White Clay Profiting from the Disease of Alcoholism

The "dry" Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota is battling to protect its people from alcohol, which has systematically kept the residents in bondage. Pine Ridge is just across the border from the small town of Whiteclay (aka White Clay), Nebraska; the interesting thing about Whiteclay is that its sole purpose is to sell alcohol - a lot of it. The town consists of just 22 people, seems pretty harmless. What isn't harmless is the four State liquor stores in White Clay, an unbelievable number for a population of 22. Sadly these liquor stores are not in place to serve Nebraska locals, but, rather the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation just a few yards across the border in South Dakota is their target. It is believed that 80 percent of Pine Ridge's population suffers from the disease of alcoholism, a disease which is tearing the reservation apart. White Clay profiting from the Disease of Alcoholism is nothing short of an American atrocity.

Last Friday, activists called for action in the way of a crackdown on liquor outlets in the town of White Clay. According to the NP Telegraph, "those testifying criticized the four White Clay businesses that sell 3.2 million cans of beer each year - mostly to residents of the dry Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where alcohol-related problems and poverty are rampant". America is a country of free enterprise, but, when proponents of free enterprise system agree that liquor sales that contribute to such suffering is irresponsible then something is terribly wrong with the system. That is the viewpoint of Anthony Hendrickson, dean of Creighton University's College of Business, who also said, "This is beyond the pale. This is predatory. There's no excuse". He is right; there is no excuse for profiting off of other peoples' disease when all of this could be avoided. Pine Ridge is a dry reservation for a reason, alcohol has and still is shattering the community dynamic; if its citizens can literally walk across the border to get drunk, then Pine Ridge being dry has no sway on its people. The alcoholic would walk as far as necessary to get that next drink, especially if they can practically see the liquor store from their home window. The government needs to impose restrictions upon White Clay, I mean let's be real, White Clay knows exactly where their money comes from and Pine Ridge is nothing short of an atrocious gold mine exploited daily.

Hendrickson along with a dozen others testified before a joint hearing of the General Affairs and Judiciary Committees. They are trying to determine how to reduce the high rates of alcoholism, violence and fetal-alcohol syndrome that are destroying Pine Ridge. "State Sen. Russ Karpisek of Wilber, who visited the town earlier this year, said he wants to explore funneling some of the $122,000 a year in state liquor excise taxes generated in White Clay to alcohol rehabilitation programs", states the NP Telegraph. That idea seems like a great start at managing this epidemic; but, is it enough; will it really have that much weight on the people of Pine Ridge? A group of Omaha Creighton Prep students formed a "Solidarity Club"; they were able to gather 700 Internet signatures from people who support their efforts. The NP Telegraph reports that, "in the next few weeks, the students said, they plan to present a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to overturn a 1904 order and restore a 50-square-mile "buffer zone" of no alcohol sales along the Nebraska border". Karpisek agrees that the "buffer zone" could actually do a lot of good and would certainly make it harder for people in the reservation to acquire liquor; but, what if people will just drive further to get what they need, potentially creating more alcohol related accidents.

Clearly, action needs to be taken by both South Dakota and Nebraska together to curb this devastating social dilemma. People should not be allowed to profit from the suffering of others, despite this being a capitalist society. Education and prevention is really the only answer to this, the government needs to provide the option of drug treatment to the citizens of Pine Ridge. With out those crucial measures the people of Pine Ridge will be forever taken by the disease of alcoholism.

The War on Drugs Conference is Leaning Towards Legalization

If the United States were to legalize marijuana it would cripple the Mexican drug cartels severely. At least that is the hope and belief of the panelists at the War on Drugs conference last Tuesday. This idea is not a new one, and there are a lot of people who concur that the legalization of marijuana would financially devastate the cartels. The conference lasted two days and was held in El Paso, Texas. El Paso has now become the front line in this war due to its close proximity to Juarez. They evaluated America's War on Drugs over the last four decades; the major topic of discussion was regarding the pros and cons of legalization. William Martin, a sociology professor at Rice University who studies drug abuse and government policy believes that if marijuana were sold legally, as a controlled product, it might keep smokers away from other harder drugs. "If you are not going to a dealer to buy marijuana, you are less likely to go after harder drugs," states Martin. The War on Drugs conference is leaning towards legalization.

There was a reoccurring theme throughout the entire conference, panelist after panelist stated that America was as much to blame for the violence in Juarez as the Mexican government. The war being fought is over keeping Mexican drugs out of the United States, but, the majority of blood being spilled is Mexico's. According to the El Paso Times, "now that Mexico is trying to rid itself of the drug cartels that have killed thousands of people in the past 20 months, the United States should have an honest debate about drug policies that have done nothing to lessen demand, panelists said". We cannot continue to pretend that the U.S. is in anyway stemming the tide. Many politicians do not even want to broach the subject of legalization for the fear of their voters who are against it.

Nevertheless, drastic action needs to be taken if the killings are going to stop. Maybe, legalization would help? Maybe not? The United States and Mexico have a common enemy. It will take a joint effort to defeat this monster; cartels have become too powerful for the Mexican government to tackle this problem - they have tried and failed at the cost of many lives. In the past eight years the United States has devoted itself to foreign affairs, perhaps it is time to do some work at home. Marijuana is an addictive drug with negative side effects, but, we have to ask ourselves if prohibition is doing more harm than good. The Mexican border is becoming like Chicago in the 1930's and that is unacceptable on so many levels. When the War on Drugs conference is saying "Legalize", perhaps they have figured out something that might work - nothing else has.

The Policy in Mexico is to Stop the Flow of Illegal Drugs into the United States

The mass murders that happened at two rehab centers in Juarez may have been drug fronts. "Juarez is about to open its first city-operated drug treatment center in hopes of lowering the demand for drugs", according to Juarez Mayor Jose Reyes. Which, coupled with proper education in the schools could help to curb some of the drug problems in the city. Although, Reyes believes that it is time for the United States to step up and take charge with this growing epidemic. "Now it is the United States' turn to battle the drug cartels that have paralyzed Mexico for 20 months", Reyes said Monday at a War on Drugs conference. He claims that the archaic policies of the past 40 years in the U.S. had done nothing to lessen the demand for marijuana, cocaine and heroin. Good and innocent people all over Mexico are losing their lives trying to stem the drug flow into the U.S., it makes sense that America would put more effort into a war that is being fought to protect our soil. According to the El Paso Times, "the policy in Mexico is to stop the flow of illegal drugs into the United States, and that has caused a lot of people to be killed, Reyes said of the 3,200 homicides in Juarez since January 2008. From politicians to innocent people to police officers, they have all died trying to stop the flow of drugs into the United States".

Reyes brought up a very interesting point about the American view point on drugs, the contradictions that exist throughout our system raise some red flags. "On the same day a policeman in Mexico died in the line of fire, U.S. law officers declined to prosecute champion swimmer Michael Phelps for marijuana use", stated Reyes. "What is the message being sent?" Reyes asked. "That drug flow is not OK, but drug use is OK?" I cannot help but share Reyes sentiments on this subject, this is not to say that Phelps deserved punishment; however, if we have a no tolerance drug policy and loopholes exist in our system, how can we expect it to work? It can't! Many people believe that if we were to legalize some drugs like marijuana that it would enable our resources to be used more effectively towards the real criminals. Although, I understand Reyes, what do we tell the families of the victims of the war on drugs about their loss, when, we don't punish the people buying and using the drugs. The cop in Mexico died fighting to keep drugs out of the U.S., and we let people who use drugs off on the same day. The mixed messages are overwhelming, to say the least; the time for real policy change has arrived and we all need to do our part.

"We've had 40 years of failure with our policies, said Terry Nelson, a retired federal agent, now of a group called Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. Drug use does not cause crime. It is the prohibition of drugs that causes the crimes", reports the El Paso Times. U.S. law officers stop only 16 percent of the 2.1 million pounds of drugs that are shipped into the country each year, it is quite clear just who is winning the war on drugs. Nelson believes that when the killing stops in Juarez it means that there is a new cartel in charge, it is not a sign that law enforcement tactics are working - a stark realization. Both Reyes and Nelson have very good arguments and I cannot help but agree that America needs to reevaluate their role in this war and legalization of certain drugs needs to be considered if we are to have a fighting chance. If America is not going to make the investment towards education, then, it needs to lend its hand to all of Mexico; otherwise we will be fighting this battle forever.

More Killed At Another Drug Treatment Facility

At least 10 people, patients and therapists, were killed at another drug treatment facility in Ciudad Juarez. Armed men attacked a rehabilitation clinic for drug addicts in the violent border city for the second time in two weeks, authorities said Wednesday. The streets of Juarez are chaotic to say the least, but, this is the sixth drug treatment center attacked in the last 13 months. As we reported earlier this month 18 people were slain in the same way September 2. "Scores of treatment centers for people suffering from drug and alcohol abuse have sprung up in Mexican cities, reflecting the country's fast-growing addiction problem. Once just a pathway for drugs headed to the United States, Mexico has become a consumer nation; the government says the number of addicts increased by 51 percent from 2002 to 2008", the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Unfortunately, homes of recovery and rehabilitation have become hideouts for the very same people trafficking the drugs and the centers are used as recruiting grounds. This stark reality has led to the horrific executions by rival gangs where, sadly, innocent bystanders get caught in the mix.

"Despite a heavy military presence, Juarez is Mexico's most violent city in a raging drug war that has claimed more than 13,000 lives since December 2006", according to the SFC. Nobody is safe from the violence, Tuesday's attack at the Life Annex treatment left dead Dr. Iram Ortiz, the director, along with one female patient, seven male patients, and one other doctor. The Life Annex, whose name has become rather counter intuitive, is a center located in a working-class neighborhood of Juarez. "A survivor, who watched the massacre from a hiding place inside the clinic, told reporters that as many as eight men opened fire at random, shooting patients and anyone else in the building".

The Coco Bongo nightclub in Juarez was attacked, Wednesday, as customers were celebrating Mexican Independence Day. This shooting left five people dead and there is no doubt that this attack was drug cartel related. Once again it seems very clear that there is no safe place for anyone along the border cities; hospitals, treatment centers, and even night clubs. What will it take for Mexico to take control of its country again? The "wild west" has clearly moved south into what has become the lawless lands of beautiful, yet dangerous, Mexico. My heart goes out to all the innocent people caught in the middle of this greed driven war to supply drugs into the United States. What will it take to cure the human epidemic?

'Basketball Diaries' Author and Punk Icon Carroll Died

Jim Carroll, author of the famed Basketball Diaries, died on Friday of a heart attack. Carroll's life was forever shaped by his extensive Heroin use which is what most of his prose consisted of. Despite dying at, what many would consider, a young age, 60, he left behind a legacy that we all can cherish. He gave the world a close up, in depth, view of the trials and tribulations of an addict. In the 1970s, Jim Carroll played a major role in the New York art scene, where he mixed with artists such as Andy Warhol, Patti Smith, Larry Rivers and Robert Mapplethorpe. The 'Basketball Diaries' author and punk icon died from a heart attack at his home in Manhattan, his ex-wife Rosemary Carroll told The New York Times.

Carroll's poetry and other works were amazing, but, it was his gritty autobiographical tale of growing up in New York and ultimately becoming a drug addict, who went so far as to prostitute himself, that drew the most attention. "The book, which began life as a journal, was first published in 1978 and then became even more popular, particularly on college campuses, when it was issued as a mass-market paperback two years later", according to the NPR. It was adapted into a film in 1995 and it starred Leonardo DiCaprio. I always will remember the story as giving, arguably, the best portrayal of the progression of the disease of addiction; moreover, it showed people there was a way out if one so chose to do what was needed.

Jim Carroll starting writing poetry at a very young age. "Carroll was in his teens when he first received recognition for his poems, especially "Organic Trains" in 1967 and then "4 Ups and 1 Down" in 1970. Among his other works are collections such as The Book of Nods (1986), Fear of Dreaming (1993) and Void of Course: Poems 1994-1997 (1998)" reports the NPR. You can feel the pain in his words and you can hear his cries for help. So many pop icons have passed away this year it is almost unbelievable. However, it is uplifting to know that Carroll, unlike so many suffering from this disease, remained a productive member of society until the end of his days.

Prison System Falls Short In Treating Drug Addiction

The United States is literally sick with the disease of addiction. Every day countless numbers of people are sentenced to jail when they belong in drug treatment facilities. The U.S. prison system does not appropriately address the needs of people withdrawing from drugs and people are put through what could only be described as a form of torture. It is estimated that a quarter of a million people that are addicted to heroin are imprisoned each year in the United States. That number is only a fraction of all the people incarcerated that are addicted to various narcotics. Sadly, very few state run prisons offer, let alone provide, any form of detoxification or any type of treatment. A recent Science Daily article addressed this problem and had many interesting facts worth noting. Simply, the U.S. prison system falls short in treating drug addiction.

The Miriam Hospital at Brown University and their affiliated Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights did a study and their findings are almost hard to believe. "Just half of all federal and state prison systems offer ORT (opiate replacement therapy) with the medications methadone and buprenorphine, and only in very limited circumstances. Similarly, only twenty-three states provide referrals for some inmates to treatment upon release from prison. These policies are counter to guidelines issued by both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which say prisoners should be offered ORT for treatment of opiate dependence". There is no doubt that providing inmates with the option of ORT and referring prisoners to drug treatment centers, upon release, would dramatically decrease recidivism and ultimately would give people a chance at starting a new life. In turn this would make the streets safer for everyone and this would reduce the taxpayers' burden by keeping addicts from returning to jail over and over.

