Drug WarRant

“bullet” Maia Szalavitz asks the Democrats the right question. [thanks, Tom]
“bullet” Latino Leaders Take Position Against Drug War.

Mendoza said, “As Latinos, we are finally waking up to the fact that this war is a waste of money and resources, all of which could help us re-build our communities and families instead of destroying them.”

‘Bout time. [thanks mirjan]
It’s definitely time for Democrats, Latinos, African Americans and a number of other powerful groups to find where they left their balls and stop rolling over and begging to get their values ground into the dust by the drug war.
More reading
“bullet” Jacob Sullum on the utter stupidity of our efforts in Afghanistan:

Costa is demanding that the Afghan government wipe out half of the country’s economy, with conspicuous assistance from U.S. and British forces. Does that sound like a recipe for peace and stability?

I keep seeing this for sale all over Prague (or at least in the tourist areas). It’s made with hemp seeds and there are seeds at the bottom of each bottle.

Still loving Prague and keeping way too busy to read much or post much, but keep sending those tips and letters.
If you’d like to follow along with the trip (including photos) you can visit my trip page.

“bullet” It’s 911. Remember that the drug war and the DEA create lucrative profits for criminals. Including terrorists.

Well, I made it to Prague, and am having a great time.
Saw one thing that might interest you folks in a store window: Triple filtered Cannabis Vodka (I have no idea).
So what’s going on? I hear that the DEA says 98% of eradicated pot is ditchweed

A powerful story.

“The DEA does not belong in the practice of medicine.”

– Karen Tandy

(See Scott Morgan’s post.)

Daksya has a great idea — prepare your own guest rant and send it to me. I’ll select rants to post every few days.

The Drug Czar’s “blog” is particularly entertaining today. A simple post listing several items, including…

1. If you care about our environment, specifically our public lands, don’t smoke pot.

   The man who has had a huge responsibility for the destruction of the environment worldwide through the promotion of drug war policies that make environmental destruction profitable comes up with that? What a putz!

2. Here’s how ONDCP is helping one community prevent drug use in Longview, Washington.

   Here, I think the Czar got a wandering link or is seeing things. The first time today that I clicked on the link, it was an article about alcohol. At this point in time, it’s an article about school bus drivers.

3. Random drug testing continues to spread across the country, with the Illinois High School Association being the latest to consider implementing random drug tests.

   Given the emphasis that the ONDCP has placed on testing for marijuana, the Czar’s a bit remiss in not mention that IHSA is specifically “considering random testing for steroids and growth hormones in students who play in state finals for football, basketball, track and other selected sports.”

4. From the BBC, the latest research on the effects of meth use on development of babies.

   The referenced article comes close to promoting a “crack baby” theme, despite no more evidence than reduced weight. Fortunately, one professor didn’t drink all of the Cool-Aid: “While these children may have some serious health and developmental challenges, there is no automatic need to label them as damaged and remove them from their biological mothers.”