| May 17, 2002 #250 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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: COLUMN: WASTED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Why Tax-Funded Antidrug Ads Don't Work--And Some Approaches That Might. | ||||||||||||||||||||
There's new evidence out this week about the power of habit to create
irrational behavior. | ||||||||||||||||||||
On Monday, "drug czar" John Walters announced that according to a new
study, some $929 million worth of taxpayer funded antidrug ad campaigns
haven't discouraged drug use among children at all. Certain ads
apparently achieved the opposite effect, making drug use seem sexier,
especially to teenage girls. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Then Mr. Walters announced plans to spend even more money on drug ads. | ||||||||||||||||||||
True, he made a point of saying he would try to spend it in a different
way. But all the money in the world won't make up for the failings of
campaigns that treat kids like babies or puppets. Kids aren't buying it
and probably never did, even in the halcyon 1950s or whenever the
people who dreamed up these campaigns were last in touch with youthful
realities. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(2) US: ISSUE IN 2 DEATH SENTENCES: JUDGE'S DRUG USE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
PHOENIX, May 15 - The judge bought marijuana by mail. He paid with a
cashier's check, and he used the office stationery. The envelope bore a
handsome imprint: "Philip Marquardt, Superior Court Judge, Phoenix,
Arizona." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mr. Marquardt lost that job and his license to practice law after his
second marijuana conviction, in 1991, and he is today a retired ski
instructor in Carefree, just north of here. Now, two men he sentenced
to death in the 1980's are asking courts to look into whether his use
of marijuana deprived them of a fair trial. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Their assertions test attitudes about whether using drugs while not
working should be of concern in the workplace, about how much extra
scrutiny is warranted in death penalty cases and about the limits of
judicial privacy. Judges and prosecutors worry that allowing criminal
defendants to examine the human element in the judicial process will
have enormous consequences. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"There is a floodgate that can be opened here," said Robert L. Ellman,
an Arizona assistant attorney general. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(3) HOW MANY 'BURBS MUST THE DRUG WAR BURN, BEFORE WE CALL IT A BUST? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The latest drug-war scare, from Solicitor General Lawrence MacAulay and
others, is that terrorists may be using drug money to finance their
evil deeds. If so, you can see why. Terrorism, like any real crime,
produces victims rather than satisfied customers, so it's not exactly
self-financing. The drug trade, by contrast, turns a regular profit
because it involves transactions so mutually satisfactory that buyers
and sellers will risk jail to conduct them. If this fundamental moral
difference doesn't inspire today's Puritans to draw a legal distinction
between them, perhaps its practical implications will. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Let us grant for purposes of argument that drugs cause grave harm to
users and that users, even if adults, must not be allowed to weigh the
consequences of a shorter but merrier life for themselves. Let us grant
that if we could stop drugs at no cost (except to users who'd rather be
high) we should. Let us even grant that it's worth paying some price,
including harm to innocent bystanders, to stamp out illicit drugs. Will
the drug warriors concede in return that there is in principle some
point at which the costs come to outweigh the benefits? If, for
instance, we were to start letting police shoot people on sight who
they suspected of involvement in the drug trade? | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(4) CANADA: POT SUPPLY ISN'T BAD -- IT'S TOO GOOD (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Prairie Plant Systems maintains its marijuana is 'better in quality'
than most U.S. strains | ||||||||||||||||||||
The company that's growing Canada's official marijuana supply says the
weed has turned out to be too potent. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The marijuana is not bad -- the problem is it's too good, Prairie Plant Systems said yesterday in a letter to Health Minister Anne McLellan. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Company president Brent Zettl is angry about the company's "damaged
reputation" arising from Ms. McLellan's revelations that the project to
give marijuana to sick Canadians has been delayed because the supply is
impure. That sparked news reports of bad weed. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Prairie Plant has respected the Health Canada request to not speak to
the media regarding this project," wrote Mr. Zettl. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We request that Health Canada respond to these false reports in order
to maintain the integrity of the project and begin repairing the damage
these negative reports have created." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ms. McLellan said last week the distribution of marijuana for medicinal
purposes is behind schedule because the first crop of nearly 2,000
plants contains 185 different kinds of marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
It was an embarrassing week for prohibitionists, who were forced to
confront a series of failures. Drug Czar John Walters admitted the
taxpayer-funded television ad campaign to discourage drug use had
failed. While it's hard to say what Walters knew and when, but only
days earlier he had offered fairly upbeat comments about the
propaganda campaign. | ||||||||||||||||||||
An embarrassing story that seemed to completely bypass the U.S. press was testimony from an expert suggesting that the new leadership structure in Afghanistan is dependent on heroin profits. | ||||||||||||||||||||
For a series of spectacular debacles, check out this week's
International section in the DSW, where alleged U.S. allies in
Colombia have been ripping off financial aid, and the Mexican
military charges onto U.S. soil under the guise of drug
investigations - or is it to protect drug traffickers? | ||||||||||||||||||||
Several stories out of New York this week suggested that Gov. George Pataki is considering significant overhauls to the state's Rockefeller-era drug laws. Some observers wonder whether the limitations of Pataki's plan will really accomplish anything. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) NEW DRUG CZAR SAYS AD CAMPAIGN AIMED AT CHILDREN HAS FLOPPED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON -- So much for those flashy TV ads intended to inspire
American kids to stay off drugs . The new U.S. drug czar, John P.
Walters, says the government's antidrug advertising of recent years
has failed. Worse, he fears it even may have inspired some
youngsters to experiment with marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"This campaign isn't reducing drug use," said Mr. Walters, who
became head of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy
earlier this year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mr. Walters was openly critical of the ads even before taking
office, and argued that the advertising effort was in dire need of
an overhaul. Now, he said, he is armed with survey data that support
his suspicions that the campaign hasn't worked. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The five-year-old antidrug program is unusual among public-health
advertising because it is funded largely by taxpayers -- $929
million so far -- rather than nonprofit groups or public service
spots that media outlets run free of charge. Moreover, Congress
enacted an unusual law requiring TV networks, cable outlets,
magazines and other media to donate an equal amount of ad space for
each ad purchase, effectively doubling the impact of the government
dollars. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(6) NATION'S DRUG CZAR SPEAKS OUT ABOUT HOW OFFICE IS FARING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
The White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy, run by
drug czar John P. Walters, has a media budget of $180 million to use
in the war on drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Walters, who worked in the drug office under the first President
Bush, joined the current Bush administration in December. He
recently sat down for a question-and-answer session on his plans and
policies. Here are excerpts from the discussion: | ||||||||||||||||||||
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[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
The last evaluation showed that not only had the message to parents
been received but that the questions asked of young people - do your
parents talk to you about drugs? - showed that kids were actually
having conversations with their parents initiated by their parents
in larger numbers than any advertising campaign before. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(7) DRUGS FUNDING WARLORDS: EXPERT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Money earned from the opium and heroin trade in Afghanistan is what
is allowing pro-US warlords in the country to operate, a
high-profile Washington lawyer and expert in international financial
crime said today. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"The revenue of poppies is essential for the warlords supporting the
United States," Jack Blum told a House panel focusing on
international corruption. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The country's largest domestic product, Blum explained, was heroin,
and without the profit from the drug trade any government would be
hard-pressed to provide for its people and support the war on
terrorism. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(8) PATAKI NEARING DRUG LAW REFORM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Albany -- Plan Would Ease Penalties For Nonviolent Crime, Stiffen
Them For Dealers With Guns | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gov. George Pataki's latest proposal to reform the Rockefeller Drug
Laws would give judges some discretion in sentencing nonviolent
offenders with drug addictions but force them to be more strict with
dealers who carry guns. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The plan would also expand funding for drug treatment programs that provide eligible offenders an alternative to prison. But it remains unclear how much will be allocated in the 2002-03 budget, according to state Director of Criminal Justice Services Chauncey Parker. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The new proposal does not yet exist on paper, but Parker called it "the most comprehensive reform" since the laws were enacted in 1973. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The reforms would not apply to those currently incarcerated under
the drug laws. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Robert Gangi, director of the Correctional Association of New York,
a prison watchdog organization, said judicial discretion is still
too limited and called the lack of retroactivity "a serious problem.
It should be a deal breaker." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Further investigations into two separate drug-related police
shootings showed that official accounts of the incidents were
questionable. One of the shootings had taken place in Missouri; the
other was in Alabama. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In New Jersey, a group of ministers are urging citizens to refuse
the search requests of overzealous drug law enforcers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
While prohibition laws push some officers to be overzealous, it
pushes some in the other direction of complete corruption. In
Georgia, a case is being built against a narcotics officers who
allegedly threw a party for a local convict after the convict's
release on narcotics charges. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(9) JACK IN THE BOX SHOOTINGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Black Leaders Want New Inquiry | ||||||||||||||||||||
Civil rights leaders called Tuesday for prosecutors to reopen their
investigation into the actions of two undercover drug detectives who
killed a suspect and his passenger in a car on the parking lot of
the Jack in the Box restaurant in Berkeley. | ||||||||||||||||||||
James Buford, president of the St. Louis Urban League, accused
public officials of withholding crucial information about what
happened two years ago from both the public and a St. Louis County
grand jury. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"They have perpetrated a fraud upon the public," Buford said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
In addition, a nationally noted collision expert, who investigated
the case for the U.S. Justice Department, disclosed in an interview
that the suspect's car was always in reverse gear - added proof that
it did not move toward the detectives. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) QUESTIONS SURROUND SHOOTING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Investigators' Report Raises Doubts About Whether Officers Who Fired
Into Vehicle Actually Felt Their Lives Were In Danger | ||||||||||||||||||||
Of the two Prichard officers who shot into a car last year in the
Alabama Village community, one of them reported fearing for his
life, though evidence does not appear to support his contention,
according to a report by Prichard investigators. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Prichard Police Chief Sammie Brown has said both officers, Eric
Pettway and Aaron Tucker, felt their lives were in danger. Brown has
said they followed proper procedure when firing at the vehicle,
wounding three of the four occupants. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Police did not report finding any weapons at the scene. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(11) GROUP TO INFORM DRIVERS OF RIGHTS IN SEARCHES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
TRENTON, May 8 - The Black Ministers Council of New Jersey today announced a campaign to inform minority drivers that they have a right to refuse to submit to so-called automobile consent searches, which have been the focus of the fight over racial profiling. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The ministers said at a State House news conference that they would
begin their "Just Say No" campaign next week, in messages to
minority churches and the news media. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Consent searches, in the past, could be based on little more than a
trooper's hunch. But in March, the State Supreme Court handed down a
ruling requiring that police officers have an "articulable
suspicion" before searching a driver's car, effectively ending a
majority of searches. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(12) POLICE SCANDAL DETAILS EMERGE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ex-Officer Gave Party For Felon, Prosecutors Say | ||||||||||||||||||||
A local drug dealer was the guest of honor at a 1997 party thrown by
narcotics officer Ralph Tyrone Williams and attended by several
other Richmond County Sheriff's Office deputies, according to new
documents filed in federal court. In addition to the federal charges
that Mr. Williams and former Officer Joseph Ellick already face,
prosecutors have filed documents seeking permission to tell a U.S.
District Court more about alleged discoveries by federal
investigators. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Prosecutors want a jury to hear about the party held after convicted
drug dealer Joe Nathan Green was paroled in February 1997, and they
want to expand on the charges lodged against Mr. Williams and Mr.
Ellick in a February indictment. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The two former officers have pleaded innocent to charges of
conspiracy to possess crack cocaine for distribution, attempting to
possess cocaine, conspiracy to interfere with commerce and
misprision of a felony. A trial date has not been set. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-17) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Much marijuana news from up north this week. Canadian Justice
Minister Anne McLellan revealed that the cannabis being grown for
Health Canada's Medical Access Program is unusable because of the
wide strain diversity found within the crop. The thousand or so
legal Canadian users have been told to be "patient", which rather is
unfortunate since many are registered under category 1 of the
program, meaning that they have been diagnosed with less than 1 year
to live. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Things might be looking up for those already caught in the
snares of the drug war, however: The Correctional Service of Canada
has put forth a cost-cutting plan that included ending or ignoring
the testing of current prisoners and parolees for cannabis use. The
report claims that unlike harder drugs or alcohol, cannabis actually
sedates offenders and reduces violence in prison. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In the U.S. this week, the usual yin/yang of drug news. In Nevada, a
group calling itself Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement are
seeking to legalize the personal use of cannabis by adults through
the state initiative process. They have 5 weeks to collect the 61,
000 valid signatures necessary to have the motion put on the ballot
this fall. The ballot question would then have to be approved by a
majority of voters on two successive general elections. Meanwhile, a
much watered down Vermont medical marijuana bill may not get passed
this year. Stalls in both the House and Senate appear to have left
too little time to have the bill - which would give medical users
the right to use a medical marijuana defense in court - approved and
passed into law. | ||||||||||||||||||||
And finally, an interview with Robin Prosser, a 45 year-old mother
from Missoulli, Montana who has been on hunger strike since April
20th, in an attempt to get legal permission to use marijuana to
treat an immunosuppressive disorder. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Where's Dionne Warwick when you need a benefit concert? | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(13) GOVERNMENT ADMITS: OUR MARIJUANA IS BAD WEED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ooops! The official supply of federal marijuana is bad weed. | ||||||||||||||||||||
So impure, in fact, that the first crop contains 185 different
varieties of marijuana. Hardly the stuff a health minister would
want to provide to a seriously ill patient to relieve their
symptoms. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Health Minister Anne McLellan revealed the "problem" yesterday,
saying it's responsible for the delay -- which could last at least
several more months - -- in getting the department's much-heralded
plan off the ground to provide marijuana to Canadians who need it
for medicinal purposes. | ||||||||||||||||||||
She said the unreliable marijuana stems from the seeds that were
used. Initially, the federal government had hoped to obtain a
standardized seed from the U.S. government, but the American Drug
Enforcement Agency refused to share the stuff. | ||||||||||||||||||||
That meant our officially sanctioned grower was left using seeds
obtained by police, who confiscated them during their law
enforcement work. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(14) PLAN FLOATED TO IGNORE SOME PRISON DRUG USE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Correctional Service of Canada has put together a proposal to
turn a blind eye to some positive tests for marijuana and hashish
use among prisoners and offenders released in the community, The
Globe and Mail has learned. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The correctional service, which has a zero-tolerance policy on drugs
and alcohol, would continue to test for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC),
the active ingredient in marijuana. But it would act on positive
tests only when the drug use is considered to be a problem for an
offender and there is concern about increased criminal risk. The
proposal might, for example, lead to fewer people returned in prison
for using marijuana after their release, and fewer disciplinary
measures against prisoners who test positive. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The paper describes THC as a soft drug that sedates prisoners,
reduces their propensity for violence and does not impair cognitive
function and perception as other drugs and alcohol do. It says THC
use does not lead to dependence, has few side effects, even with
heavy use, and is not a gateway to more serious drugs such as
cocaine and heroin. It also says there is only a weak relationship
between THC and criminal activity. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(15) CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT WOULD LEGALIZE MARIJUANA IN NEVADA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A Las Vegas group named Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement
wants to amend the state constitution to legalize possession and use
of marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The petition drive was begun Friday by filing with the Secretary of
State's Office, but it has just five weeks to collect more than
61,000 valid signatures. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
The proposed amendment would greatly expand the scope of that
section to make Nevada treat marijuana much like it now treats the
sale and use of alcohol. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It would add that "the use or possession of three ounces or less of
marijuana by a person who has attained the age of 21 years is not
cause for arrest, civil or criminal penalty, or seizure of
forfeiture of assets." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(16) MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL HITS A SNAG (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Efforts to pass a measure providing some legal protections to
seriously ill patients who use marijuana for medicinal purposes
failed Tuesday, raising doubts among some lawmakers that any bill
would make it into law this year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Despite the failures, Sears said he was not giving up hope of getting some proposal out of the Senate by the end of the week. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"At this point, I've kind of made a commitment to move forward with
my position on the issue of medical marijuana. Admittedly, it's a
baby step. The challenge now is the people who originally advocated
for it don't want this baby step," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(17) DYING FOR A SMOKE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Robin Prosser is a 45-year-old Missoula woman who has been on a
hunger strike since April 20 protesting her inability to secure
legal, medicinal marijuana in Montana to treat her diagnosed
immunosuppressive disorder. The Independent sat down with Prosser
earlier this week to discuss the circumstances that would lead a
disabled, middle-aged mother to entertain thoughts of making the
ultimate sacrifice. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (18-22) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
In Colombia last week, police corruption was again revealed as the
head of the Colombian National Police assigned the head of the
Narcotics police to another position, after millions of dollars
disappeared. The U.S. had given the money to the Colombian government
as part of a drug-fighting package. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Concerned over alleged incidents of Mexican soldiers illegally
crossing the border, U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo last week asked Mexican
President Vicente Fox to stop the border incursions. Tancredo accused
the Mexican soldiers of protecting drug shipments. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In Toronto, Canada, police are stung as 150 drug cases are dropped
amidst a widening corruption scandal involving the narcotics unit.
Included among the charges leveled against officers in the drug squad
are kidnapping and theft. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Meanwhile in Vancouver, reverberations over the recent | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(18) MISSING U.S. FUNDS LEAD TO COLOMBIA SCANDAL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
BOGOTA, Colombia - The head of the Colombian anti-narcotics police force was reassigned Friday after a "significant amount" of millions of dollars in U.S. funds earmarked to fight drugs vanished. | ||||||||||||||||||||
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said about $2 million had
disappeared. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The widening corruption scandal already had led to the suspension of
some U.S. aid to Washington's key drug war ally and the dismissals
of at least 12 police officers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gen. Gustavo Socha was reassigned to a police unit that provides
security to dignitaries, said Gen. Ernesto Gilibert, chief of the
Colombian National Police. | ||||||||||||||||||||
He said Socha has not been found personally involved in any wrongdoing, calling him "an honest man," but said he had to go to lend "transparency" to the investigation into the missing funds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
On Thursday, the U.S. Embassy said it had suspended some aid to the
counternarcotics police after discovering two months ago that a
"significant amount of money" was missing. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Boucher said the United States believed that action would be taken
against still more Colombian police officials. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(19) MEXICAN SOLDIERS IN BORDER CROSSINGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Heavily armed Mexican soldiers and police are crossing the U.S. border repeatedly, provoking charges from Capitol Hill that they are providing cover for drug smugglers and illegal immigrants. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Last year, there were 23 incursions documented by the U.S. Border Patrol, prompting Rep. Tom Tancredo to contact Mexican President Vicente Fox last week, asking for an end to these incidents. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Mexican government denies Mr. Tancredo's accusation and
maintains that Mexican military forces are working the same area as
U.S. Border Patrol agents in fighting the illegal transport of drugs
and people into this country. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(20) 'FINK FUND' PROBE KILLS 115 DRUG CASES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
RCMP Investigates Alleged Corruption Of City Police Force | ||||||||||||||||||||
The federal Justice Department is continuing to stay drug
prosecutions without explanation as a 10-month-old RCMP-led probe
into allegations of corruption in the Toronto police force appears
to be widening its investigation. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Charges have been withdrawn or put on hold in as many as 150 drug
cases in Toronto since the fall of 1999 because of the corruption
allegations. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Toronto police force and a number of former drug squad officers are also facing at least six civil suits seeking a total of more than $17-million in damages. The allegations, which have not been proven in court, include harassment, kidnapping and theft. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(21) COP REJECTS MAYOR'S DRUG POLICY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
One of the Vancouver police officers whose involvement in an
anti-drug conference last weekend is under scrutiny says he joined
the controversial organization because he believes in its
philosophy. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Const. Toby Hinton declined to discuss his role in the conference
while it's under review, but said that like Bob and Lynda Bentall,
who formed the International Drug Education and Awareness Society,
he doesn't believe "harm reduction" methods like safe-injection
sites would solve the city's drug crisis. Harm reduction is one of
the four pillars in Mayor Philip Owen's drug policy. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
The constables' participation in the conference-and that of fellow
officers Chris Graham and Gerry Wickstead-came to the attention of
Owen and their boss, Chief Terry Blythe, after allegations surfaced
Tuesday that officers used a police vehicle to pick up delegates at
the airport and that one officer used a police information computer
to obtain criminal records and post them at the conference, with the
names blacked out. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Owen told the Courier he wants to know who approved the use of the
Canadian Police Information Computer and the police car. Owen, who
is the chairman of the police board, said taxpayers shouldn't be
funding police officers and the use of equipment for private
functions. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(22) U.S. WAR ON DRUGS CRUSADER GETS POLICE LIFT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Once you understand just who that Vancouver cop was supposed to be
chauffeuring to the IDEAS drug conference in a "nice unmarked police
car," you'll be able to figure out the size of the problem we have
on our hands. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Graham was scheduled to pick up Betty S. Sembler. She is the mother
of all War on Drugs crusaders. Betty and her husband Mel started the
Drug Free America Foundation Inc. and its earlier incarnation,
STRAIGHT Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||
STRAIGHT Inc. grew from The Seed, which applied a forced treatment
approach to children-an approach the U.S. Senate denounced as
similar to brainwashing methods used by North Korea. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Betty's Florida-based foundation first inspired, then sponsored and
helped fund the IDEAS conference. Bob Bentall told me that Arsenault
and Hinton took a trip to foundation headquarters in Florida and
came back with a plan that became the conference. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
But when members of the Vancouver Police force actively organize
these large-scale events to undermine public policy, it's
unacceptable, regardless of whose cars they use. When these cops tie
themselves to a foreign political machine with an agenda detrimental
to our own - which is what the Odd Squad has done - it's time to
stop them. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
NORML Conference Speeches | ||||||||||||||||||||
Footage of comedian/talk show host Bill Maher, San Francisco District
Attorney Terence Hallinan and Minnesota Jesse Ventura as they addressed
the recent NORML conference in San Francisco. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Dan Forbes has an excellent report on the NORML conference in
High Times Magazine. The long version -- on the HT web site can be
viewed at: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Make sure it's the version of the HT story that ends with this sentence,
please: "Personally, I hate to think of the mayhem that would have
ensued if it had been hundreds of boozers crammed into that office for
hours on end." | ||||||||||||||||||||
There will be a shorter version published in the magazine. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Baker Institute Conference On-line | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Baker Institute Panel discussion 'Moving Beyond the "War on Drugs"' is now on line in RealVideo G2 multistream format. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Included in the discussions, held last April 10-11, 2002 are Edward
Djerejian, William Martin, Asa Hutchinson, Kevin Zeese, James Gray,
Ronald Earle, Deborah Small, Ernest Drucker, C. Stratton Hill, M.D.,
Robert Kampia, Marsha Rosenbaum, Michael Trace, Alex Wodak, M.D.,
Eugene Oscapella, Peter Cohen, Francois van der Linde, M.D., Gina
Amatangelo, Sanho Tree, Lee P. Brown, Ethan Nadelmann and William
Martin | ||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.rice.edu/webcast/speeches/20020410drugpolicy.html | ||||||||||||||||||||
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A recently launched web site, MarijuanaInfo.org, is attempting to bring
an unbiased, scientific approach to the contentious issue of medical
marijuana. Shaped around a central question -- should smoked marijuana
be a medical option now? -- the easy to use web site provides a massive
FAQ on various related topics, along with responses from scientific
studies, experts and interested laypersons, all ranked on a
straightforward "credibility scale." | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Judy Hall To All The Women Of The United States Congress | ||||||||||||||||||||
The federal government is making medical decisions for pain patients they've never seen and never will. Sometimes that pain becomes too great a burden to bear for these unfortunate souls, as it did for Judy Hall, the woman whose letter Drugwar.com reprints. In early November, 2001, Judy Hall took her own life, a life that could have been saved if it weren't for the inhuman War on Some Drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Drug Warriors Admit Their Propaganda Fails | ||||||||||||||||||||
A Media Awareness Project Focus Alert. Check it out and send your
own letter. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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This is the 11th anniversary edition of the Drug use in Toronto
report. This report highlights many of the trends of the last
decade, while at the same time featuring new and emerging
issues in a changing landscape of drug use. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Canadian marijuana reform concern to U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sources close to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency say it will soon
issue a report claiming there are 15 to 20,000 marijuana growing
operations in British Columbia alone and 95 per cent of the output
is headed south. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"A dramatic increase in the gross quantity of marijuana of high
potency coming across the border," says Colonel Robert Maginnis, a
U.S. government adviser on drug policy. He says the bush
administration is alarmed by a recent Senate study that says
Canada’s marijuana laws are ineffective. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Drug Law Reform: A New Vocabulary | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Michael J. Gorman | ||||||||||||||||||||
To the Editor: | ||||||||||||||||||||
When politicians talk about the victims of New York's draconian Rockefeller drug laws - people like 73-year-old Martha Weatherspoon, who is serving a 20-year sentence ( Our Towns column, May 8) - they are careful to mention the difficulty in changing these laws. | ||||||||||||||||||||
I think that Albany lawmakers are reluctant to change these laws
because they see no widespread public demand for reform. While the
laws are often criticized as being unfair, harsh and | ||||||||||||||||||||
But if elected officials were made to see these drug laws as "evil"
( in their effect ) rather than merely "harsh," and as having a
racially discriminatory effect, they might be motivated to consider
serious reform. No elected official wants to be seen as a proponent
of evil. | ||||||||||||||||||||
MICHAEL J. GORMAN | ||||||||||||||||||||
Whitestone, Queens, May 8, 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||
The writer is a lawyer and a lieutenant in the New York City Police
Department. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
PUSH BACK THE DEA'S EXPANDING WAR ON AMERICANS | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Americans For Safe Access | ||||||||||||||||||||
KEEP MEDICAL MARIJUANA SAFE AND LEGAL | ||||||||||||||||||||
NATIONWIDE DAY OF DIRECT ACTION JUNE 6th | ||||||||||||||||||||
Please Distribute Far And Wide | ||||||||||||||||||||
WHO: You! | ||||||||||||||||||||
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WHAT IS IT? June 6th is a nation-wide day of action to push back DEA
attempts to re-criminalize medical cannabis! The DEA is imminently
expected to attempt to shut down dispensaries now legally providing
medical cannabis to patients in California. To respond, activists in
cities across the nation will use creative, non-violent tactics to
disrupt DEA offices and post their own "cease and desist" orders at
DEA outposts. Through this action, we will build an "emergency
response" network of committed activists to escalate our resistance
to the Federal Government's expanding war on democracy and patients
in need of safe access to medical marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||
WHO ARE WE? Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is an aggressive
grassroots campaign designed to push the Bush Administration to
grant states the right to choose their own medical marijuana laws.
We serve as a catalyst for committed grassroots activists to work
effectively with drug policy reform groups and supportive local
officials and to unify medical marijuana advocates patients, and
caregivers around a focused national strategy. We aim to draw
national media attention to our struggle and build a nationwide
network of local activists committed to pushing back destructive DEA
policies through action. If you are unable to participate in the
actions, visit http://www.safeaccessnow.org/ to sign a petition and
lobby your government representatives. | ||||||||||||||||||||
WHY DO IT? As part of the 73 percent of Americans who support the
legalization of medical marijuana, we have taken all of the legal
steps available to us. We know that medical marijuana is the most
effective treatment available for many with chronic pain and other
illness. We passed state laws through popular referendums. We took
our cases to court. We sought negotiations with the federal
government. And despite all the evidence and overwhelming public
support, our democratic will is still pushed aside by the Federal
Government. It's time to show that we won't back down. We will
escalate our tactics to demand effective policy reform on this
important issue. We have zero tolerance for the harassment of
medical marijuana patients and dispensaries, and we will put our
bodies on the line to prove it. | ||||||||||||||||||||
For more specific information about what to do to organize and
participate in a local protest, as well as a list of DEA offices,
please visit http://www.safeaccessnow.org/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
"A lie on the throne is a lie, still, and truth in a dungeon is truth, still; and a lie on the throne is on the way to defeat, and truth in a dungeon is on the way to victory." - Anonymous | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Policy and Law Enforcement/Prison content selection and analysis by Stephen Young (), Cannabis/Hemp content selection and analysis by Philippe Lucas (), International content selection and analysis by Doug Snead (), Layout by Matt Elrod () | ||||||||||||||||||||
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