Monday, May 15, 2006

It's another hammer we can put on people Eric Sterling found this unbelievable quote. "...[I]t's another hammer we can put on people," says Delaware State Police Captain Chip Simpson, commander of the special investigations section, praising a brand new law, "Brett's Law," that places a plant, salvia divinorum, in Schedule I of the state's Controlled Substances Act. Yeah, because that's the job of the police, right? To put the hammer on people. Maybe somebody can arrange to put the pink slip on Chip Simpson. 11:24:13 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Anti-Drug Overdose? A really fabulous article by Marnell Jameson in today's Los Angeles Times [...] Today, at 14, the Los Angeles girl dismisses much of what she learned in the drug-education program, saying that when she's older she plans to follow the more moderate example set by her mother and father. "My parents know how much alcohol they can handle. They only drink socially -- and wouldn't drink and drive." Further, she credits her parents, not school lessons, with helping her turn down tobacco, alcohol and drugs -- all of which she's been offered. "I learned what I know at home," she says. To her, the anti-drug program seemed out of touch. Increasingly, many academic scholars and government researchers agree. They point to a growing body of evidence that supports Mariana's instincts. One-size-fits-all lessons do little to prepare kids for the real drug choices they're likely to face, these experts say. By condemning all drugs as bad -- not distinguishing between legitimate medications and, in moderation, alcohol -- such programs can confuse kids and ultimately cheapen their own messages. The article goes on to explain clearly the drawbacks, dangers and outright failures of most of the popular drug education programs. It also specifically talks about the value of fact-based education. It might not be a bad idea to forward this article to your local school district. 10:39:14 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Thailand's drug war Three years ago... BANGKOK - The death toll in Thailand's brutal 10-week-old war on drugs has soared to 2 275, or more than 30 killings a day, police said on Wednesday. [...] The three-month campaign against drug barons and traffickers was launched by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who said his forces would "X-ray every square inch" of the country to root out the drug trade. [...] Several local and international human rights groups have condemned the violence, with Amnesty International likening Thaksin's campaign to a "de facto shoot-to-kill policy" of anyone believed to be involved in the drug trade. [...] Last Saturday, Thaksin said his drugs war would continue beyond April, with possible strategic modifications, until December 2, which he predicted would be Thailand's day of victory over drugs. The drug blitz is focusing on methamphetamines, which flood into Thailand from Myanmar. Today: Methamphetamine use among teenagers in and around Bangkok is more than seven times higher than it was prior to the 'war on drugs' declared by the government three years ago, an ABAC Poll has revealed. Pollsters calculated that more than 41,000 teenagers took methamphetamine, commonly known as ya ba, in the past 30 days, a 723-percent increase from the 5,060 teenagers estimated to be using the drug following a survey made in May 2003. One of the bloodiest drug wars in the world, and guess what? It doesn't work. This is an important lesson to all those who say "If only we cracked down more, we could win this war." [Thanks, Allan] 10:10:26 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []