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In The Trenches

Drug Policy Forum of Kansas Update

Wakarusa Music Festival: Volunteers Needed KS Legislature: Meth Offender Registry Update ACLU Forum on Wakarusa Law Enforcement Past Issues Medical Marijuana: Two Federal Court Rulings Medical Marijuana: New Mexico Passes Legislation
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HaRdCOREhARMREdUCER About The Cannabis Scare Article In The Independent On Sunday

this is the article we talk about

The article in The Independent on Sunday is what we call



100%


Prohibitionist drug war propaganda.









The fact that more and more youngster are looking for help because of problems related to cannabis consumption is (at least partly) because of prohibition it selve. The presure on teens to go into treatment can rise enormously ones you're caught by your parents, school or the police. A lot of this youngster go low profile for a while and play the good son/daughter.

In The Trenches
In The Trenches

Disenfranchisement: News/Updates from The Sentencing Project

Washington State: Legislation Aimed at Reintegration Includes Speedy Vote Restoration The Washington Senate approved a bill which is expected to speed up the process of restoring voting rights to people with felony convictions, according to the Seattle Post Intelligencer. The State Senate approved prison reforms last week in an effort to better prepare incarcerated individuals to reintegrate into society.
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Bong Hits 4 Ever

The Washington Post has an important point:

WHAT IS a bong hit 4 Jesus? We're not sure, and we doubt anyone really knows what the phrase means -- which is one reason the Supreme Court ought not to regard it as prohibited speech.

It's true. Prohibiting something you don't understand is the height of ignorance. All attempts to interpret the statement can be dismissed as the desperate fulminations of confused people who demand arbitrary authority to shield themselves from future confusion.

Now that it's been immortalized by the very people who find it objectionable, bong-hits-for-Jesus will probably be with us for quite some time. In the interest of preventing subsequent misunderstandings, I propose that we decide what it means. I vote that we use bong-hits-for-Jesus as a dissmissive retort to anything that doesn’t make sense. For example, if someone's carrying on about something you disagree with or don't understand, you'd reply "bong-hits-for-Jesus, dude."

If we succeed in making BH4J the next WWJD, the censors will surely come to regret ever complaining about it in the first place.

Blog

Snitching For The DEA Isn't As Fun As It Sounds

Juan Medina has an IQ of 77. Suffice to say he ain't no rocket scientist. Medina's limited mental capacity precludes many potential employment opportunities, but it was good enough for the DEA, which made him a secret agent. It didn't work out very well.

From The New York Times:

Mr. Medina, who had no previous criminal record, said he became involved with the D.E.A. in the fall of 2004, a few months after his father was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on drug conspiracy charges. He said he was told that if he helped the agency, his father might win an early release.
...
Mr. Medina said he signed a contract even though he told agents he knew little about his father’s criminal associates.

Despite his limitations and the "unremarkable life" he'd led, Medina managed to infiltrate a gang of drug dealers in Brooklyn. Things took a turn for the worse when Medina's criminal associates took him along on a robbery. He claims to have notified DEA of their plans and even waited around for police after the heist went down. To his surprise, no one at DEA would corroborate his story.

The D.E.A. has acknowledged that Mr. Medina, 24, was under contract as an informant. But the agency has not come to his aid, and is, in fact, helping prosecute him on charges of burglary, robbery and criminal possession of a weapon stemming from the robbery at a Bronx apartment. If convicted, he could be sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Whether or not the DEA knew about the robbery, as Medina claims, they bear full responsibility for his actions. They took a man with a limited mental capacity, exploited his love for his father, and sent him on dangerous missions. Their assistance in his prosecution is a rather transparent attempt to cover up their mistake.

This is a perfect example of the reckless abandon with which the DEA operates. Their insatiable greed compels them to create crime and confiscate the proceeds. Sadly, innocent people like Juan Medina are the easiest prey.

In The Trenches

Two Job Opportunities at Washington,DC-Based PreventionWorks

PreventionWorks, a needle exchange/harm reduction program operating in the District of Columbia, has recently applied for funding for a new program they are calling FOCUS. This will be an HIV treatment adherence support program for low-income residents of the District of Columbia who are current or former drug users, are in care for HIV infection, and struggling to focus on their HIV care and/or treatment regimen. Though funding has not been secured, the recruiting of strong candidates -- people with solid backgrounds in HIV and substance use, and who know District resources -- to staff the program has begun.
Chronicle
Chronicle

Feature: Prison Rape and the War on Drugs

According to a just released study, sexual assaults against prisoners are an endemic problem, not an isolated one, the drug war makes it worse, and drug war prisoners are among those most likely to be victimized.
Chronicle
Chronicle
Chronicle
Event

National African American Drug Policy Coalition Third Annual Summit

This year, the theme is "Substance Abuse among Vulnerable Populations: Enhancing Treatment, Eliminating Disparities, and Promoting Justice." The summit will focus on health and criminal justice issues among vulnerable populations within the African American community. Special workshops will focus on adolescents, women, and the reentry population. The summit will convene key leaders from our member organizations and other experts that span across a variety of disciplines.
Chronicle
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Bong Hits 4 Jesus

Reading about the rhetorical gymnastics of the Supremes on the Bong Hits 4 Jesus case gives insight into the prohibitionist mindset. As I see it, the fact that the case is being heard at all is a joke. The facts, as I understand them, are clear cut. To sum up: Frederick was, at the time of the 'event' an adult under Alaska law. He was not on school property. The event was not a school sponsored event, merely one for which school had been dismissed. In other words, school was closed. The meaning of the message he displayed is unclear, though obviously provocative. Here is my take on what happened: The principal, seeing the banner, felt embarassed, failed to maintain her composure, allowed herself to become angry, and lashed out. Upon regaining composure, she realized her error, but by then the 'event' had transpired, so she looked for any excuse for her lapse, cited the 'drug message' as contrary to school policy, and suspended Frederick for 5 days. When he dared to question this, the penalty was doubled. This administrator displayed a dismaying lack of self discipline, and obviously DID restrict the rights of free speech of another adult. She should be fired, not promoted. If you doubt this position, consider this question: What would the principal have done had one of the adult homeowners across the street from the school unfurled such a banner in front of their own home? What if it had been the son or daughter of such homeowner, standing on their own front lawn, across from the school, with such a banner? Would she have been within her rights to tear that banner down? Of course not. So what difference would it make if they took a few steps forward onto public property? Would that change things? Of course not. What difference does it make if it is a homeowner standing on the public sidewalk adjacent to his property, or another member of the public? Of course, it should not make any difference at all. As to the discussions between the Supremes, the fact that they are discussing the displaying of signs inside a classroom during class, as if it were a parallel situation when it obviously is not, demonstrates that they are trying to find some pretzel logic way to find in favour of the school. Pity they have allowed themselves to be co-opted by the prohibitionists in power, rather than thinking for themselves. I fully expect them to find in favour of the school, and then watch the free speech limitations increase incrementally.