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DrugSense Weekly
Dec. 12, 2003 #329


Table of Contents

* Breaking News (03/28/24)


* This Just In


(1) War On Drugs - The Victims
(2) Pot Sparks Showdown With Feds
(3) Marijuana Possession Charges Dropped For 4,000 Canadians
(4) Dutch 'Crackdown' Will Let Drug Smugglers Go Free

* Weekly News in Review


Drug Policy-

COMMENT: (5-9)
(5) Medical Pot Refugee Loses Deportation Case
(6) Limbaugh Lawyer Blames Politics In Probe
(7) Penalties Stronger for Driving on Drugs
(8) Suspects' Lawyers Sickened By Drug Fumes
(9) Meth Poses Threat To Hospitals

Law Enforcement & Prisons-

COMMENT: (10-13)
(10) Raid Might Have Broken Drug-Dog Rules
(11) 17 Students File Suit in Police Raid
(12) Editorial: The Giant Awakens: Fake-Drug Case Jolts Dallas Latinos
(13) Women Cost More Than Men In Lock-Up

Cannabis & Hemp-

COMMENT: (14-18)
(14) Patients Jeer Feds' New Policy On Pot
(15) Judge's Charge To Jury Seen As Case For Appeal
(16) Pot Flashback On Tap
(17) 'Miracle' Drug Changes Lives
(18) Very British Approach To The Business Of Cannabis

International News-

COMMENT: (19-23)
(19) Thailand To Investigate Drug-War Killings
(20) Cocaine And Ecstasy Cause DNA Mutation, Study Says
(21) U.S. Soldiers Becoming Drug Addicts In Afghanistan
(22) U.S. Warns On Pot Bill
(23) 'Decriminalisation Of Ganja Could Hurt Jamaica'

* Hot Off The 'Net


    Steve's  Health  Is  Deteriorating  :  A  DrugSense  Focus  Alert 
    A  Critique  of  the  Kubby  Refugee  Ruling  /  by  Richard Cowan 
    Cultural Baggage Radio Show 
    POT TV Live Interactive Christmas Party!  
    Health Canada Contempt for Appeal Court Decision  
    New Goose Creek Footage 
    Stop  Pointing  Guns  at  Our  Kids  /  by  Marsha  Rosenbaum, PhD 
    Drug Policy Alliance Web Chat 
    Drugs, Labor and Colonial Expansion 

* Letter Of The Week


    No Laughing Matter / By Eric E. Sterling 

* Letter Writer Of The Month - November


    Howard Wooldridge 

* Feature Article


    U.S.  House  of  Reps.  Approves  Bill to Censor American Citizens 

* Quote of the Week


    John F. Kennedy 


THIS JUST IN     (Top)

(1) WAR ON DRUGS - THE VICTIMS     (Top)

Rights commission details five killings

National Human Rights Commission member Vasant Phanich yesterday detailed at a press conference five killings the commission believes were carried out by police during this year's war on drugs.  The commission says the five are among 26 it has investigated. 

CASE 1: KILLED IN COFFIN SHOP

A man was shot point-blank in the head and arm at 6pm on February 11 at a coffin shop in Trang province's central market.  Shot in front of many witnesses, two kilometres from home and just 300 metres from the police station, he died later at hospital. 

The killing was reported as being related to drug trafficking, but the commission learned that no drugs were found on the man's body or at the scene. 

Police detectives did not bother to check evidence or even collect the spent cartridges, which were eventually picked up and turned in to police by bystanders. 

Despite the number of eyewitnesses, the investigation has made absolutely no progress.  The commission said police had blacklisted the victim and his family as drug traffickers and searched their home six times before the shooting, but found no drugs or anything illegal and did not have enough evidence to prosecute the man on drug charges. 

[snip]

Pubdate:   Sat, 13 Dec 2003
Source:   Nation, The (Thailand)
Website:   http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
Copyright:   2003 Nation Multimedia Group
Continues:   http://nationmultimedia.com/page.news.php3?clid=3&id=105046


(2) POT SPARKS SHOWDOWN WITH FEDS     (Top)

Routt County Man Wants His Marijuana Back From DEA

State and federal authorities are fighting over Don Nord and his three marijuana plants.  The case ultimately could ignite or extinguish a smoldering conflict between state and federal laws that govern the use of marijuana for medical reasons. 

Colorado says it's OK.  The federal government says it's not. In Colorado, neither federal nor state appellate courts have addressed the issue.  The three marijuana plants, meanwhile, are in a federal laboratory in San Francisco and probably are dead. 

[snip]

The officers gave him a ticket, charging him with the misdemeanor of possessing marijuana and the petty offense of possessing marijuana paraphernalia.  The ticket ordered Nord to appear in Routt County Court on Nov.  4.

But the government lost its copy of the ticket and failed to file it in court by that date.  Routt County Judge James Garrecht dismissed the whole thing. 

The district attorney could have refiled the charges, but didn't.  Deputy DA Marc Guerette, who handled the case, could not be reached Tuesday. 

[snip]

On Monday, Garrecht ordered the feds to give it back within 21 days. 

They don't want to. 

They've shipped Nord's marijuana to their lab in San Francisco, and they won't give it back willingly, according to DEA spokesman Dan Reuter. 

"The U.S.  Drug Enforcement Administration is not in the habit of returning illegal contraband," he said. 

[snip]

Pubdate:   Wed, 10 Dec 2003
Source:   Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)
Copyright:   2003, Denver Publishing Co. 
Website:   http://www.rockymountainnews.com/
Details:   http://www.mapinc.org/media/371
Author:   Karen Abbott, Rocky Mountain News
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03.n1908.a02.html


(3) MARIJUANA POSSESSION CHARGES DROPPED FOR 4,000 CANADIANS     (Top)

OTTAWA - The Canadian government is making it a green Christmas for 4,000 people - it plans to stay thousands of charges of pot possession as a result of legal battles over medicinal marijuana. 

The decision will apply to every person in Canada charged with possession of marijuana between July 31, 2001, and Oct.  7, 2003, Justice Department spokeswoman Pascale Boulay said. 

The Justice Department intends to cease prosecutions on the cases because of a court ruling in 2000 that found medicinal-marijuana users had the right to possess less than 30 grams of pot. 

The judge delayed that ruling's effect for one year in the hope the federal government would introduce a medicinal-marijuana law. 

But the government did not.  Instead, the Cabinet issued regulations for access to medicinal marijuana one day before the yearlong grace period ended in 2001.  The Ontario ruling created a legal loophole, effectively invalidating Canada's marijuana possession law as unconstitutional because it failed to provide an exemption for medical use. 

"We estimate there are about 4,000 pending files," Boulay said.  However, she said that criminal charges of marijuana possession will still be prosecuted today as a result of the government's announcement yesterday that it will not appeal the medicinal-marijuana case to the Supreme Court. 

[snip]

Pubdate:   Wed, 10 Dec 2003
Source:   Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright:   2003, The Globe and Mail Company
Website:   http://www.globeandmail.ca/
Details:   http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author:   Kim Lunman
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03.n1907.a09.html


(4) DUTCH 'CRACKDOWN' WILL LET DRUG SMUGGLERS GO FREE     (Top)

AMSTERDAM -- Cocaine smugglers arrested at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport with less than 3kg of drugs will not be prosecuted under new plans that reliable sources claim comes directly from Dutch Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner. 

When appointed last year the minister indicated the Netherlands was going to end its "revolving door" policy of releasing passengers caught with drugs. 

Now, however, it is alleged that the minister has doubled the previously-allowed limit.  Anyone arrested with an amount of drugs under that limit, will not be fined, summonsed or jailed, but they will be required to surrender the drugs to authorities. 

The Justice Ministry has confirmed that the smuggling of drugs weighing under 1.5kg has gone unpunished for an extended period of time, an NOS news report said. 

The policy is designed to relieve pressure on the judicial system caused by the rising number of drug-related arrests.  The government set up several emergency jails across the country after alarm about the rising number of arrest was sparked at the start of 2002. 

But with intensive searches of passengers, hand luggage and cargo on all risk flights -- via so-called 100 percent inspections -- the Justice Ministry hopes to crackdown on drugs gangs that organise the smuggling operations. 

It claims the gangs do not care about the smugglers, but only about the drugs and that the prosecution of smugglers will not have a preventative effect on the drugs trade. 

If passengers on risk flights are subject to thorough inspections, the ministry is not concerned that the stream of drugs couriers carrying less than 3kg of drugs will increase. 

[snip]

Pubdate:   Fri, 12 Dec 2003
Source:   Expatica (Netherlands)
Copyright:   2003 Expatica Communications BV
Continues:   http://drugpolicycentral.com/bot/article/expatica7373.htm


WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW     (Top)


Domestic News- Policy


COMMENT: (5-9)     (Top)

Medical marijuana patients hoping to escape persecution from the U.S.  federal government may not be able to find official sanctuary in Canada.  Officials there ruled against American medical marijuana refugee Steve Kubby's bid for asylum last week.  While Kubby and his family plan to appeal the decision, since his life depends on it, the decision does not bode well for others in his situation. 

One might think Kubby's cause is one that Rush Limbaugh would like to publicize, since he's seeing the dark side of American drug laws now.  Weeks after he left rehab and returned to his radio show, legal investigations into Limbaugh's drug purchases are apparently continuing.  Strangely, Limbaugh seems to think he's the only one who's being harassed, and that he's being singled out for political reasons.  If he understood half of what's happened to Kubby, he'd be counting his blessings. 

Elsewhere in the news last week, Wisconsin passed a tough new "drugged driving" law that does not measure impairment, but instead looks for trace amounts of drugs.  And court officials in one Tennessee county apparently don't have to look hard for the evidence of drugs.  Some defendants are bringing the toxic chemicals from meth labs to court with them by way of clothing, causing some lawyers to become ill.  Local hospital personnel are dealing with the same situation, as drug prohibition continues to literally poison society. 


(5) MEDICAL POT REFUGEE LOSES DEPORTATION CASE     (Top)

VANCOUVER - A self-described medical marijuana refugee has about two weeks to appeal a ruling ordering he be deported back to the United States. 

Steve Kubby came to B.C.  two years ago, seeking to avoid a jail sentence in California that he said will kill him.  He is here with his wife and two children. 

Kubby constantly smokes marijuana to control a rare form of adrenal cancer.  If he were incarcerated and deprived of the drug, he claims he would die. 

An Immigration and Refugee Board decision released Monday rejected that argument, saying it would not put his life at risk or subject him to torture. 

The decision was not what Kubby was expecting. 

"The physician that they selected testified under oath that if I was denied cannabis for more than 48 hours I would suffer a heart attack or a stroke and I would probably lose my life," he said. 

[snip]

Pubdate:   Tue, 09 Dec 2003
Source:   Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (Canada Web)
Copyright:   2003 CBC
Details:   http://www.mapinc.org/media/1412
Author:   Reporter Terry Milewski for CBC TV
Video:   http://vancouver.cbc.ca/clips/Vancouver/ram-lo/031209_pot.ram
Bookmark:   http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Bookmark:   http://www.mapinc.org/kubby.htm (Kubby, Steve)
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1896/a05.html


(6) LIMBAUGH LAWYER BLAMES POLITICS IN PROBE     (Top)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.  (AP)-- Rush Limbaugh's attorney accused a prosecutor Friday of having political motives for investigating whether the conservative radio commentator bought painkillers illegally. 

In search warrants released Thursday, investigators alleged that Limbaugh engaged in illegal drug use and went "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers. 

Investigators said they were looking for medical, insurance and appointment records for Limbaugh as well as cash receipts and prescription forms during raids of two doctor's offices Nov.  25. The warrants say Limbaugh "alternated physicians to obtain overlapping prescriptions" and failed to tell each doctor that he was seeing others."

Limbaugh denied any wrongdoing to listeners on his show Thursday.  Reading from a statement prepared by his attorney, Roy Black, Limbaugh said medical records will clear him. 

"What these records show is that Mr.  Limbaugh suffered extreme pain and had legitimate reasons for taking pain medication," Limbaugh read.  "Unfortunately, because of Mr. Limbaugh's prominence and well-known political opinions, he is being subjected to an invasion of privacy no citizen of this republic should endure."

[snip]

Pubdate:   Fri, 05 Dec 2003
Source:   Ledger-Enquirer (GA)
Copyright:   2003 Ledger-Enquirer
Details:   http://www.mapinc.org/media/237
Author:   Jill Barton
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1890/a07.html


(7) PENALTIES STRONGER FOR DRIVING ON DRUGS     (Top)

MILWAUKEE (AP) Gov.  Jim Doyle signed legislation Thursday strengthening the state laws against driving or carrying a weapon while under the influence of drugs. 

The bill requires authorities to only prove that someone carrying a gun or driving a car, all terrain vehicle, snowmobile or motorboat had drugs in their systems to be prosecuted.  Current law requires authorities to prove the illegal drugs impaired them. 

The legislation was inspired by a 2001 incident in which a driver high on cocaine ran a red light and crashed into a vehicle driven by a Waukesha woman who was pregnant. 

Pubdate:   Fri, 05 Dec 2003
Source:   Capital Times, The (WI)
Copyright:   2003 The Capital Times
Details:   http://www.mapinc.org/media/73
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1883/a02.html


(8) METH SUSPECTS' LAWYERS SICKENED BY DRUG FUMES

Others Complain Of Court's Air Quality; Tests Done

CROSSVILLE, Tenn.  - Two public defenders walked out of court last week after one complained of feeling sick, and attorneys say part of the blame lies in the fumes from several defendants charged with making the homemade drug methamphetamine. 

''Thursday afternoon they did inform me that one of them - Ms.  Lyons - was feeling sick and that they were leaving,'' General Sessions Judge Steven Douglas said.  As a result, some cases on the docket for that day had to be postponed. 

Public Defender David Brady said he had previously given two of his assistants, Cindy Lyons and Joe Fendley, permission to leave court if they felt such symptoms again, and instructions that they seek medical treatment. 

''I am treating it as a situation of employees having to work in a hazardous environment, and I'm taking it seriously,'' Brady said. 

The public defenders are not the only people complaining about the air quality in the courtroom.  Douglas' secretary and clerks in the Cumberland County Circuit Court clerk's office have complained of a variety of symptoms including headaches; burning eyes, nose, mouth and skin; and nausea. 

[snip]

Pubdate:   Tue, 09 Dec 2003
Source:   Tennessean, The (TN)
Copyright:   2003 The Tennessean
Details:   http://www.mapinc.org/media/447
Author:   Mike Moser
Bookmark:   http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1895/a06.html


(9) METH POSES THREAT TO HOSPITALS     (Top)

Health Workers Urged To Protect Themselves Against Toxic Fumes

NASHVILLE - The Hippocratic Oath tells doctors: First, do no harm. 

But when dealing with methamphetamine users it must be amended to read: First, protect yourself. 

Dr.  Barry S. Wagner, director of medical recruiting at Emergency Coverage Corp.  in Knoxville and a member of the Cumberland Medical Center in Crossville, said health care professionals have been sickened by the stench of a drug user's clothes and chemicals found in bodily fluids. 

"We don't have all the answers because all the answers don't exist," he said Tuesday during a panel discussion at the three-day Methamphetamine Response Conference.  "If you treat this as a typical diagnostic problem, you're going to come out on the short end of the stick."

Typically, emergency room personnel are taught the ABCs of treatment: Airway, breathing, circulation.  But when dealing with a meth user, "D" for decontamination must come first. 

[snip]

Pubdate:   Wed, 03 Dec 2003
Source:   Jackson Sun News (TN)
Copyright:   2003 The Jackson Sun
Details:   http://www.mapinc.org/media/1482
Author:   Scott Reeves, Associated Press
Note:   Jackson Sun reporter Tajuana Cheshier contributed to this story. 
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1899/a03.html


Law Enforcement & Prisons


COMMENT: (10-13)     (Top)

The reverberations from a highly publicized school drug raid continue to be felt in South Carolina last week.  As investigations continue, it appears police broke their own written policies during the raid.  Several students who experienced the drug raid first hand are fighting back against the raid by filing lawsuits against police. 

Outrage also appears to be fueling action in Dallas.  According to an editorial in the Dallas Morning News, the city's fake drug scandal and the recent acquittal of the only police officer charged in the incidents have galvanized some citizens to seek justice. 

And in Oklahoma, which has the highest rate of female incarceration in the nation, officials are realizing that it's more expensive to incarcerate women than men, and that many of those women are behind bars thanks to the drug war. 


(10) RAID MIGHT HAVE BROKEN DRUG-DOG RULES     (Top)

CHARLESTON (AP) - The Goose Creek Police Department appears not to have followed its own rules on using drug dogs in its guns-drawn raid at Stratford High School last month. 

A videotape the Police Department released shows a police dog passing close by students who had been forced to kneel on the floor during the Nov.  5 raid. It also captures an officer lecturing students as that part of the raid ends. 

"If you're an innocent bystander to what has transpired here today, you can thank those people that are bringing dope into this school.  Every time we think there's dope in this school, we're going to be coming up here to deal with it, and this is one of the ways we can deal with it," the unidentified officer says. 

[snip]

The department's procedure on "illegal narcotics detection" states, "Only after the on-scene supervisor has cleared the area of all personnel will the canine enter and conduct an illegal narcotics detection."

The tape shows Goose Creek police officer Jeff Parrish and Major, a Czechoslovakian shepherd, entering the hallway. 

[snip]

Pubdate:   Mon, 08 Dec 2003
Source:   State, The (SC)
Copyright:   2003 The State
Details:   http://www.mapinc.org/media/426
Bookmark:   http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Goose+Creek
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1890/a06.html


(11) 17 STUDENTS FILE SUIT IN POLICE RAID     (Top)

CHARLESTON - Seventeen Stratford High School students have filed a lawsuit against the city of Goose Creek and the Berkeley County School District, saying police and school officials terrorized them in a drug raid last month. 

The defendants named in the lawsuit, filed Friday in U.S.  District Court in Charleston, include Stratford High School Principal George McCrackin; Berkeley County school Superintendent Chester Floyd; Goose Creek Police Chief Harvey Becker; and Goose Creek police Lt.  Dave Aarons. 

The suit also names the city of Goose Creek, its Police Department and the Berkeley County School District as defendants. 

The lawsuit stems from a Nov.  5 raid in which police swept through Stratford High School looking for drugs, pointing guns at students and ordering them to the floor. 

Solicitor Ralph Hoisington asked state Attorney General Henry McMaster on Thursday to investigate whether any laws were broken in the raid. 

[snip]

Pubdate:   Sun, 07 Dec 2003
Source:   Sun News (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Copyright:   2003 Sun Publishing Co. 
Details:   http://www.mapinc.org/media/987
Note:   apparent 150 word limit on LTEs
Author:   Associated Press
Bookmark:   http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm (Drug Raids)
Bookmark:   http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1893/a01.html


(12) THE GIANT AWAKENS: FAKE-DRUG CASE JOLTS DALLAS LATINOS

Watch closely.  We are witnessing history in the making. After all, it's not every day that hundreds of Latinos march on Dallas City Hall to make their voices heard. 

Yet that is what happened Sunday when hundreds of protesters gathered to register outrage over the fake drug scandal and demand that the city punish those responsible, as well as put in place safeguards so that such abuse of power never occurs again. 

The March for Justice Rally was organized by the League of United Latin American Citizens and two dozen other local organizations in the Dallas metro area.  It was in reaction to the recent "not guilty" verdict in what has been the only criminal trial related to the scandal.  It also was in reaction to the fact that dozens of people were illegally imprisoned in the scandal two years ago and that to date not a single person has been held accountable. 

These injustices have stirred a community that has long been considered dormant. 

[snip]

Pubdate:   Tue, 09 Dec 2003
Source:   Dallas Morning News (TX)
Copyright:   2003 The Dallas Morning News
Details:   http://www.mapinc.org/media/117
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1906/a05.html


(13) WOMEN COST MORE THAN MEN IN LOCK-UP     (Top)

OKLAHOMA CITY - Not only does Oklahoma lead the nation in the number of women it sends to prison, but the cost of locking up those women is 31 percent more than the average male prisoner, officials reported Tuesday. 

David Wright, a researcher with the Criminal Justice Resource Center, said Tuesday that because of higher medical costs and the additional social services required for female prisoners, Oklahoma taxpayers spend an average of $5,637 more annually on women than men. 

Testifying before the Special Task Force Women Incarcerated in Oklahoma, Wright said the annual cost for incarcerating a female inmate, including social services, is $23,684, compared to $18,047 for males. 

"DHS (Department of Human Services) reports that it spends at least $10.1 million annually in state and federal tax dollars for foster care, medical and other welfare needs of 1,816 children in Oklahoma whose parents are incarcerated," Wright said. 

[snip]

Pubdate:   Thu, 04 Dec 2003
Source:   McAlester News-Capital & Democrat (OK)
Copyright:   McAlester News-Capital & Democrat 2003
Details:   http://www.mapinc.org/media/1892
Author:   Sean Murphy EAN
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1905/a02.html


Cannabis & Hemp-


COMMENT: (14-18)     (Top)

Although the ground may be covered in snow, things are truly heating up in Canada in regards to medicinal cannabis.  This week Health Canada released its response to the Hitzig case, which found the federal Marijuana Medical Access Regulations to be unconstitutional earlier this year.  Health Canada has confounded all by choosing not to appeal the decision, and yet still opting out of most of the changes ordered by the courts - in particular by refusing to lift restrictions on third party cultivators - citing international treaty obligations and a fear of re-distribution.  This contempt of court and of the suffering of Canadians is unfortunately becoming the norm for Health Canada's ineffective program. 

Our second story examines the Krieger case in Alberta, in which long-time med-pot activist and distributor Grant Krieger was facing trafficking charges for distributing medicinal cannabis.  Shades of the Rosenthal trial emerged when 2 of the jurors asked to be dismissed following 7 hours of deliberation, stating that they simply couldn't turn in a guilty verdict in the matter.  The judge responded by forcing them back into deliberation, and ordering them to return with a guilty verdict (!), which they finally did 2 hours later. 

Our third story suggests that Canada my yet get a decrim bill in 2004, whether reformers want it or not.  Word from incoming Prime Minister Paul Martin's office suggest that his administration may be inclined to revisit the now dead Cannabis Reform Bill (Bill C-38) in 2004.  Our fourth article is an incredible must-read story of cannabis's medicinal properties by Licia Corbella of the Calgary Sun.  She illustrates the importance of this medicine for a young lady named Reshma Maharaj Hawn, who's severe and frequent seizures were finally stemmed by the medicinal use of cannabis. 

And finally, a comprehensive article on Dr.  Jeffrey Guy, Executive Chairman of GW Pharmaceuticals, who's whole-plant cannabis spray Sativex should be available in British pharmacies by early 2004.  Stay out of the cold, all!


(14) PATIENTS JEER FEDS' NEW POLICY ON POT     (Top)

Health Canada says it will provide medical marijuana to authorized patients on a long-term basis, but patients aren't cheering. 

Instead, they're upset that the government will continue to strictly limit local growing operations, forcing many patients to obtain government pot grown at a Flin Flon operation, which they consider inferior and overpriced. 

[snip]

Alan Young, a veteran lawyer and cannabis crusader, said Health Canada has ignored much of the Ontario court order and he will sue for contempt of court. 

"The court removed four major restrictions to access...  one restriction being the ability of a producer to grow for a number of patients," said Young.  "It's crystal clear, there's no way to circumvent this, they're simply ignoring the court ruling.  I will set the wheels in motion to take Health Canada to court for contempt of court."

[snip]

Pubdate:   Tue, 09 Dec 2003
Source:   Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright:   2003 Winnipeg Free Press
Details:   http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author:   Dennis Bueckert, Canadian Press
Bookmark:   http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada)
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03.n1897.a04.html


(15) JUDGE'S CHARGE TO JURY SEEN AS CASE FOR APPEAL     (Top)

A medicinal-marijuana activist with no defence for drug trafficking may have grounds to appeal his conviction, legal experts said yesterday, because an Alberta judge told the jury he was guilty and ordered jurors to convict him. 

[snip]

This week, Mr.  Justice Paul Chrumka of Alberta Court of Queen's Bench sentenced Grant Krieger to one day in jail (on paper, though -- not behind bars) for drug trafficking.  Mr. Krieger is a 49-year-old multiple-sclerosis sufferer who admitted in court that he ran a marijuana-growing operation to provide pot for himself and the infirm. 

Judge Chrumka told the jury that because Mr.  Krieger admitted all elements of the offence i, guilt had been proved beyond a reasonable doubt and with no defence, members must enter a guilty verdict. 

[snip]

Pubdate:   Fri, 05 Dec 2003
Source:   Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright:   2003, The Globe and Mail Company
Details:   http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author:   Dawn Walton
Bookmark:   http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada)
Bookmark:   http://www.mapinc.org/people/Grant+Krieger
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03.n1869.a10.html


(16) POT FLASHBACK ON TAP     (Top)

The federal government's controversial marijuana decriminalization bill is coming back to the Commons in 2004 - and the U.S.  ambassador is already warning of reduced border access for Canadian trade and travel. 

Brian Guest, a spokesman for Paul Martin's office, said yesterday the prime minister-elect backs getting rid of criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of weed, and plans to put the idea to a free vote of MPs after Parliament resumes next month. 

"Paul Martin supports legislation that would remove the threat of a lifetime criminal record for those caught in possession of small amounts of marijuana," said Guest.  "The bill will come forward in the next session, and it will be voted on in accordance with the principles of democratic reform."

[snip]

Pubdate:   Wed, 10 Dec 2003
Source:   Edmonton Sun (CN AB)
Copyright:   2003, Canoe Limited Partnership. 
Details:   http://www.mapinc.org/media/135
Author:   Doug Beazley
Bookmark:   http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark:   http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03.n1898.a07.html


(17) 'MIRACLE' DRUG CHANGES LIVES     (Top)

Curative properties of marijuana aired during testimony at Krieger trial

It seems that once a month at least, I meet or speak to someone whose life has been remarkably improved -- if not transformed -- by the medicinal properties of marijuana.  Many of these people contact me. 

[snip]

On Wednesday, I met more than a dozen people whose lives have been improved by marijuana at the trafficking trial of Grant Krieger, Calgary's foremost medicinal marijuana minstrel and primary supplier and distributor of the healing herb for the sick and dying. 

Perhaps one of the best examples of marijuana's curative properties I have ever met is Reshma Maharaj Hawn. 

[snip]

Pubdate:   Sun, 07 Dec 2003
Source:   Calgary Sun, The (CN AB)
Copyright:   2003 The Calgary Sun
Details:   http://www.mapinc.org/media/67
Author:   Licia Corbella
Bookmark:   http://www.mapinc.org/people/Grant+Krieger
Bookmark:   http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03.n1885.a07.html


(18) VERY BRITISH APPROACH TO THE BUSINESS OF CANNABIS     (Top)

Business Profile: Geoffrey Guy believes his company is close to success in creating a legal drug from an illegal one

Geoffrey Guy has a conviction: possession of cannabis, with intent to supply.  Not a criminal conviction, of course, since Dr Guy is an upstanding businessman and pillar of the community in Dorset.  Just an evangelical belief that cannabis has an array of medical benefits and that his own painkiller, developed from the plant, will be available on the National Health within months. 

He is the G in GW Pharmaceuticals, its founder, executive chairman, and cheerleader-in-chief. 

[snip]

Pubdate:   Mon, 08 Dec 2003
Source:   Independent (UK)
Copyright:   2003 Independent Newspapers (UK) Ltd. 
Details:   http://www.mapinc.org/media/209
Author:   Stephen Foley
Bookmark:   http://www.mapinc.org/find?323 (GW Pharmaceuticals)
Bookmark:   http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03.n1890.a10.html


International News


COMMENT: (19-23)     (Top)

The king of Thailand was quite sure last week Thai police weren't to blame for the deaths of some 2,500 people killed in Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's war on drugs in the past year.  "Most of the dead were people who had killed one another, people who did the trafficking, the production," proclaimed the Thai king.  Still, to settle the matter, the Thai government announced last week it would set up a "police team" to investigate if the deaths were caused by police.  In order to thoroughly investigate the killings, the "police team" will be given one whole week to look into the 2,500 death-squad killings of suspected drug offenders.  Don't expect the "police team" to conclude anything that differs much from the official explanation. 

A study from Italy's National Center for Research publicized last week claimed cocaine and MDMA ("Ecstasy") caused mutations in animals.  "Cocaine and ecstasy have proved to be more dangerous than we had imagined," government scientists fretted.  "This is very worrying for the effects it could have on future generations," cried the Italian government scientists.  Wisely, the government-paid scientists did not contrast the alleged mutation-causing effects of cocaine and MDMA with other known mutation-causing substances such as caffeine, red meat, alcohol, or peanut butter. 

Russian Deputy State Drug Controller Alexander Mikhailov last week announced that U.S.  soldiers are becoming addicted to drugs in Afghanistan.  The report, from the Pakistani Pak Tribune, alleged U.S.  forces experienced "several occurrences of drug addiction," but that "the U.S.  leadership is keeping it quiet." It was not known whether Mikhailov was referring to the forced-drugging of U.S.  pilots with amphetamines, which was linked to previous friendly-fire incidents in Afghanistan. 

US officials again threatened Canadians with reductions in border access, should the Canadian people decide to lessen penalties for marijuana use in any way.  Not worried so much about Canadian lives ruined by jail time meted out for involvement with marijuana, the US ambassador to Canada, Paul Cellucci, instead emphasized Canadian drug policy should be dictated by the need to manage the U.S.  domestic "perception" of the dangers of cannabis.  "Our concern is the perception of this is that this is a weakening of the law," admitted the Bush-appointee, because it may be "easier to get marijuana in Canada."

In Jamaica, lawmakers last week were reluctant to implement the results of the latest National Ganja Commission report, which recommended that ganja (cannabis) be decriminalized for use by adults, in private.  Lawmakers, reported the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper, were fearful of retaliation by the U.S.  if ganja were legalized.  Citing numerous international prohibitionist treaties Jamaica is a party to, Jamaican Solicitor General Michael Hylton frightened lawmakers with scenarios of U.S.  decertification, should adults no longer be threatened with imprisonment for using cannabis.  The U.S.  needs Jamaica to stay in line to shore up U.S. domestic anti-marijuana public "perception".  US Embassy in Jamaica: "the perception, especially to our youth, that marijuana is not harmful, which could lead to an increase in its use". 


(19) THAILAND TO INVESTIGATE DRUG-WAR KILLINGS     (Top)

BANGKOK, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Thailand has set up a team to investigate the deaths of about 2,500 people killed during Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's war on drugs, after the king urged the government to verify the deaths, police said on Friday. 

A police team would take a week to investigate the deaths, national police bureau spokesman Ponsapat Pongcharoen told reporters. 

"The team will take a week to study our database and come up with categorised figures of how many people were killed in intra-gang wars and how many were killed by the police," he said. 

Thai and foreign rights groups have accused police of killing suspected drug dealers during the 10-month campaign, a charge the government denies.  It says most of the deaths resulted from dealers fighting each other. 

Speaking on the eve of his 76th birthday, King Bhumibol Adulyadej said on Thursday Thaksin and his government had faced unfair criticism over the deaths. 

The king rejected criticism of the role of the security forces during the campaign and urged the authorities to verify the death figures. 

"Most of the dead were people who had killed one another, people who did the trafficking, the production," the king said. 

King Bhumibol had voiced concern over the growing drug problem last year in his annual birthday speech.  Thaksin, a former police colonel, later promised a drug-free Thailand in time for his birthday this year. 

Pubdate:   Fri, 05 Dec 2003
Source:   Reuters (Wire)
Copyright:   2003 Reuters Limited
Bookmark:   http://www.mapinc.org/area/Thailand
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03.n1881.a06.html


(20) COCAINE AND ECSTASY CAUSE DNA MUTATION, STUDY SAYS     (Top)

ROME (Reuters) - Cocaine and ecstasy not only cause addiction and raise the risk of cancer but also provoke genetic mutations, Italian scientists said Friday. 

"Cocaine and ecstasy have proved to be more dangerous than we had imagined," said Giorgio Bronzetti, chief scientist at the National Center for Research's (CNR) biotechnology department. 

"These drugs, on top of their toxicological effects, attack DNA provoking mutations and altering the hereditary material.  This is very worrying for the effects it could have on future generations," he said. 

[snip]

The CNR report, which took more than three years to complete, said animal tests had shown a direct relationship between ecstasy and cocaine intake and the effects on DNA. 

"In other words, the longer the time frame of drug consumption, the greater the damage to DNA," Bronzetti said. 

Pubdate:   Sun, 7 Dec 2003
Source:   Reuters (Wire)
Copyright:   2003 Reuters Limited
Bookmark:   http://www.mapinc.org/mdma.htm (Ecstasy)
Continues:  
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03.n1893.a08.html


(21) U.S. SOLDIERS BECOMING DRUG ADDICTS IN AFGHANISTAN     (Top)

MOSCOW, December 08 (Online): U.S.  soldiers are developing a drug addiction problem in Afghanistan, said Deputy State Drug Controller Alexander Mikhailov. 

He said that there have already been several occurrences of drug addiction among U.S.  soldiers in Afghanistan, but the U.S. leadership is keeping it quiet.  'They don't have control of the situation.  This should be a good example for our troops in Tajikistan,' said Mikhailov. 

The state drug controller's office and the Russian Orthodox Church have decided to step up joint efforts against drug use, said Mikhailov.  At the present time more than 90% of narcotics in Russia come from Afghanistan through Central Asia.  Only 10% of narcotics are produced in Russia. 

Pubdate:   Mon, 8 Dec 2003
Source:   Pak Tribune (Pakistan)
Copyright:   Pakistan News Service
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03.n1897.a07.html


(22) U.S. WARNS ON POT BILL     (Top)

EDMONTON -- The federal government's controversial marijuana decriminalization bill is coming back to the Commons in 2004 -- and the U.S.  ambassador is already warning of reduced border access for Canadian trade and travel.  And while U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci acknowledged yesterday Canada has the right to set its own drug policy, he warned Ottawa could be setting the stage for a border crackdown if the bill makes weed easier to get here. 

"Our concern is the perception of this is that this is a weakening of the law ...  that it will be easier to get marijuana in Canada," he said during an Edmonton stopover. 

"Our customs and immigration officers, they're law-enforcement officers.  If they think it's easier to get marijuana in Canada, they're going to be on the lookout for it. 

"That's going to put pressure on the border at a time when we've been trying to take pressure off it.  We don't want to have a lot of young people having their vehicles inspected when they're crossing the border."

The bill's return might surprise a few of Paul Martin's longtime supporters in caucus.  Many backbenchers believed the prime minister designate, anxious to avoid a confrontation with Washington, would let the bill die a quiet death. 

Pubdate:   Wed, 10 Dec 2003
Source:   Winnipeg Sun (CN MB)
Copyright:   2003 Canoe Limited Partnership
Details:   http://www.mapinc.org/media/503
Author:   Sun Media
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03.n1898.a06.html


(23) 'DECRIMINALISATION OF GANJA COULD HURT JAMAICA'     (Top)

Solicitor General Warns That Country Could Face Sanctions If Drug Allowed For Personal Use

Solicitor General Michael Hylton yesterday warned parliamentarians studying the ganja issue that Jamaica would breach international obligations and face tough US sanctions, if the drug is decriminalised. 

Hylton told a meeting of the Joint Select Committee of Parliament studying the National Ganja Commission report, that although Parliament could pass amendments to remove the constitutional bar to decriminalisation it would, in all likelihood, breach international obligations in respect of drug control. 

"If recommendation one is implemented, and the Dangerous Drugs Act is amended to decriminalise the private, personal use of marijuana in small quantities, Jamaica would, in all likelihood, be in breach of certain international obligations in respect of drug control," he said.  Recommendation one of the Ganja Commission's report asked that, "the relevant laws be amended so that ganja can be decriminalised for the private, personal use of small quantities by adults."

The statement landed like a spanner in the works of the parliamentarians who seemed on track to some sort of consensus on, at least, decriminalisation. 

[snip]

The United States Government is opposed to the decriminalisation of ganja.  Embassy spokeswoman, Orna Bloom, has been quoted as saying that it could create "the perception, especially to our youth, that marijuana is not harmful, which could lead to an increase in its use". 

Hylton, in explaining decertification in this context, said that the United States Government policy under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, requires the president to take steps to decertify countries categorised as major illicit drug producing and/or drug transit countries.  He noted that Jamaica was already listed among the major Illicit drug producing and drug transit countries. 

"Thus, if Jamaica were to decriminalise marijuana for personal use, there would be a distinct risk that the country would be subject to the sanctions associated with decertification," he said,.  The sanctions, he added, would be significant. 

The solicitor general also told the committee that Jamaica is currently a party to three international conventions concerning illicit drugs:

* The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961, as amended by its 1972 Protocol (the Single Narcotics Convention).  Jamaica acceded to that treaty on October 6, 1989 and today over 155 states are parties thereto. 

* The Convention on Psychiatropic Substances, 1971.  Jamaica acceded to this treaty on October 6, 1989.  Today, over 160 states are parties thereto. 

* The United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1988.  Jamaica acceded to this treaty on December 29, 1995.  Today more than 150 states are parties thereto. 

Hylton said that all three conventions adopt a restrictive approach to marijuana use and, in the interest of brevity, illustrated how implementation of the Ganja Commission's first recommendation would cause Jamaica to be in breach of the Singles Narcotics Convention."

He said that the convention, which lists ganja as a prohibitive drug, seeks to expressly "limit exclusively to medical and scientific purposes, the production, manufacture, export, import, distribution of, trade in, use and possession of drugs".  Language, which he said, clearly indicated that ganja use was not encouraged by the treaty. 

The convention, he added, states that subject to constitutional limitations, each party must adopt measures to ensure that cultivation, production, manufacture, extraction, preparation, possession, offering for sale, distribution, purchase, sale, delivery, transport, brokerage, dispatch, importation and exportation of drugs is punishable when committed intentionally, "and that serious offences shall be liable to adequate punishment, particularly by imprisonment or other related penalties of deprivation of liberty". 

[snip]

Pubdate:   Thu, 11 Dec 2003
Source:   Jamaica Observer (Jamaica)
Copyright:   2003 The Jamaica Observer Ltd,
Details:   http://www.mapinc.org/media/1127
Author:   Balford Henry
Bookmark:   http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark:   http://www.mapinc.org/areas/jamaica
Continues:   http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03.n1904.a07.html


HOT OFF THE 'NET     (Top)

Steve's Health Is Deteriorating

A DrugSense Focus Alert. 

http://www.mapinc.org/alert/0282.html


A Critique of the Kubby Refugee Ruling

What Is It About Dead That You Don’t Understand?

Analysis by Richard Cowan

On Monday we finally learned that the Refugee Protection Division denied the Kubbys the protection of Canada. 

Continues:   http://www.marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=722

Video:   http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-2342.html


Cultural Baggage Radio Show

Deborah Small of the Drug Policy Alliance discusses the Breaking the Chains Conference. 

MP3: http://www.cultural-baggage.com/Audio/FDBCB_120903.mp3
RealAudio:   http://www.cultural-baggage.com/ramtorm/to120903.ram

On Tuesday, Dec.  16 our guest will be Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell who has implemented "The Four Pillars Drug Strategy" for reducing drug-related harms.  Join us online at 7:30 EDT, 6:30 CDT and 4:30 PDT at http://www.kpft.org/


POT TV Live Interactive Christmas Party!

Friday, December 12th, 2003

7:00pm (PST), 10:00pm (EST)    

http://pot-tv.net/


Health Canada Contempt for Appeal Court Decision

December 8, 2003: This week, Health Canada confounded both the press and public by announcing it will not appeal the October 7th Ontario Appellate Court decision that found its Marijuana Medical Access Regulations (MMAR) unconstitutional, while also stating it will not make all of the required court-ordered changes to the program. 

Continues:   http://safeaccess.ca/pr/csapr12.htm


New Goose Creek Footage

New previously unreleased video footage police made of the Stratford raid. 

http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-2350.html


Stop Pointing Guns at Our Kids

by Marsha Rosenbaum, PhD

The use of weapons on the Stratford High School campus is testament to the failure of our efforts to stop young people from using drugs, and the frustration experienced by school officials. 

http://drugpolicy.org/library/rosenbaum120803.cfm


Drug Policy Alliance Web Chat

Listen to the the thoughts of the Drug Policy Alliance's Ethan Nadelmann and retired ACLU director Ira Glasser expressed during 'Turning the Tide,' a live 45-minute Web chat, where questions from the audience were addressed. 

http://drugpolicy.org/news/ethanchat.cfm


Drugs, Labor and Colonial Expansion

This book explores how Europeans introduced and used drugs in colonial contexts for the exploitation and placation of indigenous labor.  Combining history and anthropology, it examines the role of drugs in trade and labor during the age of western colonial expansion. 

http://www.uapress.arizona.edu/books/bid1520.htm


LETTER OF THE WEEK     (Top)

No Laughing Matter

By Eric E.  Sterling

Recently, the Boston Phoenix sent three writers to cover the New England governors' drug summit at Faneuil Hall, organized by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).  Their stories were collectively headlined, Drugs: Why Can't Politicians Face Facts?

I have participated in numerous such events. 

From 1979 to 1989, I was counsel to the U.S.  House of
Representatives Committee on the Judiciary.  In 1988, I helped write the legislation creating the ONDCP.  I have set up or attended at least 100 congressional anti-drug hearings or events over the years.  Unfortunately, your front-page headline offers a generally well-founded lament. 

And the causes of our politicians' disconnect from the reality of drug use and the consequences of drug policy must be identified if we are to get beyond the policy failures in which we are mired. 

First, it does not seem that those politicians who do face facts are made to suffer for it - at least by their constituencies.  U.S. Representative Barney Frank (D-MA), for example, is well known for having sponsored medical-marijuana legislation, and has in no way been punished by his constituents.  Similarly, here in Maryland, State Delegate Don Murphy (R), representing a conservative district, sponsored our state medical-marijuana bill, but never faced electoral jeopardy. 

In fact, a Republican state senator here, Tim Ferguson, was targeted and defeated in the Republican primary for casting the decisive vote against medical marijuana in committee. 

But Murphy's experience illustrates a very important factor. 

Once Murphy sponsored the bill, he became the butt of jokes among his legislative colleagues: " What's that smell? " " Can you get me something? " A politician who faces facts and questions current drug policy risks becoming the object of constant ridicule. 

The news media - with a few notable exceptions - are equally to blame. 

Pun-filled headlines, sly references to drug use, and sloppy reporting are the rule when the subject is illegal drugs.  In a typical story about the introduction of a medical-marijuana bill, the lead and succeeding paragraphs make jokes and cute observations about the clothing, hairstyles, audience, music, etc.  at a pro-medical-marijuana event. 

These cheap attempts denigrate the seriousness of the legislation. 

Ultimately, politicians' unwillingness to face the facts about illegal drugs stems from fear of losing legitimacy, not fear of electoral defeat or challenge.  Driving this fear is the seemingly irresistible compulsion of the nation's editors and reporters to turn to journalistic cliches about pot when writing about drug-policy reform. 

If the nation thinks the problems of drug abuse are serious, then we must stop sacrificing serious discussion of the alternatives for the cheap laughs of old and not-very-funny pot jokes. 

Eric E.  Sterling

Note:   Eric Sterling is President of the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation,
Silver Spring, Maryland

Date:   11/28/2003
Source:   Boston Phoenix (MA)
Details:   http://www.mapinc.org/media/54


LETTER WRITER OF THE MONTH - NOVEMBER     (Top)

DrugSense recognizes Howard Wooldridge of Dallas, Texas, for his five letters to the editor published during November.  Howard has had 24 letters archived in the MAP system.  A former police officer, Howard is active with Law Enforcement Against Prohibition - http://www.leap.cc/

He also recently finished riding his horse across the U.S.  to education the public about prohibition.  You can read all of Howard's excellent letters at
http://www.mapinc.org/writers/Howard+J.+Wooldridge


FEATURE ARTICLE     (Top)

U.S.  House of Reps. Approves Bill to Censor American Citizens

By Drug Policy Alliance

WASHINGTON - December 9 - A little-known provision buried within the omnibus federal spending bill that the U.S.  House of Representatives approved yesterday would take away federal grants from local and state transportation authorities that allow citizens to run advertising on buses, trains, or subways in support of reforming our nation's drug laws.  If enacted, the provision could effectively silence community groups around the country that are using advertising to educate Americans about medical marijuana and other drug policy reforms.  Meanwhile, this same bill gives the White House $145 million in taxpayer money to run anti-marijuana ads next year. 

"The government can't spend taxpayer money promoting one side of the drug policy debate while prohibiting taxpayers from using their own money to promote the other side," said Bill Piper, Associate Director of National Affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance.  "This is censorship and not the democratic way."

The provision raises both constitutional and political concerns.  Courts have generally ruled that public transportation authorities cannot legally discriminate against any political viewpoint.  Thus, local and state authorities could soon be put in an impossible position: if they reject advertising in support of drug policy reform they risk running afoul of the First Amendment; but if they accept drug reform advertising they lose federal money.  Civil libertarians warn the provision also sets a dangerous precedent.  Special interest groups could lobby for federal bans on advertising with pro-life or pro-gun messages, or in support of or against gay marriage or abortion. 

The provisions in the omnibus spending bill are part of a growing controversy over the use of taxpayer money to influence state and federal drug policies: * Court records show that Members of Congress created the federal government's first anti-drug advertising campaign in 1998 as a way of using billions of taxpayer dollars to influence voters to reject state medical marijuana ballot measures. 

* In 2000 it was discovered that the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy used financial incentives to get newspapers and magazines to editorialize in favor of the drug war and get TV and movie producers to change their scripts to reflect pro-drug war views.  * Current Drug Czar, John Walters, and his staff have used taxpayer money to campaign against local and state ballot measures and legislation they disapprove of.  After Walters spent taxpayer money to defeat a 2002 ballot measure in Nevada, the Nevada Attorney General complained, "The excessive federal intervention that was exhibited in this instance is particularly disturbing because it sought to influence the outcome of a Nevada election." * Earlier this year, Members of Congress tried to give the White House the ability to spend over a billion dollars in taxpayer money on negative attack ads against medical marijuana ballot measures and Congressional candidates that support drug policy reform.  Although a public outcry stopped the legislation, existing federal law may already allow the White House to use taxpayer money to influence elections. 

The Drug Policy Alliance is urging Congress to remove the anti-free speech provision from the omnibus spending bill, eliminate taxpayer-financed anti-drug advertising, and prohibit the drug czar from using federal money to campaign and lobby against reform. 

"The drug policy debate is the only one in which federal bureaucrats are allowed to use taxpayer money to influence how taxpayers vote," said Piper.  "This is a dangerous precedent. Congress needs to enact a firm ban on using our money in this way, before this becomes the rule instead of the exception."

www.drugpolicy.org


QUOTE OF THE WEEK     (Top)

"Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth." - John F.  Kennedy


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