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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: War on Drugs

War on Drugs stories: 48 news summaries

1 - 20 of 48 Stories | 1 2 3 Next >>

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GEORGE F. WILL

 Drug Czar Needs 
 to Look Beyond 
 Worthless Laws  


Enforcement doesn't work, but there is hope elsewhere

Oct 29, 09 10:38 AM CDT
(Newser) - In a chat with new czar Gil Kerlikowske, George Will notes that the war on drugs, as it has been waged, is an utter failure. Harsh drug laws have done nothing to reduce drug-taking, he writes, and incarcerating drug users is looking more and more wasteful to strapped states. “... More »

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War on Drugs • alcohol • DEA • Drug Enforcement Administration • George Will • Office of National Drug Control Policy • Obama administration • Gil Kerlikowske

OPINION

Obama Pot Policy a Victory for States' Rights

Administration takes long-overdue steps to end Bush-era excesses

Oct 19, 09 5:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Obama administration’s decision to respect state laws on medical marijuana is good policy—and not just because it demonstrates compassion toward cancer and AIDS patients, writes Glenn Greenwald. Despite his critics’ charges of “socialism” and “fascism,” President Obama is showing that his administration, unlike the... More »

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War on Drugs • drugs • medical marijuana • marijuana • decriminalization • states' rights • Obama administration

 US-Grown 
 Mom n' Pop Pot 
 Burns Mexican Cartels 

Economic forces more potent than law enforcement

Oct 7, 09 10:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - Mexican drug cartels are facing an opponent more formidable than law enforcement: competition. The long-growing illicit US pot industry has gotten a shot in the arm from the new rules surrounding medical marijuana, the Washington Post reports. Whereas once Mexican and Colombian groups produced nearly all the pot consumed... More »

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War on Drugs • medical marijuana • marijuana • drug cartel • marijuana distribution • Mexican drug cartel

 Heroin Makes a Comeback 

Price falls, availability surges for drug

Aug 5, 09 5:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - The last 2 weeks have seen authorities seize huge amounts of heroin across the country—a combined 510 pounds in California, plus 17 more in New York. The drug hasn't been this readily available since the 1970s, reports the Christian Science Monitor, and authorities are worried because today's version is... More »

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California • War on Drugs • New York • heroin • overdose • opiates • narcotics

Medical Marijuana Loophole Has LA Fuming

Overrun, city cracks down on dispensaries

Jul 8, 09 10:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - After letting marijuana dispensaries multiply across the city, Los Angeles is getting tough on them, telling some to shut down while the city council works to close a loophole that allowed many to open. The city issued a moratorium on new dispensaries in 2007, but many people filed “hardship... More »

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War on Drugs • drugs • medical marijuana • Los Angeles • public health • cannabis • loopholes

OPINION

 Let's Lock Up 
 Casual Drug Users 

Addicts need help, but casual users need jail: Monbiot

Jun 30, 09 12:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - The head of the UN drug and crime office recommended last week that casual drug use be decriminalized and said users "need medical help, not criminal prosecution." We should certainly help addicts, but casual users of marijuana and cocaine belong in jail, George Monbiot of the Guardian writes.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
United Nations • War on Drugs • drug addiction • heroin • cocaine • drug use • addiction • marijuana • drug trade

OPINION

 We've Lost the War on Drugs 

It's time for a new approach: Kristof

Jun 14, 09 7:14 AM CDT
(Newser) - The war on drugs has been waged for 40 years, but despite spending $44 billion annually, “the drugs have won,” writes Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times. A former police chief notes that “drugs are more readily available, at lower prices and higher levels of potency—... More »

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War on Drugs • drugs • marijuana legalization • legalization • decriminalization

 London Cops 
 Waterboarded 
 Drug Suspects: 
 Report 

Officers also accused of fabricating evidence, theft

Jun 10, 09 7:41 AM CDT
(Newser) - London police subjected accused pot dealers to waterboarding, charges a major inquiry into corruption and police brutality in the British capital. The investigation also claims that officers fabricated evidence and stole property from suspects in a drug case. Six officers are facing criminal proceedings, reports the Times of London, but... More »

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torture • War on Drugs • London • United Kingdom • Scotland Yard • waterboarding • police brutality

Drugs Czar Calls for End to 'War on Drugs'

Change in terminology signals shift in drug policy towards treatment instead of jail

May 14, 09 4:06 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Obama administration's newly confirmed drug czar wants to ditch the term "War on Drugs," the Wall Street Journal reports. The combative term is a barrier to dealing with the issue properly, said Gil Kerlikowske, highlighting the administration's plans to deal with drug abuse as a public... More »

MORE ABOUT:
War on Drugs • drugs • Office of National Drug Control Policy • Obama administration • Gil Kerlikowske • Jay-ZTV

OPINION

 End Failed Drug War: 
 Go After Kingpins 


Apr 18, 09 3:27 PM CDT
(Newser) - The "war on drugs" has been an abject failure—crowded jails and a still-thriving narcotics trade prove that—and it's time for some "visionary" thinking, writes Cynthia Tucker in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The nation's not ready for legalization, but how about some concrete steps: Stop going after "... More »

MORE ABOUT:
War on Drugs • Mexico • Attorney General • assault rifles • decriminalization • Eric Holder • Obama administration • President Obama • kingpin

