| January 26, 2001 #184 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(1) HUGE U.S. PRISON POPULATION SOCIAL COST MOUNTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON, The United States is beginning to discover that its huge
prison population of more than 2 million -- one quarter of all the
world's prisoners -- is spawning a wide array of difficult social
problems. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(2) U.S. IS SAID TO OVERSTATE SPENDING ON DRUG CARE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - Promising to further stoke the debate over America's controversial war against drugs, a Rand Corporation study has found that three federal agencies overstated their spending on drug treatment by $1 billion, and that the reported costs of some law enforcement efforts are no more than "educated guesses." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(3) EDITORIAL: ZERO TOLERANCE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
CITY MUST NOT ENCOURAGE OR CONDONE POLICE LAWLESSNESS | ||||||||||||||||||||
Depositions and other federal court records show that, under two police chiefs, officers in a Houston anti-gang task force routinely harassed citizens and rode rough-shod over their civil rights. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The officers were following a policy of exhibiting "zero tolerance"
of crime, however petty, but the officers and their supervisors
tolerated all manner of illegal, improper and abusive behavior by
police sworn to uphold the law. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(4) HUD'S DRUG RULE OVERTURNED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Appeals Court Says 'One-Strike' Policy Evicts Tenants Unfairly | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saying Congress never intended to drive innocent people from their
homes, a federal appeals court overturned the government's
"one-strike" policy, which let public housing authorities evict
tenants for drug activity they knew nothing about. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
It's hardly surprising that primary physicians who have little expertise and more to do than they can handle show little interest in treating a group that has been so effectively demonized. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) SURVEY: DOCS NEED TO HELP ADDICTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
CHICAGO--A national survey of primary care doctors suggests that many are doing little to help drug-addicted patients kick the habit. | ||||||||||||||||||||
About one-third of the 1,080 doctors surveyed said they do not routinely ask new patients if they use illicit drugs, and 15 percent said they do not routinely offer any intervention to drug-abusing patients. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Of the doctors who do offer intervention, 61 percent said they
recommend 12 - -step programs, which research has suggested may be less
successful than formal addiction therapy, said Dr. Peter Friedmann,
lead author and an assistant professor of medicine and community health
at Brown University. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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COMMENT: (6-7) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Most reviews of "Traffic" tend to incorporate judgments of the drug
war itself; Christopher Wren assembled a panel of "experts" to watch
the movie specifically for that purpose. Their (predictable)
conclusion; despite its failures, no alternative to prohibition is
possible. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Another reviewer took an equally questionable position: we're actually winning the WOD; fears of teen drug use are greatly overblown. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(6) 'TRAFFIC' CAPTURES MUCH OF DRUG WORLD, PEOPLE FROM THE BATTLE FRONT SAY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Chic in charcoal pinstripes and chunky shoes, her blond hair clipped
back, Debra Walcott is a poised, fresh-faced 22-year-old. She is also a
recovering heroin addict who bears some resemblance to the teenager in
the new movie "Traffic," a character whose drug habit quickly devours
her comfortable middle-class life. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
For Ms. Walcott and eight others who were invited to The Times last
week to watch the movie and share their views, the film succeeded
wildly in describing a world they know all too well. The panel
consisted of former addicts, a convicted dealer, a medical historian, a
prosecutor, a retired drug agent, a sociologist, an advocate for needle
exchanges for addicts and a psychiatrist. The movie could have been
even harsher, the panelists said. At least three of them pointed to
their lives as proof. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(7) TODAY'S TEENS AVOID A 'TRAFFIC' JAM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Experts And Kids Say This Generation Is Optimistic -- And Less Inclined
To Do Drugs | ||||||||||||||||||||
OK, you are the parent of a teenager. And you know that a movie is just
a movie; it's celluloid, not a slice of real life. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Nevertheless, you are panicked by the portrayal of alienated A-list
teenagers in Traffic, Steven Soderbergh's drug epic with multiple
themes that's up for five Golden Globe awards Sunday. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Howe and co-author William Strauss, both historians who have written
extensively about generational differences, coined the term
"millennials" for those born since 1982. The oldest have just entered
college. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"You can always find some kids like those in the movie," Howe says.
"But to say Michael Douglas' daughter is some type of representative
kid, that is just not indicated." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Howard Simon of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America says parents
can take two messages from Traffic. "The movie is a wake-up call for
those who think good kids don't use drugs," he says. At the same time,
"the majority of kids are good kids," he says. And "the majority are
not using" illegal substances. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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COMMENT: (8-10) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ecstasy remained news; Long Island's Newsday carried the final installment of a generally informative three part series; the NYT Weekly Magazine published a memoir from an ex-user who displayed some generational bias in comparing his own experience when MDMA was unknown (and legal) with the excesses of the current rave culture. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The use of federal "crack house" legislation against rave promoters
New Orleans continued to resonate. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(8) ECSTASY FROM OVERSEAS TO OUR STREETS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
How Ecstasy Works | ||||||||||||||||||||
Studies Suggest The 'Hug Drug' Disrupts Nerve Cell Function, Perhaps
For Life | ||||||||||||||||||||
SOME PEOPLE who take the small white pills with logos borrowed
from Nike, Mitsubishi or Superman simply want to belong. It makes some
people want to dance all night, to talk all night, to have sex all
night. Some take it to fight depression, others to resolve fights.
But the pill dubbed the "hug drug" by its admirers may have a much
darker side, according to many scientists who know the drug by its
abbreviation, MDMA. Only within the past decade, however, have
researchers begun to understand the risks beyond the immediate one of
dehydration, which in extreme cases can lead to seizures or
convulsions. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Other researchers, however, contend that MDMA's legal status as a
prohibited drug with no accepted medical use has hindered research
that suggests it has clinical potential both as a psychiatric drug and
as a palliative for the terminally ill. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"I believe this substance is a potent, immediate-acting | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(9) EXPERIENCING ECSTASY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
MDMA is different from all the drugs that came before it -- which
explains why it has become the fastest-growing illegal substance in
America. | ||||||||||||||||||||
How Bad It Is to Be 20 Years Old | ||||||||||||||||||||
The pill was white and smelled like No-Doz. Although it had come to us
in the mail inside a tennis ball, it was legal then, fresh from a lab
in Texas. No rumors, no culture surrounding it. We took it on a whim,
on blind faith -- because it was Saturday and there was nothing better
to do. It was late afternoon, warm for November in New Hampshire.
Starting that day in 1984, and until May 1986, I ate Ecstasy, once or
sometimes twice a month. During that same time I realized that the
plan I'd made for my life (I was 20 years old) was useless. I kind of
woke up. I didn't start wearing flowers in my hair, but I got more
excited to live, made a new plan that felt freer -- a plan that sent
me in the right direction. And I still wonder what the drug had to do
with that. Maybe nothing. (How can a drug do anything for you?
Generally I hate drugs. I don't even take Advil.) It's impossible to
say. But because it was inside my noodle, I can't separate out the
Ecstasy. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
As I drove home from the rave, this song by Nine Inch Nails, called "Broken," came on the radio. It's an amazing song. It's enlightening and at the same time it's terrible -- it assaults you with sounds, as though you'd put a conch shell up to your ear to listen to a jet engine warming up. As you listen to it, it undoes all the music you ever heard before. It erases it. Every once in a while it's good to listen to "Broken"; it's hypnotic. But if you listen to it over and over again, you'll fry your listening gene. Built into the enlightening quality of it is this power to remove the ability to hear | ||||||||||||||||||||
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[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) RAVE ARRESTS WORRY HOUSTON PROMOTERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Some Houston organizers of raves - all-night, teen dance parties -
support the prosecution of three rave promoters in New Orleans for
allegedly violating the federal crack house law. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
The crack house law allows prosecution of people who know about illegal
activities on their property even though they are not taking part in
the activities. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Prosecutors said the Brunets and Estopinal knew that drugs were being
used and distributed at their raves but did nothing to prevent it. The
raves were held from 1995 to August 2000 at the State Palace Theater, a
venue Robert Brunet leased for the events. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Each of the three could get 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
New Orleans case may set precedent | ||||||||||||||||||||
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COMMENT: (11) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Further refutation of ONDCP claims that drug use is decreasing came
from an unusual, but reliable, source. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(11) STATE RUNNING OUT OF ROOM FOR SEIZED DRUG EVIDENCE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
TULSA -- The Oklahoma Highway Patrol plans to build a facility to house
evidence seized in drug raids, a project that's expected to be
completed in September or October. | ||||||||||||||||||||
That can't come soon enough for the patrol. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We are taking so many drugs off of the roadways in this state, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has run out of places to put it," | ||||||||||||||||||||
said Pete Norwood, patrol spokesman. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
During 2000, troopers seized 14,778 pounds of marijuana, compared with
9,182 pounds the previous year, Norwood said. The highway patrol also
seized 485 pounds of cocaine, up from 331 pounds in 1999, Norwood said.
Troopers seized 128 pounds of methamphetamine, an increase from 54
pounds seized the year before, Norwood said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"There is more out there," Norwood said of the increased seizures. "The
drug problem is rising." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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COMMENT: (12-13) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The obit of an old Nixon foe underscored an important historical
fact: Nixon was not the "treatment" advocate he was portrayed as in
"The Fix." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Meanwhile, methadone maintenance, that federal anachronism of Nixon's single contribution to therapy will undergo a rare change; whether access will be improved is questionable, but patients remaining clean for specific intervals may be trusted to self medicate. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(12) STANLEY F. YOLLES, 81, U.S. MENTAL HEALTH CHIEF, NIXON FOE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
New York -- Dr. Stanley F. Yolles, who as the nation's top official on
mental health in the 1960s denounced what he saw as ''stupid, punitive
laws'' on drug use and was eventually forced out by the Nixon
administration, died on Jan. 12 at University Hospital in Stony Brook,
N.Y. He was 81 and lived in Stony Brook. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
In testimony before House and Senate committees, Dr. Yolles argued that strict laws failed as deterrents, and advocated abolishing mandatory sentences and giving judges greater leeway in dealing with drug users, especially first-time offenders. Of penalties for marijuana possession, | ||||||||||||||||||||
said, ''I know of no clearer instance in which the punishment for an
infraction of the law is more harmful than the crime.'' | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(13) NEW RULES FOR METHADONE CLINICS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Methadone clinics for the first time must be accredited in a manner
similar to other health facilities, say new government rules intended
to improve quality of treatment for heroin addiction. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
One new rule, however, should free some room in crowded methadone
clinics, he said: Instead of restricting recovering addicts to a
six-day methadone supply, those who do well after a year's treatment
can take home a two-week supply and those doing well after two years of
treatment can take home a month's supply. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (14-19) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The general heading for this week's potpourri of law enforcement items
could be "unfinished business:" | ||||||||||||||||||||
Following failure of last year's disappointing "reforms" Governor Pataki is pushing a more substantial (though still modest) package; one now given a good chance of passage by most pundits. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It now appears that allegations of John Ashcroft's complicity in
negating Missouri's forfeiture requirements were too little and
occurred too late to block his confirmation as AG. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Of the Tulia stories written by outsiders, perhaps Paul Duggan's best
catches the bias leading to the original arrests and still dividing
the town. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In California, a bereaved family responded to an uninformative
official report with a lawsuit, while in Colorado, one unlucky cadet
was chosen as the sacrifice to end a scandal. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Using a local case as a starting point, an Omaha paper did a good job
reviewing the contentious issue of drug use during pregnancy from a
national perspective. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(14) DRUG LAW PROGRESS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gov. Pataki Outlines A Promising Start Toward Reforming The Rockefeller
Statutes | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gov. Pataki's proposal to reduce the harsh sentences called for under
the state's Rockefeller drug laws holds the promise that genuine reform
will become a reality this year. That promise is even brighter now that
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, has ended his opposition
to any reform out of fear that it might make Democrats appear soft on
crime. With Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, R-Brunswick, also
prepared to negotiate, there is every reason to expect movement this
year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(15) ASHCROFT'S STANCE ON SEIZED ASSETS DRAWS SCRUTINY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
John Ashcroft is attracting criticism from drug war opponents who say
he turned a blind eye while police were violating the Missouri
Constitution at the time he was governor. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
"As governor of Missouri, John Ashcroft ignored the dictates of his own
state constitution in allowing money to be diverted from public
education to his state Highway Patrol," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive
director of the Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation, a nonprofit
group that pushes | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Chip Robertson, who was a judge on the Supreme Court when it ruled in
1990, said that he was unaware of Ashcroft's position on forfeiture at
the time but that the legal situation was ambiguous. It appeared then
that law enforcement officers could choose to take forfeitures to the
state or to federal agencies. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(16) MASSIVE DRUG SWEEP DIVIDES TEXAS TOWN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
TULIA, Tex. -- By midday July 23, 1999, this Panhandle prairie town was abuzz with news of the biggest drug bust ever here. The jail was packed with suspects rounded up that morning after a grand jury indicted 43 men | ||||||||||||||||||||
and women for allegedly selling small amounts of cocaine to a sheriff's
deputy in an undercover operation. Most townspeople, though not all,
applauded the arrests. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(17) FAMILY OF SLAIN BOY SUES POLICE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The family of an 11-year-old Modesto boy killed in his home during a
narcotics sweep last September has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in
federal court in Fresno, charging that officers should have known there
were children in the home at the time they raided it. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the boy's family by San Francisco
lawyers Arturo J. Gonzalez and Robert Y. Chan, the same legal team that
won a $12.5 million jury verdict for a Dinuba family after 64-year-old
Ramon | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gallardo Sr. was shot as many as 15 times during a July 1997 police
raid. That case later was settled for $6 million. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(18) AFA CADET FACES COURT-MARTIAL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Trial To Begin Jan. 30 On Charges Of Using, Distributing Drugs; 55-year
Term Possible | ||||||||||||||||||||
COLORADO SPRINGS The Air Force Academy has decided to court-martial a senior cadet charged with using and distributing illegal drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Academy officials said Tuesday that Cadet 1st Class Stephen D. Pouncey's trial will begin Jan. 30 on charges of distributing ecstasy and LSD, and of using cocaine, LSD, ecstasy and methamphetamines. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Pouncey, who is one semester from graduation, faces up to 55 years in
military prison if convicted on the charges. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(19) FOUR CRACK BABIES, ONE TOUGH DEBATE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
In late October, a 31-year-old Omaha woman with a history of drug use
and prostitution gave birth to her fifth child. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The newborn girl tested positive for crack/cocaine, just like all her
siblings except the oldest. And like the four other children, Nebraska
Health and Human Services took custody of the child. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
The South Carolina case, Ferguson vs. City of Charleston, prompted dozens of medical, public health and civil rights groups to file or join court briefs in support of the women's appeal. Not one friend-of-the-court brief was filed supporting the city. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (20-22) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
In a major breakthrough, Belgium emulated its neighbor by essentially
decriminalizing cannabis- but stopped short of allowing open sales in
"coffee shops." One can only guess at the US pressure that had to be
overcome. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Significant medical testimony in a high profile DC case was made
doubly important by pending review of the OCBC case by the Supreme
Court. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Another respected source weighing in on hemp agriculture explained why
it could become so important to Illinois farmers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(20) BELGIUM LIBERALIZES RULES ON MARIJUANA POSSESSION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
BRUSSELS--Belgium's government in effect decriminalized the possession of marijuana for personal use Friday in a move that the country's health minister said will create extra personal freedom. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Announcing the move to a packed news conference, Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt said a royal decree will be issued formalizing the new policy and instructing prosecutors not to pursue people for possession. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The legislation, which is expected to be approved by Parliament soon,
will legalize possession of small amounts of cannabis for personal
consumption. But it will not allow sale of the drug, unlike in the
Netherlands, where "coffee shops" selling marijuana cigarettes are a
common sight in many cities. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The law does allow the cultivation of marijuana plants for personal use. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(21) DOCTOR TESTIFIES THOUSANDS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS LIKELY USE (Top)MARIJUANA | ||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON -- Thousands of patients suffering from multiple sclerosis in the United States are using marijuana as relief from muscle spasms, a doctor testified on Friday at the trial of a Michigan woman. Renee Emry Wolfe, of Ann Arbor, was charged with possession of marijuana after lighting a joint in a congressman's Capitol Hill office in 1998. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
During the second day of the trial, Dr. Denis Petro, a neurologist,
testified in court that the number of people with multiple sclerosis
who use marijuana "is certainly in the thousands." Petro also said that
some other drugs used to treat muscle spasms or shaking are not always
effective or have severe side effects. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(22) HEMP COULD BE CASH CROP OF FUTURE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Research Professor Says Plant May Be Used In Construction Materials Don
Briskin, University of Illinois professor of plant physiology, has a
passion for doing research on hemp - not variations that produce
marijuana, but hemp with legitimate and potentially lucrative
agricultural uses. If hemp can get past a few remaining legislative
hurdles in Illinois, Briskin believes it could have a future as a cash
crop for farmers, useful in the manufacture of construction materials,
fabric, paper and even composite plastic. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (23-28) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A long Op-Ed in the Chicago Sun-Times by an ace Canadian journalist
took a detailed look at the failing but expensive U.S. attempts at
"source control." Like prohibition itself, it's a policy completely
lacking any history of success. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Even as Pino Arlaachi was claiming UN success in crop eradication, the resignation of a top aide gave cause for considerable skepticism. | ||||||||||||||||||||
That cocaine has been quietly increasing its popularity in Europe was
suggested by an item in the San Francisco Chronicle. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Finally, the confirmation hearings of Donald Rumsfeld were used by two
knowledgeable observers to suggest that the US might do well to
rethink Plan Colombia. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(23) ATTACK ON DRUG CROPS A FAILURE FOR CENTURIES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
In the 16th century, the Marques de Caete, the Spanish viceroy of Peru,
was bothered by the extent to which Indians were chewing coca leaves, a
practice that delivers a small amount of the same drug users take when
they snort cocaine today. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Marques ordered a limit to the amount of coca that could be
planted. He even set up financial incentives to get farmers to
substitute food crops for coca. It didn't work. Coca was too much in
demand, too lucrative. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Today, international anti-drug efforts are increasingly targeting
source plants in the field. The elegant cannabis plant that becomes
marijuana and hashish; the squat coca bush, whose leaves produce
cocaine, and the gangly opium poppy, whose sap becomes opium and
heroin--these plants are international criminals, the targets of one of
the greatest law-enforcement efforts in history. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The United States and the United Nations are spending billions of
dollars trying to destroy them. Third World nations are adding major
contributions from their slim budgets. The economies of whole regions,
even whole countries, are at stake. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
If at least some of the perils of crop eradication are speculative, the
benefits are entirely so. More than 400 years after the Marques de
Caete tried and failed to stop coca in the fields, there is still
little reason to think that these policies can substantially reduce
drug use and the harms associated with it. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(24) UN REPORT CLAIMS COCAINE, HEROIN PRODUCTION FALLING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A new United Nations' report on the illegal drugs trade says world
production of cocaine and heroin is declining as countries become more
serious about tackling the trade in narcotics. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Vienna-based office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention says
demand for hard drugs in the main markets is also falling, either as a
result of more effective policing or changing habits. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(25) UN DRUG AGENCY 'DEMORALIZED AND PARALYZED' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Official's Resignation Letter Accuses Boss of Breaking Promises | ||||||||||||||||||||
UNITED NATIONS - The UN office responsible for combatting drugs and
organized crime is a facade of meaningless international conferences
and broken promises, according to one of the agency's senior officials
in a leaked letter of resignation. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The official accuses Pino Arlacchi, the agency's head, of travelling
the world announcing multi-million-dollar projects, then quietly
cancelling many of them. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(26) DRUGS FLOOD DEUTSCHLAND (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Top Soccer Coach's Disclosure Rouses Germans From Complacency About
Cocaine | ||||||||||||||||||||
MUNICH-- To many Germans, the United States is a place where sniffing
cocaine is as commonplace as swigging beer. But the recent revelation
that a prominent German soccer coach tested positive for the drug has
spotlighted the grim fact that Germany, too, is swamped with cocaine,
and that the number of users is soaring. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(27) A RISKY POLICY UNFOLDS--AND NO ONE IS PAYING ATTENTION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON--At Donald H. Rumsfeld's confirmation hearing earlier this
month, a remarkable exchange took place between Arizona Sen. John
McCain, among the Senate's most respected foreign-policy experts, and
the new secretary of defense: | ||||||||||||||||||||
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[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(28) THE REAL ENEMY IN THE DRUG WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
With the delicacy of someone seasoned by much experience near the
summit of government, Donald Rumsfeld has indicated strong skepticism
about a policy from which this country may reap a bumper crop of
regrets. Asked about the $1.6 billion -- so far -- undertaking to
help fight the drug war in Colombia, Rumsfeld said he had not
formulated an opinion. But he embroidered his agnosticism with
thoughts antithetical to the program for which George W. Bush,
during the campaign, indicated support. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Colombia's drug-related agonies are largely traceable to U.S. cities.
Although one-third of Colombia's cocaine goes to Europe, America's
annual $50 billion demand is a powerful suction pulling in several
hundred tons of cheaply made, easily transportable and staggeringly
profitable substances. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Here is the arithmetic of futility: About one-third of cocaine destined for the United States is interdicted, yet the street price has been halved in the past decade of fighting the drug war on the supply side. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
New DrugNews Archive Print Feature | ||||||||||||||||||||
We have added a feature to facilitate printing any of the more than 50,000 news clippings in the DrugNews archive. To use this new feature, simply click on the "print" button at the bottom of any clipping. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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"Waiting to Inhale" By Alan Bock Now Available On-Line | ||||||||||||||||||||
While we reported this last week, here is some updated info on Alan Bock's new book "Waiting to Inhale: The Politics of Medical Marijuana." | ||||||||||||||||||||
It is in some bookstores, and is also available at www.amazon.com,
www.sevenlockspress.com, and should be at www.laissezfaire.org soon. A
call to the publisher (800) 354-5348 by people with Web sites will
bring a review copy and a discussion of ways and means for selling it
through their site. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Submitted by Mark Greer | ||||||||||||||||||||
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FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A Little Format Change | ||||||||||||||||||||
As you may have noticed, we have decided to change the format of the
DrugSense Weekly Newsletter a little. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Beginning with this issue, we now lead with our "This Just In" section
of significant news clippings, too fresh for analysis, followed by the
"Weekly News in Review". The "Feature Article" has been moved toward
the end of the issue. | ||||||||||||||||||||
We hope these changes highlight and improve access to the most important
news and insightful analyses. | ||||||||||||||||||||
As the drug policy news was very heavy this week we are only offering this abbreviated version of the Feature Article in this issue. | ||||||||||||||||||||
As always your ideas and feedback on these modifications are welcome. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
"A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday does not know
where it is today." --Robert E. Lee | ||||||||||||||||||||
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