Category Archives: War On Drugs

I have expunged more than 800,000 low-level cannabis arrest records We have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to lift up communities most harmed by the failed war on drugs.

By Andrew Hensel, The Center Square

A law now on the books in Illinois looks to make it easier for individuals who have been released from prison to smoothly reenter society.

Senate Bill 423 supports the reintegration of individuals into the community while aiming to lower the possibility of recidivism and increasing public safety.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed the measure into law on Friday.

In just a few minutes, I am going to sign legislation that focuses our mandatory supervised release system on creating successful outcomes for those who were formerly incarcerated and improves the safety and peace of our communities, Pritzker said.

According to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Corrections, Illinois has 29,672 people incarcerated. Thats down from 36,910 in March 2020.

The law Pritzker signed Friday is intended to help individuals who have been affected by the war on drugs.

I have expunged more than 800,000 low-level cannabis arrest records on top of pardoning an additional 26,000 people who committed nonviolent offenses, Pritzker said. Illinois has reduced our prison population by more than 26 percent in the last four years. We have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to lift up communities most harmed by the failed war on drugs.

A news release said the measure, which goes into effect January 1, 2024, aims to promote public safety and community success by implementing criminal justice reforms the governors office said include improving education credits while streamlining early termination processes and increasing government transparency by standardizing review timelines and encouraging officers to recommend early termination.

The law will also provide an individualized approach to each persons unique circumstances, focusing on addressing the root causes of crime and enhancing public safety, the governors office said. The measure also limits what the governors office said is unnecessary drug testing and expands virtual reporting permanently for remote check-ins for all forms of supervision.

Ive always said, Im open to commonsense, bipartisan criminal justice reform which offers people a second chance as long as we maintain accountability, state Rep. Mike Marron, R-Fithian, told The Center Square. I think this bill actually meets that standard and had broad bipartisan support. I agree with the governor on this one and just wish he would follow this way of bipartisan policy-making more often.

This story was first published by The Center Square.

Lawmakers Vote To End Pre-Employment Marijuana Testing For Most Government Jobs In U.S. Territory

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Illinois Governor Signs Supervised Release Bill To Help Drug War ... - Marijuana Moment

Tens of thousands of Minnesotans are getting past drug crimes wiped from public record, thanks to the same law that legalized recreational cannabis on Tuesday.

Low-level marijuana convictions are being automatically expunged by law enforcement, and higher-level sentences will be reviewed by a Bureau of Criminal Apprehension-led expungement board.

Elizer Darris community leader, business owner and motivational speaker was a guest on Morning Edition. As a juvenile, he spent time in prison but later had his life sentence reversed on appeal. Since then, hes worked to end mass incarceration in Minnesota and around the country.

I advocate for any laws, policies, or any movements that would be criminalized and that would allow people the opportunity to step into day-to-day life without being chained down, Darris said. Because of that, I recognize the impacts that the War on Drugs have within my community and advocate in order to help to reverse some of those harms.

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Elizer Darris

Darris Group, LLC

Black Minnesotans are 5.4 times for more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than their white counterparts, despite similar rates of use, according to data from the American Civil Liberties Union.

Darris says the legalization of marijuana for recreational use is a step toward equity, but says more action is needed to right past wrongs.

Clearly, we need to continue to go further, Darris said. The very mechanism that many businesses, corporations and individuals are about to find their wealth with, its the same mechanism that very strategically perniciously wreaked havoc within our community.

Many convictions mean exclusion from federal benefits, like Pell Grants for secondary education.

Were talking about the ability to go to college to advance your life. And as many of you who would have applied for that type of assistance to go to college would have read right on the application itself. It says if you have a drug conviction, do not apply, Darris said.

Also under consideration: The difficulty of landing a job due to background checks.

Darris says this is particularly important when former drug users are unable to be hired or barred from licensure to help people struggling with substance abuse, despite probably [being] in the best position to help others escape the throes of addiction.

Before Aug. 1, the onus was on the individual to get marijuana convictions expunged, which took several months and carried a financial burden. Darris called the new automatic expungement outstanding as it shifts that responsibility to the government.

Hes advocating for some resources and tax revenue that will emerge from the business of marijuana to go toward restorative justice programs and investments in minority communities most impacted by the War on Drugs.

Attempting to write some of these wrongs is a step in the right direction, Darris said. Its not far enough.

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Activist: Automatically expunging cannabis convictions is step ... - MPR News

Lenny Woodley is a substance abuse counselor and recovered crack addict who started using when she was a young teen. Shawn McCray is a former crack dealer who came of age at a time when a kid from Newark could make more money selling drugs than from a college degree. Elgin Swift found himself selling crack after his dad got addicted and left him to fend for himself. Kurt Schmoke was the mayor of Baltimore during much of the epidemic, advocating for a public health approach when everyone else in power called for tougher policing.

I talked to Ramsey about lessons we can take from the systemic failures of the crack era and how community care is at the center of preventing future drug epidemics.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Alex LaSalvia: Can you describe the perfect storm of conditions that created the crack epidemic?

Donovan X. Ramsey: First you have, on the substance level, young people. I was able to discover a group of students in the Bay Area who were cocaine enthusiasts in the 70s, who experimented with that substance and came up with the formula for freebase cocaine. That is a chemistry term for separating the base of the compound from its other elements, which is scientific and complex, but basically it makes cocaine smokeable, but also super accessible.

You also have, at the same time, a glut of cocaine being shipped into the United States, trafficked from South and Central America. And thats really going uninterrupted by the U.S. government, which was more focused on a war on drugs that targeted users and dealers at home.

