Drugs & Prohibition

The Surveillance State: How The War On Drugs And The War On Terror Go Hand In Hand

"It is telling that in ten years there were only 15 terrorism related 'sneak and peak' warrants issued while the rest were predominantly for drugs. It is this mission creep which has led to many of the abuses behind not just the Drug War, but the War on Terror. It is the permanent state of war that has contributed to the lack of transparency that should concern all Americans as laws and technology collide. How do we balance the need for security and maintain our civil liberties? It is this discussion that requires the full light of day. Whether Edward Snowden’s leak of NSA information is heroic or treasonous, what he revealed about America should startle us all." Continue reading →

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DEA Wages Hemp War Behind The Scenes In House

"The Drug Enforcement Administration has kicked its lobbying against legalizing industrial hemp into high gear, hoping to block an amendment in the House that would decriminalize the crop for research purposes. The Huffington Post has obtained a copy of talking points the DEA is circulating among members of Congress to press them to oppose the amendment -- raising the seemingly incongruous specter of the government using its resources to lobby itself. Hemp is legal to grow in many industrialized countries, including Canada, and is legal to import into the U.S. States such as Colorado and McConnell's Kentucky have legalized hemp growing, but await federal action." Continue reading →

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The 14 Most Ridiculous Things Police Bought With Asset Forfeiture

"Hey, remember the police chief from #7? He’s back! The (former) police chief of Romulus, Mich. and five detectives were part of the town’s vice squad, investigating 'liquor license violations, prostitution and narcotics trafficking.' Thanks to those investigations, they allegedly spent more than $40,000 in asset forfeiture funds on marijuana, booze, and prostitutes. Now these cops face 22 felony counts…and just gave Nic Cage a new movie idea." Continue reading →

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UN Releases 2013 World Drug War Report

"I found this paragraph absolutely stunning: 'We have to admit that, globally, the demand for drugs has not been substantially reduced and that some challenges exist in the implementation of the drug control system, in the violence generated by trafficking in illicit drugs, in the fast evolving nature of new psychoactive substances, and in those national legislative measures which may result in a violation of human rights. The real issue is not to amend the Conventions, but to implement them according to their underlying spirit.' Read that again and realize the enormity of what he is saying." Continue reading →

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The Future of Building Your Own Guns

"As more ridiculous anti-gun laws continue to be passed, the future of DIY gun building and parts is looking better all the time. People should always be able to go to the gun store and purchase fully-assembled guns. But, doing this could subject you to invasive scrutiny from government, higher prices, higher taxes, or flat-out denial based on variety of fabricated reasons. On demand CNC parts and 3-D printing services will soon bring the art of building your own guns to a whole new level." Continue reading →

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One Dead After Charlotte Police Stage Drug Sting on Elementary School Grounds

"An undercover drug sting in the parking lot of a Charlotte, North Carolina, elementary school ended up with one person killed and one person wounded, and a community wondering why police chose that particular location for their operation. Police set up a marijuana buy between an undercover police officer, an informant, and two teenagers last Tuesday afternoon. Police said that during the drug deal, Walker pulled a gun and shot the informant in the shoulder in an attempt to rob him. The undercover police officer then shot Walker in the head, killing him. The teen who accompanied Walker fled, but was arrested later." Continue reading →

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Civil Forfeiture Of Cash: It Could Happen To You

"Owners of property subject to civil forfeiture find themselves in an Alice-in-Wonderland legal landscape where the property seized is accused of a crime, rather than the owner. The owners must follow obscure rules that originate in Admiralty law, with which most attorneys aren’t familiar. Fortunately, you can reduce the likelihood that law enforcement agencies will try to confiscate your cash. The most important precaution is to insure the cash you hold contains no narcotics residues. If you insist on withdrawing new bank-wrapped bills from your bank account, the likelihood of contamination drops considerably. Also, keep a bank withdrawal slip with the cash." Continue reading →

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‘How to Make Money Selling Drugs’

"'How to Make Money' is full of useful insights from people who know the drug trade well, including reformed dealers, ex-international smugglers, former cops, pundits, lawyers and government insiders. Interviewees include one-time dealer Freeway Ricky Ross, retired Baltimore cop-turned-activist Neill Franklin and rapper 50 Cent, who sold drugs as a 12-year-old orphan. The film’s emerging portrait of the drug war is of a relentless, historical cycle involving poverty, racism, addiction, corruption, political opportunism, local cops dependent on federal dollars, and a $50 billion, commercial prison industry profiting mightily by incarcerating lots of Americans." Continue reading →

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Innovation in legal highs leaves governments in the dust

"An explosion of hundreds of new 'legal highs' in recent years has left governments around the world in the dust as lawmakers struggle to keep prohibition laws updated as more and more never-before-seen drugs flood the black market. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said Wednesday that more than 251 new psychoactive substances were available on the black market by mid-2012, a growth of more than 50 percent over 2009. The number of new psychoactive substances available on the black market today exceeds the number of controlled psychoactive substances currently prohibited by governments around the world." Continue reading →

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For those concerned about the Voting Rights Act

"It would be a mistake to assume that the Voting Rights Act in any way ensured that all African Americans were able to vote. The biggest factor in suppressing minority vote is not even addressed by the Voting Rights Act — felony disenfranchisement. 5.8 million Americans are unable to vote because of our obsession with over-incarceration and the drug war, and it hits minorities hardest by a long shot. 1 in 13 African-Americans nationally are unable to vote. Drug war incarceration has been referred to as the 'New Jim Crow,' and built right into our drug laws are enforcement incentives that make racist outcomes certain." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFor those concerned about the Voting Rights Act