| June 30, 2006 #455 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
(1) PUBLIC HEALTH OVERRIDING ISSUE FOR NEEDLE SALE SUPPORTERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Hoping to slow the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C, state legislators
have approved legislation that would legalize the over-the-counter
purchase of hypodermic needles and syringes. | ||||||||||||||||||
In November the House voted 115-37 in favor of the measure. Last
Thursday, the Senate voted 26-9 in favor of the measure, filed by Sen.
Robert O'Leary, D-Barnstable. The bill was sent to Gov. Romney, who is
expected to veto it. But it is anticipated the veto will be overridden.
Forty-seven other states have decriminalized the non-prescription sale
and possession of hypodermic needles and syringes. | ||||||||||||||||||
The purpose of the bill is to counteract the spread of Hepatitis C and
AIDS through the sharing of contaminated needles. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It's an enormous public health issue," O'Leary said. "Almost 40
percent of all AIDS infections in Massachusetts are the result of dirty
needles. I think two-thirds of all Hepatitis C infections, which can be
fatal, are the result of dirty needles."
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Rep. Jeffrey Perry, R-Sandwich, was the only Cape legislator to oppose
the bill. Perry said that it would inhibit the state's ability to get
drug users into treatment programs. | ||||||||||||||||||
"As a former police officer, I know that sometimes police come upon people using drugs and the only things left is the hypo needle. Currently the person can be arrested and charged with said possession. The upside to the arrest is that this is the usual way IV drug users get into some type of court-ordered treatment. If we take the ability of police officers to arrest people who are in possession of hypos [because they have already used the drugs], less people will get into the system and be 'forced' into the help they need." Perry said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Perry also argued that to say it is OK to purchase and possess
something that is used for illegal drug use sends the wrong message to
young people. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(2) CANADA'S 'EYES WIDE OPEN' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Afghanistan Opium Poppy Report Pooh-Poohed By Politicians, Military | ||||||||||||||||||
Canadian politicians and military leaders are rejecting a British
report suggesting both troops and Afghan civilians are being killed
because of Canada's support of failing U.S. policies on elimination of
the opium poppy crop. | ||||||||||||||||||
The poppy eradication campaign has driven rural farmers into such extreme poverty that they are shifting their support to the Taliban as the international community and the Afghan government fail to meet their basic needs, says the report by the London-based Senlis Council. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Canadian troops have been handed an impossible mission which can only
lead to significant casualties," says the report, released on
Wednesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Until Canada fundamentally re-evaluates its approach and creates its
own new strategy for its presence in Kandahar, with a clear split from
the failed U.S. policies there, the Canadian mission in Afghanistan is
blindly following a path that will lead to senseless military and
civilian casualties."
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But Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor said Canada isn't blindly
following anyone. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Our eyes are wide open. We know what we're doing over there," O'Connor
said in Edmonton. | ||||||||||||||||||
O'Connor acknowledged poppy eradication is a tough sell in a country where its cultivation is often the only form of livelihood. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(3) ATTACK ON DRUG EXCLUSION PLAN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Councillors in Melbourne's western suburbs have joined social workers
in attacking a plan by police in the City of Maribyrnong to ban drug
users and dealers from their municipality. | ||||||||||||||||||
Today Senior Sergeant David Byrt from Footscray police outlined Project Reduction, a 12-month pilot program whereby police will apply to magistrates for exclusion orders to stop non-resident drug offenders from entering the nine suburbs that make up the City of Maribyrnong. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sergeant Byrt described the plan as an "innovative" and "realistic"
move to reduce drug-related crime in Footscray and surrounding suburbs
such as Seddon, Braybrook and Maidstone. | ||||||||||||||||||
But councillors from neighbouring municipalities Hobsons Bay and Moonee
Valley believe Maribyrnong's Project Reduction will simply push drug-
related activity into their areas. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I am most concerned that it will actually move the people into the
next suburb, which would be Flemington-Kensington and then throughout
the City of Moonee Valley," said Moonee Valley mayor Jan Chantry, whose
municipality includes Essendon and Ascot Vale. | ||||||||||||||||||
Cr Chantry said she believed the plan was a draconian and out-of-date
approach to drug users. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Contemporary drug policy promotes treatment and rehabilitation for
dependants rather than an approach like this that I believe will
further stigmatise drug dependant people," she said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(4) GOING TO POT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
On the surface, most people reading about a recent court decision might be forgiven for wondering "what has that judge been smoking?" | ||||||||||||||||||
But that would be wrong. | ||||||||||||||||||
I'm not a betting person, but if I were I'd bet a lot of money that
Alberta Court of Queen's Bench Justice Sheilah Martin has never smoked
marijuana (which is a good thing, but bare with me). | ||||||||||||||||||
Why? Because if she had smoked marijuana she'd know that doing so is
NOT a disability -- it's a choice, akin to eating a piece of cake, or
not. (Of course, if someone's smoked a joint, chances are, they'd have
two pieces of cake!)
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In a ruling first handed down on May 11, but only brought to the
public's attention this week through media attention, Justice Martin
overturned an earlier Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission
ruling. | ||||||||||||||||||
In essence, Justice Martin ruled, that casual pot smoking is a "disability," and firing someone who tested positive for the active ingredient in marijuana in a pre-employment urine test is discriminatory under Alberta's Human Rights laws, on that basis. | ||||||||||||||||||
Justice Martin ruled Kellogg Brown & Root -- a company operating in
Fort McMurray -- discriminated against John Chiasson when it fired him
from his oilsands' job after he tested positive for marijuana in a pre-
employment drug test. | ||||||||||||||||||
No, you did not read this wrong. | ||||||||||||||||||
You are not having a drug-induced flashback causing massive
misunderstanding. | ||||||||||||||||||
A Justice has ruled that a company that operates in a highly
industrialized and dangerous environment is not allowed to screen out
and fire drug users in their employ. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy
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COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Some columnists and other observers noted the 20th anniversary of
basketball star Len Bias's death and the way that event crystallized
anti-drug rhetoric into incredibly harsh legislation. We are left
with the legacy of the legislation, but how well is it working?
Maybe not so well in New Hampshire, where reported drug deaths have
risen over the past ten years. | ||||||||||||||||||
At few other media outlets come to similar conclusions sometimes. A
Texas newspaper offered a convincing argument against prohibition
last week. And, Cliff Thornton, running for governor of Connecticut
on the Green Party ticket, got some good press coverage in his
state. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(5) COLUMN: 20 YEARS AFTER, A LEGACY HIJACKED
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WASHINGTON--Twenty years have passed since the cocaine-induced death of basketball wizard Len Bias touched off a war on drugs. His legacy, in the odd way that politics play out, is harsher penalties for crack cocaine, which is not quite the same drug that Bias used. | ||||||||||||||||||
On June 19, 1986, two nights after the Boston Celtics selected him
as the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft, Bias died of a cocaine overdose.
He was 22. Eight days later, Don Rogers, a defensive player for the
Cleveland Browns, also died of a cocaine overdose. | ||||||||||||||||||
But, Bias' tragedy is the one most remembered. Bias appeared to be
destined for greatness. Many were comparing the 6-foot-8-inch
University of Maryland basketball star to another young prospect,
Michael Jordan. | ||||||||||||||||||
Grief was particularly pronounced in Boston, where Celtics fans
hoped Bias would team up with future Hall of Famer Larry Bird for a
few years, then take leadership of the franchise. | ||||||||||||||||||
"All anybody in Boston is talking about is Len Bias," said
then-House Speaker Tip O'Neill ( D-Mass. ), according to "Smoke and
Mirrors, The War on Drugs and the Politics of Failure," by Dan Baum,
a former Wall Street Journal reporter. "They want blood. If we move
fast enough, we can get out in front of the White House." In early
July, Speaker O'Neill ordered his party's leadership to write some
anti-drug legislation. Soon, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady
Nancy Reagan would issue a personal appeal on national television
for a "crusade" against drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
Black leaders shared the outrage. Bill Cosby, voicing an indignation
that would make headlines two decades later, joined the Rev. Jesse
Jackson on a Chicago stage to call for federal and citizen action.
"For too long, we've been blaming other people," said Cosby,
according to the Chicago Tribune. "In order to clean up the drug
problem, we have to re-evaluate who we are. We've got to take
charge." Among other measures, Jackson called for increased use of
military force along the nation's borders to fight the drug trade
and broader search-and-seizure freedoms for undercover narcotics
police. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(6) N.H. DRUG DEATHS SPIKE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Drug-overdose deaths have climbed sharply in New Hampshire over the
last 10 years, and they show no sign of slacking. | ||||||||||||||||||
Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Andrew has compiled statistics on
fatal drug overdoses in the state for several years, and his records
show drug overdoses have risen steadily, from 39 in 1995 to 153 last
year. | ||||||||||||||||||
"There is a 150 to 175 percent increase in drug-related deaths over
the past five years in New Hampshire," Andrew said. | ||||||||||||||||||
"There was a time when we thought drug overdose deaths were going to
exceed traffic deaths in New Hampshire, but drivers sort of sunk to
the challenge," and motor vehicle fatalities have increased, as
well, Andrew said. ( There were 171 traffic-related deaths in the
state in 2004. )
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The state Department of Health and Human Services also keeps statistics
on hospital admissions, which include treatment for non-fatal
overdoses, but those records are less clear-cut. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(7) EDITORIAL: LOSING THE DRUG WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Decriminalization Would Be More Effective Than Drug Eradication | ||||||||||||||||||
There is an old saying: "There are none so blind as those who will
not see," which comes to mind when we see news reports about
expanding the international drug war. Two stories from Colombia last
week support that belief. | ||||||||||||||||||
The first was a United Nations report that noted that despite
record-setting eradication measures in 2005, the country's coca
production increased 8 percent. A day later, Colombian Interior
Minister Sabas Pretelt said that despite the U.N. report, the aerial
spraying campaign is working and should be stepped up. | ||||||||||||||||||
Aerial spraying to kill coca crops is the cornerstone of the drug
war in Colombia, the largest producer of cocaine used in the United
States. It allows the Colombian drug warriors, with U.S. support, to
reach remote jungle areas. The program is a joint effort between
Colombia and the United States and is part of Plan Colombia, a drug
interdiction program that has cost U.S. taxpayers $4 billion since
2000. | ||||||||||||||||||
A report from the Office of National Drug Control Policy in April also found that the area under coca cultivation had grown, despite the spraying. So here we have two reports in recent months clearly showing that what we're doing in Colombia isn't working, and Pretelt's plan is to throw even more of our money at the problem? | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(8) THORNTON'S FOCUSED ON FAILED DRUG WAR IN HIS RUN FOR GOVERNOR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
If there is a list of words to exclude from a politician's official
campaign biography, it's a fair bet that "heroin" is on it. And yet,
there it is, bearing its baggage of addiction, shame and despair, in
the first sentence of Clifford W. Thornton Jr.'s description of who
he is and why he believes he should be governor. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thornton is the Green Party's candidate for governor, and, as he
tells it, the only one of the four seeking the job who will try to
tackle the single most important issue facing Connecticut's cities
and the state at large: "No one's talking about the drug war,"
Thornton says. | ||||||||||||||||||
That war, in Thornton's view, is a failure, overly expensive,
inhumane to the addicted and ineffective at preventing the sort of
violence that has gripped neighborhoods in Hartford, New Haven and
elsewhere in recent months. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Law Enforcement & Prisons
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COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Some editorialists and columnists noted the severe blow that the U.S. Supreme Court dealt to the Fourth Amendment, all for the drug war. Also last week, police target minority business owners in Georgia; a school principal endorses a teacher with a very colorful past (and possible present); and, big headlines about a bust in Chicago related to a deadly mix of heroin and fentanyl, though police didn't recover any of the mixed drugs in the bust. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(9) COLUMN: COURT SIGNALS LOOSENING OF THE LAST REINS ON POLICE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The U.S. Supreme Court just eviscerated the "knock and announce"
rules that require police to announce their presence and give
residents a bit of time before smashing in their door. Justice
Antonin Scalia's majority opinion in Hudson vs. Michigan, discounted
the privacy interest involved, sneering that "knock and announce"
amounts to little more than the right "not to be intruded upon in
one's nightclothes."
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( I don't know about him, but I would put a pretty hefty premium on
avoiding that particular scenario. )
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But Scalia has a point in implying that the case has little
practical importance, since the protocol that police knock, identify
themselves and then wait 15 or 20 seconds before entering, has gone
the way of the 50-cent cup of coffee. It can still be found, but not
nearly as often as it used to be. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Joe Friday approach to conducting a search has been replaced by
Rambo in riot gear because years earlier the high court permitted
the waiver of the "knock and announce" requirement - a rule grounded
in our Fourth Amendment privacy rights - in almost every
circumstance. If there's a chance that evidence will be destroyed -
such as the possibility of drugs being flushed down the toilet, or a
potential for physical violence - such as, the police suspect there
is a gun in the home, the Supreme Court has said it is not necessary
to give advanced notice of entry. | ||||||||||||||||||
We now have plenty of experience with "no-knock" warrants, as they
are called, and the trail of victims this terrorizing tactic has
left behind. | ||||||||||||||||||
Radley Balko, a policy analyst at the libertarian Cato Institute,
says that he has documented nearly 200 cases of "wrong door" raids
occurring in the past 15 years, where the police broke into an
innocent person's house. He says the correct figure is probably
higher, but police and prosecutors don't generally bother keeping
statistics on the operations they botch. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(10) WITNESS SAYS OFFICERS COACHED HIM TO TALK FAST, USE SLANG IN (Top)METH CASE | ||||||||||||||||||
ROME, Ga. - A witness testified Thursday that investigators told an undercover informant to talk fast and use a slang term for methamphetamines as part of a sweeping drug sting that defense lawyers contend unfairly targeted South Asian-owned stores. | ||||||||||||||||||
John Edward Ross told a federal judge that a Georgia Bureau of
Investigation agent told his cousin to buy pseudoephedrine, a key
ingredient to produce meth, and tell the South Asian clerk he was
going to make a "cook."
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The ACLU wants U.S. District Judge Harold Murphy to toss out the
cases against dozens of South Asian merchants indicted last year in
Operation Meth Merchant, a sting designed to send a message to
retailers knowingly selling methamphetamine-related products to drug
makers. | ||||||||||||||||||
The group is arguing in a federal lawsuit that prosecutors and
police selectively targeted South Asians during an 18-month
investigation that aimed to curb the sale of household products used
to manufacture meth, while ignoring white-owned stores in the drug
sting. | ||||||||||||||||||
In early 2004, 15 undercover agents were sent to small grocery
stores, tobacco shops and delis in six remote northwest Georgia
counties. Prosecutors said the informants were sold products ranging
from antifreeze to pseudoephedrine even after the informants told
the clerks - sometimes using slang terms - that they planned to make
meth. | ||||||||||||||||||
The sting raised eyebrows when 44 of the 49 retail clerks and
convenience store owners indicted were South Asian, including many
who shared the last name Patel. All but one of the 24 implicated
stores were owned by South Asians, prompting critics to claim
authorities are "scapegoating" minorities. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(11) PRINCIPAL STANDS BY TROUBLED TEACHER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Letter Asks Judge For Leniency For Convicted Felon
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A Baltimore principal used school stationery to request leniency for
a teacher who had pleaded guilty in August to carrying 5 pounds of
cocaine in his car and was allowed to continue teaching until his
sentencing two weeks ago. | ||||||||||||||||||
The two-page letter of support from Principal Edith M. Jones
defended Martius Harding as a talented but troubled teacher who
shepherded his special education pupils and served as a role model
for children and staff at Govans Elementary School. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Judge Bennett, Mr. Harding is a very kind, caring man, with an
unbelievable spirit as a father and teacher," Jones wrote. "He is a
young man, A young man, who, as intelligent as he is, having gone to
some of the finest formalized schools, has done some very stupid
things in his life."
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U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett made the letter public
yesterday at the request of The Sun. | ||||||||||||||||||
The letter does not explain why Jones allowed Harding to teach at
the North Baltimore school when he arrived with a felony conviction
from 2001. It also does not detail why Harding failed to receive his
state certification or why he continued teaching this year after an
arrest on cocaine possession charges in February last year and a
drug conviction in August. Schools officials have declined to say
whether Jones acted appropriately. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(12) PROSECUTORS CHARGE 47 IN CHICAGO DRUG BUST (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
CHICAGO . Federal prosecutors Wednesday charged more than three
dozen members of a Chicago street gang with running a drug ring that
sold crack cocaine, marijuana, heroin and the potentially lethal
prescription painkiller fentanyl. | ||||||||||||||||||
Fentanyl-laced heroin has been blamed for more than 200
overdose-related deaths across the eastern half of the country in
recent months, at least 70 in the Chicago area. | ||||||||||||||||||
But while much of the fentanyl seized in the investigation was
packaged for individual use, none of the seized heroin was found to
be mixed with fentanyl, authorities said. The painkiller is 80 times
stronger than morphine. | ||||||||||||||||||
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Shapiro alleged that the Mickey Cobras gang marketed its drugs to take advantage of the deadly heroin's notoriety, selling products with names such as "Max Pain," "Lethal Injection," "Fear Factor," "Drop Dead" and "Final Call." | ||||||||||||||||||
"They carry niche marketing to its extreme," Shapiro said. "They
sell branded heroin."
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None of the defendants had been charged with the fentanyl deaths, he
said. | ||||||||||||||||||
In a series of raids Wednesday, agents seized more than 100
kilograms, or 220 pounds, of heroin, five firearms, four vehicles
and an undetermined amount of cash, according to the Drug
Enforcement Administration. More than 400 federal and local law
enforcement officers were involved. | ||||||||||||||||||
The criminal complaint charged 47 members and associates of the gang
with conspiracy to possess and distribute heroin, crack cocaine,
marijuana and fentanyl. | ||||||||||||||||||
By early afternoon, 30 people had been arrested, including a police
officer. Tashika Sledge, 29, was accused of supplying information
about police activity to gang leader. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Cannabis & Hemp-
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COMMENT: (13-17) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Big news in the world of cannabis policy this week, starting with the U.S. House's rejection of the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment, a bill that would have stopped federal funding directed at prosecuting medical cannabis patients in states where use has been legalized. The vote was 259-163, marking a gain of two votes since 2005. Our second story this week is a great editorial from the Vancouver Sun in response to a recently released United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime report suggesting that as a result of increased potency, cannabis is now as dangerous as heroin and cocaine. The Sun argues that even if this were true (which of course it isn't), the Sun argues that these findings make a strong argument for acknowledging the failures of the "war on drugs", and for moving towards a "control and regulate" model of access for responsible adult users. | ||||||||||||||||||
Our third story this week looks at Italy's newly elected Prodi
government, and their plan to reverse the "zero tolerance" policies
of the former Berlusconi government by doubling the amount of
cannabis adults are legally allowed to possess for personal use.
Next, a great San Francisco Chronicle column by Debra J. Saunders,
who makes a strong argument as to why the House should have passed
the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment. And lastly this week, an
interesting story about Russell Barth and Christine Lowe, two legal
Canadian medical cannabis users who are breaking down the stigma and
stereotypes associated with the medical use of cannabis by giving
"cooking with cannabis" demonstrations at Ottawa's Ravenswing Craft
and Zine Fair. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(13) HOUSE VOTES TO CONTINUE ALLOWING FEDERAL PROSECUTION OF MEDICAL (Top)MARIJUANA USERS | ||||||||||||||||||
The House on Wednesday voted to continue to allow federal
prosecution of those who smoke marijuana for medical purposes in
states with laws that permit it. | ||||||||||||||||||
A year ago, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government can
prosecute medical marijuana users, even when state laws allow
doctor-prescribed use of the drug. | ||||||||||||||||||
By a 259-163 vote, the House again turned down an amendment that
would have blocked the Justice Department from prosecuting people in
the 11 states with such medical marijuana laws. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(14) UN DRUG REPORT UNINTENTIONALLY ARGUES AGAINST PROHIBITION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2006 World Drug Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime will, no doubt, convince many people that we haven't been
diligent enough in prosecuting the war on drugs, that we have to
step up our efforts to eradicate illicit drugs, particularly
marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
But the report actually confirms that the war on drugs has been a
dismal failure, that it has failed to decrease marijuana use and it
has placed users in greater danger. | ||||||||||||||||||
So great is the threat from marijuana, the UN report authors
believe, that they included a separate chapter titled Cannabis --
Why We Should Care, in its annual report. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Regardless of what the agency says, its evidence its clear: The war
on marijuana has failed to decrease drug use, and has increased the
dangers faced by users. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(15) ITALY RELAXES CANNABIS LAWS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Boosted by its overwhelming victory in the referendum on devolution
yesterday, the centre-left Government of Romano Prodi has moved to
dismantle yet another legacy of the Berlusconi era by overturning
its "zero tolerance" drugs policy. | ||||||||||||||||||
The change will restore the distinction between "hard" and "soft"
drugs, and will increase the amount of cannabis a person can possess
without being arrested as a suspected dealer. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Livia Turco, the Minister of Health and a member of the former
Communist Democrats of the Left, said today that she would act
immediately on the amount of cannabis permitted, an administrative
measure that does not require parliamentary approval. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(16) SUPPORT STATES' RIGHTS -- OK MEDICAL POT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
If ever a piece of legislation should pass readily through the House, it is a measure sponsored by Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., and Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach, that would prevent the Department of Justice from using tax dollars to prosecute medical-marijuana patients in states that have legalized medical marijuana. Because it is a good bill, expect it to fail. | ||||||||||||||||||
Polls show that some 3 out of 4 Americans support allowing doctors
to prescribe medical marijuana for patients who need it. House
members must know that constituents within their districts use
marijuana to control pain and nausea; their families would like to
live without the fear of prosecution. As Time Magazine reported last
year, research shows that the drug has salutary "analgesic and
anti-inflammatory effects."
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Republicans should be drawn to the states' rights angle of the bill,
while Democrats should go for the personal stories of constituents
who have found relief, thanks to medical marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
Yet when the House last voted on the measure in 2005, it tanked on a
264-162 vote. As the House is expected to vote on the measure this
week, few expect it to pass. "I wish I could tell you it's going to
pass," Marijuana Policy Project spokesman Bruce Mirken conceded by
phone last week. "I can't realistically expect that."
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Over the last decade, two big hurdles existed: Republicans and
Democrats. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(17) COOKIN' WITH CANNABIS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Couple Serves Up Medicinal Recipes
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Even Russell Barth cringes at the thought of sipping a homemade tea that's been steeping in a cannabis solution for 10 minutes. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It tastes gross," the 37-year-old pot activist says as the
concoction cools in a refrigerator at the Jack Purcell Community
Centre. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I'm not drinking it for fun. I'm taking it to alleviate symptoms." | ||||||||||||||||||
Barth and his wife, Christine Lowe, put on a cooking clinic during
the Ravenswing Craft and Zine Fair at the community centre
yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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International News
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COMMENT: (18-21) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
June 26 marked "International Day against Drug Abuse & Illicit Drug Trafficking", an annual orgy of politically correct attitudes against "drugs", drugs deemed to be illicit by authoritarian regimes worldwide. As with the burning of witches (Europe, 1400s), and the Nazi book burning (Germany, 1930s), prohibitionists love public displays of righteousness, and drug burnings were likewise held worldwide. Amidst anti-drug speeches, politicians struggled to outdo one another with public display of anger against "drugs." | ||||||||||||||||||
In Myanmar (formerly Burma), as drugs were burnt in a public with
great fanfare, officials mouthed platitudes that making "the scourge
of narcotic drugs" go away would now be a "national priority" for
Myanmar. | ||||||||||||||||||
In the Mediterranean island of Malta, politically correct OPEDs
marked the international anti-drugs rhetoric day with a mighty
editorial blast against "the drug pushers and the drug abusers", who
"take the horrendous decision to "try one, to see how it feels'."
Falling for the canard that once key smugglers are arrested,
problems caused by prohibition will somehow then go away, the Times
of Malta seemed genuinely mystified that police can never quite seem
to arrest their way out of the drug problem. "It remains strange
that on an island the size of ours, the pushers and the traffickers
and the big ones remain difficult to track down."
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In Thailand, officials burned "drugs" in a "bonfire" in a special
photo-op, to make sure everyone gets the message. "The event was
witnessed by representatives of Thai and international agencies and
organisations, including foreign journalists." Reports made no
mention of the over 2,000 drug "suspects" gunned down by Thai police
in summary executions, in recent years. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(18) $100M WORTH OF DRUGS DESTROYED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
YANGON, Myanmar - Myanmar, the world's second-largest producer of
opium, on Monday destroyed more than a tonne of seized substances
with a street value of over $100 million U.S. to mark an
international anti-drug day, officials said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Speaking at the drug burning, police chief Maj. Gen. Khin Yi said
Myanmar has made the eradication of "the scourge of narcotic drugs
... a national priority," resulting in a sharp decline in opium
| ||||||||||||||||||
Drug enforcement officials said they torched 170 kilograms of heroin, 691 kilograms of opium, more than 20 million methamphetamine tablets, 102 kilograms of crystallized methamphetamine, and chemicals used for making drugs, worth a total of $148.4 million. | ||||||||||||||||||
The ceremony was held at the at the Drug Elimination Museum in Yangon to mark International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, and was attended by senior government officials. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(19) A CALL TO BATTLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Today is the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit
Trafficking. What are we going to do about it? That "we" embraces the
whole of society, from the law enforcers to the drug pushers and the
drug abusers, to parents and their friends, their teachers, their
employers, the owners of sleazy bars and squeaky-clean establishments
or hotels where transactions are made, where at some momentous times in
their lives, youngsters or their elders take the horrendous decision to
"try one, to see how it feels". | ||||||||||||||||||
It remains strange that on an island the size of ours, the pushers
and the traffickers and the big ones remain difficult to track down,
although much has been done and is being done by the police. One big
