War on Drugs // Current TV

Governments New Tracking System – PLAN

The governments got a PLAN. This PLAN’s origins were not in the halls of... more

shanklinmike
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The war on drugs: At least 27 killed near Mexico border

At least 27 people were killed in a Guatemalan village near the border with Mexico in... more

Pfailblog
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1 comment

Rep. Ron Paul Introduces H.R. 1831, The Industrial Hemp Farming Act

WASHINGTON, May 12, 2011 Senate Bill In Support of Industrial Hemp... more

Radical_Centrist
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That hippie sacrament

On believing in personal freedom and living outside the social mainstream

joeeddy
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9/11 Terrorism - Thanks To American Terrorism

9/11 Didn’t happen because we are “rich and free”. It’s... more

Polochick09
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Cannabis; An Amazing Resource

We all know the real reason weed is illegal. It's not because people who are... more

Pfailblog
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Marijuana; An Amazing Resource

We all know the real reason weed is illegal. It's not because people who are... more

Pfailblog
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What is NonAggressionism?

The non-aggression principle (also called the non-aggression axiom, or the... more

shanklinmike
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WHY DO YOU PAY FOREIGNERS TO KILL US?

BRASSCHECK TV passes on yet another example of how your money is being spent to train... more

COMMONSENSEFORCOMMONGOOD_COM
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Is Free Market Capitalism an Oxymoron?

The matter of whether or not “free market capitalism” should be considered... more

shanklinmike
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The Irrelevance of the Death of Bin Laden

Obama announced tonight that we finally killed Bin Laden, the proclaimed mastermind... more

shanklinmike
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Keynes Vs Hayek: Part II - Fight Of The Century

Statism is not the answer. It's time to advance individual rights.... more

shanklinmike
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In the War on Drugs, Success Means Failure

On August 8, 2010, as Juan Manual Santos was sworn in as president of Colombia, he received a promise from then-national security adviser Gen. Jim Jones that the US would continue its "strong partnership" with Colombia. The mainstay of that partnership is, of course, the war on drugs, which, in late June 2010, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Director Antonio Maria Costa touted as having achieved a measure of success. "The drug control policies adopted by the Colombian government over the past few years - combining security and development - are paying off," he said. Since it's obvious to pretty much everyone on the planet that the drug war is raging more violently than ever, that cocaine is plentiful, cheap and just as addictive as ever, how is it possible that we continue hearing about the success of the war on drugs?

Here's how. For the last decade, for those who have a stake in the billions of dollars being spent to "fight" drugs, it all comes down to one data point: the total acreage of coca plants that are cultivated in Colombia in one year. When the number goes down, papers are drafted, budget reports are crafted and sound bytes fly through the air with ease and conviction, proclaiming the end of our 40-year battle against cocaine. But what does this number really mean for slowing, stopping, eradicating drugs? Nothing.

Here's an idea of why this endlessly quoted statistic is so meaningless: Say that obesity has become a plague of American society. People are dropping like flies. The medical establishment is overwhelmed with patients suffering heart disease, diabetes, stroke - all because of their addiction to and overconsumption of carbohydrates. The biggest and most evil player in this scourge is, of course, corn and all of its delicious derivatives. So, the federal government decides to save society from their deadly dependence by outlawing corn.

Now, say a certain svelte governor of Midwestern State X decides he will lead the crusade to end the corn addiction and save millions of lives and billions of dollars in medical costs. Wanting to be at the forefront of the War on Corn, he allows the federal government to fumigate all of the now-illegal crops growing in his state. Government Contractor X accepts the job to the tune of several hundred million in tax dollars and sprays herbicide from airplanes, wiping out all of the corn crops in State X.

Well, there's no way in hell we're giving up our Doritos, our Captain Crunch, our soft drinks, beer and cheese spread ... in fact, we may even kill for them. With the idea that corn may be no more, every junk food manufacturing corporation goes into overdrive, buying up the illicit kernels. And to make up for the loss of corn from State X, State Y, whose governor hasn't agreed to fumigation, picks up the slack and doubles its production. Then State Z follows suit.

All across the country, more corn then ever is being produced and sold on the black market. Corn farmers turn to felons, becoming uber-rich in a race to fill users' needs. Billions are spent on diet aids and on gym memberships to try and mitigate the collective bulge, but there is no slowdown to the demand. Even State X minimarts are chock full of starch-filled snacks. The obesity epidemic is greater than ever, heart disease and diabetes patients fill State X hospitals. Thousands succumb to diseases directly linked to corn. Still, Governor of State X lauds his success. "Not a single ear of corn now grows in my state! What a great success we've had!" he proclaims. "More federal money is needed to continue this great success!" Congress signs off on a hefty budget to keep fighting the War on Corn.

