| May 20, 2005 #400 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
(1) NO DECISION REACHED ON PREGNANT ADDICT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
RACINE - Rachael Lowe, a pregnant 20-year-old with a drug addiction,
will remain detained in the hospital for at least another day while the
state checks the circumstances of her release. | ||||||||||||||||||
The delay, ordered during a hearing on Wednesday, was the result of
Lowe's own concern about transportation, combined with a judge's
insistence on continuous supervision. | ||||||||||||||||||
Lowe, from western Racine County, was detained in late April under
the state's "cocaine mom law" after she walked into Waukesha
Memorial Hospital to seek help for a drug abuse problem. At the
time, the state said, her blood held traces of OxyContin; THC, the
active ingredient in marijuana; and benzodiazepam, which is a
depressant typically used to relieve anxiety. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
While much attention has been on Lowe, the court's focus is expected to be the health of the fetus, said Racine County Judge Charles Constantine. That's what the cocaine mom law is all about, he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
"What I want, if she's out, is for her to have 24-hour adult
supervision," Constantine said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Attorney Mark Lukoff, appointed by the court to represent the interests
of the fetus, said he, too, wanted Lowe to have someone with her at all
times. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(2) LAW CHANGE IMPRACTICAL - MET CHIEF (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Cannabis should not be upgraded again, and if it is, fixed penalty fines
should be issued for the possession of small amounts, Britain's top
policeman said yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sir Ian Blair, the Scotland Yard commissioner, said it was a waste of
his officers' time spending hours dealing with possession offences when
prosecutors and courts did not act on them. | ||||||||||||||||||
If the government reverses the downgrading of the drug, as it is
currently considering, then he would push hard for fixed penalty
notices, although he refused to be drawn on what he considered an
appropriate fine. | ||||||||||||||||||
David Blunkett reclassified cannabis from Class B to Class C in January
last year. While possession is still illegal, those caught with small
amounts are not normally arrested, but have the drug confiscated and
receive a formal warning. | ||||||||||||||||||
But his successor, Charles Clarke, has asked the Advisory Council for
the Misuse of Drugs to investigate whether cannabis use contributes to
long-term mental health problems. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mr Clarke is also considering whether stronger "skunk" varieties of
the drug should carry more severe penalties. However, Sir Ian argued
that such a move would be "impractical". | ||||||||||||||||||
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(3) TALIBAN MILITANTS KILL FIVE AFGHANS WORKING ON ANTI-DRUG PROJECT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan Suspected Taliban militants on Wednesday ambushed and shot to death five Afghans working on a U.S.-funded project to help end opium farming in the south of the country, officials said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The workers were ambushed as they drove through Helmand province, about
110 miles northwest of Kandahar, senior provincial official Ghulam
Muhiddin said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Two of the victims were engineers working for Washington-based Chemonics
International Inc. and one was a government engineer. The other two were
the driver and a policeman employed as a security guard, he said. There
were no survivors in the car. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Police are investigating the killings and are searching for the Taliban
attackers," Muhiddin said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Carol Yee, a senior Chemonics worker in the area, confirmed the killings. She said the men were working on a project to provide alternative livelihoods to farmers growing opium, the raw material for heroin. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(4) MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL MOVES FORWARD ON SMITH HILL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Senate Committee Passes Measure | ||||||||||||||||||
PROVIDENCE -- Patients suffering from diseases such as cancer and AIDS
would be shielded from prosecution for smoking marijuana, under a bill
passed Thursday by the Senate Judiciary Committee. | ||||||||||||||||||
Eligible patients' doctors and caregivers also would be protected under
the bill, called the Medical Marijuana Act. | ||||||||||||||||||
The committee passed the bill on a 9-2 vote, with Sens. Leonidas
Raptakis and Leo Blais opposing. It now goes to the full Senate for
consideration. | ||||||||||||||||||
The House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare considered its
own bill on medical marijuana on Wednesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-9) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The corruption and nonsense illustrated by our first two stories
continue to define the drug war; the second two stories show states
still eager to subsidize the boondoogle. At the same time, young
people who are supposed to be saved from drugs are getting caught up
in the dragnet, with no sympathy from officials, despite pleas from
the public. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(5) LAW ENFORCEMENT SNARES ITS OWN IN ARIZONA COCAINE STING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Pretending to be cocaine traffickers, undercover FBI agents in Arizona snared 16 current and former law-enforcement officers and U.S. soldiers who accepted more than $222,000 in bribes to help move the drugs past checkpoints, the government said yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Those charged include a former Immigration and Naturalization
Service inspector, a former Army sergeant, a former federal prison
guard, seven members of the Arizona Army National Guard, five
members of the Arizona Department of Corrections and a police
officer, officials said. | ||||||||||||||||||
All 16 agreed to plead guilty to being part of a bribery and corruption conspiracy, said Noel Hillman, a Justice Department official. Each faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. | ||||||||||||||||||
The defendants in the nearly 3 1/2-year-long sting agreed to
cooperate with an investigation expected to bring more arrests,
Hillman said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(6) DRUG-TEST FOILS NEVER FAIL TO IMPRESS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Congress passed the Drug-Free Workplace Act in 1988, fostering two industries: Drug-test labs and products to fool drug-test labs. | ||||||||||||||||||
Today, a House subcommittee begins an investigation into the
drug-test subversion business. | ||||||||||||||||||
Among the expected witnesses are officials from Signal Hill,
Calif.-based Puck Technologies, which makes a device called "The
Original Whizzinator." | ||||||||||||||||||
This Whizzinator is a $155 subversion kit that comes with
dehydrated, drug-free urine (just add water). | ||||||||||||||||||
It includes a belt that holds reconstituted urine close to the body
so it stays warm. And it sports an authentic-looking prosthetic that
comes in "White," "Tan," "Latino," "Brown" and "Black" to fool
employers who demand observation of sample collections. | ||||||||||||||||||
Last week, the Whizzinator made news when Minnesota Vikings running
back Onterrio Smith got caught with one in his luggage at an airport
security checkpoint. Smith said he was carrying it for his cousin,
but this sounds like a celebrity endorsement to me. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(7) STATE MAY STEP IN TO FUND DRUG PROSECUTORS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
One Would Handle St. Croix, Pierce And Polk Counties | ||||||||||||||||||
Only days after approving a bill that reduces access to cold
medicines used in the production of methamphetamine, a legislative
committee on Thursday backed funding for special drug prosecutors,
including one for St. Croix, Pierce and Polk counties. | ||||||||||||||||||
State Rep. Kitty Rhoades, R-Hudson, sought the funding in response
to a sharp drop in federal grants that now fund an assistant
district attorney who specializes in drug-related cases in the three
counties. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Joint Committee on Finance approved the legislation, which now
goes to the full Assembly and Senate. | ||||||||||||||||||
The bill would make $848,000 available annually to offset federal
Byrne Justice Assistance Grants, which will be reduced by 52 percent
this year and likely eliminated next year. Wisconsin counties had
received $8.8 million in federal funds through the grants, but this
year funding was reduced to $4.2 million. | ||||||||||||||||||
The legislation calls for the state to provide $28,000 to fund the
special prosecutor for the three western Wisconsin counties. If
federal money is cut entirely, $56,000 annually would be provided to
fund the position. | ||||||||||||||||||
"After hearing the concerns of local district attorneys and other
law enforcement, it became clear that this position needed to be
kept in place due to the overwhelming number of drug cases in these
three counties," Rhoades said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(8) STATE WILL HELP SCHOOLS PAY FOR DRUG TESTING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
BOSTON - Schools that want to implement drug testing will each
receive a $100,000 boost from the state, the lieutenant governor
announced yesterday. The testing is billed as the linchpin for
redoubled prevention efforts to head off epidemic levels of drug
abuse, with OxyContin and heroin as notable targets. The plan
earmarks 80 percent of the money to substance-abuse counseling, with
the rest used for testing. | ||||||||||||||||||
Salem School Superintendent Herbert Levine, who joined Lt. Gov.
Kerry Healey in unveiling the plan at the Statehouse, said students
would have to take the tests if a district opts to implement the
program. | ||||||||||||||||||
He recounted his experience in helping his 20-year-old son battle an
OxyContin addiction. And he said his son said testing would have
scared him away from taking opiates. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I don't think that student testing is necessarily the answer to all of the problem," Levine said. "But it is an answer, it's another arrow in the quiver for us in education to be able to help parents." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(9) SCHOOL ZONE CHARGES PRESSED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Despite a call from some community members to seek alternate means of punishment, District Attorney David F. Capeless has opted to support a policy seeking the minimum mandatory two-year jail sentence for those charged with selling drugs within a school zone. | ||||||||||||||||||
The policy means the charges of drug distribution within a school
zone for seven of 18 youngsters arrested last year in the Taconic
parking lot in Great Barrington will be prosecuted to the full
extent of the law. In March, a newly formed local group, Concerned
Citizens for Appropriate Justice appealed to Capeless for
dispensation for those seven charged with small-scale marijuana
distribution. | ||||||||||||||||||
Capeless said during a telephone conversation yesterday that he
could not comment on any individual cases before him. | ||||||||||||||||||
'Stay the course' In a written statement released yesterday Capeless said he intends to "stay the course in the prosecution of school-zone drug-dealing offenses." "For over 13 years, (former) District Attorney (Gerard) Downing and I pursued a policy of charging and prosecuting school-zone cases, whenever the facts supported them," the statement reads. "This past year, I have continued that policy because it is even-handed and fair, and because it has proven effective. I intend to continue that policy." | ||||||||||||||||||
Last September, 18 people ages 17 to 24, the majority of whom live
in South County, were arrested on charges ranging from marijuana
possession to distribution of ketamine, a powerful horse
tranquilizer. The majority of those arrested were also charged with
committing a drug violation in a drug-free school zone. Yesterday,
some applauded Capeless' decision to enforce the minimum mandatory
two-year jail sentence that can be applied to those charged with
selling drugs within a school zone, while others said they were
"saddened" and "appalled." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (10-13) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
There's a definite sense of deja vu in this week's section. Another Texas drug sting scandal has been settled; another person gets an outrageous prison sentence for merely ingesting an illegal drug; another select group of merchants are being harassed over alleged drug paraphernalia; and another group of state officials with money to spend on a prison acting like kids in a candy store. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(10) SUIT OVER DRUG STINGS SETTLED, ACLU SAYS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
9 Plaintiffs Agree To Drop Claims That Robertson County Arrests
Violated Their Civil Rights | ||||||||||||||||||
Nine people who said they were unfairly arrested in drug stings have
settled a civil rights lawsuit against Robertson County, the
American Civil Liberties Union announced. | ||||||||||||||||||
The settlement still must be approved by U.S. District Judge Walter
S. Smith, who ordered the litigants into mediation. A trial had been
set for May 23. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We are absolutely satisfied with the agreed resolution," said Bryan
Russ, a private attorney who represented the county. "We're glad to
have it behind us so we can move on." | ||||||||||||||||||
'Time to move forward'The ACLU filed the lawsuit in 2002 on behalf of some of the people charged with selling cocaine to a police informant in 2000. They said the arrests were based on bogus evidence from an unreliable informant and were racially motivated, perpetuating a pattern of discrimination by local law enforcement. | ||||||||||||||||||
All but one of the 28 suspects were black. The charges were later
dropped. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(11) EX-INMATE'S USE OF COCAINE COSTS HIM 25 YEARS IN PRISON (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
David Barrs told the judge Wednesday he'd used cocaine only once
since he got out of prison. But once was enough. | ||||||||||||||||||
With a 25-year suspended sentence hanging over him, Barrs, 39, of
North Naples, admitted he violated his probation by using cocaine
and received the entire prison term. | ||||||||||||||||||
Barrs, 2310 Arbour Walk Circle, No. 1218, pleaded to the violation
without the benefit of a plea agreement with state prosecutor Tino
Cimato. That meant he was at the mercy of Collier Circuit Judge
Lawrence D. Martin. | ||||||||||||||||||
Cimato told the judge that Barrs was a habitual felony offender,
with prior convictions including cocaine sale and possession,
carrying a concealed weapon and grand theft auto. In May 2000, Barrs
pleaded no contest to burglary and received a 30-year prison
sentence, with 25 of that suspended if he completed 25 years of
probation. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(12) STORE OWNERS DISPUTE 'CRACK KIT' BUSTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Say The Ingredients Are Common Shelf Items | ||||||||||||||||||
Walter Faulkner has a photo of former Mayor Charles Wylie cutting a
ribbon at the grand opening of Faulkner's Central Food Mart on
Alexandria Drive in 1970. City officials were celebrating the
opening of the business. | ||||||||||||||||||
But 35 years later, officials are accusing Faulkner of illegally
selling kits used to smoke crack cocaine. | ||||||||||||||||||
The accusations anger the 71-year-old Faulkner, who maintains that
he is innocent and has always run an honest, clean business. He was
among 34 either arrested or cited on allegations of selling
so-called brown bag specials, consisting of a vial used for smoking
cocaine, scouring pads and a lighter. | ||||||||||||||||||
"They lumped me in with everyone else," said Faulkner, who isn't so
sure that the other 23 stores raided by police April 29 are
innocent. "It has hurt my name. You work hard all your life for your
character and what you're made of. You just don't take it lightly
when people tear it down." | ||||||||||||||||||
Several convenience store owners and clerks raided last month are
adamant they're innocent. Only one, Surinder Pal, 31, has plead
guilty to charges of possessing drug paraphernalia. He will pay a
$500 fine plus court costs of $145.50, according to Fayette District
Court records. A judge also ordered him to perform community
service. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police said that among those cited was Ibrahim A. Shalash, 27, who
is awaiting trial on federal charges of conspiracy and receiving,
possessing and transporting stolen property. Authorities say Adnan
or Ibrahim Shalash purchased tractor-trailer loads of stolen goods
from an undercover agent on several occasions. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police said they will not seek to have his bond revoked. | ||||||||||||||||||
The mostly foreign-born owners claim they are being targeted by
police and question the timing of the raids. They say stores stock
their registers with money near the beginning of the month for
customers who want to cash their paychecks. | ||||||||||||||||||
In most cases, police seized the money, according to search
warrants. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(13) CORRECTIONS SEEKING NEW PRISON (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
HELENA - Corrections officials are looking to build a new kind of
treatment prison in the next 18 months, focusing on mentally ill,
drug-addicted or elderly convicts. | ||||||||||||||||||
Exactly which kind of "special needs" inmate the new prison might
house and how many will end up there remains to be seen, said Joe
Williams, administrator of the agency's Centralized Services
Division. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It's really going to be pretty wide open," he said of the
possibilities the agency is willing to consider. | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2005 Legislature allocated several million dollars to the
department to hire a private contractor to open a new kind of prison
with room for up to 256 inmates. | ||||||||||||||||||
Corrections officials recently put out a call to contractors to come up with ideas on how to spend the money. The best idea will get the contract, which is expected to be issued in October, information shows. The new prison is expected to open by October of 2006. | ||||||||||||||||||
At this point, Williams said, no one knows exactly what the facility
may look like, who it will serve or what it will cost, as many of
those questions will be answered by the kinds of proposals private
companies come up with. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We're going to shop around," he said. "It's almost like, in some
sense, a buffet." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (14-18) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
We begin this week with an ideological ping-pong match: on one side
the unbiased opinion of the USA Today Editorial team who have
deigned to question the wisdom of arresting nearly 700,000 Americans
on cannabis-related charges, 80% of which are for simple possession.
On the other side we have the heavily biased response of the Drug
Czar John Walters, who claims that increased cannabis arrest rates -
and lower arrest rates for cocaine and heroin - signal increases in
use (as opposed to simply reflecting the failures of prohibition).
So my question is, do more arrests signal a victory or a defeat in
the U.S. government's war against responsible cannabis use, cause
I'm getting kinda confused? | ||||||||||||||||||
And talking about confused, a leading member of the Advisory Council
on the Misuse of Drugs has stated that it is unlikely that the group
would recommend reversing their 2001 recommendation to downgrade
cannabis from a category B to a category C drug despite recent
reports of increased mental health risks to end-users. Rev. Martin
Blakeborough cited police support for the new policy, which makes
cannabis possession a non-arrestable offense and thus frees up
enforcement resources to address more serious crimes. | ||||||||||||||||||
Our fourth story is yet another chapter in the sad tale of
Australian surfer Chapelle Corby. Earlier this week her defense team
delivered a letter from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs
detailing allegations of drug smuggling rings amongst the employees
of the Sydney Airport. Prosecutors and judges in the case have
stated that since the trial is actually over the evidence will have
no legal bearing on the outcome of the case. A verdict is expected
this Friday. | ||||||||||||||||||
In closing, the incredibly depressing story of a woman in North
York, Ontario who fell to her death in order to avoid being charged
with cannabis cultivation. As police knocked on her door to
investigate a water leak coming from her apartment, Thi Thuy Pham
tried to climb from her 15th floor balcony to one below her when she
lost her grip and fell to the ground; she was declared dead at the
scene. With this single incident Canadian cannabis prohibition has
resulted in greater physical injury and loss of life than the entire
5000 years of recorded cannabis use, so now I'm really confused -
really angry, sad and confused. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(14) WAR ON DRUGS GONE TO POT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Massive arrests just smoke screen hiding impotency of crackdown. | ||||||||||||||||||
Marijuana is the most widely used illegal substance. About 15
million Americans smoke it, and police make nearly 700,000
pot-related arrests each year, accounting for nearly half of all
drug arrests. | ||||||||||||||||||
The $35 billion-a-year war on drugs has turned largely into a war on
marijuana, and a losing war at that. Pot isn't harmless, but
shouldn't law enforcement focus more of its resources on hard drugs
-- cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines -- that are associated with
violence and devastated lives? | ||||||||||||||||||
According to a new study by The Sentencing Project, a liberal research group that favors alternatives to incarceration: | ||||||||||||||||||
- Marijuana arrests increased 113% from 1990 through 2002, while
arrests for all other drugs rose just 10%. | ||||||||||||||||||
- Four of five marijuana arrests are for possession, not dealing. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(15) MARIJUANA POLICY JUST RIGHT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Focus Is Response to New Research on Drug's Potency, Use and Risks. | ||||||||||||||||||
Assertions that our nation's drug policy minimizes cocaine and
heroin while focusing on marijuana are misleading. The fallacy
involves interpreting drug arrests as signals of changed drug
policy, rather than as indicators of drug use. As drug use went down
during the 1980s, arrests fell accordingly. When drug use climbed
between 1992 and 1997, arrests followed suit. And when the cocaine
epidemic struck, cocaine arrests rose steeply, only to drop as the
epidemic waned. | ||||||||||||||||||
The common sense conclusion is that drug use rates and criminal
justice responses are linked. Thus, the key to reducing drug arrests
is reducing drug use. Important progress has already occurred --
youth drug use has declined 17% since 2001. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(16) CANNABIS ADVISERS DON'T WANT RETHINK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
GOVERNMENT advisers are likely to reject a tougher line on cannabis
despite mounting concerns about the drug's potential dangers and
reservations by Tony Blair and the home secretary. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs will meet this week to
decide whether to review new evidence suggesting cannabis can cause
mental illness. | ||||||||||||||||||
Before the election Charles Clarke asked the committee to reassess
the government's decision 16 months ago to downgrade crimes
involving cannabis. Both Clarke and Tony Blair are understood to
regret the decision, which coincided with an influx of stronger
strains of the drug to Britain. | ||||||||||||||||||
However, a leading member of the committee said last week he would
be "very surprised" if it decided to urge a reversal. The Rev Martin
Blakeborough, who runs the Kaleidoscope drug abuse charity in
Kingston, west London, said the committee had already made its
decision when it recommended in 2001 that penalties for using the
drug be reclassified from category B to category C. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(17) CHIEF JUDGE REJECTS PM'S CORBY LETTER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A letter sent by the Howard Government to prosecutors in the
Schapelle Corby case, detailing accusations of drug smuggling
against Australian baggage handlers, will have no bearing on the
verdict after the chief judge in the case dismissed it as
irrelevant. | ||||||||||||||||||
The letter has also annoyed the prosecutors and Corby's Indonesian
lawyers, who see it as too little too late. | ||||||||||||||||||
Chief prosecutor Ida Bagus Wiswantanu said the letter, revealed by
Prime Minister John Howard yesterday, had no legal standing and
should be ignored. | ||||||||||||||||||
"You can't consider it as a fact," he said. "According to our
system, facts should be presented in court hearings, not outside of
court hearings." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(18) WOMAN IN GROW-OP FALLS TO HER DEATH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
As police investigated a water leak at a local apartment building Saturday, a woman plunged to her death from the unit's balcony. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police were called to the Martha Eaton Way building near Trethewey
and Black Creek drives to look into a complaint of water leaking
from a 15th-floor unit. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police reports said the occupants refused to open the door, and a woman in the apartment tried to climb to the balcony below. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thi Thuy Pham, 45, fell to the ground and was pronounced dead at the
scene. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (19-22) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Vigilante killings in the Philippines go on with no let up as drug
"suspects" are gunned down in cold blood. The victims of the
extra-legal killing, police explain, were suspected of involvement
with "drugs." Case closed. Cebu and Davao cities add new bodies to
the count weekly. | ||||||||||||||||||
