March 17, 2000, #141 |
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- * Breaking News (12/21/24)
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- * Feature Article
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What if... Marijuana Was Legal? / by Anne Wills
- * Weekly News in Review
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Drug Policy-
COMMENT: (1-3)
(1) US: Panel Back Drug Interdiction, Snubs Treatment
(2) Editorial: Are We Fools Rushing into Colombia?
(3) Fungus Could Destroy Cocaine Plants
COMMENT: (4-5)
(4) Heroin Use, Arrests Way Up
(5) Feds Put Ecstasy in Crosshairs
COMMENT: (6)
(6) Strawberry's Cocaine Struggles Say Much About Life
COMMENT: (7-9)
(7) X-Rated Airport Scanners
(8) Drug Test Case May be Heard by Supreme Court
(9) ACLU Files Lawsuit Against Lockney Schools Over Drug
Law Enforcement & Prisons-
COMMENT: (10-11)
(10) Study Says Drug Offenders Spending Less Time Behind Bars
(11) No-Knocks Net Little Jail Time
COMMENT: (12-15)
(12) Editorial: LAPD's Unlearned Lessons
(13) L.A. Police Mired in Misconduct Scandal
(14) Sparks Fly Over Rampart Cost
(15) U.S. Begins Rampart Civil Rights Inquiry
Cannabis & Hemp-
COMMENT: (16)
(16) Marijuana Trial Put Off Until May
COMMENT: (17-18)
(17) Legislators Approve Marijuana Proposals Cayetano Favors
(18) Panel Kills Drug Bill
International News-
COMMENT: (19-21)
(19) Indonesia: Police to Get Tough on Drugs
(20) Canada: Officer is Held Over Bogus Drug Raids
(21) 2 Cops Suspected of Ordering Killing of Tijuana's Chief
COMMENT: (22)
(22) UK: Blair Calls for Global War on Drug Dealers
COMMENT: (23)
(23) Australia: All the Rave
- * Hot Off The 'Net
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TRAC Web Site Reveals Some Surprising Data
"Dump Judge Judy" Web Site Announced
If You Need a Laugh - Transcript of Phone Calls to ONDCP and Other
Prohibitionist Offices
A Site That Automatically Sends A Letter To 350 Government Offices.
- * Quote of the Week
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Gregory J. Boyle
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FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) |
What if... Marijuana Was Legal? / by Anne Wills
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What would our world be like? Would we all be drugged out pot smokers
on the road to hard drugs and death? No, but if you really believe
that, maybe you should read on. (And if you don't, you're welcome to
continue also).
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A world where marijuana is legal is not the dark and dreary world of
crime and rampant drug use that many imagine it to be. Actually, that
world is the America we live in now, and the War on Drugs is doing
nothing to abate it. In a world where marijuana is legal adults would
have the right to smoke marijuana, just like they drink alcohol or
smoke cigarettes. The civil liberties of pot smokers and nonsmokers
alike would be a tad less oppressed, they would lose less money out of
each paycheck for taxes, and there would be less of a possibility of
being the victim of a violent crime. Doesn't sound so terrible to me.
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So let's just take a look at what that futuristic world might be like.
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An important point to make first is that marijuana would not be legal
everywhere. When the 21st Amendment was passed, it didn't make alcohol
legal again, it simply gave the power to outlaw alcohol back to the
states, which just happens to be the Constitutionally correct way of
doing things. So, pot would most likely be legal in some states and
not in others; states could even let individual counties or towns make
the decision for themselves.
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One benefit of this is that it's a lot easier to make reform happen at
a local level than at a national one, so if you can convince your town
of the benefits of legalized marijuana, you are more likely to get a
response than if you tried to persuade Congress.
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Also, if you really wanted to be able to smoke pot legally, you could
simply move. This is a lot easier and safer than taking the risk of
doing something illegal and facing years in prison. Either you'd be
happy in your new location, or maybe there will be such a large
migration into areas that allow pot, your old home will be forced to
make marijuana legal just to get people to live in their area! Getting
what you want from government? How revolutionary!
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I also have to explain how marijuana would be sold. No one wants kids
doing drugs (except for kids), so it would only be legal for adults to
buy marijuana, at sanctioned stores, with an ID, just like liquor. It
would actually be harder for kids to get pot than it is now.
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It would still be illegal to drive while high DUI and DWI laws will
apply the same to alcohol and pot. Just like with drinking, you won't
be able to go to work or school high; just try to show up to work after
a few shots of tequila it ain't gonna cut it with the boss. What's
more employers would still be able to conduct drug tests and reject
applicants if they test positive. Also, you probably won't be able to
smoke in public places, just like you can't walk down the street with a
beer. Crime would go down. Right now most drug related crime is
committed by either users to support their habit, or by dealers in
disputes that can't be resolved in courts and end up killing or
injuring each other or innocent bystanders. Criminals aren't committing
crimes because of they are high, they do so because the drug is illegal.
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Despite this however, being a drug dealer is really a great job if you
think about it. Thanks to many well trained police dogs, their product
is artificially scarce and so the prices they can charge are
astronomical. Any businessman would like to make the profits they do.
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In our hypothetical future world, however, marijuana would be sold in
stores with little barriers to entry. Dealers would go out of business,
and the price of pot would drop because the supply is not limited, and
because there would be competition between vendors.
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Marijuana would also be safer for the consumer. Right now, pot smokers
don't know what's really in the substance they're inhaling. If it were
legal, marijuana would be tested and labeled letting the user know just
what they're getting themselves into.
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And, (the list just keeps going), jobs would be created. True, they
would probably take the place of jobs lost by Drug War workers and drug
dealers, but they will be productive rather than destructive jobs.
There would be numerous jobs in agriculture, shipping, production,
every level of management, and retail. The mainstream economy would
benefit rather than hurt.
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Taxes would go down. Right now we have nothing to show for the enormous
sums heaped at the failed War on Drugs; that money is basically
wasted. Lower taxes mean Americans would have more control over their
own money and lives. It would also lead to more spending and yet
another boost to the economy. Politicians will probably also cook up a
tax on marijuana, which could be used for any number of state programs
and would only be paid by the users.
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In a marijuana decriminalized world a civil liberty will be returned to
the American people. Smoking marijuana harms no one other than the
user, and this person should have the right to do whatever he or she
wants to do with her body. Who is the government to say what
individuals can do to themselves?
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Another benefit is that the police would have more time to combat
violent crimes, the courts would be more free to prosecute them, and
expensive and overpopulated prisons would open up.
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Last but certainly not least, marijuana would be used for the medicinal
purposes. This will benefit many ill persons who now have to break the
law to stave off pain.
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Would be an increase in drug use after marijuana became legal? Well,
there might be a small blip, but it most likely wouldn't last, and
probably wouldn't cause any permanent effects. Plus, with the crime
gone, who's to say using drugs is necessarily such a bad thing. In
reality, most people that would want to use marijuana are probably
doing it right now.
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So, all in all, when you ask, What if marijuana were legal? I would
simply say that our world would be a more prosperous, safer and freer
place to live.
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Anne Wills is an undergraduate majoring in rhetoric at the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaigne.
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) |
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Domestic News- Policy
COMMENT: (1-3) (Top) |
Consistent with their tough-on-drugs rhetoric, Congress said yes to
war and no to treatment; however, the Chicago Tribune disagreed in no
uncertain terms, and a British publication revealed additional US
plans for the annihilation of coca.
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(1) US: PANEL BACK DRUG INTERDICTION, SNUBS TREATMENT (Top) |
WASHINGTON - Backing President Clinton, House Republicans on a powerful
committee Thursday gave their prescription for the war on drugs: yes
for $2 billion to fight drugs at their source in Colombia, no for $1.3
billion to treat addicts at home.
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[snip]
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Pubdate: | Fri, 10 Mar 2000 |
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Source: | Tampa Tribune (FL) |
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Copyright: | 2000, The Tribune Co. |
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Address: | P.O. Box 191, Tampa, FL 33601 |
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Section: | Nation/World p.17 |
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(2) EDITORIAL: ARE WE FOOLS RUSHING INTO COLOMBIA? (Top) |
The Clinton White House and the Republican leadership in Congress seem
hell bent on opening up the American money spigot full wide to help the
Colombian government fight neurotransmitters--and presumably reduce the
flow of illegal drugs into the U.S.
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[snip]
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Far better than that, Congress and the Clinton administration ought to
reconsider the upside-down priorities of this country's war on drugs.
The additional billions poured into foreign interdiction ought to be
used fighting the enemy within--drug addiction--by funding additional
treatment and education programs to reduce demand right here at home.
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Pubdate: | Sun, 12 Mar 2000 |
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Source: | Chicago Tribune (IL) |
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Copyright: | 2000 Chicago Tribune Company |
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Address: | 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611-4066 |
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(3) FUNGUS COULD DESTROY COCAINE PLANTS (Top) |
The latest weapon in the war against drugs may soon be spread on the
coca fields of Colombia. The UN International Drug Control Programme is
negotiating with the government of Colombia to conduct open field
trials of a strain of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum that attacks coca
plants, the source of cocaine.
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The funding, about $23 million, would come from the US and the UN. But
activists say the fungus could damage the environment and harm
Colombia's economy.
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[snip]
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Source: | New Scientist (UK) |
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Copyright: | New Scientist, RBI Limited 2000 |
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COMMENT: (4-5) (Top) |
Meanwhile, reports from the domestic drug war front weren't
encouraging; heroin use continues to surge and one wonders if the idea
of drug prohibition can survive yet another drug "threat", especially
one primarily affecting the white middle class.
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(4) HEROIN USE, ARRESTS WAY UP (Top) |
Heroin use and sales are surging in the Cincinnati area, with the
number of arrests involving the illicit drug climbing from less than 20
in 1990 to more than 400 last year, according to a city drug
enforcement officer.
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[snip]
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Copyright: | 2000 Times Newspapers Ltd |
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Address: | PO Box 496, London E1 9XN, United Kingdom |
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Author: | John O'leary, Education Editor |
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(5) FEDS PUT ECSTASY IN CROSSHAIRS (Top) |
In tablet form it often comes stamped with the symbol of a luxury car
or the image of a Buddha, and it provides a blast of euphoria and
energy that override the body's need to sleep, eat or drink, sometimes
with lethal consequences.
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The powerful mood-enhancing drug Ecstasy, favored among suburban
teenagers, is now flowing into the United States in record amounts,
with New Jersey one of the key distribution centers, authorities say.
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Yesterday, U.S. Customs officials formally declared war against the
drug, warning that trafficking in Ecstasy is rising at an alarming
rate.
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[snip]
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Pubdate: | Tue, 14 Mar 2000 |
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Copyright: | 2000 Newark Morning Ledger Co. |
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Address: | 1 Star-Ledger Plaza, Newark, N.J., 07102-1200 |
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COMMENT: (6) (Top) |
While Darryl Strawberry's plight generated some thoughtful essays on
addiction; Ethan Nadelmann was the only author to note an obvious
contradiction: poor drug users go to prison; the rich and famous to
rehab.
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(6) STRAWBERRY'S COCAINE STRUGGLES SAY MUCH ABOUT LIFE IN THE PUBLIC (Top) |
Darryl Strawberry seems to have a hard time just saying no to cocaine.
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My first thought was: what's the matter with him? Can't he just say no,
if only for the few more years that his knees hold out? He sure must
like cocaine a lot.
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My second thought was: Gee, Strawberry sure is lucky he's rich and
famous and that all sorts of people like George Steinbrenner care about
him, because if he were poor and not famous, odds are that he'd be
sitting behind bars right now, probably for violating probation or
parole.
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[snip]
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Pubdate: | Thu, 09 Mar 2000 |
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Source: | Philadelphia Daily News (PA) |
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Copyright: | 2000 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc. |
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Author: | Ethan A. Nadelmann |
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Ethan A. Nadelmann is director of the Lindesmith Center
For other Strawberry Op-Eds, see:
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n345/a10.html
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n359/a07.html
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COMMENT: (7-9) (Top) |
Testing and related intrusions remain in the news, an example of drug
warriors responding to criticism in the only way they know.
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An intrusive new scanner made news in Britain; last week it was
Canada; the American press has yet to notice.
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Details in the Georgia case suggest that the teacher was set up for
remarks she made during a speech; the Lockney case is a more pure
challenge- but years away from the Supreme Court.
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(7) X-RATED AIRPORT SCANNERS (Top) |
NEW X-ray machines that reveal the naked truth are appearing at American
airports.
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They can see through passengers' clothing and are being used to search for
drugs and weapons.
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[snip]
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Gregory Nojeim, counsel for the ACLU, complained that the scanners not
only show body parts clearly, they can also be enlarged.
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ACLU is asking Congress to ban the scanner as a violation of the US
Constitution's protection against unreasonable search and seizure.
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However, Raymond Kelly, the US Customs Commissioner, said: "People
object to being physically touched. That was why we brought in the
scanners."
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Pubdate: | Sat, 11 Mar 2000 |
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Copyright: | 2000 Times Newspapers Ltd |
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Address: | PO Box 496, London E1 9XN, United Kingdom |
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Author: | Ian Brodie in Washington |
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(8) DRUG TEST CASE MAY BE HEARD BY SUPREME COURT (Top) |
Civil rights organization takes up cause of former teacher Sherry Hearn.
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During a drug search at Windsor Forest High School, a police officer
said he found the remains of a marijuana joint in teacher Sherry
Hearn's car.
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The school ordered her to take a urinalysis test within two hours of
the discovery. Hearn, a social studies teacher, refused, calling the
search unconstitutional. So the veteran educator was fired for
insubordination.
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[snip]
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Pubdate: | Fri, 10 Mar 2000 |
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Source: | Savannah Morning News (GA) |
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Copyright: | 2000 Savannah Morning News |
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(9) ACLU FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST LOCKNEY SCHOOLS OVER DRUG TESTING CASE (Top) |
The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the Lockney school district
after the parents of a 12-year-old refused to allow their son to be
subjected to a new mandatory drug testing policy, an ACLU spokesperson
said Tuesday.
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[snip]
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Pubdate: | Wed, 08 Mar 2000 |
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Source: | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (TX) |
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Copyright: | 2000 The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal |
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Law Enforcement & Prisons
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COMMENT: (10-11) (Top) |
After all the publicity over two million prisoners, many were
surprised to learn that average federal sentences have declined rather
steeply since 1992. Although it's a complex issue, one obvious
conclusion is that few "kingpins" are punished.
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A report from Denver revealed that dramatic (and dangerous) "no-knock"
raids are highly inefficient at producing convictions.
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(10) STUDY SAYS DRUG OFFENDERS SPENDING LESS TIME BEHIND BARS (Top) |
WASHINGTON - Despite a massive expansion of the nation's drug war,
narcotics traffickers and users busted by federal law-enforcement
agencies are serving far less time in prison than in past years,
according to interviews and new data released yesterday.
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Researchers at Syracuse University said startling new statistics
suggest that federal authorities are failing to target the most
dangerous drug kingpins and the most drug-infested areas, focusing
instead on lower-level marijuana crimes.
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[snip]
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Pubdate: | Mon, 13 Mar 2000 |
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Source: | Seattle Times (WA) |
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Copyright: | 2000 The Seattle Times Company |
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Address: | P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111 |
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Author: | Eric Lichtblau and Josh Meyer, Los Angeles Times |
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Note: | Information from The Associated Press and Knight Ridder Newspapers is |
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included in this report.
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(11) NO-KNOCKS NET LITTLE JAIL TIME (Top) |
Of suspects arrested in drug raids last year, only two felons went to
prison, statistics show
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Denver police targeted 146 suspects in no-knock drug raids last year.
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A third of those suspects ended up facing felony charges.
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And, of those, two were sent to prison.
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[snip]
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Pubdate: | Sun, 12 Mar 2000 |
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Source: | Denver Rocky Mountain News (CO) |
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Copyright: | 2000 Denver Publishing Co. |
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Address: | 400 W. Colfax, Denver, CO 80204 |
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Author: | Kevin Flynn and Lou Kilzer |
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COMMENT: (12-15) (Top) |
In LA, the Rampart mess worsened: two separate analyses- one by the
Times, the other by its Eastern sister- concluded that the mayor and
police chief are still in denial.
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As if that weren't bad enough, there's wrangling over how to pay for
the damage and the FBI just announced its own investigation.
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(12) EDITORIAL: LAPD'S UNLEARNED LESSONS (Top) |
How could anyone, much less Chief Parks, insist that the Christopher
Commission's recommendations are essentially all in place? The facts
prove otherwise.
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[snip]
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Much of what still ails the LAPD was laid out more than nine years ago
by the Christopher Commission.
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[snip]
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Police Chief Bernard C. Parks, seemingly unable to hear what his own
investigative team has told him, declares that his department has
surpassed the changes called for in 1991. Mayor Richard Riordan hasn't
helped, failing to use more than $163,000 in federal money for a
computer tracking system that would help identify problem officers.
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Pubdate: | Mon, 13 Mar 2000 |
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Source: | Los Angeles Times (CA) |
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Copyright: | 2000 Los Angeles Times |
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Address: | Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053 |
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Section: | Los Angeles Metro |
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(13) L.A. POLICE MIRED IN MISCONDUCT SCANDAL (Top) |
Mexican-Americans Numb To The Violence
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LOS ANGELES - Police bullets crashed into the spine of Javier Francisco
Ovando, and only the judge who sent the paralyzed 19-year-old to prison
had any harsh words about the shooting. He admonished Ovando for being
a danger to society.
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When police shot Juan Salana, officers left him unattended long enough
that he bled to death.
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The events weren't big news in East Los Angeles, a poor,
immigrant-populated area just a five-minute bus ride from the
high-rises that mark the city's skyline.
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[snip]
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The officer whose actions led to the exposure of Rampart has completed
his plea bargain with prosecutors for stealing the cocaine. Perez was
sentenced to five years in prison. He could be out in two. He will not
be prosecuted for the cover-ups, evidence plantings or unjustifiable
shootings he has admitted.
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Pubdate: | Mon, 13 Mar 2000 |
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Source: | Baltimore Sun (MD) |
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Copyright: | 2000 The Baltimore Sun, a Times Mirror Newspaper. |
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(14) SPARKS FLY OVER RAMPART COST (Top) |
Mayor Richard Riordan's office and the City Council clashed sharply
Wednesday over how to pay hundreds of millions of dollars the city
could owe from judgments and settlements arising from the L.A. police
corruption scandal.
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[snip]
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Pubdate: | Thu, 09 Mar 2000 |
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Source: | Daily News of Los Angeles (CA) |
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Copyright: | 2000 Daily News of Los Angeles |
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Address: | P.O. Box 4200, Woodland Hills, CA 91365 |
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(15) U.S. BEGINS RAMPART CIVIL RIGHTS INQUIRY (Top) |
Corruption: | Federal lawyers arrive in L.A. to question why LAPD failed |
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to implement promised changes and how it plans to move forward with
reforms, sources say.
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Concerned about civil rights violations arising from the Police
Department's Rampart Division corruption scandal, high-ranking U.S.
Justice Department officials flew to Los Angeles Sunday to meet today
with LAPD Chief Bernard C. Parks and other top city leaders.
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[snip]
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Pubdate: | Mon, 13 Mar 2000 |
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Source: | Los Angeles Times (CA) |
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Copyright: | 2000 Los Angeles Times |
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Address: | Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053 |
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Author: | Eric Lichtblau, Matt Lait, Times Staff Writers |
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Note: | Times staff writer Jim Newton contributed to this story. |
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Cannabis & Hemp-
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COMMENT: (16) (Top) |
The Kubbys received an important delay from the judge after turning
down a plea bargain. This should be the last delay and cleared the way
for Tony Serra to defend them.
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(16) MARIJUANA TRIAL PUT OFF UNTIL MAY (Top) |
Steve and Michele Kubby, on trial for possession and conspiracy to
cultivate and sell marijuana and possession of controlled substances,
fired their attorneys this week.
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Superior Court Judge James L. Roeder on Tuesday ruled in favor of the
Kubbys' petition to relieve their attorneys from the case.
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According to Steve Kubby, the attorneys - Dale Wood and Joseph Farina - are
potential witnesses in the medical marijuana trial that is now expected to
start on May 1.
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[snip]
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Pubdate: | Thu, 09 Mar 2000 |
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Copyright: | 2000 Auburn Journal |
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Address: | 1030 High St., Auburn, CA 95603 |
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Author: | Jessica R. Towhey, Journal Staff Writer |
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COMMENT: (17-18) (Top) |
On the legislative front, Hawaii should become the first state to
allow medical use without requiring an initiative. In Maryland, a
similar bill (one introduced in a flurry of good publicity) couldn't
survive its first committee.
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(17) LEGISLATORS APPROVE MARIJUANA PROPOSALS; CAYETANO FAVORS MEDICAL USE (Top) |
Both the state House and Senate yesterday approved bills legalizing
marijuana use for medical purposes, which means such a measure is
extremely likely to become law.
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This is the first time measures authorizing medical marijuana have
cleared both houses of the Legislature.
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Gov. Ben Cayetano has said he favors allowing marijuana to be used for
medical purposes, so a veto is unlikely. The state Department of Health
has said marijuana should be available to treat symptoms associated
with cancer, AIDS and other conditions.
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Source: | Honolulu Advertiser (HI) |
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Copyright: | 2000 The Honolulu Advertiser, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. |
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Address: | P.O. Box 3110 Honolulu, HI 96802 |
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Author: | Lynda Arakawa and Kevin Dayton, Advertiser Capitol Bureau |
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(18) PANEL KILLS DRUG BILL (Top) |
Move To Legalize Medicinal Use Of Marijuana Fails; Relief Sought For
Sick; Supporters Speak Of Compassion While Foes Point To The Law
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A bill that would have permitted patients with cancer and other
diseases to use marijuana to relieve their symptoms and side effects of
treatment was defeated last night after an emotional debate in a House
of Delegates committee.
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Turning aside its sponsor's plea for more time to craft a broadly
acceptable bill, the House Judiciary Committee voted 11-7, with one
abstention, to keep the bill from going to the full House.
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[snip]
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Pubdate: | Sat, 11 Mar 2000 |
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Source: | Baltimore Sun (MD) |
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Copyright: | 2000 The Baltimore Sun, a Times Mirror Newspaper. |
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International News
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COMMENT: (19-21) (Top) |
Almost as if providing solace to Americans over the LAPD debacle, law
enforcement agents in 3 other countries illustrated how easily
prohibition laws can corrupt police.
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(19) INDONESIA: POLICE TO GET TOUGH ON DRUGS (Top) |
JAKARTA (JP): Marking its massive campaign against illegal drugs, the
National Police have taken initial internal law-enforcement measures
against its low-ranking officers allegedly involved in drug abuse and
trafficking.
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[snip]
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Rusdihardjo said the number of police involved in drug cases had
reached an alarming level.
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"The national campaign against drugs will never be a success if the
law enforcers, including police officers, are involved in taking drugs
and trafficking," he said.
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[snip]
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Pubdate: | Mon, 13 Mar 2000 |
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Pubdate: | Mon, 13 March 2000 |
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Source: | Jakarta Post (Indonesia) |
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Copyright: | The Jakarta Post |
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Address: | P.O. Box 85 Palmerah Jakarta 11001 |
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(20) CANADA: OFFICER IS HELD OVER BOGUS DRUG RAIDS (Top) |
Real And Fake Police ID Seized With Guns, Cash
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A Toronto police officer and six other men face a slew of charges
stemming from a series of fake police drug shakedowns and home invasion
robberies in Toronto and York Region.
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[snip]
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Pubdate: | Sat, 11 Mar 2000 |
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Source: | Toronto Star (CN ON) |
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Copyright: | 2000 The Toronto Star |
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Address: | One Yonge St., Toronto ON, M5E 1E6 |
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Author: | Jim Rankin and Cal Millar |
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(21) 2 COPS SUSPECTED OF ORDERING KILLING OF TIJUANA'S CHIEF (Top) |
TIJUANA, MEXICO -- The gangland-style assassination of Tijuana's police
chief may have been ordered by two of his officers, prosecutors said
Thursday.
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Baja California Atty. Gen. Juan Manuel Salazar had said earlier that
the six people arrested in the Feb. 27 murder of Alfredo de la Torre
were suspected of carrying out the killing for a drug lord.
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But he said Thursday that their testimony had led investigators to
believe that an assistant police chief and a police officer
orchestrated the shooting, then fled to the U.S.
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The suspects, arrested Wednesday, include a former city official and a
ex-policeman.
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[snip]
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Pubdate: | Fri, 10 Mar 2000 |
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Source: | Chicago Tribune (IL) |
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Copyright: | 2000 Chicago Tribune Company |
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Address: | 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611-4066 |
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COMMENT: (22) (Top) |
There was no suggestion that concern over police corruption gave Tony
Blair any pause in pursuit of his (lonely) role as designated European
drug war hawk.
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(22) UK: BLAIR CALLS FOR GLOBAL WAR ON DRUG DEALERS (Top) |
A GLOBAL war on drugs, with minimum set penalties for drug traffickers
across the European Union, was called for by Tony Blair last night.
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The Prime Minister said that, as a parent, he was "terrified" about the
threat posed by the deadly substances and has moved to ensure that the
issue is raised at an EU summit in Portugal.
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[snip]
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Pubdate: | Fri, 10 Mar 2000 |
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Copyright: | 2000 Times Newspapers Ltd |
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Address: | PO Box 496, London E1 9XN, United Kingdom |
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Author: | Jason Allardyce and Stewart Tendler |
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COMMENT: (23) (Top) |
Australia's Age printed a fairly balanced analysis of the emerging
"rave" culture; one that- sadly- won't be read by many US reporters
now being fed a diet of ecstasy scare stories by the DEA.
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(23) AUSTRALIA: ALL THE RAVE (Top) |
Rave Culture Has Raised Controversy Since Its Conception.
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Spawned in the late 1980s from the hordes of disenfranchised fringe
dwellers in Thatcher's England, Rave culture has grown to become
globally one of the most far-reaching cultural movements of a
generation.
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The rave scene is characterised by colorful costuming, vibrant decor,
live performance, sculptural art, high-tech projection gadgetry, a
general sense of unity.
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[snip]
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Yet, increasingly with every new media report of the perils of raves,
the public understanding of the culture is skewed.
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[snip]
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Pubdate: | Tue, 07 Mar 2000 |
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Source: | Age, The (Australia) |
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Copyright: | 2000 David Syme & Co Ltd |
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Address: | 250 Spencer Street, Melbourne, 3000, Australia |
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top)
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TRAC Web Site Shows Some Surprising Data
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Some surprising findings. The average prison sentence for federal drug
offenders has substantially declined, after many many years of moving
in the opposite direction. Marijuana is involved in more federal drug
convictions than any other drug. Customs Service is now the second most
active federal investigative agency when it comes to drugs. Go to
http://trac.syr.edu to view TRAC's updated DEA site and its new Customs
Service site. Numerous graphs, charts and tables, all based on data from
the Justice Department, the federal court, the U.S. Sentencing
Commission and numerous other sources. Data also show wide and sometimes
hard-to-explain regional variations in the enforcement activities
and sentencing decisions found among the 90 federal judicial districts.
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"Dump Judge Judy" Web Site Announced
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Your help is urgently needed on the "Dump Judge Judy" campaign. DRCNet
has launched a web site, http://www.dumpjudgejudy.com , to enhance the
campaign and build political support for needle exchange.
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Submitted by David Borden
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If You Need a Laugh - Transcript of Phone Calls to ONDCP and Other
Prohibitionist Offices
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http://www.theavclub.com/avclubarchive/drugwar.html
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Submitted by Peter J Christ
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A Site That Automatically Sends A Letter To 350 Government Offices.
http://www.legalize.com/petition/petition.htm
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Submitted by John Smith
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top)
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"The truest measure of ourselves as compassionate and civilized human
beings is not how lavishly we honor our heroes, nor how tenderly we
nurture our children, nor how politely we select our leaders. The real
test comes precisely in our treatment of the criminal."
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-- Gregory J. Boyle
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Perhaps the word criminal should be in quotes - Ed
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