But then I would also say that you had really tremendous disaffection across the country, especially in Black and Latino communities in big cities. There was a feeling of hopelessness and real despair about some of the failures of the civil rights movement and not clear direction on where we would go next. So I think that its those things: Its a lot of cocaine in the U.S.; the scientific innovation that created freebase, or crack cocaine; and then also this tremendous desire among people to check out, to escape using the substance.

How did you decide to structure the book episodically around these core characters?

The structure of the book really is a reflection of how the story of the crack epidemic played out. You have the meta history of cracks rise and fall from beginning to end, and then you also have the way that crack touched the lives of these individuals.

It was really important for me to go to history that was both official, but also personal. The four people that I ultimately included in the book, it was after a long process, a year of traveling the country trying to find people who are representative of different experiences of the crack epidemic. So there is a former user, a former dealer, a former mayor, and the son of a user who became a dealer. It seemed to me that those four different experiences would create the most complete picture of how the crack epidemic came and went.

Lenny tells you she feels like decades of her life during her addiction are simply inaccessible to her now. Do you think this sense of lost time is true more broadly for communities who were impacted by the crack epidemic?

I think so. One thing we know about trauma is that it can affect the memory on the individual level. There are a lot of people who, individually, have lost years because of either the trauma of addiction, the violence that accompanied the drug trade, or the police violence that was a response to it.

But also, on a social level, a part of the reason why the crack epidemic is misunderstood is because we try not to think about it. We havent done the work of turning memory into history. And thats a part of what I hope this book does: it takes these four people, who are in many ways representative of different experiences within the crack epidemic, and it tries to turn their memories into a proper history. Otherwise that moment is lost, and theres no opportunity to learn from it.

Do you think the government and society learned lessons from the crack epidemic, especially in the more recent response to the opioid epidemic?

The average person has more empathy for drug addicts. And I think that is a part of just increased understanding of addiction, and also the fact that the vast majority of the folks impacted by opioids today are White. Our country tends to humanize things once theyre in White bodies, and addiction is no different.

Now that Black and Latino men are leading in overdose deaths because of fentanyl, I am again concerned whether or not those feelings will harden, that people will go back to having less empathy for addicts.

I dont think we are smarter as it relates to policy. I could point to something like the disparity in sentencing between crack and powder cocaine, and although it was reduced from 100-to-1 which was the original law under the Reagan administration, and it continued on until 2010, when former President Barack Obama reduced it to 18-to-1 I would say the fact that theres still a disparity in sentencing between these identical substances shows that we havent learned our lesson, that we are still holding on to some of that crack era mythology and fear that ultimately created that that policy.

Also, when I look around at the response to harm reduction policies as it relates to opioids and fentanyl in particular, people are creating a level of panic and hysteria around fentanyl that is causing them to turn away from really smart harm reduction policies. And thats a shame.

The face of this more recent epidemic has been largely White and rural, although that is changing.

Yes, it is. And that makes me more concerned about what the future is of our drug policy because there was some hope with the fact that fentanyl was impacting the most valued Americans. Now that Black and Latino men are leading in overdose deaths because of fentanyl, I am again concerned whether or not those feelings will harden, that people will go back to having less empathy for addicts, and if we then will turn back to those hard-on-drugs, tough-on-crime policies.

How would you say the tough-on-crime policies and the war on drugs have distorted our views of how to actually make our communities safer?

I think back to my experience growing up in a neighborhood that was hard hit by crack the so-called high-crime neighborhood. I remember being a kid and being afraid of the violence, the random violence in my neighborhood. I remember being sad about the people that were clearly drug addicted and being afraid of having our house broken into, but I was also afraid of the police. All of those things were traumatizing forces in my growing up.

The system we have now this incredibly broken system of policing, in particular is a result of the crack epidemic. Policies like stop-and-frisk are about finding drugs or guns on peoples bodies. Broken windows policing, this idea that you can interrupt small crimes as a way of ultimately stopping bigger crimes, the bigger crimes theyre ultimately afraid of were ones related to the drug trade.

Our criminal justice system ballooned during that period because we created policies like mandatory minimum sentences that not only put people in jail, but kept people in jail for really long periods of time. We as a nation decided our best option was to warehouse people during the crack epidemic. Instead of trying to eliminate the causes of the crack epidemic, we said, Lets just lock people up for as long as possible. And the fact that the crack epidemic ended, not because of that but because of the choices individuals made, I think gives people the wrong idea that it worked.

Could you go into what you found to be the real reasons the crack epidemic ended?

The Bureau of Justice Statistics did a lot of studies in the early 90s to actually look at why the crack epidemic ended. What they concluded was that it was simply the choices made by the next cohort of young people, people 18 to 25, who would be experimenting with drugs decided not to pick up not only crack, but no hard drugs. Rates of hard drug use for Black and Latino youth completely plummeted in the early 90s. And it was because of the devastation they saw firsthand.

I want to underline that we have Black and Latino people to thank for ending the crack epidemic in our big cities. And we didnt celebrate that. We didnt applaud that in the same way that those folks were demonized. What that goes to show is that these things are trends, that they come and that they go, and that they come because of all the factors weve discussed, the social conditions that make them popular for a time. What that suggests to me is that harm reduction is so important because our goal should be to keep people alive, to keep communities safe long enough for the storm to pass.

Some people are adamant that the crack epidemic was orchestrated by the U.S. government to disrupt communities of color. Others call that a conspiracy theory. What did you find? Was the government at least complicit in the spread of drugs?

I want to point out that I did not find the smoking gun, and I looked very hard for it. When you are talking about this kind of thing, its important to make distinctions because it is a big thing to accuse the U.S. government of intentionally creating the crack epidemic. I didnt find any evidence of that.

But what I did find evidence of was federal agencies the CIA, the FBI that turned their head the other way again and again when there was evidence that there were large amounts of cocaine being trafficked into the U.S. by groups that we were friendly with namely, the Contras, the Nicaraguan rebels that were attempting to overthrow the government there. That is something that we supported, that we were not able to support with funding, because Congress would not allow that.

So it seems as though we allowed them to fundraise by trafficking cocaine into the U.S. These were actions that were known to those three-letter agencies like the FBI, the CIA, that were interrupted. I dont have to characterize that most people can look at a situation like that and draw their own conclusions.

It is remarkable to see the U.S. government turning a blind eye to trafficking of cocaine into the U.S. at the same time that it is criminalizing the use of cocaine in the U.S., and to really drastic consequences for communities of color.

You mentioned at the end of your book this fear you got after writing this book that the next drug epidemic could be right around the corner at any time. Where does that fear come from?

After reporting the book and getting an idea of the factors that facilitated the crack epidemic, it was clear to me that we had not done enough as a nation to shore up the social forces the poverty, the terrible housing, the political disenfranchisement that make people feel hopeless. That is something that continues to exist in communities all across the country today.

Our idea is that we want people to just stop, but I think that we have to think hard about how we can keep people alive long enough for them to stop.

I was also very disappointed that our response hadnt gotten better, that we did not, as a result of the crack epidemic, create healthier systems for dealing with people who have addiction. Today, for example, if you saw somebody standing on the street who was leaning and completely out of it because they were high on maybe an opioid, who could you call besides the police? For me, its a shame we went through that big devastating time and our options are still the same.

And Ive had that experience. When I started writing this book, I was living in Brooklyn. I had a neighbor, a man that lived on the street, who was clearly high and having a moment, and I called 911. I called 311, [but] 311 told me to call back 911, and I didnt want to criminalize that man, but there was nothing I could do. There was nothing in place, at least on a social level, that I could do.

What that meant was I had to leverage community care, the thing that actually saved us and kept us alive. It meant going over to him and saying, Sir, are you OK? Have a seat. Let me get you some water. You know, trying to actually care for him on an individual level. But on a social level, we havent gotten any better at that.

What can we do now to shore up that community care to make our communities more resilient to new threats of drug epidemics?

I want to see more investment in community organizations that are actually doing the work, that people trust and look to, that are embedded within communities and know the people who need help: churches, activist organizations, hospitals, individual hospital systems that help people into recovery. Its super important to look at whos already doing it, and thats where we put our resources.

I would also like to see more investment in harm reduction programs around the country that do things like distribute Narcan, the life-saving drug that interrupts overdose. Fentanyl test strips, [because] a lot of the fentanyl that is causing overdoses is laced. Other drugs are laced with fentanyl because its super cheap, and its a way of taking something like powder cocaine and stretching it [by putting] little bit of fentanyl in there. People should be testing drugs.

I want to see distribution of clean syringes that keep people from contracting diseases like HIV AIDS while theyre doing intravenous drug use. This is not something we like to talk about in this country, that people are going to do drugs. Our idea is that we want people to just stop, but we have to think hard about how we can keep people alive long enough for them to stop.

Harm reduction programs should go hand-in-hand with recovery programs that our hospital systems should be funded for and trained to see patterns of drug abuse to actually be able to disrupt them and funnel people into treatment. Those two things together create a system where you keep people alive long enough for them to get treatment, and then you give them treatment. And if they relapse and go back into drug use or drug abuse, you can keep them alive long enough for them to get treatment. Its a cycle that has to be interrupted, and we havent created the space to interrupt it.

There are people who want to decriminalize drugs, and I think hard about that because I am so afraid of a potential increase in overdose deaths, if drugs are readily available. That is a big goal we can work toward once those other policies are in place.

Donovan X. Ramseys book, When Crack Was King, is available now wherever books are sold.

Alex LaSalvia is the Digital Producer for The Emancipator. He can be reached at alexla@bu.edu.

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What the crack epidemic reveals about America - The Boston Globe

30 July 2023, 13:35 | Updated: 30 July 2023, 21:48

Sir Richard Branson, speaking to Andrew Castle, said that politicians dont have the courage to speak out and admit drug policy failings and that reform should focus on an acceptance that millions of people do drugs.

Following the Global Commission on Drugs Policy calling for a renewed approach to decriminalising drugs, the British businessman told Andrew Castle, I have watched the war on drugs for 60 years, I have seen that it's been an abject failure.

He continued: I have lost friends to drugs, I have friends that have lost kids to drugs and nations have continued with this failed war on drugs when there obviously needs to be a change of direction.

The Global Commission on Drug Policy, of which Sir Richard is a commissioner, consists of 20 ex-presidents and statesman including people like Kofi Annan who used to be secretary general of the United Nations and they felt absolutely convinced that the war on drugs was one of the biggest travesties of our time and that there needed to be a radical change in direction.

Read More: William slashes cost to stay in his luxury homes 'so they are cheaper than a Travelodge'

Speaking of some of the studies by the group, Sir Richard said: They were clear that we cant just carry on the way we are it is the biggest regret of my life that we have not seen more radical change."

Lewis and caller Graham unpack complexities of legalising drugs

Speaking about the current international situation the Virgin Group founder said: There are more illicit drugs than ever before, the entire market is dominated by criminal organisations that dont care about people's health or safety.

Explaining the radical change hed like to see in drug policy he asked the question: If you had a child that had a drug problem would you want to call up the police and have them put in prison or given a criminal record or would you want them to be helped? I think most people would want them to be helped.

