| April 15, 2005 #395 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(1) NITROUS OXIDE LAW PUZZLING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Confusion surrounds the sale of nitrous oxide after the Government
said it had determined that the so-called laughing gas was illegal to
sell or buy to inhale. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton said nitrous oxide was a
prescription medicine and its unrestricted sale was illegal under the
Medicines Act. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But retailers, including operators of "nos bars" in Christchurch, are preparing to sidestep the law and it is likely to be tested in court. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Retailers claim the law does not apply to food-grade nitrous oxide, which is commonly taken by recreational users in the form of cream-whipper canisters sold for about $13 for a box of 10. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mr Anderton said there would continue to be "legitimate uses" for
nitrous oxide such as a propellant in foods such as whipped cream and
in car racing. He believed none of those uses involved inhaling the
gas. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Chris Fowlie, of Auckland's Hempstore, said that despite Mr Anderton's
statement, "that's how everyone has always sold nitrous. People have
always said this is for whipped cream". | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mr Fowlie said the Hempstore acknowledged that people inhaled the
contents of the canisters. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We know it's not for whipped cream so we're being honest and upfront and saying we know that people are inhaling it, therefore we're going to give them information so they can look after themselves." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(2) MARIJUANA USE BY KIDS APPEARS TO BE INCREASING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Young people in Mendocino County have little trouble getting hold of
marijuana and alcohol, and as they progress from middle school to high
school there's less stigma attached to the use of drugs and alcohol
among their peers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
That's according to the 2005 Status Report on Children and Youth, released Tuesday to the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Staggering" is the word used by Supervisor Jim Wattenburger when he
saw a statistic in the report that indicates that between 1992 and
2003, the rate of arrest of young people between 12 and 17 for
marijuana violations increased 323 percent. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It just shows "the availability and the prevailing attitude of the use" of marijuana in Mendocino County, Wattenburger said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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The sharp rise in marijuana arrests among young people in the last 10
years was no surprise. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Not really," Hudson said. Since the passage of the medical marijuana
law, Prop. 215, in 1996, "Public attitudes around marijuana seem to
have become more accepting." For legitimate medical marijuana
patients, that's a good thing, he said, but it also means much easier
access for old and young alike. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(3) BUSH GOES AT DRUG PROBLEM BACKWARD (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Evidence Shows That Abstinence-Only Drug And Sex-Education Programs
Put Young People In Real Jeopardy
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Politics trumps science again as President George W. Bush proclaims
tomorrow National DARE Day. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Heaping praises on the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, Bush says: "Across America, law enforcement officers, volunteers, parents and teachers are helping to send the right message to our nation's youth about illegal drugs and violence through the ... DARE program." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Yet, despite 22 years of drug-free pledges, T-shirts, bumper stickers
and plenty of abstinence-only rhetoric, the program does not seem to
be getting the "right message" across to the DARE generation, many of
whom are saying "maybe" or "sometimes" or even "yes" to alcohol and
other drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Marsha Rosenbaum, PhD, directs the Safety First drug education project at the Drug Policy Alliance and is the author of "Safety First: A Reality-Based Approach to Teens, Drugs, and Drug Education.'' | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(4) DRUG WAR FRAYING BORDER CITIES' BOND (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Violence changes the lives of many in Los Dos Laredos
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NUEVO LAREDO, MEXICO - A high-ranking police official who was the new liaison between local authorities and state police sent here to quell a raging drug war was slain by gunmen Wednesday night. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Juan Antonio Santos, ambushed outside his home by masked assassins, is
the apparent latest victim of two years of almost continuous violence
involving Mexican drug gangs battling for control of the vital
trafficking route through Nuevo Laredo. | ||||||||||||||||||||
His slaying and another attack on police just days before have further
frightened a citizenry that has lived through a series of carjackings
and kidnappings — both of Mexican and U.S citizens - as well as
pitched gunbattles and executions in the streets. | ||||||||||||||||||||
''We have had some other law enforcement officers killed, mostly
because some of the drug dealers see them as a threat," city spokesman
Ramberto Salinas said Thursday. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy
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COMMENT: (5-9) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
To my fellow residents of the United States: Happy %#$^$%^ tax day!
A little taste of the value you're getting for your dollars in a
single week from the drug war at both the state and federal level
follows. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) DRUG CZAR CALLS POT A DANGER TO KIDS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
WALNUT HILLS - President Bush's drug czar wants parents and kids to
know: Marijuana is as serious a drug as any other. | ||||||||||||||||||||
John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy, visited Cincinnati on Thursday as part of his push
to convince Americans that marijuana isn't a "soft" drug. Too many
young people start smoking marijuana because they think it's
harmless, he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"The single biggest enemy is cynicism," he said in a speech at First
Step Home, a substance-abuse treatment shelter for women in Walnut
Hills. "We have to pay attention. We have to correct misinformation.
This is not a joke."
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Though marijuana is not as toxic as cocaine or heroin, and doesn't
cause overdose or death, the drug is increasingly the primary cause
nationwide of admissions to substance-abuse treatment facilities, he
said. In 2002, about 130 people of every 100,000 who were 12 or
older sought help for marijuana abuse. That was up by 162 percent
from a decade earlier. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(6) METH REPLACING MARIJUANA AS TEENS' HIGH OF CHOICE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Drug Devastates Young In Certain Areas
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LAKE ELMO, Minn. - They sit at a cafeteria table, gossiping and
snacking during a school field trip. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Have you seen him? Has he gained the weight back?" one girl asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Yeah, he looked so good," replied another from across the table.
"His cheeks filled in."
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It's no casual lunchtime conversation. The teen they're talking
about is a recovering methamphetamine addict -- and so are several
of the teens at the table, all of them students who attend
alternative high schools in the St. Paul, Minn., area and who are
trying to get their lives back on track. | ||||||||||||||||||||
While the methamphetamine epidemic often has been associated with
drug labs hidden away in the countryside, today's users frequently
defy that image, whether they are urban professionals or suburban
homemakers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Minnesota has been dealing with all of the above and is home to
another scary trend: Here, many young people and experts who monitor
drug use agree that meth is steadily replacing marijuana as the
teenage drug of choice. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Meth is the thing. It's what everybody wants to do," said Anthony,
a 17-year-old student at Sobriety High School in St. Paul who first
tried meth at age 13 and has been in recovery since he overdosed
last summer. He and other students from alternative learning
programs were allowed to speak on the condition that their last
names not be used. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Though statistics show that meth use among teens and middle-school
students has been level for the past few years, experts caution that
those numbers can be deceiving since meth seems to spread in
pockets, leaving some regions or populations relatively untouched
while others are devastated. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(7) SCRATCH AND SNIFF CARDS MAY AID ILLINOIS IN METH FIGHT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A bill passed last week by the Illinois House could give law
enforcement an unlikely - and malodorous - tool in the growing
campaign to curb escalating methamphetamine use: "scratch 'n sniff"
cards. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The cards, when scratched, would emit the odor of anhydrous ammonia,
an ingredient used in the methamphetamine production process that
smells distinctively like cat urine. They would be distributed, by
the Illinois State Police and the Board of Education, to teachers,
school employees and day-care center employees to help them identify
children who have been exposed to meth, the bill says. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Most people haven't smelled meth," said state Rep. Michael P.
McAuliffe, R-Chicago, who introduced the bill in late February,
adding, "Not too many people know about this drug, and it's
everywhere."
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[snip]
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(8) TESTING TIMES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
It's hard not to feel a sneaking sympathy for Tom Sizemore. An actor of moderate talents and bad habits, Tom is one of the hundreds of thousands of Californians obliged to take a daily drug test. In his case it's a condition of probation. Clean pee: stay free. | ||||||||||||||||||||
For others, with no criminal record, the morning bottle is as
routine as the metal detector and full-body wipedown at the airport.
The amount of urine provided daily by the drug-tested of California
would float the Queen Mary (currently at anchor in Long Beach).
