Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Military and Congress skirmish over drug war In today's Washington Times... Rep. Mark Souder, Indiana Republican and subcommittee chairman, holds a hearing today that will examine whether the Defense Department still can fulfill its decade-and-a-half-old mandate to be the lead agency for detecting and monitoring airborne and seaborne efforts to bring illegal drugs into the United States. The Department of Defense "has been unable or unwilling to fulfill this responsibility," states the briefing paper Ooh, catfight! This, after Souder recently criticized the administration for cuts in certain areas of the drug control budget (even though the overall budget increased). This could be an interesting fight. Walters, et al, are opportunists -- they use the drug war for political purposes and financial/power gains. Souder, on the other hand, is a true believer -- a real nutcase who buys every reefer madness claim as holy writ and has convinced himself that prohibition is a mission from God. So what happens when Souder tells the Pentagon to stop wasting so many resources on terrorists and do a better job seizing marijuana shipments? Hmmm.... 8:30:43 PM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []

Raich delay may cause nervousness in some parts... In USA Today. One of the most closely watched decisions involves whether states can shield medical marijuana users from federal prosecution on drug charges. The case, which was heard last November, pits the conservative anti-drug interests of the Bush administration against conservative principles of states' rights. [...] While many believe the court will back the federal government in the marijuana case, its delay in issuing an opinion so far offers states' rights advocates hope that justices are wary of further extending federal authority, said Pepperdine law professor Doug Kmiec, a former Justice Department official under President Reagan and the first President Bush. "It may suggest that the expansive assertion of government power asserted by the Bush administration was deeply troubling to the justices, or at least that the issue is so close that the wording of opinions is being examined and negotiated with far more than the usual care," he said. I never understood the assumption held by many that the Supremes would overwhelmingly side with the government in Raich. If they were only looking at it as a marijuana issue, or only noting what happened in the oral arguments, there's reason to look at it that way. However, if you read all the briefs, it's almost impossible to see it as a slam-dunk for the government -- in fact, it's pretty obvious that the Supremes would have to be very creative to rule for the government at all. Now that the decision is taking so long, people are starting to pay a little more attention to the complexities. 8:04:57 PM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []

Karen Tandy Whines About the Press Reported in the Knox News Sentinel. In Gatlinburg last week, DEA Head Karen Tandy claimed that the drug war was making progress, but complained "that the media doesn't report the issue fairly." "Good news doesn't sell," Tandy said. "You won't read about it in the press." Fortunately for her audience, though, she assured them that the drug war isn't doing too well... Tandy said that drug seizures are "on track this year to hit $1 billion" and predicted that amount will eventually climb to $3 billion a year. "And that's more money, by the way, that will be going back to you," she told the assembly of hundreds of law enforcement officers in a reference to state and federal laws that allow funds seized during drug busts to be returned to the agencies that confiscate them. Ah, so that's what she means by progress. More money for drug warriors. 12:16:11 AM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []