Drugs & Prohibition

A Flourishing $40 Million Medical Marijuana Industry Helps Israelis Forget

"Illegal for recreational use, today medical cannabis is prescribed to some 11,000 Israeli patients, up from 1,800 in 2009, according to the Israeli Health Ministry. It is used to treat an extensive list of illnesses including cancer, Parkinson’s, Tourette syndrome, and PTSD. While government attempts to limit use have sparked a heated debate, legislation is still relatively liberal. In May, Health Minister Yael German announced that an additional 11 doctors would be certified to prescribe cannabis—bumping up the number to 19—by the end of the year. While rabbinic support for medical cannabis has long existed in Israel, government regulation is relatively new." Continue reading →

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He Could Bear Arms for the Government — But Not For Himself

"Before he retired from the Army in 1993, Houston resident Ron Kelly spent decades firing machine guns, tanks, and other high-performance weapons. Kelly estimates that during his military career he fired 100,000 rounds of ammo. Yet when he recently tried to purchase a .22-caliber rifle at a local Wal-Mart, Kelly was denied – because a computerized background check turned up a misdemeanor marijuana conviction from 1971. As a teenager, Kelly was arrested with a baggie of pot at High School and given a year of probation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHe Could Bear Arms for the Government — But Not For Himself

Will Adam Kokesh Face Charges of Armed Sedition?

"During the attack, Adam reports that the Park Police covered his chest with laser-sight red dots even when he had his hands up. A sheriff’s deputy informed Adam that charges of illegal transportation of a firearm, sedition and armed sedition are being considered against him, presumably by federal prosecutors. (Oxford defines sedition as 'conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch.' Eyewitnesses to the attack on Adam and his companions Tuesday night report that US Park Police brought large brown paper evidence bags in with them before their search that appeared to be full." Continue reading →

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Mexican journalist acquitted of drug charges pens book on hellish prison experience

"'They handcuffed me, covered my face with a hood and kidnapped me for two days in a location unknown to police chiefs,' Lemus told AFP. 'I endured torture that I never imagined could exist,' he said. He said his captors wrapped plastic bags around his head to deprive him of oxygen, electrocuted his testicles and beat him with wooden boards. Still, he refused to sign a confession saying he was a member of a drug cartel. He later signed a document admitting he was detained alongside two drug traffickers, enough to get him sentenced to 20 years in prison." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMexican journalist acquitted of drug charges pens book on hellish prison experience

Interview with Chris Kalbaugh, Producer of 4th of July DUI Checkpoint Video

"Thursday THP released dash cam video of its own. Troopers say it shows what Chris' video doesn't: a dog detecting drug residue in his vehicle. Chris says he even took and passed a drug test a few days later to prove his innocence. Chris isn't sure if he'd do it again, but says he proved his point and learned an important lesson.Chris says he was detained about 25-30 minutes, and allowed to leave without being charged with anything. Officers say 250 motorists went through that 4th of July checkpoint with one arrest." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingInterview with Chris Kalbaugh, Producer of 4th of July DUI Checkpoint Video

Nepal police seize smuggled gold bound for India

"Nepal police seized 35 kilograms of gold on Wednesday, smuggled over the border from China and bound for India, where demand for the precious metal was soaring, officers said. The shipment, worth two million dollars on the black market, was the biggest ever seized by police in Nepal in what is an increasingly lucrative cross-border smuggling racket, the officers said. The gold was discovered in a truck in the capital Kathmandu after police trailed the vehicle following a tip off, superintendent Uttam Kumar Karkee told AFP. He said that smugglers have been using land routes after authorities stepped up customs inspections at airports." Continue reading →

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Smuggled Gold worth $5 billion to hit India this year

"India's efforts to curb gold imports are backfiring as the country already started to suffer from illegal gold transactions. Reports said old style gold smuggling is back in the country as series of restrictions by the government makes it difficult for the importers to buy from abroad while smugglers are offering much lower prices. Analysts said smuggling became a lucrative affair after the rise in customs duty on gold imports and people risking their necks to smuggle in gold. They added that smugglers got an opportunity after being sidelined for nearly 15 years due to liberalized policies of the government on gold imports." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSmuggled Gold worth $5 billion to hit India this year

Why marijuana taxes are such a burning question

"In November, Colorado voters will decide on a proposed 15% excise tax, plus a 10% state sales tax, on all retail cannabis sales. In addition, Denver might levy its own 5% tax on pot sales made within the city. City officials say that 5% tax, along with other fees and state revenue, could add over $9 million annually to Denver's coffers. But advocates for legal marijuana say excessive taxes will drive people away from state-controlled cannabis and back to the black market. 'When you start thinking about it, in terms of what that's going to do to the cost to the consumer for cannabis, it's pretty ridiculous,' says Westword, Denver's weekly alternative paper." Continue reading →

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Justice Achieved: Coffee Mug Threat Is Halted by State Attorneys General.

"See this mug? Well, you won’t see it again. Even the thought of a coffee mug like this sends chills down the spines of state Attorneys General around America. They are ever on the alert to stop crime in its tracks. So, 22 of them joined together to send a letter to the company that manufactures this mug. Stop it, they said. Stop it right now. For the sake of humanity, cease and desist. So, the company stopped it. If we did not have socially alert Attorney Generals, elected by the voters, who are in charge of billions of dollars of legal talent, this nation would degenerate into a lawless cacophony of coffee mugs, glasses, coasters, and drink holders." Continue reading →

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With Cigarettes Banned In Most Prisons, Gangs Shift From Drugs To Smokes

"With tobacco products now banned by the federal Bureau of Prisons and the majority of state prison systems, the price of a single Marlboro inside now reaches twenty dollars. A policy intended to produce health benefits and reduce fire risk has created a cash cow for prison gangs like the Mexican Mafia and Aryan Brotherhood, and the guards willing to work with them. Everyone involved in bringing the tobacco in gets paid by PayPal or Western Union. 'This one Sureño dude had shit on smash here. He literally made over $100,000 in a couple of years getting tobacco in like this. The homie came up. He was about his business,' the prisoner says." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWith Cigarettes Banned In Most Prisons, Gangs Shift From Drugs To Smokes