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The Case for Drug Legalisation – Government Savings
07.27.06 | Permalink | 1 Comment

By legalising drugs, the government will save money. At least that is one of the main argument proposed by many who support the idea of drug legalisation. The reasoning behind the statement can be broken down into several main points which are worth looking at.

The obvious saving, according to proponents of the drug legalisation argument, are in the area of law enforcement. By legalising drugs, so the argument goes, the government would be able to save the (admittedly huge) amount of funds that are currently apportioned to direct crime fighting in areas such as trafficking and dealing. Regulation of the industry, as opposed to criminalisation, would bring the movement of drugs and their distribution under the sway government control.
Africa, North America, The Media, War on Drugs
Sense and Nonsense in alleged Khat drug ring bust
07.26.06 | Permalink | 3 Comments

Federal authorities have broken up what they say is the largest Khat (or Qat) distribution ring in the United States after an 18-month investigation. A total of 44 people have been indicted, with 30 arrests having been made in a series of raids by law enforcement officers from the likes of the DEA, FBI and local police. The alleged drug ring has been accused of bringing in about 25 tons of the leafy stimulant from East Africa in recent years.

From all news accounts, that is what is generally accepted as being fact. But when it comes to possible terrorist ties and the danger the drug poses, there is an at times absurd variance between what different news organisations reported. ABC and NBC4 in particular were not very helpful.
People
Caffeinate me
07.26.06 | Permalink | 1 Comment

Itâ€™s you theyâ€™re talking about. Iâ€™ll admit Iâ€™m guilty too, but then again who isnâ€™t? Caffeine has even made the front cover of National geographic magazine, although Iâ€™ll admit I donâ€™t have the faintest idea what caffeine and geography have in common. Just like everything else that stimulates any of the pleasure receptors in the human (and rodent) central nervous system there is an upside and a downside. The upside is that most of the substances that contain caffeine taste really good, coffee, tea and chocolate being the most popular, but now there is a vast array of soft drinks that contain it, sometimes in very large amounts.
Africa, Legislation
Will regulations and zoning restrictions cut Botswana’s drinking?
07.26.06 | Permalink | Comment?

As part of a campaign to reduce the consumption of alcohol in Botswana, President Festus Mogae wants legislation implemented that would not only restrict the hours in which alcohol can be sold, but also refuse licences to bars wanting to open near schools, churches and roads, with similar businesses already in existence being given five years to relocate.

President Mogae talked up the plan this week with residents of Molepolole, a town west of the capital Gabarone, blaming alcohol abuse for weakening the economy, increasing road accidents, contributing to high rates of murder, assaults and rape cases, reducing “capable people to nothing” and diminishing the effectiveness of anti-retroviral drugs used against the Southern African country’s large HIV/AIDS problem. Even though he recognised it might mean the end of many alcohol-related businesses and jobs, he thought the rewards outweighed the costs.
Studies
The Case for Drug Legalisation – A Series
07.26.06 | Permalink | Comment?

One of the common proposed solutions to the issue of drugs is that they should be legalised. I thought it would be an interesting exercise to briefly look at some of the arguments that are used in favour of drug legalisation over the course of a couple of days or weeks in a series of posts – identifying each of the main arguments individually and discussing them.

I want to look at the main issues surrounding each of the arguments for drug legalisation and explore the strength of each point.

This is not an exercise in “proving” one point or another – to be perfectly honest my current view is that both drug hardliners and harm reduction theorists have some pretty flawed reasoning for applying their respective views accross a large segment of society.
Uncategorized
The Aaron Cohen Story
07.26.06 | Permalink | Comment?

Aaaron Cohen was arrested and sentenced to life in prison in Malaysia in 1984 at the age of 18 for the crime of drug trafficking.

In addition the New Zealander was to receive six strokes of the cane – a punishment he endured while also undergoing the effects of heroin withdrawals.

Arrested Development: The Aaron Cohen Story is an account of Cohen’s life as told by journalist, Paul Little.

This is a grim read and perhaps a good one for anyone considering a life of international drug smuggling. Recounting all the fun of Aaron retrieving a heroin package from his unconcious accomplice’s anus (complete with fesces and blood) in order to score a hit, the strategy of caning that criss-cosses the lashes in order to inflict maximum pain and damage on Aaaron and the monotonous boredom of passing time in a dirty jail cell, Little pulls few punches in describing Aaaron’s predicament.
The Media
Terrorism and Drugs
07.25.06 | Permalink | Comment?

We have talked a little here at Rehabology, about the use of drug profits to fund certain terrorist groups. It has been a fairly natural progression as you simply need to look at a map to realise that the main drug producing regions of the world also have more than their fair share of terrorists, insurgents, mafiosi and freedom fighters.

Now while there are certainly a lot of groups who supplement their income through the drug trade, and some even exist primarily to profit from it, there are still those who have no verifiable involvement in drugs.
Asia, Legislation, War on Drugs
Conservative Party leader urged to back Afghan opium legalisation
07.24.06 | Permalink | Comment?

Senior MPs (Members of Parliament) of the UK’s opposition Conservative Party are reportedly calling for their leader, David Cameron, to get behind a move to get opium production legalised in Afghanistan, as he pays a surprise visit to the war-torn country.

According to The Guardian, opposition whip Tobias Ellwood would like the opium to be sold on the open market for opiate-based medicines, because:

* the opium eradication programs, highly unpopular with poor farmers, puts British soldiers in danger as farmers give their support to the Taliban;

* Â£600m was spent last year on eradication and opium exports were the biggest ever;

* it could divert some production away from the illegal market; and

* there is a worldwide shortage of opiate based-medicines.
Latin America, People
Investigation underway into murder of Peruvian Judge HernÃ¡n Saturno Vergara
07.24.06 | Permalink | Comment?

Peruvian police are hoping security camera footage taking during trial hearings into members of the Tijuana drug cartel held last year at a Lima prison might assist in their investigation into the assassination of Judge HernÃ¡n Saturno Vergara.

As reported by LivinginPeru.com, a special task force of 62 officers and 12 detectives drafted from various police, national security and intelligence agencies has been set up to find those responsible for gunning down the judge last week in a Lima restaurant, some of whom will view the videotapes 24/7. With Lurigancho being the largest prison complex in Latin America they will certainly have their work cut out for them. In addition, all visitors the drug defendants had, in particular alleged drug kingpin Miguel Morales, will be looked into.
North America, Studies, War on Drugs
“Drug War Police Tactics Endanger Innocent Citizens”
07.23.06 | Permalink | Comment?

That is the charge brought by Cato Institute analyst Radley Balko in his latest FoxNews.com column about the use of military-style SWAT teams against non-violent drug offenders, mirroring the conclusions he made in his recently released study called “Overkill:The Rise of Paramilitary Police Raids in America“.

I’m currently reading through the case studies of botched drug raids that appear as an appendix to “Overkill” and hope to give a more detailed reaction to the complete 97-page study in a week or two.

But based on my reading of the report so far, I’d agree with the thrust of what he is saying, namely that paramilitary tactics are only applicable to extraordinary, violent crimes in civil society – such as hostage-taking and bank robberies – as well as battlegrounds overseas.