I think the same applies to politicians, they dont have the courage to speak out about it and they dont have the courage to do it.

He concluded: The situation is at the moment, there are millions of people that do take drugs, at festivals the majority of people are on ecstasy tablets, testing would avoid the horror stories and mean that parents could sleep easy at night.

Read More: 'I'm on the drivers' side': Sunak tells Khan to 'think twice' on Ulez and orders review into low traffic neighbourhoods

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'The war on drugs has failed: Sir Richard Branson tells LBC there ... - LBC

Mexico has been one of Americas closest allies for years under both Democratic and Republican administrations, even Donald Trumps.

That may be changing. Republican officials and voters have not only expressed criticisms of Mexico but also outright hostility against Americas southern neighbor.

The starkest example involves repeated calls by Republican presidential candidates to bomb Mexico or unilaterally send troops there to stop the illegal drug trade, which would be an act of war.

Trump led the way: He asked defense officials about striking Mexico with missiles while he was president, and during the 2024 presidential campaign he has supported military action. Ron DeSantis has called for using deadly force and a naval blockade of Mexican ports to stop drug traffickers. More moderate candidates, like Tim Scott and Nikki Haley, have also backed using the military against drug cartels in Mexico.

You know what you tell the Mexican president? Either you do it or we do it, Haley said in March. But we are not going to let all of this lawlessness continue to happen.

These calls havent become a major focus of national attention because the Republican campaign remains in its early stages. But as the campaign picks up including at the first debate, on Aug. 23 you will probably hear more about this issue.

Taking cues from Trumps 2016 campaign playbook and presidency, other Republicans have already translated his disparagement of Mexicans and other Latinos into policy, particularly on immigration. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott put razor wire, floating barriers and state troopers along the U.S.-Mexico border to deter people from coming into the country illegally. The federal government sued Texas last week to try to stop him.

What is going on? The posture represents a genuine shift within Republican politics. For most of the past few decades, Republicans have backed closer ties with Mexico. (The 1990s free trade deal, NAFTA, had bipartisan support.) And in the first days of Trumps presidency, most Republican voters said in polls that Mexico was an ally of the U.S. Now, Republican voters are evenly divided on whether Mexico is an ally or an enemy, as this chart shows:

Republicans often portray the idea of fully militarizing the war on drugs as an evolution in policy: treating Mexican cartels like ISIS or other terrorist groups. But unilaterally deploying the military to Mexico would be a significant escalation of U.S. policy.

I spoke to half a dozen drug policy and counterterrorism experts across the political spectrum. All of them criticized the approach as extreme, ineffective and self-destructive. In 35 years, this takes the prize as the stupidest idea I have ever heard, said Jonathan Caulkins at Carnegie Mellon University.

In addition to the likely humanitarian toll and the hit to U.S. standing in the world, any incursion into Mexico could worsen the same problems Republicans are trying to address. To the extent that the U.S. has succeeded in stemming illegal immigration and drugs in recent years, it has relied on Mexicos close cooperation. Both Trump and President Biden have worked with Mexican officials to stop South and Central Americans from traveling to the U.S. through Mexico.

Mexico would almost certainly stop collaborating if the U.S. sent troops or let missiles fly. Mexicos president, Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador, has said that talk of sending the U.S. military south of the border is irresponsible and an offense to the people of Mexico, a lack of respect for our sovereignty.

Representatives of the Trump, DeSantis and Haley campaigns did not respond to questions about using the military against Mexican cartels. A spokeswoman for Scott restated his support for the idea, but didnt respond to questions about whether he would ask for Mexicos approval before deploying the military there.

Some of the language can be pinned on the presidential primaries, when politicians tend to take more extreme stances on all sorts of issues before moderating themselves in the general election. That could be happening here.

Politicians are also desperate to look as if they are doing something about illegal immigration and the drug overdose crisis, often with deceptive promises of quick fixes and decisive action. But enduring solutions to these problems have eluded the U.S. for years.

Losing a star: The Mets agreed to trade Max Scherzer to the Rangers.

Going to the Dodgers? Justin Verlander could be heading west before tomorrows trade deadline.

Firing back: Aaron Rodgers slammed the Denver head coach Sean Payton, saying his comments about the Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett were out of line.

Hold the shot, please: The word mocktail once sounded like a joke, underscoring the mild embarrassment that came with ordering a virgin mojito. But as more people cut back on alcohol, mocktails have become a regular, and often inventive, feature of bar menus.

Distillers have developed new nonalcoholic spirits to meet the demand. This guide highlights the best for making zero-proof cocktails at home.

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An Enemy in Mexico - The New York Times

New Season from Sony Music Entertainment Reveals an Untold Tale of Betrayal, Power, and Corruption in the Streets of New Orleans

Subscribers toThe BingeCan Listen to All Episodes, All At Once Starting Today

New York, NY August 1, 2023 Sony Music Entertainment today premieredSmoke Screen: Betrayal on theBayou,the latest season of its hit investigative podcast series that delves into the captivating story of DEA Special Agent Chad Scott and the stunning turn of events that led to his imprisonment. Subscribers toThe Bingecan listen to all episodes, all at once today.

For almost two decades, Chad Scott ruled the streets just north of New Orleans, diligently working to put drug dealers behind bars while controlling a network of snitches through pressuring people he arrested to serve as informants. However, when one of Chads own team members is caught dealing drugs, his life takes an unexpected turn, as his trusted associates betray him and confess everything to the FBI.

Hosted by veteran reporters Jim Mustian (The Associated Press) and Faimon Roberts (The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate),Betrayal on theBayouhears Chad Scott break his silence for the first time, speaking out about the case that upended his 17-year DEA career and ultimately led him to the same fate as the countless drug dealers he investigated.

Drawing upon thousands of pages of government records, FBI interrogations, previously undisclosed materials, and exclusive interviews with friends and foes of Chad Scott, including drug dealers, federal agents, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and victims, this season exposes the flawed judgment and questionable tactics employed in the war on drugs. As the investigation unfolds, one central question looms: Is Chad Scott truly the greatest DEA Agent in the South, or is he a criminal?

Betrayal on theBayouoffers a firsthand look at ashocking story of corruption, misconduct, and, of course, betrayal said hosts Jim Mustian and Faimon Roberts. After seven years of reporting on this case, were absolutely committed to taking listeners right to the front lines of the drug war.

Betrayal on theBayouis executive produced by Jonathan Hirsch and produced by Odelia Rubin. It is edited by Catherine Saint Louis.

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Betrayal on the Bayou, a New Season of Hit Podcast Smoke Screen ... - Sony Music

Ghana

On July 25, 2023, Ghanas parliament voted to abolish the death penalty, making Ghana the 124th nation worldwide and the 29th African nation to do so. Although the death penalty remains in the constitution for acts of treason, the new law removes the death penalty as possible punishment for murder, genocide, piracy, and smuggling. The current 176 death row prisoners, including six women, are expected to have their sentences commuted to life in prison. Last year seven people were sentenced to death despite Ghana not having carried out an execution since 1993.

The parliament member behind the bill, Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu, told the Guardian, I have seen firsthand that the death penalty does not bring a sense of justice or closure to the families of crime victims, and neither does it deter offenders. I have also seen that those sentenced to death tend to be vulnerable individuals from deprived backgrounds, who have often experienced deep personal trauma. It was my view that we as a nation were better than this. I introduced these bills because I wanted the courts to cease imposing an inhuman punishment.

On July 13, 2023, a Chinese kindergarten teacher who was convicted of the 2019 poisoning of 25 of her students, one of whom died after 10 months of treatment, was executed. Ms. Wang, age 40, had previously poisoned her husband with the same substance, though he survived with mild injuries. The number of executions in China each year remains a state secret.

On July 10, 2023, a 25-year-old man was arrested for a knife attack at a kindergarten, resulting in the death of six people: one teacher, two parents and three students. The incident trended on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, with some users supporting capital punishment and others questioning the security of schools as similar incidents at primary schools have become more common in recent years. Its outrageous to do this to children who have no power at all. How many families will be destroyed by this I support the death penalty, one Weibo user wrote.

The Court of Appeal in Malaysia reversed a death sentence for a Kenyan woman convicted of trafficking illicit drugs and sentenced her to 12 years in prison retroactively starting from her time of arrest in 2016. Last month, Malaysia eliminated the mandatory death penalty for 11 criminal offenses.

In violation of the international most serious crime standard, Singapore hanged two people in the same week for drug-related charges in July. Mohammed Aziz Hussain, age 56, was executed for trafficking 50 grams (1.75 ounces) of heroin, and Saridewi Djamani, age 45, was executed for trafficking about 31 grams (1 ounce) of heroin she was also the first woman to be executed in 19 years. UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango condemned the executions and urged the immediate imposition of a moratorium.

Singaporean law mandates the death penalty for those convicted of trafficking more than 500 grams (17.6 ounces) of cannabis and 15 grams (0.5 ounces) of heroin. Since the resumption of executions for drug-related charges in March 2022, 15 people have been executed according to a joint statement issued from human rights groups.

In response to the execution, Amnesty Internationals death penalty expert Chiara Sangiorgio said, The authorities in Singapore must stop their unlawful and increased resort to executions in the name of drug-control. There is no evidence that the death penalty has a unique deterrent effect or that it has any impact on the use and availability of drugs.

On July 27, five men were executed in Kuwait, including three for pre-meditated murder, one on drug-related charges, and one for facilitating logistics for the 2015 suicide bombing of a Shia Imam al-Sadeq mosque, which killed 26 and injured over 200. Among those executed were a Kuwaiti national, an Egyptian national, a Sri Lankan national, and two referred to only as illegal residents, which is often used to describe the nations desert nomads, known as the Bidun or Bidoon.

The executions drew condemnation from the UN Human Rights Office spokesperson, Seif Magango, as well as Amnesty International. Rawya Rageh, Amnesty Internationals Interim Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said: The Kuwaiti government has now executed a dozen people in less than a year, claiming a tough on crime approach that panders to peoples worst instincts. Kuwait had previously paused executions from January 2017 to November 16, 2022.

With his case before the Supreme Court, death row prisoner Saud al-Faraj, age 42, has been on hunger strike for at least 10 days. He was convicted in 2022 of participating in 2011 anti-government demonstrations in Qatif, a Shiite- Mr. Faraj, a businessman and father, has long claimed his innocence, stating that his confession was obtained through torture, supported by transfers to and from the prison hospital in between interrogation sessions. Sources told the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR) that Mr. Faraj requested investigation into his ill-treatment and was subsequently beaten and placed into solitary confinement, leading to his hunger strike. Mr. Farajs family has raised concern over the lack of transparency regarding court proceedings.

61 individuals have been executed in Saudi Arabia during the first-half of 2023. Among those executed were 15 foreign-nationals and two women. 27 or 44% of executions were tazir executions, meaning discretion was left to the state or judge because of a lack of specific punishment in Islamic law or when the requirements for other sentences were not met. In its submission for Saudi Arabias Universal Periodic Review, Human Rights Watch highlighted the nations use of capital punishment against minors and those convicted of non-violent drug-related charges.

A 19-year-old high school student was arrested on blasphemy charges for allegedly disrespecting the Prophet Mohammad in a mock baccalaureate exam paper; if found guilty, she could be sentenced to death with no possibility of appeal. In recent years, the country has intensified their blasphemy laws by eliminating the clause allowing offenders to escape death if they repented.

On July 28, 2023, the Pakistani federal government provided the Supreme Court with assurances that individuals convicted of involvement in recent May 9th protests would not face death and requested additional time to consider granting appeals for military court decisions. According to Reporters without Borders, journalists Wajahat Saeed Khan and Shaheen Sehbai have been accused of abetting mutiny, which carries the death penalty as possible punishment.

Earlier in May, two Christian teenagers, age 18 and 14, were arrested on blasphemy charges for allegedly disrespecting the Prophet Muhammad; blasphemy charges carry a in Pakistan.

Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin and Jahangir Alam were executed on July 27 for the 2006 murder of University Professor S Taher Ahmed, bringing the total execution count for the year to three. Amnesty Internationals death penalty expert Chiara Sangiorgio stated: The recent executions and the persistent use of the death penalty in Bangladesh shows the Governments continued callous disregard for the right to life.

The International Crimes Tribunal sentenced four Bangladeshi politicians to death for crimes against humanity that occurred during the 1971 War of Independence from Pakistan. Established in 2009, the Tribunal has been criticized for not adhering to fair trial standards and has sentenced 135 people to death so far.

According to Norway-based Iran Human Rights, 61 people were executed in July bringing the total this year to 423 executions. Of those executed, 11 were from the Baluch minority, three were Afghan nationals, and four were women. A little more than half, or 32 people, were executed on drug-related charges, 19 for murder, six for rape, and four for moharabeh, or waging war against God.

On July 5, 2023, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran delivered their findings and recommendations at the 53rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. They reported that Since November, at least 26 individuals have reportedly been sentenced to death in connection with the protests and dozens more have been charged with or face offences carrying the death penalty. They alleged that seven executions were carried out after unfair trials, including confessions obtained through torture.

There were developments in the cases of two rappers, Toomaj Salehi and Saman Yasin, who had faced the death penalty in connection to 2022 protests.After 252 days of solitary confinement, Mr. Salehi was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison. He was previously charged with crimes punishable by death but was acquitted. His lawyer, Reza Etemad Ansari, mentioned that Mr. Salehi is banned from leaving the country and performing music-related activities for two years. Mr. Yasin, who was initially sentenced to death and then granted appeal in December, was recently transferred to a psychiatric facility and reportedly injected with an unknown substance, which allegedly resulted in his unconsciousness for 24 hours and impaired vision for two days. Currently awaiting retrial, Mr. Yasin released an audio message shortly before being transferred that reiterated his innocence, noting his inability to select counsel or meet with appointed counsel.

The Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, called for the death penalty for those who allegedly burned the Quran in Sweden and requested transfer of those European citizens to Iran in a July 22 tweet.

Originally posted here:

Worldwide Wednesday's International Roundup: Bangladesh, China ... - Death Penalty Information Center

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Bacolod Mayor Albee Benitez says the services of all the workers who tested positive for substance abuse would be terminated immediately

BACOLOD, Philippines More than 40 workers contracted to augment the Bacolod city governments workforce tested positive for illegal drug use during surprise drug tests conducted on Tuesday, August 1.

Major Junji Liba, the chief of the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO), said 29 workers from the BTAO and 17 others from the Bacolod City Public Order and Safety Office were found to be drug users among the 640 city hall workers who underwent random tests.

The 46 people who tested positive were job order workers, individuals hired for specific periods to perform tasks, and are not considered regular employees of the local government.

In response, Bacolod Mayor Albee Benitez said the contracts of the workers who tested positive for substance abuse would be terminated immediately.

He said they would be sent to a drug rehabilitation center, and their contracts may be considered for renewal once they have completed the necessary treatment.

Benitez also said city halls department heads will also undergo drug testing, and he encouraged other local officials, particularly those elected, to submit themselves to drug tests.

We will come up with a system to identify drug users within the city government, he told a press conference.

To set an example, Benitez had himself tested, and the results came out negative.

During the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 24, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that the government would continue its campaign against illegal drugs using an approach different from the previous administrations so-called war on drugs from 2016 to 2022. Rappler.com

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46 Bacolod local government workers test positive for drug use - Rappler

Throughout his long career, Jon Bernthal has cemented himself as one of the most popular actors of the last decade, starring in so many iconic roles. Starting his TV career back in 2002 with Law & Order: Criminal Intent, it was his portrayal as Shane in the hit AMC series The Walking Dead that gave him his break in the industry.

As well as continuing in the world of TV with shows such as The Punisher and The Bear, he's also starred in some of the most iconic films in recent memory. Here are his best films, ranked by Rotten Tomatoes.

The highest-rated war film in Bernthal's filmography, Fury focuses on a tank crew in World War II, displaying the gritty, brutal life that these soldiers had to live behind enemy lines. In a mission that's nothing but deadly, the intensity from start to finish makes it one of the more memorable war films of the 2010s.

Related: Biggest Stars Who Served in the Military for World War II

The cast of the film is star-studded, with Brad Pitt, Shia Labeouf, and Logan Lerman the three other members of the tank crew. Each actor delivers a unique performance of a World War II tank crew, with Bernthal's hot-headed performance standing out. The audience score comes in at 84% with over 100,000 reviews.

