Drug WarRant

My posting is a little light right now due to a variety of events (and very little sleep) — and I know there’s a lot of interesting stuff going on, so talk amongst yourselves.
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Radley Balko has an absolute must-read post over at Hit and Run

The more appropriate response to “more users” argument is “so what?” A slight rise in the number of recreational drug users is only a problem if you believe that there’s something inherently immoral and destructive about smoking a joint or snorting a line of coke–any worse, say, than downing a shot of whiskey or a taking drag off a tobacco pipe. The subset of people who refrain from drug use today out of respect for the law, but who might experiment with drugs should they one day be legal, probably isn’t one we need to worry about becoming addicted in mass numbers, or committing crimes to support their habit (which probably wouldn’t happen anyway if drugs were legal–how many alcoholics mug, burgle, or kill for gin money?). Unless you buy the “gateway” theory of marijuana, or the “instant addiction” theory about cocaine, both of which have zero scientific validity, I’m just not sure having slightly more overall users will have much of a negative impact on society at large.
The question, then, is what’s the problem?
Many drug warriors get downright offended when you ask them that […] The problem for them is very simply that there will be more drug users. It’s rather simple: Drug use = bad. More drug use = worse. Less drug use = success. For nearly forty years, these really been the only criteria for measuring the effectiveness of drug policy.

Boy that really hits home from my interactions with drug warriors. Some, in fact, go beyond offended to being completely unable to comprehend basic logical arguments (see Charlie Brown below.)
Radley also talks about how Walters and Tandy, et al, brag about the “success” of alcohol prohibition and then zooms in on their “successes” in current reductions in drug use.

[…] Note that all of this triumphalism is based on one set of criteria, and one set only: The number of teens reporting the use of drugs over a given time frame.
But this past February, the CDC reported that deaths from drug overdoses rose nearly 70 percent over the last five years. Half the overdose deaths were attributable to cocaine, heroin, and prescription drugs. The number of overdose deaths caused by marijuana–the drug most targeted by the ONDCP–remained at zero. And among the biggest increases (113%) were those aged 15-42, those same teenagers the ONDCP was celebrating in its prior press release.
To look at those two figures and conclude that the drug war is moving in the right direction seems to me to indicate a near-religious devotion to preventing recreational drug use, at any cost. Prohibition advocates are again measuring success not on how well the drug war is preventing real, tangible harm, but simply on how effectively they’re preventing people from getting high.
And of course overdoses are only one aspect of the harm done by the drug war. […]

Radley’s really nailed it. Read the whole thing.

After what’s happened Orange County recently, I need to plug a wonderful company that makes organic soaps from ingredients including hemp oil — Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps. Go buy something from them.
Here’s what happened: Don Bolles, drummer for “The Germs” was arrested for

…felony drug possession after police alleged an 8oz bottle of peppermint Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap tested positive for the illicit drug GHB (Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate). […]
Mr. Bolles, drummer of the legendary punk band The Germs, was arrested following a police traffic stop and spent three and half days in various jails in Orange County before being released early Easter morning. During a consented search of Mr. Bolles vintage 1968 A-108 van, Newport Beach police found a bottle of peppermint Dr. Bronner’s soap which is made with organic coconut, olive, hemp, peppermint and jojoba oils. Felony drug possession could mean 20 years in prison if convicted.

See also Punk rocker caught in soap opera.
Well, the first point to be made is that Bolles needs to watch Busted and not consent to a search. The second is, what is wrong with the police in this country? Why were they testing soap? And yes, the field drug test came up positive for GHB.
Fortunately, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps was all over this, and now it gets really interesting…

The Bronner family, makers of the popular organic Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, has learned that the confirmation drug-testing at the Orange County crime lab of soap taken from Don Bolles does not contain GHB (Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate).

