| Sept. 26, 2003 #319 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||
Table of Contents
| ||||||||||||||||||
THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
(1) SWITZERLAND: HOUSE REJECTS PLANS TO EASE CANNABIS LAW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Government plans to decriminalise dope smoking have been thrown out by
the House of Representatives. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Senate had already approved legislation that would allow
possession and production of cannabis for personal use, as well as
limited trade in the drug. | ||||||||||||||||||
The bill will now have to go back to the Senate. | ||||||||||||||||||
The proposal, which would have left Switzerland with one of the most
liberal policies on cannabis in Europe, has aroused passions on both
sides of the debate. | ||||||||||||||||||
Luzi Stamm, a Swiss People's Party parliamentarian, told swissinfo
that even if it makes it through parliament, Swiss voters should have
the final decision on the matter. | ||||||||||||||||||
"This is an exception to most issues that come before parliament,"
he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It's a situation in which the population can judge better than most
politicians."
| ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(2) 'MEDICAL' MIKE'S HOME RAIDED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Talk about a buzzkill. | ||||||||||||||||||
County drug task force agents raided the Paradise home of a medical
marijuana advocate Tuesday after receiving complaints from "Medi-cal"
Mike Nelson's neighbors that he was providing marijuana for
less-than-medical reasons. | ||||||||||||||||||
And even while the agents uprooted and confiscated 62 marijuana plants from Nelson's yard and garage, they left him with 18 bushy marijuana plants tall enough to be seen growing two feet above his fence. | ||||||||||||||||||
But that the drug agents didn't take all his "medicine" is little
consolation for Nelson, who's 41. | ||||||||||||||||||
He's sick with active hepatitis C and often in pain from degenerative
disk disease, and said that even the 18 large plants he's left with
won't yield enough marijuana for him. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I smoke a lot of pot," he said, drawing out the vowels in 'a lot.'
"I'm sick, and that's all that I can do."
| ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(3) GEORGE BUSH'S JOINT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Rebecca Schoenkopf Takes On The President's Drug War
| ||||||||||||||||||
Marijuana can be addictive. Marijuana isn't great for learning or
short-term memory. Marijuana's not the best thing for children-the
best things for children are fresh air, sunshine and love! And if you
own a bong (or "water pipe," as the head shops insist upon calling
them), the chances are good that you smoke way too much dope. Nobody
really needs a bong. | ||||||||||||||||||
Can we all stipulate to that?
| ||||||||||||||||||
The White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy wants us to
stipulate to a little more: that marijuana is far more dangerous than
it was when the Boomers smoked it (the Boomers, of course, can't
refute this by admitting to smoking it still); that marijuana will
turn our precious tots into dropouts who rob banks; that marijuana is,
in fact, a scourge upon our youth. To do this, they threw a party.
Okay, it wasn't so much a party as a panel put on for the SoCal media,
but I love panels, and the sandwiches were excellent. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(4) LOST CAUSE? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A Frontline Report From The War On Drugs; Ethan Nadelmann, Executive
Director Of Drug Policy Alliance ; Interview
| ||||||||||||||||||
As executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance (drugpolicy.org),
Ethan Nadelmann has been one of the most vocal critics of the federal
war on drugs. A former Princeton professor, he founded the alliance
in 1994 with backing from billionaire George Soros. Nadelmann spoke
with writer Daniel Lazare. | ||||||||||||||||||
PLAYBOY - Are we fighting a lost cause?
| ||||||||||||||||||
NADELMANN - Not at all. Surveys have shown that most Americans believe
the drug war has failed. More than two thirds support treatment rather
than incarceration for nonviolent offenders. Three fourths say medical
marijuana should be legal and 41 percent say marijuana use should be
treated as a health problem. Lately, we've had good news. In Tulia,
Texas, where one cop arrested 10 percent of the black population for
allegedly dealing -- no drugs were ever introduced as evidence--a judge
overturned the verdicts, and the cop is being prosecuted for perjury.
The Canadian parliament is calling for decriminalization of marijuana.
The mayor of Vancouver supports clean needle sites for addicts to slow
the spread of HIV. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy
| ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The city council of Bloomington, Illinois places great faith in the
psychic ability of its police force. Council members voted last week
to approve a law designating certain areas as "drug-free zones."
Police would have the authority to eject anyone they suspect of drug
selling or buying from the zones, and to arrest those who don't
cooperate. And, speaking of graceless power grabs, Attorney General
John Ashcroft is making one at the federal level. He has ordered
prosecutors to push for the harshest charges and to avoid making
plea agreements. | ||||||||||||||||||
At least one place in the nation, people appear to be speaking out against increasingly oppressive drug laws. Several students at the University of Central Florida have expressed their opposition to rules that can get students kicked off campus for possession of a small amount of drugs. One wonders how they were impacted by the anti-drug education they received before going to college. Probably not much, as indicated when the Christian Science Monitor analyzed the pitfalls of trying to turn kids against drugs in the classroom. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(5) COUNCIL EXPANDS POLICE POWERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
BLOOMINGTON -- People whom police officers think might be selling or
buying drugs can be told to leave certain areas or face arrest,
according to a measure passed Monday by the Bloomington City
Council. | ||||||||||||||||||
The ordinance will allow Bloomington Police Chief Roger Aikin to designate certain parts of Bloomington as "drug-free zones." | ||||||||||||||||||
Officers can then tell anyone they suspect of drug activity to leave
the area. People who refuse to leave or who return within three
hours may be arrested. | ||||||||||||||||||
"If you identify an area in town ... and we see people hanging out
looking like they are selling drugs, we can make them leave," Aikin
said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Aikin said he will use police-intelligence reports and arrest reports to select the areas, but he hasn't chosen any areas yet. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(6) ASHCROFT: LIMIT PLEA BARGAINS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
New Policy Will Apply to Federal Prosecutors
| ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - Attorney General John Ashcroft is directing federal prosecutors to seek maximum charges and penalties in more criminal cases and to limit the use of plea bargains to get convictions. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Federal prosecutors must charge and pursue the most serious,
readily provable offenses that are supported by the facts," Ashcroft
said in a memo to U.S. attorneys released yesterday. "Charges should
not be filed simply to exert leverage to get a plea."
| ||||||||||||||||||
Plea bargains still would be permitted but would be more closely tied to defendants' actions, in particular a guarantee of cooperation in an ongoing investigation, the memo said. Current guidelines give prosecutors far more flexibility in determining which charges to bring based on the facts of individual cases. | ||||||||||||||||||
Other cases in which plea bargains are to be used include those in
which the possible maximum sentence is unaffected by the agreement,
when the chances of conviction on original charges seem less likely
as the case progresses, and on a case-by-case basis with written
approval from a supervisor. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(7) STUDENTS FIRE COMPLAINTS IN U.C.F. PRESIDENT'S FORUM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The president of the University of Central Florida fielded questions
Tuesday from sometimes-irate students complaining about drug
policies, flags on campus and the university's involvement with
defense contractors. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
In past years, as few as two students showed up. This year, more
than 100 attended. | ||||||||||||||||||
Most complaints were about a new "zero tolerance" drug policy that
kicks anyone off campus who is caught once with a small amount of
drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
UCF used to give school officials latitude to offer counseling or
community service, letting students stay on campus unless it was a
severe or drug-dealing offense. Five students were told this summer
that they could no longer live on campus. | ||||||||||||||||||
Hitt said he was unaware of the policy change, but other UCF
officials said it sprung from complaints by students that there was
too much drug use on campus. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It was kind of getting out of hand," Christi Hartzler, UCF's housing and resident life director, said after the forum. One student has been kicked off campus so far this fall, she said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(8) IN SEARCH OF THE 'ANTI-DRUG' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
More money is being pumped into drug education than ever. Yet the
image of drugs continues to be one of glamour rather than danger. As
teen drug use holds steady, this much is clear: No one seems to know
just what to teach kids about drugs - or how, or when. | ||||||||||||||||||
NEW YORK - When George Bush delivered his State of the Union address
last January, he was quick to proclaim his administration's faith in
drug education. "We are fighting illegal drugs," the president told
a roomful of applauding legislators, "by cutting off supplies and
reducing demand through antidrug education programs."
