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Contributors Graham Hancock, Colin Wilson, Robert Schoch, Archaya S., John Anthony West, William Corliss, David Hatcher Childress, Michael Cremo, Frank Joseph, and many more discuss a huge variety of theories about humanity's ancient, hoary past and the enigmatic remains our ancestors left behind. Order your copies today!

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Heroin is "Good for Your Health": Occupation Forces support Afghan Narcotics Trade (May 10, 2007)
"The occupation forces in Afghanistan are supporting the drug trade, which brings between 120 and 194 billion dollars of revenues to organized crime, intelligence agencies and Western financial institutions."

U.S., allies seen as losing drug war (May 7, 2007)
"The United States and its Latin American allies are losing a major battle in the war on drugs, according to indicators that show cocaine prices dipped for most of 2006 and U.S. users were getting more bang for their buck."

101-year-old Zambian man nabbed over cannabis cultivation, trafficking (May 3, 2007)
"DEC spokesperson Rosten Chulu confirmed the arrest of Timothy Chilekwa, a peasant farmer of Namembo village in Southern province who was born in 1906. Chulu said the old man was nabbed for alleged unlawful cultivation of cannabis weighing 1.2 tons. He was also found trafficking two sacks of cannabis weighing 6. 95 kg, Chulu said. The spokesperson said the 101-year-old would appear in court soon."

Was Timothy Leary Right? (May 3, 2007)
"Are psychedelics good for you? It's such a hippie relic of a question that it's almost embarrassing to ask. But a quiet psychedelic renaissance is beginning at the highest levels of American science, including the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Harvard, which is conducting what is thought to be its first research into therapeutic uses of psychedelics (in this case, Ecstasy) since the university fired Timothy Leary in 1963. But should we be prying open the doors of perception again? Wasn't the whole thing a disaster the first time? The answer to both questions is yes."

The Farce of the War on Drugs (May 1, 2007)
"My brother Howard Wooldridge served as a decorated police officer and detective in Lansing, Michigan for 18 years. During that time, he collared killers, drunk drivers, child molesters, rapists, wife beaters and drug dealers. What he learned launched him on a crusade to stop the federal government’s useless 35 year 'War on Drugs.'"

Coca Growers Shake the Andes Once Again (April 27, 2007)
"During the last few days, coca growers, especially in Peru and Colombia, have been in the news again, as their actions have given the media something to talk about."

LSD as Therapy? Write about It, Get Barred from US (April 27, 2007)
"BC psychotherapist denied entry after border guard googled his work."

No Jail for Willie Nelson on Drug Charge (April 25, 2007)
While the editor of DrugWar.com applauds this decision by the judge, I can't help but wonder how hard the judge would have thrown the book at me for the exact same offense.

The War on Salvia Divinorum Heats Up (April 14, 2007)
"Middlebury, Vermont, this week declared a public health emergency to prevent a local business from selling it. It's already illegal in five states -- Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Delaware -- and a number of towns and cities across the country, and now politicians in at least seven other states have filed bills to make it illegal there. For the DEA, it is a 'drug of concern.'"

Book Offer: Lies, Damn Lies, and Drug War Statistics (April 14, 2007)
"Normally when we publish a book review in our Drug War Chronicle newsletter, it gets readers but is not among the top stories visited on the site. Recently we saw a big exception to that rule when more than 2,700 of you read our review of the new book Lies, Damned Lies, and Drug War Statistics: A Critical Analysis of Claims Made by the Office of National Drug Control Policy."

Plant growers served search warrant (April 11, 2007)
"Three WSU students were surprised when a plant they were growing in their closet was mistaken for marijuana."

California in bid to impose 7.25% sales tax on cannabis (April 10, 2007)
"For decades, smoking marijuana has been an illicit affair, a key anti-establishment ritual for America's counter-culture underground. But the legalisation of the drug for medicinal purposes in California has presented its advocates with a dilemma: to remain firmly on the wrong side of the law or accept a demand to pay taxes on its sale."

The Other War: Democratic Candidates are Deafeningly Silent on the Drug War (April 9, 2007)
"There is a major disconnect in the 2008 Democratic race for the White House. While all the top candidates are vying for the black and Latino vote, they are completely ignoring one of the most pressing issues affecting those constituencies: the failed War on Drugs, a war that has morphed into a war on people of color."

Ex-officer likens drug war to Prohibition (April 8, 2007)
"Retired police officer Peter Christ on Tuesday compared the contemporary war on drugs to National Prohibition of the 1920s."

Minnesota drug laws: Are they too harsh? (April 8, 2007)
Momentum gathers for review of sentencing rules

Drug Czar Blasted for Lack of Leadership (April 8, 2007)
"During the course of research for this series, it became apparent that many prominent players in the war on drugs don't have many compliments for the current drug czar, John Walters."

Is the Drug War Nearing an End? (April 8, 2007)
"Little by little by little there is some hope that the "war" on drugs is becoming a political issue - the first step in undoing a set of policies that make little sense no matter how you look at them."

Law Enforcement Group Visits Maine To Advocate For Legalization Of Drugs (April 8, 2007)
"LEAP, or Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, says it has 5,000 members, made up mostly of retired and active law enforcement professionals. The group tours the country speaking to various civic groups about what they call a $60 billion failed war on drugs."

Afghans pin hopes on a new economy (April 8, 2007)
"As a competitive economy awakens in one of the world's poorest countries, the residents of Kabul are jockeying to get ahead in a city flush with cash from US soldiers, foreign aid workers, new investors, parliamentarians, and drug traffickers."

Salvadoran Murders in Guatemala (April 8, 2007)
"If the trip to Guatemala was a fiasco, Colombia was no better, Bush's arrival in Bogotá couldn't have happened at a worse time as every moment ticked off another scandal, some of them leading in the direction ofo President Uribe's office, and nothing that Bush or Uribe president could say concealed the fact that the Colombia phase of the U.S. anti-drug war was more dead than alive, which was even more certain when it came to extraditing Colombian suspected felons to the U.S."

Analysis: U.S. anti-drug war in Afghanistan (April 8, 2007)
"In a bluntly worded letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the lawmakers said inter-agency rivalry and U.S. policy failures in Afghanistan risked allowing it to slide back into chaos."

Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories (April 7, 2007)
"A Georgia fire captain gets caught peddling coke, a pair of New Haven narcs lose their jobs, a former Mississippi police chief cops a plea, and a former Ohio cop goes back to prison. Let's get to it...."

Methamphetamine: Feds Make First Cold Medicine Bust Under Combat Meth Act (April 7, 2007)
"An Ontario, New York, man last Friday won the dubious distinction of being the first person arrested under the 2005 Combat Meth Epidemic Act. According to a DEA press release, William Fousse was arrested for purchasing cold tablets containing more than nine grams of pseudoephedrine within a one month period."

Harm Reduction: New Mexico Governor Signs Overdose Death Reduction Measure (April 7, 2007)
"New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) Wednesday signed innovative legislation that would protect friends or family members who seek medical attention for drug overdose victims. The law is the first of its kind in the country."

Pot-Growing Takes Root in the Suburbs (April 1, 2007)
"In Coldwater Creek, a middle-class housing development outside Atlanta, the neighbors mind their own business and respect each other's privacy - ideal conditions, it turns out, for growing marijuana in the suburbs."

Bob Barr Flip-Flops on Pot (March 28, 2007)
"Bob Barr, who as a Georgia congressman authored a successful amendment that blocked D.C. from implementing a medical marijuana initiative, has switched sides and become a lobbyist for the Marijuana Policy Project."

What the heck is Sibel Edmonds' Case about? And why should I care? (March 28, 2007)
"Essentially, there is only one investigation – a very big one, an all-inclusive one... But I can tell you there are a lot of people involved, a lot of ranking officials, and a lot of illegal activities that include multi-billion-dollar drug-smuggling operations, black-market nuclear sales to terrorists and unsavory regimes, you name it... You can start from the AIPAC angle. You can start from the Plame case. You can start from my case. They all end up going to the same place, and they revolve around the same nucleus of people."

Mexican Envoy Highly Critical of U.S. Role in Anti-Drug Effort (March 23, 2007)
"The United States has contributed 'zilch' to Mexico's efforts to combat the nations' joint problem with criminal narcotics gangs, Mexico's new ambassador to Washington said yesterday."

Colorado Has Song in Its Heart, and Not Drugs on Its Mind (March 14, 2007- Free NYTimes registration required)
"The Colorado General Assembly wants to be quite clear on this point: When the singer-songwriter John Denver praised the joys of Colorado and sang about 'friends around the campfire, and everybody’s high,' in 1972, he was not referring to illicit drugs. Definitely not. Don’t even think it. The high in question, lawmakers say, is really about nature and the great outdoors — the tingly feeling you get after a nice hike, perhaps."

