Cop in the Hood

Posted:

If you want to read a great blog about policing and the failures of
drug prohibition, have a look at Cop in the Hood by Peter Moskos.

Moskos is a professor at the City University of New York, as well as a
speaker with Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. Before that he
worked as a police officer while conducting research for his Ph.D. in
sociology at Harvard University.
He wrote a book about his experiences
titled, "Cop in the Hood," and he also maintains a blog by the same
name. I haven't read the book, but I love the blog. Moskos worked
patrol in Baltimore's Eastern District, and this is a
recurring topic in the blog. He picks up on quirky stories that might
not get coverage outside the city. Like the 53 year old man arrested
for selling firearms from his potato chip stand at a popular city
market. Baltimore was also the home of the HBO series The Wire, and the
blog frequently references the show. He also examines national and
international media stories with insight
and balance. Commenting on the drug war violence in Mexico, he asks a
simple, powerful question, "What's our exit strategy?" And his posts
about the Oakland four and the Pittsburgh three were poignant and
timely. They reminded me that the wider world of policing - beyond
the War on Drugs - can be dangerous and tragic even when police
officers do everything right.

When it comes to law enforcement, Moskos certainly has a sense of the
honor and history of the profession. His posts are consistently good -
even the one-liners - and I am happy to recommend this blog to LEAP
members.

What is your favorite blog related to the War on Drugs?

04/12/09 - Terry Nelson

Posted: 11 Apr 2009 04:33 PM PDT
CNN Power Lunch with Rob Kampia of Marijuana Policy Project, Soros production on UN Drug Policy + Terry Nelson of LEAP on Al Jazeera & with Anderson CooperThis posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Phillip S. Smith, Editor
David Borden, Executive Director

the first midwest medical marijuana state!

• 1. Feature: Twenty Years of Drug Courts -- Results and Misgivings

  By
  some measures, drug courts are a success. They reduce recidivism and
  drive down criminal justice system costs, most observers agree. But
  when it comes to whether they are a desirable response to drug use,
  that's a different story.

• 2. Feature: Michigan Medical Marijuana Law in Effect

  Michigan voters approved a medical marijuana initiative in November. This week, it took effect.

• 3. Drug
  War Chronicle Book Review: "Cool Madness: The Trial of Dr. Mollie Fry
  and Dale Schafer," by Vanessa Nelson (2008, MMA Publishing, 353 pp.,
  $19.95 pb.)

  "Cool Madness" is a riveting account of the federal
  trial California medical marijuana patient and provider Dr. Mollie Fry
  and her husband, Dale Schafer. If you believe federal medical marijuana
  trials have anything to do with justice or fairness after reading her
  account, I have some bridges you might be interested in.

• 4. Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

  Another crooked judge, another dirty border guard, more problems for Philly's narcs, and a guilty plea in Detroit.

• 5. Marijuana Legalization: For First Time, Poll Finds Majority Support in California

  Support
  for marijuana legalization has gone over the 50% mark in California for
  the first time, according to a new poll. It comes as the California
  Assembly ponders a legalization bill, and the poll itself hints that a
  legalization/tax and regulate initiative may be coming down the pike.

• 6. Sentencing: US Jail, Prison Population Hits Another Record High, Well Over Half a Million Drug Offenders Behind Bars

  We really get tired of writing the same old story about record prison and jail populations every year, but it's that time again.

• 7. Salvia Divinorum: Ohio's First Bust Came Day Before Law Went Into Effect

  Ohio's law criminalizing salvia divinorum went into effect Tuesday, but the first arrest under it came Monday. Go figure.

• 8. Medical Marijuana: Florida Petition Drive Under Way

  A
  grassroots petition drive to get medical marijuana on the 2010 ballot
  in Florida is underway. Organizers need almost 700,000 signatures and
  $5 million for the drive and the election campaign, and they're
  counting on web-based activism to get them there.

• 9. Europe: Britain Could Save $20 Billion a Year by Legalizing Drugs, Study Finds

  The
  British government contends that drug legalization could not possibly
  have enough benefits to justify switching from prohibition, but it has
  never provided the evidence. Now, a new study that actually has done a
  comparative analysis finds the UK could be saving billions a year by
  legalizing.

• 10. Weekly: This Week in History

  Events and quotes of note from this week's drug policy events of years past.

• 11. Job Opportunity: Policy Analyst/Content Editor, Common Sense for Drug Policy -- DRCNet Office in Washington, DC

  Common
  Sense for Drug Policy is seeking an editorially-skilled individual to
  maintain and grow its network of web sites, including the in-depth
  online presentation on drug policy issues, DrugWarFacts.org.

• 12. Students: Intern at StoptheDrugWar (DRCNet) and Help Stop the Drug War!

  Apply for an internship at DRCNet and you could spend a semester fighting the good fight!

• 13. Feedback: Do You Read Drug War Chronicle?

  Do
  you read Drug War Chronicle? If so, we need your feedback to evaluate
  our work and make the case for Drug War Chronicle to funders. We need
  donations too.

PERMISSION to reprint or redistribute any or all of the contents of
Drug War Chronicle (formerly The Week Online with DRCNet) is hereby
granted. We ask that any use of these materials include proper credit
and, where appropriate, a link to one or more of our web sites. If your
publication customarily pays for publication, DRCNet requests checks
payable to the organization. If your publication does not pay for
materials, you are free to use the materials gratis. In all cases, we
request notification for our records, including physical copies where
material has appeared in print. Contact: StoptheDrugWar.org: the Drug
Reform Coordination Network, P.O. Box 18402, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 293-8340 (voice), (202) 293-8344 (fax), e-mail drcnet@drcnet.org. Thank you.

Articles of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of the DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

Did You Know…?

Did you know that LEAP's official YouTube channel was the #1 most-subscribed non-profit featured on YouTube for the month of January?  Halfway through the month, we're ranked #3 for February… so if haven't already visited LEAP on YouTube,
please check out the videos we've posted and make sure to click
"subscribe" so you can be notified whenever we upload a new video.   

Elsewhere on the web, LEAP speaker Norm Stamper has become a featured blogger for The Huffington Post.  On February 6, Norm's article 'One Cop To Another: Don't Arrest Phelps for Bong Photo' was the #1 most-viewed article on the entire HuffPost site.  In addition to the attention his blog has received, many media outlets are anxious to speak with Norm and hear his insight into President Obama's likely choice for drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske, who was Norm's immediate successor as Seattle's chief of police.  And make sure to stay up late tonight (or set your DVR) to catch Norm on the Fox News Channel's "Red Eye."  The show airs at 3 AM EST, Friday morning, Feb. 20.

By making a contribution, you can help LEAP gain visibility and make this a #1 issue in your community.

Join LEAP's Rapid Response Team

One
thing that LEAP prides itself on is our ability to inspire and engage
citizen volunteers; our cops can't do everything themselves!  That's
why LEAP is launching an all-new Rapid Response Team of people who will
make themselves available to receive e-mail alerts every few days
asking for a few minutes of time to help advance reform.  For
example, we may ask you to help build our movement for change by
submitting comments on high-profile newspaper websites and blog posts,
calling in to popular radio shows that are discussing the drug war, or
voting in online polls asking about reform. 

If you would like to join the Rapid Response Team, please click here.  The
list will be totally separate from our normal newsletter and action
alert list, and you can remove yourself at any time if you feel you're
getting too many e-mails.

LEAP Speakers: Education, Advocacy, Action

Contributed by Barbara Humphrey, Speakers Bureau Assistant

From
rotaries to college campuses, Lions clubs to the halls of Congress,
LEAP speakers are spreading the drug policy reform message, and it is
making a difference.    An important role of
the Speakers Bureau staff is to capture feedback from LEAP speaking
engagements, allowing us to measure the impact of our efforts.  In
addition to finding out how many people attended presentations, we also
strive to go beyond the numbers to determine the impact of the
presentation on those present and to solicit ideas for how to improve
the effectiveness of these presentations.    The following are examples of the kind of feedback provided to LEAP following speaker presentations. 

In January, veteran speaker Dean Becker addressed a Texas
Lion's Club audience of 130+, including three sitting judges, municipal
law enforcement officers, and a State elected representative.    What an incredible opportunity to affect change!  

One of LEAP's newer speakers, Neill Franklin, spoke to supporters of the Tuerk House, a Timonium, Maryland drug/alcohol center, in early February.  The
host was appreciative that Neill was able to generate a lively
discussion following his presentation, a good indication of how well
the talk was received.   The next day, Neill spoke to 20 faculty members and students at the University of Maryland College of Law.  The
students were so impressed with the presentation that they have
suggested a school-wide forum on the subject, while the faculty host
described Neill as "awesome." 

In California, Judge James Gray spoke to more than 30 students at UCLA in February.  The
school's host described the presentation as inspiring, and she was
aware of a number of students whose minds had changed that night as a
result of Judge Gray's talk. 

LEAP's Executive Director, Jack Cole, is also one of LEAP's most effective speakers.   Jack made a presentation to a group of 30 Rotarians in Massachusetts recently.  The club's host commented that "Jack made a real hit!  His presentation was great and I'm sure a lot were converted."  

The
feedback from LEAP speaking engagements point to the important impact
these speakers are making in the communities where they live and visit.  They inspire us all to keep booking, keep talking, and keep following up.

State By State

El Paso, Texas
was at the forefront of the drug war debate in January. When El Paso's
city council unanimously voted to call for an open debate on ending
drug prohibition, the mayor vetoed the resolution.  The city council responded by calling for an override of the veto, and LEAP speaker Terry Nelson attended the meeting to give testimony before the council.  Unfortunately,
the mayor's veto was upheld; four of the eight council members who
originally supported the resolution reversed their votes under
significant federal pressure that threatened state and federal funding.  If you haven't already done so, please visit www.DrugWarDebate.com
to ask YOUR state and federal representatives to support a blue ribbon
commission reviewing the efficacy of drug prohibition. 

Make The LEAP

As
drug prohibition-related issues like the Michael Phelps drug
investigation, the imminent nomination of a new drug czar, and the El
Paso City Council's efforts continue to make the news, LEAP's voice
needs to be heard now more than ever.  LEAP is committed to keeping the debate on war on drugs at the forefront until the day drug prohibition ends.  Please support LEAP's efforts by making a tax-deductible contribution to ensure that our mission of education on the failures of drug prohibition can reach its fullest potential. 

We need YOUR help to continue doing all that we do.

If you aren't already, please consider volunteering your time or donating to LEAP. Together we can End Prohibition Now!

If this newsletter was forwarded to you from a friend, please click here to subscribe. 

LEAP Links

LEAP Speakers Blog, click here.

LEAP promotional DVD

LEAP website

Our host Drug Sense

Powered by MAP

Questions or comments? E-mail us at kristin.daley@leap.cc

  LEAP
is a nonprofit educational organization with Tax Exempt Status under
United States tax code 501(c)3, Federal EIN: 16- 1645758.

Phillip S. Smith, Editor
David Borden, Executive Director

Who cares what he smoked at the party?

• 1. Editorial: Obama's Other War

  As
  commander-in-chief, President Barack Obama must now oversee our wars in
  Iraq and Afghanistan. As President, he is also responsible for another
  war, one that has gone on much longer and been more costly in terms of
  dollars spent and lives lost -- the war on drugs.

• 2. Feature: It's Time for a New Drug Policy Paradigm, Say Latin American Leaders

  The
  Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy issued a report
  Wednesday calling for harm reduction, treating drug use as a public
  health issue, and decriminalizing marijuana. The report was an
  intervention aimed as much at Washington as at Vienna, where the UN
  meets next month to plot global drug strategy.

• 3. Feature: Drug Reformers Boycott Kellogg Cereals Over Dumping of Michael Phelps Over Bong Photo

  The
  Michael Phelps bong photo story has taken on a life of its own. It has
  garnered huge media coverage, much of it openly critical of the
  marijuana laws and official attitudes toward pot smokers. Now, drug
  reformers, sensing an opportunity to advance the cause, have organized
  a boycott of Kellogg cereals for refusing to renew his endorsement
  contract.

• 4. Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

  There
  may be something rotten in the dope squad in Philly, something
  definitely was rotten in Beantown, and yes, another jail guard goes
  down.

• 5. ONDCP: Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske Named New Drug Czar

  The
  drug reform community was hoping for a public health person -- not a
  cop or soldier -- to be named as drug czar. A cop is what we got, but a
  cop from a liberal town. Will an (arguably) progressive police chief as
  drug czar be as good?

• 6. Incarceration: Federal Judges Order California to Free Tens of Thousands of Prisoners

  California
  has been addicted to mass incarceration for the past quarter-century.
  Now, it looks like some federal judges are going to make the state go
  cold turkey. Tens of thousands of prisoners could be set free because
  California can't or won't pay to treat them as the Constitution
  requires.

• 7. Pain Management: FDA to Tighten Regulation of Extended-Release and Patch Opioid Meds

  The
  FDA is moving to tighten prescribing rules for extended-release and
  patch opioid pain medications. That means it could be harder for
  patients to obtain drugs like OxyContin and Duragesic, but it's not a
  done deal yet.

• 8. Medical Marijuana: Minnesota Bill Passes Senate Committee

  Medical
  marijuana is moving again in Minnesota. A bill this week passed a
  Senate committee, despite crazed testimony from LaRouchites and
  Christian conservatives.

• 9. Europe: Danish Heroin Maintenance Program to Commence Next Month

  Denmark
  is about to become the latest European country to cut to the chase and
  embrace heroin maintenance for particularly recalcitrant smack users.

• 10. Europe: British Drug Advisory Panel Recommends Downgrading Ecstasy, Government Says No

  Once
  again, the British government has ignored the recommendations of its
  own advisory committee to down-schedule a drug. Last year, it was
  marijuana. This time, it's Ecstasy. And it looks like next time, the
  same thing will happen with LSD. It's making some wonder whether the
  government wants evidence-based drug policies or not.

• 11. Europe: Dutch Banks Must Deal With Cannabis Cafes, Minister Says

  Dutch
  banks have been snubbing coffee house accounts, closing existing ones
  and refusing to open new ones. Now, the Dutch government says the
  coffee houses are legal businesses and the banks must deal with them.

• 12. Alert: Keep the Promise, President Obama -- Stop the Medical Marijuana Raids!

  Bush
  administration holdovers are ordering raids on state-authorized medical
  marijuana clinics, despite President Obama's pledge to stop them.
  Please ask the new president and attorney general to take corrective
  actions sooner rather than later.

• 13. Feedback: Do You Read Drug War Chronicle?

  Do
  you read Drug War Chronicle? If so, we need your feedback to evaluate
  our work and make the case for Drug War Chronicle to funders. We need
  donations too.

• 14. Students: Intern at DRCNet and Help Stop the Drug War!

  Apply for an internship at DRCNet for this spring (or summer), and you could spend the semester fighting the good fight!

• 15. Weekly: Blogging @ the Speakeasy

  "Police
  Are Trying Very Hard to Bust Michael Phelps for Smoking a Bong," "USA
  Swimming Deserves Condemnation for Suspending Michael Phelps," "There
  Are So Many People in Jail, They Literally Don't Fit," "Has Obama Made
  a Good Choice for Drug Czar?," "Marijuana Probably Won't Give You
  Cancer in Your Testicles," "Crazed Sheriff Arrests Eight in Phelps Bong
  Investigation," "Call Kellogg's Today: Here's the Number," "SNL Slams
  Kellogg's for Dissing Marijuana Users," "Boycott Kellogg's! Fight
  Corporate Demonization of Marijuana," "Good Kathleen Parker Editorial
  on Michael Phelps."

