AltWeeklies Wire
Steve Earle Talks Music, Politics and Addictionnew
Earle's resurrection after being released from jail in the mid-1990s is remarkable, and few would dispute that he is today one of the best songwriters in the world. And he always seasons his songs with powerful political messages that rise above the polemical.
New Haven Advocate |
Jim Motavalli |
09-16-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Clayton Roueche, the Last King of Potlandnew
In the typically futile annals of the War on Drugs, the takedown of a Canadian scrap dealer's son was a major score.
Seattle Weekly |
Rick Anderson |
09-15-2008 |
Drugs
Drug Trafficking and Crime Plague the Bordernew
The siege of the Chiricahuas can best be described as a low-level guerilla war, intermittent but always simmering, the scenes of trouble shifting regularly.
Tucson Weekly |
Leo W. Banks |
09-12-2008 |
Immigration
Burning Man: Torching the American Dreamnew
Welcome to Hell. Population, You: Among the many and varied effects of Burning Man upon national culture is that it vindicates a long-cherished, if little-expressed, American desire to drive to another planet.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Ron Garmon |
09-05-2008 |
Culture
Adderall Treats ADHD, but It Can Lead to Addictionnew
Adderall has joined Oxycontin, Vicodin and many more prescription drugs that SouthCoast Recovery counselors deal with -- in addition to traditional street drugs such as cocaine, heroin and meth. Down economy? The recovery business is booming.
How Sonny Rollins Defeated Heroinnew
In his six-decade career, the legendary saxophonist has claimed many a triumph. But his greatest may have come in the 1950s, during a quiet period in Chicago.
Chicago Reader |
Neil Tesser |
09-02-2008 |
Music
The Experimental Drug Treatment Prometa Fights Fire with Firenew
Does an unproven treatment that combats drug addiction with drugs promise more than it can deliver?
Dallas Observer |
Megan Feldman |
08-18-2008 |
Drugs
David Carr Asks Himself the Toughest Questions in 'The Night of The Gun'new
Before it delivers the inevitable jolt of redemption, The Night of The Gun is a maddening book, dangerous in large doses to anyone who has ever romanticized the outlaw appeal of the addict, frequently absurd and offensive to those drunks and dope fiends who have somehow managed to ask for help and get on with their lives.
Las Vegas Weekly |
Steve Friedman |
08-15-2008 |
Nonfiction
Cop Charged with 49 Felonies Pleads Guilty to Two Misdemeanors, Goes Freenew
Was David Lewis a pervert who used his police powers to terrorize vulnerable young women? Or was this case coldly concocted -- as Lewis insists -- in retaliation for his sniffing around the a strip club for information possibly linking the state's attorney's office with gangs, prostitution, and cocaine?
Illinois Times |
Dusty Rhodes |
08-14-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Canada's Most Picturesque Province is Also the Center of an Underground Pot Explosionnew
Prince Edward Island is still largely a bastion of clean-cut, yesteryear values. A number of island communities remain defiantly dry. But it is also home to a thriving cottage industry that includes both indoor hydroponic pot production, and a more daring coterie of growers who take advantage of the island's perfect summer climate and endless fields of spuds, soybeans, and corn to pursue small-scale cultivation en plein air.
Boston Phoenix |
Alan R. Earls |
08-14-2008 |
Drugs
Does the Recent Surge of Stoner Movies Mean America is Going to Pot?new
Marijuana movies are a hot genre right now -- Knocked Up, Harold & Kumar (both Go to White Castle and Escape from Guantanamo Bay), and Superbad have made piles of green at the box office. Just this past week, Pineapple Express topped the box office at $12.5 million, a record for a Wednesday opening in August. And those are just the obvious offenders.
Boston Phoenix |
Peter Keough |
08-14-2008 |
Movies
Do Pay Phones Do More Harm Than Good?new
As fewer and fewer people use pay phones, some city governments and neighborhood groups increasingly see them as invitations to crime. Still, removing pay phones from city property is one thing; getting rid of those on private property is another.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Isaiah Thompson |
08-12-2008 |
Crime & Justice
No 'Hero' Here in Jason Peter's Memoirnew
Peter reveals his own darkest moments of drug abuse, but it's almost unforgivable that he sweeps under the rug the fact that his brother Christian, who guided him during those glory years at Nebraska, was at the center of a notorious case of athlete protectionism.
NOW Magazine |
Jason Keller |
08-11-2008 |
Nonfiction
Medical Marijuana Dealer Convicted on Federal Trafficking Chargesnew
Charles Lynch was found guilty in federal court on five charges related to growing and distributing marijuana, despite California law that authorized his business, and testimony by local officials who welcomed the dispensary.
San Luis Obispo New Times |
Kylie Mendonca |
08-11-2008 |
Drugs
A Safe Space for Gay Meth Addicts in Santa Ana Struggles to Get Goingnew
If you visit Metheds.org, all you'll see is a white page, black text and a brief explanation: "Metheds. A place about recovery and community. Opening soon in Santa Ana. For more information, contact Ed McKie." But that's all Metheds is right now: an idea, some wishful thinking and a name.
