Drug War Chronicle

Esta semana, como parte de una serie regional de foros por adelantado a la reunión del mes que viene de la Comisión sobre Drogas Narcóticas de la ONU en Viena, Vancouver presentó un foro en que los participantes mandaron una señal clara de que la prohibición no está funcionando.

Aun mientras la fuerza pública y sus aliados resisten lo máximo posible para devolver los fondos perdidos de 2008 al programa de subvenciones que financia a destacamentos antidrogas estaduales y municipales, el gobierno Bush propone cortarlo otra vez en el presupuesto de 2009.

Even as law enforcement and its allies fight a rear-guard effort to restore lost 2008 funding for the grant program that funds state and local drug task forces, the Bush administration is proposing to cut it again in the 2009 budget.

The Philippines may no longer execute drug offenders, but it is still handing out horrendous sentences. This week, a man was sentenced to life in prison for selling less than two grams of marijuana.

The US Sentencing Commission has ordered that sentence cuts for federal crack cocaine offenders be retroactive, but Attorney General Mukasey is now urging Congress to undo that.

The newly appointed US Attorney for Northern California hinted at his first press briefing that medical marijuana raids may soon be a thing of the past. They're a waste of time and resources, he said.

What are you going to do if they ban smoking and strippers? Some Cleveland-area residents have an idea.

As part of a series of regional forums in advance of next month's meeting of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, Vancouver this week hosted a forum where participants sent a clear signal that prohibition is not working.

Spurred by the state's narcs, the Kansas legislature is considering a bill that would make ecstasy possession a felony. It's all about the kids, proponents argue, but opponents wonder how saddling them with felony records will help.