| September 1997 #010 | ||||||||||||
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A DrugSense publication
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Table of Contents
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FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||
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George Soros and Drug Policy Reform
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A favorite debate among historians is the relative importance of
individuals versus impersonal historic forces in shaping the ultimate
outcome of events-the importance of Lincoln to the outcome of the Civil
War, for example. Today the same question could well be asked about the
importance of George Soros to the eventual shape of American drug policy in
the next century. | ||||||||||||
By now, most informed Americans are aware that the Hungarian born
financier-philanthropist has established a foundation for the purpose of
exploring alternatives to traditional drug policy and also played such a
critical role in the passage of Propositions 215 and 200 in California and
Arizona that he was labeled "the Daddy Warbucks of the legalization
movement" by an irritated Joseph Califano. | ||||||||||||
Beyond his critical financial contributions Soros' real importance may be the mere fact that he is an outspoken drug war critic. He correctly notes that drug issues have become such a political third rail that only those who are not public officials and enjoy financial independence can afford to voice open opposition. Such people have been in short supply in the past, and even when meeting those qualifications, critics lacking Soros' money have not been able to command much attention in a country where the media has been an all too willing agent in the government's demonization of drugs. Many Americans who have concluded the drug war is a failure, yet have been afraid to vocalize the extent of their opposition, now feel empowered when a wealthy and outspoken critic who can appear on the cover of Time magazine and have his opposition to the status quo treated in balanced and thoughtful fashion by the feature article inside that cover. | ||||||||||||
Using data from the same Time article, we find that Soros' fifteen million
dollar contribution to drug policy studies is dwarfed by his earlier
funding of free markets and democratic institutions in Eastern Europe. It
is also less than five percent of projected federal spending for drug war
propaganda in this year's ONDCP budget. Those within the reform movement
also know that contributions from far less affluent funders for a variety
of drug policy reform projects is at an all time high. So we see that
although undeniably important, welcome, and most of all, timely, it is not
George Soros' money which may prove historically decisive, it's his courage
to speak out and the ability of his wealth to command respectful attention
to what he has to say. | ||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||
Drug Czar | ||||||||||||
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SAN DIEGO (AP) - Sources in the national office of drug control policy told The Associated Press today that a Mexican drug trafficker placed a call to the FBI threatening to kill chief Gen. Barry McCaffrey. | ||||||||||||
The FBI and military officials considered the threat serious and credible, the highly placed sources within the drug policy office said. | ||||||||||||
The caller told the FBI field office in Texas that the murder would be
carried out with a missile attack. | ||||||||||||
The call was placed to the FBI Tuesday while McCaffrey was in Laredo, Texas. | ||||||||||||
"This is the first threat of this kind the general has ever received," two
unnamed sources said. | ||||||||||||
US officials notified Mexican officials and both were providing additional
security for McCaffrey. | ||||||||||||
Great Britain | ||||||||||||
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Charles backs inquiry into softening drug laws
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by Steve Doughty, Social Affairs Correspondent
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Prince Charles has personally approved a high-powered inquiry into drugs which is likely to propose sweeping reforms of the law. | ||||||||||||
The inquiry, set up by the influential Police Foundation think tank, will examine the possibility of making drug use legal in an attempt to end the spiral of crime and misery surrounding dealers and users. | ||||||||||||
The Prince, who is president of the foundation, gave his assent to the
investigation and approved the use of cash from his Prince's Trust charity
to pay for it. | ||||||||||||
The inquiry, to be conducted by a 13-strong committee including lawyers,
academics and senior police officers, has been likened to an unofficial
Royal commission. | ||||||||||||
Initiatives | ||||||||||||
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State 'Medical Marijuana' Law Wins Spot on 1988 Ballot
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The Secretary of State's Office said Tuesday that the so-called medical
marijuana law, approved last year by voters but gutted by the Legislature,
will be placed on the November 1998 general election ballot. A related
measure aimed at repealing a new law establishing special drug courts also
will be on the ballot. | ||||||||||||
State officials said they have verified about 80,000 signatures of registered voters for each measure, far more than the 56,481 needed. | ||||||||||||
The medical marijuana law called for legalizing marijuana and other illegal
drugs for use by patients if two licensed physicians offer supporting
research. It also sought to establish a probation and treatment program for
non-violent drug offenders. | ||||||||||||
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Initiative 685 Campaign for Smarter Drug Control Policy Begins | ||||||||||||
SEATTLE, Aug. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizens for Drug Policy Reform (CDPR), a broad coalition of doctors, patients, educators, public health specialists, the clergy and concerned citizens today launched the campaign for Initiative 685 -- an historic drug policy reform measure. | ||||||||||||
At a news conference in Seattle, CDPR spokesman and petitioner Dr. Rob
Killian, MC/MPH, said, "Initiative 685 acknowledges the sad truth -- that
the so-called 'war on drugs' is failing. It brings some urgently needed
common sense to a debate that has for too long been driven by
fear-mongering and political expediency." Killian, a Tacoma physician, is
part of a growing, nationwide movement of citizens from all walks of life
who now realize that drug abuse is a public health crisis -- better and
more cost-effectively addressed through treatment and education than
through incarceration. | ||||||||||||
Officially known as the Drug Medicalization and Prevention Act of 1997,
I-685 re-focuses current Washington State drug policy toward
"medicalization." It does not legalize, decriminalize or allow distribution
of any drug. It prescribes drug treatment or education programs for those
convicted of simple possession charges and gives judges the discretion, on
a case-by-case basis, to release minor offenders for court-supervised drug
treatment. Such release is not available to those with a violent criminal
history or to anyone already serving time for another crime. Those
convicted of committing violent crimes while on drugs must serve their full
sentence. | ||||||||||||
Medical Marijuana | ||||||||||||
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Lungren Backs Study on Medical Marijuana Use
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SACRAMENTO--Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren, the most vocal critic of California's
new medical marijuana law, announced his support Tuesday for a $3-million
research program intended to settle the decades-long dispute over the
drug's benefits and failings for the ill. | ||||||||||||
The decision by the state's conservative top lawman to back a bill by
liberal state Sen. John Vasconcellos (D-Santa Clara) unifies two political
opposites who have clashed repeatedly over medical marijuana. Although
hundreds of studies have been conducted on marijuana since it was declared
illegal in 1937, most of that research has been dismissed either by fans or
foes of the drug as being biased. Lungren, a gubernatorial hopeful who
boasts a long history as an anti-drug warrior, decided to back
Vasconcellos' bill only after it had been sufficiently modified to ensure
that the state-funded research, slated to be conducted over three years by
the University of California, would be unassailably objective. "California
needs a definitive study," Lungren said at a news conference. "I do not
fear the findings of an unbiased research project."
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Militarization | ||||||||||||
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Reuters
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SAN JOSE, Costa Rica-The United States wants to send military planes and warships to Central America and the Caribbean to help local police forces intercept drug shipments,Costa Rica's security minister said Tuesday. | ||||||||||||
The far-reaching plan aims to expand upon intelligence-sharing agreements
that the United States already has with many countries in the region,
Security Minister Laura Chinchilla said. | ||||||||||||
Washington has asked countries in the region to allow U.S. warships and
planes to use their territorial waters and airspace to track down other
vessels and aircraft suspected of carrying drugs. | ||||||||||||
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http://www.dallasnews.com | ||||||||||||
FBI upgrades probe into border shooting
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Full civil rights investigation planned in Marine's slaying of teen, agent
says
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By Douglas Holt / The Dallas Morning News
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EL PASO - The FBI has been given "carte blanche" to pursue a civil rights investigation into the shooting of an 18-year-old shepherd on the border by a Marine on a drug surveillance mission, an FBI official said Friday. | ||||||||||||
After receiving the FBI's preliminary investigation of the May 20 death of Esequiel "Zeke" Hernandez, Department of Justice lawyers in Washington told the FBI this week to upgrade its inquiry into a "full-field" investigation, said Terry Kincaid, the FBI resident agent-in-charge in Midland. | ||||||||||||
Sentencing | ||||||||||||
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"Disparity in Crack and Powder Cocaine Sentencing"
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By Eric E. Sterling
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Eric E. Sterling helped write the crack cocaine mandatory sentences as
counsel to the House Judiciary Committee in 1986. | ||||||||||||
The debate about crack and powder cocaine sentencing misses the big picture. In 1986, Congress gave the U.S. Justice Department a powerful tool to attack high-level drug traffickers--mandatory minimum prison sentences. Since then, 95 percent of the crack dealers sent to federal prison have not been high-level dealers. More than 60 percent have been bodyguards, couriers or street-level operators--the low-level offenders. | ||||||||||||
Soros | ||||||||||||
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Turning Dollars Into Change
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LONDON Great philanthropists often follow a simple formula: 1) make
billions of dollars in ways that stir controversy and occasional
outpourings of ire; 2) give much of it away to marble-plaqued institutions
like colleges and libraries so that public revulsion gradually melts into
reverence. | ||||||||||||
George Soros got the first part right. As a detached and mysterious
currency speculator, he made billions by moving markets in a manner that
made him a whipping boy for besieged bankers and ministers. In one famous
week in 1992, he made $1 billion betting against the British pound, earning
him the grudging title of the Man Who Broke the Bank of England. This
summer Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad accused him of being a
criminal. He said Soros the speculator had attacked Southeast Asian
currencies to punish their governments for admitting the Burmese military
regime--which Soros the humanitarian opposes--to asean, a regional
political and trade organization. | ||||||||||||
The War on Drugs | ||||||||||||
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Drug war lost to wishful thinking
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The government continues to rely on P.T. Barnum's belief (apparently
correct) that there is another sucker born every minute. A front-page
article in the Aug. 26 Chronicle noted, "U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey
came to this border city Monday and vowed to enlist Mexico's help in a war
he predicts can be won in a decade."
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A Tale of Two Wars
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We don't have a drug war in America. We have drug wars. One war gets waged
against kids and street creeps. It's a tough war. You don't want to get
caught in that one. An entirely different war gets fought against
malefactors who happen to be ballplayers, politicians or anyone whose face
appears on TV. This is a softy war, a pretend war. Lately, Southern
California has produced wonderful examples of these
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New Voice in Drug Debate Seeks to Lower Volume
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When Robert MacCoun, a psychologist at the University of California at
Berkeley, set out to analyze American perceptions about illegal drug use,
he found himself treading a political minefield. | ||||||||||||
"I was stunned at how emotional the debate is," MacCoun said. "The emotions
are very understandable -- drugs can cause a lot of serious harm to
society. But I think the emotions have made it hard to talk about solutions
in an effective way."
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Now a group of 34 scientists, drug-policy experts and public officials, MacCoun among them, is moving to stake out the middle ground in the drug debate by asserting that while drugs should not be made legal, the policies adopted to prevent their use have sometimes done more harm than good. | ||||||||||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||
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The Campaign for Initiative 685 formally began this week. (See, news digest
above or go to: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v97.n196.a04.html for the
full story.) In addition to the announcement of the campaign, they unveiled
their website. Modeled after the Arizona initiative which passed with 65
percent support in November 1996, Prop. 685 will be voted on this November
in Washington State. If passed Prop. 685 would release non-violent drug
offenders from prison, forbid incarceration for drug possession and allow
doctors to prescribe all Schedule I drugs, including marijuana. The
initiative emphasizes the role of health professionals in drug control and
de-emphasizes the role of police. Their website is located at:
http://www.eventure.com/I685/
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There is a new on-line forum at the NY Times webpage called Drug Policy.
The Times wants to hear your views. To urge the reform message go to:
male2('href="http://forum.nytimes.com/webin/webx?13@','.ee901f2">http://forum.nytimes.com')/webin/webx?13@@.ee901f2. | ||||||||||||
Let The Times -- the newspaper of record in the United States -- know what
you think. | ||||||||||||
You may be required to register with The Times webpage to participate.
There is no charge for this and it will allow you to search The New York
Times website in the future for news articles. | ||||||||||||
DRUGSENSE TIP OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||
Our DrugSense Tip of the Week comes from Nora Callahan the organizer of the
November Coalition. (You should visit their website at:
http://www.november.org) This is a group that highlights the prisoners of
the war on drugs. Through a story Nora demonstrates to us the importance of
speaking out about the injustices of the drug war at every opportunity.
Many DrugSense/MAP volunteers are members of professional or trade
associations, go to parties, conferences and family gatherings. Find
opportunities to speak about the drug war and urge people to come to our
web site: http://www.drugsense.org. | ||||||||||||
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An Airport Search Leads to a Drug War Conversation
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Dr. Rob Killian invited me to take part in the press conference held today
in Seattle to kick off the Initiative 685 Drug Medicalization and
Prevention Act (Washington State). Yesterday I purchased a "turn around
ticket". I returned to the airport and took an earlier flight home as
there were plenty of seats available. | ||||||||||||
The Alaska airlines ticketing agent asked, "Do you have any luggage to check?" | ||||||||||||
"No."
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"Any carry on's?"
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"No," I replied. | ||||||||||||
"Just your purse?"
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"Yes," I said. "Are you a member of our frequent flyer plan?" | ||||||||||||
"No," I said, "but maybe I should be."
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The agent then produced a long white tag saying, "Please bring your purse
onto the counter. We are searching all purses today."
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He placed the tag on my purse and told me that it would be searched. | ||||||||||||
Now doesn't this make perfect sense? Well, maybe there's been some
terrorist threat I was thinking with dread. | ||||||||||||
It became obvious in the security check point that not all purses were
being checked that day. Only mine that I could see. I realized that I'd
fit the "profile" of what the FAA is pressured by the DEA to watch for. All
the contents were emptied out and a terribly embarrassed woman began to go
through my belongings- my wallet with $20 in it and I wondered if there had
been $500 would I have that money tonight? Or just a receipt? My make-up
bag . . . and then my empty purse was xrayed again.
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The whole time this invasive process was going on I was saying, "Now isn't
this ridiculous? I know that you are looking for money or drugs because I
purchased a turn around ticket only yesterday. But you see, if I was
carrying drugs you could have me arrested for, or cash you would like to
confiscate - I wouldn't have left them in my purse. But I am not smuggling
drugs - I am simply an American citizen being violated right now because of
the War on some Drugs."
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I repeated this loudly so that the people who were watching my personal belongings scattered all over the table could know what all this is about. | ||||||||||||
I steamed on the plane and before leaving I stopped to talk to the pilots.
They invited me into the cockpit. | ||||||||||||
"Listen guys," I said. "I know that this situation isn't your fault, but you have meetings now and then I'm sure. Maybe you can pass this along. Here's what happened.... and then I continued. At work they make us pee in bottles... at an airport you are made a spectacle because you fit a so-called "profile". How far is this war on drugs going to take us? | ||||||||||||
Pilot #1 says, "I piss in a bottle before I fly and most likely when I
deplane I will have to piss in a bottle again. Next they will begin to draw
my blood."
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I said to Pilot #1, "And sir, I really don't give a damn what you do on
your days off - so long as you fly this plane sober."
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And he told me that not one plane crash has ever been attributed to the
pilot being under the influence of drugs. And I gave my anti-drug war
speal... one that I'd been saving for two pilots in a cockpit (just
kidding). They were really going off about how ridiculous all these
intrusions were and I asked them to visit our website because intrusion
become destruction for some of us - gave them a few website addresses to
look up - (drcnet.org included) and they wrote them down. And I asked
these two men to help support organizations that were working for change in
our current drug policy. | ||||||||||||
Constructively I got rid of my anger - well, the part that was threatening
to boil into rage. The experience reminded me that people are beginning to
realize that this war on the people isn't a war on drugs - and malcontents
are everywhere... even in cockpits.
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DS Weekly is just another of the many free services DrugSense offers our members. Watch this feature to learn more about what DrugSense can do for you. | ||||||||||||
Senior Editor: Mark Greer,
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We wish to thank each and every one of our contributors. | ||||||||||||
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Mark Greer
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