"Opiate addiction, like all forms of addiction, causes long-term changes to the structure and functioning of the brain, which is why it is classified as a disease. Addiction requires treatment just as other chronic diseases, like diabetes and cancer, do. Unfortunately, there is a large gap between the number of prisoners who require addiction treatment and those who actually receive it," added senior author Josiah Rich, MD, MPH, co-director of the Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights at The Miriam Hospital and Alpert Medical School. If an inmate were diagnosed with cancer they would receive proper medical treatment for the disease and the same goes with any illness. Why, then, is the disease of addiction overlooked and thrown under the bus time and time again? The science is clear and the facts have been posted on the wall, but, nobody wants to read them - let alone believe them.

"In spite of overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrating that pharmacological treatment for addiction has greater health and social benefits than abstinence-only policies, many prison directors are philosophically opposed to treating substance use. Most prisons also do not provide referrals for substance use treatment for prisoners upon release. These trends contribute to high re-incarceration rates and have detrimental impacts on community health. Our interviews with prison medical directors suggest that changing these policies may require an enormous cultural shift within correctional systems", stated Amy Nunn, ScD, the studies lead author and an assistant professor of medicine (research) at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. It is hard not to see Amy Nunn's point, real change and the destruction of the social stigmas that come along with addiction are ever so important. If prisons continue to view the disease of addiction as a question of willpower of weak moral fiber, then there will always be hundreds of thousands of people returning to prison as repeat offenders. Over 10 million people go to jail in America every year, most of which have or have had a substance abuse problem. The tools are available for curbing those numbers; however, we are failing to utilize them.

Seventeen Patients Killed in Drug Rehabilitation Center Shooting

Nobody is safe on the front line in the war on drugs in Mexico, nor in the United States. Tensions still run high despite the recent legalization of drugs in Mexico, on September 3rd, 17 patients were killed and two others were wounded in a drug rehabilitation center shooting in northern Mexico. Ciudad Juarez, a city in northern Mexico, has been the epicenter of the drug war, whose death toll has been literally "through the roof". It's a tragedy when people who are trying to better their lives by checking themselves into drug treatment centers find themselves still caught in the middle of this conflict. What will it take for people to be rid of the tyranny in Mexico? How long can the killings continue before the people of Mexico become tired and can't take it anymore demanding real change?

According to CNN, "Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz said authorities believe a rival drug gang attacked the men at the El Aviane rehab facility. At the very least, it was one organized crime group thinking that another group was operating in that place," Reyes told CNN. Juarez this year has had a staggering number of murders with a death toll of more than 1,420 people. This number will only increase before the year's end and most likely surpass last year's count of 1600 people. According to a Mexican Civic Group, Ciudad Juarez has had more murders per capita than any other city in the world. With a population of roughly 1.5 million people, that's 130 killings per 100,000 people was seen in a report released last week by the Mexican Citizens Council for Public Security; compared to New Orleans, which had more killings than any other city in the United States, who had 64 killings to every 100,000 people in 2008.

The constant war to control drug trade routes into the United States between the two major cartels in Mexico has brought about such a high murder rate. However, control of the trafficking routes is not the only cause for the spike in murders. "An unprecedented wave of violence has washed over Mexico since Calderon declared war on drug cartels shortly after coming into office in December 2006. More than 11,000 people have since died, about 1,000 of them police", said CNN. Many of the recent murders have been in retaliation to the "so-called" offensive, which sadly has been quite ineffective. The La Familia Michoacana drug cartel and its rival Sinaloa cartel are believed to be responsible for most of the violence seen in the last few years in northern Mexico.

We are very fortunate that drug treatment facilities in the U.S. are safe places to begin the journey into recovery. Nevertheless, America is a large part of the equation regarding the extensive murders in Mexico. Mexico fuels our insatiable need for drugs, it can not be stressed enough how crucial the United States is to finding a solution to the drug war in Mexico. If we are not part of the solution then we are part of the problem and it is clear that we have been part of the latter for too long. As it is, right now, the cartels are clearly in control and that is unacceptable; the time has come for better days, we cannot sit by and watch this massacre continue.

California Industrial Prison Complex Needs Reform

California's need for prison reform is absolutely staggering and a need for a change in the way we view certain crimes is completely necessary. The country is in the grips of a fiscal crisis, the question of how states can cut costs is ever looming; it is no secret that billions of dollars are spent every year imprisoning non-violent offenders, most of which are drug related, in California. There is no question that California's Industrial Prison Complex needs reform and policy changes are vital to helping us relieve some of the states fiscal stress. Today, the total is 168,000 inmates in California which is an increase of 740 percent since the 70's and it costs annually 10 billion dollars to operate; California has a $26 billion budget shortfall, so prisons account for almost half of that number.

A three-judge federal court panel Aug. 4 ordered California to reduce its prisoner roll by 43,000 inmates over the next two years. This is a huge step but there are a lot of people who are against the idea of setting convicted offenders free because we are in a budget crisis. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has cut prison spending by 1.2 billion which will only work if they reduce the amount of inmates. According the Coastal Post, "The state, the judges wrote shortly before a major riot at the state prison at Chino, has created a "criminogenic" system that actually pushes prisoners and parolees to more crimes through "appalling," "horrific" prison conditions: "Thousands of prisoners are assigned to 'bad beds,' such as triple-bunked beds placed in gymnasiums or day rooms, and some institutions have populations approaching 300 percent of their intended capacity. In these overcrowded conditions, inmate-on-inmate violence is almost impossible to prevent, infectious diseases spread more easily, and lockdowns are sometimes the only means by which to maintain control. In short, California's prisons are bursting at the seams and are impossible to manage."" That being said it is hard to believe that cutting prison spending without inmate reduction can do much good at all, it will only fuel the fire.

The reformist Drug Policy Alliance and its allies, a year ago, put a "Nonviolent Offender Rehabilitation Act" on the ballot. Drug treatment officials and a group of former corrections officials, believe that prison is not the answer to the drug problem in California; drug treatment has the greatest chance for curbing recidivism. Billions of tax dollars would be saved and could be put towards more constructive ideas throughout the state. On the other side of the United States, New York has repealed the "Rockefeller drug laws" which were the cause of prison over population as result giving drug offenders long sentences. In the last decade the New York State prisons have reduced their population by 10,000, a pretty amazing feat accomplished by offering treatment as opposed to prison. California obviously has some catching up to do, but, it is clear now what has to be done and New York is direct evidence that it is possible.

"Now California reformers are pushing a "People's Budget Fix" formula they say would save at least $12 billion over the next five years. It includes a claimed $5.5 billion through community-based addiction treatment for minor drug offenses (proposed by the Drug Policy Alliance)", reports the Coastal Post. It seems that we are heading in the right direction now that people realize that drug offenders, as well as the public, are better served by being provided treatment rather than locking people up and just expecting that that will change their behavior.

Afghanistan has become Riddled with Drug Addicts

War torn and covered by a blanket of despair, the country of Afghanistan has become riddled with drug addicts. A staggering number of addicts estimated to be 1.5 million, 120,000 of which are females (according to the Ministry of Narcotics) can be seen across the country. The Opium crop in Afghanistan is believed to be the main ingredient in 93 percent of the world's Heroin; despite that fact, there are many advocates attempting to legalize Opium crops throughout the country. The International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) has been promoting the legal cultivation of opium for many years. ICOS claims to have no affiliation with global drug companies trying to get a hold on the market for morphine. "Yet ICOS is no longer welcomed by the Afghan government. And, despite ICOS claims, the International Narcotics Control Board counters there is no worldwide shortage of heroin for medical purposes. Nineteen countries legally produce it; only India exports it." according to The Toronto Star.

In the last eight years both the United States and Great Britain have set out to eradicate the Opium fields in Afghanistan; however, despite their best efforts it has done little to curtail the enormous market. "Washington last month announced it was pulling out of the eradication scheme" despite the fact that 18 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces are believed to be Opium-free. Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, has said eradication "didn't reduce the amount of money the Taliban got by one dollar. It is almost as if the United States is given up the fight against Opium cultivation and this can only do more harm than good on a global scale.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan's domestic drug problem continues out of control while people continue to prosper off the drug. There are very few drug treatment facilities in Afghanistan and entire families are hooked on the drug in one form or another. "These men – and the addicted women shuttered inside their houses, routinely given opium during childbirth, even blowing heroin fumes into the mouths of colicky babies – can see no further than their next fix". Mothers and fathers try and get their children into treatment despite being addicted themselves. Heroin is a much more potent refined form of a Opium which has caused an epidemic in Afghanistan and many other countries as well.

Fortunately for those who suffer from addiction in America the option for treatment is readily available for those who want it. Please share your thoughts with us regarding this subject...