| June 7, 2002 #253 | ||||||||||||||||
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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 CA: ARMED ROBBERS TAKE OVER MEDICAL MARIJUANA CLUB (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Assailants Make Off With Almost A Pound Of Cannabis | ||||||||||||||||
A central Berkeley medical cannabis club was robbed Wednesday afternoon
after armed assailants held those inside hostage and made off with
marijuana and cash. | ||||||||||||||||
The robbery occurred at about 2:40 p.m. after two Latino males, armed with a gun and a knife, entered Medical Herbs, located on the 1600 block of University Avenue, Berkeley police Lt. Cynthia Harris said. | ||||||||||||||||
Two others were waiting outside in a car during the robbery, Harris
said. | ||||||||||||||||
No arrests have been made, but the investigation is ongoing, Harris
said. | ||||||||||||||||
The robbers made off with $1500 in cash and just under a pound of
marijuana, said Dorrit Geshuri, the club's director of special
services. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(2) FEDS SEARCH HOMES OF 2 IN PROBE OF CRITTENDEN SHERIFF'S DRUG UNIT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
FBI and IRS agents executed search warrants at the homes of a member
and a former member of the Crittenden County Sheriff's Drug Task Force
on Thursday in a widening federal probe of interstate drug enforcement
units. | ||||||||||||||||
Sheriff's deputy Barry A. Davis's home on Richland Drive in West Memphis and former deputy Louis F. Pirani's home on Geelan Drive in Marion were pored over for more than five hours as curious neighbors stopped to see what was up. Neither man was arrested, and Davis remains on active duty with the sheriff's department. Agents were seen leaving Davis's home with guns, including one equipped with a scope. | ||||||||||||||||
The searches come a week after Crittenden County's Quorum Court,
similar to a county commission, voted to cut off funding to the
sheriff's drug interdiction effort. Sheriff Dick Busby notified seven
employees whose salaries are funded by the drug task force that they
would be terminated as of June 30 because of the Quorum Court's action.
One of those notified was Davis. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(3) COLUMN: WAR ON DRUGS TRUMPED FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The Phoenix memo. The Rowley letter. The Oklahoma red flag. All
elements in this true and tragic story of fumbling feds that has more
smoking guns than a Quentin Tarantino movie. | ||||||||||||||||
So why did the FBI fail to see them? | ||||||||||||||||
In announcing his big reorganization plans, Director Robert Mueller seemed to consider the FBI's tragedy of errors a question of flawed management flow charts, nothing a rejiggered PowerPoint presentation couldn't fix. But there was a much more fundamental problem plaguing the bureau before Sept. 11 - one of deeply flawed priorities. Namely, the agency's crippling addiction to America's war on drugs. | ||||||||||||||||
While Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida minions were preparing for their
murderous mission, the FBI was looking the other way. More than twice
as many FBI agents were assigned to fighting drugs (2,500) as to
fighting terrorism (1,151). And far more FBI money was dedicated to the
drug war. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(4) OPED: STOP THE WAR ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
TUCSON Today, in Tucson, Phoenix and dozens of other cities and towns across the U.S., something remarkable will happen: Thousands of people battling cancer, AIDS and other terrible illnesses will deliver "cease and desist" orders to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration to stop it from blocking their access to a needed medication. | ||||||||||||||||
Their request is so simple, so obviously correct that it is heartbreaking that people, many very seriously ill, are forced to deliver their message in this way, perhaps risking arrest. | ||||||||||||||||
But as individuals who have found that medical marijuana relieves their
symptoms when conventional medicines fail, they feel they had no
choice: The federal government continues to fight an irrational war
against medical marijuana, and the sick and struggling are its
principal victims. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-9) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The Ohio media were silent over the report filed by journalist Dan
Forbes last week. The report by Forbes demonstrated how the state's
governor has been using taxpayer money and state employees' time to
unethically fight a drug reform referendum. On the day before
Forbes's report was released, though, the Ohio mainstream media did
actually verify the report without mentioning it. Different
newspapers noted that Ohio Governor Bob Taft has been wheeling and
dealing with mental health boards in the state to gain their
opposition to the drug reform initiative. And, speaking of
inappropriate official lobbying against drug policy reform, in
Michigan, a pair of sitting judges attacked that state's reform
initiative. | ||||||||||||||||
In national news, brave commentator Arianna Huffington dared to ask
how the drug war helped to fuel pre-Sept. 11 security lapses.
Elsewhere, it was reported that OxyContin was being used to bribe
voters in Kentucky, while officials in a Louisiana city are ready to
shut down businesses for five years at a time if owners don't battle
drugs to the liking of local police. | ||||||||||||||||
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(5) TAFT WINS STATE GROUP'S BACKING IN EFFORT TO QUASH DRUG INITIATIVE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Columbus - Community boards that help drug and alcohol addicts won't
support a ballot initiative that would require treatment instead of
jail for first- and second-time drug offenders. | ||||||||||||||||
The Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities passed
a resolution opposing the initiative, after hearing arguments from
both sides. The association represents 57 county alcohol and drug
addiction and mental health boards. | ||||||||||||||||
The association took its position after receiving a commitment from
Gov. Bob Taft's administration to work with the health association
to improve alcohol and drug prevention, treatment and support
services. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(6) OPED: BEWARE DRUG LENIENCY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Proposal Would Create Addicts, Not Treat Them | ||||||||||||||||
A group known as the Campaign for New Drug Policies is circulating
petitions to amend Michigan's Constitution to effect a radical
change in our laws regarding illegal drugs. | ||||||||||||||||
Three very rich men from California fund the group. Neither they nor
the group that fronts for them has any significant connection to
Michigan. The people paid to circulate their petition, which aims to
put the proposal on Michigan's November ballot, claim that this
amendment is designed to stop major drug traffickers, eliminate
mandatory penalties for people selling or using such drugs as
marijuana, and to provide treatment for drug addicts. In reality,
this radical amendment would virtually eliminate incarceration for
using or selling hard drugs such as heroin and crack. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(7) OPED: DID THE DRUG WAR ELUDE SEPT. 11 THREATS? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The Phoenix memo. The Rowley letter. The Oklahoma red flag. All
elements in this true and tragic story of fumbling feds that has
more smoking guns than a Quentin Tarantino movie. | ||||||||||||||||
So why did the FBI fail to see them? | ||||||||||||||||
In announcing his big reorganization plans, Director Robert Mueller
seemed to consider the FBI's tragedy of errors a question of flawed
management flow charts, nothing that a rejiggered PowerPoint
presentation couldn't fix. But there was a much more fundamental
problem plaguing the bureau before Sept. 11 -- one of deeply flawed
priorities. Namely, the agency's crippling addiction to America's
war on drugs. | ||||||||||||||||
While Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida minions were diligently
preparing for their murderous mission, the FBI was looking the other
way with equal determination. More than twice as many FBI agents
were assigned to fighting drugs (2,500) than fighting terrorism
(1,151). And a far greater amount of the FBI's financial resources
was dedicated to the war on drugs. | ||||||||||||||||
And this pathological prioritization of the drug war extended well
beyond the allocation of money and manpower. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(8) VOTES SOLD FOR DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Official Says 110 Complaints Filed Statewide | ||||||||||||||||
In what an Eastern Kentucky prosecutor said may be a sign of the
times, Knott County officials received Election Day reports that
votes were bought for not just cash, but drugs. | ||||||||||||||||
"What it takes to get the attention of some voters now is no longer
a case of beer or $10 or $15," said Lori Daniel, an assistant
commonwealth's attorney in Knott and Magoffin counties. "Now it's a
handful of OxyContin." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(9) HAMMOND TO TARGET LANDLORDS IN DRUG SALES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
HAMMOND -- The city government will start filing lawsuits this week
against landlords who haven't stopped the sale of drugs from their
property, officials said Tuesday. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Louisiana Revised Statute 13:471 gives cities the right to sue
property owners for an injunction prohibiting future drug activity
and to obtain a court order closing the property for five years,
Tallo said. | ||||||||||||||||
Even if they can't use the property, owners remain liable for upkeep and for payment of taxes during the five years, he said. | ||||||||||||||||
To shut down the use of property, the city must show that the owners
are aware of criminal activity. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (10-13) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The U.S. prison building binge did little to stop repeat criminals,
according to a Justice Department study released last week. In a
separate but related story, state officials around the country are
preparing to scale back funding for prisons for a variety of
reasons, including budget woes. | ||||||||||||||||
A budget crisis, along with various scandals, led to the dismantling
of a Tennessee drug task force last week. However, the drug task
force almost looks like Boy Scouts compared to the state office
running the DARE program in Pennsylvania. Until recently led by a
convicted felon, the office is under investigation for | ||||||||||||||||
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(10) STUDY SHOWS BUILDING PRISONS DID NOT PREVENT REPEAT CRIMES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The rate at which inmates released from state prisons commit new
crimes rose from 1983 to 1994, a time when the number of people
behind bars doubled, according to a Justice Department study
released yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||
The report found that 67 percent of inmates released from state
prisons in 1994 committed at least one serious new crime within
three years. That is 5 percent higher than among inmates released in
1983. | ||||||||||||||||
Criminologists generally agree that the prison-building binge of the
last 25 years, in which the number of Americans incarcerated
quadrupled to almost two million, has helped reduce the crime rate
simply by keeping criminals off the streets. There has been more
debate about whether longer sentences and the increase in the number
of prisoners have also helped to deter people from committing
crimes. The new report, some crime experts say, suggests that the
answer is no. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(11) STATES TO CLOSE MORE PRISONS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Inmate Population Lowest In 30 Years | ||||||||||||||||
EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Calif. - (KTT) Eagle Mountain, named for the rose-colored peaks on its northern edge, fears it is on the brink of disappearing. | ||||||||||||||||
Founded in 1947 as an outpost to mine iron ore, the town managed to
outlast the mine by converting old miners' dormitories into a state
prison in 1988. But now the Eagle Mountain Community Correctional
Facility is one of five prisons scheduled to close at the end of
June, signaling not only the possible end of this windswept desert
community of 300 residents, but also the waning of a national boom
in prison building. | ||||||||||||||||
After decades of growth, state prisons have become a prime target of
cutbacks. The reasons: the national drop in crime, state budget
shortfalls, the easing of some strict prison policies, and changing
public opinion about how to handle criminals, particularly those
convicted of drug-related offenses. | ||||||||||||||||
While the federal prison system is growing at historic rates, the
growth of state prison populations has slowed since 1995 and now has
fallen to its lowest level in three decades, according to a recent
report by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(12) COURT CUTS OFF FUNDING FOR CONTROVERSIAL ARK. DRUG UNIT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Seven Will Lose Jobs In Push For Accountability From Crittenden
County Sheriff | ||||||||||||||||
Crittenden County Sheriff Dick Busby has notified seven department
employees that they will lose their jobs at the end of June due to a
funding cutback. | ||||||||||||||||
The Crittenden County Quorum Court voted 10-1 Tuesday to cut off funding for the sheriff's drug task force. Officers in the unit stop highway traffic in their search for illegal drugs and cash. The unit is currently being investigated for suspected cash-skimming. | ||||||||||||||||
Three West Memphis drug interdiction officers were fired last year
for violating departmental policies regarding seized cash after two
of them were caught in FBI sting operations. No one has been
charged. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(13) PA. POLICE ANTI-DRUG PROGRAM MUST RETURN MISHANDLED FUNDS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
HARRISBURG -- An embattled police program that fights youth drug and alcohol abuse has been ordered to return thousands of dollars to the state after an audit showed the agency had mismanaged funds. | ||||||||||||||||
The Pennsylvania DARE Officers Association, which is already reeling
from a probe into embezzlement allegations, will have to return more
than $204,468 in unspent money to the Pennsylvania Commission on
Crime and Delinquency. | ||||||||||||||||
Officials with the association dispute the audit findings and say
they were misled by Roy A. Willoughby, the commission's former crime
prevention manager, who also oversaw the Drug Abuse Resistance
Education program. | ||||||||||||||||
Willoughby, a convicted felon, was forced to resign in May 2001
after his fourth drunken-driving arrest. He is now the subject of a
state grand jury investigation into alleged misappropriation of
funds. | ||||||||||||||||
The commission said an audit shows lavish spending on conferences
continued after Willoughby left, however. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (14-18) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
More DEA raids on California compassion clubs. The Aiko Compassion
Center, located in Santa Rosa, California, suffered a federal raid
last week, and 2 local men were charged in relation to the actions
of the club. | ||||||||||||||||
In other California news, a Federal Appeals Court in San Francisco
ruled that a Rastafari man from Guam could possess, but not import,
marijuana for religious purposes. The ruling upheld a 1993 religious
freedom law that puts limits on prosecutions in the "federal realm",
such as Guam or other federal properties like National Parks or
Washington D.C.. | ||||||||||||||||
Meanwhile in Oregon, voters may once again have a chance to show
their support of medical marijuana at the ballot box. An initiative
that would allow for the distribution of medicinal cannabis by
either the state or non-profit medical clinics may be on the ballot
in 2004. A Lucas poll funded by the Marijuana Policy Project shows
overwhelming support for the initiative. In other MPP news, John
Zogby, founder and director Zogby International, a major U.S.
