CLibertyC

New Zealand Regulates — Not Bans — Synthetic Drugs

"The Psychoactive Substance Act of 2013 creates a new government agency, the Psychoactive Substances Regulatory Authority, to ensure that the new synthetics meet safety standards. The Authority is also charged with developing, implementing, and administering a licensing scheme for researchers, retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and importers. That means that instead of sending in SWAT teams to bust underground synthetic drug labs, New Zealand will allow the drugs to be legally manufactured under strict regulations. But those seeking to manufacture them legally will have to demonstrate that they pose a low risk to consumers." Continue reading →

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Leahy Blocks Release of Some Mexican Drug War Aid

"Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), head of the Senate Appropriations Committee, last week blocked the release of $95 million in funds destined to help Mexico prosecute its war on drugs, saying neither the US nor the Mexican governments had shown they had a clear strategy for moving forward. The money was appropriated as part of the Merida Initiative, a Bush-era plan to support the Mexican government's crackdown on the country's violent and powerful drug cartels. The Merida Initiative was a $1.4 billion, multi-year foreign assistance program, but it has had no appreciable impact on either the violence or the drug trade there." Continue reading →

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Is There a Perfect Storm for Federal Sentencing Reform?

"The Justice Safety Valve Act (Senate Bill 619), introduced in the spring, and the Smart Sentencing Act (Senate Bill 1410), introduced just last week, have better prospects of moving forward now than anything since the Fair Sentencing Act passed three years ago. That's because it's not just Democrats or liberals who are supporting them. The Justice Safety Valve Act, sponsored by Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), has not only the usual suspects behind it, but also The New York Times, conservative taxpayer advocate Grover Norquist, and a group of 50 former prosecutors." Continue reading →

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One in 10 Americans have taken drugs prescribed for others

"One in 10 Americans admit taking a prescription drug they have not been prescribed, and a quarter of those people have used them just to get high, according to an ongoing Reuters/Ipsos poll. While about six in ten Americans who used another person’s prescriptions did so for pain relief, a fifth took them to sleep or to manage stress and anxiety, the poll showed. Pharmacies in the United States dispensed more than 4 billion prescriptions in 2012, according to IMS Health, a healthcare research firm. The poll indicated it is not difficult to get hold of such drugs even without a prescription." Continue reading →

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The Eric Holder Memorandum on Mandatory Minimum Sentences, Explained

"In short, the Holder Memorandum directs prosecutors to prevent application of mandatory minimum sentences for a select group of less-culpable defendants. Isn't this A good thing? Yes, with a but. It's a good thing that the Jane Does of the world can be sentenced according to the judge's discretion and not according to mandatory minimum sentences. A lot of low-level, unsophisticated, and hapless mules and mopes and dupes will get far lower sentences, which is both just and less expensive for you, the taxpayer. But I'm not happy that the methodology for the change is a fairly dramatic expansion of prosecutorial discretion." Continue reading →

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Why does America have such a big prison population?

"America has around 5% of the world’s population, and 25% of its prisoners. Roughly one in every 107 American adults is behind bars, a rate nearly five times that of Britain, seven times that of France and 24 times that of India. Its prison population has more than tripled since 1980. The growth rate has been even faster in the federal prison system: from around 24,000—its level, more or less, from the 1940s until the early 1980s—to more than 219,000 today. Probably the biggest driver of this growth has been ever-harsher drug penalties." Continue reading →

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Former Obama Supporter Oliver Stone: Obama Is A ‘Snake’; ‘We Have To Turn On Him’

"Film director Oliver Stone—who has made no secret of his liberal political views—called President Barack Obama a 'snake' for his role in National Security Agency spying programs that have become, he said, more about silencing protestors than finding terrorists. Stone said that admitted NSA leaker Edward Snowden 'is a hero to me. He sacrificed his well-being for the good of us all.' Stone also called Snowden a hero last month and said it’s 'a disgrace that Obama is more concerned with hunting him down Snowden than reforming these George Bush-style eavesdropping techniques.'" Continue reading →

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“We’re building a domestic army”: Marine Corps Colonel speaks out

"Marine Corp Colonel speaks out at a local council meeting about the militarization of our police forces on 08/12/13 at 41 Green St, Concord, NH 03301. Read more about the City of Concord's bid for an attack vehicle to use against peaceful groups at http://www.FreeStateProject.org " Continue reading →

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Obamacare Provision: “Forced” Home Inspections

"The Health and Human Services’ website states that your family will be targeted if you fall under the 'high-risk' categories below: Families where mom is not yet 21; Families where someone is a tobacco user; Families where children have low student achievement, developmental delays, or disabilities; Families with individuals who are serving or formerly served in the armed forces, including such families that have members of the armed forces who have had multiple deployments outside the United States. In 2011, the HHS announced $224 million will be given to support evidence-based home visiting programs to 'help parents and children.'" Continue reading →

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“They Kidnapped Our Child”: Why CPS Needs Transparency Now

"In April 2013, police officers and a social worker from Sacramento County's Child Protective Services entered the home of Anna and Alex Nikolayev and took their baby, Sammy, away from them. They had no warrant. 'What they'd done was, basically, kidnapped our child with the help of police,' says Alex Nikolayev. The young, first-time parents were not notified of where Sammy was being taken and wouldn't find out for a full 24 hours. The dispute stemmed from the parents' desire to obtain a second medical opinion before subjecting Sammy to major heart surgery." Continue reading →

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