Drug War News - 6-23-11

RALLIES, VIGILS MARK 40 YEARS OF FAILED DRUG WAR
From sea to shining sea, people took to the streets for protests and vigils to mark the 40th anniversary of Nixon's war on drugs.

MEXICO DRUG WAR UPDATE
Last Wednesday was a bloody day in Nuevo Leon, and last weekend was a bloody one in Michoacan. And those are just the high-lights.

THIS WEEK'S CORRUPT COPS STORIES
It never ends, does it? Another week, another set of crooked cops. At least this week, the jail and prison guards managed to stay out of the news.

SCOTT SUSPENDS FLORIDA STATE EMPLOYEE DRUG TESTING
Florida's drug testing-crazed governor has backed down from a plan to subject state employees to suspicionless drug tests.

CHA DROPS PLAN TO DRUG TEST PUBLIC HOUSING RESIDENTS
The Chicago Housing Authority's proposal to require suspicionless drug tests for public housing residents excited lots of opposition. Now it's dead.

GOV. CHRISTIE PUTS HOLD ON NJ MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROGRAM
Will New Jersey medical marijuana patients ever gain legal access to their medicine? Eighteen months after the law was passed, Gov. Christie appears bent on delaying it as long as possible.

VIRGINIA POLICE KILL OLD MAN IN PILL RAID
A creaky, half-blind, 69-year-old Virginia man is dead after shooting at police raiding his home for pain pills.

Stop the Drug War (DRCNet) is an international organization working for an end to drug prohibition worldwide and for interim policy reform in US drug laws and criminal justice system. Read more about DRCNet.

Founded on March 16, 2002, LEAP is made up of current and former members of law enforcement who believe the existing drug policies have failed in their intended goals of addressing the problems of crime, drug abuse, addiction, juvenile drug use, stopping the flow of illegal drugs into this country and the internal sale and use of illegal drugs. By fighting a war on drugs the government has increased the problems of society and made them far worse. A system of regulation rather than prohibition is a less harmful, more ethical and a more effective public policy.

The mission of LEAP is to reduce the multitude of unintended harmful consequences resulting from fighting the war on drugs and to lessen the incidence of death, disease, crime, and addiction by ultimately ending drug prohibition.

LEAP's goals are:

1. To educate the public, the media, and policy makers, to the failure of current drug policy by presenting a true picture of the history, causes and effects of drug abuse and the crimes related to drug prohibition and
2. To restore the public's respect for law enforcement, which has been greatly diminished by its involvement in imposing drug prohibition.

LEAP's main strategy for accomplishing these goals is to create a constantly enlarging speakers bureau staffed with knowledgeable and articulate former drug-warriors who describe the impact of current drug policies on: police/community relations; the safety of law enforcement officers and suspects; police corruption and misconduct; and the financial and human costs associated with current drug policies.