Weekly: This Week in History
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.
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What's up with these "pain contracts"?
Spurred by the federal government's crackdown on prescription drug abuse, doctors around the country are resorting to "pain contracts" with patients in an attempt to protect themselves from charges they are Dr. Feelgoods. Such contracts typically require the patient to agree that "lost, stolen, or misplaced" drugs are not to be replaced and that the patient agree to be drug tested. Patients who refuse to sign such an agreement or who test positive for non-prescribed drugs--i.e. marijuana--are likely to be cut off.
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Paging Orrin Hatch
Update 10/25/06: Hatch's office informed us that Dallas Austin's parents were instrumental in getting the Senator involved. We've now contacted the D.C. Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the hopes of tracking down this latest victim's family. They've promised to look into it.
Yet another American has been imprisoned in Dubai on a pitifully small possession charge:
From Gulfnews.com:
Dubai: An American visitor who said he was unaware that he was carrying marijuana with him, which was found in his luggage at airport, will spend four years in jail.
Chronicle
Sentencing: California Governor Signs Bill To Shorten Parole for Offenders Who Take Drug Treatment
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has quietly signed legislation that will allow nonviolent offenders to get off parole if they undergo five months of residential treatment upon their release.
Chronicle
Hemp: California Governor Vetoes Industrial Hemp Bill
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed a bill that would have allowed California farmers to grow industrial hemp.
In The Trenches
Drug Survey: More Teens Smoke Marijuana Than Cigarettes--Prohibition Bars the Controls that Work for Tobacco, Reformers Argue
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 4, 2006
Drug Survey: More Teens Smoke Marijuana Than Cigarettes
Prohibition Bars the Controls that Work for Tobacco, Reformers Argue
CONTACT: Bruce Mirken, MPP director of communications, 415-668-6403 or 202-215-4205
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Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
We've got cops getting arrested, cops copping pleas, cops getting sentenced this week. It's like a tour of the criminal justice process. Let's get to it.
Chronicle
Sentencing: Federal Bill to Create Criminal Drug Dealer Registry Introduced
With sex offender and meth cook registries becoming all the rage in the states, it was only a matter of time before some congressman tried it at the national level for more people.
Chronicle
Sentencing: Arizona Legislative Initiative Would Roll Back Reforms When It Comes to Methamphetamine Offenders
Ten years ago, Arizona voters enacted a sentencing reform initiative that stopped judges from sending first- and second-time drug possession offenders to jail or prison. Now, the state legislature has crafted an initiative that would make an exception for methamphetamine offenders.
Chronicle
Marijuana: Idaho High Court Rules Officials Can't Block Legalization Initiative Just Because They Don't Like It
When Ryan Davidson wanted to start a marijuana legalization initiative in Sun Valley, Idaho, local officials said no. Now, the Idaho Supreme Court says they were wrong.
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Taking the Moral High Ground
(from DrugWarRant)Â
Long-time DRCNet collaborator and current Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative Associate Director Troy Dayton is organizing religious leaders in support of Question 7 to legalize adult marijuana use in Nevada.
The Reno Journal-Gazette now reports that 32 churches in the state have pledged to support the initiative:
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A Capacious Body Cavity and Some Questions
A small story from the Columbia Tribune in Missouri caught my attention this morning. "Cavity Search Turns Up Mixture of Drugs," was the headline. A gentleman was busted by the cops and arrested "after police conducted a cavity search and found a mixture of drugs hidden inside his body." It was quite a haul: Roughly eight ounces of powder cocaine, crack, ecstasy pills, and marijuana.