Drugs & Prohibition

FDA May Have Age Restrictions On Cups Of Coffee

"If you are a teenager, soon you may not be able to order a cup of Joe. Or a can of Red Bull. The Food and Drug Administration is considering putting an age limit on products containing caffeine, ranging from energy drinks to a simple cup of coffee. FDA Deputy Commissioner Michael Taylor said enforcing age restrictions would be challenging, the more fundamental questions is whether 'we should place limits on the amount of caffeine in certain products.' According to the government, a person should have a maximum of 400 milligrams of caffeine per day." Continue reading →

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Idaho Seizes Medical Marijuana Activists’ Kids

"There have been sporadic local marijuana legalization efforts in past years, and this year, medical marijuana supporters are in the midst of signature-gathering campaign to put an initiative on the ballot. That campaign is led by Compassionate Idaho, some of whose most stalwart and publicly visible members are Lindsey and Josh Rinehart and Sarah Caldwell. But with an incident that began while Caldwell and the Rineharts were away on a retreat, the trio are learning a harsh lesson in hardball pot politics. When they got back home, their kids were gone, and the police and child social services had them." Continue reading →

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Shocking video: Rio police heli opens fire in slum during drug baron car chase

"A shocking video of Rio de Janeiro police in a helicopter firing on a moving car in a populous slum has sparked a probe. Footage emerged of the high-octane chase a year after it happened, raising concerns over the excessive use of police force." Continue reading →

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Money Laundering Is Financial Thoughtcrime

"From President Roosevelt's 1933 seizure of personal gold to the Nazi confiscation of Jewish wealth to the recent deposit theft at Cyprus banks, asset plundering by governments has a long and colorful tradition. Protecting wealth from oppressive regimes continues to this day. Even as the money-laundering laws are said to exist for the fight against terrorism or drugs or gambling, the cashless utopia is simultaneously being thrust upon us as the monetary architecture of the future. Expect ever more increasing thoughtcrime enforcement as the international money flow tightens." Continue reading →

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Famous ‘Fantasy Island’ plane used to smuggle drugs into Oklahoma

"It was the centerpiece of the classic ’70s and early ’80s TV classic 'Fantasy Island.' But when the show was canceled, the plane went from 'famous' to 'notorious.' The production company unloaded the sea plane. It would later be used to smuggle drugs from Columbia into the United States. Years ago, OBN agents intercepted the aerial icon during a cocaine drop in S.E. Oklahoma. After years of secrecy, OBN revealed the unique drug bust on their Facebook page Monday morning." Continue reading →

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How To Make A Quick $1,944,000

"Buy a truckload of cigarettes in Virginia and sell them in New York. Yeah, it's illegal. But that's how much can be made from selling a tractor trailer's worth (that's 800 cases, each holding 600 packs of cigarettes) of low-tax Virginia cigarettes in high-tax New York, based on estimates from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. And that's exactly what criminals are doing. In 2011, more than 60% of all cigarettes sold in New York were smuggled in from another state, according to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a free-market think tank. That's up from about 36% in 2006." Continue reading →

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California Supreme Court deals massive blow to medical marijuana industry

"The California Supreme Court ruled Monday that local municipalities can legally ban medical marijuana dispensaries, dealing a massive blow to the burgeoning industry that’s exploded across the state since 2009. The ruling in City of Riverside v. Inland Empire Patient’s Health and Wellness Center boils down to whether the California constitution trumps provisions in the state’s medical marijuana laws. The California constitution gives cities the zoning power to dictate land use within their borders, enabling them to declare businesses a 'public nuisance' and toss them out — which is precisely what happened to the Inland Empire dispensary in Riverside." Continue reading →

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North Carolina Senate blocks testing themselves when passing welfare drug testing bill

"Republicans in the North Carolina state Senate on Monday pushed through bill that would strip public benefits like food stamps and job training for people who fail a drug test. The bill requires those applying for benefits to pay for their own drug tests. Applicants who test negative would be eligible to have the costs of their tests reimbursed. The policy could cost the state more than $2.1 million. At the same time, senators rejected an amendment offered by Democratic state Sen. Gladys Robinson that would have drug tested lawmakers, the governor and cabinet secretaries." Continue reading →

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The hidden dangers of legal highs

"In comparison with regular drugs, there is hardly any data on the harm these new drugs do. Manufacturers in the UK, China and eastern Europe take any of these chemicals or dozens more, blending them with inert substances into uncontrolled, unstated doses, and selling them online. These products, with names such as Barry White and Dutchy, are the most concerning: customers are very often young people, some of whom find it hard to buy drugs anywhere else, or prefer to stay on the right side of the law. Manufacturers do not list their contents, or give any dosage instructions, since to do so would render them liable for prosecution." Continue reading →

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Police State SWATs Family Growing Tomatoes & Squash

"In August, 2011, a member of the Missouri Highway Patrol spots Bob Harte doing something suspicious. He was leaving a store with a small bag of merchandise that he bought from that store. It happened to be a hydroponics store. Seven months later, the Missouri Highway Patrol passes on that 'tip' to the Johnson County Sherriff’s Office, which then puts together an investigation spanning several weeks involving early-morning searches of the Harte’s trash, but apparently not involving any actual… investigation. They got a warrant to serve a SWAT-style search of the home, terrifying the family. They found… tomatoes and squash." Continue reading →

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