• 16. Job Opportunity: Online Content Manager, Marijuana Policy Project, Washington, DC

  The
  Marijuana Policy Project is seeking an experienced Online Content
  Manager to develop and manage MPP's online communications strategy from
  its Washington, DC office.

PERMISSION to reprint or redistribute any or all of the contents of
Drug War Chronicle (formerly The Week Online with DRCNet) is hereby
granted. We ask that any use of these materials include proper credit
and, where appropriate, a link to one or more of our web sites. If your
publication customarily pays for publication, DRCNet requests checks
payable to the organization. If your publication does not pay for
materials, you are free to use the materials gratis. In all cases, we
request notification for our records, including physical copies where
material has appeared in print. Contact: StoptheDrugWar.org: the Drug
Reform Coordination Network, P.O. Box 18402, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 2... (voice), (202) 293-8344 (fax), e-mail drcnet@drcnet.org. Thank you.

Articles of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of the DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

FROM:

Drug WarRant

Latin American leaders say Legalize Marijuana

Posted: 11 Feb 2009 08:43 PM PST
Former presidents blast drug repression efforts

RIO DE JANEIRO - Three former Latin American presidents
said Wednesday that regional policymakers should consider the
decriminalization of marijuana because long-standing attempts to curb
the production and trafficking of illicit drugs have failed.
In a report by the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy,
former presidents Cesar Gaviria of Colombia, Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico
and Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil said "we are farther than ever
from the announced goal of eradicating drugs." [...]
"Most of the damage associated with cannabis use -- from the
indiscriminate arrest and incarceration of consumers to the violence
and corruption that affect all of society -- is the result of the
current prohibitionist policies," the report said.

Violence and the organized crime associated with the narcotics trade
are critical problems in Latin America today. Confronted with a situation
that is growing worse by the day, it is imperative to rectify the "war on
drugs" strategy pursued in the region over the past 30 years.

Prohibitionist policies based on the eradication of production and
on the disruption of drug flows as well as on the criminalization of
consumption have not yielded the expected results. We are farther
than ever from the announced goal of eradicating drugs.

Current drug repression policies are firmly rooted in prejudices, fears
and ideological visions. The whole issue has become taboo which
inhibits public debate. The association of drugs with crime blocks the
circulation of information and segregates drug users in closed circles
where they become even more exposed to organized crime.

Hence, breaking the taboo and acknowledging the failure of current
policies and their consequences is the inescapable prerequisite for
opening up the discussion about a new paradigm leading to safer,
more efficient and humane drug policies.

Until last week, US officials had been pushing hard for
anti-drug programs reminiscent of the zero-tolerance stand of former
President George W. Bush's so-called war on drugs [^] and the talks
were at an impasse. [...]
Now, it looks like the tone is changing. Obama has long wanted to
repeal the 1988 ban on federal funding for needle exchange programs
inside the United States, but he needs Congress to go along to make
that domestic change. So he's shifting his gaze outward. In a
significant break from both Mr. Bush and Bill Clinton before him,
Barack Obama is making his support for needle exchange programs
official, at least abroad. Today, Laura Tischler of the State
Department confirmed the US is giving its negotiators new guidelines.

Mr. Walters said increased violence in border areas of
Mexico was partly a result of criminal organizations compensating for
reduced income from the supply of drugs by turning to other activities,
such as people-smuggling, and continuing to fight over turf.
U.S. law-enforcement officials -- as well as some of their counterparts
in Mexico -- say the explosion in violence indicates progress in the
war on drugs as organizations under pressure are clashing.
"If the drug effort were failing there would be no violence," a senior
U.S. official said Wednesday. There is violence "because these guys are
flailing. We're taking these guys out. The worst thing you could do is
stop now."
Latin American governments have largely followed U.S. advice in trying
to stop the flow of drugs from the point of origin. The policy has had
little effect.

Mexico is being torn apart by drug gangs, often wrongly
called cartels. Cartels are created to uphold prices. In the case of
Mexico, it is law enforcement and the prohibition of drugs that upholds
prices [^] and makes drug dealing irresistibly profitable.