Category Archives: War On Drugs

'They didn't give my husband chance to air his side'

COMING home from work one day in July 2016 in Southville Niugan in Cabuyao City, Laguna, she was met by her son who anxiously told her: Mama, si Papa sumakay ng kotse.

It would not have worried her except that several hours had passed and her husband Ricardo had not come home. In an earlier text to his brother, Ricardo said he left for a while to accompany someone for an errand.

She looked around for her husband all night until dawn. With her brother-in-law, she went to police stations and funeral homes but no one had seen her 42-year-old husband.

She returned home to attend to their five children.

Later in the afternoon, her brother-in-law received a text from a funeral service in Cabuyao: A man was found dead in a nearby barangay and the body had been brought to another funeral home in Calamba.

It was Ricardo, the most tragic news she ever heard in her life. Her husband is dead. He was slain.

Until now, Gina does not know what really happened to Ricardo. Who killed him--and why?

Some people said they saw an unmarked grey sedan pick up Ricardo from their house. There were two men in the car. One of them was a known police asset nicknamed Elvis.

Another witness told her Ricardo was seen running along the docks before he was shot dead by policemen no less.

Later in the afternoon, her brother-in-law received a text from a funeral service in Cabuyao: A man was found dead in a nearby barangay and the body had been brought to another funeral home in Calamba.

The funeral issued a death certificate showing Ricardo suffered gunshot wounds on his trunk. But he also had wounds in his right thigh, upper abdomen, chest, and nape, his brother said.

A police report later showed the police tried to arrest Ricardo in a buy-bust operation, but he resisted arrest, forcing the police to shoot him. He died at once.

According to a barangay official, Ricardo had been involved in drugs. He had no permanent job.

His wife denied the allegations, saying he had tried his best to earn by taking jobs as a porter, laborer and construction worker. Too bad, Ricardo was no longer around to say his piece, she said. - Juni Gonzales, Rachel Cantuba, John de Lima

HE WAS last seen alive with a team of policemen one afternoon in July in front of his house in Lupang Arenda in Sta. Ana, Taytay, Rizal; his hands behind his back, apparently tied or in handcuffs. He died several hours later inside the house.

His family and neighbors said Rio Awa, or Dodong as he was fondly called, was involved in illegal drug activities and that he owned a gun to protect himself.

But must his life end this way? His sister Marianne asked, recalling how his 28-year-old brother lived and he died.

Marianne said Dodong, a father of a four-year-old boy, was a construction worker but he had to stop due to an operation. In deep predicament to make both ends meet, he sold prohibited drugs.

The day he died, he was at home, but in police custody, the sister said. Police accosted him and brought him back to his house.

Curious, the neighbors gathered around near his house. More men came, some in police uniform and some in civilian clothes. The law enforcers told all the neighbors to stay in their houses and away from harms way.

A few minutes later, the neighbors heard gunshots.

A police official reported later that Dodong was a suspected drug pusher. There was a drug buy-bust operation, and Dodong attempted to shoot the poseur buyer but he missed, the official said.

That was when the law enforcers fired back, killing him instantly.

"Paano yun nanlaban eh kitang kita namin dito nakaposas? a neighbor asked.

Dodongs wife is pregnant with their second child. Ana Maria Reyes, Jhoanna Ballaran

CHARLENE waited for her mother and stepfather Edgar who were coming to her place on Geronimo Street in Sampaloc, Manila for a visit one afternoon in July. He had promised her to set-up an internet shop she would name Piso Net to earn extra income for the family.

He showed up and while in Sampaloc, Edgar tried to fix his motorbike when two policemen approached him and asked why he was half naked. The two proceeded to search him but did not find any illegal drugs or weapons.

Not content, they brought Edgar to the Lacson Police Community Precinct.

Charlene and her mother followed Edgar to the precinct to speak with the arresting officers. She was surprised when she found out they wanted to slap him with possession of illegal drugs and a grenade.

The police told mother and daughter to go home and come back with food and clothes for him.

It was to be the last time they would see Edgar alive.

Said Charlene: Nandun siya sa ano sa upuan, nakita ko, nakaganyan, may posas siya.

They went back to the precinct and spoke with the police as to how much it would take for Edgar to get his freedom backthe amount ranged first from P120,000 and later, with the help of the barangay chairman, to P10,000. They did not allow them to see him.

Wala namang damit, wala namang may nakuha. Sabi kasi ang kaso niya daw kuno shabu atsaka granada. Ang ano daw doon P120,000 ang dapat piyansa doon, she said.

Sabi ko wala naman po kaming ganoong pera tapos isa pa, wala naman pong nakuha dyan na ganyan, shabu atsaka granada. Huling nakahubad lang naman, she added.

But the police refused to accept P10,000 only. And so, they went back home to look for more money and other things that they could sell to the pawnshop.

When they came back, they found a patrol car parked in front of the Ospital ng Tondo, just across the barangay hall. They turned red and fidgety.

Edgar was dead, they were told.

According to a police report, his stepfather was released from his handcuffs when he was granted permission to go to the bathroom. He reportedly grabbed the service gun of his police escort, causing a commotion, which prompted another police to shoot him. The report said the police found two sachets of shabu from him.

The barangay chairman said that Edgar was not among the drug users and pushers who surrendered during the implementation of the Opla Tokhang because he was not a resident of the barangay.

Charlene said his stepfather was a full-time barangay tanod in Sucat and that he was not involved in illegal drug activities. Juni Gonzales

ON THE NIGHT of June 14, Ronilo talked to his partner, Jenny about his plan on coming clean to the police with his involvement to illegal drugs.

Before leaving the house, Jenny checked Ronilos pockets because she was asking him for money to buy some food for their children. She got nothing.

The following day, Jenny heard the news that Ronilo was killed in a vacant lot just few blocks from their house in Barangay Biclatan, General Trias in Cavite. He suffered not less than 10 gunshots including one in the head, she was told.

A neighbor said Ronilo was last seen talking to some people in the same vacant lot where he was killed.

A police report said the General Trias City Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group had conducted a drug buy-bust operation targeting Ronilo. He was listed as top drug personality in General Trias City and was also previously arrested for drugs.

The police report said that Ronilo exchanged fire with the operatives and was thus fired upon. He was brought to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

Jenny said that Ronilo was indeed arrested in 2015. He was released on bail after three months. Free as a bird, he continued his illegal activities, she said.

Noong nakita namin na may barka-barkada at ginagabi siya lagi, sabi ko baka nagddrugs ka na naman, iwasan mo. Maawa ka na lang sa amin ng anak mo kung ayaw mong magbago, she recalled telling him.

In December 2015, Jenny said she kicked him out of the house because she was worried about their safety since Ronilo wouldnt stop his illegal activities.

He had been invited to surrender at the barangay but he refused because he believed that the people in the barangay were also involved to illegal drugs.

Ronilo left behind six children aged 18, 17, 15, 11, 10, and five. Ana Maria Reyes

THEY suddenly barged into the house of Napoleon Miras Ay-Ay, shouting and ordering everyone to lie face down in Barangay Antipona in Bocaue, Bulacan.

Operatives of the Bocaue police and PDEA were looking for 27-year-old Napoleon, or Nono, a suspected seller of prohibited drugs. His house was one of the many shanties in the cavernous compound in the barangay.

Out of fear, Nonos 52-year-old mother Edeltruda, who was standing by the entrance, stepped out and into a neighbors house.

Nonos father Eustaquio, 60, told his son to surrender to the police. Nono instead ducked himself at a corner of the house by the river.

Nagtatago na siya diyan e, Eustaquio said. Sabi ko tara na kako anak, sumama ka na kako sa kanila. Edi nandito ako, inakay ko siya dito."

Eustaquio begged the police not to hurt Nono because he was only driving for the actual pusher, Eunice Zapra Ripia who had been arrested by the police.

Service lang siya talaga e, he said. Service lang siya sa tricycle. Inuupa siya noong babae na P300 kada biyahe.

