The World Health Organization defines addiction or dependency as a complex health condition that often requires long-term treatment and care. Sadly, that is the case with Indonesia's policy on drug crimes. To address the global problem of drugs, world leaders and activists gathered on April 19-21 at the UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs in New York. Most countries represented moved from criminalization to decriminalization for personal possession or use. Some opted to regulate drug markets for certain types of drugs, mostly marijuana. Almost all delegates from the EU, Latin America, UN organizations and the special rapporteurs against torture and the right to health agreed to abolish the death penalty for drug offenders. [continues 608 words]
Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya's Readiness to Declassify Yaba Signals a Sounder Strategy If national governments have learned nothing from the futility of waging a "war on drugs", in some countries at least, common sense seems to be finally seeping in. With several American states having decriminalised possession of marijuana and many more pondering the move, and with positive results emerging from European nations that have adopted softer stances on "street drugs", Thailand is now seeing light at the end of its long, dark yaba tunnel. [continues 563 words]
The Proposal Would Not Decriminalise or Legalise Meth. Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya caused a major uproar with a statement out of the blue about the country's leading drug problem. The statement in question featured a proposal he presented at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on drugs, known as UNGASS, in New York to demote methamphetamines from Category 1, the official designation of the most harmful and banned drugs, to the far more tolerant category. Like other controversial proposals in this country, this one on amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) has drawn mixed reactions. Some believe it will make the drug situation far worse, but others think the opposite. [continues 475 words]
Ban Condemns Digong's 'Endorsement of Extrajudicial Killings' UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned incoming Philippine President Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte's apparent support of extrajudicial killings, voicing particular concern over his comments seen as justifying murdering journalists. "I unequivocally condemn his apparent endorsement of extrajudicial killings, which is illegal and a breach of fundamental rights and freedoms," Ban said in a statement posted on the UN website. "Such comments are of particular concern in light of on-going impunity for serious cases of violence against journalists in the Philippines," the statement quoted Ban as telling UN correspondents at a New York reception on Wednesday. [continues 519 words]
Stop Arresting South Africans for Low-Level Use, Write Myrtle Clarke and Julian Stobbs THE cracks in the policies that prohibit the use, cultivation and trade in cannabis in South Africa are beginning to show. Fields of Green for ALL representatives attended the recent UN Special Session on Drugs in New York as civil society delegates. Minister of Police, Nkosinathi Nhleko, and Deputy Minister of Social Development, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, were there in their official capacity. But South Africa's comments on the outcome document were as bland as the majority of other countries, and a report that described the whole special session as a "damp squib" was quite accurate. [continues 1023 words]
First, We Need to Stop the Arrests for Low-Level Use, but Decriminalisation Doesn't Go Far Enough; We Must Push for Legalisation, Write Myrtle Clarke and Julian Stobbs THE CRACKS in the policies that prohibit the use, cultivation and trade in cannabis in South Africa are beginning to show. Fields of Green for All representatives attended the recent UN special session on drugs in New York as civil society delegates. Our minister of police and deputy minister of social development were there in their official capacity. [continues 1276 words]
Trial of the Plant to Lay Foundation for Future Policy THE CRACKS in the policies that prohibit the use, cultivation and trade in cannabis in South Africa are beginning to show. Fields of Green for ALL representatives attended the recent UN Special Session on Drugs in New York as civil society delegates. Our minister of police and deputy minister of social development were there in their official capacities. But South Africa's comments on the outcome document were as bland as most of the other countries, and a report that described the whole special session as a "damp squib" was quite accurate. Dagga couple Myrtle Clarke and Julian Stobbs seem to be making headway in their fight for the legalisation of cannabis. [continues 1126 words]
SA Can Join Countries in Showing Shortcomings and Deciding on Policies THE CRACKS in the policies that prohibit the use, cultivation and trade in cannabis in South Africa are beginning to show. Fields of Green for ALL representatives attended the recent UN Special Session on Drugs in New York as civil society delegates. Our Minister of Police and Deputy Minister of Social Development were there in their official capacity. But South Africa's comments on the outcome document were as bland as the majority of other countries, and a report that described the special session as a "damp squib" was quite accurate. [continues 1243 words]
He promised voters a killing spree against bad guys, and he won by a landslide. So Rodrigo Duterte looks determined to deliver on his promise and carry out his mandate. Already the president-elect is laying the groundwork for this, putting up bounties for notorious drug lords and encouraging citizen participation in crime busting. He has placed retired military and police officers in charge of even agencies that require expertise in complex financial matters, apparently with the prime objective of purging the corrupt or at least scaring them enough to mend their ways. Yesterday Duterte said he wanted a berdugo - literally, an executioner - to head what he described as a graft-ridden Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. [continues 286 words]
