This is a heartbreaking and horrific story, and even more shameful is how it has been ignored wholly by the media. Not surprisingly, the San Diego State drug bust story has generated lots of publicity and media attention, probably because it reinforces the idiotic, status-quo messages about cannabis prohibition, drug dealing, and drug-related scandal. [I did not find this story on dkos, but if it is, someone let me know and I'll post that as well]
But what about Rachel Hoffman? Her story is much more tragic. If you can bear to read it, here is what happened in a
nutshell, just this past month: a 23 year old Florida State University graduate was busted for
pot possession of LESS THAN AN OUNCE, in her car during a stop for a SPEEDING ticket. At the request (or strong-arming)of the Tallahassee Police Dept., she acted as a drug buyer/informant during a drug sale involving ecstasy, crack, and a gun. She was killed during that transaction, simply because a trained narcotics undercover officer wasn't doing what Rachel Hoffman was askedto do.
This is a difficult diary to write. I am not even sure how to begin discussing Rachel Hoffman's fate, or the cowardly police officers who sent her to her death. For the sake of brevity, here are more links to the story and the response it has generated :
rachel hoffman: student, traveler, cat lover, and victim of police
friends and family protest the immoral police policy
over 800 mourners gather at Temple for Rachel
rachel hoffman's mother starts a new foundation
It is shocking that this young woman is no longer with us. Even more shocking is why she isn't. In my own passionate protests against the Drug War, I have observed the generational war that is taking place...the older generations in America are LITERALLY killing us, young people...my generation. We are being imprisoned for prison-industrial profit, being killed in botched police stings, and denied financial aid for college and jobs over a plant that has never killed anyone. This is perhaps a tragedy of ignorance more than malice. The Drug War is like most wars: a pathetic opportunity to look 'tough' on something...crime, terrorists, immigrants, gays, communists...anyone who can be classified as the 'other'. In doing so, we eat our own young and destroy the hopes of this country's future.
and I write this as a victim of the drug war myself.
If there was any doubt that drug prohibition is still becoming more and more of a problem, well..
tour incarceration levels are 4x that of western europe, despite decline in violent crime
american gulags
united nations drug czar claims that cannabis is more harmful than cocaine..
pot may be able to help Ted Kennedy
In an environment where you even have the republican gov. of California issuing a statement that he will release over 20,000 nonviolent inmates from state prisons, primarily comprised of drug offenses, and jails all over the country are struggling to even keep up with rising food costs...WHY ARE WE STILL LOCKING UP FOLKS FOR CANNABIS?
Though many issues, like this one or the failed occupation of Iraq, are going to be ignored by the Bush Administration, we still cannot lose sight of reform. Without a push from informed citizens, we cannot expect Obama to make many serious reforms to drug laws. As of now, he is in support of medical cannabis, but nothing further.