Tech week for my show in Chicago, which opens on Friday. It’s going great, but keeping me busy. I’ll be posting more about it later, but in case you’re interested, it’s The Living Canvas: Eureka! running June 29 – August 11 at National Pastime Theater.
The Alternative World Drug Report
The Alternative World Drug Report, launched to coincide with publication of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s 2012 World Drug Report, exposes the failure of governments and the UN to assess the extraordinary costs of pursuing a global war on drugs, and calls for UN member states to meaningfully count these costs and explore all the alternatives.
After 50 years of the current enforcement-led international drug control system, the war on drugs is coming under unparalleled scrutiny. Its goal was to create a “drug-free world”. Instead, despite more than a trillion dollars spent fighting the war, according to the UNODC, illegal drugs are used by an estimated 270 million people and organised crime profits from a trade with an estimated turnover of over $330 billion a year – the world’s largest illegal commodity market.
In its 2008 World Drug Report, the UNODC acknowledged that choosing an enforcement-based approach was having a range of negative “unintended consequences”, including: the creation of a vast criminal market, displacement of the illegal drugs trade to new areas, diversion of funding from health, and the stigmatisation of users.
It is unacceptable that neither the UN or its member governments have meaningfully assessed these unintended consequences to establish whether they outweigh the intended consequences of the current global drug control system, and that they are not documented in the UNODC’s flagship annual World Drug Report.
This groundbreaking Alternative World Drug Report fills this gap in government and UN evaluations by detailing the full range of negative impacts resulting from choosing an enforcement-led approach.
Legal Aid Society Sues New York City over Bogus Pot Arrests
The lawsuit filed against the city and the Police Department Friday seeks the court to declare the practice illegal under state law and forbid officers from making the bogus arrests for which they should already be punished.
UAE death sentence for British man on ‘drugs charge’.
21-year-old man sentenced to death for selling 20 grams of pot.
more bad news for indigenous Americanos:
Mexican Drug War’s Next Victims: Tarahumara Indian Runners
And as the page loads the single comment… who could it be? Aaah… that Malcolm, he’s everywhere!
🙂
Selwyn Rungbottom, in “Molds that work for me” discusses the applied application of a sustained and ubiquitous approach to the art of obsessive-compulsive activism – representing the idea that it may be possible to be both manifest within the architectural space and the diegetic space of all narratives… i.e. present in multiple spaces at one time!
I was just going to say that!
Perhaps will come that day when as with William Gibson’s ponderings humans will jack directly into the interwwweb – and when that day comes, so too will come the peyoteros, the ayahuasceros, the ibogans, the llesceros and reindeer herders, meditators and that dimension of living consciousness (that dmtitious presence) will take virtual root. Then the line between “architectural space and the diegetic space of all narratives” will itself blur.
Reminds me of that old Firesign dittie:
how can you be
in two places at once
when you’re not anywhere at allll… (ba dum bum bum)
The natural world is a trip. On the other hand the modern technological “wonder” that some call civilization is mundane, boring and ultimately self-defeating… without establishing a symbiosis w/ the natural order.
I know there are those who call those of us from the ’60s and ’70s “the worst generation” but I, being from that era, disagree. And not necessarily because of the drugs topic. Rising shorelines are a reality, extreme weather less rare and more damaging. Back then we espoused embracing our environment, we worked hard at it. And there were many walls and barriers that fell because we pushed them over… and then they (the proverbial “them”) killed the dreamers and spat upon the dream. Peace? Hah!
In a sane world hemp would be an answer. An answer to the starvation of the world’s poorest of the poor. An answer to natural disasters upon whole populations like in Haiti. A plant that can be used to build, bind, clothe and feed? A plant that laughs at weeds and needs no herbicides or pesticides? A blasted miracle… and banned…
… meanwhile, the anti-Robin Hoods continue to pillage the village – the rich literally stealing from the poor.
I think I need to go hiking out in Oregon’s high desert with those fun guys again…
Niños Incómodos
Mexican children play the roles of drug smugglers and kidnappers in this YouTube production of life and times in the Mexico Drug War:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=23H5Qwhndt4
🙂
Happy International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking!
I believe this is worth spreading:
“What the Global Commission has to say to your (our) government(s)”
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.421604901215892.90176.108611532515232&type=1
Russia’s top narc is off his meds and/or Quantum Leaping through past propaganda wars, at least that’s what this piece in The Daily Telegraph seems to imply:
Again, it would be funny, if it weren’t tragic.
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Well you’ve got to admit that our lives would be significantly different if the Beatles and Bob Dylan hadn’t gotten together on their day off and invented merrywanna back in 1964. Of course we can’t discount how Cheech and Chong hired that guy to go into his laboratory and increase the potency by up to 200,000% either.
Am I a bad person because I laughed my ass off when I read that a dead DEA agent is better news than dead citizens and fetuses? Seriously, can anyone imagine hearing that in a major MSM outlet in the past? By the “past” I mean through May of 2012 or so, perhaps even the first few weeks of June.
I think Michelle opened the door for the news media to start a witch hunt of their own,,her defensive answers and refusal to give honest answers has put blood in the water and the sharks in the congressional arena are not the only ones out there.
As Kapt said,,the damage she did has not begun to be measured,,it is why I changed from hate to warm fuzzy feelings,,now I would like to just tow sack her and throw her in the river,,,instead of waterboarding her to death.
Dunc, no DEA died; it’s better (ostensibly) because it was a Honduran drug dealer, not innocent Indians.
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Sheesh, that’s what I get for posting before morning coffee is in the bloodstream. I swear it said “A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent was shot and killed…” when I read it. Daddy made sure I learned that if something seems too good to be true that it probably is and I never seem to remember that when it matters.
Where’s our 21st century Martin Luther who can nail the Alternative World Drug Report to the door of the UN headquarters? How long can they go on ignoring such a glaring case to answer? Congratulations to all those, including LEAP, who put this this damning report together.
Gil Scot-Heron knows:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcHOq8i5Pyk
Three policemen die in a gunfight at Mexico City’s main airport after being sent to detain other officers suspected of drug trafficking.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-18581077
If the DEA Can’t Tell Us the Difference Between Marijuana and Heroin, Who Can?
http://tinyurl.com/8767df6
“”Last week, DEA chief Michele Leonhart got quite a bit of attention with congressional testimony that left a lot of people shaking their heads in frustration. Here’s what everyone is talking about:
(Questions asked by Polis)
The whole thing ought to speak for itself, but it’s worth repeating that the person who is literally in charge of stopping everyone from taking drugs is somehow incapable of explaining to us the difference between the various drugs we shouldn’t be taking. It’s her job to know a lot about this, and her complete lack of insight is less than impressive.”” ‘snipped’
DEA Chief Administrator Slips Up, Says Medical Marijuana Is Between Patients and Their Doctors
http://tinyurl.com/7qwell5
“”By now hundreds of thousands of people have seen that DEA chief administrator, Michele Leonhart, was grilled by a congressional committee about her stance on marijuana policy earlier this week. She eluded anything controversial that came her way. Something that has been overlooked though was that when she was asked about the efficacy of medical marijuana, Leonhart admitted she believes “that’s between [a patient] and his doctor.”
The DEA has always been at the forefront of raiding medical marijuana dispensaries and arresting and jailing medical marijuana patients and providers.
The Obama administration has already authorized more raids on medical marijuana dispensaries than George Bush had in his entire presidency. But now we know that the head of the organization leading these raids thinks the issue should be left to medical professionals. Her comments scream hypocrisy and have outraged advocates across the country.”” ‘snipped’
It is cranking up out there and sounding ominous,,,for the prohibs.
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British man sentenced to death in UAE for selling marijuana
A British man has been sentenced to death in the United Arab Emirates after he and another man were found guilty of trying to sell 3/4 of an ounce of marijuana to an undercover officer.
/snip/
Executions are relatively rare in the UAE but do occasionally take place.
In February 2011, a man convicted of raping and killing a 4-year-old boy in a mosque bathroom was executed by firing squad in Dubai. It was the first time in three years the UAE had put a prisoner to death.
Evidently the judiciary of the UAR considers raping and killing a 4-year-old boy in a mosque bathroom an equivalent crime to selling 3/4 oz of cannabis, and deserves equal punishment.
http://tinyurl.com/76wwc7u
My two cents worth: “Sad. The entire issue misread again. “CeaseFire” is a band aid on a sucking chest wound. Until we address the causes of the majority of this violence in our cities, this blood bath will only get worse. The “War on Drugs” is the proximal cause of this violence. Change the drug laws, legalize and regulate and the motivator for much of this goes away.