Schoolchildren are tested. So are transport employees, job
applicants, athletes, cops, prisoners; indeed, any employee in a
"drug-free workplace" that intends to protect itself against
negligence suits. | ||||||||||||||||||||
For his daily sample, Sizemore slung an artificial penis called the
"Whizzinator" round his loins and whizzed hopefully. No luck. The
probation officer wasn't fooled (perhaps there was more size than
usual). There is plentiful lore among kids about how to pass, fake
or spoil the test. In the days when I was an anxious parent in
California, one knew that drug-wise offspring often used LSD in
preference to marijuana because "fry" was flushed out of the system
in a day, whereas weed lingered in the urine for a month. Clean
piddle is traditionally supplied by girlfriends. Keeping the stuff
at a precise 95 degrees is a problem (the canny parent wields a
thermometer). Ten seconds in the microwave will do it - but that can
be awkward. There is matching awkwardness for the parent. Prince
Charles might have no qualms about a flunky pressing a flask to HRH
John Thomas, but few adults like to accompany children to the toilet
and fiddle with their private parts - it can lead to ugly
accusations. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(9) SEX, DRUGS AND DOCTRINE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Politics trumped science once again today as the President
officially proclaimed April 14, 2005 "National D.A.R.E. Day."
Heaping praises on the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, Bush
said, "Across America, law enforcement officers, volunteers, parents
and teachers are helping to send the right message to our nation's
youth about illegal drugs and violence through the Drug Abuse
Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Program."
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Yet despite 22 years of drug-free pledges, T-shirts, bumper stickers
and plenty of abstinence-only rhetoric, the program does not seem to
be getting the "right message" across to the D.A.R.E. generation,
many of whom are saying "maybe," "sometimes," or even "yes" to
alcohol and other drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
As in years past, the 2004 Monitoring the Future
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[snip]
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Law Enforcement & Prisons
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COMMENT: (10-13) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Everybody knows there's a problem with state prison crowding, but in
some states, legislators are ignoring the problem or attempting to
make it worse. In South Carolina, there's a slight decrease in crack
penalties, but they are accompanied by an increase in powder cocaine
penalties. Also, a sheriff touted for his anti-meth efforts has been
arrested on meth charges. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) SENTENCING REFORM GETS LITTLE SUPPORT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sentencing reform proposals to reduce inmate populations at state
prisons have little support among lawmakers, who have rejected all
but one plan to broaden probationary sentences and expand
alternatives to prison. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Oklahoma Sentencing Commission, a 15-member group of lawmakers,
criminal justice professionals and members of the public, handed
down eight recommendations last year to balance demands on the
state's prison system with the need for public safety. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But only one -- allowing intermediate sanctions instead of
revocation for some probation violators -- remains alive as the
Legislature reaches the halfway point in the 2005 legislative
session. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"It's a challenge in this policy area," said K.C. Moon, director of
the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource Center, a research and
analysis group. "It's so popular to crack down on criminals and so
unpopular to reduce punishment."
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The Senate, led by Republican opposition, killed a measure that
would have allowed offenders charged only with drug possession to be
presumptively sentenced to a drug court, community sentencing or
probation. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(11) BILLS COULD PACK TEXAS PRISONS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Stiffer Penalties Sought For Meth, Car Burglary Despite Crowding
Fears
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AUSTIN - Faced with a shortage of beds in state prisons, lawmakers
began the legislative session trying to stop a trend they set in
motion a decade ago: expanding the number of crimes for which a
person should do prison time. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But legislators say some crimes just seem to require prison time.
There are measures to increase penalties for car burglary, a
particular annoyance for big-city residents and police chiefs. A
more serious menace, rising methamphetamine use in rural areas, has
prompted proposals to increase the punishment for manufacturing the
drug. | ||||||||||||||||||||
If those bills become law, more than 8,500 inmates would be added to the state prison system's 151,000-inmate population over the next five years, according to the Legislative Budget Board. That growth would make it harder for lawmakers to limit the prison population by strengthening probation departments and reducing the number of probationers who fall back into the criminal justice system. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(12) BILL WOULD EQUALIZE PENALTIES FOR COCAINE, CRACK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
COLUMBIA (AP) - People convicted of possession or distribution of powder and crack cocaine would draw the same penalties under a bill that cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The legislation ends years of stiffer penalties for the potent but
less expensive rock form of cocaine. People arrested on cocaine
charges, however, would face more prison time. | ||||||||||||||||||||
A handful of legislators for years have said it makes little sense
for one form of an addictive drug to have less harsh penalties to
than the other. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Democratic Sen. Brad Hutto of Orangeburg said the legislation
equalizes the penalties for the different types of cocaine and
methamphetamines. | ||||||||||||||||||||
For instance, a first offense for possession of powder cocaine now
brings a prison sentence of no more than two years and up to a
$5,000 fine and is a misdemeanor. Convictions for the same offense
involving crack and methamphetamine brings a five-year prison term
and the same fine but is a felony. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The legislation makes that first offense for any of the drugs a
misdemeanor with up to three years in prison and up to a $5,000
fine. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(13) KY. POLICE CHIEF INDICTED ON METH CHARGES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A western Kentucky police chief who had been
credited by his mayor with helping combat the scourge of
methamphetamine in their small town has been indicted on two
meth-related charges. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bobby Sauls, police chief of Sebree, a town of 1,700 about 100 miles southwest of Louisville, was indicted Wednesday and faces five to 10 years in prison if convicted on each count. A hearing is set for May | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The charges stem from an investigation by a Kentucky State Police
special drug enforcement unit. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Cannabis & Hemp-
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COMMENT: (14-17) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
You know, when I heard that New Hampshire was considering legalizing
hemp cultivation, I initially thought of this as good news, but as a
I read the article in question - which reports that a pro-hemp bill
had been approved by the house and was to be heard by the Senate
Environment and Wildlife Committee on April 19th - I became
increasingly depressed. How is it that in this vast nation of
bright, creative and compassionate people cannabis can be freely
sold for medical purposes on one coast, while 3000 miles away on the
other coast we are still debating whether or not little Bobby might
get high if he wears hemp jeans? And as for Ossipee Police Chief
Richard Morgan's comments that legalizing hemp is a "back door
attempt to legalize marijuana", I would suggest that by using the
same reasoning he should bust up his local bakery, since that poppy
seed bagel must obviously a back door attempt to legalize heroin. My
friends, have we really made so little progress in this battle
between science and misinformation that police officers and
politicians can take the absolutely illogical position that the
public has something to fear from a fabric?
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On that note, for our second story this week we will break with tradition by including an OPED from Alaska by written associate prof. Kelly L. Drew, who argues that Gov. Frank Murkowski and his political allies have been misrepresenting the negative effects of cannabis use in their zeal to pass a bill re-criminalizing personal possession. Prof. Drew, who specializes in neuropharmacology, argues that this kind of misinformation and fear-mongering puts her 14-year-old daughter at greater risk of dismissing concerns over the use of more addictive and potentially dangerous drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Our third story follows the ongoing saga of Patricia Tabram, the
U.K. granny who was given a 6 month suspended sentence last week for
distributing cannabis to a few fellow seniors. Tabram is running for
office in Wales for the Legalize Cannabis Alliance, and is currently
working on a cannabis cookbook. And lastly this week, a profile of
yet another canna-candidate, B.C. Marijuana Party leader Marc Emery.
Emery, who is the owner of Pot-TV and Cannabis Culture Magazine, is
currently campaigning against Solicitor General and uber-drug
warrior Rich Coleman for the upcoming provincial election. DrugSense
would like to wish both Patricia and Marc good luck and courage in
this ongoing fight against fear, ignorance, cruelty, and
complacency. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(14) STATE CONSIDERS LEAGLIZING HEMP (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Depending on who you ask, legalizing industrial hemp will either
capitalize on an uncharted market or will make it easier to put
drugs in the hands of children. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ossipee Police Chief Richard Morgan expects the worst. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Legalization of hemp is really a backdoor attempt to legalize
marijuana. You're going to increase the supply, which will lower the
prices. That will give kids more access to it. It's ridiculous,"
said Morgan. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The debate gained momentum late last month, when the New Hampshire
House of Representatives narrowly passed a bill that would allow
farmers to grow hemp. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The bill was approved by a 199-168 vote and forwarded to the Senate.
A hearing is to be held by the Senate Environment and Wildlife
Committee on April 19. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(15) GOVERNOR, LEGISLATORS MISREPRESENTING EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
As a longtime Alaskan, a scientist and the mother of a teenage
daughter, I am worried about how Gov. Frank Murkowski and Alaska
legislators are approaching the marijuana issue. By ignoring the
scientific data, they may be about to make our problems a whole lot
worse. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Alaska's courts have said that our constitution's right to privacy
includes the right of adults to possess small amounts of marijuana
in their home. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The governor and his allies have tried to evade this privacy protection by drafting their bill to include a series of "findings" claiming that marijuana is so dangerous that it must be banned. | ||||||||||||||||||||
This is a field I know something about: My scientific specialty is
neuropharmacology, the study of how drugs affect the brain. And the
statements about marijuana contained in this legislation simply are
not true. They contradict a mass of scientific data, including
reviews by at least half a dozen government commissions that spent
literally years reviewing thousands of pages of documents and
interviewing hundreds of experts. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(16) GRANDMA'S COOKING POT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Patricia Tabram last week became a convicted drug dealer for serving
casseroles and cakes laced with cannabis to her friends. But, as she
tells Laura Barton, she's unrepentant - the drug has solved her
health problems
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'There is a new strain of very strong cannabis called organic
skunk," Patricia Tabram explains of the crucial ingredient in her
controversial cookery range. "Before I had the privilege of being
able to obtain the organic skunk, I used one quarter of a level
teaspoon of powdered fresh cannabis bud. Now I only use five-eighths
of a level teaspoon of the organic skunk - that's half of what you'd
put in a cannabis cigarette, so I have no way of getting high and it
keeps me pain-free for 24 hours."
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[snip]
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(17) B.C. ELECTION PROFILE - MARC EMERY, B.C. MARIJUANA PARTY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
B.C.'s Prince of Pot is bringing his message to Fort
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The leader of the B.C. Marijuana Party has some hard opinions of
Langley residents, and some radical ideas for pot, education, and
healthcare reform. | ||||||||||||||||||||
And he's not scared to share them. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Langley is filled with "old people who are intolerant and bigoted
and hate young people," and those old people support marijuana
prohibition, said Marc Emery. | ||||||||||||||||||||
As well, the outspoken pot advocate said the public education system
needs to be abolished and tax money should not be spent on seniors'
healthcare. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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International News
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COMMENT: (18-22) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
In 2002, Thailand's Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra (ever the
gung ho prohibitionist) launched a murderous pogrom against "drugs",
with the stated goal of eliminating drug use from Thai society. By
the time the Thai press stopped reporting on it in 2003, over 2,000
people were slain by extra-legal death squads - death squads widely
believed to be Thai police. Last week, Shinawatra announced yet
another war on drugs. "And as long as I am the prime minister, the
scourge of drugs will never be able to frighten people again,"
Shinawatra crowed. Shinawatra, a former police officer, failed to
mention the bloody yet fruitless results of his previous final
solution, this time around. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In Saudi Arabia, drug warriors there bravely executed another ethnic
Somali accused of smuggling "drugs" into the oil-rich monarchy. The
smuggling of drugs (including even cannabis products) is punishable
by public beheading in the harsh Islamic kingdom. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In the Philippines, death-squad summary killings of drug suspects
continue. In Davao City, the bloodthirsty city mayor, Rodrigo
Duterte, who has continually cheered death-squad killing of drug
suspects, explained that the reason "foreigners" had not been caught
running a methamphetamine lab in Davao City was because the mayor
had warned the public of their activity, thus causing them to flee.
"They're dead meat if I catch them, they'll surely be slaughtered,"
the mayor boasted. Duterte earlier had promised to tie meth lab
operators to their machines and set them ablaze. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(18) ANTI-NARCOTICS CAMPAIGN: PM LAUNCHES NEW ROUND IN WAR ON DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Human-Rights Activists Fear Another Spate Of
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Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday launched a
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"We will pay extra attention to former convicts and drug suspects
who have had arrest warrants issued against them," Thaksin said, as
representatives from relevant agencies gathered to hear his
anti-drugs policy. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
"And as long as I am the prime minister, the scourge of drugs will
never be able to frighten people again," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Human right activists day expressed concern yesterday over the new "war", saying the government had not yet answered questions over extrajudicial killings stemming from the last crackdown. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Up to 3,000 people died in the first round of the war on drugs, from
February to April 2003. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Thaksin yesterday instructed authorities to get serious about
eradicating illicit drugs and told senior officials to transfer
subordinates who fail to perform up to scratch. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
"I will consider rewards for the successful agencies, especially those managing to nab major drug traffickers," Thaksin said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
ONCB deputy secretary-general Chatchai Suttiklom said his agency was
expecting to reduce the number of drug abusers across the country to
less than 60,000 by June and would make the country drug-free by the
end of the year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We will put drug abusers in drug-rehabilitation programmes. If they
return to their drug habit after that, we will catch them and send
them to jail," Chatchai said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(19) WITH THE PROMISE OF ANOTHER CAMPAIGN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Just a couple of days after the launch of the campaign against the mafia gangs, the Thaksin administration announced it would relaunch its infamous war on drugs. Why a new campaign in the war is being launched now and who are its intended targets is unclear. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Whether the prime minister is serious about this new onslaught on
drugs remains to be seen. But if he is, let us hope that there will
not be a repeat of the earlier excesses when more than 2,000 people,
mostly small-time drug pushers, were killed during the first
campaign launched two years ago. If so, the government must expect
loud condemnation from human rights groups. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||||
(20) SAUDI EXECUTES SUDANESE CONVICTED OF DRUG SMUGGLING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
RIYADH - Saudi Arabia on Saturday executed a Sudanese man convicted of smuggling drugs to the kingdom, the Interior Ministry said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
The Gulf Arab state, which implements strict Islamic Sharia law,
executes convicted murderers, rapists and drug traffickers, usually
by public beheading. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday's execution brought to at least 37 the number of people put
to death in Saudi Arabia so far this year -- more than the number of
recorded executions last year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(21) 2 MEN SHOT DEAD IN SASA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Two persons were killed yesterday by motorcycle riding gunmen in
Sasa, this city. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Romelo's wife Vilma confirmed the report and said that her husband
enjoyed attending to his sari-sari store after he surrendered to
authorities. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Recovered from the crime scene were two slugs and two empty shells
of a pistol of undetermined caliber. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(22) SHABU LAB OPERATORS NO LONGER IN SIGHT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
THE foreigners who are suspected to be operating another shabu
laboratory here in Mindanao had reportedly gone into hiding after
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte divulged their activity to the
public two Sundays ago. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
"We are keeping a close watch. One of these days, mubuto na lang ni.
Pag maabtan ko ni, patay ni. Ihawon ko gyud ni (this story will just
burst out. They're dead meat if I catch them, they'll surely be
slaughtered)," Duterte said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Duterte had earlier said that if he caught anyone operating a shabu
laboratory in the city, he would tie them down to the machines and
set them on fire. This time, however, the mayor said he is expanding
his coverage to include those shabu manufacturers operating
elsewhere in the country. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
BIG BROTHER IS SNIFFING YOU - WITHOUT GOING TO THE DOGS
| ||||||||||||||||||||
By Richard Cowan at Marijuananews.com
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
REMINDER - MPP GALA EVENTS
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Come to the party! Mingle with members of Congress, celebrities like Montel Williams, and inspirational heros like medical marijuana patient Angel Raich -- whose case is currently before the U.S. Supreme Court -- and enjoy music, comedy, and much more -- at the Marijuana Policy Project's 10th Anniversary Galas, just three weeks away. | ||||||||||||||||||||
https://secure.mpp.org/galas/galaregistration.php
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
2005 INTERNATIONAL DRUG POLICY REFORM CONFERENCE
| ||||||||||||||||||||
As we know the deadline to become a partner to the 2005 International
Drug Policy Reform Conference is soon approaching. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In order to assist us with visibility and outreach and be listed in all
conference materials simply place a conference banner on your
organization's website by following this link. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
DRUG WARRIORS LEARN NOTHING DURING PAST 90 YEARS
| ||||||||||||||||||||
By Dean Becker
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Your March 23 editorial, "Meth dangers far outweigh illogical claims of legalization," states that "( m )ethamphetamine is everywhere," and you rally for the continuation of this 90-year-old policy that now ensures our children have "convenient" access to drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Those who support our current drug war are in effect mandating the
continuance of the financial bonanza that nourishes terrorist
organizations, drug cartels and street corner vendors, who annually
rake in a total of $500 billion worldwide. It is because of drug
prohibition ( in effect, the world's largest multi-level marketing
organization ), that we have problems of overdose deaths, the spread
of AIDS and Hepatitis C, violent gangs and easy access to drugs for
our children. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Surveys indicate that more than 100 million Americans have used illegal drugs at some point in their lives. Would it not be more prudent to educate our young, treat our addicts and respect the rights of adults to choose their own intoxicant? There would be lots of room in prison for those who sold drugs to children. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Do you suppose another 90 years of drug war will accomplish your
goals?
| ||||||||||||||||||||
DEAN BECKER Drug Truth Network Houston
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Drug Czar's At It Again
| ||||||||||||||||||||
By Pete Guither
| ||||||||||||||||||||
The Drug Czar's got a new set of advertisements coming out.
According to his release:
| ||||||||||||||||||||
"The Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) National Youth
Anti-Drug Media Campaign today launches a new advertising campaign to
provide scientific facts about marijuana risks and harms for parents
of teens. Themed 'Facts for Parents,' the print ad campaign
underscores the potency and carcinogenic content of marijuana and
outlines short- and long-term consequences of marijuana use on
adolescent brain development and learning. Starting today, the ads are
running in The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post and The
Wall Street Journal. During the course of the next four months, they
will also appear in Newsweek, BusinessWeek, Time and Smithsonian
magazines."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
"Scientific facts." Spare me. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Check their new ads yourself here
| ||||||||||||||||||||
An example:
| ||||||||||||||||||||
"Reliable evidence shows that marijuana today is more than twice as
powerful on average as it was 20 years ago. It contains twice the
concentration of THC, the chemical that affects the brain. Pot can
turn your hopes and dreams for your kids into a nightmare of lost
opportunities."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Reliable evidence shows that gin has more than twice as much alcohol
as beer: Which is why you don't drink gin by the case. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Notice how they word the ad? They don't come out and specifically
claim that higher THC pot will cause a nightmare, but they make the
reader infer it. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Check out this next one. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Quite a few people think that smoking pot is less likely to cause
cancer than a regular cigarette. You may have even heard some
parents say they'd rather their kids smoked a little pot than get
hooked on cigarettes."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Wrong, and wrong again. | ||||||||||||||||||||
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, one joint can deliver four times as much cancer causing tar as one cigarette. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Again, notice what they did? They didn't say that marijuana causes
cancer (there's no evidence that it does). They simply said it can
deliver "cancer causing tar" -- but not that tar from marijuana
cigarettes alone, in the amounts that most people consume it, adds
anything to your chances of getting cancer. And they ignore the fact
that people smoke much less pot than cigarettes (particularly if
it's more potent!) and it's not addictive, so they tend to quit
(unlike cigarettes). | ||||||||||||||||||||
But the ONDCP cares so little for life, that they're willing to
blatantly advise parents that it's better that their kid get hooked
on cigarettes than smoke a joint!
| ||||||||||||||||||||
It's particularly disturbing to see this now -- with tax day
approaching -- knowing that I'm paying for it. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Pete Guither is the author of Drug WarRant - www.drugwarrant.com - a
weblog at the front lines of the drug war. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Loyalty to a petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a
human soul." - Mark Twain
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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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