The same success that happened in State X happened in Colombia last year when US-funded aerial fumigation and the Colombian civil war were factors that helped decrease the total area of coca cultivation in that country. Costa called the news "a remarkable achievement." However, as usual, Colombia's next-door neighbor and decades-long coca production buddy, Peru, stepped in to fill the void, taking the lead at 45 percent of global production over Colombia's 39 percent, with Bolivia picking up the slack. So, in 2009, the square acreage of coca grown in Colombia was down. Big success - and enough to convince the US Congress to approve another half billion dollars for Colombia in 2010 and to ask for another half billion for 2011. For every other distasteful side dish of illegal drugs - trafficking, violence, addiction, corruption - it was business as usual.

http://truthout.org/war-drugs-success-means-failureOn August 8, 2010, as Juan Manual Santos was sworn in as president of Colombia, he... more

Schnookums
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The simple truth about weed

The war on weed,cannabis, marijuana, rages on... here's the simple truth for me.... more

dudefromtherock
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Help Others Understand They Should Not Be Slaves & Freedom Is Inevitable

No one has the right to own you. http://www.peacefreedomprosperity.com/?p=4134

Niki_Staehle
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Help Others Understand They Should Not Be Slaves & Freedom Is Inevitable

No one has the right to own you. http://www.peacefreedomprosperity.com/?p=4134

Niki_Staehle
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War on drugs has failed

The “war on drugs” has failed and should be abandoned in favour of... more

joeeddy
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Enough With The Pot Jokes

This is Serious - it affects all of us, and it should be the easiest thing to cut to decrease the nation's debt. Alcohol Prohibition didn't work, and arresting people for ganja doesn't work, so why not make people who sell card for age verification and get it legal already?
Every one might benefit medically from cannabis at some point in their life, and it prevents cancer and neuro-degenerative diseases, so cut the doctors note bureaucracy and make it over the counter for adults.

In 2007 there were over 850,000 marijuana arrests (PDF). The United States has only 5% of the worlds population but imprisons 25% of its prisoners. The federal government spent over $15 billion on the drug war in 2010, or a rate of $500 a second. Our country is 66% non-Hispanic white people but 70% of our prisoners are non-white. The justice system is overwhelmingly unfriendly to the poor. And on and on.

I don't understand how it can possibly remain the case that these facts are out there and yet marijuana legalization is somehow seen as a less than serious issue. This is a social justice issue. This is a racial justice issue. This is a deficit reduction issue. This is an issue of elementary personal freedoms. But we can't fix things as long as people who are ostensibly in favor of decriminalization continue to say so with a smirk, or relegate the issue to the margins, or treat it as a distraction or joke. It's time to get serious about a serious and deeply troubling issue.

(Photo: Darnell Thomas (L) reads while his cellmate Freddron Mendoza works on his poetry in their cell at Sheridan Correctional Center on November 14, 2005 in Sheridan, Illinois. A dedicated center for the treatment of inmates with drug and alcohol abuse problems, the state opened Sheridan in January 2004 to combat a recidivism rate of 54% in its penal system. Nearly 69 percent of all inmates in the Illinois prison system are serving time for drug or alcohol related offenses. The recidivism rate for prisoners who have served time at Sheridan is only 7.7 percent. By Scott Olson/Getty Images)This is Serious - it affects all of us, and it should be the easiest thing to cut to... more

juicie
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Marijuana Wars - Mon 21st March, 10PM

California has become one of the leading producers of marijuana in the world--most of... more

saverio
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Wire creator comments on charges against "Snoop" and the justice system

Also check out Baltimore Sun for details on the raid. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-drug-raids-20110310,0,5092225.story

Earlier today,10 March 2011, The Wire actress Felicia "Snoop" Pearson was arrested as part of a large-scale drug raid in Baltimore and surrounding counties.

Comments from David Simon, The Wire creator and executive producer--provided through an HBO spokesperson:

First of all, Felicia's entitled to the presumption of innocence. And I would note that a previous, but recent drug arrest that targeted her was later found to be unwarranted and the charges were dropped. Nonetheless, I'm certainly sad at the news today. This young lady has, from her earliest moments, had one of the hardest lives imaginable. And whatever good fortune came from her role in The Wire seems, in retrospect, limited to that project. She worked hard as an actor and was entirely professional, but the entertainment industry as a whole does not offer a great many roles for those who can portray people from the other America. There are, in fact, relatively few stories told about the other America.

Beyond that, I am waiting to see whether the charges against Felicia relate to heroin or marijuana. Obviously, the former would be, to my mind, a far more serious matter. And further, I am waiting to see if the charges or statement of facts offered by the government reflect any involvement with acts of violence, which would of course be of much greater concern.
In an essay published two years ago in Time magazine, the writers of The Wire made the argument that we believe the war on drugs has devolved into a war on the underclass, that in places like West and East Baltimore, where the drug economy is now the only factory still hiring and where the educational system is so crippled that the vast majority of children are trained only for the corners, a legal campaign to imprison our most vulnerable and damaged citizens is little more than amoral. And we said then that if asked to serve on any jury considering a non-violent drug offense, we would move to nullify that jury's verdict and vote to acquit. Regardless of the defendant, I still believe such a course of action would be just in any case in which drug offenses—absent proof of violent acts—are alleged.

Both our Constitution and our common law guarantee that we will be judged by our peers. But in truth, there are now two Americas, politically and economically distinct. I, for one, do not qualify as a peer to Felicia Pearson. The opportunities and experiences of her life do not correspond in any way with my own, and her America is different from my own. I am therefore ill-equipped to be her judge in this matter.
Photograph of Felicia Pearson courtesy of Bryan Bedder/Getty Images.Also check out Baltimore Sun for details on the raid.... more

juicie
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