The police saw Nono and brought him upstairs. Within a couple of minutes, they heard gunshots. When the police went down, they broke the news: Nono was dead.

"Sabi ko, Sir kako, ano na po nangyari sa kay Nono ko? Eustaquio asked. Nandoon eka, nanlaban e, patay na.

But the parents said that Nono didnt resist arrest.

Paano lalaban ang anak ko e dito pa lang e putlang putla na yung anak ko, Eustaquio said.

According to a report, police recovered one .38-caliber revolver and sachets containing shabu from the house.

Edeltruda said her son didnt have a gun. Wala po 'yon! Pinalabas lang may .38. Pagkain nga lang namin tingnan mo naman ang itsura, ito ba makakabili ng .38 ang anak ko? she said.

Edeltruda said it would have been better if Nono were just imprisoned.

Bakit kasi pinatay nila? Sana kinulong na lang,, madadalaw ko yung anak ko," she said.

Nonos death left the family devastated. Rizza Cervantes

DERNLY BATALAN, a 27-year-old part-time construction worker, had to call his engineer he couldnt report for work one morning in July. He was at home in Barangay Western Bicutan in Taguig City. He was not feeling well.

By the time he was ready for lunch, some Taguig police and barangay officers arrived to conduct Oplan Tokhang, catching Batalan and his family by surprise.

"Dapa, dapa, dapa! Pulis to!" Dernlys sister recalled hearing the operatives shouting. In no time, they were kicking Dernlys door.

It was clear: They were after him. Dernly had a previous brush with the law. Last year, he was released from a three-year detention for possession of marijuana.

The police ordered everybody in the neighborhood to close their doors and windows to keep them out of harms way. The suspect might fire at the operatives, the neighbors were told.

Standing next door watching, Dernlys sister said she heard her brother shouting for help: "Uncle, Uncle, tulungan nyo ako!"

But the police didnt listen to him, she said.

Di ba po pag sinabing tulong di naman nanlalaban yun e? Tsaka parang umiiyak si kuya noon. Alam nyo naman po yung boses ng umiiyak habang humihingi ng tulong, she said.

After three gunshots, she said she overheard the police talking about checking Dernlys eyes, probably to check if her brother was dead. He was. His body suffered two gunshot wounds: two in his trunk and another in the head.

[Tapos] parang may tinawagan silayun palapatay na pala.

A police report later said the operatives had recovered .45-caliber Colt MK IV, an empty magazine of caliber .45, empty shells of .45 and 9mm caliber, an improvised shotgun or sumpak loaded with 12 gauge live ammunition, and four sachets of suspected shabu.

Dernlys sister said the alleged pieces of evidence found were questionable. But she said her brother did make a sumpak.

Eto po ang mali dun: kaliwete po yung kuya ko, kanan po nila nilagay yung baril, she said.

After the killing, she said authorities simply walked away without a word, except to say he was on the police watch list of men allegedly involved in drugs.

But they were not shown of any document, she said. Not even a warrant.

Sa programang Oplan Tokhang ni Mayor Lani at ni Kapitan Supan Pinapasuko ang mga adik dito sa Taguig. Yun siguro hindi pinansin ni kuya. Pero hindi po doon mini-mention yung pangalan ni kuya. Hindi po!

Di po tama yung ginawa ng mga [pulis], she said. San po kayo nakakita ng nanlalaban pero humihingi ng tulong? she asked. Yssa Espaola

DERNLY BATALAN, a 27-year-old part-time construction worker, had to call his engineer he couldnt report for work one morning in July. He was at home in Barangay Western Bicutan in Taguig City. He was not feeling well.

By the time he was ready for lunch, some Taguig police and barangay officers arrived to conduct Oplan Tokhang, catching Batalan and his family by surprise.

"Dapa, dapa, dapa! Pulis to!" Dernlys sister recalled hearing the operatives shouting. In no time, they were kicking Dernlys door.

It was clear: They were after him. Dernly had a previous brush with the law. Last year, he was released from a three-year detention for possession of marijuana.

