Oregon became the first U.S. state to decriminalize the possession of all drugs on Nov. 3, 2020. Measure 110, a ballot initiative funded by the Drug Policy Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy group backed in part by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, passed with more than 58% of the vote. Possessing heroin, cocaine,...
San Francisco Sues 28 Alleged Dealers to Stop Flow of Drugs
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco sued 28 alleged drug dealers who frequent a downtown neighborhood where broad daylight drug dealing and drug use is common in an effort to clean up the area that has seen the city's largest number of overdose deaths, authorities announced Thursday. San Francisco City Attorney...
Kern County Jail Aide Arrested for Conspiring With Inmates
The Kern County Sheriff's Office arrested one of its own in connection with an alleged criminal conspiracy at the Lerdo pre-trial jail. The office announced the April 9 arrest of sheriff’s aide Erik Belmontes, 26, on Tuesday. Bail Set at $110,000 Belmontes faces multiple charges. They include bringing illegal drugs and...
Sex. Drugs. Virus. Venezuela Elites Still Party in Pandemic
MIAMI — They whiled away the week on a sex- and drug-fueled romp: dancing on white-sand beaches and frolicking on a paradisaical Caribbean island with prostitutes from Europe, some snapping selfies with famous reggaeton artists. But unbeknownst to several children of Venezuela's ruling elite, the coronavirus was spreading among them....
CA’s Gun Sentencing Laws Aren’t Tough Enough, so Feds Are Stepping In
On paper, William Carl Adkins is a perfect candidate for prosecution under California’s tough gun control laws. At 34, he has a rap sheet that dates to 2007 and includes possession of drugs with intent to sell, vehicle theft, burglary, drugs again, and, in 2014, being a felon in possession...
Baba Ram Dass, Spiritual Guru and LSD Pioneer, Dies at 88
MAUI, Hawaii — Baba Ram Dass, the 1960s counterculture spiritual leader who experimented with LSD and traveled to India to find enlightenment, returning to share it with Americans, has died. He was 88. Dass’ foundation, Love Serve Remember, announced late Sunday that the author and spiritual leader died peacefully at...
How North America Trade Deal Dealt a Setback to Big Pharma
A revamped North American trade deal is nearing passage in Congress, giving both the White House and House Democrats cause to claim victory. There is relief, too, for farmers and businesses that wanted clearer rules governing the vast flow of goods among the United States, Canada and Mexico. But the...
Walters: California's Half-a-Loaf Syndrome
Joe Mathews, another guy who makes his living by scribbling about California, penned a very perceptive article recently about the state’s proclivity for not following through on policy pronouncements. “California is stuck in the gray zone,” Mathews wrote, referring to “a military term for the space between peace and war… “In California...
50 Arrested, Guns Seized in Central California Gang Takedown
STOCKTON — Authorities say 50 people were arrested and dozens of guns seized in a law enforcement operation targeting the Norteno street gang in central California. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced Tuesday that the gang members are suspected of a variety of crimes in Stockton. The defendants could face...
Mother Allegedly Tried to Smuggle Meth With Son, 6, in Car
SAN DIEGO — Border patrol agents have arrested a woman they say tried to smuggle nearly 70 pounds of methamphetamine through a Southern California checkpoint with her 6-year-old son in the car. Authorities say the woman, a 25-year-old Mexican citizen, was stopped at the Pine Valley checkpoint in San Diego...