USA

A retired US Major General has proposed a US invasion of Mexico

A retired army general has said that the US military should invade Mexico “to protect and secure the American people.” Major General Paul E. Vallely’s blinkered response to the increase in violence in Mexico, fuelled by US demands for illegal drugs, seems to overlook the failure that a military response has had to curb drug use in the past. He states “now if I were the Commander-in-Chief, I would be on a war-footing and I would have my military commanders planning and executing a strategy that will defeat swiftly and decisively these cancerous enemies.”

    Interview with Michelle Alexander

    Michelle Alexander, the author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness answers some questions from TalkingDrugs.

    Q1. Outside the US mass incarceration appears to be a monumental social injustice, why do you think the problem has existed for such a long period of time and received so little media exposure both inside and outside the country?

      Parents treat kids' autism with medical marijuana

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      Raising a kid with autism can be a real challenge at times and legal drugs frequently seem to have little or no effect on the kids' behaviour. That is why some parents have decided to treat their children's condition with a drug that is destined to spark controversies: medical marijuana.

      As the mum in the short news segment above reveals, medical marijuana baked in brownies helped her son at a crucial moment in his life, as he was fighting severe weight problems and violent outbursts, a symptom that is relatively common for people with autism.

        Racial bias, prisoners and the American Census for 2010

        The upcoming census in United States has created a big controversy as rural and urban areas battle to hold prison inmates as their own.

        The problem lies in the way that the Census considers residence for people who are incarcerated. Even though the Census uses the residence rule which consistently results in counting people at their homes, prisoners are not given that right and are instead considered as residents of the community that contains the prison.

          Can America be Cured of a Prison Addiction?

           

          Give me your BLACK, your SPANISH, your poor,

          Your INCARCERATED masses yearning to breathe free,

          I lift my lamp beside the PRISON door

          - The Statue of Liberty 

          "Gimme some more!" you can hear her screaming from across the atlantic, "just a few more... I need more convicts! please, I am begging you..." 

            Lifting the U.S. Ban on Federal Funding for Syringe  

            In a major change to the country's drug policy, the United States Congress has reversed a ban on federal funding of needle exchange that was first enacted 21 years ago. Within days the legislation is expected to be signed into law by President Obama and will allow funding of needle exchange programmes domestically, as well as internationally through United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the world's largest single source of HIV/AIDS‐related funding.

              Marijuana Restaurant opens in Denver

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              After the opening of the 'Cannabis Cafe' in Portland, Oregon, the new creative approach to US medical marijuana dispensaries comes from Denver:

              '-Can I get my prescription?

              -Sure, would you like the gourmet lasagna or are you craving some chocolate mousse?'

              The 'Ganja Gourmet', is a medical marijuana dispensary in the heart of Denver's medical marijuana district and it is marketing itself as a gourmet restaurant.

                A man has been detained allegedly trying to smuggle cannabis into Mexico

                A man has been arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle 23 kilos of marijuana, worth about £30,000, into Mexico from the United States. Officers from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) arrested James Williams on October 25th after inspecting his vehicle and discovering the illicit drug. The discovery is unusual as it does not fit in with the usual pattern of drugs being smuggled into the US while high powered weaponry and US dollars are smuggled back into Mexico.

                  Drugs in the water

                  A vast array of pharmaceuticals -- including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones - have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.

                  To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe.

                    American Violet Trailer

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                    Based on true events in the midst of the 2000 election, AMERICAN VIOLET tells the astonishing story of Dee Roberts a 24 year-old African American single mother of four young girls living in a small Texas town who is barely making ends meet on a waitress salary and government subsidies.

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