The police ordered everybody in the neighborhood to close their doors and windows to keep them out of harms way. The suspect might fire at the operatives, the neighbors were told.

Standing next door watching, Dernlys sister said she heard her brother shouting for help: "Uncle, Uncle, tulungan nyo ako!"

But the police didnt listen to him, she said.

Di ba po pag sinabing tulong di naman nanlalaban yun e? Tsaka parang umiiyak si kuya noon. Alam nyo naman po yung boses ng umiiyak habang humihingi ng tulong, she said.

After three gunshots, she said she overheard the police talking about checking Dernlys eyes, probably to check if her brother was dead. He was. His body suffered two gunshot wounds: two in his trunk and another in the head.

[Tapos] parang may tinawagan silayun palapatay na pala.

A police report later said the operatives had recovered .45-caliber Colt MK IV, an empty magazine of caliber .45, empty shells of .45 and 9mm caliber, an improvised shotgun or sumpak loaded with 12 gauge live ammunition, and four sachets of suspected shabu.

Dernlys sister said the alleged pieces of evidence found were questionable. But she said her brother did make a sumpak.

Eto po ang mali dun: kaliwete po yung kuya ko, kanan po nila nilagay yung baril, she said.

After the killing, she said authorities simply walked away without a word, except to say he was on the police watch list of men allegedly involved in drugs.

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War on Drugs, The Unheard Voices | ABS-CBN News

The Telegraph report published on June 3

Alarmed by the jump in seizures of narcotics in Bihar post prohibition, the state government and central agencies are gearing up to combat the drugs menace on war footing.

Chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh convened a high-level meeting on Saturday over the crisis, in which senior officers of the administration, the police and central agencies such as the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) participated.

"Based on recent seizures, six places have been identified from where drugs are distributed to other parts of the state," one of the senior officials present at the meeting said under cover of anonymity because he is not authorised to talk to the media. "All the agencies concerned have been asked to work in close coordination to break the backbone of the drug dealers at the point of supply."

The six places are Masarh in Bhojpur district, Gaya, Purnea, the Raghopur Diara region in Vaishali district, and Gopalganj and Raxaul in East Champaran.

The Telegraph had reported in its June 3 edition how seizures of narcotics such as ganja, charas and opium have gone through the roof after prohibition was imposed on the state.

"It's nothing to be surprised about," chief minister Nitish Kumar said on Monday, when asked about increased consumption of narcotics in dry Bihar.

Nitish said he had been continuously expressing his concern about it at public meetings since April 2016, and pointed out that de-addiction centres had been set up in all districts.

He underlined the need to spread awareness among people about the ill-effects of substance abuse, and also indicated an administrative crackdown on drugs.

"Those indulging in drug trafficking would be strongly dealt with. The chief secretary chaired a meeting with all enforcement agencies working in the state, including central government's DRI, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and others. State and central government agencies will work in close coordination to tackle the issue," Nitish said.

The NCB, the DRI, the state police and the state excise department will jointly crack the whip on the narcotics suppliers. All agencies that seize drugs are supposed to inform the NCB.

Jitendra Singh Gangwar, the inspector-general of police, economic offences unit, will be the nodal officer to whom the state police and the excise officials would provide details of seizures before they are passed on to the NCB.

"Seizure-related data is of prime importance for coordinating the efforts of the agencies working against drug dealers," explained a senior NCB official. "These data can help identify people engaged in this illegal business and help decipher their modus operandi."

Saturday's meeting decided on strict action against those running drug rackets in Bihar.

"All the participants unanimously agreed that nabbing the peddlers will not help much unless strict action, including legal action, is taken against the actual recipients of the drug consignments coming to Bihar," said the official who was present at the meeting. "Some of them have already been identified. The ultimate aim will be to hand over the cases to the Enforcement Directorate so that the ill-gotten assets of the drug mafia are seized."

The government has told excise and police officers to intensify checking of vehicles with out-of-state registration numbers.

