Drug War Condemned by Roman Catholic Bishops

Over the weekend, The Mexican Council of Bishops released a report condemning the militant drug war policies of the Calderon administration.

Since becoming president in 2006, Calderon has deployed thousands and thousands of troops through Mexican border cities in order to control drug cartel activity. Since his avowal to wrestle territory back from the cartels, however, gang violence has become more vicious and prevalent. Citing international human rights groups, the bishops noted in their report abuses made by these military forces including arbitrary killings, false accusations, and other misuses of power.

The Catholic bishops call for reform in their government, and stated that Calderon ought to improve education and tackle unemployment instead of wasting resources on this violence, and believe that the thousands of troops can return to more suitable duties if focus was put on cleaning up police.

The Union: The Business Behind Getting High

I've had the good fortune of coming across this great documentary today about the history and reality of the marijuana industry in the US and Canada. It's a bit long, but it's absolutely worth your time.

Edit: Having problems with embedding the video, you can watch it on google here.

From TheUnionMovie.com

Ever wonder what British Columbia's most profitable industries are? Logging? Fishing? Tourism? Ever think to include marijuana? If you haven't, think again. No longer a hobby for the stereotypical hippie culture of the ‘60s, BC's illegal marijuana trade industry has evolved into an unstoppable business giant, dubbed by those involved as 'The Union'. Commanding upwards of $7 billion Canadian annually, The Union’s roots stretch far and wide. With up to 85% of all 'BC Bud' being exported to the United States, the BC marijuana trade has become an international issue with consequences that extend far beyond our borders. When record profits are to be made, who are the players, and when do their motives become questionable?

- Why is marijuana illegal?
- What health risks do we really face?
- Does prohibition work?
- What would happen if we taxed it?
- Medicine, paper, fuel, textiles, food, etc. Are we missing something?

Follow filmmaker Adam Scorgie as he dives head first into Canada's most socially acceptable illegal activity. Along the way, Adam demystifies the underground market and brings to light how such a large industry can function while remaining illegal. By interviewing experts from around the globe, including growers, clippers, police officers, criminologists, economists, medical doctors, politicians and pop culture icons, Scorgie examines the cause and effect nature of the business behind getting high.

Massacre in Mexico fueled by Drug War

This past Saturday, a shooting happened in the city of Juarez, Mexico along the border with Texas. It was the most recent of killings in a series of turf wars waged by powerful drug cartels. The victims were largely high school and college students, with thirteen dead at the scene, some as young as age 15.

There was no apparent connection between any of the victims and the drug cartels. The children were gathered together to watch a boxing match. In the past year there have been up to 2500 killings related to drug violence.

Huffington Post





-Tom Zocolo
Kent State SSDP

Canada's Bill C-15 a copy of US Failing Drug Policy

Article: Just Say No to Bill C-15 on December 2nd

Article Source: http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/content/just-say-no-bill-c-15-december-2

By Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy - Monday, November 23 2009

On Wednesday, December 2, 2009 CSSDP chapters across Canada are going to be demonstrating against the introduction of mandatory minimum sentences, sending the message that young Canadians need education not condemnation. Mandatory incarceration will not help young Canadians!

In Ottawa young Canadians will be handcuffed on Parliament Hill to represent the negative impacts on those caught up by this bill. We will be distributing handouts and engaging with folks on the hill and in the streets to get people to speak out against Bill C-15.

Go to http://whyprohibition.ca/content/vote-no-bill-c-15 for more ways to help stop Bill C-15

Bill C-15 is a copy of the failing US Drug Policy implementing mandatory minimums (jail time) under the "tough on crime" approach. I find this step by Canada a step back in the wrong direction after the decriminalization that the country has experienced over the past decades. In the mind of a prohibitionist this is clearly a sign of US government's pressure on criminalizing the drug on a harsher level so that Canada's marijuana culture does not step over the border, but could it be more than that? According to the article from http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=867 the prison industry is one of America's most profitable industry. If you want to make lots of money that is the industry you want to get into, but at what cost? In the same article it is reported, "Roughly half of the industry is controlled by the Nashville-based Corrections Corporation of America, which runs 46 penal institutions in 11 states. It took ten years for the company to reach 10,000 beds; it is now growing by that same number every year." The top of the prison industry players are clear that CCA is the dominant company that has been growing as a result of the financial success of the profitable industry. Is growth for the prison industry a good thing for the American people? Why has this industry been growing so quickly? These answers are in the article as well. As reported, "The rate for most serious crimes has been dropping or stagnant for the past 15 years, but during the same period severe repeat offender provisions and a racist "get-tough" policy on drugs have helped push the US prison population up from 300,000 to around 1.5 million during the same period. This has produced a corresponding boom in prison construction and costs, with the federal government's annual expenditures in the area, now $17 billion. In California, passage of the infamous "three strikes" bill will result in the construction of an additional 20 prisons during the next few years." It is known that the prison industry uses lobbyists just like the marijuana legislation organizations, but what benefits the people? These prison guard lobbyists support harsher punishments for less serious crimes so that there will always be another prisoner in need of a facility like a private prison who looks for ensuring that there are no vacancies similar to a hotel's business objective. I believe the urge to implement Bill C-15 comes as a result of Conservative Canadian government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper and individuals associated with the prison industry who seek more financial success this time in Canada. The irony is that as we see state laws changing in many states in the US for the better, Canada is being led back in the dark in regards to drug policy reform.
- Felix Pavolotsky
Kent State SSDP

Wiretapping for Drug Crimes Exposed

Feingold Questions Department of Justice Officials on PATRIOT Act

Senator Feingold questions Assistant Attorney General David Kris and Inspector General Glenn Fine at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on reauthorizing the USA PATRIOT Act on September 23, 2009.


