Nato happy to ignore explosion in Afghan opium output, says Russia
Another bumper crop is Afghanistan, warlords entrenched, and no election this summer - hey, that's business as usual.
Saturday, February 14, 2004
Friday, February 06, 2004
Free junk for junkies - a fix or folly?
Edmonton Journal - Story - canada.com network
Very informative article which appeared in several papers across Canada on January 25/04. The article describes serveral heroin maintenance programs worldwide, and how Canada is embarking on a pilot project of heroin maintenance in three cities. As well, a overview of the laws against opiates and the impact since late 19th century.
With maintenance being re-discovered in country after country, hardliners in the UN and the White House are doing their best to discredit the idea.
John Walters, the U.S. drug czar, attacked the British system in the Wall Street Journal last year.
"When British physicians were allowed to prescribe heroin to certain addicts, the number skyrocketed," Walters wrote. "From 68 British addicts in the program in 1960, the problem exploded to an estimated 20,000 heroin users in London alone by 1982."
This is deeply deceptive, says Fazey. Not only had the British system been in place for decades before 1960 without any increase in addiction, it was effectively dead "by about 1972."
Very informative article which appeared in several papers across Canada on January 25/04. The article describes serveral heroin maintenance programs worldwide, and how Canada is embarking on a pilot project of heroin maintenance in three cities. As well, a overview of the laws against opiates and the impact since late 19th century.
With maintenance being re-discovered in country after country, hardliners in the UN and the White House are doing their best to discredit the idea.
John Walters, the U.S. drug czar, attacked the British system in the Wall Street Journal last year.
"When British physicians were allowed to prescribe heroin to certain addicts, the number skyrocketed," Walters wrote. "From 68 British addicts in the program in 1960, the problem exploded to an estimated 20,000 heroin users in London alone by 1982."
This is deeply deceptive, says Fazey. Not only had the British system been in place for decades before 1960 without any increase in addiction, it was effectively dead "by about 1972."
Sunday, February 01, 2004
Thursday, January 22, 2004
Exploring options for ending prohibition - eight legal variants
Illicit IV Drugs: A Public Health Approach
As the debate on harm reduction and drug policy reform intensifies, our understanding of these eight policy options and their health, social and criminal consequences needs to be expanded and developed. The process of examination of these eight legal options for all currently illegal drugs will produce significant benefits for society, drug users and drug abusers. The desired end result is an evolution of our illegal drug laws and policies... society will not manage its “drug problem” effectively until we reach a place where addiction is viewed first and foremost through the lens of public health, and addicts and drug users are treated with dignity and respect.
As the debate on harm reduction and drug policy reform intensifies, our understanding of these eight policy options and their health, social and criminal consequences needs to be expanded and developed. The process of examination of these eight legal options for all currently illegal drugs will produce significant benefits for society, drug users and drug abusers. The desired end result is an evolution of our illegal drug laws and policies... society will not manage its “drug problem” effectively until we reach a place where addiction is viewed first and foremost through the lens of public health, and addicts and drug users are treated with dignity and respect.
Sunday, January 18, 2004
WWII Aerial Photo Archive to Go Online
Yahoo! News article
Ah, how primative was the technology of war in the mid'20th century? Get out your magnifying glass, and figure out what we should bomb Winston.
Ah, how primative was the technology of war in the mid'20th century? Get out your magnifying glass, and figure out what we should bomb Winston.
Thursday, January 15, 2004
Heroin Assisted Treatment in Switzerland
Starting in 1994 Switzerland began trials for heroin maintenance. One of the doctors involved talks with Vancouver's Four Pillars Newsletter: A Chat with Dr. Christophe Burki
Vancouver's safer injection site is doing well after four months. Over 2000 clients registered, and upwards of 500 people using it daily. (synopsis0
Vancouver's safer injection site is doing well after four months. Over 2000 clients registered, and upwards of 500 people using it daily. (synopsis0
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
Drug Enforcement and Crime - myths and realities from NY
Drug Enforcement and Crime
However, there are also several reasons why enforcement of drug laws can lead to increased crime, including:
1) Distribution networks that are established within illegal drug markets are disrupted, leading to increases in disputes over market share and informal contractual arrangements within the illegal drug markets. This may lead to more violence, a favored dispute resolution mechanism in illegal markets (Miron 1998).
2) Disruptions in the market may also lead drug sellers to switch to other forms of economic crime that are considered substitutes, such as robbery and burglary, to obtain income when supplies are disrupted (Kuziemko and Levitt, 2001).
3) Drug users with dependencies or addictions and those who use illegal drugs to treat (diagnosed or undiagnosed) medical conditions may resort to crime as a result of pharmacological effects from physical or psychological withdrawal, or from behavioral changes resulting from ending self-treatment.
4) Intensified enforcement may drive up prices and profits for remaining suppliers, providing more incentive for potential suppliers to engage in crime or violence to obtain a share of the market and leading to more economic crime by users who need to obtain income to support a habit.[26]
5) Resources spent on drug enforcement cannot be used for investigating and making arrests for other types of crime. As a result, enforcement effectiveness for other crimes may be reduced (Rasmussen and Benson, 1994).
6) The incarceration of drug users and sellers takes up scarce prison cells. With prisons at full capacity, an increase in prisoners for drug offenses reduces imprisonment for other crimes, or results in early release of other criminals, prison overcrowding, or new prison construction. There is a cost to society because other crimes can be expected to increase due to lower rates of incarceration and because the resources used to expand prison capacity could have been used for other purposes (Kuziemko and Levitt, 2001).