In one of Bernthal's more recent films on this list, Small Engine Repair is also one of the most unique. Based on the award-winning play by John Pollono who also stars as Frankie in the film, the black comedic elements paired with the heavy-hitting dramatic tones create a vibe that hasn't been seen very often.

The film follows three friends who agree to do a favor on behalf of one of the character's daughter, but events spin out of control. It also carries a deep meaning, exploring the harsh, complex realities of class struggle and toxic masculinity.

Another film with a certified fresh critic score of 79%, Sweet Virginia offers tonnes of expertly crafted intensity in an atmospheric world. The film tells the story of a former rodeo champion who lives in a small, quiet town and builds a friendship with a mysterious stranger who could be the reason for the violence occurring there.

With the tension slowly but surely building scene by scene, it's the sort of film that you'll struggle to turn away from. Bernthal's performance plays a huge part in this, with him being the perfect choice for the lead role in such a gritty, slow burner of a film.

Perhaps the most iconic film that Bernthal has starred in, Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street depicts the complex, chaotic life of the infamous Wall Street stockbroker Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio). Although the film has a three-hour run time, Bernthal doesn't have a massive amount of screen time. But when he does, he steals the show.

Bernthal plays one of Belfort's close friends, Brad, who's also a drug dealer. Whenever he's on-screen, you can expect chaos along with quite a few laughs. His ability to portray all different types of characters is on display in this film, with Brad being one of his funniest roles in a pretty serious filmography.

In another unique role for Bernthal, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl sees him as Mr. McCarthy, a history teacher for some of the main characters. Adapted from the acclaimed novel by Jesse Andrews of the same title, the film follows Greg (Thomas Mann) who spends most of his time with Earl (RJ Cyler) but gets forced by his mother to befriend a girl named Rachel (Olivia Cooke) who's recently been diagnosed with Leukemia.

With an 86% audience score alongside the critic's score, the film's outstanding characters and the relationship they form make this a film you'll definitely be thinking about for a few days after you watch it. It's another film where Bernthal isn't in a leading role, but more than delivers whenever he is on-screen as the coolest teacher in the school.

One of Taylor Sheridan's outstanding screenplays, Wind River also sees him direct a thrilling crime film, capturing your full attention from the get-go. After wildlife officer Cory (Jeremy Renner) finds the body of an 18-year-old woman on a Native American reservation in Wyoming, he and FBI agent Jane (Elizabeth Olson) find their lives also in danger as they try to solve the mystery of the Native American's death.

The emotions that the film puts you through make this easily one of Bernthal's standout movies, with excellent performances from the entire cast. Wind River also displays how good of a storyteller Taylor Sheridan is, with not a dull moment throughout its runtime. If you like the sound of a gritty, thrilling mystery, this film is for you.

Another film telling a real-life story, King Richard focuses on the upbringing of Venus and Serena Williams by their father Richard (Will Smith), leading to them becoming two of the most famous and dominant female tennis players of all time. With Oscar wins and nominations, it's clear as to why this film received such high praise from critics, one of the highest in the sports drama genre.

Bernthal portrays someone who was perhaps one of the most important people in the sister's tennis journey, that being Rick Macci. Macci was the trainer for them when they were young girls after they moved from Compton to West Palm Beach in 1991. Although he only trained them for four years until their father took over completely, Bernthal does an excellent job yet again in portraying such a vital character in the extraordinary story.

A film directed by Steve McQueen, Widows features a star-studded ensemble cast in one of the most exciting thrillers on this list. Although the film is categorized as a crime film, it touches on so many different elements through the standout characters who make this film so special.

The film follows a group of widows, as they attempt to steal $5 million from a local politician's home after their husbands (Bernthal being one of one) are killed in a botched getaway attempt. The crew stole $2 million from a crime boss, who the widows are trying to pay back before they potentially meet the same fate.

Keeping in the genre of crime, Sicario takes the genre to another level, exploring the world of Mexican drug cartels, and those trying to bring them down. FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) is recruited by a mysterious government official Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) to join a task force combating the escalating war on drugs, which leads to her going on an intense, action-packed, often disturbing journey across the US-Mexico border.

Coming from one of the best directors in the industry right now, Denis Villeneuve, this film only features Bernthal's character very briefly, but he still ends up playing one of the most vital characters in the plot. He plays a corrupt officer paid off by the cartels, he also compromises Kate before she realizes who he really is. Even though his role is brief, he still left a big impact on an outstanding film.

A film that's already become a classic, Baby Driver was one of the most talked about films back in 2017, the year of its release. Following a massively talented getaway driver known as Baby (Ansel Elgort), it's clear he doesn't want to live a life of crime forever, especially after meeting Debora (Lily James) at the diner his Mom used to work at.

Related: Daredevil: Born Again - Storylines We Hope to See with Jon Bernthal's Punisher Now Involved

We see Bernthal in the first act of the film as one of the members of the first heist the film opens with. He plays Griff, a very antagonistic person who picks on Baby's deafness for no reason. Although he isn't in the film all the way to the end, Bernthal shines in a type of role that he tends to perform the best in.

The highest-rated film based on a true story that Bernthal stars in, Ford v Ferrari tells the intriguing story of Ken Miles (Christian Bale) and Carol Shelby (Matt Damon), as they're faced with all kinds of adversity on the buildup to Le Mans, the greatest motor race in the world, in 1966. With Shelby certain that he wants Miles to race for Ford after he's given the awfully ambitious task of winning Le Mans, Ford's management thinks otherwise.

