Drug WarRant

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).

“bullet” Fun with numbers. Check out this interesting Data Rider — a probability engine for computing correlations between large numbers of factors. The chart compares prevalence for certain factors within states to the death rates in those states. Note where marijuana use falls.

The 25 states with the highest Marijuana Use rates have an average Death Rate 8.3% lower than the other 25 states. The odds of that happening by chance are about 70-1. The 25 states with the highest Death Rates have an average Marijuana Use rate 24.2% lower. The odds of that happening by chance are about 257-1.

Of course, remember that this says nothing about causality — it’s only a correlation. Tons of other factors could be involved. Still, it’s fun to speculate.

“bullet” Three Men Who Had No Reason to Run. The case dealing with the death of Sean Bell is continuing in the courts. A stark reminder of the collateral damage in the drug war.
And again, even though it is proper to determine whether the police officers acted inappropriately, where is the court for looking at decisions higher up setting up such a situation?
“bullet” The governor of Illinois is out of control when it comes to the budget, making all sorts of wild threats (like drastically cutting education) so that the legislature is considering adding a recall option to the state law. But all the states are in budget problems and they’re just going to get worse: As the Economy Falters, So Do State Budgets. Cutting down on prison populations can be a significant source of relief.
Every time now that our local paper has an online article about somebody getting 10 years for a drug offense, I add a comment to the article reminding people what that will cost us at least $23,000 per year for imprisonment, not counting enforcement and court costs.
“bullet” You’d think we’d realize how completely screwed up the drug war is when the general population is turning to the traffickers for basic material and spiritual needs.

“They are very generous,” Bishop Carlos Aguiar was quoted as saying in a local newspaper Saturday.
Aguiar, who heads Mexico’s Catholic bishops’ conference, said drug traffickers pour money into poverty-stricken towns where the government lacks funds to build roads or provide electricity.
“The drug smugglers build things that mean a lot for these communities,” he said. “Many times they will build a church or a chapel.”

“bullet” None of this would happen if people smoked pot instead: Police tear gas crowd at college party

Police early Sunday used tear gas to disperse a crowd at a large party near the campus of Michigan State University after fights broke out and officers were pelted with bottles and cans.

Officers would never get pelted with bongs and rolling papers.

Remember the idiots in Georgia trying to outlaw marijuana-flavored candy?
Well, it gets even more surreal. Check out the action in the Georgia House
House lingers over pot-flavored lollipop bill

While the General Assembly was stalled on the budget as well as major bills covering reservoirs, taxes, transportation and trauma care, the House of Representatives found 30 minutes to debate candy flavors.

The debate included a discussion about whether there was a scientific standard to define “marijuana” as a flavor, and then at one point, somebody realized that the proposed fine for marijuana-flavored candy was double the fine for actual marijuana possession.

A visibly annoyed Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson finally cut off debate.
“Here we are on Day 40, after lunch, where the Senate has continued to be disagreeable and not assert a position on the budget,” Richardson fumed. “And we’re talking about candy.”

Drug Crimes Soar as Cops Get Tough

“bullet” OpEd

The “wrong message” to send to any teenager, to any child, is hypocrisy. It turns them cynical and makes them disrespect the law, when trusted adults evade reality for the sake of political concerns.

“bullet” The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs in England, is recommending that marijuana remain at Class C and not be returned to the more punitive Class B. The Prime Minister, however, seems determined not to be swayed by pesky things like facts, science, or experts.
“bullet” Colombia’s chief drug war cheerleader — President Alvaro Uribe — has made his feelings known about the Presidential race here:

‹I deplore that Senator Obama, aspiring to be president of the US, ignores Colombia‰s efforts.Š

“bullet” Jacob Sullum: The School Crotch Inspector
“bullet” The Other Civil War by Keith Preston

… another civil war has been going on in this country for roughly the last forty years. I’m talking, of course, about the War on Drugs. For some, the “drug war” is seen as a metaphor or a symbolic war as opposed to a “real” war. I disagree. The War on Drugs involves people with guns, it involves killing and it involves taking prisoners. […] It is of the utmost importance to recognize that the drug war is indeed a civil war. Many other nations have at times fallen into civil war over matters of race or ethnicity, religion, social class, territorial claims or political ideology. I submit that the drug war is a civil war over the matter of culture.

