Rumsfeld says 9-11 plane 'shot down' in Pennsylvania (Dec. 28, 2004)
So now Rumsfeld is apparently saying that terrorists "shot down" Flight 93 over Pennsylvania. Considering the huge debris field, and the numerous witnesses to what appeared to be a military plane in the air at the same time as the Flight 93 crash, it's not hard to wonder if Rumsfeld let slip part of the truth, for once.

Cash-strapped system helps addicts (Dec. 28, 2004)
"The University of Kentucky's Center on Drug and Alcohol Research studies of the past two years found that treatment helps significant numbers of addicts stop abusing all drugs, find full-time jobs and stay out of trouble."

25-year ‘war on drugs’ gets a failing grade (Dec. 28, 2004)
"Neither its nearly quarter-century “war against drugs” nor the almost $3 billion Washington has spent since 2000 on Plan Colombia has resulted in the disappearance from U.S. streets of cocaine or heroin, says a major report by the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) released Nov. 30."

Changing tactics in war on drugs (Dec. 28, 2004)
"A proposal by a state House member should give us all cause to take a hard look at America's war on drugs."

Drug 'cartelitos' hit Mexico resorts (Dec. 28, 2004)
"17 Mexican drug agents were picked up last week for alleged involvement in drug trafficking in Cancún."

'Ecstasy' Use Studied to Ease Fear in Terminally Ill (Dec. 28, 2004)
"This month, in a little-noted administrative decision, the Food and Drug Administration gave the green light to a Harvard proposal to test the benefits of the illegal street drug known as 'ecstasy' in patients diagnosed with severe anxiety related to advanced cancer."

George Carlin Entering Drug Rehab Clinic (Dec. 27, 2004)
"'I'm going into rehab because I use too much wine and Vicodin,' the 67-year-old Carlin said in a statement released Monday by his publicist, Jeff Abraham. 'No one told me I needed this. I recognized the problem and took the step myself.'"

Alcohol Prohibition and Drug Prohibition (Dec. 27, 2004)
"Lessons from Alcohol Policy for Drug Policy."

New York's HIV experiment (Dec. 27, 2004)
"'We were told that if they were vomiting, if they lost their ability to walk, if they were having diarrhoea, if they were dying, then all of this was because of their HIV infection.' In fact it was the drugs that were making the children ill and the children had been enrolled on the secret trials without their relatives' or guardians' knowledge...We talk to a child who spent years on drugs programmes which made them and their friends ill, and we discover that Incarnation is not an isolated case. The experiments continue to be carried out on the poor children of New York City."

Poll: Seniors Support Medical Marijuana (Dec. 27, 2004)
"Nearly three-fourths of older Americans support legalizing marijuana for medical use, according to a poll done for the nation's largest advocacy group for seniors."

Why Some Politicians Need Their Prisons to Stay Full (Dec. 27, 2004- Free NYTimes registration required)
"Changing prison policy, however, is no longer a simple matter. The business of building and running the jailhouse has become a mammoth industry with powerful constituencies that favor the status quo. Prison-based money and political power have distorted the legislative landscape in ways that will be difficult to undo."

Drug connections via 'dope phones' (Dec. 26, 2004)
"The square alone has nine pay phones on the sidewalks and another in the subway station. Boston Police say such phones have long played a role in street sales of illegal drugs."

DRCNet Book Review: Under The Influence: The Disinformation Guide to Drugs, Edited by Preston Peet (Dec. 26, 2004)
"Under the Influence is a sampler kit of drug war essays that brings light to dark corners with energy and commitment. It makes no pretense at objectivity or balance but teems with data and outrage as it weaves history, geopolitics and journalism into a rich and often entertaining resource."

In Run-Up to New European Union Drug Strategy, European Parliament Adopts Report Critical of Continued Drug War (Dec. 26, 2004)
Folk acknowlege the War on Some Drugs and Users isn't working out the way it's been advertised.

Conflict Over Pain Management Heats Up as Mainstream Medical Groups Wake Up (Dec. 26, 2004)
"The long-simmering battle between federal drug law enforcers and pain management doctors, patients, and academics over the proper use of opioid pain medications such as Oxycontin is turning white hot." Support Dr. William Hurwitz's appeal of his federal conviction for prescribing pain relief here after reading this article.

War Crimes (Dec. 26, 2004)
When considering how the US treats its own citizens here in the US, particularly those targeted in the endless War on Some Drugs and Users, that anyone can be surprised that the US would treat other countries' citizens inhumanely is incredible, but still, the Washington Post seems surprised, and outraged.

The Myth About Illegal Drugs...Are They Cast - Off Psychiatric Drugs? (Dec. 26, 2004)
"People do not know the real history of many illegal drugs, how they were used to treat Psychiatric Disorders and how they were taken off the market due to the adverse reactions. If they did, would so many still reach for Anti-Depressants, Anti-Anxiety or ADHD drugs?"

Drug courts fight drug, alcohol crimes with treatment programs (Dec. 26, 2004)
Pot smokers portrayed as addicts in need of court supervision to become and remain clean from pot use. It is stories like these bandied about that help bolster prohibitionist claims that there are so many people in need of treatment- these stories of addicted potheads in dire need of supervision and help from the state.

SoCal actor imprisoned on drug charge in Pakistan misses flight (Dec. 26, 2004)
Apparently set up two years ago in Pakistan, US actor Erik Anthony Aude is now free and about to return to LA.

Teens' use of illegal drugs drops (Dec. 26, 2004)
"Teenagers' use of illegal drugs declined slightly for the third year this year, with the notable exceptions of inhalants, alcohol and the painkiller OxyContin, government investigators said Tuesday."

22 Arrested In Probe Targeting Illegal Drugs (Dec. 26, 2004)
"A two-month investigation, called Operation Brighter Days, had resulted in 22 arrests as of Wednesday for suspicion of drug possession, sale or distribution, police said Thursday."

Gary Webb drew blood (Dec. 22, 2004)
"'In a daily newspaper sense, Gary was the best investigative reporter in the country,' Bowden said. 'And he was unemployable. That tells me all I need to know about this business I’m in. You can get a paycheck every two weeks, as long as you don’t draw blood.'"

Hypoism (Dec. 21, 2004)
"We have initiated the last great medical and civil rights movement to end the health morbidity, discrimination, persecution, and genocide of hypoics. What you will discover after reading the book is that addiction is an inexorable manifestation of a deep-seated built-in neurobiological mechanism present in all people but uniquely altered by genetically transmitted hypofunctioning genes present only in hypoics." These folk claim that "the recovery of all hypoics must occur in 12 Step rooms and on 12 Step telephones," which the editor of DrugWar.com doesn't believe in the slightest, but whatever works to make life easier and less stressful I do support, so by all means check this site out.

The National Association for the Advancement and Advocacy of Addicts, Inc. N4A (Dec. 21, 2004)
"No one has the right to discriminate against or punish an addict for being an addict."

The Many Faces of Santa (Dec. 20, 2004)
This hasn't a thing to do with drugs or the war on some drugs and users, but in the interest of the holiday season, I post this link to interesting and amusing information about international impressions of Santa.

The Longest-Running War (Dec. 20, 2004)
"War has become a centerpiece of American politics. The war on terrorism is the focus of U.S. foreign policy. A real war is being fought in Iraq. Jimmy Carter proclaimed the “moral equivalent of war” over energy. Some analysts are advocating a war on obesity."

Sanity is AWOL in war on drugs (Dec. 20, 2004)
"The latest battle in the great War on Drugs showed up in the Supreme Court on Monday, with the feds arguing that if sick or dying people are allowed to use homegrown marijuana for their pain, the price on the streets will go down."

Waging a war against drugs (Dec. 20, 2004)
"In today's world, youth culture is merging with drug culture with the young turning to drugs everywhere. Hence the war against drugs must be won in the classroom not court house."

Corruption alleged in U.S. Customs' Miami operations (Dec. 17, 2004)
"A respected attorney who fought the system for years to prove that one of his clients had been framed by the mob and FBI has leveled serious corruption charges against U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)."

Drug Companies Enjoy An Unethical Relationship With Doctors And Politicians (Dec. 17, 2004)
"With prescription drug prices rising at more than twice the rate of inflation, the drug industry is being subjected to more scrutiny than ever before. The results have been more than troubling. As with all corruption though, it exists because we the people allow it to exist."

Afghanistan's Other Battle: The Fight Against Opium Trafficking (Dec. 17, 2004)
"The country's booming drug trade is estimated to account for 60 percent of its gross domestic product." Police are crowing about siezing a "huge" 15 ton haul of opium, which won't make the slightest dent on the illegal trade, despite assertions to the contrary by prohibitionist maniacs who prop up the illegal trade by insisting on continuing their stupid war on some drugs and users.

Flashback- This Is American History On Drugs (Dec. 17, 2004)
First published a couple of years ago, this editorial still reads as though written this morning.

Outbreak! (Dec. 16, 2004)
Be careful those out there who use the harder substances, there's some serious dangers involved sometimes. "A rare heroin-related disease strikes the Bay Area."

Trip over? (Dec. 16, 2004)
"Magic mushrooms have never been more popular. More than 400 apparently legal 'shroom' shops have sprung up in the past two years, and growing kits have become a must-have Christmas present. So why has the government suddenly turned tough on sellers? Stephen Moss investigates."

Who Killed Gary Webb? (Dec. 16, 2004)
David Corn, and others too, receives scorn for his continued "pissing" upon Gary Webb and his reporting about CIA-Drug trafficking connections.

Gary Webb: Do What He Did (Dec. 16, 2004)
Al Giordano writes a moving eulogy for Webb, and suggests what the rest of us may want to do now that one of the 20th Century's most authentic journalists is gone.

Drug test man considers suing police (Dec. 15, 2004)
A new roadside saliva drug test being given drivers in is drawing the ire of one guy targeted by such stupid police state action, with him filing suit against the police, who allowed his face to be broadcast on various tv stations during the traffick stop, even though he's not yet been charged with any crime..

College Fails in Bid to Grow Marijuana (Dec. 15, 2004-Free NYTimes registration required)
"A longstanding request to grow marijuana at the University of Massachusetts so it can be tested for medical uses has been turned down by the Drug Enforcement Administration."

Results of experiments with Spiders and Drugs (Dec. 14, 2004)
"Scientists at the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have turned their attention from the mysteries of the cosmos to a more esoteric area of research: what happens when you get a spider stoned. Their experiments have shown that common house spiders spin their webs in different ways according to the psychotropic drug they have been given."

Gary Webb Describes Being Silenced (Dec. 14, 2004)
"Not long after I wrote a series for the San Jose Mercury News about a drug ring that had flooded South Central Los Angeles with cheap cocaine at the beginning of the crack explosion there, a strange thing happened to me. I was silenced."

Protecting people or profit? (Dec. 14, 2004)
"America's privatised military machine is at the heart of the war on drugs in Colombia. Defence corporations hired by the US government enjoy extremely lucrative contracts, but who is responsible when something goes wrong?"

Gary Webb, Pulitzer Prize Winner, Author of Dark Alliance CIA Drug Series, Dead of Reported Suicide (Dec. 14, 2004)
"Press Accounts Fail to Mention His Vindication by CIA Inspector General Reports and Congressional Investigations"

Your Brain on Meth (Dec. 14, 2004)
Not all drug use is drug abuse, but there are definitely dangers inherent in any overindulging of anything, including illegal drugs. So be careful, please.

Trashed by the CIA's Claque- Gary Webb: a Great Reporter (Dec. 14, 2004)
"News came over the weekend that Gary Webb had died Friday from a gunshot wound to the head in his home in Sacramento, California. It appears to have been self inflicted. The news saddens us, and rekindles our anger at the fouls libels he endured at the hands of his colleagues."

States Should End the Drug War (Dec. 14, 2004)
"'Medicine by regulation is better than medicine by referendum.' U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer said that during last week’s arguments over the much-watched medical-marijuana case. Breyer, in other words, prefers that any change in the government’s prohibition of marijuana use be accomplished by an appeal to the federal drug-enforcement authorities rather than by a public vote in the states, such as occurred in California."

The ‘Drug War’ toll mounts (Dec. 14, 2004)
"America’s 'Drug War' marches on, impervious to efficacy, justice or absurdity."

Gary Webb Death - New Math Of Bush Reporter 'Suicides' (Dec. 14, 2004)
"Now that Gary Webb joins Mark Lombardi, J.H. Hatfield, and Danny Casalaro as the fourth 'suicide' by a researcher who had a detailed understanding of the structure and function of the Bush crime family, the math on the odds of the Bush suicides have changed."

Let the Afghan Poppies Bloom (Dec. 14, 2004)
How the drug war is undermining the war on terrorism

Gary Webb, reporter who linked CIA to drug sales, dead at 49 (Dec. 13, 2004)
This is very sad news indeed. Webb was an inspiration to the editor of DrugWar.com, and he will definitely be missed. Webb was a bright shining example of what journalists could do when they really practiced investigative journalism instead of regurgitating officialdom's press releases and bald faced lies.

Pentagon Weighs Use of Deception in a Broad Arena (Dec. 13, 2004-Free NYTimes registration required)
"The Pentagon is engaged in bitter, high-level debate over how far it can and should go in managing or manipulating information to influence opinion abroad, senior Defense Department civilians and military officers say."

Rep. Souder Urges FDA Review of Medical Marijuana, Provokes Battle of The "Dear Colleague" Letters on Capitol Hill (Dec. 11, 2004)
Who are the people voting this maniac into office again and again?

High Court Allows N.M. Church to Use Tea (Dec. 11, 2004)
"The U.S. Supreme Court sided Friday with a New Mexico church that wants to use hallucinogenic tea as part of its Christmas services, despite government objections that the tea is illegal and potentially dangerous." Right on, says the editor of DrugWar.com!

Afghans' Gains Face Big Threat in Drug Traffic (Dec. 11, 2004- Free NYTimes registration required)
The US military and government take over, the drug trade prospereth. It's an age old process these days.

Petitions In Limbo For Now (Dec. 11, 2004)
"Petitions calling for the Legislature to legalize marijuana and restrict public smoking remained in limbo Tuesday because state officials had not decided how many signatures they need to qualify."

Marijuana should be legal as safe, prescribed medicine (Dec. 10, 2004)
"Nothing involving drugs, legal or illegal, these days is simple. If it were simple, critically or terminally ill people would have easy access to safe, affordable medicine and other remedies to ease their pain and improve their conditions."

Coal industry trying to get a grip on drug abuse in mines (Dec. 10, 2004)
Could it really be that miners want to dull their senses while burrowing underground? What could they be thinking?

Drugs re-emerge in southern Thailand (Dec. 10, 2004)
Despite rampaging, murderous police actions over the past two years, "Drugs trade have recently re-emerged in Thailand's southern region, and state authorites are keeping a close watch on large narcotics rings, according to a government source."

'GM cocaine grown in Colombia' (Dec. 10, 2004)
More "super coca" alleged to be growing in South America, necessitating much more US taxmoney going to wage yet more war upon the growers of said coca, who usually happen to be poor and have darker colored skin.

Whitewashing torture? (Dec. 8, 2004)
"A veteran sergeant who told his commanding officers that he witnessed his colleagues torturing Iraqi detainees was strapped to a gurney and flown out of Iraq -- even though there was nothing wrong with him."

New York State Votes to Reduce Drug Sentences (Dec. 8, 2004-Free NYTimes registration required)
Still harsh, the Rockefeller Drug Laws have been softened at least a little bit in this latest chapter in the battle to Drop the Rock! But not everyone is happy with the "reforms" as they're being labled in the press: "'This is it?' an exasperated State Senator Thomas Duane, a Manhattan Democrat, shouted during the debate. 'This is it? After all this time, this is what comes to the floor? It would be an unbelievable stretch to call this Rockefeller drug reform.'"

First-ever safety study of medical cannabis use in Canada launched (Dec. 8, 2004)
"A first-of-its-kind study of safety issues surrounding the medical use of cannabis has just been launched. Known as the COMPASS study (Cannabis for the management of pain: assessment of safety study), the research initiative will follow 1400 chronic pain patients, 350 of whom use cannabis as part of their pain management strategy, for a one- year period. Seven participating pain clinics across Canada are now enrolling patients for this study."

