Friday, March 7, 2008

Open Thread Via Hit and Run comes this extraordinary statement by the writers of "The Wire" in an interview in Time magazine: If asked to serve on a jury deliberating a violation of state or federal drug laws, we will vote to acquit, regardless of the evidence presented. Save for a prosecution in which acts of violence or intended violence are alleged, we will -- to borrow Justice Harry Blackmun's manifesto against the death penalty -- no longer tinker with the machinery of the drug war. No longer can we collaborate with a government that uses nonviolent drug offenses to fill prisons with its poorest, most damaged and most desperate citizens. Also, Radley interviews Ed Burns We've been fighting the drug war for 30 years. Thirty years of failure. But there's some reason that we persist in this. What is it? We never explore why that is. But you just can't spend this much money and get these few results and continue on like this. Someone has to start wondering what the fuck is going on. Police officer so in love with the drug war that he alerts parents of a non-existent drug. You Fit The Profile Get Your Cocaine from Superdrug Drug WarRant Video Page -- I've put a few useful youtube videos on one page for reference purposes. Let me know if there are others I should have there. Drug WarRant on Facebook DrugSense Weekly 9:45:28 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Coca, Bolivia, and Law 1008 There's a fascinating 5-part series of videos on Bolivia and coca at vbs.tv. Definitely worth watching -- I learned quite a bit about the coca leaf. I was particularly interested in Law 1008 -- a law written by an American in English controlling what Bolivians could do with their coca leaves. A law, like every drug prohibition law, that had roots in racism and lies. And a law, like every other drug prohibition law, that actually caused the conditions for developing a massive international black market. The first three parts of the video are the most interesting, and you do have to get past the smarmy fashion disaster correspondent, but it's worth it. [Thanks to Drug War Flipside] 2:11:39 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Ban the little baggie Chicago Tiny plastic bags used to sell small quantities of heroin, crack cocaine, marijuana and other drugs would be banned in Chicago, under a crackdown advanced Tuesday by a City Council committee. Ald. Robert Fioretti (2nd) persuaded the Health Committee to ban possession of "self-sealing plastic bags under two inches in either height or width," So I called Bobby up and asked him what was behind his desire to ban the little baggie. "Well, I just got sick and tired of them," Robert told me. "They're too small. "I go out and score some pot and they give it to me in this tiny little bag that hardly lasts me a couple of days. And forget about it if you have friends who want to share." I asked him why he thought this was so. "It's these dealers," he said. "They want you to keep coming back, instead of giving you a decent supply. They're always nickel and diming you. And they're charging you top dollar for what should be a free sample." "Now, with this law, we'll see some nice bags again -- you know, the sandwich baggies. Enough to pack some good bongs." "We're sending a message here to the dealers. If you can't fit a bud in it, it isn't a pot container." 12:02:30 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []