Brazil to decriminalize drug use and institute a harm-reduction model -[UNCONFIRMED]

Alright, it is "The Day After." What happened???

Today is November 25: Happy Thanksgiving to those of us in the United States

It is now one day past the supposed signing of Brazil's new "Drug Decriminalization Decree" that was reported to be taking place on November 24. Yet, there are no news reports highlighting the new Brazilian drug policy bill. And the only references that I have been able to find are simply links to either Drugpolicy.org or Narconews.com.

When I submitted this article, I had hoped that we would begin seeing media reports to back up this report (certainly something of this magnitude would appear all over the press by now). And the only validation which I have seen to date is a claim which is supposedly posted by the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA):

http://narcosphere.narconews.com/comments/2004/11/15/94326/676/3?mode=alone;showrate=1#3

The Brazilian Embassy in Washington, DC confirmed the impending decriminalization and harm-reduction measures earlier today to the [Drug Policy] Alliance.

At this point, without any other announcements being reported from traditional "authoritative" media sources, I am inclined to conclude that this story is nothing but a hoax. And I apologize to everyone whom it may have misled, I feel victimized as well.

I would have thought that those organizations who's goals are to support harm reduction (i.e., Drug Policy Alliance and Narconews.com would have been above making such claims without first validating their sources.

I am sending a link to this exact post, to both Drug Policy Alliance and Narconews.com. I sincerely feel that it is their responsibility to respond and explain what is going on.

If this news report is in fact a hoax, then this is a sad day for the global harm reduction community. :|
 
Originally posted by Amazon Bee
i remember people giving you hints on how to avoid arrest, like putting lotion on your hands after smoking a joint because they would arrest you if your fingers even smelled like weed.
Click to expand...

Lol, those people were just fucking with you. You avoid arrest by slipping the cop 50 reales. ;)
 
Here is a reply which I received from Al Giordano.

Subject : harm reduce thyself!

Mr. Oblivion,

Re your email to us...

> Al Giordano's story "Brazil's Lula to Sign Drug Decriminalization
> Decree on Nov. 24" is appearently a hoax, and does damage to the hard
> reduction community. I've posted this on Bluelight.nu
>
> http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/showthread.php?postid=2483941#post2483941
>
> I would hope that Al Giordano (or someone) would respond on Bluelight
> to explain.
>

And re your blog post which said...

"When I submitted this article, I had hoped that we would begin seeing
media reports to back up this report (certainly something of this
magnitude would appear all over the press by now). And the only validation
which I have seen to date is a claim which is supposedly posted by the
Drug Policy Alliance (DPA):

http://narcosphere.narconews.com/comments/2004/11/15/94326/676/3?mode=alone;showrate=1#3

"The Brazilian Embassy in Washington, DC confirmed the impending
decriminalization and harm-reduction measures earlier today to the [Drug
Policy] Alliance...

"At this point, without any other announcements being reported from
traditional "authoritative" media sources, I am inclined to conclude that
this story is nothing but a hoax. And I apologize to everyone whom it may
have misled, I feel victimized as well."

Al Giordano replies, on the record:

Let's see how honest you are, Sir, and whether you publish my response in
full. I do not have an account to be able to post on your blog and don't
have the time to establish one. However, I will briefly make the time to
respond to your irrational statements.

It's easy to speak of Harm Reduction. Harder, apparently for you it seems,
to practice it.

- Your "feeling" of being "victimized" by words is irrational.

- Your jumping to the conclusion that just because you haven't seen "any
other announcements being reported from traditional 'authoritative' media
sources" that it means that the story is therefore untrue or "nothing but
a hoax" is also irrational.

- Your disregarding of the information reported by the Drug Policy
Alliance - that they called the Brazilian Embassy and confirmed the story
- is highly irrational, and crosses over into the boundaries of paranoid
delusion when you accuse that organization of participating in a hoax.

- Your failure to consider that you could be wrong in your assumption, and
flying off the handle accusing others of being dishonest, is extremely
self-sabotaging behavior. It makes you look foolish to others. It also
causes you to, in fear of being "victim" of a "hoax," to create your own
hoax on those who might read your blog: Without having any true facts, you
conclude and accuse others of being dishonest.

- Your dependency on Commercial Media (what you call "authoritative" news
sources) to confirm reality for you is harmful to you and to others. Your
blind belief that something can only be true if repeated by Commercial
Media is as delusional as any drug addiction. It's an addictive behavior
toward commercial media to use it, as you do, to confirm your versions of
"reality."

