Deep in the Heart of Texas’ Drug Trade

Staff / Truthdig Jul 24, 2011 Texas Gov. Rick Perry points to his hyper pro-business policies to explain the fact that 37 percent of the nation's new jobs created over the last two years were in his state. New York magazine has another suggestion though: the region's multibillion-dollar drug trade. (more) Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Rogues Gone Wild

David Sirota / Truthdig Feb 19, 2010 We've so idealized cowboy-style rebellion in matters of war and law enforcement that the DEA can refuse to follow explicit orders from the president and attorney general and get away with it. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

A New Type of Surge

Staff / Truthdig Jul 20, 2009 U.S. government officials are conducting a new kind of "surge." The DEA has started dispatching agents to Afghanistan to target opium trafficking networks that are believed to be funding the Taliban insurgency, a change from the Bush-era policy of poppy crop destruction. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A View From the South

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Nov 20, 2008 Evo Morales knows about "change you can believe in." He also knows what happens when a powerful elite is forced to make changes it doesn't want. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Bolivia Puts DEA on Hold

Staff / Truthdig Nov 2, 2008 Bolivian President Evo Morales on Saturday made another move to signal his administration's displeasure with the United States, announcing that he is "indefinitely" halting all activities of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency within his country. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Court Documents Link ‘Death House’ to High-Ranking U.S. Officials

Staff / Truthdig Dec 3, 2006 The Observer's online edition says it has obtained documents that show U.S. officials allowed a drug informant to continue a campaign of murder in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, so as to preserve his ability to share information. At least 12 people were killed, with knowledge of the murderer allegedly extending into the upper echelons of American power. Thanks to Cynthia Marler-Wills for the tip. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

California Legislators Challenge Hemp Ban

Staff / Truthdig Aug 28, 2006 California legislators have sent a bill to Gov. Schwarzenegger that would legalize the cultivation of industrial hemp, setting up a direct confrontation with federal drug authorities. The plant, which contains none of the hallucinogenic properties of marijuana, is considered a kind of miracle crop by farmers and entrepreneurs who seek to exploit its fast growth and myriad uses. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )