The U.N. fears the Internet is providing a haven for drug dealers. But how easy is it, really, to find narcotics on the Web? How easy is it to buy illegal drugs on the internet? Pretty darn easy, according to a new study by the United Nation's International Narcotics Control Board. The report, issued Wednesday, warns that drug traffickers are finding myriad ways to conduct their illegal transactions in cyberspace -- leaving law enforcement officers struggling to keep up. The INCB study details the ways traffickers communicate with each other and with their clients, often commandeering unrelated chat rooms to set up deals, or using Web courier services to transport their contraband packages. [continues 1250 words]
After Years Of Ignoring The Program's Failure, DARE's Anti-drug Mavens Design A New Curriculum For A New Generation Of Teenagers Here's a news flash: "Just Say No" is not an effective anti-drug message. And neither are Barney-style self-esteem mantras. While most Americans won't be stunned by these revelations, they've apparently taken a few DARE officials by surprise. According to the New York Times, after years of ignoring stubbornly low success rates, coordinators of the 18-year-old Drug Abuse Resistance Education program are finally coming around to the news that their plan to keep kids off drugs just isn't working. That means a whole new DARE program - one which critics hope will sidestep existing pitfalls. [continues 582 words]
After Years Of Treating Addicts Like Criminals, Reports Time.com's Jessica Reaves, There's Increasing Public Pressure To Give Them Treatment Rather Than Jail It's a familiar scene: A man in his mid-30s waits outside a courtroom, his eyes dull, his posture slack. An attorney sits nearby, trying to ignite some optimism in his client - maybe it won't be so bad - but the man knows better. He knows because he's already tested the system so many times. He's been arrested with cocaine, heroin, marijuana, not to mention various and sundry pills. He knows he's betrayed pledges to get clean, and turned his back on years of rehab. Now it's time for him to pay his debt to society once again: That's right. Back to the drug treatment center. Oh, yeah - and maybe a few months of jail time. [continues 1685 words]
The Supreme Court's overruling of a California decision on medical marijuana, says TIME.com's Jessica Reaves, underscores the need for reassessment of national laws governing drug use They've been trying for four years now, but Californians just can't seem to shake those stodgy federal drug laws. Tuesday, at the White House's request, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an emergency ban (by a vote of 7 to 1) on the distribution of marijuana for medical purposes. Striking down a U.S. Court of Appeals ruling in San Francisco that would have made "medical necessity" a defense against federal drug statutes, the Justices indicated they would consider the case for their fall docket. [continues 335 words]
