Ash Heap Of History

Washington cops working to ‘desensitize’ drug dogs to marijuana smell

"Police in Washington state are working to retrain their drug-sniffing dogs so that they’re less likely to alert when they smell marijuana. The retraining is part of the state’s law enforcement reforms following November’s voter-backed legalization measure, which will ultimately require police to notify judges as to whether a drug dog used to obtain probable cause for a search has been trained to comply with state law. While most departments are going along with the change, including the Washington State Patrol, the Tacoma Police Department is refusing to comply." Continue reading →

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US drugs prosecutors switch sides to defend accused Colombian traffickers

"US prosecutors and other senior officials who spearheaded the war against drug cartels have quit their jobs to defend Colombian cocaine traffickers, saying their clients are not bad people and that United States drug policy is wrong. Senior former assistant US attorneys and Drug Enforcement Administration agents are turning years of experience in investigating, indicting and extraditing narcos to the advantage of the alleged traffickers they now represent. Feitel and Klapper spoke of recognising the humanity of their clients and called for alternatives to a four-decade-old 'war on drugs' which costs billions of dollars and incarcerates thousands." Continue reading →

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15 Percent of Malls To Close Due to Online Shopping?

"Experts are predicting that up to 15% of US shopping malls are forecast to close over the next five years as online shopping continues to surge. The United States has over 1300 regional malls (over 450,000 square feet) and that could mean that up to 195 of them will shut down. 'I think 200 are going out of business,' said Gerry Mason, executive managing director at property group Savills. 'We’re 15-20 per cent overbuilt. There are just too many stores.'" Continue reading →

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Prohibitionists Respond to Repeal: Bootlegging, Racketeering, and Kidnapping Will Go Up Now!

"Seventy-nine years ago today, Utah, of all states, delivered the killing blow that brought the national prohibition of alcohol to an end. In honor of Repeal Day -- and with an eye on what may be the early stages of an end to the war on marijuana -- here's a flashback to December 1933, as prohibitionists watched their achievement crumble." Continue reading →

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The Startling Reality of Money Power

"Every schoolboy used to know that at the height of the empire, almost a quarter of the atlas was coloured pink, showing the extent of British rule. But that oft recited fact dramatically understates the remarkable global reach achieved by this country. A new study has found that at various times the British have invaded almost 90 per cent of the countries around the globe. The analysis of the histories of the almost 200 countries in the world found only 22 which have never experienced an invasion by the British." Continue reading →

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