THE OUTGOING chief of the Philippine National Police yesterday shrugged off Presidentelect Rodrigo Duterte's allegations that three "police generals" were involved in corruption or illegal drugs. PNP Director General Ricardo Marquez told reporters that an investigation had been in progress even before Duterte told his supporters at a thanksgiving party on Saturday in Davao City that corruption in the police ranks should stop and that he was asking three "generals" assigned at headquarters to resign. "We have not seen any evidence that will support the information of the involvement of active generals [in illegal drugs]," Marquez said in an interview after the weekly flagraising ceremonies at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City. [continues 582 words]
PRESIDENT-elect Rodrigo Duterte has yet to assume office at the end of June and already, his pronouncements are bearing fruit. He said he has some excess campaign contributions to fund the elimination of at least 100 bodies. His marching orders to capture drug lords "dead or alive" have driven the rats to abandon ship. Suddenly, the denizens of Sleepy Hollow have awakened from their deep stupor. Our law enforcement agencies have finally found their spines and are now engaged in enthusiastic seizures of drug-dealers, manufacturers, and distributors. Some of these untouchables are now being hauled to police precincts after they were found with damning evidence. [continues 260 words]
When we see corrupt public officials also turning up dead in the streets, with cardboard signs declaring "nagnakaw sa taumbayan, huwag tularan," we will believe Dirty Rody and his trigger-happy kindred spirits mean business. Since this could decimate the ranks of Congress, paralyze the judiciary, and shut down many local government offices plus the Bureau of Customs, Land Transportation Office and other revenue-collecting agencies, I don't think we will ever hear Dirty Rody endorsing the same mass killing for these agencies' crooks that he has justified for corrupt media workers and ordered for drug dealers. [continues 1009 words]
Malacanang does not see any problem with the ultimatum issued by president-elect Rodrigo Duterte against three police generals whom he believes have been protecting drug traffickers as long as they are held accountable within the bounds of law. Outgoing Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. lauded the move of the incoming president to give stern warning to the leadership of the Philippine National Police with links to the drug cartel. Coloma told state-run radio dzRB that as chief executive and commander-in-chief as well of the Armed Forces, it is Duterte's prerogative to do what he believes is right in his administration. [continues 363 words]
MEXICO CITY - Two days after Jorge Antonio Parral Rabadan was kidnapped by a criminal gang, the Mexican Army raided the remote ranch where he was a prisoner and killed him. As he instinctively raised his hands in defense, the soldiers fired over and over at point-blank range. A brief army communique about the event asserted that soldiers had returned fire and killed three hit men at the El Puerto ranch on April 26, 2010. But Mr. Parral had fired no weapon. [continues 1106 words]
DAVAO CITY - A P1-billion fund for bounty hunters. President-elect Rodrigo Duterte said he has enough money unspent during his campaign and he could use it as bounty for the arrest or killing of notorious drug traffickers in the country. "I have money good for 200 persons. Tanang drug lord ihawa ninyo (Kill all the drug lords)," Duterte said. It is estimated that with up to P5 million each for the 200 drug peddlers, it would amount to at least P1 billion. [continues 741 words]
DAVAO CITY-There were no fireworks at President-elect Rodrigo Duterte's victory party on Saturday, as pyrotechnics are banned in Davao City. But who needed them when Duterte himself was there? "You sons of bitches, I will really kill you," Duterte warned drug dealers in a speech to 200,000 supporters celebrating his electoral victory at Crocodile Park. The crowd cheered as the first expletive of the evening exploded from the mouth of the trash-talking city mayor, who will be inaugurated as the Philippines' 16th President on June 30. [continues 879 words]
MANILA (AP) - The Philippine president-elect has encouraged the public to help him in his war against crime, urging citizens with guns to shoot and kill drug dealers who resist arrest and fight back in their neighborhoods. In a televised speech late Saturday, Rodrigo Duterte told a huge crowd in the southern city of Davao that Filipinos who help him battle crime will be rewarded. "Please feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun - you have my support," Duterte said, warning of an extensive illegal drug trade that involves even the country's police. [continues 108 words]
he Philippine president-elect has encouraged the public to help him in his war against crime, urging citizens with guns to shoot and kill drug dealers who resist arrest and fight back in their neighborhoods. In a nationally televised speech late Saturday, Rodrigo Duterte told a huge crowd in the southern city of Davao that Filipinos who help him battle crime will be rewarded. "Please feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun - you have my support," Duterte said, warning of an extensive illegal drug trade that involves even the country's police. [continues 470 words]
We have all heard about the "grey" zone when it come to the green stuff ... so let me try to clear the air. Project Claudia will go down in history as a massive blunder for the Toronto Police Services. While officials remain ignorantly justified in the closure of almost 50 medical cannabis storefronts, the law firm representing the dispensaries thinks they have a case against the charges and the city. And I agree. On May 26, TPS raided a number of medical cannabis dispensaries, closing them down, taking their stock and charging their owners and employees. (TPS had even sent out notices to Vapor Lounges that don't sell any weed.) [continues 653 words]
Prince of Pot reports on the state of cannabis culture around the world - and why 2016 is a big year for bud - in the lead-up to this weekend's Toronto Global Marijuana March In Canada we're pretty spoiled when it comes to marijuana availability and price. Although we're likely to be the first nation to legalize every aspect of cannabis availability, we're part of a worldwide trend to legitimize and legalize cannabis. Costa Rica legalized medical marijuana on May 1 to go along with efforts already in bloom in that country to industrialize hemp production. [continues 647 words]
