| Jan. 28, 2005 #385 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(1) NIMBIN SMOKERS TO RALLY AGAINST POLICE 'HARASSMENT' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A rally will be held this afternoon in Nimbin, in northern NSW,
protesting against what some people say is a new wave of police
harassment. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The rally has been organised by the Hemp Embassy, which wants cannabis
legalised. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The police presence in Nimbin has strengthened and recently two
tourist buses were pulled over and searched by a sniffer dog, and
cannabis cautions were given to overseas tourists. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hemp spokesman Michael Balderstone says he wants better communication
between the police and the community. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"There's so much frustration in town and there's so much...injustice
people feel because of the way we're harassed because we're cannabis
users, so at least it gives people a chance to express themselves," he
said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Some discussion might happen, let's see. I mean it is stupid...I've
watched this for years, year after year the same thing happens, it's a
lot of money spent and it makes no impact." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Police have accepted an invitation to speak at the rally. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(2) STORY GENERATES INTEREST, RESPONSES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Last week after running the story, Parents to push for solutions, a
story that reported on the possibility of establishing drug-free zones
around local schools, the Castlegar News received the following e-mail
from : | ||||||||||||||||||||||
That might have happened, once or twice where it was traded in
pound-for-pound (mistakenly), but there is no way anyone would be dumb
enough to do that. A pound of pot in LA goes for roughly about $3,000
to $3,300 USD. And a pound of coke would go for around $7,000+ USD.
Now you tell me, is that a good trade? Why would anyone want to lose
over $3,500 USD? Does that make any sense whatsoever? I'm sorry, but I
think you need to check your facts. The media needs to stop spreading
these fake rumors. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Several URLs where included with this message, with links to a website
called the The Media Awareness Project. Our sidebar story, Trip south
turns pot to coke, which related RCMP Const. Fran Bethell's take on
the local drug scene, had been posted to this site - and was obviously
the cause of concern for the e-mail sender. The main story, however,
was not posted to the site for the information of site visitors. Nor
was a background piece outlining the success and failure of drug-free
zones elsewhere posted to the site. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Coincidently, at the same time as this e-mail was received by the
News, responses to the News website Question of the Week began to come
at an unusually high rate (we normally get less than a dozen per week,
in two days we received about three dozen responses). The question
attracting this attention was "Would drug-free zones around schools
help curb the drug problem?" and response was overwhelmingly against
the idea (at press time: Yes, 2; No, 38). | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(3) GRANDMOTHER RAN CANNABIS COOKERY CLUB FOR NEIGHBOURS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A retired restaurateur has admitted raising a kitty with other
pensioners to buy cannabis which she used in her recipes for
"medicinal purposes". | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Patricia Tabram, a grey-haired grandmother, turned to the drug in an
attempt to offset the effects of tinnitus, mild depression and pains
after a car crash. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
She began using it in soups, cakes and hot pots in her country kitchen
and introduced others to the secret ingredient. Police raided her
stone-built cottage in the village of Humshaugh, near Hexham,
Northumberland, after a tip-off. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tabram, 66, was formally cautioned in May last year for possession and
cultivation of cannabis after 10in high plants were found growing in
her loft. A month later she was caught with 242gms of the drug worth
around ukp850 and self-seal bags for distribution to other people who
she declined to name. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
She told police that she had clubbed together with a group of elderly
people to obtain cannabis for various medicinal reasons. Carl Gumsley,
her defence counsel, told Newcastle Crown Court: "She had purchased it
on their behalf." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tabram admitted possessing cannabis with intent to supply and sentence was adjourned until March 11 to await reports from a probation officer and psychologist. She appeared in court in spectacles and a black cardigan and was remanded on bail with a condition of residence. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Wearing a woollen shawl in her well-stocked kitchen after the hearing, she said that she was writing a book entitled Grandma Eats Cannabis. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
She said: "If they send me to jail I can finish writing my book about
the merits of medicinal, herbal cannabis. I want people to know NHS
medicines are poisoning them instead of treating their illness. If
Jeffrey Archer can write a book in prison, so can I." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(4) METRO MUST ACCEPT PRO-MARIJUANA ADS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Metro officials must accept advertising that promotes the legalization
of marijuana now that the Justice Department has opted not to defend
the transit agency's ban on such ads. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Justice officials had until Wednesday to appeal a federal court decision that struck down a law recently passed in Congress stating that transit agencies would lose federal funding if they accepted ads advocating the legalization or medical use of such illicit drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Metro has yet to receive pro-marijuana ads since the Justice
Department's decision, but a spokesman said the agency would not
reject such ads unless they "showcased profanity." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"The transit agency is not in the business of picking and choosing what can and cannot go up," Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The government "does not have a viable argument to advance in the statute's defense," acting Solicitor General Paul D. Clement said in a letter to Senate attorneys last month that explained his decision. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
See that dog coming with police after a minor traffic violation? The
U.S. Supreme Court let the dogs out, and they're ready to sniff
anyone who violates a traffic law. Will the dogs start sniffing for
large batches of pseudoephedrine as it becomes harder to get? Not
satisfied with tighter restrictions in many states, some U.S.
