| Dec. 31, 2004 #381 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
(1) DOUBLE STANDARD (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
In Wake Of Ruling, Disarray Plagues Federal Sentencing
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Supreme Court's June Verdict Leaves Judges Confused; Some Issue Two
Decisions
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NEW YORK -- At Manhattan's federal courthouse, Judge Shira Scheindlin
has had a new policy since August: She doesn't sentence any defendants
unless they ask for it. Three floors down, Judge Jed Rakoff has a
different but equally unusual policy: He gives every defendant two
sentences, based on two different sets of rules. | ||||||||||||||||||
Disarray has enveloped the federal court system for the past six
months since a Supreme Court ruling hinted that the guidelines
governing federal sentences may be unconstitutional. As federal judges
wait, and wait some more, for the divided high court to deliver a
final verdict, they have come up with a myriad of ways to sentence
defendants.
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"To the general public, this signifies a criminal justice system run amok," says J.P. Stadtmueller, a federal judge in Milwaukee. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(2) EVEN DRUG DEALERS ARE GIVING UP ON THE DOLLAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Currency Of Choice
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The dollar's decline against the euro shows no sign of ending.
Clearly, currency traders have made a long-term judgment about the
relative value of the currencies of the Old and New Worlds. That
sounds bad enough. But now there are signs that we're losing some of
the most devoted fans of the greenback: drug dealers, Russian
oligarchs, and black-market traffickers of all kinds. | ||||||||||||||||||
James Grant, of Grant's Interest Rate Observer, whose animadversions about the dollar and other subjects are as droll as they are pricey, highlighted the latest indignities to befall the once-mighty dollar in his Dec. 17 issue. (Alas, it's not available on the Web.) | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(3) HALF OF ALL PRISONERS ADMIT TAKING DRUGS IN JAIL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
MORE than half of Scotland's prisoners have taken drugs while they
were in jail. | ||||||||||||||||||
And three-quarters of prisoners said mandatory drug testing had made
no difference to their use of drugs in jail. | ||||||||||||||||||
The figures were disclosed in the annual survey of prisoners' views,
published today by the Scottish Prison Service. | ||||||||||||||||||
Tories used the findings to claim the Executive was failing to get to
grips with the problem of drugs in prison. | ||||||||||||||||||
Tory deputy leader Annabel Goldie said: "It is time for this
Labour-Lib Dem Executive to stop wallowing in its complacency, adopt a
zero tolerance policy on drugs and make prisons entirely drugs-free
areas. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(4) REPORT -- 20 PERCENT OF YOUNG AMERICANS DRIVE INTOXICATED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - More than four million people younger than 21 drove under
the influence of drugs or alcohol last year, according to a government
report released Wednesday. That's one in five of all Americans ages 16
to 20. | ||||||||||||||||||
"That's an awful lot of kids if you think about it," said Charlene
Lewis, acting director of the Office of Applied Studies at the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which
produced the report. | ||||||||||||||||||
The report, based on a large household survey of drug use, found a
small drop in driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol between
2002 and 2003. In 2002, 22 percent drove under the influence; last
year, it was 20 percent. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy
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COMMENT: (5-10) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Like much of the year's drug news, this week's is mixed with good
and bad. In the good news, more research is being done on the
therapeutic effects of Ecstasy, this time to deal with anxiety in
terminal cases. The AMA seems to recognize the threat the DEA is
posing to pain doctors, but they still seem to be taking a rather
wishy-washy stand on it. Also, the drug testing of government
employees has been somewhat curtailed. | ||||||||||||||||||
On the other hand, an Illinois man is being prosecuted on a new law
that forbids people from tampering with drug tests. The man
allegedly used someone else's urine in a drug test. Once again, the
Monitoring the Future survey of youth drug use was released among
with much fanfare in the mainstream media. Fortunately, some
commentators looked at the report with a more critical eye. Finally,
in order to battle supposedly rampant teen drug use, a school
district in Texas is using high-tech anti-terrorist tools to save
kids from terrorizing themselves with drugs. I'm sure they all feel
safer now. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(5) 'ECSTASY' USE STUDIED TO EASE FEAR IN TERMINALLY ILL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
For some, the diagnosis comes out of the blue. For others, it
arrives after a long battle. Either way, the news that death is just
a few months away poses a daunting challenge for both doctor and
patient. | ||||||||||||||||||
Drugs can ease pain and reduce anxiety, but what about the more
profound issues that come with impending death? The wish to resolve
lingering conflicts with family members. The longing to know, before
it's too late, what it means to love, or what it meant to live.
There is no medicine to address such dis-ease. | ||||||||||||||||||
Or is there?
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This month, in a little-noted administrative decision, the Food and Drug Administration gave the green light to a Harvard proposal to test the benefits of the illegal street drug known as "ecstasy" in patients diagnosed with severe anxiety related to advanced cancer. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(6) AMA TO VOICE CONCERNS TO DEA OVER PAIN MEDICATION PRESCRIBING (Top)POLICY | ||||||||||||||||||
The American Medical Association will work with the Drug Enforcement
Administration to address physician concerns that an interim policy
statement published by the agency in November could interfere with
the way doctors prescribe opioid analgesic medications to some
patients. Doctors worry that the statement could make it illegal to
write multiple pain medication prescriptions for a patient on the
day of a visit and evaluation. Physicians also worry that they no
longer could legally write directions for dispensing additional
medication on future, specified dates. At the AMA's Interim Meeting
in Atlanta this month, delegates called on the Association to
support interpreting federal law in a way that would let doctors
continue to write pain medication prescriptions for patients in
need, while letting the government provide oversight and regulation
to minimize risks to patients' health and safety. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(7) U.S. RULING RESTRICTS RANDOM DRUG TESTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Where Safety Is Not An Issue, Public Employees Don't Have To Submit
To Drug Tests Without Cause, A Judge Rules In The Case Of A Fired
State Worker. | ||||||||||||||||||
TALLAHASSEE - The state Department of Juvenile Justice's random drug testing policy is unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Only public employees with jobs that affect safety, such as armed law enforcement officers or bus drivers, can be required to randomly submit to drug tests, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled. For other employees, such as receptionists, such a policy is a violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, Hinkle said. | ||||||||||||||||||
The ruling does not affect the private sector. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The courts have upheld random drug testing for employees who carry
guns or fly planes or are involved in other dangerous activities,"
said Rick Johnson, an attorney for the ACLU. | ||||||||||||||||||
But he said "number crunchers," such as the Department of Juvenile
Justice employee the ACLU represented in this case, do not do work
that is safety-sensitive. "The Constitution does not allow them to
be tested except on reasonable suspicion, not a random test,"
Johnson said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(8) MAN IS CHARGED WITH USING ANOTHER'S URINE IN DRUG TEST (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A Wood River man who authorities said tried to use another person's
urine for a drug test was charged Tuesday under a new law aimed at
preventing drug-testing fraud. | ||||||||||||||||||
Christopher L. Mains, 21, of the 900 block of Acton Avenue, was charged by the Madison County state's attorney's office with defrauding a drug and alcohol screening test, a felony. It was the first time the state's attorney's office applied the new law. | ||||||||||||||||||
Authorities said Mains tried to pass off another person's urine as
his own when he reported to his Madison County probation officer on
Dec. 8.
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According to court records, Mains was serving probation after being
convicted of burglary last year and pleading guilty to weapons
possession charges in February. Mains was required to have regular
drug screenings. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(9) STATISTICS HAPPEN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
On the heels of a survey
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Despite this, the findings were reported - if not trumpeted - by the media as if they had great meaning. Worse yet, by emphasizing which drugs are being used by current drug users - and neglecting the larger context - the public is misled about drug abuse by teens. | ||||||||||||||||||
USA Today, for example, headlined its report
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Sure, the percentages of 12th-graders reporting having used
Oxycontin went from 4 percent in 2002 to 4.5 percent in 2003, and
now to 5 percent in 2004. The 1 percent increase from 2002 to 2004
is statistically significant. However, highlighting this
small-yet-noteworthy increase in Oxycontin use over this two-year
period (an increase that was not noted in 8th or 10th grades)
eclipses the brighter picture of drug use among teens: Since 2002,
the use of illicit drugs in the last year has declined by 2.2
percent among 12th graders. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(10) DALLAS SCHOOLS GO HIGH-TECH TO BATTLE DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A Device Similar To Airport Scanners Detects Tiny Traces Of
Contraband
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DALLAS - It's hardly the kind of news parents and school
administrators like to hear. | ||||||||||||||||||
Students at Spruce High School in Dallas' tough Pleasant Grove
neighborhood were smoking heroin-laced pot. | ||||||||||||||||||
At Florence Middle School, another inner-city campus, teens were
using an out-of-the-way stairwell dubbed the "love nest" to snort
cocaine and take various designer drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
And at Spence Middle School, just east of downtown, one out of four students was found to be handling either cocaine or amphetamines. | ||||||||||||||||||
"They weren't the results we had wished for," said Donny Claxton,
spokesman for the Dallas Independent School District. | ||||||||||||||||||
The findings, obtained through the use of an ultra-sensitive drug
"sniffing" device, prompted Dallas to become the first big-city
district in the nation to use trace detection technology to find
drugs and drug users in its halls and classrooms. It is the same
high-tech method used to detect explosives and drug smuggling at
airports. | ||||||||||||||||||
After testing the approach over the past year and finding plenty of
evidence of student drug use, DISD contracted to have all 47 of its
middle and high schools examined this school year. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Law Enforcement & Prisons
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COMMENT: (11-14) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Another celebrity who has seen the inside of the prison industrial
complex is shocked by the number of non-violent drug offenders
there. Martha Stewart made that observation in a Christmas note, but
newspapers like USA Today mostly made the important statement into a
joke about the lack of gourmet food in prisons. | ||||||||||||||||||
In a South Carolina city some council members were surprised to find
that their local police officers were being used to stage
drug-crackdowns 70 miles away from town. An Alaska court overturned
a drug conviction saying police didn't have reasonable cause for a
search. And the governor of California offered pardons to
ex-convicts for the first time in years. There were only three, but
all cases involved drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(11) MARTHA STEWART'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE - PRISON FOOD IS 'BAD' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
NEW YORK (AP) -- Martha Stewart, in a Christmas message posted on
her personal Web site, called Wednesday for sentencing reform and
took a swipe at the "bad food" in prison. | ||||||||||||||||||
Stewart, who is roughly halfway through a five-month sentence for
lying about a stock sale, urged fans to think about the women she
has met in prison who are "devoid of care, devoid of love, devoid of
family."
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She suggested Americans should push for reforms in federal
sentencing guidelines for nonviolent first-time offenders and
particularly for drug offenders, who she said would be better served
by rehabilitation than prison. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(12) CITY POLICE'S 1-95 PATROLS QUESTIONED
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Charleston's controversial police patrols on Interstate 95 in Santee, some 70 miles away, may soon be debated in City Council. | ||||||||||||||||||
Some council members question Mayor Joe Riley's power to approve a police operation so far outside the city borders, contending such decisions should be made by the council, not the mayor. | ||||||||||||||||||
"My position is that he's delegated a power he doesn't have," said Councilman Bob George, who along with Councilman Henry Fishburne want the issue included in an upcoming council meeting. | ||||||||||||||||||
On Sunday, The Post and Courier reported a little-known contractual
agreement Police Chief Reuben Greenberg signed with Santee's police
chief to patrol a stretch of the I-95 corridor for drug traffickers.
In exchange, Greenberg's department gets one-half the proceeds from
drug seizures. | ||||||||||||||||||
The agreement has been in place for more than 2-1/2 years, but
members of City Council said they knew nothing about it until
contacted by the newspaper. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(13) MAN WINS HIS APPEAL ON DRUG POSSESSION CONVICTION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The state Court of Appeals overturned a Fairbanks man's cocaine
possession conviction Friday, ruling the officer didn't have enough
evidence to warrant search the man in 2001 after questioning him
briefly. | ||||||||||||||||||
John Q. Adams, 42, won his second attempt to suppress evidence--a crack pipe and cocaine discovered during the pat down. The first time, Judge Niesje Steinkruger denied his motion to suppress, and Adams pleaded no contest to the charge in February 2003. | ||||||||||||||||||
This time, the appellate court used a standard set in a 1976 ruling
that drew up controls to protect a person's Fourth Amendment rights
by limiting the guidelines leading to searches during investigative
stops, the opinion stated. | ||||||||||||||||||
Under the ruling, a police officer has the authority to ask
questions and search a person when the officer has reason to suspect
there is an imminent danger to the public or someone or property has
recently been harmed, the decision stated. | ||||||||||||||||||
The appeals court found Fairbanks police Officer Jonathan Terland
didn't have enough information to meet these two guidelines when he
patted Adams down after questioning him that night. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(14) GOVERNOR PARDONS 3 EX-CONS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
He Breaks 6-Year Moratorium on Forgiving Criminals
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Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger broke a six-year state moratorium on
forgiveness Wednesday, offering "full and unconditional" pardons to
three men convicted of drug crimes in the 1970s. | ||||||||||||||||||
The pardons were the first to be issued by a California governor since Pete Wilson left office in 1999. Wilson issued 13 pardons during his eight years in Sacramento; his successor, former Gov. Gray Davis, issued none before he was recalled last year. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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The three men pardoned Wednesday were among 655 people with pending
applications, some dating to the Wilson administration, Soderlund
said. About 25 new applications arrive in the governor's office each
month. | ||||||||||||||||||
While pardons do not erase crimes from the public record, they do
allow the recipients to serve on juries, be employed as a state
parole officer or county probation officer and own a weapon. A
pardon may also remove some barriers to employment and professional
licensing. | ||||||||||||||||||
Advocates for prisoners and the accused were underwhelmed by the
governor's announcement. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Well, it's Christmas, and I guess it's great that he's forgiving
these people for past transgressions," said Ken Thiesen,
communications director for the Bay Area Legal Aid Society. "But
these sound like three out of potentially thousands of similar
cases, and that seems pretty marginal to me."
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[snip]
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Cannabis & Hemp-
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COMMENT: (15-19) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
As we can see from the mixed bag of hempy holiday stories, cannabis can mean a very merry Christmas for some, while the grinch of prohibition results in more than just a chunk of coal in the stocking for others. In regards to the latter, we begin this week with an update on Shapelle Corby, the Australian surfer facing the threat of execution as a result of accusations of smuggling 4.1 kilos of cannabis into Bali. The 27-year old maintains her innocence, and suggests that the pot were planted on her while in transit. The Australian government has offered to test the cannabis in question in an attempt to determine its source of origin. Our second story is a look at one of America's leading cannabis researchers, Clemson University's John Hoffman, a chemist who has been attempting to isolate and synthesize many of the potentially therapeutic properties of cannabis in an attempt to design new treatment options for those suffering from serious conditions. | ||||||||||||||||||
And now on a lighter note: our third story examines a new board game called "the Grow-op Game" invented by a former B.C.-based cannabis cultivator that has been selling out over the Christmas holidays. Fourth on the list is a look at Santa's hempy helper Chris Hartman's, author of "The Original Unofficial Joint Smoking Rules" and self-described "happy hippy biker". Hartman is also a professional Santa around the Christmas season, appearing in schools and malls all over Florida, which may well explain why Santa seems so damn jolly all of the time despite working through the holidays. And lastly this year, the sad story of Ben Ollis, a 25-year old catering assistant from England who got turned in by the gas man for using one of the 5 cannabis plants he was growing for himself as a Christmas tree (with decorations and all). Ben was fined and all his plants were destroyed, which isn't very jolly at all. We at DrugSense wish him and all of our readers and supporters a very merry holiday, and we hope that the gasman who turned poor Ben in will get the lump of coal he deserves in his stocking. | ||||||||||||||||||
P.S. In unrelated news, this editor hopes that all of our readers
who can afford to will make a donation to one of the many
organizations trying to assist the millions of people devastated and
displaced by last weekend's earthquake and tsunami in the Bay of
Bengal. The Red Cross is attempting to raise $44 million to address
the tragedy, and accepts donations ranging from cash, to airmiles,
to stocks; they can be reached online at:
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(15) LITTLE CHEER FOR BALI DRUG SUSPECT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
With the threat of a death sentence hovering over her head,
Australian Schapelle Corby forgot her fears for a few moments when
she sang Christmas carols with some of her family in a
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On a hot day of steaming humidity, it was the most stressful
Christmas Day in Ms Corby's 27 years. Neither she nor her sister,
Mercedes, will want to spent another yuletide in Bali's notorious
Kerobokan prison for convicted terrorists, murderers and drug
pedlars. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Ms Corby denied any knowledge of the drugs, claiming they had been
inserted in the unsecured bag while she travelled through Brisbane
and Sydney. She has yet to be formally charged, but could face a
death sentence if convicted of drug trafficking or a life sentence
for possession of drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(16) RESEARCH COULD HELP SIDESTEP POLITICS OF MARIJUANA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Work by a Clemson University team led by chemist John Huffman
eventually could help the federal government and states extricate
themselves from the politically charged issue of medical marijuana,
which the U.S. Supreme Court also is examining.
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Marijuana can be smoked legitimately for medical benefits, including
relief of pain and nausea from a variety of ailments, in 11 states,
but the federal government three years ago won a Supreme Court
decision that the drug is not exempt from federal anti-narcotic
laws. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mr. Huffman and his team have been working on and off for two decades on federally funded research into cannabinoids, the chemicals in marijuana that confer its potency in the brain. Mr. Huffman in particular is working on synthetic versions of the substances that provide the same medical benefits of marijuana without side effects such as an unwanted high or lung damage. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(17) FANS HIGH ON POT BOARD GAME (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Forget Monopoly, forget Scrabble -- the hot new Christmas gift in
Canada this year is a board game that lets the player run their own
"B.C. Bud" marijuana grow-operation.
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It's called The Grow-Op Game. | ||||||||||||||||||
Creators bill it as an educational board game that highlights the
perils involved in the pot business and cautions would-be growers
about the high stakes. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Solomon said the Monopoly-style game is the brainchild of a young,
20-something reformed pot grow operator, known only as the "Rabbit,"
to conceal his identity. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(18) BAD-ISH SANTA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
It's just days before Christmas and Santa has been spotted near
Centennial Park. | ||||||||||||||||||
Horns honk and children gawk at the jolly man in the plush red suit as he waves to passing cars. With his thick, smoke-stained beard and bulbous tummy, this street-side Santa looks like an archetypal St. Nick, built tough to withstand hordes of lap-sitting cherubs. | ||||||||||||||||||
On this mild Thursday afternoon, Santa had planned on going downtown
to pass out candy canes and business cards. But now he is tired, in
part to a hereditary heart condition, which also prevents him from
holding a steady job. As he saunters back into his duplex, he passes
his sleigh: a beat-up gray pickup truck stickered with slogans like
"It's the duty of every patriot to protect his country from his
government."
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Inside the duplex, Santa's bachelor pad is adorned with Frank Zappa
and Grateful Dead posters. A Cheech and Chong record --
miraculously, with rolling paper still intact -- adorns Santa's
coffee table. Four Christmas stockings hang from a bookshelf, three
of which bear the names of Santa's cats: Elvis, Mojo and S*head. The
other one simply reads "Harley-Davidson."
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[snip]
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(19) CANNABIS DISGUISED AS CHRISTMAS TREE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Cannabis grower got into the festive spirit by disguising one of his
plants -- as a Christmas tree. | ||||||||||||||||||
But catering assistant Ben Ollis was feeling anything but cheery when he was hauled before Norwich magistrates yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Twenty-five-year--old Ollis, of Octagon Court, Norwich, was
convicted of growing cannabis plants and ordered to pay a #100 fine
and #45 costs. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police were sent to his home with a search warrant after receiving a tip-off from a gas man who had been working there on December 16. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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International News
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COMMENT: (20-23) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
In the Philippines, a gung ho prohibitionist government is always getting tough on "drugs." In 2003, the death penalty was decreed for mere citizens selling a few ounces of cannabis. And while even the ultimate penalty isn't enough to keep drugs out of prisons, the most government-controlled areas in existence, last week we learned that there is little punishment for officials who help prisoners to escape, in the Philippines. An article from the Manila Times last week revealed that officials, under proposed new laws, might be at risk of "suspension and/or dismissal ... if they are proven in connivance with prisoners." The flurry of new laws to punish police and prison guards who help prisoners escape was prompted by the escape of an alleged drug lord from prison, with the help of guards. | ||||||||||||||||||
In Bermuda last week, police were forced to announce a "major"
investigation when it came to light that a Bermuda Policeman was
suspected of trafficking heroin. The admission followed a U.K.
airport seizure of six kilograms of the drug. Heroin is cheaply
manufactured, yet is expensive to consumers because it is a
prohibited product. Traffickers, including even police, reap huge
profits. | ||||||||||||||||||
Maybe things are better in a big western nation, like the U.K.? Not
if a report issued last week by the Scottish Prison Service is any
indication. The report revealed that over half of Scotland's
prisoners had used illegal drugs while imprisoned. Conservatives
(Tories) in Scotland declared the report meant that government
needed to get yet tougher, and called for "zero tolerance" and
"drug-free areas." (Illegal drugs, you may recall, are currently
illegal, even in Scottish prisons.)
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And finally from Australia, government drug police hailed police actions in the arrest of a "Mr Big" in Cambodia. Breathlessly congratulating themselves for a job well done, Australian Federal Police agents praised the task force arrest as a "first success." The alleged drug kingpin was "certainly regarded as one of the most significant drug dealers in the Asia-Pacific region," proclaimed a task force spokesman. Police accused the man of trafficking large quantities of heroin and amphetamines around the world. The collar of the drug suspect was performed by a hitherto unpublicized international police agency. "We haven't publicised the existence of the Transnational Targeting Network as we wanted it to achieve success first," admitted the publicity-conscious police. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(20) BILL IMPOSES TOUGH PENALTIES TO JAIL GUARDS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
NACIONALISTA Party Rep. Gilbert Remulla of Cavite has asked
Malacaqang to certify as urgent his bill seeking to impose tough
penalties on police officers and jail guards who assist in the
escape of their prisoners and detainees. | ||||||||||||||||||
Remulla, chair of the House Committee on Public Information, made the call after the escape of another drug suspect in the custody of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) recently. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
The bill also seeks to increase the penalty for escapees and
prisoners who attempt to escape from government custody. Among the
salient feature of the bill is the suspension and/or dismissal of
police officers or jail guards if they are proven in connivance with
prisoners. | ||||||||||||||||||
Remulla said many prison personnel are emboldened to allow the
escape of their prisoners in exchange for big money because the law
is too soft in dealing with them. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(21) MAJOR POLICE DRUGS PROBE LAUNCHED FOLLOWING ARRESTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The house of a Police officer has been searched and a computer seized
as part of a widening investigation into major drugs offences, The
Royal Gazette has learned. | ||||||||||||||||||
It is believed the search may be linked to two other drug incidents. | ||||||||||||||||||
These involve:
| ||||||||||||||||||
A Bermuda Policeman arrested and later released in the UK last week
on suspicion of drug importation. He is now back on the Island and
has been placed on leave; and
| ||||||||||||||||||
Two Bermudians arrested last week at Gatwick airport in transit from Amsterdam, with six kilos of heroin concealed within kick-boxing equipment bound for Bermuda. Former Police officer Tory Darrell, who is an employee at TCD, along with his friend Wayne Mahon, appeared for mention before Haywards Heath Magistrates' Court in Sussex yesterday and were remanded into custody until January 19. | ||||||||||||||||||
According to Royal Gazette sources, it is believed both Darrell and
the unidentified officer on leave were in Amsterdam together within
the last month and it is understood Police are now attempting to
uncover the exact nature of the trip. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(22) MAJORITY OF PRISONERS TAKE DRUGS IN JAIL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
MORE than half of Scotland's prisoners have taken drugs while they were in jail, a survey said yesterday. Three-quarters also claimed mandatory drug testing had made no difference to their use. | ||||||||||||||||||
The figures were disclosed in the annual survey of prisoners' views
published by the Scottish Prison Service. | ||||||||||||||||||
The findings were immediately seized on by the Tories, who claimed
the Scottish Executive was failing to get to grips with the problem
of drugs in prison. | ||||||||||||||||||
Annabel Goldie, the Tory deputy leader, called for a "zero tolerance" stance on the issue: "It is time for this Executive to stop wallowing in its complacency, adopt a zero tolerance policy on drugs and make prisons entirely drugs-free areas," she said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
Some 55 per cent of prisoners said they had used illegal drugs in
prison at some point, but most had changed their drug use during
their current spell in prison - 73 per cent said they were taking
less drugs, 17 per cent had increased their drugs use, and 10 per
cent reported no change. Half of all prisoners had taken drugs in
the month leading up to the survey, with 78 per cent of these taking
cannabis and 63 per cent heroin. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mandatory testing was introduced in Scottish prisons in 1994 to
identify drug-users and offer them help. But 76 per cent said its
use had not affected them, the survey said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(23) DRUGS TASK FORCE HAILS FIRST WIN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A SECRET worldwide taskforce set up to identify criminal Mr Bigs has
nabbed one of Asia's biggest alleged drug czars. | ||||||||||||||||||
The arrest of Wong Moon Chi in Cambodia is being hailed as the
taskforce's first success. Mr Wong, 44, is allegedly responsible for
trafficking hundreds of kilograms of heroin and amphetamines around
the world - including to Australia. | ||||||||||||||||||
Australian Federal Police agents are members of the international
taskforce which helped track Mr Wong down. | ||||||||||||||||||
AFP national manager of intelligence Dr Grant Wardlaw said Mr Wong's capture highlighted the importance of world agencies co-operating. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Wong is certainly regarded as one of the most significant drug
dealers in the Asia-Pacific region," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Dr Wardlaw said Mr Wong had been the major target of an unpublicised
multi-agency taskforce. | ||||||||||||||||||
The taskforce is made up of officers from the AFP, the United States
Drug Enforcement Administration, the UK National Crime Squad and
National Criminal Intelligence Service, New Zealand Police and
Customs and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
"We haven't publicised the existence of the Transnational Targeting
Network as we wanted it to achieve success first. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
POT TV NEWS WITH LORETTA NALL
| ||||||||||||||||||
2004 Year in Review
| ||||||||||||||||||
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BEST OF POT TV 2004
| ||||||||||||||||||
Pot TV Classics with Pot-TV
| ||||||||||||||||||
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KEEP TEENAGERS SAFE
| ||||||||||||||||||
Zero Tolerance On Alcohol May Increase Drinking And Driving | ||||||||||||||||||
Rosenbaum, Marsha, "Keep teenagers safe: Zero Tolerance On Alcohol May
Increase Drinking And Driving." San Jose Mercury News. Wed, Dec. 29,
2004. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
RACIAL DISPARITY IN DRUG LAW CONVICTIONS
| ||||||||||||||||||
by Terry Gorski
| ||||||||||||||||||
On October 20, 2004 a groundbreaking coalition of black professional
organizations came together to form the National African American Drug
Policy Coalition (NAADPC). | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
NORML'S 2004: THE YEAR IN REVIEW
| ||||||||||||||||||
Top Ten Events That Shaped Marijuana Policy
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW
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| ||||||||||||||||||
THE NARCO-TERRORIST WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD
| ||||||||||||||||||
By Sean Donahue
| ||||||||||||||||||
U.S. authorities have remained strangely silent regarding the
Colombian government's decision to delay or cancel the extradition
of AUC Chief Salvatore Mancuso on cocaine trafficking and money
laundering charges. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
WEED DELIVERY GUY SAVES CHRISTMAS
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
2004 IN THE NEWS
| ||||||||||||||||||
By Richard Lake
| ||||||||||||||||||
Below is a selection from the most viewed news clippings of the year. With an average of over 1,600 clippings MAP archived each month, the choices were not easy. You, our readers, helped with the choices, as all are among the top 10% in terms of the number of times the selected clippings have been accessed. From that group we selected what we hope is a good cross section, leaning towards the more in depth items. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thank You to the volunteer MAP newshawks, editors, letter to the editor writers, and all who donate so generously of their time and funds to make this effort, entering it's tenth year, possible! | ||||||||||||||||||
JANUARY
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
US: Montel Williams Goes to Pot
| ||||||||||||||||||
US MN: Wheeler Dealer
| ||||||||||||||||||
UK: OPED: One In Four Believe Sale Of Cannabis Should Be Legalized
| ||||||||||||||||||
FEBRUARY
| ||||||||||||||||||
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US SC: High School Drug Raid Rattles Town
| ||||||||||||||||||
US WA: DEA's Hangup Over Industrial Hemp Isn't Healthy
| ||||||||||||||||||
US UT: Column: Congress Fights Drug War By Blunting Reform Efforts
| ||||||||||||||||||
UK: Goodbye Ecstasy, Hello 5-Meo-DMT
| ||||||||||||||||||
MARCH
| ||||||||||||||||||
US OK: Series: When Meth Hits Home
| ||||||||||||||||||
US: The Ecstasy Factor
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
US: Documenting The Agony Of Ecstasy
| ||||||||||||||||||
US NV: Legalizing Marijuana May Not Change Much, Researcher
| ||||||||||||||||||
APRIL
| ||||||||||||||||||
US: Transcript: Hearing on Medical Marijuana
| ||||||||||||||||||
US IL: On Streets, Drug Trade the Only Game in Town
| ||||||||||||||||||
US MI: Pot, Pain and Politics
| ||||||||||||||||||
US: Ruling in Suit Charging Censorship Could Affect Transit Systems
| ||||||||||||||||||
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MAY
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US: Mistreatment of Prisoners Is Called Routine in U.S
| ||||||||||||||||||
New Zealand: Weighing Up The Risks Of Drug Testing At Work
| ||||||||||||||||||
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US: Where There's Smoke
| ||||||||||||||||||
US: Drug Bill Makes Bands Pay for Fans' Pot Use
| ||||||||||||||||||
JUNE
| ||||||||||||||||||
US: Series: Denied by the Drug Provision, a Personal Narrative
| ||||||||||||||||||
CN BC: Legalize, Tax Lucrative Pot Industry: Study
| ||||||||||||||||||
US: 0-2 in 9th, Ashcroft May Seek Review
| ||||||||||||||||||
US: Scientists Sue To Get Medical Marijuana
| ||||||||||||||||||
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JULY
| ||||||||||||||||||
US: An End To Marijuana Prohibition
| ||||||||||||||||||
US WV: 20-Year Drug Sentence Tossed Over Supreme Court Ruling
| ||||||||||||||||||
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US CO: Conflict Over Legalization a Growing Part of Drug War
| ||||||||||||||||||
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AUGUST
| ||||||||||||||||||
CN ON: OPED: Drug Laws Make The Body A Battleground
| ||||||||||||||||||
UK: Herbal Craze Puts Drug Users On a Legal High
| ||||||||||||||||||
US: Push To Legalize Medicinal Pot Stalls In Congress
| ||||||||||||||||||
CN NF: The Other Side Of Oxycontin
| ||||||||||||||||||
US GA: Who Was Kenny Walker?
| ||||||||||||||||||
SEPTEMBER
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
CN BC: Free Crack Pipes on the Way
| ||||||||||||||||||
CN BC: Marijuana Candidate Bringing Cannabis Cafe Debate
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1364/a11.html
| ||||||||||||||||||
US NY Edu: Column: New York Drug Laws Too Strict
| ||||||||||||||||||
US AK: If the Voters Plant It, Will It Grow?
| ||||||||||||||||||
OCTOBER
| ||||||||||||||||||
US: Justices Show Inclination To Scrap Sentencing Rules
| ||||||||||||||||||
US: Web: How the Government Lost the Drug War in Cyberspace
| ||||||||||||||||||
US MA: Districts Polled On Marijuana Law
| ||||||||||||||||||
US: A Measured Response
| ||||||||||||||||||
US CA: Column: Dr. Leveque's License Revoked
| ||||||||||||||||||
NOVEMBER
| ||||||||||||||||||
US: Web: Drugs And The Nation
| ||||||||||||||||||
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US WI: Series: More Prison Time Doesn't Always Result in Less Crime
| ||||||||||||||||||
US FL: Editorial: A 55-Year Sentence for Selling a Few Joints'
| ||||||||||||||||||
US NY: OPED: Southern Quagmire
| ||||||||||||||||||
DECEMBER
| ||||||||||||||||||
US: The Brain's Own Marijuana
| ||||||||||||||||||
US CA: Shattered Grass?
| ||||||||||||||||||
US WI: Doctors, Drug Agency At Odds On Pain Relief
| ||||||||||||||||||
US CA: Column: Health Canada Okays Sativex
| ||||||||||||||||||
US NY: Column: Why Some Politicians Need Their Prisons to Stay Full
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"Every new year people make resolutions to change aspects of
themselves they believe are negative. The majority of people revert
back to how they were before and feel like failures. This year I
challenge you to a new resolution. I challenge you to just be
yourself." - Aisha Elderwyn
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| ||||||||||||||||||
DS Weekly is one of the many free educational services DrugSense
offers our members. Watch this feature to learn more about what
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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 ()
| ||||||||||||||||||
We wish to thank all our contributors, editors, NewsHawks and letter writing activists. Please help us help reform. Become a NewsHawk See http://www.mapinc.org/hawk.htm for info on contributing clippings. | ||||||||||||||||||
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In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is
distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior
interest in receiving the included information for research and
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