Drug WarRant

Loyal reader Scott has been keeping me informed about the activity at the John Kerry forum. Although registered, I haven’t had time to visit there much recently.
However, there is a strong and active drug policy debate going on there that has expanded into five topics already. Go over, check them out and participate!

• Marijuana Decriminalization
• Medical Marijuana and States Rights. Where does Kerry stand?
• Agricultural Hemp
• War on Illicit Drugs, Terrorism, Crime and Solutions
• Should drugs be legal? What does Kerry think?

While I was gone, LastOneSpeaks had outstanding coverage of the major drug war reform news, including the following highlights:
“bullet” Students Speak, DEA Sneaks Away, showing once again that drug warriors are terrified to debate honestly, because their “facts” just… aren’t.
“bullet” Deep in the Heart of Texas. I’ve talked a bit about the tragedy in Tulia that ended up with the pardons of 35 people who had been railroaded in a gross miscarriage of justice. A $5 million settlement and the dismantling of the drug task force is a step in the right direction.
My favorite quote on this is from Vanita Gupta, an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund:

“It’s not simply that Tom Coleman was a rogue officer,” she said. “The city
of Amarillo has recognized that federally funded task forces are
ineffective tools of law enforcement and they operate as rogue task forces
because they are unaccountable to any oversight mechanism.”

That’s one to remember.
“bullet” Have Drug Czar – Will Travel for Prohibition. LastOneSpeaks notes that the Drug Czar is continuing to tell his lies in Nevada in an attempt to influence the election process there.
“bullet” Double Jeopardy. Saturday’s New York Times article A Student Aid Ban for Past Drug Use Is Creating a Furor by Greg Winter is an excellent article about the horrible HEA provision that denies education to students who aren’t rich and have been caught with marijuana (while not penalizing rapists or murderers).
Nick Gillespie at Hit and Run has the best take on it:

“It is absurd on the face of it,” says Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.). He knows what he’s talking about: He wrote the goddamned law, which was passed in 1998. “I am an evangelic Christian who believes in repentace,” he says, “so why would I have supported that?…Why would any of us in Congress?”

Souder’s subsequent Damscus Road experience aside, the short answer to his question is: Because Congress is filled with jackasses.

We need to push for complete repeal of the provision, not just a modification.

New York was a blast, and there was no time for posting to the blog this past week. We played four-square on the Brooklyn Bridge at 3 in the morning, had incredible bagels at Bagels on the Square, sushi at Japonica, egg drop and wonton soup at Wo Hop, dogs at Gray’s Papaya, tiramisu with espresso and sambuca at Ferrara’s and a whole lot more. We saw amazing shows: Wicked, Aunt Dan and Lemon, BodyVox, I Am My Own Wife, and Avenue Q. And, of course, we walked all over the city. Some random pictures of our experiences are here.
I would have liked to check out The Marijuana-Logues. Unfortunately previews start at the end of this week and it opens end of March, so I didn’t get to see it — perhaps it will still be open in June when I return.
I’d like to say Hello to Will and his friends — one moment during the week when I got to have some stimulating discussions about the drug war. Amazing who you can meet in the subway. Also Hello to Deidre. Thanks for the note. I would love to catch up with you sometime, but it appeared this week was not the time.

I’m leaving now for a full week. I’m taking 23 theatre students to New York City for a week of Broadway, off-Broadway and dance productions, plus walking tours all over the city and opportunities to meet graduate school program directors. As always, it’ll be great to be back in the NYC for great food and sights and favorite moments like sitting by “Imagine” in Strawberry Fields, 2 hot dogs and Papaya Recession Special, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge at night, WoHop in Chinatown and more.
I don’t think there will be wireless access in my hotel, but I’m sure I’ll find locations and I’ll be able to check my email, but I’m not sure how much (if any) posting I’ll be doing — even if I have easy access — my thoughts will be focused on enjoying (and helping 23 others enjoy) the city.
Here’s a couple of things coming up to watch for:
What Would God Smoke – A live audio chat on Wednesday, March 10 at 3 pm Eastern with Ethan Nadelmann and renowned thinker, writer and spiritual pioneer Ram Dass.
Dennis Kucinich appearance – For those in my local area, Drug WarRant endorsed Democratic candidate Dennis Kucinich will be at Illinois State University on Sunday, March 14 at 8 pm. I’m still supporting Dennis for the nomination because of the hope that he will bring drug policy reform to the Democratic convention and/or platform. If you’re in the area, stop by.
Sites to visit – As always, check out some of the links on the left while I’m gone. Particularly LastOneSpeaks, and TalkLeft. Hit and Run often has some good stuff and you can always get good information at MAP, Cannabis News, Drug Policy Alliance and others there.

The Illinois medical marijuana proposal was put on hold prior to receiving a hearing. Naturally anti-science deputy czar Andrea Barthwell was on hand to help make sure that Illinois legislators were prevented from hearing the truth.
Keep up with the Illinois Situation at Texans for Medical Marijuana that is starting an important effort. If you live in Texas, go to the site and get involved now! Sign the petition or help them distribute petitions.

