Drug WarRant

Administration Set to Use New Spy Program in U.S.
Spy satellites trained on us. And not just for scientific and homeland security reasons, but also specifically for law enforcement.
But don’t worry, the administration says that privacy and civil rights concerns will be addressed. How will they be addressed? Well, they can’t tell us that part — it’s classified.

If these weren’t so expensive, I’d recommend getting everyone to put a bunch of them in your back yard.
Then again, it might be enough just to have Japanese Maples or Hibiscus.

In case you missed it in the Open Thread below and comments, please read the story of one of ours.
What Passes for Justice in America Today? by Red no more

Why the burglar alarm went off, Steve Haver still doesn’t know.
Because it did, while Haver and his wife, Karen, were away in the Poconos on the morning of July 8, 2006, Reading police searched the couple’s semidetached three-story home and found five pot plants growing under lights.
Because of that discovery, the Havers were soon caught in a swirl of legal decisions that overturned their lives, prompted questions about the enforcement of marijuana laws, and served as a lesson to homeowners with security services.

“bullet” In Germany, people are getting poisoned by smoking pot that has been mixed with particles of lead in order to increase its weight and maximize profits. A dangerous and stupid practice that should, and probably will, backfire on those who did it. Just one more reason that marijuana should be legal.
“bullet” This pisses me off. For five plants in their house, this couple will both lose their jobs as arts center managers. Maybe it’s because that’s my field that it hits me so hard, but my God, this is a stupid f-ing war.
“bullet” This week’s Drug War Chronicle has an excellent article by Philip Smith: Beware the Dreaded Skunk: British Press Suffers Contact High, Contracts Bad Case of Reefer Madness
“bullet” The Chronicle also analyzes some of the more visible contenders for the Libertarian Party nomination and their position on the drug war.
“bullet” “drcnet”

Apparently getting a job as a coroner in the UK requires three things:

1. Ears
2. A creative imagination
3. The ability to talk in nonsensical convoluted sentences.

Cannabis Linked to Man’s Suicide

A CORONER has urged MPs to look into the death of a Doncaster supermarket worker before making any decision on the re-classification of cannabis.
Coroner Stanley Hooper entered the controversy about the reclassification of the drug after hearing how a young man committed suicide while suffering from schizophrenia brought on by cannabis use.
Mr Hooper said politicians should reflect on the case of the 21-year-old Stuart Lester when considering whether to upgrade cannabis to a class B drug.

Well, of course, he’s a Coroner, and he heard it, therefore it is the true proclamation of a Coroner.
And he clinched it with this definitive statement:

“It may be thought that this may not have happened had this young man not used cannabis as a child.”

So, was there any other evidence that would lend scientific support to such a conjecture?

Stuart took a number of Ecstasy tablets before leaving his home in Essex Avenue, Intake, in the early hours of February 26 and used a rope to hang himself from the bridge near Danum School. It was not until after 6am that a passing motorist saw it and alerted police.
Stuart had spent various spells in hospital since becoming schizophrenic but was living at home with his mum and younger brother when he decided to take his own life.

Yep. Sure looks like cannabis was to blame.

Via Rob at To the People comes this nice little piece in the Washington Post.

Federal employees used government credit cards to pay for lingerie, gambling, iPods, Internet dating services, and a $13,000 steak-and-liquor dinner, according to a new audit from the Government Accountability Office, which found widespread abuses in a purchasing program meant to improve bureaucratic efficiency.[…]
In another case at the State Department, cardholder spent $360 at the Seduccion Boutique in Ecuador to buy “women’s underwear/lingerie for use during jungle training by trainees of a drug enforcement program.” The report does not include further details, but it says a State Department official “agreed that the charge was questionable.”

Interviewed in Oregon

What would you do as president about the federal government not recognizing Oregon‰s Medical Marijuana Program as legal?
We‰ve got to have a clear understanding of the workings of pain relief and the control of pain. And there needs to be greater research and openness to the research that‰s already been done. I don‰t think it‰s a good use of federal law-enforcement resources to be going after people who are supplying marijuana for medicinal purposes.
So you‰d stop the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency‰s raids on medical marijuana grows?
What we would do is prioritize what the DEA should be doing, and that would not be a high priority. There‰s a lot of other more important work that needs to be done.
Should medical marijuana be covered by insurance?
I don‰t have enough information to know anything about that.

“bullet” Remember when Attorney General Mukasey was screaming that we would shortly be overrun by armies of violent criminals because of the adjustment to crack sentencing? Turns out he was… what’s the word… lying.
Christian Science Monitor:

In an effort to eliminate a legal inequity š one that has hit African-Americans especially hard š federal judges have begun reducing the sentences of thousands of crack-cocaine offenders.
Some police groups and prosecutors, as well as US Attorney General Michael Mukasey, assert that in trying to right a historic wrong, violent criminals are headed en masse back to the streets.
So far, indications are that this is not the case because the release process has safeguards built in. Statistics from the US Sentencing Commission, as well as interviews with federal public defenders and criminal-justice experts, indicate that federal prisoners who are to be released early are predominantly nonviolent and have good conduct records while in prison. Of the 19,500 drug offenders eligible over the next 30 years to apply for early release, 3,417 have had their sentences reduced as of Monday. Of the 1,500 inmates eligible for immediate release, dozens so far have been let go in the past month.
“There has been no release of a flood of violent criminals,” says Michael Nachmanoff, federal public defender for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The people who are being released … overwhelmingly had cases where there was no violence whatsoever and who were given unduly harsh sentences. And now, their sentences are being reduced by a modest amount.”