internet polling organization, has partnered with the Waswhington
D.C.-based MPP to boost left-wing participation in the company's
polls. In exchange for the involvement of MPP supporters and
members, Zogby will include marijuana-based questions supplied by
MPP in its polls, hopefully giving the cannabis community a stronger
voice in social issues. | ||||||||||||||||
And in the U.K., a recent report shows that Lambeth, the South
London borough now famous for its recent pilot scheme not to arrest
cannabis users for simple possession, leads London in the reduction
of street crimes such as robberies and muggings. | ||||||||||||||||
**CORRECTION** Last week, I reported that the Australian State of
New South Wales had replaced criminal charges for minor cannabis use
and cultivation with a system of fines. It was actually the state of
Western Australia that that has just adopted this system. DSW
apologizes for any unjustified celebrations in New South Wales that
this error may have caused - sorry for any confusion. | ||||||||||||||||
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(14) DEA RAIDS SANTA ROSA MEDICAL MARIJUANA CLUB (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) - Federal agents raided a medical marijuana
buyers' club here Wednesday and arrested two people, part of a
tug-of-war between local and federal officials over the sale of pot for
medicinal purposes. | ||||||||||||||||
A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman said two addresses
were searched, including the Aiko Compassion Center near downtown.
Marijuana, cash, a car and a weapon were seized. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
"We have not targeted marijuana clubs. We have investigated marijuana trafficking groups,'' said San Francisco DEA spokesman Rich Meyer. "As we develop leads, we follow those leads. If one takes us to a marijuana club, then we continue that investigation.'' | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(15) OREGON MEDICAL POT SUPPORT GROWING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
An initiative to enhance the distribution of medical marijuana to
the seriously ill could be on the Oregon ballot in 2004, according
to a recent statement from the Marijuana Policy Project in
Washington, D.C. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
According to the poll, administered to over 1,000 adults by the Lucas Organization, 76.5 percent of Oregon voters "strongly support" or "somewhat support" the state law allowing "seriously ill patients to use and grow their own medical marijuana with the approval of their physicians." This is a big jump over the 55 percent of voters who supported the initiative in 1998. The poll was conducted in three other states with medical marijuana laws, which also show increased levels of support since their laws were passed. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(16) CALIFORNIA COURT SAYS RASTAFARIAN CAN SMOKE POT BUT NOT IMPORT IT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
SAN FRANCISCO -- If you're a Rastafarian who considers marijuana
holy, it's legal to light up in Guam -- and maybe in any national
park on the West Coast. | ||||||||||||||||
At least that seemed to be the conclusion of a federal appeals court
in San Francisco, which said Tuesday that a 1993 religious-freedom
law puts limits on prosecutions in the "federal realm" --
specifically in a U.S. territory like Guam, or potentially within
any other federal property. | ||||||||||||||||
A three-judge panel said a Rastafarian -- whose Jamaican-based
religion regards marijuana as a sacrament that brings believers
closer to divinity -- could not be federally prosecuted for merely
possessing marijuana, a decision that upheld a portion of the 1993
Religious Freedom Restoration Act. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(17) THE POLLSTER WHO ANSWERED A HIGHER CALLING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Pollster John Zogby had a problem: Too many political conservatives
and not enough lefties were signing up to participate in his online
surveys of public opinion. | ||||||||||||||||
Rob Kampia of the Marijuana Policy Project also had a problem: He
didn't know what Americans really thought about legalizing the
five-leafed devil weed. | ||||||||||||||||
But both problems went up in smoke recently when Zogby's polling
firm approached Kampia's Marijuana Policy Project with a novel
proposition: Help us recruit smokers and their pals to participate
in our cyber-surveys, and we'll let you add a few dope questions to
our national polls. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(18) CRIME FALLS IN LONDON CANNABIS TRIAL AREA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The south London borough which is piloting a scheme to treat
cannabis offenders more leniently has seen a dramatic drop in the
level of street crimes. The number of robberies and muggings in
Lambeth has halved in the last six months, and the latest figures
for this month show the trend is continuing. | ||||||||||||||||
Police have stemmed the rate of increase in the number of street
crimes right across London. | ||||||||||||||||
But the drop in Lambeth is considerable, according to figures
released on Wednesday. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
So far this year, robbery is down by 18% - the highest street crime
reduction in London. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (19-23) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Despite laws, threats, coercion, and buy backs, Afghan farmers
produced 3,000 metric tons of opium this spring, the UN estimated. In
neighboring Tajikistan, officials have intercepted over a ton of
opium, and arrested some 500 people for smuggling or possession,
reported the Frontier Post of Pakistan. | ||||||||||||||||
A report issued by the chairs of three Senate committees accused
Philippine Senator Panfilo Lacson of drug trafficking and other
crimes. Lacson, who headed the Presidential Anti-Organized-Crime Task
Force (PAOCTF), was suspected of "involvement in the drug trade and
drug-related organized crimes." Also last week, as their American
counterparts are forever doing, the police director of Dumaguete City,
Philippines, made news by calling for harsher laws against "illegal
drug users and pushers". Railing against "toothless" laws, he called
for ratcheting up punishments, including use of the death penalty, for
possessing smaller amounts of drugs. | ||||||||||||||||
In New South Wales, Australia, the lower house approved an extension
for the trial of a heroin-injecting room in the Kings Cross area of
Sydney. "I will not stand in the way of the trial continuing to the
extent that the evidence concludes that it has saved lives," noted
Opposition leader John Brogden. | ||||||||||||||||
British Home Secretary David Blunkett and the Association of Chief Police Officers have called for a "crisis" summit over worries that crack cocaine is damaging inner cities. Citing gun-violence, the Metropolitan Police said that dealer turf disputes caused "18 murders, 81 attempted murders and 72 other shootings" in the last year. | ||||||||||||||||
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(19) POPPY IN AFGHANISTAN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
UN estimates 3000 tons of opium produce | ||||||||||||||||
DUSHANBE (APP): The UN estimates that up to 3,000 tonnes of opium
will be reaped in Afghanistan's spring harvest, the UN's spokeswoman
Antonella Deledda told reporters. This would still be a far cry from
Afghanistan's record harvest of 1999, when the reapings topped 4,600
tonnes and made the Central Asian state the world's top producer of
opium and heroin. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
This year, Tajik authorities and Russian border guards have
confiscated 1.5 tonnes of drugs including over a tonne of heroin,
and arrested 500 people for trafficking or possession. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(20) CHARGE LACSON, 3 SENATE COMMITTEES RECOMMEND (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
MINUTES before the opposition bloc claimed to have taken control of the Senate on Monday, the chairpersons of three Senate committees released a joint report recommending the filing of kidnap-for-ransom and drug-trafficking charges against Senator Panfilo Lacson. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
It noted that the "PAOCTF miserably failed in its mission, yet it
was the agency specially organized, specially tasked, specially
funded and specially empowered to counter-act organized drug
cartels." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
It also noted that "the statistics on the status of the drug problem
parlayed during the hearings are frightening." | ||||||||||||||||
"The situation is even made more gloomy by the evidence establishing the involvement in the drug trade and drug-related organized crimes of the top echelon mandated to suppress them," it added. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(21) LAWAS ADMITS FAILURE OF DRIVE VS. DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Dumaguete City police director C/Insp. Rey Lyndon Lawas admitted
yesterday that the operation against the proliferation of illegal
drugs has failed, despite the PNP's joint efforts with the local
government unit and non-government organizations in combating the
menace. | ||||||||||||||||
At the same time, Lawas said he welcomed the approval of the new
Comprehensive Anti-illegal Drug Law, that is now up for signing by
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. | ||||||||||||||||
Lawas said he is optimistic that with the new law, the trafficking of illegal drugs in Dumaguete City will be minimized since suspects caught even with less than 50 grams of the banned substance will not be allowed bail and could face either life or a death sentence. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
The same reports said 258 illegal drug users and pushers normally go
back to the streets after their detention because of legal
loopholes. Lawas lamented that, despite the serious anti-drug
campaign, 90 percent of those apprehended resume their trade
following their release as a result of technicalities. | ||||||||||||||||
He said the city's anti-illegal drugs campaign failed because of what he describes as the "toothless anti-illegal drugs law". | ||||||||||||||||
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(22) INJECTING ROOM TRIAL TO BE EXTENDED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The NSW lower house has approved an extension for a trial of
Australia's first heroin-injecting room. | ||||||||||||||||
The 18-month trial was to end in October this year but the NSW government announced it would legislate to keep the Kings Cross clinic open until an evaluation study had been completed. | ||||||||||||||||
The lower house this afternoon voted 60 to 28 to allow the trial to
continue, meaning the clinic will now remain open until at least
October next year. | ||||||||||||||||
The Coalition was granted a conscience vote by Opposition leader John Brogden who himself crossed the floor on the issue. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
"The extension will continue, that is clear that the government has
the support in both houses to continue the extension beyond the next
few months. | ||||||||||||||||
"I will not stand in the way of the trial continuing to the extent
that the evidence concludes that it has saved lives. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(23) BLUNKETT CALLS CRISIS SUMMIT OVER CRACK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
David Blunkett and Britain's police chiefs have called a crisis
summit to discuss crack cocaine amid Home Office fears that the drug
is causing "massive damage" to inner cities and feeding | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
The Home Secretary and the Association of Chief Police Officers have
called together senior government officials, police units involved
in tackling crack-related crime and drug experts specialising in
treatment of crack addiction for two days of talks in Birmingham
this month. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
The Metropolitan Police last year dealt with 18 murders, 81
attempted murders and 72 other shootings relating to turf wars over
crack. A Home Office spokesman said crack cocaine was the drug
giving ministers the most serious concerns. | ||||||||||||||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
National Day of Direct Action June 6th | ||||||||||||||||
The official archive for protest reports is at Americans for Safe Access
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/newswire_detail.php?id=22 which includes
reports and/or pictures from D.C.; Sacramento, Austin; Cleveland;
Springfield, Massachusets; Santa Ana; St Louis; San Antonio; Oakland and
Detroit. | ||||||||||||||||
You can view 147 photos of today's DC medical marijuana demonstration at
http://bigwood.biz/MPP-060602/index.htm | ||||||||||||||||
Realvideo at http://flow.mediavac.com/ramgen/sinkers/2002/dojJun0602.rm | ||||||||||||||||
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Cultural Baggage with Dean Becker and Kevin Zeese | ||||||||||||||||
KPFT Radio, Friday June 7th. | ||||||||||||||||
Host Dean Becker and guest Kevin Zeese of Common Sense for Drug Policy
take calls from listeners on the Day of Direct Action, medicinal
marijuana and harm reduction. | ||||||||||||||||
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Report On Failed Drug Propaganda Campaign | ||||||||||||||||
Read the executive summary to National Youth Anti-Drug Media
Campaign - Third Semi-Annual Report of Findings. Also features link
to the whole document, and notes that this information has been
available to the government since October. | ||||||||||||||||
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Reviews of FEAR Asset Forfeiture Defense Manual | ||||||||||||||||
Some reviews of the FEAR Asset Forfeiture Defense Manual have been
posted to the FEAR web site. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2002: DROP THE ROCK March and Concert/Rally
in Harlem! | ||||||||||||||||
With a unified voice, we will demand that policy makers repeal
New York’s mandatory minimum drug laws and end 29 long years of
suffering and injustice. | ||||||||||||||||
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! JOIN US ON JUNE 15th: | ||||||||||||||||
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2002 College on Problems of Drug Dependence Conference | ||||||||||||||||
World-Renowned Researchers, Scientists in the Fields of Substance
Abuse Treatment and Prevention to Meet in Quebec City, June 8-13,
For Most Important Conference of the Year | ||||||||||||||||
QUEBEC CITY, Quebec--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 3, 2002-- | ||||||||||||||||
The 2002 CPDD Conference will give reporters the unique | ||||||||||||||||
John Walters, director of the Office of National (USA) Drug Control Policy, will speak on Wednesday, June 12, at the Hilton Ballroom in Quebec City. His talk will reflect U.S. drug abuse policy. Other outstanding scientists include the following: Alan Leshner, former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse; David Courtwright, historian and author of "Dark Pleasures," "Forces of Habit" and "Addicts who Survived"; and Horace Loh. | ||||||||||||||||
For complete meeting information, abstract and author search and program details visit: http://views.vcu.edu/cpdd/index.htm | ||||||||||||||||
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LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Selling A Drug-Free America | ||||||||||||||||
By Eric E. Sterling | ||||||||||||||||
Jim Burke, chairman of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America,
harshly attacked the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign [op-ed,
May 21]. He said that the program fell into a "bureaucratic trap,"
that it was "strangled by Beltway processes" and quoted one person
as saying that its architecture was an "utter nightmare." Mr. Burke
asserted that there is "no more cost-effective approach to educating
millions of kids . . . about the dangers of drugs than via
media-based education." This is specious. | ||||||||||||||||
Anti-drug ads are mocked by teenagers. The ad of a fried egg in a skillet -- "This is your brain on drugs" -- became the basis for a slang term for getting high, "Wanna go fry an egg?" As long as ads transparently exaggerate the harmfulness of marijuana, skeptical teenagers will mistakenly exaggerate the harmlessness of drugs. | ||||||||||||||||
Kids can never learn how to weigh the risks and benefits of drug use
if the risks are always exaggerated. | ||||||||||||||||
Eric E. Sterling, | ||||||||||||||||
Silver Spring | ||||||||||||||||
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LETTER WRITER OF THE MONTH -MAY | ||||||||||||||||
Gary Storck | ||||||||||||||||
Gary Storck of Madison, WI is recognized for his five published
letters during May, and a career total as archived by MAP of 77. You
can review his published letters at: | ||||||||||||||||
Gary is a long time activist. He is webmaster and listmaster for the
very active Drug Policy Forum of Wisconsin | ||||||||||||||||
He is also the webmaster for "Is My Medicine Legal YET?"
http://www.immly.org/ - an organization which has been a leader in
medical cannabis events and protests since 1997. Pictures of Gary can
be seen in many of the IMMLY event photos, and also in a number of the
photos at http://www.drugsense.org/pix/norml2002/ | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Salvia Divinorum Outlawed in Australia | ||||||||||||||||
By The Center for Cognitive Liberty & Ethics | ||||||||||||||||
Effective June 1, Australia becomes the first country to make the
plant Salvia divinorum a prohibited drug. Pursuant to a ruling by
Australia's National Drugs And Poisons Schedule Committee (NDPSC),
both Salvia divinorum and its active principle salvinorin A, will be
added to Schedule 9 of Australia's Standard for the Uniform
Scheduling of Drugs and Poisons (SUSDP). Australia's action raises
fears that other governments may soon follow suit. | ||||||||||||||||
Schedule 9 is Australia's most restrictive drug schedule, and
includes substances which may be abused or misused, the manufacture,
possession, sale or use of which should be prohibited by law except
when required for medical or scientific research, or for analytical,
teaching or training purposes with approval of Commonwealth and/or
State or Territory Health Authorities. | ||||||||||||||||
Under Australian law, drug control is a state rather than a federal
issue. Thus the NDPSC's decision is technically only a | ||||||||||||||||
The Alchemind Society's Center for Cognitive Liberty & Ethics has
been in contact with a group of scientific researchers in Australia
who are working to challenge the NDPSC's ruling and block its
adoption by the various states and territories. So far these efforts
have been unsuccessful. | ||||||||||||||||
Australia's scheduling of S. divinorum raises concerns that the U.S.
DEA, which is known to be evaluating the plant for scheduling, may be
spurred to prohibit the plant as well. In anticipation of similar
action by the DEA, the Center for Cognitive Liberty & Ethics (CCLE) has
established a SALVIA DIVINORUM DEFENSE FUND for the purpose of raising
the money necessary to present a legal challenge to any scheduling move
by the DEA. In October of last year, a group of experts coordinated by
the CCLE submitted a written report to the U.S. DEA, finding that
Salvia divinorum does not meet the criteria for inclusion in Schedule I
of the U.S. Controlled Substance Act. | ||||||||||||||||
For more information, and to see how to help fight another plant
from being prohibited, see: | ||||||||||||||||
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
"Prohibition is better than no liquor at all." -- Will Rogers | ||||||||||||||||
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