But the economic plight of these cities and their residents will continue to cause massive social issues until the fundamental problems of opportunity and equality are addressed. “CeaseFire” distracts and glosses over the real issue. It clouds the public’s mind with a “solution” that only disguises the real causes of this problem. End the Drug War. Legalize and regulate. Invest in our own and each other, and to hell with the banks and the rigged markets. Overbuild the system with a system of our own that embodies fairness and real freedom of the markets. Not corporate freedom, and slavery for all the rest. They won’t change the system…. but we do not have to participate!”
Oh yeah, That business deal is off. They will be marketing “Axiom” without me. They structured it so there was next to no margin, AND they tripled the projected price. I cut bait.
Harrumph. HELL-OOO…feeling a little unappreciated here…
Two likes for an expensive fart in a phone booth and only one for a link to a mostly on topic story and a well crafted comment? What’s next? Passing the joint around me on the couch? Where’s the love?
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Assemblywoman Angelini Says Decriminalizing Marijuana Sends The Wrong Message
Do you think decriminalizing marijuana sends the wrong message to children? Weigh in on our Patch poll.
I posted my brand-new boilerplate:
Prohibition’s underlying ideology is based wholly on fear, hate, envy, and greed – leading universally and invariably to abject failure, economic collapse, sickness and war.
Ending prohibition would greatly reduce, even almost eliminate, the market in illegal narcotics, cause a reduction in the number of users and addicts, greatly curtail drug related illness and deaths, reduce societal harm from problematic abusers, and bring about an enormous reduction in the presence and influence of organized crime. The people who use drugs are our own children, our brothers, our sisters, our parents and our neighbors. By allowing all adults safe and controlled legal access to psychoactive substances, we will not only greatly reduce the dangers for both them and ourselves but also greatly minimize the possibility of ‘peer-initiation’ and sales to minors.
Never have so many been harmed and impoverished by so few, so quickly. Prohibition is not just an extremely expensive accident. Like any harmful and completely ineffective policy, it was connived and implemented by immoral, malicious, fools. It cannot be ended soon enough.
After many decades of drug-war-dystopia, don’t we all deserve a healthy, safe and prosperous future?
Just say no to prohibition-insanity, prohibition-corruption, prohibition-violence and prohibition-terrorism!
very succinct
Does anyone know the release date for Synthetic Reefer Madness? A genuine man bites dog news article, who’da thunk it?
Mr. Mujica, just say “fuck you asshole, enough is enough”.
Props to Uruguay for getting ahead of the curve, but oh how much tastier it will be when the good old US of A stands in flagrant violation of the UN Single Convention. Just a few more years folks and then it will be Sweden and Russia carrying the torch alone…
What’s happening in Uruguay is the next obvious step.
Since Bolivia exited from the UN Single Convention Treaty almost a year ago, other Latin American nations have been watching it with an eagle eye, to see what (if anything) the Colossus to the North would do. Which turned out to be, just as predicted, nothing.
The Imperium is busy elsewhere, over-stretched to the breaking point, and hasn’t much time to devote to its’ ‘backyard’ right now. Wikileaks has shown just what Warshington thinks of its’ neighbors, and that’s got them understandably riled up, so there’s no love lost between them. Mexico has shown what happens when LA nations listen to (Crazy) Uncle Sam and make “…a real war!” on the cartels. The alternate routes are being closed off, one by one, and there’s nothing left to do but the inevitable. Uruguay is just stepping to the front of the queue, early.
All it takes is written notice 6 months prior to Uruguay legalizes and they will not be a member of the Single Convention Treaty,,,
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Christ you people like to use lots of extra words. Your statements, boiled down into a nutshell: “Mr. Mujica, just say ‘fuck you asshole[s], enough is enough’.”
P.F., the parasites will only be able to distract the rest of the governments with promises that rearranging the deck chairs will save the ship for so long. Rats know when a ship is sinking. If the alpha rat bails the rest will be right behind it. If the US withdraws the treaties will collapse within days, possibly hours.
…and they said she’d never go down.
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Please remember that the States aren’t party to the Single Conventions. That seems to be a fact that almost everyone misses. Please refer to Article I Section X of your Constitution of the United States of America for details.
