| November 23, 1998 #075 | ||||||||||||||||||
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A DrugSense publication | ||||||||||||||||||
Do you find this Newsletter useful? Can you help us with a donation?
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING! | ||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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So, No One Goes to Jail For Marijuana Offenses and They Don't Arrest
Medicinal Users | ||||||||||||||||||
by R. Keith Stroup | ||||||||||||||||||
Marijuana prohibitionists like to claim no one goes to jail for
marijuana offenses and that they don't arrest people who are merely
using marijuana for medical purposes. The case of medical patient Linda
Jean Marlowe shows both those claims to be false. | ||||||||||||||||||
The NORML legal committee has been involved in the prosecution of Ms. Marlowe's for some time, first when the state of North Carolina was prosecuting her and then in the federal prosecution that followed. Yesterday, Tuesday, November 24, 1998, Asheville, NC Federal District Court Judge Lacey Thornburg sentenced this medical marijuana patient to 6 months home confinement after being jailed for a month. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mrs. Marlowe, known to her friends as "Jean," was arrested and charged
with several federal felonies, based on her receipt of a package of
marijuana from Switzerland. Jean, 45, has several rare and debilitating
diseases, and had obtained the marijuana for her personal medical use.
She suffers from porphyria (a congenital liver abnormality),
degenerative disk disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia.
These diseases cause Jean constant, severe pain and the pain causes
Jean to vomit repeatedly. | ||||||||||||||||||
Because of her liver condition, Jean can not take conventional pain
medications. Dr. Frederick Bissel, Jean's treating physician, explained
at a recent hearing that conventional pain medications can harm Jean's
diseased liver, while marijuana is a highly effective analgesic and
does not damage the liver. | ||||||||||||||||||
Jean's attorneys asked the Court for leave to present evidence of her
medical need for marijuana, but the Court refused. Without the option
of asserting her only defense, Jean was found guilty by a jury on June
8, 1998. She retained her right to appeal the court's refusal to permit
her to raise a medical necessity defense. | ||||||||||||||||||
While out on supervised release awaiting sentencing, Jean continued to
smoke marijuana to alleviate pain, causing her to fail several court
ordered drug tests, and resulting in her bond being revoked and Jean
being incarcerated on November 9, 1998. | ||||||||||||||||||
During her first nights in jail, she had to sleep on the floor of an
overcrowded, cold cell with no blankets. Eventually she was moved to
solitary confinement since that cell had a bench for sleeping. The cell
lacked a sink or toilet, however, and Jean was forced to urinate and
vomit into a crack in floor. | ||||||||||||||||||
Pain is a part of Jean's family history. Jean's father died from
multiple sclerosis, and her brother recently killed himself because of
the ravaging effects of multiple sclerosis. Jean visited her brother in
his hospital room as he lay dying from his own hand. After he died,
Jean walked to the hospital parking lot with her husband, Steve, where
she was surrounded and arrested by law enforcement officers for her
medical use of marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
NORML had offered to make Dr. Morgan available as a witness at the
sentencing hearing, but the judge again ruled against permitting any
medical evidence to be introduced. Thus, the judge is going to sentence
Jean while ignoring the significant mitigating fact that she was using
marijuana for medical purposes for which there is a great deal of
scientific evidence. In this case justice has chosen to be blind of
pertinent facts. | ||||||||||||||||||
Earlier this week the FBI reported that for the first time in US
history there were 695,201 marijuana arrests last year, 87% of which
were for possession. A good deal of those -- no doubt in the thousands
-- will spend some time incarcerated. A larger percentage will be put
on probation and, like Jean, be subjected to regular urine screens. No
doubt some will fail those tests and be incarcerated. | ||||||||||||||||||
Because of record arrests, lengthy sentences and high levels of incarceration, ending marijuana prohibition is perhaps a more pressing matter than ever before. While the highest priority is ensuring that medical patients like Jean Marlowe do not face arrest and incarceration, it is also urgent for marijuana policy to end its reliance on law enforcement and find more sensible approaches to dealing with a substance that many Americans use responsibly. | ||||||||||||||||||
Visit http://www.norml.org for more information on NORML and the work
of its legal committee. If you have any questions contact or for more
information, please contact: Keith Stroup, Esq. or Tanya Kangas, Esq.
at 202-483-5500. | ||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Medical Marijuana- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Medical marijuana continues to be a hot topic both at home and abroad.