- Your behavior also reveals you as lazy and slothful. You did no actual
investigation to confirm or deny your accusations. Let me ask you: Do you
read Portuguese? - if so you will find Commercial Media reports in Brazil
that report the same story we reported. In fact, we translated extensively
from the largest daily newspaper in Brazil, Folha de Sao Paulo, in our
original report. So... while you rail that no "authoritative" media has
confirmed the report, you disregard the information in the report that it
comes, originally, from the kind of media you call "authoritative."

- So, now you are hung out to dry, probably using an anonymous identity
online, because "Oblivion" is not a surname commonly found in any
telephone directory, as spreading disinformation in the name of stopping
it.

My guess is that you are not even named Brian. In fact, I bet that you are
somebody who I know (or once knew) who has an ax to grind, perhaps you
perceive yourself as a competitor and, under your real name, seek
attention and glory as a journalist or an activist, and seethe with
bitterness over the wide credibility and audience that Narco News has
built compared to what little you've inspired from others, wondering "why
don't people find *me* that credible"? (I'll share the list of usual
suspects who do this kind of acting-out from time to time, privately, with
our colleagues over at DPA.)

I could be wrong about that last point. You might just be the proverbial
lone whacko out there. But whatever causes your behavior - from
out-of-control moodswings to malicious attempts to smear others - it is
clear that you are neither a truthful, a truth-seeking, a rational, or
reliable person. So thanks for bringing that to our attention and that of
any other readers you might enjoy.

From somewhere in a country called América,

Al Giordano


How sad... :(


Mr. Giordano,

I think you've over estimated your "importance" in this matter. I must honestly admit, that I really do not care about you or your standing as a journalist. I am only interested in whether the article you pubhished is true.


Do you read Portuguese? - if so you will find Commercial Media reports in Brazil that report the same story we reported. In fact, we translated extensively from the largest daily newspaper in Brazil, Folha de Sao Paulo, in our original report

It is true that I can not read Portuguese. However, I've taken the trouble of scanning Folha de Sao Paulo's online news heading using Google's "Portuguese to English" translator. No where is there a headline which remotely suggests what you have reported.

Anyone can review Folha de Sao Paulo in English if they wish:
http://translate.google.com/transla...//www.folha.uol.com.br/&hl=en&lr=&newwindow=1

Here are Folha de Sao Paulo's headlines for Brasil for the past month. The article which you claim to have translated is not among them. :\
http://translate.google.com/transla...m.br/folha/brasil/&hl=en&lr=&newwindow=1&sa=G


Mr. Giordano, neither you nor your journalistic background interests me in the very least. But the laws governing drug use internationally, does. If Brasil has actually decriminalized drug use, it would have been reported everywhere in the media by now (including the Brasilian media). It simply has not.

I'm sorry if my questioning your story upsets you. I am only interested in the truth, not your propensity for journalistic exhibitionism.



EDIT:
I've managed to locate the daily agenda of the President of Brasil (see below). No where on the 24 of November is there a reference to his signing this decree.

http://www.radiobras.gov.br/presidente/agenda/listagen.html

(Translated to English) http://translate.google.com/transla...e/agenda/listagen.html&hl=en&lr=&newwindow=11
 
Last edited:
Wow Mr. Giordano has some issues of his own. Very Interesting Invalid User Name . Thanks for following up with these guys.

:)
 
I received this reply from Drug Policy Alliance:

Brian:

We have updated this story to reflect the outcome:

http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/11_16_04brazil.cfm

Thank you for writing.

________________________________________________
Bev Stanton
Web Assistant * Drug Policy Alliance
925 15th Street NW, 2nd Floor
Washington, DC 20005
202-216-0035 x 214
www.drugpolicy.org *xxxx@drugpolicy.org
Join the Alliance! http://www.drugpolicy.org/donate



-----Original Message-----
From: xxxx@drugpolicy.org [mailto:xxxx@drugpolicy.org]
Sent: Thursday, November 25, 2004 6:48 AM
To: Alliance Webmaster
Subject: Drug Policy Alliance Form Submission



The following information was submitted
--------------------------------------------------------

CITY:
COMMENTS: Hello,

I think that DPA needs to address this concern at Bluelight.nu

See:
http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/showthread.php?postid=2483941#post2483941
 
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