| May 4, 2001 #198 | ||||||||||||||||
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Listen On-line at: http://www.drugsense.org/radio/ | ||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
(1) GIVING TEENS FACTS ABOUT DRUG WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
We should be careful what we tell teen-agers. | ||||||||||||||||
Speak out against the nation's failed drug war policies and you can expect
to hear that comment from people who fear that kids can't handle the truth
or could misapply the facts. | ||||||||||||||||
One particularly angry man told me we must be careful what information we
make available to teen-agers after I had passed along some information from
one of the scientific community's leading pharmacologists, G. Alan Robison.
Robison, who also is a founder of the Drug Policy Forum of Texas, once
tested marijuana for toxicity by feeding it to rats to determine what
amount would prove fatal. | ||||||||||||||||
What Robison discovered was that marijuana doesn't kill rats. Booze kills
them. Tobacco kills them. Marijuana doesn't kill them. | ||||||||||||||||
The angry man did not dispute the scientific finding, but he contended that if we tell kids such a thing, they will view it as an endorsement of doing drugs, take it and run with it to the nearest street-corner dealer. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(2) MEDIA IS SNOWBLIND NO MORE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Spooked In Peru | ||||||||||||||||
A good litmus test for the integrity of any news organization is the
aggressiveness of its reporting on the CIA. And the test has never been
more relevant than in the two weeks since April 20, when CIA operatives
helped shoot down a missionary plane in Peru. While many journalists
concentrated on reconstructing events behind the "tragic" death of an
American mother and child, others rejected the U.S. government's spin and
turned to unauthorized sources to piece together the more important back
story. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(3) LIKE, EASY: DUTCH TOWN ENVISIONS PAIR OF MARIJUANA DRIVE-THROUGHS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
VENLO, Netherlands -- The Dutch authorities plan to open two drive-through
shops next year where German tourists from across the nearby border can buy
marijuana and hashish. | ||||||||||||||||
Officials in Venlo say they want to make it easier on Germans who flock to the southern Dutch border town for drugs by opening two coffee shops with drive-throughs selling such drugs as marijuana and hashish. | ||||||||||||||||
They also want to keep the "drug tourists" from lingering in the Netherlands, where so-called soft drugs are legally sold in small quantities. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(4) COMING TO A NEIGHBOURHOOD NEAR YOU (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
A small hitch with America's policy of imprisoning more people than any other country on the planet: most have to be released at some point | ||||||||||||||||
Jose Vasquez has a scar on his right cheek and a conviction for accidental manslaughter. Arrested at the age of 16, he was convicted as an adult and locked up for seven years in an upstate New York prison. He should have been released earlier, but the prison authorities dished out "disciplinary sanctions" for a series of fights. At first that meant solitary confinement; then, for several months, being locked in his cell for 23 hours a day. The parole board twice put off his release. Now Mr Vasquez is 25 years old, has been free for two years, but must do at least two more years of parole. Still, he counts himself "pretty fortunate". | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-9) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Rapid Response: | ||||||||||||||||
On Thursday, the NYT, which-- along with its print sisters-- had
ignored Dan Forbes Salon scoop for six days, finally confirmed the
proposed new czar's identity. | ||||||||||||||||
Washington Post columnist William Raspberry, obviously alerted by the Forbes piece, had a response which anticipated the Times article by a day and dwelt on Walters' total unsuitability for the position. | ||||||||||||||||
On Saturday, a New Mexico columnist took a far more detached view in a column which also highlighted the upcoming DPF conference. | ||||||||||||||||
Just a day before the Times announced his appointment, the LAT carried
an item Walters probably found both interesting and satisfying: Robert
Downey Jr.'s latest relapse. | ||||||||||||||||
On Friday, Sally Satel's Op-Ed condemning Downey's bad choices and absolving the drug war of any criticism was published in the WSJ. | ||||||||||||||||
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(5) TOUGH CONSERVATIVE PICKED FOR DRUG CZAR, OFFICIALS SAY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON, April 25 - President Bush plans to name John P. Walters,
a law-and-order conservative who was harshly critical of the Clinton
administration's efforts against illegal narcotics, as the drug czar,
Bush administration officials said today. | ||||||||||||||||
(snip) | ||||||||||||||||
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(6) A DRACO OF DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
President Bush, if the reports are to be believed, has picked John P.
Walters to replace Barry McCaffrey as head of the Office of National
Drug Control Policy. | ||||||||||||||||
At one level, the nomination would be no surprise. It fits the pattern
that has the president turning to retreads from his father's
administration to fill key positions. Walters was deputy to drug "czar"
William Bennett under the previous Bush administration. | ||||||||||||||||
At another level, though, it is a peculiar choice. Walters, almost
alone among those who have spent serious professional time on drug
abuse in America, harbors no misgivings over the fact that we've been
crowding our prisons almost to the bursting point with nonviolent drug
offenders. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(7) REPUBLICAN POLAR OPPOSITES DICTATE DRUG WAR BUT WHERE'S MAINSTREAM? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
If Gov. Gary Johnson thought Gen. Barry McCaffrey was a hard sell on
drug reform, wait until he gets a load of the general's replacement as
the nation's drug czar. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
The Lindesmith Center, a national organization that advocates
drug-policy reform and strongly supports Johnson's efforts, is taking
advantage of the political undertones of the debate. | ||||||||||||||||
The center, which has an office in Santa Fe, is planning a drug-policy
conference June 1-2 in Albuquerque. | ||||||||||||||||
The conference, which will feature Johnson and others, is set to close
with a session titled, "Debate: Republican or Democrat: Who will claim
the drug reform issue?" | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(8) DOWNEY IS ARRESTED IN A CULVER CITY ALLEY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
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Actor Robert Downey Jr. was arrested again early Tuesday in a Culver
City alley on suspicion of using drugs and promptly checked himself
into a rehabilitation clinic... | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(9) DRUGS: A DECISION, NOT A DISEASE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Robert Downey Jr. is in trouble again. Los Angeles police took him into
custody this week for public intoxication, the latest arrest in a long
series of legal problems dating back to 1996... | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
We must not make Robert Downey Jr. into a symbol of anything larger
than himself. He is not an icon of a botched war on drugs; he is not
evidence of the failure of criminal sanctions; his situation shouldn't
be used to argue against the virtues of drug treatment. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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COMMENT: (10-13) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Updating club drugs; Florida's Senator Bob Graham used material from a
widely distributed AP drug scare story to tout a new law 'cracking
down' on ecstasy with increased penalties. Didn't we learn from crack
cocaine that the technique doesn't work? | ||||||||||||||||
A related NYT account summarized the status of various current
attempts to "control" raves. | ||||||||||||||||
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(10) ECSTASY TAKES TOLL ON TEENS NATIONWIDE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
CHICAGO -- One dead after a party in suburban Chicago. Two more in
Memphis,Tenn., and another two in Portland, Ore. | ||||||||||||||||
The fatal consequences of Ecstasy -- an illegal drug that some say is this
decade's version of LSD -- are becoming increasingly apparent
nationwide,further stirring the debate about how to deal with the large
numbers of young people who are using it. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(11) TUESDAY, A NEW TOOL TO COMBAT ECSTASY EPIDEMIC (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
When Michelle C. was 15 years old, she discovered something that made
her feel great for a few hours... | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
The new, tougher sentencing guidelines, which go into effect on Tuesday,
nearly triple penalties for Ecstasy-related crimes. The new guidelines are
aimed at punishing profiteers, not young people who make a bad choice.
Overall, the new guidelines boost the average penalty for
Ecstasy trafficking from 25 months to 60 months. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(12) CLUB OWNERS ARE FOCUS OF EFFORT TO COMBAT DRUG USE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Frustrated by the rising popularity of Ecstasy and other illegal drugs
among young nightclub revelers, law enforcement agencies and local
governments around the country are increasingly going after the clubs
themselves, saying that the electronic music they play has a close
connection to abuse of these drugs. | ||||||||||||||||
Fans of the music, nightclub owners and some civil rights lawyers say
singling out clubs based on the music they play raises First Amendment
concerns. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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COMMENT: (13-16) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
In other news, two articles highlighted the growing disenchantment
with drug policy at the grass roots level; a disenchantment which
continues to be ignored by policy makers. | ||||||||||||||||
Expressions of discontent were prompted not only by events in Peru,
but also by the Bush Administrations' decision to strictly enforce
sanctions against students convicted of drug charges. | ||||||||||||||||
Another indicator of the inroads reform is making in key areas is the
rapid growth of SSDP. The feds may someday realize how imprudent it
was to antagonize students by denying student loans for previous drug
offenses. | ||||||||||||||||
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(13) DRUG WAR EXAGGERATIONS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
In a recent editorial published by The Sun, Family Research Council
member Robert L. Maginnis asserted that "last year, in the United
States alone, more citizens died of illegal drug overdoses than were
murdered." | ||||||||||||||||
This statement is not true and represents typical drug war propaganda
and hyperbole. | ||||||||||||||||
It appears as though the drug warriors are getting desperate as the
nation finally wakes up and realizes that drug war policies ... have
utterly failed to reduce the quantity, quality or cost of drugs on our
streets. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(14) SHADES OF GRAY ON THE DRUG WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Further evidence that the winds of war are changing directions was the
presence of several local judges at a luncheon where the speaker
lambasted our current drug laws and called for reform. | ||||||||||||||||
They had to know ahead of time that such would be the tenor of the
talk because the man at the rostrum was James Gray, author of a new
book "Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do About It" and
because the Thursday noontime event was produced by the Drug Policy
Forum of Texas, which promotes open discussion about options to our
current drug policies. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(15) A WAR AGAINST OURSELVES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
BOSTON -- "They are killing us," the pilot of the small plane carrying
an American missionary family said as a Peruvian Air Force fighter
fired. Veronica Bowers and her 7-month-old daughter, Charity, died.
But the "they" in the pilot's words were not just the Peruvian gunners,
and the "us" were not only Veronica and Charity Bowers. The ultimate
cause of their death was U.S. drug policy, the war on drugs; and that
war has damaged the lives of millions of Americans. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Yet around the country some politicians, and many members of the
public, have begun to call for change. But not George W. Bush and his
administration. Mr. Bush's reported choice as drug czar is John P.
Walters, an all-out warrior who has spoken scornfully of drug treatment
and wants to intensify the fight to cut off drug supplies abroad. The
Bush administration has also started to enforce a little-known 1998 law
that bars financial aid to students who have been convicted of even a
minor drug offense. | ||||||||||||||||
The result, defying reason, is to discourage one of the best routes to
rehabilitation, higher education. The "war on drugs" is more than just
a slogan. | ||||||||||||||||
In war, collateral damage is often regarded as unavoidable. In any sane civilian policy, the collateral damage of the drug war to ourselves and our neighbors would long since have been found unacceptable. The result of the U.S. drug war, The Economist of London said last week, "is to undermine democracy, human rights and the environment in much of Latin America. A radical rethink of drug policy is long overdue." | ||||||||||||||||
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(16) FORUM ATTACKS UNITED STATE'S CRACKDOWN ON DRUG TRAFFICKING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The fight against the war on drugs took center stage last weekend as
the UW-Madison Students for a Sensible Drug Policy held its first drug
policy reform conference on campus. | ||||||||||||||||
The conference brought together speakers from around the country to
address social and political issues relating to the government's
attempted crackdown on drug trafficking and usage. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
David Borden, executive director of the Drug Reform Coordination
Network, cited the immense number of prisoners incarcerated on drug
convictions as one of the main problems of the drug war, as well as
mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenders. | ||||||||||||||||
Borden, along with other panelists, argued for the legalization of all
drugs within the United States. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (17-20) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
William Raspberry claims the first 'double' in Weekly history; his column on the racist impact (regardless of original motivation) of Eighties crack laws suggests he's become energized by the drug war; | ||||||||||||||||
While in office, Barry McCzar became famous for speaking out of both
sides of his mouth; now that his term is over, his public statements
are somewhat more rational and consistent. | ||||||||||||||||
When Lindesmith's Deborah Small ventured into prohibitionist country, she touched on a subject of growing importance: prisons cost money (and will become much more burdensome if recession becomes reality). | ||||||||||||||||
For those interested in the gory details, the LA Times carried a
detailed account of how the Vignali pardon was (probably) bought and
paid for. | ||||||||||||||||
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(17) THE BIG ILLINOIS CRACK-UP (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
In the late 1980s -- around the time Congress was enacting harsher
sentences for "crack" than for powder cocaine offenses -- the state of
Illinois was passing legislation automatically transferring certain
juvenile drug offenders to adult court. | ||||||||||||||||
The chief result of the congressional action is well known. The
nation's prisons are bursting with black inmates... | ||||||||||||||||
Here, from a report done for a consortium called Building Blocks for
Youth, is the result of the Illinois law: Ninety-nine percent of the
automatic transfers to adult court in Cook County during 1999 and 2000
were either black or Hispanic. Of 393 juveniles automatically excluded
from juvenile court, just three were white. | ||||||||||||||||
And here's the kicker. The lawmakers, far from intending this racially
outrageous result, were most likely acting to make black communities
safer from the scourge of drugs. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(18) ROCKEFELLER LAWS DECRIED BY EX-DRUG CZAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Albany-- Gen. Barry McCaffrey Endorses Assembly's Reform Plan | ||||||||||||||||
Former top White House drug advisor Gen. Barry McCaffrey again
denounced New York's Rockefeller Drug Laws Tuesday and endorsed a
Democratic Assembly majority plan that would allow low-level repeat
drug offenders to forgo long prison sentences in favor of addiction
treatment. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(19) NAACP RALLY TARGETS DRUG WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The nation's drug war was in the spotlight Saturday night at a rally
sponsored by the Amarillo chapter of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People. | ||||||||||||||||
The rally, which was held at the Amarillo United Citizens Forum Black Cultural Center, attracted about 75 participants and featured Harvard graduate and noted drug policy expert Deborah Peterson Small. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Small said another major motivating factor for change will be money,
pointing to the uproar over recent calls to institute an income tax in
Texas, which would be used in part to support an increasing prison
population. | ||||||||||||||||
"Right now, that money (for incarceration) is hidden away," Small said.
"But as the penal system keeps growing, people will start to see how
much of their money is going to keep this non-producing enterprise
going." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(20) WORKING THE AMERICAN SYSTEM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
On the day Carlos Vignali went to prison, he was already thinking about freedom. Led to a holding cell, the convicted cocaine dealer turned to a co-defendant. "My father's going to get me out," he said. It had the ring of a rich boy's boast. It also was true. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
The American political system, warmed by money from Vignali's father,
overturned the judicial system that had sent Carlos to prison in 1995.
Horacio Vignali says President Clinton's pardon of his son in January
is "a case where America worked." He called it a miracle. Perhaps it
is. But if so, it's a miracle with a road map, one providing a cold
look at the influence that money and connections play in the American
system. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||
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Alan Bock is admittedly very knowledgeable, but his optimism about law
enforcement and local DA's prospective tolerance of medical use isn't
shared by many patients. | ||||||||||||||||
The unabashed malignancy of at least some DAs is evident in the
demands of Steve Kubby's prosecutors who clearly don't care if his
claims to require it for survival are, in fact, true. | ||||||||||||||||
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(21) READY TO INHALE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Alan Bock Says The Medical-marijuana War Is Over, And The Good Guys Won | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
And California's law on this matter is pretty unambiguous: if you have a doctor's recommendation, you have the right to possess and cultivate cannabis. If you cultivate it for personal use and aren't transporting it or distributing it, then you shouldn't have any problems. | ||||||||||||||||
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(22) PLACER JAIL WON'T ALLOW KUBBY POT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Medical marijuana proponent Steve Kubby -- who won acquittal earlier
this year on charges that he grew 265 pot plants at his home for
personal profit -- was told Friday that he wouldn't be able to smoke
cannabis while serving a 120-day jail term on the two drug charges he
was convicted of. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Cosgrove agreed to extend Kubby's deadline for admission to the jail from May 11 to July 20. The extra time is expected to provide enough time for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the use of medical marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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What ever happened to the First Amendment? Those looking for hempen
essence in their favorite brew will now have to check the fine print
of the ingredients label. | ||||||||||||||||
While the "Land of the Free" continues to resist hemp, New Zealand
becomes the next country in line to reap its benefits. | ||||||||||||||||
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(23) HEMP MAKES THE LIST OF BUREAU'S BANNED BUZZWORDS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms may be loose on language,
but it's getting tough on drugs. | ||||||||||||||||
In a reversal of an earlier label approval, the agency has told
Frederick Brewing of Maryland it can no longer call its popular dark
ale Hempen Ale. | ||||||||||||||||
The beer is made with hemp seeds, like those used to grow marijuana.
