Drugs & Prohibition

Oakland Insists It Can Defend Medical Pot Club

"The city of Oakland renewed demands to stay forfeiture proceedings against a local medical marijuana dispensary whose business it defends as a matter of state's rights. Though the U.S. government says that Oakland lacks standing to try to block it from seizing Harborside Health Center, the city argued that it has an interest in protecting its economic and public health interests, and it says a stay would serve the orderly adjudication of justice. The U.S. government initiated forfeiture proceedings against Harborside Health Center's Oakland and San Jose locations in July, claiming the clubs sell marijuana in violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA)." Continue reading →

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A look inside the federal civil forfeiture process

"Cave Junction grower Jedadiah Wissler, who allegedly supplied marijuana that was seized in 2010 in Texas while it was enroute to Florida, settled in a July agreement with federal prosecutors. Wissler dropped his claim to $44,542 seized from his residence along with some growing equipment, which included an automated marijuana-trimming device called a 'Twister.' He also dropped his claim for a pistol and an AK-47 WAGR-10 rifle with scope and bayonet. In turn, Wissler got to keep a seized pickup truck and unspecified assets in a local bank account, court records show." Continue reading →

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Couple files civil lawsuit against former cop who stole their medication

"Former Vernal police Officer Ben M. Murray allegedly looked up information about them, including medical history and other private data, in the state’s prescription drug database. He was able to learn when they filled prescriptions, for what drugs and in what quantities. Murray, wearing his police uniform and driving his police vehicle, then visited their home at least 30 times between January and July 2011 to conduct what he called a 'pill check.' Murray discussed their medical conditions and other personal business and required them to produce their medications so he could count the pills. During that process, he would distract them and pocket pills." Continue reading →

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Grandmother Struck and Killed by Drunk Driving NY Officer

"A former NYPD detective — whose BAC was more than three times the legal limit when he plowed into a Bronx grandmother with a cop car — was convicted of manslaughter yesterday. Former Detective Kevin Spellman, however, beat the rap on the most serious charges against him (aggravated vehicular homicide and first-degree vehicular manslaughter) in the death of 66-year-old Drane Nikac. Following the accident, Spellman refused a breathalyzer test, and his BAC wasn’t tested until five hours after he slammed into the Bronx grandmother while driving erratically in his NYPD-owned Chevy Impala." Continue reading →

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U.S. Ready to Offer Mercenaries $10 Billion for a Drug-War Air Force

"Unsure how your private security firm makes money as the U.S. war in Afghanistan winds down? One option: Go into the drug trade — more specifically, the lucrative business of fighting narcotics. The State Department needs a business partner to keep its fleet of drug-hunting helicopters and planes flying worldwide. You could make up to $10 billion-with-a-B. Without much publicity, the State Department has built a bespoke air force since the mid-1980s, one that’s stacked with helicopters and heavily reliant on contractors. From its headquarters at Florida’s Patrick Air Force Base, the State Department directs 51,000 annual hours worth of air operations." Continue reading →

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Cannabis For Infant’s Brain Tumor, Doctor Calls Child “A Miracle Baby”

"Medical marijuana is gaining acceptance, but could it even help kids? Saying he was 'quite a skeptic 5 or 6 years ago', Dr. William Courtney continued that 'my youngest patient is 8 months old, and had a very massive centrally located inoperable brain tumor.' The child's father pushed for non-traditional treatment utilizing cannabis. 'They were putting cannabinoid oil on the baby's pacifier twice a day, increasing the dose... And within two months there was a dramatic reduction, enough that the pediatric oncologist allowed them to go ahead with not pursuing traditional therapy.' The tumor was remarkably reduced after eight months of treatment." Continue reading →

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Not So Merry Christmas Drug Busts

"Local news reports 16 arrests for marijuana possession in nearby Jamestown. The Department of Homeland Security participated in these arrests. This is so bad, so bad. Every week this happens. Think of the huge amounts of taxes being wasted on hunting these people down, arresting them, holding them in detention centers and jails, putting them through the judicial system, and putting some in prison. It's incredible that this goes on. And for what? Now get this. In this state, New York State, a poll shows that 71 percent of voters favor medical marijuana." Continue reading →

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Keep Families Together: An Anarchist Christmas Message

"Mass incarceration and mass deportation are not separate policies that both happen to destroy families. Rather, they are two different facets of the prison industrial complex. The same corporations that operate prisons for profit also profit by running immigration detention centers. These companies back politicians that support authoritarian laws on both immigration and criminal justice issues. When people of color have their families violently broken apart by the state, the prison industrial complex profits. This Christmas, I urge you to organize against the prison industrial complex and the state apparatus that have broken so many families apart." Continue reading →

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Smugglers use cannon to fire 85 pounds of marijuana into Arizona

"In what appears to be yet another innovation in the drug war arms race, authorities said they found 33 cans of marijuana weighing about 85 pounds, and worth approximately $42,500, strewn across a field on Friday. A search turned up a carbon dioxide tank likely used to propel the containers. The emergence of an actual cannon, though surprising, isn’t an entirely unexpected development. The National Guard said last year that it spotted drug smugglers using catapults. Some have even resorted to homemade submarines — one of which sunk off the coast of Panama just last week." Continue reading →

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Bitcoin’s Potential Impact on the Global Gaming Industry

"Among the discussions Ver and Voorhees conducted at the Social Gaming Asia Summit was with one of Macau’s leading junket operators. While declining to identify the operator by name, Ver told GamblingCompliance that he and Voorhees had 'spent the whole day' discussing Bitcoin’s potential with the company, which was 'in the early process of setting it up so that all their customers can exchange to and from Bitcoins with the local currency in nine of the major casinos in Macau, including the Wynn, the Venetian and the MGM Grand.'" Continue reading →

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