Police

War on Massage

I talk a lot about the war on drugs and why it’s messed up. But can I also mention that the fight again prostitution is pretty absurd, too. Shouldn’t we regulate prostitution and worry about health issues, human trafficking, and quality of life concerns instead of wasting police resources arresting people for committing consensual acts?

Police

Drug Tests

I wrote about my drug test a few days ago. Tonight I asked my students if they had ever been drug tested. Approximately 2/3 of my masters students (n ~ 55) and all of my undergraduate students (n ~ 30) have been through a drug test. Every single one. That shocked me. It also bothers me. It also bothers some…

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Police

Undercover Cops Kill Jonathan Ayers

In an off-topic comment to another post, “Badge Licker” (is that like Holster Sniffer?) wrote: “Undercover narcotics agents take out the trash this week.” I clicked on the link and realized this was talking about Jonathan Ayers. That got me thinking. Here’s a later report [dead link removed] from the same Fox News station. [dead link removed] I replied to…

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Police

Deep Undercover

Kristina Goetz of the Memphis Commercial Appealhas this story about an officer doing “deep undercover.” She also had to restrain her police instincts to break up a fight at a convenience store or call social services if she saw a dealer hit his child because being caught would compromise the larger goal. And what larger goal was more important than…

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Police

Alaskan Privacy

I’ve been a little fuzzy on the topic. But thanks to a reader, I’ve learned a bit. Remember when marijuana used to be legal in Alaska? What ever happened to that? Well here’s the story, best I understand it. In May, 1975, in Ravin v. State, the Alaska State Supreme Court ruled that possession of weed by an adult, at…

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Police

Piss On This!

I hate drug tests. I think they’re dumb and ineffective as policy. But mostly I object on moral grounds. I don’t think it’s your boss’s business what you do at home. I don’t think it’s the government’s business what you do at home. And I think it’s a shame that the least harmful illegal drug is the easiest to pick…

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I love it. Maybe I *should* move there

Here’s an interesting website about my brother’s home of Amsterdam. It’s specifically in response to Bill O’Reilly’s lies about Amsterdam. In case you think everyone is always wearing orange and dancing, Queens Day only happens once a year. But it is a pretty impressive day. And the boat-ride video makes me kind of homesick. I know those canals well. But…

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How’s that drug war going?

Not so well, according to Pete Guither. Specifically with regard to the 17 people killed in a rehab clinic in Juarez. At least they’ll never take drugs again.

Police

A Radical Solution to End the Drug War: Legalize Everything

Esquire.com just published a nice piece by John Richardson about my op-ed co-author, Neill Franklin, on violence in the drug war. We’ve heard a lot about the terrible death toll Mexico has suffered during the drug war — over 11,000 souls so far. This helps to account for the startling lack of controversy that greeted last week’s news that Mexico…

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