U.S. faults friends, foes in drug war (March 5, 2007)
"The United States said top anti-terror allies Afghanistan, Pakistan and Colombia had fallen short in the war on drugs despite enhanced counter-narcotics efforts and it criticized perennial foes Iran, North Korea and Venezuela for not cooperating."

Cuba’s War on Drugs (March 5, 2007)
"A review of the main results of the Cuban efforts against illegal drug trafficking as well as prevention during 2006, shows a marked reduction in the presence of drugs on the island, with 1.7 tons of narcotics seized, the lowest figure of the past 11 years and almost four times less than the amount detected in 2003."

Drug War Corrupting Cops In Hawaii and Elsewhere (March 5, 2007)
"Claiming to be the 'world’s leading drug policy newsletter,' the Drug War Chronicle publishes a regular online feature called, 'This Week’s Corrupt Cops Stories.' The typical Hawaii newspaper reader probably comes across these cops-gone-bad stories pretty rarely. But, when hundreds of reports compiled over the past year from around the nation are read at one sitting, they add up to a hidden cost of America’s ill-fated drug war -- widespread corruption inside local police departments, prisons and jails."

Drug war rips apart Mexico (March 5, 2007)
"More than 250 people were executed last year in Acapulco as the sweltering Pacific resort became the latest battleground between rival cartels battling for supremacy of the multibillion-dollar drug trade."

In Guatemala, officers' killings echo dirty war (March 5, 2007)
"The two sets of brazen killings set off a vicious diplomatic conflict between Guatemala and El Salvador — heightened by news reports suggesting that the congressmen were indeed drug dealers — and ignited a political scandal here. It shed light on how corrupt the National Police has become, and raised questions about links between drug dealers and high-level police officials, as well as whether the government can contain drug trafficking without international help."

Collision Course: Bolivia's "Coca, Si; Cocaine, No" Policy Runs Afoul of the International Drug Control Board and, Probably, the United States (March 1, 2007)
"A confrontation is brewing over Bolivian President Evo Morales' effort to rationalize coca production in his country and expand markets for coca-based products....Now, the Morales government is also pushing for expanded legal markets for coca products and, in a joint venture with the Venezuelan government, is preparing to begin coca product exports to that country."

Ga. Reconsiders No - Knock Warrant Rules (March 1, 2007)
"A group of lawmakers wants to make it harder for police to use ''no-knock'' warrants in the wake of a shootout that left an elderly woman dead after plainclothes officers stormed her home unannounced in a search for drugs."

Here we go again (Feb. 22, 2007)
"We're happy we could help with that, Mr. Vice President, but Colombian cocaine is still readily available in U.S. cities, so we have a difficult time thinking we got a good deal for our $4 billion. In fact, we don't believe Americans are getting their money's worth for any of the cash the government has thrown into the bottomless pit of the drug war. Court dockets are packed and prisons are overcrowded, yet illicit drugs are still readily available to anyone who wants them."

Latin America: Mexico Moves to Decriminalize Drug Possession -- So It Can Concentrate on Drug Traffickers (Feb. 22, 2007)
"Legislators from Mexican President Felipe's Calderon's National Action Party (PAN -- Partido de Accion Nacional) have introduced a bill in the Mexican Senate that would decriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs for 'addicts.'"

DPS officials were told of lax lab security (Feb. 22, 2007)
"Texas Department of Public Safety officials were aware of security breaches in the handling of their drug evidence as recently as 2006 and as far back as at least 2003 — problems such as failure to log evidence out of storage, containers of marijuana left open and the lack of a monitoring system for a high-security drug vault — according to the agency's internal audits."

'Safest city' now has drug war (Feb. 22, 2007)
"From the shopping malls and the fashionable clothes of its residents, this could be any affluent U.S. suburb. Residents pride themselves on their prosperity. But in recent weeks, drug-related violence has shattered the tranquillity."

Mexican president gives soldiers pay hike as drug war intensifies (Feb. 22, 2007)
"Soldiers waging a nationwide offensive against drug traffickers will get a pay hike of nearly 50 percent this year in a bid to insulate them from corruption, Mexican President Felipe Calderon announced Monday."

New Federal Study Shows Methamphetamine Use Decreased Between 2002 and 2005 (Jan. 31, 2007)
"A new analysis of data from The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) shows that past-year use of methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant, declined between 2002 and 2005 among persons age 12 or older....The study also shows that the number of persons who used methamphetamine for the first time in the 12 months before the survey remained stable between 2002 and 2004 but decreased between 2004 and 2005."

Tell Governor Spitzer to Support Rockefeller Drug Law Reform (Jan. 31, 2007)
"The Rockefeller Drug Laws require extremely harsh prison terms for the possession or sale of relatively small amounts of drugs. Most of the people incarcerated under these laws are convicted of low-level, nonviolent offenses, and many of them have no prior criminal records. Today 14,139 people are locked up for drug offenses in NY State prisons, comprising nearly 38% of the prison population. This costs New Yorkers over half a billion dollars a year. Send a message to Governor Spitzer now, urging him to support real reform."

Mexico eyes Colombian experience in drug battle (Jan. 27, 2007)
"Mexico's top prosecutor on Thursday looked to Colombia's experience in counter-narcotics and conflict for lessons to help his government battle drug cartels whose violence has engulfed parts of the country."

Rio gang kills seven as drug war spreads (Jan. 27, 2007)
"The mutilated bodies of seven youths, some with their heads and legs chopped off, have been found in an abandoned car in a notorious Rio de Janeiro slum. They appeared to be the latest victims of a long-running drug war that has made Rio, which depends heavily on tourism, one of the most violent cities in the world."

Drug Policy Reform Group to Partner with State of New Mexico in Federally-Funded Meth Prevention Education Program (Jan. 27, 2007)
"In a first for drug reform organizations, the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) New Mexico office has been designated to create a statewide methamphetamine education and prevention program directed at high school students, thanks to a $500,000 grant obtained by US Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) as part of a Justice Department appropriations bill. The grant is the result of years of close collaboration between DPA and New Mexico state and local officials dating back to the administration of former Gov. Gary Johnson (R), a prominent voice for drug law reform."

Spot in brain may control smoking urge (Jan. 27, 2007)
"Damage to a silver dollar-sized spot deep in the brain seems to wipe out the urge to smoke, a surprising discovery that may shed important new light on addiction. The research was inspired by a stroke survivor who claimed he simply forgot his two-pack-a-day addiction - no cravings, no nicotine patches, not even a conscious desire to quit."

Case highlights medical-pot dilemma (Jan. 23, 2007)
"'If they didn't arrest me with 1,500, it's not likely they're going to come back and arrest me for 50,' said Sarich, whose advocacy group, CannaCare, says it has provided marijuana plants for 1,200 patients all over the state. Some of his new plants, delivered by patients in Longview, Federal Way and Vancouver, Wash., are descendants of the plants he lost."

Alleged cartel members extradited to Texas (Jan. 23, 2007)
"A suspected Mexican drug lord whose cartel allegedly smuggled more than 4 tons of cocaine a month over the U.S. border will stand trial in Texas. Osiel Cardenas-Guillen, the alleged kingpin of the Gulf Cartel, and three other alleged drug lords appeared in a Houston court Monday. Mexican authorities delivered Cardenas-Guillen and 14 other alleged Mexican drug dealers and criminals to Houston late Friday and early Saturday, the Drug Enforcement Administration said."

Burdened U.S. military cuts role in drug war (Jan. 22, 2007)
"Stretched thin from fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. military has sharply reduced its role in the war on drugs, leaving significant gaps in the nation's narcotics interdiction efforts."

S.F. area is No. 1 for regular drug use, study says (Jan. 21, 2007)
"The San Francisco metropolitan area has a higher percentage of people who are regular drug users than any other major metropolitan area in the USA, a study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found."

Executive Order 13420 -- Dismantling the DEA (Jan. 21, 2007)
"This is the order I will sign after delivering my inaugural address," says Steve Kubby, who is again running for office this time seeking the nomination from the Libertarian Party as their Presidential candidate.

Cocaine found on 99.9% of UK banknotes (Jan. 21, 2007)
"Pretty well every banknote in the UK shows traces of cocaine, forensic scientists have claimed. According to a report in the Sunday Telegraph, 99.9 per cent of the two billion notes currently in circulation have come into contact with Bolivian marching powder."

A Legacy of Torture: From Cointelpro to the Patriot Act (Jan. 21, 2007)
"In today's world, the US government's use of torture and complicity in its clients' use of it is part of the headlines on a regular basis. Yet very few US citizens believe that methods like waterboarding, beating, and electrical shocks could be -- and have been -- used on US citizens." But the fact that torture is used profusely in US jails and prisons is unsurprising to those who've been inside the US "justice" system.

Reefer Madness (Jan. 21, 2007)
"I was never an activist until I got busted [noted Tommy Chong]. But it ’s not so much my efforts as the substance itself. Pot lives and dies on its own reputation....Years ago, people would do booze jokes. Then they start dying of cirrhosis of the liver and all these alcohol-related car accidents. Alcohol started out as a fun thing and ended up as this evil thing that kills people. Pot is the opposite...."

In the Costly War on Drugs, Who's To Say What Is Right? (Jan. 21, 2007)
"It seems like you lack a certain enthusiasm for the war on drugs, I said. I do lack enthusiasm for the war on drugs, he said. I asked about legalization. He shrugged. 'Monday, Wednesday and Friday I think they should be legalized. Tuesdays and Thursdays I think they should be illegal. I don't like drugs. I strongly disapprove of them. The costs are great. But it's expensive to incarcerate somebody. The costs are enormous either way. I don't know what's right.'"

Democracy and Plan Colombia (Jan. 21, 2007)
Just what effects are the massive spraying in anti-cocaine and poppy efforts that are one of the main tenents of Plan Colombia, not to mention all the arms and training given to the Colombian military and governments to combat Colombian peasents...errr, I mean, dastardly narco-terrorists? No major advancement of democracy it appears.

Drug mafia, CIA blamed for sacking of Afghan governor (Jan. 21, 2007)
"As The Washington Post has plainly summarized, 'corruption and alliances formed by Washington and the Afghan government with anti-Taliban tribal chieftains, some of whom are believed to be deeply involved in the trade, [have] undercut the [counter-narcotics] effort.'"

PAST NEWS ARCHIVE

Sniper 'blamed' for Marijuana shortage (Oct. 26, 2002)
"A marijuana shortage in New York is being partly blamed on the Washington sniper case. Medical groups which use the drug say they are having to seek emergency supplies from across the US."

Police seize more than one thousand hydroponic marijuana plants (Oct. 26, 2002)
Some Americans would say this is not good news at all.

Shortage of marijuana (Oct. 26, 2002)
"Drug Task Force agents in Mitchell County also applaud all local law enforcement for keeping mid level dealers and buyers behind bars. Having them in jail disrupts their network to distribute marijuana."

Two Men Busted For Drying Marijuana, Right Under Cop's Nose (Oct. 26, 2002)

Medical research 'often flawed' (Oct. 26, 2002)
"Clinical trials of many new drugs and treatments are flawed and possibly unethical, a study suggests. Experts in the United States have found that many researchers fail to follow international guidelines when they are carrying out studies funded by the pharmaceutical industry,"reports the BBC. Also see DNN's report, Survey finds drug company research raises suspicion.

Wellstone's death stuns Minn., Senate (Oct. 26, 2002)
"Sen. Paul Wellstone, a passionately liberal Democrat whose re-election campaign was vital to control of the Senate, was killed in a plane crash in northern Minnesota on Friday along with his wife, daughter and five others," reports the Associated Press about the only US Senator to vote against waging war on Iraq.

Marines Ordered into Colombia- February 2003 is Target Date (Oct. 26, 2002)
"Two battalions of US Marine Jungle Expeditionary Forces have recently received deployment orders for insertion into Colombia," reports Peter Gorman.

International A.N.S.W.E.R. [Act Now to Stop War and End Racism] (Oct. 26, 2002)
Mass protests planned world-wide today, Saturday, October 26, 2002. Show the world where you stand today, and everyday.

The Four That Got Away, and Political Kids Arrested for Drugs (Oct. 26, 2002)
Check out the US politicians who support prohibition, but not for themselves and their families.

The Week Online with DRCNet, issue #260 (Oct. 26, 2002)
Smoking pot to counter chemical warfare effects, Virginia drug sweeps underway, a couple commits suicide when facing prosecution and asset forfeiture for pot and mushrooms, these stories and lots more, plus the every useful Reformers' Calendar.

Tri-State Drug Policy Forum- Events Oct. 29, Oct. 30 (Oct. 26, 2002)
Get involved.

Paul Wellstone: America Loses A Bold Leader (Oct. 26, 2002)
"'Something died in America,' said civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis of Robert F. Kennedy's untimely death. 'Something died in all of us.' Paul Wellstone's entire political career was dedicated to bringing that something -- that soul -- back to American politics. From his out-of-nowhere populist election to the Senate in 1990 to his courageous, polls-be-damned vote against the president's Iraq invasion resolution, Wellstone always let his conscience guide the votes he cast and the policies he espoused," writes Arianna Huffington.

Hemp seed: A cure for the common cold? (Oct. 26, 2002)
"MotherHemp, the UK’s leading supplier of hemp oil and food products, announces latest clinical trial results on hempseed oil."

9/11 Relatives Push for Commission (Oct. 26, 2002)
"For months the Bush Administration has worked in the background to thwart the formation of an independent panel to investigate the events leading up to the attacks on September 11th. Now as election day approaches they have 'modified' their public position -- end result, same thing -- they are still blocking the probe. Why?" ask the editors of TruthOut.org.

DEA Steals 1st Known Oregon State-Licensed Medical Marijuana Garden (Oct. 26, 2002)
Watch this most disturbing video interview with one of the latest victims of federal insanity. Read the story here.

Trial Ordered in Case of Hallucinogenic Plants (Oct. 26, 2002)
More prohibitionistic, anti-nature, drug hysteria, this time in Georgia.

MPP/SSDP 2002 Conference (Oct. 26, 2002)
"The Marijuana Policy Project and Students for Sensible Drug Policy will hold a combined conference on Veterans Day Weekend, November 8-10, in Anaheim, California. This is the first weekend after Election Day, and the results of key congressional, gubernatorial, and state legislative races will be a major topic of discussion; as will the results of the drug policy initiatives that will be on the ballot in a handful of states and Washington, D.C."

Judges throw out odor-based drug bust (Oct. 26, 2002)
"Where there's smoke, there may not be fire, the Court of Criminal Appeals concluded Wednesday in ruling that the odor of marijuana didn't give Abilene police officers probable cause to enter a home," reports Janet Elliott about this unusual Texas court ruling.

Radio Free America (Oct. 26, 2002)
"This radio station is my personal contribution to Drug Policy Reform. The music I play here is a mixture of music that I like but all the songs here are cannabis friendly. Since I like many types of music you will find everything here from alternative rock, hip-hop, country and classic rock," notes program host Mary Jane Flores.

Study: Anti-drug coalitions don't work (Oct. 25, 2002)
It took a study to figure this out? All one needs to do is look around and see the endless stream of illegal drugs to know that the decades long war by Anti-Druggies simply isn't working...unless one is trying to insure the cartels remain powerful and rich.

Guatemala probes officers' ties to organized crime (Oct. 24, 2002)
"Guatemala launched an investigation on Wednesday into five high-ranking retired officers, one of whom is considered a close ally of President Alfonso Portillo, following accusations they run an organized crime network with links to the government," reports Greg Brosnan for Reuters.

Colombia investigates rebels for drug trafficking (Oct. 24, 2002)
"Colombia's chief prosecutor has for the first time opened an investigation into senior commanders of the country's largest leftist rebel force for alleged drug trafficking, a judicial source said on Wednesday," according to this report by Luis Jaime Acosta for Reuters.

Urban Anti-Rebel Raid a New Turn in Colombian War (Oct. 24, 2002)
Yet more US supported death and destruction in Colombia.

Feds Pushing Toxic Anthrax Drug? (Oct. 24, 2002)
Remember as you read this that the very same government forcing its servicement to take this toxic vaccine is at the very same time waging a war on pot and other drug users. Hmmm, seems something is not quite right here in the Land of the Free and very expensive vaccination-making drug companies.

Cuba (Oct. 24, 2002)
"The White House has rebuffed Cuban overtures to assist U.S. drug interdiction efforts, most recently fabricating charges that Cuba was obstructing the drug war. It earlier spurned Havana's offer to facilitate the U.S. detention of Al-Qaeda prisoners at Guantánamo, and sheepishly stood behind invented claims that Cuba had exported biological weapons to 'axis of evil' nations," write Morris Morley & Chris McGillion in this opinion piece.