"Most vehicles from which drugs have been seized bear registration numbers of other states," said the official.

The police and the excise officers have also been instructed to keep tabs on drug peddlers while carrying out operations to nab bootleggers.

Link:

State vows to launch war on drugs - Calcutta Telegraph

The National

The ongoing war on drugs The National The UAE's strategic location and economic strength make it a very attractive place for international drugs smugglers. As described in yesterday's newspaper, drug gangs are resorting to more and more outlandish even creative methods in order to ...

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The ongoing war on drugs - The National

It's the band's first album for new label Atlantic.

The War On Drugs have announced their fourth album, A Deeper Understanding.

The album, the bands follow-up to 2014s Lost In The Dream, will be released on August 25. It will be their first album for new label Atlantic Records, whom they signed with back in 2015.

To accompany the album news, the band have shared its lead single Holding On listen below.

According to Atlantic, the album is a band record in the noblest sense, featuring collaboration, coordination, and confidence at every turn. It was apparently created after frontman Adam Granduciel and his bandmates committed to the revisiting and reexamining of endless hours of recordings that they laid down in various recording studios in New York and Los Angeles.

The albums full tracklist is as follows:

Up All Night Pain Holding On Strangest Thing Knocked Down Nothing To Find Thinking Of A Place In Chains Clean Living You Dont Have To Go

The band will support the album with a 5-date UK tour this November. Check out the full list of dates below.

Thu. Nov. 9 Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands Fri. Nov. 10 Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands Sun. Nov. 12 Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo Manchester Mon. Nov. 13 Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo Manchester Tue. Nov. 14 London, UK @ Alexandra Palace

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The War On Drugs announce new album 'A Deeper Understanding' and share lead single - NME.com

By Domenica Ghanem

Friday, June 2, 2017 | 2 a.m.

Angela Pryor, a 41-year-old woman from Ross County, Ohio, is not living the life she thought she would.

She used to stay at home and take care of her kids while her husband, Jesse, went to work as a carpenter. But as Jesse fell into opioid addiction, Angela had to pick up the slack. It became even harder when he ended up in jail for selling drugs, and harder still when Jesse overdosed and died in 2015.

Now Angelas struggling to care for her five children alone. Shes even lost her house, The Atlantic reported recently.

A few hundred miles to the east, in Washington, another familiar scene played out in the pages of the New York Times.

When Charlene Hamiltons husband, Carl Harris, was jailed for selling drugs, she was left behind to take care of the kids, pay the rent and feed the family. Like Angela, Charlene found herself homeless more than once. She slept in a car for a month while her kids stayed with other relatives. Meanwhile in prison, Carl started using the drugs he once sold.

The similarities in their stories dont stop there. Both families lived in communities plagued by joblessness. In Ohio, the decline of good-paying manufacturing jobs combined with health problems have led to a drug epidemic, largely among white men, that was responsible for more than 3,000 deaths statewide just last year.

Meanwhile, majority-black communities have been suffering from unemployment for decades. In the District of Columbia the unemployment rate for black residents now at 13.4 percent has actually gotten worse since the recession, even while every other racial and ethnic group in the city has seen an improvement.

These are the conditions that can lead a husband and father like Carl Harris or Jesse Pryor to turn to drug use, abuse and trade. It is economic despair, and its happening all over the country. As extreme inequality gets worse and the middle class disintegrates, many formerly middle-income white Americans are now experiencing the sorts of pain long suffered by poorer communities of color.

All thats bad enough. But theres one man who seems determined to make it all worse: Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Reversing an Obama-era guideline, Sessions recently told federal prosecutors to go after low-level drug offenders and to seek the toughest possible penalties against them.

Its an unmistakable return to widely discredited mandatory minimum sentencing laws that treat drug use and abuse as a crime, rather than a mental or physical health issue. (Interestingly, Sessions shows little interest in prosecuting the white-collar criminals who are the cause of much of the income inequality that can lead to drug use in the first place.)

The effects of a return to harsher drug law enforcement go beyond the loss of our white and black fathers, husbands and friends. These policies will stifle children for generations to come, as new data show.

