Wednesday, January 12, 2005

More to read... John at truehigh.com has finished the next part of his rebuttal to the Drug Czar's version of Marijuana Facts and Myths. Baylen has the info on a Democratic State Representative who wants to shred the constitution a little bit more by denying drug offenders who have served their time the right to associate or travel in certain areas. Grits for Breakfast continues coverage of the Tom Coleman trial. I've long talked about the lack of credible evidence for major concerns regarding marijuana and driving. While I don't recommend driving stoned, all research indicates that it's much less dangerous than alcohol, fatigue or even distractions such as cell phones. Dana Larsen at Cannabis Culture has put together a new compilation of the existing data in: Stoned Drivers are Safe Drivers. [Thanks, Scott] 10:44:43 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Secret Drug Arrests Strange report from the Nogales International (AZ): When an unmarked white panel van occupied by heavily armed officers dressed in camouflage enter a house just off a state highway, passersby might wonder what is happing.  More so when they are escorted by a local law enforcement special operations team. ... But when you find out it was an operation coordinated by the Drug Enforcement Administration ( DEA ), getting answers is complicated if not impossible. According to the Nogales Police Department, two federal search warrants were served by the DEA on Monday, Dec.  20 at 10:30 a.m.  The activity also was reported to the Nogales International by motorists, including the driver of the newspaper's delivery van, nearby neighbors and others. Still, several attempts to gain information from Tony Ryan a special agent in charge in Tucson, and Ramona Sanchez, the public information officer in Phoenix were stymied because, they said, under rules established by Department of Justice does they are not allowed to talk about cases still under investigation. ... And after a reporter for the Nogales International made calls bi-weekly for four weeks to Ryan and Sanchez still no further information would be released. One might be assured that such efficient coordination exists between federal and local law enforcement, but finding out what crimes they are fighting and who the criminals are is a different story. [emphasis added] If it's the DEA working with local law enforcement, it has to be a drug bust, I would think. So why the secrecy? Usually the DEA likes to brag about seizures. Almost makes you wonder if it was a bit of a mistake and they don't want it publicized? To not release the names or charges of those arrested? What kind of country are we living in? 9:36:01 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Supreme Court finally rules on Booker and Fan Fan This was an important case regarding U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. Essentially, the Guidelines were found unconstitutional, but the court didn't eliminate them entirely. They simply excised the unconstitutional parts and made the guidelines not mandatory. The decision is a mixed bag, but generally good news for reducing runaway sentencing. It remains to be seen how Congress will respond. For much more comprehensive description of the Court's ruling, see TalkLeft here, here, and here. 6:28:13 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []