A frequent point of opposition to the war on drugs is that of taxation. The argument goes like this: If the prohibition on illegal drugs ended, the government would see a surplus like no other (and pay for treatment, enforcement, etc). The folks in Kansas have a strange hybrid option: keep them illegal, but
ask that drug dealers report taxes on their profits. Their
FAQ lists the details and the
a rate sheet (pdf) is available. Drug dealers not following suit can be busted as tax evaders, in addition to selling drugs. Novel approach or silly idea?
posted by mathowie
on Feb 6, 2003 -
38 comments
Well known for speaking the truth about governments and getting pressured for it [7th paragraph from the top], Alain Labrousse recently published his
Dictionnaire géopolitique des drogues [Geopolitical Dictionary of Drugs]. I don't think it's been translated in English yet, but all his previous works have, so I'm sure an English version is on the way.
His latest book is being well received by everyone who's interested in "open source" information about drugs, particularly how the various national economies profit from them.
A
recent review [in French], cites one example of twisted international relations concerning drugs [my translation]: Europe speaks no evil about activities in Morocco, the most important source of cannabis in the world, or in Turkey, where scores of laboratories transform afghan opium into heroin, simply because these two countries provide a frontline of resistance to radical Islam. In North America, in Mexico, the United States tolerated for 70 years the Institutional Revolutionary Party (
Partido Revolucionario Institucional - PRI), even though its leaders supported, and even chose mexican drug cartels. Geostrategic interests outweigh the most basic needs of the war against drugs.
posted by titboy
on Feb 5, 2003 -
0 comments
Drug War Roundup V. "It's the most horrible mistake I've ever made," says a juror who helped
convict Ed "Guru of Ganja" Rosenthal of marijuana production. The judge in Ed's case didn't consider him a flight risk, but may have after reading "
The Drug War Refugees" (reg. req.), about Americans fleeing to Canada. The entire drug trade is
approximately "the size of the Spanish economy and about 8 percent of world trade." And, of course, is responsible for hippo
migration to Columbia.
posted by raaka
on Feb 4, 2003 -
22 comments
City officials to give away weed. A Santa Cruz councilman wants to show solidarity with those arrested in a recent
federal raid on a medicinal growing operation. Apparently "the whole community is up in arms about this." This, being the raid, not the medicinal use of marijuana. Is the general public's attitude finally starting to sway?
posted by FiveFrozenFish
on Sep 17, 2002 -
20 comments
Drug War Roundup IV. An athlete who refused a drug test was stripped of her awards. She plays
bridge. American Indians who honed their skills tracking drug smugglers recently
trained Baltic border guards in the hopes of preventing nuclear weapon proliferation. Another chapter was written in the ongoing "
is ecstasy all that dangerous?" debate. Salvatore Gravano is on his way back to prison for running an
ecstasy ring. Nevada is edging closer to
legalizing up to three ounces of marijuana, to the disdain of Bush's Drug Policy director and Nevada's biggest police group. A Canadian right wing party and cops came out
against their government's recent pro-legalization report. I see a pattern, but maybe it's just the
pudding.
posted by raaka
on Sep 7, 2002 -
30 comments
Cops Abuse New Anti-Terror Law. The raid was perhaps the state's first known instance of law enforcement officers using new anti-terrorism police powers in a case unrelated to terrorism... Ahh, yes. The War On Drugs meets The War Against Terror.
posted by fnord_prefect
on Aug 5, 2002 -
13 comments
"Drugs and the Internet: An Overview of the Threat to America’s Youth" It should probably come as no surprise that the government is interested in finding out what kind of drug-related information exists on the internet. What
might surprise you is the Department of Justice’s self-described methodology and intent in pursuing that objective, with little apparent concern for such trivialities as oh, say, the First Amendment. For example, take a look at what the DOJ thinks constitutes "
offending websites." Or how about this "threat":
"Drug-culture advocates are chiefly interested in expanding the size of the community to both legitimize their activity and increase pressure on lawmakers to change or abolish drug control laws." (pressure on lawmakers to change or abolish laws? How un-American!) Needless to say, official statements like this
scare some people, including rave fans, who
appear to be a particular focus of the government’s efforts. (via
overlawyered.com).
posted by pardonyou?
on Mar 26, 2002 -
16 comments
Phew! It's okay to drive stoned in Idaho now. Assuming you can pass a field sobriety test, that is. To quote the attorney, "just having smoked marijuana doesn't give somebody cause to arrest you for that when driving." This seems to be a technicality, and you have to assume it's going to be overturned. If not, anyone up for a road trip to Boise?
posted by emptyage
on Jan 15, 2002 -
10 comments
The War on Drug Wars. "Ashkan Sahihi is a photographer who is infuriated by the hypocrisy of the war on drugs. It is this hypocrisy that inspired Sahihi to take eleven people out of their daily environments, get them high, and photograph them."
Does this project warrant attention as a political statement, as an art project, as all of the above, or as none of the above? Please explain your answer. Partial credit will be given.
posted by conquistador
on Jul 31, 2001 -
23 comments
How to get $43 millions dollars from the United States
- Strip all your female citizens of their human rights
- Single out religious minorities (for their "protection")
- Agree to crack down on opium farming without any real monitoring
The War on Drugs finds a
new ally in
The Taliban.
posted by alan
on May 29, 2001 -
18 comments
Busted! DEA cooks the books to show a 'major success' in the War on Drugs.
posted by snakey
on Feb 2, 2001 -
11 comments
We are the world. No matter what you think of this expansion into Ecuador to stamp out the drug trade in Columbia, you have to love the great economic ramifications for locals as they open facilities and raise prices for their wealthy neighbors from the north. No mention, alas, of the prostitutes who usually move close to military facilities.
posted by Postroad
on Jan 25, 2001 -
5 comments
The "War on Drugs" cost Gore the election. "In a stroke of divine justice, it turns out he [Gore] might have easily won Florida had it not been for the felony disenfranchisement laws that disproportionately strip the vote from African-American men," said Sanho Tree, director of the drug policy project of the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington. "Let's hope he ponders this long and hard while he waits for the recount."
posted by lagado
on Nov 13, 2000 -
18 comments
The War on... education? It's estimated that 7000 US college students will lose their entitlement to at least some financial aid because of previous drug convictions. Which is nice. Now, the follies of the "war on drugs" are well-documented, but this takes the cake. I thought that punishment was for the criminal justice system to dispense...
posted by holgate
on Oct 24, 2000 -
20 comments
Tonight & tomorrow on Frontline: The War on Drugs The PBS show Frontline is airing a four hour special on the (first?) 30 years of the War on Drugs, split over tonight and tomorrow nights. Advance coverage in today's Boston Globe indicates that it is well worth watching with interviews from leaders of the DEA, the Columbian cartels and everyone "in between".
posted by sylloge
on Oct 9, 2000 -
10 comments
Yet another threat to free speech under the guise of the
War On Drugs. Not to mention wholesale Internet censorship. And I quote "It says Internet providers and hosting services must remove any website within 48 hours after the government objects to it -- and no court order is necessary. What's next, filtering software for all data entering the United States?
posted by ambereden
on May 10, 2000 -
1 comment
