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NEWS ABOUT: War on Drugs

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Cops Fired for Opposing War on Drugs

New York Times examines case of border patrol agent

(Newser) - Bryan Gonzalez was working as a Border Patrol agent in New Mexico when he made the fatal mistake of musing to a colleague that legalizing marijuana would end Mexico’s violent drug war. He was fired soon afterwards; his termination letter said he held “personal views that were contrary... More »

Commando-Style DEA Squads Fight Cartels Abroad

Squads train local authorities, but sometimes things get ugly

(Newser) - The war on drugs meets the war on terror: In 2008, George W. Bush started a DEA program called FAST (Foreign-deployed Advisory Support Team), meant to investigate Afghanistan drug traffickers linked to the Taliban. The program continued under President Obama, and now includes five military-trained squads of special agents that... More »

Mexicans to US: Stop Consuming Drugs

Poet, grieving father leads activists on 'trail of pain'

(Newser) - A Mexican poet and hundreds of activists toured some of the most dangerous cities in Mexico last week on what he called a “trail of pain,” calling for an end to the violent drug war rocking the country. Javier Sicilia, whose 24-year-old son was killed in March by... More »

War on Drugs Has Been '40 Years of Folly'

It's been an 'unmitigated disaster,' especially for black America: Charles Blow

(Newser) - Next week marks the 40th anniversary of President Nixon's launch of the war on drugs, writes Charles Blow in the New York Times . It is most definitely not a celebratory column. It is "a war that has waxed and waned, sputtered and sprinted, until it became an unmitigated... More »

Congress: US Wasting Billions in War on Drugs

Pair of reports blast counter-narcotics spending in Latin America

(Newser) - The Obama administration has essentially no evidence that the billions spent combating the drug trade in Latin America have done anything to stem the flow of narcotics into the US, according to a pair of scathing new congressional reports. “We are wasting tax dollars and throwing money at a... More »

War on Drugs a Bust: Global Panel

Former world leaders back marijuana legalization, addict aid

(Newser) - The American-led war on drugs is a failure and governments should move toward the legalization of some drugs, especially marijuana, concludes a report from a panel of politicians and former world leaders. The Global Commission on Drug Policy panel—which includes former UN chief Kofi Annan, the former presidents of... More »

ICE Busts Hundreds in 168-City Gang Sweep

Half of those nabbed in multi-city raids have Mexican cartel links

(Newser) - A vast multi-city gang sweep shows the extent to which Mexican drug cartels have penetrated American cities—and, say federal officials, the extent to which the government is willing to go to take them down. Some 678 gang members, including 421 nationals, were busted in 168 cities during Project Southern... More »

Why We Need to Legalize Pot

Our war on marijuana does more harm than good

(Newser) - What will happen if we legalize marijuana? Simple: Police will be able to “focus on serious crime instead,” writes George Soros in the Wall Street Journal . The liberal billionaire and philanthropist outlines his reasons for supporting California’s Prop 19 , with the bottom line being that “our... More »

Congress Cuts Racist Crack Sentencing Disparity

Felony amount now only 18 times higher for powder cocaine

(Newser) - Congress quietly eased up the federal sentencing guideline on crack cocaine yesterday, addressing one of the more glaring disparities of the drug war. In what critics have called a racist double-standard, possessing a mere 5 grams of crack is considered a felony, compared to 500 grams for powdered cocaine. The... More »

Drug Cops Bust Cancun's Mayor

Gubernatorial candidate insists he's innocent

(Newser) - Mexico's drug war just got messier: Police have arrested Cancun's mayor for his alleged ties to organized crime. Gregorio Sánchez is a high-profile gubernatorial candidate whose arrest signals growing concern about the influence drug kingpins have on politicians, notes the Wall Street Journal . "Voters in Mexico are asking... More »

Jamaica Declares Emergency Over Drug Gang Violence

Gangs blockade Kingston to protect drug boss

(Newser) - Jamaica has declared a state of emergency as gangs backing a reputed drug lord sought by the US blockaded a huge section of Kingston and attacked police stations. The violence erupted as US authorities moved to extradite drug boss Christopher "Dudus" Coke after his indictment for heading a criminal... More »

Blame Mexico's Calderon for Arizona's Law

Mexico's crazy drug war set the stage

(Newser) - The real unsung villain of the Arizona immigration debacle lives south of the border, writes Bryan Curtis in the Daily Beast . Felipe Calderon's insane war on drugs has turned his side of the border “into a bloody slaughterhouse, complete with torture and beheadings. You can draw a straight line... More »

Hazmat Storms House Over Meth Lab—Er, Stinky Cat Box

Cops mistook kitty pee for meth lab

(Newser) - Police, firefighters, and Hazmat teams stormed a home in Westland, Mich., on Monday after the home’s owner mistook the stink emanating from an abandoned litter box for the smell of an active meth lab, WLBZ2 NBC reports. The homeowner, Sue Walters, had recently kicked out the home’s longtime... More »

Legalizing Pot Likely to Make California Ballot

Expect an all-out campaign brawl that could make history

(Newser) - A proposition to legalize pot in California is all but certain to garner enough signatures to appear on the ballot in November by today’s deadline. Supporters and opponents are already gearing up for the campaign, the LA Times reports. Proponents believe that California’s new, promiscuous medical marijuana culture... More »

Police Chief's Daughter Gunned Down in Mexico

Heavily armed men in two trucks opened fire on his home

(AP) - Gunmen opened fire on a police chief's house in southern Mexico, killing his 23-year-old daughter and a bodyguard and wounding three others, police said yesterday. Anacleto Flores Valle, the chief of police in the Pacific coast town of Petatlan, was uninjured when heavily armed men in two trucks opened fire... More »

US Agents to Embed With Mexican Drug Police

Obama administration willing to work more closely with Mexico

(Newser) - The US has hatched a plan to embed American intelligence agents in Mexican police units for the first time, in an effort to hunt down drug cartel leaders. In the past, the US has hesitated to share intelligence with Mexican police, viewing them as largely corrupt and incompetent. To avoid... More »

That Line of Cocaine Is Killing the Rainforest: UK Cops

Law partners with Greenpeace in campaign aimed at greens

(Newser) - Cops the world over are looking for reasons to stop you from snorting cocaine, but a new campaign in the UK takes a new angle: It’s killing the rainforests. London’s Metropolitan Police—with the government’s backing—has teamed up with Greenpeace on this one, the Times reports,... More »

Drug Czar Needs to Look Beyond Worthless Laws

Enforcement doesn't work, but there is hope elsewhere

(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 »

Obama Pot Policy a Victory for States' Rights

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

(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 »

US-Grown Mom n' Pop Pot Burns Mexican Cartels

Economic forces more potent than law enforcement

(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 in... More »

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