“bullet” Via Radley Balko, comes this quote about cash seizures

If the drug dealers can write off these kinds of losses as mere incidental costs of doing business, the “War on Drugs” is lost.

“bullet” Speaking of Radley, be sure to read his column on the Byrne Grants and drug task forces.
“bullet” Efficiency in the war on drugs. Officer investigating suspected drug activity accidentally shoots two teenagers. With the same bullet.
“bullet” At Transform: Cannabis making politicians go all weird. Again.
“bullet” Maia Szalavitz: Prosecutors Try to Silence Pain Activist, Don’t Like Fair Play

I have to admit that I really don’t understand the Colombian free trade deal that’s such a big deal these days. Sure, I get some of the broad strokes, but I haven’t read enough to know what the impact will be (and quite frankly, much of what I have read doesn’t really tell me anything).
But boy, in recent days, you’d almost think the Drug Czar was the Free Trade Czar.

• Statement from Director Walters on a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia
• Congress Should Move Forward With U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement
• Susan Schwab on the Colombian Trade Deal

Clearly it’s contentious. Libertarians are for it (although it’s unclear to me if are allowed to oppose anything with the words “free trade” in the title regardless of what’s actually in there). Clinton advisor Mark Penn lost his job over it. Al Giordano seems to think that free trade is an attack on the U.S. by the Colombian government. thehim points to some good sources discussing human rights and the free trade agreement.
Free trade sounds good to me. On the other hand, I seriously doubt that it’s just about free trade — it’s certainly also about power and political advantage — and if the Drug Czar feels it’s important to promote, I’m immediately suspicious.
But, in reality, I have no clue.
So can anyone tell me what’s up with free trade?
(Specifically, if possible, as it relates to the drug war.)
Update: thehim finds an ironically amusing portion of the agreement:

1. Peru and Colombia shall recognize Bourbon Whiskey and Tennessee Whiskey, which is a straight Bourbon Whiskey authorized to be produced only in the State of Tennessee, as distinctive products of the United States. Accordingly, Peru and Colombia shall not permit the sale of any product as Bourbon Whiskey or Tennessee Whiskey, unless it has been manufactured in the United States in accordance with the laws and regulations of the United States governing the manufacture of Bourbon Whiskey and Tennessee Whiskey.

For those who have followed the Cobert Report, you know that Stephen Colbert uses a special kind of humor to skewer his opponents. He pretends to agree with points of view he opposes in order to show how absurd or illogical they are.
So when he did a piece on “the drug lobby – the fighting stoners!” (complete with an interview with Ethan Nadelmann) he was constantly showing the absurdity of the pro-drug war position, while seeming to ridicule Nadelmann.

Colbert: “The war on drugs: a great war, or the GREATEST war?”[…]
Colbert: “We’ve got hundreds of thousands of people in jail right now, because of the war on drugs.”
Nadelmann: “That’s right.”
Colbert: “So you admit the war on drugs is working.” […]
Colbert: “On the day when you think you might win your little battle of freeing all these criminals from jail, please just give me like a two week warning so I can build a panic room in my house for when your drug addled zombies take to the streets ruling the night and feasting on human flesh.”

You get the idea.
So I was dumbfounded when I discovered that the Drug Czar’s “blog” was linking to that Colbert segment.

Not much is funny about drug abuse, but Stephen Colbert takes a shot:

The Drug Czar: Developing a sense of humor, or completely clueless?

I got this today from Senator Obama:

Dear Peter:
Thank you for contacting me about your concerns with the excessive use of force by law enforcement officers. I appreciate hearing from you.
I am troubled by accounts of unnecessary force used on innocent people, especially when it results in tragedy as in the case of Kathryn Johnston, the 92-year old Atlanta woman killed by Atlanta police in a “no knock” raid. I also agree we need to ensure that our nation‰s law enforcement officers are trained to prevent unnecessary use of force and violence.
Our law enforcement plays an important role in keeping our communities safe, and most of our men and women serve their communities with great care and pride. But we must ensure that our policies do not create an atmosphere where police tactics place innocent people at risk.
Again, thank you for writing. If any vote comes before me in the Senate that can help address the unnecessary use of force, I will keep your views in mind.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama
United States Senator

Very nicely said.
Note: I received this letter because I’m a resident of Illinois and have written to my Senators. If others have received similar letters from their Senators (including others who are candidates for President, feel free to let me know).