| March 28, 2003 #294 | ||||||||||||||||||
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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 MA: MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL PASSES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Ehrlich Voices Support For Reduced Penalties | ||||||||||||||||||
The Maryland General Assembly has voted to dramatically reduce
penalties for cancer patients and others who smoke marijuana to relieve
suffering, and Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. said yesterday that he is
inclined to sign the measure. | ||||||||||||||||||
The bill, which passed the House of Delegates last week and won final
approval in the Senate yesterday, would set a fine of $100 for using
marijuana out of "medical necessity." Possession otherwise carries a
maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. | ||||||||||||||||||
If the bill becomes law, Maryland would become the first state to
single out seriously ill marijuana users for relaxed sanctions,
although some other states have done more to decriminalize medical
marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
White House drug policy chief John P. Walters lobbied against the Maryland measure and yesterday called on Ehrlich (R) to veto it. Walters, who has launched a campaign against efforts to relax state drug laws, said the General Assembly had been "fooled" by "drug legalizers" who are using the suffering of sick people to promote a pro-drug agenda that includes legalizing marijuana entirely. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Unfortunately, they have snuck up on people in Maryland and used them
to help the wider effort," Walters said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Walters said he hopes "the governor will see through the con." The argument that marijuana is "a proven, efficacious medicine" makes no more sense than "an argument for medicinal crack," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(2) US OK: MARIJUANA DECRIMINALIZATION ADVANCES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Lawmakers' plans to decriminalize marijuana possession may not be up in smoke yet. Members of the House Criminal Justice Committee voted Tuesday to move forward a Senate bill that could make possessing an ounce or less of the drug a misdemeanor punishable by a fine. | ||||||||||||||||||
Original Senate language proposing the change was removed before the House saw the bill this week. Rep. Bill Nations, D-Norman, told committee members he would be working to restore that language to the bill when it comes to the House floor later in the session. | ||||||||||||||||||
Nations told committee members the bill's effect would be to have
police officers treat marijuana possession the same as they might a
traffic ticket. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(3) US CT: MEDICAL MARIJUANA CLEARS HURDLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - An effort to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes cleared a legislative hurdle on Wednesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Judiciary Committee voted 21-18 in favor of the bill. It now moves
to the Public Health Committee. | ||||||||||||||||||
The bill allows Connecticut residents with certain debilitating medical
conditions to cultivate and use marijuana for medical purposes under
certain circumstances and with certain restrictions. | ||||||||||||||||||
A patient's treating physician would have to provide a professional
opinion that the benefits of the medical use of marijuana outweigh the
health risks for the patient. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
But Rep. John Wayne Fox, D-Stamford, said there has not been an outcry
for legalizing marijuana for medical purposes. He mentioned how no
physicians, including oncologists, testified in favor of the
legislation. He said the only doctor who voiced support for the bill
was an evolutionary biologist from Yale University. | ||||||||||||||||||
"That says something to me folks, it really does," Fox said. "I don't think, with all due respect, there's evidence to justify it." | ||||||||||||||||||
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(4) DENMARK: DRUG DEALERS ON STRIKE IN 'FREE CITY' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Drug dealers in Copenhagen's hippy colony, Christiana, went on strike
yesterday to protest against proposals to bulldoze the alternative
"free city". | ||||||||||||||||||
Some politicians, mainly from the ruling Liberal party, have called for
the 30-year-old colony to be demolished to make way for an urban
renewal scheme. | ||||||||||||||||||
"All trade has been stopped since this morning and we do not know how
long this strike will take, maybe days, maybe months," said Pernilla
Hansen at the Christiania information office. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We want to show the government that an open market for soft drugs is
better then forcing people on to streets where much harder stuff is
sold illegally," she said. | ||||||||||||||||||
The 30-hectare former military compound bordering central Copenhagen
was occupied by hippy squatters in 1971 and declared an autonomous
"free city". | ||||||||||||||||||
With a population of around 1,000, it is one of Copenhagen's most
popular tourist attractions, visited by 500,000 people a year, many to
buy soft drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-9) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
In Washington last week, the Supreme Court decided to take another
case regarding police searches without warrants. Naturally, the case
involved drugs. Also in Washington, there's a new head honcho at the
DEA, and for the first time, it's a woman. | ||||||||||||||||||
A report from Utah suggests many local methamphetamine labs have been closed by police, but the crackdown hasn't stopped the trade. Imports from Mexico are now replacing the domestic supply. In other meth news, a Missouri county will now require drug stores to track any customers purchasing more than one box of decongestant at a time. | ||||||||||||||||||
Non-prescription motion sickness medication is also under special
surveillance in some Wisconsin pharmacies. The tougher policies were
enacted after some young people reportedly tried to use the pills to
get high. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(5) SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW POLICE TRAFFIC-ARREST POWER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court said Monday it will consider the
scope of police power to arrest all occupants of a car during a traffic
stop, agreeing to look at a case in which everyone in a car denied
knowledge of drugs and a roll of cash found inside. The case from
Maryland continues a line of Supreme Court cases clarifying when
officers have probable cause and can apprehend someone without a
warrant. In this case, the court will consider whether it was an
unconstitutional stretch for the officer to link the front-seat
passenger to drugs found in a back armrest, and then to arrest all
three people in the car. | ||||||||||||||||||
Twenty states had urged the court to hear the case, involving a 1999
early-morning traffic stop in Baltimore County that yielded $763 in the
glove compartment and five baggies of cocaine in an armrest in the
backseat. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Countless times each day, officers make traffic stops and uncover
contraband in multipassenger situations. Police need the clarity of
authority to know who may be arrested in such cases," Maryland Attorney
General Joseph Curran argued in a court filing. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(6) PRESIDENT TO NOMINATE 1ST WOMAN AS DRUG CZAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
President Bush yesterday announced his intention to nominate Karen P. Tandy, head of the Justice Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, as the new chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration. | ||||||||||||||||||
If confirmed by the Senate, she would be the first woman ever to head the
anti-drug agency. | ||||||||||||||||||
A veteran prosecutor, she would replace acting administrator John B.
Brown III, a longtime drug agent who was named in January to succeed
former Rep. Asa Hutchinson. The Arkansas Republican had left the agency
to become undersecretary for border and transportation security at the
new Department of Homeland Security. | ||||||||||||||||||
In his announcement, Mr. Bush noted that Mrs. Tandy, a deputy associate
attorney general, had previously served as both chief of litigation in
the Justice Department's asset-forfeiture office and as deputy chief
for narcotics and dangerous drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(7) METH LABS ON THE RUN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The hometown meth cook is an endangered species. | ||||||||||||||||||
Laws tracking the sale of methamphetamine ingredients have crippled the
labs that once dotted Utah and have created an opening for cartels
south of the border. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The Mexican trafficking groups have flooded the market with
methamphetamine," said Barry Jamison, special agent in charge of the
Drug Enforcement Administration office in Utah. | ||||||||||||||||||
As an example, Jamison points to the March 6 federal grand jury
indictment of 24 people who, prosecutors say, operated the largest meth
trafficking ring in state history. | ||||||||||||||||||
The DEA estimates the group moved more than 300 pounds of imported meth
from California and Mexico throughout the Salt Lake Valley each year,
bringing in profits estimated at nearly $5 million. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(8) ARNOLD HOPES ITS ANTI-METH LAW WILL BE A MODEL FOR OTHER CITIES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
New Measure Restricts Sale Of Drug's Key Ingredient | ||||||||||||||||||
Arnold officials tout new anti-drug measure | ||||||||||||||||||
Arnold leaders are hoping local governments throughout Missouri follow the lead of Jefferson County's largest city and pass laws that further restrict the sale of pseudoephedrine, the active ingredient in many cold medicines that also can be used to make methamphetamine. | ||||||||||||||||||
Last week the City Council approved the state's toughest law
restricting the sale of pseudoephedrine. The ordinance will force
stores selling cold pills to keep a record of all customers who buy
more than one box of the medicine at a time. Stores must keep
pseudoephedrine-sales records for at least six months and let police
inspect them on demand. | ||||||||||||||||||
Area retailers and an industry group representing the pseudoephedrine
manufacturers oppose the law. But the councilman who wrote it says he
will push other cities to follow Arnold's lead. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(9) STORES RESTRICT DRAMAMINE SALES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
MERRILL -- Merrill retailers are closely monitoring and restricting
sales of Dramamine after the Police Department investigated a case in
which two teenage girls took large doses of the motion sickness
medicine for a hallucinogenic high. | ||||||||||||||||||
Customers must ask for Dramamine at some stores that now keep the
over-the-counter drug behind service desks to supervise its sales. Two
stores - Johnson Pharmacy and Dave's County Market - have taken the
medicine off their main shelves. | ||||||||||||||||||
Other stores will ask purchasers for an ID as they do with alcohol and
cigarettes. At most places, suspicious sales of multiple boxes of the
medicine will be refused. | ||||||||||||||||||
Merrill Police Chief Neil Strobel sent a letter earlier this month alerting store owners and managers that local teens could be trying to buy multiple packages of Drama-mine. The letter stemmed from a Feb. 23 incident in which two 17-year-old girls told officers they took 10 to 20 motion sickness pills and that other teens often do the same. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (10-13) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Money concerns from prisons and police seem to have the two
institutions working at cross purposes. Prisons are looking to save
money, and yet another study indicated that can be done by diverting
non-violent drug offender saway from incarceration and toward
treatment. The trend of considering easing up on drug offenders has
reached the point where Arkansas legislature is even considering
cutting the terms of some methamphetamine offenders. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police, on the other hand, want more drug arrests with more assets to
seize. In North Carolina, a county sheriff's department that had been
scandalized by drug corruption is now happily and aggressively seeking
out drug money after officers took a course offering higher returns on
drug busts. And a South Carolina sheriff has hired a lawyer in hopes
of getting a bigger cut of an asset forfeiture from which he believes
his agency was shortchanged. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(10) PILOT PROGRAM TO TAKE NONVIOLENT DRUG OFFENDERS OUT OF PRISON (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A pilot program to take nonviolent drug dealers out of prison and put
them into rehabilitation and job training programs has a much higher
success rate and costs far less than throwing them behind bars, a new
study has found. The results of the study don't surprise one man
involved in drug treatment services. "We knew that way before the
studies came out," said Alex Borowski, executive director of F.O.C.U.S.
Inc., a drug and alcohol treatment service. Borowski is involved in the
drug court program in Sequoyah County. He said a great number of
Oklahoma inmates are in prisons for non-violent offenses and the state
locks up more women than other states for non-violent offenses ranging
from bad checks to those with substance abuse problems. "Prisons are
for people who are a threat to society," Borowski said. "It's never
solved our social ills. | ||||||||||||||||||
Some people come out of prison in worse shape than when they entered
the Department of Corrections." He said there are a lot of drugs in the
state's prisons. Borowski said the cost of keeping a person in prison
is approximately $20,000 a year compared to $1,800 a year to send the
person through a drug court program. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(11) ARK. COMMITTEE OK'S BILL TO SHORTEN SENTENCES FOR METH TRAFFICKING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
LITTLE ROCK (AP) -- A state senator who has led the legislative
crackdown on methamphetamine won a committee endorsement Thursday of a
bill that would shorten the sentences of some convicts doing time for
meth trafficking. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sen. Jack Critcher (D-Grubbs) said he offered his bill to pre-empt
other legislation that might do more to weaken sentencing laws
requiring convicts to do 70 percent of their time. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It's an effective tool for the prosecutors. They've got to have it,
and I don't want to see 70 percent repealed," Critcher said. "But if
this is not passed, then something stronger is going to be passed to
make it retroactive or repeal it altogether, and I don't want that to
happen." | ||||||||||||||||||
A bill by Rep. Sam Ledbetter (D-Little Rock) would repeal the 70
percent law. | ||||||||||||||||||
Critcher's bill, approved by the Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs, would grant meritorious "good time" to meth offenders convicted on or after July 1, effectively cutting a sentence under the 70 percent law in half to 35 percent of their sentence. | ||||||||||||||||||
The panel also approved another Critcher bill that would grant inmates another 90 days a year in good time for not pretending to be sick. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(12) DRUG PATROLS INTENSIFY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
LEXINGTON -- Just six weeks ago, some Davidson County sheriff's
deputies took classes to learn how to find and seize drugs and cash on
the interstate. Since then, the sheriff's office said it has seized
about $400,000 and eight vehicles. | ||||||||||||||||||
The biggest drug seizure by the six-person drug-interdiction unit came
Friday afternoon, when deputies found 5 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside
a battery of a car that they stopped on Interstate 85. The cocaine has a
street value of about $1 million, deputies said. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We're out here every day -- seven days a week," Sheriff Gerald Hege
said. "We've barely been out of school six weeks." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Many of the drivers stopped on I-85 are pulled over for such actions as
changing lanes without using a turn signal, weaving from side to side or
having a cracked windshield. | ||||||||||||||||||
Deputies such as Mark Vanzant of Davidson's drug-interdiction unit are
trained to identify indicators of drug trafficking. If there are enough
suspicious indicators at a traffic stop, deputies often run a dog around
the vehicle to find drugs or weapons. Deputies said they do not like to
give specifics about the things they look for, fearing that would provide
helpful information to drug traffickers. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(13) SHERIFF WANTS MORE OF BURKHART FORTUNE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The distribution of cash and property from the estate of a suspected drug
kingpin has left the Anderson County Sheriff's Office with less than what
Sheriff Gene Taylor believes his department deserves, and he has hired an
attorney in an attempt to get a larger share. | ||||||||||||||||||
The department has so far received more than $61,000 from the nearly $800,000 seized from the estate of William "Ronnie" Burkhart, but that doesn't even cover what the office spent in helping to investigate the Burkhart case, according to a motion filed in civil court Wednesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
In an agreement reached Feb. 18, Circuit Court Judge J.C. "Buddy" Nicholson ordered that half of the cash from the Burkhart fortune should be "donated" to the Oconee County Sheriff's Office and in turn distributed to the Anderson County Sheriff's Office, the State Law Enforcement Division, the Pickens County Sheriff's Office and the 10th Circuit Solicitor's Office. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sheriff Taylor said he wasn't included in the negotiations leading to that
agreement. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (14-18) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
How important is good ganja to the Jamaican music scene? It depends on
who you talk to, but a report from the country indicates its crucial
for many artists and fans. | ||||||||||||||||||
While some debate about marijuana's influence on creative ability is
understandable, news from around the world shows that the debate on
medical marijuana is virtually over. Cannabis is slowly becoming
embedded in mainstream medical practices. Medicinal cannabis is now
available from Dutch pharmacies, while the UK expects to have
cannabis-based medications available in pharmacies there by the end of
the year. | ||||||||||||||||||
But there's still more research to be done, and our own director of
communications here at DrugSense is leading the way in Canada.
Philippe Lucas, who usually compiles the cannabis section you're
reading now in DrugSense Weekly, is studying how different strains of
marijuana can best help sick people who need it through the Vancouver
Island Compassion Club. Philippe has been on a short sabatical from
his duties at DSW, but clearly his work continues. | ||||||||||||||||||
And while the rest of the world tries to figure out the best way make
medical cannabis effective for patients who need it, it's a different
story in the United States. Professional prohibitionists like
Florida's drug czar continue to stand by their assertions that
marijuana can't be medicine. Such carefully calculated idiocy would be
laughable if it weren't so devastating for American patients, and
Florida's czar is heartless enough not to flinch when confronted by
those patients. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(14) MUSIC HIGH, TRUTH OR LIE? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"Just gimme the light and pass the dro..." Sean Paul - 'Gimme De
Light'"Blaze up the chalwa, likkle but mi tallawah." Sizzla- 'Give It
To Dem' "Weed is life, just face reality..." Roundhead - 'Weed Is Life'
"Excuse me while I light my spliff. Good God I gotta take a lift." Bob
Marley - 'Easy Skanking' | ||||||||||||||||||
THESE ARE but a few expressions of Jamaican singers' and deejays' reverence for cannabis, a.k.a marijuana, also known as weed, herb, high-grade and ganja, amongst other names. Marijuana is a staple at reggae and dancehall events. It is never advertised on the show's bill, but it is always used to 'build a vibes' amongst the patrons and is usually available in large quantities from independent retailers. | ||||||||||||||||||
Ironically, when the fog from the many spliffs and occasional chalice
clears a bit, a police officer is usually seen a stone's throw away
from the individuals getting high. It is as if a secret resolution was
passed decriminalising the personal use of marijuana when it is 'blazed
up' in the confines of the dancehall. | ||||||||||||||||||
The 'weed' link between music fans and those who make the music is very
strong. Artistes, musicians and producers in the music business have
stated in no uncertain terms that marijuana has, is and will continue
to be intrinsic to the success of Jamaican music. | ||||||||||||||||||
According to these herb advocates, they make better music when they use
marijuana. They are of the mindset that as long as they are under the
influence of marijuana, they will come up with sweet music guaranteed
to make the fans dance. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(15) MARIJUANA NOW LEGAL IN DUTCH PHARMACIES | ||||||||||||||||||
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Just what the doctor ordered? | ||||||||||||||||||
Pharmacies may fill prescriptions for marijuana and patients can get
the cost covered by insurance, according to a law that went into effect
Monday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Doctors in the famously liberal Netherlands have long recommended
marijuana to cancer patients as an appetite enhancer and to combat pain
and nausea. But it is usually bought at one of the country's 800
"coffee shops," where the plant is sold openly while police look the
other way. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The health minister said, look, doctors are prescribing marijuana to
their patients anyway, and there are many medicinal users, so we may as
well regulate it," said Bas Kuik, a spokesman for the Dutch Ministry of
Health. | ||||||||||||||||||
The law also seeks to standardize levels of THC, the psychoactive
chemical found in marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(16) CANNABIS TO BE IN CHEMISTS THIS YEAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
HIGH street chemists will dispense cannabis-based prescription
medicines for the first time in 30 years, the Government announced
yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Bob Ainsworth, a junior minister at the Home Office, said that a company that was licensed to carry out clinical trials had given an "extremely positive" report to the Medicines Control Agency. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mr Ainsworth told the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee: "We could
be in a situation to make cannabis-derived medicines available before
the end of the year." | ||||||||||||||||||
GW Pharmaceuticals is testing an under-the-tongue spray that could be
prescribed to patients for multiple sclerosis as well as for nerve
damage pain and disturbed sleep. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Home Office said: "The Home Secretary said some time ago that he
would be prepared to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act to allow the
prescription of cannabis-based medicine as a form of pain relief. But
that's only if clinical trials establish that there are therapeutic
benefits." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(17) REEFER RESEARCH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Vancouver Island Compassion Club Is Doing More Med-Pot Research
Than Anyone Else in North America. | ||||||||||||||||||
Philippe Lucas, founder of the Vancouver Island Compassion Society, is
working on some exciting research into the effects of medicinal
cannabis. | ||||||||||||||||||
In an exclusive interview with Cannabis Culture, Lucas explained that
most studies into medical cannabis have been limited to research in
test-tubes and on animals. Lucas is working with medical cannabis clubs
across Canada to find out more about the effects of marijuana,
specifically looking to find how different strains of cannabis affect
various ailments. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It has long been known that certain strains are more effective in
alleviating certain symptoms," explained Lucas. "A general rule of
thumb is that Indicas, because of their more narcotic effect, are
typically better at alleviating generalized pain than Sativas, which
appear to be more effective in treating dystonic movement disorders
such as MS or epilepsy." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(18) REEFER MAD MAN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
James McDonough is fuming. McDonough, Florida's first drug czar, is
sitting on a makeshift dais in a ballroom of the Orlando Renaissance
Hotel March 14 as part of a three-member panel convened for a town-hall
meeting on substance-abuse policy. The panel was put together by groups
for and against relaxing drug laws. McDonough, though, is clearly tired
of answering questions from the former. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I do enjoy the occasional joint or so," says Brian Cregger, a
University of Central Florida staff engineer and former vice president
of UCF's NORML chapter. "There are good people out there who [smoke
pot]." | ||||||||||||||||||
To which McDonough gives his standard reply: "Marijuana is a gateway drug. The more you liberalize drug laws, the more grief you will buy." | ||||||||||||||||||
The next questioner accuses McDonough of massaging pot-use statistics
to make his policies look successful. You can almost see the steam
coming from his ears. "No kidding. [Marijuana use] is down. The science
is absolute. It's a bad drug." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (19-23) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
With visions of a drug-free utopia dancing in his head, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra last week affirmed, "We are quite positive that we can eliminate drugs from Thai soil." Human rights groups may cry foul over police death squads, and even the Thai government admits that about 2,000 people have been killed in the crackdown, but the Thai Prime Minister stands pat: he is pleased with such results. For drug users "the government has set two options for them, either it is prison or a temple cemetery," thundered the Thai PM, who explained each drug user "will become a drug dealer." The Thai regime's wrath is not limited to the death-squad massacres of drug users within its own borders: "If possible, we would launch a strike on Mong Yawn" (in the nation of Myanmar), rattled the PM. Why? Because "it was built with drug money." Meanwhile, some 95 Thai "military officers" were caught up in drug trafficking since the February start of the drug-user killings, according to an Australian Broadcasting Corporation report. | ||||||||||||||||||
As with neighboring Bolivia, coca production in Peru is increasing.
Traditional farmers in Peru have organized and are fighting back
against US-led eradication efforts. On the one hand, pressured by the
US to kill as many coca plants as possible, and on the other hand, by
a grass-roots peasant coca-growers' movement, the Peruvian government
chose to arrest Nelson Palomino, a leader in the movement, reported
the Washington Post last week. "The government thinks that by
imprisoning me," said Palomino, "it will cut off and paralyze the
farmers." | ||||||||||||||||||
The Australian "heroin drought" has coincidentally occurred as illegal
amphetamine production and prescription drug use increased, claimed a
report by the Australian government. In addition to the increases in
speed production and usage, others were said to be turning to
"depressants", "pharmaceutical opiates" including morphine, and
"Ecstasy." | ||||||||||||||||||
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(19) THAI DRUG WAR TOLL NEARS 2,000 (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"We are quite positive that we can eliminate drugs from Thai soil" --
Thai Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra Thai police have said that
1,897 people have been killed since a controversial crackdown on drugs
was launched on 1 February. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The campaign's high death toll has prompted international criticism and
allegations from human rights groups that the government has encouraged
the police to operate a "shoot-to-kill" policy. | ||||||||||||||||||
But Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said he was pleased
with the crackdown's success. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Speaking to the BBC's Tony Cheng, Mr Thaksin vowed to continue the
campaign and rid Thailand of drugs by the end of April. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(20) JAIL OR DEATH FOR DEALERS: PM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
There are two options in dealing with drug dealers - prison or the
cemetery, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said yesterday as he urged
police and other officials to keep working hard in the government's war
on drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"If there are any drug addicts, that person must be cured because if we leave him or her that way, they will become a drug dealer and the vicious drug cycle will continue," the prime minister said. | ||||||||||||||||||
"For those who are still selling drugs, the government has set two options for them, either it is prison or a temple cemetery," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
If possible, we would launch a strike on Mong Yawn, which is close to the northern Thai border, because it was built with drug money. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
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(21) THAI MILITARY OFFICERS IMPLICATED IN DRUG CRIMES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Thai government says 95 military officers have been implicated in
drug trafficking since an anti-drug campaign was launched in early
February. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
More than 900 government officials have also been implicated in drug
trafficking since Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra declared a
three-month war on drugs on February 1. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police say the crackdown has led to the deaths of about 2,000 people. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police have admitted to killing 42 people in self-defence, and have blamed the rest of the murders on drug dealers turning on each other. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(22) COCA TRADE BOOMING AGAIN IN PERU (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
U.S.-Sponsored Eradication Plans Spark Peasant Protests | ||||||||||||||||||
SAN FRANCISCO, Peru -- The mountain slopes that rise around this town
in Peru's high eastern jungle were the site of a rare success story in
the U.S. war on drugs. But the resilient Andean drug industry is
flowing back into the Apurimac River Valley, testing a model
partnership in Washington's increasingly aggressive counter-drug
campaign. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
U.S.-sponsored aerial herbicide spraying in Colombia reduced the number
of acres devoted to coca cultivation there last year by 15 percent,
according to CIA measurements, and by 30 percent, according to the
United Nations. But in Peru the acreage devoted to coca jumped 8
percent. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
For the first time, the U.S. and Peruvian governments this year intend
to pull up coca crops by force in the Apurimac and Upper Huallaga river
valleys, unless peasants agree to eradicate their crops in return for
financial assistance. Until now, most forced eradication has been
confined to remote secondary producing regions safe from mass peasant
mobilization. The Apurimac and Upper Huallaga, by contrast, are the two
primary sources of Peruvian coca and historic redoubts of guerrilla
insurgency. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Peru's coca farmers in this riverside town and in the Upper Huallaga to the north have staged demonstrations since last August against impending eradication programs. The marches and blockades are the stirrings of a grass-roots peasant movement in favor of legalized coca production that resembles one underway in neighboring Bolivia. | ||||||||||||||||||
Last month, Peruvian police arrested Nelson Palomino, the president of
a national network of coca growers formed in January. Palomino, who
worked a scruffy three-acre parcel of coca near this town of 30,000
people, was imprisoned in Ayacucho, 50 miles southwest of here, on
charges of inciting terrorism and kidnapping. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"My arrest was fundamentally political," said Palomino, 40, in a prison interview conducted through his attorney. "The government thinks that by imprisoning me it will cut off and paralyze the farmers." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(23) ADDICTS OPT FOR HEROIN SUBSTITUTES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Tight Supply Pushes Users To Opiates, Ecstasy, Says Report | ||||||||||||||||||
AUSTRALIA'S deepening heroin drought coincides with an increase in
clandestine amphetamine production and abuse of prescription drugs,
according to the latest Australian Crime Commission report on illicit
drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The report said that almost 60 per cent of injecting drug users had used depressants recently to supplement their drug use, with 23 per cent using pharmaceutical opiates and 18 per cent using morphine. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
In contrast, increased use and potency of amphetamines was reported by
police and health agencies across Australia in 2001-02. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Letters To MAP Celebrate 100,000th News Clipping | ||||||||||||||||||
Read how dozens of activists and organizations responded to a milestone
for MAP. | ||||||||||||||||||
For more details, see DrugSense Weekly's feature article further down
in this newsletter. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
New Homeland Security Department Appoints First-Ever Counter Narcotics
"Czar" | ||||||||||||||||||
News from www.norml.org | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
MPP Defeats White House Drug Czar in Maryland | ||||||||||||||||||
News from www.mpp.org | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
DEA Final Rule on Hemp Foods Challenged | ||||||||||||||||||
News from www.votehemp.com | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Doctors Should Work On Reforming Drug Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
By Dr. Mett Ausley | ||||||||||||||||||
The local physicians convicted of prescription fraud were despicably
unprofessional and offer little in mitigation except incredible naivete
in believing their actions would go unnoticed. The Sun News correctly
notes that "ordinary" pushers receive stiff sentences ("Clinic Doctors
No Better Than Pushers," Feb. 26), but decades-long imprisonment for
such drug offenses merits no more respect as justice than do these
doctors as healers. | ||||||||||||||||||
Today's drug policy barely maintains linkage to reality, much less social hygiene or law and order. Instead, it is a gravy train driven by arrogant bureaucrats and opportunistic politicians who gull unsophisticated voters into handing them ever more authority and largesse. Addressing failure by redoubling it perpetuates this cycle to their advantage. Reform hasn't penetrated this racket since inception. | ||||||||||||||||||
Indifferent doctors should consider that public outcry over the mass
incarceration of poor and nonwhite drug offenders has prompted drug
authorities to find new victims among affluent whites, in a pretense of
balancing the scales. Accordingly, the recent crackdown on rogue
physicians carries a hidden agenda of misleading the public that
doctors' malfeasance exclusively underlies prescription drug abuse,
shamelessly exploiting class resentment to this end. | ||||||||||||||||||
Already, the Drug Enforcement Administration is proposing to double physicians' registration fees, heralding more scrutiny and harassment of doctors who prescribe narcotics. Rather than meekly acquiescing, doctors would better serve their own and the public's interest by exposing the underlying corruption and joining the call for broad reforms based on humanitarian principles and social welfare. | ||||||||||||||||||
Dr. Mett Ausley Jr. | ||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
MAP Draws Praise from Drug Policy Circles Worldwide | ||||||||||||||||||
By Media Awareness Project Staff | ||||||||||||||||||
What happens when you reach a milestone? Achieve a high point? You probably receive letters of congratulations from your friends and colleagues praising your accomplishment and wishing you more successes. | ||||||||||||||||||
This is what has just happened to the Media Awareness Project (MAP). On Sunday, 23 March 2003, the 100,000th article was posted on MAP. You can view it at http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n437/a08.html | ||||||||||||||||||
Here's what a few of our friends had to say about this achievement: | ||||||||||||||||||
- "As you prepare to log your 100,000th news clipping, may I take the
opportunity to congratulate you and to thank you profoundly for what
you have done to promote intelligent, informed discussion on drug
policy issues in Canada and around the world. I can think of no other
web site on which I rely so heavily and consistently to determine the
pulse of drug policy." Eugene Oscapella, Co-founder, Canadian
Foundation for Drug Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
- "MAP/DrugSense has become an indispensable player helping to ensure
the rapid expansion of drug policy reform efforts like no other
organization. When we succeed in our common effort to end the
disastrous war on drugs, MAP/DrugSense will be seen as a key player in
our success and a model for future social justice activism." Kevin
Zeese, President, Common Sense for Drug Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
- "MAP/DrugSense is the glue that holds the reform community together.
It's not just news, but so much more. It's the grass roots activism of
the state Drug Policy Forums and listserves. It's the community of the
chatroom. It's the camaraderie of dedicated volunteers from all over
the world. It's many dozens of great LTE writers whose devotion has
helped change public opinion towards reform." Gary Storck, Drug Policy
Forum of Wisconsin | ||||||||||||||||||
- "This volunteer effort is probably the largest and most effective volunteer program that has ever been mounted in the thirty-plus year history of the drug policy reform movement. I thank every volunteer and funder for making my work more effective, and saving me very valuable time." Eric Sterling, President, Criminal Justice Policy Foundation | ||||||||||||||||||
- "Thank you for doing such a superb job and enabling me to make the research and archival component of my work so easy. Simply said, I'd be absolutely lost with you!" Virginia Resner, President, Green Aid: The Medical Marijuana Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||
These accolades and more are archived at | ||||||||||||||||||
This event represents the remarkable combined effort of thousands of
individuals like yourself, who have in some way been involved with MAP.
Whatever your level of involvement, we at DrugSense thank you so much
for your effort and continued support. | ||||||||||||||||||
Please take one more moment to make a generous donation to DrugSense.
Not only do your efforts on our part account for MAP's notable success,
your dollars help keep this vital service going. | ||||||||||||||||||
Imagine for one moment the debate about drugs without DrugSense or the
MAP archive. Imagine the $150 million dollar governmentally-sponsored
anti-drug media campaign without rebuttal. Imagine trying to learn
about the Rosenthal case, the WAMM raid, or Swiss heroin maintenance
programs without an organization dedicated to collecting more than
100,000 articles about drugs and drug policy. | ||||||||||||||||||
Donating to DrugSense is easy. You can even use your credit card.
Please visit http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm. If you prefer to mail
a check, please make it payable to DrugSense or MAP Inc and send it to
14252 Culver Drive #328, Irvine, CA, 92604-0326. | ||||||||||||||||||
Again, thanks to all of our dedicated supporters. We all share in
celebrating this incredible MAP milestone. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"Young people don't wake up one day knowing how to acquire illegal
drugs like cocaine, heroin or even marijuana, nor do they know the
techniques for consuming them. Rather, they have to be taught how to
locate drugs, how to prepare them for use, and the best ways to inject,
snort or smoke them." -- John Walters, director of the Office of
National Drug Control Policy. For more information see | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
DS Weekly is one of the many free educational services DrugSense offers
our members. Watch this feature to learn more about what DrugSense can
do for you. | ||||||||||||||||||
TO SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, OR UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS: | ||||||||||||||||||
Please utilize the following URLs | ||||||||||||||||||
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Policy and Law Enforcement/Prison content selection and analysis by
Stephen Young (), Cannabis/Hemp content
selection and analysis by special guest editor Matt Elrod
(), International content selection and analysis
by Doug Snead (), Layout by Matt Elrod
() | ||||||||||||||||||
We wish to thank all our contributors, editors, NewsHawks and letter writing activists. Please help us help reform. Become a NewsHawk See http://www.mapinc.org/hawk.htm for info on contributing clippings. | ||||||||||||||||||
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