Sociology professor Kristin Turney found that children with incarcerated parents were three times more likely to suffer from depression or behavioral problems, and twice as likely to suffer from learning disabilities and anxiety, The Nation reported.

That same story quotes a former New Orleans city councilman and former teacher who is an ex-offender himself. He said that when he spoke to schoolchildren and asked if any of them had a family member in prison, just about everybody raises their hand.

These students are more statistically likely to drop out, too, which of course makes it more difficult to get a job, continuing the cycle of economic despair.

Poor white families who are now suffering can learn a lot from the suffering that poor black families have endured from this system for decades. These communities can come together to fight reactionary drug war policies like Sessions, which exacerbate everyones suffering.

The Essie Justice Group is one such effort that brings together those often forgotten victims the women and the families left behind of the war on drugs, mass incarceration, and the economic inequality wrapped up in all of it.

Gina Clayton, who founded the group, has this message for those women like Angela and Charlene: This loss that Ive experienced is not OK, and we all need to do something about it.

Domenica Ghanem is the media manager at the Institute for Policy Studies and an alumni member of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. She wrote this forInsideSources.com.

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Rekindling war on drugs will victimize more families - Las Vegas Sun

President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines announced martial law over the entire island of Mindanao May 23 in alleged response to terrorist groups fighting in Marawi City. Despite the claimed response to terrorist activitynow a tired catch-all for any unpopular, authoritarian actionthe timing underscores a more ominous possibility: that the Duterte government is hunkering down in the event that the peace talks with the National Democratic Front fail.

Those peace talks have been underway in earnest for nearly two years,reflecting the progress of the progressive, anti-imperialist NationalDemocratic Movement, parts of which have engaged in armed struggle againstsuccessive right-wing governments in the Philippines. Though the peace talksoffer a major breakthrough for the Filipino peoples struggle againstcolonial underdevelopment, oppression and occupation, there remains apossibility that the Duterte government will abandon the talks.

The declaration of martial law in particular is ominous not only because ofMindanaos significance for the National Democratic Movement: it is one ofthe most materially rich regions in the Philippines, yet one of the poorestand most radical, as well as the site of an active resistance movement bythe oppressed Moro people. But that declaration also came with the openthreat of martial law beyond Mindanao and all across the Philippines.

The risk of the talks failure stems chiefly from the composition of theDuterte government: Like previous administrations, the military holdssignificant power and influence. Itmakes up some of the most backward-looking,reactionary elements in Filipino society and depends heavily on continuedU.S. support and occupation.

Dutertes ruling coalition has also been driving a vicious war on drugsin the Philippines, which to date has claimed up to 9,000 lives. Many ofthose killed were extra-judicial killingsvigilante actions that Duterte himself has praised. The war on drugs, like its counterpart inthe United States, has focused primarily on the Philippines poorestcommunities who have turned to emigration and the black market due towidespreadlandlessness, unemployment and low pay. As of 2012, forexample, 19.2 percent of Filipinos lived in extreme poverty, making onlyabout $1.25 per day.

What binds the two conflicts together is the continued occupation andsubjugation of the Philippines by the United States. Though the extremepoverty that drives Filipino communities to resist and support themselvesby whatever means necessary has its origins in Spanish colonialism, U.S.imperialism today is the driver at the most basic levels of the conflictstearing at Filipino society. From trade agreements thatamount towholesale robbery to continued occupation by U.S. forcesinterruptedonly by the Japanese occupation in World War IIthe Philippines has allthe hallmarks of an oppressed colonized nation.

Yet, as everywhere, repression breeds resistance, and the peace talks arejust the latest chapter of that resistances long history in thePhilippines. In the United States, it is the duty of progressive people to support the Filipino nations right to self-determination. No people can be free under occupation.

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War and peace in the Philippines: martial law, the war on drugs and US occupation - Liberation

The War On Drugs Dustin Condren hide caption

The War On Drugs will release A Deeper Understanding, its fourth full-length, late this summer, coming three years after the band's previous album, Lost In The Dream.

In announcing A Deeper Understanding today the band has shared a new single from the record, "Holding On," a pulsing jam that sounds deeply inspired by '80s-era Bruce Springsteen, with glockenspiel chimes set against gritty guitars and synths. It's the second track the band has shared from the upcoming album, after the release in April of a moody, 11-minute opus called "Thinking Of A Place."

A Deeper Understanding is out Aug. 25 on Atlantic Records. Full track listing below:

1. Up All Night 2. Pain 3. Holding On 4. Strangest Thing 5. Knocked Down 6. Nothing To Find 7. Thinking of a Place 8. In Chains 9. Clean Living 10. You Don't Have To Go

Read the rest here:

Hear 'Holding On,' The New Song By The War On Drugs : All Songs ... - NPR

While American foreign policy has for years fixated on the conflict in Syria and the Middle East, just across the border in Mexico and throughout Central America tens of thousands of people lost their lives last year because of the conflict between drug cartels competing to deliver illicit drugs into the United States.

According to a recent report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, whereas approximately 50,000 lives were lost in Syria last year, approximately 39,000 were killed in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, much of which is attributable to drug-war violence.

Mexicos homicide total of 23,000 for 2016 is second only to Syrias, and is only the latest development in a conflict which stretches back to 2006, when President Felipe Calderon deployed the military to combat drug cartels.

Although the exact number of people killed because of the drug war in Mexico is unlikely to ever be known, a recent report from the Congressional Research Service cited estimates from 80,000 to more than 100,000 in that country alone.

The cause of this violence is obvious, and it is a direct, predictable consequence of our failed policy of drug prohibition. In the near-half century since President Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs, hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been killed in conflicts fueled by a lucrative illicit drug trade made possible by our prohibition of drugs.

This is an insight a certain New York developer possessed 27 years ago. Were losing badly the war on drugs, Donald Trump said in 1990. You have to legalize drugs to win that war. You have to take the profit away from these drug czars.

While Trump may have since lost this insight, the fact remains that the war on drugs does more harm than drugs themselves.

Last year, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos used his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech to call for a rethink of the drug war, which contributed to decades of conflict in Colombia that killed hundreds of thousands.

Rather than squander more lives and resources fighting a War on Drugs that cannot be won including in our inner cities the United States must recognize the futility and harm of its drug policies.

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War on Drugs is costing thousands of lives - LA Daily News

The uncertainty of the legal landscape of marijuana is dizzying. Especially lately, as the war-on-drugs rhetoric ramps up in Washington under the guidance of U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the growing legal cannabis industry prepares for battle. This scene has played out before, beginning in 1970 with the passing of the Controlled Substances Act and Nixons later declaration that drugs are Americas public enemy number one.

Below is a timeline of drug-related events occurring in Boulder between 1965 and 1975 as reported by the Daily Camera, offered in hopes of providing a moment of reflection.

1965: Twelve people are arrested for dope in Boulder County.

1967: Police estimate there are 500 drug users in the City of Boulder.

In August, an article titled Boulder, a Home for Drug Users and Displaced Hippies? opens with: Boulder, once a sleepy little town where a Saturday night hayride was the cats meow, is fast becoming a home for displaced hippies and a crossroads of the nations drug traffic, according to Boulders police.

1969: More than 400 people are arrested for dope in Boulder County.

On Sept. 29, Boulder County District Attorney Stanley Johnson says at a U.S. Senate hearing in Denver that drug activity is the single biggest criminal problem in Boulder.

On Nov. 2, it is reported that Boulder has become the main heroin, cocaine and dope supplier for three major U.S. cities: St. Louis, Kansas City and Chicago. But as illegal activity rises, citizens rally to call for alternative approaches to criminalization.

1970: On Feb. 25, more than 200 people gather in the Boulder Public Library for a panel discussion on drugs. The event, sponsored by Boulder Human Relations as an effort to create dialogue between hip and straight communities, showcases spokespeople arguing both for and against prohibition. Notably, the conversation is rife with the lexicon of the war on drugs even though it is still six months before the campaign officially launches.

