Skip to main content

Voluntary Committee of Lawyers Reception

You are invited to a special Law Day reception sponsored by the Voluntary Committee of Lawyers. Come and learn more about the VCL's exciting initiatives across the country to foster important discussion and debate about our arcane and failed War on Drugs. As we approach a national "tipping point" in drug policy reform, the VCL's work is ever more important as we move the professional community to wield its influence to get drug policy reform on the legislative agenda. Please take the time to visit the VCL's website, at www.VCL.org. Announcement: The Board and Officers of the Voluntary Committee of Lawyers request the honor of your company at our Law Day Reception and presentation of the Joseph H. Choate, Jr. Award for Leadership to Judge Robert W. Sweet, United States District Court, Southern District of New York. The event features hors d'oeuvres and hosted bar. Please RSVP to Rachel Kurtz at 206-267-7069 or [email protected]. Donations appreciated. The VCL is a 501(c)(3) corporation. If you cannot make the event but would still like to support the VCL, visit us here: www.VCL.org.

Wow, These 4/20 Celebrations Are Surprisingly Safe

Actually, I'm not very surprised. But this should come as a shock to anyone who thinks we need cops to protect us from the dangers of marijuana:
SANTA CRUZ -- The phrase "getting baked" took on a dual meaning Monday for several thousand marijuana enthusiasts who braved record-breaking heat to smoke up at the annual 4/20 party in Porter Meadow at UC Santa Cruz.
…
Despite the 96-degree heat, which shattered a 110-year-old record of 88 degrees for the day, there were no medical incidents reported. [San Jose Mercury News]
There were also no reported incidents of anyone stealing from their little sister, or getting straight D's, or leaving their ex-girlfriend 27 messages, or making their mother cry, and other stuff like that…



If You Think the Drug War Protects Young People, Read This

CNN has a story on teenage drug smuggling that pretty much murders the notion that drug prohibition is creating a barrier between youth and drugs:

As an American, [Danny] Santos could freely cross the El Paso-Juarez border and not raise suspicion. At age 15, Santos says, he met "a guy" at a party who introduced him to drug kingpins in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

"You start off as a driver," Santos said. "People feel like they can trust you, then you move up to something bigger."

Two weeks later, he got a $4,000 job offer to drive his first load of marijuana across a bridge into El Paso. It was the beginning of a four-year smuggling career.

Of course, a 15-year-old kid can't get a job driving a beer truck, but he can make thousands smuggling drugs for a cartel in Ciudad Juarez. Does this sound right at all?

US. Customs and Border Protection officials in El Paso and San Diego report that in recent months, they've seen a rise in the number of juvenile drug smugglers getting busted at border checkpoints.

So right now, in 2009, the problem of teenagers becoming drug smugglers is escalating. After decades of trying to perfect our drug war strategies, all you have to do is open any newspaper and you'll immediately see some seriously messed-up stuff going on that we didn't even used to have to worry about.

It just gets worse all the time every time you look at it and I couldn't exaggerate how bad it is no matter how hard I try. I shudder to consider how much more hell on earth it may take to finally prove that the drug war is the problem and not the solution.
Subscribe to