| July 5, 2002 #257 | ||||||||||||||||||
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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) BUSH ORDERS FLIGHTS BY DRUGS TRAFFICKERS TO BE SHOT DOWN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
President George Bush is preparing to order the resumption of the
controversial policy of shooting down aircraft suspected of flying
drugs to and from Latin America. | ||||||||||||||||||
The CIA-run drugs interdiction scheme was suspended last year amid
outcry after Peruvian air force fighter planes shot down a small
aircraft over Peru, killing an American missionary, Veronica Bowers,
and her seven-month-old daughter. | ||||||||||||||||||
An American surveillance aircraft had helped to track the plane after
its crew wrongly identified the Baptist missionaries as probable drug
smugglers. | ||||||||||||||||||
New interdiction operations could start over Colombia as soon as final
approval is given by the President, according to US officials quoted
yesterday in The New York Times. | ||||||||||||||||||
The new scheme, which will be extended to Peru at a later stage, will
be taken out of the hands of the CIA, apparently at the request of its
director, George Tenet, who has insisted that the agency no longer
wants to be associated with the programme. It will be managed instead
by the State Department, with intelligence back-up from the Pentagon.
Information on suspected drug flights would be gathered from
ground-based radar and other sources, officials said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Carelessness and lack of proper oversight were cited in a State Department investigation of the Peru incident, although it stopped short of blaming either the US or Peru for shooting down the plane. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(2) OGILVY FENDS OFF COMPETITORS TO KEEP U.S. ANTIDRUG ACCOUNT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The U.S. selected Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide as its private partner in the
prestigious White House advertising campaign to eradicate youth drug abuse.
The decision gives the Madison Avenue powerhouse a new $762.1 million
contract with the government and a significant advantage in its struggle to
remain the key private player in a public-health advertising effort that
lately has suffered some embarrassing blows. | ||||||||||||||||||
"To the surprise of a lot of people, Ogilvy has retained this very
important contract," says Rich Hamilton, chief executive of Zenith
Optimedia Group in New York, one of the agencies that was a finalist in an
eight-month showdown for the prize advertising assignment. "It is a huge
shock to a lot of us." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
A spokesman for the antidrug office said it will work with Ogilvy to fix
some of the shortcomings in the program and would no longer target 12- to
13-year-olds with antidrug messages. The target age instead will be
increased to 14- to 16-year-olds. The office also plans to broadcast
harder-hitting messages and thoroughly test all the commercials before they
run. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Ogilvy and the program have faced harsh criticism on a number of fronts,
ranging from bookkeeping problems for the agency's work to recent
allegations that the campaign has been ineffective with teens and might
even have spurred some youngsters to try marijuana . In February, Ogilvy
agreed to a $1.8 million settlement to resolve civil charges that it
inflated labor costs for its earlier work on the advertising program. A
separate criminal investigation focusing on whether Ogilvy employees
deliberately altered time sheets is still pending. Ogilvy denies any
wrongdoing. | ||||||||||||||||||
In May, the nation's top drug official, John P. Walters, who heads the
White House drug-policy office, presented new third-party survey research
to Congress showing the campaign had largely failed to turn U.S. teens and
preteens against drugs. The research didn't focus on Ogilvy but on the
antidrug efforts in general during 2000 and 2001. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(3) OHSU, SCHOOLS SUED OVER DRUG TESTING STUDY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
PORTLAND - Oregon Health & Science University and 14 school districts
around the state are being sued in federal court over a study of drug
testing for high school students. | ||||||||||||||||||
The class-action lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court last week, seeks an
injunction to halt the university's drug-testing study and compensation for
"psychological, social and economic harm" suffered by thousands of Oregon
students and their parents. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
A New Jersey law firm that has a national reputation for challenging the
ethics of human experiments at some of the nation's leading medical
institutions is leading the legal fight. | ||||||||||||||||||
The firm said student athletes were coerced to take part in the drug-testing experiment, which the lawyers call a violation of legal and ethical requirements for voluntary participation in human research. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(4) 80 SAILORS, MARINES IN N.C. CONVICTED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
2-year Drug Inquiry Done By Navy, State And Local Authorities | ||||||||||||||||||
Authorities in North Carolina have seized $1.4 million worth of narcotics
and have convicted more than 80 Marines and sailors of using or
distributing designer drugs, officials said yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||
It was one of the biggest drug investigations involving the military in
recent years. Although narcotics cases in the military are not rare, they
usually involve smaller numbers of people. A recent drug scandal at the Air
Force Academy, for example, implicated 38 cadets. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-10) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Last week, two news organizations offered wildly differing accounts
of unauthorized border crossings by Mexican soldiers into the U.S.
The story published by web-based WorldNetDaily suggests that the
Mexican military may be aiding drug smugglers during incursions into
the U.S. The WND story adds new details to an earlier story
highlighted in this space, but an Associated Press story presents
contradictory spin. The border crossings are being undertaken by
geography-challenged anti-drug forces within the Mexican military
who are "overzealous and ... poorly trained," according to the AP.
Interestingly, the WND story quotes anonymous government sources,
while the AP story offers no sources for most of its reporting. Who
do you believe? | ||||||||||||||||||
In other news, a prestigious Wall Street broker is also accused of
helping Mexican drug cartels. The broker is on trial for allegedly
helping to launder millions in drug money. A legal case involving a
South Carolina shop owner prosecuted for selling a product purported
to beat drug tests has reached the state's supreme court. Virginia
has adopted a new law designed to allow parents to sue dealers who
sell drugs to their children. | ||||||||||||||||||
And a new youth survey by the Center for Disease Control suggests
that young people understand harm reduction, but they don't
understand prohibition. The survey indicates more youth are wearing
seatbelts and riding with designated drivers, but more are youth are
also using drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(5) MEXICAN MILITARY DRUG RUNNING AT BORDER? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Federal Officials Convinced Troops Aiding Smugglers | ||||||||||||||||||
U.S. law-enforcement officers in the Southwest are convinced that
Mexican military units are crossing the Arizona-Mexico border to aid
smugglers in carrying drugs into the United States. | ||||||||||||||||||
In one incident, says a senior federal law-enforcement officer, a
major in the Mexican army was caught at the U.S. port of entry at
Naco, Ariz., carrying a detailed drug-smuggling map among his
papers. The Mexican officer, said the official, was "coming into the
United States and they found the drug-smuggling maps on him that
showed all the drop points and trails" that local smugglers used for
bringing narcotics into the United States. | ||||||||||||||||||
The official said that in calendar year 2001, the U.S. government officially recorded 12 separate incidents in which Mexican military personnel crossed over the border into Arizona alone. On some occasions, a Border Patrol officer said, Border Patrol agents actually have arrested Mexican army personnel in U.S. territory. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Without a doubt" Mexican military have made incursions into
Arizona, said the Border Patrol official. "We have actually made
arrests of both military and police. And as far as I know in all
events the people were released to Mexican custody within 12 hours,
as well as returning them with the weapons that they made the
incursion with." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(6) MEXICAN SOLDIERS ON DRUG DETAIL ARE CROSSING INTO U.S. (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
SONOYTA, Mexico - Mexico has been sending more soldiers to the U.S. border to combat drug smuggling, and some are raising alarms on the other side by carrying their operations into U.S. territory. | ||||||||||||||||||
Even more worrisome, critics say, are recent shootings involving an
American tourist, a U.S. Border Patrol vehicle and migrants. They
fear the troops are overzealous and so poorly trained that they are
a hazard to innocent people in both countries. | ||||||||||||||||||
Two of the shootings were on Mexico's side of the border, and the
one on U.S. territory happened in a remote area where the border
isn't marked well. It is along such stretches that Mexican troops
have strayed onto the U.S. side - as American officers also
occasionally cross into Mexico. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Mexico's Defense Department, which won't say how many soldiers are
patrolling the 2,000-mile border, declined to comment on the
shootings. The U.S. government hasn't commented on the incidents,
although the Border Patrol says it is investigating the shooting
involving its officer. | ||||||||||||||||||
Human rights activists in Mexico say the soldiers aren't trained for
police duties and contend they are becoming overzealous and careless
because the military is immune from public scrutiny. The military
has its own legal system, and traditionally the army answers only to
the presidency. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(7) EX-BROKER HELPED TO LAUNDER DRUG MONEY, PROSECUTORS SAY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Federal prosecutors charged yesterday that a former broker for
Lehman Brothers helped launder $15 million for a Mexican drug lord
and then tried to further conceal the money after the drug lord
became a fugitive from justice. | ||||||||||||||||||
The man accused of being a drug lord, Mario Villanueva, was governor of the state of Quintana Roo on Mexico's Caribbean coast from 1993 to 1999. During that time, prosecutors say, one of Mexico's most powerful cocaine organizations, which they called the Southeast Cartel, paid him $30 million. In return, they say, he offered the cartel the cooperation and protection of the police, and an airplane owned by the governor's office to store and transport cocaine. | ||||||||||||||||||
In March 1999, just before Mr. Villanueva was to leave office,
losing immunity from prosecution in Mexico, he disappeared. It was
around then, the indictment says, that the broker, Consuelo Marquez,
began moving Mr. Villanueva's payoff money from Lehman Brothers'
accounts to accounts harder to trace. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(8) S.C. HIGH COURT HEARS AD CASE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
COLUMBIA - Attorneys for the former owner of a Richland County store
say it is not a crime to advertise a legal product even if customers
may want it to beat a drug test. "Speech doesn't make the crime,"
attorney H. Louis Sirkin argued before the S.C. Supreme Court on
Tuesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Edward Rothschild III has been fighting his 2000 conviction of possessing a substance that can be used to defraud a drug or alcohol test, saying the law violates his commercial speech rights. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sirkin said his client had a First Amendment right to run an
advertisement in a local newspaper that read: "Taking a drug test?
Want to cleanse your system?" | ||||||||||||||||||
In 1999, the State Law Enforcement Division responded to the ad for
Nicki's Novelty Store, where a clerk told an undercover agent a
drink called Zydot would hide the presence of marijuana in a drug
test, Sirkin said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(9) FAMILIES ALLOWED TO SLAP DRUG DEALERS WITH LAWSUITS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Imagine this: A drug dealer gets your child hooked, and the police
can't make criminal charges stick. The dealer is a free man, riding
around the neighborhood in his expensive car. | ||||||||||||||||||
Starting tomorrow, Virginia families will have a new weapon in this
war: the big-dollar lawsuit. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
[The sponsor of the law] said the law might not be effective in every case.
"Some drug | ||||||||||||||||||
The bill allows a parent or legal guardian of a child younger than 18 to sue anyone who provides illegal drugs for that child. The parents can sue to recover the cost of drug treatment and rehabilitation, along with emotional pain and suffering. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(10) TEEN SURVEY: MORE USING DRUGS, ALCOHOL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
ATLANTA - More teen-agers are using cocaine and regularly smoking
and drinking, but an increasing number are also wearing seat belts
and refusing to ride with a driver who's been drinking, according to
a survey released Thursday. | ||||||||||||||||||
The annual survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention in schools across the country, examined the behavior of
13,600 high school students. | ||||||||||||||||||
The survey found injury and violence-related behaviors have fallen,
but kids still regularly smoke and drink - nearly half said they'd
consumed more than one alcoholic beverage more than once in the
month before the survey. | ||||||||||||||||||
The number of teen-agers who said they had tried cocaine in their
lifetime rose to 9.4 percent, up from 5.9 percent in 1991. About 4.2
percent of students said they had used cocaine in the past 30 days,
up from 1.7 percent in 1991. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (11-14) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Another cost of the war on methamphetamine is becoming clear in Oklahoma. Police who have been exposed to the chemicals from illicit labs are now facing debilitating long-term health care problems. | ||||||||||||||||||
It's that time of the year, when law enforcement resources are directed toward the skies to seek out marijuana gardens. Reports from two states note that the National Guard and its planes are being used, despite other more pressing national security concerns. | ||||||||||||||||||
And, finally, working as a drug snitch for the FBI may not be all its cracked up to be. An retired informant is suing the agency, saying he never received the compensation he was promised. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(11) AILMENTS SURFACE IN POLICE EXPOSED TO METH CHEMICALS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
In the small Oklahoma town of Cromwell, Hank Neal was living the good life. At age 32, he was a husband, father of four and a well-known Seminole County deputy sheriff. When he wasn't chasing the bad guys, Neal attended every baseball game in town. | ||||||||||||||||||
Now, on his bad days, Neal uses a walker to get to the bathroom.
Gout, a joint disease, has invaded both of his arms and legs,
causing him to hunch over and draw inward. His days are scheduled
around doctors' appointments and workers' compensation hearings. His
nights are worse. | ||||||||||||||||||
Neal's wife, Dian, loses her composure when she tells of his suicide
attempts. There have been two so far. | ||||||||||||||||||
In December 1999, Neal raided a methamphetamine lab while on duty and got a bloody nose. He didn't think anything of it, not even when, a week later, he began throwing up and having diarrhea. | ||||||||||||||||||
At the time, they blamed a beer can that was hurled at him from a passing car, hitting him in the head. Now they blame the meth lab. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(12) MARIJUANA OVERFLIGHT TRAINING SCHOOL CONDUCTED ON COAST (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Marijuana-seeking helicopters, planes and personnel this week were
flying over coastal county areas as part of the annual overflight
school hosted by the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office and Drug
Enforcement Agency. | ||||||||||||||||||
Six helicopters and six planes from various agencies around the
state participated in the school, which teaches officers how to spot
marijuana from the air, according to Sgt. Rusty Noe, of the County
of Mendocino Marijuana Eradication Team. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Besides the DEA and local law enforcement, agencies participating in
the training included other county law enforcement departments and
the Air National Guard. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(13) LAW ENFORCEMENT TAKING DRUG WAR TO SKIES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
VIDALIA, La. - Few have failed to notice the ominous buzzing of law
enforcement helicopters in the area this week. | ||||||||||||||||||
But unless you're growing a secret crop of high-grade marijuana, the
choppers are nothing to worry about. | ||||||||||||||||||
"This is part of our ongoing battle against narcotics," Sheriff
Randy Maxwell said. "We're looking for locally grown fields of
marijuana." | ||||||||||||||||||
The airborne patrols, a joint operation between the Concordia Parish
Sheriff's Office, the Concordia Narcotics Task Force and the
Louisiana National Guard, have been checking remote areas of
Concordia, Catahoula, Tensas and Avoyelles parishes for clandestine
horticulture. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(14) EX-INFORMANT SAYS FBI FAILED TO KEEP PROMISES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Lawsuit Claims Bureau Agreed To Pay Percentage Of Cash And Drugs
Seized | ||||||||||||||||||
LOS ANGELES - A former FBI informant is suing the federal agency,
claiming it abandoned him after he infiltrated a violent drug cartel
in Mexico. | ||||||||||||||||||
Avery "Skip" Ensley, 56, contends that the FBI failed to pay more
than $1 million he had been promised from seized assets linked to
the investigation into the Arrellano Felix syndicate. He sued in
U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Friday. | ||||||||||||||||||
"One of the reasons I'm going forward with this thing is that I want
other people to know the FBI does not take care of its people,"
Ensley said. "My experience is that they will put anybody at risk
for their own benefit." | ||||||||||||||||||
An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment, saying the bureau does not
discuss pending litigation. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (15-19) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Adding to the smoky, celebratory atmosphere surrounding the selection of Vancouver as the best city in the World for cannabis smokers by High Times Magazine, a study conducted by the University College of the Fraser Valley and the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy has attempted to reveal the scope of the cannabis cultivation and trafficking industry in British Columbia, Canada. The study, which showed the incredible size of one of the biggest economic industries in the province, was the first comprehensive research initiative to examine the police and judicial response to cannabis cultivation in B.C. | ||||||||||||||||||
In California this week, the bizarre legal proceedings surrounding the
trial of "Chico Medical Marijuana Caregivers" founder/supplier Bryan
James Epis continued with the revelation that the defendant had never
submitted a plea to the charges against him, since the prosecution had
somehow forgotten to have him arraigned. Despite the procedural
oversight, Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. did not dismiss charges against
Epis. The case has drawn national attention as the first federal
criminal case involving a medical cannabis buyer's club to get a jury
trial. | ||||||||||||||||||
As the U.K. continues to move towards a more rational drug policy
(cannabis is expected to be re-classified within the next month), GW
Pharmaceuticals announced that it was beginning hospital trials of
its whole-plant, cannabis-based medicines. Nine hospitals around
Britain will participate in the trials, which will involve patients
suffering from MS or serious chronic pain. If these prove
successful, cannabis medicines may be available for prescription to
the general public by 2004. | ||||||||||||||||||
And finally, the horrific news that a judge has sentenced a 24
year-old Philippino man to death by legal injection for the
possession of 25 kilos of cannabis in the town of Malabon. I assume
that this will probably handicap Malabon's chances of overtaking
Vancouver as the world's friendliest pot city in next year's High
Times awards. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(15) MAGAZINE PICKS VANCOUVER AS POT LOVER'S PARADISE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Vancouver's well-known tolerance for marijuana was a significant
factor in a U.S. magazine's recent selection of the city as the best
place on the planet for marijuana smokers. The summer edition of New
York-based High Times magazine, a counterculture publication with a
circulation of more than 200,000, picked Vancouver over Amsterdam,
although smoking marijuana is legal in Amsterdam but is against the
law in Vancouver. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It is a very tolerant atmosphere," Dan Skye, the magazine's
executive editor, said yesterday from New York. "You could walk down
the street [smoking marijuana] and no one bothers you." | ||||||||||||||||||
His assessment is also based on the quality of marijuana grown in
British Columbia, its availability and its price, which is half what
it costs in Amsterdam. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(16) BC MARIJUANA GROW OP STUDY SHOWS STARTLING FIGURES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
It's generally known that marijuana grow operations and trafficking
are a big issue in British Columbia, but not much concrete research
has been published on the growing phenomenon or on the nature of the
justice system's response to this problem. | ||||||||||||||||||
Researchers at the University College of the Fraser Valley and the
International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice
Policy have just released the first comprehensive study on the
justice system's response to marijuana grow operations and marijuana
trafficking in British Columbia. | ||||||||||||||||||
The independent study was released in two reports: "Marijuana
Growing Operations in British Columbia -- An Empirical Survey
(1997-2000)" and "Marijuana Trafficking Incidents in British Columbia
(1997-2000)". The study was conducted by faculty and students of the
UCFV Criminology and Criminal Justice department in partnership with
the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal
Justice Policy. The centre is a United Nations affiliated research
institute in Vancouver. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(17) LEGAL GAFFE NO BARRIER TO POT TRIAL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Though no arraignment was held, the case can go on, the judge says. | ||||||||||||||||||
A Sacramento federal judge decided Monday that the marijuana-growing
trial of Bryan James Epis will continue, even though he has not
entered a plea. | ||||||||||||||||||
U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. ruled that the lack of an
arraignment did not prejudice Epis because he and his attorneys knew
of the grand jury indictment that replaced one with essentially the
same charges, to which he pleaded not guilty. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(18) UK DOCTORS BEGIN NHS CANNABIS TRIALS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
HOSPITAL trials have begun on a cannabis spray intended to relieve the symptoms of multiple sclerosis sufferers and of other National Health Service patients in need of long-term pain-relief treatment. | ||||||||||||||||||
Doctors began prescribing the drug and a capsule version to NHS
patients at nine hospitals around Britain, including Gartnavel
Hospital, Glasgow, after permission for the trials was granted
earlier this year. | ||||||||||||||||||
At the time, GW Pharmaceuticals, the British firm manufacturing the treatments, said it hoped to test the drug on up to 1,000 patients. | ||||||||||||||||||
The trials come as ministers are said to be ready to press ahead
with plans to reclassify cannabis, a move which will be seen as the
effective decriminalisation of the drug. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(19) DEATH FOR MARIJUANA IN PHILIPPINES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A Malabon City judge yesterday meted the death penalty to a big-time
drug pusher and a life term to his cohort after they were caught
with some 25 kilos of marijuana bricks in a buy-bust operation by
police anti-narcotics operatives in March this year. | ||||||||||||||||||
Eduardo Limpin, 24, single, jobless, of 42 University Avenue,
Potrero, Malabon, who is to die by legal injection, was also given
life imprisonment for illegal possession of a kilo of dried
marijuana leaves. | ||||||||||||||||||
His co-accused, Ricky America, 32, single, jobless, also of the same
place, was sentenced to life imprisonment for illegal possession of
some two kilos of dried marijuana bricks. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (20-24) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
In Davao City, General Santos City, and elsewhere in the Philippines, death squads don't bother with formalities like trials for "drug suspects," with the 12th in a series of vigilante killings happening last week, reported the Manila Bulletin. Tacitly welcoming the extralegal murders, "police admitted that the vigilante killings by civilians have boosted the government's anti-drugs campaign." | ||||||||||||||||||
In a ceremony set to music, Burma destroyed a billion dollars worth of
drugs, "calculated at retail prices on the streets of America,"
declared a Burmese drug czar. Thai critics remained unimpressed,
revealing the "Burmese deceptions" as "a spit in the ocean," making
for "self-serving and deceitful propaganda," according to a column in
the Bangkok Post. Who would have guessed? | ||||||||||||||||||
Washington managed to ignite a firestorm of resentment against the
Yanqui once more: this time by meddling in Peruvian national
elections. On the eve of elections, U.S. Ambassador to Peru, Manuel
Rocha, insinuated that Peruvians should not vote for senatorial
candidate Evo Morales. Morales insists farmers be allowed again to
grow coca. Rocha's ill-timed hectoring of the Peruvian people
apparently had an effect on the election, though, perhaps not the
effect Rocha intended. Landing as many as six seats in the Senate, a
jubilant Morales thanked the U.S. Ambassador, calling the ambassador
his "campaign chief." | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(20) VIGILANTE KILLING CONTINUES IN GENERAL SANTOS CITY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
GENERAL SANTOS CITY - Vigilante killing of suspected drug
traffickers continues in this bustling seaport city as two
motorcycle-riding gunmen shot dead the other day the 12th
suspect. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police identified the latest fatality as Rolando de las Marias, a
suspected drug pusher. He was believed felled by bullets fired by
members of a vigilante group out to put an end to the drugs menace
in this city. | ||||||||||||||||||
Authorities have the difficulty in identifying the assailants of Delas Marias because they covered their faces with safety helmets. | ||||||||||||||||||
Although policemen and anti-narcotics agents have busted drug syndicates here with the arrest of known "drug lords" and traffickers, the police admitted that the vigilante killings by civilians have boosted the government's anti-drugs campaign. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
No group has claimed responsibility for the vigilante killings, but broadcast journalists here have called it a "drugs death squad." | ||||||||||||||||||
In Davao City, the vigilante group responsible for the killing of
many suspected drugs pusher is called by the media Davao Death
Squad. | ||||||||||||||||||
Although the victims were all drug suspects, Alcuizar said, "their
execution is against the law." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(21) MYANMAR INCINERATES OVER RM3.8B IN DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
In a steady downpour and accompanied by a military tattoo, the junta
flicked a switch to ignite an incinerator into which workers
shovelled bags of heroin bricks and amphetamines. | ||||||||||||||||||
Senior Gen Than Shwe, the country's top ruler, and international
diplomats attended the burning ceremony, the 16th of its type held
by the junta since 1990. | ||||||||||||||||||
It destroyed 3,027kg of opium, 240kgof heroin, 434kg of marijuana,
34.9 million amphetamine tables, four million ephedrine tablets and | ||||||||||||||||||
"The value of drugs to be destroyed today is estimated at
US$1.078bil ( RM4.09bil), calculated at retail prices on the streets
of America," the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control's Brig Gen
Zaw Win said in a speech before the display. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(22) DOES ANYONE HERE HAVE A DRUG POLICY? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The Burmese deceptions are well known. Burma held its own anti-drug
event last week, and claimed it burned illicit drugs worth $1
billion. Into the fire went 40 million methamphetamine tablets, a
spit in the ocean of the drug which has flooded Thailand. A steam
roller crushed lines of bottles of cough syrup with codeine,
otherwise known as over-the-counter medicine. One hopes the harmful
fiction spread by Burma at this UN-sponsored event can be separated
by discerning people from the real but infinitesimal achievements of
a handful of dedicated drug officers in Burma. The regime's
self-serving and deceitful propaganda would be laughable if it were
not so harmful. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(23) BOLIVIA DENOUNCES U.S. ENVOY'S COMMENTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
LA PAZ, Bolivia -- Controversy erupted in this country's
presidential campaign Friday when the bureau that regulates
elections denounced the U.S. ambassador for speaking out against an
obscure candidate who has demanded that farmers be allowed to grow
coca. | ||||||||||||||||||
Bolivia has become a key ally in the U.S.-led war against drugs,
eradicating in the past few years about 85 percent of the country's
coca plants. But the eradication drive has been violently resisted
by coca-growing farmers led by Evo Morales, a minor presidential
candidate. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The election-eve controversy was ignited by U.S. Ambassador Manuel
Rocha, who warned Bolivians in a speech that voting for a candidate
who defends the production of coca crops could threaten U.S. aid to
Bolivia, one of the poorest countries in Latin America. | ||||||||||||||||||
Although Rocha gave no names, the National Election Board was quick
to go public with its objections. | ||||||||||||||||||
The board, a spokesman said, "found the public declarations inappropriate. They raise social tensions on the eve of elections." | ||||||||||||||||||
For many Bolivians, the ambassador's speech was a clear allusion to Morales, who makes a point of chewing coca at campaign rallies. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(24) BOLIVIAN'S RUN FOR OFFICE PUTS DRUG FIGHT AT RISK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - The unexpectedly strong showing of radical
Indian agitator Evo Morales in Bolivian elections promises to deal a
serious blow to the Andean nation's U.S.-backed efforts to halt
cocaine production. | ||||||||||||||||||
Morales, an Aymara Indian, campaigned on an anti-United States
platform and the promise to reverse Bolivia's efforts to eradicate
coca, the plant from which cocaine is made. | ||||||||||||||||||
Preliminary returns from Sunday's presidential election, announced
Monday, showed Morales battling for third place in the presidential
race, with about 17 percent of the vote. Because the presidential
voting determines the award of senate seats under Bolivian law, that
strong finish will give his party -- called Movement to Socialism --
as many as six seats in Bolivia's 27-member senate. That in turn
will put him in a strong position to thwart new legislation to
punish those who grow the coca bush. | ||||||||||||||||||
Support Surges | ||||||||||||||||||
Support for Morales surged following comments from the U.S. ambassador effectively warning voters away from Morales. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Bolivians of all political stripes decried as unacceptable U.S.
threats in the middle of a Bolivian election campaign. The comments
apparently pushed undecided voters into the camp of Morales, who
dubbed Rocha his "campaign chief." The U.S. Embassy in Bolivia had
no comment Monday. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Law Enforcement Against Prohibtion | ||||||||||||||||||
Site featuring current and former members of law enforcement who
support drug regulation rather than prohibition. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
The Technology Secrets of Cocaine Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Colombian cartels have spent billions of dollars to build one of
the world's most sophisticated IT infrastructures. It's helping them
smuggle more dope than ever before." | ||||||||||||||||||
http://www.business2.com/articles/mag/print/0,1643,41206,FF.html | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Colin Davies Rearrested, Denied Medical Care, Then Beaten By Police | ||||||||||||||||||
Reports by Nol van Schaik, with commentary by Richard Cowan. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Headshrinking The American Addict | ||||||||||||||||||
HEADSHRINKING THE AMERICAN ADDICT: | ||||||||||||||||||
Recovery in the 21st Century by Cletus Nelson - | ||||||||||||||||||
"No one will ever accuse the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
of having low aspirations. Not content with merely limiting the use
of narcotics, the powerful anti-drug entity wants control of your
mind." | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Cultural Baggage Radio Show | ||||||||||||||||||
Sanho Tree of the Intitute for Policy Studies will be discussing his
recent trip to Colombia at Midnight CDT tonight, Friday, July the 5th.
http://www.ips-dc.org/projects/drugpolicy.htm | ||||||||||||||||||
Our Pacifica radio show airs on KPFT, Houston on 90.1 FM and is available live on the net at http://www.kpft.org/ | ||||||||||||||||||
Listen online to previous shows at: | ||||||||||||||||||
Submitted by Dean Becker | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
W. Va. Group Pursues Marijuana Legalization | ||||||||||||||||||
By Cindy Wimer | ||||||||||||||||||
We are a small group of individuals who have joined together with the purpose of letting our governor and our legislative leaders know of our desire to have medical cannabis (marijuana) legalized. We have dubbed our group "Mountaineers for Medical Cannabis." | ||||||||||||||||||
We are committed to help educate our fellow West Virginians about
the many beneficial uses of this God-given herb and to create a
forum of voter information. | ||||||||||||||||||
We have spent many, many hours researching, attending rallies and
marches in other states, and in correspondence with Gov. Bob Wise
and our legislative representatives. Their replies indicate that
they are willing to listen, but in Wise's own words, "there are not
that many West Virginians clamoring for it." | ||||||||||||||||||
It is our belief that if those West Virginians were not in fear of
losing jobs, of losing their families, homes and other possessions
and fear of incarceration, many more would come forth "clamoring" in
favor of medical cannabis. It is time for those West Virginians in
need, and those who believe in that need, to be heard! | ||||||||||||||||||
We can be contacted at: Mountaineers for Medical Cannabis, P.O. Box
1151, Parkersburg, WV 26102-1151. | ||||||||||||||||||
Cindy Wimer, | ||||||||||||||||||
founder Mountaineers for Medical Cannabis | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER WRITER OF THE MONTH - June (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Wayne Phillips of Hamilton, Ontario is recognized for his ten
published letters during June, and a career total as archived by MAP
of 17. You can review his published letters at: | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
SENATE TO DECLARE WAR ON RAVES | ||||||||||||||||||
By Drug Policy Alliance | ||||||||||||||||||
No nightclub owner, promoter, or event coordinator is safe Bill
could halt musical events such as raves | ||||||||||||||||||
The Senate is poised to pass legislation that would give federal
prosecutors new powers to shut down raves or other musical events
and punish innocent business men and women for hosting or promoting
them. The bill, known as the Reducing American's Vulnerability to
Ecstasy Act (RAVE Act), was just introduced in the Senate on June
18th and has already passed the Senate Judiciary Committee. It is
moving VERY rapidly and could be passed by the Senate as early as
next week. Worse still, the Senate leadership considers this
draconian drug war bill to be so uncontroversial that they are
trying to pass it under "unanimous consent" rules, which will mean
no debate and no real vote. It is absolutely vital that your
Senators here from you today. They need to know that this bill is a
danger to civil liberties and is unacceptable. | ||||||||||||||||||
ACTIONS TO TAKE: | ||||||||||||||||||
--Call your Senators and tell them to stop S. 2633, the Reducing
American's Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act from becoming law. Tell them
that innocent business owners shouldn't be punished for the crimes
of their customers. Tell them this bill has dangerous anti-civil
liberties provisions that they need to be aware of, and this bill
deserves serious debate. | ||||||||||||||||||
You can contact your Senators through the Capitol Switchboard at
202-224-3121. To find out who your Senators are go to: | ||||||||||||||||||
--Please forward this action alert to your friends and family. The Senate needs to know that voters find this bill unacceptable. | ||||||||||||||||||
MORE ON THE BILL | ||||||||||||||||||
S. 2633, sponsored by Senators Durbin (D-IL), Hatch (R-UT), Grassley
(R-IA) and Leahy (D-VT), would greatly expand the so- called "crack
house statute" and potentially subject innocent business men and
women to enormous fines if customers sold or used drugs on their
premises or at their events - even if they were not involved in the
offenses in any way. If the bill becomes law, property owners,
promoters, and event coordinators could be fined hundreds of
thousands of dollars if they hold raves or other events on their
property. This bill is a part of a Justice Department strategy to
halt all musical events they don't like, such as raves. For more
information on this bill, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/ and under
"bill number" search for S2633. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"Ideology, not evidence, drives the tough-on-crime movement. But for those who prefer fact to dogma, the case is clear: We cannot simply punish our way to a better society." -- The Ottawa Citizen, 06/28/2002 | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
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