Sandalio ‘Sandy’ Gonzalez recently retired after a 32-year career in law enforcement, 27 as an agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), eventually ascending to his highest-ranking position as head of operations in South America.
Three years ago, Gonzalez’s career came to an abrupt end after he blew the whistle in a horrifying case now known as the ‘House of Death,’ in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents stand accused of looking the other way while one of their drug informants participated in torturing and murdering at least a dozen people in the border town of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
Tagdrug war
This is a series that was never aired (no surprise there) about the CIA, Iran-Contra, drug trafficking, and the Mena cover-up.
(via Google Video. Thanks DJ!)
“Representative John Conyers, Chair of the House Committee on the Judiciary, sent a letter to the DEA inquiring about the “paramilitary style enforcement raids” conducted against medical marijuana distributors in California. In case anyone hasn’t been following this story the state of California permits the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Since the federal government does not and the current Federal apparatuses’ have chosen not to look the other way in respect of State’s rights, there have been Federally motivated enforcement actions against people and businesses that are legally permitted by the State but not the Federal government.
Ed Brayton observes:
All of this can be blamed entirely on the Supreme Court, which issued one of the most indefensible rulings in its history in Gonzales v Raich. And yes, this one you can lay directly at the feet of the liberals on the court. Stevens, Souter, Ginsburg and Breyer were all in the majority in ruling that the federal government has the authority to overrule state medical marijuana laws.
I ran across something specific related to this Conyers’ letter that ties back to some previous comments I had about drug advocates trying to Trojan Horse recreational use under cover of medicinal use.”
(via Drug Monkey)
(see also: spider webs made by spiders on drugs via Cannabis.net. h/t: Reality Carnival)
The buzz around the fringeblogosphere today:
A unanimous Supreme Court ruled today that the adherents of a small religious group can continue, for now at least, to import and use an illegal drug in their worship services. The court, in a decision written by new Chief Justice John Roberts, held that the federal government had not adequately demonstrated that it had a compelling interest in banning what even federal prosecutors admit is a “sincere religious practice.”
Pew Forum: Supreme Court Rules that Religious Group Can Use Illegal Drug in their Worship Services
A warning to all my wacky stoned readers:
People primarily ask about the legal risks of past use because they want to be able to talk or write about their experiences. When describing past illegal acts, mentioning specifics about timing and location increases risk of prosecution. If the statute of limitations has not run out, it is possible that a judge could grant a search warrant?or in extreme cases, an arrest warrant?based on specific details of past use. In some areas, a positive drug test is treated as evidence of a crime.
[…]
Violations that have happened within the statute-limited period can be prosecuted if there is enough evidence. Simply talking about past use, by itself, is very unlikely to be considered proof of a crime, which means the authorities would need to have additional evidence to prove their case (or even get an arrest warrant). It is important to note, however, that out-of-court documented admissions of law violations can be strong evidence if a trial does take place.
[…]
Suggestion or evidence of past illegal substance use could pose a problem even if there is not enough evidence to support criminal charges. A few scenarios where this could be an issue are: in a fight for custody of children, if a parent?s past use is brought to the attention of child protective services, and in the workplace, where the mere suggestion of drug use could lead to the loss of one?s job or professional license.
Full Story: Ask Erowid: Is Past Substance Use Illegal?
From Erowid:
Utah Supreme Court ruled that peyote use in “bona fide” religious ceremonies, regardless of the race of the participants, is protected under Utah and Federal Law in Utah. The court wrote: “On its face, the exemption applies to members of the Native American Church, without regard to tribal membership. The bona fide religious use of peyote cannot serve as the basis for prosecuting members of the Native American Church under state law.
Another annoying myth debunked. This time by Erowid:
Loosely defined, entrapment is a situation in which, if not for the actions of the police officer or police informant, the defendant would not have committed the crime. This defense is generally only successful in situations where law enforcement officers create a criminal plan, plant the idea of that plan into an otherwise innocent person’s mind, and then instigate the plan for the purpose of prosecuting the suspect.
The mere presentation of an opportunity or request by an officer that an individual commit a crime does not qualify as entrapment. An officer may engage a citizen in conversation and ask to buy an illegal substance — even if they have no reason to suspect the person of illegal activity.2 They may offer to sell an illegal substance and arrest the buyer after the sale.
Who’s Got the Acid? – These days, almost nobody. By Ryan Grim | Slate | MSN
Evidence of acid’s decline can be found practically everywhere you look: in the number of emergency room mentions of the drug; in an ongoing federal survey of drug use; in a huge drop in federal arrests; and in anecdotal reports from the field that the once ubiquitous psychedelic is exceedingly difficult to score. In major cities and college towns where LSD was once plentiful, it can’t be had at all.
…the decline in LSD use doesn’t look like a demand-side phenomena: The cultural hunger for a substance that lets you hold affordable conversations with God, watch walls melt, breathe colors, and explore your psyche remains unsated.
Here are Hakim Bey’s arguments against drug legalization.
Hakim Bey: Against “Legalization”
(via New World Disorder)
Getting high off lizard dung seems to be all the rage in Nigeria, and the authorities are getting worried (duh!). The best way to do it, apparently, is to “mix it with water and a blue laundry detergent.” According to a user Agence France Presse interviewed, “it produces a strong effect similar to the effect of drinking strong whisky to excess on a hot day.” Another user, who smokes it, said “I can’t find a job given my low academic qualifications. Since I discovered the use of lizard dung I have found peace because whenever I smoke it with tobacco all my worries are gone.”
Agence France Presse: Could It Possibly Be True Department — New African High?
(via Plastic)
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