Police

How medical marijuana is transforming the pot industry

Last night I read a great article in the New Yorkerabout the new sort-of-legal-at-the-state-and-local-level but still very-federally-illegal California medicinal-marijuana industry. I’m very curious to see how this system evolves and is regulated. It just might work. And it may be a good model for other states. At the very least, it’s starting to make California dependent on the tax dollars…

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Police

Snitchin’

The New York Timeshas an article about covering up a “Stop Snitchin’” mural. The shame is that we need snitches… I mean witnesses… willing to testify. Too bad it’s dangerous. If we didn’t use snitches so much in locking up drug criminals, I bet snitching wouldn’t have such a bad name.

Police

New international drug use stats

For years everybody has been citing the same good but somewhat dated stats on comparative drug use in the U.S. and other countries (I know because I did so in my book). Well, while I was busy visiting family and friends in Amsterdam last week, a new study was released (in conjunction with the World Health Organization) that updates drug…

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Police

Why the War on Drug Fails

A friend and former student of mine, a police officer on Long Island, tells me: “Right now heroin is cheaper then crack and cocaine. So it has become the drug of choice. From Jan 07 to Aug 07 there was 42 heroin overdose just in two precinct in Nassau county.” There are eight precincts in Nassau County and a total…

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Police

Study finds long benefit in psychedelic mushrooms

Interesting story here. Meanwhile, in Amsterdam the move to re-criminalize psychedelic mushrooms has been postponed another year. They’re still sold legally in stores. Some of my friends in Amsterdam (from where I write this) are E.R. nurses. They complain to me about the summer influx of drugged-out people to the hospitals. They’re all tourists and mostly casualties of shrooms and…

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Police

English Narco-Colonialism

There’s an interesting short BBC interview about the history of the opium trade in India under British rule. News to me.

Police

Details on the drug corner

My friend emailed me this: I think we were able to pull that surveillance off not only because it was quiet from the rain but also because it was 1 month and 3 days after 9/11. We were rolling 3 – 4 deep and had every spare car on the road.

Police

Drug corner in action

Here’s a nice action video of a drug corner shot by a police officer friend of mine back in October 2001. Basically this corner is a three-man (or boy) shop. The guy in the green shirt is the money man and the biggest man of this not-so-impressive. The kid in the white t-shirt (let’s call him “Little Man”) is kind…

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