“bullet” At Vice Squad: Man Acquitted of Possessing Crack Cocaine Gets 15 years
“bullet” Apparently some people use marijuana because they enjoy it.
“bullet” “drcnet”

First reviews are in of DEA, the unreality drug war violence porn that Al Roker premieres tonight on Spike TV:
The Star: War on drugs a total bust

In the end, it all seems so futile.
Undoubtedly, this was not the intended message of DEA (Spike TV, 11 tonight), a new six-part series that returns a spotlight to the battle that once occupied the zeitgeist before terror: the war on drugs. […]
So what you get is a high-octane sprint across the front lines of the drug war without any rooting sense of context. As such, DEA has the pulse of Cops, the heartbeat of World’s Wildest Police Chases, but none of the contemplative sobriety of The Wire. […]
What is surprising, though, is that communities, governments and law enforcement continue to fixate on supply, without adequately considering demand, which is to say, treatment for addiction.
No, not much has changed since drug kingpin Pablo Escobar was gunned down by Colombian agents in 1993. And nothing ever will until this war gets new battle plans.

New York Times: Drug War in Detroit, Macho Style

The program, somewhat incongruously, is produced by Al Roker Entertainment Ö yes, the jolly weatherman Ö and that‰s about the most interesting thing to be said about it. This being Spike TV, the show is heavy on the macho side of drug-enforcement work, light on the painstaking investigation and drudgery. But it‰s all stuff you‰ve seen before, in shows real and fictional: doors being bashed in by raiding officers; suspects being forced to the ground; plastic bags full of illegal this and that being displayed.
Looked at one way, the series is an argument that the trend of shows about real people doing their jobs ought to be put out of its misery. Every time one of these agents opens his mouth, you can more or less guess what‰s going to come out, because when enough ordinary, TV-watching people become TV stars themselves, the clichÚs of script writing and the mundanities of daily conversation merge.

Update: Ah, but check out the Spike TV viewer demographic:

LindseyMorales: “Honestly — cannot wait for this show!!!!”
YDLY318:”This program looks very exciting. I will be watching. I am happy to know that we have these type of guys out there working to protect us and our children. Thanks guys!!!!”
paris5kttbm: “This show looks very exciting!!! The citizens of Detroit should throw a parade for these men who risk their lives everyday to make Detroit a safer place in which to live!!!!”

Note: Those above were supposedly from three different people, all who apparently subscribe to the quad-exclamation-point style of speech.

paris5kttbm: “Can’t wait to see the entire series! I would hate to be the person on the other side of the door when that big guy comes busting in!”
darkside8mile: “The guy with the freedom patch looks like he must have been tanning during the series – “Mr. Hollywood”….”
DottieDimples: “Looking forward to seeing these guys in action!”
rus828: “looks cool”
jprunest: “I can NOT wait for this show! I have the DVR set!”

I’m not watching it. But if anyone does, feel free to leave your own descriptions in comments. And don’t feed the trolls.

Sen. Stoner Targets Stoner Pops

ATLANTA– A Georgia state senator with the last name “Stoner” has put his name on a bill to ban the sale of so-called “Stoner Pops” to minors. The legal lollipops taste like illegal marijuana and critics say they help hook youngsters on the real thing. […]
Students from Osborne High School were among those lobbying for passage of the bill. They argued that the chronic candy is sold on the street in a style that resembles the sale of real drugs. The message to children is that marijuana is cool. […]
“I know several people who’s addicted to marijuana and other drugs like heroin and cocaine and I’m just tired of seeing my fellow youths suffering from stuff like this,” said Percy Broussard.

Doesn’t it sometimes feel like turnips have a higher I.Q. than people?

“bullet” Nice OpEd on travel guru Rick Steves and his quest for better drug laws in the New York Times

We are left, then, with people like Rick Steves to renew the republic with common sense brought home from other shores. He‰s taken to heart these words: ‹Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.Š They come from an earlier innocent abroad, Mark Twain.

“bullet” National Post: Marc Emery should not be extradited. In a surreal twist, it seems the plea bargain that Emery and the United States agreed to is not going to work.

The Americans insisted on guarantees against Emery being released before his five years was up, and such arrangements are forbidden in Canadian law, so no Canadian judge can order the application of such a sentence. That means Emery will have to go ahead with the extradition proceedings that were held over in the face of the plea-bargain, and face a possible life sentence down south. Catch-22: because Canada is too humane and liberal to apply the punishment that the Americans would like — a punishment Emery has voluntarily agreed to — there appears to be no option but to hand him over to the Americans without protection against much worse treatment!

This story isn’t over by a long shot.
“bullet” Interestingly, there appears to be some positive movement within the U.N. Transform has the coverage: UN Secretary-General supports calls for Asian governments to amend outdated laws criminalising injecting drug users and other stigmatized groups and Executive Director of UN Office on Drugs and Crime declares international drug control system is not ëfit for purpose‰
“bullet” Vermont Supreme Court overturns felony marijuana conviction. Seems that the Justices felt hovering over your property at 100 feet for 30 minutes was “an unreasonable intrusion of privacy that triggers constitutional protection.”
“bullet” President George W. Bush Announces Amnesty For All Marijuana Prisoners