The Wire's War on the Drug WarWe write a television show. Measured against more thoughtful and meaningful occupations, this is not the best seat from which to argue public policy or social justice. Still, those viewers who followed The Wire - our HBO drama that tried to portray all sides of inner-city collapse, including the drug war, with as much detail and as little judgment as we could muster - tell us they've invested in the fates of our characters. They worry or grieve for Bubbles, Bodie or Wallace, certain that these characters are fictional yet knowing they are rooted in the reality of the other America, the one rarely acknowledged by anything so overt as a TV drama. These viewers, admittedly a small shard of the TV universe, deluge us with one question: What can we do? If there are two Americas - separate and unequal - and if the drug war has helped produce a psychic chasm between them, how can well-meaning, well-intentioned people begin to bridge those worlds?
Parity Bill Passed by U.S. House of RepresentativesIn a major victory for addiction treatment and recovery advocates, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that would mandate that insurers cover addiction and mental illness on par with other illnesses. "We've waited 12 long years for this historic day," said Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.), co-chair of the Congressional Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus with Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.). "I am grateful that the House has taken this important step to end the discrimination against people who need treatment for mental illness and chemical addiction." Ramstad, who is retiring from the House, cosponsored the parity bill with Kennedy, who said he hoped passage of the legislation "will help to erase the stigma associated with mental illness and substance abuse."
Youths Who Use Stimulants Nonmedically More Likely to Report Illicit Drug Use and Other Delinquent BehaviorsYouths who used stimulants nonmedically in the past year are significantly more likely than those who did not report nonmedical stimulant use to engage in delinquent behaviors, according to a recent report from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). More than two-thirds (70%) of youths ages 12 to 17 who had used stimulants nonmedically in the past year also said that they used marijuana and more than half (57%) reported nonmedical pain reliever use, compared to 12% and 6%, respectively, of youths who did not report nonmedical stimulant use. Similar results were found for other illicit drugs, including hallucinogens, and tranquilizers.Youths who reported nonmedical stimulant use were also more likely to engage in other delinquent behaviors, such as physical violence, selling drugs, and stealing (see figure below).
Spitzer Responds to Russell Simmons on Drug LawsRussell Simmons went on NY1 News last night to announce his support of Barack Obama for president, and took the opportunity to attack Eliot Spitzer for not doing more on Simmons pet issue: reforming prison sentences for drug offenders. Today in Genesseo, Spitzer responded to a reporters question about the criticism. Spitzer said, "We are trying to come up with something that will be reasoned and that will maintain safety. People should not forget we have seen a dramatic decline in crime over the years in New York State. And that is because, I can say this as a Prosecutor, we prosecute crimes and we are tough. We lock up those who are guilty. So we have to be very measured and reasoned in what we do and we will be."
Sec. of State Pushes to Further Restrict Felons' Voting RightsMississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann is pushing the Legislature to further restrict the voting rights of convicted felons. Hosemann said of the 50,000 Mississippi inmates, only 12,000 are prohibited from voting. The state's 1890 Constitution covered some felonies including murder, rape, bribery, theft, arson, false pretense and embezzlement. Drug convictions and felonies involving criminal activity on the Internet are not covered, he said. "Some examples of who can still vote while incarcerated at our expense for crimes against their fellow citizens are sexual predators, cocaine pushers, meth lab operators and kidnappers," Hosemann said. "It is time for the felony voting requirement to be brought into the 21st century."
States Move to Ban Hallucinogen SalviaIts a type of mint plant, with broad leaves and a hollow stem, widely used by landscapers and gardeners as ground cover. Its also sold on the Internet for about $15 an ounce for leaves, $11 a gram for the more potent extract, to be smoked or chewed for a high lasting a few minutes to a half-hour. Thousands of videos on YouTube.com show bong-smoking teenagers tripping on the drug. Called salvia divinorum, it's been legal in the United States until recently, although banned in several countries, including Australia, Belgium and Italy. Now, state legislators from Maine to Missouri to California are pushing to outlaw or regulate the herb that has become a popular recreational drug among young people.
Drug Laws' Absence of JusticeWhen Attorney General Michael Mukasey was working to persuade Congress to stop a U.S. Sentencing Commission decision to allow federal judges to reduce the sentences of some 19,500 federal inmates serving time for crack cocaine offenses, he told the Fraternal Order of Police that federal crack offenders "are some of the most serious and violent offenders in the federal system." Drug lords, rejoice. If your average crack offender represents the most dangerous convicts in the federal system, then a lot of small-time hoods and mid-level lackeys who don't pack heat are warming prison beds that should be meant for kingpins and their armed henchmen.
Governor Responds To Hip Hop Moguls Demand For Drug Law ReformThe governor responded Wednesday to some very heated language used by hip hop mogul Russell Simmons to describe his stance on the Rockefeller drug laws. Speaking out on NY1's "Inside City Hall" Tuesday, Simmons said Eliot Spitzer is failing to live up to promises to reform the state's strict drug laws. Political reporter Josh Robin filed the following report. "I'm very disappointed in the governor. I should say that the hip hop is getting ready to get in his ass," Russell Simmons said on Tuesday nights "Inside City Hall." Simmons says Governor Eliot Spitzer as a candidate talked a good game about reforming the Rockefeller drug laws.
New Generation Gap Emerges As Older Addicts Seek HelpAll is peaceful and orderly on the older adult unit at Hanley Center, where substance abusers over the age of 55 are spared the noisy swagger of addicts half their age across the campus. In their separate oasis, alcoholics and prescription drug abusers of a certain age do not curse at one another, raise their voices in anger or blast music at midnight. They don't brag about their macho pasts or stage drama-queen breakups on the communal pay phone. They show up on time for therapy groups. "We have different health issues, different emotional issues, different grief issues," said Patrick Gallagher, 66, who was treated here for a dual addiction to pain medication and alcohol. "We need more peace and quiet and a different pace."
Afghanistan Should Target Big Drug Traffickers with Links to the Government, UN SaysKABUL, Afghanistan: The Afghan government should target big drug traffickers some with links to government officials who are fueling the country's multibillion-dollar illicit drug trade, which has reached unprecedented levels, the United Nations said Wednesday. Christian Gynna Oguz, country director for the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, said Afghanistan remains the world's largest producer of opium and heroin and that drug lords and corrupt government officials operate with impunity.
Andean Countries Brush Off UN Recommendation to Criminalize Chewing of Coca LeavesPeru and Bolivia brushed off calls from a U.N.-affiliated drug watchdog to criminalize the chewing of coca leaves, a tradition among indigenous populations in the Andes. The International Narcotics Control Board released an annual report Wednesday that reminded the two governments that use and possession of coca leaves, the main ingredient in cocaine, are limited to medical and scientific purposes. The report said that "coca leaf chewing should have been abolished" in those countries 25 years ago. Representatives from Peru and Bolivia called the board's report disrespectful of indigenous traditions.