step remains to be taken: nailing down the Big Fish himself/herself
to break the back of the drug problem in Malta. Easier said than
done; that much is obvious. | ||||||||||||||||||
Statistics compiled by the National Focal Point for Drugs and Drug
Addiction show the estimated number of problematic drug users, that
is "current daily heroin users" aged between 15 and 64, is in the
region of 1,500 to 1,700. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(20) DRUG ABUSE - THREAT TO CHILDREN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Activities to commemorate the day against drug abuse are underway
nationwide. | ||||||||||||||||||
Medical reports indicate that drug abuse can cause serious depression, nervousness, irregular heartbeat For a just and effective drug policy, the United Nations proclaimed every June 26 as the "International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking". Activities to celebrate the day are already taking place nationwide under the theme "drugs are not child's play". | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(21) ILLICIT DRUGS MAKE A BONFIRE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Thai government burned some 3.5 tonnes of seized narcotics worth
nearly 11 billion baht (about $285 million) Monday morning to mark
Thailand's observance of the International Day against Drug Abuse
and Illicit Drug Trafficking,
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Public Health Minister Pinij Jarusombat presided over a ceremony to
destroy the seized drugs, the 34th of its kind over the past years,
at the Bang Pa-in Industrial Estate in this central province of
Ayutthaya Province. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Burned were 32 million tablets of methamphetamines weighing 2,800
kilogrammes, as well as heroin, opium, ecstasy, cocaine, cannabis
and codeine. | ||||||||||||||||||
The event was witnessed by representatives of Thai and international agencies and organisations, including foreign journalists. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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
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RESPONSE OF CLUSTER HEADACHE TO PSILOCYBIN AND LSD
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Neurology, the official journal of the American Academy of Neurology, published findings from interviews with people who have attempted to treat cluster headaches with psilocybin-containing mushrooms or LSD. | ||||||||||||||||||
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DRUG BUSTS = JIM CROW
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By Ira Glasser
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DPA president, Ira Glasser, discusses the implications of America's
racist drug war in an article published in The Nation. | ||||||||||||||||||
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WASTED IN THE WAR ON DRUGS
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The White House Office of National Drug Policy (ONDCP) has wasted
billions of taxpayers' dollars since its formation in 1988 on
ineffective and counter-productive policies that fail to meet the
agency's core objectives, according to a report released this week by
the non-partisan Washington, DC think-tank Citizens Against Government
Waste (CAGW). | ||||||||||||||||||
http://www.cagw.org/site/DocServer/Drug_Report.pdf?docID=1661 | ||||||||||||||||||
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WAR ON MEDICINE
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By Steph Sherer
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June 27, 2006
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Steph Sherer is executive director of Americans for Safe Access, a
30,000-member organization fighting for safe and legal access to
cannabis for treatment and research. | ||||||||||||||||||
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/06/27/war_on_medicine.php | ||||||||||||||||||
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REEFER MADNESS FROM THE UNITED NATIONS ON INTERNATIONAL ANTI-DRUG DAY
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A Drug War Chronicle Feature
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WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
WRITE A LETTER ABOUT THE UN'S DRUG WAR
| ||||||||||||||||||
UN Agency Prevaricates - A MAP Focus Alert
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LEGISLATORS FAILED US, BUT WE WON'T FAIL PROP 36
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Late Tuesday night, the California Legislature failed miserably. Our
politicians ignored constituents' pleas and gutted the state's hugely
successful treatment-instead-of-incarceration law, setting a precedent
that would allow legislators to regularly override the will of the
voters. | ||||||||||||||||||
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LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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WHAT IS A "SERIOUS DRUG CRIME?" / By Redford Givens
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Re: Jasperites 'get the dope on dope' ( June 14th Booster ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Perhaps Yellowhead MP Rob Merrifield can clear up the definition of
just what a "serious drug crime" might be. | ||||||||||||||||||
Would a "serious drug crime" be establishing a drug policy that puts
control of the "drug" market into criminal hands?
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Or would a "serious drug crime" be subsidizing a violent drug market
that causes robbery and assault?
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Since there was no such thing as "drug crime" ( ie robbery,
burglary, assault, rape etc ) connected with drug use when drugs
were legal, would a "serious drug crime" be establishing a drug
policy that increases crime in every category?
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Since there were virtually zero "drug deaths" before drug
prohibition, would a "serious drug crime" be establishing a system
that kills thousands every year?
| ||||||||||||||||||
Redford Givens
| ||||||||||||||||||
San Francisco
| ||||||||||||||||||
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FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
PRISON FOR YOU, YES, BUT NOT FOR ME
| ||||||||||||||||||
By John Stossel
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Our elected officials say they are just like the rest of us. But
that's a myth. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The king can do no wrong" is often closer to the truth. | ||||||||||||||||||
Consider drug use. In 1992, when Presidential candidate Bill Clinton
was asked about his, he said, "I have never broken the laws of my
country." It was one of those lawyerly language tricks, which was
revealed when a reporter later asked him about laws in other
countries. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I have never broken a state law," he said. "When I was in England,
I experimented with marijuana a time or two, and I didn't like it
and didn't inhale."
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There was a smirk on his face; it was clear drug use was no big deal to him. Remember when he played the sax on TV? What got him the biggest laugh that night was talking about smoking dope: "That's how I learned to inhale, by playing my saxophone," he said, grinning. "You blow out and then you have to inhale." Everyone applauded. | ||||||||||||||||||
What fun. His vice president, Al Gore, did drugs, too -- "as a student, a few times in the army" -- and so did other officials, like former Senator Bill Bradley and Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. Our current President simply admitted to "mistakes" in his youth, and his father, George H.W. Bush, when asked if he had ever smoked grass, replied, "No, but I'd hate to speak for my kids." | ||||||||||||||||||
It's something to chuckle about. After all, more than 30 million
Americans have tried cocaine, according to the latest National
Survey on Drug Use. Ninety million Americans have used marijuana at
least once. "It is not a big deal," said Bill Clinton.
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But if it's no big deal, why did he and his vice president push for
tougher drug laws with longer jail time, and why are we arresting
more people than ever, more than 1.5 million Americans a year, on
drug charges?
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The biggest category of arrest is possession of marijuana. We arrest
more people for marijuana than for rape, robbery, murder, and
aggravated assault combined. Eight out of 10 drug arrests are just
for possession -- for exactly what the politicians admitted to
doing. Ha ha. We'll smoke grass and joke about it, but you, we'll
lock up. | ||||||||||||||||||
Hypocrites. | ||||||||||||||||||
The hypocrisy also comes out when their friends and family get
caught. | ||||||||||||||||||
Likely 2008 Presidential candidate John McCain, R-Ariz., has advocated tougher drug laws, but in the early 1990s, his wife, Cindy, stole Percocet and Vicodin from a charity. She was not prosecuted. Percocet and Vicodin are Schedule II drugs, in the same legal category as opium. Each pill theft carries a penalty of one year in prison and a monetary fine. But Mrs. McCain entered a pretrial diversion program and escaped without a criminal record. | ||||||||||||||||||
The son of Duke "Death Penalty for Drug Kingpins" Cunningham,
R-Calif., was convicted for possession of 400 pounds of marijuana.
Mother Jones reported that in court, the congressman cried and
pleaded for mercy, explaining that his son "has a good heart. He
works hard." The congressman -- who denounced "soft-on-crime liberal
judges" and railed against "reduced mandatory-minimum sentences for
drug trafficking" ( and who himself is now in prison for taking
bribes ) -- won for his son the mercy he fought to deny others: half
the federal "mandatory" minimum sentence. | ||||||||||||||||||
All too often, officials protect themselves and their families from the punishments they set up for the rest of us. Using drugs might be a crime for you, but it's a joke for someone named Bush or Clinton. | ||||||||||||||||||
Our rulers make laws to control and punish you and your family for
doing the very acts they flaunted in their youth. | ||||||||||||||||||
Smoking pot is not a big deal. If the politicians have enough common
sense to know that their lives shouldn't be ruined over a little
drug use, they should also have enough common decency to recognize
that neither should anyone else's. | ||||||||||||||||||
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"One of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous
citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which
our founding fathers used in the great struggle for independence."
- Charles A. Beard
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Policy and Law Enforcement/Prison content selection and analysis by
Stephen Young (), Cannabis/Hemp content selection
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Layout by Matt Elrod (). Analysis comments
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