| May 19, 2006 #449 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(1) APPEALS COURT RULES AGAINST PINE RIDGE HEMP GROWING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- An American Indian treaty and United States law do not allow for the cultivation of industrial hemp on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Alex White Plume, vice president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, and members of his family planted hemp on their property but it was cut down and confiscated by federal agents. Industrial hemp is related to marijuana and is used to make rope and other products. It has only a trace of the drug in marijuana, but it is illegal to grow hemp in the United States. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it empathized with the White
Plumes but concluded their enterprise was illegal. "We are not
unmindful of the challenges faced by members of the Tribe to engage in
sustainable farming on federal trust lands ... And we do not doubt that
there are a countless number of beneficial products which utilize hemp
in some fashion. Nor do we ignore the burdens imposed by a DEA (Drug
Enforcement Agency) registration necessary to grow hemp legally,"
justices wrote. "But these are policy arguments better suited for the
congressional hearing room than the courtroom."
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[snip]
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(2) IRATE PROTESTERS RIP KILLING BY OFFICER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sergeant Justified, Police Say Of Incident
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Angry and sometimes raucous demonstrators descended Wednesday on an
alderman's office and taunted police in response to the fatal shooting
of a West Side man by a Chicago police sergeant. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Shouts of "murderers!" echoed during the hourlong march, but police
spokeswoman Monique Bond said a police roundtable discussion determined
the unidentified Harrison District sergeant acted appropriately because
he "feared for his safety" when shooting Jovan Walker, 24, about 8:30
p.m. Tuesday.
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Bond said Walker, of the 700 block of North Trumbull Avenue had been
pointing a gun at the officer in a vacant lot near the 1200 block of
North Monticello Avenue. A .45 caliber semiautomatic handgun was found
near Walker's body; four bags of crack cocaine also were found on him,
she said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Records show that Walker has been arrested at least eight times since 1999, mostly for drug possession, and has been in jail twice this year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Though the Cook County medical examiner's office said Wednesday that
Walker was not shot in the back, the demonstrators insisted he was shot
in the back while raising his hands in surrender. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The shooting aftermath shows a tenuous relationship between police and the Humboldt Park community, where more police are often requested but mistrust still exists, said Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th). | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(3) SEVENTH HEAVEN OWNER PLEADS GUILTY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
KANSAS CITY -- The owner of the 7th Heaven stores in Sedalia and Kansas
City has pleaded guilty to selling drug paraphernalia. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Jan H. Fichman, 54, of Leawood, Kan., agreed to pay the government $440,000, which he agreed is the value of the paraphernalia sales from Jan. 1, 2000, to Feb. 10, 2005. He will make that payment in lieu of forfeiting his two stores and residence to the government. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mr. Fichman admitted to participating in a conspiracy to sell water
bongs, pipes, concealment pipes, detoxifiers and car cigarette pipes at
his Sedalia store. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It is illegal under federal law to sell drug paraphernalia, equipment
designed or intended to ingest or inhale controlled substances, such as
marijuana or cocaine, U.S. Attorney Bradley J. Schlozman said in a
written statement Wednesday. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Those who sell drug paraphernalia are not only violating federal law,
they are supporting a culture of illegal drug use and indirectly
profiting from illegal drug trafficking," Mr. Schlozman said. "Today's
guilty plea sends a message that these head shops and other businesses
that have brazenly violated the law will be held accountable for their
actions. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"In order to protect children from the scourge of illegal drugs, we
will prosecute the enablers and profiteers of the drug culture as
aggressively as we pursue the dealers, the traffickers, and the
manufacturers of illegal drugs."
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[snip]
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(4) MORE POLITICS THAN POLICY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Nine years ago Saturday, an 18-year-old was shot and killed in the
dusty West Texas hamlet of Redford by U.S. Marine Cpl. Clemente
Banuelos. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Banuelos and his team of three men were conducting a federal anti-drug
patrol while Esequiel Hernandez herded goats at a spot not far from his
home. | ||||||||||||||||||||
According to Marine testimony, Hernandez shot at the camouflaged troops
first, although Redford residents say rifles are usually used only to
keep wild animals away from their herds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
We'll never know what Hernandez was thinking, but we do know Banuelos returned fire and killed Hernandez with a single shot from an M-16. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Exit the drug war and enter the war on illegal immigration. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy
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COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Lots of folks fed up with the drug war this week, even the Los
Angeles Times, which ran a lengthy story challenging the
conventional wisdom that in-school anti-drug programs are useful.
Also irritated by prohibition and no longer afraid to talk about is
a county executive from Erie, New York. And in Colorado, students
photographed by university officials at a 4/20 gathering are
fighting back. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Even the professional prohibitionists at the Partnership for a
Drug-Free America might be expected to sense the failure. A survey
by the organization shows that while they've been hyping illegal
drugs for decades, teens might now underestimate the risks of legal
drugs. Strangely, the head of PDFA doesn't seem to sound nearly as
alarmist about prescription drug abuse as he does about illegal
drugs. Makes one wonder if that more relaxed reaction if has
anything to do with all that money that flows to his organization
through the pharmaceutical industry. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) ANTI-DRUG OVERDOSE? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Many School Prevention Programs Don't Help, Scientists Say, and May
Even Do Harm. | ||||||||||||||||||||
LIKE millions of kids across America, ninth-grader Mariana Kouloumian was taught in elementary school not to drink or use drugs -- ever. To her, the message seemed clear except for one hitch: It didn't square with what she saw in the real world, or even at home. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"When I told my parents what I learned in [school], that drinking
was bad, they said they knew that, but that a drink once in a while
was OK," Mariana says. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Today, at 14, the Los Angeles girl dismisses much of what she
learned in the drug-education program, saying that when she's older
she plans to follow the more moderate example set by her mother and
father. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"My parents know how much alcohol they can handle. They only drink
socially -- and wouldn't drink and drive." Further, she credits her
parents, not school lessons, with helping her turn down tobacco,
alcohol and drugs -- all of which she's been offered. "I learned
what I know at home," she says. To her, the anti-drug program seemed
out of touch. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Increasingly, many academic scholars and government researchers agree. They point to a growing body of evidence that supports Mariana's instincts. One-size-fits-all lessons do little to prepare kids for the real drug choices they're likely to face, these experts say. By condemning all drugs as bad -- not distinguishing between legitimate medications and, in moderation, alcohol -- such programs can confuse kids and ultimately cheapen their own messages. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(6) OPED: DRUG LAWS DON'T WORK; IT'S TIME TO TRY LEGALIZING THEM
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The illegal drug trade in Western New York has turned many of our
inner-city streets into war zones. The simple act of sitting on
one's porch to converse with a neighbor or watch the kids play ball
in the street is to risk one's life. Turf wars or retaliation for a
drug deal gone bad have filled our morgues and cemeteries with both
intended and unintended casualties. Yet the game plan stays the
same, the strategy of reducing drug use and peddling goes unchanged,
despite the same devastating results. | ||||||||||||||||||||
When I spoke out and asked for a discussion on the legalization and
regulation of illegal drugs, I was called crazy by law enforcement
officials. The topic was deemed so outlandish that it did not
deserve a second response. | ||||||||||||||||||||
However, despite the public opinion of those whose job it is to protect our citizens, there are others who feel it's time for a change. Former Tonawanda Police Capt. Peter Christ is one of those individuals. Christ is a spokesman for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, or LEAP www.leap.cc. LEAP has more than 2,000 current and former police officers, judges and private citizens who do not feel it's crazy to change the strategy in combating drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(7) STUDENTS ANNOUNCE LAWSUIT AGAINST CU OVER 4/20 PHOTOS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Civil rights attorneys Perry R. Sanders, Jr. and Robert J. Frank announced plans on May 10 to file a federal lawsuit against CU on behalf of several students who say their rights were violated by the CUPD at the 4/20 pro-marijuana gathering on Farrand Field. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We were not advocating a federal civil lawsuit, we were advocating
peace," Sander said in a press release. "The university has forced
our hand in this matter."
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The attorneys are representing three CU students: Megan Malone, a sophomore integrative physiology major, Makenna Salaverry, a sophomore sociology major, and Somerset Tullius, a sophomore art history major, who were among 2,500 people who gathered on the field for the un-official annual celebration at 4:20 p.m. April 20. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The university closed the field from noon to 5 p.m. that day and
posted signs notifying students of the closure. The signs also read
that Farrand Field was under surveillance. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(8) TEEN ABUSE OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS GOES UNCHECKED, STUDY INDICATES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
While teen smoking and drinking continue to drop, a new survey indicates that teenage abuse of prescription drugs has become "an entrenched behavior" that many parents fail to recognize. | ||||||||||||||||||||
For a third straight year, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America
study showed that about one in five teens has tried prescription
painkillers like Vicodin or OxyContin to get high -- about 4.5
million teens. It also indicated that many teens feel experimenting
with prescription drugs is safer than illegal highs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Forty percent said prescription medicines were "much safer" than illegal drugs, while 31% said there was "nothing wrong" with using prescription drugs "once in a while." The study further found that 29% of teens believe prescription pain relievers are nonaddictive. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"It's really a case now of accepting the fact that it's here,"
Partnership President and Chief Executive Steve Pasierb said of the
prescription-drug numbers. "Clearly, this is a true problem in
American society."
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[snip]
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Votes: 0
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Law Enforcement & Prisons
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COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A policy of targeting expectant mothers who use drugs has led to its
first sentence in Missouri. Elsewhere, the corruption continues,
from police in Los Angeles to soldiers in Iraq. | ||||||||||||||||||||
And, sadly, as a police leader who spoke out in favor of drug policy
reform passes on, his call for reform is seen as an important part
of his career. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(9) COUNTY POLICY SEES FIRST SENTENCE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Springfield Woman Gets 5 Years' Probation Under Policy Targeting
Pregnant Drug Users
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The first person charged under Greene County's new policy targeting
mothers who use illegal drugs during pregnancy must stay clean for
five years or be sentenced to up to seven years in prison, according
to a plea agreement. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sarah A. Weese, 19, of Springfield was granted a suspended imposition of sentence and placed on five years' probation during a sentencing hearing before Greene County Judge Calvin Holden. [snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) LAPD OFFICER SUSPENDED AFTER STING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Arrest in Rampart occurs as a federal judge is about to rule on
lifting or continuing a consent decree based on scandals in that
police division. | ||||||||||||||||||||
A veteran Rampart Division police officer was relieved of duty
Friday after being accused of lying about a drug arrest. His
suspension comes days before a judge is to decide whether to lift
federal oversight of the department imposed because of a corruption
scandal at the station six years ago. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Los Angeles Police Department Chief William J. Bratton suspended the
officer after a six-month sting operation by internal affairs
investigators. As part of the sting, officials set up a situation
late Tuesday in which Officer Edward B. Zamora, 44, arrested an
undercover detective, according to two sources. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Zamora said in his police report that the undercover detective
dropped narcotics during the arrest, sources said, but surveillance
officers knew that he hadn't. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The LAPD has presented its case against Zamora to prosecutors, who
said they also are reviewing dozens of arrests Zamora made during
his 16-year career. Zamora was accused in a civil lawsuit six years
ago of planting drugs during a 1995 arrest, but an appeals court
threw out the case. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(11) TROOPS DO DOUBLE DUTY IN GANGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Army soldiers who belong to the Gangster Disciples have robbed
people to raise money for the gang, orchestrated drug and gun deals,
and even killed two people after gang members were kicked out of a
bar. | ||||||||||||||||||||
About a dozen soldiers at bases in Texas and Colorado have been
sentenced to prison over the last decade as a result of federal
investigations into criminal activity they carried out for the
Chicago-based gang. | ||||||||||||||||||||
They highlight the danger of soldiers maintaining gang affiliations. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"It is a continuing problem, sure. It's ongoing," said Scot
Thomasson , a supervisor with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives who investigated dope dealing and gun
trafficking involving Fort Carson, Colo., soldiers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Earlier this month, a Wisconsin National Guard sergeant serving in Iraq provided the Chicago Sun-Times with photos he recently took of gang graffiti on military equipment and buildings throughout Iraq. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(12) OBITUARY: RETIRED LAW OFFICER OWENS SPOKE OUT AGAINST DRUG WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Robert Owens, 74, a former police chief, professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and proponent of legalizing drugs and subjecting them to regulation, died in his sleep Sunday. | ||||||||||||||||||||
A law enforcement career of nearly 40 years in Southern California
convinced the Korean War veteran that continuing America's war on
drugs was futile and a losing effort. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Just as the Prohibition era of 1920 to 1933 corrupted local
officials and law enforcement officers, so too does the current
prohibition," Owens wrote in an op-ed piece for the San Antonio
Express-News last year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Cannabis & Hemp-
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COMMENT: (13-16) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
We begin this week with news that a synthetic version of THC called Cesamet will once again be made available in America. Originally developed by Eli Lilly for the treatment of nausea related to cancer chemotherapy, the drug was bought by Valeant Pharmaceuticals in 2004, and is currently available in both Canada and in Europe. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Our next two stories highlight the efforts of a few individuals to
fight the stigma and social discrimination directed at medical
cannabis users. In Oregon, an HIV and hep-C positive 46 year old man
named David LaGoy has just been granted a jury trial by a judge in
regards to a ticket he received from the Denver police for the use
of cannabis. He is the second person to fight a local personal
possession charge since Denver legalized the adult use of cannabis
last November. Our next article highlights the case of Ed Glick, a
nurse working for Oregon's Samaritan Health Services who was
dismissed after refusing to take a drug test following a meeting
criticizing his job performance. Glick has been a vocal supporter of
the state's medical cannabis law, and had recently presented at the
4th Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics in Santa Barbara.
He argues that his dismissal was due to his medical cannabis
advocacy. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Lastly this week, an incredible column by the Providence Journal's
Froma Harrop that outlines the socio-economic argument for ending
the war on responsible adult cannabis use. Although the article was
originally published in last week's Journal, Harrop's
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(13) SYNTHETIC POT EXTRACT GOING BACK TO PHARMACIES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Seventeen years after it was withdrawn from U.S. markets, a synthetic version of the active ingredient in marijuana is going back on sale as a prescription treatment for the vomiting and nausea that often accompanies chemotherapy, its manufacturer said Tuesday. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International hopes to begin selling Cesamet in the next two to three weeks, company president Wes Wheeler said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Costa Mesa, Calif. company received Food and Drug Administration
approval Monday to resume sales of the drug, which it bought from
Eli Lilly and Co. in 2004. Lilly originally received FDA approval
for nabilone in 1985 but withdrew it from the market in 1989 for
commercial reasons, Wheeler said Marinol, another synthetic version
of tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana that's
more commonly known as THC, is made by Belgium-based Solvay SA. It
also received FDA approval in 1985. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(14) MAN TO DEFEND MARIJUANA USE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
HIV Sufferer Who Battles Nausea Taking Case To Jury
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An HIV-positive man who smokes marijuana to fight nausea triggered
by antiviral drugs can defend his pot use to a jury, a judge ruled
Monday. | ||||||||||||||||||||
David La Goy, 46, is the second person to challenge a pot possession
ticket issued by Denver police since city voters passed an
initiative in November to legalize possession of small amounts of
marijuana by adults. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In January, the city dismissed the first case after the prosecutor
said police didn't have enough probable cause to justify searching
the defendant's car, where the pot was found. | ||||||||||||||||||||
La Goy, whose trial is scheduled for September, was ticketed for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia on March 3. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(15) NURSE CLAIMS HE WAS FIRED FOR POT ADVOCACY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A longtime Samaritan Health Services nurse is contesting his dismissal, claiming he was fired not because of his job performance but because he has been an outspoken advocate of medical marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||
An executive of the health care network disputes that claim. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ed Glick was terminated April 18 from his job as a nurse at
Samaritan Regional Mental Health Center in Corvallis after he
refused to take a drug test. | ||||||||||||||||||||
According to Glick, the demand that he submit to urinalysis came
during a meeting to discuss omissions in the paperwork he did on
several patients. He said the gaps were minor and occurred when he
was working an exceptionally busy weekend shift that required him to
rush through the numerous admission forms to attend to the patients'
immediate needs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
When a supervisor insisted he take a drug test, Glick said, he refused and walked out of the meeting. He was then fired. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(16) DEMON DRUG PROPAGANDA DOESN'T CUT IT ANYMORE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
America's war on drugs is actually a Raid on Taxpayers. The war costs an estimated $70 billion a year to prosecute, and the drugs keep pouring in. But while the War on Drugs may have failed its official mission, it is a great success as a job-creation program. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thousands of drug agents, police, detectives, prosecutors, judges, anti-drug activists, prison guards and their support staffs can thank the program for their daily bread and health benefits. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The American people are clearly not ready to decriminalize cocaine,
heroine or other hard drugs, but they're well on their way to easing
up on marijuana. A Zogby poll found that nearly half of Americans
now want pot legal and regulated, like alcohol. Few buy into the
"demon drug" propaganda anymore, and for a simple reason: Several
countries have decriminalized marijuana with little effect on public
health. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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International News
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COMMENT: (17-20) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A battle between police and gangs in the Brazilian city of So
Paula this week claimed over 130 lives, 40 of those police.
Problems began when authorities transferred eight drug gang
chiefs to a maximum security prison. Gang members retaliated
with attacks on police stations and other "symbols of
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In Scotland, Labour MP Duncan McNeil, braved a firestorm of
criticism after he suggested that contraceptives be mixed with
methadone supples, to prevent drug addicts from having children.
McNeil's modest proposal was called "Nazi science" by the Sunday
Herald newspaper. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Washington's cat's paw in Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper,
continues to please his masters in D.C. Last week, U.S.
prohibitionist officials announced they were "very impressed" with
the Harper's repressive drug policies. Especially pleasing to
Washington was Harper's steadfast refusal to talk about marijuana
decriminalization. Jailing marijuana users is central to U.S. drug
policy; U.S. prohibitionists must constantly be on the lookout for
other countries attempting to set their own internal drug laws.
Countries, like Canada or Mexico, which attempt to decriminalize
marijuana will not be allowed to do so by the U.S. Speaking at a
prohibitionist conference in Montreal last week, the Ambassador to
Canada from the U.S., David Wilkins, was sure to add the U.S.
allowed other nations "to make their own decisions." Since when,
David?
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Reverberations from the recent Mexican drug decriminalization flap
continue to be heard, and we leave you with an opinion piece from
Steve Chapman, of the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board. The vetoed
Mexican bill, which would have eliminated penalties for small
amounts of marijuana and other drugs, was bitterly denounced by U.S.
prohibitionists who pressured Mexican President Fox to drop it. The
Mexican bill, while hyped by U.S. prohibitionists as the end of the
word, wasn't particularly bold when compared to other countries like
Italy or Portugal, or states like Nebraska which have had in place
some form of decriminalization for years. And Holland's "coffee
shops", which allow sales of small amounts of cannabis to adults,
"hasn't made the drug any more tempting to the average person. Dutch
adults and teenagers both are less likely to use cannabis than
Americans."
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(17) BLOODIED BRAZILIAN POLICE FORCE STRIKES BACK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
SO PAULO, Brazil -- Police launched a counterattack Tuesday against gangs rampaging through South America's largest city. At least 33 suspects were killed; police reported one death of their own after dozens of law officers were killed in the preceding days. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The violence erupted Friday night when authorities transferred eight
leaders of a drug gang to a maximum-security prison to isolate them.
Gang members attacked police stations, courts, city buses and other
symbols of government. Prison inmates rioted.
