| July 18, 2003 #309 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
(1) HEAD OF MEDICAL-POT PROGRAM RESIGNS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
OTTAWA -- Health Canada's medical marijuana program seems gripped by chaos after the departure of its boss, Cindy Cripps-Prawak. | ||||||||||||||||||
Ms. Cripps-Prawak left her job as director of the Office of Cannabis
Medical Access last week, Health Canada spokeswoman Jirina Vlk
confirmed yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||
It's the second recent resignation from the marijuana program. Greg
Robinson, a doctor who has AIDS, resigned from Health Canada's advisory
committee because of what he described as inconsistencies in the access
program. | ||||||||||||||||||
Ms. Cripps-Prawak left last Friday, two days after the department
introduced a plan to distribute medical marijuana through doctors'
offices. The interim plan was introduced in response to an Ontario
court ruling that patients had to be given some legal means of
obtaining the drug, and doctors and patients have criticized it with
equal vehemence. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Canadian Medical Association has strongly advised doctors not to
participate. | ||||||||||||||||||
Ms. Vlk said Ms. Cripps-Prawak was promoted to a job in another
department, and her move had nothing to do with the new plan: "It was
decided many months ago that she was leaving." | ||||||||||||||||||
But Robert Goyer, chairman of Health Canada's advisory committee on
medical marijuana, said he was not surprised that Ms. Cripps-Prawak had
left. "Quite frankly, I wonder why would anybody stay in that job so
long," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(2) GOVERNOR OFFERS LEGISLATION TO SOFTEN HARSH DRUG LAWS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
ALBANY, July 15 -- Gov. George E. Pataki today released the details of his latest plan to soften New York's mandatory sentences for drug crimes, putting forward a bill he urged the State Legislature to pass. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I think it's a very sound compromise, and I think it represents, really, a historic opportunity to reform these laws," Mr. Pataki said. | ||||||||||||||||||
But any chance of consensus seemed to evaporate quickly, as the
speaker of the State Assembly, Sheldon Silver, a Democrat, laced into
Mr. Pataki's proposal, saying it fell far short of reforming the
Rockefeller-era drug laws, which all sides in Albany agree are too
harsh. | ||||||||||||||||||
In the next breath, Mr. Silver opened the door for more negotiations,
calling for the Senate to join a conference committee on the matter.
But officials in the Senate rejected that move as insincere and an
effort to stall. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The conference committee is a vehicle that is useful when the
Legislature is in session, not out," said John E. McArdle, a spokesman
for the Senate majority leader, Joseph L. Bruno, a Republican. "And
you have to question his motives for calling one when the Legislature
is out of session." | ||||||||||||||||||
By the end of the day, one thing was clear: A debate that has dragged
on for years in Albany was still not resolved despite another round of
heated rhetoric, an earnest last-minute scramble at the session's
close in June to find middle ground and another push by the governor
to reach an agreement to change the laws. | ||||||||||||||||||
The perennial effort could be called Exhibit A for Albany's
dysfunction, many outside the state capital say. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(3) TERROR CHARGES FILED IN WATAUGA DRUG CASE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
DA Hopes Law Will End Spread Of Meth Labs | ||||||||||||||||||
BOONE-A prosecutor in Watauga County is using a law intended to combat
terrorism to fight the spread of clandestine methamphetamine
laboratories in Northwest North Carolina. | ||||||||||||||||||
Jerry Wilson, the district attorney for Watauga County, has charged
Martin Dwayne Miller, 24, of Todd with two counts of manufacturing a
nuclear or chemical weapon in connection with a methamphetamine arrest
Friday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Miller also is charged with eight other drug-related offenses. | ||||||||||||||||||
'This is a two-edged sword,' Wilson said. 'Not only is the drug
methamphetamine in itself a threat to both society and those using it,
but the toxic compounds and deadly gases created as side products are
also real threats. I feel that, as a prosecutor, I have to address
this. Something has to be done to protect society. | ||||||||||||||||||
'These chemicals will stay around long after these labs are gone.'
Wilson said he decided to use the weapons of mass destruction law -
which carries a sentence ranging from 12 years to life in prison on
each count - while researching ways to slow the advance of
methamphetamine into the region. | ||||||||||||||||||
The most serious drug charges related to methamphetamine carry much
lighter sentences. | ||||||||||||||||||
The law reads, in part, that the term nuclear, biological or chemical
weapon of mass destruction applies to 'any substance that is designed
or has the capability to cause death or serious injury and ... is or
contains toxic or poisonous chemicals or their immediate
precursors.' | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(4) ECUADOR FOREIGN MIN CRITICIZES COLOMBIAN FUMIGATION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
QUITO - Colombia's effort to eradicate drugs in the border area is
damaging Ecuadorean crops, rivers, soil and people's health, Foreign
Minister Nina Pacari said Wednesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
"(Colombian) fumigation has caused serious damage," she said, adding
that Colombia has failed to respect a 2002 agreement that created a
six-mile buffer zone in the border area. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The verbal agreement has not been fulfilled and we want to safeguard
legal crops for the development of the border zone in Ecuador," she
said. | ||||||||||||||||||
The aerial spraying, carried out under the U.S.-backed Plan Colombia,
is aimed at eradicating plantations of coca, the raw material used to
make cocaine. | ||||||||||||||||||
Colombian and U.S. officials have given repeated assurances that the
chemical used, a variant of the popular backyard fertilizer Roundup,
is ecologically harmless and safe to humans. They say the eradication
push only targets large-scale coca and opium plantations operated by
drug traffickers. | ||||||||||||||||||
Ecuadoreans, however, say it harms people, animals, crops and
ecosystems. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
In Colombia, meanwhile, in late June a court ordered the government to
suspend its U.S.-backed program to spray herbicides on drug crops
until more is known about the effects on human health and the
environment. | ||||||||||||||||||
The government plans to appeal the ruling and has stated it will
continue the fumigation while the appeal is pending. | ||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Free speech and doctor-patient relations are under attack from
another direction this week. White House officials asked the U.S.
Supreme Court to condone punishment for doctors who recommend
medical marijuana. This move toward a more unholy policy did not get
nearly as much media attention as the Office of National Drug
Control Policy's efforts to co-opt religion into the drug war. ONDCP
officials are hoping government propaganda will be spread in church
youth groups throughout the nation. More likely the credibility of
religion will be diminished for many young people by being
associated with the morally challenged drug warriors. | ||||||||||||||||||
In an apparent act of strong faith, Kentucky courts continue to
allow the imprisonment of a man because a drug suspect sounded like
a black male. And, can a Michigan judge order a drug-using mother to
utilize birth control? He did already, now it's up to an appeals
court to decide if he was within his power. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(5) WHITE HOUSE ESCALATES WAR ON MEDICAL POT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Bush administration, pressing its campaign against state medical
marijuana laws, has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to let federal
authorities punish California doctors who recommend pot to their
patients. | ||||||||||||||||||
The administration would revoke the federal prescription licenses of
doctors who tell their patients marijuana would help them, a
prerequisite for obtaining the drug under the state's voter-approved
medical marijuana law. | ||||||||||||||||||
Justice Department lawyers this week asked the high court to take up
the issue in its next term, which begins in October. The department
is appealing a ruling by an appellate court in San Francisco that
said the proposed penalties would violate the freedom of speech of
both doctors and patients. | ||||||||||||||||||
If the justices agree to review the case, it would be their first
look at medical marijuana since May 2001, when they upheld the
federal government's authority to close down a pot dispensary in
Oakland and others in the state. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(6) DRUG WAR ENLISTS CHURCH YOUTH GROUPS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration's latest effort to expand the
role of religious organizations in government services enlists
church-based youth groups in antidrug programs. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Office of National Drug Control Policy is offering guides,
brochures and a Web site with information for leaders of religious
youth groups to use in teaching - or preaching - a message against
the use of marijuana and other drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Religious institutions are an enormously powerful influence on
young people," John P. Walters, director of the office, said in
announcing the program yesterday. "A lot of faith-based communities
don't know how to talk about drug. use. There's a need for a tool
like this." | ||||||||||||||||||
A study published in March by the American Psychological Association
found that teenagers were less likely to use marijuana if they
thought religion was important to their lives. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(7) CONVICTION BASED ON 'SOUNDING BLACK' ELEVATES STEREOTYPE TO (Top)EVIDENCE | ||||||||||||||||||
The other day we ran a short story in the newspaper about the latest development in the Charles Clifford case in Northern Kentucky. | ||||||||||||||||||
Clifford was convicted of trafficking in crack cocaine. He was
sentenced to 20 years as a persistent felon after a trial standing
for the proposition that African Americans can be identified as
"black" by the sound of their voice over a wire. | ||||||||||||||||||
The trial judge allowed testimony from a police officer concerning an alleged Covington area drug transaction, in which Clifford's voice was supposed to have "sounded as if it were a black male." | ||||||||||||||||||
This awful procedure was upheld by the state Supreme Court, so
Clifford's attorneys appealed. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Now remember, if you have forgotten the details in earlier stories,
that no physical evidence was introduced. | ||||||||||||||||||
No drugs. No money. No paraphernalia. | ||||||||||||||||||
Also, Detective William Birkenhauer conceded that he didn't see
Clifford with drugs and that he exchanged drugs and money not with
Clifford but with an informant of his own named Gary Vanover, who
is white. | ||||||||||||||||||
Vanover testified that the crack cocaine in question belonged to
him. It was Vanover who got the drugs from his own bathroom, made
the sale and promised more. | ||||||||||||||||||
He admitted all this, even though he knew it could cost him a longer
prison sentence. He said he didn't want Clifford to take the fall
for something he didn't do. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(8) EDITORIAL: A BAD MOM: JUDGE GOES TOO FAR BY ORDERING BIRTH (Top)CONTROL | ||||||||||||||||||
A Lapeer County judge clearly violated the privacy rights of the mother he ordered to submit to medically verifiable birth control. If the action is upheld by the Michigan Court of Appeals, it could open the door to sweeping abuses of women's reproductive rights. | ||||||||||||||||||
Judge Michael Higgins ordered the birth control because he believed
Renee Gamez was, essentially, a bad mother. | ||||||||||||||||||
The judge was right about that. | ||||||||||||||||||
Gamez, 37, has a heroin habit. She was arrested in December while
driving with drugs in her system and her daughters in the car. Her
two girls -- now 18 months and 3 years old -- were, properly, placed
in foster care. | ||||||||||||||||||
During a January family court hearing on Gamez's parental rights, Higgins said he wanted to prevent her from becoming a mother again, requiring her to prove she was using some form of birth control, such as an IUD. Her attorney objected, saying such birth control measures had in the past made Gamez ill. Too bad, the judge said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Weapons of mass destruction have been found ... in the back of
mobile homes throughout North Carolina. A district attorney is
charging the operator of an alleged home methamphetamine lab under a
state law designed to deal with terrorism. This is the first such
charge in the state, but it sounds like the DA is eager to go ahead
with more. | ||||||||||||||||||
In Alabama, a judge is ordering prison operators to explain why
incarcerated women don't have the same access to treatment programs
as male prisoners. In Oklahoma, a new panel hopes to explain why the
number of female prisoners is sky-rocketing. Drug crimes are sure to
be a major focus. | ||||||||||||||||||
And back in Alabama, a local politician's son was not charged in a
drug crime, even though he was caught with several gallon-sized bags
of marijuana. Police officials claim he's not being given special
treatment. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(9) DA USES NEW LAW IN METH LAB BUST (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A local prosecutor is using a law aimed at weapons of mass
destruction to combat the growth of methamphetamine laboratories in
Watauga County. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police arrested Martin Dwayne Miller, 24, of Todd Friday after
finding a lab allegedly used to manufacture the deadly drug at his
Little David's Road home July 12. | ||||||||||||||||||
What's makes the raid unique among the recent streak of meth lab arrests are the unique charges in connection with the case. | ||||||||||||||||||
Watauga County District Attorney Jerry Wilson charged Miller with
two counts of manufacturing a nuclear or chemical weapon - a state
anti-terrorism law passed after the Sept. 11 attacks. | ||||||||||||||||||
Due to the toxic nature of the chemicals used in a meth lab, police
and Wilson said the arrest falls under the new law. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(10) JUDGE SUMMONS PRISON OFFICIALS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Wilters Wants To Know Why Women's Drug Treatment Program He Ordered
Has Not Been Started | ||||||||||||||||||
BAY MINETTE -- A Baldwin County judge has ordered officials from the Alabama Department of Corrections to explain why they have failed to comply with his order to create a drug treatment program for women prisoners that is comparable to the one available to men. | ||||||||||||||||||
But it remains unclear whether a county judge has the authority to
do so. | ||||||||||||||||||
"That's not the normal place that you argue these issues," said
Baldwin County District Attorney David Whetstone, who suggested that
lawyers for the state prison system are likely to contend that the
judge cannot order changes to internal programs. | ||||||||||||||||||
Wilters issued his directive in April, when he revoked the probation
of Collene Dyas, 40, who tested positive for illegal drugs in
February. | ||||||||||||||||||
The judge ordered the Mobile woman to serve her 10-year prison
sentence on a 2000 cocaine possession conviction but also gave the
Department of Corrections 30 days to offer treatment comparable to
the New Outlook Therapeutic Community program available to male
prisoners. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(11) STATE'S HIGH RATE OF WOMEN INMATES FOCUS OF STUDY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Oklahoma has more women in prison per capita than any other state. | ||||||||||||||||||
A special task force trying to find out why met for the first time
Wednesday at the state Capitol. | ||||||||||||||||||
Members of the task force, which was created by the Legislature,
elected Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin as chairwoman and Sen. Dick Wilkerson,
D-Atwood, as vice chairman. | ||||||||||||||||||
Members heard from the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource Center
about why so many Oklahomans are incarcerated. | ||||||||||||||||||
They reviewed a report by the Oklahoma Sentencing Commission which
concluded that people charged with drug- and alcohol-related crimes
accounted for nearly half of Oklahoma's criminal convictions in
fiscal year 1999. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(12) COUNCILMAN'S SON LED POLICE TO DRUG SUSPECT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
An Irondale City Councilman's son was neither arrested nor charged
with a crime because he led investigators to a man they believe is a
significant drug dealer, Irondale's acting police chief said
Wednesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Irondale police found Matthew Chandler Jackson on April 28 with
several gallon-size bags of marijuana in his car, Acting Chief
Norman Stapp said, but the 19-year-old Jackson avoided arrest
because he provided information that led to the arrest of Mario
Bustos, 37, who is suspected of drug dealing. | ||||||||||||||||||
"That is the way we handle drug cases," Stapp said. "It is a
connect-the-dot deal. We have offered this deal to others. We didn't
do this just because he was a city councilman's son." | ||||||||||||||||||
Jackson's father is Councilman Ray Jackson. | ||||||||||||||||||
Stapp's department now is under investigation by Jefferson County
District Attorney David Barber because of how it handled the Jackson
case. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-17) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Well, it looks as if the DEA has a new leader in Karen Tandy, whose
nomination is expected to be confirmed shortly by the Senate. This
may be bad news for medical marijuana users, however. When asked if
she would consider supporting a moratorium on the arrests of users
in states that had legalized medical marijuana, she stated that this
would not be in keeping with her federal duties. | ||||||||||||||||||
Our second story looks at the Medical Board of California's
prosecution of doctors who prescribe cannabis, with a focus on the
case of Dr. Tod Mikuriya. The board is currently investigating the
practices of nearly a dozen California physicians who recommend the
use of cannabis for certain conditions. On a similar note, our third
story looks north, where Canadian doctors are expressing certain
reservations about being the distributors of the government-grown
supply of cannabis to federally licensed patients. Citing security
and liability issues, the Canadian Medical Association has strongly
recommended that physicians not participate in the federal
distribution program. | ||||||||||||||||||
Our next story is a fascinating examination of Rick Doblin's
(Director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic
Studies) attempt to break the government monopoly on legal cannabis
cultivation by establishing a grow operation at the University of
Massachussets in order to facilitate therapeutic cannabis research.
Our final story is an extensive overview of medical marijuana user
Angel Raich's legal fight to use cannabis therapeutically. With the
help of her attorney/husband Robert, Angel is seeking a court
injunction to prevent the federal government from prosecuting her
for cannabis use. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(13) DEA NOMINEE FACES CRITICISM ON MARIJUANA POSITION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Texan Karen Tandy was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on
Thursday to head the Drug Enforcement Administration but ran into
some last-minute opposition from two Democratic senators who
complained about her hard line on medicinal marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who had submitted written questions to Tandy after her confirmation hearing June 25, complained about her answers and questioned whether the DEA should "continue to focus its limited resources on the question of medical marijuana." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Asked if she would support a moratorium on the raids, Tandy wrote,
"If I am confirmed as administrator of the DEA, it will be my duty
to see to the uniform enforcement of federal law. I do not believe
it would be consistent with that duty for me to support a moratorium
on enforcement of this law, or any law, in selected areas of the
country." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(14) MEDICAL MARIJUANA DOCTOR FACING REVOCATION OF LICENSE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A doctor who recommended that thousands of his patients use marijuana is facing charges that could cost him his medical license, but the physician and his supporters say the case is merely an attempt to hush a vocal advocate for medicinal use of the drug. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Mikuriya, of Berkeley, has been at the forefront of medical
marijuana advocacy for decades, and has written a book with Ed
Rosenthal, a renowned medical marijuana advocate who faced his own
legal case earlier this year. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The controversy surrounding Mikuriya comes as the Bush | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(15) DRUGS: LOCAL DOCTORS LEERY OF DISPENSING MEDICAL POT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
News that physicians will be allowed to distribute medical marijuana
from their offices has drawn mixed reaction locally. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Despite the government's announcement, there is still considerable
hurdles for patients to get the drug. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Canadian Medical Association has counseled its members to refuse to dispense the drug because it has not been proven effective. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(16) PRIVATIZING POT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Can the marijuana monopoly be broken? | ||||||||||||||||||
"The question of whether marijuana has any legitimate medical
purpose should be determined by sound science and medicine." That is
the federal government's official response to the medical marijuana
movement, as expressed in November 2001 by Asa Hutchinson, then head
of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Several years ago, Rick Doblin, president of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), decided to take the government at its word by promoting the kind of research that could ultimately lead the FDA to approve marijuana as a prescription drug. But along with the usual obstacles posed by the notoriously arduous FDA approval process, MAPS encountered problems unique to marijuana. In particular, it found that the only legal source of marijuana for U.S. research was the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(17) CONTROVERSIAL TREATMENT: WIFE, MOTHER OF TWO SAYS SHE OWES HER (Top)LIFE TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Raich, the wife of a prominent Oakland attorney and mother of two
teenagers, is a medical marijuana patient. Every two hours, she
either smokes, eats or inhales marijuana through a vaporizer,
consuming more than eight pounds of cannabis a year. She cooks with
thick green marijuana olive oil and is massaged with a creamy hemp
balm. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"Marijuana is my miracle," Raich says. "I just wish the federal
government and (Attorney General) John Ashcroft would see it that
way." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Instead of idly waiting for a raid on her or her two anonymous
suppliers, she's gone on the offensive, seeking an injunction that
would prevent the federal government from prosecuting her for using
the plant she calls her "life-saver." While she lost the case in
March, she and her husband/lawyer have appealed to the 9th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (18-21) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
As the regime of Philippine President Gloria Arroyo continues to
whip up anti-drug rhetoric, and amid the vigilante killings of drug
"dealers", the government is chugging full steam ahead against drug
users. While Arroyo publicly presents the compassionate face of
"rehabilitation", the Philippine authoritarian apparatus swells as
police and prison bureaucrats gorge greedily on the spoils. "I have
allotted P1 billion, or 10 times higher than what the government has
given in the campaign against drugs in recent years," clucked
Arroyo. | ||||||||||||||||||
Philippine prison commandants were ordered to "inventory" their inmates in expectation of a surge in the prison population as drug users are rounded up and concentrated. "Military camps," explained the Manilla Times, would be used to confine drug users. Such "drug rehabilitation centers" would make the Philippines "drug-free by 2010" proclaimed optimistic Philippine anti-drug officials. | ||||||||||||||||||
Brazil is seeking guidelines for neighboring Peru and Colombia in
their renewed policy to shoot down planes which might carry illegal
drugs. At the behest of the U.S., Colombia and Peru are preparing to
once again shoot down small planes which U.S. intelligence-
gathering aircraft suspect may be carrying drugs. The shoot-first
policy was suspended when the U.S. wrongly fingered a missionary
aircraft, resulting in a shoot down which killed missionary Veronica
Bowers and her child over the Amazon in 2001. | ||||||||||||||||||
And finally this week, another example of how fears for the safety of "the children" can be combined with a well-programmed hatred of "drugs" for political gain. Only this time, the strategy may have backfired. Official facts spouted by Greek President Tassos Papadopoulos concerning a "nine-year-old drug addict" came under scrutiny last week, as critics noisily doubted the Papadopoulos' child-addict even existed at all. Papers and opposition parties in Greece questioned the Presidents' assertions, noting Greek police and anti-drug organizations came up blank regarding the child. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(18) GMA SAYS RP TO BE FREE FROM DRUGS BY 2010 (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
THE government will set up regional drug rehabilitation centers to
make the country drug-free by 2010, the Dangerous Drugs Board said
on Saturday. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Fernandez cited a five-point strategy-a treatment rehabilitation
program, prevention and education programs, drug substitution
programs, court diversion programs and broad social policies to
mitigate factors contributing to drug use. | ||||||||||||||||||
Treatment and rehabilitation, which aim to facilitate abstinence,
reduction in frequency or amount of use, will be carried out through
rehabilitation centers all over the country. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Military camps like Upi in Isabela, Cagayan Valley; Aquino in Tarlac; Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija; Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal; and Nakar in Quezon are also being considered as sites for the centers. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The President said one of the problems encountered in the past was
execution. "We have laws but a very small budget to support our
antidrug campaign. "That is why I have allotted P1 billion, or 10
times higher than what the government has given in the campaign
against drugs in recent years." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(19) JAILS ORDERED TO INVENTORY DRUG OFFENDER-DETAINEES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina has ordered the
Bureau of Jail Management and Penology to conduct an inventory of
inmates in district, city and municipal jails nationwide who are
facing drug charges. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The inventory is necessary to identify which jails should be
prioritized for expansion and/or renovation in the light of the
intensified campaign by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and
the Philippine National Police against illegal drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
Roberto Abejero, DILG-Region 7 Director, said in a press statement
that Lina has ordered the immediate submission of list of jails that
have been inventoried. Part of the P1 billion fund set aside by
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the campaign against illegal
drugs will be used for the construction and expansion of jails with
a big population of inmates facing drug charges. | ||||||||||||||||||
The DILG Secretary also reiterated his call for Congress to provide
the BJMP with a bigger budget for the construction of bigger jails
nationwide. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(20) BRAZIL SEES NEED FOR RULES ON SHOOTING DRUG PLANES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON, July 11 (Reuters) - Brazil is working with Peru and
Colombia on a set of common rules to cover when civilian aircraft
suspected of carrying illegal drugs could legally be shot down,
Brazil's defense minister Jose Viegas said on Friday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Both Colombia and Peru are preparing to relaunch the U.S.-sponsored
drug air interdiction programs, suspended since an accidental
downing of a small aircraft in Peru in April 2001 that killed a
missionary and her young daughter. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Viegas said the three countries needed "coordinated legislation" to
track planes as they moved from one country to another, and could
possibly form a joint air control system. | ||||||||||||||||||
"...our legislation must be compatible. I've been to Peru, and I've
been to Colombia, and I've talked to my colleagues, I'm familiar
with their legislation," Viegas said at a conference sponsored by
the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a
Washington think tank. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(21) DOES THE PRESIDENT'S NINE-YEAR-OLD DRUG ADDICT REALLY EXIST? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
GOVERNMENT Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said yesterday it would
be inconceivable to name a "nine-year-old drug addict" that
President Tassos Papadopoulos had recently referred to in a speech
to a drug addiction centre. | ||||||||||||||||||
Chrysostomides was replying to assertions by the opposition and the
press, suggesting the nine-year-old drug addicted girl simply didn't
exist. | ||||||||||||||||||
Papadopoulos did not say in his speech where he had heard the
information, what type of drug she was allegedly using, or whether
she was currently in a rehabilitation centre. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The conclusion that she might not exist was drawn after the police
and various anti-drug organisations all said they had never heard of
or dealt with such a case. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Chrysostomides yesterday insisted: "Nobody will give any indication
which will lead to the discovery of the child's identity It is a
matter of basic sensitivity of our society and I do not believe
there is anyone who does not realise that." | ||||||||||||||||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Philippe Lucas And Eric Nash On Canadian TV Regarding Medical
Marijuana | ||||||||||||||||||
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Marijuana Hero Song | ||||||||||||||||||
A song about Ed Rosenthal by Bernie Sims and Marsha Sims | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
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Better Justice Through Chemistry | ||||||||||||||||||
By Heidi Lypps of the Center for Cognitive Liberty, published at
drugwar.com | ||||||||||||||||||
" The central question of Sell's case was this: can the government drug the mentally ill, even against their will, to force them to stand trial? Trying the insane is unconstitutional. But what to do if a defendant could be involuntarily drugged and returned to sanity-is this even possible, let alone legal and ethical?" | ||||||||||||||||||
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Ed Forchion - First Amendment Activist | ||||||||||||||||||
The 41 minute video in realvideo format. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Cultural Baggage Radio Show | ||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday July 15 | ||||||||||||||||||
US CONGRESSMAN BARNEY FRANK | ||||||||||||||||||
Topics include the federal governments mandatory minimum sentencing,
the travails at the US border and the ongoing efforts to pass a
federal medical marijuana bill. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
The Latest Legal Views On Canadian Cannabis Law | ||||||||||||||||||
Brian McAllister, the Lawyer who put the Federal Pot Law out to
pasture in the Province of Ontario, stopped by the Pot TV studio
to talk to Marc Emery about the state of Canada's Marijuana Laws
and the potential legal dangers Marc might be facing while on the
Summer of Legalization Smoke-Out Tour. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
MPP/SSDP Comedy Benefit Pictures Online | ||||||||||||||||||
Held at the Comedy Store, July 7th | ||||||||||||||||||
Special thanks to Bill Maher, John Fugelsang and Brian Gralnick
for making this benefit possible. | ||||||||||||||||||
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LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Drug Testing Plan Discounts Research | ||||||||||||||||||
By Brenda Fox | ||||||||||||||||||
I would like to thank the Advertiser for its well balanced article
on the new drug testing program at Saint James School. | ||||||||||||||||||
The conclusion of the recent study published in the Journal of
School Health (and cited in the article) is that the rate of drug
use in schools with drug testing programs is the same as it is in
schools without drug testing programs. This impressive study, based
on 8,000 students at more than 300 schools, clearly suggests that
drug testing is of limited value in deterring drug use. | ||||||||||||||||||
Further, those who support drug testing programs should read an
article published in U.S. News and World Report several years ago.
According to this article, students who were hesitant to use drugs
because of in-school drug testing programs simply turned to alcohol.
According to one of the students, "The parties are just as wild, but
now they don't have to pay the consequences. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Drug testing is the latest fad in education, and private schools in
particular are jumping at the chance to prove they are tough on
drugs. As the Christian Science Monitor pointed out in a recent
editorial, "Drug use among teens remains a serious issue, but
parents must not place the responsibility for drug-free kids at the
front door of the school." | ||||||||||||||||||
Mandatory drug testing is merely one more attempt to take away
parental responsibility. | ||||||||||||||||||
Brenda Fox, | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
What YOU Can Do To Help Bring About More Sensible Drug Policies | ||||||||||||||||||
By Mark Greer | ||||||||||||||||||
Have you ever wondered how you could become a more effective
activist? | ||||||||||||||||||
One of the primary reasons DrugSense and the Media Awareness Project
(MAP) exist is to help individuals and organizations to become more
effective and to use their valuable time and resources as
efficiently as possible. | ||||||||||||||||||
Help and volunteerism is what we're about. If you have the abilities
and/or desire we need help in the following categories: | ||||||||||||||||||
1) Letter writers. Read the DrugSense weekly and select an article
that motivates you then write a letter using the email address
usually provided with the article. Alternately write a letter of
response to our weekly FOCUS Alert Subscribe to either of the above
by visiting http://www.drugsense.org/hurry.htm | ||||||||||||||||||
2) NewsHawks. Find news articles on drug policy issues and either
scan or copy them and forward them to This can be
done by monitoring any of hundreds of on-line newspapers or by
scanning articles from you local paper. See: | ||||||||||||||||||
3) Recruiters. Visit news groups, email chat lists, and other
sources for large groups of reform minded people and encourage them
to visit our web pages, subscribe to our DrugSense Weekly newsletter
and to get involved. See a list of drug policy email chat lists at
http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ | ||||||||||||||||||
4) Fund raise. We are always short of funding. Either contribute or
try to find others to do so. To contribute conveniently on-line
using a credit card see: http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm Or you
can mail in your tax deductible contributions to: | ||||||||||||||||||
DrugSense (MAP Inc.) | ||||||||||||||||||
Checks can be made out to either DrugSense or The Media Awareness
Project (MAP) | ||||||||||||||||||
5) Start a local reform group in your state or country. If you have
20 people who will help do the above types of activities we will
provide a free email list to coordinate your groups activities and
provide guidance to get you started. Once you get going we will also
create and support a web page for your group. All at no charge to
your organization. | ||||||||||||||||||
6) Spread the word about our huge searchable archive of news articles at http://www.drugnews.org/ It can answer practically any question on drug policy, help you prepare for debates or media appearances, provide a research tool for local media, enhance your fact checking and accuracy for letter writing and much more. | ||||||||||||||||||
7) Use and distribute the valuable collection of Drug War Facts at
http://www.drugwarfacts.org/ It is a large collection of facts
citations and myth de bunkers. If the average citizen was aware of
just this collection of facts support for the "War on Drugs" would
erode by orders of magnitude | ||||||||||||||||||
8) Volunteer as a "Focus Alert Specialist." These individuals help select important news articles and write up Focus Alerts to direct our thousands of letter writing volunteers to respond to specific articles. To volunteer for this important duty please email Mark Greer at See http://www.mapinc.org/focus/ | ||||||||||||||||||
9) Become a Public Relations Specialist. These individuals help
improve our web visibility, register our web pages with search
engines etc. | ||||||||||||||||||
10) If you would like further guidance on everything from how to
write a letter to the editor to how to organize your own group of
activists please see http://www.mapinc.org/resource/ | ||||||||||||||||||
Please contact us for further information on getting involved in any
of the above activities | ||||||||||||||||||
Mark Greer is Executive Director of DrugSense. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend upon the
support of Paul." -- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
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 | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
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 () | ||||||||||||||||||
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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In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is
distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior
interest in receiving the included information for research and
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