In last week's roundup, I listed out what I thought were the main drug policy goals at the national level. This week, I'm going to discuss what I think can be done here in the state of Washington. This state is more progressive than most, and with the recent election of drug policy expert Roger Goodman to the state legislature, I will be closely following what happens in Olympia this year, starting with a blogger/legislator conference happening the last weekend in January. The list below is more general than specific about the things I think could be effective in this state for bringing about positive change. As I learn more about how the legislature works, what's being done already, and the overall attitudes of the legislature, I'll be revising this accordingly.
1 - Reform Washington state's medical marijuana law - Since voters passed a medical marijuana initiative in 1998, several loopholes in the law have allowed for a number of legitimate medical marijuana users to find themselves in a courtroom having to prove their innocence. The legislature should work to firm up the law so that patients are fully protected to the extent that the initiative intended.
2 - Continue to divert non-violent drug offenders into treatment - Washington already does this fairly successfully with its Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative act, but some recent cases of repeat offenders make me wonder if it's wise to use this type of treatment for violent offenders as well.
3 - Improved treatment for meth addicts - Meth addiction is a major component in the amount of crime happening in Washington state today. The bill passed early in 2006 approved about 100 new treatment beds but also provided money for drug task forces. Any movement in the direction of more treatment and fewer drug task forces will be money more effectively spent. Drug task forces have often become civil rights nightmares and nowhere in the country has a drug task force ever kept meth out of a community.
4 - Establish a commission on psychoactive substance control - This was a bill introduced in the State House in 2006, but did not appear to make it through Appropriations. It was also introduced in the Senate.
5 - Get my own ass involved - The list above is certainly modest, especially for what I think should be possible in 2006 in a progressive state like Washington. But this issue is still very tough for many legislators. It's sometimes easier for many to support the status quo rather than have to explain a position to their constituents that many have not thought about much, and have an automatic opposition to. My first step will be going to Olympia in 3 weeks.
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In the news this week...
Congressman Russ Carnahan (D-MO) plans to raise the issue of licensing Afghani farmers to contribute to the world's legal supply of medical opiates to the House International Relations Committee.
Revelations that Barack Obama admitted in a book about cocaine use as a young man made the news this week. Comparisons to the current president are helpful.
David Borden discusses paramilitary tactics fighting the war on terror in Iraq and fighting the war on drugs at home.
Pete Guither discusses an op-ed in the New York Times by Mike Males that looks at teenage drug use and links to crime.
The Drug War Chronicle has their weekly roundup of police corruption stories.
Dominic Holden writes a recap on the Slog of the year that was.
David Fiderer posts some ridiculous nonsense at The Huffington Post concerning Iran and their concerns over the Afghani opium trade. He actually tries to make the claim that the Bush Administration wasn't aggressive enough in trying to eliminate poppy farming. I responded.
Steve Chapman writes in Human Events Online about what we've learned and not learned from the drug war.
Rob at To The People posts excerpts from a Slate interview with David Simon, co-creater of the highly realistic drug war drama The Wire.
Washington State confiscated 130,000 marijuana plants in 2006, barely a dent in the state's $1 billion industry.
An interesting help wanted poster was seen in the window of a convenience store in Prescott, WA.
15 people were arrested in a Spokane drug raid.
The Ninth Circuit Court ruled that it was not "cruel and unusual" for a defendant to have been denied access to a "safety valve" because of a minor prior offense.
A medical marijuana dispensary owner in California claims that the DEA's enforcement tactics are geared towards taking out the larger operators. A new report shows just how much revenue the state could bring in from taxing medical marijuana the same as other herbal medicines.
The city of Tracy, CA is trying to shut down its only medical marijuana dispensary.
The Santa Cruz Sentinel writes about Andrea Tischler the woman behind the city's recent ordinance that made marijuana the lowest law enforcement priority in the city.
California medical marijuana activist Stephanie Landa began her 3 1/2 year jail term this week.
Chip Parkhurst writes in the Orange County Register that it makes no sense for marijuana to be illegal while many more dangerous drugs are available either legally or with a prescription.
An Arizona woman was arrested with 81 pounds of cocaine hidden in her wheel well.
A judge ruled that an Arizona church can not claim a first amendment right to use marijuana for religious purposes.
North Dakota's Agriculture Commissioner wants the DEA to drop its expensive registration fee for farmers who want to grow industrial hemp under the new state law.
A Wichita woman plead guilty to giving cocaine to her two pre-teen children.
Michigan Senator Carl Levin writes in support of his efforts to raise the limit of heroin addicts that an individual doctor can provide buprenorphine treatment for from 30 to 100.
Conditions in Michigan look to be favorable for a medical marijuana law.
An Evansville, Indiana man shot into a house where he claims he bought some bad crack.
The state of Tennessee collected $1.8 million in "crack taxes" in 2006.
As Roanoke, Virginia weathers a major police corruption scandal, Jerry Cameron from LEAP writes in Roanoke Times that fighting the drug war is a lost cause.
Radley Balko has more on the case of Rack 'N Roll Billiards in northern Virginia.
A woman who ended up in a Philadelphia jail in 2003 because police mistook flour-filled condoms for something else settled out of court for $180,000.
The Rhode Island legislature needs to take action to make last year's passage of a medical marijuana law permanent.
Maine lawmakers are considering a ban on salvia divinorum.
The number of registered Hawaiian medical marijuana users has dropped significantly in the past year.
The National Post of Canada profiled Senlis Council founder and President Norine MacDonald and the amazing work she is doing in Afghanistan to bring about a saner policy on poppy production there.
Police in Manitoba found a home being used for growing marijuana, while a neighbor joked that it was probably better stuff than what's being grown by the Canadian government in Flin Flon.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon plans to target Tijuana next in his effort to fight the drug cartels.
A Colombian Senator whose father was murdered by Pablo Escobar thinks that it's time to discuss alternatives to the war on drugs. The port city of Buenaventura is good reason why.
The Bolivian government is now requiring visas for U.S. citizens, after a pro-coca member of their government was labeled a terrorist in early 2006.
A British TV star was given a warning after cannabis was found in his apartment during a raid.
The British are worried that America's plan to use aerial spraying to destroy Afghanistan's poppy fields will compromise the country's security.
A debate is raging over whether to take down the portraits of two 19th century opium traders from the wall of a Scottish courtroom.
A 15-year-old Scottish boy was arrested in possession of several pounds of hash that he was selling in school.
Australian police broke up a major ecstasy manufacturing operation in Sydney.
Northern New Zealand is still cannabis country, even with the growing use of meth.