(Newser) - President Obama began his first official Latin American tour with a visit to Mexico City today, the New York Times reports. Obama landed this afternoon for the first presidential visit to Mexico’s capital since the Clinton administration. He’ll meet with Felipe Calderón to discuss the economy,... More »

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Barack Obama • War on Drugs • Mexico City • Mexico • Mexican drug war • drug cartel • Felipe Calderón

(Newser) - Don’t look now, but marijuana is essentially legal in California, the Washington Post reports. Medical marijuana facilities litter the state, some offering only the flimsiest pretext of medical care. Stride into the Medical Kush Beach Club in Venice Beach, for example, and two scantily clad women will lead... More »

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California • War on Drugs • medical marijuana • marijuana • marijuana legalization • Drug Enforcement Administration • Eric Holder

 Mexico Nabs Young Drug Lord 


Apr 2, 09 6:08 PM CDT
(Newser) - Mexico finally has some good news in its violent drug war. Police arrested the No. 2 leader of one of the nation's largest drug cartels, the Los Angeles Times reports. Vicente Carrillo Leyva, 32, had been one of Mexico's most wanted criminals. He's part of a new wave of youthful,... More »

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War on Drugs • Mexico • arrest • drug cartel • Ciudad Juarez • Sinaloa drug cartel • Vicente Carrillo Leyva • Amado Carrillo Fuentes • Ismael Zambada

OPINION

Time to Weed Out Marijuana Ban: Klein

Costly US drug policy deserves serious look, not politics as usual

Apr 2, 09 9:18 AM CDT
(Newser) - When President Obama dismissed a question recently about the legalization of marijuana, he was “taking the traditional path of least resistance,” writes Joe Klein in Time. In America, anyone who dares to speak seriously about the issue will “be cast into the outer darkness,” assumed forever... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • War on Drugs • marijuana • marijuana legalization • Joe Klein • President Obama

 US Agents to Aid 
 Mexican Cartel War 

Admin could announce plan as early as this week

Mar 22, 09 3:51 PM CDT
(Newser) - President Obama is shipping agents and equipment to the border to aid Mexico's war on violent drug cartels, the Washington Post reports. His plan, to be unveiled as early as this week, aims to stop the flow of weapons and cash from the US into Mexico. Law enforcement will also... More »

MORE ABOUT:
War on Drugs • Mexico • homeland security • drug trafficking • violence • drug cartel • border • Obama administration

Obama's Drugs Czar: More Treatment For, Less War On

Kerlikowske says key is to reduce demand

Mar 12, 09 10:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - President Obama’s choice for drug czar signals a 180-degree pivot from the Bush administration’s policies, the Washington Post reports. The White House says it’s pushing to use alternative drug courts that would mandate treatment, rather than jail, for offenders. That’s a big break from President Bush’... More »

MORE ABOUT:
War on Drugs • Seattle • drug trials • Office of National Drug Control Policy • Obama administration • Gil Kerlikowske

 Seattle's Top Cop 
 Picked for Drug Czar 

Kerlikowske viewed as reformer, with personal experience of drugs' "devastating effects"

Mar 11, 09 6:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - President Obama will officially nominate Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske to be drug czar today, reports the Seattle Times. Though the job is being demoted from its Bush administration Cabinet status, Kerlikowske will have “a direct line to the president and vice president,” says an official. Drug law... More »

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War on Drugs • Seattle • police chiefs • Office of National Drug Control Policy • Obama administration • Gil Kerlikowske • Bill Maher Grid

Obama Looks
to Curb Mexican Drug Violence

President powwows with envoy, may offer US military support

Mar 8, 09 9:35 AM CDT
(Newser) - President Obama met yesterday with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mike Mullen, recently returned from Mexico City, with an eye toward offering US military and intelligence support to Mexican forces as they battle a tidal wave in drug-related violence, CNN reports. The meeting followed reports of new bloodshed: A US... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • War on Drugs • Mexico • Adm. Mike Mullen • Tijuana • Obama administration

 Drug Cartels' Latest Ploy: 
 Ultralight Planes 

Ultralight aircraft are the Mexican cartels' newest tactic

Mar 6, 09 3:56 PM CST
(Newser) - Mexican pot smugglers have come up with a new tool in their never-ending quest to outsmart US border patrols: ultralight aircraft, USA Today reports. An ultralight is a small plane resembling a scooter with a hang glider attached, and authorities have found several crashed or in mid-flight over the border... More »

MORE ABOUT:
War on Drugs • Mexico • Mexican border • marijuana • Mexican drug war • Border Patrol • smuggler • aircraft • Bill Maher • Bill Maher Grid

New Drug Bust for Would-Be Drug Czar's Stepson

Seattle police chief grappling with family war on drugs

Mar 2, 09 5:39 AM CST
(Newser) - Bummer. The stepson of the man most likely to be tapped as Barack Obama's drug czar has been busted again for, well, violating probation on a drug charge. Obama is expected to appoint R. Gil Kerlikowske to lead his war on drugs. Kerlikowske is chief of police in Seattle, a... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • War on Drugs • drugs • marijuana • probation • R. Gil Kerilkowske

1 - 20 of 48 Stories | 1 2 3 Next >>


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