| July 12, 2002 #258 | ||||||||||||||||||
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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) US CA: CONVICTION IN FEDERAL POT TRIAL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Jurors Reach A Verdict After Being Told To Ignore All Medical-Use
Evidence And Argument. | ||||||||||||||||||
Bryan James Epis, who says he smoked marijuana for chronic pain and
wanted to grow it for others who were sick, was found guilty Thursday
by a jury in Sacramento federal court of conspiracy and manufacturing
the drug. | ||||||||||||||||||
He faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison on the jury's
finding that he conspired to eventually boost his crop to at least
1,000 plants. The panel also found that he grew at least 100 plants in
the spring of 1997 at his Chico residence. The fact that his house is
within 1,000 feet of Chico Senior High School could increase the
penalty. | ||||||||||||||||||
Defense lawyer J. Tony Serra said there will be an appeal. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(2) CANADA: FEDERAL RIGHTS WATCHDOG BANS WORKPLACE DRUG TESTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
OTTAWA -- Federally regulated companies and public services must not
randomly test or prescreen employees for drug and alcohol use, the
federal human-rights watchdog says. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Canadian Human Rights Commission released a new policy yesterday
that says employee drug tests are an abuse of human rights under almost
all circumstances. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Positive results of drug tests do not suggest a person is impaired," commission spokeswoman Catherine Barratt said. "If you want to test for a safe environment, testing for drugs is not going to get you there." | ||||||||||||||||||
That's because tests can show traces of drugs weeks after they were
used, long after an employee in question has sobered up. "There is no
technology out there at the moment that tests for the impairment of
drugs in the body," Ms. Barratt said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Alcohol testing should be allowed only if an employer believes safety
is at risk, the policy says. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The policy applies to federal government agencies and departments, and
federally regulated companies such as banks, insurance firms,
airlines, telecommunications businesses and other companies that
operate across the country. | ||||||||||||||||||
Some provincial human-rights commissions, which govern provincially
regulated workplaces, have also ruled against drug testing as part of
an applicant screening process. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Ontario Human Rights Commission, for instance, permits testing only in limited circumstances such as when an employee is in a safety-sensitive position or after significant accidents or near misses. And because drug and alcohol addiction is considered a disability, it is considered discriminatory to refuse to hire someone because of the presence of either substance in their blood. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(3) U.S. LAW IMPERILS COLOMBIA COCA SPRAYING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON, July 10 - Even as the Bush administration is trying to
increase the aerial spraying of drug crops in Colombia with
herbicides, an American law enacted in January threatens to disrupt
the strategy and possibly even halt it. | ||||||||||||||||||
A little-noticed provision in the $15.4 billion spending measure for
government operations abroad requires that the American-backed program
to eradicate coca crops in Colombia must meet the same health and
safety standards that would apply if the herbicides were being sprayed
in the United States. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Colombia is far away, but we are making decisions that can directly
affect the health of thousands of people there," said Senator Patrick
J. Leahy, the Vermont Democrat, who sponsored the new law. "The
American public and our own health agencies would not allow use of a
toxic chemical like this on this kind of scale." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(4) CLINTON SAYS HE REGRETS DECISION AGAINST NEEDLE-EXCHANGE PROGRAM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
BARCELONA, Spain -- Former President Clinton acknowledged, "I was
wrong" about one of the most controversial AIDS decisions of his
presidency: his refusal to lift the ban on federal funding of
needle-exchange programs. | ||||||||||||||||||
A government panel advised him at the time that the practice, used to slow the spread of HIV among injection-drug users, was effective and didn't promote drug abuse. But Mr. Clinton sided with his drug czar, Gen. Barry McCaffrey, who opposed it, Mr. Clinton said Thursday, because of "the message it would send on the drug front." | ||||||||||||||||||
At the XIV International AIDS Conference here, Mr. Clinton met with
young people in an MTV town-hall style meeting. He also electrified
delegates who packed a large hall to hear him and other current and
former heads of state talk about how to build political commitment to
fight the pandemic. Friday, Mr. Clinton is scheduled to close the
conference together with former South African President Nelson
Mandela. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-9) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Failure and questionable business practices apparently represent a
proven track record when applying for a job as a drug warrior.
Dismal results and embarrassing scandals were no hindrance to
advertising firm Ogilvy & Mather last week as the company got
another multi-million dollar contract for running the federal
government's anti-drug propaganda campaign. | ||||||||||||||||||
While the feds were rewarding incompetence and deceit, several other
encouraging stories of resistance against drug prohibition surfaced
last week. In Michigan, another drug reform initiative seems set to
be placed on the ballot. Prominent drug war opponent and Governor of
New Mexico Gary Johnson commuted an outrageous prison sentence.
Tennis star Jennifer Capriati lashed out at the Women's Tour for
proposing random drug tests. | ||||||||||||||||||
And particularly good news here at the DrugSense Weekly as fellow editor and cannabis news commentator Philippe Lucas was given an absolute discharge after being arrested for operating the Vancouver Island Compassion Society. Not only was he discharged, Philippe was praised by the judge for his ethics. Way to go, Philippe! | ||||||||||||||||||
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(5) AGENCY GETS ANTI-DRUG ADS CONTRACT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
An advertising agency punished for overcharging the government for its work on an anti-drug campaign won a nearly $152 million contract Wednesday to run the ad program for at least another year. | ||||||||||||||||||
New York-based Ogilvy & Mather won the contract over four other
bidders, according to a statement from the Navy, which handles
contracting functions for the White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy. | ||||||||||||||||||
Ogilvy & Mather agreed to pay a $1.8 million penalty earlier this
year to settle charges it overcharged the drug policy office.
Congressional investigators found last year that Ogilvy & Mather
billed the government for millions of dollars of work it didn't
perform. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
John P. Walters, director of the drug policy office, has repeatedly
criticized the ad campaign, saying teenagers were ignoring the ads.
In May, he said the office would cancel the campaign if it was not
effective. | ||||||||||||||||||
A survey released in May also found no evidence the ads were
discouraging drug use. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(6) FALL VOTE LIKELY ON DRUG CRIME (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Petitions Turned In To Revise Sentencing | ||||||||||||||||||
A constitutional amendment to overhaul Michigan drug crime
sentencing practices -- providing treatment rather than prison time
for drug users, and abolishing mandatory minimums for drug sellers
-- appears on its way to the November ballot. | ||||||||||||||||||
Backers of the plan have submitted more than 450,000 signatures to
state elections officials. The Campaign for New Drug Policies needed
the signatures of about 303,000 registered voters to put the
question before voters. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(7) JOHNSON COMMUTES DRUG SENTENCE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Saying the case is a great example of the failure of the war on
drugs, Gov. Gary Johnson on Tuesday commuted the sentence of an
Otero County woman sentenced to 25.5 years in prison for forging
prescriptions for Tylenol with codeine. Maryann Gomez-Velasquez
currently at the New Mexico Women's Correctional Facility, has
already served more than three years of her sentence. | ||||||||||||||||||
"This is clearly a case where she has done no harm to anyone
arguably other than herself," Johnson said. "She received a harsher
sentence for her nonviolent crimes than those who kill others in
DWI-related incidents. I find it hard to believe any New Mexican
believes justice is being served by Maryann Gomez-Velasquez's
25.5-year sentence." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(8) CAPRIATI IN DRUGS FURY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Self-Confessed drug-taker Jennifer Capriati last night slammed plans
to randomly dope-test female players. | ||||||||||||||||||
Capriati is the one tennis player known to have taken drugs after
being arrested in possession of marijuana in 1995. | ||||||||||||||||||
Yet she hit out at the Women's Tour officials last night, insisting
they have no right to turn up unannounced at the homes of players to
ask for samples. | ||||||||||||||||||
Reigning Wimbledon queen Venus Williams backed the scheme just hours
earlier, maintaining she had nothing to hide. | ||||||||||||||||||
But Capriati, who plays Amelie Mauresmo of France in the
quarter-finals today, said: "I think that's a bit of an invasion.
Something to think about. I don't know if they are really going to
go through with that or not. | ||||||||||||||||||
"But I just don't think they have any kind of right to see what's
going on inside your body, whatever, even if you are not doing
anything." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(9) MARIJUANA 'PHARMACIST' WINS PRAISE FOR HIS WORK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Judge In Philippe Lucas's Drug-Bust Case Lauds His Business Conduct
And Altruism | ||||||||||||||||||
VICTORIA - Philippe Lucas called the police after he discovered a
break-in at the storefront office of his non-profit society. An
officer surveyed a hole in the wall, opened his notepad and asked
what was missing. | ||||||||||||||||||
"About 23 pot cookies and about maybe $1,200 worth of cannabis," Mr.
Lucas said. | ||||||||||||||||||
The officer looked around, Mr. Lucas recalled, before asking, "What
exactly is it that you guys do here?" | ||||||||||||||||||
The storefront was home to the Vancouver Island Compassion Society,
a pot pharmacy that sells marijuana to clients who have referrals
from their doctors. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police caught the thief within days. Mr. Lucas identified the
marijuana as belonging to his group. | ||||||||||||||||||
He wound up in handcuffs, facing trafficking charges with a maximum penalty of five years less a day. Afterward, he felt like a dope. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It may have been naive in hindsight to go in and identify the
cannabis," Mr. Lucas said recently. "But I really thought of it as
the society's medicine." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (10-14) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
At least three drug busts turned deadly this week at various places
around the nation. Police officers were also shot in some of the
incidents - and in at least one situation, police may have shot each
other. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police corruption took an new twist in Georgia, where a deputy
obtained police uniforms and information from police computers in
order to rip-off drug dealers with help from outside the department.
And in North Carolina, a man is filing suit against police who
searched his car for drugs without his consent. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(10) POLICE KILL FLEEING MAN; OFFICER SHOT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A Los Angeles police officer was shot in the wrist and a fleeing
suspect was killed Saturday night on the Harbor Freeway, authorities
said. | ||||||||||||||||||
The incident began when two officers saw a man they believe was
either using or dealing drugs at 79th and Figueroa streets in
Southwest Los Angeles. The officers approached the suspect, who was
sitting outside an abandoned building. There was a brief scuffle,
with the man knocking down the officers, LAPD Deputy Chief David
Gascon said. The officers suffered minor injuries. | ||||||||||||||||||
The man jumped into the police car and drove away, prompting the officers to shoot at the fleeing car, witnesses and police said. The man was not hit at that time. Backup officers gave chase while a police helicopter tracked the patrol car. After a short pursuit, the man stopped on the freeway near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. | ||||||||||||||||||
Officers fired beanbag rounds. The police did not believe the man
was armed, said Interim Police Chief Martin Pomeroy. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The Newton Division officer was taken to St. Francis Medical Center
in Lynwood, where he underwent surgery for a gunshot wound to the
wrist, authorities said. It was unclear whether he was shot by the
suspect or by one of his fellow officers, Pomeroy said. He was in
stable condition late Saturday night. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(11) MAN KILLED AS POLICE EXECUTE WARRANT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
One man was killed and another critically injured, apparently by
police gunfire, when a Salt Lake police SWAT team attempted to
execute a search warrant at a home Wednesday night. | ||||||||||||||||||
Neither the name of the man who was killed nor the injured man had
been released early Thursday. The injured man was taken to
University Hospital for gunshot wounds, Salt Lake police Capt. Scott
Atkinson said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The search warrant being served was for an investigation of illegal
drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(12) DEPUTIES' SHOOTER ON GROUND WHEN SHOTS EXCHANGED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Slain Gunman Might Not Have Known Men Were Undercover Cops | ||||||||||||||||||
MAPLE VALLEY -- King County sheriff's deputies wrestled Gary Dean Burow
to the ground before he started shooting at them, a Sheriff's Office
spokesman said yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sgt. Greg Dymerski said Burow fired five or six rounds from his
handgun while on the ground. His bullets struck three detectives
before deputies opened fire and killed Burow. | ||||||||||||||||||
He died from multiple gunshots to the head, the Medical Examiner's
Office said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Deputies say Burow, 34, raised suspicions after he rode up on a
motorcycle to the entrance of a rented property in Maple Valley
where narcotics detectives had arrived with a search warrant nearly
four hours earlier. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(13) DEPUTY IMPOSTERS RIPPED OFF SUSPECTED DRUG DEALERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A Fulton County deputy sheriff is accused in a federal indictment of
providing sheriff's uniforms and inside information to accomplices
who barged into the homes of suspected drug dealers, stealing
narcotics, jewelry and cash. | ||||||||||||||||||
According to the indictment disclosed Tuesday, a dozen members of a
home invasion ring have been arrested and charged with breaking into
at least 11 homes in the metro area in the last year, posing as
sheriff's officers. | ||||||||||||||||||
Deputy Brenda Wiggins, 33, provided the uniforms and information
about the targets --- data she acquired from the national computer
crime network that is supposed to be used exclusively by law
enforcement officials, the indictment says. | ||||||||||||||||||
Wiggins has been suspended with pay and is free on $25,000 bond. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(14) LAWSUIT IS FILED OVER CAR SEARCH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
DURHAM - Maurice McKellar Jr. admits that a state trooper had every
right to stop him last summer for speeding on Interstate 40. What
made McKellar file a lawsuit is everything that he says happened
after he refused to let the trooper search his car --the drug dog
sniffing through his car, two baseless criminal charges, painfully
tight handcuffs and a trip to the emergency room. | ||||||||||||||||||
In a negligence claim filed against the agency that oversees the state Highway Patrol, McKellar, a 34-year-old hospital worker from Durham, contends that he was punished for exercising his constitutional right to protect himself from an illegal search. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The Highway Patrol has yet to say, 'I'm sorry for assuming that you
were a drug dealer,' " McKellar, a Persian Gulf War veteran, said in
an interview. "They have yet to say they were sorry for causing my
hands to turn blue from lack of circulation. They have yet to say,
'I'm sorry for falsely arresting you.' They have yet to admit that
they were wrong." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (15-19) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
This week, cannabis activists across the U.S. worked hard to submit
enough signatures to get their questions on state ballots for the
November elections. In Washington D.C., the Marijuana Policy Project
presented 39,000 signatures to the D.C. Board of Elections and
Ethics, easily enough to get their initiative, which would allow
doctors to give patients the right to grow and possess personal
amounts of cannabis, on the fall ballot. A similar initiative was
passed by voters in 1998, but Rep. Barr (R-Ga.) introduced an
amendment to block its implementation. With the financial backing of
John Sperling, activists in Arizona submitted 165,000 signatures to
the state legislature in support of their medical/personal use
initiative. The initiative would create a state-run medical registry
of eligible users and decriminalize the personal use of up to 2
ounces for adults. | ||||||||||||||||||
U.K. Home Secretary David Blunkett announced the downgrading of cannabis classification this week, amidst rumors that sentences for distribution of marijuana will be doubled to appease those accusing the Labour Party of being soft on crime. This would increase the maximum penalty for distribution from 5 years in prison to 10 years. | ||||||||||||||||||
And in Canada, court challenges continue to erode confidence in Health Canada's Cannabis Medical Access program. In Alberta, Judge Phil Ketchum stayed the charges against Brian Oates, who uses cannabis to alleviate the symptoms of a 1996 industrial accident. In his decision, the judge called the charges against Oates "a violation of the accused's right to security of his person." And in B.C., American drug-war refugees Steve and Michele Kubby have filed a writ with the B.C. Supreme Court asking for an exemption to possession and cultivation charges laid against them following an RCMP raid on their Sechelt home. The couple has stated that any imprisonment would be tantamount to a death sentence for Steve Kubby, who uses cannabis to control a rare form of adrenal cancer. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(15) MEDICAL POT MAY AGAIN GO TO D.C. VOTERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
D.C. voters could get another chance to vote on legalizing marijuana
