Medical Marijuana: Rhode Island Program Begins to Kick In
Rhode Island passed its medical marijuana law in January, the program went into effect in April, and now more than 250 patients and caregivers are registered.
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Southwest Asia: Proposal for Turning Afghan Opium Into Legal Morphine Gains Support
A proposal to turn Afghanistan's burgeoning opium crop into morphine for the legal medicinal market is gaining more support.
Chronicle
Europe: London Police More Likely to Arrest Blacks Than Whites for Marijuana Possession
A new report from Scotland Yard finds racial profiling in marijuana enforcement, but the police won't say it's racism.
Chronicle
Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
A pair of crooked prison guards and an emerging scandal in Baltimore make the radar this week.
Chronicle
Law Enforcement: Jackson, Mississippi's Mad Mayor Melton Indicted for Drug Enforcement Crimes
Jackson, Mississippi, Mayor Frank Melton has been playing drug warrior since day one. Now he finds himself on the other side of the law.
Chronicle
Law Enforcement: Cops Used Hidden High-Tech Surveillance on Kansas Rock Festival-Goers
A hi-tech surveillance company's bragging about its secret demonstration during a music festival has drawn criticism for police about the operation.
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ONDCP Ads on Youtube.com
From the creators of a blog that no one reads, and podcasts that no one listens to, comesâ¦
â¦Youtube videos that no one watches!
Thatâs right folks, ONDCP has created a Youtube profile and itâs about as cool as you might expect. The page includes several of ONDCPâs ads (you know, the ones that were proven to cause drug use), but for ONDCP super-fans thereâs also a 3-part series featuring Drug Czar John Walters talking from behind a podium somewhere.
Itâs delightfully ironic that, after a barrage of bad publicity, ONDCP has attempted to redeem its ads by placing them in an online popularity contest. Success on Youtube has much to do with viewer ratings, and after only one day, ONDCPâs ratings are as low as the system permits (note: ratings appearing in the user profile linked above are only updated periodically. You have to click on one of the videos to see how bad the ratings have gotten).
Blog
Lost This One, But Not As Bad As It Sounds
Special thanks to the roughly 1,000 DRCNet supporters who lobbied their Representatives in Congress to reject H.R. 5295, the so-called "Student and Teacher Safety Act." The House of Representatives unfortunately passed the bill, on a voice vote, which means there is no record of who voted yes and who voted no. It is also possible that there might not have really been the 2/3 majority needed to pass it, but without a member of Congress calling for a roll call, that is left up to the ear of the member leading the session. While a few Democrats did speak against the bill, none of them requested a voice vote, probably out of fear that Republican challengers would use the "Rep. So and So voted against a bill to keep kids away from drugs and guns" line in the upcoming campaigns in this high-stakes election season.
Chronicle
Weekly: This Week in History
Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.
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Watch School Search Bill Debate Online
CLICK HERE FOR LATEST UPDATE
UPDATE: It's on right now (5:39pm). Turn on C-Span or go to c-span.org, section "live streams."
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On the Thai Coup Attempt
The mass media today are full of reports about the slow-motion military coup attempt taking place in Thailand. While I'm not a big fan of military coups, I have to point out that this one couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Long-time Chronicle readers may recall Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as the man who unleashed a "war on drugs" in 2003 where some 2,000 people summarily executed. That's human rights speak for gunned down in the streets without a trial or even an arrest.