Tuesday was a great night for Democrats, a terrible night for Republicans, and
somewhere inbetween for drug law reform. The major marijuana initiatives all failed - legalization in
Nevada and Colorado, allowing medical marijuana in South Dakota - while many local campaigns succeeded, including a
series of efforts to make adult marijuana possession the lowest law enforcement priority.
As for the overall environment for moving forward on drug policy, I think the Democratic takeover of Congress and larger Democratic gains at the state level both help this movement. The Drug War Chronicle
looks at what this means in Congress. The major win in the House is having James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) replaced by John Conyers as head of the House Judiciary Committee. Sensenbrenner is a
disgrace, while Conyers has a history of
trying to fix our drug problems in ways that will work. The Drug Policy Alliance provides more details on the others set to take over key House seats
here.
Of the 33 House members (including Speaker Pelosi) with a perfect score in the Drug Policy Alliance rankings, only 1 is a Republican (Ron Paul of Texas). The chances of passing Hinchey-Rohrabacher in the next two years have gone up. One thing that a Democratic controlled Congress can do is to make it clear that it's not the job of the Federal Government to interfere with state drug laws. This is almost the opposite of what to normally expect from the Democratic Party, but the hope is that the electoral value of protecting people from an overreaching executive branch is sinking in.
Here in Seattle, local attorney Roger Goodman won a seat in the Washington State Legislature. I volunteered for Roger throughout the campaign, and last week, I canvassed neighborhoods in the eastern suburbs of Seattle where he ran. Goodman is the author of the King County Bar Association's Drug Policy Resolution, one of the most comprehensive documents on how to fix the war on drugs. Having someone like him in the state Legislature in one of the most progressive states for drug law reform is a tremendous win.
No one expects drug policy to be fixed overnight. It will require a large number of baby steps that will slowly erode the unfounded fears of those who aren't sold that moving away from the incarceration model is the right way to go. Some pieces are in place for doing this, but drug law reformers have been let down before, and will likely be let down again. On Election Day, I listened to Air America radio and heard the host, Randi Rhodes, asserting that Democrats would be better at tackling the meth problem because they'll really crack down on the companies who make pseudoephedrine products. Hopefully, Democrats will take more time than she has to really understand these issues, because the solution to many of the problems we face, from health care, to illegal immigration, to Afghanistan and Latin America, to high crime rates and our broken-down race relations, depends on us starting to get drug policy right.
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In the news this week...
With the takeover of the House, Henry Waxman is likely to be the next head of the House Government Reform Committee, which oversees Drug Policy.
The US Supreme Court is going to hear cases that will clarify earlier decisions making mandatory federal sentencing guidelines only advisory.
The International Narcotics Control Board is not happy with the amount of heroin being produced in Afghanistan and the recent trend towards legalizing coca production in parts of South America.
Texas Attorney Jamie Spencer points out the glaring hypocrisy coming from Chuck Canterbury, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police.
Jacob Sullum takes on those who insist on calling addiction a disease.
Phillip Smith vents about the injustice of drug laws.
High school students in suburban Seattle were grossed out by meth.
After 10 years of legalized medical marijuana, three California counties are challenging the law because it still contradicts federal law. For doctors, there are still considerable risks in specializing in medical marijuana and recommending it to the patients who could use it.
Dustin Costa, a 60-year-old ex-Marine, is the first medical marijuana patient to stand trial in California since 2003.
California's prison system is growing out of control.
The city of San Pablo, California banned all medical marijuana dispensaries.
A Palm Springs medical marijuana dispensary was raided.
An Alaska man who was busted for trying to receive a heroin shipment in the mail is arguing that the police should've needed a warrant to come into his home.
The two New Mexico police officers who ate marijuana-laced hamburgers are suing Burger King.
Some Sun Valley, Idaho area students are in trouble after school officials brought a drug-sniffing dog through the student parking lot.
Joe Bartlett talks about the case of the banned pro-medical marijuana T-shirts in South Dakota.
Scott Henson discusses why the recidivism rates in Texas are lower than in California.
A website has been set up for Tyrone Brown, the Texas man who was given a life sentence for testing positive for marijuana while on probation. ABC's 20/20 broadcast a special on this case and has some follow-up information as well.
A meth lab was discovered in a motel in Hot Springs, AR.
In another setback for Sheboygan, Wisconsin after they declared victory in the war on drugs, a 34-year-old man is facing felony charges after smoking pot with his 16-year-old babysitter.
The Illinois Legislature is holding public hearings on a bill that would allow for establishing drug schools as an alternative to prison for low-level drug offenders.
Pete Guither will be moderating a drug war debate on Wednesday, Nov 15 at the University of Illinois.
An East Cleveland police officer is under investigation after her husband was discovered with seven ounces of crack-cocaine this summer.
A Northern Kentucky high school teacher was arrested for buying marijuana and alcohol for his students.
A Kentucky police deputy lost his job and faces charges after stealing Hydrocodone from the evidence locker for his ailing wife.
An autopsy report from Florida again demonstrates why the Drug Czar's focus on marijuana is unexplainable.
Radley Balko documents another tragic and unnecessary drug raid, this one near Jacksonville.
A man who sold heroin to two of Roanoke, Virginia's TV weathermen was sentenced to two years in prison.
A judge's assistant in western Pennsylvania is accused of stealing cocaine that was evidence in a drug trial.
Police found over $2 million at the home of a convicted drug smuggler already serving a life sentence.
A Pennsylvania town council member near Williamsport was turned in by her daughter for smoking pot.
A former Vice President of a Philadelphia-area food company is facing a 5 to 10 year jail sentence for selling drugs out of his home.
A Delaware man who sold heroin laced with fentanyl that eventually killed someone plead guilty to the charge of selling drugs that led to a death, the first ever such charge in the state.
New Jersey prosecutors seized three cars from a family whose son is suspected of peddling prescription drugs.
Despite a recent raid, New York City's marijuana delivery services continue to operate.
A New York City police officer will be reinstated after he was able to prove that he failed a drug test as a result of his wife giving him meatballs spiked with marijuana. His wife allegedly wanted him to retire.
A Connecticut high school teacher is facing drug charges after being caught with drugs at a friend's apartment.
New Hampshire police found 1400 marijuana plants growing in a vacant house that was allegedly using more electricity than the local Walmart.
Ontario's Health Minister is concerned with the methadone treatment centers in the province.
Police in Shelburne, Ontario want local businesses to be on the lookout for people who are buying things that can be used for producing meth.
Research is being done at the University of Alberta in Edmonton to determine whether or not LSD is beneficial for treating alcoholism.
The amount of ecstasy being smuggled from British Columbia into Washington state has grown considerably in recent years.
British Columbia doctor Bill MacEwan is peddling the thoroughly debunked belief that marijuana can cause psychosis.
A study of British Columbia teens found that 5 percent of 7-12 graders have tried meth.
Over a ton of marijuana was found in a tractor-trailer entering south Texas from Mexico.
Over 550 Dominican anti-drug officers were fired for being too apathetic about their job.
Kerry Howley provides some snark at the Colombian government's attempt to lay a guilt trip on Kate Moss.
British and Spanish officials intercepted a tugboat smuggling a large amount of cocaine into Europe.
A Scottish man was running a heroin distribution ring from his jail cell.
A study at Utrecht University in Holland showed that even frequent marijuana use does not lead to any deterioration in memory or other mental abilities. Frequent ecstasy use, however, can have a negative effect.
There's a debate in Zurich over the city's attempts to open a facility to house addicts.
Italian Carabinieri broke up a drug ring between South America and Italy. The next day, another large drug ring tied more with Africa was busted.
Russia's attempt to wipe out bootleg liquor has backfired terribly, leading to large numbers of people drinking dangerous alcohol substitutes and dying.
A Saudi millionaire is on trial in Dubai after authorities discovered two amphetamine pills in his pocket at the Dubai International Airport.
Johann Hari writes a great column about the situation in Afghanistan in the LA Times.
Pete Guither points out that the Taliban hasn't been profiting so much from the sale of Afghan's opium as it has been from providing protection for the harvesters from eradication. British troops will be attempting to provide security for the Afghan eradication teams. Early reports indicate that next year's harvest could surpass this one. The Afghan government is starting to consider the very bad idea of using chemical warfare to eradicate the crops.
Troops from New Zealand destroyed a large stash of opium in Bamyan Province, Afghanistan.
A Frenchman and a Dutchman were both sentenced to life in prison in Indonesia for manufacturing ecstasy. The Attorney General was seeking the death penalty. Two Indonesians who collaborated with them did receive the death penalty.
Australian Police busted a 51-year-old woman in the pot-friendly town of Nimbin.
Sydney police seized $500,000 worth of drugs in a man's house.