Former Dept of Justice official under the division of the Drug Enforcement Agency head official, Karen Tandy, the same person who decided to spend our tax dollars on going after Tommy Chong for his family's bong business as well as "The Prince of Pot" Marc Scott Emery decided to step down from her position from the DEA for a head position in the Motorola cellular phone company. Does something sound suspicious here? I think so! ^ KAREN TANDY




Especially after this video was released of Senator Feingold questioning Assistant Attorney General David Kris and Inspector General Glenn Fine at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on reauthorizing the USA PATRIOT Act on September 23, 2009. What they found out was that the unpopular Patriot Act created by the Bush Administration was being utilized to wiretap individuals for a majority of crimes not related to terrorism. Only on 3 occasion where secret sneak and peak operations where used for terrorist related crimes while the other over 700 cases did not involve terrorist activity. Senator Feingold mentioned that of these sneak and peek searches a majority was used for drug crime not related to terrorist activity. He mentined that in these sneek and peek operations home owners where not notified of them until months later and acknowleged that the notifications where supposed to be sent out within 7 days for criminal drug cases that where non related to terrorist activity. As a result Feingold suggested making safeguards that would protect the American people from the abuse of power that was implemented in the Patriot Act.

- FELIX PAVOLOTSKY
Kent State SSDP

Marc Emery Vs The US Government

Embed Video Code:

Video Description: Originally released on August 14th, 2005. The title of this video was changed to removed possible confusion regarding content. This video was originally titled "SMOKE OUT AT THE USA CONSULATE IN VANSTERDAM! Sept 10th" rallying support for the upcoming protests that were being planned.

Video clips detailing the raid on Emery Seeds, thanks to Newshawks Fran and Orion.

A meeting to form a planning committee for the September 10th rally will take place at the BCMP Bookstore in the basement on Thursday August 4th at 4pm, anybody who wants to get involved and have a say in what happens is welcome. No Narcs Please.

In reaction to America's recent attack on Canadian Sovereignty through the raid on Marc Emery Seeds a HUGE Smokeout at the US Consulate in Vansterdam is being planned for September 10th. It is time to Smoke Out the USA and get the DEA out of Canada. Stay Tuned to Pot.TV for more details. Free marc Emery, Free Michelle Rainey, Free MarijuaMan, Free Renee Boje, Free Marijuana Prisoners Everywhere!

We encourage activists in other Provinces to hold sister rallies at US Consulates on this same day and our American Brothers and Sisters to organize events at local Canadian Consulates to tell them not to listen to the Bush Administration.

My Thoughts: I feel that it is unconstitutional that our United States Government is seeking action against Marc Emery at the cost of our wasted tax dollars. We wasted our tax dollars to apprehend Tommy Chong for his family's bong business and now we are going after a seed seller who paid his federal taxes to the Canadian government and they knew about him the entire time. There are many seed stores that currently operate like the one that Marc once owned, but few if any pay their federal taxes for their business. The Canadian government would be pestered by medical marijuana users in Canada and the government would send them to Marc. Now our United States Drug Enforcement Agency decided to pressure and bully the Canadian government into going after him.In the statement seen here (DEA Statement http://freemarc.ca/sites/default/files/Tandystatement.jpg) made by former DEA head official Karen Tandy. She said, "Today's DEA arrest of Marc Scott Emery, publisher of Cannabis Culture Magazine and founder of a marijuana legislation group is a significant blow not only to the marijuana trafficking trade in the US and Canada to the marijuana legislation movement." She goes on to talk how hundreds of thousands of dollars that he sent to marijuana legislation organization throughout the world will now have less money to rely on. These statements are blatantly against his political activities which according to the US- Canada Extradition Treaty is illegal to go after an individual for political motivation.

What do you think? Shoul We go after Marc for his seed business and political activities like the DEA wants to? Do you think that spending our tax dollars on capturing Marc is a good move? Do you think that using our tax dollars on going after Tommy Chong was beneficial for stopping violent drug crime? Let me know your thoughts on this blog

What can we do? There are several things we can do from passing out fliers about Marc with facts about himself regarding this case seen at http://freemarc.ca/ or e can contact important government officials as seen below like Seattle, Washington Judge Ricardo Martinez or US President Barack Obama.

Contact Judge Ricardo Martinez in Seattle, Washington and tell him that he should let Marc Emery return home to Canada sentence instead of the 5-year term in a US prison according to the plea deal.
Mail: Honorable Ricardo S. Martinez
U.S. Courthouse
700 Stewart Street, Suite 13134
Seattle, WA
98101-9906
USA

Or Contact President Barack Obama and tell him that he should pardon Canadian citizen Marc Emery and let him return home to Canada.

Phone: (202) 456-1414 (switchboard) and (202) 456-1111 (comments)
Fax: (202) 456-2461
Mail: The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC
20500
USA

-Felix Pavlotsky

New School Opens in Michigan!

Michigan recently opened a new college; Med Grow Cannabis College. This college runs on a six-week program and will cost $485 to attend. It was opened by a 24-year-old that thinks that pot-growing can stimulate Michigan's economy and bring jobs to many people that remain unemployed. The program covers everything from growing techniques to pot-food recipes. They offer continuing education which includes workshops once a month, so that alumni can stay up-to-date on the latest techniques. Their curriculum includes classes in cannabis history, legal education, horticulture, cannabis as medicine, cooking, and caregiving.

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Med Grow Cannabis College website: http://www.medgrowmi.com/

Newser Article: http://www.newser.com/story/75000/school-of-pot-opens-in-michigan.html

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Check it out and let me know what you think!

Do you think this will happen in Ohio in the future? If so, how long do you think it will take?

Till next time,

Angelica

agagliar.blogspot.com