Monthly Archives: April 2009

Guerilla Group, Maoist Shining Path, Kills 13 Peruvian Troops in Ayacucho Province

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Last Thursday, the Peruvian government reported that leftist, militia guerillas where responsible for the deaths of 13 Peruvian army troops while fighting against the cocaine traffickers in the remote mountainous regions of the Ayacucho province. The region is controlled by the military group that calls itself, the Maoist Shining Path, which in recent years has taken on cocaine growing and trafficking.

The Minister of Defense, Antero Flores, told the press that two separate ambushes were staged, in which grenades, heavy artillery, and even dynamite were used against the troops. This latest military attack from the Maoist Shining Path marks the eleventh since January of 2009.

According to government reports, the Maoist Shining Path has strayed quite far off the path from the socialist ideology it held for nearly two decades. Instead, the group now aims to control the coca-growing region by planting themselves firmly as the main drug trafficking entity in the Ayacucho province.

Even though Peruvian President Alan Garcia receives millions in aid from the US government to help fight the drug war in Peru, which is second biggest producer of cocaine in the world after Colombia, it just doesn’t seem like the situation is under control when attacks like those recently committed are prevalent.

Colombian Priest Takes on Drug Dilemma to Bring Kids Hope

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Fr Ariel Ruiz, the 28 year old Redemptorist parish priest of El Lleras in Buenaventura, Colombia.

These days, there is a new kind of war being waged in one Colombian city, but unlike the violent battles between the government and narco-traffickers for control, this fight involves a priest who uses knowledge to aid Colombia’s children.

As the drug wars continue and become more violent, they are beginning to spill over to new cities where the government and drug traffickers, alike, battle for power of these strategic zones. One such place is the seaport town of Buenaventura on the west coast. It is home to the neighborhood El Lleras, which is one of the most dangerous and poorest slums in that part of the country. The situation has left El Lleras with a more than 70 per cent unemployment rate, which has led youths in the town to get into the drug trade for quick, big money.

But one local priest named Father Ariel Ruiz has something to say about this. For the last few years, the father has taken an active stance in the community, setting up programs like his “Exchange a Bullet for a Book” project, aimed at educating the children of El Lleras with the hope of broadening their future opportunities. Additionally, Father Ruiz has opened the parish’s community center to the whole neighborhood, which has several computers with internet access and a library of books.

Still, the father continues with his practices, despite the fact that two priests from his order, the Redemptorists, who participated in similar initiatives, were murdered in another part of Colombia for “unknown” reasons. When asked about the dangers, he responded, “It is a tense situation and we have to be careful,” he added later that the church deliberately chose to involve itself with the people to educate them of their rights.

Results of Portugal’s Decriminalization Data Show Not Enough is being Done

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Drug Decriminalization

An article recently published in the journal, “Scientific America,” cited statistical information from the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C. that validated the success Portugal has had in lowering crime, and reducing HIV cases and drug addiction, since it decriminalized drugs in 2001. However, the data cannot conclude that the cause of such reductions where the direct result decriminalizing drugs.

In fact, some would argue that the decriminalization of drugs in Portugal created an environment where drug use was promoted because possession and use of hard drugs like heroin, cocaine, and marijuana were not illegal. Either way, the fact remains that Portugal found a drug policy that is effective and beneficial to society. It is no wonder that Portugal has done so, because the direct result of the decriminalization policy was progressive government action that funded and backed recovery programs fully.

Thus, it stands that the decriminalization of drugs is not required to create a national drug policy that is effective and beneficial to society, but rather, any country in the world could yield the same results as Portugal, if they were willing to spend the funds to implicate the same kind of proactive government policies that are committed to placing drug abusers into proper treatment centers.

Is there a Solution to the US/Mexican Border, Drug Crisis?

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US/Mexico

The following is a press release from www.transworldnews.com that address the gravity of the drug situation on the US/Mexican border and entertains different ideas about how it could possibly be addressed, including the possible legalization of now illegal substances.

Is Legalization the Best Way to Address Mexican Drug Trafficking Violence?
April 8, 2009 4/08/2009 09:33 PM GMT (TransWorldNews)

Recent headlines report the decision by U.S. officials to battle Mexican border violence with the assignment of increased personnel and technology at border crossings. As concerns rise, many public figures are going on record favor of the legalization of three of the main drugs being trafficked by the drug cartels: marijuana, heroin and cocaine. Arguments in favor of legalization claim that drug cartels would be put out of business as these drugs, legalized, could be manufactured and distributed under controlled conditions. Other benefits include “less illness,” “use would still be a public nuisance that could be fined,” and “drugs would be purer, less contaminated.”

The way things are now, approximately two percent of the U.S. population over 12 years of age is dependent on or illicitly abusing drugs. In 2007, more than 2.5 million people used an illicit drug or abused a prescription drug for the first time….

For more information, read the full article at:
http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=82908&cat=15

Church Condemns Argentina's Views on Drugs

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A group of priests from the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires recently issued a statement condemning the lackadaisical attitude that the Argentinean government takes on illegal drugs, arguing that the laissez faire stance has created an environment in which they are “practically legal.” Specifically, the priest’s comments were directed at local ministers and judges, who they felt have played an active part in decrimalizing drugs and cited that subsequent failures of such policies are evident in the lack of care for addicted youths in poor neighborhoods.

In the statement, the priests wrote, “These are persons, human beings, who die or who are left with a broken life. That is why it is time to do something. Even if we only save one.” They also called for action on the government’s part to fight against the drug traffickers and distributors who are perpetuating the violence and addiction aimed mainly at the children of Buenos Aires ghettos. The priests closed the statement by proposing solutions, noting that the only way to solve the problem is by implementing drug abuse, support plans for affected families, as well as, long-term, education and prevention strategies in schools so children could be reached directly.

1996 Welfare Reform Act Still Effects Ex-Drug Offenders

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According to an independent study group out of the nation’s capital, it is estimated that approximately 92,000 women and 135,000 children have been negatively affected by the 1996 Welfare Reform act that prohibits ex-drug offenders from receiving federal assistance like welfare and food stamps.

However, many of the state’s that originally voted for the bill have slowly but surely been passing legislature to repeal the 1996 Welfare Reform act. For example, in October of 2004, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the California state government decided to reinstate eligibility for ex-drug offenders as part of the Drug Policy Alliance.

For all the state’s that repealed the 1996 Welfare Reform act, it seemed that the bill was completely discriminatory in that sex offenders or murders were not barred from federal assistance, while drug offenders, most of whom were in recovery and in desperate need of services, were disqualified from any form of aid.

The latest to join the fight was the Missouri state government. Democratic senator, Yvonne Wilson, out of Kansas City is sponsoring new legislation that would reinstate food stamp eligibility to more than 15,000 Missourians with drug convictions. For Missourians and their state government, it is a matter of doing the right thing to ensure economic justice for ex-drug offenders.

1/4 of Drug Addicts in Scotland Waited a Year for Assessment

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aglobalrecovery

The BBC recently reported that a quarter of all drug addicts in Scotland have waited more than a year for NHS assessment.  Additionally, hundreds who have already been approved by the NHS have already waited over a year to receive care.  The Scottish government said that more must be done to remedy the problem.

The actual figure breaks down as follows: 554 patients waited more than 52 weeks for an assessment appointment; 318 patients waited between six months and a year for an assessment date; and 210 addicts waited more than a year for treatment to begin, while 109 were more were left waiting between six months and a year.

An independent Scottish group dedicated to overseeing public spending, called Audit Scotland, noted that are more than 50,000 drug addicts in Scotland that has elevated the public spending of the National Health Service to the tune of almost $3.0 billion.

While a Scottish Government spokesman said that their figures indicated improvement from the previous quarter, with an 10% improvement in waiting times for assessment referrals and a 20% improvement on intervention waiting times, the fact still remains that the longer addicts have to wait for services the longer their addictions are fortified.

Canadian Province Pushes for Drug Abuse Program Reform

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Canadian drug abuse reform

As it currently stands in Edmonton, the capital of the Alberta province, parents have the right to court order drug addicted teens for up to five days in a drug abuse program with no strings attached.  However, because of the recent rise in crystal meth use across Canada, which has augmented the court orders under the Protection of Children Abusing Drugs Act (PChAD) to more than 1,500 since July of 2006, Canadian law makers are considering a referendum to change the current five day, stay limit to between 10-15 days.

The new Canadian drug abuse, program reform would also call for more parental involvement and funding for treatment centers and addiction specialists from the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Addiction Commission, to the tune of $13.9 million in just the first year.  Still, Canadians in general are supportive of the referendum.  Most parents feel that the court ordered stays in drug abuse programs is their only tool in the fight against the epidemic of teen drug addiction currently sweeping the Canadian province of Alberta.

AADAC’s executive director of the PCHAD program, Diann Tansem, had this to say about parents’ point of view on the new reform: “What we’ve learned is many parents see this as their only resort,” she said. “For them, it is a first step to getting their child into AADAC.”

Canadian parents can expect to see the new drug abuse program reform soon, as it will take affect later this month (April 2009).

Children in Foster Care due to Drug Abuse doubled in UK City in 2008

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Foster Care

According to municipal data and statisticians, the rate of children left to foster care as a result of parental drug abuse doubled in the city of Edinburgh, U.K. last year.  To combat the wave of deserted children, the city of Edinburgh has launched a campaign to raise awareness for at-risk children via a PSA DVD.  It turns out that half the children were infants and the other half were still pre-natal when placed into the care of the state.  Apparently, of the 99 babies left to foster care, two thirds were afflicted with alcohol or drug addiction ailments that were passed on by mothers.

Still, the Edinburgh government has developed campaigns for adoption that are geared toward finding homes for these children who are greatly in need.  The reality is that many of these tots have a range of physical, cognitive and emotional problems and need extra care.  Currently, the abundance of new cases has left the Edinburgh social workers thinned out, so the city’s council has aggressively been seeking citizens of the community to take part in resolving the problem.

Canadian social-program gives Homeless Alcoholics free drinks

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On any typical day in Ottawa’s Parliament Hill district, you can find homeless people being fed and taken care of, which is fine with most people, however, when free alcoholic drinks are being distributed to them several times throughout the day by social-programs that receive funding from the local government, controversy is sparked.

It turns out that the Canadian based social-program, Ottawa Inner City Health project, used to receive funds from a combination of donations and public funding from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care; and even though they incorporated as the nonprofit organization, Ottawa Inner City Health, Inc. in February 2005, the group still receives help from the OMHLTC to find funding.

Still, the fact of the matter is that the program is working.  It is estimated that the initiative carried out by Ottawa Inner City Health has saved the local health-care system over $3.5 million by way of managing the homeless alcoholics, consumption behaviors and thus reducing or eliminating their numerous hospital emergency rooms visits.  Also, according to local businesses and community members, the program has created a much safer and realistic solution.

However, it is clear that no similar program exists in Ottawa that gives drug addicts free drugs on a regular basis as a means to “control” the problem.  In reality, this is considered an unfeasible proposition by the same local groups that govern the program that gives alcoholics free drinks.  Additionally, a lot of recovering alcoholics and drug addicts feel that the program is not a reasonable solution because it acts more like a Band-Aid, rather than a real resolution.  Truthfully, many feel that the only “real” solution would be to spend the funds instead on recovery and rehabilitation treatment.