Sunday, February 8, 2004

Odds and Ends For an excellent overview of the recent 9th Circuit decision to slap down the DEA's attempt to control hemp foods, see this release from Vote Hemp. Dallas News has a feature today on the special prosecutor who has been tapped to take on the fake-drugs scandal that involved police and drug dealers conspiring to frame innocent people with drug charges. Libby at LastOneSpeaks has been following the unfolding story of the North Carolina school drug sting that has swept up a bunch of kids here, here, and here. Then take a look at this report of expulsions in Pueblo, Colorado, and ask two questions: Does expelling that many kids really make marijuana less available? Because it sure doesn't seem that way. What are all those kids you've expelled for smoking pot going to do now? 9:19:09 PM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []

Nashville event worth checking out... If you're in the Nashville area, there's something you should check out next week -- two days of workshops at the library and a public forum at American Baptist College. In the 1960s the Rev. James Lawson and the Rev. C.T. Vivian provoked and inspired Nashville and the nation as they took part in the civil rights movement. Next week they'll be in town for a special ceremony at the Nashville Public Library. In addition to looking back, they will look forward as to how the lessons learned in the movement more than 30 years ago can be used now to fight against what many view as a misguided "war on drugs." They will speak at a public forum, "Challenging the War on Drugs: A Community Conversation" from 9-11 a.m. Feb. 14 at American Baptist College, 1800 Baptist World Center Drive. If you go, I'd love to get a report on it. For more information call the library at 862-5804. This is being presented in conjunction with Religious Leaders for a More Just and Compassionate Drug Policy. I'm always heartened to find religious groups getting involved in countering the destructive war on drugs. It's been difficult for them. They've been led to believe for so long in a simple, yet horribly fallcious equation: government criminal enforcement = cessation of bad activity. Some are starting to realize that they've been selling their parishioners' souls to an enforcement regime that creates new problems without solving any of the old ones. My dad is a retired minister. He has always been opposed to any forms of intoxicants (including alcohol) and has generally seen drug policy reform (aka legalization) as a way for more people to do drugs. In recent years however, he has begun to question the validity of the enforcement "cure," realizing that it is worse than the "disease." In addition to Religious Leaders for a More Just and Compassionate Drug Policy, you can also check out Unitarian Universalists for Drug Policy. 8:36:08 PM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []