Also this week, the US Senate voted to divert $2 billion from the Iraq War and put it towards border security. The issues of terrorism, immigration, and drugs are
coming together into one larger 'war on things that scare us' and the Mexican border has become one of the front lines. Predictably, some public officials have already begun the screeching over the new Mexican law:
"I'm appalled. I'm in a state of disbelief," said [San Diego Mayor Jerry] Sanders, whose city of 1.3 million people sits a short drive from the lively border town of Tijuana, Mexico.
"I certainly think we are going to see more drugs available in the United States," Sanders said. "We need to register every protest the American government can muster."Mayor Sanders' comments reflect the attitude that has led to vigilante activity along the border by average Americans. Minutemen supporter and Southern California journalist Sara Carter wrote in February how we need to decertify Mexico as a partner in fighting the drug trade because the Mexicans are not trying hard enough to fight it. For evidence, she quoted a former FBI field office director from El Paso named Hardrick Crawford:
"Mexico has not proven to be a nation willing to stop narcotics trafficking," Crawford said. "There are good people in Mexico in the government, but those good people refuse to speak up because if they do they'll be killed."
The notion that Mexico is simply unwilling or unmotivated to fight drug trafficking is a common theme, but it represents a lack of understanding of what's really been happening in Mexico over the past two decades.
Before the 80s, the amount of drug traffic across the U.S.-Mexican border was light, mostly marijuana. Since the 80s, as cocaine trafficking from Colombia and other South American countries expanded to unprecedented levels, and the U.S. began to fight it, Mexico became a major source for much of that trafficking as well. As the drug gangs in Mexico grew wealthier over the next 20 years, they've been able to control much of the flow of other drugs, from heroin to meth. With the massive demand for drugs in the U.S. came billions of dollars in profits. For most law enforcement officials, they had to choose between enforcing the drug laws or using their position to share the massive wealth of the traffickers. The outcome was predictable. Ted Galen Carpenter, in his book Bad Neighbor Policy, explains the futility well:
The Gutierrez Rebollo episode was especially disheartening to U.S. drug warriors. When newly elected president Ernesto Zedillo took office at the end of 1994, it was apparent that the Federal Judicial Police were riddled with corruption. Indeed, that institution was so compromised that most police personnel never even bothered to pick up their paychecks, since their salary was such a minor portion of their real income. The new reform police chief did not last long. Before he could implement plans to clean house, he was poisoned in his sleep. Although he lived through the assault, the incident left him paralyzed from the neck down.
Zedillo, in desperation, turned to the military, appointing Gutierrez Rebollo as Mexico's drug czar. It was a dubious move from the outset, for there was ample evidence that the Mexican military was as involved as the federal and local police forces in the drug trade. The general, though, seemed to have excellent drug-fighting credentials, having personally led a much-publicized raid against the leader of the Sinaloa cartel. U.S. officials greeted the appointment enthusiastically. U.S. drug czar General Barry McCaffrey fairly gushed with praise: "He has a reputation for impeccable integrity... He's a deadly serious guy." McCaffrey predicted a new era in U.S.-Mexican cooperation to battle the scourge of illegal drugs.
Three months later the Zedillo government announced that its new drug czar was in a maximum-security prison, charged with taking bribes and protecting the nation's largest drug trafficker. The general had indeed been tough on drug trafficking - tough, that is, on cartels that competed with Carrillo Fuentes's organization. The news that Mexico's drug czar had been on the take hit Washington hard. The drug warriors were not discouraged for long, though; soon McCaffrey and President Clinton were praising the Mexican government's efforts to root out corruption.Understanding this background, it's hard to understand where San Diego Mayor Coleman gets the idea that Mexico's decision to decriminalize small amounts of drugs will have any affect on the amount of drugs coming into the United States. The amount of drugs heading into the United States from Mexico has never been driven by Mexico's attitude towards drug use, it's been driven by demand from American consumers.
More importantly, those who believe that the immigration problem is feeding the drug problem have it backwards. It's the drug problem that's feeding the immigration problem. People don't risk their lives running through the desert because they really love picking strawberries for 14 hours a day. They do it because there's no opportunity back home. With such a large portion of the Mexican economy based on the drug trade, and with the Mexican government's futile attempts to stop it and the violence that results from it, Mexico has been completely unable to provide the services required to keep its economy moving. They are forced to expend all their resources just trying to convince Washington that they're serious about stopping the flow of drugs. As a result, opportunities for real work have dried up and people look north for the only opportunities to provide for their families. The 11 million illegal immigrants in this country are not invaders, they're refugees in part from a decades-long war that has done immeasureable damage to their home country.
But the old stereotypes still linger, and the xenophobia continues. The inability to stop the drug trade will continue to be blamed on corrupt Mexicans, as if corruption is a part of their culture rather than the expected by-product of the massive American demand for illegal drugs.
Maybe Sara Carter can do a follow-up with Hardrick Crawford to get his opinion on how this move by the Mexican government is more evidence of how Mexicans don't really care about fighting the drug war. Oh wait, that might not be a good idea. Crawford was indicted on April 12 for receiving gifts from a Mexican drug trafficker and lying to the FBI and the Department of Justice.
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In the news (for the past two weeks)...
The New York Times criticized the FDA's report last week (released on 4/20 no less) claiming that marijuana has no medical use. Pete at Drug WarRant gives the full breakdown of how absurd this report was and why the FDA is way out of bounds. This follow-up endorsement of the FDA's paper by some of the few Americans left who still question that marijuana has medical use, Calvina Fay, Eric Voth, and Andrea Barthwell, is hilarious:
Calvina Fay, executive director of Drug Free America Foundation comments, "Many experts in drug policy and medicine have been waiting for this. Modern medicine relies on scientific research, not polling results. Hopefully now the so-called medical marijuana issue can rightfully shift from political to scientific."
How do you even respond to people this insane? 24 members of the House, led by Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) challenged the FDA to back up their claims with science. You can find a roundup of news articles here.
Pete also continues to explain to our Drug Czar that declines in drug use happen for reasons other than law enforcement.
Steve Lendman writes a long and very well-researched piece about America's prison system and the racial inequities that are now becoming too horrific to ignore. TalkLeft points out the effect that this has had on voting rights.
A survey revealed that about 20 percent of U.S. teenagers have gotten high from common household products like glue, nail polish and gasoline.
An email from Jack Abramoff reveals that he tried to obtain a limo for the Signatures restaurant through drug forfeiture laws.
Republican Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is not happy with Drug Czar John Walters' attempts to spin the data on cocaine trafficking and wants him fired.
The ONDCP is pushing for zero-tolerance laws for driving under the influence of marijuana, even though most of the research shows that statistically, there's no proof of increased danger, as there is from alcohol, cocaine, ampthetamines, or opiates.
Dick Morris suggested to President Bush that he should make the drug war front and center to save his failing presidency. I'm hoping he does. It's the most lopsided debate there is. Is there even a single blogger with the same focus as Pushing Back, the ONDCP site? If this issue ever becomes mainstream, people will be appalled, and it would be very easy to turn the current framing on this issue on its head. The Republicans are terrified that the drug war becomes front and center, and for good reason.
The head of the World Anti-Doping Agency is threatening to kick soccer out of the Olympics unless FIFA toughens their drug laws.
The first weekend in May will be the date for many pro-pot marches around the globe.
Rush Limbaugh reached a settlement in a Florida court that will allow for drug charges to be dropped against him if he continues with treatment. Jeralyn Merritt at TalkLeft provides more details.
Meth lab busts are on the rise in South Florida.
An editorial in a Georgia newspaper advocates the execution of drug users.
A South Carolina legislator has suggested sending people convicted of drug-related offenses to foreign prisons.
Stephen Gordon finds that his home town of Hartselle, Alabama is about to fall victim to the anti-smoking madness.
Libertarian Candidate for Alabama Governor Loretta Nall was on Air America on Friday night.
Cory Maye has sent another letter from death row.
Radley Balko writes about Lester Eugene Siler, the Tennessee man who was tortured by police for two hours in order to force a confession for a minor drug crime. His wife was smart enough to leave a tape recorder running while it happened. The recording is now online. The fact that she thought to do that should give you an idea of how often this happens.
The Drug Policy Alliance opened an office in Washington, DC to take action to mitigating the negative effects of drug prohibition in our nation's capital.
University of Maryland students voted for a non-binding referendum that makes punishments for alcohol and marijuana the same.
A Pennsylvania doctor is off to prison for prescribing pain medication.
Stanley Crouch at the New York Daily News says we need to break our addiction to the war on drugs.
The Daily Campus at the University of Connecticut printed an editorial in support of legalizing marijuana.
The DA of Berkshire County in Massachusetts, where teenagers have recently received absurdly long prison sentences, is standing by his tough-on-drugs stance in his re-election campaign.
In Buffalo, Erie County Executive Joel Giambra thinks we should be discussing the legalization option after a slew of recent violence in the city. Buffalo's police chief followed up Giambra's proclamation by launching a massive drug raid.
A local activist in Cincinnati has filed a lawsuit to challenge the Cincinnati City Council's decision to funnel more black people into jail.
Seven people in Chicago were hospitalized after being given free heroin.
Toni Thomas of Rockford, IL gives some perspective on the drug war from within the African American community.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports a decline in meth lab busts since the cold medicine went behind the counter. The article doesn't mention anything about property crime, which has gone up in neighboring Iowa since they passed their law.
A Methamphetamine Awareness Committee in Northwest Arkansas will be listing contaminated meth houses on the internet to help homebuyers avoid buying a contaminated property.
A North Little Rock doctor who deals with pain management was raided and federal agents confiscated his records. According to the doctor, one patient has already died as a result of being unable to receive care.
Brooks Egerton from the Dallas Morning News provides a very striking comparison from the same judge to demonstrate the racial disparity in drug offense sentencing. TalkLeft has more.
Rock Howard from the Libertarian Party of Texas gives an update on the hearing to discuss the recent crackdown on bar patrons by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. The situation is there is so absurd, it's truly hard to believe. Technically, according to Texas law, it is illegal to be intoxicated inside a bar. Can the people of Texas please elect Ron White as their governor and straighten this shit out?
A south Texas police officer was arrested along with his 5 brothers who are accused of a decade long family drug operation.
Corruption along the Rio Grande continues to be commonplace.
The editor of City Pages in Minneapolis had to apologize for calling meth "The Best Cheap Thrill."
Officials in North Dakota have noticed that since their crackdown on meth, they've seen an increase in cocaine in the state. This is no surprise since meth distribution nationwide has now shifted to Mexican gangs which already controlled the distribution of cocaine.
Officials in Montana will hold a conference on methamphetimines in Bozeman on May 15th and 16th.
University of Colorado at Boulder police tried to shut down the annual 4/20 celebration on campus by making the field where it's held off-limits and posting pictures of people on the internet who trespassed.
Neal Levine from the CRCM wrote a response in the Nevada Appeal to counter the opinion piece printed there a few weeks before criticizing the effort to legalize and regulate marijuana in the state of Nevada this year.
In New Mexico, public officials seem to be highly confused. After noticing that the laws to put pseudoephedrine products behind the counter at pharmacies just shifted the production to Old Mexico, their plan to fight meth is to have retail managers monitor the sales of other products used in meth labs. Huh?
The Arizona Republic appears to be following in the Oregonian's footsteps in overblowing the meth epidemic.
A Ventura County doctor and pharmacist both face charges for illegal drug distribution, even though it's very clear they followed all proper guidelines.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has thrown out the conviction of medical marijuana activist Ed Rosenthal.
The OC Register writes in support of Proposition 36, California's mandatory drug treatment over incarceration program whose funding is set to expire. Robin Beck writes about what the potential benefit of the program will be in 10-15 years if it continues.
Tim Cavanaugh writes about the poorly promoted NORML conference last weekend in San Francisco. During the conference, Tommy Chong made a statement claiming that he sold bongs to people within Dick Cheney's security detail.
A former narcotics investigator in Berkeley, CA plead guilty to drug charges and will spend up to a year in jail.
The Oregon State Bar is holding a $500 contest for students to write an essay for or against student drug testing.
Officials in Marion County, Oregon want to hold meth offenders in jail for longer and to make it tougher to post bail.
The Alaska House of Representatives defeated a bill that would have recriminalized possession of marijuana in the state.
A high school teacher in Guam was arrested for possession of marijuana and meth.
The National Drug Control Minister in Bermuda is calling for marijuana to be downgraded, similarly to what was done several years ago in the UK.
Via Last One Speaks, Fred Gardner writes about how a 15 year old study from Jamaica that studied the effect of marijuana use by pregnant women on their newborn children has been largely ignored by modern policy-makers.
In Canada, medical marijuana users are starting to have more trouble supplying themselves with medicine that they find useful.
New Canadian leader Stephen Harper broke a campaign promise when he decided this week that he would not shut down Vancouver's safe-injection site for heroin addicts. Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan believes that the best way to protect women in the downtown eastside neighborhood is to provide drugs for addicts.
The chairman of the Bloc British Columbia Party is hoping to block the extradition of Marc Emery to the United States by instead having him tried in Provincial court.
Jeanette Irwin at the Drug Policy Alliance notices the increased rhetoric (including accusations of drug trafficking) aimed at Hugo Chavez to paint him as a target.
Coca production continues to increase in Colombia despite the activities of counter-narcotics officials.
The Washington Post profiles Ollanta Humala, the Peruvian Presidential front-runner who vows to protect the coca growers from U.S. drug enforcement officials in the same way that Evo Morales in Bolivia has been trying to do.
The British medical journal, the Lancet, wrote in support of increased testing with psychedelic drugs like LSD and MDMA.
In the Brixton neighborhood in South London, 200 officers raided a club in order to arrest 11 people on drug charges.
A small London paper writes about an 81-year-old woman who wants to try cannabis to ease the suffering of serious back pain.
A man who ran a cannabis cafe in Liverpool was sentenced to a year in jail.
Police in Scotland are asking for help in recovering a bag of drugs used for training a drug dog, although they don't specify exactly what drugs were in the bag. We'll get right on that, officer.
Many methadone patients in Dublin are also users of cocaine and cannabis.
A Kuwaiti prince was arrested with 22 pounds of cocaine.
The DEA is opening a new office in Dubai.
Canadian soldiers stationed in Afghanistan are put in the uncomfortable position of having to actually lie to the poppy farmers in Helmand province about what the U.S. and U.K. government are doing to eradicate the farmers' only livelihood. The bodies of four Canadian soldiers killed near Kandahar arrived back in Ontario this week.
Officials in Mozambique discuss how to destroy marijuana fields. In Brazil, officials from Mozambique interviewed 14 women who are in prison there after being tricked into becoming drug mules.
A woman from Namibia died after one of the balloons she'd swallowed in order to smuggle cocaine from Brazil burst in her stomach. Her husband, who'd also swallowed balloons but lived, faces trafficking charges.
The Malaysian government has banned magazines that talk about marijuana.
Police in Nimbin, Australia are threatening a crackdown on drugs as the town gets ready for the MargiGrass festival on May 6-7.
An American was arrested at the Sydney airport and accused of trying to smuggle heroin from Thailand into Australia.
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