From the Wilmington, NC Morning Star:

It was as if the massed forces of Eliot Ness had busted one of Al Capone’s speakeasies and confiscated the little umbrellas that went in the tropical cocktails.
…
Fortunately, no officers were harmed in the making of this media event.æ

I have regularly ranted here about the Drug Czar’s favorite lie — that the increased high percentage of people in treatment for marijuana is proof of the danger of the drug and its dependency potential. Check out this Walters interview on C-Span, for example, where he says:

Today, of the 7 million people we have to treat for drug abuse, 60% are dependent on marijuana, and yet people, baby boomers on down, somehow believe that marijuana doesn’t produce the same kind of dependency… It’s the single largest cause of treatment need in the country by a factor of 2. The second most significant cause is cocaine…The fact is, we know why this is happening. Marijuana potency, the THC the psychoactive ingredient has gone from 1% in 1980 to an average of 7% nationally, and we now have varieties that go up to 20-30%…

I debunked his statement fairly thoroughly then, but check out this new report by way of the Drug Policy Alliance::

Countering bogus claims by White House Drug Czar John Walters that hundreds of thousands of marijuana addicts are flocking to drug treatment, a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reportæshows that 82.5% of people seeking treatment for marijuana – a stunning majority – are doing so only because of government coercion. The report shows that many of those in treatment for marijuana do not enter because of problems with the drug but because they are first-time offenders arrested for marijuana possession who have been given the option by a judge or drug court to choose drug treatment or jail.

82.5%. Not only is this an indictment of the Drug Czar’s lies, but it’s proof that we are wasting treatment slots on marijuana users who don’t need treatment.

The Morning Call has the details, including the extraordinarily complex verdict sheet which still has many of the questions unanswered.

Kristin Fodi, Hirko’s fiancee, and Gwendolyn Dashner, his mother, won key points on Hirko’s behalf following a botched 1997 drug raid in which the 21-year-old Hirko was killed and his residence set on fire. Fodi escaped the house through a second-floor window.

Perhaps the most significant finding in the 58-question verdict sheet was the pronouncement that Officer Joseph Riedy, who fired the fatal shots at Hirko, was found to have used excessive force.

There’s still a lot more to be determined in this case. Some of my past reporting on it can be found here and here and on the Drug War Victims page.
I just received a series of comments regarding the decision on an old post as people seem to be looking for a place to comment on the decision. First from Lou:

Joe Riedy is a long time friend of mine who I shoot with regularly. Joe trained intensely for these type situations, and when drug dealer Hirko presented a weapon, I know a squeeze from a full-auto MP5 produces fatal results. Joe was there on scene as part of the “high risk” team to protect the other law enforcement. I cannot believe this dirt bag attorney won this case. A sad day for jurys, law enforcement. Wait until someday someone needs an officer to draw a weapon, and they “stay back where it is safe and you are on your own”.

Then…

This type of situation did not warrant a full auto MP5. 4 days before police gained access to the home with a simple knock. Justice was served today. I hope the next time an officer decides to draw a weapon, they’ll think twice about shooting someone 11 times in the back.

And then…

In reference to the comment above, to whom ever wrote it. I hope when you need a Cop that their is not one around!!!!! Wife of a Cop

I understand from the perspective of officers involved in such cases that it can be hard to be told that what you were doing to protect your fellow officers was wrong. And in reality, the problem goes back a step further. The notion that military-style assaults and MP5 weapons and flash grenades are the proper approach to deal with marijuana — that’s what’s outrageous.
Our drug laws and our tactics for dealing with drug laws are endangering both our citizens and our police. The function of police is to protect and serve the citizens, not act like an occupying military force. There is no excuse for that kind of force as a standard operating procedure. And there is no excuse for bad drug laws that encourage such techniques.
It’s time to stop the violence on both sides and reform the drug laws.

LastOneSpeaks has the story:

It seems 21 soldiers in Iowa, who served our country in Iraq, will be dishonorably discharged when they return home after their tour of duty for failing a drug test before they were shipped out.

This editorial in the Des Moines Register gives more details:

Twenty-one Iowa soldiers who tested positive for drugs last year were sent to the Middle East anyway. The Guard didn’t get the test results back before they left. Then the offending troops were under federal command and “gaps in regulations” allowed the soldiers to stay and fight. Apparently these troops were sober enough to do the job, because the military kept them month after month in the hot desert instead of sending them home.

The former drug use wasn’t a problem when the U.S. government had them out there dodging suicide bombers in Iraq.

Now circumstances have changed. The troops are coming home. Guard leaders are notifying commanders steps will be taken to discharge those soldiers with positive drug results “other than honorably.” It’s unclear exactly what this will mean for soldiers, but it makes one wonder what the policy-makers have been smoking.

Are we nuts? If someone’s going to go to a foreign land to fight and die for us, we should be offering them a range of safe and delightful mind-altering drugs for them to enjoy before they ship out. But no, we have zero tolerance (that’s for sure!) Hell, these kids aren’t even allowed to drink. I can picture it now…

All right soldiers. Your unit has been called up and you’re shipping out to Iraq, where you’ll be facing suicide bombers and snipers and horrible conditions. You may not return alive. Go home. Say goodbye to your mother and father. Go out for your last night of freedom and have… a Grape Nehi.

So we had some soldiers who succumbed to the temptation — hell they probably had an easier time (at their age) getting drugs than liquor — of drowning their sorrows or enjoying a fling before they left. And they were deemed capable of being our fighters — of supporting their fellow soldiers — of representing our nation. But now they have served their country, and now that it’s convenient, we toss them away like pieces of trash — without honor.

David, of the very excellent What Would Dick Think? pointed out that our Drug Czar held an online chat today and I missed it!
My chance to submit questions is gone – ah, the grilling I would have given him. But would he have answered them? Are you kidding? Take a look at the questions he answered. Must have been thousands of questions in order for Walters to have been able to hand-pick 13 complete softballs like these, and he still lied. Chat? Yeah, in the same way that Penthouse Letters are actually letters.
As I’ve said before, I’m ready and willing to debate John Walters about the drug war. Any time. Any place.