| LEAP |
| Terry Nelson, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition: “It is really no surprise to me that our prohibition policy isn’t helping to achieve any reduction in drug trafficking” |
A newly released report from the U.S. Department of Justice shows that Mexican drug cartels are rapidly gaining ground inside the United States, despite extensive efforts by the government to crack down on trafficking.
| LIFE |
| Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske claimed on Thursday that the regulation of alcohol, tobacco and prescription drugs has not worked, so regulation of marijuana could not be expected to work, either |
The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) on Thursday announced the latest results of the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health. As is their annual custom, the federal officials used the event — and the survey itself — as an opportunity to decry the use of marijuana in the United States.
| KOMO News |
| Addiction counselor David Scratchley is accused of attempting to rape a 10-year-old boy |
David Scratchley, a “Christian drug-treatment manager” based in Seattle, has been arrested and charged with attempted rape of a child in the first degree and communication with a minor for immoral purposes. He is being held in the King County Jail on $1 million bail, and is scheduled for arraignment on September 21.
| The Gilmer Free Press |
I know it’s the “Show Me” state, but this is ridiculous. A state technical college in central Missouri has begun what could be the most extensive drug testing policy at a public college or university in the United States.
| VH1 |
Twenty-five years after crack cocaine ravaged American cities, a new VH1 Rock Doc explores how the drug also transformed popular culture, especially hip-hop. The latest addition to the Emmy-winning franchise, “Planet Rock: The Story of Hip Hop and the Crack Generation” premieres Sunday, September 18 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on VH1.
| Chris Collins |
| Official media estimates of the crowd ran as high as 1,500, but according to activist Missy Griggs of Clinton Township, who attended the rally, it may have been closer to 3,000 or even 4,000 people there. |
| Greg Deruiter/Lansing State Journal |
| Protesters converged on the Michigan state Capitol on Wednesday because of a recent court decision banning the sale of medical marijuana in dispensaries |
About 1,500 supporters filled the Capitol lawn Wednesday afternoon at the state capitol in Lansing, carrying signs reading “Patients Are Not Criminals” and “Weed Deserve Better” in what is being called the largest pro-medical marijuana rally in Michigan.
| Idaho HOPE Fest |
Boise, Idaho’s first hemp festival is coming to Julia Davis Park on September 25. According to organizers, the Idaho HOPE Fest is the first annual event being held in Boise to advocate for the end of the federal government’s war on cannabis consumers, and to promote the re-legalization of industrial hemp.
| Julian Abram Wainwright/Vinaland |
| Recovering drug users share buckets of water for a communal bath at a drug rehabilitation center in Vietnam |
Vietnam subjects patients at so-called “drug rehabilitation centers” to abuse and forced labor, according to an international human rights group which called for the facilities to be shut down.
| Sentimental Journeys |
| Florida Governor Rick Scott: “We don’t want to waste tax dollars.” The new welfare drug testing program costs about $5 for every $1 it saves. |
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) says it is filing a lawsuit challenging a Florida law that requires new welfare recipients to pass a drug test.
| MMB&J |
MMB&J (Medical Marijuana Bottles & Jars) was created in 2009 by a small group of registered Michigan medical marijuana caregivers and patients. “Our ultimate goal is to offer the highest possible quality of containers for your medicine,” says the company, which markets recycled plastic medical marijuana bottles to dispensaries.