Brick by brick good analysis such as this will surely dismantle the cruddy edifice of prohibitionist lunacy
However, there are also several reasons why enforcement of drug laws can lead to increased crime, including:
1) Distribution networks that are established within illegal drug markets are disrupted, leading to increases in disputes over market share and informal contractual arrangements within the illegal drug markets. This may lead to more violence, a favored dispute resolution mechanism in illegal markets (Miron 1998).
2) Disruptions in the market may also lead drug sellers to switch to other forms of economic crime that are considered substitutes, such as robbery and burglary, to obtain income when supplies are disrupted (Kuziemko and Levitt, 2001).
3) Drug users with dependencies or addictions and those who use illegal drugs to treat (diagnosed or undiagnosed) medical conditions may resort to crime as a result of pharmacological effects from physical or psychological withdrawal, or from behavioral changes resulting from ending self-treatment.
4) Intensified enforcement may drive up prices and profits for remaining suppliers, providing more incentive for potential suppliers to engage in crime or violence to obtain a share of the market and leading to more economic crime by users who need to obtain income to support a habit.[26]
5) Resources spent on drug enforcement cannot be used for investigating and making arrests for other types of crime. As a result, enforcement effectiveness for other crimes may be reduced (Rasmussen and Benson, 1994).
6) The incarceration of drug users and sellers takes up scarce prison cells. With prisons at full capacity, an increase in prisoners for drug offenses reduces imprisonment for other crimes, or results in early release of other criminals, prison overcrowding, or new prison construction. There is a cost to society because other crimes can be expected to increase due to lower rates of incarceration and because the resources used to expand prison capacity could have been used for other purposes (Kuziemko and Levitt, 2001).
Brick by brick good analysis such as this will surely dismantle the cruddy edifice of prohibitionist lunacy
Friday, October 17, 2003
Say Goodbye To 'Just Say No'
An article by President of the Canadian Bar Association reprinted at Media Awareness Project
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
I can't believe I'm paying attention to all this...
This is almost old news now...
Over the past month, there was a security breach of the company producing the most highly anticipated computer game ever. The source code for the new game was copied, and a playable hacked version of the game released through file-sharing programs over the past few weeks.
One gaming company rep says:
"Whoever did this is an enemy not only of game developers, but of gamers. I can understand anti-globalization protestors picketing the G8. I can understand AIDS activists shutting down the Golden Gate Bridge. I can even understand people who pirate shipped games. But I can only imagine the person who did this was a gamer. To him I say, 'Congratulations: Thanks to you, developers are going to spend more time worrying about security and less time making fun games. Nice going, loser.'"
What's Next for Half-Life 2?
Over the past month, there was a security breach of the company producing the most highly anticipated computer game ever. The source code for the new game was copied, and a playable hacked version of the game released through file-sharing programs over the past few weeks.
One gaming company rep says:
"Whoever did this is an enemy not only of game developers, but of gamers. I can understand anti-globalization protestors picketing the G8. I can understand AIDS activists shutting down the Golden Gate Bridge. I can even understand people who pirate shipped games. But I can only imagine the person who did this was a gamer. To him I say, 'Congratulations: Thanks to you, developers are going to spend more time worrying about security and less time making fun games. Nice going, loser.'"
What's Next for Half-Life 2?
Monday, October 13, 2003
CIA pursues video game...
Aparently the CIA wants to teach its agents to "think outside the box" with a video game designed to better understand terrorists - reports an article at the The Washington Times: Nation/Politics
Games meet political cartoons...
Ludology.org - Videogame Theory Thoughtful, insightful... and check out the Game called September 12 which deals with certain aspects of the War on Terror.
Sunday, October 12, 2003
A Drug War Carol
A Drug War Carol With apologies to Charles Dickens... hehe... yet I imagine ol'Charles would be well on-board with harm reduction were he alive today.
Friday, October 10, 2003
Wednesday, October 08, 2003
Hero or Big Fat Idiot, Rush Limbaugh Should Not Face Prison
Another well-argued position about Rush's case... that no one should be a victim of the War on Drugs...
from AlterNet
from AlterNet
In Defense Of Rush's Right To Drugs...
I oppose the prosecution of Rush Limbaugh, his former housekeeper Wilma Kline or anybody else, for the delivery or purchase or possession of narcotics. Call Limbaugh a hypocrite if you want but don't call for his prosecution, or use the racially divisive term of "drug addict" when referring to Limbaugh, if you are serious about the fragile state of liberty in this country. Infoshop News
Gotta luv ur local anarchistic thinking!!!
Antipsychiatry links to check out... More power to ya Rick
Gotta luv ur local anarchistic thinking!!!
Antipsychiatry links to check out... More power to ya Rick
Tuesday, October 07, 2003
The War on Terrorism is Bogus...
That is quite a thing to say, eh? A provacative statement which is the title of an article appearing last month in The Guardian in England, and reprinted by the Canadian Action Party
The War on Terrorism is Bogus does indeed make some strong points which make more evident sense with every passing day. Think about it...
The War on Terrorism is Bogus does indeed make some strong points which make more evident sense with every passing day. Think about it...
Gimme some H... Y... P... O... C... R... I... S... Y... !!!
Rush Limbaugh In The Shadow Of His Own Words at Newsday.com
Wednesday, October 01, 2003
Southcom Commander Warns of Narco-terrorist Threat in Latin America
Southcom Commander Warns of Narco-terrorist Threat in Latin America This is the sort of crap that can become irrelevant if the cystem wasn't so interested in maintaining a War on Drugs. Note the sentence - "Contrary to popular myth, Latin America is the least militarized region of the world, accounting for only 4 percent of the world's defense spending" - it is almost a lament. No doubt U.S. government/corporate arms dealers will have no small hand in increasing the militarization of the region in the decades ahead. Afterall, isn't selling arms much of what it's all about????
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