The Drug Update

A former Texas drug cop, praised as one of the best in his field by his peers, is releasing a video titled "Never Get Busted Again." The aim of the video, says creator Barry Cooper, is to teach marijuana users and dealers how to avoid getting caught by the law. After coming to believe that his arrests, especially of marijuana offenders, were destroying families, he decided to make the video as a way to appease his conscience. The video will include how to fool drug-sniffing dogs, the best places to stash marijuana, and other helpful tips for the would-be arrestee.

Posted by Matt Nazareth at 05:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The OP-ED section of the New York Times decided to offer its opinion on the recent publication of the Monitoring the Future Survey. In the article, Mike Males is highly critical of the utility of the survey along with the ONDCP's reaction to the survey.

Posted by Eric Gorin-Regan at 08:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The 2006 Monitoring the Future (MTF) study surveys students (8th, 10th, and 12th graders) about lifetime, past year, and past month drug use. The results, released in a press conference today, showed a small decline in the annual prevalence of most illicit drugs and steady use of prescription drugs among the students. Of note also is that the declines were seen more in older students than younger.

Posted by Matt Nazareth at 06:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Democrats in the US Congress are considering changes to America's drug policy and trade agreements with the Latin American countries. A new strategy would cut the military spending to control the drug supply, and instead direct the money toward poverty alleviation, relocation of displaced Colombians, and incentives for coca farmers to grow alternative crops. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill explained the reasoning, "Six years and $4.7 billion later, the drug-control results are meager at best."

Posted by Matt Nazareth at 05:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The city council of Belmont, CA unamimously voted to draft legislation that would outlaw cigarette smoking everywhere in the city other than in private, single-family homes. The law, which was agreed upon in principle, but is awaiting a final draft to be voted on, would become the strictest smoking policy anywhere in the US. The news comes a month after Zogby International released a poll in which "45 percent of Americans polled would support a federal ban on cigarettes within the next five to ten years."

Posted by Matt Nazareth at 08:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)