Russia is once again prepared to take custody of the Tajik-Afghan border. This was stated by head of the CIS Department of the Foreign Ministry of Russia Maxim Peshkov, formerly a Russian ambassador to Tajikistan.

According to him, it can be done "with regard to the situation in Afghanistan and the growing threat of terrorism." He said that the issue is currently under review and "if the Tajiks invite us to protect their borders, there is no reason to deny this request."

pravda.ru

The Obama administration has called Mexican drug cartels "the single greatest organised crime threat to America". But why are the cartels fighting each other with American guns?

Jim Pruett still has the boulder that suspected weapons traffickers dumped through the glass front of his Houston gun store last month.

bbc.co.uk
msn.com
independent.co.uk
huffpostfund.org
Top 12 dealers of guns seized in Mexico

A recording leaked to the Mexican press features a senior leader of the La Familia drug cartel urging members to stand fast in the wake of the death of their figurehead and painting the criminal group as rebels with a cause.

"It had to happen one day so don't despair, this is not over," Servando Gómez Martinez, alias La Tuta, says of the death last week of the group's "spiritual leader", Nazario Moreno, also known as the Doctor. "We will stay united and we will achieve what the Doctor wanted and what he inculcated into us with so much love."

guardian.co.uk

A small drone used by Mexican federal police was flying in its country's airspace before malfunctioning, forcing controllers to crash it across the Texas border in El Paso, a Mexican government official told The Associated Press.

The unmanned aircraft was on routine patrol before it crashed Tuesday night in an El Paso yard, said the Mexican government official, who spoke Friday on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the issue.

msn.com

Online video of Miley Cyrus smoking the plant in a bong has peaked interest in the legal psychoactive, which is sold locally.

Health Canada is warning people to avoid using the Mexican herb Salvia divinorum until its effects are better understood.

Native to Oaxaca, Mexico, the plant known as Magic Mint or Seer's Sage has been used for centuries by Mazatec Indian shamans for medicinal purposes and to induce visions, but also has gained a foothold in Canada and United States as a recreational drug.

Salvia divinorum is not illegal in Canada, but the herb has been under study by the national health agency since at least 2006 to determine whether it should be regulated under the Controlled Drug and Substance Act.

 

calgaryherald.com
old zack

Ehepaar zapfte Strom illegal am Gang an - Anbau seit mindestens zwei Jahren

Eine äußerst professionell betriebene Marihuanaplantage hat die Polizei in Wien-Neubau ausgehoben: Das verhaftete Ehepaar soll eine Wohnung am Urban-Loritz-Platz als Anbaufläche genutzt haben. Mindestens zwei Jahre lang bauten die 44-Jährige und ihr 55-jähriger Partner auf der gesamten Wohnfläche Hanfpflanzen an, teilte die Polizei in einer Aussendung mit.

Für den Betrieb der Anlage mit Beleuchtungs- und Bewässerungsgeräten zapften die beiden Strom am Gang ab und überbrückten dabei den Stromzähler. Von außen gab es keine Hinweise wie Gerüche auf die Riesenplantage.

derstandard.at

Chefs Scott Durrah (8 Rivers), Lauren Gennett and Rachel Wolpo will offer a series of cooking demonstrations for Simply Pure, the Colorado edibles company founded by Durrah and his wife, Wanda James, at KushCon II, which runs today through December 19 at the Colorado Convention Center.

"I never would have imagined that my love of cooking and cannabis could bring so much comfort and peace to people's lives," says Durrah. He and James were our Best Medical Marijuana Advocates in the Best of Denver 2010. "We care about what our patients eat, so everything we prepare is 100 percent organic and tested for potency and purity."

westword.com

City's Medical Pot Sales Reach $35 Million In 2010

Most sectors of the economy are pretty grim right now, but that assessment doesn't include the medical marijuana business in Oakland, California.

The city is projecting that Oakland's three dispensaries will sell between $35 million and $38 million worth of cannabis this year, reports Zusha Elinson at The Bay Citizen. That means about three and a quarter tons of marijuana -- 104,000 ounces, or 4.2 million joints.

tokeofthetown.com