Temporary Hiatus

It’s the end of the school year at Illinois State and I’ve been a bit too busy to post this past week — a week that included sponsoring a 60 hour four-square marathon to raise money for student scholarships, plus visiting artists, a final theatre party, and lots of fun (so I can’t complain). Except for about 4 hours sleep, I was at the theatre building from 10 am Wednesday until 5 am Saturday.
Thanks to friends like Patrick, who have continued to send me tidbits while I’ve been too busy to post, such as:
“bullet” Riedy taken off SWAT team

Joseph Riedy, the Bethlehem police officer who shot John Hirko Jr. to death, has been removed from the squad that raided Hirko’s home because of concerns that Riedy’s participation would make the city vulnerable in future lawsuits.

Wrong move on the part of the city. Should just eliminate the team.
“bullet” Last One Speaks has the big news:
The Limited Relevance of Drug Policy: Cannabis in Amsterdam and in San Francisco by Craig Reinarman, PhD, Peter D. A. Cohen, PhD and Hendrien L. Kaal, PhD., published this month in the American Journal of Public Health.

Results. With the exception of higher drug use in San Francisco, we found strong similarities across both cities. We found no evidence to support claims that criminalization reduces use or that decriminalization increases use.

Conclusions. Drug policies may have less impact on cannabis use than is currently thought.

No surprise there. But it is yet another scientific study that lays waste to the arguments of the drug warriors.
I’ve still got finishing up to do with the semester, so posting may be light for a few more days. Continue to check the sites on the left, and take a moment to write some letters to the editor over at MAP.