Killed Over Pot Part 2: Why Was Kentrail Small Killed?
Cannabis historian David Malmo-Levine exposes the Drug War Death Squads currently operating in the United States, and investigates President Trump’s plans to dial them up to 11
“The deaths of Scott, Hammond and others are a reminder that as long as a drug remains illegal, its mere presence is enough to trigger an encounter with law enforcement that could turn out deadly for individuals on either side of it.”
“Marijuana really can be deadly – when encountering police officers,” The Washington Post, October 7, 2016 (1)
Image #1: “Marijuana really can be deadly – when encountering police officers,” The Washington Post, October 7, 2016
A First Estimate: At Least Two Killed Over Pot By Cops Every Year In North America
Back in 2021, I wrote an article titled “Killed Over Pot” (2) about how approximately two people are killed each and every year in North America over botched low level pot law enforcement. Two people that we know of – the actual number is probably higher. If you add the number killed from pot prohibition related violence over turf wars or deals gone sour or pot prisoners who died as a result of imprisonment, the numbers are much, much higher. If you add the number killed outside North America, the numbers begin to skyrocket. If you look at the number of deaths associated with the rest of the global drug war, the figures are astronomical.
Image #2: “Killed Over Pot,” David Malmo-Levine, Cannabis Culture, May 18, 2021
Recently, I was discussing with a friend how messed up pot “legalization” was, that it was really a pot cartel disguised as legalization, and that people – especially Indigenous people (3) – were still getting raided (4) and even still getting shot and killed over pot in spite of the fact that all of Canada and half the United States (5) has claimed to “legalize” pot use and sales. I sent this friend a link to my “Killed Over Pot” article and she noticed that the publishing date was 2021 and she pointed out that it was almost 2025, and she said it was all “the aftermath of trying to change the trade from illegal to legal” and that she would “highly doubt there is as much conflict now.”
Perhaps she was right. It wouldn’t take too long to find out for sure one way or another.
Image #3: “The Raid Lobby,” David Malmo-Levine, September 25, 2022
Arrests Dropping, Sort Of
In the United States, the number of arrests for marijuana is decreasing, (6) from a high of close to 900,000 pot arrests annually in 2008 down to around 225,000 per year today (although there was a slight uptick between 2021 and 2022). (7) Arrest rates have remained at high levels for black people, indicating that legalization is as racist as prohibition was. (8)
Image #4: norml.org
In Canada, the over-all number of arrests have also been dropping, with 55,657 arrests in 2016 dropping to 10,824 arrests in 2022. (9) Although there was also an uptick between 2020 and 2021 – mostly because of more import and export arrests in British Columbia and Quebec. (10) And Canada’s pot legalization has also been pretty racist, (11) just like Canada’s pot prohibition was. (12)
Image #5: 150.statcan.gc.ca
But in spite of the racism and the upticks, arrests in both countries have been decreasing overall. Surely this must have meant the number of people dying over pot was decreasing too.
So then I began searching Google for stories involving “shooting” and “police” and “marijuana” and “cannabis” – US journalists were more likely to use the word “marijuana” while Canadian journalists would more often use “cannabis”. I also began searching the Wikipedia database for lists of “killings by law enforcement officers” in both the U.S. (13) and Canada, (14) as well as the Wikipedia page for “list of unarmed African Americans killed by law enforcement officers in the United States” (15) – Wikipedia did not provide a similar “unarmed non-white Canadians killed” list for Canada.
From these searches I began to discover that the rate of police killings to arrests involving low level pot enforcement has not slowed down. In fact, the rate seems to have increased.
One story in particular provided an example of how the police knew they were being evil, and tried to hide that fact from the public. It was the story of the Indiana Metropolitan Police Department’s killing of Kentrail Small.
Small was one of at least 127 people killed by police officers in the United States in August of 2024. (16) 127 victims of police killings. In one month. That’s a Boing 737-300 filled to near capacity’s (17) worth of dead victims of US police. In just. One. Month.
Just to contrast that with other parts of the world, 127 people is eight more than were killed by police officers in Germany (which has about 1/4th the US population) in not in just one month – or one year – but in an entire decade between 2013 and 2023. (18)
Image #6: mappingpoliceviolence.org
Only One Warrant . . . Sorry, I Meant To Say Two Entirely Different Warrants.
But the police killing of Kentrail Small was different in one respect from most police killings. From the very beginning, something seemed extra wrong about this one. The story the police told regarding the warrant they were serving changed over the course of the first few days. And the moment the story changed was the moment a reporter discovered that the warrant was for simple possession of marijuana, and then asked the police about it.
August 23rd, 2024, Kentrail Small, 40 years old, Lawrence, Indiana (rec/med illegal)
On the official Facebook page of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, at 10:53 am on the morning of August 23rd, 2024, a press release was issued regarding the shooting of Kentrail Small. This press release was read aloud in front of the news media by an officer and both the text and the video was posted on Facebook. The part of the initial press release that now stands out to me as the most unbelievable aspect – the part which was contradicted by statements from the police later on that day and again 3 days later – was this part here:
“Detectives are confident there is no ongoing threat to the community. There is no suspect outstanding.” (my emphasis) (19)
In other words, “There was only one warrant. We got the person we intended to get. Job done.”
Image #7: First IMPD briefing on the killing of Kentrail Small, August 23rd, 2024, 10:53 am. At approximately 3:00 of the video, the officer clearly says “There is no suspect outstanding.”
Image #8: Second IMPD briefing on the killing of Kentrail Small. At 2:30 minutes into the video the officer clearly says “There is no suspect outstanding.”
The first media report (WTHR Channel 13) – which included most of the statement issued by the police (minus the names of the officers responsible for the shooting) – was sent out about 20 minutes after the shooting. It did not mention that the “suspect” they were looking for was different than the “suspect” they found and shot. (20)
The second media report (Fox 59) – about 30 minutes after the shooting – was also about the shooting of an “armed and dangerous” man who the narcotics detectives were interested in. No mention of not finding the suspect they were looking for. In fact, the media use the term “suspect” for the person mentioned in the police’s warrant and then use the term “suspect” in the very next sentence to describe the person the police shot, suggesting the person they were looking for was the person they shot. (21)
The third report (WISH TV) – also about 30 minutes after the shooting – repeated the “armed and dangerous” narrative. The fact that the person who got shot was the person the cops were looking for was not in question. The type of “narcotics” involved was never mentioned. The media use the term “man” to describe who is mentioned in the warrant and then use the term “man” in the very next sentence to describe who the police shot. The media certainly made it seem like the person the police were looking for was the person they shot. (22)
Here’s the kicker. The fourth report (Indianapolis Star) – an hour and 12 minutes after the shooting – mentioned that the warrant of the dead man involved “possession of marijuana.” It was THEN (and only then) that the police began to suggest that there might have been a different – more dangerous – man involved that they were actually looking for – with a different warrant. They suggested that it was an accident that they ran into Kentrail Small where they thought the dangerous person might be:
“LAWRENCE, Ind. – What started as a search warrant for narcotics, ultimately ended in a man’s death after he and police made split-second decisions. At about 10:30 a.m. Friday, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department SWAT officers were attempting to serve a search warrant to a man they described as ‘armed’ and ‘dangerous’ at the Park Terrace Motel, 9025 Pendleton Pike, in Lawrence. … The man was identified as 40-year-old Kentrail Small by the Marion County Coroner’s Office. Online court records indicate Small had a warrant pending out of Hancock County for possession of marijuana. Police have not said if this was the warrant being served Friday.” (23)
Three days later, the TV reporters indicated that
“According to court records, Small was wanted after failing to appear in court on a misdemeanor marijuana charge last year, but that was not the warrant the police came to serve. ‘There are some other circumstances in which this individual is on our radar, and so me saying anything right now would just be speculation but as we move forward in that investigation we’ll know more about why in particular this individual was a target of ours.’” (24)
Image #9: “Man shot, killed by IMPD SWAT while serving a search warrant at motel,” August 26th, 2024
It seems that the last quote – taken from a police officer – was from the day of the shooting (police tape surrounding the crime scene can be seen behind him) and yet there was no mention of the “other warrant” or the “other suspect”. And the “other circumstances” also never materialized – the warrant for Small was for possession of marijuana, period.
Finally, sometime between 4:18 pm and 8:47 pm on August 26th, the police had gotten their story straight and decided to share the information that it was a different (unnamed) person on the warrant, one who was so dangerous that they justified a SWAT team. But not so dangerous that they would share the identity of this other actual target with the public.
“LAWRENCE, Indiana — IMPD SWAT was serving a warrant on Aug. 23 when they shot and killed 40-year-old Kentrail Small at a hotel in Lawrence. Small was wanted for failure to appear on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge out of Hancock County. According to court documents, Small was a passenger in a car that was stopped on June 24, 2023 in Greenfield. The officer said Small admitted to smoking marijuana and having it with him. The driver of the car also had a handgun that appears to have been legally hers. Searching the car, police found two baggies of marijuana. Small was issued a summons arrest to appear in court for misdemeanor marijuana possession. Small did not make his court date, and on Aug. 17, 2023, a warrant was issued for his arrest. But IMPD says that wasn’t the warrant that led to the shooting. Around 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, an IMPD SWAT team served a warrant at a motel in the 9000 block of Pendleton Pike in Lawrence. In a statement after the shooting, police said they were there ‘to locate a wanted adult male suspect, who was known to be armed and dangerous and in possession of narcotics.’ IMPD told 13News that the SWAT team didn’t know that Small was in the hotel. They were there to perform a search warrant for the room, and didn’t know who was inside. ‘We would never use the SWAT team on a misdemeanor warrant,’ said Lt. Patterson with IMPD.” (25)
In spite of the police’s first statement – that there was “no suspect outstanding” – it turns out that after it was revealed that the search warrant for the person they shot was for failure to appear for a simple possession of marijuana charge, then the police suggested and (three days later) admitted that there was still a suspect at large that they didn’t find. That was a weird reversal in the story.
And in spite of killing a person that wasn’t even the person they claimed to be looking for, the police did not volunteer the name of the person they were actually looking for. This also struck me as weird. Didn’t the police owe it to the public to back up their new story with something less vague than “we were actually looking for this other unnamed dude”?
The TV News people took the police’s spin on the story at face value, deciding to cover how many times warrants were served at that address, rather than demanding to have a look at the “actual” warrant. (26)
Another thing which struck me as weird was the claim that they would “never use a SWAT team on a misdemeanor warrant”. It seems like a reasonable policy on the surface, but the entire drug war is a case of massive racist overkill. Why would one expect that one section of the drug war to be any different than the rest of it?
Massive Racist Overkill
Is it true that police would never use a swat team against someone guilty of having a little bit of pot? Not according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
In June of 2014 the ACLU released a report titled War Comes Home: The Excessive Militarization of American Policing. The ACLU report pointed out that 62 percent of SWAT deployments were for drug searches, and that these searches often resulted in finding inconsequential amounts of drugs, rather than the “hostage, sniper, or terrorist situations” for which SWAT teams were originally created to handle:
“Further, often the quantity of drugs found did not seem to justify a SWAT deployment. For example, the Allentown SWAT team was deployed to search someone’s house for drugs. They executed the warrant at 6:00 a.m., knowing children were likely to be present. When gathering intelligence the day before, the team did not see any weapons. Nonetheless, the team deployed a distraction device, broke the door down with a battering ram, and entered the residence to find three adults and three children asleep in the home. The team found no weapons and what the report described as a ‘small amount of marijuana.’” (27)
Image #10: WAR COMES HOME – The Excessive Militarization of American Policing, American Civil Liberties Union, June 2014
Image #11: Most SWAT team activity is Drug War activity. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Season 8, Episode 3: “Police Raids and No-Knock Warrants in the United States.” Air date: February 28, 2021.
The report also pointed out evidence of the racist nature of the drug war, namely that
“. . . all of the drug-related SWAT raids we studied were more likely to impact people of color than whites, though all people use drugs in roughly the same rates.” (28)
A cop watchdog website called Incarcernation was the only source I could find about the killing that mentioned that Kentrail Small was black. (29) There was no mention of the race of Small or the race of the person on the “actual” warrant anywhere in the mass media or social media. It was as if the racist drug war was a taboo subject or something. It was as if this context didn’t matter.
Image #12: wishtv.com
It appears that – after looking at the history of SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) teams – such teams were always justified by claiming they were necessary for highly dangerous situations that regular cops couldn’t handle. But the people who created the first SWAT teams knew that the drug war was one of those situations, and used the public’s fear of the drug dealer – drilled into their minds by a racist 70 year-long propaganda campaign – to help pass the legislation. The Wikipedia page about SWAT teams put it this way:
“Early police powers and tactics used by SWAT teams were aided by legislation passed in 1967-8 with the help of Republican House representative Donald Santarelli. The legislation was promoted within the context of fears over the civil rights movement, race riots, the Black Panther Party, and the emerging War on Drugs. … In 1972, paramilitary police units launched a few hundred drug raids annually within the United States. In the early 1980s, SWAT drug raid numbers increased to 3000 annually, and by 1996, 30,000 raids annually. During the 1990s, according to The Capital Times in Madison, Wisconsin, weapons donations from the Department of Defense greatly bolstered the number of SWAT teams and the extent of their operations. The paper reported that the military transferred nearly 100,000 pieces of military equipment to Wisconsin police departments in the 1990s.” (30)
Image #13: “SWAT officers on a Lenco BearCat, an infantry mobility vehicle notable for common police use, in Charleston County, South Carolina,” – Wikipedia, SWAT.
The fact that the search warrant for Small was being served at a cheap motel rather than an expensive hotel is not an accident. Most if not all of the killings explored in this article involve attacks on poor or lower middle class drug users and dealers. The racist or classist nature of the drug war isn’t specific to the United States, as the sections below regarding executions for drug offences in Singapore – and extrajudicial killings in the Philippines – will attest to.
PTSDPD – Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Police Department
Lawrence, Indiana – the city where Kentrail Small was shot and killed – is a city that borders on the much bigger city of Indianapolis, Indiana. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) was in charge of the raid. More details about the shooting were available on the IMPD website. They keep details on all the police shootings they have every year. (31)
The names of the officers who shot and killed Small were available there and on the press release available on the IMPD Facebook page, but not in any of the reporting in the news media. The officer’s names were Officer Zachery Carver, and Sergeant Michael Antonelli.
I was curious to know the background stories of these officers, so after entering their names into the search engine at newspapers.com, I came up with an interesting fact about Sergeant Antonelli: he had been shot in the face – and lost an eye – by another black drug criminal.
On November 20th, 2005, Officer Michael Antonelli pulled over Kenya Wright “for failing to use his turn signal”. (32) At the time, Wright had an outstanding warrant for “dangerous drug possession.” (33) I have been unable to determine which “dangerous drug” Wright was accused of possessing.
Image #14: “IPD officer describes being shot in the face,” The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Indiana, December 5th, 2006, p. B2
Antonelli blames his anger issues – and the failure of his relationship with his fiancée – on being shot in the face by this black drug possessor:
“Antonelli said he started to feel angry. He was mad at the person who stole his eye and threatened to steal the only career he ever wanted. In the wake of the trauma, he and his fiancée, Amanda Rumsey, called off their wedding and split up in March. The stress of the recovery, he said, was too much for their relationship.” (34)
Image #15: “‘Somebody was looking out for me – IPD officer counting his blessings after shooting,” The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Indiana, November 28th, 2005, p. A1
In fact, this was not the first time Officer Antonelli had been shot at by suspected drug criminals – a fact revealed in the first reporting on him getting shot in the face:
“Five months ago, Antonelli escaped injury after being shot at as he and another officer checked on possible drug activity in the 600 block of North Oxford Street. … Antonelli and other IPD officers had been conducting surveillance near the residence because of reports of drug dealing, police reports stated.” (35)
Hey, let’s keep sending in the traumatized, permanently disabled white cop to serve bullshit pot possession warrants on small time gun-toting non-white drug criminals in the context of a racist drug war. What could possibly go wrong?
Other Warrant Hidden, Body Cam Footage Unseen
I had attempted to contact various members of the media, police and government officials to see if anyone could produce the “actual” warrant or any details specified on that warrant.
After contacting a variety of different departments, I finally stumbled upon the right one – Jennifer Seeber of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department legal department. (36) I wrote an email to Ms. Seeber, explaining my concerns about the “actual” warrant not being produced or seen by anyone. After being told my request was to be for records only (no explanations or other information), I responded with this request:
“I would like to see the warrant that was being served by the IMPD at 10:30 am on August 23rd, 2024 that led to the death of Kentrail Small, as well as the warrant for Kentrail Small, and any other public documents related to these two documents. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.”
David Malmo-Levine, 10:25AM, Sep 30, 2024
This was her response to my response, five days later:
“Good morning,
The request for the warrant is denied and is being withheld pursuant to IC 5-14-3-4-(b)(1) which states records compiled during the course of an investigation of a crime are considered to be investigatory records of a law enforcement agency. IMPD, as a general rule, does not release such documents without a subpoena. This matter is still an ongoing investigation.”
IMPDRecordsRequest, 8:54 AM, October 4th, 2024
Image #16: Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department – Headquarters, Google Maps
According to the media, the body cam footage should have been released “within 30 days of a police shooting” (37) – which would make it on September 23rd 2024. Unfortunately, these videos aren’t just automatically uploaded to the internet for anyone to see. They should be, but they aren’t.
The people who can actually demand to see the footage is an extremely short list. Basically, unless a) the case is high profile enough with some interest in it expressed by the media, or b) you are directly involved in the incident and/or a next of kin to the shooting victim AND c) you can afford a lawyer, good luck getting footage. (38) And you have 190 days (39) to hire a lawyer and make your request or they could erase the tapes – to save space on their hard drives for all the future police killings to come, I assume.
Kentrail Small lived in Indiana – one of the 25 US States that still criminalizes recreational use, and only allows CBD products for medical use. (40)
Image #17: “The United States of Weed – Curious about the status of cannabis? Here’s where legalization stands, state by state,” Ryan Bort, Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Andrew Ward, rollingstone.com.
At this point in the story, I feel compelled to point out that if all botanical drugs were as legal as coffee beans and anyone was free to grow them and anyone was free to sell them, and all “dangerous drugs” were available by prescription, then I’m fairly certain that Kentrail Small would still be alive, Sergeant Antonelli would still have both his eyes, and Kenya Wright would have probably chosen a job in the legal cannabis economy and wouldn’t be serving 54 years in prison.
Maybe the reason this isn’t obvious to everyone is because of the persistent, over 100-year-old drugwar propaganda campaign that has convinced most people that the drugs are more dangerous than drug prohibition. More people need to realize the predictable positive effects of letting everyone on planet earth have access to the emerging herbal healthcare economy. And more people need to realize the atrocities that will continue to occur if we don’t legalize all drugs for all people.
So Many Dead Bodies
But it’s not just Kentrail Small – and the dozens of victims mentioned in my previous article – who are dead as a result of botched pot prohibition enforcement. My recent search revealed that the pattern of police killing people during low-level pot law enforcement has continued past 2021. In spite of arrests in the US dropping to 1/4th of what they once were, the number of police killings has not similarly dropped to 1/4th of what they once were: to one every two years. As far as I can tell, 10 people were killed as a result of low level police enforcement of pot laws during the three and a half years since this author published part 1 of this article back in 2021 – an average of about 2.85 pot killings by police per year.
This means that – according to my own limited analysis at least – the rate of pot killings by police per pot arrest has actually gone up. Or it could mean that I’m getting better at finding them. Here are the other nine victims of these remaining pot prohibitions that were killed by the cops that I managed to find:
September 13th, 2024, Cameron Ford, 37 years old, Omaha, Nebraska (rec/med illegal)
Police served a “no-knock” search warrant in the “early morning hours” of September 13th. Cameron Ford, 37, was unarmed, but “charged” the police. The police couldn’t see his hands so they shot and killed him. They found “large amounts” of marijuana along with large amounts of cash, and-not-so large amounts of fentanyl. The police immediately stopped using no-knock warrants, at least temporarily. (41) A grand jury declined to press charges against the police officer – Adam Veil (who just happened to be white) – who killed Ford (who just happened to be black). (42)
Image #18: “No charges in no-knock warrant death,” Omaha World-Herald, Omaha, Nebraska, September 6th, 2024, p. A1
July 28th, 2024, Giana Ochs, 18 years old, Caitlin Curtis, 17 years old, Paige Pope, 17 years old, New Berlin, Wisconsin (rec/med illegal)
Cops caught four teen girls smoking pot in a parking lot near a lake. The girls took off in their car. The cops gave chase. The girls rolled the car and crashed into a brick building. Three girls died and one survived. The cops claimed they weren’t concerned about the “smoking weed” – just the “eluding” and the “reckless driving.” The cops didn’t explain how there could have been any eluding or reckless driving in the first place if there had been no concern over the smoking weed. (43)
In the initial reporting of the crash, the police were reluctant to admit what prompted the chase, saying only that it began with a concern over “suspicious behavior”. (44)
Image #19: “Fatal Muskego pursuit began over suspicion of marijuana use – In newly released video, officer says he was more concerned about reckless driving,” Aug 22, 2024, wisn.com.
Image #20: “Fatal Muskego pursuit began over suspicion of marijuana use – In newly released video, officer says he was more concerned about reckless driving,” Aug 22, 2024, wisn.com.
Image #21: gofundme.com
Image #22: gofundme.com
November 13th, 2023, Randall Adjessom, 16 years old, Mobile, Alabama (rec/med illegal)
Just like Kentrail Small, the initial media coverage of the killing of 16 year old Randall Adjessom failed to mention that the warrant the police were serving only concerned marijuana and nothing else. The first report ignored the actual justification for the warrant – instead choosing to focus on the fact that the victim of the pre-dawn raid was armed. (45)
Image #23: “Mother of Mobile teen killed by police watches body cam: ‘My son was murdered’,” Nov. 15, 2023, al.com.
Media reports one assumes were published later that day did mention that the warrant only concerned marijuana, and (also like Kentrail Small) mentioned that the person they shot wasn’t the person specified in the warrant:
“‘The 16-year-old kid that was killed yesterday wasn’t even the kid that we were looking for,’ District 2 Councilman William Carroll said. ‘That makes this 1,000 times worse.’ Police were looking for 18-year-old DeAngelo Adjessom, who was not at the home when police descended on the property. Adjessom turned himself into the police and was arrested on marijuana charges. ‘On a marijuana warrant?’ Carroll said. ‘Come on, you know all the states right now making marijuana legal?’” (46)
The situation was so egregious and repulsive that the media felt able to ask a law professor their opinion of the killing. Arguably, the professor’s comments apply to every victim of the drug war mentioned in this article, but his statement was allowed to be sought out and published in this instance because (due to the tragic nature of killing a teen over a small amount of pot that wasn’t even his) nobody was going to say otherwise:
“The man police were looking for, 18-year-old DeAngelo Adjessom, wasn’t at the home at the time of the raid. He turned himself in on Possession of Marijuana charges, a drug that many states are trying to legalize. ‘No marijuana warrant is worth somebody dying,’ Heydari said. In Monday’s press conference, Prine said nothing of a significant amount was found at the house.” (47)
Eight days later it was revealed that the amount of marijuana found at Randall Adjessom’s place was eight grams. The police pointed out that they also found a scale, indicating that they had “probable cause” that they had “distribution of marijuana and not simply possession of it.” The police did not mention if they had found multiple baggies, or any amount of cash that a big time “8 gram dealer” would typically have on them. (48) Either Adjessom had sold all his pot and used up all his baggies and stashed his buy-wholesale-amounts money, or he was a non-dealer with a scale that the cops called a dealer so they could feel better about killing his kid brother.
Image #24: “Court documents reveal teen had eight grams of marijuana, that resulted in deadly SWAT raid,” FOX10 News
In the aftermath of the killing, local authorities promised to end pre-dawn raids to serve search warrants, but nobody came right out and said that Alabama should actually legalize pot – in spite of the fact that half of the States in the US has done so (somewhat). (49)
November 13th, 2023, unidentified suspect, Los Angeles, California (rec/med legal)
About half way between Downtown Los Angeles and Venice Beach/Dogtown, U.S. Marshals shot and killed an alleged “fugitive out of Nebraska wanted for Marijuana Distribution and Money Laundering charges.” The suspect was armed, but as far as I can tell, has not been named. (50)
Image #25: “Man dead after shooting involving US Marshals in Mid-City area,” November 13, 2023, abc7.com.
February 24th, 2023, Osiris Bennett, 23 years old, Atlanta, Georgia (decrim in Atlanta, rec/med illegal in Georgia)
According to police, two undercover cops “watched a man light a marijuana cigarette” in Atlanta, Georgia. Instead of taking a $75 dollar fine, Osiris Bennett ran. They tased him. He pulled a gun. They shot him. The police are refusing to release the footage until their investigation is complete. (51) Atlanta instituted “decriminalization” in 2017, involving a $75 dollar fine if arrested by a city cop. (52) If one is arrested by State or Federal police or arrested outside of Atlanta, the punishment is a maximum fine of $1000 dollars and/or up to one year in jail. (53)
Image #26: “MARTA passengers shaken up after deadly officer-involved shooting,” Joi Dukes, February 25, 2023, fox5atlanta.com.
Image #27: “Family, friends want answers after deadly police shooting of man at MARTA station – A vigil was held Monday evening for 23-year-old Osiris Bennett, three days after MARTA police shot and killed him,” February 27th, 2023, 11alive.com.
January 9th, 2023, Douglas Price, 61 years old, Richmond, Virginia (med/simple possession legal)
At 4:46 in the morning, officers burst into the home of Douglas Price, age 61, armed with guns, body armour and a “narcotics-related search warrant”. It is unclear from the media coverage of the event exactly which “narcotics” were specified in the warrant. (54) Police found 6 pounds of cannabis along with 1.3 kilos of cocaine, and 168 grams of fentanyl, and some weapons. Price was hospitalized for nearly six months and then died of his injuries. (55) Price just happened to be black, (56) and the officer who shot and killed price – Cody George Adams (57) – just happened to be white. (58) Adams was placed on leave immediately after the shooting, was not charged, and went back to work soon after.
Image #28: “Man dies 6 months after officer-involved shooting in Richmond Police were conducting a narcotics investigation at the home on Jan. 9,” July 13th, 2023, 12onyourside.com.
What is unclear to this author is why – if the search warrant specified hard drugs like cocaine and fentanyl instead of just pot – the police and the media didn’t say so explicitly. What is also unclear is whether or not Price would have bothered to distribute hard drugs like cocaine and fentanyl if he was legally allowed to make a living selling soft drugs like pot.
June 28th, 2021, Soobleej Kaub Hawj, 35 years old, Mount Shasta, California (rec/med legal)
On June 28th, 2021, Soobleej Kaub Hawj, a Hmong American visiting from Kansas City, was being evacuated by police from a wild fire near Mount Shasta, California, when he was shot and killed by police while sitting in his vehicle. The police claim he pulled a gun, a claim which is disputed by some members of the Hmong community. No video footage that reveals the order of events during the shooting exists, but officers did videotape a cop pulling a handgun out of the front seat immediately after the shooting stopped. Hawj was alleged to have meth in his bloodstream, and was riding in a truck loaded with 132 pounds of pot and a bunch of guns. Hawj had an arrest warrant out of Mesa County, Colorado, for marijuana and firearms felonies. (59)
Image #29: “At the CROSSROADS of fire, race, pot and death – A year after the Lava Fire shooting, tensions and anger remain,” The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, California, June 22nd, 2022, pp. A1, A6
Image #30: “How a War Over Weed and Water Led to a Deadly Police Shooting,” Keegan Hamilton, September 29, 2021, vice.com.
The community of Mount Shasta Vista was created by the Hmong, many of whom were pot farmers, all of whom were having difficulty getting licensed to grow pot legally. The local authorities made it illegal to sell the Hmong farmers water. The Hmong accused local fire fighters of allowing their many greenhouses to burn. (60)
Undercount: Too Many To Find Them All
And then there were some other police shootings over pot between 2010 and May 18th, 2021 that I missed when I wrote part one of this article. These additional four killings (five if you include the killing of a user-turned-informant by police) bring the total to 38 people killed by police over pot between 2010 and 2024 – or just over an average of 2.7 people killed per year.
It’s probably still an undercount. Each time I research these killings, I get totally exhausted and emotionally drained and feel like wrapping up the article quickly. If I had more time and more energy, I suspect that I could probably find even more victims. Here are some victims I missed the first time around:
July 5th, 2019, Tymar Crawford, 28 years old, Pensacola, Florida (rec illegal/med legal)
According to the police, a Pensacola cop smelled marijuana in the car ahead of them and gave chase. The suspect drove slowly, throwing “narcotics” out the window, and pulled up to their own house. According to the body cam footage, the suspect was then surrounded by cops, was hit with a stun gun, then attempted to disarm the cop wielding the stun gun, and was then shot and killed with a real gun – in front of his kids (according to a neighbour who had been racially profiled by the same police force). (61) Tymar Crawford just happened to be black, and the cop who shot and killed him just happened to be white. (62) The cop was fired for using lethal force without justification, but was not charged with murder. (63)
Image #31: “Full breakdown of fired officer’s background in Tymar Crawford shooting,” Chorus Nylander, October 8th, 2019, weartv.com.
Image #32: “Full breakdown of fired officer’s background in Tymar Crawford shooting,” Chorus Nylander, October 8th, 2019, weartv.com
Image #33: “Video: Body cam footage shows officer shooting Tymar Crawford during struggle,” October 25th, 2019, indystar.com.
Image #34: “Pensacola Protests Remain Peaceful,” WUWF | Sandra Averhart, June 2, 2020, wuwf.org.
Protests began in 2019 and carried into 2020, (64) demanding – amongst other things – that the police “De-prioritize the enforcement of activities such as marijuana possession, loitering, disorderly conduct and random stops in ‘high crime’ areas.” The response from the local government official was tepid and underwhelming:
“On Monday, Robinson said the city already was conducting the training called for in the letter, and he was open to working on implementing some of the demands on the list, including reevaluating how the police enforces marijuana laws, although he wouldn’t go as far as saying he would ‘decriminalize’ it.” (65)
If it takes more than one dead unarmed black person killed over small-time low-level pot law enforcement for the authorities to consider decriminalization, it boggles the mind to consider how many dead unarmed black people it would take for the authorities to consider legalization.
February 8th, 2017, Chad Robertson, 25 years old, Chicago, Illinois (simple possession legal/med legal)
On February 8, 2017, Amtrak Police Officer LaRoyce Tankson shot and killed the unarmed Chad Robertson. Robertson had been spotted smoking pot outside Chicago Union Station with a couple of friends. When the cops approached the trio, Robertson ran. The bullet was fired from a distance between 75 and 100 feet and struck Robertson in the shoulder from behind. (66) Tankson, who happened to be black, was actually charged with murder.
Image #35: “No break in this family’s losses,” Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 10th, 2017, p. B1
Tankson’s attorney claimed Tankson saw Robertson turn and reach for what Tankson thought was a firearm and thus believed he was about to be shot. However, four eyewitnesses stated they did not see Robertson with a weapon or make any movements that would suggest he had one. (67)
Tankson was charged with first degree murder and released from custody after posting ten percent of the $250,000 bail. On March 8, 2017, Amtrak’s Fraternal Order of Police lodge claimed having collected more than $4,000 to help Tankson, contending that he fired in self-defense – arguing that Robertson’s attempts to reach for and throw away his pot could have been seen as an attempt to reach for a gun. (68) On February 28, 2020, Officer Tankson was acquitted. (69)
Image #36: “Amtrak officer found not guilty of murder,” Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, February 29th, 2020, p. 1-3
April 28, 2016, Ashtian Barnes, 24 years old, Harris County, Texas (rec/med illegal)
On April 28th, 2016, a cop pulled over a car just outside Houston Texas on “Beltway 8” – a highway that encircles the city. Pulled over for “outstanding violations,” the cop smelled marijuana and asked the driver to get out of the vehicle. The driver – Ashtian Barnes – hit the pedal and took off, and the cop held on to the car and then shot Barns to save himself. The officer was “no-billed” by a grand jury – the charges were dismissed. (70)
Image #37: “Harris County Officer Escapes Indictment in Death of Ashtian Barnes,” August 31, 2016, texasleftist.com.
Ashtian Barns happened to be black. (71) The cop in question – Officer Roberto Felix – happened to be white. (72)
Image #38: “Family demands answers after deadly officer-involved shooting,” February 19, 2024, click2houston.com.
July 16, 2014, Dominique Lewis, 23 years old, Flint, Michigan (simple possession legal/med legal)
Similarly to Ashtian Barnes, Dominique Lewis was in a car that was pulled over by police. Lewis was a passenger. As with Ashtian Barnes, the police officer claimed to have smelled marijuana. While police questioned the driver, Lewis hopped into the front seat and took off. The police shot Lewis from the side of the car and also claimed self defence. The entire episode was also captured on video, just like the Ashtian Barnes killing. (73)
Image #39: “Mr. Dominique Charon ‘Grip’ Lewis May 19, 1991 – July 16, 2014,” lawrenceemoonfuneralhome.com
Image #40: “Officer who fatally shot fleeing suspect not granted immunity from lawsuit,” Aug. 22, 2016, mlive.com
And like Ashtian Barnes, Dominique Lewis just happened to be black. (74) And just like Officer Roberto Felix, Lewis’s killer – Officer Matthew Needham (75) – just happened to be white. (76)
Just in case anyone wishes to keep track, of the 37 people killed by police in Canada (one) and the United States (thirty-six) over low level pot enforcement between 2010 and 2024, 24 were black, 6 were white, 4 were hispanic, 1 was Asian, and 2 were unknown. Black people make up 14.4% of the US population, but make up nearly 65% of the people this author could identify as being killed by US police over low-level pot law enforcement.
Image #41: mappingpoliceviolence.org
Unfortunate Informants
And then there are more indirect ways of being killed by police over pot . . . such as being sent by the police into a deadly situation. As was noted in the first instalment of this series, the police can also kill you over pot by catching you with pot and then getting you to turn informer in exchange for a promise not to put you in prison – sending you to go after truly dangerous people who will kill you for trying to entrap them. This is exactly what happened to Tallahassee Florida police informant – and 23-year-old – Rachel Hoffman, who was murdered in 2008 when the people the cops sent her in to entrap found out she was wearing a wire. This happened again in 2014 with Andrew Sadek.
May 1st, 2014, Andrew Sadek, 20 years old, Wahpeton, North Dakota (rec illegal/med legal)
In 2013,Andrew Sadek got caught with “$80 dollars worth of pot” (77) and was then charged with possession with intent to distribute. Facing years in prison, Sadek turned informant. In May of 2014, Sadek went missing. About 2 months later his body turned up in the Red River, with a gunshot wound to the head, a backpack full of rocks attached to his back, and no note and no weapon found. The cops called it a “suicide”. His family felt otherwise. The state investigated the police handling his case but “found no serious concerns”. (78) Eventually minor changes were made to campus-related pot penalties and the regulations concerning informants, but recreational use and sales remained illegal in North Dakota.
Image #42: Wikipedia, “Death of Andrew Sadek.”
Image #43: The Dakota Entrapment Tapes – Official Trailer | A Sundance Now Exclusive, October 14, 2020
Killed By Politicians Playing Politics With Pot Dispensary Banking Reform
There’s another indirect kind of being killed over pot – it’s being killed over pot money that’s sitting around inside easier-to-rob pot dispensaries rather than much-harder-to-rob banks, due to various politicians preventing nation-wide pot legalization and/or cannabis-related banking reform. Being killed over pot money could involve being killed by the police, or by security guards, or by the robbers themselves.
The SAFE/SAFER Banking Act – a law which would allow pot dispensaries to use banks – promoted by various Dems since at least 2019 (79) hasbeen understood by advocates as necessary to prevent the deadly violence that comes with legal marijuana businesses not being allowed to use the banking system. (80)
Back in 2022 it was Democrat Chuck Shumer who was repeatedly holding up the passing of the bill – claiming his legalization bill (which, at the time, he did not have bipartisan support for) was more important than the banking bill (which, at the time, he DID have bipartisan support for). (81) Then in 2024 it was the GOP who refused to pass the legislation, arguing that cannabis is a “gateway drug” that causes “violence, depression and suicide.” (82)
Image #44: “How Many People Have To Be Assaulted or Killed Before Chuck Schumer Stops Resisting Marijuana Banking Reform?” Jacob Sullum, July 28, 2022, reason.com
Image #45: “Calling marijuana a ‘gateway drug,’ House GOP opposes banking reform,” By MJBizDaily Staff March 26, 2024 – Updated August 15, 2024, mjbizdaily.com.
The homicide rate in both the US and Canada has gone up since the legalization of cannabis began, (83) indicating that half-way measures (excluding legacy operators or the legal market from access to banking services) may increase the likelihood of robbery attempts – and homicides resulting from such attempts. Could this one policy be responsible for the homicide rate in the general population going up? Well, there’s been a lot of pot-dispensary-related homicides. I found nine dead in eight pot shop robberies without even trying, including three that happened within four days in Washington State.
Image #46: “Community honors employee killed in Tacoma pot shop robbery,” March 21, 2022, fox13seattle.com
Image #47: “The Spotlight: Pot shop robberies,” FOX 13 Seattle, February 22nd, 2022
I imagine I could find a lot more if I had actually been looking for them. Someone keeping track of the robberies in Washington State between February of 2017 and today counted over 325 robberies. (84) That’s just in one state – 25 have legalized recreational pot and an additional 13 have legalized medical pot. (85) Can you really even call it “legalization” if you’re not allowed to use a bank or sell your pot using credit cards?
October 2nd, 2024, King Lawrence, 18 years old, and Tahir Burley, 20 years old, Portland, Oregon (rec/med legal)
A store employee shot and killed two people who were attempting to rob a pot dispensary. This dispensary had been hit four times previously by robbers. (86)
Image #48: legacy.com
Image #49: “Saluting Our Seniors: Tahir Burley from Reynolds Learning Academy,” May 31st 2022, katu.com
September 29th, 2024, Rafael “Johnny” Saldana, 25 years old, East Los Angeles, California (rec/med legal)
A security guard was shot dead at a pot dispensary. No arrests were made. (87)
Image #50: “Shooting victim at East L.A. marijuana dispensary identified as 25-year-old security guard – Authorities are searching for two men involved in the killing during an apparent robbery attempt,” October 7th, 2024, boyleheightsbeat.com.
December 29th, 2023, Police Officer Tuan Le, 36 years old, Oakland, California (rec/med legal)
Police officer Tuan Le was shot in the head while answering a burglary call at a pot dispensary. Two were charged with his murder. (88)
Image #51: oaklandca.gov
Image #52: “Oakland officer gunned down while answering burglary call,” The Fresno Bee, Fresno, California, December 31st, 2023, p. A9
August 18th, 2023, Tahmon Wilson, 20 years old, Martinez, California (rec/med legal)
Two brothers were shot from behind by police while fleeing a cannabis dispensary robbery. One died. (89)
Image #53: “UPDATE: Tahmon Wilson, 20, was behind the wheel of Infiniti & unarmed when @MartinezPDinCA shot and killed him outside @VelvetCannabis. His brother was shot and wounded as a result of a ‘rash, unlawful decision’ to use deadly force, says @AdanteEsq.” Henry K. Lee, August 24, 2023, x.com.
March 19th, 2022, Jordan Brown, Tacoma, Washington (rec/med legal)
An employee of a pot dispensary – Jordan Brown – was shot and killed. No suspects were named. (90)
Image #54: “There is a Memorial outside the pot shop where an employee was shot and killed this past weekend.” AJ Janavel, March 21st, 2022, x.com.
March 17th, 2022, Unnamed Suspect, “late teens/early 20s,” Covington, Washington (rec/med legal)
A young man took an employee hostage outside a pot dispensary, and then attempted to walk into the dispensary with his hostage, threatened another employee working security at the door. That 2nd employee was armed, and shot the hostage taker. (91)
Image #55: “Employee shoots, kills suspect during attempted pot shop robbery in Covington,” March 17th, 2022, king5.com.
March 16, 2022, Martinez Yanez, 19 Year Old, Bellevue, Washington (rec/med legal)
A 19 year old robber was shot and killed by police responding to a pot dispensary robbery call. His name was Martinez Yanez. (92) As with some other cases, because a teen died, the media made an extra effort to understand what happened. U.S. Attorney Nick Brown explained the real reason why so many cannabis dispensaries were being robbed:
“‘They are not robbing it because it’s a marijuana business– they are robbing it because those businesses have a lot of cash on hand because of this tension between state law and federal law and the inability of those businesses to use our federal banking system,’ Brown said.” (93)
Image #56: “Police release body camera video of deadly shooting in south Seattle,” March 18, 2022, kiro7.com.
December 14th, 2020, Michael Arthur, 44 Years Old, Portland, Oregon (rec/med legal)
A dispensary employee, Michael Arthur, was shot in the neck and killed. (94) Three young men who were all teens at the time were charged with his murder. They got caught robbing another pot dispensary after they crashed their car. (95)
Image #57: “For Nearly a Year, Teenagers Have Been Robbing Portland Dispensaries. Then Somebody Shot a Budtender. In one year, Portland-area cannabis shops reported more than half a million dollars stolen.” Tess Riski March 03, 2021, wweek.com.
Deals Gone South
Sometimes the pot money people are killed over isn’t in a dispensary – it’s in someone’s pocket. Sometimes it’s a robbery pretending to be a drug deal. Sometimes it’s a dispute and you can’t take someone to court over it because it’s illegal. Sometimes the dispute is over a considerable amount of marijuana. And sometimes the dispute is over a pitifully small amount of marijuana. One thing is for sure – nobody dies fighting over coffee bean deals. If real money is involved in a coffee bean dispute, you can take someone to court over it. Most of the time coffee-related disputes involve such a small amount of money it’s not even worth getting upset about. Robberies are never disguised as coffee bean deals because big deals are paid with cheques or e-transfers, which can be tracked. If cannabis were regulated like coffee beans, there would a similar number of pot-related deaths to coffee bean-related deaths: zero.
At least I hope it’s zero. The U.S. has a “solve every problem with a gun” problem that my intuition tells me might one day be solved with Swiss-style gun regulations and a Swiss-style social safety net. But that’s another topic entirely.
October 4th, 2024, Dominique Rattler, 33 Years Old, Las Vegas, Nevada (simple possession/med legal)
A 19 year old and a 16 year old met Dominique Rattler, 33, to buy pot off him. Dominique worked seven days per week and hustled pot on the side to support his wife and 8 kids. A lawyer for one of the teens argued that it was Dominique who suddenly showed a firearm, and that the teens were just there to buy pot, but the judge was skeptical, noting the teens both wore all black and wore masks, (96) which a witness had described as “ski masks.” (97)
Image #58: “I’m the wife of Dominique V Rattler, he was 33 years old, on October 4th, 2024 at 4:22pm he was murdered in the East of Las Vegas.” gofundme.com.
July 25th, 2024, Julian Mejias, 43 Years Old, Queens, New York (simple possession/med legal)
Three guys from Baltimore drove to Queens to kidnap and rob pot dealer Julian Mejias. They stole 30 pounds of pot, and drove around Queens with Mejias and another unnamed dealer, demanding more. Mejias ended up getting shot in the head multiple times, and the kidnappers left without the pot and headed back to Baltimore. Two of the three kidnappers have since been arrested. (98)
Image #59: New York Daily News, October 23rd, 2024 and New York Daily News, October 24th, 2024, p. 8
September 17th, 2024, Tiray James Evans, 26 Years Old, Amarillo, Texas (rec/med illegal)
Tiray James Evans was shot multiple times over an ounce of pot. The ounce was supposed to have costed $200. Police found a discussion about the transaction on Facebook. (99)
Image #60: “TiRay James Evans December 31, 1997 ~ September 17, 2024 (age 26),” ggmortuary.com.
March 22nd, 2017, Kareem Hewitt, 25 years old, El Paso, Texas (rec/med illegal)
Kareem Hewitt was shot multiple times through his kitchen window over a gram of pot. (100) According to court documents, the shooting happened after one suspect bought pot from Hewitt and thought he didn’t get a full gram. (101)
Image #61: “Man shot to death in dispute over gram of marijuana,” El Paso Times, El Paso, Texas, May 6th, 2017, p. A7
Killed Over Imaginary Pot
Sometimes people get killed for less than a gram. Sometimes marijuana is just a ruse, and doesn’t even exist.
June 15th, 2024, Jeffrey Robert Lowder, 46 years old, West Palm Beach, Florida (rec/med illegal)
Jeffrey Robert Lowder and a friend were looking to score some pot. Darquize McKinon pulled up in his rented Nissan Altima, and offered to drive them to a place to score. McKinon took them to an alley, pulled a gun, and Lowder ended up shot. McKinon was arrested at his home three days later. (102)
Image #62: palmbeachfl.mugshots.zone
“Not Enough Prohibition” Blamed For Pot Prohibition-Related Deaths
And then there’s the situation where pot might not be involved in any way, shape or form for the killing – but “a lack of enough pot prohibition” gets blamed by the authorities for what the pot prohibition was responsible for. This type of chicanery only fools those who see pot prohibition as inevitable, rather than the worst possible choice of many regulatory choices.
Similarly, the refusal to comply with cannabis laws – rather than the laws themselves – were blamed for the death of Canadian Daniel Possee back in 1992 (see Killed Over Pot Part 1, citation #24). It’s difficult to know for sure if it’s the case that prohibitionists think everyone else is too stupid to understand the difference between death from prohibition and death from “not enough oppression” or “not enough mindless obedience,” or if they themselves don’t understand the difference.
December 11th, 2019, Tessa Majors, 18 Years Old, New York, New York (simple possession 21 years and older legal/med legal)
This tragic story was summed up by Wikipedia this way:
“The murder of Tessa Majors occurred near Morningside Park in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, on December 11, 2019. Majors, an eighteen-year-old student at Barnard College, was attacked and stabbed by three teenagers as part of a robbery. Majors was discovered collapsed and bleeding on a staircase exiting Morningside Park and transported to a nearby hospital, ultimately succumbing to the injuries.” (103)
Image #63: “Teen in Barnard student murder sentenced to 9 years to life in prison,” Sonia Moghe, CNN, October 14, 2021, cnn.com.
Missing from the Wikipedia page was what the local police union official said about her murder. Ed Mullins, head of the NYPD Sargent Union tried to blame pot for her death. Mullins claimed that Tessa Majors was looking to score some pot when she got stabbed. But rather than blame her death on the sketchy buying scenarios caused by pot prohibition, Mullins blamed her death on a lack of vigorous enforcement of pot prohibition:
“Mullins said Sunday that lax police enforcement, both with respect to marijuana and in general, has the city trending in the wrong direction. ‘We don’t enforce marijuana laws anymore. We’re basically hands-off on the enforcement of marijuana,’ Mullins said. ‘I understand the mayor made statements that this is surprising on how this can happen in New York City,’ he said. ‘I really have to question what world he’s living in to think that this is surprising, when we are watching the city slowly erode, with shootings, stabbings, an increase in homicides and, most importantly, a hands-off policing policy. Something needs to change and it needs to change quickly or it’s gonna be very difficult to put the genie back in the bottle.’” (104)
Image #64: “Tessa Majors was looking to buy weed before her murder, police union president claims,” Dec. 15, 2019, nypost.com
Those familiar with the New York political scene noted that Mullins was a critic of then New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and wanted to exploit Majors’ death for political purposes. (105) Mayor De Blasio accused Mullins of “victim blaming,” but avoided comment on the role pot prohibition had in pushing people to unsafe places to buy cannabis. (106)
Major’s death presented politicians with an especially tricky situation, in that in order to actually protect an 18 year old from harm, a politician would have to insist on 18 year olds having access to a safe point of sale for weed. Give how pervasive the “pot makes young people stupid and crazy” misinformation is, it is unlikely that any politician would be comfortable making that argument.
Exploiting And Killing Immigrant Pot Farm Workers
If we include the number of immigrant pot farm workers who either die from dangerous working conditions or from outright murder, then the number of “killed over pot” shoots up dramatically. Anywhere pot is illegal, instances of black-market-related violence are the predictable consequences:
November 24th, 2022 – 4 Murdered In Oklahoma (med legal/rec illegal)
“Chinese gangster” Chen Wu – a worker and investor at a “legal” “medical pot” farm in Oklahoma, shot and killed fellow Chinese gangster He Qiang Chen. Wu had shot Chen in the knee and demanded $300,000 in 30 minutes or he would kill everyone there. The money didn’t materialize. Soon four people were dead. (107)
Image #65: “Gangsters, Money and Murder: How Chinese Organized Crime Is Dominating America’s Illegal Marijuana Market,” Sebastian Rotella and Kirsten Berg, ProPublica, and Garrett Yalch and Clifton Adcock, The Frontier, March 14, 2024, propublica.org.
Image #66: “Gangsters, Money and Murder: How Chinese Organized Crime Is Dominating America’s Illegal Marijuana Market,” Sebastian Rotella and Kirsten Berg, ProPublica, and Garrett Yalch and Clifton Adcock, The Frontier, March 14, 2024, propublica.org.
2018-2023, At Least 44 Deaths, California (rec and med legal)
Black-market related violence can also happen in places where a cartel has replaced a blanket prohibition. Take the supposedly “everything is legal now” State of California. Because of the hard drug regulations for cannabis, a limited number of growing licenses guarantees a continued black market. These black market operations are unregulated, so there’s no safety inspections and sometimes the dangerous organized people run them.In a feature story about a Mexican father – Ulises Anwar Ayala Andrade – and son – Ulises Anwar Ayala Rodriquez, aka Chino – who were both shot, dismembered and burned as a result of working on the wrong pot farm, the Los Angeles times had this to say about working conditions in the California black market pot farm business . . . and the legal pot farm business:
“Even on licensed farms, California regulators failed to protect workers in the labor-intensive industry. A Times investigation documented widespread exploitation, wage theft and disregard for worker safety and housing. The newspaper found 44 farm-related deaths, surveying just a five-year period in only 10 counties. Among them was an 8-month-old infant who died in Trinity County from an undetermined cause. The rest were workers. All but five of the deceased were immigrants. A third of them came from Mexico. … those dying on Mendocino County cannabis farms since California legalized weed in 2016 have all been Latino workers. In keeping with statewide patterns found by The Times, four of the men were laborers poisoned by carbon monoxide from greenhouse generators. Four others were murdered, including 19-year-old Ramon Naranjo Casteneda, a U.S. citizen who had lived with his father in Mexico.” (108)
Image #67: “A father and son shot, dismembered and burned – Migrants’ deaths reflect the dark side of California’s cannabis farms. Legal Weed, Broken Promises,” The Los Angeles Times, Nov. 12, 2023, p. A1
Image #68: “A father and son shot, dismembered and burned. This is the dark side of California cannabis,” November 9th, 2023, latimes.com.
Global Genocidal Pot War
These handful of police pot killings in North America are nothing compared to the scores of police pot killings experienced by the rest of the world. In many countries, journalists are jailed for any hint of criticism of their government. Still, some objective-sounding reporting gets out. This author came across a couple of examples.
September 20th, 2024, One Unidentified Man, South Africa
A man was killed in a shoot-out with police in Nyoni, near Madeni, South Africa. Two other men escaped. The cops found seven bags of pot worth “R50 000” – about 4 thousand Canadian dollars. (109)
Image #69: “Suspected drug dealer killed in late-night N2 shoot-out with cops: R50k marijuana seized – Seven bags of marijuana and a series of fake number plates were found in the car.” September 20, 2024, citizen.co.za.
September 27th, 2023, Two Unidentified Men, Trinidad
Police searching several houses in St. Joseph, Trinidad, were shot at by two men. The cops returned fire and hit both men. “At least one marijuana field was found in the same area nearby.” (110)
Image #70: “Two killed, marijuana field to be destroyed in St Joseph police exercise,” 2023/10/02, guardian.co.tt.
State Executions For Cannabis Offences
On top of police killings, there are sometimes executions awaiting for those caught and kept in a cell. The following countries still legislate or contemplate the death sentence for cannabis offences: Afghanistan, Malaysian Borneo, Brunai, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Laos, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, Sudan, Vietnam, Yemen. (111) Technically, the United States also has the death penalty for pot – “for those who have extraordinary amounts of the drug (60,000 kilograms or 60,000 plants) or are part of a continuing criminal enterprise in smuggling contraband which nets over $20 million” (112) – but it’s never been imposed. Yet.
As for who is actually executing pot prisoners for pot crimes (recently) I could only find three examples. The first two are from Singapore, and the third is from Malaysia. China and Vietnam have probably done so as well, but they keep their data on execution circumstances a secret. (113)
May 17th, 2023, Muhammad Faizal Bin Mohd Shariff, 37 Years Old, Changi Prison, Singapore
On May 17th, 2023, Muhammad Faizal Bin Mohd Shariff was hanged for trafficking 1.56 kilograms of marijuana. In Singapore, 500 grams can get you the death penalty. (114) Shariff attempted to reopen his case based on DNA evidence, but the court rejected it. (115)
Image #71: “Singapore executes second man within three weeks amidst global protest,” May 17th, 2023, theonlinecitizen.com.
Singapore has doubled-down on prohibition while much of the rest of the world has begun to abandon it. Singapore is an island just off the coast of Malaysia. Malaysia shares a border with Thailand. Thailand legalized medical cannabis – by prescription – in 2018, and as of 2024 has 9,700 approved cannabis dispensaries. (116)
Image #72: “Singapore Hanged Tangaraju Suppiah Over 1kg of Cannabis. What Would Neighbouring Countries Have Done?” April 26, 2023, ricemedia.co.
April 26th, 2023, Tangaraju Suppiah, 46 Years Old, Changi Prison, Singapore
On April 26th, 2023, Tangaraju Suppiah was executed for attempting to sell 1 kilogram of cannabis. According to his supporters, he was questioned by police without legal counsel or an interpreter. He attempted to appeal his decision, but had no lawyer then, either. (117)
Image #73: “Singapore executes man for trafficking two pounds of cannabis,” April 26, 2023 https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/25/asia/singapore-cannabis-execution-tangaraju-suppiah-intl-hnk/index.html and “Singaporean national Tangaraju Suppiah is scheduled to be executed next Wednesday, 26 April 2023 for about 1KG of #cannabis he’s never seen or held before.” ADPAN, x.com.
September 3rd, 2021, Muhammad Hafizul Rashid Emmy, 29 Years Old, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
On September 3rd, Muhammad Hafizul Rashid Emmy was hanged for trafficking 299.09 grams of pot – around 10.5 ounces. (118) You can be put to death in Malaysia for possession of 200 grams of pot – just over 7 ounces. (119) Between 74 and 80 percent of the Malaysian public is in favour of the death penalty for drug trafficking – “depending on the drug concerned.” (120)
Image #74: “29 y/o Delivery Man Breaks Down in Court After Being Sentenced to Death for Trafficking Cannabis By Ameera Rosli • 08 Sep 2021, juiceonline.com.
Image #75: PELUANG September 10th, 2021, facebook.com.
State Executions For Drug Offences In General
According to a 2023 news story by Aljazeera, there are “more than 3700 people on death row around the world” for drug offences. Executions for drug related offences are “surging” – from at least 30 in 2020, to at least 131 in 2021, and at least 285 in 2022. (121) There were at least 467 executions for drugs in 2023. (122) China, Vietnam and North Korea keep their execution stats secret.
Image #76: “The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2023,” Harm Reduction International, hri.global.
Image #77: “The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2023,” Harm Reduction International, hri.global.
Thirty five countries keep the death penalty on the books for drug offences, although for 12 of these countries it’s merely “symbolic.” (123) Many of the statistics regarding executions are incomplete or difficult to obtain. Here’s some interesting facts I managed to find regarding some of the most execution-friendly countries.
Malaysia
Malaysia had 300 inmates on death row in 2008, most for drug related offences. There were “hundreds” of executions for drug related offences by Malaysia mentioned in a 2013 report. (124)
Image #78: “Mural at the now-demolished Pudu Prison, taken in 1999. It was demolished alongside with the prison in 2010 to make way for the BBCC development.” Wikipedia, “Capital punishment in Malaysia.”
Singapore
According to Amnesty International, Singapore has executed 373 people for drug-related offences between 1991 and 2024. (125) Ethnic Malays, representing just over 13% of Singapore’s population, are 64.9% of Singapore’s death row inmates. (126)
Image #79: “The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2023,” Harm Reduction International, hri.global.
Image #80: “Singapore to execute ethnic Malay man involved in racial bias suit – Muhammad Faizal Mohd Shariff is the second to be executed this year after Tangaraju Suppiah, whose plight attracted international concern.” May 16, 2023, malaysianow.com.
Sinapore’s Minister for Home Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam, recently argued that the war on drugs was an “existential battle” and claimed
“‘Look around the world … Any time there has been a certain laxity in the approach to drugs, homicides go up. Killings, torture, kidnappings … that goes up.” (127)
Image #81: “Exclusive: Inside the prison that executes people for supplying cannabis,” CNN, October 20, 2024, cnn.com.
One could “look around the world” to Spain, who’s low homicide rate relative to other countries (128) dropped even lower beginning in 2004, (129) the year Spain began to get a reputation as a “stoner paradise.” (130)
Image #82: ourworldindata.org
Image #83: ourworldindata.org
Image #84: “Spanish stoner paradise,” Cannabis Culture, April 26, 2004
This author is fairly certain homicide rates for both Canada and the United States will drop when cannabis is fully legalized for all people to grow, sell and use, and growers and dealers given the same banking access the dealers and importers of coffee beans currently enjoy. The homicide rate will fall even faster when all drugs are legalized, just as the homicide rate fell after the end of alcohol prohibition in the U.S. in 1933. (131)
Image #85: statista.com
Vietnam
The death penalty for drug offences was introduced into Vietnam in December of 1992. By June of 1995, three Vietnamese had been executed for drug offences. (132) Human Rights activists estimate that “dozens, if not hundreds” of executions for drug crimes took place in Vietnam in 2023 – the same year Vietnam passed 188 death sentences for drug offences. (133) 9 people were confirmed to have been executed in Vietnam for drug offences in 2024. (134)
Image #86: reddit.com
A revision to Vietnam’s Penal Code began July 1st, 2016 abolishing the death penalty for drug possession and appropriation. (135) I suspect “appropriation” in this context meant “stashing” but I can’t seem to find confirmation of that.
Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia, most executions involve decapitation. Between 2010 and 2023, Saudi Arabia has executed at least 1611 people – an average of almost 124 people per year. By the 9th of October, 2024, Saudi Arabia had executed at least 213 people for that year – suggesting that execution rates had increased. Human rights groups estimate execution rates went up 82% since King Salman came to power in 2015. Executions dropped to 69 people in 2020 “due to a (temporary) moratorium on death penalties for drug offences.” (136)
Image #87: “Bloodshed and Lies: Mohammed bin Salman’s Kingdom of Executions” January 31, 2023, p. 34, reprieve.org.
According to a 2023 report, there were 386 executions for drug-related offences between 2010 and 2021. (137) Saudi officials insist that they have stopped executing people for drug offences some time in 2020, but the “new directive” hasn’t been published or decreed by the king. (138) Saudi Arabia executed at least 2 people for drug offences in 2023. (139)
Iran
Iran carried out at least 4722 executions between 2015 and 2024 – with 74% of these executions – or 3494 executions – called “drug related” by Iran’s judiciary. Iranian officials cite that they are “fighting a large scale drug war along its eastern borders, and the increase of drug lords and dealers cause a rise in executions.” In 2015, in a single village in Iran’s poorest province, “every adult male was executed on drug charges.” (140) Amnesty International reports that even these numbers are an undercount. (141)
Image #88: “The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2023,” Harm Reduction International, hri.global.
China
China executes more people than any other country on earth. The totals are considered a state secret, but human rights groups estimate that China executes around 2000 people every year. China likes to execute people in groups, in stadiums, with lots of people watching. During one of these events in 2017, seven of the ten executed were charged with drug dealing. (142)
Image #89: “Why China Executes So Many People – Despite growing opposition, capital punishment remains entrenched in the country’s justice system.” Zi Heng Lim, May 9, 2013, theatlantic.com.
Image #90: “China tops list of countries with most death penalties,” Kelvin Okojie, October 11, 2022, businessday.ng.
Not-Necessarily-Cannabis “Narcotic” Related Deaths By Police And State Sanctioned Vigilantes
Keep in mind that many police shooting/killings are described as “drug” or “narcotic” related, but the police often don’t specify exactly which drugs they’re talking about. If there was a law requiring the police to publicly state which drugs were specified in the warrant, the number of victims of marijuana laws detected by journalists such as myself would no doubt increase.
Keep in mind, the first four stories about Kentrail Small in the mass media only mentioned narcotics – it took the relatively rare act of investigative journalism (someone who cared about doing their job well rather than just getting a pay check) to dig up what the “narcotic” on Small’s arrest warrant actually was.
Image #91: “On 14th Aug 2024, a narcotic raid near Sateri Temple, Mandrem, led by PSI Sunil Falkar of Anti-Narcotic Police Station, Panaji, resulted in the arrest of Russian national Konstantin Marzli. He was found with 529 grams of suspected hydroponic weed/ganja worth ₹1,66,000.” In Goa 24×7, x.com.
But if you add up the number of “non-specific” drug-related police killings and the “non-marijuana” drug-related police killings, and then add to those numbers the deaths from the violence in the “non-specific” drug and “non-marijuana” drug black markets, the drug war ends up with at least hundreds if not thousands of needless deaths per year. Add to that the drug-prohibition related overdose deaths, and the thousands of deaths quickly becomes tens of thousands of deaths each and every year. Needless deaths, because they would stop immediately if drugs were legal and people were given access to clean, affordable, reliable drugs, and taught how – and encouraged – to use them properly. (143)
The Drug War Death Squads of the Philippines
Nowhere on planet earth is the drug war more out of control, more murderous and more genocidal than the Philippines. In spite of abolishing the death penalty in 2006, (144) the Philippines found a “work-around” way to kill drug users, growers and dealers – death squads.
The Death Squads – originally formed in the city of Davao some time in or before 1997 as a group put together and controlled by the police as an arms-length, unofficial way to combat left-wing assassins. (145) The Davao Death Squad got support from then-Davao mayor Rodrigo Duterte – sometimes called “Duterte Harry” for his vigilante “Dirty Harry” reputation – who bragged of using the death squads to kill the criminals of his choice. In July of 2005, at a crime summit in Manila, Duterte said
“Summary execution of criminals remains the most effective way to crush kidnapping and illegal drugs.” (146)
Image #92: “DUTERTE’S WAR ON DRUGS – The boys from Davao,” December 19, 2017, reuters.com.
By June 30th, 2016, Duterte – described as a “populist” “nationalist” “demagogue” – was elected President of the Philippines, through promises of “the extrajudicial killing of drug users and other criminals.” (147) A 2015 survey of indicated that 1.8 million Filipinos used illegal drugs – mostly cannabis. (148) Duterte was determined to bring that number down to zero – and then some. By September of 2016, he was comparing himself to Adolf Hitler, and comparing drug users to Jewish scapegoats:
“There are 3 million drug addicts (in the Philippines). I’d be happy to slaughter them. If Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have…” [points at himself] (149)
Image #93: Philippines President likens himself to Hitler, wants to kill 3 million drug addicts, Euronews, Sept. 30, 2016.
Duterte has
“urged members of the public to kill criminals and drug addicts. Research by media organizations and human rights groups has shown that police routinely execute unarmed drug suspects and then plant guns and drugs as evidence. Philippine authorities have denied misconduct by police.” (150)
During Duterte’s reign, the death squads grew in power. The death squads – and the police – killed with near impunity. Very seldom were these “extra-judicial” killings ever investigated. A rare exception to this was the 2017 killing of 19 year old Carl Arnaiz – a killing involving cannabis.
August 17th, 2017, Carl Angelo Arnaiz, 19 years old, just outside Manila, Philippines
Duterte spent his first year focused on a massive “anti-drug” effort. By July 26th, 2017, the Philippine Information Agency reported 68,000 anti-drug “operations” by the police which resulted in around 97,000 arrests, 1.3 million surrenders, and 3,500 “drug personalities” killed. Thousands of others had been killed by the vigilante death squads, which the police called “deaths under investigation” and then forgot to investigate. The night of August 14th was called the “bloodiest night” in the drug war, when the police killed 32 “drug suspects” and more than 100 arrested in the province of Bulcan – just north of Manila. (151) 
Image #94: “Duterte’s war on drugs – Death of a schoolboy – Philippine police shot dead a 17-year-old high school student in an upsurge of killings in President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal war on drugs. The death shocked the nation, but Duterte vows the war will continue.” August 25, 2017, reuters.com.
Image #95: “A Filipino police Swat team takes position as they serve a search warrant in relation to drugs at an informal settler house in Pasig City, suburban Manila.” “Philippines secret death squads: officer claims police teams behind wave of killings,” Kate Lamb, October 4th, 2016, theguardian.com.
Image #96: “Dispatches: Philippines’ ‘War on Drugs’ Worsens Jail Miseries – Summary Killing Fears Prompt Criminal Suspects to Seek ‘Safety’ in Jail,” August 2nd, 2016, hrw.org.
Image #97: Image from Duterte Harry – Fire and Fury in the Philippines, Jonathan Miller, Scribe Publications, Victoria, Australia, 2018
On the evening of August 16, 2017, a 17-year-old Filipino student named Kian Loyd delos Santos was fatally shot by police officers who were conducting an anti-drug operation in Caloocan, Metro Manila. The case became controversial when the official police reports differed from witness accounts and CCTV footage.
Image #98: Image #94: “Duterte’s war on drugs – Death of a schoolboy – Philippine police shot dead a 17-year-old high school student in an upsurge of killings in President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal war on drugs. The death shocked the nation, but Duterte vows the war will continue.” August 25, 2017, reuters.com.
Two days after the killing of delos Santos, 19-year-old Carl Angelo Arnaiz and 14-year-old Reynaldo de Guzman went missing from their Cainta, Rizal, residence. Their bodies were later found with Arnaiz reported to have been shot dead by police while de Guzman was stabbed 30 times and found in a creek in Gapan, Nueva Ecija. The murders sparked widespread controversy across the Philippines, and has been scrutinized by the International Criminal Court. As of 2023, four implicated officers have been convicted of murder. (152)
Image #99: “DOJ gives protection to parents of Carl Arnaiz,” September 05, 2017, newsinfor.inquirer.net.
Image #100: “#TVPatrol PAO forensic team, conducted crime scene mapping in the case of the murdered Carl Angelo Arnaiz | report by @dominicalmelor,” TV Patrol, x.com.
Image #101: “The Philippines: when the police kill children,” December 2nd 2017, aljazeera.com.
The police claimed in an August 30 report that Arnaiz attempted an armed robbery, and then died in a shootout with the police. The police claimed they retrieved two packs of marijuana in Arnaiz’s pocket and three packs of a substance suspected to be methamphetamine in his backpack. But a forensics report indicated that Arnaiz never fired a gun, that he was handcuffed and tortured, and that he was killed execution style: “the teenager was already kneeling or lying down when he was shot.” (153)
By December of 2017, a Filipino newspaper estimated that the number of killed in the Filipino drug war could be as high as 14,000. (154)
Image #102: “Cop Gets Life For Teen Drug Suspects’ Torture, Death – Police Officer 1 Jeffrey Perez was found guilty of the charges of torture and planting evidence in connection with the deaths of Carl Angelo Arnaiz and Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman.” Ghio Ong, November 24, 2022, onenews.ph.
Image #103: “FACT CHECK: Marcos’ claim that ‘many policemen are in jail’ for drug-related offenses needs context,” March 20th, 2024, verafiles.org.
On January 19, 2018, in a 35-page resolution released to reporters, the Department of Justice indicted officers Jefrey Perez and Ricky Arquilita with two counts of murder after probable cause for the slaying of Carl Arnaiz and Reynaldo de Guzman. Perez and Arquilita were also charged with two counts of torture and three counts of planting of evidence. Arquilita died from contracting Hep B while in jail. In 2023 Perez was found guilty and given a life sentence. It was the second such conviction in relation to the government’s drug war after the 2018 conviction of the officers involved in the killing of Kian Loyd delos Santos. (155)
Philippines Today – So Many Deaths They Stopped Counting
President Rodrigo Duterte left office on June 30th, 2022, to be replaced by Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos Jr. Soon after taking office, President Marcos stated he would continue the war against drugs initiated by Duterte. While Marcos claimed his administration would do a “slightly different” anti-drug campaign by focusing on the rehabilitation of drug users, the unlawful use of force by the police and government agents continued. (156)
Image #104: “FACT CHECK: Marcos touts MISLEADING ‘bloodless’ drug war claim,” July 24th, 2024, verafiles.org.
Image #105: “Under Marcos, the Philippines drug war drags on – Drug-related killings under President Ferdinand Marcos remain as high as they were during the final year in office of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, whose bloody anti-drug campaign left thousands of people dead.” Nikka Valenzuela, March 21, 2024, dw.com.
The drug peace activist group “Stop The Drug War” estimates that 30,000 people have died from the drug war began by Duterte, and the killings still continue at a rate of nearly 1 per day. (157) Human rights groups recorded 331 drug-related killings in the Philippines in 2023 – 17 of which involved “small amounts … for personal use.” (158) After President Marcos took office, the government stopped releasing statistics on “drug-related violence.” (159)
Class War Disguised As A Drug War
Most of the anti-drug activity by police and vigilantes – including the August 14, 2017 “bloodiest night” – are focused on the “slums and other poor communities.” (160) Anyone who criticizes the Filipino war on drugs is called a “communist” by the government. (161) When a three year old girl was shot and killed in a raid in the same slum outside Manila – Rizal – that Carl Arnaiz was from, the local Senator said “shit happens.” He later apologized (sort of) – claiming the comment was for the police, not for the public. (162)
Image #106: “Bato dela Rosa apologizes for ‘shit happens’ comment,” July 9th, 2019, newsinfo.inquirer.net.
The rich and the powerful are not raided – or barely even investigated. 78% of Filipinos believe “there are cops who sell illegal drugs confiscated during operations.” (163) In fact, three members of Rodrigo Duterte’s family – including his eldest son – have been accused of smuggling millions of dollars worth of meth into the Philippines. (164) Paolo Duterte has denied the allegations, and also denied he has a Chinese mafia – or “triad” – dragon tattoo on his back – but he refuses to show his back. (165)
Image #107: “Duterte’s son questioned over illegal drug smuggling,” “The Philippines: when the police kill children,” December 2nd 2017, aljazeera.com.
Image #108: “Duterte’s son questioned over illegal drug smuggling,” “The Philippines: when the police kill children,” December 2nd 2017, aljazeera.com.
Image #109: “Duterte’s son questioned over illegal drug smuggling,” “The Philippines: when the police kill children,” December 2nd 2017, aljazeera.com
Image #110: Toronto Star, Toronto, Canada, September 9th, 2017, p. 74
Image #111: “Will Paolo Duterte bare his back now?” August 19th, 2024, verafiles.org.
Philippines Circa 1900 – The Drug War Proving Grounds
From the very beginning of the modern war on drugs, the Philippines has been the country that the United States has used as a laboratory – to see which regulations would work and which regulations would not – before importing these drug laws into the US. To fully understand how drugs became illegal in the Philippines first, then in the United States, and then globally, one needs to understand how elitist, wealthy East Coast lawyer/politicians William Taft, Elihu Root, Francis Harrison and Henry Stimson first conspired to create global drug prohibition, and then set up their associates to benefit from it later on.
Image #112: Root (right) and his successor (as Secretary of War) William Howard Taft, doing an early version of the fist bump, c. 1904, Wikipedia, “Elihu Root.”
William Howard Taft – Governor Of The Philippines
In 1898 the United States beat Spain in the Spanish-American war, and America took “ownership” of Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines from Spain. The U.S. immediately began setting up a new government in the Philippines. On March 16th, 1900, then-Judge William Taft was made chairman of the “2nd Philippine Commission” (which became known as the “Taft Commission”) by President McKinley and his then-Secretary of War Elihu Root, who “advised the President to make him (Taft) Governor of the Philippines.” (166) On the same day, Taft was appointed the first US Governor of the Philippines, a post he would hold until December of 1903. (167)
Image #113: The Philippines Past and Present, Dean C. Worcester, Volume 1, New York, The Macmillan Company, 1914, gutenberg.org.
In May of 1903, the “opium evil” was brought to Taft’s attention by his friend bishop Charles Brent. Taft appointed a three-man Opium Committee to investigate the situation. The most prominent member of the committee was Brent, the Episcopal bishop of Manila, who was destined to play a key role in future global narcotics policy. (168) Historians have made Brent out to be the driving force behind opium prohibition, but a careful and honest look at history reveals that it is the associates of Root and Taft – not Brent – that benefitted most from the drug laws.
Image #114: “GREATEST CRIME OF A CENTURY TO BE UNDONE BY UNITED STATES,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, St. Louis, Missouri, December 27th, 1908, p. 25
In 1904 Taft agreed to return to Washington to serve as Roosevelt’s Secretary of War – replacing Elihu Root – with the stipulation that he could “continue to supervise Philippine affairs.” (169)
Image #115: “YANKEE SALOON FINDS WAY TO JAPAN,” The News Tribune, Tacoma, Washington, September 12th, 1907, p. 8
On September 28th, 1907, it was reported that Taft “assured the friends of the anti-opium crusade that his department will do all in its power to suppress the opium traffic in the Philippines.” (170)
Image #116: Waco Times-Herald, Waco, Texas, September 28th, 1907, p. 4
Taft would return to the Philippines in October of 1907, to address the new Philippine Assembly he helped create. His address was on October 16th, 1907, (171) one day before “Act # 1761” – the new anti-opium law his Opium Committee crafted – was to take effect. (172)
Image #117: William Howard Taft addressing the First Philippine Assembly in the Manila Grand Opera House, October 16th, 1907 (one day before the Philippine opium prohibition law was to be put into effect). Wikipedia, “Philippine Assembly.”
The act was quite brutal, given the fact that everything it had prohibited had recently been completely legal. The act was called
“ACT NO. 1761 – AN ACT GRADUALLY TO RESTRICT AND REGULATE THE SALE AND USE OF OPIUM PENDING THE ULTIMATE PROHIBITION OF THE IMPORTATION OF OPIUM INTO THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS IN WHATEVER FORM EXCEPT FOR MEDICINAL PURPOSES …”. (173)
The following section is an example of the type of punishment provided for if one was caught violating some the many regulations:
“Sec. 31. Any unauthorized person owning, carrying, holding, having, controlling, having possession of, or knowingly having on his premises, any opium, cocaine, alpha or beta eucaine, or any derivative or preparation of such drugs or substances, on and after March first, nineteen hundred and eight, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding ten thousand pesos, or by imprisonment for not exceeding five years or by both such fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the court …” (174)
Image #118: “Inmate line up, Bilibid Prison, Manila ca 1900s-1910s,” Filipinas Nostalgia, facebook.com.
Elihu Root – Secretary Of State
Elihu Root was Secretary of State between 1905 and 1909 under Theodore Roosevelt. In 1907 Root had called both opium and liquor “the disgraces of civilization.” (175) A letter from Root to various countries participating in the 1909 anti-opium “Shanghai Conference” was leaked to the press in late 1908, revealing Root as the main organizer of the conference. (176) It had been made public back in September of 1908 that Root had also invited Turkey, Persia and Russia – three opium-producing nations – to the Shanghai conference. (177)
Image #119: “President Roosevelt’s Cabinet (detail),” Morris County Chronicle, Morristown, New Jersey, March 20th, 1906, p. 6
Image #120: Elihu Root, FIRST GREAT TRIUMPH – HOW FIVE AMERICANS MADE THEIR COUNTRY A WORLD POWER, Warren Zimmerman, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002
Image #121: “WORLD WIDE WAR ON OPIUM TRAFFIC,” The Oregon Daily Journal, Portland, Oregon, September 4th, 1908, p. 2
Image #122: “A Great Diplomatic Triumph.” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, St. Louis, Missouri, December 27th, 1908, p. 25
Also in 1908, Root had proposed to Congress that the US adopt a law that would ban the import of smoked opium, to show the rest of the world at the upcoming 1909 anti-opium conference in Shanghai that the United States was serious about opium prohibition. (178) The newspapers of the day reported how Taft’s Filipino anti-opium law was to serve as a more “stringent” model for Root’s US anti-opium law:
“Mr. Root also says that the proposed legislation merely applies to the United States in a less stringent form the prohibition which congress has already adopted for the Philippines.” (179)
Image #123: “OPIUM BILL PASSED,” The Abbeville Press And Banner, Abbeville, South Carolina, February 17th, 1909, p. 6
Root’s proposed American anti-opium bill became the Smoking Opium Exclusion Act of 1909, which was enacted into law on February 9th, 1909. (180) The Shanghai Conference took place between February 1st and February 26th, 1909. (181) The Shanghai Conference would lead to the world’s first international drug treaty just three years later. (182)
William Howard Taft – President of the United States
William Taft later became president of the United States (1909-1913), and while he held that office, “had heartily encouraged the initial steps” to create the 1909 Shanghai Conference. (183) In his 1910 annual message to Congress, President Taft helped to expand the list of “bad drugs” when he warned that “Cocaine is more appalling in its effects than any other habit-forming drug used in the United States.” (184)
Image #124: “TAFT’S ‘STEAM ROLLER’ SMILE,” Atlanta Georgian, Atlanta, Georgia, June 22nd, 1912, p. 3
Image #125: According to this cartoonist, the reason for William Taft’s ‘steam roller smile’ was Elihu Root’s steam roller politics. “TAFT’S ‘STEAM ROLLER’ SMILE,” (detail), Atlanta Georgian, Atlanta, Georgia, June 22nd, 1912, p. 3
Francis Burton Harrison – Congressman
New York Democrat and House member Francis Harrison expanded Root’s Opium Exclusion Act of 1909 to target individual drug users, making all opium and cocaine use “prescription only” (185) – making it more closely resemble the Philippines anti-opium law, which also banned both possession and importation of “non-medical” opium and cocaine. Harrison introduced what would eventually become the “Harrison Act” in 1912, with assistance from Taft’s State Department (186) and with help from Root who was serving in the Senate at the time. Passed in 1914, the Harrison Act was the first national drug control regime in the U.S., and is considered by most drug historians as a “landmark in the development of federal drug policy.” (187)
Image #126: “Harrison in 1913.” Wikipedia, “Francis Burton Harrison.”
Harrison went on to become the Governor of the Philippines between October 1913 and March 1921.
Image #127: Two politicians supervise two different experiments in the new global drug war. Billings Evening Journal, Billings, Montana, September 4th, 1913, p. 1
Image #128: The Sacramento Bee, September 16th, 1913, p. 26
Image #129: “HEADS BAR ASSOCIATION,” The Miami Herald, Miami, Florida, August 30th, 1915, p. 6 – Taft was head of the American Bar Association (ABA) in 1913. Peter Meldrim took over the ABA in 1914, and then Elihu Root became president in 1915.
The Skull And Bones Connection
Aside from being the initiators for what would become the drug policy of the Philippines, the United States, and the rest of the world, what did Taft, Root and Harrison have in common? On top of Taft (188) Root (189) and initially Harrison (190) being living manifestations of white supremacy who believed that – and/or acted like – Filipinos required the guidance of white men to govern themselves, and on top of all being wealthy East coast lawyer/politicians, what else did they have in common?
They were all members of – or in Root’s case an associate of members of – the Skull and Bones fraternity at Yale. Taft’s father was a co-founder of the fraternity. (191) Taft was tapped for membership in Skull and Bones in 1878. (192) Root was the employee of William Collins Whitney (Skull and Bones 1863) (193) and employer of Henry Stimson (Skull and Bones 1888). (194) Stimson, along with Taft and Harrison, also did a stint as Governor of the Philippines – and like Taft and Root – took his turn as Secretary of War. Stimson was Secretary of War for President Taft.
Image #130: Henry L. Stimpson, circa 1912, loc.gov.
Stimson would later be a big influence on many of the men who held key positions in the creation of the CIA, including these Skull & Bones members: Harvey Hollister Bundy (Skull and Bones 1909) who helped funnel millions to the CIA using the Marshall Plan, William Averell Harriman (Skull and Bones 1913) was also involved in Marshall Plan funding for the CIA, and was a trusted advisor to Truman, who created the CIA, Prescott Bush (Skull and Bones 1917) who was in military intelligence in WW1, Frederick Trubee Davison (Skull and Bones 1918) the CIA’s first personnel director at the CIA, and Robert Lovett (Skull and Bones 1918) who chaired the Lovett Committee, responsible for advising Truman on the creation of the CIA. (195) Harrison was tapped for Skull and Bones in 1895. (196)
Image #131: William Collins Whitney, “George H.W. Bush: Biggest. Drug Lord. Ever.” David Malmo-Levine, May 16, 2017.
Image #132: William Howard Taft, “George H.W. Bush: Biggest. Drug Lord. Ever.” David Malmo-Levine, May 16, 2017.
Image #133: Elihu Root, “George H.W. Bush: Biggest. Drug Lord. Ever.” David Malmo-Levine, May 16, 2017.
Image #134: “The Order of Skull & Bones, 1888,” “George H.W. Bush: Biggest. Drug Lord. Ever.” David Malmo-Levine, May 16, 2017.
Image #135: Henry Lewis Stimson, “George H.W. Bush: Biggest. Drug Lord. Ever.” David Malmo-Levine, May 16, 2017.
Image #136: Francis Burton Harrison, “George H.W. Bush: Biggest. Drug Lord. Ever.” David Malmo-Levine, May 16, 2017.
One might think it a strange coincidence that these men were all involved in Skull and Bones, all involved in governing the Philippines, and also involved in the creation of the modern drug war. But the coincidences don’t stop there. Their Skull and Bones frat house at Yale – “the Tomb” – was paid for by founder William Huntington Russell, using $30,000 from his cousin opium smuggler Samuel Russell back in 1856. (197) And another Skull and Bones creation – the CIA – ended up becoming the world’s biggest drug smuggling organization by 1967. (198)
Image #137: “William H. Taft (Skull and Bones 1878), Frank Kellogg and Henry L. Stimson (Skull and Bones 1888),” 1929. Library Of Congress, loc.gov.
One would have to be a pretty ridiculous coincidence theorist to think all of that was just once big coincidence. It would be more reasonable to assume it was a simple conflict of interest – one of many examples of “elite deviance.” The Bonesmen benefitted from illegal drug smuggling in the 1800s, and they wanted to benefit from it again in the 1900s. So they worked together, taking turns bringing it back into existence, and then built the perfect smuggling network.
Image #138: Stimson (Skull and Bones 1888) with Lovett (Skull and Bones 1918) and McCloy. The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters Volume 2 Number 1 Parameters 1972 Article 7 7-4-1972 SECRETARY STIMSON AND THE EUROPEAN WAR, 1940-1941 F. Gunther Eyck, press.armywarcollege.edu.
History is filled with examples of conflicts of interest. Nearly 2000 years ago, the Roman poet Juvenal asked “Who watches the watchmen?” To commit the perfect crime, you don’t have to be a genius – just responsible for the investigation afterwards. If you want to get away with drug smuggling, it’s quite handy to have a higher security clearance than customs agents. Or more powerful contacts. Or access to military airports. And if you really want to be successful as a drug smuggler, have the police and DEA round up and incarcerate your competition, guaranteeing you get most or all of the demand for your product.
Image #139: Robert Lovett (Skull and Bones 1918), Winston Churchill, Dean Acheson, and Averill Harriman (Skull and Bones 1913), 8 January 1953. commons.wikimedia.org.
This idea of “the CIA as the world’s biggest drug smugglers” gets less controversial every year. It’s pretty well established in numerous films, books, online articles, videos and magazines. (199) This author himself has written about it himself a few times. (200) Suffice to say, there’s plenty of evidence out there for those who bother to look.
The lesson to be learned here is that the Philippines was once used by the elite as a place to try out a drug policy before importing it into the United States. There are now signs that this particular bit of history is preparing to repeat itself.
Donald Trump’s Many Statements Of Support For Killing And Executing Drug Dealers
Back in 2016, at the very beginning of Donald Trump’s first term as president, this author became alarmed to hear about Trump praising Duterte for his death squad approach to drug prohibition. (201) The Guardian told the story this way:
“The Philippine president called Trump on Friday evening to congratulate him on his victory and Trump wished him ‘success’ in his controversial crackdown, in which 4,800 people have been killed since June, according to Duterte. ‘He was quite sensitive also to our worry about drugs. And he wishes me well … in my campaign and he said that … we are doing it as a sovereign nation, the right way,’ Duterte said in a statement. . . . A statement from Trump’s team said Duterte congratulated the US president-elect and the two men ‘noted the long history of friendship and cooperation between the two nations, and agreed that the two governments would continue to work together closely on matters of shared interest and concern . . .’.” (202)
Image #140: “Donald Trump, ‘Duterte Harry’ and the Drug War Death Squads,” David Malmo-Levine, January 17, 2017, Cannabis Culture.
Not content to let that one statement be the final word, Trump reached out to Duterte again less than 5 months later and gave him more praise, it was revealed in a transcript of a phone call leaked by the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs:
“‘I just wanted to congratulate you because I am hearing of the unbelievable job on the drug problem,’ Trump told Duterte, according to the transcript. ‘Many countries have the problem, we have a problem, but what a great job you are doing and I just wanted to call and tell you that.’ According to the State Department’s 2016 Human Rights Report, which was last updated in March, police and vigilantes in the Philippines had killed more than 6,000 suspected drug dealers since July, the month after Duterte took office.” (203)
Image #141: Image from Duterte Harry – Fire and Fury in the Philippines, Jonathan Miller, Scribe Publications, Victoria, Australia, 2018
Image #142: “Trump embraces Duterte as Asia trip winds down,” Nov 13, 2017, pbs.org.
Image #143: “Trump unlikely to rebuke Duterte for drug war killings,” Republican and Herald, Pottsville, Pennsylvania, November 13th, 2017, p. A4
Trump would echo these sentiments in public – repeatedly – during his first term. For example, on March 1st, 2018, Trump said this at a White House summit on the opioid crisis:
“‘Some countries have a very tough penalty, the ultimate penalty, and they have much less of a drug problem than we do.’ Trump said. . . . A White House official said Trump has privately expressed interest in Singapore’s policy of executing drug dealers.” (204)
A few weeks later, on March 19th, 2018, Trump told this to a Community College in New Hampshire:
“‘We can have all the blue-ribbon committees we want, but if we don’t get tough on drug dealers, we’re wasting our time … and that toughness includes the death penalty. … Some of these drug dealers will kill thousands of people in their lifetimes and destroy the lives of many more people than that,’ he said. Over the past several weeks, Trump has talked approvingly of regimes in China, the Philippines and Singapore that execute drug dealers – in some cases without due process. ‘Take a look at some of these countries where they don’t play games,’ he said. ‘They don’t have a drug problem. … Whether you are a dealer or doctor or trafficker or manufacturer and you break the law and peddle these deadly poisons, we will find you, we will charge you and we will hold you accountable . . . We have got to get tough. This isn’t about nice anymore.’” (205)
Image #144: “Trump calls for death penalty on drug dealers: ‘GET TOUGH’,” The Republic, Columbus, Indiana, March 20th, 2018,, p. A8
Image #145: “Trump calls for death penalty on drug dealers: ‘GET TOUGH’,” The Republic, Columbus, Indiana, March 20th, 2018,, p. A8
Image #146: “‘Ultimate penalty’ on the table,” Quad-City Times, Davenport, Iowa, March 21st, 2018, p. A12
A couple days later, Jeff Sessions – Trump’s Attorney General at the time – also suggested drug dealers should be executed:
“We cannot allow drug dealers to walk our streets thinking that they will get away their crimes or that they will only get a slap on the wrist. . . . They need to know that this administration will not hesitate to pursue the maximum sentences allowed by law, including the death penalty.” (206)
Journalists then pointed out that such executions could very well include pot dealers – even the “legal” pot dealers. (207)
Image #147: “Sessions favors seeking death penalty in some drug cases,” Kitsap Sun, Bremerton Washington, March 22nd, 2018, p. 3
Trump 2.0
Trump has recently increased the amount of time spent calling for the death penalty to drug dealers. It became a highlight of his 2024 campaign rollout:
“We’re going to be asking everyone who sells drugs, gets caught selling drugs, to receive the death penalty for their heinous acts. Because it’s the only way. . . . In China when I was with President Xi I said ‘President, do you have a drug problem?’ ‘No no no no we don’t.’ He looked at me like I didn’t know what I was doing. He said ‘No we don’t have a drug problem.’ ‘How come you don’t have a drug problem?’ He said ‘Quick trial.’ ‘What is a quick trial?’ I sorta knew. ‘What is a quick trial?’ That’s where if you get caught dealing drugs you have an immediate and quick trial and by the end of the day you’re executed.” (208)
Image #148: “Trump wants the death penalty for drug dealers. Here’s why that probably won’t happen,” NPR, May 10, 2023, iowapublicradio.org.
Trump’s campaign website also asserted that Trump promised to “ask Congress to ensure that drug smugglers and traffickers can receive the Death Penalty.” (209)
In also became a feature of his speeches on the campaign trail. For example, in the important swing State of Pennsylvania, Trump again called for the death penalty for drug dealers, arguing that it worked really well in China:
“The only thing they would understand would be the death penalty. If you had the death penalty for drug dealers you wouldn’t have any more drugs. You wouldn’t have any more drugs. Instead we form blue-ribbon committees, made up of our great first-lady and lots of people . . . But they don’t do this for a living. . . . I went to China, I saw President Xi. . . . I said ‘Do you have a drug problem?’ I.4 billion people. ‘No no no. We have no drug problem.’ ‘Why don’t you have a drug problem?’ ‘Because we have THE DEATH PENALTY!’ He said. ‘For drug dealers. If they sell drugs they die.’ He said.” (210)
Trump said similar things repeatedly all over the country during the 2024 campaign for President. (211) From his statements on the 2024 campaign trail, we can safely assume that Trump’s evolving vision for the type of execution for drug dealers he wants in the United States is now the Chinese type: often, fast and certain.
Image #149: “Donald Trump Demands Drug Dealers Receive The Death Penalty During Pennsylvania Rally,” September 3, 2024, Pot TV.
But that’s not the most frightening part of his anti-drug rhetoric.
Trump Promises U.S. Police “Immunity From Prosecution” (Filipino-style death squads)
In 2023, when NPR investigated the possibility of Trump bringing in the death penalty for drug dealers, they spoke to a law professor who argued that it was a) unlikely and b) wouldn’t have much of an impact even if he did succeed, because State governments would be unlikely to support him:
“Gurulé explained that drug-related offenses violate federal and state laws. However, ‘the vast majority of drug trafficking offenses are prosecuted at the state level as a state criminal offense,’ he explained. As a result, federal offenses make up only a ‘small fraction’ of all drug smuggling prosecutions. Which is why if Trump somehow convinced a divided Congress to pass a death penalty bill–a long shot on its own–it would only apply on the federal level, thus not having much of an impact on sentencing for individual states.” (212)
One way Trump could circumvent having to rely on individual States for support for the death penalty is to (like Duterte did) use his access to the mass media to create a climate of impunity for the police, where both Federal and State law enforcement would be unlikely to bother to investigate any cops that weren’t caught red handed (on video) murdering someone unnecessarily – the situation currently in place in the Philippines:
“During a May 1, 2024 rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Trump said, ‘We’re going to give our police their power back, and we’re going to give them immunity from prosecution, so they’re not prosecuted for doing their job.’ Trump said something similar during a July 27, 2024 rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota: ‘We’re going to give immunity to police, so they can do their job. I’m giving federal immunity to police officers, so they can do their job.’ A few days later, Trump clarified in a July 31 interview at the NABJ convention that this immunity wouldn’t extend to every single case of police misconduct.” (213)
Image #150: “What Donald Trump has said about giving police immunity from prosecution,” verifythis.com.
Some journalists are skeptical of Trump’s chances of success in making this campaign promise a formal legal reality, (214) but have nothing to say on the topic of whether or not Trump can – with the power to influence public opinion – make this campaign promise an informal legal reality, as it is in the Philippines.
As was noted above, repeated statements approving of extrajudicial killing of drug criminals from Duterte created an atmosphere of near-absolute immunity for the police (and vigilantes) in the Philippines, with the exception of when police were caught on security camera in possession of kids that end up dead.
And it’s not like police don’t already enjoy “near immunity” these days. Less than 2% of American police are arrested for the 1,000 or so fatal police shootings every year. Between 2005 and 2021, only 7 US police officers were convicted of murder. Most convictions are for lesser charges such as manslaughter or even “official misconduct, in some cases serving no prison time.” (215)
Image #151: “Police officers are prosecuted for murder in less than 2 percent of fatal shootings,” April 2nd, 2021, vox.com.
Trump Wants To Use The Military To Fight The Cartels
The one thing that would be worse than giving the police carte-blanche in the drug war, would be to give it to the military as well.
Back in 2019 Trump promised to “designate the cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO), which would have widened the scope of potential US action” but then promised Mexico he would “delay” that designation to give Mexico more time to shut down the cartels on their own. (216)
In 2020, Trump mused about “shooting missiles into Mexico to take out drug labs” and “make it look as if some other country was responsible” to his defence secretary Mark Esper, who told Trump the idea was “ludicrous.” (217)
Image #152: “Bombing Mexico to stop fentanyl supply to US is a terrible idea,” Centre Daily Times, State College, Pennsylvania, July 10th, 2023, p. A6
It is now December of 2024 as I write this, and a Trump Cabinet pick as well as a transition insider have both confirmed that Trump’s idea to invade Mexico is very much on the table:
“Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s president, said: ‘Of course we do not agree with an invasion or the presence of this type in our country. During the government of president López Obrador there was greater control by US agencies in Mexico, and that will be maintained.’ It comes amid mounting reports that Washington could dispatch Special Forces soldiers to eliminate Mexican drug cartels. Tom Homan, the man tapped by Mr Trump to lead his border closures, recently told Fox News the president-elect ‘will use [the] full might of the United States Special Operations to take ‘em out’. An anonymous source told Rolling Stone last week that transition officials had discussed ‘how much to invade’ Mexico.” (218)
Image #153: “Experts skeptical of GOP hopefuls’ Mexico plans,” Ruidoso News, Ruidoso, New Mexico, October 11th, 2023, p. A5
Academics have openly wondered just how much of the army’s focus will be on the cartels, and how much will be on the immigrants that Trump has blamed for much of the drug smuggling on America’s southern border.
“However, what concerns Jeffrey Miron, senior lecturer at Harvard and director of economic studies at the Cato Institute, is not so much the economic impact of Trump’s administration on the cannabis industry but the conservatives’ proposals to potentially use the military for border enforcement and against Mexican cartels, marking a significant escalation in drug and immigration policy. . . . On the broader drug policy, Packer says it may be a more militarized drug war, especially targeting fentanyl and linking it to immigration, which could disproportionately impact immigrant, black, and brown communities.” (219)
Image #154: “Trump reprises dehumanizing language about undocumented immigrants,” The Miami Herald, Miami, Florida, December 19th, 2023, p. A5
One thing is certain. Any CIA torture jets flying tonnes of cocaine into the US (220) – or any fentanyl-smuggling family member of any Trump-friendly dictator rocking a triad tattoo on their back – will not be investigated too closely.
Now Add Kratom To The List Of Herbs To Be Killed Over
Aside from an increase in the rate of pot-related police shootings to pot-related arrests, and an expanded use of the death penalty for drug crimes and an increase in the lack of accountability demonstrated by law enforcement and an increase in the use of the military to enforce drug laws, there’s another thing to worry about: the expansion of the list of relatively harmless herbs one can get killed over. This time it’s kratom.
“Police and prosecutors say Price, convicted of trafficking an herb legal in most U.S. states, died days after boxing in a cell with another inmate at the Greene County Detention Center in northeastern Arkansas. An autopsy showed he had a collapsed lung, broken ribs, and a ruptured spleen. Price’s organs had bled out and his head had a one-inch gash. A state police investigation concluded Price, 46, suffered most of the injuries during the brief match with a fellow inmate, in which toilet paper and socks were used as gloves. … Price’s fate was set in motion early on May 5, 2021. Around midnight, after work, the one-time standout student and athlete was headed to his house in Paragould, Arkansas, after stopping by the Missouri border shop of Mr. T’s Riverside in Cardwell to purchase kratom. It had become a monthly trip, as the herb was helping him stay off of heroin. But Price wasn’t supposed to be driving; his license had been suspended for years after he fell behind on child support payments. … Ultimately, the license suspension further justified the police search of his vehicle, as well as bringing a charge of driving without a license. The search turned up .8 ounces of marijuana and four packages totaling 366 grams of kratom – an herb that is legal in all but six U.S. states. In Arkansas, possessing more than 200 grams brings a trafficking charge, so Price was charged with trafficking.” (221)
Image #155: “Julian Price, the second-oldest of Marshall Ray Price’s five children, holds photos of her father doing what he most loved — being outdoors and fishing.” “How a Brutal Jail Death Exposes Arkansas’ ‘Punishing’ Justice System,” December 11th, 2023, newsweek.com.
Image #156: “Kratom legality across the U.S.,” “How a Brutal Jail Death Exposes Arkansas’ ‘Punishing’ Justice System,” December 11th, 2023, newsweek.com.
At the Coca Leaf Cafe and Mushroom Dispensary where I work, I we sell dozens and dozens of kilos of kratom every month. While one of the risks of kratom (222) is to experience withdrawal symptoms after a few weeks of regular use (symptoms that may be a little stronger or weaker than caffeine withdrawal), the Newsweek article that covered the death of Marshall Ray Price above also explored the therapeutic potential of kratom:
“Kratom is used as a medicinal herb in many parts of the world. Its components – mitragynin and 7-hydroxymitragynine – activate the same receptors in the brain that respond to opioids, according to a 2008 study published in the National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine. A 2020 study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence found kratom has strong potential as a treatment option for opioid withdrawal.” (223)
Image #157: mushroomdispensary.com
The fact that the list of herbs that one can get killed over is expanding highlights a very important fact: The drug war isn’t about a list of good drugs that work all the time and and a list of bad drugs that one should never ever use. The drug war is about a war on people who have an intelligent preference for drugs that may work well for them, and who exercise medical autonomy (or in the case of growers and dealers vocational autonomy). Our rulers don’t care about our health. What they want is to eliminate our independence. By gunpoint.
Kentrail Small Post Script: The Release Of The Body Cam Footage
As I was writing this article, I went back to Google to see if anything else had come out about the Kentrail Small shooting. To my surprise, on November 8th, 2024, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department had released the body cam footage of the shooting. (224)
Image #158: “IMPD Critical Incident Video 9000 Pendleton Pike,” Nov 8, 2024, youtube.com.
I was even more surprised to note that two of the three media reports about the release (Fox59 and WTHR) actually admitted that the warrant the cops were serving was for Small after all. (225) None of the three media reports of the body cam release mentioned that the warrant was for cannabis, or that the cops lied about there being a second warrant for a more dangerous criminal. Maybe it was because nobody has a very good memory about the little details of the shootings of black people. Or maybe the reporters were scared of police retribution for mentioning that they lied. Or maybe none of the reporters actually cared what the police did, or who they did it to, regardless of race.
Why Was Kentrail Small Killed?
So why did Kentrail Small get killed? I am certain the police will insist that Kentrail Small was killed because he deserved to have a warrant issued for his cannabis offence, and that he may or may not have been the subject of the warrant that the SWAT team was serving that day, but in any case he should have just listened to instructions and submitted to their authority.
But I don’t believe that’s the entire story. I don’t believe the cops really believe that either. If the cops thought what they did was justified, they would not have bothered to lie about never using a SWAT team to serve a warrant for simple possession of pot.
The truth is that Kentrail Small died because cannabis is unfairly treated like a hard drug, with the pot economy cartelized in some places and entirely prohibited in other places. Kentrail Small died because drug peace activists have done a shitty job explaining to the rest of the public that cannabis should be regulated like coffee beans – no arrests required at all. Kentrail Small died because the drug war is a genocidal war against the medically and vocationally autonomous – a war designed to enslave humanity at gunpoint . . . and sometimes those guns go off.
The truth is, the United States already has “death squads” – they’re called “the police,” and they kill around 1000-1400 people every year, (226) as opposed to the death squads in the Philippines, who have killed upwards of about 3750 people per year during the reign of “Duterte Harry”. (227) It’s not that big of a stretch to imagine someone like Trump being able to push the US police over the edge, and get into those Philippine numbers. The truth is that the drug war could get much, much worse, very, very quickly.
Let’s all do a better job of being vocal and vigorous in opposition to any escalation of the intensity or scope of the drug war by Trump or anyone else. Let’s all do a better job of fighting for soft drug regulations for soft drugs like cannabis and kratom. I’m talking about explicitly fighting for fair trade organic coffee bean regulations for weed. No ATF-style law enforcement. No arrests, period.
It’s amazing what showing a little spine can do – even in the face of the most sinister of evils.
The thought of writing “Part 3” of this article makes me sick in my stomach.
You can send flowers to Kentrail Small’s family or have a tree planted in his memory on this memorial website:
Citations:
1) Marijuana really can be deadly – when encountering police officers
The Washington Post, October 7, 2016
2) Killed Over Pot, David Malmo-Levine, May 18, 2021
3) Traditional Medicine By David Malmo-Levine on June 9, 2022
4) The Raid Lobby By David Malmo-Levine on September 25, 2022
6) “317,793 People Were Arrested for Marijuana Possession in 2020 Despite the Growing Legalization Movement,” November 16, 2022
7) https://norml.org/laws/arrest-charts/
“The exact figure was 227,108 arrests. Of that number, 92% were for possession only. This number is a slight jump from 2021 when the FBI reported a total of 219,489 arrests for marijuana.”
8) https://gradschool.wayne.edu/news/graduate-student-studies-the-effects-of-cannabis-legalization-on-arrests-in-michigan-50827
9) Cannabis-related drug offences drop as a result of legalization
10) “Nationally, the total rate of police-reported cannabis offences under the Cannabis Act and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act increased for the first time in 9 years, rising 5% in 2021 (Table 8 and Table 9). Previously, a general decrease in cannabis-related offences had been compounded by the legalization of cannabis on October 17, 2018. The Cannabis Act provides a legal framework for the legalization and regulation of the production, distribution, sale, possession, importation and exportation of cannabis in Canada (Parliament of Canada 2018). Police reported a total of 13,560 cannabis-related incidents, representing a rate of 35 incidents per 100,000 population. The most commonly reported offences were related to importation or exportation (66% of all Cannabis Act offences), possession (9%), and distribution (8%) (Table 9). The increase in police-reported cannabis offences was almost entirely the result of more importation and exportation offences, mainly in British Columbia and Quebec. Case processing and investigation procedures for these offences in particular impact police-reported metrics.Note Excluding importation and exportation offences, the national rate of other cannabis offences decreased 11% in 2021.”
11) Traditional Medicine By David Malmo-Levine on June 9, 2022
12) https://www.vice.com/en/article/black-and-indigenous-people-are-overrepresented-in-canadas-weed-arrests/
13) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_killings_by_law_enforcement_officers_in_the_United_States
14) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_killings_by_law_enforcement_officers_in_Canada
17) https://www.airports-worldwide.com/articles/article1435.php
18) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_killings_by_law_enforcement_officers_in_Germany
19) https://www.facebook.com/IMPDNews – August 23rd, 2024, 10:53 am. At approximately 3:00 minutes into the video, the officer clearly states “There was no suspect outstanding.” See also: “Second IMPD briefing on fatal police shooting” | Aug. 23 at 3:29 minutes into the video, the words “there is no suspect outstanding” was removed from the text the officer was reading. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te_EsYy7IyY
See also: Police shooting on Pendleton Pike. What we know Noe Padilla Ryan Murphy Jade Jackson Indianapolis Star, published Aug. 23, 2024. Updated Nov. 8, 2024 (Facebook video imbedded). https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2024/08/23/indianapolis-police-shooting-pendleton-pike-park-terrace-motel-lawrence/74336617007/
20) “On Friday, August 23, 2024, at approximately 10:30 a.m., IMPD Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) officers were at a motel in the 9000 block of Pendleton Pike collaborating with the East District Detectives. They were there to locate a wanted adult male suspect, who was known to be armed and dangerous and in possession of narcotics. The officers were in possession of a signed and approved search warrant. SWAT officers, who were in full police uniform, made several announcements outside the motel room door. SWAT officers used both a public address system and police sirens in an attempt to get the suspect to peacefully surrender. Unfortunately, the suspect did not exit the motel room. At that time, SWAT officers made forced entry into the motel room, locating two adult subjects coming out of the restroom. Officers gave several verbal commands for the individuals to get on the ground. The female occupant in the room listened to officer commands and was safely detained for additional questioning. The second individual in the motel room, an adult male, did not follow the SWAT officers’ commands. While officers were attempting to place the suspect into handcuffs, a struggle ensued within the kitchenette area of the motel room. The suspect forcefully pulled away from officers and, at some point during the struggle, retrieved a Draco firearm, which shoots rifle rounds, and continued to physically resist the officer’s attempts to handcuff the suspect. At some point, an officer-involved shooting occurred.”
IMPD SWAT officers shoot, kill 40-year-old man while serving warrant at Lawrence motel The incident happened in the 9000 block of Pendleton Pike, near North Post Road, around 10:30 a.m. Friday. Author: WTHR.com staff Published: 10:51 AM EDT August 23, 2024 Updated: 8:49 PM EDT August 26, 2024
21) “LAWRENCE, Ind. — One man is dead after IMPD SWAT officers attempted to serve a search warrant at a Lawrence motel. According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the shooting occurred at the Park Terrace Motel in the 9000 block of Pendleton Pike at roughly 10:35 a.m. The Lawrence Police Department confirmed that IMPD is the lead agency in the incident. No police officers were harmed in the shooting. On Monday, officials with the Marion County Coroner’s Office identified the person who died as 40-year-old Kentrail Small. IMPD said narcotic detectives, with the assistance of SWAT, were attempting to serve a warrant at the motel on a wanted suspect who was known to be armed and dangerous. After police announced their presence and didn’t get a response from the suspect inside the motel room, SWAT breached the room where the suspect reportedly grabbed a firearm.”
Man shot, killed after SWAT breach Lawrence motel room by: Matt Christy Posted: Aug 23, 2024 / 10:54 AM EDT Updated: Aug 26, 2024 / 09:13 AM EDT SHARE
22) “INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A man was fatally shot Friday by Indianapolis police who were trying to serve a warrant at a motel in Lawrence. The Marion County Coroner’s Office identified the man Monday as 40-year-old Kentrail Small. Just before 10:30 a.m., Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department SWAT team members were attempting to serve a warrant on a man staying the Park Terrace Motel at the intersection of Pendleton Pike and Post Road. The man, identified as Small, was ‘known to be armed and dangerous in the possession of narcotics,’ and IMPD narcotics detectives were also at the scene, according to IMPD Assistant Chief Michael Wolley.”
1 person shot, killed by police at Lawrence motel
by: Ashley Fowler and Kyla Russell Posted: Aug 23, 2024 / 10:58 AM EST / Updated: Aug 26, 2024 / 10:04 AM EST This story has been updated to include the victim’s name.
23) Police shooting on Pendleton Pike. What we know, Noe Padilla, Ryan Murphy, Jade Jackson Indianapolis Star, published 11:42 a.m. ET Aug. 23, 2024 / Updated 10:30 a.m. ET Sept. 3, 2024
24) Man shot, killed by IMPD SWAT while serving a search warrant at motel
WTHR 13NEWS is the news leader for Indianapolis and central Indiana. Get the latest news and breaking news.
25) Man shot, killed by IMPD SWAT while serving a search warrant at motel – Police were executing a search warrant when they shot Kentrail Small in Lawrence on Aug. 23.
Author: Mike Potter Published: 4:18 PM EDT August 26, 2024 Updated: 8:47 PM EDT August 26, 2024
26) Man shot, killed by IMPD SWAT while serving a search warrant at motel
Author: wthr.com Published: 8:17 PM EDT August 26, 2024 Updated: 8:17 PM EDT August 26, 2024
27) “WAR COMES HOME: THE EXCESSIVE MILITARIZATION OF AMERICAN POLICE,” p. 31
28) “War Comes Home: The Excessive Militarization of American Policing,” 23 June 2014
29) https://incarcernation.com/view-for-death-by-cop-2024/entry/9187/?gvid=36283
30) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWAT
31) “Officer involved shootings”
32) “IPD officer describes being shot in the face,” The Indianapolis Star, Dec 05, 2006 · Page B2
33) “Wounded,” The Indianapolis Star Tue, Nov 22, 2005 · Page A8
34) “I FEEL LUCKY EVERY DAY,” The Indianapolis Star, August 10th, 2006, p. A16
35) “Suspect Sought In Wounding Of IPD Officer,” The Indianapolis Star, Nov. 21st, 2005, p. B2
36) Jennifer Seeber Paralegal, ADA Coordinator IMPD Legal Unit Office of the Chief Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department 50 N. Alabama, Suite E201A Indianapolis, IN 46204 (317) 327-3745 [email protected] <[email protected]>
37) “IMPD officers were wearing body cameras. IMPD policy is to release edited body camera video within 30 days of a police shooting.”
38) “Authorized User(s). Only the following User(s) are permitted to obtain copies of reports provided through the Services: (i) you (or your company) are directly involved in the accident or incident; (ii) you are the parent, legal guardian, executor, or next of kin (in the case of death) of a person directly involved in the accident or incident; (iii) you (or your company) are the legal representative of one of the parties directly involved in the accident or incident; (iv) you are an authorized representative of the insurance carrier for one of the parties involved in the accident or incident; and / or (v) you are permitted access to the specified report under the laws of the jurisdiction where the accident or incident report was created. Use of the Services by anyone who is not an authorized party pursuant to this section is strictly prohibited.”
39) “Based on Indiana State law, some requests may be withheld from public release if: it would create a significant risk of substantial harm; would interfere with the ability of a person to receive a fair trial; would affect an ongoing investigation; would not serve the public interest. Recordings will be kept for a state-mandated minimum of 190 days, or as long as they are necessary for legal, administrative, or civil proceedings.”
40) “Cannabis in Indiana is illegal for recreational use, with the exception of limited medical usage. Possession of any amount is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in prison and a fine of up to $1000.[1]”
41) “September 13, 2024, OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police in Nebraska’s largest city have stopped using some no-knock search warrants, at least for now, after an unarmed Black man was killed by an officer while executing a no-knock warrant last month. Omaha Deputy Police Chief Scott Gray said the use of standard entry no-knock warrants was suspended pending a full review and assessment of best practices, the Omaha World-Herald reported Friday. Gray said the department is unlikely to do away with the practice entirely. Omaha Police Officer Adam Vail was part of a SWAT team serving the search warrant during a drug and firearms investigation on Aug. 28 when he fired the single shot that killed Cameron Ford, 37. Vail said Ford charged at him without his hands visible. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine declined to charge the officer and officers searching the residence later found fentanyl and large amounts of cash and marijuana, authorities said.”
“Police killing of an unarmed Nebraska man prompts officers to reconsider no-knock warrants,” September 13, 2024
42) “OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Grand jury results are in for 13 cases presented to them by Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine. On Thursday, the grand jury returned a ‘no true bill’ for all of them — including the death of 37-year-old Cameron Ford, who was shot and killed by Omaha SWAT Officer Adam Vail during a no-knock search warrant in August. ‘No true bill’ means the grand jury will not indict him — that the evidence did not persuade them that there is probable cause to believe the officer committed a crime. Following the shooting, Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer recommended that the officer be fired from his position, saying Vail was in violation of the department’s protocol when issuing the warrant in the early morning hours of Aug. 28.”
“No indictment for Omaha Police officer involved in fatal shooting while serving ‘no-knock’ warrant – OPD Chief Schmaderer had called for the Officer Adam Vail’s firing after he shot and killed 37-year-old Cameron Ford while serving a no-knock warrant in August.”
43) “MUSKEGO, Wis. — Video just released by the Muskego Police Department sheds new light on a crash last month that killed three young women. They were in a car, speeding away from a traffic stop. Doorbell camera video shows the speeding car drive past a house July 28 on Martin Drive, followed about 10 seconds later by a Muskego police squad car. The car crashed moments later when it lost control crossing National Avenue into New Berlin. Police body camera footage shows the scene with the crumpled Toyota Corolla on its side as rescuers tried to help the four young women inside. ‘Can you hear us? Help’s coming. Stop moving, stop moving,’ rescuers are heard shouting into the crumpled car that apparently rolled while trying to turn onto National Avenue. Three of the teens died, all three families launched GoFundMe drives in the wake of the crash. They’re identified there as the driver, Giana Ochs, 18, of East Troy; Caitlin Curtis, 17, of East Troy; and Paige Pope, 17, of Greenfield, a Whitnall High School student. The chase began in Idle Isle Park in Muskego at about 10:20 p.m. July 28. Police body cam video reveals radio communication in which an officer is heard explaining he suspected the teens were smoking marijuana at the park and chased after them when they jumped in the car and quickly took off. ‘What were they wanted for, smoking weed in the park?’ one officer is heard asking. The other answers, ‘Yeah. I wasn’t super concerned about that. But eluding was more the issue, it was reckless driving.’ The car crashed less than two miles away. The fourth person in the car, a 16-year-old girl from Milwaukee, was critically injured but survived.”
“Fatal Muskego pursuit began over suspicion of marijuana use – In newly released video, officer says he was more concerned about reckless driving,” Aug 22, 2024
44) “The Muskego Police Department said the occupants of the car were spotted near Idle Isle Park engaging in ‘suspicious behavior,’ though police haven’t explained what that was.”
“Two young women killed in Muskego police pursuit – Car crashed during chase ending in New Berlin”, July 29th, 2024
45) “Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson announced immediate changes to the city’s police policies and procedures after a deadly officer-involved shooting early Monday. A 16-year-old was shot and killed around 5:37 a.m. Monday as police executed a narcotics and SWAT ‘knock-and-announced’ search warrant. The incident happened in the 3400 block of Sheringham Drive. ‘Upon entering the premises, officers were met by a 16-year-old male occupant who was armed with a laser-sighted handgun and was pointing it at them,’ police stated. ‘The officer discharged his weapon, striking the occupant. The occupant was subsequently transported to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.’ The Mobile Police Department’s Criminal Investigation unit is looking into the shooting, and the Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting an administrative review. The officer involved has been placed on administrative leave. Meanwhile, Stimpson said he is seeking answers to many questions. ‘I want to offer my sincerest condolences to the family and friends of the 16-year-old who lost his life during the execution of a search warrant by Mobile Police officers early this morning,’ Stimpson said. ‘I have unanswered questions about the events leading up to this tragic outcome, and I am taking immediate steps to get those answers.’”
“City of Mobile makes immediate changes to police policy after shooting of 16-year-old,” Erica Thomas | 11.14.23
46) “Family of teen killed during Mobile Police pre-dawn SWAT raid sees body camera video,” Asher Redd, Jeremy Jones, Nov 14, 2023
47) “Law professor weighs in on MPD’s decision to use a SWAT team in a pre-dawn raid that killed a 16-year-old boy,” Asher Redd, Nov 15, 2023
48) “MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – FOX10 News has uncovered how much marijuana Mobile police officers allegedly found after a deadly, pre-dawn, SWAT raid last week. 16-year-old Randall Adjessom was shot and killed after police say he pointed a weapon at officers. Police were actually there looking for Deangelo Adjessom on drug charges. According to new court documents, Deangelo was in possession of eight grams of marijuana. Court documents also show he had a digital scale. During a press conference last week, Mobile Police Chief Paul Prine spoke briefly about what brought his officers there. ‘I don’t know what was found in the home is of huge significance. What you have to understand was that probable cause was developed,’ Chief Prine said. ‘During this past week that would show that there was distribution of marijuana and not simply possession of it.’ The raid was carried out Monday morning at a home on Sheringham Drive. Chief Prine says the teen pointed a laser-sighted pistol at officers, and one officer opened fire. Police were looking for Deangelo Adjessom on charges of drug possession and distribution. Something that didn’t sit well with some city council members. ‘On a marijuana warrant? Come on! Do you know how many states right now are making marijuana legal? Legal! On a marijuana warrant,’ District 2 Council Member William Carroll said. Carroll along with several other city council members expressed their frustration with why the raid even happened. This is the second Mobile police SWAT raid this year that left someone dead, who was unrelated to the search warrant. ‘The 16-year-old kid that was killed yesterday was not even the kid we were looking for,’ Carroll said. ‘That makes this a thousand times worse. It wasn’t like somebody killed somebody, but we entered that place like we were going to find a murderer!’ Mayor Sandy Stimpson has ordered a temporary halt to pre-dawn raids except in extraordinary circumstances.”
“Court documents reveal teen had eight grams of marijuana, that resulted in deadly SWAT raid,”
Ariel Mallory, Nov. 21, 2023
49) https://www.gelaw.com/ge/press-release/Alabama_Teen_Shooting_05-09-24.pdf
“Brown’s report noted that the department called out the SWAT Team because of a shortage of narcotics officers available to serve a warrant on Adjessom’s brother related to drug. Officers found 8 grams of marijuana. ‘I think what the investigative report does highlight really well is that what happened is sort of the predictable end result of all the conduct that led up to it,’ she told FOX10 News. ‘You’ve got a 5:40 a.m. warrant. And the report concludes that that really escalated the danger of the situation. And then you’ve got what I think the report also points out as sort of a predictable response from a citizen who is woken from a dead sleep.’ Bailey said use of SWAT also highlights the ‘unnecessary militarization of the police.’”
“Family of teenager killed during Mobile SWAT raid hires lawyer,” May. 10, 2024
pmmose pmmose · 2023-12-2 “Today we laid our baby in his final resting place. Randall Adjessom”
50) “MID-CITY, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — An investigation is underway after a shooting involving the U.S. Marshals Service in the Mid-City area left a man dead Monday morning. The incident happened shortly before 11:30 a.m. in the 6300 block of Wilshire Boulevard. Witnesses told Eyewitness News that members with the U.S. Marshals Task Force tried to take someone into custody as they exited a medical building, that person ran back into the building and the shooting occurred. The U.S. Marshals Service says agents were attempting to arrest a fugitive out of Nebraska wanted for Marijuana Distribution and Money Laundering charges. The suspect, who has not been identified, brandished a firearm during the attempted arrest, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.”
“MAN DEAD AFTER SHOOTING INVOLVING US MARSHALS IN MID-CITY AREA,” Monday, November 13, 2023
“US Marshals shoot and kill fugitive in Wilshire area,” FOX 11 Los Angeles, November 13, 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILbJqGm-xYk
“‘Body on the floor’: Federal agents fatally shoot fugitive in Mid-City”
51) “ATLANTA — One man is dead after being shot by officers at a MARTA station in midtown Atlanta, police confirmed. Police say two undercover officers watched a man light a marijuana cigarette as he went down to the train platform at the North Avenue MARTA station around 4:30 p.m. MARTA Police Chief Scott Kreher says that as the officers were attempting to give the 23-year-old man a citation, he began fighting with them. They say he pulled out a gun and pointed it at one of the officers. … The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been requested to take over the investigation. Officers added that had the man complied with officers, he would not have been taken to jail for the marijuana cigarette.”
“Man stopped for marijuana, shot and killed after pulling gun on MARTA police, chief says,” WSBTV.com News Staff, February 24, 2023
“ATLANTA — Dozens of family and friends gathered outside the North Avenue Marta Station, sharing hugs, setting up flowers and lighting candles to honor the memory of Osiris Bennett. Bennett, 23, was shot and killed just three days earlier by MARTA Police. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, two MARTA Police officers, wearing plain clothes, approached Bennett around 4:30 p.m. Friday. MARTA Police said Bennett was trying to smoke marijuana inside the station. They said when officers confronted him and showed them their badges, he tried to run away and then fight them. The GBI said one officer tased Bennett. Officials said at one point, Bennett pointed a gun at the officers, and that’s when one of them shot Bennett. He later died at Grady Hospital. The ensuing investigation temporarily shut down service at the North Avenue MARTA station Friday night. ‘We have zero information, no officers names have been released, no footage,’ Carriengton Irving, Bennett’s sister, said. Irving said Bennett was known as the man of the house, going to work every day and providing financially for his mother and the rest of their family. Bennett’s girlfriend, Nydia Person, wants to know why officers were not in uniform. She is also asking for the names of the officers involved and any surveillance footage. 11Alive has requested bodycam video and MARTA camera footage, but the GBI said it is not releasing any video until its independent investigation is completed, which is their standard policy in these types of cases. ‘We don’t have no footage of anything,’ Person said. ‘We don’t know if they really presented themselves to him or not. We only have the MARTA police department’s statement. Y’all are undercover cops. You’re telling me y’all will blow your cover for someone that’s smoking marijuana? Justice can’t be served the way we want it to be served. He shouldn’t even be gone if we’re being honest. He shouldn’t be gone from here.’ … ‘He was a unicorn, and his life was stolen from him over nothing,’ Love said. ‘It’s so repetitive. The cycle of young Black men being murdered, it should not be normalized. This cannot end with this man’s life and his blood being spilled, and we’re getting no type of answers. This can’t be another open and shut case.’ The GBI said it was conducting an independent investigation, and that it would turn over its findings to the district attorney for review. MARTA Police declined to comment on the case, referring 11Alive to the GBI. Neither agency would answer what the status of the officers involved was at this time.”
“Family, friends want answers after deadly police shooting of man at MARTA station – A vigil was held Monday evening for 23-year-old Osiris Bennett, three days after MARTA police shot and killed him,” February 27, 2023
52) https://kevinfisherlegal.com/marijuana-laws-in-atlanta-slow-to-burn-out/
53) https://norml.org/laws/georgia-penalties/
54) “Richmond, Virginia — On January 9, 2023, around 4:47 a.m. in the morning, Richmond Police SWAT Officers attempted to serve a narcotics-related search warrant at a residence in the 3300 block of McGuire Drive. After establishing a perimeter and RPD vehicles on the scene flashing emergency lights, police repeatedly tried to contact anyone in the house via a PA system to exit the house. When no one responds to the police announcements, officers breach the home through the front door. There, Officers were met by 61-year-old Douglas Price brandishing a firearm at an officer in the doorway. The officer fired his department-issued gun at Price, striking him. Shortly after Price was shot, he was removed from the home, given first aid and taken to a local hospital. On July 12, 2023, nearly six months after the shooting, Price died at a local hospital where he had been receiving treatment related to his injuries. According to Richmond Police, the Office of the Commonwealth Attorney declined prosecuting the officer involved in this incident. After an internal policy review, the department says the officer is back on active duty.”
“Bodycam Footage of SWAT Officer Shooting Armed Man During Narcotics investigation” Jul 27, 2023
55) RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – A Richmond man injured in an officer-involved shooting in January died Wednesday, July 12. Richmond Police say 61-year-old Douglas Price died at a local hospital where he was treated for injuries sustained in the shooting. Price was shot after brandishing a firearm at an officer while attempting to serve a search warrant concerning a multijurisdictional narcotics investigation on Jan. 9. At approximately 4:47 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 9, officers attempted to serve a search warrant at a home in the 3300 block of McGuire Drive. Officers attempted to contact anyone in the house via a PA system to get out of the house. With no response, officers breached the door, where they were met with Price pointing a firearm at an officer in the doorway. The officer fired his gun at Price, hitting him. Price was given first aid before being transported to a local hospital. The Richmond Police Department says numerous items were recovered from the home: 1300 grams of Cocaine 140 grams of Fentanyl-pressed pills 28 grams of Fentanyl 6 pounds of Cannabis 1 tactical shotgun 1 AR rifle 2 AR pistols 2 handguns 5 magazines
“Man dies 6 months after officer-involved shooting in Richmond – Police were conducting a narcotics investigation at the home on Jan. 9”
56) https://www.12onyourside.com/2023/01/25/richmond-police-reveal-new-details-about-officer-involved-shooting/
57) https://openoversightva.org/incidents/115
58) https://openoversightva.org/officers/43278
59) “At the CROSSROADS of fire, race, pot and death,” The Sacramento Bee, June 22nd, 2022, pp. A1-A7
60) “How a War Over Weed and Water Led to a Deadly Police Shooting,” Keegan Hamilton, September 29, 2021
See also: ANTI-ASIAN PERSECUTION IN CALIFORNIA’S CANNABIS COUNTRY October 4, 2021 https://countervortex.org/anti-asian-persecution-in-californias-cannabis-country/
61) “Police spokesman Mike Wood said the chase began after a Pensacola police officer smelled marijuana from a vehicle in front of his patrol vehicle and attempted a traffic stop. Crawford did not pull over and kept driving at a slow speed, throwing narcotics out the window, as police followed his car, according to Wood. In the weeks since the shooting, outrage has spread online. A online petition on Change.org calling for reform of the Pensacola Police Department and the firing of Police Chief Tommi Lyter has garnered more than 3,100 signatures since it was posted in the days after Crawford’s death. The petition was posted by Durrell Palmer, a Pensacola resident, who told the News Journal on Monday that in the months leading up to the shooting, he was pulled over four times by Pensacola police for driving a brand new 2020 Dodge Ram 2500. Palmer claimed that during one of the stops, an officer told him he was pulled over because he looked like a drug dealer. Palmer sent an email to the mayor complaining about police harassment and claimed that Lyter responded with ‘a nasty email.’ After Crawford was killed, Palmer met with the family and helped organize a march on July 15 that drew a large crowd to the Pensacola Police Department headquarters. More than 100 demonstrators called for change at the police department and held signs that said, ‘Justice for Tymar!’ Palmer said Crawford was shot and killed in front of his own house as his children watched. An organization called Pensacola Dream Defenders also put out a letter on Facebook on behalf of Crawford’s family making six demands of the city of Pensacola:
- The names of all officers involved released by July 22.
- The immediate termination of all officers involved.
- The city of Pensacola to legislate and work to establish an all-civilian oversight structure that includes a police commission as well as a civilian complaint office by July 5, 2020.
- De-prioritize the enforcement of activities such as marijuana possession, loitering, disorderly conduct and random stops in “high crime” areas.
- Require quarterly police training and consult local agencies and organizations to conduct them. Training should include implicit bias, community interaction specifically with communities of color and those of lower socioeconomic status, de-escalation and minimizing the use of force.
- Restitution for the family to cover funeral costs and long-term trauma specific therapy.
‘Until demands are met, citizens of Pensacola will continue to demonstrate and cause civil unrest,’ the letter said. … On Monday, Robinson said the city already was conducting the training called for in the letter, and he was open to working on implementing some of the demands on the list, including reevaluating how the police enforces marijuana laws, although he wouldn’t go as far as saying he would ‘decriminalize’ it.”
“PPD to conduct internal investigation into fatal officer-involved shooting of Tymar Crawford,” Jim Little Pensacola News Journal, July 22, 2019
62) “Video: Body cam footage shows officer shooting Tymar Crawford during struggle – PPD releases long-awaited body cam footage from July 5 officer-involved shooting of Tymar Crawford.” Courtesy of State Attorneys Office, Pensacola News Journal
63) “Crawford was shot and killed after police say he was pulled over when officers believed there was marijuana in his car. According to police, he fled from officers, eventually got in a struggle and tried to disarm one of the officer’s stun gun. That’s when they say Siemen opened fire killing Crawford. Siemen was fired for violating the department’s Deadly Use of Force policy, that policy states, ‘Deadly force may be used when a sworn member of the Pensacola police force reasonably believes an individual poses a threat of death or serious physical harm to an officer or others.’”
“Full breakdown of fired officer’s background in Tymar Crawford shooting,” Chorus Nylander, October 8th, 2019
“No Charges For Police Officer Who Shot And Killed Tymar Crawford,” WUWF | By Staff report Published October 25, 2019
64) Pensacola Protests Remain Peaceful WUWF | By Sandra Averhart Published June 2, 2020 https://www.wuwf.org/local-news/2020-06-02/pensacola-protests-remain-peaceful
65) “PPD to conduct internal investigation into fatal officer-involved shooting of Tymar Crawford,” Jim Little Pensacola News Journal, July 22, 2019
66) “Amtrak cop charged with murder bonds out of jail,” Stefano Esposito, Feb 18, 2017, 12:24am PST
67) Ibid.
68) Fraternal Order of Police raises $4,000 for LaRoyce Tankson, an Amtrak officer charged with murder, Associated Press, March 8, 2017 https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/8/union-raises-4000-for-amtrak-officer-charged-with-/
69) “Judge Acquits Amtrak Officer in Fatal Chicago Shooting Cook County Judge Dennis Porter said LaRoyce Tankson reasonably believed he was acting in self-defense,” February 28, 2020
“As the Chicago Tribune reports, Porter found that Robertson had ‘turned slightly toward Tankson and reached into his left pocket’ while running away — apparently trying to toss some marijuana to the ground — which ‘Tankson interpreted as Robertson reaching for a gun.’
“2 years later, Amtrak officer who fatally shot Minneapolis man acquitted Chad Robertson, father of 2, was killed in Chicago.” DECLAN DESMOND, MAR 1, 2020
“As he fled, he turned slightly toward Tankson and reached into his left pocket — an act that Tankson interpreted as Robertson reaching for a gun. Tankson yelled ‘gun’ and fired his weapon, Porter recounted. Robertson apparently was reaching to retrieve two bags of marijuana from his pocket and toss them to the ground. No weapons were found on him. But the act of turning slightly and reaching in his pocket, coupled with Robertson’s earlier resistance to the pat-down, was enough to give Tankson a reasonable belief that Robertson was armed and about to shoot, Porter said. ‘I consider this to be a very unfortunate situation, a great tragedy, and if I had the power to put everything back for the parties the way it was the week prior to February the 8th of 2017, I would do it in a heartbeat,’ Porter said.”
“Amtrak police officer found not guilty of murder in 2017 shooting of unarmed man at Union Station,” February 28, 2020
70) “HOUSTON (KTRK) — A Harris County grand jury has no-billed a deputy who was involved in a deadly shooting of a 24-year-old man back in April. Ashtian Barnes was fatally shot by a Harris County Precinct 5 deputy constable after an attempted traffic stop on Beltway 8. Authorities say the vehicle had a number of outstanding violations. The deputy said he smelled marijuana during the stop and asked the driver to get out of the vehicle. The driver refused and, with the door open, started to drive away when he was shot.”
“VIDEO: Deputy constable no-billed in deadly shooting on Beltway 8,” Wednesday, August 31, 2016
71) “Harris County Officer Escapes Indictment in Death of Ashtian Barnes,” August 31, 2016 https://texasleftist.com/2016/08/harris-county-officer-escapes-indictment-in-death-of-ashtian-barnes/
72) “Family demands answers after deadly officer-involved shooting,” February 19, 2024
73) “Police: Driver shot and killed by Flint Township officer while fleeing traffic stop was on parole,” Jul. 18, 2014
“Dashcam video and police reports obtained by the Flint Journal through the Freedom of Information Act show a Flint Township officer initiated a traffic stop of a white Chevrolet Impala after the officer claimed the vehicle was clocked traveling 13 miles per hour over the speed limit. Lewis was a passenger in the back seat of the stopped car. The officer claimed she wanted to search the vehicle after she said she thought she smelled marijuana inside the vehicle, according to police reports.”
“Excessive force lawsuit filed in deadly police shooting,” Apr. 28, 2015
“FLINT TWP., MI – A federal appeals court ruled Monday that a lawsuit against a police officer who fatally shot a fleeing suspect can move forward. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s decision Aug. 22 finding Flint Township police officer Matthew Needham is not entitled to qualified immunity for the July 16, 2014, fatal shooting of Dominique Lewis. Lewis’ family filed the lawsuit April 20, 2015, in Detroit U.S. District Court after Lewis was shot and killed during a traffic stop on Flushing Road near Eldorado Street in Flint Township. The stop and shooting was recorded on dash-cam video. … The officer who initiated the stop claimed she wanted to search the vehicle after she said she thought she smelled marijuana inside the vehicle, according to police reports. The officer also said the passengers were “moving around in the vehicle like they may have been trying to hide something,” according to police reports. The 12 minute, 8 second dash-cam video released by police shows the officer who pulled over the car removing the driver from the vehicle nearly 10 minutes into the stop and frisking her.”
“Officer who fatally shot fleeing suspect not granted immunity from lawsuit,” Aug. 22, 2016
74) “Mr. Dominique Charon ‘Grip’ Lewis May 19, 1991 – July 16, 2014”
75) “Excessive force lawsuit filed in deadly police shooting (4/28/15)”
76) “Dashcam video shows fatal police stop in excessive force lawsuit”
77) The Dakota Entrapment Tapes – Official Trailer | A Sundance Now Exclusive | Premieres October 27th – Sundance Now, Oct. 14, 2020
78) “Andrew Sadek (November 22, 1993 – c. May 1, 2014) was a student at the North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) in Wahpeton, North Dakota, United States. Following a 2013 arrest for felony charges of selling marijuana that legally could have resulted in a long prison sentence, Sadek agreed to work as a confidential informant (CI) for the South East Multi-County Agency Narcotics Task Force (SEMCA) in exchange for having the charges dropped. Under police supervision, he bought more marijuana from other dealers around the NDSCS campus. Sadek was last seen leaving his dormitory on the morning of May 1, 2014. Almost two months later, his body was found in the Red River north of Breckenridge, Minnesota, adjacent to Wahpeton, with a gunshot wound to the head. Although the manner of death remains undetermined, police informally indicated that they believe it was a suicide. Sadek’s family believes he was murdered, citing that the backpack that was attached to his body was filled with rocks and that neither a suicide note nor the weapon used in his death was ever found. At his mother’s behest, the state investigated the police handling of his case but found no serious concerns, although SEMCA did make minor changes in its procedures afterwards. Sadek’s parents filed a lawsuit over the case and campaigned for changes to state law that would reduce penalties for marijuana possession on college campuses and protect CIs, much like a similar statute in Florida passed after the 2008 murder of Rachel Hoffman. Those changes were made through a piece of legislation dubbed ‘Andrew’s Law’, which was passed in 2017.”
“The Disposable Life of a 20 Year-Old Confidential Informant”
79) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAFE_Banking_Act
80) “Washington state calls for federal cannabis reform following robberies, deaths A series of sometimes-violent attacks on cannabis businesses in legal states has many demanding federal cannabis reform which would allow non-cash transactions, per Arkansas Online. The details Last fall, there were ‘dozens’ of robberies in the San Francisco Bay Area that some believe were coordinated In Washington state, there have been at least 80 cannabis business robberies In Tacoma, a suspect shot and killed a cannabis store employee last month In Covington, an employee shot and killed a suspect Seattle police shot and killed a suspect post-robbert In Everett, a suspect pistol-whipped a cannabis employee ‘It makes absolutely no sense that legal businesses are being forced to operate entirely in cash, and it’s dangerous—and sometimes even fatal—for employees behind the register,’ said Washington Sen. Patty Murray.”
“The dangerous implications of inaction on cannabis banking,” April 25, 2022
“Many state laws have legalized adult-use cannabis dispensaries. These businesses supply recreational or medical marijuana. But federal law still classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 controlled substance. The Treasury Department regulates the banking system at the federal level. Many banks worry about violating federal anti-money laundering laws. Financial institutions risk charges of aiding and abetting a federal crime if they bank with a marijuana-related business. Most financial service providers have decided that the risk of doing business with the marijuana industry is not worth it. Some banks will allow a cannabis business to have an account, but the numbers are low. … The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the bill many times since it was introduced to Congress in 2019. The act has failed to pass the Senate.”
81) “How Many People Have To Be Assaulted or Killed Before Chuck Schumer Stops Resisting Marijuana Banking Reform? The Senate majority leader has repeatedly blocked a bill that would address the robbery threat to state-licensed pot shops.” Jacob Sullum | 7.28.2022
More recently: “Schumer, Republicans Stall SAFE Banking Amid Cannabis Industry Challenges,” December 18, 2024
82) “House GOP Committee Urges Opposition To Marijuana Banking Bill, Saying ‘Gateway Drug’ Causes ‘Violence, Depression And Suicide’,” March 25, 2024
“Calling marijuana a ‘gateway drug,’ House GOP opposes banking reform,” By MJBizDaily Staff March 26, 2024 – Updated August 15, 2024
83) https://www.statista.com/statistics/526539/canada-us-homicide-rate/
84) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1cmthwU8xHzlwaCvFLSMBJwZ6TaG84aQtDSGyCe0f0fc/htmlview?fbclid=IwAR2pno7cn4psXJjlhuMkOaZhHRs1QeFjgOiroe2iNSmtWcvrSCQEucf-Ojg&pli=1#gid=0
85) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_U.S._jurisdiction
86) “2 killed in shooting at cannabis store in N. Portland”
“The cannabis dispensary in the St. Johns neighborhood where two people died Thursday night had been targeted by multiple armed robberies since 2022, records show.”
“Portland cannabis store, site of shooting deaths, had been target of multiple armed robberies,” Oct. 04, 2024
“An employee at a cannabis dispensary in North Portland is accused of fatally shooting two people who attempted to rob the business last week. Jason Steiner, 34, turned himself in to Portland police Wednesday and was booked into Multnomah County’s downtown jail on allegations of two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon. Steiner worked at the St. Johns branch of the La Mota dispensary, police said. Officials identified the people who died as 18-year-old King Lawrence and 20-year-old Tahir Burley. Both are from Milwaukie, police said. Police are seeking a third person in connection with the robbery, but they did not give a name or a description. Last week’s shooting happened just after 9:30 p.m. on Thursday … The North Portland store had been targeted by at least four previous armed robberies since 2022, state records show. Two took place close to 10 p.m. A sign outside the business last week said it stopped letting customers in after 9 p.m. as a result. Instead they directed customers to a drive-through window until closing time at 10 p.m., unless they could provide an ID. In June of this year, one employee was working when five people allegedly entered the store with guns and stole about $11,000 worth of marijuana products and cash, according to the reports. All of the individuals wore masks and filled up trash bags of money and products in the store before taking off, according to records from the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission. Marijuana dispensaries have been frequent robbery targets in Portland, which industry individuals attribute to the fact they primarily conduct business with cash. In 2020, an employee at Cured Green, 44-year-old Michael Arthur, was shot and killed during a robbery. Data from the Police Bureau showed 33 robberies were reported at cannabis businesses in the first half of 2023, a number higher than annual totals each year from 2016 to 2022. At a Wednesday meeting of the Portland City Council, employees with the city of Portland’s cannabis program recommended instituting proactive video monitoring security systems at cannabis businesses, so police may be able to respond while crimes are unfolding.”
“Cannabis dispensary employee arrested, accused of fatally shooting 2 suspected of attempted robbery at store,” Oct. 09, 2024
87) “The victim of a shooting at an East L.A. cannabis dispensary last week has been identified as a 25-year-old security guard. Rafael Saldana, who worked at East L.A. Greens located at 6170 Whittier Boulevard, was shot around 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 30 during an attempted robbery, according to Lt. Daniel Vizcarra of the Los Angeles Sheriff Department’s Homicide Bureau. He was identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner.” “Shooting victim at East L.A. marijuana dispensary identified as 25-year-old security guard – Authorities are searching for two men involved in the killing during an apparent robbery attempt,” October 7th, 2024 https://boyleheightsbeat.com/east-la-shooting-security-gaurd-memorial/ “EAST LOS ANGELES (KABC) – A security guard was shot dead in a robbery at a 24-hour marijuana dispensary in East Los Angeles and a search was underway Monday for the suspects. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the incident occurred just before 2 a.m. on Whittier Boulevard. Then two men entered and attempted to rob the store. At some point, a shootout occurred and the security guard was killed by gunfire, investigators said. When officers arrived, they discovered the victim had been shot in the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Another employee of the pharmacy at the time was not injured. It’s unclear if anything was stolen, but authorities say the suspects fled the scene in a dark-colored SUV. There were no arrests. Meanwhile, another pharmacy in Whittier was robbed about half an hour before the East LA incident. The sheriff’s department said several masked suspects held the clerk at gunpoint and smashed display cases before fleeing with merchandise and cash in a white Tesla. It is not clear whether the two incidents are related.” “Security guard killed in shooting at marijuana dispensary in East Los Angeles,” September 30, 2024 https://www.yourlondoncalling.ca/2024/trend/bsxonair/Am18182KIN1935442173GAN/
88) “OAKLAND, Calif. — Two men were charged with murder Wednesday in the death of an Oakland police officer who was shot while answering a burglary report at a marijuana business, authorities said. Charges were filed against Mark Sanders, 27, of Tracy, and Allen Starr Brown, 28, of Chico.”
“2 men charged in shooting death of Oakland officer answering a burglary call at a marijuana business – Officer Tuan Le, 36, was shot in the head Friday and died at a hospital.” January 4th, 2024
89) “MARTINEZ, AUGUST 18, 2023 … 1 dead after police shooting at Martinez cannabis dispensary – An unarmed person died Friday after Martinez police officers opened fire while responding to a reported burglary at a cannabis dispensary, according to police. Christie Smith reports.”
“MARTINEZ, Calif. – A man was shot and killed, and his brother was wounded, when Martinez police opened fire at their fleeing car outside a cannabis dispensary, the family’s attorney said Thursday. The shooting happened outside Velvet Cannabis on Sunrise Drive near Pacheco Boulevard in the early morning hours of August 18. ‘Unfortunately they bore the brunt of what appears to be the officers’ rash, unlawful decision to try to stop a car by using deadly force,’ said civil rights attorney Adante Pointer. Pointer said there was no need for four officers to open fire, killing Tahmon Wilson, 20, and injuring his older brother. The officers ‘sent a hail of bullets from the rear into the car striking two brothers, hitting one twice in the back, almost taking his life,’ Pointer said. Martinez police say Wilson, while behind the wheel of a blue Infiniti, hit an officer and then drove toward others, leading four officers to open fire. Pointer said Wilson died from a gunshot wound to the back of his head. His brother, Tommy Wilson Jr., 22, was shot in the back but survived. ‘Gone far too soon in such a tragic way, unnecessarily taken not only from his family and friends, but also the community,’ Pointer said of Tahmon Wilson. State attorney General Rob Bonta is now investigating because the driver was not armed with a gun. Michael Rains, a Martinez police union attorney, has said the car should be considered a weapon. But Pointer countered, ‘A paper clip can be considered a weapon depending upon how it’s used. The point is, the car was not being used as a weapon when those officers shot the car as it was driving away from them down the street.’ Tahmon Wilson has had previous brushes with the law. Last November, San Francisco police say Wilson was among several arrested and guns and watches were seized during raids targeting a gang linked to shootings, armed robberies and auto burglaries. But the case against him in Contra Costa County Superior Court was dismissed. Wilson did have a weapons case pending in San Francisco. In a video statement over the weekend, Martinez Police Chief Andrew White said he will coordinate with the AG’s office as to the release of body-camera footage. ‘The use of deadly force by a police officer is understandably concerning. I appreciate that you have questions regarding what exactly occurred. And so do I,’ White said.”
“Man shot and killed by Martinez police while fleeing, attorney says,” Henry Lee, August 24, 2023 5
“Police said in a statement Friday that officers Cole Bennett, Marc Kahue, Raul Ceja-Mendez and Alexander Tirona were involved in the shooting, which happened shortly after 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 18. Officers responded to an alarm set off at the Velvet dispensary at 4808 Sunrise Drive. Police said in a statement they were told multiple people and two vehicles were at the business.”
“Authorities name Martinez cops who fatally shot unarmed man near dispensary,” Tony Hicks, August 25, 2023
“Body camera footage released in Martinez police shooting KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco
90) “Tacoma Police say someone shot and killed an employee at the World of Weed on the 3200 block of Portland Avenue East Saturday around 10 p.m. … Pictures and flowers now surround the entrance to the business, and a sign hanging from the door says, ‘Remember His Name- Jordan Brown.’ … Tacoma Police tell FOX 13 News there are no updates in the case, and no suspect information has been released.”
“Community honors employee killed in Tacoma pot shop robbery,” AJ Janavel, March 21, 2022
“Employee killed in Tacoma pot shop robbery,” March 20, 2022
“Tacoma marks first death in cannabis shop robbery,” Mar 22, 2022
“TACOMA, Wash. — A family is in mourning after an employee at a marijuana store in Tacoma was shot and killed by a robber last weekend. It’s the latest in a string of robberies around western Washington and the third fatality connected to a pot shop robbery within a week. Just after 10 p.m. last Saturday, South Sound 911 received a call of an armed robbery at the World of Weed Cannabis Retailer on Portland Avenue. Officers found an employee with a life-threatening gunshot wound.”
“’It’s not safe’: Pot shop owners increasingly hiring armed guards after fatal Tacoma robbery – Jordan Brown, 29, was shot and killed during a robbery at the World of Weed Cannabis Retailer in Tacoma last Saturday.”
91) “VIDEO: Pot shop employee shoots, kills suspect during attempted robbery”
“Employee shoots, kills suspect during attempted pot shop robbery in Covington – A man in his late teens to early 20s was shot and killed by an employee while attempting to rob a marijuana store in Covington Thursday evening.”
“COVINGTON, Wash. – An employee providing security at a Covington cannabis shop shot and killed a man after he was accused of taking another employee hostage while trying to rob the store. Lindsey Evans, the general manager at Euphorium, said that her employee was on break outside the shop when he was approached by a man with a gun. Security video from another business showed the man putting his arm around the employee and putting a gun in his side. The man forced the employee to walk with him to the entrance of the store, where another employee was checking ID’s and providing security. Evans says the employee at the front door was armed and he opened fire after he was threatened. Witnesses said the man pointed a gun at his head. ‘I’m happy that my staff can go home tonight and they went home last night to their families. They are humans, just like everyone else,’ said Evans said. ‘My employee saved multiple lives yesterday. He would have had 6 – 8 hostages, a couple customers, one who is disabled, so it would have been a really scary situation if he made it in the building,’ said Ryan Evans, the director of operations.”
“’Absolutely a hero:’ Security employee at Covington pot shop shoots, kills would-be robber,” March 18, 2022
92) “The third suspect, Martinez Yanez, was fatally shot during a gunfire exchange in South Seattle. According to SPD, the suspect was hiding in a shed behind a home when he fired at officers; multiple officers returned fire and killed Yanez.”
“Marijuana dispensary robbed at gunpoint, ends in officer-involved shooting – Two suspects have been taken into custody and are being held at the King County Jail on bail.” Hannah Saunders • March 18, 2022
93) “Bodycam video released of pot shop robbery suspect shot, killed by police,” FOX 13 News Staff, March 18, 2022
See also: “One suspect shot, killed in Seattle after armed robbery at Factoria pot shop Three suspects took police on a chase from Bellevue to Seattle Wednesday.”
Suspect In Armed Pot Shop Robbery Fatally Shot After Exchanging Gunfire With Police Seattle Police Department https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joG3wSU-zMU
“Armed robbery investigation Detectives are investigating an armed robbery at a Factoria marijuana dispensary at 11:30 am Wednesday. Employees reported two suspects robbed the store at gunpoint and then fled with cash and product. Employees saw the suspects flee in a gray Nissan Maxima driven by a third suspect.”
94) “By the time Arthur was killed, Portland cannabis shops had already been robbed, burglarized or looted 95 times in 10 months, according to data from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. That number is now up to 103, with three armed robberies so far in 2021. By contrast, Portland liquor stores, a classic target for crime, reported just 22 burglaries and no robberies over the same time period. In one year, Portland-area cannabis shops reported more than half a million dollars stolen—$583,000 in cash and products, gone. Since the pandemic descended in March, weed stores in Portland have been plundered at a rate of about two per week. It’s the largest crime spree targeting one kind of business in Portland memory, and carries echoes of drugstore robberies in the 1980s.”
“For Nearly a Year, Teenagers Have Been Robbing Portland Dispensaries. Then Somebody Shot a Budtender. In one year, Portland-area cannabis shops reported more than half a million dollars stolen.” Tess Riski March 03, 2021
95) “Phoenix, Arizona resident Heritier Shema, now 20, was charged in June 2021 with multiple counts of second-degree murder and first-degree robbery relating to Arthur’s death as well. Gajhabuka and Shema are identified as two of three accomplices who proceeded to ransack the dispensary’s shelves, according to court records, before fleeing in a getaway car. A juvenile was also involved in the case, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. Mugisha and Gajhabuka were both arrested Jan. 1 with two other men and a boy who was 17 at the time after they allegedly robbed another pot shop, Collective Awakenings in Northeast Portland, at gunpoint, then crashed a car during a high-speed chase.”
“Third man charged with murder in fatal shooting during Portland pot shop robbery,” Aug. 05, 2022
96) “A judge set bail at $1 million Tuesday for a teenager accused of robbery and murder in a Friday slaying near a park in Las Vegas. Serge Kamga, 19, and a 16-year-old boy who has not been identified were arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department in connection with a fatal shooting at Grass Meadows Drive and Tree Line Drive, close to the Lewis Family Park in the eastern valley. The victim was Dominique Rattler, 33, according to the Clark County coroner’s office, which said his cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds and has determined the death to be a homicide. Kamga faces charges of open murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. Deputy District Attorney Kennedy Holthus said that the suspects had intended to buy marijuana and that it appeared Rattler was killed in a ‘drug deal gone bad.’ Kamga’s attorney, Ryan Helmick, wanted him released on his own recognizance, meaning there would not be monetary bail, with high-level house arrest. But Holthus asked for $1 million bail with house arrest if Kamga posts bail, a request Justice of the Peace Eric Goodman granted despite Helmick’s protests that Kamga’s family could not afford it. ‘I’ve got a murder case,’ Goodman said. ‘I’ve got a father who was working seven days a week (to) support his wife and his eight kids. He’s working seven days a week and on the side selling marijuana because he’s got to support all those people.’ Helmick argued that Kamga — whom he described as a ‘straight A student’ on a full football scholarship — was not accused of being the shooter, did not know the victim would be robbed and left the scene as soon as he heard gunshots. Goodman was skeptical. ‘Your client shows up in all black with a mask,’ the judge said. ‘The other guy shows up in all black with a mask. And that’s just normal behavior?’ Helmick said that the masks were a ‘style fashion’ thing. Metro said Kamga told police that it was the dealer who “suddenly showed a firearm,” but apologized for what happened to the victim. ‘Our argument is that he had no idea this was going to be a robbery,’ Helmick said. ‘The plan was to get marijuana.’”
“Bail set at $1M for teen accused in killing near Las Vegas park,” October 8th, 2024
97) “Police say a citizen approached investigators, telling them that they had seen two men wearing dark clothes and ski masks that ran from the scene to a nearby apartment. Officers secured the building and tried to contact the residents before the two men walked out of the apartment and surrendered to officers.”
“Officers believe the incident was part of a dispute or robbery involving an ‘illegal black market marijuana sale.’ Investigators are still confirming that the two men in custody are the suspects in the shooting. One of the men is in his 20s, while the other is a teenager.”
“‘Illegal black market marijuana sale’ leads to deadly shooting in east Las Vegas,” Oct 4, 2024
“LVMPD: Drug deal turns deadly, shooting happens near park with children,” Oct. 4, 2024
98) “A federal grand jury in Brooklyn indicted three Maryland men for their alleged roles in the kidnapping, robbery and fatal shooting of a marijuana dealer in Bayside in July. Two of the defendants, Jerome Waters, 23, known on the street as ‘the Engineer,’ and Calvin Israel, 23, were arrested in Baltimore on Wednesday and will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at a later date. William Barnett, 27, remains at large. As alleged in court filings, the three defendants are members of a Baltimore-based violent robbery crew that conspired to commit an armed robbery and kidnapping of marijuana dealers in Queens. On the night of July 24 and into July 25, the trio drove from Baltimore to Queens to kidnap and rob at gunpoint drug dealer Julian Mejias and a second unnamed dealer. Once in New York, Waters and Barnett met with the two dealers at a stash house in Queens under the guise of purchasing marijuana. Moments later, Waters and Barnett pulled out handguns and held up the dealers. Next they invited their co-conspirators into the stash house to assist in the robbery and kidnapping. Both dealers were placed in zip ties and forced into the back of a Jeep and a U-Haul truck at gunpoint while the defendants stole approximately 30 pounds of marijuana from the stash house. The trio drove the dealers, who were still tied up, through Queens at gunpoint, demanding drugs and money. Israel drove the U-Haul containing Mejias who was shot to death multiple times in the head. When his body was found by first responders in the van on 208th Street near 32nd Drive in Bayside, the dealer still had a zip tie binding one of his hands and his body was surrounded by bags of marijuana. Following the fatal shooting, the trio fled back to Maryland. ‘As alleged, the defendants’ premeditated robbery and kidnapping that resulted in a violent death, demonstrates the significant threat of guns and drugs in our community,’ U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. ‘This Office continues to work nonstop with our law enforcement partners to hold these drivers of violent crime accountable and remove their means to wreak havoc.’ If convicted, Waters, Israel and Barnett each face mandatory sentences of life imprisonment. ‘These arrests are another example of police and their federal partners’ unrelenting pursuit of crews that monetize drugs and brutality,’ NYPD Interim Commissioner Thomas Donlon said. ‘I commend our NYPD investigators and all our law enforcement colleagues for their unwavering commitment to end such barbaric, senseless violence in our communities and for their tireless work to hold all those responsible for it accountable.’”
“Three Baltimore men indicted for killing Queens weed dealer, leaving body in U-Haul in Bayside: Feds,” October 24, 2024
“A 43-year-old man was shot dead in Queens early Thursday and left hanging out of a U-Haul van packed with marijuana, police and law enforcement sources said. Cops responding to a 911 call shortly after 1 a.m. found the unidentified victim with a gunshot wound to the head in front of 32-32 208th St. — and ‘half-hanging’ out of the rental vehicle filled with marijuana.”
“Man, 43, shot dead, left hanging out of U-Haul van that cops find packed with marijuana,” Joe Marino and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, July 25, 2024
99) “AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — A murder victim was killed over an ounce of marijuana. According to court records obtained first by ABC 7 News, Tiray James Evans was shot multiple times around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday by a man he met to sell an ounce of marijuana. The suspect, James Patrick Childs, Jr. was arrested Wednesday. Police recovered three 9mm shell casings near Evans’ body at the Cypress Creek Apartments. A witness told police they saw Childs and another man pull up in a tan or gold Nissan Sedan. Childs got out and walked up to Evans. The witness said he then heard three gunshots and saw Childs jump in the Nissan and drive off. According to court records obtained first by ABC 7 News, police found a Facebook message thread on Evans’ phone. Evans agreed to sell Childs an ounce of marijuana for $200.”
“Only On ABC 7: Murder victim killed over an ounce of marijuana,” by Jamie Burch, ABC 7 News, Thu, September 19th 2024
100) “An argument over a gram of marijuana led to the fatal shooting of a man in a Northeast El Paso apartment last month, according to court documents. James Henry McDonald, 28, and Lettommy Ballard, 23, were recently arrested on murder charges in connection with the killing of Kareem Hewitt, 25, on the night of March 22, El Paso police said. Hewitt was shot though the kitchen window of his home at the Autumn Manor apartments at 9960 McCombs St. in the Parkland area, according to complaint affidavits filed by a homicide detective.”
“Man killed in dispute over gram of marijuana,” Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times, May 5th, 2017
101) “EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14) — The trial of James McDonald began in El Paso Tuesday. McDonald is charged with murder and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with the deadly shooting of 25-year-old Kareem Hewitt in March 2017. Hewitt, 25, was killed on March 22, 2017, in his apartment at the Autumn Manor Apartments, police said. Police said at the time Hewitt was taken to University Medical Center with multiple gunshot wounds, but died from his injuries. McDonald, 28, of Fort Bliss, and Lettommy Ballard, 23, of El Paso, were arrested by the El Paso Police Department’s gang unit, SWAT and the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force. Hewitt’s girlfriend spoke with KFOX14 days after his death, saying that the shooting came out of nowhere. ‘He was just heating up some food in the kitchen. I went to the restroom. That’s when I heard the shots fired,’ she said. She said the gunshots came through the window. ‘They were gone before anybody came out of their apartment,’ she said. According to court records, the shooting happened after one of the suspects bought marijuana from Hewitt, and he didn’t think he got the amount for which he paid.”
“Fort Bliss man on trial in 2017 murder case,” March 5th, 2019
102) “WEST PALM BEACH — As Darquize McKinon observed two men searching for a place to buy marijuana this month, he offered to drive them to a location to purchase the drug, West Palm Beach police said. But the gesture was actually a ruse, with McKinon later pulling a gun on one of the passengers and fatally shooting him after attempting to rob him, according to a police report detailing his arrest. Officers took McKinon into custody on Tuesday, June 18, at his home near Riviera Beach in the June 15 shooting death of 46-year-old Jeffrey Robert Lowder in an alleyway near 18th Street and Beautiful Avenue. … One man told investigators he and Lowder were in the area of Fifth Street and Rosemary Avenue in West Palm Beach looking to purchase marijuana when McKinon pulled up in the Nissan and offered to take them to a place to purchase the drug. The man said they were walking to the back alleyway between 17th and 18th Streets when another man suddenly appeared out of a tent. McKinon then pulled a gun and pointed it while demanding that Lowder empty his pockets, the witness told investigators. The witness, who police did not identify in the report, said he attempted to signal for Lowder to run, but McKinon fired his gun before Lowder could do so. The witness said he then punched McKinon in the face, causing McKinon to fall. The witness then ran from the scene.”
“Marijuana sale in West Palm alley became a robbery, then a fatal shooting, police say – Jeffrey Robert Lowder, 46, died June 15 after police say a man who gave him a ride to buy marijuana attempted to rob him.” Palm Beach Post, June 22nd, 2024
103) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Tessa_Majors
104) “Tessa Majors was looking to buy weed before her murder, police union president claims,” Dec. 15, 2019
105) “Mullins is an outspoken critic of Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has supported the legalization of recreational marijuana. Critics on social media suggested Mullins was using the young woman’s murder to further his political agenda.”
“Slain Barnard student’s family blasts police union head over marijuana comment,” December 16, 2019
106) “Di Blasio blasted Mullins earlier, suggesting his comment was insensitive to the victim’s family and friends. ‘This is heartless. It’s infuriating. We don’t shame victims in this city,’ di Blasio said in a Twitter post. … Majors’ boyfriend told police she was in the park for a jog, law enforcement sources told the Daily News and other outlets. A 13-year-old boy is in custody in the case. The youth told police he and two friends decided to rob Majors when they saw her jogging down steps in the park, court testimony revealed.”
“Family of Tessa Majors rips NYPD sergeants union boss for linking student’s murder to marijuana,” John Bacon, USA TODAY, December 16th, 2019
107) “In contrast to California, Oklahoma did not limit the size of grows. As long as the operations had a nominal local owner and a medical marijuana license, they could spread dozens of greenhouses capable of holding tens of thousands of plants over a cheap parcel of farmland. . . . Their farm was about 13 miles from Hennessey, population 2,000. Lin had bought the 10-acre spread for $280,000, court documents say. To evade a state residency law, he paid cash to a local man named Richard Ignacio to pose as the 75% owner of the medical marijuana business and obtain a license, court documents allege. Ignacio had allegedly been drafted as a straw owner by an Oklahoma City accountant, a 20-time felon named Kevin Pham, who has been charged in connection with the Kingfisher farm and other grows, court documents say. Ignacio told investigators that he ‘earned significant income’ acting as a hired front man.”
“Gangsters, Money and Murder: How Chinese Organized Crime Is Dominating America’s Illegal Marijuana Market A quadruple murder in Oklahoma shows how the Chinese underworld has come to dominate the booming illicit trade, fortifying its rise as a global powerhouse with alleged ties to China’s authoritarian regime.” Sebastian Rotella and Kirsten Berg, ProPublica, and Garrett Yalch and Clifton Adcock, The Frontier, March 14, 2024
108) “A father and son shot, dismembered and burned – Migrants’ deaths reflect the dark side of California’s cannabis farms. Legal Weed,” Broken Promises, The Los Angeles Times, Nov. 12, 2023, p. A10
109) “A man was killed during a shoot-out with police on the N2 near Tinley Manor last night after fleeing a routine search in Nyoni, near Mandeni (South Africa). Two other men in the car, a white Toyota Corolla with fake plates, were able to escape. Just before midnight last night, cops patrolling in Nyoni attempted to pull over the three men and search their car. . . . The car was later searched and police found seven bags of marijuana with an estimated value of R50 000 (approximately 3,950 Canadian Dollars) and a series of fake number plates.”
“Suspected drug dealer killed in late-night N2 shoot-out with cops: R50k marijuana seized – Seven bags of marijuana and a series of fake number plates were found in the car.” September 20, 2024
110) “A police exercise in St Joseph early on Monday morning led to the death of two men. Police said officers of various elite tactical units began an exercise on San Pedro Road, off the Maracas Royal Road, at around 5 am where they searched several houses. The police reported that they were shot at by men. The officers returned fire hitting both men. Officers were unable to confirm the identities of the men up to 11.20 am on Monday. Two guns were also found and seized from the men’s bodies. At least one marijuana field was found in the same area nearby. Police arrested seven men and a woman during the exercise. As of 11.20 am officers were awaiting members of a specialised unit to clear the marijuana field of any trap guns or obstructions so that destruction may begin. The exercise involved officers of the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF), the Multi Operational Police Squad and the National Operation Task Force. When Guardian Media visited the scene on Monday several residents were hesitant to talk. One man who claimed to be a relative of one of the men involved in the shooting said that he could not divulge the person’s identity without first confirming whether or not he was actually dead.”
