreme law of the land, not some political party.”

“Worth a read” is true, but only if you’re looking for some really silly and strange fiction.

Even the first paragraph gives you a clue to the lack of actual… facts you’re likely to find in the piece.

There has been a major push in this country for many years to legalize all drugs – especially by Libertarians and two presidential candidates, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul and Gary Johnson (who dropped out early on):

I suppose “dropped out” is one way of looking at it. “Won the Libertarian nomination for President” is probably a better way. And Johnson has only been pushing for legalization of marijuana, while pointing out the problems with the rest of the drug war.

She does have the sense to realize that legalization will eliminate the profits for Mexican “cartels.”

Legalizing drugs will stop the drug cartel wars spilling over our borders, but it will not stop the violence in this country by drug addicted Americans.

Um. How is that a bad thing? Let’s say we legalize and we still have the problems of violent drug addicts (unlikely) that we have under criminalization, but we’ve eliminated all the problems of the black market… isn’t that a net victory?

And then comes the Reefer Madness…

“Mother, 28, who was hooked on cannabis found hanged next to the body of her six-year-old daughter.” [Quick – guess which newspaper she got that from!] […]

“Inside America’s meth capital: “The town where a mother gunning down her children comes as no surprise in a tragic drug war. [Quick – guess which newspaper she got that from!] […]

In Oklahoma, authorities charged Lyndsey Fiddler with second-degree manslaughter after an aunt found her infant daughter in a washing machine thudding off balance in the spin cycle. The aunt told authorities that Fiddler had been up for three days using meth. In Albuquerque, N.M., last month Liehsa Henderson, high on meth, claimed to be God and told police God wanted her son to die after allegedly stabbing him in the neck with a screwdriver. The boy survived.

“Last Sunday, Fresno police found Mendez dead on the bathroom floor of her home. Her children – 17-month-old Aliyah Echevarria and Isaiah Echevarria, 3 – were in the bathtub. Mendez’s cousin was dead in the kitchen. She had shot each in the head. […]

Lee Moss was serving 12-month suspended sentence for growing a cannabis farm when he launched vicious attack. […]

Missing & Murdered Montana Teacher Sherry Arnold Choked to Death and Buried in Random Abduction. The killers admitted to doing crack cocaine the entire weekend.

Anslinger would have absolutely loved this woman. Take a bunch of sensational stories and link them to drugs without any sense of causality.

Do you want to be sitting across from some crack head on public transit, the subway or a bus who suddenly decides you looked at him wrong?

No, I don’t. And that’s much more likely to happen under prohibition, than under regulated legalization.

Don’t we have enough man hours lost to employers every year because of drug use that interferes with a person’s job performance?

I don’t know. How many do we have? And this is under prohibition. What evidence do you have that there would be more under legalization?

“Effects of additives to heroin. Sometimes heroin dealers mix the drug with other substances to stretch supply and make more money. This can be very dangerous. Some of the additives do not dissolve as well as heroin does, and this can lead to blood vessel clogging. This can lead to heart, lung and kidney problems

And your point? That seems to be an argument for legalization.

But wait! She’s not done with the madness…

Toddler found high on heroin during mother’s arrest in Washington. [Guess. No Daily Mail, this time.] […]

“Florida mom accused of selling sex with daughter, 6, to buy drugs.

But then, our Dynamite Redhead comes to her senses briefly with a rant about how bad the war on drugs is, until she become unhinged again with some more falsehoods. This time, the “Constitutionalist” defends the seizure of Camp Zoe(!)

Tebeau knew the sale of “pot”, LSD and hallucinogenic mushrooms was against the law, yet he did it anyway. Oh, heck, say Libertarians, it’s all about freedom as long as you don’t hurt someone else. So what if LSD fries your brain?

Um, did you miss the part where the Feds admitted that Tebeau never sold drugs or profited from their sale?

I’m’ not even going to try to parse the end of the piece, which is a combination of reefer madness, conspiracy theories, anti-government rants all somehow wrapped up into a plea to end the drug war but keep drugs illegal.

…

Note: Before you make too many wisecracks about redheads, remember that I am a ginger.

Upgraded WordPress and the theme tonight. May have been a few glitches. Let me know if anything isn’t working right. Thanks!