| Nov. 19, 2004 #376 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
(1) AFGHAN POPPY GROWING REACHES RECORD LEVEL, U.N. SAYS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
KABUL, Afghanistan - Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, the source of
most of the opium and heroin on Europe's streets, was up sharply
this year, reaching the highest levels in the country's history and
in the world, the United Nations announced on Thursday. | ||||||||||||||||||
"In Afghanistan, drugs are now a clear and present danger," said
Antonio Maria Costa, director of the United Nations Office of Drugs
and Crime, on the release of the 2004 Afghanistan opium survey. "The
fear that Afghanistan might degenerate into a narco-state is
becoming a reality." | ||||||||||||||||||
Afghan officials and foreign diplomats called the sharp rise in cultivation and production a major failure for President Hamid Karzai and the international effort to counter narcotics. | ||||||||||||||||||
More than 321,236 acres of land were planted with poppy in 2004, a 64 percent increase over last year, the United Nations survey found. Poppy has spread to every province in the country, it said. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(2) LAW PROF TO SUPREME COURT - FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, BUTT OUT OF (Top)MEDICAL MARIJUANA | ||||||||||||||||||
Randy Barnett last week stood before a panel of "justices" inside a
replica of the U.S. Supreme Court. The simulation was staged at
Georgetown University's moot courtroom, which is designed to help
lawyers acclimate to the intimate setting of the Supreme Court while
honing their arguments in preparation for a real hearing. The
justices, a panel of Georgetown professors and lawyers, peppered
Barnett with questions about the Constitution as it applies to
medical marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
Barnett, Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Law at the School of Law,
has two more moot courts before November 29, when the Supreme Court
will hear his argument that it is unconstitutional for the federal
government to prosecute patients who grow and use marijuana for
medical purposes in California. | ||||||||||||||||||
The high-profile case centers on whether the federal government has
the power to prosecute these patients in a state with a law
permitting the cultivation and use of cannabis with a physician's
consent. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(3) SCIENTIST SAYS FDA SYSTEM 'BROKEN' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - A Food and Drug Administration scientist told a Senate committee Thursday that the FDA is "virtually defenseless" against another "terrible tragedy and a profound regulatory failure" like Vioxx, a drug pulled off the market over safety concerns. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It is important that this committee and the American people
understand that what happened with Vioxx is really a symptom of
something far more dangerous to the safety of the American people,"
David Graham, associate director for science and medicine in the
FDA's Office of Drug Safety, told the Finance Committee. "Simply
put, FDA and its Center for Drug Evaluation and Research are
broken." | ||||||||||||||||||
Graham went on to name five other drugs he thought might deserve Vioxx's fate: Meridia, Crestor, Accutane, Serevent and Bextra. Drug companies were quick to defend the safety of their drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
The problem, Graham said, is that the FDA office that approves a new drug, which it regards "as its own child," has too much sway over the drug-safety office. But Sandra Kweder, deputy director of the Office of New Drugs, told senators, "That is not the FDA I know." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/drugs/2004-11-18-vioxx_x.htm | ||||||||||||||||||
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(4) JUDGE ASSAILS SENTENCING LAWS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
He Reluctantly Imposes a 55-Year Prison Term | ||||||||||||||||||
A Utah federal judge on Tuesday reluctantly imposed a 55-year
mandatory-minimum sentence on a first-time drug offender, but not
before delivering a scathing rebuke on the sentencing laws that
mandate the term. | ||||||||||||||||||
"To sentence Mr. Angelos to prison for essentially the rest of his
life is unjust, cruel and even irrational," U.S. District Judge Paul
Cassell said. | ||||||||||||||||||
That said, however, Cassell said he had no choice but to follow the
statutes and sentence 25-year-old Weldon Angelos to prison for more
than half a century. But in doing so, he called on President Bush to
commute Angelos' sentence to one more in line with his crime. The
judge suggested 18 years and asked Congress to revisit the
mandatory-minimum laws that required the term. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The case has garnered the attention of legal experts across the
country, who have been following Cassell's moves since June, when he
declared the federal sentencing guidelines unconstitutional in the
case of a Utah man convicted of child pornography. That ruling came
on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that called the
constitutionality of the guidelines into question. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
It's not exactly news, but the Washington Post reports this week about the flaws of cheap drug tests that are often used by employers to screen prospective new workers. The tests are prone to false positives for a variety of reasons, which means some people are losing out on job opportunities thanks to the drug war, even if they don't use illegal drugs. Also "news" about a common everyday occurrence in a federal court where another judge is shocked that he must hand down a 55-year sentence to a small-time marijuana seller. | ||||||||||||||||||
The news is different out of Texas, where the state's comptroller is
investigating the possibility that foster children in the state have
been plied with psychiatric drugs they don't need. Strangely, the
governor of the state doesn't seem too concerned about saving the
kids from drugs in this situation. Finally, the U.S. has only
aggravated its own drug problems, and those of Latin America's
through intervention, but U.S. officials have announced that they
will solve the drug production problem in Afghanistan. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(5) DRUG SCREENING'S KINKS PERSIST (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Cheaper Testing Can Leave Applicants Without Safeguards | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Even though it may seem almost an urban legend, there was a time
when the drug tests required of many job seekers were set up in a
way that could interpret poppy seeds as trace levels of their opiate
relatives. Those tests have been adjusted so that bagels are
unlikely to be the bad guys, but White and others in the
drug-testing industry say that today's system isn't foolproof.
Over-the-counter antihistamines and cough medicines, as well as
prescription painkillers, can sway these tests. They also say there
may be concerns about the accuracy and fairness of less-expensive
drug testing, as a growing number of frugal small and medium-size
companies do away with lab confirmation and medical review
processes. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Screening kits are being sold broadly across the country," said Ted
Shults, chairman of the American Association of Medical Review
Officers in Research Triangle Park, N.C. "In a nutshell,
non-regulated employers feel that it's fast and it's cheap to screen
applicants themselves. And that does not provide the applicant any
safeguards." | ||||||||||||||||||
For an extra $25 per person, an employer could implement these
safeguards. Many choose not to because the risk of liability is low,
said Shults, a lawyer and forensic toxicologist. | ||||||||||||||||||
"In most states, employers are given a lot of discretion in their
hiring practices," he said. They often don't care if "one or two
people may not be hired unfairly." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(6) JUDGE QUESTIONS LONG SENTENCE IN DRUG CASE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 16 - In a case that has spurred intense
soul-searching in legal circles, a 25-year-old convicted drug
dealer, who was arrested two years ago for selling small bags of
marijuana to a police informant, was sentenced on Tuesday to 55
years in prison. | ||||||||||||||||||
The judge who sentenced him, Paul G. Cassell of the United States District Court here, said that he pronounced the sentence "reluctantly" but that his hands were tied by a mandatory-minimum law that required the imposition of 55 years on Weldon H. Angelos because he had a gun during at least two of the drug transactions. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I have no choice," Judge Cassell said to Mr. Angelos, who seemed frozen in place as the extent of the sentence became apparent. | ||||||||||||||||||
The judge then urged Mr. Angelos's lawyer, Jerome H. Mooney, not
only to appeal his decision but to ask President Bush for clemency
once all appeals were exhausted. He also urged Congress to set aside
the law that made the sentence mandatory. | ||||||||||||||||||
Judge Cassell said that sentencing Mr. Angelos to prison until he is
70 years old was "unjust, cruel and even irrational," but that the
law that forced him to do so had not proved to be unconstitutional
and thus had to stand. The sentence was all the more ironic, he
said, because only two hours earlier he had been legally able to
impose a sentence of 22 years on a man convicted of aggravated
second-degree murder for beating an elderly woman to death with a
log. That crime, he argued, was far more serious. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(7) DRUG FRAUD ALLEGED IN FOSTER CARE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Strayhorn Believes Kids Are Getting Unnecessary Psychiatric
Medication | ||||||||||||||||||
AUSTIN - Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn suspects foster
children are being given psychiatric drugs so they're more docile,
or so doctors and drug companies can make a buck. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mrs. Strayhorn on Friday demanded a year's worth of records on drugs
given to foster children, and she vowed to investigate and share
evidence of fraud with the Legislature and the Health and Human
Services Commission. | ||||||||||||||||||
The comptroller cited her authority as the head of a Medicaid fraud
task force that advises the commission. | ||||||||||||||||||
She immediately drew skepticism from the Texas Medical Association
and political rival Gov. Rick Perry that her investigation will be
either helpful or necessary. | ||||||||||||||||||
But two mothers of children placed by the state into foster care
praised Mrs. Strayhorn's effort, saying her year-old crusade against
misuse of mental health drugs among the state's 17,000 foster
children had helped save the lives of their children. | ||||||||||||||||||
"If it wouldn't have been for the care and concern of the
comptroller, Mrs. Strayhorn, my daughter would not be alive today,"
said Elain Philpott of Port Neches. | ||||||||||||||||||
Ms. Philpott said an unnecessary antipsychotic drug dulled her
15-year-old daughter's senses and caused other problems during the
six years she was in foster care. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(8) U.S. PLANS ASSAULT ON AFGHAN HEROIN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Poppy Growing Still Widespread | ||||||||||||||||||
Worried about a vast and still growing heroin industry in
Afghanistan, the Bush administration has devised a more aggressive
counternarcotics strategy aimed at greater eradication of poppy
fields, promotion of alternative crops and prosecution of
traffickers. | ||||||||||||||||||
The plan, a mix of stronger carrots and sticks, attempts to bring
more coordination, more money and more muscle to Afghan and
international programs launched over the past three years that have
not made much of a dent in the lucrative drug business. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Prison populations, and budgets, are exploding beyond control in
several states. New reports out of Wisconsin and Kentucky show how
bad the problem is, while a look at the Oklahoma prison system
explains how the drug war set the stage for such disasters. Also out
of Kentucky, at least one county needs more prosecutors to keep up
with all the methamphetmine cases. But, even if there are more
arrests and convictions, where are all these people going to be
locked away? | ||||||||||||||||||
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(9) PRISON COSTS HAVE A LOCK ON BUDGET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Spending on corrections in Wisconsin rose far faster than any other major area of state government during the 1990s, according to an analysis by the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance. The state also led the nation in arrest rates, although the two may not be related. | ||||||||||||||||||
"To quote (comic strip character) Pogo, 'We've met the enemy, and he
is us,'" Todd Berry, executive director of the nonpartisan public
policy research group, said Tuesday. "We were concerned as a state
about being safe, even though we were a pretty safe state and even
though we're already spending more on police protection than the
typical state. We got tougher laws. We got more police. And we ended
up arresting and jailing more people." | ||||||||||||||||||
Since 1992, lawmakers have presided over a 267 percent increase in
state spending on corrections - from $233 million a year to $855
million - mostly to open and operate eight prisons. Over the same
period, total spending from the state's general fund increased 62
percent. | ||||||||||||||||||
Critics of the state's increasingly punitive approach to crime, including increasing sentence lengths and abolishing parole, said budget hawks might want to consider the area ripe for reform. The report comes weeks before the start of the next legislative session in which Republicans, who control both houses of the Legislature, are vowing to pass some form of automatic state spending restraint. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(10) OPED: LOVING THOSE STATE PRISONS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Ronald Fraser Here is how prison policies made in Oklahoma City and Washington take on a life of their own. Once prison operators, prison employees and community tax collectors learned they could profit from harsh, lock-'em-up drug control laws, a powerful political force was born to keep prisons full. Inmate overload. During the 1980s and 1990s, tough-on-crime policies, especially drug control laws, overfilled America's prisons. State and federal prisons held only 315,974 inmates in 1980. By 2000, that number had skyrocketed to 1,321,137. When inmates in city and county jails are added, America's total prison population topped 2 million in 2002. | ||||||||||||||||||
Prisons, however, are not reserved for violent offenders. In 2002,
for example, 1,235,700 simple drug-possession arrests were made in
the United States -- about half of them for possession of marijuana.
While not all of those arrested end up behind bars, the rush to lock
up nonviolent offenders was, in large part, responsible for setting
off America's prison-building boom. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(11) REPORT - PRISON POPULATION HAS GROWN BY 600 PERCENT SINCE 1970 (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
LOUISVILLE -- Kentucky's prison population has exploded by 600
percent since 1970 and will keep growing because of "irrational"
penalties enacted by lawmakers, a new study says. | ||||||||||||||||||
The study by University of Kentucky law professor Robert Lawson, who
wrote Kentucky's penal code, says the burden on taxpayers has
increased exponentially in that time. | ||||||||||||||||||
The state's budget for housing state prisoners has risen from $7
million to more than $300 million over that same period and is
threatening to bankrupt the system, Lawson wrote in the 72-page
report. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We have demonized criminals in mass, lost sight of the importance of distinguishing between dangerous ... and non-dangerous offenders, and laid a foundation for a new citizen underclass made up of parolees, ex-convicts and their families," the report says. | ||||||||||||||||||
The number of inmates had climbed from 2,838 in 1970 to 17,330 by
last year, according to the report. The report blames that rise on
the state's "brutally harsh" persistent felon law and an array of
drug penalties. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(12) PROSECUTORS WANT STATE'S HELP TO CLEAR CASE BACKLOG (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Many Counties Finding Themselves Undermanned, Unable To Close
Growing Pile Of Criminal Investigations | ||||||||||||||||||
In several southcentral Kentucky counties, the number of criminal
cases has surpassed the available manpower - and prosecutors would
like to see something done. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We have requested for some time to get additional personnel," said
Tim Coleman, Commonwealth's Attorney for the 38th judicial circuit,
which covers Butler, Ohio, Hancock and Edmonson counties. "We have
actually been approved (by the Prosecutors Advisory Council) for
another full-time prosecutor but due to budgetary concerns ... it
hasn't happened yet. But we're still hoping." | ||||||||||||||||||
And for good reason - the 38th circuit's caseload topped all other
judicial circuits, aside from Warren County, in the Barren River
region during the 2002-03 fiscal year. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Coleman credited the high number of cases to methamphetamine
currently sweeping through southcentral Kentucky. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-17) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A new drug touted as a potential treatment for obesity and as an aid
to help people quit smoking may also be used to address "cannabis
addiction". Rimonabant (brand name: Acomplia) is an endogenous
cannabinoid blocker, and is being touted as a possible treatment for
drug addiction, particularly cannabis. Unfortunately nobody knows
what happens when you start blocking human cannabinoid receptors,
but it has been suggested by uber-researcher Ethan Russo in his
paper "Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency" that serious conditions
such as fibromyalgia, migraines, and irritable bowel syndrome - all
of which respond very well to cannabis therapy - might be the result
of under active cannabinoid production or intake. In other words,
Rimonabant may yet prove to cause serious side-effects of this
nature. | ||||||||||||||||||
Our second story this week is about the unexpected support of
Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia in the upcoming Ashcroft v Raich
Supreme Court case. These traditionally conservative states have
filed briefs of support of Angel Raich-Monson, citing the need to
protect states from federal interference. | ||||||||||||||||||
Our third story takes us to Canada, where American Ambassador Paul
Cellucci has angered many with his apparent interference with that
country's ongoing attempts to modernize their drug policy. Cellucci
has suggested that if the recent Canadian decriminalization bill
passes, increased border security by U.S. customs officials would
result in longer waits, which may impact trade between the two
countries. And also from Canada this week, 2 new reports show that
drug use in the military is on the rise, and that cannabis is the
drug of choice of Canadian soldiers. In fact over the last 2 years
military police have busted 18 grow-ops on Canadian military bases.
"Bud all that you can bud, in the army!" | ||||||||||||||||||
And lastly this week, a great story by the L.A. Times Sunday
Magazine on Angel Raich and her long battle with both disease and
the federal laws against medical cannabis. Keep up the good fight,
Angel! | ||||||||||||||||||
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(13) NEW DRUG COULD HELP FIGHT ADDICTION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A pill that helps you lose weight and quit smoking? That was amazing
enough to capture headlines last week. But scientists say the
experimental drug might be even more versatile, providing a new tool
to help people stop abusing drugs and alcohol, too. | ||||||||||||||||||
It's called rimonabant, or Acomplia, and last week, researchers
reported it could help people not only lose weight but keep it off
for two years. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Animal studies suggest rimonabant can block the effects of marijuana
and fight relapse in alcohol and cocaine abuse, he said. Once it is
approved for treating obesity or smoking, "we'll be free to study it
in these other areas, and I'll try to get my hands on it as quickly
as possible," O'Brien said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(14) RED STATES WEIGH IN AS THE COURT GOES TO POT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The penalty for smoking pot in Alabama is up to 99 years in prison.
But that hasn't stopped the Cotton State -- along with Mississippi
and Georgia - -- from siding with California in its battle to keep
medical marijuana legal. All three filed briefs supporting Left
Coast medipot users before the U.S. Supreme Court, which will hear
arguments on Nov. 29 on whether patients can cultivate and possess
physician-prescribed cannabis. "We happen to believe California's
medical-marijuana policy is misguided," says Alabama solicitor
general Kevin Newsom. "But this isn't about the drug war. It's about
states' rights." | ||||||||||||||||||
Besides California, 10 states have legalized medical marijuana since
1996. Nonetheless, federal drug busters have waged an eight-year | ||||||||||||||||||
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(15) CELLUCCI BLOWING SMOKE ON MARIJUANA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
On most issues affecting the U.S. and Canada, Paul Cellucci is a
model of common sense. Despite our differences over things like
same-sex marriage and lumber, he says, what sets us apart is only
that "Canada is a little more liberal than the United States; the
United States is a little more conservative." | ||||||||||||||||||
But turn to the subject of marijuana, and the outgoing U.S. ambassador loses his logical composure. He also comes perilously close to interfering in the way we conduct our domestic affairs. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Why, when we're trying to take pressure off the border, would
Canada pass a law that would put pressure on the border?" Cellucci
asked last week. | ||||||||||||||||||
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[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(16) MORE SOLDIERS TURNING TO POT, REPORTS SUGGEST (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Drug use among Canadian soldiers and defence department employees is on the rise, according to newly released documents. Two military police Criminal Intelligence Program reports obtained by Sun Media show marijuana is the drug of choice, with cocaine a distant second. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The trends illustrated in this report give indication that
incidents of illicit drug usage by CF members or other persons on
DND property will continue to rise, including the cultivation of
marijuana plants," the July 2003 report says. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(17) FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT TO "MIRACLE" MARIJUANA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Angel Raich flicks a butane lighter at the bowl of a small glass pipe, inhales deeply, then, in deference to a guest, blows the pungent smoke out the window of the sitting room in her three-story Oakland home. "Without cannabis, I would not survive," she says. | ||||||||||||||||||
The room is pale blue and filled with ceramic angels. | ||||||||||||||||||
Beside the lavender couch on which Raich sits, a table holds 11
small glass jars of medical-quality marijuana--strains that growers
have named Juicy Fruit and Haze. Alas, her favorite, Romulen, "which
is really strong," is all used up. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (18-21) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
In New Zealand last week, New Zealand Drug Foundation executive
director Ross Bell warned against exaggerating problems associated
with methamphetamine use. The warning came after papers there
claimed police were afraid to target meth-gangs. While meth (called
"P" in New Zealand) was a problem said Bell, alcohol is "a far
greater contributor to crime and violence . . . Front line cops will
tell you that." | ||||||||||||||||||
Ironically, across the Pacific in the province of British Columbia,
Canada, the provincial health officer was saying the same thing this
week. Dr. Perry Kendall, speaking at the Western Canadian Summit on
Methamphetamine, also cautioned against overstating the risks of
meth because doing so could lead people to doubt the very real
dangers of the powerful drug. Making it "sound like everybody is at
risk and everybody is using it," may not be the best approach, the
B.C. health official noted. | ||||||||||||||||||
In the province of Manitoba, Canada, good government people look
sternly upon drug users. Activists who challenge "the law,"
especially any marijuana law, are a deep insult to prohibitionists,
especially when prohibitionists just know they are doing God's work.
This week, DrugSense Weekly is sad to report activist Chris Buors
was sentenced to six months in prison for growing medical cannabis
in his house in 2002. Buors was arrested after police forcefully
searched his home following a break-in. According to the Winnipeg
Sun, Buors -- writer of pithy letters to newspapers published over a
hundred times all across North America -- was punished, basically,
for his thoughts. Queen's Bench Justice Alan MacInnes, irked at the
man's views, admitted Buors' "lack of remorse" was "the reason for
jail time." "We're in the Bible Belt," noted Buors, "it's exactly
what we expected." | ||||||||||||||||||
Gung-ho Philippine prohibitionists also know that Righteousness
lieth with making sure cannabis is "destroyed and eradicated." This
week word came down from on high in the Philippine prohibition
bureaucracy, when Interior and Local Government Secretary Angelo
Reyes decreed that there would be no let up against the Devil's
Weed. The order "was relayed to all police regional offices," the
Visayan Daily Star dutifully reported of the dictate. Philippine law
already allows government to sentence cannabis growers to death, but
Secretary Reyes felt police needed the extra reminder after huge pot
plantation busts continue, despite the harsh laws. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(18) POLICE ACCUSED OF OVER-HYPING P PROBLEM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The New Zealand Drug Foundation is warning against "over-hyping"
methamphetamine problems, following claims at the weekend that
police are not targeting gangs making the drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
Foundation executive director Ross Bell acknowledged today there were issues surrounding the use of methamphetamines, known as P. | ||||||||||||||||||
But he told NZPA his organisation believed a bigger problem was the level of resourcing police received to deal with alcohol problems. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Alcohol is a far greater contributor to crime and violence than P,"
he said. "Front line cops will tell you that." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(19) DON'T OVERSTATE CRYSTAL METH RISKS - HEALTH OFFICER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Over-dramatizing the dangers of methamphetamine use to young people across B.C. is unlikely to improve the problems with the drug in the province, and could lead kids to doubt the actual dangers of the synthetic stimulant, B.C.'s provincial health officer said Monday. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The question is, do you want to make it sound like everybody is at
risk and everybody is using it?" Dr. Perry Kendall asked Monday
while taking a break from the Western Canadian Summit on
Methamphetamine, "or do you want to say, 'No it's a dangerous drug
and most people know it's a dangerous drug, and they will tend not
to use it?' " | ||||||||||||||||||
Drawing parallels with the sensationalized 1938 anti-drug movie Reefer Madness, Kendall warned that if officials get "too worked up," or spend too much time in a campaign against methamphetamine, there is a very real risk they will take the problem "out of context of what works in terms of drug-abuse prevention and education." | ||||||||||||||||||
Explaining further, he said that if kids hear overstated messages
about how addictive the drug can be, for example, they might doubt
the actual facts, especially if they know people who have used it
and are not addicted. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(20) POT ACTIVIST THROWN IN JAIL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
6 Months For Running Grow Op | ||||||||||||||||||
Pot activist Chris Buors was led away in handcuffs yesterday after
being sentenced to jail for running a marijuana grow operation.
"We're in the Bible Belt so it's exactly what we expected," Buors
said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Queen's Bench Justice Alan MacInnes sentenced Buors to six months in
custody to be followed by three years of probation. | ||||||||||||||||||
59-PLANT GROW OP | ||||||||||||||||||
"Each of us is subject to the law regardless of who we are, the
position we hold and our views," MacInnes said. | ||||||||||||||||||
On Oct. 8, Buors pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana for the
purpose of trafficking. | ||||||||||||||||||
He was arrested Aug. 29, 2002, for running a 59-plant grow operation discovered after police were called to his house for a break-in. | ||||||||||||||||||
During sentencing, MacInnes cited Buor's previous conviction for a similar offence and lack of remorse as the reason for jail time. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
MacInnes said there is little chance Buors will be rehabilitated. In
fact, he noted, Buors was caught handing out a newsletter requesting
money for marijuana and growing equipment after his most recent
arrest. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Defence lawyer Bonnie MacDonald had asked MacInnes to give Buors a
conditional sentence because he was growing the drugs for people
suffering from serious illnesses. | ||||||||||||||||||
Though Buor's motivation may have been compassion, the court
couldn't condone his conduct, MacInnes said. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(21) NO LET-UP IN THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST MARIJUANA PLANTATIONS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The order come from Interior and Local Government Secretary Angelo
Reyes to the Philippine National Police, and was relayed to all
police regional offices by PNP chief Edgar Aglipay. | ||||||||||||||||||
Reyes said in a statement that the campaign against marijuana by the
Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and other law enforcement
agencies must be sustained until all marijuana plantations in the
country are destroyed and eradicated. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
RA 9165 states that the cultivation of marijuana is punishable by
death. | ||||||||||||||||||
Early this month, the PDEA and police uprooted and destroyed P4
million worth of marijuana plants in Kapangan, Benguet. | ||||||||||||||||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
BRAZIL'S LULA TO SIGN DRUG DECRIMINALIZATION DECREE ON NOV. 24 | ||||||||||||||||||
By Al Giordano at the Narcosphere - http://narcosphere.narconews.com | ||||||||||||||||||
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OPENING PANDORA'S BOX: ANTI-DRUG VACCINES GATHER MOMENTUM | ||||||||||||||||||
by Cletus Nelson at Drugwar.com - http://www.drugwar.com/index.shtm | ||||||||||||||||||
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LARRY SEGUIN GETS 100TH LETTER PUBLISHED | ||||||||||||||||||
We recognize volunteer editor at MAP and letter writer Larry Seguin
for his 100th published letter. Larry has been entered into our
Silver LTE Award honor roll at | ||||||||||||||||||
Congratulations, Larry! | ||||||||||||||||||
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COLOMBIA | ||||||||||||||||||
by Loretta Nall | ||||||||||||||||||
In September of 2002, after enduring a terrifying police helicopter
raid on my home that lasted for an hour, ground troops equipped with
large guns and ion-scanning equipment (but, oddly enough, not
uniforms or a warrant) were deployed onto my property. The fateful
day that delivered this horrific intrusion into my family?s personal
life prompted me to become involved in the effort to reform United
States drug policy. | ||||||||||||||||||
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MYTHS ABOUT MARIJUANA EXPLORED | ||||||||||||||||||
"Marijuana Myths & Facts: The Truth Behind 10 Popular | ||||||||||||||||||
View or download entire document at: | ||||||||||||||||||
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/marijuana_myths_facts/ | ||||||||||||||||||
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CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||
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MARC EMERY ON STONED DRIVING | ||||||||||||||||||
Sparked by a proposed drugged driving law, Marc holds his ground on the
issue with a Hamilton cop and the outraged anchorwoman. | ||||||||||||||||||
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FIRST-EVER U.S. SENATE BILL TO PROTECT MARIJUANA PATIENTS INTRODUCED | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL), joined by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Jim Jeffords (I-VT), have introduced the first-ever Senate bill to ensure that federal juries hear the full story when medical marijuana patients and providers, operating legally under state law, are tried on federal marijuana charges. | ||||||||||||||||||
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IN AFGHANISTAN, MILITARY FOCUS SHOULD BE FINDING TERRORISTS, NOT | ||||||||||||||||||
Opium eradication could alienate Afghan farmers | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON -- U.S. initiatives in Afghanistan to eradicate the opium
crop threaten to undermine the anti-terrorism campaign as they could
drive Afghan farmers, who have assisted in the war on terror,
against the United States and into the arms of anti-American
terrorists, a new Cato study argues. | ||||||||||||||||||
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LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
MARIJUANA MEASURE | ||||||||||||||||||
By Danny Dominick | ||||||||||||||||||
To the editor: | ||||||||||||||||||
It seems rather sad to me that the measure to decriminalize marijuana has once again been voted down by the residents of Alaska. It appears that the degree of failure that this ballot measure has experienced is mostly a result of two large factors: the inability of most Alaskans to consider the facts of the issue, and an intrinsically uncompromising and paranoid American frame of mind. | ||||||||||||||||||
When I was 20 years old, I moved to the Netherlands. I lived there
from 1999 through 2001. Admittedly, I was quite shocked in the
beginning of my stay in that country at the degree of liberalism and
openness with which the Dutch live. However, even at a relatively
young age I quickly realized that my feelings and thoughts about
issues such as marijuana use were molded entirely by the uptight,
conservative American society I was raised in. | ||||||||||||||||||
Throughout my stay in Holland I was increasingly surprised at the
number of people I met who had never smoked marijuana. I often felt
compelled to ask these people "why not?" The most common response:
"Smoking marijuana is just no big deal." | ||||||||||||||||||
Individual experiences vary, and counterarguments to the claim that
marijuana doesn't have to be a big deal are often swift and sharp,
but the facts speak for themselves: | ||||||||||||||||||
In Holland fewer than 30 percent of people try marijuana before the age of 18, whereas in America more than 60 percent of us do. | ||||||||||||||||||
Cigarette smoke has been repeatedly proven more dangerous than
marijuana smoke, yet we regulate and control the substance that is
responsible for over 400,000 American deaths each year. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thousands of law enforcement man-hours and hundreds of thousands of
valuable taxpayer dollars are spent every year on petty violations
involving marijuana use by otherwise productive and law-abiding
citizens. | ||||||||||||||||||
Maybe someday we'll unite to end this pointless war against
marijuana, but I guess that depends on how long we carry on with our
ignorant, closed-minded American mentality. | ||||||||||||||||||
Danny Dominick | ||||||||||||||||||
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LETTER WRITER OF THE MONTH - OCTOBER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
DrugSense recognizes Stan White of Dillon, Colorado for his six
letters published during October, bringing his career total that we
know of to 176. You can read all of Stan's excellent published
letters by clicking this link: | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Taxes and Toleration | ||||||||||||||||||
By Bryan W. Brickner | ||||||||||||||||||
Alright, name one group in Illinois that wants their taxes raised? | ||||||||||||||||||
Or this -- name one group in Illinois that is undertaxed? | ||||||||||||||||||
Hmm... whatcha thinking? No group wants to be taxed, right? | ||||||||||||||||||
Wrong. There is a group that is not taxed at all in Illinois. They
are fined and arrested, but not taxed. And trust me, I know, this
group would love to be taxed. | ||||||||||||||||||
Taxes | ||||||||||||||||||
Why would we not tax this group? Good question. Because of state
prohibition (that's right, this isn't just a federal thing),
Illinois has built a system in which no one can legally do anything
with this plant. And yet an estimated 5% of our citizens - over
500,000 people - use it at least once a month; and those are just
the ones who are truthful on a governmental survey: some say the
number may be twice as high - that up to a million Illinois citizens
use it once a month. | ||||||||||||||||||
But no tax. In 2003, the users of this product were arrested at the
rate of 3,973 per month: with over half a million consumers of this
product, government is missing out on this enormous tax base. While
we arrest less than 1 percent of the consumers of this illegal
product every month, and which, as the Chicago Police have reported,
a great percentage of the cases are eventually dismissed, the fact
then becomes apparent that there is no tax -- that is no form of
social sanction (penalty) on the other 99 percent of the consumers.
And I think if you asked them, most would welcome some kind of tax
system. | ||||||||||||||||||
This is a net loss of millions of dollars. Also, this inability to
tax the 99% of the consumers increases the cost of law enforcement
and criminal justice. By diverting resources toward arresting these
individuals instead of taxing them, we spend instead of receive. As
things stand, we've got it backwards. | ||||||||||||||||||
Imagine a tax on this group of consumers and imagine that they want to be taxed. Can't a compromise be reached? Half the consumers of this product might voluntarily pay a tax, if, in exchange, they received a card and a degree of tolerance from the community. | ||||||||||||||||||
If 250,000 of these consumers would pay a $400 tax, the state of Illinois would take in $100 million annually. If the number of taxable consumers is higher than reported, tax receipts could total $150 to $200 million. Also, by not arresting consumers with small amounts of this product, the state would save close to $15 million - using the cost of $400 per arrest that the Chicago Police estimated. | ||||||||||||||||||
There it is: see how the city of Chicago -- or the state of Illinois -- could devise a system of taxation without ever coming into contact with the illegal substance. The tax buys a degree of tolerance. That's what we do when we tax alcohol and tobacco in
| ||||||||||||||||||
Toleration | ||||||||||||||||||
Now, who are these people hollering "Please Tax Me!"? | ||||||||||||||||||
Cannabis consumers. | ||||||||||||||||||
You see now why this is also about tolerance. We tolerate all kinds
of behavior and speech in this land of ours, but when it comes to
cannabis we find no tolerance. Illinois is a total prohibition
state: you cannot possess it, no one can grow it, not even farmers
for industrial hemp, and patients do not have safe access to their
medicine. Zero tolerance is by design intolerant. That's the point.
But after more than 30 years of this system, and the billions in
lost taxes, isn't it time to think again about what it is our laws
create? Do we want a system that for the next 10 years will arrest
and criminalize over 470,000 fellow citizens, or do we want to tax
them instead and potentially raise more than a billion dollars --
all from a group that wants to be taxed? | ||||||||||||||||||
Just a thought, but it seems more reasonable than our current
system. | ||||||||||||||||||
Bryan W. Brickner is an associate Editor for Newtopia - | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"Marijuana should be taken off the streets and put behind the
counter where it belongs." - Jim White from a published letter in
The Press. For the complete letter see | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
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Policy and Law Enforcement/Prison content selection and analysis by
Stephen Young (), Cannabis/Hemp content selection
and analysis by Philippe Lucas (), International
content selection and analysis by Doug Snead (),
Layout by Matt Elrod () | ||||||||||||||||||
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