| April 7, 2006 #444 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(1) STUDY: TEEN DRUG USE DIPS, BUT UNDERAGE DRINKING PERSISTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - Drug use among teens has dipped nationwide but underage
drinking persists, with jumps in California and Wisconsin, according to
a study released Thursday. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The report by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, based on interviews of 135,500 people, is the first to document state-by-state drug and alcohol use from 2002 to 2004. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
It found that in 2004, 10.9 percent of young people age 12 to 17
reported that they had used an illegal drug in the past month, a drop
from 11.4 percent in 2002. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Fueling the decline were six states - Illinois, Nebraska, North
Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont and Virginia - while use in other
states was largely flat. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
At the same time, teen alcohol use remained basically unchanged - from
17.67 percent in 2002 to 17.65 percent in 2004. Among the youths age 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"While we are making progress on drug and alcohol use among youth,
underage drinking continues as a stubbornly persistent problem," said
Charles Curie, administrator of SAMHSA. "It's time to change attitudes
toward teen drinking from acceptance to abstinence." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(2) STEVE KUBBY RELEASED FROM JAIL AFTER 20 DAYS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Medical marijuana advocate Steve Kubby was released from the Placer
County Jail Wednesday after serving one-third of a 60-day jail sentence
for violating probation. He was released early due to jail
overcrowding. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Kubby violated probation from a 2000 drug conviction when he failed to
return to the United States following a trip to Canada. He was deported
in January from Canada back to California. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
While serving the 120-day sentence from his conviction, Kubby requested
marijuana in jail to control symptoms from adrenal cancer. His request
was denied and he was administered Marinol, a synthetic form of
marijuana. Kubby served 40 days of that sentence before being released
and going back to jail for probation violation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Kubby said Wednesday afternoon shortly after being released for the second time that he is pleased to close that chapter of his life. He looks forward to new business ventures and supporting his family. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Whatever I have endured, my wife has shown so much more bravery and
courage in protecting my children and keeping my family together," he
said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(3) A.C.L.U. SAYS ETHNIC BIAS STEERED GEORGIA DRUG STING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The American Civil Liberties Union is accusing federal prosecutors of
ethnic bias in a sting last summer in which South Asian owners of
convenience stores in Georgia were charged with selling household
ingredients that could be used to make methamphetamine, a highly
addictive drug. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In a legal filing, the A.C.L.U. said yesterday that prosecutors ignored
extensive evidence that white-owned stores were selling the same items
to methamphetamine makers and focused instead on South Asians to take
advantage of language barriers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The sting sent informants to convenience stores in six counties in
rural northwest Georgia beginning in 2003 to buy ingredients that can
be used to make the drug -- ordinary household items like Sudafed,
matches, aluminum foil and charcoal. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Prosecutors said the clerks should have known that the ingredients
would be used to make methamphetamine because the informants who bought
them said they needed the items to "finish up a cook," slang for making
the drug. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But several South Asians said they believed that the informants were
talking about barbecue. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Forty-four of the 49 people charged were Indian, and 23 out of 24
stores in the sting were owned or operated by Indians. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(4) AFGHAN DRUGS BARONS FLAUNT THEIR WEALTH AND POWER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
GARMSER, Afghanistan -- The smugglers' trail crosses salt-encrusted
plains, scrabbly farmland and hundreds of blossoming poppy fields.
Suddenly a fortress-like structure looms. The high-walled mansion
belongs to Haji Adam, an opium smuggler, locals say. Tales of his
wealth are legion. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"When he became sick he was flown straight to Germany," said a man in
the next village, Garmser, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Even
helicopters have landed at his house," said another. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Yet like every Afghan drugs lord, Haji Adam has little to fear from the
law. Since the western-led war on drugs started four years ago only two
major smugglers have been arrested - Haji Baz Muhammad, who was
extradited to the US last October, and Bashir Noorzai, who was arrested
in New York six months earlier. But the remainder are apparently
untouchable. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Many smugglers don't even bother hiding their wealth," said a British diplomat in Kabul "It's their way of saying 'screw you' to authority." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The drug war takes a few hits this week in different locales around
the country. In Washington state, a school district will stop using
dogs for random drug searches in classrooms. Not only did students
and parents complain, the dogs were wrong about 85 percent of the
time when they allegedly detected something. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A state court in Texas is siding with mothers and against
prosecutors who want to charge pregnant women for passing drugs to
fetuses. A report out of California says a voter-mandated program to
divert drug users away from prison has been an economic success. In
Florida, a county will pay a family $2 million for a strip-search
ordeal they underwent during a drug investigation. As often happens,
no drugs were found. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) LAWSUIT CAUSES SCHOOL TO END USE OF DOGS FOR RANDOM DRUG SEARCHES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
SPOKANE - Threatened with a lawsuit, a suburban Spokane school district has agreed to stop using dogs for random drug searches in its middle and high school, but the program could be reinstated if judges rule it is constitutional, a superintendent said Friday. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
After receiving complaints from "some students and parents" from the
Nine Mile Falls School District about the trained dogs sniffing
students' belongings, the American Civil Liberties Union and Center
for Justice prepared a lawsuit, Center for Justice lawyer John Sklut
said Friday. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A similar program began this year in the Longview School District,
with drug dogs from a private Renton-based company conducting random
searches in the middle and high schools. The Longview School Board
approved the program last spring after years of hand-wringing over
constitutional issues. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Interquest Detection Canines agreed in January 2004 to search
Lakeside High and Lakeside Middle School each at least four times a
year, looking for illegal, prescription or over-the-counter drugs,
alcohol, and tobacco. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Dogs were wrong about 85 percent of the time they indicated
something was amiss during searches, but the main issue was the
students' constitutional privacy rights, Sklut said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(6) COURT BACKS MOTHERS IN FETAL DRUG CASE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
AMARILLO-A state appeals court ruled Thursday that mothers who pass
drugs to their unborn children cannot be prosecuted for delivery of
illicit substances. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The decision by a three-judge panel from the 7th Court of Appeals in
Amarillo focused on the state's definition of delivery and did not
address the boundaries of a law that defines a fetus as an
individual, the statute under which prosecutors pursued charges
against two mothers in 2004, said Joe Dawson, who represented one of
the women. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Delivery involves possession, and the judges said the drugs were
"merely discovered in the unborn child's body," which does not
constitute possession. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Potter County District Attorney Randall Sims, whose predecessor brought the original charges, could not be reached for comment. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The women's cases focused attention on a 2003 state law that allows
prosecution or civil court action for a preventable injury or death
of a fetus. The law exempts health care providers who perform a
legal medical procedure or cases of injury form legal drug use or
another action by the mother. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The ruling overturns the convictions of Tracey Ward and Rhonda
Smith, who accepted plea agreements for five years of probation but
retained their right to appeal. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(7) DRUG-OFFENDER DIVERSION CALLED COST-EFFECTIVE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The state saves more than twice the amount of money that it spends
on non-violent drug offenders who are sentenced to treatment rather
than prison, according to a new study. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The report by UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human
Behavior found that taxpayers saved nearly $2.50 for every dollar
invested in drug treatment in the first 30 months since | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The total savings in the first 30 months was more than $173 million,
said researchers, who factored in money saved from such areas as
housing inmates, probation, parole, re-arrests and future court
fees. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(8) DELRAY STRIP-SEARCH VICTIM TELLS OF FAMILY'S ORDEAL WITH DEPUTIES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
STUART When five Jefferson County sheriff's deputies surrounded,
detained and strip-searched Delray Beach resident Arnetta McCloud
and her family five years ago, McCloud thought they were as good as
dead. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"I didn't think we would be sitting here today," McCloud said Friday
at the Stuart office of her family's attorney, Guy Rubin. "We were
scared for our lives." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In July 2001, deputies pulled McCloud, her husband, Freddy, daughter
Cynthia and nephew Marcus Frazier over on a desolate road. The
family was headed to Tallahassee after celebrating a relative's
birthday in Monticello. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
After deputies searched the car for drugs and found none, the men
were put in police cars and the women were strip searched by the
side of the road. Cynthia was searched twice. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
On Thursday, a federal court jury in Tallahassee awarded the
McClouds and Frazier a $2 million settlement, agreeing the deputies
had violated their civil rights. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Cynthia McCloud initially couldn't speak as tears welled in her
eyes. Later, she said she hoped the case would inspire other victims
to fight for themselves. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"I hope that it shows everybody justice will be served," she said.
"You tell somebody, 'Stand up for your rights. Do what you have to
do.'" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Money, money, money, money....money. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(9) STATE NOW LOOKING AT SEIZED $2 MILLION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Investigators Say Some Of The $781,000 Seized From A California Man
Is Now Missing | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The state has expanded a criminal investigation into allegations of
missing money at the Dallas County Sheriff's Department to cover
about $2 million seized in drug cases over the past five years, a
state agent said Monday. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The probe has so far focused on more than $781,000 in alleged hidden
cash taken from an out-of-state driver who was stopped near De Soto
last month. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) TWO AIR MARSHALS PLEAD GUILTY TO DRUG, BRIBERY CHARGES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Two federal air marshals pleaded guilty today to drug and bribery charges and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, raising the possibility that other air marshals are under investigation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Burlie L. Sholar III, 38, and Shawn Ray Nguyen, 32, pleaded guilty
to agreeing to accept $15,000 in return for using their positions as
air marshals to bypass security to smuggle 15 pounds of cocaine on a
flight to Las Vegas. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Their arrests raised concerns about airport security, with
prosecutors pointing out during a detention hearing in February that
Nguyen had smuggled other items in a briefcase and had stated that
he didn't care what the briefcase contained. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark McIntyre said the investigation was continuing, but cautioned against the expectation of more arrests. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(11) CITY DETECTIVE SPEAKS OUT AT CORRUPTION TRIAL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
One of two Baltimore narcotics detectives accused of selling illegal
drugs testified at his federal trial yesterday that confiscated
heroin he gave to a confidential informant was part of an
off-the-books, but acceptable, policing technique designed to
apprehend some of the city's top drug dealers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In front of an expectant jury that had before heard the officer's
voice only on wiretap recordings, Detective William A. King answered
questions from the witness stand for more than four hours. But his
calm demeanor turned testy and defensive when prosecutors called his
tactics criminal, leading to the most combative moments of the
two-week trial. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"I never robbed anybody," King said, leaning forward in his chair,
his arms crossed slightly, testifying for the first time. "I gave
[an informant] drugs, but in return he gave me the information I
needed." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
At one point, U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz ordered a brief recess because the heated cross-examination of King by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Peters had turned into a shouting match. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Why didn't you write a report?" Peters asked King, one of many
times the prosecutor hammered the officer for failing to document
his activity with his sources. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
King responded that only some of his drug seizures needed to be
reported officially, while others could be channeled to his
informants. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
King's account offered the first detailed counterpoint to the
complex public corruption case presented by federal prosecutors.
King's attorney Edward Smith Jr. called two other witnesses - both
former city police officers - as part of the first day of testimony
from the defense. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Relying on testimony from cooperating witnesses and hours of
secretly recorded conversations by the FBI, prosecutors accused King
and his partner, Antonio L. Murray, of conspiring to rob and extort
cocaine, heroin and marijuana - as well as drug-related proceeds -
from suspects they pursued on city streets in late 2004 and early
2005. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
King maintained that he never robbed anyone, never sold drugs for
money and never brandished his weapon, as charged. He argued that
prosecutors misinterpreted his taped conversations. King defended
his drug enforcement strategy with informants as a "deceit" to keep
them happy and productive. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(12) D.M. MAN FIGHTS $181,677 BILL FOR DRUG TAXES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Luis Flores was given probation for aiding and abetting, but now
faces the loss of his home. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A Des Moines man who served as the lookout while a relative
collected more than 40 pounds of marijuana from a shipping business
fears that he will lose his home over unpaid taxes on drugs he never
saw. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Luis R. Flores, 40, has cleared probation and will walk away with no
criminal record from a favor he did for his cousin, Felix Calderon,
in July 2004. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But Flores still faces a $181,677 bill from the Iowa Department of
Revenue under a law that requires dealers to pay taxes on illegal
drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
State tax officials, who refuse to discuss Flores' case in detail,
say Iowa law requires him to post a bond if he wants to fight the
bill. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Flores' attorney, Eric Parrish, calls that unfair. He's asked a
judge to declare the tax excessive and to bar any further collection
efforts. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-16) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
This week Fred Gardner reports on a new study which debunks the myth that cannabis use leads to the so-called "amotivational syndrome". The study was conducted by a University of Southern California grad student named Sara Barnwell, who compared the online survey responses of 243 non-users of cannabis, to those of 244 daily users. Barnwell's paper, "Cannabis, motivation, and life satisfaction in an Internet sample," was co-authored by Rand Wilcox of USC and Mitch Earleywine, PhD, of the State University of New York, and found that "participants who used cannabis seven days a week demonstrated no difference from non-cannabis users on indices of motivation. These findings refute hypothesized associations between heavy cannabis use and low motivation". The study was published in the online journal Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy Jan. 12. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Next we turn to a great story by Wisconsin State Journal columnist
Susan Lampert Smith, who writes about a woman of the same name who
died in prison as a result of a 26 month sentence for tending the
cannabis garden of a former landlord and friend. This is a touching
real-life tale of a life unnecessarily lost as a result of our
unwinnable war on drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Our third story this week is a report from the Toronto Star
suggesting that a recent increase in cannabis arrests in the Greater
Toronto Area - including busts of medical users - is largely in
response to the Prime Minister Harper's vow to crack down on drugs.
And lastly this week, a short story from the Summit Daily News about
the upcoming NORML legal conference, which is taking place in Aspen
from June 1st-3rd. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(13) DEBUNKING "AMOTIVATIONAL SYNDROME" (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A graduate student in the psychology department at the University of
Southern California, Sara Smucker Barnwell, has conducted a survey
to assess whether or not cannabis use undermines motivation. She
emailed a questionnaire to 200 undergraduates who had taken a course
on drugs and human behavior, and to 100 acquaintances of a
co-author, Mitch Earleywine, PhD, who in turn were asked to forward
it to others. She got responses from some 1,300 people. She then
analyzed the responses of everyday users (244) and those who had
never used (243). | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Barnwell's questionnaire comprised an "Apathy Evaluation Scale" and
a "Satisfaction with Life Scale." Apathy was measured by 12
statements such as "I don't follow through on my plans" to which
respondents gave their level of agreement ("Not At All, Slightly,
Somewhat, Very Much"). Satisfaction was measured by agreement with
five statements, including "If I could live my life over, I would
change almost nothing." The mean age of the participants was 33.
They were mostly Caucasian (79%), with a preponderance of them
students. One in three frequent cannabis users described their use
as medical. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But why quibble when they're "good on our issue?" Barnwell et al
conclude: "Participants who used cannabis seven days a week
demonstrated no difference from non-cannabis users on indices of
motivation. These findings refute hypothesized associations between
heavy cannabis use and low motivation ... Daily users reported
slightly lower median subjective well-being scores (2 points less on
a 28-point scale) ... Post-hoc tests find that some portion of the
differences in subjective wellbeing arose from medical users, whose
illnesses may contribute to low subjective wellbeing more than their
cannabis use." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(14) TOUGH SENTENCE IS DEATH SENTENCE FOR SMALL-TIME CRIME (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A woman who shared my name, Susan Lampert, died a month ago today
and her death troubles me. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
While we met only a few times - all at the Dane County Farmers'
Market - our common name bonded us and we had at least one mutual
friend. I wondered if she cringed when she would see me in the
newspaper, shooting off my mouth. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
I certainly cringed when I finally saw her in the newspaper. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
It was last June, when a farm near Lodi was busted as a marijuana-
growing operation. Actually, I heard about it because some of my
competitors at a rival news organization mistakenly (and gleefully)
thought I had been busted. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
I hated to ruin their fun. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But the bust was no laughing matter for the other Susan Lampert, who
was sent to federal prison for her role in the operation. It was a
tragedy that ultimately led to her death at 57. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(15) POLICE CRACK DOWN ON MARIJUANA USERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tories Reverse Liberal Pot Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Police Chiefs Welcome Tough Stance | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Brian Fitzpatrick has openly used marijuana for years to control his
epilepsy, and police have never bothered him. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
All that has changed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Police forces across the GTA, taking their cue from the new federal
Conservative government, are again cracking down on the simple
possession of marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Before the Liberals lost the January election, legislation was in
the works to make possession of small amounts of pot a minor
offence, much like a parking ticket. That prompted police forces to
ease up on marijuana users. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But things are different today, and Fitzpatrick, 39, of Ajax, is
caught in the middle. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
York University law professor Alan Young says such pot busts have
increased over the past months, with word that the Conservative
government won't resurrect Liberal efforts to decriminalize simple
possession of marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(16) ASPEN PLANS TO PROBE POT LEGALIZATION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A group lobbying for the legalization of marijuana will hold a
three-day series of legal seminars in Aspen in early June. Included
with the events surrounding the seminar sessions will be a "Tea
Party at Owl Farm," in honor of the late gonzo journalist Hunter S.
Thompson, who was a member and patron of the National Organization
for the Reform of Marijuana Laws and a passionate supporter of the
organization's work. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The series of seminars, scheduled for June 1-3, will be the first time NORML has brought its legal seminars to Aspen since Thompson's death in February 2005, according to attorney Keith Stroup, who is a founder of the organization and now serves as its legal counsel. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (17-21) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Drug users in Cebu city, Philippines continue to be gunned down by
"vigilantes" in summary executions. Over 140 such "drug users" have
been slain there in the last two years. The so-called "vigilantes"
are widely believed to be police themselves. Two more such victims
were slain in daylight executions last week. Police and newspaper
were quick to assert the victims were "drug users", thus deserving
of their fate. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Mainstream, establishment media in the U.S. told of a daring U.S.
military air strike this week on a vessel in international waters,
some 900 miles off the Costa Rican cost. Bringing the mighty weight
of U.S. war making prowess down upon the little boat, the craft
(which U.S. officials swear was full of cocaine) was fired upon from
the air. The U.S. media described the operation in detail,
eloquently hailing the destruction of the small vessel as a grand
victory in the war on drugs. In a miniscule article from the same
U.S. media outlet (AP) this week, readers learned that active police
and army officers were caught using commercial airlines to smuggle
cocaine to the U.S. while working for one of Colombia's "largest
cartels". Colombia's national airline, Avianca, is regularly used a
cocaine exporting pipeline by traffickers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In a move sure to enrage punitive U.S. drug warriors, the Venezuelan Supreme Court released a Dominican wanted by the U.S. for drug trafficking. The suspect, Mateo Holguin Ovalle, was released because the Venezuelan constitution does not allow suspects to be extradited if they will be subject to the death penalty, or to prison terms of greater than 30 years, assurances U.S. officials refused to give. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
And finally this week, we leave you with a piece from Philip Owen, a
former Vancouver mayor, who writes in this week's Calgary Herald
newspaper. Jail, says the former mayor, isn't the answer to drugs.
"The 'war on drugs' doesn't work. The facts from the United States
show it's a disaster and countries cannot jail their way out of
defeat... Marijuana, which should be decriminalized, is a minor drug
compared to the highly addictive hard drugs. Canadians want separate
discussions about hard and soft drugs." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(17) VICTIM COUNT HAS REACHED 141: VIGILANTES SLAY TWO DRUG USERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A notorious thief and a drug user were the latest victims to fall to vigilantes Wednesday night in different places here in Cebu city. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The first victim was identified as Christopher Salazar, 21 years
old, jobless, and a resident of Pier 4 at the North Reclamation Area
this city . | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Homicide police said, the victim was playing billiards along the
road near the gate to the Superferry terminal when the two people
riding a yellow motorcycle came and the backrider shot him several
times. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
PO3 Henry Estoy of the Homicide section said that the victim was known to be a rugby user and is said to be responsible for some snatching cases in the area even if he had an amputated right arm. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Meanwhile, 15 minutes after the incident at the pier area, at about
8:45 pm, another drug usher was gunned down also by two unidentified
suspects, who were onboard a blue motorbike. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The neighbors of the victim said that he was a know | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Both victims are now the 140th and 141th victims of the Vigilante attacks here in the city, which started on December 24, 2004. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(18) U.S. CHASES DOWN 'GO-FAST' COCAINE BOAT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) airplane caught three
smuggling suspects in a high-speed chase 900 miles southwest of
Costa Rica, outracing a "go-fast" speedboat laden with cocaine with
a street value of $35 million, CBP officials said yesterday. In a
joint operation with the U.S. Coast Guard, CBP officials in
Washington said, a P-3 aircraft detected and tracked the go-fast
vessel over the weekend and coordinated interception by a Coast
Guard cutter. While in pursuit, the officials said, CBP air
interdiction agents observed the smugglers dump 18 bales of presumed
cocaine with an estimated street value of more than $10.5 million
from the vessel before Coast Guard personnel disabled its outboard
motors. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(19) DRUG TRAFFICKING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
BOGOTA, Colombia - Active and retired police and army officers
working for one of Colombia's largest cocaine cartels used
commercial cargo planes to ship drugs to the United States,
authorities said Tuesday. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
U. S. officials, who are seeking the extradition of the seven, said
the case illustrates the reaches of Colombia's notorious drug rings
and the danger posed by corruption among the country's security and
transportation workers. Among those arrested are a retired police
major and captain, a former army lieutenant, two police officers and
an employee of Colombia's national airline, Avianca. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(20) DRUG SUSPECT SET FREE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
CARACAS - (AP) -- Venezuela has freed a Dominican drug suspect
identified by Washington as a priority drug-trafficking target,
saying U.S. authorities would not agree to its terms for his
extradition. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Judge Hector Coronado Flores dismissed a previous court order to extradite Mateo Holguin Ovalle and ruled that he be released, the Supreme Court said Monday in a statement on its website. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In February 2004, the court had authorized Holguin Ovalle to be
handed over to U.S. authorities on condition they guarantee that he
would not be sentenced to more than 30 years in prison. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Venezuela's constitution prohibits the extradition of drug suspects if they could be sentenced to death or more than 30 years in jail. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(21) JAIL NOT ANSWER IN DRUG BATTLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Safe Streets Safe Cities conference, which begins today and runs
through Thursday, will tackle chronic social problems afflicting
urban society and propose ways to make cities safe. International
experts will examine modern scourges, including drugs, crime,
prostitution, poverty and homelessness. See | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The "war on drugs" doesn't work. The facts from the United States
show it's a disaster and countries cannot jail their way out of
defeat. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In every major city across Canada and around the world, prohibition
has proven to be a bust. The consensus globally is that drug policy
reform is the only way to go. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In 2003, U.S. President George W. Bush said America wasn't going to
allow drugs into the country. Yet the following year, $7.1 billion
worth of heroin landed in the U.S. from Afghanistan. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Marijuana, which should be decriminalized, is a minor drug compared
to the highly addictive hard drugs. Canadians want separate
discussions about hard and soft drugs. (See the reports of both the
House of Commons and the Senate from the fall of 2002.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
To seriously tackle hard drugs, every city in Canada, and indeed,
North America, needs to adopt Vancouver's Four Pillars approach. The
results are in; it works. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
SAMHSA UNVEILS STATE SUBSTANCE ABUSE DATA | ||||||||||||||||||||||
State Estimates of Substance Use from the 2003-2004 National Surveys
on Drug Use and Health | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
THE NEW SCIENCE OF CANNABINOID-BASED MEDICINE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
An Interview with Dr. Raphael Mechoulam | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By David Jay Brown | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Raphael Mechoulam, Ph.D., is the Lionel Jacobson Professor of
Medicinal Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he
has been working on cannabinoid chemistry (a term he coined) for over
forty years. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.smart-publications.com/articles/MOM-mechoulam.php | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
STUDY FINDS CRACKS IN BROKEN-WINDOWS | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Wading deep into a controversy already boiling in Denver and Boston, Bernard Harcourt, Professor in the Law School, published this month a provocative new study that finds no evidence to support the popular theory that broken-windows policing actually reduces crime. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Broken Windows : New Evidence from New York City and a Five-City Social
Experiment | ||||||||||||||||||||||
http://lawreview.uchicago.edu/issues/archive/v73/winter/14.Harcourt.pdf | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
CANADIAN CANNABIS ACTIVIST PRESS CONFERENCE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Licensed medical cannabis patients Russell Barth and Christine Lowe share their experiences of how the current prohibition scheme hinders their access to safe, clean medicinal cannabis, and how a "crackdown" on cannabis grow-ops will put their lives in danger. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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PHOTOS FROM MPP'S PARTY AT THE PLAYBOY MANSION | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
WRITE AN ARTICLE FOR THE DRUGSENSE WEEKLY | ||||||||||||||||||||||
DrugSense Weekly is always looking for timely, relevant opinion
pieces and reporting for its feature article. Pieces submitted for
consideration should be between 400-900 words. Unfortunately, we
can't pay for submissions, and we can't always use every article
submitted, but if your piece is accepted, it will be widely
distributed through this newsletter and the Media Awareness
Project's news service. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Please send submissions to | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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DON'T LET CONGRESS POISON PEOPLE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Congress is considering a drug war idea so bad that even Drug Czar
John Walters is against it. The House has authorized, and the Senate
is considering, a proposal to revive research on the use of toxic,
mold-like fungi called mycoherbicides to kill drug crops in other
countries. Tell Congress it's a bad idea! | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
NEEDLE POINTS | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Caroline Jean Acker | ||||||||||||||||||||||
If the Trib is going to make claims about hepatitis C and HIV rates
in Allegheny County, it should do its homework ( "The | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Rising numbers of positive hepatitis C tests almost certainly
reflect larger numbers of people being tested. They are no fair
measure of levels of hepatitis C in the population. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Similarly, simply giving a number of positive HIV tests fails to
indicate how many were linked to injection drug use as opposed to
other risk factors. And again, results of voluntary tests, where
only those who seek testing are tested, do not measure levels of a
disease in the population. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The numbers presented in the Trib's editorial say nothing about the effectiveness or lack of effectiveness of needle exchange in Allegheny County. To present numbers of positive test results with no indication of how they were derived and no context for interpreting them is worse than sloppy; it is irresponsible. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Needle exchange modeled on the latest research is our best protection against the spread of hepatitis C. That is exactly what Prevention Point Pittsburgh provides. The best response to finding cases of hepatitis C is not less needle exchange, but more. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Caroline Jean Acker | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The writer is board president of Prevention Point Pittsburgh (
pppgh.org ), a private organization that provides needle exchange
and overdose prevention services. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Problem With A Plant? Outlaw it! | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Stephen Young | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The story was about a stupid idea, but at least the reporter allowed some critics to point out that the idea was indeed stupid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
USA Today published an article a few days ago by Oren Dorell about a
bill to prohibit Salvia divinorum in Delaware - see | ||||||||||||||||||||||
It starts off as a bad story with all the hype. Salvia, a
psychoactive plant which is still legal in most of the U.S., is
characterized as "the most powerful natural hallucinogen known."
From there, Salvia use is tied (very tenuously, I think) to the
suicide of a teenager. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The second half of the story is closer to fair, with comments from a
person who sells and uses Salvia. He doesn't sound unreasonable, but
he describes a mild experience with Salvia involving "fairy-like
beings hovering around the hillside." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A more down-to-earth sounding voice comes, strangely, from the
federal government. The head of Psychoactive Drug Screening Program
for the National Institute of Mental Health says he sees a need for
regulation, but that prohibition would hinder medical research on
Salvia. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
I appreciate USA Today's attempt to present both sides in its Salvia
story. I doubt that would have happened if the Office of National
Drug Control Policy stenographer who also reports for USA Today (
see this other USA Today story from the past week | ||||||||||||||||||||||
While the Salvia article shows why prohibition might be bad in this
particular instance, unfortunately, the broader illogic of
prohibition still isn't challenged. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
If prohibition really worked, kids wouldn't use illegal drugs. But
they do. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Delaware Sen. Karen Peterson, a supporter of the Salvia ban,
unwittingly explains one of the major flaws of drug prohibition
while trying to make a case for it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Kids fall into a false sense of security because it's legal,"
Peterson said about Salvia. If Peterson is right, we only have the
ideology of prohibition to thank. Do we need the government to
outlaw something before young people understand it can be bad for
them? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Right now police don't have enough time or resources to consistently
enforce drug laws already on the books. If we outlawed everything
potentially harmful to young people, few activities beyond breathing
would be legal. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Even then, we could still count on a few busybodies like Peterson to crusade against the dangers of releasing all that carbon dioxide into the environment, especially too close to the children. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Stephen Young is an editor with DrugSense Weekly. He is the author
of Maximizing Harm. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised 'for the good of its victims'
may be the most oppressive." - C.S. Lewis | ||||||||||||||||||||||
DS Weekly is one of the many free educational services DrugSense offers our members. Watch this feature to learn more about what DrugSense can do for you. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
TO SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, OR UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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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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