Martin Chavez, the Orange County marijuana club operator was found
guilty in a case where the court refused to allow a Proposition 215
defense and a police investigator testified that police had not been
given any training on enforcing Proposition 215 and its relation to
marijuana prosecutions. Reformers need to make sure that we will not
be hearing many more cases like this as a result of the Democratic
sweep in this year's elections. We also need to undo the damage done
by people currently in power who have ignored the will of the people
as expressed by Proposition 215. | ||||||||||||||||||
Medical marijuana continues to undermine research. Keith Green, a
anti-medical marijuana researcher who testified for the DEA in the
mid-1980s when marijuana's scheduling was challenged, published
research that showed marijuana needs to be smoked throughout the day
for glaucoma patients.It's not surprising that a politicized
researcher reached a political conclusion. But, even if true there are
some patients and doctors who would prefer regular smoking to
blindness. Green's political research does not mean police should
decide and not patients with their doctors. | ||||||||||||||||||
Democracy continues to be undermined in DC, and the rest of the
country is starting to notice. | ||||||||||||||||||
Across the ocean in Great Britain the House of Lords, equivalent to the US Senate, recommended allowing the medical use of marijuana. The government immediately rejected the recommendation and the police arrested a medical marijuana patient putting an emphasis on the point. | ||||||||||||||||||
VERDICT IN, JURY STILL OUT ON PROP. 215 | ||||||||||||||||||
The cops and prosecutors got their man: Marvin Chavez is facing prison.
To hear them tell it, a drug dealer has been taken off the streets. At
moments like these, the rest of us are supposed to feel good because
our law enforcement people have used their cunning and muscle to nail a
criminal--especially one like Chavez, who, according to the prosecutor,
ran "a very sophisticated marijuana-selling business." | ||||||||||||||||||
Or did he? | ||||||||||||||||||
I'd be surprised if the jurors who convicted him Thursday, the police, the
judge, or even the prosecutors--really believe that. | ||||||||||||||||||
I'd be surprised if any really believe that Chavez is a threat to anyone. | ||||||||||||||||||
The prosecutors and cops will say they only wanted to remove Marvin
Chavez from society; I suspect they're trying to stamp out a social
movement toward liberalizing marijuana usage. . . . | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Related articles: | ||||||||||||||||||
POT TRIAL GUILTY VERDICT | ||||||||||||||||||
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THE CHAVEZ TRIAL
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CONGRESS LANDS A HISTORICAL BLOW TO DEMOCRACY | ||||||||||||||||||
On November 4th, the Congress of the United States, which has jurisdiction over the District of Columbia, passed an amendment that stopped democracy cold. The amendment, introduced by Congressman Bob Barr (RGA), makes it illegal for DC to fund the processing of any initiatives that would legalize marijuana. The amendment was a last minute addition to DC's FY 1999 Budget, in the face of an Initiative (Initiative 59) on DC's November general election ballot that would allow terminally ill patients access to marijuana, while protecting their physicians from prosecution should they prescribe it. | ||||||||||||||||||
Voters in Alaska, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington recently voted on
similar Initiatives that would legalize the use of marijuana for
medicinal purposes. All but the District of Columbia approved the
Initiative. While exiting polls in DC reported overwhelming support for
their Initiative 59, the amendment kept the DC's Board of Election from
counting the votes and registering the results. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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POT AND GLAUCOMA | ||||||||||||||||||
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The magazine also published an editorial, posted separately at:
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n1058.a03.html | ||||||||||||||||||
Some of the resulting articles are at: | ||||||||||||||||||
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LORDS RECKON IT'S HIGH TIME FOR A CHANGE | ||||||||||||||||||
BRITISH law should be altered to allow doctors to prescribe marijuana
and pharmacists to supply it, according to an influential House of
Lords committee. | ||||||||||||||||||
At present, doctors in Britain are not permitted to prescribe cannabis, and patients who want it to relieve the symptoms of diseases such as multiple sclerosis must turn to the black market for supplies. | ||||||||||||||||||
In an unexpectedly forthright report, the House of Lords Select
Committee on Science and Technology concludes that this "exposes
patients and in some cases their careers to all the distress of
criminal proceedings". | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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CANNABIS CO-OP MAN ARRESTED | ||||||||||||||||||
A founder of a co-operative formed to supply free cannabis to people with multiple sclerosis and other conditions has been arrested. He will appear in court next month charged with drugs offences. | ||||||||||||||||||
Colin Davies, of Stockport, Greater Manchester, was arrested at his flat on Tuesday and questioned for eight hours at a police station. Officers removed 28 cannabis plants from his bedroom, and other property, including letters, address books and details of co-op members. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mr Davies, who smokes cannabis to relieve a painful back condition, is
charged with cultivating, possessing, possessing with intent to
supply, and supplying cannabis. | ||||||||||||||||||
The arrest comes within a week of the Government rejecting the
recommendation of a House of Lords committee that doctors should be
able to prescribe the drugs to patients with an accepted medical need.
It is also exactly a year since Mr Davies was arrested and charged
with cultivating cannabis. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Drug Policy- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
This week saw more recognition that it is time for a change in drug
policy. Texas-based syndicated columnist Molly Ivins surveyed the drug
scene and saw reform in the wind. Also in Texas, the road tour of
Sandee Burbank of Mothers Against Misuse and Abuse resulted in a
column applauding her sensible -- education-based, not law
enforcement-based -- approach to drugs. At the same time in Texas, the
harms of the drug war were evident as the family of Pedro Oregon sued
Houston for his fatal shooting. Just to the right hand side of Houston
-- in New York City -- police were reporting that Mayor Giuliani's
drug war was resulting in large increases in marijuana arrests. And,
if you think the marijuana situation is bad, imagine what it will be
like now that the media is reporting on how to cultivate poppy seeds
and get opium. Will we see increases in arrests for people growing
poppies? | ||||||||||||||||||
The impact of the drug war on the Constitution was evident in several
cases. In Kansas a court of appeals was reviewing whether a mainstay
of drug prosecutions was constitutional -- bribing witnesses to
testify against drug offenders. The use of informants is widespread
and a key tactic in drug enforcement. Courts in Kansas may join courts
in other parts of the US who see this is inappropriate. The Supreme
Court delved into the privacy of automobiles -- reviewing a case which
examines whether police need a warrant to search cars impounded when
the occupants are arrested. And, in Louisiana the increasingly common
practice of drug testing lost a round as a portion of a very broad
Louisiana drug testing law was held unconstitutional -- more suits
will be following. | ||||||||||||||||||
Speaking of drug testing, in Utah virtually no one showed up for a national conference on testing student athletes. The Christian Science Monitor reports that employers are having a hard time find good employees if they drug test because applicants avoid their companies. While these may be signs that drug testing has reached its apex, at the same time marketers of home drug test kits got some media coverage for their product for parents who can't parent and Oregon is reporting that spot checks of truckers found ten percent tested positive. | ||||||||||||||||||
IT'S TIME FOR NEW TACTICS IN AMERICA'S WAR ON DRUGS | ||||||||||||||||||
AUSTIN -- Heads up, team: I think we're starting to see a major change in
the old `Zeitgeist' on the issue of drugs. This is one of those seismic
shifts when the unsayable suddenly becomes sayable, when we notice that the
emperor is wearing no clothes. The main problem with the war on drugs --
you've probably noticed -- is that we're losing. | ||||||||||||||||||
We're also seeing the start of a consensus that it's time to try something
else. One way you can tell when one of these major shifts is happening is
when some of those speaking out are so respected and respectable that they
give cover to others who are more conformist. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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COMMON SENSE AND DRUG WOES | ||||||||||||||||||
Mama always says we need to teach people social skills so they know how
to manage their lives without drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
MAMA says that a lot. As a matter of fact, Sandee Burbank, 54, director of Mothers Against Misuses and Abuse since she co-founded the organization in 1982 in Oregon, is going about the country with a slide show called "Listen to MAMA, We Can Solve Our Drug Problems." | ||||||||||||||||||
Sandee believes that education and individual common sense can be far more effective than the government's oppressive war on drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
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FAMILY OF MEXICAN SLAIN BY TEXAS POLICE FILES SUIT | ||||||||||||||||||
HOUSTON (Reuters) - Family and friends of an illegal Mexican immigrant
shot and killed by police during a botched drug bust sued the city of
Houston Tuesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
The suit seeks unspecified damages in the death of Pedro Oregon
Navarro, who was shot 12 times -- nine times in the back -- when six
police officers burst into his Houston apartment without a warrant in
search of drugs on July 12. | ||||||||||||||||||
``We are making allegations against the city of Houston that policies
and practices have failed... particularly in the recruiting, hiring
and training of officers,'' attorney Richard Mithoff told a news
conference. . . . | ||||||||||||||||||
They entered Oregon's apartment without a legal warrant after an informant, drunk and on cocaine, told them he bought drugs there. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Related article: FBI CHIEF MEETS WITH OREGON FAMILY 1-Feds investigating.
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ARRESTS SOAR IN CRACKDOWN ON MARIJUANA | ||||||||||||||||||
NEW YORK -- Arrests on marijuana charges here have jumped to a record level this year, driven by the Giuliani administration's "zero tolerance" approach that has police officers pursuing anyone found possessing, selling or smoking even small amounts of marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
Law enforcement officials project that at the current pace, the New York City Police Department could arrest as many as 40,000 people by the end of the year on charges of possessing or selling marijuana. That would be eight times the number of arrests just six years ago. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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THE POPPY PARADOX | ||||||||||||||||||
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They are grayish-black flecks, such weightless objects for their
potential. Poppy seeds grow into beautiful flowers, taste good in
muffins, and produce opium. . . . | ||||||||||||||||||
Take the smallest pinch of poppy seeds, the exact same kind that top
your bagel, and plant them. In a few days, they will sprout tiny white
stems, then slender green leaves, and will keep growing into hardy
annuals with vibrant flowers. | ||||||||||||||||||
A couple of months into the spring growing season, the flowers will
fall away, leaving in their place round seed pods filled with thousands
of seeds and a milky sap that will ooze out through any slits made in
the pod walls. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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COURT TO DECIDE LEGALITY OF REWARDING INFORMANTS | ||||||||||||||||||
WICHITA, Kan. - Sonya Singleton's name may soon go down in legal
history - right beside Ernesto Miranda, Dred Scott and Jane Roe as
people whose battles in the courts dramatically changed American
society. | ||||||||||||||||||
On Tuesday, lawyers for Ms. Singleton will ask a federal appeals court
in Denver to make a decision that legal experts say could throw the
criminal justice system into immediate upheaval. Hundreds of thousands
of cases could be dismissed, and law enforcement could be stripped of
its most powerful investigative tool. | ||||||||||||||||||
The issue is whether prosecutors are committing bribery when they use
witnesses who have been paid money or given reduced prison sentences
in return for testifying in criminal trials. | ||||||||||||||||||
Ms. Singleton's chances of winning are good, according to analysts.
Since July, four separate federal courts, including a Denver appeals
court, have ruled that it is illegal for paid informants to testify
during a trial. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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JUSTICES CONSIDERING DRUG SEARCH LEGALITIES | ||||||||||||||||||
High court to decide if police need warrants | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court on Monday delved into the
constitutionality of the war on drugs by agreeing to decide whether
police need a warrant before searching a car suspected of having been
used in a cocaine deal. | ||||||||||||||||||
The case, from Florida, questions the extent to which police may
examine the automobiles they impound while investigating illegal drug
activity. While courts have upheld the right of police to seize the
vehicles, a question remains whether officers may then search them
without first getting a judge's permission. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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COURT VOIDS LOUISIANA DRUG TEST LAW | ||||||||||||||||||
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A federal judge on Friday struck down a Louisiana law requiring random drug testing of elected officials, rejecting arguments that the governor made in court in support of the law. U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon said the law violates the Constitution's Fourth Amendment protection against illegal search and seizures. He said the state failed to show a special need to test elected officials. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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SESSION ON DRUG TESTS IS A BUST | ||||||||||||||||||
A national school athlete drug-testing conference came to Salt Lake City
Monday, but no Utah school representatives came, and only about two dozen
officials from neighboring states attended. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We're kind of taken aback by the lack of people. Maybe they don't have
any drug problems in Salt Lake City," said Randall Aultman, retired
principal of Vernonia High School in Oregon whose random athlete
drug-testing policy prevailed in the U.S. Supreme Court in 1995. "The
(drug) problem has grown in schools. Not enough is being done to stem
it." | ||||||||||||||||||
Aultman speaks at conferences, funded by pharmaceutical and drug-testing company American Bio Medica Corp., across the country. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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HOW DRUG TESTING HAS CHANGED THE JOB MARKET | ||||||||||||||||||
Fearing A Bad Result, Many Job Seekers Are Not Applying For Positions
That Require Mandatory Testing. And With Jobless Rates Low, Many Firms
Are Now Feeling The Crunch. | ||||||||||||||||||
DENVER When Noel Ginsberg, president of Intertech Plastics Inc., discovered that half the candidates for jobs at his firm are eliminated because they fail or refuse to take a drug test, he was astonished. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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NEARLY 10% OF TRUCKERS FAIL OREGON DRUG TEST | ||||||||||||||||||
2-They should worry about the equipment instead of drivers that might have used marijuana a week ago. Safety: Checkpoints Turn Up Evidence Of Drivers Using Marijuana, Cocaine And More. But Some Of Their Vehicles Were In Even Worse Shape. PORTLAND, Ore.-A 48-hour check of trucks along Oregon's southern border showed nearly one in 10 drivers tested positive for drug use, an Oregon State Police report says. And the numbers may be higher. The trucks themselves were in even worse shape. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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RANDOM DRUG TESTING COMES HOME | ||||||||||||||||||
On a weekday afternoon in 1992, Sunny Cloud, an insurance saleswoman
and single mother in Marietta, Ga., dropped by her home unexpectedly
and found her 16-year-old son, Ron, smoking marijuana. Stunned, Ms.
Cloud hustled the boy off to the nearest hospital emergency room, where
she asked doctors to screen his urine. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I was scared," she said recently, "and I didn't know what else to do." | ||||||||||||||||||
The procedure was expensive, and embarrassing. So Ms. Cloud, still
suspicious of her son, decided to do her own drug tests, sending him
into the family bathroom in boxer shorts with instructions to come out
with a cup full of urine that she could ship to a local laboratory for
analysis. | ||||||||||||||||||
That is how Ms. Cloud began a cottage industry: the home drug testing
business. As more teenagers experiment with illicit drugs, a small but
growing roster of companies, including Parents Alert, founded by Ms.
Cloud. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Holland and Switzerland may soon have to be running to catch up to
Germany. The new progressive government has appointed a drug czarina
who favors trials on heroin by prescription, injection rooms for drug
users and treating marijuana like alcohol. Already, the drug branch
has been moved into the Department of Health. | ||||||||||||||||||
In Australia pressure continued to mount for a heroin by prescription trial. A joint group of federal and state officials along with mayors called for a change in policy that would test prescribing heroin. | ||||||||||||||||||
In England a debate is beginning on whether students involved with
drugs should be expelled. The School Standards Minister has said
expelling students only drives them into the drug scene.
Traditionalists are outraged at the suggestion and calling for a
continued hard line. | ||||||||||||||||||
The US is claiming it is a new day in Colombia. The White House is getting out the message that we can trust Colombia, they are serious about drug control and really trying to end human rights abuses. At the same time, law enforcement officials busted Colombian military personnel -- without letting the government know in advance -- sure we're working with them. The White House is talking a good game, but the actions of the police show it is the same old story. | ||||||||||||||||||
FIRST QUESTION: WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH? | ||||||||||||||||||
The `Red-Green' Way To A More Liberal Drug Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
`Red-Green' federal government will hold to a more liberal path in its
drug policy than its predecessor. Proceeding on the principle that
addiction is a sickness, the newly appointed federal `drug czar',
Christa Nickels, will emphasize education and "Assistance not
Punishment". | ||||||||||||||||||
Christa Nickels is satisfied. Her office has been transferred from the
Home Office to the Department of Health. That sends the signal that
drug policy will henceforth be based on a humanitarian, health model,
and not a law enforcement model. | ||||||||||||||||||
Eduard Lintner, her predecessor, saw things quite differently. The
Swiss model he regarded as a "Horror," as he announced after a visit.
The number of drug related mortalities rose steadily during his term in
office. | ||||||||||||||||||
A Swiss model will be followed also in the proposed clinics where
addicts can inject in a safe, supportive environment. Heroin will also
be provided as soon as the law has been revised. Frankfurt's experience
with its trial since 1994 has been very encouraging. | ||||||||||||||||||
What all the experts have been demanding for a long time is now a step
closer. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Related articles: | ||||||||||||||||||
CHRISTA NICKELS NEW FEDERAL DRUG CZAR
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COUNTDOWN TO THE FIRST FIXING ROOMS
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HEROIN TO BE DISTRIBUTED FIRST IN HAMBURG AND FRANKFURT | ||||||||||||||||||
Hamburg (AP) The trial of a state controlled distribution of heroin to
sick addicts will begin in Hamburg and Frankfurt. | ||||||||||||||||||
Federal Health Minister Andrea Fischer told the German newsmagazine
'Der Spiegel' that the preparations were already well advanced in the
two cities. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Greens Minister declared that the distribution would be expanded to
include convicts. She would also seek agreement from her colleagues on a
unified sanctions policy on marihuana possession. Comparing marihuana with
alcohol, Fischer said moderate life-long consumption caused no harmful
effects: "Some can manage that, many others can't." | ||||||||||||||||||
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Related article: | ||||||||||||||||||
LOERRACH APPLIES TO JOIN THE NEW DRUG PROJECT
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HEROIN TRIALS URGED | ||||||||||||||||||
A joint group of State and federal politicians - and the nation's lord mayors - have issued a united call for controlled heroin trials. | ||||||||||||||||||
The group, which came together for the first time yesterday in
Adelaide, will compile a direct submission to the Prime Minister, Mr
Howard, urging | ||||||||||||||||||
The chairman of the Capital City Lord Mayors Conference, Brisbane Lord
Mayor Mr Jim Soorley, said drug law reform was long overdue in
Australia's | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Related article: | ||||||||||||||||||
DRUG TOLL WORSENS, POLITICAL WILLPOWER STILL MISSING
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GIVE A SECOND CHANCE, SAYS MINISTER | ||||||||||||||||||
CHILDREN who experiment with drugs should not be expelled from school
automatically, teachers will be told in government guidelines to be
published tomorrow. | ||||||||||||||||||
Estelle Morris, the School Standards Minister, told independent school
headmistresses yesterday that she understood parents' desire for "zero
tolerance" , but it was often better to give a second chance to lessen the
risk of children sliding into regular usage. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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HEADS IN CLASH WITH MINISTER ON DRUGS | ||||||||||||||||||
HEAD teachers yesterday criticized the Government's call for leniency over pupils caught with drugs as Estelle Morris, the Schools Minister, defended her advice not to adopt a "zero tolerance" approach. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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IT'S AN ENTIRELY NEW GAME IN COLOMBIA | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Not long ago, many Americans' perceptions of Latin
America revolved around images of drug training, human rights abuses,
anti-democratic leaders, and guerrilla insurgences. | ||||||||||||||||||
Now, open-market democracy is the norm. Human rights are generally
respected. And even though significant problems remain, the United
States is now turning to its Latin American partners--rather than
turning on them--to seize opportunities while working to solve those
problems that continue to exist. | ||||||||||||||||||
Nowhere is this promise truer than in Colombia. On Oct. 28, President
Clinton welcomed Colombia's new president, Andres Pastrana, to the
White House for an official state visit--a remarkable turnaround from
the previous government of Ernesto Samper, whose U.S. visa had been
revoked. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP
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COLOMBIAN SAYS U.S. MISHANDLED BUST | ||||||||||||||||||
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- President Andres Pastrana accused the United
States of mishandling a drug bust on a Colombian air force plane, saying
U.S. officials should have told his government before the plane took off
from Colombia that it carried cocaine. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is running a ten part series on
prosecutorial abuse, "Win At All Costs." It can be found on line at:
http://www.post-gazette.com/win/ | ||||||||||||||||||
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The Marijuana Policy Project reports that last year there was a record
number of marijuana arrests and that over 35,000 people are incarcerated
on marijuana charges. MPP's report is available on-line at:
http://www.mpp.org/prisoners.html. | ||||||||||||||||||
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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"To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men."
-- Abraham Lincoln | ||||||||||||||||||
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FACT OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
ON-LINE POLL SUPPORTS MJ LAW REFORM BY A WHOPPING 84% - 15% | ||||||||||||||||||
Yahoo conducted a web poll asking: | ||||||||||||||||||
"Should marijuana be legalized in the United States? | ||||||||||||||||||
Of 11,462 votes (final) | ||||||||||||||||||
Yes, for any use. 68% | ||||||||||||||||||
Yes, but only for medical purposes. 16% | ||||||||||||||||||
No, it should never be legalized. 15% | ||||||||||||||||||
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TIP OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
USA TODAY CONDUCTING ON-LINE POLL NOW | ||||||||||||||||||
Drug-testing students for after-school activities, even yearbook and
chess club, is ... | ||||||||||||||||||
Results so far: | ||||||||||||||||||
38% Student drug-testing is an excellent idea. | ||||||||||||||||||
61% No, it is unreasonable. | ||||||||||||||||||
-- 2491 USA WEEKEND visitors weighed in with their opinion on this topic. | ||||||||||||||||||
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