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NEWS ABOUT: War on Drugs

Heroin Makes a Comeback

Price falls, availability surges for drug

(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 »

Medical Marijuana Loophole Has LA Fuming

Overrun, city cracks down on dispensaries

(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 »

Let's Lock Up Casual Drug Users

Addicts need help, but casual users need jail: Monbiot

(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 »

We've Lost the War on Drugs

It's time for a new approach: Kristof

(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 »

London Cops Waterboarded Drug Suspects: Report

Officers also accused of fabricating evidence, theft

(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 »

Drugs Czar Calls for End to 'War on Drugs'

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

(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 »

End Failed Drug War: Go After Kingpins

(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 »

Obama Lands in Mexico to Press Drug War

(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, trade... More »

Legalize Pot? That's Nearly the Case Now in Calif.

(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 you... More »

Mexico Nabs Young Drug Lord

(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 »

Time to Weed Out Marijuana Ban: Klein

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

(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 »

US Agents to Aid Mexican Cartel War

Admin could announce plan as early as this week

(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 »

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

Kerlikowske says key is to reduce demand

(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 »

Seattle's Top Cop Picked for Drug Czar

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

(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 »

Obama Looks to Curb Mexican Drug Violence

President powwows with envoy, may offer US military support

(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 »

Drug Cartels' Latest Ploy: Ultralight Planes

Ultralight aircraft are the Mexican cartels' newest tactic

(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 »

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

Seattle police chief grappling with family war on drugs

(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 »

US Nabs 750 in Mexico Drug Crackdown

(AP) - Federal agents have rounded up more than 700 suspects in a wide-ranging crackdown on Mexican drug cartels operating inside the US. An official familiar with the sweep said the arrests culminated in a series of DEA raids around the country last night and this morning. The operation has led to... More »

UK Cops Nab Pot Farmer Who Posted Crop on YouTube

Using his real name likely hastened bust

(Newser) - Police taught aspiring drug lords everywhere a valuable lesson yesterday: If you’re going to grow pot, don’t put a video of yourself doing it on YouTube—and definitely don’t sign that video with your real name. But one 25-year-old Somerset man did just that, and was treated... More »

Schools Warn Against Mexico Spring Break

(Newser) - Arizona’s three state universities are following the State Department and attempting to dissuade students from spending spring break in Mexican border towns, a traditional pastime, because of drug-associated violence there, the AP reports. One federal official called the warning “sage advice,” noting “documented violence, attacks, killings”... More »

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