Drugs & Vice

Philadelphia applies retroactive lap dance tax at gentlemen’s clubs

"After failing to institute hikes on soda and cigarettes, Philadelphia officials have reportedly slipped a lap dance tax under the radar. Attorney George Bochetto, who represents Club Risque and Cheerleaders, said the move is 'financial desperation' and part of an effort by the city to tax the same thing twice. According to appeal petitions, Cheerleaders owes $486,482 and Club Risque owes $320,538. The city audited the lap dance encounters then 'issued an assessment going back five years,' Bochetto said, plus interest and penalties. 'It’s over the top,' he told the newspaper. 'Unbelievable.'" Continue reading →

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Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart would let prisoners ‘pay for freedom’

"Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart has suggested that non-violent prisoners could pay their way out of jail and become tax-paying workers to boost the economy. In a column for the Australian Resources and Investment magazine, the mining heiress said the country needed more workers as the population ages, and getting criminals back into the workforce would bolster tax revenues. She said while some offenders might be able to pay to be allowed back into the community, others could agree to forgo their rights to vote or to a passport if they were unable to come up with the money." Continue reading →

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British Somalis dread ban of ‘herbal high’ khat

"When Britain bans the herbal stimulant khat, Mohamod Ahmed Mohamed will lose his livelihood. But he fears most for his small Somali community without the leaf that fuels its social life. 'I can switch to another business but what about the youth, where are they going to go — the street, the mosque, to hard drugs?' he says at his khat warehouse near London’s Heathrow airport. 'You are taking away their freedom. Why target us? You will never find somebody falling over on the street or fighting from khat like they do when they are drunk.' Mohamed supplies khat to many of Britain’s 100,000 Somalis, Ethiopians and Yemenis, for whom chewing the bushy shrub is as normal as going to the pub." Continue reading →

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Guns, Badges, and Cartels

"Drug dealers are not going to obey laws that supposedly control guns. If you want to get drug dealers to stop buying guns, then you had better vote to de-criminalize drugs. But liberals want to criminalize guns, and conservatives want to criminalize drugs. If you think this argument makes no sense, then don’t expect liberals to respond to this argument: 'People who are prepared to defy the laws against murder aren’t going to obey laws against owning guns or large-capacity magazines.' Cartels want above-market income on state-protected turf. This takes guns. The debate is over who gets to carry the guns legally, and who will carry them illegally." Continue reading →

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Former California cop arrested for raping prostitutes while in uniform

"A former police officer in Southern California was arrested Thursday for allegedly raping two prostitutes while he was in uniform or carrying his service gun, according to the Los Angeles Times. 'The charges in this case describe disgraceful abuses of police authority that simply cannot be tolerated in our society,' United States Attorney André Birotte Jr. said in a statement. Forty-six-year-old Jose Jesus Perez of Menifee, California was arrested without incident in Denton, Texas. A federal grand jury indicted Perez on four civil rights offenses, claiming the officer forced two women to have sex with him 'while acting under the color of law.'" Continue reading →

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Should NFL players be allowed to smoke marijuana?

"Despite being legalised in both of those two states, marijuana remains on the NFL’s list of banned substances; players found to have used the drug are punishable with fines and suspensions. Not everyone believes that should be the case. Many players will be sympathetic to their cause. The former NFL lineman Lomas Brown, now an analyst for ESPN, told the Detroit News last year that at least 50% of players smoke pot. Earlier in 2012, ESPN had reported that as many as 70% of prospects trying out at the NFL Combine admitted to having used the drug at some point. A number of players have enjoyed highly successful careers despite acknowledged marijuana habits." Continue reading →

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‘More profitable than cocaine’: Peru is top source of counterfeit US cash

"Peru has in the past two years overtaken Colombia as the No. 1 source of counterfeit U.S. dollars, says the U.S. Secret Service, protector of the world's most widely traded currency. Over the past decade, $103 million in fake U.S. dollars 'made in Peru' have been seized — nearly half since 2010, Peruvian and U.S. officials say. The phony money heads mostly to the United States but is also goes smuggled to nearby countries including Argentina, Venezuela and Ecuador. Counterfeiters earn up to $20,000 in real currency for every $100,000 in false bills they produce after expenses, the investigator said." Continue reading →

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How We Got Busted Buying Drugs On Silk Road’s Black Market

"To be clear, we weren’t caught by law enforcement–so far at least, our experiment last month in ordering small amounts of marijuana from three different Bitcoin-based online black markets hasn’t resulted in anyone getting arrested. But a few weeks after those purchases, I asked Sarah Meiklejohn, a Bitcoin-focused computer science researcher at the University of California at San Diego, to put the privacy of our black market transactions to the test by tracing the digital breadcrumbs that Bitcoin leaves behind. The result of her analysis: On Silk Road, and possibly on smaller competitor markets, our online drug buys were visible to practically anyone who took the time to look." Continue reading →

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Libertarian state senate candidate gets arrested at pro-marijuana rally

"A Libertarian candidate for the New Jersey Senate got himself arrested at a pro-marijuana rally in Philadelphia over the weekend. Don DeZarn, 46, was arrested for the second time in four months for marijuana possession on Saturday at the monthly SmokeDown Prohibition demonstration. After encouraging the participants of the rally to visit their representatives, DeZarn lit up and smoked a marijuana joint as police stood nearby. Six other people were issued citations for marijuana use at the demonstration, according to Philly.com." Continue reading →

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Cops Cry Foul Over Holder Marijuana Policy Move

"Organized law enforcement has some problems with Attorney General Holder's announcement last week that the Justice Department would not seek to block Colorado and Washington from implementing their marijuana legalization laws. Those law enforcement groups are the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Major County Sheriff's Association, the National Sheriff's Association, the Major Cities Chief's Association, the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies, the National Narcotics Officers' Associations Coalition, and the Police Executive Review Foundation." Continue reading →

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