Speaking on behalf of criminalization, District Attorney Johnson, says: We can debate all night whether marijuana is evil or good and still not be sure. Im not interested in creating a crime record for anyone, but when I took this job I said Id uphold the law and I know the majority of the people in this County expect me to do it, adding, the police department doesnt make the laws, it enforces them.

Against the issue is guru John Link, among others, who says: I am not interested in talking about whether or not marijuana is harmful, theres enough literature available to prove that it isnt. After his remarks, the room erupts into cheers before entering into a two-and-a-half-hour freewheeling discussion during which both a Kiwani and an old woman say theyd like to try pot.

On Nov. 13, an article about heroin use quotes Gordon Black as saying, Smack (heroin) is a destroyer and killer, and dealers of smack are not brothers. These people are killers, and their drugs kill and turn people into vegetables. Dealing smack is human exploitation.

In response, Dr. Robert McFarland, who ran the citys methadone clinic, says: I dont believe prison helps anyone, and suggests abuse could be better understood as a psychological sickness.

1971: There are 817 narcotics arrests in the City of Boulder.

In January, the Camera runs a series exploring Boulders drug problem, including the following articles: Courts Overburdened with Huge Increase in Cases, Officials Cite Various Causes, Cures for Drug Scene, and City Officials Cite Action Program to Control Problem.

Solutions offered by the action plan includes the establishment of a runaway home and treatment centers, plans to increase the trust between police and citizens, newfangled drug education in public schools and legislative amendments to oppressive drug laws.

Local law enforcement and judicial officials show alignment with hardline federal drug policies as indicated by articles like: DA Opposed to Reducing Pot Possession Charges and Judge Scott Advocates Firm View on Drug Sales, Sentences Youth.

1971 1973: Until 1970, articles about drugs are few and far between and usually reserved for pressing political coverage or breaking news. Between 1971 and 1973, coverage becomes frequent, almost a daily occurrence, and a significant portion is dedicated to police blotter-style articles, while bigger headlines are reserved for big money and smuggling busts.

1974: In January, Boulder officials and concerned citizens begin looking into reformatory sentences as an alternative to mandatory sentences.

1975: Boulders rising drug arrest rates are found to fit a national pattern, revealing that what was experienced as a local problem is, in fact, a national one.

Boulder police find that teen drug use is declining.

Colorado State Legislature works to liberalize grass laws, enacting legislation that removes jail terms from small marijuana possession charges.

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How the original war on drugs went down in Boulder - Boulder Weekly

Three years after2014s standout Lost in the Dream, Philadelphia favorites The War On Drugs are looking for new terrain. Spinning classic riffs into a melancholic hazeof classic radio rock, the band has long locked-in on a lush, synth-drenched formula spanning their trio of past releases on the indie labelSecretly Canadian. But after signing to a major and unveiling their dreamy and crystalline new singleThinking of a Place, the band seems set on something bigger this time.

The second track from their forthcoming album A Deeper Understanding, Holding On stretchesthe bands meditativeformula into crisp, streamlined hi-fi. The 6-minute track starts with a splash of stoned synths, quickly teasing in slide guitar and glockenspiel cut straight from Born to Run or Tunnel of Love. Adam Granduciel voice has the haunting low-end grovel, which slaps against the staccato bassline with a bright, up-beat bounce. As the chorus hits, the track ascends to a soaring, anthemic spiralwith voice and guitar overlapping in a messy, monophonic ecstasy.

What once began as a bit of a simple Springsteen plus reverb punchline, the band has nowexpanded the palette into something transformative and newly striking. Years after 2011s Slave Ambient betrayed its namesake with a liberating hypnogogia, Holding On lets go of the past with an elegy of mutatingsoundscapes. But as it slowly drops back into its last wisps of spectral echo, the track pangswith something familiar, the future takingshape through reflective introspection.

More here:

The War On Drugs Find a New Spingsteen High on "Holding On" - SPIN