Saturday, July 30, 2005

The drug czar has blood on his hands Link "The drug czar has blood on his hands for blocking the humane and medical use of cannabis for sick, disabled and dying people," Kubby said. "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red" -- Macbeth [Update: Link fixed.] 5:05:09 PM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []

Note to press - just say NO to 'Meth Babies' Jacob Sullum properly points out the hysteria behind the latest unfounded crack baby: the meth baby. He quotes from an open letter from physicians and drug treatment specialists: Despite the lack of a medical or scientific basis for the use of such terms as "ice" and "meth" babies, these pejorative and stigmatizing labels are increasingly being used in the popular media, in a wide variety of contexts across the country. Even when articles themselves acknowledge that the effects of prenatal exposure to methamphetamine are still unknown, headlines across the country are using alarmist and unjustified labels such as "meth babies."... Although research on the medical and developmental effects of prenatal methamphetamine exposure is still in its early stages, our experience with almost 20 years of research on the chemically related drug, cocaine, has not identified a recognizable condition, syndrome or disorder that should be termed "crack baby" nor found the degree of harm reported in the media and then used to justify numerous punitive legislative proposals. The term "meth addicted baby" is no [more] defensible. Addiction is a technical term that refers to compulsive behavior that continues in spite of adverse consequences. By definition, babies cannot be "addicted" to methamphetamines or anything else. 3:40:10 PM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []

U.S. takes over Canadian police, arrests and extradites Mark Emery I'm out of town and missed the news until today, but as the many contributors who wrote me said... this needs to be posted: Link EMERY EMPIRE RAIDED AT REQUEST OF UNITED STATES Cannabis activist and two others arrested By Jennifer Garner Canadian police acting under orders from US officials raided the headquarters of the British Columbia Marijuana Party (BCMP) in Vancouver today (Friday, July 22). The search warrants were authorized at the highest levels of the provincial government in concert with a cross-border US-Canada law enforcement pact authorized by the a US-authored Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters treaty (MLAT) between the US and Canada. The US has issued extradition orders for Marc Emery, who was arrested while traveling in Halifax to a hemp festival, as well as two others who work with Emery on television productions and other endeavours. American officials accuse Emery of "a conspiracy to produce marijuana and distribute marijuana seeds, and money laundering." The DEA and other agencies are claiming that by selling seeds to pot-growing Americans, Emery is engaged in a criminal enterprise with the growers. "Their activities resulted in the growing of tens of thousands of marijuana plants in America," claims US federal attorney Jeff Sullivan. "[Emery] was involved, allegedly, in an illegal distribution of marijuana in [the United States.] He is a drug dealer." Vancouver police armed with a search warrant raided the legendary store in the heart of Vancouver's "Vansterdam" district. Chris Bennett, manager of Pot-TV who was onsite when the BCMP center was raided today, said he is particularly angry that Canadian police were acting as enforcers of American drug laws. "They're taking him down to face charges in the United States of America, where sentences are much harsher that one would face in Canada," said Bennett. More at: Cannabis Culture Forums Last One Speaks - start at the top and keep reading. Thanks to Tim and others. 3:12:55 PM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []