Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Drug War... Successes... Around the World Mexico: The death toll in Mexico's drug war has surpassed 2,000 this year, with a newspaper editor found dead in the resort city of Zihuatanejo and a police commander assassinated in Tijuana apparently among the latest victims, according to news reports. Colombia: Drug war in Colombian port leaves 305 dead this year BUENAVENTURA, Colombia - Six people were shot to death and six others were injured by a roadside bomb this weekend in Buenaventura, where the soaring murder rate this year is making the port city one of Colombia's top killing fields, officials said on Sunday. Thailand: BANGKOK, Nov 14 (TNA) - Justice Ministry officials are now collecting evidence related to the extra-judicial killings of some 2,500 people during the Thaksin government's war on drugs campaign, said a senior official of the ministry. Good thing drugs are illegal. Sure, thousands of people are dying, but at least we've stopped people from doing something that might cause them to sit for long periods on Pete's couch. Except, of course, that we haven't. The reality is that all those people have died so that the politicians and the DEA can have their drug war. Hope they're enjoying it. 9:40:43 PM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []

Cocaine Laws Eric Sterling's OpEd in the Los Angeles Times yesterday is a must-read. He talks about the problems of our cocaine sentencing laws with the authority (and the mea culpas) of one who helped write them. On Tuesday, the U.S. Sentencing Commission -- the independent agency that gives sentencing guidelines to federal judges and advises Congress -- will hold hearings on this issue. If logic prevails, in the next Congress we may finally see an end to one of the most unjust laws passed in recent memory. And that might correct the biggest mistake of my professional life. The whole thing is worth reading, but I wanted to highlight the major recommendation for the federal law that he gives: Congress should do what it tried to do in 1986 -- make the Justice Department focus exclusively on high-level cases because state and local law enforcement cannot. There are three elements to fix the problem: Raise the quantity triggers for all drugs to realistic levels for high-level traffickers, such as 50 or 100 kilos of cocaine, and end the crack/powder imbalance; Require the attorney general to approve prosecution of any case involving less than 50 kilos of cocaine; Analyze federal drug cases district by district to identify agents and prosecutors who waste their time and our money. If only high-level dealers were being prosecuted by the feds, no one would have cause to complain about the race of the defendants. Update: TalkLeft has updates on the hearings here and here. It's good to have Jeralyn back focusing on criminal justice issues. 8:55:14 AM | drug policy | Related  | permalink | comment []