Wait, is Bolivia still out of the Convention? I remember reading that they were going to withdraw and then rejoin “with reservations” or something. If they’re still out after a year, that’s exciting news!
If the DEA Can’t Tell Us the Difference Between Marijuana and Heroin, Who Can?
http://tinyurl.com/7udebg3
I missed this one by Scott Morgan. In the Huff too:
http://tinyurl.com/8767df6
another screed from cj in the comments at stdw arguing leonharts point that heroin and cannabis are no different. guess the two extremes of the spectrum have gone full circle and met round the back. does this leave the rest of us as the real “third way”?
CJ isn’t accomplishing anything.
He’s certainly got me rethinking my opinion of opioid fans.
I’m half seriously wondering if “CJ” isn’t a creation of Kevin Sabet (Cevin Jabet?)designed to warn the public of the dangers of “extreme legalizers,” and to counterbalance extreme prohibs like Leonhart. Oh I forgot, he works for people like Leonhart so they must be “balanced” and not extreme. Extreme prohibs must be people like the judiciary of the United Arab Republic or China, right?
CJ’s desire for mariholics to embrace his drug of choice is dependent on the lovers of weed NOT having the intelligence to pick a drug that has the inherent dangers associated with heroin or other drugs that can be just as debilitating when used on a regular basis.
I don’t see many people on this couch that have not tried almost every drug out there and for the majority marijuana was enough,,but not for CJ,,my sympathy to him and anyone that has made a decision similar to his but even though legalization and regulation will remove most of the harms from opium based drugs,,it will not remove the addiction levels and I,for one,,choose not to be addicted to anything else in my life.
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Dear Abby,
I thought you were dead.
signed, Confuzzled
I think her daughter picked up the pen.
Good one up at the Alternet:
http://tinyurl.com/7xboupt
This is the “too much money in marijuana to legalize it” that Clinton spoke of,,they have empowered the cartels so much that they are now a player in the money market,,and a declaration of independence from the Federal government may be what it takes to ever take them out of it.
You might want to pass this on to folks you might know in Chicago, from Tom Angell at LEAP:
a link on this story at Reason:
http://reason.com/blog/2012/06/27/chicago-city-council-votes-to-decriminal
Brace yourselves my friends, a new and highly annoying piece of hysterical rhetoric is being born as I type:
Of course, it’s the Wa. Po. They’re the USA’s own “Daily Mail”.
Plus, how stupid is that “addiction expert” they found? Dopamine my rosy red ass. Cannabis does not affect dopamine levels.
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Actually it’s the Associated Press. This story is already on 369 news outlets. AP stories get posted mindlessly by a lot of news outlets. You’ve got to remember I’m in the DC ‘burbs and Google knows that. WaPo stories very frequently pop at the top of my news searches. Of course there’s no doubt that Google knows all, sees all, but that’s neither here nor there.
It’s on HuffPo too. Now this is amusing:
Pending Comments 173 (as of now).
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What? Cannabis doesn’t affect dopamine?? I thought that’s why they call it dope!!!
Worst case of the munchies ever.
Why can’t the propagandists just find a partially digested Big Mac and leave it at that?
Didn’t they find pieces of Big Mac in Jeffrey Dahmer’s stomach?
I think they found pieces of the Burglar.
he may have consumed cannabis two weeks before. so what?
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Post hoc ergo propter hoc is almost a religion with the prohibitionist world, that’s what. It doesn’t have to make sense, have any factual basis, or not be laughably absurd to conclude that any cohort with over 160 million members isn’t going to lose a few to psychoses. The latter is especially laughable considering that those with psychoses are attracted to joining our cohort.
Remember, the rule is that anything negative that happens anywhere in the general vicinity of cannabis was caused by the cannabis. He chose to enjoy cannabis, he went wacko, case closed.
He read the Bible and Quran, he went wacko, case closed.
You can’t spell cannibalism without cannabis.
Holy Sh!t!
Man on Cannabis turns off light, saving energy!
Man on cannabis sees airplane on fire, puts out blaze!
Man on Cannabis swerves, misses Raccoon!
Man on Cannabis returns lost wallet containing cash!
Man on Cannabis, siggh, My Hero!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GguPC2U2EaI&NR=1
Here we go. More ammunition for when Kleiman claims “There’s no one in prison for pot”:
http://tinyurl.com/857kuf9