| Feb. 22, 2002 #239 | ||||||||||||||||
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Listen On-line at: http://www.drugsense.org/radio/ | ||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
(1) COLOMBIA ATTACKS REBEL ZONE AS LEADER'S PATIENCE SNAPS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
BOGOTA, Colombia, Feb. 21 -- Colombian Air Force planes bombed rebel camps and clandestine airstrips today as thousands of troops prepared to retake a huge rebel-held zone in an offensive that may well mark the end of a tortuous three-year peace effort. | ||||||||||||||||
The operation began just hours after President Andres Pastrana, in
an emotional nationwide address on Wednesday night, angrily broke
off talks while accusing the rebels of hijacking a domestic airliner
in order to kidnap a senior senator who was on board. The president
said the Marxist guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia, was guilty of "extreme wickedness and cruelty,"
demonstrating that his legendary patience with the rebels had been
spent. | ||||||||||||||||
Shortly after midnight, the government said, aircraft began bombing
rebel camps, storage facilities, cocaine-processing laboratories and
hidden airstrips inside a swath of jungle that Mr. Pastrana ceded in
1998 as a safe haven for peace talks. | ||||||||||||||||
The rebels abandoned the five towns in the demilitarized zone,
melting into the thick jungles of a sparsely populated region known
as El Caguan. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(2) DRUG WARS IN BOLIVIA TRAP 40 TOURISTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
THREE British tourists are stranded in northern Bolivia after being
caught up in clashes between coca farmers and government troops
trying to crack down on the drugs trade. | ||||||||||||||||
The three Britons are among 40 Western tourists trapped in the
remote Sorata valley, about 60 miles north of the capital, La Paz,
for the past two weeks. | ||||||||||||||||
They were caught after farmers blockaded roads out of the valley in
protest at the government's attempts to stop production of the coca
plant, the raw material for cocaine. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(3) US: NATION TAKES DRUG ABUSE SERIOUSLY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The nation is uniformly upset about drug abuse and its consequences,
but divided about what to do with drug pushers and users, a
first-of-its-kind study says. | ||||||||||||||||
Although states constitute the front lines in the war on drugs, the
study shows their laws differ wildly, as does the seriousness with
which they regard drug dealing and substance abuse. | ||||||||||||||||
The report by a prominent team of substance-abuse specialists also
points out that, contrary to common belief, states commonly ignore
federal anti-drug approaches for dealing with such substances as
cocaine, methamphetamine and the hugely popular "club drugs" such as
Ecstasy. | ||||||||||||||||
"The report is the only comprehensive, standardized assessment of
laws across the nation," said Dr. J. Michael McGinnis, a senior vice
president at the Johnson Foundation. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(4) US CA: SCHOOL NOT HIGH ON TEEN-AGER'S POT PROJECT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
SANTA CRUZ -- School officials are considering whether to snuff out a
13-year-old girls' science project that examines medical uses for
marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||
The junior high schooler was allowed to present her report to
classmates Thursday, but afterward school officials confiscated her
props -- including a marijuana-laced muffin and a spray bottle of
pot-steeped rubbing alcohol. | ||||||||||||||||
The girl's father, Joe Morris, said Mission Hill Junior High
officials gave initial clearance for the project and should have
said something earlier if they objected. | ||||||||||||||||
"Don't children have constitutional rights?" Morris said. "In a way,
it's censorship and that's not acceptable." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-11) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Governor Gary Johnson realized some of his goals for drug reform in
New Mexico, but some central measures remain without approval at the
end of another state legislative session. There are hopes for
another reform-friendly governor in Wisconsin. Ed Thompson, brother
of current federal health czar Tommy Thompson, is campaigning for
governor on the Libertarian ticket with some attention from the
press and support long-time drug policy reformers. On the other end
of the spectrum, Ohio's governor is finally seems to be realizing
that he needs to address drug policy failures, thanks to pressure
from an initiative campaign in the state. | ||||||||||||||||
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments over laws which ban entire
families from public housing, even if only one of them is using
drugs unbeknownst to the others. And speaking of bad laws, a state
senator in West Virginia introduced legislation that would ban the
main ingredient in OxyContin. Don't look for OxyContin hype to
disappear, as a Florida jury took the unusual step of convicting a
doctor of manslaughter this week because he prescribed OxyContin to
people who overdosed. | ||||||||||||||||
There is some good news from one state legislature. The South Carolina Senate adopted a bill this week that would reduce penalties for crack cocaine to levels similar to penalties for powder cocaine. | ||||||||||||||||
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(5) JOHNSON'S DRUG-REFORM GLASS HALF FULL, HALF EMPTY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Gov. Gary Johnson has had a controversial and politically polarizing
dream for the past couple of years. | ||||||||||||||||
The Republican, a nationally known critic of the war on drugs, has
dreamed of reforming New Mexico's drug laws. Johnson, in his last
year as governor, saw part of his drug policy wish list fade away
and another part realized as the 2002 legislative session came to a
close last week. | ||||||||||||||||
"We got half of what we were after," he said during a news conference following the session. "Although some didn't pass, some did and overall, that was one of the bright spots, I thought." | ||||||||||||||||
In the closing moments of the session, the Legislature passed part
of the governor's six-bill reform package, including a measure aimed
at preventing abuses of the state's forfeiture law and one that
would give judges more discretion in sentencing some nonviolent
habitual offenders. | ||||||||||||||||
The Legislature, however, shot down for the second year the
governor's more controversial proposals - legalizing the medical use
of marijuana, decriminalization of possession of small amounts of
marijuana, and treatment instead of prison time for nonviolent
first- and second-time drug offenders. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(6) BROTHER ED - ODD MAN COMING IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
[Ed] Thompson, who runs a supper club in Tomah, began his political
career in April 2000 when he was elected mayor of the | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Among his Madison supporters, Thompson can count marijuana legalization advocate Ben Masel, who arrived at the fund-raiser early and stuffed $42 into a Thompson campaign envelope. | ||||||||||||||||
Masel first met Thompson last summer in Tomah, while Masel was
touring the state to promote a hemp-powered vehicle. Thompson made a
mayoral proclamation in support of the hemp car. | ||||||||||||||||
In Tomah, Masel said he stopped in a couple of convenience stores
and asked local teenagers to assess Thompson. | ||||||||||||||||
"They said they were getting a lot less harassment since Ed took
over," Masel said. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(7) GOV. TAFT RELUCTANTLY DISCOVERS DRUG LAW REFORM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
An attempt by a group of citizens to change Ohio's handling of
nonviolent drug offenders has forced Gov. Bob Taft to hastily pull
out, dust off and fine-tune his long-neglected policies regarding
the criminalization of drug users. | ||||||||||||||||
As reported last month in CityBeat, the Ohio Committee for New Drug
Policies (OCNDP) plans to place a constitutional amendment on the
November ballot. The initiative would require that certain
nonviolent drug offenders receive treatment instead of | ||||||||||||||||
With polls indicating that many view drug addiction as a disease,
not a crime, the OCNDP initiative could succeed in Ohio. In recent
ABC News and Columbus Dispatch polls, a majority of the respondents,
respectively 69 and 74 percent, favored treatment over prison for
drug users. | ||||||||||||||||
But the ballot initiative contains several provisions the Taft
administration finds objectionable. According to documents obtained
by the OCNDP from Taft, his wife and his staffers through a
public-records request, the administration's primary concern is the
OCNDP's proposed amendment limits judicial authority over drug
offenders who fail to complete the treatment program. | ||||||||||||||||
These documents indicate that, because the administration recognizes
the popularity of the OCNDP's message and don't want the initiative
to pass, they might soon address drug policy reform. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(8) ONE STRIKE AND OUT, IN PUBLIC HOUSING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
High Court Considers Legality of Evicting Residents for Relatives'
Drug Offenses | ||||||||||||||||
Washington - A grandmother who has lived in a public housing project
in Oakland, Calif. for 30 years is ordered evicted from her
apartment. The action is taken not because the grandmother has done
anything wrong. | ||||||||||||||||
Instead, she is losing her home because her grandson, unknown to
her, smoked marijuana in the complex parking lot. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will examine whether such evictions
comply with the law as written by Congress, and whether the
evictions in any way violate constitutional rights. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(9) SENATOR INTRODUCES BILL TO BAN MAIN INGREDIENT USED IN OXYCONTIN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Senate Majority Leader Truman Chafin introduced a bill that would ban oxycodone, the main ingredient in OxyContin, because he says, "We have to protect our citizens and children if we can." | ||||||||||||||||
The bill, introduced Monday, the last day for senators to propose
legislation this session, puts oxycodone on a list of drugs that are
considered to have no medical value, such as heroin. | ||||||||||||||||
A representative of Purdue Pharma, the Connecticut-based
manufacturer of OxyContin, said the bill came as a surprise to the
company. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(10) DOCTOR GUILTY IN 4 DEATHS TIED TO A DRUG (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
A Florida doctor was found guilty of manslaughter yesterday in
connection with the deaths of four patients from drug overdoses
involving the powerful painkiller OxyContin. | ||||||||||||||||
A jury in a state circuit court in Milton, Fla., deliberated for a
day before finding the doctor, James Graves, guilty of four counts
of manslaughter, one count of racketeering and five counts of
unlawful delivery of a controlled substance. Dr. Graves, who was
once Florida's biggest prescriber of OxyContin, faces 30 years in
prison. | ||||||||||||||||
Yesterday's verdict is the first in which a doctor has been found
guilty of manslaughter in connection with prescribing OxyContin, a
time-released narcotic that has been widely abused. Federal
officials have said misuse of the drug was a likely factor in about
300 overdose deaths in the last two years. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(11) SENATE CUTS CRACK COCAINE POSSESSION SENTENCES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
COLUMBIA (AP) -- Heavy sentences for crack cocaine possession and
dealing would be lightened to match penalties for cocaine offenses
under a bill adopted by the Senate on Thursday. | ||||||||||||||||
It was part of an intricate compromise on a House | ||||||||||||||||
A first offense for possession of less than a gram of crack cocaine is considered a felony and brings up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. The bill the Senate approved lessens that to a misdemeanor with no more than two years in prison and a $5,000 fine. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (12-16) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Sentencing disparities that punish drug crimes more severely that
murder crimes are well-known around the country. In Alabama, similar
disparities exist for arrestees seeking bail. A $50,000 bond is OK
to be released on a murder charge, but bail for drug selling can go
up to $1 million. | ||||||||||||||||
Let it not be said the local narcs aren't innovative in their
pursuit of drug-free communities. In Oklahoma, police are placing
window stickers in retail stores to discourage large purchases of
materials used to manufacture methamphetamine. It's up to the
shopkeeper to determine what a large purchase is, and when to call
police. In Louisiana, police are using the Internet to solicit drug
tips, and paid informants. Of course, it would make more sense to
confront prohibition, a lesson that is being learned in New Zealand,
where street gangs are quickly taking over and popularizing the
methamphetamine trade. | ||||||||||||||||
And in Texas, the publicity over the fake drug "sheetrock scandal"
continues to make political waves as elections approach, but
observers are forced wonder if law enforcement officials really want
to get to the bottom of the case. The Dallas Police Department's
highest paid informant, who took part in several busts involving
fake drugs, has been deported to Mexico. Nobody investigating the
case wants to talk about the deportation of a crucial witness, a
deportation which apparently could have been avoided. | ||||||||||||||||
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(12) DISPARITIES IN PRESCRIBED BAILS RAISE QUESTIONS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Judges in Alabama follow a set of state-recommended general
guidelines in setting bail that some Calhoun County officials say is
antiquated. | ||||||||||||||||
A glance at the state's guidelines shows a large disparity between
bond amounts for violent offenses and drug offenses. | ||||||||||||||||
At $50,000, the state's recommended maximum bond amount for murder
seems low compared with the $1 million recommended maximum for a
drug pushing charge. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(13) STICKERS PROGRAM TARGETS DRUG DEALERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
STILLWATER -- Shoppers in Payne County, beware: Buy too much sinus
medication and you may be reported as a possible methamphetamine
dealer. | ||||||||||||||||
The same goes for too much alcohol, rock salt, coffee filters,
lithium batteries and anything containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine
or ether. | ||||||||||||||||
It's all part of a three-month-old sticker program by the Payne County sheriff to target the growing Oklahoma meth industry. | ||||||||||||||||
"It is getting so easy to manufacture. Anyone with a stove and a pot can make the stuff," Payne County Undersheriff Ken Willerton said. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(14) DRUG TIP WEB SITE IS GETTING QUICK RESPONSE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Alexandria police are getting a response from the department's
narcotics Web site. | ||||||||||||||||
Sgt. Newmon Bobb, commander of the Alexandria police Narcotics
Division, said he is "impressed" with the information the site is
generating. | ||||||||||||||||
The narcotics division went online last Monday with a site linked to
the department's main Web page. | ||||||||||||||||
The Web site is: | ||||||||||||||||
The site allows residents to report suspected drug activity or apply
to be one of the department's paid informants. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(15) GANGS MEAN BIG BUSINESS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Leather-clad, patched gang members and their Harley Davidsons are
still part of the landscape in most sizeable New Zealand towns.
Equally entrenched are the associations with booze and drugs,
intimidation, burglaries and armed robberies. | ||||||||||||||||
But a falloff in confrontations, part of a calculated move by the
gangs to lower their profile, has led to a belief that tougher laws
and better policing have brought them to heel. | ||||||||||||||||
In fact, say frontline police, New Zealand's gang problem is worse than ever - it's just that the nature of the problem has changed. | ||||||||||||||||
Gangs have turned their attention from traditional turf wars and
violent crime to the extremely lucrative business of manufacturing
and distributing methamphetamines, mainly speed. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(16) DRUG FIGURE DEPORTED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Attorney Says Informant Was Grilled By FBI Over Disputed Police
Cases | ||||||||||||||||
A confidential informant involved in questionable drug busts by two
Dallas police officers is no longer available to FBI investigators
because he has been deported to Mexico, federal officials said
Friday. | ||||||||||||||||
The Dallas office of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
deported Jose Guadalupe Ruiz, 33, to Mexico last week under federal
regulations that require speedy deportation for anyone with an
outstanding removal order, said Anne Estrada, head of the Dallas
district of the INS. | ||||||||||||||||
Immigration law experts said federal law enforcement agencies have
several legal options available to prolong deportation-related
detentions, including filing unrelated charges, if a suspect or
witness in an ongoing investigation is needed. | ||||||||||||||||
Ms. Estrada and other government officials declined to comment when
asked whether any effort was made to keep Mr. Ruiz in the United
States. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (17-20) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
"Being instated as an archangel, Satan made himself multifariously objectionable and was finally expelled from Heaven. Halfway in his descent he paused, bent his head in thought a moment and at last went back. "There is one favour that I should like to ask," said he. | ||||||||||||||||
"Name it." (Said the Lord). | ||||||||||||||||
"Man, I understand, is about to be created. He will need laws." | ||||||||||||||||
"What, wretch! You his appointed adversary, charged from the dawn of
eternity with hatred of his soul - you ask for the right to make his
laws?" | ||||||||||||||||
"Pardon; what I have to ask is that he be permitted to make them
himself." | ||||||||||||||||
It was so ordered." | ||||||||||||||||
- Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary | ||||||||||||||||
This week news focused on the often contradictory state of medical cannabis prohibition worldwide. The incredibly callous raids executed by the DEA on California medical marijuana compassion clubs have dominated the media over the last 8 days. The arrest of marijuana grow-guru Ed Rosenthal, James Halloran, Richard Watts and Ken Hayes all stem from an investigation that suggests that the HARM Cannabis Co-op of San Francisco was at the center of a huge marijuana distribution/money laundering ring that stretched all the way From California Canada (where Ken Hayes was arrested). | ||||||||||||||||
On a brighter note, a bill proposed by Oregon's Secretary of State's
Office by the newly formed "Life With Dignity" Committee would allow
patients to purchase cannabis from state sanctioned licensed
dispensaries. Medical marijuana initiatives in Vermont and Maryland
also made some progress this week. | ||||||||||||||||
I believe that DEA head Asa Hutchinson would agree that when it comes to medical marijuana law reform, the devil's in the details. | ||||||||||||||||
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(17) MEDICAL POT RAIDS STIR SF PROTESTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
SAN FRANCISCO -- The medical marijuana debate erupted in the streets
Tuesday as protesters greeted Drug Enforcement Administration chief
Asa Hutchinson hours after his agents raided cannabis activists on
both sides of the Bay. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Earlier Tuesday, four men -- including Oakland marijuana activist
Edward Rosenthal, 58 -- were arrested on suspicion of marijuana
cultivation. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Besides Rosenthal, Richard Watts, 47, of San Francisco, James
Halloran, 61, of Oakland and Kenneth Hayes, who is 34 or 35, of
Petaluma were arrested Tuesday. All are charged with cultivation of
marijuana. Rosenthal, Watts and Hayes face a minimum of five years
in prison if convicted. Halloran faces a 10-year minimum and could
get life in prison. | ||||||||||||||||
Court documents accuse Rosenthal and Watts of providing marijuana to
Hayes. The U.S. Attorney's Office and the DEA refused to comment
about Halloran's connection to the others. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(18) OREGON INITIATIVE LETS PATIENTS BUY MARIJUANA FROM DISPENSERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Oregon's medical marijuana patients could buy marijuana from
state-licensed dispensaries under an initiative filed Thursday by
advocates of the law. | ||||||||||||||||
The initiative, filed with the Secretary of State's Office by the
newly formed Life with Dignity Committee, would make a number of
other changes to the law, which was approved by Oregon voters in
1998. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
The changes are needed because of the difficulty many patients have
with growing their own marijuana, said John Sajo, director of Voter
Power, a Portland-based medical marijuana advocacy group that's
leading the initiative campaign. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(19) VERMONT MEDICINAL MARIJUANA BILL CONSIDERED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
MONTPELIER - Lawmakers are considering a measure that would legalize
the use and cultivation of marijuana in the state for medicinal
purposes. | ||||||||||||||||
The House Judiciary Committee began taking testimony Friday on a
bill that would exempt seriously ill people and physicians from
being prosecuted for using and growing specified amounts of
marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Zuckerman, the lead sponsor of the measure, said the bill outlines specific restrictions on the use of the drug including that patients obtain a prescription and it not be used in prisons, on school grounds or while operating heavy machinery and public vehicles. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(20) MURPHY RESURRECTS MARYLAND MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
ANNAPOLIS - State Del. Donald Murphy of Catonsville (R-Dist. 12A)
and the more than 50 co-sponsors to his medical marijuana bill are
hoping it will pass this session after failing on two previous
attempts. | ||||||||||||||||
The measure has strong support in the House of Delegates, but may be
up for a tougher battle if it reaches the Senate. | ||||||||||||||||
Murphy and several other delegates from both parties pledged their support for the bill during a news conference last Thursday. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (21-24) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The Financial Times of the UK reported last week that this year's opium crop in Afghanistan threatened Europe with a "flood" of heroin later this year. The U.S. government, noted the Times, was "showing little interest in evidence that opium is being cultivated." | ||||||||||||||||
Albanian rebels, according to "Western Intelligence officials," were
allegedly financing themselves by selling Afghan heroin. Large opium
harvests in 1999-2000, says the UN, indicate that stockpiles are
being held by insurgent groups. | ||||||||||||||||
Prompted by concerns of drug addiction, 20 Canadian mayors voted
unanimously in favor of establishing experimental safe-injection
sites. The vote was taken in Ottawa at a caucus of the Federation of
Canadian Municipalities big-city mayors. | ||||||||||||||||
And in the UK, a group of influential MPs is set to back a
relaxation of drug laws, including the decriminalization of
cannabis, and the downgrading of ecstasy from a class A to a class B
drug. Other recommendations made by the MPs include plans for
prescription of heroin to addicts. | ||||||||||||||||
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(21) AFGHANISTAN OPIUM CROP THREATENS EUROPE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Afghan farmers are preparing to harvest a potential bumper opium
crop that threatens to fuel the illicit drugs trade in the
surrounding region and flood Europe with heroin by the end of this
year. | ||||||||||||||||
According to western intelligence and customs officials, Afghans planted vigorously in the autumn in areas liberated from the Taliban and now beyond the control of the new administration in Kabul. | ||||||||||||||||
British officials believe that unless urgent action is taken
militarily to back a crop eradication and aid effort in the Helmand
and Nangahar regions within the next four weeks, a large opium crop
could be ready for harvest by June. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
For the UK, the political stakes are high. Tony Blair, prime
minister, identified the opportunity for eradicating opium production
in Afghanistan when justifying British military involvement with the
U.S. bombing campaign last October. | ||||||||||||||||
But now British officials say that such early optimism was misplaced, with the U.S. government showing little interest in evidence that opium is being cultivated. . "The fact is that on the drugs issue it is showing limited interest and partnership," one official said. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(22) AFGHAN HEROIN FUELS NEW ROUND OF FIGHTING IN BALKANS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
SKOPJE -- EXTREMIST Albanian rebels seeking to start a new round of conflict in the southern Balkans have bought millions of pounds worth of weapons with the proceeds of heroin smuggling from Afghanistan to the streets of a dozen European capitals. | ||||||||||||||||
Senior drug trade analysts from the United Nations Drug Control
Programme in Vienna and Western police officials say much of the
heroin being sold in countries such as Austria, Germany and
Switzerland is starting to come from multi-billion pound stocks of
Afghan heroin in Central Asia. Much of it is controlled by al-Qa'ida
and the former Taliban regime. | ||||||||||||||||
European drug squad officers say Albanian and Kosovar Albanian
dealers are ruthlessly trying to seize control of the European
heroin market, worth up to Euro20bn a year, and have already taken
over the trade in at least six European countries. | ||||||||||||||||
Western intelligence officials in Kosovo, Macedonia and Switzerland say Albanian gangs have used at least Euro5m of their heroin profits since October last year to buy weapons to re-equip rebels in Macedonia who gave up their weapons to Nato troops last autumn. | ||||||||||||||||
Dr Thomas Pietschmann, a senior researcher with the UNDCP in Vienna,
says bumper opium harvests in Afghanistan in 1999 and 2000 mean that
stockpiles of heroin and opium worth between Euro50bn and pounds
Euro90bn are still held by Afghan, Pakistani and other groups. "This
is enough to keep every addict in Europe supplied for three years,
even if another poppy is not grown in Afghanistan, and leave some
over for the Russian market," he said. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(23) MAYORS WANT TRIAL SAFE-INJECTION SITES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
20 Canadian Mayors Back Owen's Motion | ||||||||||||||||
Canada's big-city mayors have endorsed establishment of experimental
safe-injection sites for drug users, to be run in cooperation with
Health Canada, in four to six of the country's cities. The 20
mayors, all attending the Federation of Canadian Municipalities
big-city mayors' caucus in Ottawa, voted unanimously in favour of
the motion put forward by Vancouver Mayor Philip Owen. | ||||||||||||||||
B.C.'s provincial health officer, Perry Kendall, who accompanied the mayor to speak in support of the idea, said the mayors of Winnipeg, Regina and Edmonton all spoke in favour of the proposal, which stipulated that the sites would have to be part of an evaluated pilot project. He said groups in Montreal, Quebec City, and Victoria have all been working on proposals for safe-injection sites, prompted by a concern about the level of drug addiction in their cities and the health problems it is causing, from overdose deaths to the spread of infectious diseases like AIDS and hepatitis C. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Owen has consistently said that he won't support a safe-injection site if Vancouver is the only city with one and unless it's part of a national program with Health Canada support. Vancouver city manager Judy Rogers said the FCM resolution is a significant one. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(24) MPS SET TO BACK RELAXATION OF DRUG LAWS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
AN influential group of MPs will call for the decriminalisation of cannabis and the downgrading of ecstasy in an authoritative report to be published later this year, it was reported yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||
MPs on the Commons home affairs select committee have carried out a
seven-month investigation, at Downing Street's request, into the
drug laws. | ||||||||||||||||
It is understood the report will call for ecstasy to be downgraded
from a class A to a class B drug, for the wider prescription of
heroin on the NHS to addicts and for an end to prosecutions for
possession of cannabis. The report came as the Department of Health
publishes a consultation paper on cannabis derivatives being
prescribed on the NHS to multiple sclerosis sufferers. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Just Call Him "Hemp" Hutchinson Of The DEA | ||||||||||||||||
DEA head Asa Hutchison happens to have a first name that means hemp
in Japanese. | ||||||||||||||||
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Eight Steps to Effectively Controlling Drug Abuse And the Drug
Market | ||||||||||||||||
The new document is now posted on the Common Sense For Drug Policy
website. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
Nora Callahan Visits The Drugsense Chat Room | ||||||||||||||||
A transcript. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
Listen To DrugNews Online | ||||||||||||||||
If you've already got enough to read, this is a reminder that you
can listen to the day's top drug news stories thanks to DrugSense.
An audio version of this newsletter is also available. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
Members Of Urban Drug Gangs Recruited By Death Squads In Colombia | ||||||||||||||||
MSNBC reports that Colombia's right-wing death squads are recruiting
urban gangs, opening a fresh front in the war and threatening the
very fabric of democracy. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
Libertarian Party Plans Response To ONDCP Drug/Terror Ads | ||||||||||||||||
The Libertarian Party has produced a print ad that respond to the
latest round of government drug propaganda, and now are soliciting
funds to run the ads in newspapers. | ||||||||||||||||
The ad is already produced, and ready to go. To view the ad and
learn more see | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
Illicit Drug Policies: Selected Laws from the 50 States | ||||||||||||||||
The first comprehensive report on illicit drug laws in all 50 states
and the District of Columbia. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
NY Times Chat With Richard Cowan | ||||||||||||||||
Join Dick Cowan of http://marijuananews.com/ and http://pot-tv.net/, Tuesday, February 26, 8 pm EDT in the New York Times Forum | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
"MARIJUANA: WEEDING OUT THE HYPE" | ||||||||||||||||
SATELLITE BROADCAST EXAMINES MYTHS AND FACTS | ||||||||||||||||
You are invited to view and question a panel of experts talking
about the myths surrounding marijuana use in an upcoming 90-minute
satellite broadcast, "Marijuana: Weeding Out the Hype," scheduled
for 1:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Thursday, February 28. The
experts will discuss false perceptions of safety and harmlessness,
the assumption that "everyone" is using it and the role that pop
culture plays in influencing those myths. | ||||||||||||||||
The program is sponsored by the White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy, National Guard Counterdrug Office, Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)/Center for
Substance Abuse Prevention, National Institute on Drug Abuse and the
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America. | ||||||||||||||||
You can view this free live broadcast from any location with a
satellite dish having C-band or KU-band capabilities or access to
the Air Warrior/GETN Network. All viewing sites MUST register in
advance for these FREE public domain programs. To register, visit
the new Web site http://www.counterdrugtv.com/ | ||||||||||||||||
The program will also be Web cast on the SAMHSA Clearinghouse site: | ||||||||||||||||
http://www.health.org/multimedia/webcasts/mythfactseries/marijuana.htm | ||||||||||||||||
Other upcoming broadcasts include: | ||||||||||||||||
* Drug Concealment (March 6), Target Audience: Law Enforcement
Personnel | ||||||||||||||||
* Youth Truth: Amy's Story [true story of a former drug user]
(March 14), Target Audience: Adults & Teens | ||||||||||||||||
* Inhalants (March 21), Target Audience: Adults | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
SATIRE | ||||||||||||||||
PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES COMPASSIONATE NEW WEAPON IN WAR ON DRUGS | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
BATTLE ECSTASY WITH FACTUAL INFORMATION | ||||||||||||||||
By Donald M. Topping | ||||||||||||||||
The article on the alarming rise in Ecstasy use (Star-Bulletin, Feb.
11) is disturbing in more ways than one. | ||||||||||||||||
We are all concerned that an increasing number of juveniles are
experimenting with a black-market drug of unknown content, which can
lead to dangerous consequences. Much of what is sold on the street
as Ecstasy contains very little of MDMA (the active chemical) and
sometimes none at all. | ||||||||||||||||
Propaganda-based information programs with unsubstantiated claims about memory loss and brain damage have not deterred teens from using Ecstasy. What is likely to produce better outcomes is honest, scientifically based information about this and other drugs. | ||||||||||||||||
The FDA recently approved research using Ecstasy in treating
post-traumatic stress disorder at the University of South Carolina.