Jailed for no reason based on a faulty test. Was it a glitch?
Says Bronner:

“Our customers need to know now this whole soap opera is a mistake by police who tormented an innocent 50 year old man with jail. We purchased the same NarcoPouch¬ 928 GHB field test made by ODV, Inc. that was used by the police, and ran tests on our soaps. We confirmed that the test is useless when used on soap since every test came back positive. We also tested other common brands of soap including Johnson & Johnson’s popular Neutrogena brand, as well as Colgate-Palmolive’s popular Tom’s of Maine brand, which gave the same false-positive tests as well. What kind of justice system allows police to use field drug tests that deprive citizens of their God-given liberty, that test positive for something as common as soap? What kind of policies and regulations are in place on police drug-testing practices and products, such that a US citizen can be tossed in the slammer over Easter weekend for possession of soap? Police departments nationwide should immediately stop using the ODV, Inc. field test for GHB as it is not accurate when used on soaps and who knows what other common household products.”

Way to go, Dr. Bronner!

“bullet” The Illinois State University chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy will have their Spring Hempfest this Thursday (April 19) from noon to 10 pm out on the quad.
“bullet” If you’re near Portland, Oregon, you should check out a drug policy reform presentation by the excellent Norm Stamper tomorrow (April 18) at 8 pm (Reed College, Gray Campus Center rooms C&D)
“bullet” A very interesting article in USA Today: Employers grapple with medical marijuana use includes coverage of Irv Rosenfeld, one of the remaining patients still supplied medical marijuana by the federal government.
“bullet” Canadian government is marking up their medical marijuana 1500%
“bullet” Tanya at Blame the Drug War brings us this editorial, which paints a picture of police incompetence, finger-pointing, and wasted resources.

Reformer: Two plus two equals four.
Prohibitionist: No, you’re wrong. Apples are green.

Check out this article

The federal government should legalize and regulate drugs for recreational and medical use because they are too dangerous to leave in the hands of criminals, a former Michigan lawman says.
Howard J. Wooldridge, a self-described education specialist in Washington, D.C., with the Boston-based Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, said a $1 trillion war against drugs since the 1970s has failed to stop the flow of narcotics into the nation and that many drugs often sell for less, are stronger and are more readily available than ever.
“These drugs are dangerous, some of them are deadly, and that’s why we ( need ) the government to control and regulate them” through legalization, Wooldridge said. “The drug dealers are regulating these drugs.”

An intelligent and logical proposal, deserving an intelligent response. Wait for it…

“I could show you a whole jail full of people who have got mixed up with drugs and it hasn’t helped them in any way,” said Sheriff Charles L. Brown.

What happened to Sheriff Brown’s brain cells?

Thanks to Peter Parker in comments, we find this hilarious blog post from Avi Green in Israel: Kirsten Dunst puts a cloud over Spider-Man 3.
Apparently this guy found out about how Kirsten admitted to using marijuana.

There is no true way you can use grass without blowing your creativity to kingdom come. I can’t even begin to describe just how devastated I feel that Dunst has not only blackened her image, but put a whole cloud over the upcoming movie.

Um. Avi, have you heard of jazz?
And of course, Kirsten wasn’t talking about showing up to the set stoned. She was talking about smoking pot in her own time. The notion of “blowing your creativity to kingdom come” is absurd.

(While I’m on the subject, let me add that a few years ago, I once visited a comics forum where there was this racist 19-20 year-old hanging around, allegedly from Perth, Australia, who admitted to smoking weed too, and supported legalizing venomous drugs as well. He was one of these Mark Millar addicts to boot, and seemed to quite enjoy stereotypical artwork in comic books. I wonder what kind of terrible parents raised that filthy little bigot? With any luck, he’ll be in jail or in a rehab center now, getting taught some more positive lessons for a change.)

OK, that paragraph is just the ravings of a madman who needs to get a life.

Now, having found this news, I find myself conflicted – do I see the movie or don’t I? Maybe I will, but it’ll be pretty difficult enjoying a movie when you know that the co-star is mindlessly bragging to the British tabloids about how “great” marijuana and cannabis are. But there are others who will doubtless be less forgiving, and this news could very easily lead to the movie backfiring in sales.

Right.

Black Market In Tobacco Makes Prisons More Violent by Dwight E. Abbott

The Department of Corrections (and Rehabilitation) knew it was going to happen before it banned tobacco products from California prisons. An ‹experimentŠ was conducted for several years earlier in the California Medical Facility state prison in Vacaville banning all tobacco. Within weeks, tobacco was being smuggled into the prison by visitors and guards. One $10, six-ounce can of Bugler tobacco then sold for $50.00, gradually increasing to $300.00. Individual cigarettes or ‹rolliesŠ (400 can be made), first priced at $1.00, became $10.00 each. Three months passed, and a pack of Camel cigarettes was selling for $150.00 plus. Violence erupted as profits proved tobacco to be more valuable than drugs. Everybody wanted a piece of the action.
No matter those disheartening findings, to “improve working conditions and cut health care cost among inmates,” the DOC bulled forward: there would be no smoking by inmates or guards beginning July, 2005. The results, as expected, mirror exactly what occurred at the California Medical Facility. Black marketing of tobacco became more profitable than marijuana or heroin…

If you want somebody to not do something, prohibition is your absolute worst choice in terms of financial and societal cost-effectiveness.

If you’re in New York, John Fugelsang’s one-person off-Broadway show: ALL THE WRONG REASONS –
A True Story of Neo-Nazis, Drug Smuggling and Undying Love. It sounds like it should be scathing and funny.
Fugelsang has been a vocal opponent of the drug war. Nice to see him bringing it to the theatre.
The show opens tomorrow and runs to early May. Unfortunately, I won’t get to see it. I’m taking a group to New York in late May after it closes.
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“bullet” In other interesting theatre news… just thought I’d let you know that I’ve been tapped to do the music for “The Who’s Tommy” at Illinois State University this fall. This is the rock opera [iTunes link] by Pete Townsend and Des McAnuff, which should be very familiar to most of you (for you babies out there too young to remember The Who, it has the song “Pinball Wizard.”) I’ll be conducting the on-stage band as well as being one of the three keyboard players to go along with two guitars, bass, drums, percussion and french horn. The show will open October 5. I’m very excited about it.

This is truly unbelievable…

SAN FRANCISCO – Federal prosecutors said today they would retry marijuana grower Ed Rosenthal on cultivation charges, even after a federal judge urged them to drop the case and chastised the government for lodging charges solely to punish the self-proclaimed “guru of ganja.”
U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer demanded to know who in the Department of Justice made the decision to continue pursuing Rosenthal, who had his original conviction overturned last year.
Rosenthal can’t be sentenced to prison even if he is convicted because the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the one-day prison sentence ordered by Breyer in 2003.
Newly appointed U.S. Attorney Scott Schools made the decision, said Assistant U.S. Attorney George Bevan, but he was not sure if Department of Justice officials in Washington were involved.
The judge said the government’s position to go forward left him no choice but to hold a trial, which he scheduled for May 14.
“This isn’t a criminal case, this is a political case,” said Rosenthal, who appeared in court dressed in a blue wizard’s robe with a golden marijuana leaf emblazoned over the breast. “I may as well get my money’s worth and have a trial.”

Newly appointed U.S. Attorney. Interesting.
Scott Schools replaces US Attorney Kevin Ryan (who prosecuted Rosenthal for the past 4 years) and claims to be only a temporary replacement. Ryan (one of the infamous group of US Attorneys who was fired) was supposedly actually fired for incompetence (and it was Schools who “investigated” Ryan). Schools appears to be a political hack, with some history of politically motivated prosecution.
And now Schools is doing this.
So what is going on here? What possible reason is there to prosecute Rosenthal other than to make the federal government look even more stupid? Has their fear of what we can do to their precious drug war so colored their judgment? Is there a strategy here that I’m missing?
Update: Digby picks up on it, and the comments in that thread are a pleasant sight.

Update: The comment function was broken, but it’s been fixed (Thanks, Lawrence) and so you should be able to comment again.