The Brain's Own Marijuuana (Dec. 6, 2004)
"The drug is all these things and more, for its history is a long one, spanning millennia and continents. It is also something everyone is familiar with, whether they know it or not. Everyone grows a form of the drug, regardless of their political leanings or recreational proclivities. That is because the brain makes its own marijuana, natural compounds called endocannabinoids ( after the plant's formal name, Cannabis sativa )."

The Drug War Toll Mounts (Dec. 5, 2004)
"America's drug war marches on, impervious to efficacy, justice, or absurdity. Drug prohibition was nowhere to be found in Election 2004. There was no mention of it in the debates, the conventions, or the endless cable news campaign coverage. In some ways, that was a blessing."

Top Cops Say Drug War a Flop in Two New Surveys (Dec. 3, 2004)
"More than two-thirds of some 300 US chiefs of police interviewed in a survey conducted for the Police Foundation and Drug Strategies (http://www.drugstrategies.org), a mainstream drug policy research and advocacy group with a strong emphasis on prevention and treatment that also supports some harm reduction measures, said that law enforcement has failed to quell drug use."

DEA Retraction of Pain FAQ Angers, Scares Doctors and Patients (Dec. 3, 2004)
"In August, after a long collaborative process with leading academic pain management specialists, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) posted a document designed to provide guidelines for physicians involved in opioid pain management therapy. The document, "PRESCRIPTION PAIN MEDICATIONS: Frequently Asked Questions for Health Care Professionals and Law Enforcement Personnel," sought to balance the imperatives of drug law enforcement and those of medicine and, at least according to the pain professionals involved in the process, marked a fairly enlightened approach to navigating the turbulent intersection of law and medicine. But in early October, the DEA pain FAQ mysteriously disappeared without warning to any of the pain professionals involved in creating it."

Guns, Drugs and Mucho Dinero (Dec. 3, 2004)
"Last week President Bush visited with his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe in the seaside city of Cartegna. Newspapers both the United States and abroad published a picture of both presidents before a military honor guard with the caption, "Partners Against Drugs," giving credence to the belief that you can print just about anything on paper. The truth is that Uribe and Bush (and their predecessors) have been as effective in curbing drug trafficking and use as Cheech and Chong."

25-Year 'War on Drugs' Fails on the Streets (Dec. 3, 2004)
"Neither its nearly quarter-century 'war against drugs' nor the almost $3 billion Washington has spent since 2000 on Plan Colombia has resulted in higher prices on U.S. streets for cocaine or heroin, says a major report by the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) released Tuesday."

Nurse testifies doctor dismissed fears about drugs (Dec. 1, 2004)
"A nurse who worked for a McLean doctor accused of using his office as a front for drug trafficking testified that the doctor rebuffed her concerns about patients who frequently demanded a high volume of drugs."

NZ police monitor roadside saliva tests for drugs (Dec. 1, 2004)
"New Zealand police will closely watch a world-first programme being launched in Victoria where motorists face random roadside saliva testing for illegal drugs."

New report suggests U.S. is losing the war on drugs (Dec. 1, 2004)
"Prices for cocaine and heroin have reached 20-year lows, according to a report released Tuesday. The Washington Office on Latin America, which usually is critical of U.S. policies in Latin America, said the low prices called into question the effectiveness of the two-decade U.S. war on drugs."

Medical marijuana vs. the war on drugs (Dec. 1, 2004)
"Medical marijuana was the topic Monday at the U.S. Supreme Court. The question was whether noncommercial medical marijuana could be banned by the federal government or whether the Constitution left it up to the states. The right answer is to leave it to the states."

Drugs and violence study spells bad news for Native students (Dec. 1, 2004)
"A study on violence and drug use in the nation’s high schools shows an alarming trend among Native students, with American Indians and Alaska Natives getting drunk and high more as well as being involved in fights and with weapons."

State OKs Canada drugs (Dec. 1, 2004)
"Kansas joins three other states in a program that makes lower-cost drugs from abroad available to all residents."