Drug WarRant

Regardless of what you think of this study about spanking leading to drug abuse later in life, if you’re writing for the Drug Free America Foundation (DFAF), you probably shouldn’t be going on record as being in favor of hitting children.

Too many people still remember Straight, Inc., and the horrific systematic abuses of young people, and also remember the direct connection between that organization and DFAF through Mel and Betty Sembler.

I received this wonderfully cheery email today from Alicia Sherman:

Hello!

Hope you are have a wonderful start to your summer! I wanted to show off an Infographic my agency just rolled out about Drugs in the Work Place. I was taking a look at your site and I think you might be interested in it so take a break from your morning and take a quick peek: 

http://rehab-international.org/blog/drug-abuse-in-the-workplace

If this is something that you feel could double as content for those readers of yours, I’ve included an embed code below the Infographic for an easy copy & paste onto your site.

Please let me know If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding the Infographic and/or its data.

Thanks for not deleting me and enjoying this Infographic break!
 
Regards, 

Alicia 
Killer Infographics 

(image after the fold)

Well, that’s a very friendly letter and made me want to check out this killer infographic.  And boy, is it pretty.  These people can use graphic design in such a delightful way.  Makes you almost want to believe the information they’re presenting.

Except, of course, that it’s complete hogwash.

This infographic is porn for the drug-testing industry — a massive, growing, and extremely profitable industry that depends on employers being scared of not drug-testing, and on convincing legislatures to expand drug testing mandates.

Of course, many of the statistics are meaningless. One on the infographic that is also mentioned at almost every drug testing site is the fact that 70% of illegal drug users (some say 75%) are employed.

And?

To me, that says that the vast majority of illicit drug users don’t let their illicit drug use affect their employment. It says nothing about their performance on the job.

And many of the other figures are bandied about on various websites as if they’re solid fact, but nobody really knows where they originated.

Let’s take a look at the sources for Killer Infographics’ killer statistics. First thing we might want to watch out for is financial self-interest…

Sources (listed at the bottom of the infographic):

• USA Mobile Drug Testing “Anyone~Anytime~Anywhere”
• Employment Screening Resources “The Background Check Authority
• Summa Health Care’s Mobile Drug Testing Program for Corporations
• Minneapolis Drug Testing – a division of USA Mobile Drug Testing

Hmmm…

Then we have an article on Treatment Solutions.com that refers to other articles, and a poll at the Society for Human Resource Management conducted on behalf of the… Drug and Alcohol Testing Association.

Finally, we have a blog post at Workplace Ethics Advice by a Professor of Accounting with 29 Twitter followers!

He refers to data at NCADI which no longer exists, and is suspiciously similar (as is much of the data in the infographic) to the infamous Firestone Study data (see The Safety Myth of workplace drug testing)

Thanks, Alicia! You infographic was very entertaining, and, as an infographic, was, at least… graphic.

Maybe you should try your hand at something even more likely to get people infographcially worked up – like… bath salts!

…

Oops…

Hey Pete, 

Happy Monday. After seeing your blog, I thought this Infographic my agency just rolled out might be of interest to you. It is about the recently talked about drug known as Bath Salts. Take a break from the Monday morning work load and check it out: 

http://rehab-international.org/blog/bath-salt

 – If this is something that you feel could double as content for your readers, I’ve included an embed code below the infographic for an easy copy & paste onto your site.

Please let me know If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding the infographic and/or its data.

Thanks for taking a look, 

-Libby 
Killer Infographics Social Media and Marketing Manager

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Presidential election today in Mexico.

Jury Nullification Law Signed by New Hampshire Governor

Here’s the new language that has been passed:

519:23-a Right of Accused. In all criminal proceedings the court shall permit the defense to inform the jury of its right to judge the facts and the application of the law in relation to the facts in controversy.

As Tim Lynch notes in the article, it doesn’t go far enough, but it’s a very positive development. Read the entire article for a good background on jury nullification and how it might be presented in an enlightened court.

Via Glenn Greenwald…

‘Marijuana changed us from Nazis to peace-loving hippies’: Twin sisters who sparked outrage with pop band named after gas used to kill Jews claim they’ve grown up

Now, however, at the age of 20, the twins have radically transformed themselves from hate-spouting extremists to peace-loving hippies.

And the reason for their change? Marijuana.

Who knows — this may be yet another reason why some people oppose marijuana — they’re afraid that it’ll wipe out the bigotry and hatred they love so much.

Via Radley Balko…

NHP Troopers Sue Department Over K-9 Program

LAS VEGAS — A group of Nevada Highway Patrol troopers and a retired police sergeant have filed a racketeering complaint against the NHP and Las Vegas Metro Police in U.S. District Court. […]

The complaint alleges that the drug-sniffing dogs used by troopers in the program were intentionally being trained to operate as so-called trick ponies, or dogs that provide officers false alerts for the presence of drugs.

The dogs were being trained to alert their handlers by cues, instead of by picking up a drug’s scent by sniffing, the complaint said. When a dog gives a false alert, this resulted in illegal searches and seizures, including money and property, the complaint said.

The 103-page complaint alleges that Perry, along with others, used the K-9s to undermine the program to systematically conduct illegal searches and seizures for financial benefit.

The complaint also alleges the defendants, which also includes the state’s Public Safety Department and individuals in NHP and Metro, were involved in a Federal RICO conspiracy, also known as the Federal Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Of course, we’re very much aware that drug-sniffing dogs often falsely alert to please their handler, which is one of the problems of using the dog sniff as the basis for a search anyway. But to have this level of conspiracy and to actually have state troopers file a racketeering complaint against their own agencies… that’s unheard of!

Kudos to those troopers. We need honest officers like them to step forward, or it’s almost impossible to stop the corrupt ones from destroying the rule of law.

Billboard on carding children:

Dear Dad:

Here’s their website.

Nice piece on The Daily Show

One in five young people…
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Chicago to Decriminalize Marijuana

The Chicago City Council passed — by a vote of 43 to 2 — an ordinance today that will decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. People caught with less than half an ounce of marijuana may now be given a ticket rather than be arrested. The fine will be $250 at first, and more for subsequent tickets. People caught smoking on school grounds or in public will still be arrested, as will those without an ID or under age 17.

This is a positive move. Although, as Ethan says:

But the devil is very much in the details as to whether the new ordinance will ultimately do more good than harm. The fine of $250, and possibly more, is excessive — and may result in undue hardship for young and poor people without the resources to pay. Police will retain the legal authority to arrest rather than ticket people for marijuana possession, thereby allowing for the perpetuation of racial bias in enforcing the state’s marijuana laws. More people may be stopped and charged with marijuana possession offenses than before. And the mayor and police chief’s insistence that their proposal “is not decriminalization” is less than reassuring.

Remember that NYC is also decriminalized for possession of small amounts not in public view…

I think the one positive thing in all of this is that the Mayor and the City Council felt that they could enact a provision that would at least seem to lessen the penalties for marijuana without fear of political fallout. That bodes well for the future.