Decriminalize Drugs (Oct. 24, 2002)
"The violence in Mexico is fueled to a large degree by the drug war, like so much of the violence in the United States and other countries that have a military approach to drug use. As described in the Washington Times in September, drug lords will likely spend $500 million this year in bribes and payoffs to the Mexican military and police for their assistance (and often their escort services) in ensuring that illicit drugs reach their destinations. Bribing policemen and turf warfare are minor costs compared to the wealth that traffickers reap as a direct result of drugs being illegal and yielding massively inflated profits," writes Carla Moquin in the Salt Lake Tribune.

Medical marijuana patients sue Ashcroft, federal government (Oct. 24, 2002)
These patients are sick and tired of Ashcroft's prohibitionist War on them, and want it ended, now.

Nolte charged with drug driving (Oct. 24, 2002)
What in the heck was Nolte thinking, getting behind the wheel of a car under the influence of GHB?

Diaries of Nirvana Star Reveal Cobain Felt Tortured by Pain, Drugs (Oct. 24, 2002)
The editor of DrugWar can't help but still feel bad for Kurt Cobaine.

Salvia Divinorum Legal Status Information (Oct. 24, 2002)
Check this site frequently for updates on the legal status of Salvia Divinorum, an herb the Congress, in it's infinite prohibitionist hysteria, is now planning on outlawing.

CIA Is Expanding Domestic Operations- More Offices, More Agents With FBI (Oct. 24, 2002)
These intel folk did such a great job pre-September 11 that they've been given yet more powers to now spy on the very citizens they're supposed to be protecting while propping up drug trafficking despots, fanatical religious extremists, as well as blood thirsty terrorists around the world.

Terror Slight School Owner's Plane Seized for Heroin Trafficking (Oct. 24, 2002)
"Even stranger, both Governor Jeb Bush and Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris were providing celebrity endorsements to Hilliard's operation well after the company's Lear (N351WB) had been busted by DEA agents armed with machine guns," writes Daniel Hopsicker in this, the most recent installment in this investigative series on the September 11 terror training that took place in various small cities and airports around sunny Florida. Why was Jeb Bush and Katherine Harris giving endorsements to a flop of an airline that had already had a plane seized in a heroin bust by DEA?

Ex-porn star Gannon jailed Receives three months for insider trading (Oct. 24, 2002)
"John Pollok, Gannon's lawyer, asked U.S. District Judge Richard Owen to sentence her to home detention. But Owen refused, saying the punishment should send a message to the investment community," reports the Associated Press. What would that message be, that like Martha Stewart, if one is a woman, and not a rich white good old boy, you'd better expect to do jail time for your financial shenanigans?

Authorities seize large marijuana amounts (Oct. 24, 2002)

Got Oil? (Oct. 23, 2002)
"The Bush team's ridiculous and wildly inflammatory anti-drug ads are still running in heavy rotation. You know the ads I'm talking about -- the ones where innocent-looking, middle-class teens admit their culpability for the consequences of the drug trade. 'I helped blow up buildings,' says one doe-eyed youth. So if that is legitimate logic, and our president says that it is, I wonder if we might turn the tables on him by starting a little ad campaign of our own to sabotage another misguided Bush campaign: the War on Conservation," writes national treasure Arianna Huffington.

A Lesson In Testifying- High Court Hang-Ups (Oct. 23, 2002)
"A most extraordinary trial is going on in the High Court at the moment in which a man named Chrysler is accused of stealing more than 40,000 coat hangers from hotels round the world. He admits his guilt, but in his defence he claims that – well, perhaps it would be simpler just to bring you a brief extract from the trial," writes Miles Kington with obvious pleasure.

'Cocaine smuggler' claims CIA link (Oct. 23, 2002)
This wouldn't be the first guy who got busted shipping CIA cocaine.

Drug war's new front: Ballot box (Oct. 23, 2002)
"So the feds cede nothing. Walters figures that if legalization wins Round One in Nevada, he can still work to defeat it in 2004. And even if it wins twice, he says the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration would move in and shut down any sales operation," reports Dick Polman, a Philadelphia Inquirer staff writer, about John P. Walter's love of the democratic process.

U.S. drug czar critical of State Issue 1 (Oct. 23, 2002)
Head prohibitionist John P. Walters bleats out more insulting, misleading, and very dangerous opinions, this time in Ohio, while making his grand national "anti-democracy" tour.

Pot in Humboldt County: Climate attracts many growers (Oct. 23, 2002)
Believe it or not, Humbolt County, California, USA, is a great place to grow marijuana.

Parents Charged With Smoking Marijuana In Van With Son (Oct. 23, 2002)
"A police report says the couple admitted to smoking marijuana in a van with their nine-month-old son in the back seat."

Guinn against marijuana, same-sex marriage (Oct. 23, 2002)
Pot users and gay people in love aren't "a problem" for the Governor of Nevada, but he's still publically against them.

Comedian, lawmaker in Denver spy files (Oct. 23, 2002)
"The list includes former South Dakota Sen. James Abourezk, who once headed the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs; entertainer George Carlin; Wilma Mankiller, who was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 1998 for her work as the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma; and historian Vine Deloria, who wrote, 'Custer Died for Your Sins.'"

Salvia Divinorum Action Center - HR 5607 (Oct. 23, 2002)
In a typical prohibitionist move, the US Congress is preparing to outlaw yet another plant. What in the hell is wrong with the people? The Editor here at DrugWar really wants to know.

Yet Another 'Oops, Wrong House' Raid (Oct. 23, 2002)
"Sandy Cohen raised her arms defensively and told the armed cops they were in the wrong house, according to her son. 'That's what everyone says,' one officer scoffed, according to the 55-year-old Cohen, a journalist who was general manager of WCAU-TV from 1983 to 1990." This according to Stu Bykofsky, Philaedlphia Daily News columnist.

Guatemalan anti-drug agency axed (Oct. 22, 2002)
"The authorities in Guatemala have dissolved the country's anti-drug agency, just a week after a senior US official accused the government of involvement in corruption and drug trafficking," reports the BBC. According to the US State Department, in 2001, US taxpayers gave $3 million, in 2002 we will give an estimated $3.5million, and in 2003, $3.4 is the requested amount to be handed over to this US ally in the War on Some Drugs and Users, which disbanded in disgrace last week. How many more times is this going to happen before it sinks into the heads of US Congressfolk who keep appropriating ever more money to these allies that this War is not only not working, it will never work?

Can Elections End U.S-Ecuador Frustration? (Oct. 22, 2002)
"High-ranking Ecuadorian officials insist their country is most threatened by the spread of Colombia's civil war and regional drug problems. U. S. officials say they don't see the evidence. Instead, early this year, the State Department's anti-terrorism report pointed the finger at Ecuador, urging it to tighten its own borders, and to deal with its reputation as a 'strategic corridor' for munitions 'destined for Colombian terrorist groups.'" So reports Marcela Sanchez in this special report for the WashingtonPost.com. This paragraph raises the ugly spector of Cambodia, and the pretexts used by Nixon and Kissinger to secretly and illegally send US troops to invade that country during the Vietnam travesty.

Indonesian forces' corruption exposed (Oct. 22, 2002)
More US allies in the War on Some Drugs and Users struggling with corruption and worse, directly engendered by prohibition.

Russia afloat in heroin (Oct. 22, 2002)
"Hidden inside cabbages, hollowed walnuts, even the bellies of desperately poor pregnant women, Afghan heroin steadily flows into Russia, joining a stream of illegal drugs that officials warn is a growing threat to the nation's stability," reports Judith Ingram for the Washington Times.

Rebels' grip on Medellin loosens (Oct. 22, 2002)
An update on the War in Colombia.

Spending may boom: Military industry ready for growth (Oct. 22, 2002)
"Atlantic Marine Holding Company temporary leadman Ruby Cook stands under the belly of the U.S.S. Samuel B. Roberts. She ensures co-workers have prime painting conditions. They're prepping the frigate to work with South American naval forces fighting drug operations," reports Jessica Gellady for the Business Journal.

A Reporter Scrutinizes War and Its Myths (Oct. 22, 2002- Free New York Times registration required)
"Despite a profound abhorrence of war, Mr. Hedges also acknowledges a strange attraction. 'The rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction,' he writes, 'for war is a drug, one I ingested for many years,'" writes Robert Mann for the NYTimes.

US Diplomat Discusses Trade, War on Drugs with Bolivian President (Oct. 22, 2002)
"Speaking after their meeting Wednesday, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere, Otto Reich denied reports the purpose of his visit was to pressure the Bolivian government to continue its policy of eradication of illegal coca plants; the raw material from which cocaine is derived. But Mr. Reich said the elimination of the coca plants is extremely important and that the United States would continue helping Bolivia destroy the crop." So reports the Voice of America. Under Reagan, Reich ran the pro-Contra Office of Public Diplomacy for Latin America and the Caribbean, which was shoveling propaganda by the bucketload for US public consumption. The OPD was found to be an illegal operation in 1987 after an investigation by the U.S. Comptroller General.

Teach-in at C.U. on Guerrilla War Informs (Oct. 22, 2002)
"Roldan argued that the organization of paramilitaries is no different from American Pentagon outsourcing in Afghanistan and Vietnam," writes Melissa Korn in this report for the Cornell Daily Sun on a teach-in at Cornell University.

US drugs budget is cut to fight war on terror (Oct. 22, 2002)
"The Pentagon is to scale back its £800m-a-year war on the narcotics trade to free up special forces troops, reconnaissance aircraft and satellites for the battle against international terrorism," reports Ian Bruce for The Herald UK. The US military apparently has not been paying attention to the ONDCP advertisements tying illegal drug taking to terrorism.

Nevada takes up referendum on pot (Oct. 22, 2002)
"Federal drug czar John Walters, who is making marijuana a major target because of its widespread use, has made his position on Western reefer referendums clear. During a swing through Arizona and Nevada this month, Walters called the Arizona ballot initiative a 'stupid, insulting con.' In Nevada, he chastised proponents of pot legalization, saying that he didn't think Nevada should become a 'center for drug tourism,'" reports Bob Keefe COX News Service. In other words, nuclear waste shipped from all over the US into Nevada is good, but legalizing pot smoking is bad. What a "stupid and insulting con" prohibitionistic feds such as Walters are trying to pull.

Investigation takes down marijuana, cocaine network (Oct. 22, 2002)
"'98 tip led to years-long multi-agency probe with wiretaps, high-tech surveillance," reports David Doege for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

'Marijuana factory' targeted by New West (Oct. 22, 2002)
"A legal marijuana grow operation operating out of a two-storey home in Queensborough is fighting efforts by the city of New Westminster to shut it down," reports Canada Now.

7 pounds of marijuana found on Texas woman (Oct. 22, 2002)
This 20-year old woman apparently said "yes" to these cops' request to search her belongings, which lead to them finding one heck of a lot of pot.

Cocaine, Marijuana Found On Kid Rock's Tour Bus (Oct. 22, 2002)
Prohibitionist cops in Florida have momentarily gotten one oh so dangerous pot head coke sniffer of the streets while acting on a tip that there were drugs on Kid Rock's tour bus.

Trio charged after police seize cannabis (Oct. 21, 2002)
Police steal...uh, confiscate, $2 million worth of marijuana.

Pot in Humboldt County: Both sides of the story (Oct. 21, 2002)
"'Humboldt is the nexus point of the whole growing movement,' said Steve Bloom, senior editor of High Times Magazine, a New York City-based publication distributed worldwide and dedicated to the complete coverage of marijuana," writes Chris Durant for the Eureka Times.

San Francisco may explore growing medical marijuana (Oct. 21, 2002)
"Will San Francisco soon start growing and distributing its own marijuana for medical purposes? An initiative on an upcoming ballot is asking local voters to decide whether the city should explore the idea," reports the Associated Press.

'NY Times' Takes Hit On Marijuana Booklet (Oct. 21, 2002)
"Times officials declined to address the allegation that the booklet distorted facts. But, in a statement sent to E&P Friday, the paper defended its practice of providing such educational materials, which are used in conjunction with the daily paper. 'Our main goal ... is to foster development of critical thinking skills through newspaper reading,' the statement read. 'We are able to do this in part by helping teachers to integrate newspapers into their curriculum," which has exactly nothing to do with their passing off propaganda and lies as educational material. Read more of this report by Joe Strupp for Editor and Publisher. Then download and read the propaganda...I mean, handbook, at the New York Times.

Meet the most potent natural hallucinogen -- and it's legal (Oct. 21, 2002)
A shrill, prohibitionist-slanted article about Salvia Divinorum, beating the fears drums loudly.

US Military Is Easing Its War on Drugs (Oct. 21, 2002)
The very expensive taxpayer-funded ONDCP television ads equating Drugs with Terrorism don't seem to have convinced the US military, which wants to scale back its anti-drug operations, to the consternation of some in Congress.

When the Bullet Meets the Bone- Ari Fleischer's Single Bullet Doctrine (Oct. 21, 2002)
"Unpalatable to most Americans is the fact that in promoting and marketing the US 'way of life' here and abroad, painful side effects include extraordinary violence, mayhem and suffering," writes John Stanton in this editorial for the News Insider.

N. Korea Issue Irks Congress (Oct. 21, 2002)
"Key Democrats Kept in Dark On Admission Before Iraq Vote" report Mike Allen and Karen DeYoung for the Washington Post. The Bush administration will even lie to Congress, so what hope do we regular citizens have of getting the truth out of this administration, or any US administration for that matter? Oh, hold on, these administrations have been lying about their War on Some Drugs and Users for decades, so the fact the Bush administration lied about North Korea isn't exactly surprising news.

War plans under fire as even Bush heartland talks peace (Oct. 21, 2002)
"Dissent is coming from all quarters - even in Bush's own church," Ed Vulliamy reports from Washington for the Guardian Unlimited Observer.

Ex-officials accused of corruption (Oct. 21, 2002)
"Two former high-ranking Pentagon officials in the Clinton administration were arrested yesterday on charges of extortion, bribery, money-laundering and witness tampering in a suspected scheme involving the awarding of contracts to minority firms," writes Jerry Seper for the Washington Times.

Czechs retract terror link (Oct. 20, 2002)
What Iraqi terrorist link was that again?

Spy planes used to hunt drug suspects enter search for sniper (Oct. 20, 2002)
"RC-7 surveillance planes, based in far West Texas and South Korea and used primarily to hunt drug smugglers in South and Central America, is now being recruited into the hunt for the Washington-area sniper," reports Dave Montgomery for Knight Ridder Newspapers.

The THC Foundation (Oct. 20, 2002)
"THC-Foundation is working to educate the public about the truth concerning hemp and cannabis, and helping medical marijuana patients. Our mission is to promote justice, freedom, and peace with political action and education. Our goal is to restore hemp and end adult cannabis prohibition."

Big Kick, Plain Scrap: History of the Drugs in the War on Stronger pot, upgraded 'speedballs,' purer heroin: all victories for ... somebody (Oct. 19, 2002)
"We're just beginning this lexicographic and chemical mindfuck. First, let's get the 'war on drugs,' as this particular war is called, out of the way. It's about money. Just like all wars. As politically incorrect (and still alive) comedian Bill Maher once noted, after denouncing the war on drugs for going on too long and containing too many hidden agendas: 'Prozac versus marijuana? Prozac's going to lose.''' So writes Greg Baker in this often funny yet quite honest appraisal of the War on Some Drugs and Users.

Officers Say U.S. Aided Iraq in War Despite Use of Gas (Oct. 19, 2002)
Hiding knowlege of North Korean nuclear capabilites for at least the last 2 years, and assisting Saddam Hussein acquire chemical and biological agents, one US administration after another has engaged in murderous hypocricy around the world, and expect the young US men and women who pay taxes and vote them into office to support and even sometimes die as a result of their criminal insanity.

Mary Jane's Army Raising Awareness (Oct. 19, 2002)
Letter writers urging marijuana law reforms sent letters across four time zones to this small paper, impressing Tait Simpson, the Opinions Editor at The Gazette in London, Ontario.

Homeland effort may have beneficial side effects (Oct. 19, 2002)
"The homeland-security push could result in a tighter border that keeps out not only terrorists, but more illegal drugs and many foreigners with criminal backgrounds. At all levels, law enforcement is likely to be more coordinated as police and federal agents work jointly to piece together the clues terrorists left behind. That will mean cooperation in solving nonterrorist crime cases as well," write Tamara Lytle and Jim Leusner for the Orlando Sentinel. We all know how well the War on Some Drugs has worked in stopping drug trafficking and abuse, so imagining the benefits of the War on Terror sends chills of anticipation through the editor of DrugWar.com.

Actor Sean Penn Lashes Bush over Iraq War Drums (Oct. 19, 2002)
In an open letter to Bush taking up most of a page in the main section of the daily newspaper, the Oscar-nominated star of "I Am Sam" and "Dead Man Walking," urged the president to stop a cycle where 'bombing is answered by bombing, mutilation by mutilation, killing by killing,'" reports Reuters. Penn is but one more unhappy US actor voicing his concerns as Hollywood takes on White House.

Inmate freed by governor does ad for Pataki foe (Oct. 19, 2002)
Joel Stashenko, as Associated Press writer, seems to be implying that Anthony Papa should be more grateful to Governor Pataki since he granted him amnesty after Papa served 12 years of a 15 year-to-life sentence for a single drug offence.

War Worries- Support for Attacking Iraq Begins to Wane Across the U.S. (Oct. 19, 2002)
"As the administration prepares for war with Iraq, a new mantra has emerged in the campaign to win the hearts and minds of Americans and, in effect, put Saddam Hussein on notice. 'America speaks with one voice,' says President Bush. In Washington, Bush, having been empowered by both houses of Congress to use force, seems to face very little opposition on Iraq. On the streets of America, nothing could be further from the truth," reports Bill Redeker for ABCNews.

War on drugs that may be fuelling terror (Oct. 19, 2002)
"The enormity of the 2002 [poppy] crop as well as Afghanistan’s porous borders may well provide further funding for groups with links to terrorist organisations, particularly as al-Qaeda is thought still to be operating within the region. But now even more damaging facts about the compensation scheme have come to light as it seems that British money could have been diverted directly to al-Qaeda," writes Lucy Morgan-Edwards in Kabul for the Scotsman.

Explosive 'linked to CIA' (Oct. 19, 2002)
"The explosive used in the Bali bomb attack could have come from supplies handed over to the Mujahideen by the CIA during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan," reports Michael Smith, Defence Correspondent for The Telegraph. "The same plastic explosive, known as C4, was used in the attack on the USS Cole off Yemen in October 2000 in which 17 people died, suggesting a possible link to al-Qa'eda."

Australians turn on government over US alliance (Oct. 19, 2002)
"Next in the line of fire were the intelligence services, which appear to have deliberately buried warnings of a possible terrorist attack on Bali. Such debate, part and parcel of Australian political life, seems refreshingly frank and a little disorientating when compared with the reaction in the United States after the September 11 attacks," writes Andrew Gumbel in Sydney, for The Independent.

LISD celebrates Red Ribbon Week (Oct. 19, 2002)
"Red Ribbon Week is an annual, nationwide event commemorating the life and sacrifice of Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique 'KiKi' Camerena who was murdered in 1985 while working undercover in Mexico," reports David A. Smith. The prohibitionists quoted in this article are missing the point that it is their War that directly lead to murderous, powerful cartels such as the one that killed Camerena, not drug use as they imply here.

Proposition 203 requires state to give away marijuana (Oct. 19, 2002)
Arizona is just one among many states with a common sense drug war reform initiative on the ballot this November, 2002.

Medical pot not guaranteed under charter, court told (Oct. 19, 2002)
"The right to smoke marijuana for medicinal reasons is no more enshrined in the Charter of Rights than the right to smoke crack cocaine, lawyers for the federal government argued yesterday." That's according to this report by James McCarten, CP, for the London Free Press, on Canadian prohibitionist arguments against marijuana law reform.

The Week Online With DCRNet, issue# 259 (Oct. 19, 2002)
MADD sues DAMMADD over the remarkable similarities in names, election updates, California medical marijuana guidline info online, election updates, the Journey for Justice, Colombian, Mexican and US Drug War corruption, and more election updates are among the many topics covered in this week's issue. Be sure to check the Reformers' Calendar for events happening near you.

Police make a record seizure of marijuana (chamba) (Oct. 19, 2002)
"The dangerous drugs section of the police service has seized 7,589.5 kilograms of chamba from January to September this year," reports Muyanga Ziba for Malawihere.com.

More lies about marijuana (Oct. 19, 2002)
"Regarding DEA Director Asa Hutchinson's column last Saturday, "Legalizing drugs is simply surrender": Methamphetamine use is at epidemic levels throughout the United States. If "drug warriors" like Hutchinson and drug czar John Walters want to know the reason why, tell them to look in a mirror," writes Kirk Muse in this letter fo the editors at The Arizona Republic.

Medical marijuana provider arrested (Oct. 19, 2002)
This guy is facing up to 17 years in prison for possessing a bunch of flowers.

Marijuana received in mail; man arrested (Oct. 19, 2002)
"The marijuana had been shipped up from Texas, and the suspect received it through a parcel service at his apartment building on the south side of Two Rivers," reports the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter.

S.D. city panel OKs medical pot rules (Oct. 19, 2002)
"Medical marijuana guidelines that would allow sick people to keep up to 3 pounds of the drug and grow up to 72 plants for their own use was approved by a San Diego City Council committee yesterday," writes Ray Huard for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Drug Czar (Oct. 19, 2002)
"Virtually everybody believes we need to protect children from dangerous addictive substances. If we do that, we'll have fewer people who we have to treat, and we'll have a kind of realization of the opportunities in this country that we all want for everyone, and our children especially," said US Drug Czar John P. Walters in this interview with D. Brian Burghart for the Reno News and Review. Fewer people we need to treat? How about fewer people we have to jail?

Government lawyers say they haven't read all Cheney documents they argued should be kept secret (Oct. 19, 2002)
"U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered task force documents to be made public by Nov. 5 and said he was shocked the Justice Department attorneys had not examined all the documents after asserting for more than a year that each of them involved confidential information," reports John Heilprin for the Associated Press. Also see this notice from Judicial Watch, currently suing to force disclosure of Cheney's secret meetings, Judge orders White House to turn over energy task force documents.

Police Admit Lying in Dallas Drug Convictions (Oct. 18, 2002)
Anti-Drug Warriors running amok in Dallas. Texas. "NPR's Wade Goodwyn reports on the FBI investigation into allegations that the Dallas Police Department wrongfully arrested and charged Mexican immigrants with drug trafficking. As a result, many spent years in jail on drug convictions. Police informants have admitted to lying, and several new trials have been ordered, and a judge has ordered another man released. (7:26)"

Fire victims told of checks (Oct. 18, 2002)
"The Drug Enforcement Administration on Wednesday tried to reassure victims of the 62,000-acre Pines fire that restitution checks will not be delayed by the agency taking over the handling of claims from the California National Guard," notes the Union-Tribune.

Drug Traffickers Pose Threat to National Security, Says White House (Oct. 18, 2002)
Drug traffickers are scary and threatening, but US and British arms merchants showing off their death wares in Jordan, to such countries as Syria, Libya, Iran and yes, Iraq, these warpigs pose no threat to US National Security or the Bush regime, nor to the US citizenry and soldiers who will die in attacks utilizing US weaponry, not at all. Something about these priorities seems off somehow to the editor here at DrugWar.com.

Canadian pot plan a trade risk (Oct. 18, 2002)
Exporting US cigerettes and threatening sanctions against those countries who don't want them is fine with official US prohibitionists, but God forbid some country like, say, Canada decides that anti-marijuana prohibition is idiotic, wasteful and destructive. These very same officials are now threatening Canada for contemplating liberalizing their anti-pot laws.

U.S. Drug Czar: Policy could hurt state efforts (Oct. 18, 2002)
"The U.S. Drug Czar said a statewide ballot initiative meant to reform Ohio drug policy could actually hurt the state's efforts to curb drug addiction. In Columbus Wednesday, John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, joined what he called growing opposition in Ohio to the proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot. If Issue 1 succeeds, it would force judges to send thousands of eligible non-violent drug offenders to treatment instead of jail," reports Nathan Leaf for the Gannett News Service.

Florida-Based Researchers Receive $5.85 Million Federal Contract to Study Drug Addiction (Oct. 18, 2002)
"Imagine a day when taking a pill cures or prevents drug addiction. That goal is what drives research by The Roskamp Institute and James A. Haley VA Hospital scientists who have just received sponsorship for their project from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's research unit, the Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center (CTAC)." In other words, the way our brains are wired isn't right, God must have made a drastic mistake that only the prohibitionists can fix by altering the very makeup of those brains that won't buy into the prohibitionist hysteria.

Hollis: Drug-Free Troops Key to All Military Success (Oct. 18, 2002)
"It's paramount to mission success that service members remain drug-free –- especially as America continues the war against global terrorism, DoD's senior anti-drug official said here," writes Gerry J. Gilmore for the American Forces Press Service. Is he serious? Can the US military really be printing fatuous articles like this one, when it came out just a few months ago that the US military is pumping pilots full of methamphetamines and downers too?

Cannabis society planning downtown rally (Oct. 18, 2002)
"Calling it a rally and march to "stop the casualites of the marijuana war," the Ohio Cannabis Society will hold a downtown rally and march beginning noon Saturday at Dave Hall Plaza, Main and Fifth streets. The march will begin at 4 p.m. at the plaza and proceed to the Montgomery County Courthouse. An after-party will be from 6 to 9 p.m. at El Diablo Lounge, 135 E. Second St.," reports Cathy Mong for the Dayton Daily News.

Family's death sends chilling signal (Oct. 18, 2002)
It begins with Angela Dawson, a neighborhood crusader and mother of six, taking a stand against drugs. It ends with Dawson and her five youngest children burning to death in an engulfed bedroom and a young man from down the street in jail," reports Jeffrey Gettleman for the New York Times.

Art students chalk out war protest (Oct. 18, 2002)
"It is the second time in three weeks that anti-war sentiments have been drawn on Capitol grounds."

Bush Co-Chair Blasts McBride for Refusing to Condemn Remarks From Supporter Who Compared the Bush Family to Bin Laden and Called the Bush’s “Godless” and “Neo-Nazis” (Oct. 18, 2002)
A shrill official press release from the Jeb For Governor website. Does this press release protest too much?

Marijuana Petition (Oct. 18, 2002)
"A petition by some University of Missouri students wants the City Council to lower marijuana possession charges from criminal to misdemeanor. That way if students are caught with marijuana, they won't lose their financial aid," reports Jodie Shpritz.

A parent asks: Why was Jeb not at hearing? (Oct. 18, 2002)
"So why wasn't Jeb Bush standing with his daughter when the bailiffs slapped the cuffs on her and led her off to prison? Couldn't he have set aside his campaign for at least a morning?" That's what Mike Thomas of the Olando Sentinel wants to know.

Golisono Blows Smoke at Medical Marijuana (Oct. 18, 2002)
Tom Leighton, running for NY Governor as the Marijuana Reform Party candidate, is not impressed with Golisano's pro-medical marijuana position. Find out why, and see the recent NY gubernatorial debate with all 7 leading candidates. Would would the elections look like were our Presidential debates this inclusive?

Tom Golisano for New York Governor (Oct. 18, 2002)
The editor of DrugWar.com is NOT endorsing Golisano's candidacy by posting this, but does find Golisano's pro-medical marijuana commercial, which can be viewed here, refreshing and worth posting simply for its uniqueness. US politicians publically coming out in favor of marijuana use in any form is something the editor has dreamed up, but is still pleasantly surprised to see it become a reality.

Gov. Jeb Bush's daughter ordered to jail (Oct. 17, 2002)
There she goes again to jail, poor woman. But at least she's only facing 10 days rather than the years others less fortunate than she often get for their piddly drug offenses.

I'm an American tired of American lies (Oct. 17, 2002)
"I give in to Woodman, and we stop for a few beers. He asks me what I'd do in Bush's shoes. Easy: I'd honour Kyoto. Join the world court. I'd stop subsidising earth rapers like Monsanto, Dupont and Exxon. I'd shut down the nuclear power plants. So I already have $200bn saved from corporate welfare. I'd save another $100bn by stopping the war on non-corporate drugs. And I'd cut the defence budget in half so they'd have to get by on a measly $200bn a year. I've already saved half a billion bucks by saying no to polluters and warmongers," writes Woody Harrelson in this editorial for the Guardian Unlimited.

Red Tape Delays Payments To Pines Fire Victims New Government Agency Takes Over Claims Process (Oct. 17, 2002)
"Victims of a summer wildfire that was sparked by a National Guard helicopter will have to wait longer than expected for damage payments because the Drug Enforcement Administration is taking over the claims process," reports NBCSanDiego.com "The helicopter was on a drug-surveillance patrol when it clipped a power line on July 29 and started a fire that burned 62,000 acres near the town of Julian. The Guard took responsibility for the fire and has been in the process of approving damage claims for people who suffered property and financial losses. But victims were told this week that the DEA is taking over the handling of claims because it, too, was involved in the patrol."

Journey for Justice- The Law Made You a Criminal- Reflections on the First Stop (Oct. 17, 2002)
Nora Callahan, Executive Director of the November Coalition, sends us a report on the first stop on the Journey for Justice, adding much to Kevin Zeese's initial report. These people deserves all the kudos and support they can get, or so that's the opinion of the editor here at DrugWar.

Barbara Starr: Military joins sniper probe (Oct. 17, 2002)
"Under the posse comitatus law, which dates back originally to 1878, no military involvement [is allowed] in law enforcement. And that means they can't pursue, they can't target, they have no powers of arrest. But in recent years, what has come to happen is the military can provide assistance, and of course, the best example is the drug enforcement issue, drug interdiction. Military aircraft, military assets are often regularly used to conduct surveillance and reconnaissance and look for suspected drug flights into the United States, especially across the southern border," according to this CNN report. Does the fact that the military is often used in drug operations make it right? This was something the editor heard other says, and said many times himself, that the War on Some Drugs was the foot-in-the-door for the eventual shredding of the Constitution and our basic rights as US citizens. The War on Terror is simply the next (il)logical step.

Police Chief Appointed To International Drug Committee (Oct. 17, 2002)
"The committee is chaired by Hutchinson, who nominated Keck at the association's convention last week in Minneapolis. DEA spokeswoman Tara DeGarmo said Keck will serve a three-year term on the committee. She said the position will allow Keck to keep informed on national and international drug issues. He will then advise the association on drug-enforcement policies."

Mexico- Military's Role in Drug War Questioned (Oct. 17, 2002)
Things are looking bleak for the corrupt military stooges taking their cut from the drug trade in Mexico.

Panhandle Losing Ground in Drug War (Oct. 17, 2002)
Not only can Florida Governor Jeb Bush NOT keep illegal drug abuse out of his own family, he cannot keep them out his state either, no matter how many lives and however much money he wastes on the War on Some Drugs and Users.

Frightful risk for medical pot users (Oct. 17, 2002)
"A bold, daytime home-invasion robbery targeting a marijuana garden in El Dorado County has alarmed law-enforcement officials and highlighted risks for growers of medicinal pot. Four gunmen dressed as FBI and ATF agents forced their way into a family's rural Lotus home last week and took 20 plants -- which the homeowner told authorities were for medicinal purposes -- and about $300 in cash," report Sacramento Bee staff writers Ralph Montaño and Niesha Gates. It's getting more and more difficult to tell the narcotics cops from the criminals these days.

Pot use brings red tape (Oct. 17, 2002)
"User of medical marijuana can't regain his driver's license," reports Doug Mattson for the Union.

City Leaders Push Action On Medical Marijuana (Oct. 17, 2002)
"A plan to regulate the use of marijuana for medical purposes is a first step in resolving a dispute over implementation of Proposition 215, two San Diego City Council members said Wednesday."

Partnership for Drug-Policy Facts and Alternatives (Oct. 17, 2002)
The Partnership for a Drug Free america was apparently not too happy with this site when it came out, and it is easy to see why.

Press Release from the White Men's Public Relations Department to DrugWar.com (Oct. 17, 2002)
So can the White Men really be stopped, or is it too late? Are they really in total control while hiding from public scrutiny from behind closed doors? The White Men seem to think so, and thank us here at DrugWar for adding to their deceptive smokescreen.

Cannabis Study is Full (Oct. 17, 2002)
"Recruitment began in January 2001 and on Monday, consultant neurologist Dr John Zajicek will announce the study now has its quota of 667 patients."

Colombia Asks Neighbors to Join Drug War (Oct. 17, 2002)
"Colombian President Alvaro Uribe called on fellow South American nations on Tuesday to join his twin wars on drugs and terrorism, warning cocaine-fueled violence could spread throughout the region," apparently missing the point that his war is driving that exact same violence. Why is this so difficult for voters all over the world to understand, that these warmongering Drug Warriors are the root cause of the drug violence, and that as long as the voters keep putting these maniacs in office, the violence will continue?

Ryder Drug Count Dropped (Oct. 17, 2002)
"But she'll go to trial on three felony charges in shoplifting," notes this report from the Associated Press.

As Bush Marshals America for War Against the Axis of Evil, American and British Arms Companies are Showing Them Our Weapons (Oct. 16, 2002)
Ah, the pleasures and profits of having warmongers and warpigs leading the most free nation on Earth. This is one hell of a shock to the editor of DrugWar.com, who perhaps naively wonders why this event isn't getting much airplay on US television news. Iraq is one of the 46 countries with a delegation attending this "exceptional and comprehensive" military and law enforcement arms show, along with Syria, Jordan, and yep, the United States. Also see Outrage as Iraq views UK arms from the Guardian Unlimited Observer.

"Shallow Throat" Savages Dem Leaders and Reveals Bush Strategy (Oct. 16, 2002)
You remember the flap when the German justice minister compared Bush's tactics with those of Hitler -- of mesmerizing the population with war-talk while the real issues are swept under the rug? The Bushies got enraged because she hit too close to the mark. The administration's propaganda policy is, who said it?, a weapon of mass distraction -- and it's working. Look at how the Congress caved, look at the absence of major coverage on the shaky economy and the various Bush&Co. scandals." So writes Bernard Weiner of his interview with GOP stalwart "Shallow Throat".

Enron's legacy lives on (Oct. 16, 2002)
"'The executives have yet to be disgorged of their ill-gotten gains,' he says. 'That broad sense that there will be some level of holding them accountable no longer exists.' Unsurprisingly, America's investors are more than a little reluctant to get their fingers burnt again. 'It's akin to terrorism,' says Alan Reynolds, an expert on corporate governance at the Cato Institute. 'One set of people deliberately plotted to break all the rules and commit a terrible crime.'"

An 'out-of-state' campaign- Federal drug czar meddles in an issue Nevadans must decide (Oct. 16, 2002)
The Las Vegas Review Journal is not buying US Drug Czar John P. Walters' scare tactics and lies, going so far as to call him on his duplicity and empty promises in this editorial. Saying that Nevadans are adults, the paper notes they do not need help from their "betters" from Washington DC, like Walters, flying into Nevada more than once at taxpayers' expense to fight against Question 9, a citizens' initiative that will legalize responsible marijuana use in their state if it passes.

Nearly 80 Percent Of Coast Guard Cocaine Seizures In Pacific (Oct. 16, 2002)
"The Coast Guard seized 93,417 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The total amount seized was 117,280 pounds, officials said in a statement."

What Bombing People Really Does to Them (Oct. 16, 2002)
For all the folks calling for bombings in Iraq, take a quick visit to this site, and see exactly what happens to people when just one bomb (so far as is known at this time) goes off in their vicinity. This site is NOT for the weak at heart or stomach, so be forewarned. Catch the terrorists, don't bomb indiscriminately in relatiatory terror attacks, as in say, Iraq, where it will do no good and will only maim, anger, and murder, instilling more anti-West hatred. DrugWar's editor does not necessarily subscribe to the theory promoted at this site, but feel the photos should be viewed by everyone calling for bombings.

Pickens students below state average in marijuana usage survey (Oct. 16, 2002)
Greg Oliver reports that despite having the lowest marijuana use rates in the state, the prohibitionists in Pickens County are insisting that more prohibition is needed. "We go in and do drug lessons with students in all classes and do teacher in-service, where we do risk and protective factors for teachers to demonstrate to students who are high-risk," said Reese. "We talk about the things we can do to protect students."

Task Force Recommends 3-Pound Limit For Medical Marijuana (Oct. 16, 2002)
"Patients Should Be Able To Grow 72 Plants, Group Says"

Men charged with marijuana possession (Oct. 16, 2002)
"Antonio O. Ramirez, 39, of Los Angeles and Jose O. Ramirez, 27, of Hollywood, Calif., were each charged with possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute and not having a drug tax stamp, Nebraska State Patrol Lt. Chris Kolb said." So reports Sarah Schulz for Independent.com. A Drug Tax stamp? If they'd had one, would that have helped them?

Canada's marijuana laws worry U.S. (Oct. 16, 2002)
CNN reports on the 800 legal pot smokers in Canada, and on Canada's proposed reforms of anti-pot laws.

Anti-War Protests Get Louder In California (Oct. 16, 2002)
"Most Americans -- about 61 percent, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll -- support using force to remove Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, but anti-war activists contend that is true only when people are asked the question in the broadest terms. When voters in the Post-ABC poll were asked whether the United States should launch an attack over the opposition of its allies, for example, support dropped to 46 percent," writes Evelyn Nieves, a Washington Post Staff Writer.

The Akha Weekly Journal- Subscribe Today (Oct. 16, 2002)
The Journal is up and running. Get your subscription today.

Man faces drug charges over South American jungle vines (Oct. 16, 2002)
"'This is a very dangerous hallucinogen,' he said. 'We will do whatever we can to keep it out of our district and prosecute anyone who tries to bring it in.'" So said U.S. Attorney Bill Duffey, according to this ASsociated PRess report, who wouldn't know a genuine religious experience if it bit him right on the....

America's For-Profit Secret Army (Oct. 16, 2002)
"With the war on terror already a year old and the possibility of war against Iraq growing by the day, a modern version of an ancient practice -- one as old as warfare itself -- is reasserting itself at the Pentagon. Mercenaries, as they were once known, are thriving -- only this time they are called private military contractors, and some are even subsidiaries of Fortune 500 companies. The Pentagon cannot go to war without them," reports Leslie Wayne for the New York Times. These same killers for hire are hard at work in South America, and all sorts of other corners of the globe.

Fla. Gov. Daughter's Hearing Opened (Oct. 16, 2002)
"'Drug court status hearings must be open to all participants so that all participants can observe each other's successes and failures,' the judge wrote." So Noelle and her family cannot hide behind privacy.

Colombians flee campaign of terror- Survivors describe bloody massacres by paramilitaries (Oct. 15, 2002)
Mike Ceaser reports for the Globe and Mail on the harrowing situation facing the peasant inhabitants along the Venezuela/Colombia border, with robbery, kidnapping and murders of the most horrific sort being perpetrated upon the campesinos by right-wing paramilitaries alleged to be allied with the Colombian military.

No: Addictive drug has no medical value (Oct. 15, 2002)
As the sharp-eyed reader who pointed out this article to the Editor here at DrugWar.com notes, "This DEA loon must have just dropped off the turnip truck, he seems well fastened to 1938. You gotta read this." So, the editor passes on the link to this incredible editorial. Let the Seattle Times know what you think of this guy's opinion.

War Cry (Oct. 15, 2002)
"Making the case for United Nations intervention against the United States, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami told the organization yesterday that military action will be "unavoidable" unless the U.S. agrees to destroy its weapons of mass destruction. In a much-anticipated speech to a special session of the U.N. General Assembly held in Brussels, Khatami launched a blistering attack against American leader George W. Bush, accusing him of defying U.N. resolutions and using his country's wealth to line the pockets of wealthy cronies at a time when the people of his country make do without such basic social programs as national health insurance." So wrote Ted Rall in this disturbingly funny but hitting ever too close to home spoof of the Bush warmongers and their plans for world dominance.

Mexican army 'torturing' soldiers (Oct. 15, 2002)
"A human rights group in Mexico says more than 600 soldiers have been detained at their barracks for the past 11 days and subjected to torture in an investigation into drug trafficking," reports the BBC.

Drugmakers' gifts to doctors finally get needed scrutiny (Oct. 15, 2002)
What about drugmakers' gifts to lawmakers and government regulators? Will this topic also be covered by this scrutinizing?

Censorship In Paradise: New Zealand Thought Police Seize Books From Loompanics (Oct. 15, 2002)
"Let's emphasize one of the lessons we've learned about New Zealand: If you get caught with three marijuana plants, you will pay a $350 fine. If you get caught with three books about marijuana, you will pay a $6,000 fine. Kiwi tokers, if they're prudent, may want to stick to just smoking the stuff rather than reading about it. As if all this weren't twisted enough, it should be noted that although the magazines High Times, Cannabis Culture, and Heads are all legally on sale in New Zealand, books about illegal drugs are verboten. (It was through ads in these magazines that the Setters found out about Loompanics and Dope Fiends.)" So notes Russ Kick in this scathing report about New Zealand's thought police and their victims.

UR hears Bennett, Rushdie (Oct. 15, 2002)
"In his travels as drug czar, Bennett met a Charleston, S.C., police chief -- Rubin Greenberg -- who reduced drug crime by evicting public housing tenants who fed or sheltered drug dealers. “That’s what a great leader can do,” he said. 'Change the whole psychology of what’s going on.'" Bennett is the guy who really gets credit for inspiring in the editor of DrugWar.com thoughts that all was not right in the Land of the Free, way back when the editor was attending a Florida Junior High School and heard then-US Education Secretary Bennett spouting what were even to his young mind and ears obvious idiocies and falsehoods. Bennett certainly helped change the editor's psychology.

Canada's Pot Proposal Worries U.S. (Oct. 15, 2002)
"U.S. drug policy experts say decriminalizing marijuana in Canada will increase drug use in America and trafficking by organized crime elements on both sides of the border. Washington would respond with tighter border checks that could hinder trade crucial to the Canadian economy. 'We intend to protect our citizens. We would have no choice,' said John P. Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy." So reports the Associated Press. What Walters probably meant to say was "Boy, these Canadians are so far ahead of us in terms of smarts and compassion, not to mention common sense, that we are looking like the evil meanies we are." Or maybe he didn't mean to say that, but that's the reality of the situation regardless.

Wasted: the Drought That Drugs Made (Oct. 15, 2002)
The drought problems in Afghanistan are the direct result of marijuana farming, at least according to this report from Time magazine.

Golisano calls for repeal of Rockefeller drug laws (Oct. 15, 2002)
"'To take young