“Two killed, marijuana field to be destroyed in St Joseph police exercise,” 2023/10/02
111) https://ccguide.org/deathpenalty.php
112) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_for_cannabis_trafficking
113) “When it comes to executions for cannabis offences, Singapore is even more alone. In recent years, even the few other countries that retain the death penalty for cannabis trafficking in the law have not been imposing them, with the exception of China, where data on executions is not made public, but assumed. This leaves Singapore as one of the only places in the world known to be actively executing people for cannabis-related offences, especially with the mandatory death sentence.”
114) “2023: Muhammad Faizal Bin Mohd Shariff, a Singaporean hanged on 17 May 2023 for trafficking 1.56 kg of marijuana in 2016.”
115) “Singapore on Wednesday hanged another citizen for trafficking cannabis, the second in three weeks, as it clung firmly to the death penalty despite growing calls for the city-state to halt drug-related executions. The 37-year-old man was executed after his last-ditch bid to reopen his case was dismissed by the court Tuesday without a hearing, said activist Kokila Annamalai of the Transformative Justice Collective, which advocates for abolishing the death penalty in Singapore. The man, who was not named as his family has asked for privacy, had been imprisoned for seven years and convicted in 2019 for trafficking around 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) of cannabis, she said. His bid to reopen his case was based on DNA evidence and fingerprints that tied him to a much smaller amount, which he admitted to possessing, but the court rejected it, she added. Under Singapore laws, trafficking more than 500 grams (1.1 pounds) of cannabis may result in the death penalty. ‘If we don’t come together to stop it, we fear that this killing spree will continue in the weeks and months to come,’ she said. Some 600 prisoners are on death row in the city-state, mostly for drug-related offenses, she added. Singapore executed 11 people last year for drug offenses after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The hanging of one particular Malaysian believed to be mentally disabled sparked an international outcry and brought the country’s capital punishment under scrutiny for flouting human rights norms. Three weeks ago, Singaporean Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, was hanged in the first execution this year for trafficking 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of cannabis although he was not caught with the drugs. Prosecutors said phone numbers traced him as the person responsible for coordinating the delivery of the drugs, which he denied. Human rights groups, British mogul Richard Branson and the United Nations have urged Singapore to halt executions for drug-related offenses as increasing evidence shows the death penalty is ineffective as a deterrent. But Singapore authorities insist that all prisoners get due process of law and that capital punishment remains ‘part of Singapore’s comprehensive harm prevention strategy which targets both drug demand and supply.’ Apart from Singapore, Amnesty International said Indonesia carried out 112 drug-related executions last year by firing squad after a hiatus since 2016. In contrast, neighboring Thailand has legalized cannabis while Malaysia has ended the mandatory death penalty for serious crimes.” “Singapore hangs 2nd citizen in 3 weeks for trafficking cannabis despite calls to halt executions Singapore has hanged another citizen for trafficking cannabis, the second in three weeks, as it clings firmly to the death penalty despite global calls for the city-state to halt drug-related executions,” AP news wire, 17 May 2023 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/singapore-ap-kuala-lumpur-malaysia-richard-branson-b2340313.html
See also: “In the high court of the of singapore [2019] SGHC 17 Criminal Case No 65 of 2018 Between Public Prosecutor And Muhammad Faizal Bin Mohd Shariff – judgment” https://www.elitigation.sg/gd/s/2019_SGHC_17
“In the Court of Appeal of the republic of singapore [2023] SGCA 15 Criminal Motion No 23 of 2023 Between Muhammad Faizal Bin Mohd Shariff … Applicant And Public Prosecutor … Respondent” https://www.elitigation.sg/gd/s/2023_SGCA_15
116) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_in_Thailand
117) “Campaigners have cited various concerns over the handling of his case, including claims he was questioned by police without legal counsel, and claims made in court that the Tamil speaker was also questioned by the police in English without an interpreter. Last November, when Tangaraju filed an application for his case to be reviewed after an unsuccessful appeal, he represented himself in court.”
“Singaporean on death row denied access to lawyers, say activists – Tangaraju Suppiah, due to be hanged this week, forced to self-represent after unsuccessful appeal”
“Singapore plans to execute man over 1kg of cannabis,” Apr 22, 2023
118) “KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): A delivery man broke down in tears when the High Court here sentenced him to death by hanging on Friday (Sept 3) after finding him guilty of trafficking in 299.09 grammes of cannabis into the country three years ago. Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah handed down the sentence on Muhammad Hafizul Rashid Emmy, 29, after finding that the defence failed to raise reasonable doubt on the prosecution’s case. ‘After examining the testimony of witnesses and submissions by both parties, the court found that the defence failed to raise reasonable doubt on the prosecution’s case on possession of the dangerous drugs.The defence also failed to rebut the balance of probabilities on the presumption of trafficking under Section 37. (da) (vi) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952,’ he said. ‘Therefore, the court finds the accused guilty of the charges against him. The court hereby sentences him to death by hanging,’ added the judge. A woman, believed to be a family member of the accused, who was in the public gallery, was also seen crying after the court handed down the sentence. Muhammad Hafizul was charged with trafficking in the drug at a house in Bandar Tasik Selatan, Cheras, at 11.50 pm on March 8, 2018. He was charged under Section 38B (1) (a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 and punishable under Section 39B (2) of the same law, which provides death by hanging or life imprisonment and whipping, upon conviction. Deputy public prosecutor Izalina Abdullah prosecuted, while the accused was represented by lawyer Suzana Norlihan. – Bernama”
“Malaysia: Delivery man gets death for trafficking 299.09gm of cannabis,” The Star, Malasia Friday 03 Sep 2021
119) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_in_Malaysia
120) “The London-based Death Penalty Project and the Bar Council of Malaysia released a public opinion survey as to the mandatory sentence of death, reaching a representative sample of over 1,500 Malaysians. The majority of them were in favour of the death penalty, whether mandatory or discretionary: 91 percent for murder, 74 to 80 percent for drug trafficking depending on the drug concerned, and 83 percent for firearms offences, the main reason in support of the death penalty was retribution.”
121) “Executions for drug-related offences surged in 2022, while the number of drug offenders on death row rose by more than a quarter, according to a new report from drug policy reform group Harm Reduction International (HRI). There were at least 285 executions for drugs last year, more than double the number of the previous year, when at least 131 people were executed, HRI said in its report published on Thursday. The number of death sentences handed out to those found guilty of drug crimes also rose, the report said, with at least 303 people in 18 countries sentenced to death. That was 28 percent more than in 2021. More than 3,700 people on death row around the world are now there as a result of drug offences, it added. ‘This figure is likely to reflect only a percentage of all drug-related executions worldwide,’ HRI warned, noting the extreme secrecy surrounding the death penalty in many of the countries that most use it, including China, Vietnam and North Korea. The surge in executions of drug offenders – compared with at least 30 executions in 2020 – comes despite a continuing shift globally against the use of the death penalty, and as some jurisdictions took steps to limit its use.”
“Surge in executions of drug offenders in 2022, more on death row – The surge in executions for drug-related offences came despite a global shift towards abolition.” 16 Mar 2023
122) “Despite not accounting for the dozens, if not hundreds, of executions believed to have taken place in China, Vietnam, and North Korea, the 467 executions that took place in 2023 represent a 44% increase from 2022. Ninety-eight percent of known drug-related executions took place in Iran.”
“The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2023,” Giada Girelli, Marcela Jofré, and Ajeng Larasati © Harm Reduction International, 2024
123) “main findings:
- 35 countries still retain the death penalty for drug offences
- 285+ people executed in 2022
- 303+ death sentences imposed in 2022
- 3700+ people on death row for drug offences worldwide”
“The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2022”
124) “It appeared in the same report that according to ‘Malaysians Against Death Penalty’ there were a total of 300 inmates on death row in prison in January 2008. Most of them were for drug related offences.[19] … The (2013) report noted that Malaysia’s approach to drug offences violated international standards. They further noted that there was a serious lack of due process given that those accused of drug trafficking are presumed guilty upon arrest. The organisation argued that as a result of these presumptions, it has led to hundreds of death sentences and executions.[24]”
125) “According to Amnesty International, between 1991 and 2024, 373 people have been executed for drug-related offences in Singapore.”
126) “‘It is very concerning that 64.9% of the death row inmates are of Malay ethnicity,’ added Ravi, whose criticism of Singapore’s prosecution of drug offenders facing the death penalty resulted in him being suspended for five years. Ethnic Malays represent just over 13% of the island’s population.”
“Singapore to execute ethnic Malay man involved in racial bias suit – Muhammad Faizal Mohd Shariff is the second to be executed this year after Tangaraju Suppiah, whose plight attracted international concern.” May 16, 2023
127) “K Shanmugam, Singapore’s Minister for Home Affairs and Law, characterizes the country’s war on drugs as an ‘existential battle,’ and claims any easing of the government’s hardline stance could lead to chaos. ‘Look around the world,’ Shanmugam says. ‘Any time there has been a certain laxity in the approach to drugs, homicides go up. Killings, torture, kidnappings … that goes up.’”
“Exclusive: Inside the prison that executes people for supplying cannabis,” CNN, October 20, 2024
128) https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/distribution-of-homicide-rates
129) https://ourworldindata.org/homicides
130) “Spanish stoner paradise,” April 26, 2004
131) https://www.statista.com/statistics/1088644/homicide-suicide-rate-during-prohibition/
132) “THE DEATH PENALTY No solution to illicit drugs,” Amnesty International, October 1995
133) “Despite not accounting for the dozens, if not hundreds, of executions believed to have taken place in China, Vietnam, and North Korea, the 467 executions that took place in 2023 represent a 44% increase from 2022. Ninety-eight percent of known drug-related executions took place in Iran. … Confirmed death sentences for drug offences increased by more than 20% from 2022. A minimum of 375 people were sentenced to death for drug offences, of which at leas 31 were foreign nationals, and 15 were women. Roughly half of all death sentences for drug offences were passed by courts in Vietnam (188+) and a quarter in Indonesia (114+).”
“The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2023,” Giada Girelli, Marcela Jofré, and Ajeng Larasati © Harm Reduction International, 2024
134) “Vietnam court sentences 9 people to death for drug trafficking,” By Reuters January 22, 2024 https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/vietnam-court-sentences-9-people-death-drug-trafficking-2024-01-22/
135) “In November 2015, a revision of the Penal Code was passed that severely curtailed the death penalty. Under the new regulations, which took effect on July 1, 2016, the death penalty was abolished for seven crimes: surrendering to the enemy, opposing order, destruction of projects of national security importance, robbery, drug possession, drug appropriation, and the production and trade of fake food.”
136) “Capital punishment in Saudi Arabia is a legal punishment, with most executions in the country being carried out by decapitation (beheading) – Saudi Arabia being the only country in the world to still use the method.[1] In 2022, recorded executions in Saudi Arabia reached 196, the highest number recorded in the country for any year over the last three decades.[2] … The kingdom executed at least 158 people in 2015,[4] at least 154 in 2016,[5] at least 146 in 2017,[6] 149 in 2018,[7] 184 in 2019,[8] 69 in 2020, 196 in 2022,[9] 172 in 2023[10] and 213 in 2024 (as of 9 October.)[11] The drastic reduction in 2020 was due to a moratorium on death penalties for drug-related offenses [12] as Saudi Arabia proposed ending the death penalty for these and other nonviolent offences.[13][14] … As of 9 October (2024), Saudi Arabia has executed 213 people, the highest number of people executed by the kingdom in a single year on record.[11] By 18 July, the Saudi government had already executed 106 people, seven of whom were executed for drug-related offenses.”
“Saudi Arabia is known to be one of the world’s most deadly executioners. Between 2010-2021, at least 1,243 people were executed. In 2022, at least 147 people were executed. The six bloodiest years of executions in Saudi Arabia’s recent history have all occurred under the leadership of Mohammed bin Salman and King Salman (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022). From 2015-2022 (King Salman came to power in 2015) there was an average of 129.5 executions per year – that’s a rise of 82%. There is no sign of Saudi Arabia ending the death penalty. In 2022, at least 147 people were executed, with 81 people killed in a single day.”
“Saudi Arabia and the death penalty: Everything you need to know about the rise in executions under Mohammed bin Salman,” January 31, 2023
137) “There were 386 executions for drug-related offences in the reporting period (2010-2021) (71% of all non-lethal offences). All were non-lethal; 1 followed a mandatory death sentence, and the remainder (over 99%) followed discretionary death sentences. 284 (74%) of the individuals executed for drug-related offences were foreign nationals (see further Part 3: Executions of Foreign Nationals, above).”
“Bloodshed and Lies: Mohammed bin Salman’s Kingdom of Executions” January 31, 2023
138) “When asked by The Associated Press, the commission said the new law ordering a stop to such executions came into effect sometime last year. The new directive for judges does not appear to have been published publicly and it was not immediately clear whether the law was changed by royal decree, as is typically the case. … According to Human Rights Watch, there were just five executions for drug-related crimes last year in Saudi Arabia, all in January 2020.”
“Dramatic drop in Saudi executions after laws changed in 2020,” January 18, 2021
139) “The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Global Overview 2023”
140) “Iran carried out at least 977 executions in 2015, at least 567 executions in 2016,[7] and at least 507 executions in 2017.[8] In 2018 there were at least 249 executions, at least 273 in 2019, at least 246 in 2020, at least 290 in 2021, at least 553 in 2022, at least 834 in 2023,[9] and at least 226 so far in 2024.[10] In 2023, Iran was responsible for 74% of all recorded executions in the world.[11] … Iran is believed to execute the most people per capita.[15] Iran insists that the execution numbers human rights groups allege are ‘exaggerated,’ and that executions are only carried out ‘after a lengthy judicial process.’ Iranian officials cite that they are ‘fighting a large-scale drug war along its eastern borders, and the increase of drug lords and dealers causes a rise in executions.’ According to the BBC, Iran ‘carries out more executions than any other country, except China’.[16] … Most of Iran’s executions are related to drug trafficking—a recent announcement by the judiciary said that 74% of executions in Iran were drug-related.[23] In 2015, according to Iran’s vice-president for women and family affairs, Shahindokht Molaverdi, in an unnamed village in Sistan and Baluchistan every adult male was executed on drugs charges.[24][25]”
141) “Robust international action is urgently needed to halt a horrifying surge in executions that saw Iran’s prisons transformed into sites of mass killings in 2023, said Amnesty International. In a new research briefing published today the organization highlights that at least 481 executions – more than half of the total 853 executions recorded in 2023 – were carried out for drug-related offences. … The number of executions in 2023 is the highest recorded since 2015 and marks a 48% increase from 2022 and a 172% increase from 2021. Iran’s killing spree is continuing into 2024, with at least 95 recorded executions by 20 March. Execution numbers recorded by Amnesty International are minimum figures and the organization believes the real number is higher.”
“Iran executes 853 people in eight-year high amid relentless repression and renewed ‘war on drugs’,” April 4, 2024
142) “Twelve people convicted of murder, robbery and drug-related crimes were paraded in a ‘sentencing rally’ this weekend in China. Their families were on hand to witness the spectacle, held at a sports stadium, and residents were invited by the court to attend. Ten of the 12 were executed, according to local media reports. Seven of the 10 executed were charged with drug dealing. The city of Lufeng in Guangdong, China, has been dubbed the ‘City of Ice’ with a reputation as a hotbed for illegal drug production. . . . China doesn’t release death penalty records and considers the matter a state secret, but NGOs estimate that about 2,000 death sentences were carried out last year. All death sentences have to be reviewed and approved by the Supreme People’s Court.”
“10 people paraded, sentenced to death in China’s ‘City of Ice’ – A human rights group condemned the rare public-sentencing rally.” ABC News, December 19, 2017
143) Project Toadstool, David Malmo-Levine on November 15, 2023, citations 10 through 20 https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2023/11/15/project-toadstool/
144) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_the_Philippines
145) citation 1, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davao_Death_Squad
146) Ibid, citation 15
147) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodrigo_Duterte
148) “1.8 million Filipinos used illegal drugs (mostly cannabis) in 2015, the latest official survey published, a third of whom had used illegal drugs only once in the past 13 months. [62][60]” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_drug_war
149) Philippines President likens himself to Hitler, wants to kill 3 million drug addicts, Euronews, Sept. 30, 2016
150) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_drug_war
151) “In accordance with his campaign promise, President Rodrigo Duterte initiated the war on drugs shortly after he took office on June 30, 2016.[9][10] As of July 26, 2017, the Philippine Information Agency reported 68,000 anti-drug operations which resulted in around 97,000 arrests, 1.3 million surrenders, and around 3,500 drug personalities killed in legitimate police operations.[11] Thousands of others have been killed by vigilantes, which the police have categorized as ‘deaths under investigation.’[12] The night of August 14–15, just prior to Delos Santos’s death, was the ‘bloodiest night’ in the Philippine drug war, where dozens of police operations resulted in 32 drug suspects killed and more than 100 arrested in the province of Bulacan.[13][14][15]”
152) Ibid.
153) Translation: ”His scratches were deep, it looked like he had been dragged and beaten. His eyes were very swollen. We also saw signs that he had been handcuffed. There were many handcuff marks,”
“What we know so far: Killing of Carl Arnaiz, 19,” Patricia Lourdes Viray – Philstar.com September 4, 2017
154) The Philippines: when the police kill children The story of Kulot, one of the many teenagers suspected to have been killed as part of President Duterte’s war on drugs.” 2 Dec 2017
155) “Arnaiz went missing for 10 days; his dead body was found on August 28 in a morgue in Caloocan.[90] According to the Caloocan police, Arnaiz was involved in a robbery at C-3 road. The police alleged that Arnaiz drew a gun to rob a taxi driver. Arnaiz allegedly shot responding police officers PO1 Jefrey Perez and PO1 Ricky Arquilita, who fired back and killed the teenager. The police claimed in an August 30 report that they retrieved two packs of marijuana in Arnaiz’s pocket and three packs of a substance suspected to be methamphetamine in his backpack.[91] CCTV footage of the streets of Brgy. 28, Caloocan, showed three men in motorcycles followed by a taxi at 3:40 a.m. Arnaiz allegedly robbed the taxi driver named Tomas Bagcal.[92] Afterwards, the escorting motorcycles left the area. Aside from Bagcal, there were other passengers present who were named as PO1 Jeffrey Perez, de Guzman, Arnaiz, and an unnamed man.[92] According to a witness, the man who emerged from the taxi talking on the phone was PO1 Perez. Shortly, Perez returns to the taxi. At 3:47 a.m., the taxi parked on the sidewalk; though it was not shown on the CCTV footage, however, according to the witness, another taxi approached and reported the robbery.[92] A few minutes later, the taxi leaves and heads to C3 with de Guzman, Arnaiz, Perez, and the unnamed man on board. Two gunshots were heard by the witness. When investigating the source of the gunshots, the witness saw the lifeless body of Carl Arnaiz at the grassy area.[92][93] Investigation team found .38 caliber revolver and three bullet containers that were allegedly used to return fire at the police.[93] … On January 19, 2018, in a 35-page resolution released to reporters, the Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted Perez and Arquilita with two counts of murder after probable cause for the slay of the two teenagers was found. Perez and Arquilita were also charged with two counts of torture and three counts of planting of evidence.[97] … In its decision dated November 10, 2022, and later promulgation of the case, Caloocan RTC Branch 122 convicted Perez of the following:[105][106] Violation of Anti-Torture Act (Republic Act 9745); sentencing him to both a prison term (6 months to four years and two months) in the Arnaiz case, and reclusión perpetua in the de Guzman case in relation to Family Courts Act of 1997 (RA 8369).[105][106] Planting of evidence against Arnaiz; under Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 (RA 9165) sentencing him to twice life imprisonment as well as ‘absolute perpetual disqualification from any public office,’ and under Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act (RA 10591), with penalty of reclusión perpetua.[105][106] It is the second such conviction in relation to the government’s drug war after the 2018 conviction on delos Santos case.[105][106]”
See also:
“#TVPatrol PAO forensic team, conducted crime scene mapping in the case of the murdered Carl Angelo Arnaiz” | report by @dominicalmelor
“The vegetation was undisturbed, the soil was undisturbed. We were also unable to find slugs. Our conclusion – and there were no traces of blood too – is that it was a secondary crime scene.”
Caloocan cop convicted of planting evidence, torturing teenage drug war victims Carl Arnaiz, Kulot Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News Published Nov 23, 2022
“Court convicts ex-cop for teenager killings linked to Duterte drug war,” Mar 13, 2023
“VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Marcos’ claim that ‘many policemen are in jail’ for drug-related offenses needs context”
156) “Human Rights Watch – Philippines – Events of 2022”
157) “StoptheDrugWar.org’s Rule of Law program (previously referred to as our Philippines program) engages serious human rights abuses in the global drug war. Still having a primary focus on extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, the program has help to draw attention to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war killing campaign that NGOs believe has taken the lives of 30,000 people without trial, and in which killings still continue at a reported rate near one per day.”
158) “While Marcos has vowed to shift the focus of the government’s campaign into addressing drug dependence through community-based rehabilitation, the Dahas Project of the Third World Studies Center at the University of the Philippines has recorded 331 drug-related killings in 2023. Of the fatalities, 17 were users found to have a small amount of illegal drugs determined to be for personal use.”
“VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Marcos’ claim that ‘many policemen are in jail’ for drug-related offenses needs context,” March 20, 2024
159) “Monitoring by Dahas, a program run by the Third World Studies Center of the University of the Philippines, found that at least 90 people had been killed in what the center termed “drug-related violence” in the period since Marcos’ inauguration and September 30. The government reported that members of the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency killed 6,252 individuals during anti-drug operations from July 1, 2016, to May 31, 2022. After Marcos took office, the government stopped releasing these statistics. The official death toll does not include those killed by unidentified gunmen whom Human Rights Watch and other rights monitors have credible evidence to believe operate in cooperation with local police and officials. The OHCHR calculated in a 2020 report that the death toll was at least 8,663. Domestic human rights groups and the government appointed Philippines Commission on Human Rights state that the real figure of ‘drug war’ killings is possibly triple the number reported in the OHCHR report.”
“Human Rights Watch – Philippines – Events of 2022”
160) “Most of the mid-August deaths came during ‘One Time Big Time’ operations — police sweeps that target crime in slums and other poor communities.”
“Duterte’s war on drugs: Death of a schoolboy – Philippine police shot dead a 17-year-old high school student in an upsurge of killings in President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal war on drugs. The death shocked the nation, but Duterte vows the war will continue.” August 25, 2017
161) “Not only has the violence continued, but Marcos also made clear that he is not going to undertake a policy change regarding illegal drugs. In September, he said he wanted to focus on rehabilitation, but there is no evidence that the authorities have done anything to make such a shift. During the Duterte administration, the PNP admitted to killing more than 6,200 suspected drug users or dealers, mostly impoverished Filipinos. But rights groups both here and abroad say that the real death toll may be as high as 30,000, counting vigilante killings not acknowledged by the police. But HRW pointed out that the PNP ‘has been known to manipulate its statistics on extrajudicial killings related to the campaign.’ Research by Human Rights Watch and other human rights groups found that police officers routinely plant evidence such as illegal drugs and weapons on the bodies of victims to try to justify their claims that the person had fought back. Marcos’ government has said that the ‘war on drugs’ under its term would focus more on preventing drug use and the rehabilitation of drug dependents. Sought for comment, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla lashed out at the New York-based rights organization, saying: ‘Not all views are objective, as they were colored and poisoned by non-government organizations towing [National Democratic Front] lines.’ Remulla has since taken the position that critics calling attention to the country’s human rights situation were influenced by the Communist Party of the Philippines.”
“Rights watchdog hits PNP for ‘undercounting’ drug war killings under Marcos,” Franco Luna – Philstar.com November 18, 2022
“Justice secretary Crispin Remulla was critical of HRW’s statements viewing it as not objective and influenced by non-government organizations who are sympathetic to the Communist Party of the Philippines. He insist that extrajudicial killing is not state policy and that classifying a death arising from an anti-illegal drug operation as extrajudicial killing is wrong and misleading.[268]”
162) “MANILA, Philippines — The killing of a 3-year-old girl in crossfire during a police antidrug operation was an ‘unfortunate incident,’ Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa said on Monday as he apologized for saying ‘shit happens’ when he earlier commented on the incident. Dela Rosa also said he would lead an investigation, in aid of legislation, into the death of Myka Ulpina when he assumes the chairmanship of the Senate’s public order and dangerous drugs committee. … On Monday, Dela Rosa apologized for his ‘wrong choice of words’ and said he meant to say that the incident was ‘unfortunate.’ ‘I apologize to the family for [my comment]. It was wrong, I should not have said that. Those words should only be for the police community, not for the public because these were prone to being given a bad meaning,’ he said in a television interview.”
“Bato dela Rosa apologizes for ‘shit happens’ comment,” July 09, 2019
“Three-Year-Old Girl Latest Philippines ‘Drug War’ Victim UN Human Rights Council Should Adopt Resolution to Stop Carnage,” July 1, 2019
163) “Data from an earlier Social Weather Stations survey released in January 2020 suggested that 78% of Filipinos believe that there are cops who sell illegal drugs confiscated during operations.”
164) “On April 3, 2019, a series of video was uploaded by the account named ‘Totoong Narco-list’ on YouTube, accusing Paolo Duterte, son of incumbent Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, for receiving money from a crime syndicate and using the brother of his brother-in-law as a dummy for the transactions.[13] The video shows the hooded-figure calling himself as ‘Bikoy’ claiming that he worked for drug syndicates and ‘handled transaction records.’[13] He presents the documents showing the multi-million bank transfers allegedly owned by Paolo Duterte and Waldo Carpio (brother of Sara Duterte’s husband Manases Carpio).[13] At the end of the video, ‘Bikoy’ claimed that Paolo has a dragon tattoo on his back.[13] A document ‘Bikoy’ presented, called a ‘tara,’ is shown – ‘supposedly an internal document that lists down how much money is given to the ‘principals’ or leaders of the drug syndicate.’[14]”
“WATCH: Duterte’s son questioned over illegal drug smuggling”
“Manases Carpio and Paolo Duterte grilled in drug case – President’s son Paolo Duterte and son-in-law Manases Carpio reject allegations of their involvement in drug shipment.”
165) “Will Paolo Duterte bare his back now?” Aug 19, 2024
166) “It is said that Root first brought Taft into prominence and advised the President to make him Governor of the Philippines. Root, Taft and Roosevelt are all in close affiliation, and represent the progressive and righteous politics of the day.” “Elihu Root, Brains of Administration,” The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, California, January 7th, 1909, p. 5
“In 1900, Root guided the establishment of the Philippine commission, led by William Howard Taft, as a move toward autonomous civil government. The first step in his proposed process was the establishment of municipal governments and administrative divisions.”
“By 1900 Secretary Root felt that a decided step could and should be taken in the Philippines towards autonomous civil government. He so advised President McKinley and drafted instructions, approved by the President with but the change of a single word, for the guidance of the Philippine commission, of which William Howard Taft, later to be President of the United States and Chief Justice of its Supreme Court, was president.”