The seeds are sterile, however, and contain no THC, the psychotropic
substance that gets users stoned. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
In a little publicized order, the agency said that while brewers could
continue to use hemp in alcoholic beverages, they could no longer
advertise that fact. That includes any reference to word "hemp" in a
brand name. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(24) MANY JOBS IF HEMP TRIALS APPROVED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
A new food product business rivalling the size of Barkers could be
operating in South Canterbury within a couple of years, providing hemp
growing trials get the green light, Waihi Bush organic farmers David
Musgrave said on Friday. | ||||||||||||||||
Health Minister Annette King has finally approved the cultivation of trial plots of industrial hemp will be allowed under strict conditions. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (25-28) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Although the downing of an unarmed civilian plane has been big news
here in the US, it's remained an obscure item in Peru. | ||||||||||||||||
Two items from opposite sides of the world also illustrate the
importance of large populations of poor peasants to drug production
and how government interaction with them becomes a critical factor in
a nation's economic and political stability. | ||||||||||||||||
In that connection, a threatened strike by Bolivia's coca farmers may have serious implications for Plan Colombia and beyond... | ||||||||||||||||
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(25) IN PERU, PLANE IS A BACK-PAGE HEADLINE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Nation Focused On Presidential Race And Recent Scandals | ||||||||||||||||
LIMA, Peru -- Peruvians and Peru's media are immersed in nearly daily
reports on scandals involving top government and military officials and
a heated presidential campaign. They have had little time for the story
of an American woman and her child who died last week when a Peruvian
air force fighter shot down their light plane. | ||||||||||||||||
"What plane?" is the most common response from Lima residents when
asked what they think about last Friday's downing of a plane carrying
American missionaries. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(26) U.S. SHIFTS ON AFGHANISTAN POLICY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
2 Narcotics Experts Join International Team To Help Farmers | ||||||||||||||||
United Nations, New York -- In a first cautious step toward reducing
the near-total isolation of the Taleban, the Bush administration has
sent two U.S. narcotics experts to Afghanistan as part of an
international team assessing how to help farmers who have ended opium
poppy cultivation, according to UN officials. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(27) THIS IS NOT VIETNAM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Our War Against Colombian Coca Farmers Is Good For Sikorsky, Says Sen.
Lieberman. But Are We On The Right Side? | ||||||||||||||||
Four thousand five hundred policemen were on hand to protect President
Clinton last August, in the "secure oasis" of Cartagena, Colombia.
Announcing a $1.3 billion American plan to eradicate the country's most
valuable crop, the president sounded an unavoidably defensive note.
"This is not Vietnam," he said. "Nor is it Yankee imperialism." Violent
protests rocked the American embassy in Bogota, and three banks were
bombed. On national television that night, Clinton said: "We do not
believe your conflict has a military solution. " But 60 armored
helicopters would soon be on their way, along with herbicides to
defoliate the coca fields, and military advisers to train new army
battalions: Plan Colombia. | ||||||||||||||||
Colombian farmers have become the world's most productive growers of coca leaf. In the Andean foothills, poppies also flourish. Colombia furnishes the raw material for 80 percent of the world's cocaine supply, and perhaps half the heroin. Coca production, down elsewhere as a result of American pressure, has in recent years soared in Colombia. The cocaine is increasingly said to be "pharmaceutical grade." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(28) GENERAL STRIKE IN BOLIVIA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The Bolivian Central Union (COB, in its Spanish acronym, the AFL-CIO of
Bolivia) has just decided to begin a National General Strike tomorrow,
Tuesday, May 1st, and to continue the work stoppage in all industries
indefinitely until the Banzer regime meets the 15 demands of
coca-growers and other sectors including urban workers, farmers and
retirees. | ||||||||||||||||
The National Strike comes on the Seventh Day of a blockade in which coca growers - protesting U.S.-imposed drug policies - have stopped traffic on the nation's major highway. And it comes on the heels of dictator-turned-president Hugo Banzer's recent trip to Washington where he met with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and other officials. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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COMMENT: (29-30) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
An item from Russia demonstrated that the US isn't alone in using Draconian marijuana sentences to "send messages," and one from Britain suggests that Mexico and the US aren't the only countries where elite police units succumb to the blandishments of drug criminals. | ||||||||||||||||
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(29) RUSSIAN COURT SENTENCES US SCHOLAR TO 3 YEARS IN PRISON ON DRUG CHARGES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
VORONEZH, Russia (AP) -- A Russian judge sentenced an American
Fulbright scholar on Friday to three years and one month in prison
after convicting him on charges of drug possession, purchase and
distribution. | ||||||||||||||||
John Tobin, 24 years old, of Ridgefield, Conn., was found innocent of
another charge, persuading others to use narcotics. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(30) ELITE POLICE HELD IN DRUGS INQUIRY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Police have promised a thorough investigation Five police officers are
among 10 people arrested on suspicion of drug dealing in a series of
raids on Saturday. | ||||||||||||||||
The officers from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire include four who have
worked with the elite National Crime Squad (NCS), two of whom were
currently seconded to the squad. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
99% of youth transferred to adult court for drug crimes are African
American/Latino | ||||||||||||||||
A copy of the "Drugs and Disparity: The Racial Impact of Illinois
Practice of Transferring Young Drug Offenders to Adult Court" can be
viewed at http://www.buildingblocksforyouth.org/ | ||||||||||||||||
Submitted by Jason Ziedenberg - The Justice Policy Institute. | ||||||||||||||||
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1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse Available On-line | ||||||||||||||||
A report entitled "1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse Data
Collection Final Report" done for the feds by Research Triangle Institute
is available from SAMHSA at the following URL. | ||||||||||||||||
The document was issued in April 2001. | ||||||||||||||||
Submitted by Doug McVay | ||||||||||||||||
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Compendium of Federal Justice Statistics, 1999 Available On-line | ||||||||||||||||
The new "Compendium of Federal Justice Statistics, 1999," is now available as a free download from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. | ||||||||||||||||
Submitted by Doug McVay | ||||||||||||||||
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The Fresh Air interview of Mark Bowden, the author of "Killing Pablo,"
can now be heard online. | ||||||||||||||||
Submitted by Tom O'Connell | ||||||||||||||||
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The House Committee on Government Reform held a remarkable hearing on the Peru shootdown. Rep. Jan Schakowsky slammed the nomination of John Walters who has been a big supporter of the shootdown policy ... | ||||||||||||||||
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/il09_schakowsky/pr05_01_2001peru.html | ||||||||||||||||
... and introduced a bill (HR 1591) to prohibit the funding of private | ||||||||||||||||
Submitted by Sanho Tree | ||||||||||||||||
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
"If you don't like the content on the Internet, bring your shining
light to make sure others will find something of value. Caring and
connectivity go together, and with this God-given capability you
can no longer claim powerlessness to change the world." - Frank Odasz,
Director of Big Sky Telegraph, Western Montana College of the
University of Montana | ||||||||||||||||
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Content selection and analyses by Tom O'Connell (), Cannabis/Hemp content selection and analysis by Jo-D Dunbar (), International content selection by Richard Lake (), Layout by Matt Elrod () | ||||||||||||||||
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