| Feb. 15, 2002 #238 | ||||||||||||||||||
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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) US: POWELL CLARIFIES DRUG WAR STRATEGY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
U.S. military aid to Colombia will focus on the war against drugs
and is not being expanded to take on leftist insurgency groups,
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Bush administration policy toward the embattled Colombian government has come under new scrutiny as the president's new budget proposes nearly $100 million in new funds to help train Colombian units guarding a critical oil pipeline from rebel attacks. | ||||||||||||||||||
The proposal, first reported Monday in The Washington Times, has
raised alarms in Congress that the U.S. role, first conceived as
helping contain Colombia's massive drug trade, has expanded to take
on the armed rebels who provide a safe haven for the illicit drug
industry. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I think it's a close line," Mr. Powell said in testimony yesterday before the House Appropriations subcommittee on foreign operations. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(2) DRUGS IN THE ANDES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Spectres Stir in Peru | ||||||||||||||||||
Lima - Partly because of Plan Colombia, Peru's illegal drug industry
is reviving. Meanwhile, Bolivians are protesting against drug
eradication. | ||||||||||||||||||
The harder you squeeze the illegal drug industry in one part of the
Andean region, the more it balloons out elsewhere. That has been the
experience over the past quarter-century of the United States' "war"
against the production of cocaine and, more recently, opium poppies
in the Andes. Over the past year, with much American help and money,
Colombia's government has stepped up the eradication of drug crops.
So it is not surprising that there are now clear signs of an
increase in the production of coca (the shrub from which cocaine is
extracted) and poppies (the source of heroin) in Peru. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(3) AFGHANISTAN'S DEADLY HABIT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
No Matter Who Controls Afghanistan, Its Opium Crop-More Than 70% Of
The World's Supply-Is Creating Narco-Societies Throughout Central
Asia, From Russia To Pakistan. In Tajikistan, The Author Discovers
The Extent Of The Region's Drug Corruption, Which May Prove More
Destructive Than Any Terrorist Threat. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(4) SUPPORT FOR CRIME PREVENTION RISES AS TOUGH APPROACH LOSES FAVOR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A new survey suggests public opinion is swinging toward crime prevention and rehabilitation and away from harsh punishments, including mandatory-sentencing provisions such as "three strikes, you're out," that many states adopted in the last decade. | ||||||||||||||||||
The poll results, to be released Wednesday, may give pause to
political candidates seeking to position themselves as tough on
crime in this year's elections. And the numbers indicate there may
be broad support for voter initiatives under way in several states
for measures that mandate treatment and counseling rather than jail
time for some nonviolent drug offenders. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Six or seven years ago, letting somebody outflank you on the right
was a dangerous place to be politically," said Guy Molyneux, senior
vice president of Peter D. Hart Research Associates in Washington,
D.C., which conducted the survey. "Now, that's not going to be a
concern and there may even be situations where someone can go on the
offensive talking about new approaches." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-11) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The story that drew the most attention within the reform community this week was federal busts of medical marijuana distributors in San Francisco. Because of deadline peculiarities at DrugSense Weekly, we won't analyze much mainstream press coverage this week, but first-hand reports from activists have been collected and archived ( see http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n238.a08.html ). While the stories did get some attention from the mainstream press, the incidents took place on a day filled with a barrage of drug war hype from the Bush administration: a new anti-Ecstasy ad campaign; the release of the national drug control strategy; and a talk by DEA head Asa Hutchinson to a hostile crowd in San Francisco. The notion of "compassionate coercion" should be setting off bells of dread in the public mind, but the new and improved drug war show was hard to take seriously in light of other events from the previous week. | ||||||||||||||||||
In Illinois, a suit was filed against a prominent "anti-drug"
activist alleging embezzlement and a money-laundering scheme. The
outcome might not hurt his career much, as several sheriff's races
in Kentucky illustrate. Many candidates have been tainted by drug
corruption scandals, but it hasn't shamed them off the ballot.
Kentucky politics seem to be tied to drugs in other ways, as the son
of a state senator was indicted as part of a large methamphetamine
ring. | ||||||||||||||||||
And a large ad agency paid to create anti-drug propaganda actually
returned tax money to the government after an investigation showed
the company over-billing anti-drug officials. Too bad the ads don't
come with a warranty; if their true effectiveness was honestly
gauged, there would be a lot more money going back to the
government. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(5) AD CAMPAIGN TARGETS NOTIONS OF 'LOVE DRUG' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A national advertising campaign that debuts Monday will try to
scrape the shiny, happy gloss from the Ecstasy drug craze. The
Partnership for a Drug-Free America's first-ever focus on Ecstasy,
as seen through a series of public service advertisements on TV and
in newspapers, represents a watershed moment in the national
response to the club drug. | ||||||||||||||||||
Experts say Ecstasy is taking root in youth culture and an
aggressive, concerted campaign is needed to unsell the drug to a
growing number of captivated youth. The ads will confront the
notions of Ecstasy as a harmless "love drug" whose benefits far
outweigh the risks. | ||||||||||||||||||
One ad targeted at parents portrays a grieving father, Jim Heird,
whose daughter, Danielle, 21, of Las Vegas, died the third time she
used Ecstasy. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(6) BUSH BACKS $19.2 BILLION DRUG WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - President Bush on Tuesday set a goal of reducing
illegal drug use by 25 percent over the next five years by improving
law enforcement and treating more addicts. | ||||||||||||||||||
His administration's anti-drug strategy seeks a 10 percent reduction
in drug use within two years. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We're putting the fight against drugs in the center of our national
agenda," Bush said in an East Room ceremony attended by lawmakers,
ambassadors and anti-drug officials. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(7) DEA CHIEF FACES PROTESTS AFTER AGENTS BUST MMJ CLUB (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The smell of burning marijuana wafted through the air as city
leaders protested outside a speech by the head of the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Agency hours after federal agents raided a medical
marijuana club and arrested four people. | ||||||||||||||||||
DEA Administrator Asa Hutchinson also faced a tough crowd inside the
Commonwealth Club of California, where people shouted "Liar!" during
his speech, in which he said that "science has told us so far there
is no medical benefit for smoking marijuana." | ||||||||||||||||||
"We will protest until this kind of nonsense from Washington, D.C.
stops," promised Chris Daly, one of four city supervisors who
appeared before the cheering crowd. | ||||||||||||||||||
Board of Supervisors President Tom Ammiano went one step further,
calling the DEA an "obnoxious, grandstanding" agency. "I don't want
somebody in my house that's not invited!" Ammiano shouted as
demonstrators blew kazoos and chanted "Go away D-E-A." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(8) 2 ACCUSED IN SCHEME AT PORK-RICH CHARITIES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The head of a South Side Chicago group that has received millions of
dollars in state contracts and special pork-barrel grants from top
legislators was sued by the state Friday for allegedly siphoning
funds from two charities. | ||||||||||||||||||
The suit filed by Atty. Gen. Jim Ryan accuses Yesse B. Yehudah, the
head of FORUM Inc., of misusing or failing to account properly for
hundreds of thousands of dollars from FORUM and Elmhurst-based Life
Education Center. | ||||||||||||||||||
Also named in the suit is David S. Noffs, the former head of Life
Education Center and a longtime friend of Lura Lynn Ryan's, the wife
of Gov. George Ryan. Until last year, she served on the anti-drug
charity's board along with Yehudah. | ||||||||||||||||||
The suit charges that Yehudah and Noffs washed money between the two
charities and companies they controlled, in the process converting
accounts of the non-profit groups into personal piggy banks. They
diverted state money intended for anti-drug programs to personal
travel, health club memberships, auto repairs, dental work, phone
bills and college tuition costs, the lawsuit charges. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Additionally, FORUM holds a $538,000 per year contract for
drug-prevention and health programs funded by the Illinois
Department of Human Services. The agency's payments to FORUM have
exceeded $500,000 for the last four years. | ||||||||||||||||||
Life Education Center leveraged its political ties to obtain more
than $4 million in state grants since 1996, even though a 1995 state
audit of earlier grants found "serious and significant" violations
of state accounting rules. The governor's son, George Jr., once
served as an assistant national director for the group and its
insurance broker. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(9) FELONS ON BALLOTS IN FOUR EASTERN KY. JUDGE, SHERIFF RACES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
WEST LIBERTY - At least four former Eastern Kentucky sheriffs removed
from office on criminal charges are running for office again in the May
primary. | ||||||||||||||||||
Political scientists say the fact that so many disgraced
officeholders still feel they are electable raises questions about
politics, pardons and even voters in rural Kentucky. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Obviously, nothing like this would fly in Lexington," said
University of Kentucky professor Bradley Canon. "It might in
Chicago, which is noted for its corruption, but ... Fayette County
is too middle class to elect people like that." | ||||||||||||||||||
Roger Benton, 55, a former three-term Morgan County sheriff
convicted in federal court in 1987 of accepting $10,000 to protect
drug deals, has always maintained his innocence and says he just
wants voters to give him a second chance. | ||||||||||||||||||
Three other former lawmen with criminal records and a governor's
pardon apparently share his hope... | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(10) SENATOR'S SON INDICTED; DRUG RING ALLEGED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The son of a state senator and a Henderson attorney have been
indicted in what police in Western Kentucky call a breakup of a ring
that moved "hundreds of pounds" of methamphetamine. | ||||||||||||||||||
Michael David Herron, a Henderson real estate agent and son of Sen.
Paul Herron, was indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to
possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and aiding and
abetting the drug's distribution, according to the office of the
U.S. attorney for the Western District of Kentucky. Eight others
were indicted on the same charges, a statement from the U.S.
attorney's office said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Each faces at least 10 years in prison if convicted and up to a $4
million fine. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(11) OGILVY & MATHER AGREES TO SETTLE CLAIMS IT OVERBILLED DRUG CZAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The U.S. subsidiary of one of the world's largest advertising
agencies has agreed to pay $1.8 million to resolve claims that it
overcharged the federal drug czar's office. | ||||||||||||||||||
Ogilvy & Mather North America, a unit of WPP Group PLC, agreed to
settle claims that it overcharged the Office of National Drug
Control Policy, the Justice Department said. The ad agency will pay
$689,744 in cash and revise its claims for reimbursements by nearly
$1.2 million. | ||||||||||||||||||
The settlement resolves allegations that Ogilvy's labor charges for
work performed in 1999 and 2000 were based on inaccurate time sheets
submitted by employees, and that the company's management did little
to ensure the billings were accurate. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (12-15) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Another drug raid gone bad, this one based on marijuana seeds found in a garbage can, has led to a $700,000 settlement for a woman injured in the raid. And, just to show that U.S. cops aren't the only ones who make little mistakes that leave citizens terrorized, a story from Canada described drug agents pulling their weapons and surrounding the wrong car on a quiet residential street. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police corruption cases continued to pop up around North America, but none as blatant and publicized as the fake drug "sheetrock scandal" that continues to unfold in Dallas. A key informant in the case has been arrested, but another informant claims he was pressured by officers in the department to set up similar fake drug deals. ABC's Nightline devoted a show to the subject this week. | ||||||||||||||||||
And, various reports of prison sentencing reform from around the
country appear to be turning into a full-blown trend, according to
two studies released last week. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(12) VILLAGE TO PAY $700,000 SETTLEMENT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Village of West Milwaukee has agreed to pay $700,000 to settle a
lawsuit filed by a 20-year-old woman who was shot after a tactical
unit burst into her home looking for drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
The woman, Jacqueline Paasch, who now lives on Milwaukee's northwest side, said the wound through her left calf has limited the use of her toes and requires her to wear a brace on long walks. Although officials admitted no fault in reaching the settlement, "in a way I feel like they are apologizing" by making the payment, she said. | ||||||||||||||||||
A 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the raid, but no charges were ever filed. | ||||||||||||||||||
West Milwaukee police obtained a search warrant after receiving an anonymous tip about possible drug activity at a home in the 1700 block of S. 54th St., and then finding marijuana seeds in a garbage receptacle near the home. No warrant is needed for a garbage search. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(13) UNDERCOVER COPS RATTLE COMMUTERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Guns Drawn, They Surround Wrong Car | ||||||||||||||||||
A serene drive home from the office turned into a surreal episode of
Cops for two Windsor co-workers and a three-year-old boy when they
were surrounded at gunpoint by four undercover Windsor police
officers. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I thought somebody was going to rob us or kill us. I couldn't move.
I was terrified," said Brenda Dean, 31. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I thought it only happened on TV." | ||||||||||||||||||
Dean had just dropped off co-worker Peter Sapusak at his home in the
1400 block of Henry Ford Centre Drive after their shift at Accucaps
Industries when the incident occurred. It was about 6:30 p.m. on
Jan. 25. Sapusak began climbing out of the vehicle when it was boxed
in by two unmarked vehicles. Four men, in plainclothes, charged out
with their automatic pistols drawn. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I was terrified. I didn't know who the hell it was, if it was the
mob or (a motorcycle gang)," said Sapusak, 41. "I couldn't sleep for
two nights after that. I was tossing and turning." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(14) EX-INFORMANT LIED, INDICTMENT SAYS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A judge has ordered the key confidential informant in the fake drug
cases handled by the Dallas Police Department held on charges of
lying about being a U.S. citizen. | ||||||||||||||||||
Enrique Martinez Alonso, 44, appeared in federal court in Dallas after being indicted on two felony counts of misrepresenting himself as a U.S. citizen while applying for a Social Security card. | ||||||||||||||||||
Alonso was a paid police informant in a series of major drug
seizures in which, lab tests later showed, the evidence contained
finely ground gypsum, flour or only trace amounts of illicit
substances. | ||||||||||||||||||
The FBI recently began a public-corruption and civil-rights
investigation into the fake-drug scandal. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Also Thursday, a former confidential informant of a third undercover
Dallas narcotics officer accused that officer of encouraging him to
lie to help obtain probable cause for raids on suspected drug
houses. | ||||||||||||||||||
The officer denied the allegations. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(15) INCARCERATION POLICIES EASED, 2 REPORTS SAY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Some States Closing Prisons, Expanding Drug Treatment | ||||||||||||||||||
More than a dozen states have passed sentencing and corrections
reforms that are beginning to reverse three decades of "get tough"
incarceration policies, according to two reports scheduled for
release by advocacy groups today. | ||||||||||||||||||
One study by the Sentencing Project, a Washington-based organization that promotes alternatives to imprisonment, found that lawmakers in four states either scaled back or reversed sentencing policies. It also found that five states expanded drug treatment as a sentencing option and seven states passed legislation to ease prison crowding. | ||||||||||||||||||
A similar review by the Justice Policy Institute, which also opposes
strict incarceration policies, found that tight budgets have
impelled governors in Ohio, Illinois, Michigan and Florida to close
prisons and prompted four other states to reduce prison populations.
The report contends public support is shifting away from
imprisonment of nonviolent offenders and toward prevention,
rehabilitation and alternative sentencing. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (16-21) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Although I would hardly call myself a Buddhist, I've always believed
in the Zen concept of yin/yang, or balance, in life. This week's
stories illustrate that a strange symmetry underlies the apparently
extreme inconsistencies of the drug war worldwide. | ||||||||||||||||||
Under pressure from the hemp industry, the U.S. DEA has granted a
40- day delay on the enforcement of a ban on hemp foods containing
any traces of THC. The move, which pushes enforcement of the ban to
March 18th, is intended allow an appeals court to rule on the
legality of such a ban. Meanwhile, London's Metropolitan Police hope
to extend a "no arrest" policy for adult cannabis users from its
successful trial in Lambeth to all of the British capital's
districts. | ||||||||||||||||||
In a callous political game of "pass the bud", New Mexico's Medical Marijuana bill died in a Senate Panel review, while Maryland's medical marijuana bill has gained more co-sponsors and political supporters than any medical cannabis initiative to date. | ||||||||||||||||||
And in Australia, a recent hospital research study of 200 youths has
found a link between cannabis and depression. Meanwhile, a study
conducted by Ian McGregor of Sydney University has found that
cannabis appears to help mitigate some of Ecstasy's two worst side-
effects, anxiety and the depletion of brain cells. | ||||||||||||||||||
So, as you can see, we have "pros and cons", we have "yin and yang";
we have an apparent balance. My question is, when will see actual
progress? | ||||||||||||||||||
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(16) U.S. D.E.A. EXTENDS ITS DEADLINE FOR BANNING HEMP IN FOOD (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Hoping to give an appeals court time to rule, the Drug Enforcement
Administration said yesterday that it would extend a grace period
for companies to dispose of food products made from hemp, a plant
containing small amounts of the same psychoactive substance found in
marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Hemp, a close relative of the marijuana plant, does not contain
enough of the substance to have a mind- altering effect or to show
up on most drug tests. Nevertheless, the rule still applied to the
dozens of pretzels, snack bars and other food products that are made
with hemp seed oil, and stores and manufacturers were given until
early this month to dispose of them all. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
But the nascent hemp food industry cried foul, asserting that the agency has the authority to control only substances with a "high potential for abuse." The industry filed an appeal last year with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which handles appeals of administrative rulings like this one. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(17) LONDON' S MET POLICE PLAN TO EXTEND SOFTLY, SOFTLY DRUG SCHEME (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Relaxed attitude towards minor offenders during cannabis project in Lambeth saves police time and brings increase in arrests of dealers Secret plans to roll out a controversial cannabis scheme across London are being drawn up after a study found it saved officers and staff in one borough more than 2,500 hours and led to a 19% increase in arrests of class A drug dealers, the Guardian can reveal. | ||||||||||||||||||
A report into a six-month pilot project in Lambeth, south London,
due to be published next week, will show that a more relaxed
attitude to policing of the drug gave the borough the equivalent of
two extra full-time officers. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(18) MARYLAND MEDICAL MARIJUANA EFFORT GAINS CLOUT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Proponents of legalizing marijuana for pain relief in Maryland have
won their strongest support yet with at least three proposals
pending in the House, including one backed by several legislative
leaders. | ||||||||||||||||||
Del. Donald E. Murphy (R-Baltimore County) introduced legislation
yesterday to legalize the use of marijuana for patients who get a
written recommendation from their doctors and a special | ||||||||||||||||||
His co-sponsors include House Majority Leader Maggie L. McIntosh
(D-Baltimore) and the GOP House leadership. Proponents said that
Murphy, with 47 co-sponsors, has set a national record for most
co-sponsors of a medical marijuana bill. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(19) NEW MEXICO MEDICAL MARIJUANA DIES IN SENATE PANEL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Gov. Gary Johnson's proposal to legalize medical marijuana died in a
Senate committee Friday, and its sponsor said it's unlikely to be
revived. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We don't have the time," said Sen. Roman Maes, D-Santa Fe. | ||||||||||||||||||
The 30-day legislative session ends Thursday. The measure died in
the Judiciary Committee on a tie vote, with opponents objecting that
it would conflict with federal law and expose New Mexicans to
federal prosecution. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(20) AUSTRALIAN HOSPITAL RESEARCH LINKS CANNABIS WITH DEPRESSION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Research on cannabis use conducted by a Melbourne hospital produced
strong evidence that heavy marijuana users are more prone to
depression and mental problems. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"The effects are profound, particularly in young women, where the
rates of mental health problems have increased many, many times in
daily cannabis users," he told The Age. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
It has not so far been proven that cannabis use causes depression. | ||||||||||||||||||
Rather, it was thought that depressed people might have turned to it
for relief or that some personality types could be prone to both
cannabis dependence and depression. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(21) AUSTRALIAN STUDY: DOPE LESSENS ECSTASY HARM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
THE harmful effects of ecstasy on brain cells and people's moods
could be lessened by smoking dope at the same time, a world-first
study by Australian researchers has found. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sydney University associate professor of psychology Iain McGregor
and a research team found in experiments on rats that ecstasy causes
anxiousness and a depletion of brain messenger cells. | ||||||||||||||||||
However, when rats are given ecstasy and cannabis together they have less depletion of brain cells and are less anxious. While they are not as badly affected as rats given cannabis alone or no drugs, the effects are not as bad as those brought about by ecstasy use alone. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (22-26) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The U.S. government revealed its plans for Colombia last week in the
2003 budget, escalating tensions in the region with the addition of
new U.S. troops, ostensibly for "training." | ||||||||||||||||||
Meanwhile in Jamaica, the Jamaican Cabinet requested a debate in parliament on the decriminalization of ganja (cannabis) "for private, medicinal or religious use by adults." The move is expected to generate further interference from the U.S. government. | ||||||||||||||||||
Syd Stirling (Australian Northern Territory Police Minister)
proclaimed plans to give police more power. In the proposed laws,
police would be given power to punish property owners without the
formality of judge and jury. In other news, drug law reform groups
in Australia last week called on Australian Prime Minister John
Howard to support a heroin trial. | ||||||||||||||||||
And in Afghanistan, the U.S. government dictated that opium should
no more be sold in the traditional open-air markets in Kandahar.
"American Special Forces," reported the Associated Press, "appeared
at their open storefronts on the city's opium lane -- telling them
their dealing days were done." | ||||||||||||||||||
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(22) WAR'S NEW TARGET: DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
At issue is some $538-million included in the Bush administration's
2003 budget, including $98-million to train a Colombian army brigade
to protect a vital oil pipeline from guerrilla attacks. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"There is a change of policy, there's no doubt about that," said
Michael Shifter, a Colombia analyst at the Inter-American Dialogue,
a Washington-based think tank. | ||||||||||||||||||
Shifter, who privately briefed 20 members of Congress last week,
described the pipeline protection proposal as a "trial balloon" to
test public opinion and the will of Congress. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"There's a lot of people in this post-Sept. 11 climate who would like to see what the possibility is of going down another path," Shifter said. "This is the opening for something deeper." | ||||||||||||||||||
But, he cautioned, "There's real questions about what going beyond
the counternarcotics focus really means. Is this a slippery slope? A
pipeline here, and something else there, and pretty soon you are in
real deep." | ||||||||||||||||||
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(23) JAMAICA PARLIAMENT TO DEBATE MARIJUANA STATUS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
KINGSTON, Jamaica, Feb 12 ( Reuters ) - Jamaican lawmakers will
debate whether marijuana should be legal for adults to smoke
privately in small quantities, the government said. | ||||||||||||||||||
At its weekly meeting on Monday, the Jamaican Cabinet forwarded a
commission recommendation that marijuana, commonly called ganja, be
decriminalized for private, medicinal or religious use by adults,
Information Minister Colin Campbell said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Lawmakers will take up the recommendation made in August 2001 by the government-appointed National Commission on Ganja, which said marijuana use should remain illegal for minors and in public places, and that cultivation and exportation of marijuana still be outlawed. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(24) NEW LAWS TO ENABLE POLICE CRACKDOWN ON 'DRUG HOUSES' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Northern Territory Police Minister, Syd Stirling, says
legislation will be introduced to the May sittings of Parliament to
give the police power to shut down known drug houses. | ||||||||||||||||||
He says police will be able to clamp down on the dealing of amphetamines at so-called drug houses, where dealing takes place. | ||||||||||||||||||
"People know that drugs are dealt there but police haven't been able
to or don't have the powers to effectively shut those operations
down," Mr Stirling said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(25) DRUG REFORM GROUP RENEWS CALLS FOR HEROIN TRIAL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
There are new calls for the Prime Minister, John Howard, to reverse
his opposition to a heroin trial in Canberra. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Families and Friends of Drug Law Reform president, Brian
McConnell, says the results of a Dutch study have shown very good
results after the use of prescription heroin. | ||||||||||||||||||
The government study found supervised co-prescription of heroin and
methadone was more effective than methadone alone and that
improvements in health and reductions in criminal activities were
evident very quickly. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"The Dutch trial has had a control group on methadone only and
compared that with the experimental group that was on methadone and
heroin and the results were very positive and demonstrated beyond
doubt that heroin prescription did improve the health and social
functioning," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(26) OPIUM MARKET SHUT DOWN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Opium vendors shut their open-air market
Monday under what they said were U.S. military orders. | ||||||||||||||||||
The closure - which was welcomed by U.N. drug authorities - marked
the first concrete effort by Hamid Karzai's interim government to
keep Afghanistan from reclaiming its 1990s title as the world's
leading opium supplier. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The special forces, they told us, "Stop the opium business - no
more,"' said vendor Mohammed Wali, scrubbing the sticky residue of
years in the opium trade from the walls of his shop, and
contemplating a new life selling carrots. | ||||||||||||||||||
[shop] | ||||||||||||||||||
Kandahar provincial officials promised a tractor brigade in coming
weeks to plough under all fields planted with poppies - but said
sales of "medicinal amounts" - defined as about 2.2 pounds of opium,
would continue to be allowed in Kandahar city itself. | ||||||||||||||||||
Last week, opium dealers said, American Special Forces appeared at
their open storefronts on the city's opium lane - telling them their
dealing days were done. | ||||||||||||||||||
Americans told vendors to clean the walls of their shops - dealers
traditionally throw balls of the stuff on the walls, to make clear
what's on offer there. '"Change your business," Mohammed Wali
recalled them saying. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The Special Forces have come every day since," said Noor Ullah,
likewise purging his walls of raw opium. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Special Reports on SF Cannabis Club Raid, Protests, Alerts | ||||||||||||||||||
Breaking news, photos, personal reports and action alerts have been
compiled by MAP's Richard Lake. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Drug/Terror Ad Parody | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Crack The CIA Video Online | ||||||||||||||||||
The very complex story of government drug corruption told in under
ten minutes. Tracking the covert history of CIA drug smuggling from
Nicaragua to Arkansas and South Central Los Angeles, Crack The CIA
sheds light on the darkest secret of the Agency's operational
directorate. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Asa's Hutchinson's Speech On Drugs And Terror | ||||||||||||||||||
The following URL points to a speech by Asa Hutchinson before the Conservative Political Action Committee conference on Feb. 1, 2002 in Arlington, VA, on the topic of "Drugs and Terrorism." | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Pot TV News Special Report: DEA vs S.F. | ||||||||||||||||||
With Steve and Michele Kubby | ||||||||||||||||||
ATTORNEY BILL PANZER | ||||||||||||||||||
Ed Rosenthal's attorney exposes the bogus DEA charges, based upon an
informant who is attempting to avoid jail. | ||||||||||||||||||
KEN HAYES | ||||||||||||||||||
Live in our studio with a full report on his arrest and his coming
fight for political refugee status in Canada. | ||||||||||||||||||
CHERYL SECUEIRA | ||||||||||||||||||
Ken's partner reports on the impact on their family | ||||||||||||||||||
SPECIAL APPEARANCE BY RENEE BOJE | ||||||||||||||||||
Renee comments on the raids and updates us on her fight for
political refugee status. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
TV AD HYPOCRISY | ||||||||||||||||||
By Tom O'Connell | ||||||||||||||||||
Editor -- It's interesting that after referring to our "failed" war on drugs, The Chronicle should then agree with the lame-brained premise advanced so expensively with our tax dollars on Super Bowl
| ||||||||||||||||||
That logic ignores that the world's lucrative illicit drug markets
were created and are sustained by an ill-advised U.S. attempt to ban
them. Since the end of World War II those markets have prospered
almost in direct proportion to the money spent trying to suppress
them. | ||||||||||||||||||
Money diverted into the drug markets has corrupted law enforcement
officials here at home and, in the case of smaller drug-producing
nations, has kept responsible government far beyond the reach of
impoverished peasant populations that grow drug crops. One has only
to review the recent history of Burma, Colombia and Afghanistan to
appreciate the dire international consequences of our domestic
policy failure. | ||||||||||||||||||
That the TV ads should refer primarily to Afghanistan is especially
hypocritical. Not only does our drug policy play an important role
in sustaining that nation's heroin market -- our CIA directly helped
expand it during the '80s before the Russians were expelled.
Afterward, we helped Pakistan install the repressive Taliban as de
facto rulers. | ||||||||||||||||||
Tom O'Connell, | ||||||||||||||||||
San Mateo | ||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The True Villain in Our Drug War is Prohibition | ||||||||||||||||||
By Buford C. Terrell | ||||||||||||||||||
The Office for National Drug Control Policy spent $3.2 million for
Super Bowl ads claiming that people who buy drugs are supporting
terrorists. But that's not the real story. The real story is that
the profits in the drug trade garnered by gangsters and terrorists
is a product, not of the drugs, but of the laws prohibiting the
drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
Almost nine out of 10 of us use the addicting, mind-altering drug
caffeine, but coffee sales don't fund terrorists. A quarter of all
adults are addicted to nicotine, but cigarette sales don't fund
terrorists. | ||||||||||||||||||
Two-thirds of the country uses the psychoactive drug alcohol, but since 1933, alcohol sales haven't supported terrorists or criminals. Why? Beer sells for a few dollars a six-pack and vodka can be bought for less than $10 a liter. Coffee and tea sell for pennies an ounce, and even cigarettes with their taxes are only about $3 an ounce. There's no excess profit for terrorists in those prices. | ||||||||||||||||||
But marijuana goes for $100 an ounce and cocaine for $10,000 a
kilogram. Heroin weighs in at well over $100,000 a kilogram. People
will kill and risk prison for those profits, and there's plenty of
money to support terrorists and gangsters and buy crooked cops to
protect the deals. | ||||||||||||||||||
The villain is prohibition. End the black market by selling legal marijuana for the price of cigarettes and heroin for the price of aspirin (the price at which it is sold when legal). Drug dealers and terrorists will go away because there will be no money for them. | ||||||||||||||||||
The experience with alcohol prohibition showed that when prohibition
ended, gangsters got out of the business. What is more, legal beer
distributors do not settle their business disputes with machine
guns; they use the courts. Ending the failed prohibition against
marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin and select other drugs --
regulating their sale and use the way we do that of caffeine,
alcohol and nicotine -- would remove the dangerous drug dealers, the
vicious smugglers, the crooked cops and, yes, the al-Qaida
terrorists from our society just like ending alcohol prohibition
ended the reigns of Al Capone and Myer Lansky. | ||||||||||||||||||
And the terrorists? They would continue to get their money from
religious contributions, from the sale of honey (a major source of
Osama bin Ladin's income) and from oil. They use drug money because
prohibition makes it easy for them, but it is not a major source of
their income. | ||||||||||||||||||
Ending drug prohibition would not end the problems created by those
few drug users who cannot control their use; but neither has drug
prohibition ended them. We probably have more heroin addicts now
than we did in 1914 when we first prohibited it. | ||||||||||||||||||
The problem is that now we have both drug problems and drug
prohibition problems: large sums of money going to gangsters and
terrorists, corrupt public officials, drive-by shooting and crack
houses, HIV and hepatitis C infections from the inability to buy
syringes and more than 700,000 arrests last year for the mere
possession of marijuana. We have not been able to stop the problems
caused by the misuse of drugs, but we do not have to compound those
problems with the miseries caused by foolish and ineffective laws of
prohibition. | ||||||||||||||||||
Our country is again facing budgetary deficits, a large part of which are caused by the $1 billion a month that the war against terrorism is costing. At the same time, the federal government is spending $20 billion a year on the war on drugs, an amount that would more than make up for the cost of the war on terrorism. | ||||||||||||||||||
About $25,000 a year would be saved for each drug user not sent to
prison; 700,000 young marijuana users would not be branded as
criminals for the rest of their lives, and drug misuse could be
attacked as the medical problem it is instead of being treated as a
crime. Fight terrorism; stamp out prohibition. | ||||||||||||||||||
Buford Terrell is a professor at South Texas College of Law who
teaches controlled- substances law. | ||||||||||||||||||
This piece previously appeared in the Houston Chronicle. It is
published here with permission from the author. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"Freedom is that faculty that enlarges the usefulness of all other
faculties." - Immanuel Kant | ||||||||||||||||||
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