Demons

UN Drug Policy in the Dark Ages — a good article by David Borden.

UN drug chief Antonio Maria Costa had this to say about the Colombians: “The drug control policies adopted by the Colombian government over the past few years — combining security and development — are paying off.”

But paying off for exactly whom? For Peruvians in the coca business, among others. Because once again, the main effect of the coca fight has not been to reduce the size of the crop — total growing only declined by five percent last year, an amount easily accounted for by changes in demand or other fluctuations — but to shift it from place to place.

Yawn… oh, and cannabinoids inhibit cancer cells… A Couple Of Recent Studies The Mainstream Media Forgot To Mention by NORML’s Paul Armentano.

As I wrote last week, to date there are now over 20,000 published studies or reviews in the scientific literature pertaining to marijuana and its active compounds — making marijuana the most studied plant on Earth. But what’s the point in further research if nobody even bothers to pay attention to the research that’s already been done?

New Vienna Declaration Blog starts with a statement from Norm Stamper.

Received by email…

CALL FOR STORIES – THE UNHEARD VOICES DOCUMENTARY PROJECT

The Unheard Voices documentary project is seeking interviews and testimonials from drug-related offenders and ex-offenders, and their families, on the far ranging consequences of their criminal convictions.

Inspired by Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Project, which gathered video testimonies from survivors and other witnesses to the Holocaust, the Unheard Voices documentary project is building an archive of testimonies on the cultural holocaust that has been the War on Drugs.

“No issue has had more impact on the criminal justice system in the past three decades than national drug policy. The ‘war on drugs,’ officially declared in the early 1980s, has been the primary contributor to the enormous growth of the prison system in the United States during the last quarter-century and has affected all aspects of the criminal justice system and, consequently, American society.” ~ The Sentencing Project, “A 25 Year Quagmire: The ‘War on Drugs’ and its Impact on American Society.” (2007)

If you or anyone in your family has had a criminal conviction for a nonviolent drug-related offense, we would like to hear about the lasting impacts to your lives, and how you overcame your circumstances, or were permanently affected. Your stories will help put a human face on a critical social issue that has been overwhelmed by fear, politics, racial prejudice, and intolerance, in an era where the public attitude has been, “out of sight, out of mind.” When the stories hit home, the policies begin to change.

We seek written testimonials and interview subjects for our video archive. If you would like your voice to be heard please contact Director Charles Shaw at charles.shaw@opendemocracy.net.

Off-topic. My show opened July 2, and reviews are starting to come in.

• Across space and time in the Autistic Mind — this review is really outstanding. The reviewer did a full treatment of the show and the concept of The Living Canvas. Too much to quote here.
• Chicago Reader review.

The Living Canvas: Demons is a trippy and affecting piece about two sisters, one apparently struggling with mental illness and the other struggling to understand. Meagan Piccochi’s sinuous… choreography and Isaac Mandel’s stellar soundscape combine with Pete Guither’s stunning digital imagery–projected on the naked bodies of the 10-member cast–to create a garden of psychedelic delights.

• Chicago Critic review

This is an open thread.