Depending on the need for a story, evidently, cocaine in the United States is held to a different standard.
According to the L.A. Times, 12/16/08 Home Edition, if we're to believe the federal government, in a recent National Drug Threat Assessment report, cocaine availability is down (despite increased production) because of interdiction efforts along the Eastern Pacific Seaboard (someone forgot to mention this to the various coke dealers in New York, street availability and prices haven't changed).
However, if the Justice Department is to be believed, then the federal government is saying that the cocaine is coming across the Mexican/U.S. border in the Southwest, according to the Associated Press. "The Justice Department report attributed the decline to a number of factors, including crackdowns on Mexican cartels and large cocaine shipments; efforts to eliminate coca crops; better U.S. border security; and an increased cocaine market in Europe."
Funny, they failed to mention Eastern Pacific Seaboard seizures. Both reports manage to keep to the official "party" line - that less cocaine is making it across the border, so there is less availability in the U.S.
Someone ought to notify the local dealers nationwide that they don't actually have the cocaine they think they have, at least, not according to the federal government. The police ought to be notified as well, since all those people they're arresting everyday for suspected cocaine sales and possession don't really exist either.
If anything else, it leads us to a distinct conclusion: ludicrous policy leads to ludicrous reports.
Posted by Malakkar Vohryzek