Elsewhere in the Philippines, politicians try to outdo one another
in harshness, to show how tough they are on drugs. In the wake of
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's halt in applying the death
penalty since 2003, politicians this week screamed that government
be allowed to officially kill once again. "They should begin with
convicted drug traffickers, especially the aliens. They should not
be merely executed by lethal injection." (The Philippines recently
added possession of small amounts of cannabis to the list of crimes
for which the death penalty applies.) | ||||||||||||||||||
Big busts indicate big supplies, and in Colombia last week, police
stumbled upon what was reported to be the world's biggest ever
cocaine stash, which made for one big bust. Colombian officials
claimed the haul was worth over 300 million dollars and consisted of
some 13.8 tons of coke cached on the banks of the River Maria, in
southern Colombia. | ||||||||||||||||||
Meanwhile, U.S. drug warriors in Colombia are not dismayed by
falling street prices for cocaine in the U.S., cocaine-fueled
corruption in the ranks of the troops, nor the total lack of
effectiveness of aerial spraying of plant poison intended to kill
coca. "We are winning!" they assert. "[W]e're doing the Lord's
work," Capt. Peter Husta, top U.S. Navy archangel in Colombia, was
reported by The Toronto Star to have uttered from on high. Ever
hopeful that some new technology will trump human nature, desire,
and common sense, prohibition officials are optimistic. Why? New and
faster speed boats, according to the Toronto Star, will allow them
to win the war on drugs by outrunning smugglers' boats. Don't expect
this rum-running replay of racing smuggler speedboats to achieve
much, except to enrich a few more government contractors at taxpayer
expense. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(19) ANOTHER CRIME SUSPECT KILLED VIGILANTE-STYLE; SHOT THREE TIMES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A suspected drug pusher was gunned down, vigilante-style, at an illegal cockfight in Barangay Tejero, Cebu City Sunday afternoon. | ||||||||||||||||||
A lone masked gunman, who mingled with the crowd, shot Serafin
Salazar Jr., 39, three times then fled on a motorcycle. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police said Salazar, also known as Brutus Barrientos in the illegal drug trade, was the target of a buy-bust last year but eluded arrest. The victim also allegedly engaged in house robberies. | ||||||||||||||||||
Salazar, though, had no crime record at the city jail. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Salazar, of F. Villa St., Barangay Sto. Nino, was the 54th victim to
fall since the rash of killings began last Dec. 22. Most of the
victims had crime records and some were allegedly involved in the
illegal drug trade. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Salazar had no records at the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center, but Vice Control Section (VCS) Chief George Ylanan told reporters yesterday that the victim was a level-two category drug pusher. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(20) TO BITAY OR NOT TO BITAY-- DAT IS DA KUWESTIYON (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
THE decision by Malacanang to suspend the execution of 21 death convicts has rekindled the debate on capital punishment involving more than 1,000 criminals doomed to die by lethal injection. | ||||||||||||||||||
House leaders yesterday reiterated their opposing views on the issue which Congress temporarily shelved after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared a moratorium on legal action in 2003. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
But Lakas Representatives Robert "Ace" Barbers (Surigao del Norte),
Prospery Nograles Jr. (Davao City) and Juan Miguel Zubiri (Bukidnon)
agreed that Malacanang should take a firm stand against criminality
which they believed could be deterred by tough laws to include
capital punishment. | ||||||||||||||||||
Barbers stressed the need to carry out the execution of convicted
criminals whose death sentences have been affirmed by the Supreme
Court. | ||||||||||||||||||
"They should begin with convicted drug traffickers, especially the
aliens. They should not be merely executed by lethal injection. They
should suffer the fate of Lim Seng," Barbers said, referring to the
Chinese drug trafficker who was shot by firing squad in the early
days of Martial Law in 1972. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"It is an invitation to criminals to go on a rampage. A society
under siege has the supreme right to protect itself and carrying out
the death penalty is an act of self-defense." | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(21) $460M COCAINE SEIZED IN WORLD'S BIGGEST DRUG BUST (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Colombian authorities have seized $US350 million ($460 million)
worth of cocaine stashed on a jungle riverbank by far-right
paramilitary groups in what police called the biggest cocaine bust
in history. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police and navy personnel confiscated 13.8 tonnes of cocaine hidden on the banks of the River Mira, near the Pacific Ocean port of Tumaco in southern Colombia, in an operation that ended on Friday. | ||||||||||||||||||
With a street value of about $US25,000 a kilogram in the US, where
police think the drugs were headed, the cocaine would sell for a
total of about $US350 million. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(22) U.S. TAKES TO HIGH SEAS TO BATTLE COCAINE KINGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Pins Hopes On New Lightning-Fast Vessel | ||||||||||||||||||
Midnight Express Chase Boat Of Choice | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"I think we're doing the Lord's work," says Capt. Peter Husta, the
top U.S. Navy officer in Colombia, as he watches the drama unfolding
off Seven Waves Beach. "And the Colombians are, too. They want the
drug business to be gone." | ||||||||||||||||||
Unfortunately, the drug business does not seem to be | ||||||||||||||||||
This is the final year of Plan Colombia -- an ambitious, five-year,
Washington-led assault on Colombia's booming narcotics trade -- but
the United States is still a long distance from achieving its goal
of putting the drug barons out of business. | ||||||||||||||||||
Nevertheless, American authorities here insist they are making real
progress in their war on drug production and trafficking in South
America. They concede, however, that it's difficult to quantify that
progress or even to prove its existence. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We are winning," insists a top anti-narcotics official at the sprawling, fortress-like U.S. Embassy in Bogota, the Colombian capital. She pauses. "But we cannot see the goalposts yet." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"Demand is not going away," says a long-time foreign resident of
Colombia who watches the narcotics trade closely. "So whenever you
put up an obstacle, other channels are opened." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Second, the Colombian Coast Guard has a new and not-so-secret weapon
in the naval campaign against drug smugglers, a fast boat purchased
off the shelf from its manufacturer in Pompano Beach, Fla. It will
be pressed into service today. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
It's a battle that Colombian authorities have been losing badly --
at least until now. | ||||||||||||||||||
Put simply, the bad guys -- or los chicos malos, as they are
referred to here -- have possessed the speedier boats. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Enter the Midnight Express. | ||||||||||||||||||
Built in Florida, the Midnight Express is actually a tournament fishing
boat -- a 39-foot bullet with a super-clean hull, typically powered by
four 250-horsepower, fuel-injected engines. It was designed by a
Floridian named Tom Mason, based on the specifications of a speedy,
36-foot cigarette boat. | ||||||||||||||||||
For some time, the Midnight Express has been the U.S. customs
department's chase boat of choice. | ||||||||||||||||||
This past December, the Colombian Coast Guard took delivery of four of these sleek, U.S. speed launches, with four more now on order. | ||||||||||||||||||
It can outrun anything the drug smugglers can currently put in the
water, capable of speeds close to 95 km/h-- or more. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
THIS IS THE FOUR-HUNDREDTH ISSUE OF DRUGSENSE WEEKLY | ||||||||||||||||||
We hope the drug war will be over before we put out another 400
issues, but in the mean time, we need financial support to keep this
newsletter and other DrugSense endeavors up and running for the
duration. | ||||||||||||||||||
If you find this work valuable, please give generously. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
USA TODAY'S CANNABIS OPINIONS | ||||||||||||||||||
A DrugSense Focus Alert. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
FISKING THE DEA / BY RADLEY BALKO | ||||||||||||||||||
The Agitator - http://www.theagitator.com | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
MARIJUANA NEWS WORLD REPORT FOR MAY 18, 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||
With Richard Cowan | ||||||||||||||||||
Chaos On Mexican Border, Even Worse In Colombia, Ever More Bonkers In Britain, A Hanging In Singapore & Faint Hope In Australia. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||
Listen Live Fridays 8:00 PM, ET, 7:00 CT, 6:00 MT & 5:00 PT at
www.KPFT.org | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON JOURNAL (C-SPAN) | ||||||||||||||||||
May 7, 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||
David Murray, National Drug Control Policy, Policy Analyst, offers an
overview of marijuana and how it has become the focus of the drug war
in the U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
rtsp://video.c-span.org/15days/wj050705_murray.rm | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
GANJA IS NOT ENTIRELY SAFE | ||||||||||||||||||
by the Jamaica Gleaner (18 May, 2005) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Jamaica National Commission On Ganja releases summary | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
LEGAL MARIJUANA FAVORS PATIENTS' INTEREST | ||||||||||||||||||
By Gary Storck | ||||||||||||||||||
Along with other patients from around the country, I was able to
join talk show host Montel Williams, Angel Raich, Irv Rosenfeld and
a number of congressional representatives as Williams made his plea
for legal access to medical marijuana ( "Montel urges Congress on
medical marijuana," Thursday ). | ||||||||||||||||||
It is sad that something so critical to many Americans health and well-being is being withheld by politics. Another article in USA TODAY talked of how elderly U.S. patients are put at risk by clinical testing that excludes them in favor of younger patients ( "A bitter pill for older patients." Cover story", Life, Thursday ). | ||||||||||||||||||
Elderly patients are more likely to encounter adverse reactions from
conventional medications because of slowed metabolisms and other
consequences of aging. The Food and Drug Administration's litany of
recalls and drug warnings points up the need for non-toxic
alternatives like marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
Washington politicians not only claim we have the best health care in the world but tout this nation's commitment to democracy, liberty and freedom. These will remain just claims until our lawmakers restores the freedom to use cannabis as medicine that they revoked with the passage of the Controlled Substances Act in 1970. | ||||||||||||||||||
Gary Storck, co-founder Is My Medicine Legal YET? Madison, Wis. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Spy Vs. Spy | ||||||||||||||||||
By Bill Piper | ||||||||||||||||||
Neighbors spying on neighbors? Mothers forced to turn in their sons
or daughters? These are images straight out of George Orwell's 1984,
or a remote totalitarian state. We don't associate them with the
land of the free and the home of the brave, but that doesn't mean
they couldn't happen here. A senior congressman, James Sensenbrenner
(R-Wis.), is working quietly but efficiently to turn the entire
United States population into informants--by force. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sensenbrenner, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman, has
introduced legislation that would essentially draft every American
into the war on drugs. H.R. 1528, cynically named "Safe Access to
Drug Treatment and Child Protection Act," would compel people to spy
on their family members and neighbors, and even go undercover and
wear a wire if needed. If a person resisted, he or she would face
mandatory incarceration. | ||||||||||||||||||
Here's how the "spy" section of the legislation works: If you
"witness" certain drug offenses taking place or "learn" about them,
you must report the offenses to law enforcement within 24 hours and
provide "full assistance in the investigation, apprehension and
prosecution" of the people involved. Failure to do so would be a
crime punishable by a mandatory minimum two-year prison sentence,
and a maximum sentence of 10 years. | ||||||||||||||||||
Here are some examples of offenses you would have to report to
police within 24 hours: | ||||||||||||||||||
* You find out that your brother, who has children, recently bought
a small amount of marijuana to share with his wife; | ||||||||||||||||||
* You discover that your son gave his college roommate a marijuana
joint; | ||||||||||||||||||
* You learn that your daughter asked her boyfriend to find her some
drugs, even though they're both in treatment. | ||||||||||||||||||
In each of these cases you would have to report the relative to the
police within 24 hours. Taking time to talk to your relative about
treatment instead of calling the police immediately could land you
in jail. | ||||||||||||||||||
In addition to turning family member against family member, the
legislation could also put many Americans in danger by forcing them
to go undercover to gain evidence against strangers. | ||||||||||||||||||
Even if the language that forces every American to become a de facto
law enforcement agent is taken out, the bill would still impose
draconian sentences on college students, mothers, people in drug
treatment and others with substance abuse problems. If enacted, this
bill will destroy lives, break up families, and waste millions of
taxpayer dollars. | ||||||||||||||||||
Despite growing opposition to mandatory minimum sentences from civil
rights groups to U.S. Supreme Court Justices, the bill eliminates
federal judges' ability to give sentences below the minimum
recommended by federal sentencing guidelines. This creates a
mandatory minimum sentence for all federal offenses, drug-related or
not. | ||||||||||||||||||
H.R. 1528 also establishes new draconian penalties for a variety of
non-violent drug offenses, including: | ||||||||||||||||||
* Five years for anyone who passes a marijuana joint at a party to
someone who, at some point in his or her life, has been in drug
treatment; | ||||||||||||||||||
* Ten years for mothers with substance abuse problems who commit
certain drug offenses at home (even if their children are not at
home at the time); | ||||||||||||||||||
* Five years for any person with substance abuse problems who begs a
friend in drug treatment to find them some drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
These sentences would put non-violent drug offenders behind bars for
as long as rapists, and they include none of the drug treatment
touted in the bill's name. | ||||||||||||||||||
At a time when everyone from the conservative American Enterprise
Institute to the liberal Sentencing Project is slamming the war on
drugs as an abject failure, Sensenbrenner is trying to escalate it,
and to force all Americans to become its foot soldiers. Instead of
enacting new mandatory minimums, federal policymakers should look
toward the states. A growing number have reformed their drug
sentencing laws, including Arizona, California, Kansas, Louisiana,
Maryland, New Mexico, New York and Texas, and they have proved it is
possible to both save money and improve public safety. | ||||||||||||||||||
Simply put, there is no way H.R. 1528 can be fixed. The only policy
proposal in recent years that comes close to being as totalitarian
as this bill is Operations TIPS, the Ashcroft initiative that would
have encouraged -- but not required -- citizens to spy on one
another. Congress rightfully rejected that initiative and they
should do the same with H.R. 1528. Big Brother has no business here
in America. | ||||||||||||||||||
Bill Piper is director of national affairs for the Drug Policy
Alliance - http://www.drugpolicy.org | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"The evil that is in the world almost always comes of ignorance, and
good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack
understanding." - Albert Camus | ||||||||||||||||||
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