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Obama's Drug Czar Wants to Quit After Less Than Two Years on the Job
Gil Kerlikowske has had enough with being Drug Czar even though he's only been at it less than two years. He has headed police departments in Seattle, WA and Buffalo, NY -- now he'd like to do the same in Chicago.
Publication/Source:
CBS (IL)
URL:
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/04/19/report-white-house-drug-czar-a-candidate-for-chicago-top-cop/
Drug Czar Faints While Speaking at Harvard, Faints Again Later in Airport
The U.S. drug czar, R. Gil Kerlikowske, collapsed while speaking to law students at Harvard. He fainted again later while at Logan International Airport on his way back to Washington, D.C.
Publication/Source:
The Boston Globe (MA)
URL:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/03/drug_czar_speak.html
White House Requests Meeting with Seattle Times to Bully Against Pro-Marijuana Editorials
Location:
WA
United States
See map: Google Maps
Immediately after the Seattle Times ran an editorial last week supporting a bill to tax and regulate marijuana, the newspaper got a phone call from Washington, D.C. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy director Gil Kerlikowske wanted to fly to Seattle to speak personally with the paper's full editorial board. The meeting is apparently an attempt by the federal government to pressure the state's largest newspaper to oppose marijuana legalization. Or at least turn down the volume on its new-found bullhorn to legalize it.
Publication/Source:
Salem-News.com (OR)
URL:
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/february282011/seattle-pot-kerlikowske.php
Former Head of Bolivia's Drugs Police Is Sent to U.S. to Face Cocaine Trafficking Charges
Location:
Bolivia
In yet another example of drug prohibition corrupting top officials, the former head of Bolivia's counter-narcotics police, Rene Sanabria, has been arrested in Panama and sent to the U.S. to face charges he ran a cocaine trafficking ring.
Publication/Source:
Daily Mail (UK)
URL:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1361384/Bolivias-drugs-police-head-Rene-Sanabria-face-cocaine-trafficking-charge-US.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Congressman: Eliminate the War on Drugs
Colorado congressman Jared Polis wants to drastically reduce the federal government's funding of the war on drugs. He has introduced amendments to the Full Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011 that, if passed, would virtually eliminate money spent to fight drug crimes. The first amendment, No. 501, proposes to eradicate funding of the drug czar. The second amendment, No. 427, would prohibit the investigation and criminal prosecution for the possession, manufacture or distribution of marijuana. Polis believes that the drug czar's office is not only unnecessary, but has proven to be more harmful than helpful in the case of marijuana.
Publication/Source:
Gather (MA)
URL:
http://politics.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474979065488
54th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs
The Economic and Social Council established the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in 1946 as the central policy-making body of the United Nations in drug related matters. The Commission enables Member States to analyse the global drug situation, provide follow-up to the twentieth special session of the General Assembly on the world drug problem and to take measures at the global level within its scope of action. It also monitors the implementation of the three international drug control conventions and is empowered to consider all matters pertaining to the aim of the conventions, including the scheduling of substances to be brought under international control.
For more information, see http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/commissions/CND/session/54.html
Date:
Mon, 03/21/2011 - 10:00am - Fri, 03/25/2011 - 6:00pm
Location:
Wagramer Strasse 5 Vienna International Centre (VIC)
Vienna 1220Austria
Former Senior China Anti-Drug Official Gets Death Penalty for Drug Trafficking
Location:
China
A court handed down the death penalty to the former deputy head of anti-narcotics efforts in China's most populous metropolis, Chongqing. Luo Li had been collaborating with drug dealers in Chongqing since 2005 and took 1.2 million yuan ($233,038) in bribes to turn a blind eye to the activities of two of them, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing a court statement.
Publication/Source:
TODAY (Singapore)
URL:
http://www.todayonline.com/World/EDC110201-0000211/Former-senior-China-anti-drug-official-gets-death-penalty
Cambodia: Ex-Drug Czar Charged with Taking Bribes from Drug Traffickers
Location:
Cambodia
The secretary general of Cambodia's National Authority for Combating Drugs has been charged with receiving bribes from drug traffickers.
Publication/Source:
The Phnom Penh Post (Cambodia)
URL:
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2011011746133/National-news/ex-drug-czar-charged-with-taking-bribes.html
One Toke Over the Line: The Assertion That Prop. 19 Is Contributing to a Rise in Teenage Marijuana Use is Unfounded (Editorial)
Location:
CA
United States
See map: Google Maps
The Los Angeles Times editorial board says that Gil Kerlikowske should have checked such sources as the Congressional Research Service before jumping to conclusions. An April report, issued to advise Congress on whether to loosen federal restrictions on medical marijuana, examined studies comparing teen pot smoking in states with and without medical marijuana laws and found no connection between such laws and drug use. "Concerns that medical cannabis laws send the wrong message to vulnerable groups such as adolescents seem to be unfounded," it stated. They also note that there's little evidence that continued criminalization has discouraged teen drug use, but better education might.
Publication/Source:
Los Angeles Times (CA)
URL:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-marijuana-20101216,0,7998942.story
Wikileaks Cables Reveal Two-Faced Drug War Politics by US
Location:
Peru
Ricardo Soberón of the Centre for Research on Drugs and Human Rights (CIDDH), says "since 1987, the U.S. Department of State has been concerned about the risk of corruption among the Peruvian military in drug trafficking zones, but that concern has not been shared by the Pentagon (Department of Defence), which was more interested in expanding its missions in the Andes region, without regard to the costs." "The leaked cables reflect a deep political contradiction between Washington’s institutional diplomacy, and the military diplomacy characterised by the promotion of strategies like (the U.S.-financed counterinsurgency and anti-drug strategy) Plan Colombia, the Merida Initiative (a multi-billion dollar U.S. counter-drug assistance programme for Mexico and Central America), hot pursuit across borders, or the ‘hammer and anvil’ tactic in the Colombian armed conflict," he said.
Publication/Source:
Inter Press Service (Italy)
URL:
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=53887