Bernthal's character however is easily one of the most likable in the film, as he clearly wants to see Miles succeed for the team as he knows just how good of a driver he is. He plays Lee Iacocca, a Ford executive heavily involved in the GT40 program (the name of the car Shelby was building). Although many other members of the company were against Miles racing for the team, Iacocca's respect for both Miles and Shelby means we get Bernthal in one of the more refreshing, feel-good roles on this list.

It feels right for the highest-rated film on this list to be the most heartwarming, feel-good film that Bernthal stars in. The Peanut Butter Falcon is led by Shia Lebeouf as Tyler, an outlaw, and Zack Gottsagen as Zak, a man with Down syndrome who ran away from his nursing home to pursue his dream of becoming a pro wrestler.

As we follow the two characters as they grow such a strong bond throughout the film, the use of comedy and endless heartwarming moments promote a message of friendship and inclusivity like no other film in recent memory has been able to do. This film is definitely one that will stick with you, potentially even altering your perspective on how far kindness can go for the people around us.

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Jon Bernthal's 12 Best Movies, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes - MovieWeb

Under a state Senate proposal to regulate the possession of drugs across Washington, first-time offenders may face more jail time than they would have under the old felony drug law that the state Supreme Court threw out as racist and unconstitutional a couple years ago, signaling a reboot of the failed war on drugs in a state controlled by Democrats.

With this years legislative session scheduled to end Sunday, lawmakers in the House and Senate continue dickering around with the details that each chamber proposed in their respective bills on the issue. The debate now centers on whether to make drug possession a misdemeanor or a gross misdemeanor. Either way, the new law will add an estimated 12,000 cases to overburdened court dockets across the state, and it will likely be a far cry from the transformative policy some Democratic lawmakers envisioned in the aftermath of the Courts ruling in State v. Blake.

After that ruling, lawmakers created a short-term drug possession misdemeanor in 2021. In addition to recriminalizing possession, the law directed cops to divert people to treatment at least twice before prosecutors could charge them. It expires in July.

But now, we are continuing the war on drugs, said state Senator Manka Dhingra (D-Redmond). This year, Dhringa, who chairs the senates Law & Justice Committee, proposed legislation to decriminalize drugs and treat substance use disorder within the public health care system, but she couldnt even get that bill out of her own committeesuch was the mood on the topic in her caucus. At this point, she said, shes just negotiating ways to minimize harm.

Conservative Senate Democrats and their Republican colleagues crushed the chance for decriminalization early in the session. Senator Jesse Salomon (D-Shoreline) put into the Senate bill, which passed in March, mandatory minimum jail sentences for people who didnt comply with treatment.

In the Houses version, which the Senate will likely reject, lawmakers removed the mandatory minimums and reduced the charge for drug possession from a gross misdemeanor to a misdemeanor; the former carries a maximum sentence of 364 days in jail, and the latter carries a maximum of 90 days in jail.

If the Senate rejects the Houses version, then the bill will likely go to a conference committee, where a small group of lawmakers will negotiate a final version before presenting it to both chambers for a final vote.

State Representative Roger Goodman (D-Kirkland) argued against the more severe misdemeanor charge because the maximum sentence for a gross misdemeanor would be longer than the jail time a first-time offender faced when the state treated drug possession as a Class C felony.

Though state law sets the maximum penalty for a Class C felony at five years or a $10,000 fine, the most recent sentencing grid classifies possession as a Level I offense, and it prescribes zero to six months in jail for violators with two or fewer prior convictions.

Dhingra said administrative concernsnot moral concerns or evidence-based reasoningprimarily drive some Democratic lawmakers to want the harsher sentence. For a prosecutor to charge someone with drug possession, the state crime lab must confirm the nature of the substance that person was carrying. The House bill encourages the lab to complete drug analysis in less than 45 days, but prosecutors may need more than a year to confirm someone possessed drugs, she said. State law sets the statute of limitations at two years for gross misdemeanors and at one year for misdemeanors, so the harsher charge would give the state more time to analyze substances.

That said, Dhingra acknowledged that some people in the Senate want the gross misdemeanor because they incorrectly believe harsher penalties will motivate a person to comply with treatment.

A sentence of 90 days is enough, said Lisa Daugaard, director of the Public Defender Association. Most of the harm done to people is done in the first 90 days of jail. Everything is gone at that point. Jobs, housing, child custody, and pretty much anything you were working on is gone, she added.

For a bill criminalizing substance abuse, Daugaard does see some positives in the House version of the law. While the House bill would repeal the requirement for police to refer people to treatment twice before arrest, lawmakers included language encouraging police to refer people to treatment rather than take them to jail.

The bill also does not specify which type of treatment regime the state would require people to complete to avoid jail. So people could enter programs focused on harm reduction rather than abstinence.

In the House version of the bill, the court has the option to send someone charged with simple drug possession through pretrial diversion. If the person engages in treatment or services for six months, then the court is required to dismiss the charge against the person.

Daugaard said policies such as these show a better understanding of how treatment and harm-reduction work. Recovery is an ongoing process and not something a person really completes.

Goodman said he anticipates lawmakers to send a finalized version bill to the floor Saturday afternoon. Both chambers will need to pass the bill, and then it will need to go to the governor for his signature.

If lawmakers do not pass a bill, the current stop-gap law will end and the state will be left with a patchwork of different drug possession laws. House members could use that result as leverage to fight for decriminalization, but Goodman doesnt think politicians would allow the bill to fail.

Goodman hopes more people will support a public health approach to substance abuse in a year or two, after the panic and disorder coming out of the pandemic subsides, and he argues that the country is on the path to decriminalization.

Maybe thats just my wishful thinking, Goodman said.

Original post:

We Are Continuing the War on Drugs - The Stranger