| May 24, 2002 #251 | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Listen On-line at: http://www.drugsense.org/radio/ | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Table of Contents
| ||||||||||||||||||
THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
(1) WONKS VS. THE REAL WORLD: THE NATIVE BRAIN ON DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday afternoon near downtown, at the Robert Sundance Family
Wellness Center, an intertribal gathering place on Temple Street that
provides health and human services for local Native Americans, four men
play the drums and quietly sing as 60-plus people take seats on folding
chairs to hear John Walters, head of the White House Office of Drug
Control Policy, a.k.a. President Bush's drug czar. Dave Rambeau,
executive director of United American Indian Involvement, Inc., stands
at the head of the room, which is usually reserved for adult day care
and A.A. meetings. On display are new anti-drug posters featuring kids
and elders communing amid amber waves of grain, and copy that reads,
"Grandmother, when you talk, I will listen. When you teach, I will
learn." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"It's the first time we've specifically reached out to the Native
community," says Walters, reading from a prepared text. "We believe
it's important we craft it effectively so that it reaches both youths
and adults effectively." | ||||||||||||||||||
Walters signals a PR person to roll tape: a 30-second ad starring a
bare-chested, loin-clothed Native youth running past mesas,
fancy-dancing in full regalia, riding a horse and working on an
oil-painting of a warrior, while his narration explains over the warble
of flute music, "It's about not doing drugs." | ||||||||||||||||||
"This ad will run tonight on ABC, and also on BET, MTV, Nickelodeon and
the Sci-Fi Channel," says Walters, adding that print ads will appear in
hundreds of newspapers and magazines on and around reservations. "We
worked with the attitudes and beliefs of American Indian adults and
youth to develop powerful, effective ads." | ||||||||||||||||||
Everyone in the room wants to be hopeful -- it's good to see Natives
represented in the media -- but the almost laughable irony of this last
comment appears to leave many attendees suspect: What Native peoples
did Walters work with? And why would Natives trust the federal
government to fix the appalling alcoholism and drug-use rates among
Natives? | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(2) US: GROUP SHOULDERS NEW WAR ON DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin joined national legislative leaders and drug
enforcement officials Thursday in Washington at an event to kick off
the nation's latest war on drugs. About an hour later, Oklahoma
senators and representatives met at the state Capitol to pledge their
support for the idea. | ||||||||||||||||||
The program, called "Shoulder to Shoulder," links the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Agency with women in state legislatures to fight the
spread of "club drugs" such as Ecstasy and educate the public about
the use of drugs to fund terrorism. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Too many people realize too late that drug use can lead to
overwhelming loss," Fallin said. | ||||||||||||||||||
"This effort will bring together parents, educators, business and
faith-based organizations." | ||||||||||||||||||
Sen. Carol Martin, R- Comanche, who is heading up the effort for
Oklahoma women in the Legislature, said the nation has tried "Just
Say No" and sending users to jail, but it is time to try something
new. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We need to get rid of demand and the only way to get rid of demand
is to have some kind of treatment," Martin said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Martin and Sen. Nancy Riley, R-Tulsa, said women need to be involved
because drug use is tearing apart families. | ||||||||||||||||||
[end] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(3) UK: SENIOR LAW LORD WANTS 'POT' TO BE LEGAL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The judge in Britain's highest court called yesterday for cannabis to
be legalised, putting himself in direct conflict with government
policy. | ||||||||||||||||||
Lord Bingham, the senior law lord, said he would legalise the drug,
adding: "It is stupid having a law which isn't doing what it is there
for." | ||||||||||||||||||
In an interview in the Spectator, he described the English criminal
justice system, which ministers want to make tougher, as already one
of the most punitive in the world. | ||||||||||||||||||
He told the magazine's editor, Boris Johnson: "Everybody thinks our
system is becoming soft and wimpish. In point of fact, it is one of
the most punitive systems in the world - perhaps not as much as the
American. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(4) CANADA: PATIENTS TAKE POT FIGHT TO COURT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Federal Access Regulations Dubbed 'A Cruel Hoax' | ||||||||||||||||||
Seven Canadians who use or distribute medical marijuana are asking
the courts to strike down federal access regulations that are "a
cruel hoax" and to order Ottawa to provide them with hundreds of
kilograms of pot grown in an abandoned Manitoba mine. | ||||||||||||||||||
The regulations, set up to provide sick people with legal access to
marijuana, are unduly restrictive and have made obtaining the drug
difficult because the government is demanding medical declarations
that few doctors will sign, the group of seven told a Queen's Park
news conference yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"Seriously ill Canadians are going on safari looking for drug dealers
in a black market to provide them with medicine," said Osgoode Hall law
school professor Alan Young, one of four lawyers representing the
group. | ||||||||||||||||||
The government "will do nothing without a court breathing down their
neck," so "we've decided to strike back," Young said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-10) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
In legal news this week the U.S. Supreme Court supported drug war
excess, while the Nevada Supreme Court ruled against drug war
excess. In the federal case, the court ruled that drug defendants
don't have to be indicted for a crime to be punished for it. In the
state case, the court said that suspects should not be coerced into
consenting to a search. | ||||||||||||||||||
Amid a week of drug-related sports controversies, one sportswriter
showed that pro athletes are given ample opportunities to prepare
for drug tests. | ||||||||||||||||||
In education news, police and a school board in North Carolina are
wrestling over $850,000 in seized drug money. Money is also at issue
as more federal legislators and educators line up against the drug
conviction provisions of the Higher Education Act. | ||||||||||||||||||
Money's not a problem for Purdue Pharma, the maker of the demonized
prescription drug OxyContin. A report by the Wall Street Journal
showed that the drug was only expected to generate about $350
million for the company in its first five years; OxyContin actually
brought in $2 billion for the company. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(5) HIGH COURT UPHOLDS LIFE TERMS OF 5 IN DRUG DEALING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Justices, By 9-0, Overturn Appeals Panel On City Men | ||||||||||||||||||
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously yesterday that the life
sentences of five convicted Baltimore drug dealers should not be
reduced because of errors in their indictments. Chief Justice
William H. Rehnquist wrote the 9-0 opinion, explaining that there
was enough evidence against the five men to uphold the 1998
sentences, despite an omission in their federal indictments about
the quantity of drugs they were dealing. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The error did not seriously affect the fairness, integrity, or
public reputation of judicial proceedings," Rehnquist wrote,
overturning a decision last year of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals in Richmond, Va. | ||||||||||||||||||
Yesterday's ruling stemmed from the case of Stanley "Boonie" Hall
Jr., who worked with his brothers, parents and grandfather to build
what authorities described as a million-dollar crack cocaine ring in
East Baltimore. | ||||||||||||||||||
When investigators arrested Hall -- who had his own "Batman" brand
and logo for his drugs -- they seized a $47,000 Acura, $60,000 in
men's jewelry and more than 380 grams of crack. | ||||||||||||||||||
A jury convicted Hall, then 26, and eight others of conspiring to
distribute a "detectable amount" of cocaine, which is punishable by
up to 20 years in prison. But a federal judge in Baltimore handed
down life sentences to Hall and four co-defendants after determining
that they were eligible for stiffer penalties because they had
trafficked more then 50 grams of cocaine. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(6) SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS DRUG CONVICTION BECAUSE OF ILLEGAL SEARCH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Nevada Supreme Court on Friday overturned a marijuana conviction
saying state narcotics agents had no right to coerce Ruth Anne
McMorran into allowing a search of her motel room. | ||||||||||||||||||
She was convicted of aiding and abetting in the possession of a
controlled substance for purposes of sale. Her lawyer sought to bar
the evidence saying Nevada Division of Investigation officers
conducted an unreasonable search. But White Pine County Judge Merlyn
Hoyt refused and allowed the evidence. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Acquiescence that is the product of official intimidation or
harassment is not consent," the high court opinion stated. They said
the officers had no grounds for suspecting McMorran of a crime
except for an anonymous phone call. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(7) OPED: 'RANDOM' TESTING - ULTIMATE HYPOCRISY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Our athletes are on drugs. Read all about it. | ||||||||||||||||||
Jose Canseco threatens to write a between-the-sheets book about all
things evil in baseball, particularly steroid use. | ||||||||||||||||||
Damon Stoudamire pleads not guilty to possessing marijuana, hoping a
technicality erases the police claim that his home furnishings
included a pound of pot. | ||||||||||||||||||
The trainer for the New York Giants estimates 75 percent of last
year's team used the now-banned ephedra, a substance that can bounce
energy levels like golf balls hitting concrete. | ||||||||||||||||||
And all this was just in Wednesday's papers. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Management and the various players unions are working closely to
ensure images aren't tarnished, even if the protection must be
colored in a shade of blatant hypocrisy. | ||||||||||||||||||
You see, many of these random drug tests are no more random than the
arrival of your monthly telephone bill. Just last week, Dolphins
officials informed their players of an upcoming test, being sure to
provide ample time for, well, preparation. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(8) ONSLOW COUNTY IN DRUG MONEY WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Onslow County school leaders are questioning if money seized during
a drug bust last weekend in Maysville should be turned over to law
enforcement agencies. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police plan to use much of the nearly $850,000 recovered to combat
drug dealing, but Onslow County Board of Education members, citing
state law, believe the public school system may be entitled to the
money. | ||||||||||||||||||
"This is a very unusual situation," said Don Horne, finance officer for Onslow County Schools. "That (money)_would be very beneficial to the schools if those dollars were made available to us." | ||||||||||||||||||
Horne said basic fines and forfeitures collected in a county are routinely remitted to the public schools in that county. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(9) STUDENT DRUG OFFENDER LAW KNOCKED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - Caton Volk, 22, looked at the financial-aid form and
knew he would not be spending another semester at the University of
Illinois. Convicted of possessing and distributing marijuana at age
18, Volk says he was touched in a large and personal way by a tiny
provision in federal law that disqualifies college students with a
drug offense from receiving government grants or federally backed
loans. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Newton, says the law is a
"hysterical overreaction" because "it doesn't cover any other crime,
so possession of marijuana must be worse than armed assault or
rape." | ||||||||||||||||||
More than 60 members of the U.S. House of Representatives are cosponsoring Frank's bill to repeal the antidrug provision. | ||||||||||||||||||
Yesterday, Volk and members of student groups that have organized
against the law on 200 campuses joined Frank and representatives of
civil rights groups at a news conference on Capitol Hill. They
contend the law discriminates against minorities, who they say are
disproportionately represented in both the financial aid and
drug-conviction pool. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(10) PAINKILLER'S SALES FAR EXCEEDED LEVELS ANTICIPATED BY MAKER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The maker of OxyContin had so underestimated the sales potential of
the widely abused painkiller that in 2000 the drug generated revenue
that was eight times more than projected, internal company documents
show. | ||||||||||||||||||
Over the first five years of marketing, OxyContin sales totaled
nearly $2 billion, sharply higher than the company's initial
forecast of about $350 million. The drug's popularity sent Purdue
Pharma LP scrambling to expand production, marketing and its sales
force. At the same time, other drug prospects for the closely held
firm fell through, elevating OxyContin's importance to Purdue's
future. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (11-15) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
In California, the ties between huge pay raises for the state prison
unions, and huge donations to the campaign coffers of Gov. Gray
Davis seem ever clearer, even if the governor won't admit it. Prison
guards in Illinois apparently don't have such a great pay plan, as
two of them are accused of taking money from a drug dealer in
exchange for a contract killing. | ||||||||||||||||||
Crooked cops are no reason to overturn a questionable conviction, according to a California judge. Crookedness also appears to be a way of life in another drug task force in Texas, at least that's what a snitch who worked with the force is saying in court. | ||||||||||||||||||
And, in Georgia, murder charges were finally dropped against a drug-using mother whose child died during birth three years ago. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(11) DAVIS UNDER FIRE FOR GUARDS CONTRACT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Big Financial Backer Gets Hefty Pay Raise | ||||||||||||||||||
As the contracts signed by the administration of Gov. Gray Davis
come under scrutiny in the wake of the Oracle deal, one deal stands
out for the unusually generous benefits it bestows on one of the
governor's biggest financial backers. | ||||||||||||||||||
The state's new contract with the California Correctional Peace
Officers Association, which has given Davis more than $2.6 million
since 1998 -- including $251,000 in a single March contribution --
provides the state's prison guards with a more than 30 percent raise
by 2006 and some perks critics say are unparalleled in other state
labor contracts, the Mercury News has found. | ||||||||||||||||||
For example, veteran guards can now get at least $130 a pay period
in "physical fitness incentive pay." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
...Davis signed the legislation that will give the guards at least a | ||||||||||||||||||
Many other state employees are receiving shorter contracts with
raises ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 percent annually. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(12) 2 JAIL GUARDS CHARGED IN KILLING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Two Cook County Jail guards were charged with first-degree murder
and a third guard with misconduct Friday in the shooting death of a
West Side man. | ||||||||||||||||||
The sheriff's office said the guards were hired by two alleged drug
dealers to collect a $70,000 debt. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(13) FOR SOME, IT'S TOO LATE TO OVERTURN CONVICTIONS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Law: Judges Are Refusing to Review Cases Involving Tainted Officers
If Inmate is No Longer in Custody. | ||||||||||||||||||
When Jorge Armando Torres was arrested four years ago on suspicion
of selling $10 of rock cocaine, he told his attorney that the LAPD
officers were lying. But facing a trial where his word would be
pitted against that of two Rampart Division officers, he agreed to a
plea bargain. | ||||||||||||||||||
Since Torres finished serving nine months in county jail, judges have overturned nearly 150 convictions in cases that relied on evidence from allegedly corrupt Rampart cops. In almost all these cases, the convicts were released from prison, parole or probation. | ||||||||||||||||||
Torres thought that he, too, had a chance to have his record
cleared. After all, one of the officers who arrested him was later
charged with cocaine trafficking and was under investigation in
connection with a murder. And both officers were accused of
misconduct by disgraced former Rampart Officer Rafael Perez.
However, Torres' request was rejected in February by Judge Larry P.
Fidler, who said that convicts already out of jail and off probation
are not legally entitled to have their convictions reviewed in
court. The judge suggested that Torres, 23, should instead apply to
the governor for a pardon. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(14) EX-SNITCH ACCUSES TASK FORCE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
KERRVILLE - A former confidential informant has charged that at
least one case was fabricated, evidence was mishandled and reports
were falsified by officers during her brief undercover stint last
year for a drug task force. | ||||||||||||||||||
But beyond the specific allegations, Tamarah "Lexi" Barton's account
of working as a snitch offers an unflattering glimpse inside the
shadowy world of undercover operations that target low-level drug
dealers. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(15) MURDER CHARGE IN DRUG-PREGNANCY CASE IS DISMISSED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Acknowledging they had a problematic case, prosecutors this week dropped a 3-year-old murder charge against a Canon woman accused of causing her baby's death by using drugs during her pregnancy. | ||||||||||||||||||
Northern Circuit District Attorney Bob Lavender dismissed the murder
charge Wednesday against Shannon Moss, 23. | ||||||||||||||||||
Moss pleaded guilty in Franklin County Superior Court to possession
of cocaine and possession of methamphetamine and was sentenced to
five years of probation. | ||||||||||||||||||
The unique case was believed to be the first in Georgia where a
murder charge was brought as the result of a woman's drug use during
pregnancy. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (16-20) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
So it looks like John Walters and Asa Hutchinson have somehow won
this round. After DEA raids last fall shut down 4 California medical
cannabis compassion clubs, a handful more have felt compelled to
recently close their doors, citing fears of further arrests and
reported infighting within the community. To make matters worse for
medical marijuana users, the first government-funded widespread
study of smoked cannabis and HIV/AIDS, taking place in San Mateo
County, has been derailed due to a lack of participation.
Apparently, both volunteers and researchers are dissatisfied with
the quality of the government-grown cannabis, which they claim is
weak and full of stems and seeds. The unfortunate losers in all of
this: the sick and suffering. | ||||||||||||||||||
In Canada, the situation is different but certainly not much better.
Last week Health Minister McLellan announced that the government
supply of medicinal cannabis - grown by Prairie Plant Systems in a
mineshaft in Flin Flon, Manitoba - was unsatisfactory to begin
distribution to legal users and researchers because of massive
strain variance and unpredictable THC levels. This week, however,
she was criticized by senior government officials claiming that the
pot was actually too strong to meet the stipulations of the federal
government contract. With the risk of repeating myself: the
unfortunate losers in all of this mess continue to be the sick and
suffering. | ||||||||||||||||||
In the UK, the march towards logical drug policy continued this week
with the announcement that medical cannabis medicines should be
available on the National Health plan by 2004. In contrast, Holland
looks set for a more conservative swing in social policy. The recent
elections have shifted power to an expected alliance between the
conservative Christian Democrats and the radical right-wing Pim
Fortuyn List. The Christian Dems have vowed to close down cannabis
cafes throughout Holland, blaming them for the rise in drug use
amongst the young. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(16) PRESSURE SMOKES OUT CALIFORNIA POT CLUBS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Suspicion and infighting are raging through groups that run the
City's pot dispensaries, after the recent closure of two local
marijuana clubs and reports that one man arrested in a February DEA
pot raid is talking to the feds. | ||||||||||||||||||
CHAMP -- Californians Helping Alleviate Medical Problems -- closed
its doors at 194 Church St. earlier this month, and the Sunset
Medical Resource Center recently announced it would no longer
provide marijuana to sick patients. | ||||||||||||||||||
Fellow pot club proprietors say the clubs got out of the marijuana business because of increased pressure from the federal government. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(17) CALIFORNIA RESEARCHERS - MARIJUANA QUALITY POOR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
In the world of high-grade marijuana, sticks, seeds and stems are
not welcome ingredients. | ||||||||||||||||||
Medical marijuana researchers said they found such cannabis chaff
among pot from a government farm, and say their patients deserve
kinder buds. | ||||||||||||||||||
The government-grown marijuana is being provided to San Mateo County
for the first publicly funded analysis of HIV patients smoking the
drug at home. | ||||||||||||||||||
But some of the patients and medical marijuana advocacy groups say
the Mississippi-grown weed is weak. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(18) POTENCY OF CANADIAN GOVERNMENT MARIJUANA QUESTIONED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A high-level dust-up about the quality of government-grown pot is
creating a buzz in the capital. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Senior government sources said yesterday they believed Health
Minister Anne McLellan was deliberately misrepresenting the quality
of the weed being grown in northern Manitoba because she has
developed cold feet and does not want to follow through on a
government plan to provide marijuana to Canadians who need it for
medicinal purposes. | ||||||||||||||||||
They also have the backing of Prairie Plant Systems Inc. president
Brent Zettl, who wrote to McLellan, defending the quality of the
marijuana he is growing for the government. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(19) MEDICAL CANNABIS ON THE NHS MOVES A STEP CLOSER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The use of cannabis-based drugs to treat multiple sclerosis and terminal cancer moved a step closer yesterday when ministers asked for an investigation by the panel which vets medicines for the NHS. | ||||||||||||||||||
Cannabis derivatives are undergoing clinical trials to see if they
relieve the symptoms of MS and alleviate the pain endured by cancer
patients as well as those with spinal-cord damage. | ||||||||||||||||||
The trials will run for at least another year and if they prove
successful the earliest envisaged date by which a manufacturer could
obtain a licence to market the drugs would be 2004. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(20) HOLLAND'S HARRY POTTER AIMS TO MAGIC AWAY DRUG CAFES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
THE coffee shops of Amsterdam, where cannabis and other soft drugs
are sold openly, are under threat after the swing to the right in
last Wednesday's general election. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Christian Democrats, likely to form a coalition with the radical
anti-immigration Pim Fortuyn List, have vowed to close such cafes
across the Netherlands, blaming them for the growing drug use among
the young. | ||||||||||||||||||
The party leader, Jan Peter Balkenende, a devout Christian who is
expected to be prime minister, promised to end tolerance of
cannabis. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
International News | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (21-25) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee released its report
on drug policy this week. In it, MPs urged that the British government
should embark on an expansion of the heroin prescription program,
establish government safe-injecting rooms, and downgrade the
classifications of cannabis and MDMA. | ||||||||||||||||||
Harm reduction arguments also won the day in Vancouver, Canada. There,
the city council voted unanimously last week to support a pilot
safe-injection room project. | ||||||||||||||||||
The U.S. House of Representatives this week voted to give $1.3 billion in aid to Afghanistan. The bill, sold as a way to fight narcotics and reconstruct Afghanistan, was passed by a wide majority. | ||||||||||||||||||
In Matamoros, Mexico last week, officials arrested three men accused
of being major players in a drug smuggling organization. Later, the
Mexican navy denied it had ever protected cocaine shipments for drug
lords. | ||||||||||||||||||
And in the Philippines, as elsewhere the drug war is executed with
great zeal, it was revealed last week that jails are so overcrowded
that disease is rife. In the Manilla jail, designed to hold 1,000
inmates (but now packed with 3,000), inmates are suffering from
outbreaks of "chicken pox, measles, asthma and tuberculosis." The news
came to light when jail officials asked for more government
assistance. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(21) MPS SIGNAL NEW ERA IN DRUGS WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Tolerance Is Watchword As Legalisation Is Rejected | ||||||||||||||||||
Ecstasy, the dance drug used by thousands every weekend, should be
downgraded from the class A status it shares with heroin and
cocaine, according to the results of a year-long official inquiry
into Britain's drug laws published today. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The MPs also call for a radical extension of NHS heroin prescribing
in Britain that would undercut the illegal market in class A drugs
and drug-related crime, and for the immediate provision of
European-style "shooting galleries" - safe-injecting rooms - that
would take the most chronic addicts off the street. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(22) VANCOUVER MOVES CLOSER TO SAFE INJECTION SITES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
On Thursday, May 2, the Vancouver City Council unanimously endorsed
a national pilot project designed to take a harm reduction approach
to drug addiction. The primary purpose of the project is to create
supervised drug injection and consumption sites where scientific
research and trials will be conducted. After the test period, the
city and the community will then evaluate the efficiency of a harm
reduction approach in reaching the twin goals of improved public
health and a lessening of street disorder. | ||||||||||||||||||
The philosophy behind safe injection rooms is a convergence of
several factors. These are the rising risk and occurrence of
overdose as the price of drugs decreases and purity increases, the
persistent high rate of HIV and hepatitis C infection, public
injection and consumption in the Downtown Eastside, and the high
cost of medical intervention and response. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The overriding goal of harm reduction," according to the National Action Plan from which Vancouver takes its policy, "is to minimise risk to the individual, the community, and society as a whole through providing care and support to our most vulnerable citizens." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(23) HOUSE VOTES $1.3 BILLION IN AID FOR AFGHANISTAN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON, May 21 - The House of Representatives voted tonight to
provide $1.3 billion in economic and military aid to Afghanistan
after demanding that President Bush devise a strategy to establish
law and order there. | ||||||||||||||||||
Lawmakers of both parties said they feared that the United States's
military success could be undermined if lawlessness persisted in
Afghanistan. | ||||||||||||||||||
The bill, to rebuild Afghanistan and combat the production of
narcotics, was passed by a vote of 390 to 22. | ||||||||||||||||||
The money, to be made available over four years, would be used to
create jobs, clear land mines, pay for education and health care,
vaccinate children and revive the nation's agriculture. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(24) 3 DRUG GANG MEMBERS CAUGHT IN MEXICO (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
MEXICO CITY -- Officials have arrested three members of the Gulf drug organization, the latest blow to Mexico's major drug gangs. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mexicans Cesar Cuauhtemoc Sanchez and Sergio Amadeo Benavides, as
well as Colombian Ruben Villa Garcia were arrested Sunday during an
army operation in Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville,
Texas, officials said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
On Sunday, Mexico's navy denied that it helped protect the Pacific coast cocaine-shipping routes of the Tijuana drug organization. | ||||||||||||||||||
In a statement, the navy denied the accusations, saying it has acted in a "normal manner and according to naval regulations and laws." | ||||||||||||||||||
Reforma newspaper reported on Sunday that operatives of the cartel
paid officers $250,000 for each shipment of Colombian cocaine they
received, then shipped to the United States. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(25) MANILA JAIL OVERCROWDING BLAMED FOR SICK INMATES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Officials of the Manila City Jail ( MCJ ) yesterday sought the
assistance of the health and interior departments to solve the
overcrowding at the MCJ, one of the causes of the outbreak of skin
diseases. | ||||||||||||||||||
Senior Supt. Norvel Mingoa, MCJ warden, said he personally asked the
assistance of the Department of Health to provide medicines for
inmates suffering from chicken pox, measles, asthma and | ||||||||||||||||||
Mingo blamed overcrowding as one of the causes of the skin problems
afflicting the prisoners. | ||||||||||||||||||
He said the MCJ population has tripled in the last two years. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Jail officials said the MCJ can only hold a maximum of 1,000
inmates, but its population at present is 3,000. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Reform of UN Drug Conventions on the Agenda | ||||||||||||||||||
Transnational Institute Press Release - Amsterdam, May 23, 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||
On May 22, the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee in the United Kingdom has released its report The Government's Drugs Policy: Is It Working?. In the report the Home Affairs Committee concluded "...we believe the time has come for the international treaties to be reconsidered and recommended that ... the Government initiates a discussion within the Commission on Narcotic Drugs of alternative ways - including the possibility of legalisation and regulation - to tackle the global drugs dilemma. These conclusions are an important step forward in the debate on international drug control and the upcoming mid-term review of the 1998 United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs (UNGASS) due to take place in April 2003. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmselect/cmhaff/318/31802.htm | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Straight Talk: Drug War Casualties / By Radley Balko, Fox News | ||||||||||||||||||
Samantha Monroe was 12 years old in 1981 when her parents enrolled her
in the Sarasota, Fla., branch of Straight Inc., an aggressive drug
rehab center for teens. | ||||||||||||||||||
Barely a teen, Samantha also had no history of drug abuse. But she spent the next two years of her life surviving Straight. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Safety First: A Reality-Based Approach to Teens, Drugs, and Drug
Education / the Drug Policy Alliance | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
US Bombing of Afghanistan Restores Trade in Narcotics / by Michel
Chossudovsky, Centre for Research on Globalisation | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Local Contacts Organizing Americans For Safe Access Actions | ||||||||||||||||||
These people are coordinating local sites for the national day of
action on June 6 sponsored by Americans for Safe Access -
www.safeaccessnow.org | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Steve Kubby interview on the Peter Warren Radio Show | ||||||||||||||||||
11 AM PDT this Saturday! | ||||||||||||||||||
Listen live on the internet at http://www.cknw.com/ | ||||||||||||||||||
The program will also be archived in the audio vault on that website
for a week after it airs. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
JEB BUSH | ||||||||||||||||||
By Stephen Heath | ||||||||||||||||||
Re: "Governor Cries at Drug Summit" [May 1, page B5]. | ||||||||||||||||||
Gov. Bush weeps alligator tears when discussing his daughter's
drug-abuse problems in front of a large crowd of potential voters
and supporters. Those of us not in attendance can empathize, but
remain curious if his tears extend to the tens of thousands of
Floridians arrested each year on nonviolent drug charges who are
jammed into county jails and state prisons. Bush has claimed for
three years that treatment funding is smarter than continued
incarceration, but his actions as governor reveal his true attitudes
toward those Floridians not named Noelle. | ||||||||||||||||||
Does his pain extend to the more than 50,000 inmates in the Florida
Department of Corrections who need drug treatment but will have to
wait at least a full year because of his eliminating all in-prison
treatment funding? Was he weeping while waging a vigorous, 12-month
campaign against a proposed ballot initiative that would allow
Floridians the right to drug treatment for first and second
nonviolent-drug-possession offenses? This while his daughter is
whisked from the Tallahassee jail into a posh facility within hours
of her arrest. | ||||||||||||||||||
Jeb Bush apologized for his tears, saying that it was a "genetic trait I inherited from my father." It seems that another trait he inherited from "read my lips" Daddy Bush is his ability to say one thing from his mouth and do the exact opposite with a stroke of his governor's pen. Please excuse those of us who won't be fooled again. | ||||||||||||||||||
Stephen Heath, | ||||||||||||||||||
Drug Policy Forum of Florida, | ||||||||||||||||||
Clearwater | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
INTERVIEW WITH NEAL PEIRCE | ||||||||||||||||||
By Stephen Young | ||||||||||||||||||
Neal Peirce has written several books about public policy and he has
reported on state and local government since 1975 in his syndicated
newspaper column. In recent years, some of Peirce's columns
(http://www.citistates.com/np_columns.html) have been focused on
drug policy. | ||||||||||||||||||
In November he penned a column proposing the reallocation of drug
war resources to the terror war | ||||||||||||||||||
DrugSense Weekly spoke with Pierce by phone recently. | ||||||||||||||||||
DSW: You've written columns critical of the drug war. Have you had
that perspective for a long time, or did something in particular
happen to bring you to that perspective? | ||||||||||||||||||
Neal Peirce: The 90s was a time of immense increased incarceration based on drug use, and I found it to be utter folly and nonsense. The amount of time and effort that people were putting into it was counterproductive - it just criminalized a lot of people. | ||||||||||||||||||
DSW: One column I liked came out in November, the one in which you
advocated shifting drug war resources to the war on terror. Have you
seen that happen anywhere? | ||||||||||||||||||
NP: I can't say. I haven't been following it recently. | ||||||||||||||||||
DSW: In some ways the Bush administration has actually been pushing
the idea that the war on drugs is important for the war on terror,
particularly through advertising. Are you surprised to see such
arguments made? | ||||||||||||||||||
NP: I was shocked. It was totally illogical. | ||||||||||||||||||
DSW: It seems clear, if you look at the facts, that the drug war is
bad public policy. Why do you think more politicians don't speak out
against the drug war? | ||||||||||||||||||
NP: Because there's a simple rhetoric - drugs cause some bad things
and bad behavior and people are scared of drugs, therefore we are
against them. | ||||||||||||||||||
DSW: It seems like the terror war was an opportunity to draw some resources away from the drug war, and maybe that hasn't happened. But now with all the budget problems that states and municipalities are having, it seems like another opportunity for legislators to quietly draw back. Do you think anything like that may happen? | ||||||||||||||||||
NP: Well, I hope so, but I haven't been able to track it this year.
It will be interesting to see at the end of this year if there's any
conclusions we can make about that. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"It is beyond my comprehension that any humane person would withhold
such a beneficial substance from people in such great need simply
because others use it for different purposes." | ||||||||||||||||||
-- Stephen Jay Gould, (1941-2002) | ||||||||||||||||||
Marijuana Helped to Save My Life, Prominent Harvard Scholar Says
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98/n653/a09.html | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
DS Weekly is one of the many free educational services DrugSense
offers our members. Watch this feature to learn more about what
DrugSense can do for you. | ||||||||||||||||||
TO SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, OR UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS: | ||||||||||||||||||
Please utilize the following URLs | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
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 () | ||||||||||||||||||
We wish to thank all our contributors, editors, NewsHawks and letter writing activists. Please help us help reform. Become a NewsHawk See http://www.mapinc.org/hawk.htm for info on contributing clippings. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is
distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior
interest in receiving the included information for research and
educational purposes. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TO DRUGSENSE ON-LINE | ||||||||||||||||||
-OR- | ||||||||||||||||||
Mail in your contribution. Make checks payable to MAP Inc. send your
contribution to: | ||||||||||||||||||
The Media Awareness Project (MAP) Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||
|
 | current issue | this issue |