Meddy Willemsen ist wegen Drogenhandels und Mitgliedschaft in einer kriminellen Vereinigung angeklagt, weil er deutlich mehr Cannabis in seinen Räumen lagerte statt der staatlich erlaubten 500 Gramm.

Im Juni 2007 und im Mai 2008 hatte die Polizei in seinem Coffee-Shop "Checkpoint" und angrenzenden Gebäuden insgesamt 230 Kilogramm Cannabis gefunden. Der Prozess müsse die Frage klären, ob damit die Grundlagen der staatlichen Toleranzpolitik verletzt worden seien, sagte Staatsanwältin Saskia Meeuwis zum Prozessauftakt im südniederländischen Middelburg.

dnews.de

Police Chief Carmen Smith says he knows three things about suspected drug trafficker Artemio Corona: He's from Mexico, prefers a Glock .40-caliber handgun, and is quite possibly growing marijuana on the Indian reservation that Mr. Smith patrols.

Last year, Mr. Smith's detectives identified Mr. Corona as the alleged mastermind behind several large marijuana plantations on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in central Oregon. These "grows," as police call them, had a harvest of 12,000 adult plants, with an estimated street value of $10 million. Five suspects were arrested and pleaded guilty to federal trafficking charges. But their alleged boss, Mr. Corona, who has not been indicted, remains a "person of interest" to federal authorities and hasn't been found.

wsj.com

Mexikos Drogenbarone verlegen ihre Produktionsstätten zunehmend in die USA. Seit die US-Behörden die Grenzen wegen der wachsenden illegalen Einwanderung stärker kontrollieren, haben sich die Kartelle darauf verlegt, die Drogen direkt im Abnehmerland anzubauen. Immer öfters stoßen US-Behörden in den dichten Wäldern Nordamerikas auf riesige Marihuanaplantagen. Den Drogenbossen bringt der Anbau im Norden gleich zwei Vorteile: niedrigere Transportkosten und einen höheren Ertrag.

orf.at

The medical marijuana dispensary in this California wine country town is in a former auto dealership, and has more registered patients than the town has residents. Los Angeles has more dispensaries than Starbucks and almost as many as public schools.

The surge in medical marijuana in California has left many communities scrambling to regulate the free-for-all, while others are trying to ban the drug altogether. The issue took on greater urgency after the Obama administration announced looser federal marijuana guidelines last month.

durangoherald.com

Drugs Mortality UK vs Popular Press Reporting 2008

Google docs

Members of Advisory Council on Misuse of Drugs to demand assurance of future independence from home secretary Alan Johnson

More members of the government's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs are set to resign unless they receive reassurances on its future independence from the home secretary, Alan Johnson.

Johnson will meet members of the council on Tuesday, when he will attempt to placate them following the sacking of the council's chairman, Professor David Nutt.

guardian.co.uk

Alcohol continues to be the number one drug of concern for Australians seeking treatment for drug or alcohol issues, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

The report, Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia 2007–08: report on the National Minimum Data Set, found that treatment for alcohol issues has continued to increase, with treatment for alcohol comprising 44% of treatment episodes in 2007–08 compared with 38% in 2002–03.

virtualmedicalcentre.com