senators from Iowa want national laws. In Tennessee, the governor's
office is criticizing a company that markets a brand name version of
pseudoephedrine for not coming out with a variation on the product
that can't be turned into meth. And, finally, some leaders in Montana
think the state needs its own drug czar. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) JUSTICES UPHOLD USE OF DRUG-SNIFFING DOGS IN TRAFFIC STOPS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 - The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that in making
a routine traffic stop, the police can permit a trained dog to sniff
the car for drugs without the need for any particular reason to
suspect the driver of a narcotics violation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The 6-to-2 decision set aside a ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court,
which held in 2003 that a state trooper who had stopped a man for
speeding had broadened the scope of the encounter beyond
constitutional limits by having the dog sniff the car. The dog alerted
the police to the trunk, which contained $250,000 worth of marijuana.
The addition of the dog impermissibly turned a traffic stop into a
drug investigation, the Illinois court said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In the majority opinion on Monday, Justice John Paul Stevens said the
dog's sniff did not amount to an unconstitutional search because it
did not prolong the 10-minute traffic stop and did not violate any
"legitimate interest in privacy" a driver could have in carrying
contraband. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"A dog sniff conducted during a concededly lawful traffic stop that
reveals no information other than the location of a substance that no
individual has any right to possess does not violate the Fourth
Amendment," Justice Stevens said. The Fourth Amendment prohibits
"unreasonable" search and seizure. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Justices David H. Souter and Ruth Bader Ginsburg both issued vigorous dissents on Monday, warning that the latest decision, Illinois v. Caballes, No. 03-923, opened the door to the use of drug-sniffing dogs to patrol parking lots, garages, and even pedestrians on sidewalks. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(6) U.S. SENATORS PUSH METH BILL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Proposal Restricts Sales Of Decongestants Nationwide | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Iowa's two U.S. senators and eight other senators have joined forces
behind a proposal that would place hundreds of popular decongestant
medicines behind pharmacy counters to discourage domestic
methamphetamine production. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The bipartisan group is supporting the tighter restrictions on
pseudoephedrine sales to control the spread of small, toxic
meth-making labs, which have become a major and costly problem
throughout Iowa and much of the country. Pseudoephedrine is a key
ingredient in the manufacture of meth. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"This critical legislation will help provide law enforcement officers
with the tools they need to fight meth across the state and keep
Iowans drug-free," Sen. Tom Harkin said Monday in a prepared
statement. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Calling meth "the most deadly, fiercely addictive and rapidly
spreading drug the United States has known," the federal Combat Meth
Act would provide $30 million in additional funding to fight the drug.
But its most controversial feature will likely be the provision making
pseudoephedrine a controlled substance nationwide. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
That measure - which mirrors a state bill supported by Iowa Gov. Tom
Vilsack and roughly 150 other groups - has met strong resistance from
retail groups who fear the restrictions will inconvenience consumers
and harm sales. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(7) PFIZER'S SLOW RELEASE OF SUDAFED PE QUESTIONED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
CHATTANOOGA - Tennessee officials are asking why it took so long for
Pfizer Inc. to release an alternative decongestant without the
ingredient used to make meth. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Pseudoephedrine is an active ingredient in Pfizer's Sudafed and
Actifed, Schering Plough's Claritin-D and other remedies, but it can
also be used to make methamphetamine in homemade labs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Pfizer's alternative decongestant, Sudafed PE, contains phenylephrine, which can't be converted into meth. It's been in some Pfizer products sold in Europe since 2003, said company spokeswoman Erica Johnson. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Sudafed PE goes on sale in the United States in February, and the
company will promote it as an alternative to pseudoephedrine products
associated with illegal meth-making, Johnson said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Original Sudafed will still be available, but where sales of
pseudoephedrine are restricted or placed 'behind the counter,' Sudafed
PE will provide consumers with a convenient 'on-the-shelf'
decongestant," Pfizer Vice President Jay Kominsky wrote in a letter to
some government and law enforcement officials. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In Tennessee - where meth abuse has taken root and ravaged rural
communities - officials are asking why it took so long. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"We have a lot of questions about why this product was not introduced
sooner in Tennessee and look forward to hearing the reasons why," said
Will Pinkston, an aide to Gov. Phil Bredesen. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(8) CREATING DRUG CZAR POST WINS SUPPORT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
HELENA - Montana needs a drug czar to bring together the far-flung efforts to combat addiction in the state, particularly the scourge of methamphetamine, supporters of the new post told a House panel Friday. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
At issue was House Bill 31, sponsored by Rep. Don Roberts, R-Billings,
which would create a Cabinet-level drug czar in Montana appointed by
the governor. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A host of drug and alcohol prevention and treatment programs are up
and running in Montana, Roberts told the House Human Services
Committee. But they are scattered across state and local agencies with
no coordinating hand over the whole machine. The drug czar would
organize those programs, eliminate duplications and make the state's
response to drugs, particularly methamphetamine, more visible and more
efficient. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"It's important, through the drug czar, to bring a lot of different
resources together," Roberts said, adding that he envisioned an office
that was not solely focused on prosecuting drug addicts, but
preventing and treating them, too. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Anna Whiting-Sorrell, family policy adviser for Gov. Brian Schweitzer,
told the committee that the governor is behind the idea and would use
his position to make the post effective. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Another innocent bystander has sustained serious injuries thanks to a
"flash-bang" device used during a drug raid. Also in New York, a
judge has given the okay for police to attach global tracking devices
to the cars of drug suspects. In Australia, not even a | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(9) WOMAN SERIOUSLY BURNED BY DEVICE DURING DRUG RAID (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. -- An 18-year-old woman was in a hospital burn unit after being injured by an explosive device police tossed during a drug raid. Authorities said the woman was not the target of the investigation and described the incident as an unfortunate mishap. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Rhiannon Kephart suffered second- and third-degree burns on her chest and stomach when the device, known as a flash-bang, landed in an apartment where she apparently was in bed or just getting up. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A resident of the apartment was arrested. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The explosion set off a small fire, police said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"We feel terrible about this. It's very unfortunate," Niagara Falls
Police Superintendent John Chella said. "The intended use of a device
like this is to stun people or to divert their attention ... not to
hurt anyone." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
He defended the officers' actions, saying there was concern that
loaded assault weapons were inside the apartment. A loaded gun was
recovered, he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) BUMPER CROP FOR COPS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Can Secretly Attach GPS: Judge | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Cops without a warrant can secretly attach Global Positioning System
devices to a suspect's vehicle, according to a federal judge - who
said using the gadgets is virtually the same thing as following a car
along a road. The decision handed down by U.S. Judge David Hurd in
upstate Utica last week could give law enforcement officials another
high-tech weapon to catch criminals, but is troubling to privacy
advocates. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hurd ruled that Robert (Bugsy) Moran, a Hells Angel member and defense
attorney accused of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, had "no
expectation of privacy in the whereabouts of his vehicle on a public
roadway." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Law enforcement personnel could have conducted a visual surveillance of the vehicle as it traveled on the public highways," Hurd wrote. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Grable, who is prosecuting Moran,
strongly backed the ruling. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Your movements on a highway aren't private," he said. "You don't have a reasonable expectation of privacy, which is a Fourth Amendment test." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But civil liberties advocates said the decision opens the door to
increased government surveillance. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(11) NAPPY EXAMINED IN MARIJUANA RAID (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Northern Territory police officers searched two tots - one of them a seven-month-old baby - during a drug raid, it was revealed last night. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The children's mother said she will lodge an official complaint with
the Ombudsman over the incident. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tracy Castine told the Northern Territory News last night that police
had examined the two tots' nappies explaining they were looking for
drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The complaint surrounds the actions of five uniformed police and three
detectives during the search of a Katherine residence. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"They didn't even ask my permission to search the nappies and that's
what upset me the most," Tracy, 17, said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tracy, who did not live at the address, was visiting with her two sons - 17-month-old Hayden and seven-month-old Travis - and only arrived minutes before police executed the raid late last Friday night. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"I thought it was just ridiculous that they would open up the nappies
like that looking for drugs," she said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"It's a seven-month-old baby for Christ's sake, I'm not that stupid as
a mother. What do they take people for these days?" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"They looked like idiots going through my kids' nappies like that." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Police searched the entire house but turned up no drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(12) DA DISMISSES DRUG CHARGES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The 32nd Judicial District Attorney's office announced the dismissal of drug charges against 16 individuals who were arrested in Fisher County as a result of a year-long undercover investigation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The dismissal, according to a statement from District Attorney Mark
Edwards, was done after the discovery of a confidential informant
allegedly fabricating information to authorities, which led to the
arrest of one of the defendants. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Fisher County Sheriff Mickey Counts identified the informant as
35-year-old Tommy Lamont Williams, originally of Sweetwater. Counts
said Williams currently lives in Rotan. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Williams was arrested and indicted on charges of fabricating physical
evidence and possession of cocaine with the intent to deliver. He is
free on a $10,000 bond. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-17) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
We begin this week with great news for Vermont medicinal cannabis
users: the Marijuana Policy Project has offered to pay the $100
registration fee to the state-run medical cannabis program for those
who can't afford it. Since many medical users are either on fixed
incomes or dependent on disability payments, this should offer real
assistance to some of Vermont's neediest patients. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Our second story this week is about New Jersey Senator Nicholas P.
Scutari (D-Union), who has just introduced a bill that would allow
therapeutic users to grow up to 6 plants or to possess up to one
ounce of cannabis. Scutari, who is a Linden city prosecutor, has
argued that legitimate medical users need to be protected from state
and federal drug laws targeting recreational use. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Our third story this week highlights the recent success of the Oregon
state medicinal cannabis program. There are now nearly 10,000
registered medical users in the state, which has resulted in a $1
million surplus in the program last year. The extra funds have
allowed the state to reduce the annual registration fee on medical
users from $155 to $50. Fourth this week is a story on a gated
housing development in Chilliwack, B.C. which promises to be Canada's
first grow-op free zone. Developer Bill Coughlin insists that by
making owners sign a contract that they will surrender their home if
it is used to produce drugs, placing cameras at the entrance, and
installing hydro meters in a centralized location, he will deter
growers from moving into the neighbourhood. However alcoholics,
child-molesters, wife beaters, chronic masturbators, and intolerant,
misinformed fear-mongers will apparently be more than welcome. And
lastly, a great interview with cannabis icon Tommy Chong, which
includes reflections on his time in prison, and news of a new movie
with long-time partner in crime Cheech Marin called "Grumpy Old
Stoners." As your non-elected representative from stoner-nation, let
me just say that it's about freaking time! | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(13) FEE ASSISTANCE OFFERED BY MEDICAL MARIJUANA GROUP (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A marijuana advocacy group on Monday began offering financial
assistance to low-income Vermonters who cannot afford to register for
the state's new medical-marijuana program. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Vermont Marijuana Policy Project will pay the $100 registration
fee for anyone within 150 percent of the federal poverty level who
qualifies for the new state program. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Vermont in November became the ninth state to decriminalize the
possession and use of marijuana for chronically ill people suffering
from certain diseases. In Vermont, people suffering from AIDS, cancer
and multiple sclerosis can possess, grow and consume marijuana with
permission from the Department of Public Safety. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(14) LEGISLATOR WANTS TO LEGALIZE MEDICAL MARIJUANA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A state senator who prosecutes drug abusers wants to legalize the
"compassionate medical use" of marijuana to treat pain and other
symptoms in seriously ill patients. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Sen. Nicholas P. Scutari, D-Union, the Linden city prosecutor, has
proposed legislation to protect people with debilitating medical
conditions from arrest and prosecution for the use of medical
marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
New Jersey needs a law, similar to those in 11 other states, to
attempt to preempt the federal ban on using medical marijuana, Scutari
said Thursday. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"As a prosecutor, I see the detrimental effects of recreational
marijuana," Scutari said. "However, marijuana has been shown in many
cases to give people with debilitating medical conditions a chance to
lead normal lives." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(15) MEDICAL MARIJUANA CARDS ABOUND (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Number of Oregon Patients Allowed to Use the Drug Soars to Nearly 10,000, Which Some See As a Success and Others a Problem | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Nearly 10,000 Oregonians carry medical marijuana cards, about 20 times more than officials predicted when the program started six years ago. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The fee-based program, which gets no money from the state general
fund, has grown so fast that it built up a cash surplus of nearly $1
million last year. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
To reduce the surplus, officials slashed the annual fee for a medical
marijuana card from $150 to $55 this month. For Oregon Health Plan
patients, the fee dropped to $20. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(16) GROW HOME-FREE SUBDIVISIONS HIT IN B.C. (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A British Columbia developer is building Canada's first guaranteed
marijuana grow op-free subdivision, but it's unlikely the idea will
catch on in York Region. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Bill Coughlin of ReMax Little Oak Realty in B.C.'s Fraser Valley said
he's three weeks away from beginning sales on the 15-home gated
community in Chilliwack, which will require owners to sign an
agreement to give up their homes if a marijuana grow operation is
found inside. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Owners will have to sign a covenant. If you do have a marijuana grow
op, you will be punished. You'll have to sell your home back at
appraisal prices within 30 days, minus all the fines imposed for
having the grow op," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In addition to the covenant, there will be a central hydro meter to
prevent growers from stealing hydro and chemical testing of the sewer
lines to look for signs of other kinds of drug labs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(17) AROUND THE BONG WITH TOMMY CHONG (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"We're in the midst of a flux in time and space," says Tommy Chong, on
the phone from his home in L.A. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"There's things changing constantly and it's going to be interesting
to see what the final outcome is going to be." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tommy Chong, originally from Alberta and having just turned 66, his
once brown beard gone white, knows a little bit about change. His days
as a carefree stoner were abruptly halted recently, when The Man
caught him selling drug paraphernalia over state lines, apparently a
crime deserving nine months in prison. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"They busted me for selling bongs with my picture on them. They
totally targeted me because I'm recognized as an icon and a big
supporter of marijuana," says Chong. "I think they were waiting for
their chance. I mean, if you want to scare stoners, it's a pretty
effective way of doing it." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (18-21) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
With murderous regularity, the vigilante killings of suspected drug
users continue across the Philippines. Davao City seems to exceed
other parts of the country in the numbers of the brutal executions of
former drug users, which are believed to be the work of police. The
pattern, similar to that of the bloody Thai campaigns against drug
users there, is that people who have (years old) prior arrests for
petty drug crimes are blacklisted by police. Then they are shot,
often in broad daylight, near their homes or work. Police release
information from files on the victim, explaining the victim was
involved with drugs, and the case is closed. As in Thailand, police
then claim it is all the work of rival gangs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Canadian Justice ministers, long accustomed to watching their
counterparts in the staunchly prohibitionist U.S. enjoy huge budgets
to fight the drug war, want "tougher" laws for Canadians, too.
Abolition of conditional sentencing like house arrest topped the
ministers' wish list. Papers stressed the ministers' concern over
glue-sniffing youngsters. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
And finally this week, a 71-year-old Vancouver man had the misfortune
of happening to pop some pills in front of the drug-recognition
experts on the Vancouver police force. They roughed up the would-be
drug abuser, as surely they have seen U.S. cops do so many times
before, on TV. There was just one little problem. The pill-swallowing
senior, whose back had been injured years before, had a prescription
for his painkillers. Who would have guessed? The cops, who told the
old man their names and badge numbers were none of his business, were
eventually identified by a legal aid society that has taken the case
on the man's behalf. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
(18) FATHER APPEALS TO KILLERS: TELL ME MY SON'S CRIME (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
THE father of the latest victim killed vigilante-style on Villamor
Street in Obrero is asking his son's assassin to inform him in any way
why his son was killed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"I have no idea what my son did to them. I just hope they will call me
up or send me letter so I will know why they did this," said
Hermogenes Dumbrique Sr. in the vernacular during a radio interview,
Tuesday night. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Dumbrique Sr. admitted his son was charged for violation of Republic
Act 6425 or the Dangerous Drug Act some four years ago. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But he said the case was dismissed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Dumbrique is the 37th victim "salvaged" by vigilantes in the
continuous unsolved killings in the city. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Talomo police still have to check whether the victim was involved
in any illegal activity. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||||||
(19) DRUGS 'LIKELY MOTIVE' FOR KILLING EX-PUSHER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Investigators are giving more weight to illegal drugs as reason behind
the killing last Monday of a former drug pusher in Barangay Lorega,
Cebu City. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Iliga, who used to be involved in the illegal drug trade, was gunned
down by two masked men on a Honda XRM motorcycle Monday afternoon in
front of his tire supply store along M.J. Cuenco Ave. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Iliga was the 20th man killed by unidentified persons in Cebu City since Dec. 22. Most of those killed had criminal records, raising suspicions that a group has taken the law into their own hands. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Inspiration | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Mayor Tomas Osmena has admitted he "inspired" the killings after he
announced that he is forming an elite police force to hunt down
criminal suspects. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Monilar suspected the culprits could have just imitated the style of
killing used by a group blamed for the summary execution of suspected
criminals in Cebu City since Dec. 22. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||||||
(20) JUSTICE MINISTERS WANT TOUGHER LAWS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Manitoba and other western provinces are also lobbying for the
creation of new sanctions targeting "inhalant traffickers" -- people
who sell common household products such as adhesives or glue remover
knowing they will be used as intoxicants. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"We have legislation in Manitoba that allows for the shutting down of drug dens and sniff houses -- 20 per cent of the houses that we have shut down have been sniff houses," explained Mackintosh. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"But merchants of misery are often buying bulk products and then
selling them in individualized portions, particularly to youth, and
packaging it even with a bag and the intoxicating product," he said.
"It's very difficult to prosecute." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Topping the list of federal reforms urgently sought by the provinces is the abolition -- or at least the severe restriction -- of the availability of conditional sentencing. Conditional sentences such as house arrest, curfews, electronic monitoring and other alternatives to incarceration can be imposed by judges for offenders deemed not dangerous who would otherwise be jailed for less than two years. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||||||
(21) ELDERLY MAN SAYS COPS ROUGHED HIM UP OVER PAINKILLERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A senior citizen who spends his days collecting toys to donate to
children is accusing two Vancouver police officers of assaulting him
for taking prescription painkillers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Robert "Woody" Woodward, a 71-year-old Surrey resident, will be in
Provincial Court tomorrow with lawyer Howard Rubin to set a date for a
hearing to determine whether charges of assault causing bodily harm
will go forward. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Woodward, a former steel worker whose back was crushed in an
industrial accident, claims he was sitting in the passenger seat of
his car on Sept. 4 outside the West Hotel and had just put the
painkillers in his mouth when he was grabbed by constables Ryley
Swanson and J. Whittaker. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"The next thing I know, I'm against the wall. I'm spitting the pills
out," he said. Woodward claims the alleged rough treatment cut his
shoulder and hands and caused a scar on his stomach to tear and bleed.
His watch was also broken. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
One of the officers apologized, but the other didn't, he said. Neither
gave him their name or badge number. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"I asked for them, but they said it was none of my business," Woodward
said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
After trying six times, the Pivot Legal Society finally got the names
Jan. 10. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
NY TIMES AND WASHINGTON POST REPORTERS SMEAR MISSING TEXANS AS NARCOS | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Al Giordano and Bill Conroy at NarcoNews.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
BUSH PROHIBITS PAYING OF COMMENTATORS | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Anne E. Kornblut | ||||||||||||||||||||||
January 27, 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 - With his administration under fire for questionable publicity practices, President Bush explicitly forbade his cabinet on Wednesday to pay commentators to promote his policies. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
WAR ON DRUGS IN COLOMBIA | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The International Crisis Group has just released a new report on
'War and Drugs in Colombia.' The executive summary and recommendations
as well as a link to download the entire report is at: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
DRUGS OF ABUSE 2005 EDITION IS NOW AVAILABLE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
You can access Drugs of Abuse online at: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Or download a copy in PDF from: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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420 DRUG WAR NEWS | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Philippe Lucas of the Vancouver Island Compassion Society on
legal heroin in Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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COURT OVERTURNS ALLIANCE'S INITIATIVE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Friday, January 28, 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In a major blow to drug policy reform efforts in the nation's
capitol, the DC Court of Appeals has overturned Measure 62, the
Drug Policy Alliance's "treatment instead of incarceration"
initiative. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
GOOGLE VIDEO SEARCH | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Google is now indexing TV shows based on the closed captioning
data in each broadcast. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Check out cannabis stories: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=marijuana+%7C+pot++%7C+cannabis | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
MODERATE USE OF CANNABIS "SAFE," STUDY SAYS | ||||||||||||||||||||||
January 27, 2005 - Oxford, United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Oxford, United Kingdom: Moderate cannabis use, even long-term, is "relatively safe" when compared to the health effects of other recreational intoxicants, according to a scientific review published in the February issue of the journal Current Opinion in Pharmacology. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
LOOK AT 'DRUG WAR' / By Suzanne Wills | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Re: "A Culture of Murder," Sunday Page One. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Kudos to The Dallas Morning News for correctly identifying the cause of
Dallas' obscene murder rate as the "drug trade" instead of Police Chief
David Kunkle's more abstruse term, the "drug issue." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In 1900, when one could legally buy cannabis, cocaine and morphine, the national murder rate was 1.2 per 100,000 people. It soared to 9.7 per 100,000 when alcohol was illegal. It dropped during the 1950s but soared again after Richard Nixon declared the drug war we fight today. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The harder the drug war is fought, the more lucrative and dangerous the
drug trade. The more kids grow up without hope for a life outside the
slums, the more attractive it becomes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Suzanne Wills | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
New MAP/DrugSense Staff Member Draws Activists Closer To The Media | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By DrugSense | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Media Awareness Project of DrugSense is getting a little more
personal. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The organization has established a new staff position designed to help
activists make an impact on media coverage by interacting more closely
with the media. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Steve Heath, who includes his time as a MAP/DrugSense volunteer since
1999 as just one of a broad range of drug policy reform experiences,
has started work as Media Activism Facilitator. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Steve wants to help activists get their points addressed in the media,
particularly through radio interviews, as well as letters to the
editor in print publications. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
For years, MAP offered the basic tools to do just that, but now the
Media Activism Facilitator will help to train and coach local activist
groups about how to get media attention, and how to use that attention
effectively. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Targeting specific areas and groups, he won't be fishing for them, so much as teaching them how to fish. Over time, with proper training, much of this work will transfer to the groups themselves. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Steve believes his efforts will help to boost the number of letters the editor archived by MAP each year, as well as the number of broadcast interviews documented at MAP's On Air archive. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
When Steve started learning about the drug war, he saw the media as big a part of the problem, and MAP as a big part of the remedy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"I realized early on that the media needed to be moved on this issue,"
he says. Steve has been trying to move the media as a volunteer,
having at least 126 published letters in the MAP archive, ranking him
among MAP's top ten most published authors. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
He now brings his knowledge to MAP readers and subscribers. He say he can help activists to get a letter published in 21 days. Heath will also guide activists in getting more on-air minutes with local radio and TV to raise awareness of drug policy related topics. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Right now, Steve is focusing his work on Michigan, Nevada, Ohio and
Texas. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
For more information on Steve and his work on facilitating media
activism, see http://mapinc.org/resource/maf.htm | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it." -- Upton Sinclair, "The Jungle" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
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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