Monday, May 5, 2008

Crime and prisons Matthew Yglesias, like so many others, sees the nasty over-incarceration problem we have in this country. But then he take a turn into an alternative dimension On the other hand, it's also true that the crime rate in the United States remains at what I'd consider an unacceptably high level and there are some indications that it's on the rise again. Much better than simply letting people out of jail to save money would be a more focused effort to switch our anti-crime priorities away from such a heavy reliance on incarceration and toward more cost-effective methods. Drug treatment programs that work are great, but not just anything called a drug treatment program actually works. Coerced abstinence (PDF) seems promising, as does simply hiring more police officers. Fortunately, his readers have a better idea... On the other hand, it's also true that the crime rate in the United States remains at what I'd consider an unacceptably high level and there are some indications that it's on the rise again. Surely this is a nonsequitur. You could release every single nonviolent drug offender in the country and have zero effect whatsoever on the 'crime rate' (as defined in any meaningful way) and still save a tremendous amount of money. Posted by moron Coerced abstinence? This is tired old (alternative prohibition) nonsense that still imagines drug use as a problem that somehow must be corrected by force, rather than identifying actual problems (crimes of violence or property) and dealing with solutions tailored to those problems. 11:21:34 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Reporter in the midst of marijuana smoke-out This is an enjoyable article. An intrepid reporter braves the clouds of pot smoke This soccer mom admits she was out of her league at a marijuana smokefest. But she left with a better understanding. And the munchies... Organizers were handing out festival maps at Queen's Park yesterday, but the kids ahead of me just laughed them off. "Who the hell needs a map?" chuckled one freedom toker to the other. "Just follow the smell." You sure couldn't miss it. My editor told me not to inhale, but I'm not sure what he was smoking when he offered that impossible advice. But apparently this is an activity that is worthy of putting people in prison, kicking them out of college, and ruining their chances of working in certain jobs. Did you notice the other thing missing in this situation (and any mass marijuana smoking situation) in comparison to any mass alcohol drinking situation? 10:47:42 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

What did I miss? I've been out of circulation for a few days, but finals week is finally here. Still a bit to do, but things are easing up. Tonight I played piano for a musical theatre class final -- this weekend I put together two digital slide presentations and an awards presentation, and last week I had four photo calls, in addition to regular work. So... what did I miss? 10:45:49 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []