Thursday, May 8, 2008

Cory Maye - the video This is a pretty long video (by internet standards), but well worth watching if you have the time. We've been following the Cory Maye story here for quite some time, thanks to the intrepid work of Radley Balko. Well now Drew Carey's Reason.TV project has put together the ultimate video about Cory, his family, and his community. (click on the little screen symbol in the control bar of the video to watch it full screen - worth it if you can). Putting a face on the tragedies of the drug war -- one of the ways we can rouse people from the lethargy and stupor. 10:06:34 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Fighting Back John Conyers demands answers from DEA acting head Michele Leonhart 1. Is the use of civil asset forfeiture, which has typically been reserved for the worst drug traffickers and kingpins, an appropriate tactic to employ against individuals who suffer from severe or chronic illness and are authorized to use medical marijuana under California law? [...] 2. Given the increased level of trafficking and violence associated with the international drug cartels across Mexico, South America and elsewhere, do you think the DEA's limited resources are best utilized conducting enforcement raids on individuals and their caregivers who are conducting themselves legally under California law? 3. Have you considered that DEA activities against qualified individuals is negatively impacting the ability of state and local officials across California to collect tax revenue, which they are entitled to under California law? 4. ... Please explain what role, if any, emerging scientific data plays in your decision-making process to conduct enforcement raids on individuals authorized to use or provide medical cannabis under state law. [...] Finally, attached with this letter is a list of approximately 60 raids that the DEA conducted between June 2005 and November 2007. Please provide an accounting of the costs, dollars and resources, used to conduct law enforcement raids on the attached list of individuals. [...] California taxpayers to file lawsuit -- they want to stop the state from borrowing more money to build additional prisons. We already have 170,000 prisoners in California. We don't need more prison beds -- we need sentencing reform and better support in the community for recovering drug addicts, people with mental illness, and parolees. [Via Blog Reload] SSDP President Randy Hencken at San Diego State University talks to the press about Operation Sudden Fall. Before me are 77 chairs and 77 diplomas, each representing a young person who was recently a student here at SDSU, but who is no longer with us. 2 of them were recently lost to tragic, yet preventable drug overdoses. And 75 of them were arrested as part of yesterday's reactionary drug sting. 77 students are gone from campus, but we must ask ourselves, has drug abuse left the campus as a result? Are students any safer from dying of an entirely preventable drug overdose? Sadly, the answer to both questions is "No." Related: Stanton Peele says Go Ahead -- Write My Blog 12:01:09 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []