Monday, February 27, 2006

Marijuana and Suicide Drug warriors have often tried to dishonestly link marijuana and suicide, yet marijuana users have failed to cooperate. However, Bruce reminds me today that there is a link between marijuana and suicide. And that link is the drug war. AUSTIN - A civil rights lawsuit announced Wednesday blames the private corrections system for the 2004 suicide of a South Texas woman found hanging in her cell after reporting that a male inmate raped her. [...] Tapia, who spent nearly six months in the jail before her death, was awaiting transfer to a federal facility after pleading guilty to a marijuana possession charge... Can anyone explain to me the value of that arrest, conviction, and imprisonment for possession of marijuana? What f***ing message did we send to the children with that one? Huh? What about Steve Williams? (more) Facing federal prosecution for growing 25 marijuana plants in his yard, forbidden from mounting a medical-necessity defense, and unable to use the one medicine that eased his suffering for fear of being jailed, McWilliams committed suicide on July 12. Or how about this story from Drug War Victims? Rather than being compelled to testify against her 70-year-old boyfriend (Byron Stamate) for cultivating the medicinal cannabis she depended upon to help control her crippling back pain, Shirley Dorsey committed suicide. She saw it as the only way to prevent the forfeiture of their home and property. Despite her suicide, Stamate was sentenced to 9 months prison, and his home, cottage, and $177,000 life savings were seized. Yeah. It's all about message we send to the children. 10:21:59 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Burning Man goes on tour Baylen Linnekin over at To The People was a little confused by my reporting of this very 'rare' event (tasering a man and setting him on fire), because he thought he was reading another report of the same incident, but no, it was another guy police set on fire with a taser gun. If taser reps really believe this: Officials with Taser International -- which manufactures the nonlethal weapon that uses a shock to incapacitate dangerous people -- said they've never heard of anything quite like this before. "I would call this beyond a rare fluke," spokesman Steve Tuttle said. ... then why are we looking at this: Wisconsin: When officers tried to subdue him, the Taser charge ignited the pepper spray and set his head on fire. Florida: A Taser probe pierced the pocket of his khaki shirt -- and ignited the butane lighter inside. Crouch's pocket exploded in flames. North Carolina: A man pursued by Cumberland County deputies burst into flames after he was shot with an electronic Taser weapon that delivers a shocking electric current. I'm sure in the taser companies' controlled testing zones, those tasers are quite safe, but in real life, there's things like pepper spray, butane lighters, and gasoline that don't mix well with high voltage (as well as some peoples' health). Note: the last story had one bit of potentially confusing reporting. I was thrown by this sentence: [Deputy Bradley] Dean shot McKinnon when the man tried to get away and rolled him on the ground to put out the flames. For a moment, I thought it meant that the deputy saw the man on fire running and shot him with his gun to get him to stop so he could put out the flames, and I thought "That's a pretty messed up way to stop a burning man." Then I realized the correct order of events. 1. Man accidentally gets gasoline on him. 2. Man tries to run away. 3. Deputy shoots him with taser. 4. Man bursts into flame. 5. Deputy tries to put out flames. As much as this situation lends itself to jokes, the point is clear. Tasers are not some perfectly safe way of subduing criminals, and to the extent that those using it feel that it's safe, it's putting the lives of citizens in danger. 9:52:43 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Olympic Drug Testing I knew that they were thorough and strict regarding the Olympics, but this actually surprised me. In order to maintain my status as an eligible athlete, I am required to tell USADA where I am 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To help streamline this process, we are given quarterly updates to complete, intended for us to outline the next three months of our lives. We are instructed to put down when and where we will be living, training, working and traveling so that USADA can find us at any given moment. Although this seems relatively simple for most people, it is quite difficult for an athlete whose training and competition schedule is constantly in flux. For every wedding, family emergency, last-minute trip or unplanned change, we must submit a Change of Location form so we can be tracked at all times -- making athletes feel as though they are under constant surveillance. The regular tracing of our whereabouts was implemented so that USADA can randomly drug test athletes, with frequent knocks at the door at 6 a.m. or surprise tests at 7 p.m. If a Doping Control Officer arrives to perform a test and the athlete cannot be reached within the allocated time, they are charged with a missed test. After three missed tests, an athlete becomes suspended for one year, and worse, has their reputation tarnished indefinitely. When a Doping Control officer makes contact with you, you have two hours to meet them in person, at which point they must remain by your side until you give them a successful urine sample. This process can take all day, for even though as elite athletes we are trained to perform under pressure, bladder pressure is a different story. Even the showiest of athletes get stage fright when there is someone standing 2 feet away watching you -- completely exposed -- urinate into a cup. I understand the concerns about having the sport tarnished by performance-enhancing drugs (although why athletes are tested for marijuana baffles me, since pot is hardly a sport-enhancing drug). On the other hand, I know that I would never want to live a life that completely gave up your privacy in that way. 8:45:55 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []