Getting Tough On Crime Won't Work If Dumb Criminals Aren't Clued In Even among his detractors, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is said to be an ideas man. A policy wonk. The sort of guy who reads spreadsheets on the beach. For Harper, politics is the distasteful process one must engage in if one wishes to do the really juicy work of crafting and implementing public policy. I'd like to bring to Harper's attention a fascinating paper published last year in an academic journal. [continues 909 words]
The War On Drugs In Mexico, Fueled By Violent Gangs, Has Left More Than 1,500 Dead, Putting Government In A Bind MEXICO CITY - Sixteen months ago, Mexican President Vicente Fox declared "the mother of all battles" against drug trafficking. But he got more than a battle -- he got a war. Almost every week another assault by drug gangs, one more audacious than the next, generates headlines. Grenades have been launched at law enforcement offices. Four undercover drug agents were shot to death last month in Nuevo Laredo. Two police officers were decapitated 10 days ago in the resort city of Acapulco, not long after taking part in an antidrug operation. Their heads were dumped beneath a sign warning: "So that you learn to respect." [continues 696 words]
Receding Arrest Rates Reflect No Laboratory Busts So Far This Year LAKELAND -- Once upon a time, Polk County held the dubious, if unofficial, title of Meth Capital of Florida. That seems to be changing. In 2002, 17 methamphetamine labs were busted by the Polk County Sheriff's Office. In 2003, 13 labs were busted. In 2004 and 2005, six labs were busted, but so far in 2006, while individual users have been arrested for possession, the Sheriff's Office has yet to find a single laboratory. The federal Drug Enforcement Agency has shut down one. [continues 683 words]
Outside Influence On The Jury Affected 2003 Case, The 9th Circuit Determines. SAN FRANCISCO - An appeals court Wednesday threw out the 2003 conviction of a prominent marijuana activist, citing an outside influence on the jury that found him guilty of supplying hundreds of pot seedlings to medical patients through Bay Area dispensaries. The decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals awards Edward Rosenthal a new trial if the federal government decides to pursue its case against him. He's entitled to it, said the court, because "extraneous information" obtained by one juror and passed on to another may have affected the verdict. An attorney-friend told the juror she would "get in trouble" if she considered the medical connection that jurors correctly suspected. [continues 264 words]
Attorney Says Cease-And-Desist Order Is Illegal And Discriminatory NEW FAIRFIELD - Closing a recovery center for former substance abusers would be a violation of the federal Fair Housing Act, according to a Washington, D.C. attorney. "They are trying to kick them out of their house," said Steven Polin about the recovering addicts who live in Peter Soyak's home on Gillotti Road. The town issued Soyak a cease-and-desist order April 13. "It's all illegal," Polin said Wednesday about the order. [continues 529 words]
Lake County law enforcement took out a huge broom Thursday and swept up a number of accused drug dealers. Operation Spring Cleaning launched just after 5:30 a.m., as 153 officers from 24 agencies hit the streets with several goals. Police were seeking to serve 100 outstanding arrest warrants for drug violations. In addition, several search warrants resulted in arrests in new cases, and parolees were checked for possible violations. Sheriff Gary Del Re and Mark Rasmussen, director of the Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group, said the activities were part of similar efforts across the country to draw attention to the need for more federal funding for regional task forces such as MEG. [continues 380 words]
Early this summer, a handful of anxious parents will head to court in a desperate attempt to help a son or daughter escape the terrible grip of drug addiction. If they can convince a judge their child has a serious drug problem, the court will order the teenager into a five-day treatment program - -- and to be picked up by police if necessary. Alberta's experiment with these mandatory treatment orders is bold and risky, but worth a try. For good reason, society is loath to use the law to force minors into treatment. Such coercive measures -- when no crime is involved -- offend the basic principles of individual autonomy in our society. And on a practical level, addiction counsellors also know well that treatment works better if troubled teenagers seek help voluntarily. [continues 363 words]
On Wednesday, Cigar columnist Chris Ferdinandi claimed that the act of comparing homosexual marriage to inter-species marriage is like comparing Advil to cocaine. "'If people can take Advil for a headache, then what's to stop people from legalizing cocaine next?' Sound absurd to you? Yeah, me too," he wrote. It actually doesn't sound all that absurd to me, Chris. Especially considering the fact that each year approximately 7,600 Americans die from adverse reactions to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Advil, and far less appear to die as a result of cocaine. While it's hard to find a statistic for cocaine-induced mortality rates, in 2000, the Journal of American Medical Association found that approximately 17,000 deaths were the direct or indirect result of illicit drug use. That's all illicit drugs; cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, etc. (Facts obtained from www.drugwarfacts.org) [continues 307 words]
Re "DEA agents hit 16th St. store in medical pot raid," April 20: There is a substantial methamphetamine and crack problem in Sacramento, along with the violence of those drugs, and these guys bust a few people for medical marijuana? Gordon Taylor, assistant special agent in charge of the Sacramento DEA office, said, "Many of these operators will say they're just concerned about the seriously or terminally ill, but their true agenda is to line their pockets with drug money." Isn't that exactly what every pharmaceutical company in the world does - line its pockets with drug money selling something that makes people feel better? As for Councilman Robbie Waters' comment, medical marijuana is legal in California. It was voted on by the people. If Waters doesn't like the law, put it to a vote. Otherwise, leave it be. Ron Bednar Rancho Cordova [end]
