Drugs & Prohibition

Latin American leaders urge review of U.S. pro-marijuana referenda

"The leaders of Mexico and three Central American nations called Monday for a review of anti-drug policies after two US states voted to legalize marijuana. The presidents of Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica and Belize called on the United Nations to hold a special session by 2015 to examine the 'successes and limits' of current strategies against drug trafficking. In a joint declaration read by Mexican President Felipe Calderon, the leaders asked the Organization of American States (OAS) to draft a report on the impact of last week’s referenda in the US states of Colorado and Washington." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLatin American leaders urge review of U.S. pro-marijuana referenda

World anti-doping agency wants a larger budget from national governments

"In the wake of the Armstrong scandal, which saw the Texan stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from the sport for life, anti-doping agencies had to work more closely with the pharmaceutical industry. One way that the industry had helped so far was by making available to WADA samples of certain medications not yet available to the wider public to help develop tests more quickly and effectively when they are adapted for illegal use in sport. Rogge, however, said that sport also needed to enlist the support of law enforcement agencies to fight against doping, given that it frequently had links to 'other forms of corruption'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWorld anti-doping agency wants a larger budget from national governments

Interpol elects French woman as first female president

"Ballestrazzi, 58, became a police commissioner in France in 1975 and was already vice-president for Europe on Interpol’s executive committee. French Interior Minister Manuel Valls, who attended the Interpol assembly earlier this week, said Ballestrazzi was 'a great police woman'. Valls said her experience with organised crime would serve her well in fighting drug trafficking, mafias from southern and eastern Europe as well as growing political violence that requires a coordinated international response." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingInterpol elects French woman as first female president

Egypt police bust baby trafficking ring

"Egyptian police said on Sunday they had broken up a child trafficking ring that sold almost 300 babies for 570 dollars each or less. [..] The official said the network also performed caesarian operations on women who had left it too late for an abortion of an unwanted child in exchange for allowing the doctors to sell the babies, usually to couples who could not have their own children. Adoption is illegal in Egypt, which adheres to Islamic law in some family matters. Some couples have sought to bypass the ban; in 2009, an American couple received a two year jail sentence after a court convicted them of buying a child from an orphanage." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEgypt police bust baby trafficking ring

Carnegie Mellon University trustee accused of laundering millions for drug cartel

"Marco Antonio Delgado, a prominent Texas attorney and former trustee at Carnegie Mellon University, appeared in an El Paso court on Thursday to face charges that he conspired with a Mexican drug cartel to launder more than $600 million. The Department of Homeland Security did not name the cartel he’s accused of working with, but said that he conspired to launder the money from 2007-2008. His biography on Carnegie Mellon University said that Delgado was on leave and working for incoming Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto, although Nieto’s aides denied any association." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCarnegie Mellon University trustee accused of laundering millions for drug cartel

Colorado reps seek state exemption from federal pot prohibition laws

"In the wake of this week’s historic vote to legalize marijuana in Colorado, the state’s three Democratic U.S. House members are drafting legislation aimed at easing the tension between the new state law and longstanding federal prohibition of the drug. Congressional staffers told the Independent that Colorado Reps Diana DeGette (CD1), Ed Perlmutter (CD7) and Jared Polis (CD2) are working independently and together on bills that would exempt states where pot has been legalized from the Controlled Substances Act." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingColorado reps seek state exemption from federal pot prohibition laws

California Gov. Brown tells the Obama administration to back off on marijuana

"California Gov. Jerry Brown said Sunday on CNN that the Obama administration should respect states that choose to legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal or recreational purposes. 'It’s time for the Justice Department to recognize the sovereignty of the states,' Brown said, noting that a number of states had medical marijuana laws. 'I believe the president and the Department of Justice ought to respect the will of these separate states.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCalifornia Gov. Brown tells the Obama administration to back off on marijuana

220 marijuana cases dismissed in King, Pierce counties after legalization

"King and Pierce County prosecutors are dismissing more than 220 misdemeanor marijuana cases in response to Tuesday’s vote to decriminalize small amounts of pot. In King County, 175 cases are being dismissed involving people 21 and older and possession of one ounce or less. I-502 makes one ounce of marijuana legal on Dec. 6, but King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg decided to apply I-502 retroactively. 'Although the effective date of I-502 is not until December 6, there is no point in continuing to seek criminal penalties for conduct that will be legal next month,' Satterberg said in a statement." Continue reading →

Continue Reading220 marijuana cases dismissed in King, Pierce counties after legalization

With Two States Legalizing Marijuana, Are Drug Warriors In Washington Freaking Out?

"Voters in Colorado and Washington made history Tuesday night. The states’ marijuana legalization initiatives, I-502 in Washington and Amendment 64 in Colorado, brought what many marijuana advocates are calling the beginning of the end of marijuana prohibition in America. But the power of the people -- and the states -- have one big hurdle to clear before the ban on pot is lifted: The feds. Only this time, the people may have built more than drug warriors' boots can stomp out." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWith Two States Legalizing Marijuana, Are Drug Warriors In Washington Freaking Out?

Voters in Six States Approve Measures Nullifying Federal Acts

"Of 72 hours of election coverage not one minute was devoted to reporting the results of several ballot initiatives nullifying unconstitutional acts of Congress. None of the highly paid, pancake-powdered pundits spoke a single syllable about the noteworthy and now codified efforts of citizens across the country to stop the encroachment of federal tyranny at the state borders. At The New American, we strive to promote liberty through the publishing of news stories related to the Constitution, and to that end, proceeding from Atlantic to Pacific, we here present a brief rundown of the several nullifying proposals passed by voters." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingVoters in Six States Approve Measures Nullifying Federal Acts