Hillary would also reverse the funding cuts to the Byrne Justice Assistant Grant program, federal monies that fund drug task forces throughout the country. A major motion picture with Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton to be released this year will dramatize one of those task forces in Tulia, Texas, where in 1999, a drug sting operation resulted in the arrest of 46 people, 40 of whom were black. After such abuses were nationally reported, taxpayer groups successfully urged the Bush administration to zero out the grants. However, Democrats put back the pork for their districts and this year, even more monies are sought, to the tune of $906 million. The Senate, lead by the usually liberal Russ Feingold, has already passed the measure and the House will vote on it soon.

Bill Piper, Director of National Affairs for the Drug Policy Foundation, which has been advocating for reform of Byrne grants for four years, points out that what is seen as free money for states actually costs local jurisdictions, since bulking up law enforcement means more drug-related incarcerations for which locals must pay.

Also, since task forces are funded by federal grants or asset forfeiture instead of local budgets, they aren't always responsive to local mores and policies, Piper says, making for a "rogue cop" environment. "A lot of Democrats are disturbed by the fact that 1 in 100 Americans are behind bars, but then they turn around and vote for programs like the Byrne grants," Piper lamented. He did point out that the money can legally be funneled into treatment programs instead, and that DPA itself got a $500,000 grant for youth methamphetamine prevention in New Mexico.

Hillary would also beef-up drug courts and home monitoring programs for drug offenders, as well as requiring a 40-hour work week for prisoners. "Prison work programs should be designed to avoid any adverse impact on the labor market," she writes without detailing how she will pull that one off.

To her credit, Hillary would eliminate the mandatory minimum for simple possession of crack cocaine and eliminating the disparity between crack and powder cocaine. This hard-fought reform won at the US Sentencing Commission after a decade of work by human rights advocates, has been attacked by the Bush Administration's attorney general Michael Mukasey. Clinton would also "Take on the Continuing Menace of Meth" by working with foreign governments to police trade and smuggling in meth precursors. This, if effective, would reverse the damage done by the Reagan administration, which sided with the pharmaceutical industry against regulation of ephedrine, meth's main ingredient.

Another good idea is Hillary's plan to "Go After Corporate Criminals With the Same Force as Individual Criminals." She would direct the new Attorney General to conduct a 90-day review of all Deferred Prosecution Agreements and report to her on how to strengthen prosecution efforts against corporate wrongdoers. But when it comes to prescription drug companies, who are among her major campaign contributors, Hillary would merely "enlist the private sector to crack down on online prescription drug sales to kids." She will "ask credit card companies to prohibit -- and police -- the use of their services for illegal drug sales to minors. And she will call on search engines that profit from ads for these illegal drugs to provide warnings about the dangers and the illegality of purchasing these drugs. At the same time, she will strengthen penalties against fly-by-night online pharmacies that prey on children." Since prescription drug abuse is the fastest rising sector among teenagers, these pronouncements are rather lame.

Last week, Hillary told Oregon's Willamette Week, "I don't think it's a good use of federal law-enforcement resources to be going after people who are supplying marijuana for medicinal purposes." She stopped short of her earlier pledge to end US Drug Enforcement Administration raids of medical marijuana establishments in states where it is legal, but said this would not be a high priority in her administration. So we might see a slight softening on some levels in America's longest war, the 100-year drug war, but overall we will still see more money spent on failed policies if Hillary moves back to the White House in 2009.

Note: We are likely to see more money spent on failed policies if Hillary moves back to the White House in 2009.

Source: AlterNet (US)
Author: Ellen Komp, AlterNet
Published: April 14, 2008
Copyright: 2008 Independent Media Institute
Contact: letters@alternet.org
Website: http://www.alternet.org/
URL: http://www.alternet.org/rights/82371/

Drug Policy Alliance
http://www.drugpolicy.org/

Capitalist buzz builds around stoner ‘holiday’ Blunt efforts to make a buck off ‘420,’ once just a counterculture affair

Tomorrow, maybe I can get it to work right.

How in the world can anyone be so deluded that they'd believe that one cannabis plant could produce hundreds of pounds?

It's terrifying that someone like that has so much power over others.

I'll try again.

I'll try again.

It's all set up just like it was when slick willie was up against Bush Sr. -even up to a waco-like situation in texas (just this time nobody shot back at the feds).

Bush/Clinton. Same/same. Republican/Democrat. Politician/Demon. Banker/Ruler. Richman/keeper-of-the-status-quo.

There are no 'elected representatives.' I'm almost convinced there never was.

America is waking up, but maybe not quick enough to roll away from assasins knife at our collective throats. Too many still slumber in the misplaced faith and trust in an evil government. That abomination is inhabited and entirely controlled by the wealthy elite, who are constantly attempting to convince us that their 'wealth' is anything other than filthy, bloody, corruption with an inevitable conclusion of soul death for those fools who have errantly embraced it.

Time to take life into our own hands and screw the elitists and all their 'institutions'-which are 100% false,

Oh, but the 'bills' got to be paid, and the posessions have to be secure, cars must continue to destroy our air, water, and climate (along with airlines, and the other 'transportation and supply' systems. Got to ensure that the limos can still escort the starlets to the Oscars, and everybody make sure that they got their digital converters ready so that the TV continues to blast its' propaganda into every possible home.

If you ask me, americans deserve what they get. By the way I don't consider myself an 'american' any more. I am a human being, citizen of earth. I recognize no human authority on anything, except their own experience. And america has entered into world class criminality at his point, even accumulatively much further than Hitler ever did, In fact it seems they picked up exactly where the SS and the Nazi 'scientists' left off.

ONE OR TWO PLANTS CAN PRODUCE HUNDREDS OF POUNDS OF MARIJUANA! What strain is that, Sativa Sequoia? You cut it down with chain saws and haul it away with logging trucks? People climb right upon top of these 20 foot high buds and trim them with machetes and pruning sheers

I personally know people who would pay big bucks for some of that seed!

If she would pledge to legalize cannabis, she would win by a landslide. That won't happen, so nothing else can be expected except the now stagnant status quo.

Politicians are so woefully ignorant, you wonder how they can relate to anybody about anything.

Ten billion per month in Iraq and Afghanistan will be spent until the cows come home.

And I'm sure that if Hillary continues the DEA MMJ raids if she becomes President, it will only be because she misspoke about it during the campaign.

And, though she might screw us over, isn't it nice to know she'll never call us bitter about it.

She has already made her deals with the devil. Now she speaks to placate. To pander and garner votes. When she is in the white house[god forbid] she will retreat backward into the eighties just like her sold out husband did.