| ||||||||||||||||||
In fact, the number of experts who still embrace the "cutting off
supplies" approach to the war on drugs is an ever-increasing
minority. But at the same time interest in drug education as a means
of battling illegal drug use remains strong. For the past decade,
experts and politicians across the political spectrum have been
stepping up the argument that education, rather than tough drug laws
and border control, will be the most effective means of turning teen
drug use in America on its head. | ||||||||||||||||||
A whole lot, then, is riding on the success of existing drug
education programs, and the Bush administration knows it. Among the
provisions of this year's National Drug Control Strategy: $170
million earmarked for the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign
and $694 million for the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities
Program. | ||||||||||||||||||
And yet, during a summer rife with the results of studies on drugs, anti-drug campaigns, and drug prevention, it became increasingly clear that no one seems to know just what to teach, or how, or when. A few scenarios show that some of the methods adults use to push kids away from drugs may actually be drawing them nearer. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Law Enforcement & Prisons
| ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Another U.S. Supreme Court justice is speaking out against mandatory
minimum sentences. This time it's Stephen Breyer, making his comments
only a few months after Justice Kennedy expressed similar concerns.
Of course, some judges are happy to exceed minimums, but one from
Mississippi even exceeded the maximum sentence in a drug case. The
judge withdrew from the case after it was revealed that he had
discussed the case with a narcotics agent without notifying defense
attorneys. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mandatory minimums will wreak additional havoc on an already
cash-strapped state prison system in South Carolina. As cuts are
being made in the prison budget, the number of prisoners is expected
to increase dramatically in coming years. And, Frank Melton,
Missouri's quixotic drug czar is at it again. This week's move seems
admirable - he's closing down a two-year old training facility for
narcs. At the very least, he offered some candor, describing the
facility as a "waste of money."
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(9) JUSTICE CALLS MANDATORY SENTENCES 'BAD POLICY' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Mandatory minimum sentences passed by Congress are "bad policy,"
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer said yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Breyer, who had considerable influence on fashioning federal sentencing guidelines as a member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission in the 1980s, said flexibility was needed in sentencing. | ||||||||||||||||||
"There has to be oil in the gears. . . .There has to be room for the
unusual or the exceptional case," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Breyer was speaking to a crowd of about 550 at the John F. Kennedy
Library and Museum. | ||||||||||||||||||
Breyer said Congress had passed a number of statutes where "there is
no room for flexibility on the downside."
| ||||||||||||||||||
"That is not a helpful thing to do," he said. "It's not going to
advance the cause of law enforcement in my opinion, and it's going
to set back the cause of fairness in sentencing."
| ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(10) JUDGE STEPPING DOWN FROM DRUG CASE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Pike County Circuit Judge Mike Smith has announced he is stepping
down from hearing a drug case in which he'd been accused of
violating judicial rules. | ||||||||||||||||||
The judge signed an order Monday, citing a Sunday article in The
Clarion-Ledger and saying he was stepping down to "avoid the
appearance of impropriety."
| ||||||||||||||||||
The article detailed accusations the judge had violated judicial
rules by talking with a narcotics agent about the case outside the
presence of the defense, then sentencing the defendant to 20 years
instead of a plea-bargained eight. | ||||||||||||||||||
Judicial rules bar such "ex parte" communications - communications
with a party without other parties being present. But the judge
defended his conversation regarding Ricky Ramsey, who pleaded guilty
to sale of cocaine: "I have a duty to inquire about the history and
character of a defendant prior to sentencing."
| ||||||||||||||||||
In Pike County Circuit Court documents, Ramsey's attorney, Joseph A.
Fernald Jr. of Brookhaven, suggested Smith violated judicial rules
by having ex parte communications with a Mississippi Bureau of
Narcotics agent. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(11) SENTENCING LAWS MAY INCREASE PRISONERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Charleston, S.C. (AP) -The state's prisons may soon be housing more
inmates because of mandatory sentencing laws, and the agency plans
to ask lawmakers for about $50 million more next year to handle the
increasing numbers, according to records from a prison reform task
force. | ||||||||||||||||||
Corrections Department Director Jon Ozmint told members of the task
force his agency needs the extra funds to operate new facilities,
raise correction officers' pay and provide additional substance
abuse treatment, The Greenville News reported. | ||||||||||||||||||
The agency has been one of the hardest hit by the budget shortfall
-- cutting programs, education and hundreds of workers in recent
years due to budget cuts. | ||||||||||||||||||
The agency has had its budget cut by $51 million in the past three years, ran a $28 million deficit during the last fiscal year and is projected to run nearly $12 million in the red this year. | ||||||||||||||||||
The new request might be hard to fund, one task force member said. | ||||||||||||||||||
"As a practical matter, budget projections being very dismal and
being similar to last year, significant increases for any agency are
going to be very difficult," House Speaker David Wilkins,
R-Greenville, said. | ||||||||||||||||||
The state has 24,290 inmates in 29 prisons, almost 1,000 over its
capacity, records show. Prison officials project almost 31,000
inmates in 2007, when "truth-in-sentencing" and other laws reduce
the number of inmates released. | ||||||||||||||||||
While the inmate population has grown in recent years, the staff has
been cut. Since 2000, the agency has lost 12 percent of its security
staff and 24 percent of its other employees due to the state's
budget problems. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(12) MBN CLOSES TRAINING SITE, LOOKS TO HIGHWAY PATROL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Director of bureau says 2-year-old academy a waste of money | ||||||||||||||||||
The Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics has closed its training academy
and is now sending new recruits to the Highway Patrol training
school, MBN Director Frank Melton said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Melton, who has led the bureau since December, told legislators
Wednesday it was a waste of money for the bureau to have its own
academy, which opened two years ago. | ||||||||||||||||||
He said the last class to go through the MBN school was all white. | ||||||||||||||||||
"That was not acceptable," Melton said. | ||||||||||||||||||
He said three MBN agents - two white and one black - are now going
through training at the Highway Patrol academy. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Cannabis & Hemp-
| ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-16) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Even as Health Canada continues to defend its weak and potentially dangerous supply of govt. grown cannabis, Prairie Plant Systems director Brent Zettl admits that there are still problems with his pot, citing that he had hoped to get feedback from clinical trials before shipping the product to legal medicinal users. Since Canada's only federally sponsored clinical trial is meant to evaluate the effectiveness of cannabis on mitigating pain, not to determine if Zettl's cannabis is up to snuff, Canadians are left a bit concerned and confused over what is quickly evolving into "shwag-gate". | ||||||||||||||||||
Our second story looks at last weekends 14th Annual Boston Freedom
Festival. This cannabis legalization event attracted almost 50,000
people to Boston Common on Saturday, resulting in a totally
unacceptable 45 arrests. Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis
Kucinich was amongst the many honored speakers who called for an end
to the war on responsible cannabis use. | ||||||||||||||||||
Our third story this week is a comprehensive and up-to-date
examination of international policy developments regarding medicinal
cannabis use, cultivation and distribution from a respected Indian
Business review. Don't miss this well-written and researched
article!
| ||||||||||||||||||
And lastly, with Canada's federal cannabis law crumbling one
province at a time, it was inevitable that cannabis "smoke-easy's"
would follow. This article looks at this emerging phenomenon by
visiting one such joint in Toronto. I wish them luck; just don't
smoke the government grass!
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(13) CANADIAN MEDICAL MARIJUANA NOT UP TO INTENDED TASK, SUPPLIER (Top)SAYS | ||||||||||||||||||
The Health Canada marijuana that's getting bad reviews from some
patients was not tested by users and could be improved, says the
grower. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The individuals who tried this product are the first humans ever to
use it," Brent Zettl of Saskatoon's Prairie Plant Systems said
Thursday. "This is a very early-stage product... We haven't hit the
mark yet on this medicine."
| ||||||||||||||||||
Zettl, whose company grows government marijuana on contract in Flin Flon, was responding to complaints this week from patients who called the dope weak, disgusting and not fit for human consumption. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(14) CANNABIS RALLY HELD IN BOSTON TO SUPPORT REFORM OF DRUG LAWS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Thousands of pot smokers and marijuana supporters rallied for
support of marijuana legalization on Boston Common Saturday at the
14th annual Freedom Festival. | ||||||||||||||||||
Forty-five people were arrested according to published reports, all
for marijuana possession and distribution. A fair number of people
did not seem to mind the presence of law enforcement, as droves of
men, women, and some children found seats on the lawn to enjoy the
sights, music, beautiful weather, and in some cases a hit of pot
smoke from a tobacco pipe. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
There was a large amount of campaigners for Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), a candidate for President in 2004. The congressman does not support the prohibition of marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
"According to a Human Rights Watch report based on FBI statistics, blacks were arrested on drug charges at nearly five times the rate of whites. Drug use is consistent across racial and socioeconomic lines - yet in the state of New York, for example, 94 percent of incarcerated drug offenders are Latino or African-American, mostly from poor communities," said Kucinich, whose message was already being felt among the thousands of marijuana supporters. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(15) RX - A SMALL DOSE OF CANNABIS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
First-time visitors to The Netherlands are surprised to note
sharply-pointed cannabis-leaf symbols at coffee-houses and pubs;
places often frequented by people lighting up or eating hash
omelettes and drinking hash tea. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Dutch have a laissez-faire attitude to cannabis. Holland ignores
personal possession of up to 30 grams of such substances as
marijuana (the dried flower, or "ganja"), hashish (the dried resin,
or "charas") and bhang (the dried leaf). | ||||||||||||||||||
When the EU opened internal borders, Holland started receiving weekend "potfans" from France, Belgium and Germany. In effect, Dutch liberality led to the Eurozone easing its stance vis-a-vis soft drugs, though users from other nations risk punishment. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(16) A WHIFF OF FREEDOM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
After Canada's Pot Laws Ended Up In Limbo, Those Who Like To Indulge
Emerged From Hiding
| ||||||||||||||||||
The Hot Box Cafe is nestled quietly among butcher shops and vintage clothing stores in Kensington Market and, like most cafes, it's a place for meeting friends, talking philosophy and getting a fix. | ||||||||||||||||||
But while caffeine is readily available here, the substance of
choice is a little more chill: weed, pot, marijuana, grass, herb.
Call it what you will, people are smoking it, sharing joints with
people they've never met before. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
Hit the Hot Box any afternoon at around 4:20, the international hour
of herb, and you'll find it hard to score one of the 40 or so seats
in the garden out back. It's strictly BYOW -- bring your own weed.
The Hot Box makes its money selling sandwiches and fruit smoothies,
not drugs, since selling marijuana is still against the law in
Canada. The "no dealing" rule is enforced by staff and faithful
customers who don't want to see the place close down because of
legal trouble. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
International News
| ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (17-20) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Near General Santos City, Philippines, reports continue to tell of "death squads" performing "drug-related summary executions." Government officials ask the Philippine people not to worry. "All those killed were included in the watchlist of suspected drug pushers," assured Superintendent Efren Alcuizar, the chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. While brushing aside details of due process and side-stepping the matter of how "vigilantes" might obtain a "watchlist of suspected drug pushers" in the first place, city officials were said to "remain groping in the dark" as to the executioners' identities. As for Thailand, we won't hold our breath waiting for drug-user killing and police quota-filling "death squads" to be brought to justice in the Philippines, either. | ||||||||||||||||||
Another US-taxpayer purchased "drug-spraying" plane was made a
smoking wreckage in Colombia last week, as officials scramble to
determine if rebels shot the plane down. Previous US-supplied
plant-poison spraying planes have been shot down in Colombia while on
spraying missions. "We're not discarding any possibility yet,"
explained one Colombian military official. | ||||||||||||||||||
Australian anti-drugs bureaucrats were agitated last week when the
United Nations released a report naming Australia as a world leader
in the abuse of MDMA and methamphetamines. Australian Justice
Minister Chris Ellison denounced the UN figures as disappointing,
and questioned the "the quality of Australia's data used in the
report." The UN report, the first global survey of "designer drugs,"
claims worldwide trafficking in "amphetamine-type substances" (meth
and MDMA) takes in some $65 billion dollars annually. | ||||||||||||||||||
A Canadian politician, proving once again last week that
grandstanding against "drugs" always makes for good press, denounced
"date-rape drugs," urging they be classified as "weapons" under
Canadian Criminal Code. | ||||||||||||||||||
Valiantly ignoring the complete failure of drug prohibition in
prohibiting anything, B.C. Alliance MP James Moore campaigned to get
GHB and Rohypnol classified as weapons, explaining that making
punishment more severe will prevent men from so attacking women.
However, in his efforts to rachet up drug possession penalties, the
campaigning MP did not mention the traditional "date-rape drug,"
alcohol. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(17) DEATH TOLL IN VIGILANTE-STYLE SLAYS NOW 125 (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
* Two Suspected Gunmen Also Slain Last Year | ||||||||||||||||||
ONE hundred twenty five persons have already been killed in
drug-related summary executions since November 2001, according to a
top official of a government anti-drug agency in General Santos
City. | ||||||||||||||||||
And what is alarming, the figure continues to rise. | ||||||||||||||||||
Supt. Efren Alcuizar, chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Central Mindanao, told reporters all those killed were included in the watchlist of suspected drug pushers. | ||||||||||||||||||
He, however, quickly denied PDEA had something to do with the unabated summary killings of suspected drug pushers in the city. | ||||||||||||||||||
Local authorities remain groping in the dark as to the real
identities of the motorcycle-riding men responsible for such
vigilante-style killings. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
Police claimed the victim was involved in illegal drug trade and
was, in fact, included in their drug watch list. | ||||||||||||||||||
The following day, armed men believed to be members of an anti-drug
vigilante group shot dead Suerto along Devera Street in Barangay
Lagao. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police said the suspects left a note on his chest indicating the victim was a member of an "akyat-bahay" (porch climbers) gang. | ||||||||||||||||||
But sources from PDEA said Suerto was also in their drug watch list. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr., however, denied the existence of an
anti-drug vigilante group in the city. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
Residents here, however, believe the vigilante group preying on
suspected drug pushers and users here is the
| ||||||||||||||||||
city's version of Davao's notorious death squad. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(18) U.S. DRUG-SPRAYING PLANE CRASHES IN COLOMBIA; CAUSE PROBED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
BOGOTA (AP)--A U.S. drug-spraying plane crashed Sunday in northeast
Colombia, the army said. Authorities were investigating whether the
crash was an accident, or if rebels operating in the area shot the
plane down. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We're not discarding any possibility yet," army Gen. Jairo Duvan
Pineda told RCN Television. "What we do know is there is very bad
weather in the area."
| ||||||||||||||||||
The pilot, who is from Costa Rica, hasn't been found
| ||||||||||||||||||
Rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia,
| ||||||||||||||||||
or FARC, are fighting the army, another rebel group and outlawed
paramilitary fighters for control of the area, called Catatumbo,
which is filled with cocaine-producing coca. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(19) ECSTASY REPORT 'LOW-QUALITY': MINISTER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
AUSTRALIA has disputed a United Nations finding that it was a world
leader in ecstasy abuse and had the second highest levels of
methamphetamine abuse. | ||||||||||||||||||
The UN claim was stated in a first-ever global survey of so-called
"designer drugs," which noted sharp rises worldwide in the use of
synthetic stimulants like ecstasy and amphetamines. | ||||||||||||||||||
Justice Minister Chris Ellison called the UN claim
| ||||||||||||||||||
questionable and said it was based on low-quality data. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It is disappointing that the quality of Australia's data used in
the report has been subject to inaccurate comparisons with countries
that have significant differences in data collection and, in some
cases, high incidences of under reporting," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
The UN report found trafficking in amphetamine-type substances has
become a US$65 billion dollar a year business, with profits
averaging 3000 to 4000 percent. | ||||||||||||||||||
Seizures of designer drugs soared in the decade from 1990/1991 to
2000/2001 from four to 40 tonnes. | ||||||||||||||||||
"ATS manufacture and abuse are spreading. In southeast Asia, for
example, the problem has turned into an alarming epidemic," said the
UN report, released in Rome yesterday as a clarion call against the
major rise in synthetic stimulants observed worldwide. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(20) RAPE DRUGS CRIMINAL 'WEAPONS': ALLIANCE MP (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A Canadian Alliance MP paid a visit to Carleton University yesterday
to launch a two-week nationwide campaign to have date-rape drugs
classified as weapons under the Criminal Code. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Date rape drugs are weapons used against women," said James Moore,
an MP from B.C.'s Lower Mainland. | ||||||||||||||||||
The 27-year-old politician is trying to gather support for his
private member's motion to have drugs such as GHB and Rohypnol
legally classified as weapons. By making the punishment more severe,
the "cowardly" men who use these drugs to attack women might be
dissuaded
| ||||||||||||||||||
from doing so, said Moore. "Canadians are concerned about date-rape drugs. They are concerned about sexual assault," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
THE BOSTON HERALD'S PREJUDICED REPORTING
| ||||||||||||||||||
A DrugSense Focus Alert. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
ONDCP "STEER CLEAR OF POT" MEDIA CAMPAIGN
| ||||||||||||||||||
The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign has partnered with GEICO,
the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) and
other driving-safety leaders to develop the following resources to
help you educate your community about the dangers of driving under
the influence of marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
TWO NEW STUDIES SHOW EFFECTIVENESS OF YOUTH ANTI-DRUG MEDIA CAMPAIGN
| ||||||||||||||||||
Findings demonstrate "groundbreaking evidence" that campaign affects
youth attitudes and beliefs about drugs
| ||||||||||||||||||
See also: How to Launch a Nationwide Drug Menace
| ||||||||||||||||||
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/cu/cu44.htm | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
GRANDPA'S MARIJUANA HANDBOOK
| ||||||||||||||||||
Based on the bestseller, Evan Keliher's Grandpa's Marijuana Handbook,
this video was created to encourage medicinal marijuana use. By
interviewing Grandpa (Evan, a 30 year toker), and reenactments,
this video captures the essence of marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
ECSTASY AND AMPHETAMINES - GLOBAL SURVEY 2003
| ||||||||||||||||||
United Nations Drug Report "Disappointing" Say Critics
| ||||||||||||||||||
Press Release from the Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics | ||||||||||||||||||
posted at DrugWar.com, September 26, 2003
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Marc just finished a tour of the 10 major cities of Canada,
smoking pot in front of each police station.
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Dr. Rick Doblin, President of MAPS
| ||||||||||||||||||
Rick Doblin, PhD, is president of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies and Publisher of their quarterly magazine. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
THE CANNABIS CRUSADES : MEDICAL MARIJUANA AND THE RECALL ELECTION
| ||||||||||||||||||
Ed Rosenthal, San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, September 26, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||
http://mapinc.org/sfgate/chronicle/archive/2003/09/26/ED21307.DTL | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
NPR : KILLINGS AT 'RAINBOW FARM' REVISITED
| ||||||||||||||||||
Saturday, Saturday , September 20, 2003
| ||||||||||||||||||
In early September 2001, after a standoff with local authorities,
government sharpshooters killed two men at a Michigan campground
that offered a haven for alternative lifestyles.
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Treat Marijuana The Same Way Alcohol Is Treated Under Law | ||||||||||||||||||
By Steven S. Epstein Esq
| ||||||||||||||||||
To the editor:
| ||||||||||||||||||
The revenue crisis at the federal, state and municipal levels grows
more pressing each day. Persons who benefit from government programs
do not want to see those programs reduced. Taxpayers who do not
benefit from those programs do not want to pay more taxes to pay for
all the programs. There is, however, one group that wants to be
taxed: the marijuana users. | ||||||||||||||||||
Most marijuana users are productive, responsible citizens, that
except for their use of marijuana are otherwise law-abiding
citizens. | ||||||||||||||||||
This past fall over 54 percent of the voters in the 1st, 2nd and
18th Essex districts favored making possession of marijuana a civil
violation, as we did last century for speeding. The question also
proposed that if the violator is under 18, the police would be
required to hold them until released to a parent or legal guardian
or brought before a judge. | ||||||||||||||||||
Legislation implementing this policy, and a fine of not less than
$100 nor more than $500 for the first violation and doubling the
range for a second or subsequent violation, was at my request filed
by Barbara L'Italien and Bruce Tarr. One version proposes splitting
the fine between the state and the municipality in which the
violation occurred. | ||||||||||||||||||
This is not a radical change in how marijuana possession cases are actually handled by the courts in Massachusetts. The revoking of the power of the police to arrest an adult for possessing marijuana effectively increases the police budget of the state and municipalities an estimated $24 million, by freeing officers from the paperwork and court time now required when they make an arrest. The splitting of the fine will raise a modest amount of revenue and discourage officers from seizing the marijuana and letting the violator go with a verbal warning as sometimes happens. | ||||||||||||||||||
What appears radical, yet I think the best policy, now favored by 41
percent of Americans according to a recent poll, is to treat
marijuana the same way we treat alcohol: regulate it, tax it, and
only make it illegal for children. Such a policy would effectively
increase the criminal justice budget of the state $120.6 million per
year and would yield an estimated $16.9 million in income and sales
tax revenue. | ||||||||||||||||||
Steven S. Epstein, ESQ. A founder and officer of the Massachusetts
Cannabis Reform Coalition, Georgetown
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
MARIJUANA DOES NOT CAUSE RECKLESS DRIVING
| ||||||||||||||||||
by Mitch Earleywine, Ph.D. | ||||||||||||||||||
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and
certain Wisconsin legislators have launched a new crusade against
"drugged driving," with a heavy emphasis on marijuana. This crusade is
largely based on scientific misinformation, and it could lead to the
enactment of bad laws. | ||||||||||||||||||
ONDCP has several slick television commercials on the subject. One
shows dramatic auto accidents and two crash test dummies passing a
joint while a serious voice says, "In a recent study, one in three
reckless drivers tested positive for marijuana." Note the careful
phrasing. The idea is to make viewers think that marijuana caused the
reckless driving, without really saying that it did. | ||||||||||||||||||
Why would ONDCP be so coy? The answer lies in the actual data
regarding marijuana's effects on driving,
| ||||||||||||||||||
I study the effects of drugs and teach classes in the science of
illicit substances, so I know this field. The plain fact is that
marijuana does not cause reckless driving. Large studies of accidents
show that drivers who test positive for marijuana (and ONLY marijuana
-- i.e., people who haven't also been drinking or taking other
intoxicating drugs) cause fewer crashes than people who haven't had
any drugs at all. | ||||||||||||||||||
That's right, people "high" on marijuana cause fewer crashes than
those who are completely sober. The findings seemed impossible to
explain. It was a puzzle that made no sense.
| ||||||||||||||||||
A bright and talented researcher in the Netherlands named Robbe recently solved that puzzle. He got experienced marijuana users stoned and had them drive around the streets of Holland. But these guys were no dummies. They drove slower, increased the distance between their cars and the cars in front of them, and never tried to pass other cars. Folks who smoked a placebo (a non-intoxicating substance made to look and smell like marijuana) drove as they usually did. Alcohol, alone or in combination with marijuana, wrecked driving completely. | ||||||||||||||||||
Robbe's results helped explain the accident studies. People who used marijuana and only marijuana were compensating for the drug's effects by driving more carefully. Nobody should drive high, but we can all take a lesson from these people who did: slow down, leave space between your car and the next, and don't try to pass. Unlike alcohol, which makes people behave recklessly, marijuana users tend to be aware that they are impaired and compensate with some success. | ||||||||||||||||||
But what about the ONDCP's claim that one in three reckless drivers
tested positive for marijuana?
| ||||||||||||||||||
It's not quite a lie, but it's deliberately misleading. The Drug
Czar's no dummy. He wants to scare people, and he knows the complete
facts won't do it. Instead he throws out scary but incomplete and
misleading statistics -- and hopes people won't question them. Yes,
one in three reckless drivers tested positive for marijuana in a urine
screen, but we don't know how many of them had alcohol,
antihistamines, cocaine, or any number of other drugs in their
systems. | ||||||||||||||||||
Legislators need to ask for the complete facts behind the scare stories before they start passing new laws based on misinformation. | ||||||||||||||||||
There are cheaper, easier ways to get impaired drivers off the road.
Roadside sobriety tests are reliable, inexpensive, and valid
indicators of impaired driving. Law-enforcement officers can learn to
administer these tests quickly and easily. Unlike expensive blood
tests, which can only identify a few drugs, roadside sobriety tests
can detect any kind of drug impairment that might hurt driving. People
who've had too many antihistamines can't drive well. Roadside sobriety
tests would keep them off the road. A blood test would let them drive
on by. | ||||||||||||||||||
Don't be a dummy. Insist on roadside sobriety tests instead of
expensive, misleading blood tests. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mitch Earleywine, Ph.D., is an associate professor of psychology at
the University of Southern California and author of "Understanding
Marijuana" (Oxford University Press, 2002). | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"The true danger is, when liberty is nibbled away, for expedients, and
by parts." - Edmund Burke
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
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. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
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
educational purposes. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TO DRUGSENSE ON-LINE
| ||||||||||||||||||
-OR-
| ||||||||||||||||||
Mail in your contribution. Make checks payable to MAP Inc. send your
contribution to:
| ||||||||||||||||||
The Media Awareness Project (MAP) Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||
|
 | current issue | this issue |