Scott, James Brown (1928). “Elihu Root”. In Bemis, Samuel Flagg (ed.). The American Secretaries of State and Their Diplomacy. Vol. IX. New York: A. A. Knopf., pp. 198-200
“Escalante 2007, p. 91, remarking that Secretary Root’s biographer alleged that Root wrote the first paragraph of Spooner’s bill in which the executive was empowered to establish civilian rule in the Philippines, citing Leopold 1954, p. 36.”
“While in Washington during the winter of 1899–1900, I brought this matter to the attention of Secretary Root. Just as the second Philippine Commission was filing out of his office, after receiving its instructions . . .” “The Philippines Past and Present,” Dean C. Worcester, Volume I, New York, The Macmillan Company, 1914 https://www.gutenberg.org/files/12077/12077-h/12077-h.htm
167) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Howard_Taft
168) “America’s Hundred Years War On Drugs – Centennial of the 1st Congressional Anti-Drug Law Prohibiting Opium in the Philippines” – Mar. 3rd 1905 – 2005, By Dale Gieringer
www.drugsense.org/dpfca/DrugWarCentennial1.htm
See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Brent
169) https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Howard-Taft
170) Waco Times-Herald, Waco, Texas, September 28th, 1907, p. 4
171) “William Howard Taft, with Governor-General James E. Smith, Addressing the audience while reading a proclamation from president Theodore Roosevelt establishing the Philippine Assembly. 16 October 1907”
(172) “On October 10, 1907, the new opium law, Act No. 1761, was passed by the Philippine Commission and became effective on October 17, 1907.”
173) A collection of Philippine laws, statutes and codes not included or cited in the main indices of the Chan Robles Virtual Law Library. THE CHAN ROBLES VIRTUAL LAW LIBRARY – QUICK GLANCE Philippines|Worldwide|The Business Page ACT NO. 1761
174) Ibid.
175) “YANKEE SALOON FINDS WAY TO JAPAN – Mrs. Crafts Tells of War on Opium and Liquor,” The News Tribune, Tacoma, Washington, September 12th, 1907, p. 8
176) “The proposals of the United States for the suppression of the opium trade throughout the world, to be discussed at the conference at Shanghai, China, February 1, having been submitted by Secretary of State Root through United States Ambassadors and Ministers to Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Portugal, Persia, Russia, Siam, Japan and China. A confidential letter to diplomats, made public here today by the International Reform Bureau, which is one of the prime movers in bringing about the conference, thus states the position of the United States with respect to the conference: ‘Our idea is that each government’s commission could proceed independently with the investigation of the opium question on behalf of its respective country, with a view, first, to limit the use of opium in the possessions of that country; second, to ascertain the best means of suppressing the opium traffic if such now exists among the nationalities of that government in the Far East and, third, to be in a position so that when the commission meets at Shanghai the representatives of the various powers may be prepared to co-ordinate and to offer, jointly for severally, definite suggestions of measures which their respective governments may adopt for the gradual suppression of opium cultivation, traffic and use within their Eastern possessions, thus assisting China in her purpose of eradicating the evil from her empire.’”
“PLAN WORLD WAR ON OPIUM TRAFFIC”, Washington Herald, December 31st, 1908, reproduced in The Dope Chronicles, Gary Silver, editor, 1979, Yellow Press, San Francisco, p. 84
See also: “The acceptance of this invitation by Great Britain – the arch-offender in this drugging of China that has gone on relentlessly since before our revolutionary war – amounts to one of the greatest diplomatic triumphs ever won by a nation, one whose honors Secretary Root must share with Robert Bacon, his assistant Secretary of State. … The brown ‘dope’ got into our veins when we got hold of the Philippines, where Mr. Taft found thousands of our subjects addicted to the drug. He had hospitals opened for the ‘fiends’ and he called a Commission to draw up a plan for the eradication of the vice.” – “OPIUM CONFERENCE TO UNDO THE CRIME OF A CENTURY”, The Daily Picayune, New Orleans, Dec. 27, 1908
177) “Washington, Sept. 4. – It was announced by Secretary Root today that Turkey, Persia and Russia had been asked to participate in the international congress to devise ways and means of suppressing the opium traffic throughout the world.”
“WORLD WIDE WAR ON OPIUM TRAFFIC,” The Oregon Daily Journal, Portland, Oregon, September 4th, 1908, p. 2
178) “Secretary of State Root, one of the ablest legal minds of his period, tried to make the prohibition as simple as possible. He proposed to Congress in 1908 a combination of the legislation pertaining to the import of opiates into the Philippines (of March 1905) and the standard statute used in the prevention of illegal imports. He modified the Philippine legislation to make it possible for citizens to import opiates other than smoking opium. Root made no claim that he was proposing a definitive law to deal with the opium problem in the United States. No new methods of enforcement were proposed, and only the importation of opium for smoking was actually outlawed. A simple and broadly acceptable approach was mandatory if the United States was ‘to have legislation on this subject in time to save our face in the conference at Shanghai.’”
David Musto, The American Disease, 1999, Oxford University Press, New York, p. 34
See also: “…(stating that then Secretary of State Elihu Root drafted the bill to give Wright and the U.S. delegation the sheen of moral leadership at the Shanghai Conference).”
Fordham Urban Law Journal, Volume 28, Number 1 Article 4 2000 FROM FREE TRADE TO PROHIBITION: A CRITICAL HISTORY OF THE MODERN ASIAN OPIUM TRADE, Alfred W. McCoy, p. 325
179) “ROOT FAVORS OPIUM BILL. Would Enact Measure Before Shanghai Conference Meets.” The News-Journal, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, January 25th, 1909, p. 4
180) “60th United States Congress passed House bill H.R. 27427, better known as the Smoking Opium Exclusion Act of 1909, which U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt enacted into law on February 9, 1909.[5] Public Law 60-221 was effective after the first day of April 1909 imposing an unlawful Act to import any derivative, any form, or preparation of opium into the United States. The statutory law authorizes the importation of the psychoactive drug provided any opium derivatives and preparations will be for medicinal purposes only.”
181) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Opium_Commission
182) “In 1909, a 13-nation International Opium Commission was held in Shanghai, in response to increasing criticism of the opium trade and to the Opium Wars. A few years later, in 1912, the First International Opium Conference was convened in The Hague to continue the discussions initiated in Shanghai.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Opium_Convention
183) “The prospect for quick agreement by any nation other than China to meet again on the subject of opium did not seem good. Within a week of the Shanghai Commission’s adjournment, the United States inaugurated a new president, William Howard Taft, who had strongly supported Brent’s activities against opium and whose foreign policy goals were congenial to a plan for international control of narcotics. Taft had heartily encouraged the initial steps to call the Shanghai Commission, was familiar with the Orient, and had full confidence in Brent.”
David Musto, The American Disease, 1999, Oxford University Press, New York, p. 38
See also: Kris Millegan, Fleshing Out Skull & Bones, 2003, TrineDay, Waltervill, Oregon, pp. 157-158
184) Jill Jonnes, Hep-Cats, Narcs, and Pipe Dreams, 1996, John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore & London, p. 334
185) “When Representative Francis Burton Harrison of New York placed HR 1966 for debate before the full House of Representatives on June 26, 1913, he began by noting that the Smoking Opium Exclusion Act of 1909 failed to limit importation of opium because it regulated the maritime shipping industry, rather than the individual drug users. In Harrison’s view, shipping companies could evade regulation by forging documents and smuggling opium across the Mexico–United States border, whereas individual drug users would struggle to dispute their role in smuggling networks. The Congressional Record showcases that the House was unsure whether the Commerce Clause actually permitted the federal government to restrict what types of goods could be exported, but the chamber adopted an expansive view based on dicta from the 1904 antitrust case Northern Securities Co. v. United States. While the House agreed that the Export Clause clearly prohibits taxing exported opium, they were divided as to whether they could outright prohibit such exports. Though the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act prohibited the importation of adulterated or misbranded food and drugs, that law was considered a product standard, whereas the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act would not allow any form of opium as imports or exports.”
“Congress subsequently went on to pass the Harrison Act, restricting all forms of opium as well as cocaine to prescription use only. Because the federal government lacked clear constitutional authority to regulate non-interstate drug use, Congress adopted the constitutional subterfuge of a tax to regulate drug transactions. The Harrison Act was signed by President Wilson on December 17, 1914, and became effective March 1, 1915.”
“America’s Hundred Years War On Drugs – Centennial of the 1st Congressional Anti-Drug Law Prohibiting Opium in the Philippines” – Mar. 3rd 1905 – 2005, By Dale Gieringer
www.drugsense.org/dpfca/DrugWarCentennial1.htm
186) “In 1912 Representative Francis Burton Harrison (D-NY) introduced legislation, backed by officials from the State Department.” Encyclopedia Of Drug Policy, Volume 1, Mark Kleiman & James Hawdon, editors, SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks, California, 2011, p. 353
“40th United States Secretary of State In office March 6, 1909 – March 5, 1913, President: William Howard Taft” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philander_C._Knox
187) Ibid.
188) “Taft’s first reaction to the Filipinos was typical of that of most Americans of the time: He regarded them as light-fingered, light-hearted liars who were thoroughly unfit for independence.”
The Foreign Policies Of The Taft Administration, Walter Scholes & Marie Scholes, University Of Missouri Press, Columbia, Missouri, 1970, p. 2
189) “Storey was appalled when Elihu Root declared that the failed policy of giving African Americans the vote in the United States proved that Filipinos could not be trusted with it.”
The Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations, Volume 2, The American Search for Opportunity, 1865-1913, Walter LaFeber, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 1993, p. 162
190) “Harrison was governor-general of the Philippines from 1913 to 1921 and advocated for and oversaw the process of Filipinization, or the transfer of authority to Filipinos in the United States territory’s Insular Government to better prepare for independence. He was governor-general during the passages of the Philippine Autonomy Act, otherwise known as the Jones Act, which converted the partially elected Philippine Legislature with the appointed Philippine Commission as the upper house and the elected Philippine Assembly as the lower house, to a fully elected Philippine Legislature with the Philippine Senate replacing the now-dissolved Philippine Commission and the Philippine Assembly renamed the House of Representatives of the Philippines.”
191) “Taft helped create the secret society known as Skull and Bones in 1832 with William Huntington Russell.”
192) “He was elected a member of Skull and Bones, the Yale secret society co-founded by his father, one of three future presidents (with George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush) to be a member.”
193) “For a number of years he was counsel for the Metropolitan Street Railway company of New York City, when it was controlled by William C. Whitney, an intimate friend …”
“ELIHU ROOT: LAWYER, FRIEND AND POLITICIAN,” The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington, July 23rd, 1905, p. 34
“‘Elihu Root was the man who, according to William C. Whitney, could tell a rich man how to evade the law safely. ’Any lawyer,’ said Mr. Whitney, ‘can tell me what I must not do. Root is the one man who can tell me what I can do and how.’”
“T.R. Shows Record Of Barnes And Root,” Atlanta Georgian, Atlanta, Georgia, June 22nd, 1912, p. 3
“Educated at Williston Seminary, Easthampton, Massachusetts, Whitney graduated from Yale University in 1863, where he was a member of Skull and Bones…”
194) “He joined Skull and Bones, a secret society that afforded many contacts for the rest of his life. He graduated in 1888 and attended Harvard Law School, where he graduated in 1890. He joined the prestigious Wall Street law firm of Root and Clark in 1891 and became a partner in 1893. Elihu Root, a future Secretary of War and Secretary of State, became a major influence on and role model for Stimson.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_L._Stimson
“US Secretary of War Henry Stimson hired McCloy as a consultant in September 1940, who became immersed in war planning … McCloy during the war served on the government task forces that built the Pentagon, created the Office of Strategic Services, which eventually became the Central Intelligence Agency …” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._McCloy
195) “In 1927, Stimson was sent by President Calvin Coolidge to Nicaragua to negotiate an end to the Nicaraguan Civil War. Stimson wrote that Nicaraguans ‘were not fitted for the responsibilities that go with independence and still less fitted for popular self-government.’ He opposed independence for the Philippines for the same reason after he had been appointed Governor-General of the Philippines, an office that he held from 1927 to 1929.”
“Henry L. Stimson (Skull & Bones 1888) was Secretary of War under Taft, the president who created the modern-day war on drugs, and also Secretary of War under Truman, the president who created the CIA. He also did a stint as Governor General of the Philippines (1927-1929), as did the drug warriors and fellow Bonesmen Taft (1901-1904) and Harrison (1913-1921). He was known to have a huge influence on younger politicians and bureaucrats, to the extent that his crew became known as the ‘Stimson Kindergarten’.” “George H.W. Bush: Biggest. Drug Lord. Ever.” David Malmo-Levine, May 16, 2017 https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2017/05/16/george-h-w-bush-biggest-drug-lord-ever/
“In his many positions, Stimson mentored some of the best and brightest in American public service — Acheson, Lovett, Harriman, Bundy, and Marshall.” The Colonel: The Life and Wars of Henry Stimson, 1867-1950 by Godfrey Hodgson https://plunkettlakepress.com/tc.html
“Stimson groomed a generation of ‘Cold Warriors,’ in what was known as ‘Stimson’s Kindergarten.’ Among these proteges were General George C. Marshall, John J. McCloy, Dean Acheson, and fellow Bonesmen Robert A. Lovett, William Bundy (S&B 1939) and his brother McGeorge Bundy (S&B 1940). ‘These men helped establish a distinguished network connecting Wall Street, Washington, worthy foundations and proper clubs,’ historian and Kennedy adviser Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., wrote. ‘The New York and legal community was the heart of the American Establishment. Its household deities were Henry L. Stimson and Elihu Root; its present leaders, Robert A. Lovett and John J. McCloy its front organizations, the Rockefeller, Ford and Carnegie foundations and the Council Foreign Relations.'” Skulls & Bones, BY R.A. KRIS MILLEGAN https://www.angelfire.com/zine/ua/skullsandbones.html
“. . . Henry Stimson (who his [George W. Bush] father and grandfather revered) . . .” THE BUSHES – PORTRAIT OF A DYNASTY, Peter Schweizer and Rochelle Schweizer, Anchor Books/Random House, New York, 2005, p. 153
196) “Harrison graduated from Yale College in 1895, where he was a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity and the secret society Skull and Bones . . .”
197) Kris Millegan, Fleshing Out Skull & Bones, 2003, TrineDay, Waltervill, Oregon, pp. 2, 325
“Despite being under severe financial restraints, he entered Yale College, graduating in 1833.[2]” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Huntington_Russell
“Samuel Russell’s cousin William Huntington Russell set up a trust at Yale that created a unique organization of elite families under the name Skull and Bones.” Secret Societies of America’s Elite, Steven Sora, Destiny Books, Rochester, Vermont, 2003, p. 253
“In ‘The Origins of the Tomb’ (May/June), David Richards omits discussion of who it was that paid the $30,000 used to build the 1856 Skull and Bones structure. It was Russell money, and steeped in opium. James Bradley’s book The China Mirage (Little, Brown, 2015) traces the Russell family fortune back to Russell and Company in Canton, ‘America’s biggest smuggler of Turkish opium into China.’ The trust that holds Skull and Bones’s real estate and endowment is called the Russell Trust Association.” “More secrets of the Tomb – Readers talk back about Skull and Bones, fossil fuels, the cost of Yale, and more.” Jul/Aug 2015 https://yalealumnimagazine.org/articles/4127-more-secrets-of-the-tomb
“One of the largest opium importers of the day was Jardine-Matheson, a company still in existence today. A memo from their company directors revealed sinister motives for opposing legalization, “If the trade is ever legalized, it will cease to be profitable from that time. The more difficulties that attend it, the better for you and us.” They were right, the price soared after opium was made illegal through an international ban in 1914.” – The Rise of the Opium Trade, Patricia Smith, Dec. 18, 2012
198) Kris Millegan, Fleshing Out Skull & Bones, 2003, TrineDay, Waltervill, Oregon, pp. 6-11
See also “George H.W. Bush: Biggest. Drug Lord. Ever.” David Malmo-Levine, May 16, 2017 https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2017/05/16/george-h-w-bush-biggest-drug-lord-ever/
“George H.W. Bush: Biggest. Drug Lord. Ever. (Part 2),” David Malmo-Levine, February 1, 2018, citations 182-220 https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2018/02/01/george-h-w-bush-biggest-drug-lord-ever-2/
199) See the films: American Made (2017), Kill the Messenger (2014), Double Crossed (1991), Air America (1990), Scarface (1983).
See also: The CIA As Organized Crime, Douglas Valentine, Clarity Press, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia, 2017; Family of Secrets, Russ Baker, Bloomsbury Press, New York, 2009; Fleshing Out Skull & Bones, Kris Millegan, TrineDay, Waltervill, Oregon, 2003; The Conspirators, Al Martin, National Liberty Press, Montana, 2002; Barry and the Boys, Daniel Hopsicker, Mad Cow Press, Eugene, Oregon, 2001; Drug War, Dan Russell, Kalyx.com, Camden, New York, 1999; Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion, Gary Webb, Seven Stories Press, New York, 1998; Defrauding America, Rodney Stitch, Third Edition, Diablo Western Press, Inc., Alamo, California, 1998; Compromised: Clinton, Bush and the CIA, Terry Reed & John Cummings, S.P.I. BOOKS/Shapolsky Publishers, New York, 1994; The Politics of Heroin, Alfred W. McCoy, Lawrence Hill Books, Brooklyn, New York, 1991; Inside the Shadow Government, Christic Institute, Washington, D.C., 1988; “COKE AND DAGGER”, Bill Weinberg, Overthrow magazine, Vol. 9, no. 2, Fall 1987, pp. 1-2, 16; Out Of Control, Leslie Cockburn, Atlantic Monthly Press, New York, 1987; The Great Heroin Coup, Henrik Kruger, Black Rose Books, Montreal, 1980; Air America: The Explosive Inside Story Of The CIA’s Supersecret Airline, Christopher Robbins, Avon, New York, 1979; “The New Opium War,” Ramparts magazine, May 1971, pp. 32-39
See also: Secret Heart Beat of America CIA Drug Ops Conspiracy: (Unaired Documentary) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhBy2jXl-rE&t=3508s
Guerrilla News Network: Crack the CIA, 2001
Gary Webb: In His Own Words (2002) | CIA Cocaine Dark Alliance
Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy | Official Trailer | Netflix
September 2008 Mexico Drug Plane Used for US ‘Rendition’ Flights: Report
Was Crashed Gulfstream II Drug Plane Owned By CIA? Registered ‘Owner’ Appears To Be A Front https://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=a1703b3a-3003-4d1e-8775-f0f33e267df4
200) “American Made-Up: photos that prove that Barry Seal was with the CIA in the 1950s and 1960s,” David Malmo-Levine, October 2, 2017
“George H.W. Bush: Biggest. Drug Lord. Ever.” David Malmo-Levine, May 16, 2017
“George H.W. Bush: Biggest. Drug Lord. Ever. (Part 2)” David Malmo-Levine on February 1, 2018 https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2018/02/01/george-h-w-bush-biggest-drug-lord-ever-2/
Vansterdam Comix, David Malmo-Levine & Bob High, WEEDS, Vancouver, 2018, pp. 289-390
201) “Donald Trump, ‘Duterte Harry’ and the Drug War Death Squads,” David Malmo-Levine, January 17, 2017
202) “Philippines’ deadly drug war praised by Donald Trump, says Rodrigo Duterte,” December 3rd, 2016
203) “Trump praises Duterte for ‘unbelievable job’ cracking down on drugs in the Philippines,” 05/24/2017
204) “Trump: Execute drug dealers to end crisis,” The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon, March 2nd, 2018, p. 10
205) “Trump: Drug dealers deserve death penalty – President looking to ‘no tolerance policy,” The Desert Sun, Palm Springs, California, March 20th, 2018, p. B2
See also: “President Trump Pushes Death Penalty for Drug Traffickers – In a speech in New Hampshire to announce a new policy to combat the opioid epidemic gripping states across the country, President Trump says he plans to get tougher on drug dealers, including proposing the death penalty.”
206) “Sessions touts death penalty for drug dealers,” South Florida Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, March 23rd, 2018, p. B6
207) “Jeff Sessions’ latest memo pushes prosecutors to seek the death penalty against big drug dealers. That could include legal marijuana business owners. Little-known federal law makes it possible to execute people who grow more than 60,000 marijuana plants,” March 22, 2018
208) “November 15, 2022 | Clip Of Former President Trump’s 2024 Campaign Announcement Former President Trump Calls for Death Penalty for Drug Dealers Former President Trump calls for lawmakers to pass a law mandating the death penalty for drug dealers during his official announcement of his 2024 presidential candidacy in a speech at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. He said such laws in places like China and Singapore tamped down violent crime in those countries, and said they were the only option to combat the drug trade in the U.S.”
209) “BIG IDEAS, BOLD AMBITIONS AND DARING DREAMS FOR AMERICA’S FUTURE”
210) “Donald Trump Demands Drug Dealers Receive The Death Penalty During Pennsylvania Rally,” Forbes Breaking News, August 31st, 2024
211) “(43:27) But I said to him, ‘Do you have a …’ At the first meeting, a little naive question, but not so bad. ‘Do you have a drug problem?’ ‘No, no, no. We do not have a drug problem. No.’ ‘You don’t you have any?’ ‘No, we have no drug problem.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Swift trial.’ I said, ‘What is swift trial?’ Swift trial. ‘What swift trial is, they catch the drug dealer and they give him a swift trial, meaning a very fast trial. At the end of the trial, if he’s guilty, they execute him.’”
“Trump Speaks at Phoenix Rally,” June 6th, 2024
212) “Trump wants the death penalty for drug dealers. Here’s why that probably won’t happen,” May 10, 2023, Dustin Jones , Devin Speak
213) “What Donald Trump has said about giving police immunity from prosecution,” November 7, 2024
214) Trump Promises To Give Police ‘Immunity From Prosecution’ The pledge, while mostly legally illiterate, offers a reminder of the former president’s outlook on government accountability. Billy Binion | 5.3.2024 4:15 PM
215) “About 1,000 fatal police shootings are reported each year in the US — so the arrest rate is around 1 percent, never higher than 2 percent. Some, perhaps most, shootings are justified. But the number of police officers prosecuted ‘seems extremely low to me,’ Stinson told me. ‘In my opinion, it’s got to be that more of the fatal shootings are unjustified.’ Of those 139 officers, just 44 were convicted (with 42 cases still pending). Many of those convictions came on lesser charges: Just seven officers have been convicted of murder in police shootings since 2005, with their prison sentences ranging from 81 months to life. The remaining 37 were convicted on charges ranging from manslaughter to official misconduct, in some cases serving no prison time. After the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in August 2014, as the Black Lives Matter movement grew more prominent, there was an uptick in prosecutions: From 2005 to 2014, about five police officers were prosecuted a year. Starting with 2015, the average is up to roughly 13 a year — meaning cops are now prosecuted in less than 2 percent of fatal shootings, up from less than 1 percent. But convictions haven’t increased much yet. … If a case does make it to trial, a major challenge is persuading judges and juries, made up of members of the public, that a cop should be convicted. Based on Stinson’s data for officers charged with murder or manslaughter due to an on-duty shooting, just 46 percent of police with completed cases have been convicted since 2005.”
“Police officers are prosecuted for murder in less than 2 percent of fatal shootings – Police officers are rarely prosecuted in the US. Here’s why.”
216) “Issue of the day: Trump and the Mexican drug cartels,” The Herald (Glasgow edition), Glasgow, Scotland, December 9th, 2019, p. M13
217) “Some Republicans favour sending troops into Mexico to fight drug cartels,” The Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, October 4th, 2023, p. A6
218) “US ‘invasion’ of Mexico to take out cartels rejected by Sheinbaum,” Joe Barnes, December 3, 2024
219) “What Can We Expect From Trump On Cannabis Reform?” Dario Sabaghi, Nov 18, 2024
220) September 2008 Mexico Drug Plane Used for US ‘Rendition’ Flights: Report
Was Crashed Gulfstream II Drug Plane Owned By CIA? Registered ‘Owner’ Appears To Be A Front https://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=a1703b3a-3003-4d1e-8775-f0f33e267df4
221) “How a Brutal Jail Death Exposes Arkansas’ ‘Punishing’ Justice System,” Marshall Ray Price was beaten inside a county jail in northeast Arkansas. A year later, no one has been charged in his death. Published Dec 11, 2023
222) “Click on the links below to see pdf files of the User Guides we created for many of the products in our shop.”
223) “How a Brutal Jail Death Exposes Arkansas’ ‘Punishing’ Justice System,” Marshall Ray Price was beaten inside a county jail in northeast Arkansas. A year later, no one has been charged in his death. Published Dec 11, 2023
224) “IMPD Critical Incident Video 9000 Pendleton Pike,” Nov 8, 2024
225) “The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has released edited bodycam footage from an officer-involved shooting that left one man dead while serving a warrant at a Lawrence motel in August. According to a graphic that appears at the beginning of the video, officers responded to the 9000 block of Pendleton Pike around 10:35 a.m. on Aug. 23 to serve a warrant at Park Terrace Motel in Lawrence. According to previous reports, narcotic detectives with IMPD and SWAT were serving a warrant at the motel for 40-year-old Kentrail Small, who authorities believed was armed and dangerous.”
“‘Get on the ground’: IMPD bodycam footage shows moments leading up to fatal shooting at Lawrence motel,” Tyler Haughn, Nov 8, 2024 / 04:46 PM EST Updated: Nov 8, 2024 / 05:33 PM EST SHARE LAWRENCE, Ind.
“INDIANAPOLIS — IMPD has released edited bodycam footage of a fatal shooting involving SWAT officers at Lawrence motel in August. The incident happened around 10:30 a.m. Aug. 23 in the 9000 block of Pendleton Pike, near North Post Road. An IMPD spokesperson said officers were serving a signed and approved search warrant at a motel for 40-year-old Kentrail Small, who police said was known to be armed and dangerous and in possession of narcotics.”
“IMPD releases edited bodycam video after SWAT officers fatally shoot man at motel in Lawrence The incident happened around 10:30 a.m. Aug. 23 in the 9000 block of Pendleton Pike.” WTHR.com staff, Published: 4:48 PM EST November 8, 2024 Updated: 9:24 PM EST November 9, 2024
“Aug. 23: What started as a search warrant for narcotics, ultimately ended in Kentrail Small, 40, being shot and killed. At about 10:30 a.m. SWAT officers were attempting to serve a search warrant at the Park Terrace Motel, 9025 Pendleton Pike, in Lawrence. SWAT forced their way into the room and a struggle ensued as police attempted to handcuff Small. Police said Small got away and grabbed a Draco firearm, at which point officers fatally shot him.”
226) https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/
227) “Government records indicate that over 6,000 supposed drug suspects have been killed in police operations since Duterte assumed office on June 30, 2016. Several human rights groups, however, estimate that the actual death toll could be between 12,000 to 30,000.” “ICC calls on Philippine gov’t to comment on reopening of drug war probe,” JON VIKTOR D. CABUENAS, GMA News, July 17, 2022 https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/838463/icc-calls-on-marcos-administration-to-comment-on-reopening-of-drug-war-probe/story/#goog_rewarded