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At least 133 people, including 40 police officers and prison guards,
have been killed since Friday night. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Four civilians in So Paulo also died in crossfire between gang
members and police. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(18) NAZI SCIENCE IS NO WAY TO REACT TO THE PROBLEM OF DRUG ABUSE IN (Top)SCOTLAND | ||||||||||||||||||||
Muriel Gray on a misguided remark and its hidden truths | ||||||||||||||||||||
POOR Duncan McNeil. It's a pretty sure bet that the Labour MSP - who
doesn't appear to be a particularly wicked man - wasn't turning into
a jackbooted fascist when he suggested that contraceptives be added
to methadone to stop drug addicts having children they can't care
for. He was merely responding, albeit in a ludicrous and panicky
fashion, to the growing plight of abused and neglected children of
addicts. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Happily, however, forced eugenics is not a topic that merits any
debate, since the Nazis proved that it is not only inhumane and
barbaric, but also that it doesn't work. You can make an educated
guess about what kind of life a child might have to endure when born
into difficult circumstances, but you can never accurately predict
the calibre of human being that child will grow into or predict the
outcome of that life. Some remarkable, wonderful people survived the
most appalling childhoods, and equally some appalling people emerged
from the most privileged backgrounds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
So yes, it might be likely that a drug addict's child will be among
the poorest, most vulnerable and most dependent in society, but it's
by no means certain. We have to accept that while these unfortunate
babies are potentially at risk, they might also bring love, hope and
a future to their hopeless parents - and nobody has the right to
deny somebody that chance. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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The issue is surely not one about procreation, but about the state's
treatment and care of our most broken down citizens and their
families, and how their condition impacts not just on helpless
children but on society in general. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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We desperately need more births in our fast-depleting Scottish
population. The job in hand is therefore not to prevent babies being
born, but to ensure - regardless of who gives birth to these little
humans, with all their potential to live fulfilling and useful lives
- - that we protect, nourish, cherish and provide for them. If we
are saying that's beyond the ability of this modern, wealthy,
educated and advanced society, then frankly maybe we're all crap and
none of us deserve to breed. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(19) U.S. DRUG OFFICIALS 'VERY IMPRESSED' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Pleased to Be on Same Page As Harper's Tories
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Critics, However, Call 'War on Drugs' Ineffective
| ||||||||||||||||||||
MONTREAL--A top U.S. drug official and the U.S. Ambassador to Canada
say they're pleased to be on the same page as the new federal
government when it comes to law and order, particularly now that
Ottawa has no plans to decriminalize marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Yesterday, both U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
administrator Karen Tandy and ambassador David Wilkins addressed the
International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC) jointly sponsored
by the DEA and Royal Canadian Mounted Police. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Following her opening remarks, Tandy said she had "very productive
meetings" this week with cabinet ministers Vic Toews, Tony Clement
and Stockwell Day and came away "very impressed" and pleased both
countries now share a common approach relating to combating the
illegal drug trade. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
The cozier relationship doesn't mean the U.S. will try to dictate Canadian policies, she added. Wilkins agreed. While the U.S. respects each country's right "to make their own decisions," Washington "strongly opposes" decriminalization of all drugs and hopes "Canada continues to support that position," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
However, critics say IDEC conferences by their nature are one of the
vehicles the U.S. uses to influence the policies of governments
throughout the world. A "counter symposium" held Monday featured an
array of speakers, including former law enforcement officials, who
say after spending their careers working against drugs and believing
in prohibition, they've concluded it's a failed approach because
there are more drugs than ever. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(20) THE FALSE THREAT OF LIBERAL DRUG LAWS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Recently, Mexican President Vicente Fox vetoed a bill passed by the Mexican Congress that would have removed criminal penalties for people caught with small amounts of marijuana or other drugs. This came after the Bush administration vigorously complained, predicting it would encourage Americans to pour southward as "drug tourists." | ||||||||||||||||||||
But that option is now off the table for the moment. So Americans
who want to get high without fear of going to jail will have to go
some other place where cannabis can be consumed with impunity. Like
Nebraska. | ||||||||||||||||||||
As it happens, no fewer than 11 states on this side of the border
have made the decision not to bother filling their prisons with
recreational potheads. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Laws are only a modest factor in the decision to use drugs or
not--just as they are only a modest factor in the decision to smoke
cigarettes or not. Most people don't even know if they live in a
decriminalized state. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The evidence from abroad is not terribly scary either. Netherlands
has gone beyond decriminalizing pot: For years, the government has
allowed the sale of small amounts of pot through special cafes known
as "coffee shops." Yet easy accessibility hasn't made the drug any
more tempting to the average person. Dutch adults and teenagers both
are less likely to use cannabis than Americans. | ||||||||||||||||||||
So it's hard to see why the United States should mind if Mexico
decides to go easy on potheads. A good deal of evidence indicates
that the law wouldn't make much difference in the behavior of either
Mexicans or Americans. | ||||||||||||||||||||
There are some clear advantages, though. By freeing cops from
focusing on recreational marijuana users, governments can reallocate
more resources to serious crime. One study found that since it began
treating pot possession like jaywalking in 1976, California has
saved at least $1 billion. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Of course, the Mexican measure would have decriminalized possession
of other drugs too, including heroin, cocaine and
| ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Some people are happy with Mexico exactly as it is. But it just
might benefit from becoming more like Nebraska. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Steve Chapman is a member of the Tribune's editorial board. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
CANADIAN TV NEWS COVERAGE OF THE RECENT DEA CONFERENCE IN MONTREAL
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PILL PENALTY PUZZLE
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Should Rush Limbaugh be grateful he didn't get 25 years? | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Jacob Sullum
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CANNABIDIOL REDUCES INCIDENCE OF DIABETES, STUDY SAYS
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May 18, 2006 - Jerusalem, Israel
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Jerusalem, Israel: Administration of the non-psychoactive cannabinoid
cannabidiol (CBD) lowers incidence of diabetes in animals and may one
day play a role in the prevention of human type 1 diabetes, according
to preclinical findings published in the March issue of the journal
Autoimmunity. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
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 (29:00) (MP3 Avail. Sat AM)
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
DRAMATIC DEATH TOLL IN SAO PAULO AS DRUG GANGS, POLICE CLASH
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More than 160 people, including at least 75 police and prison guards, have been killed in a series of prison uprisings and urban attacks led by drug trafficking organizations in South America's largest city. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
MAP HOSTS MEDIA ACTIVISM ROUNDTABLE ONLINE
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Join leading hearts and minds from the drug policy reform movement as
we discuss ways to write Letters to the Editor that get printed.
We'll also discuss ways to get notable OPEDS printed in your local and
in-state newspapers.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday, May 25 2006, 09:00 a.m. ET
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
CUT THOSE STUPID TV ADS
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Are you tired of your tax money being used to pay for those stupid
anti-marijuana commercials? You can help to take them off the air
by taking action now. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
FOUR JOB OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE AT DPA
| ||||||||||||||||||||
DPA seeks a director of its California Capital office. In addition, a
full-time website developer and a part-time website assistant are
sought in Washington, DC. DPA also seeks a deputy director for its
State Organizing and Policy project to assist with advocacy in select
states. This position is based in New York.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
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LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
LEGAL DRUGS DEFEAT BAD GUYS
| ||||||||||||||||||||
By Mike Smithson
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Re: Former police chief critical of Harper's drug move, April 6 - 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister Harper has chosen interesting partners in his quest
to show he is tough on crime and drugs. The real winners in this
policy: international terrorists, drug cartels and organized crime.
They are smiling ear to ear this morning, hearing about how Prime
Minister Harper is going to keep them in business. By keeping
drugs-all drugs-illegal, Prime Minister Harper is keeping the bad
guys in the management roles of manufacture, marketing and
distribution. | ||||||||||||||||||||
A regulated marketplace takes this commodity away from these bad
guys. It rids the community of violence and crime and enables money
to be put towards rehabilitation. It reduces disease and ultimately,
death. | ||||||||||||||||||||
If Prime Minister Harper wants a preview of what his call for
tougher policies will provide, just look south to America: we have
the largest prison system in the world. We imprison people at a
higher rate than every industrialized nation. What has it gotten us?
Drugs are more potent, more available and in most cases, they are
cheaper than ever before. Hmmm. Makes you wonder why he would want
to follow our examples, eh?
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Mike Smithson, Camillus, New York
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| ||||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Regulation of Illicit Drugs Gains Support
| ||||||||||||||||||||
By Robert P. Owens
| ||||||||||||||||||||
How would you go about getting four U.S. district court judges, a
former governor, the mayor of a major city in Canada, a sheriff of a
Colorado county, a former New York City police commissioner, a
former attorney general of Columbia, S.C., and two former police
chiefs in U.S. cities to agree on anything?
| ||||||||||||||||||||
How about legalizing drugs and subjecting them to regulation, much
as we do with alcoholic beverages?
| ||||||||||||||||||||
All the officials mentioned above are members of the Board of
Advisors of the international nonprofit educational organization
known as Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, or LEAP. This
organization of more than 1,500 former "drug warriors" has members
in six countries who speak from their unique law enforcement
background about the futility of continuing the costly, corrupting
and counterproductive "war" on drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Let's look for a moment at another prohibition, one that promised a
sober work force to fuel the powerful industrial engines that were
to become the fulfillment of the American dream. Known as the
Volstead Act for its congressional sponsor, it became the law that
we now refer to as Prohibition. | ||||||||||||||||||||
With all its hoopla, the act fell well short of curing what many
characterized as a national alcoholic binge. Law enforcement became
a major target for corruption, and the tax burden increased, as did
government spending. It led some drinkers to switch to opium,
marijuana, cocaine and other substances. And, lest we forget, it
created a generation of "bootleg" millionaires. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Today it is common to hear, from all sides, that it is easier for
high school youths to buy a baggie of marijuana than a six-pack of
beer. One question seldom heard from modern-day Prohibitionists is
why, after more than a half-century of fighting the "drug war" at a
cost in the billions of dollars, are we still searching for
solutions?
| ||||||||||||||||||||
We know with a fair degree of accuracy where the drug crops are
grown, where they are processed and how they arrive on our streets.
More than 100 metric tons of cocaine was intercepted in 2003 to our
borders. Yet according to a U.S. government report, more than 250
metric tons reached users here. | ||||||||||||||||||||
When we look at what is being done about this social disaster, we
learn from the FBI Uniform Crime Reports of 2003 that drug arrests
lead the top seven categories of arrests in this country. As many of
my former "drug warrior" colleagues can attest, we made our
contributions to the prison system by locking up drug offenders of
all types, including other law enforcement officers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Just as the Prohibition era of 1920 to 1933 corrupted local
officials and law enforcement officers, so too does the current
prohibition. Add to this the enormous profits going into the coffers
of the ruthless narcotic traffickers beyond our borders, and we have
a nation seemingly giving aid to the enemy while clogging prisons
with its own countrymen and women. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Then we have the international cartels, gangs, paramilitary groups and, lately, the communist guerrilla forces in South and Central America that are taking advantage of the huge profits in the drug trade. It seems even the ideology that unites "workers of the world" can spare the time to enjoy the profits of the drug trade. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In the course of discussing legalizing narcotics, the perfectly
reasonable question arises: If drugs are legalized, how can we keep
them out of the hands of children? The answer can only be: just as
we do now in keeping them from Oxycontin, morphine and other drugs
that have legitimate uses. | ||||||||||||||||||||
And, yes, it is an imperfect system that is often abused. But at
least it is a mechanism that can be tuned and changed in the face of
abuse. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It beats by a country mile the narrow controls on cocaine,
marijuana, heroin and illicit drugs we have today. | ||||||||||||||||||||
These controls are almost entirely a response by the legal system,
which has as its major tool the ability to punish. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The parallel with the story of the man with only a hammer as a tool,
who sees everything as a nail, is hard to avoid. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Robert P. Owens, a former police chief and professor, died last week
at 74. This piece was originally published in the San Antonio
Express-News on June 13, 2005. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
"There is nothing more frightening than active ignorance." - Goethe | ||||||||||||||||||||
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DS Weekly is one of the many free educational services DrugSense
offers our members. Watch this feature to learn more about what
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Policy and Law Enforcement/Prison content selection and analysis by
Stephen Young (), Cannabis/Hemp content selection
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content selection and analysis by Doug Snead (),
Layout by Matt Elrod ()
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