Monday, March 6, 2006

Steve Kubby Released! Via Hammer of Truth, comes this report that Steve Kubby has been released from jail. I just spoke with a very happy Steve Kubby, who was released from Placer County jail this afternoon, where he had been held since January 27th, following his expulsion from Canada on January 26th.[...] ... it appears that Kubby was freed once again at the initiative of the Placer County jailers and sheriff who are still refusing to do the dirty work of their higher ups, who like to have their underlings do their killing for them. As MarijuanaNews reported last week, Steve has lost 25 pounds in the last month. Marinol has controlled most of the symptoms of his adrenal cancer, but this remains a very dangerous and unethical medical experiment because of the absence of the other cannabinoids. Kubby is still scheduled to return to court on March 14. Update: Nice article in the LA Times. 11:39:10 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Why it's called the war on (some) drugs So in the latest Colombian news -- Due to extensive government corruption, wealthy drug traffickers have opened a new door to transporting their drugs... ... from the U.S. to Colombia. "How's that?" you ask. The U.S. has complex negotiations regarding what preferential treatment Colombia has to give the United States in exchange for turning their country into a wasteland, and there have been free trade negotiations as well. Here's one of the outcomes: Colombian negotiators also caved on the issue of intellectual property rights. As a result, patents held by U.S. pharmaceutical companies will now be more comprehensively protected in Colombia, which means that cheaper generic drugs will likely be replaced with the more expensive U.S.-produced versions. Stephanie Weinberg, a policy adviser for the aid organization Oxfam International, said that the trade agreement "could dangerously hinder Colombia's access to important lifesaving drugs at affordable prices." House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who is heavily funded by drug traffickers, thought it was a good deal. Interestingly, in a country where we are spending taxpayer money to convince farmers to switch to crops other than coca... The Bush administration succeeded in getting Colombia to agree to initially lower, and eventually remove entirely, tariffs on U.S. poultry, corn and rice. Consequently, heavily subsidized U.S. farmers will be able to flood the Colombian market with these products, threatening the livelihood of their Colombian counterparts. Oh, that makes sense. However, at least the Colombian flower growers will get some help. The deal also allows U.S. companies to purchase privatized public utility companies and allows more Colombian flower exports to the United States. Interestingly, the greatest benefactor of increased Colombian flower exports will be the country's largest flower producer: the Dole Food Company, a U.S. multinational that controls 25 percent of the Colombian flower industry. Boy, we sure know how to play the drug war, don't we. Use taxpayer money to rape a country, destabilizing it without actually affecting the flow of drugs, and then pick up some of the choice leftovers. 8:49:07 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

More Stupid Legislators (cont.) So I wrote about a stupid and horrible bill proposed in Idaho, thinking it was one of those ridiculous measures that pops up in every session and then just quietly dies. But no. The bill, which passed [the Senate] by an 18-16 vote, would mean pregnant mothers convicted of doing marijuana, LSD, methamphetamine or other drugs could face up to five years in jail and a $50,000 penalty. Now I'm not sure what it says about Idaho or their legislators, when we have to turn to Senator Compton for help. During a passionate debate, Sen. Dick Compton, R-Coeur d'Alene, said he'd like to see drug dealers publicly stoned, but voted against the bill out of a fear of unintended consequences. The one real voice of reason is coming from the Idaho State Journal, which previously noted: Pediatricians rightly worry that women using any of the above drugs will not seek prenatal care for fear of becoming a felon. One local doctor also says the best time to convince a woman to stop taking drugs is when she's pregnant or has just given birth. Drive them underground and that opportunity may never present itself. ... and now says: Interestingly, the 35-member Senate includes only four women, three of whom voted against the bill. And while methamphetamine and other drugs are widely thought to have negative consequences if taken during pregnancy, the only substance definitively shown to harm a fetus is alcohol, a product legal to those age 21 and over. 7:42:16 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []