Open Thread

“bullet” Harold Pollack in the New Republic: Obama’s Odd Drug Control Plan: Appoint Qualified People
“bullet” Rogue Police Narcotics Squad in Philly Terrorizing Immigrant Grocers via Radley Balko. Yes, this will get your blood boiling, and yet, it’s sadly… familiar.
“bullet” International Harm Reduction Association statement at the CND plenary session on demand reduction.

CND‰s failure to embrace harm reduction, and the continued obstruction of a small number of governments to even non-binding statements of support for harm reduction programmes within the Political Declaration, clearly illustrate the degree to which the Commission is not only out of step with the scientific and medical evidence supporting harm reduction, but is also isolated from the mainstream of UN opinion on this key health policy issue.

“bullet” Remember that unarmed Grand Valley State University student who was shot in the chest by a cop in a drug raid? Turns out that they found a “few tablespoons” of marijuana. Ah… well… OK, then. Carry on.
The student senate is calling for and investigation and students at other neighboring universities are joining in protests.
See also this spot-on analysis by Eric Baerren

American drug policy violates basic principles of economics. It seeks to achieve an impossible goal — eliminating demand and supply š while at the same time decentralizing distribution and sales. Rather than confining the market to a few regulated distribution points that operate during set hours, it has allowed the market to flourish by allowing everyone to become a potential dealer.[…]
It‰s important to note that demand is not at all tied to police interdiction efforts. In fact, the police and government have removed themselves from having anything to do with how the market operates by declaring the product illegal. Demand continues on, unabated by threatened government sanctions, and supply continues to follow. The only contribution the cops make to the transaction is creating a bigger profit margin by adding additional risk for the supplier.

“bullet” Legal pot debuts in Midwest by Tim Jones in the Chicago Tribune.
“bullet” Police Officer Mark Tonner is another one of those strange birds who think that legalizing marijuana would not only not reduce violence, but might increase the violence: Legalizing Pot Won’t End Gangs. He ends with this helpful advice to us:

Crying for legalization of marijuana is about as helpful as raising chickens on your patio.

“bullet” For the masochists here, there is video of drug warrior Joyce Nalepka confronting Rob Kampia at a press conference about the unreliability of drug testing kits.
“bullet” Balancing THC and CBD for medical value. A very interesting article. Cannabidiol Now! by Fred Gardner.
“bullet” DrugSense Weekly
“bullet” “drcnet”