The roots of the fiasco. John Sinclair takes a look at how we got to where we are today.
“An open and honest discussion” would lead first to an examination of what the War on Drugs is all about: Why do they have a War on Drugs? What are its goals? Who are the combatants? Why has there been no measurable success at all?
First off, it’s not a war on drugs per se, because all sorts of drugs are more prevalent than ever, and the pharmaceutical industry is indeed the most profitable of enterprises, but it’s a war on recreational drugs and their users.
The purpose of the War on Drugs is to persecute and punish users of recreational drugs in an effort basically to try to keep people from getting high on substances ruled illegal by a political process with little regard for medical or moral niceties — nor for due process of law, for that matter.
Recreational drugs like marijuana, cocaine and heroin were once legal. One day, through some mystical process that took place in the houses of Congress and in state legislative bodies in turn, each of them was determined to be illegal.
Really, really stupid OpEd by Robert rose in the Indy Star: Don’t surrender in War on Drugs
Frankly, I do not want to live in the drug-addled world advocated by those who protest the War on Drugs. Alcohol is a drug and should be all this society needs for “recreational use.†It has been proven that marijuana use leads to heavier drug use to keep those highs coming.
TSA keeping us safe. Montel Williams cited for drug paraphernalia
Williams was caught by TSA with a pipe commonly used for marijuana while going through a security checkpoint, a sheriff’s spokesperson said. He paid the citation of $484 and was released to resume his travel plans.
Williams suffers from multiple sclerosis and is a prominent advocate for legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Sinn Féin political party initiates reform in Ireland (via Transform)
Their call for fact-based policy:
“The administration of criminal justice as it interacts with drug-related crime should be reviewed, reformed and tailored to more effectively address and reduce systemic crime, economic compulsive crime and psychopharmacological crime. A broad societal debate considering every possible approach and all relevant evidence from other jurisdictions including those that have experimented with decriminalization and/or legalization is warranted to this end.
“New approaches must be informed by the most credible emerging evidence and international best practice.â€
This is an open thread.
Deals on wheels
http://presscore.ca/2011/?p=753
‎85 per cent of all drugs produced in Afghanistan are shipped out by US aircraft. | PRESS Core
‎”85 per cent of all drugs produced in Afghanistan is being shipped aboard US aircraft. Foreign diplomats have stated that the United States military buy drugs from local Afghan drug lords who deal with field commanders overseeing eradication of drug production…”