for medicinal uses, but congressmen who blocked the measure in 1998
are already preparing to mount a challenge. | ||||||||||||||||||
The District-based Marijuana Policy Project yesterday presented to the Board of Elections and Ethics 39,000 signatures from residents who want to bring the issue to referendum -- more than twice the number of signatures required under city law. If at least 17,500 signatures are verified, the issue will be on November's ballot. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
But opposition to the bill is brewing on Capitol Hill. Rep. Bob
Barr, Georgia Republican, sent a letter yesterday to Rep. Joe
Knollenberg, chairman of the House Appropriations District of
Columbia subcommittee, requesting that he include in the city's
funding bill for 2003 an amendment that would block spending on the
initiative. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(16) 3RD ARIZONA MEDICAL-POT BALLOT ISSUE AIMS TO SURVIVE CHALLENGES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Marijuana backers in Arizona hope the third time will be the charm,
thanks to a November initiative that would decriminalize the
possession of small amounts of the drug and allow its use for
medical purposes. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The Legislature has been fighting this movement since Arizonans first approved a medical marijuana initiative in 1996," said Sam Vagenas, a spokesman for The People Have Spoken. "They (legislators) blocked that one and the second one passed in 1998. But this one will stick because this initiative has more meat to it." | ||||||||||||||||||
Backed by University of Phoenix founder John Sperling, the group
became the last faction to file petition signatures for its
proposition to make it onto the November ballot. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(17) U.K. SENTENCES TO BE DOUBLED FOR DEALING IN CANNABIS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Sentences for cannabis dealers will be doubled in a last-minute
attempt to offset the effect of reclassifying the drug, according to
leaked Home Office correspondence unveiled yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||
David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, is trying to head off charges of
being too soft on cannabis ahead of new figures showing that,
despite five years of Labour pledges to be "tough on crime", crime
rates are soaring. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
A Government order will be put before Parliament to reclassify
cannabis from a Class B to a Class C drug, following a | ||||||||||||||||||
Critics say the move is tantamount to decriminalisation because it
ensures that police will lose all incentives to pursue those who use
the drug. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(18) CANADIAN DOPE SMOKER OFF HOOK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Marijuana possession charges have been stayed against an Edmonton
man because neither doctors nor the feds can supply him with legal
pot. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Provincial court Judge Phil Ketchum called the possession charges
against Brian Edward Oates, 45, "a violation of the accused's right
to security of his person" and told cops and the Crown to back off,
at least until Oates can go through the process for a legal
exemption. | ||||||||||||||||||
Oates, who court heard was hurt in a 1995 industrial accident, was
busted after a raid on his home found 71 plants growing in the
basement. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It is not in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice
to criminalize this accused while he waits for a medically approved
source of raw marijuana to be made legally available," said
Ketchum's written judgment. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(19) COUPLE FILES 'LIFE AND DEATH' WRIT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunshine Coast "pot exiles" Steve and Michele Kubby have filed a
writ with B.C. Supreme Court seeking an exemption from charges laid
against them after police found marijuana plants at their Sechelt
home. | ||||||||||||||||||
The couple are due to appear at Sechelt provincial court on July 16
on charges of production of a controlled substance and possession
for the purpose of trafficking. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"Cannabis keeps me alive" said Kubby, in an interview. "I'm hoping
that a judge will say under the Charter of Rights, we have the right
when we're clearly in a medical need to do what we were doing
without being treated like criminals." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (20-23) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Afghani Vice President Haji Abdul Qadir was buried last week amid
speculation his killing was ordered by drug lords who felt betrayed in
the campaign to destroy poppy crops. Qadir, himself "long been
suspected of enriching himself through involvement in the opium
trade," had apparently favored some drug lords, earning the wrath of
rivals. | ||||||||||||||||||
To peals of laughter from Philippine president Macapagal, Davao City
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte last week declared that any means were justified
by the goal of fighting illicit drugs. Duterte brushed aside concerns
over vigilantism. Criminals "don't have a monopoly on evil in this
country," Duterte noted, extolling "summary execution" as a way to
fight drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
The law-and-order ACT Party of New Zealand surprised observers last week, declaring that "the present cannabis laws restrict personal freedoms and are not working." In an ad placed in a New Zealand NORML magazine, the party attempted to win the support of cannabis smokers by calling for renewed debate on the present cannabis laws. | ||||||||||||||||||
And in a move timed for maximum political impact, the former UK drugs
czar, Keith Hellawell, resigned his post as drugs advisor to the
government, proclaiming "politicians should not make political play"
of drugs. Hellawell's move came on the same day that Home Secretary
David Blunkett announced the downgrading of cannabis from a Class B to
a Class C drug. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(20) THOUSANDS MOURN AFGHAN V.P.'S DEATH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Officials Speculate Qadir's Assassination Was Related To
Drug-Fighting Programs | ||||||||||||||||||
JALALABAD, Afghanistan - Vice President Haji Abdul Qadir was buried
yesterday with full military honors a day after he was gunned down
in an attack that Afghans fear might bring new instability to a
nation struggling to build peace after decades of war. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Afghan officials said yesterday that they were investigating the
possibility that Qadir had been killed by drug lords who had been
double-crossed in a Western-backed campaign to destroy the country's
poppy crop that Qadir had been overseeing. | ||||||||||||||||||
A senior Afghan official said Qadir had recently complained that
promised aid money was not being distributed to farmers who were
bowing to his demand to uproot their poppies. The Afghan official
said Qadir's efforts, coupled with the failure to pay certain
farmers, might have enraged powerful members of the country's opium
trade. Those drug lords, the Afghan official said, might have
decided to take revenge. | ||||||||||||||||||
Qadir, a wealthy businessman from Jalalabad, had long been suspected
of enriching himself through involvement in the opium trade. Some
Afghans speculated that Qadir might have made enemies by favoring
one drug lord over another. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(21) MOVE OVER DIRTY HARRY, DUTERTE'S HERE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTING the Bible's passage "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a
tooth," Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday that summary
execution of criminals remained the most effective way to curb
kidnapping and illicit drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"The intention of the criminals is to instill fear in their victims
and kill them. What should we do, but kill them also," he said,
eliciting applause. | ||||||||||||||||||
He added: "My policy is that if you are a kidnapper and a drug
pusher, you put yourself and your life on the line." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
She was visibly pleased as the mayor lengthily spoke about his
methods to get rid of criminals, which observers say border on
vigilantism. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
According to him, he gives criminal suspects the chance to leave Davao City peacefully. "After that I strike. Wala itong yabang ha?" | ||||||||||||||||||
"You must realize, you criminals, that you don't have a monopoly on
evil in this country," he said, prompting Ms Macapagal to burst into
laughter. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(22) ACT COURTS VOTES OF DOPE SMOKERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Act, the party that stands for zero tolerance on crime, is seeking
the votes of cannabis smokers. | ||||||||||||||||||
Under the headline Freedom is Choice, Act has taken an advertisement
in the pro-cannabis magazine Norml News saying the present cannabis
laws restrict personal freedoms and are not working. | ||||||||||||||||||
It goes on to say that Act is committed to meaningful debate and a
workable solution to the cannabis issue. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(23) DRUG TSAR HELLAWELL RESIGNS IN PROTEST (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Government drugs adviser Keith Hellawell today announced his resignation in protest at the proposal to reclassify cannabis. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mr Hellawell, the former Drug Tsar who is now a part-time adviser to
the Government, also attacked Government "spin" for relaunching its
10-year drugs strategy. He said he had written to Home Secretary
David Blunkett to inform him of his resignation but had so far had
no response. | ||||||||||||||||||
He said: "It's moving further towards decriminalisation than any
other country in the world. I have resigned over this issue and over
the issue of spin." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"Drugs are so important to all our families in this country, the
politicians should not make political play out of it and should not
take advantage by making political statements." | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Drug Policies = Death | ||||||||||||||||||
"A new study published today by The Drug Law and Health Policy
Network stresses that the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Central and Eastern
Europe is driven primarily by injection drug use - not sexual
intercourse." | ||||||||||||||||||
A press release from Drug Policy Alliance, with a link to a longer
report. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Unfiltered news from Bolivia via Luis Gomez and NarcoNews.com | ||||||||||||||||||
"Read it well, kind readers: The top coca growers' leader of Bolivia could occupy the presidential seat in less than a month." | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Performance of "DOPE" To Benefit NORML Chapter | ||||||||||||||||||
"Truth is a controlled substance." That's the motto of a theatrical look at the history of drug policy now playing in Chicago. Proceeds from Saturday's performance of "DOPE" will go to Illinois NORML. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
SENATE COMMITTEE LASHES OUT AT OGILVY & MATHER | ||||||||||||||||||
Demands 40% Cut in White House Anti-Drug Ad Budget | ||||||||||||||||||
A report from Advertising Age. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Drug Testing In Schools Is Counterproductive | ||||||||||||||||||
By David T. Wilkinson | ||||||||||||||||||
In the Oklahoma case, 500 students were tested, yielding three
positive results. Was it really worth $12,500 (at $25 a student) to
identify three pot-smoking teenagers? What about the other 497
students, forced to perform one of the most personal acts under
observation by strangers? Is this a positive experience for insecure
adolescents? | ||||||||||||||||||
David T. Wilkinson, | ||||||||||||||||||
Plymouth, Mass. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Interview with Marc-Boris St. Maurice - Part 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
By Philippe Lucas | ||||||||||||||||||
Boris St. Maurice is a man of many hempen hats. The Montreal-based
uber-activist and founder of Bloc Pot is currently the | ||||||||||||||||||
DSW Hemp & Cannabis Issues Editor Philippe Lucas tracked him down
between projects to find out what's new in the Canadian, U.S., and
International drug reform. | ||||||||||||||||||
DSW: You are the current editor of Heads Magazine. How long have you
been involved with them? | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
DSW: What makes Heads different than the other two biggies in the
industry: High Times and Cannabis Culture? | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
DSW: I saw that although the magazine started with a different advertising base than High Times, an ad in the recent issue reads "Free Nitrous". Will Heads be following High Times in the promotion of questionable products like fake weed and "herbal ecstasy"? | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
DSW: It's a good magazine and a nice addition to the current cannabis literature and culture. What's coming in upcoming issues? | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
DSW: And finally, any hopes or predictions for the next year
regarding drug policy? What will happen in the U.S. and in Canada?
And how about them Brits? | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
DSW: And in the U.S., do you think that we can expect to see more
clubs get busted in California? | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
DSW: Excellent, what's the goal for PAMF? | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
DSW: I look forward to hearing it. I know that you're a busy man, Boris; thank you very much for your time. Keep up the good work. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Editor's Note: Part two of this interview will run in DrugSense Weekly
next week. To see Philippe's complete interview with Boris, see
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1286/a06.html | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"Making a clearer differentiation between drugs that kill and drugs
that do not would be scientifically appropriate and educationally
valuable." -- British Home Secretary David Blunkett, quoted in press
stories July 11 | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
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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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