NewsTrust - Drugs - Most Recent Stories: Opinion (Independent)

Army Ranger Widow Confronts Rumsfeld Over His Lies That Convinced Her Husband to Join the Military

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - Aug. 30 (Interview) - We speak with the widow of a U.S. Army Ranger who confronted former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld about her husband’s suicide on Saturday. Ashley Joppa-Hagemann introduced herself to Rumsfeld during a book signing by handing him a copy of her husband’s funeral program at a base south of Tacoma, Washington. She says Rumsfeld inspired her husband to join the Army after 9/11, but he later became disillusioned with the reasons for the war. Her husband, 25-year-old Staff Sergeant Jared Hagemann, killed himself ahead of what his wife says was his eighth deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. His body was found on June 28, 2011, at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State.

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The day the drug war really started

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Salon - By Jonathan Easley - Jun. 19 (Interview) - On June 19, 1986, 25 years ago Sunday, University of Maryland basketball star Len Bias died of cocaine intoxication. Many believed the 6-foot 7, 220-pound small forward possessed a level of talent equal to that of Michael Jordan, and only two days earlier he'd been selected as the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft by the reigning champion Boston Celtics.

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40 Years of Drug War Failure - LEAP's Neill Franklin

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Reason Magazine - By Nick Gillespie, Joshua Swain - Jun. 17 (Interview) - As the reform group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) documents in a new comprehensive study, the drug war has destroyed lives and property, shredded the constitution, and distorted American education, health care, and even foreign policy. That's why, notes LEAP, fully 75 percent of Americans and 69 percent of police chiefs agree that the drug war has failed.

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Dr. Gabor Maté: Obama Admin Should Heed Global Panel's Call to End "Failed" U.S.-Led Drug War

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman - Jun. 06 (Interview) - A high-level international panel has concluded the so-called "war on drugs" has failed and that governments should consider legalizing substances, including marijuana. The Global Commission on Drug Policy is comprised of 19 members, including several former heads of state. The Office of National Drug Control Policy at the White House has refuted the findings of the commission’s report. We speak to Dr. Gabor Maté

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"A War on Civilians": Mexico’s Drug War Draws Protests as Grueling Death Toll Grows

Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Amy Goodman, Molly Molloy - May. 11 (Interview) - A march against the U.S.-backed war on drugs drew 20,000 people into the streets of Mexico City on Sunday, calling attention to the country's gruesome drug war-related violence that has claimed more than 38,000 lives since Mexican President Felipe Calderón launched the campaign against drug traffickers and cartels in 2006. Congress has appropriated $1.5 billion for Mexico’s drug war since 2008. The march began in the central Mexican state of Morelos, led by the Mexican poet Javier Sicilia, whose 24-year-old son was killed by gunmen earlier this year. We speak with Molly Molloy, an expert on the drug war and U.S.-Mexican border issues, and co-editor of the new book, "El Sicario: The Autobiography of a Mexican Assassin." "I believe it’s a war on the Mexican people, carried out by the Mexican government," Molloy says.

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Scott Morgan: Drug Czar Might Be the Worst Job in American Politics

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Scott Morgan - Apr. 27 (Editorial) - No one in their right mind would ever want to be the Drug Czar.

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Is Governor Schweitzer’s Future “Limitless”?

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Fighting With Tools - Apr. 03 (Opinion) - “Cannabis technology” is all the rage, but Montana’s Governor is being asked to turn back the clock on drug law reform — patients and activists across the country wait on pins and needles for a decision from this self-styled rancher-turned-politician.

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Review asked in case involving accused Tulsa officers

Sat, 30 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

tulsaworld.com - By Omer Gillham - Oct. 30 (Interview) - A woman serving life in prison for a drug conviction is asking the district attorney to review her sentence because two Tulsa police officers involved in her arrest are charged with planting drugs in other cases.

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How the Future Will Judge Our Moral Failings

Sun, 03 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

The Capital Times - By Kwame Anthony Appiah - Oct. 03 (Opinion) - Once, pretty much everywhere, beating your wife and children was regarded as a father’s duty, homosexuality was a hanging offense, and waterboarding was approved -- in fact, invented -- by the Catholic Church. Through the middle of the 19th century, the United States and other nations in the Americas condoned plantation slavery. Many of our grandparents were born in states where women were forbidden to vote. And well into the 20th century, lynch mobs in this country tortured, hanged and burned human beings at picnics.

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What the Pot Legalization Campaign Really Threatens: Alcohol Industry Profits

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0700

AlterNet - By David Sirota - Sep. 24 (Opinion) - By these actions, alcohol companies are admitting that more sensible drug policies could cut into their government-created monopoly on mind-altering substances. Thus, they are fighting back -- and not just defensively. Unsatisfied with protecting turf in California, the alcohol industry is going on offense, as evidenced by a recent article inadvertently highlighting America’s inane double standards.

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Former Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castañeda on the Drug War, Legalization, Immigration and Free Trade

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Juan Gonzalez, Jorge Castaneda - Sep. 23 (Interview) - Jorge Castañeda, one of Mexico's best known public intellectuals and the country's former Foreign Minister, joins us to discuss Mexico's drug war, the debate on legalization of drugs in Mexico, immigration, free trade and more. Castañeda was Mexico's foreign minister between 2000 and 2003. He's long supported the legalization of drugs in Mexico and has publicly called the so-called war on drugs a dead-end war and a war of choice.

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Wow. If You Think Quitting Booze Freaks People Out, Wait ‘Til You Quit Twitter

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0700

TechCrunch - By Paul Carr - Aug. 28 (Opinion) - I promise this is my last word on the subject. I had already promised myself, actually, that I wouldn’t write any more about my decision to quit Facebook, Linkedin, Foursquare, Blippy, Yammer, Dopplr and every other social network other than Twitter. But then I added Twitter to the list – deleting my 10,000+ follower account and returning to more traditional blogging – and suddenly all (social media) hell broke loose. For reasons I can’t quite understand – it’s not like I’ve quit food or oxygen – my inbox has since been flooded with emails. Some are just standard notes of congratulations for cutting the cord while others scream that I’m a Luddite who doesn’t ‘get’ Twitter (by and large these are the same people who describe themselves as “social media ninja”s on their profiles: the modern day equivalent of those “My other car is the Batmobile” bumber stickers). The majority of messages, though, are from people who are strongly considering following my lead, but are worried that their body or mind might not be able to cope with the shock. How do I feel since quitting? Can I offer them any advice? The semi-amusing thing is, this isn’t the first time I’ve experienced this kind of email flood of congratulations, insults and pleas for guidance. It happened last October too: when I finally made the decision to quit drinking. Make of that what you will.

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Welcome to the world of "Mafianomics"

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700

DigitalJournal.com - By Michael Werbowski - Apr. 20 (Opinion) - Here is a commentary on a new economic model which has accompanied the advent of "Globalisation"; an idealogy based on greed and individual gain at the expense of the vast majority.

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Charles Bowden on "Murder City: Ciudad Juárez and the Global Economy’s New Killing Fields"

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Democracy Now - By Sharif Abdel Kouddous, Amy Goodman - Apr. 14 (Interview) - First Lady Michelle Obama arrived in Mexico City Tuesday night after making a stop in Haiti on her first official trip abroad without the president. Her trip to Mexico comes as a new report by the Mexican government has found the death toll from the so-called drug war is much higher than previously thought. Nearly 23,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico since a US-backed military crackdown on cartels began more than three years ago. The report said 2009 was the deadliest year in the drug war, with over 9,600 people killed. The death toll is on track to be even higher in 2010. We speak to reporter Charles Bowden, author of Murder City: Ciudad Juárez and the Global Economy’s New Killing Fields.

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Marines Meet Roadside Bombs, Sniping in Marjah; 12 Civilians Killed in Rocket Attack

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Informed Comment - By Juan Cole - Feb. 15 (Opinion) - In the pincer move of British, US/ NATO and Afghan forces on Marjah in poppy-rich Helmand Province, the Taliban have behaved differently in each area. In the north, as the British approached Nad Ali, the Taliban faded away and there was very light resistance. Afghan authorities charged that 35 Pakistani Taliban were fighting alongside Afghan extremists in Nad Ali.

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Measuring Success in Afghanistan

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Tomdispatch.com - By Tom Engelhardt - Sep. 08 (Opinion) - The problem was that none of the official metrics managed to measure what mattered most in Vietnam. History may not simply repeat itself, but there's good reason to look askance at whatever set of metrics the Obama administration manages to devise. After all, as in the Vietnam years, Obama's people, too, will be mustering numbers in search of "success"; they, too, will be measuring "progress." And those numbers -- like the Vietnam era body counts -- will have to come up from below (with all the attendant pressures). By the time they reach Washington, they are likely to have the best possible patina on them.

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Would you like a cigarette with that beer, Mr. President?

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

0u812.wordpress.com - By Justin Michels - Jul. 29 (Opinion) - Prohibition was declared a failure over seventy years ago, so why are we still trying to make it work against indigenous cultures and various peoples who have chosen to intoxicate themselves with something other than beer and cigarettes? Considering the disproportionate and sickening number of minority inmates doing time for involvement with illegal drugs, how can anyone deny the racial implications of our current federal policy? How can our President ignore the bloodshed in Mexico that is a direct result of our misguided policies, and exactly how long can Congress continue to justify spending Trillions of taxpayer dollars to ensure that there will always be a healthy black market to fund terrorism and criminal activity throughout the globe?

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The Patriot's Guide to Legalization

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Mother Jones - By Kevin Drum - Jul. 06 (Opinion) - Maybe the war against pot is about to get a lot uglier. After all, in the 1920s, Prohibition gave us Al Capone and the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, and that was over plain old whiskey and rum. Are we about to start paying the same price for marijuana?

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Will Obama End 'War on Drugs'?

Sun, 31 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Consortium News - By Sherwood Ross - May. 31 (Opinion) - Efforts by President Obama to put an end to the nation’s failed “War on Drugs” can’t come an hour too soon – if that’s his intent. From his actions, it’s hard to know.

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America, the Cold War, and the Taliban

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

3 Quarks Daily - By Namit Arora - Mar. 30 (Opinion) - Unbeknownst to most Americans, the Cold War was raging hot in many parts of the world. The US funded proxy wars all over the globe, including (but not limited to) Laos, Cambodia, Congo, Angola, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Iran, Nicaragua, Granada, Libya, Cuba, and perhaps the most significant of all: Afghanistan. The CIA euphemistically called these “low-intensity conflicts” but they were, in effect and tactic, no different from state-sponsored terrorism. The meteoric rise of Colombian drug cartels coincided with US Cold War operations in Central America, especially Nicaragua. Cocaine trafficking (most destined for the US) soon brought dividends to the Contras and made Pablo Escobar one of the richest men in the world.

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Stop Subsidizing Mexican Drug Gangs

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

AlterNet - By Bruce Mirken - Mar. 23 (Opinion) - Like it or not, marijuana is a massive industry. Some 100 million Americans admit to government survey-takers that they've used it, with nearly 15 million acknowledging use in the past month. That's a huge market -- more Americans than will buy a new car or truck this year, or that bought one last year. Estimates based on U.S. government figures have pegged marijuana as the number one cash crop in America, with a value exceeding corn and wheat combined.

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Can We "Reset" Relations With Colombia?

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

TruthOut - By Robert Naiman - Mar. 10 (Opinion) - "Plan Colombia," which was supposedly going to cut the flow of Colombian cocaine into the US, doesn't work, either to reduce the flow of illegal drugs, or to promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Colombia. Since Plan Colombia doesn't work, it should be cut.

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'Live Through This'

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Salon - By Katharine Mieszkowski, Debra Gwartney - Mar. 07 (Interview) - In "Live Through This: A Mother's Memoir of Runaway Daughters and Reclaimed Love," Gwartney relives the private desperation and shame of being a mother whose teenage daughters disappear for days at a time, only dropping in occasionally when no one else is home to stock up on supplies, leaving empty beer cans, fetid clothes, empty cigarette boxes and puddles of brilliant Manic Panic hair dye behind. As the girls' absences stretch to weeks and months, Gwartney recalls her frantic searches for them, first in Eugene and then in San Francisco. Along the way, she delves into her own culpability in the family dynamic that drove them away.

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Michael Phelps, marijuana, feigned outrage

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800

creators.com - By David Sirota - Feb. 16 (Opinion) - America is a place where you can destroy millions of lives as a Wall Street executive and still get invited for photo ops at the White House; a land where the Everyman icon -- Joe Six-pack -- is named for his love of shotgunning two quarts of beer at holiday gatherings; a "shining city on a hill" where presidential candidates' previous abuse of alcohol and cocaine is portrayed as positive proof of grittiness and character. And yet, somehow, Phelps is the evildoer of the hour because he went to a party and took a hit off someone’s bong.

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The Prospects for Drug Reform in Obama's Washington

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

AlterNet - By Phillip S. Smith - Nov. 19 (Opinion) - After eight years of drug war status quo under the GOP, drug reformers are now hoping for positive changes in federal drug policies.

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