If Ecstasy were as dangerous as prohibitionists claim, would the
government approving such as study? | ||||||||||||||||
Kids can see through the hypocrisy. If we are going to protect them,
we need to give them honest, fact-based information. Scare tactics
are not working. | ||||||||||||||||
Donald M. Topping, President | ||||||||||||||||
Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii | ||||||||||||||||
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Honorable Mention Letters of the Week | ||||||||||||||||
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FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Inside The Mind Of Asa Hutchinson | ||||||||||||||||
By Eric McLeod | ||||||||||||||||
I have spent some time listening to a debate between Asa Hutchinson,
head of the DEA, and New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, who favours
drug law reforms | ||||||||||||||||
It was a fascinating glimpse into the assumptions and philosophy
behind The War On Drugs. Hutchinson's basis for the prohibition of
marijuana seems to revolve entirely around archaic, ambiguous notion
that pot is bad because, quite simply, it will undermine Western
Civilization. | ||||||||||||||||
When all is said and done, Hutchinson's beliefs stem from this
assumption---that "drug culture" erodes freedom. To examine this, we
must examine Hutchinson's definition of freedom: he lists the three
pillars of democracy as "sacrifice, common values and | ||||||||||||||||
Hutchinson goes on to describe another assumption about our
democracy: "The Laws reflect the values of society...the Law is the
master teacher." He and others like him in the elite of the American
political class have been shaped by the notion that the President of
the United States IS the United States. The White House, the DEA,
the government, and the people who represent those institutions
represent the general will of the people, and in fact are the very
embodiment of that will. To a man like Asa Hutchinson, the State is
infallible. | ||||||||||||||||
Interestingly enough, this is contrary to the principles the United
States was founded on; that is, the crataphobic notion that the
state is NOT the protector of liberty, but rather a challenge and a
natural enemy to it---therefore checks and balances on the power of
the State must be enshrined. | ||||||||||||||||
And so it is only natural that to someone who believes freedom stems from sacrifice to the State, participation with the State, and uniformity of thought, "drug culture" would be seen as an enemy--- for this is a culture which traditionally opposes all those notions. For the State to accept drug culture would mean the State must accept diversity of values, the right to refuse to participate, and the right to refuse to sacrifice oneself to the State. These are extremely threatening notions to a man like George Bush. | ||||||||||||||||
The war on marijuana is justified by Hutchinson with all sorts of vague moralizing and platitudes: pot "weakens communities, destroys families, hurts productivity..." and on and on. Every epithet one can think of can be applied to the evil cannabis plant. There is nothing in Hutchinson's justification for the war on weed in the year 2002 that wasn't a tired old refrain in the year 1932. | ||||||||||||||||
The DEA will receive a total of $1.7 billion for the Fiscal Year
2003, a 6 % increase. The vast majority will go towards law
enforcement, rather than the social problems that lay beneath.
Indeed, the War will bolster these social problems---the vast
majority of the over 700,000 people who will be incarcerated this
year in the U.S. on marijuana charges will be from low-income and
minority groups. Half will be Hispanic. The War on Drugs perpetuates
the cycle of poverty, misery, and despair that feed America's drug
problems in the first place. This war is a self-perpetuating war,
just like the DEA is a self-perpetuating bureaucracy. | ||||||||||||||||
The War also helps to feed the interests of the private prison industry.
The more Americans who fester in the prisons, the more wealth and power
will be in the hands of this lobby and its corporate partners; not to
mention the more campaign contributions that will flow into the coffers
of politicians who promise to protect this War. | ||||||||||||||||
The War on Drugs, like the War On Terror, is a racket being touted by a
cadre of sinister men as a moral crusade. And middle-America is eating
it up. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
"When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold to the masses over
generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker
a raving lunatic." - Dresden James | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
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Policy and Law Enforcement/Prison content selection and analysis by Stephen Young (), Cannabis/Hemp content selection and analysis by Philippe Lucas (), International content selection and analysis by Doug Snead (), Layout by Matt Elrod () | ||||||||||||||||
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