| June 21, 2002 #255 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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) DRUG LAW FOES MAKE THEIR CASE IN SPANISH ADS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
AND PATAKI AIDES RAISE OBJECTIONS | ||||||||||||||||||||
The city's largest Spanish-language television station pulled a commercial yesterday that had featured family members of imprisoned drug offenders and asked the governor for "real reform" on the Rockefeller drug laws. The ads were taken off the air at the request of Gov. George E. Pataki's senior aides, who called them inaccurate. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The incident, coming just as the legislative session was threatening
to close without resolving how the drug laws should be changed,
illustrates how important Hispanics have become in the re-election
campaign of Governor Pataki, who often mentions his fight to reduce
the mandatory, lengthy prison sentences in the laws when he addresses
a Spanish-speaking audience. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(2) HIGHER IMMORALITY? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
For Some Religious Groups, Drug Laws Do More Harm Than Drugs Themselves | ||||||||||||||||||||
June 20 -- For Jennifer Wallace, the revelation came four years ago,
after she found out that a friend of hers who she knew came from a
devout Christian family smoked marijuana, and she became worried about
the young woman. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wallace, a devout Christian herself, started looking into the research
on marijuana and what she found surprised her. She said she found no
evidence to back up the horrible things she had heard about the drug,
and when she searched the Bible for any reference to it she found
nothing at all. So she began to wonder why some religious leaders
seemed to favor stiff penalties for marijuana users. | ||||||||||||||||||||
She even decided to try smoking it, though she had always been afraid
before. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"I was very surprised that I wasn't very different than I was before,"
she said of the experience. "I believe it made me think more, and
thinking more is always good." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(3) COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT-ELECT TO BE BRIEFED ON U.S. POLICY SHIFT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - In a dramatic and historic shift, the U.S. government is
about to raise the stakes on its involvement in Colombia, changing its
focus to include fighting guerrillas as well as combating the drug
trade. | ||||||||||||||||||||
President-elect Alvaro Uribe of Colombia, who began three days of talks
in Washington on Tuesday, will be briefed on the changes during his
visit. He'll also feel intense pressure from U.S. officials who want
Colombia to pony up more of its own money and soldiers to combat
rampant lawlessness. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Almost without exception, analysts believe Uribe's hard-line platforms,
combined with the U.S. policy shift, will bring about a near-term
increase in bloodshed in Colombia. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(4) UK: US OFFICIAL ATTACKS DRUG TACTICS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The controversial pilot scheme that relaxes Scotland Yard's attitude towards cannabis possession has been criticised by the head of the US drug enforcement administration for increasing drug usage. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Asa Hutchinson, director of the DEA, said that the scheme in Lambeth,
south London, had led to a rise in cannabis users and led children to
believe it was legal. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The U.S. Supreme Court gave another boost to police power last week, as it ruled that bus passengers do not need to be advised of their rights before being searched for drugs. A startling surprise came out of a federal courtroom in California, where a judge threw out the conviction of two illegal Mexican immigrants who had been charged with marijuana cultivation. The immigrants claimed they were working under duress. Illegal immigrants and illicit drug trafficking are helping to destroy nature preserves at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a new report. The report suggests that 350 tons of drugs had been seized in one park in one year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Drug policy reform at the state level took a number of turns in the
past week. Legislative efforts to reform Rockefeller-era drug laws
in New York appear to be stalled - at least that's the way it looked
at deadline time for DrugSense Weekly. In Colorado, the governor
vetoed a drug reform bill, and the Denver Post rightly editorialized
against the unreasonable veto. A more admirable governor, New
Mexico's Gary Johnson, announced he would form a national
drug-reform group when after he leaves office. In Nevada, signatures
for an voter initiative to relax marijuana laws in the state
were submitted. | ||||||||||||||||||||
And, finally, methamphetamine isn't just for biker gangs and the
down-and-out anymore. If a report from ABC News is to be believed,
"super moms" are adding the drug to their morning coffee in order to
cope with overwhelming family duties. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS POLICE POWER ON BUS SEARCHES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld on Monday police searches
of bus passengers and their luggage for drugs or weapons, rejecting
the argument that such coercive tactics require that people be told
of their rights. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The justices, by a 6-3 vote, overturned a U.S. appeals court ruling
that a bus search should be considered unconstitutionally coercive
unless the police first warn passengers they have the right to
refuse to cooperate. The appeals court held the consent given by two
Greyhound bus passengers in 1999 in Tallahassee, Florida, was not
sufficiently free of coercion and therefore amounted to an
unconstitutional search and seizure. The high court's ruling was a
major victory for the Bush administration. It argued the police
should not be deprived of an essential crime-fighting tool needed to
protect the nation's public transportation system after the Sept. 11
hijacked plane attacks on America. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(6) JUDGE OVERRULES POT JURY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
In an unprecedented action that stunned attorneys on both sides, a
Sacramento federal judge tossed out a jury's guilty verdict in a
marijuana-growing case and ordered a new trial. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Despite the verdict and the government's evidence, "a serious
miscarriage of justice may have occurred," U.S. District Judge Frank
C. Damrell Jr. found Wednesday in a 21-page order. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It is a ruling that has far broader implications than the fate of the two defendants. The judge's findings go to the heart of a practice by U.S. Forest Service investigators and federal prosecutors that targets marginal players in the marijuana trade, defense attorneys said. That practice has been the subject of criticism by the region's defense lawyers for at least two years. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Undocumented immigrants Miguel Navarro Viayra, 25, and Manuel
Alvarez Guerra, 22, were arrested almost two years ago at a camp in
the Mendocino National Forest and charged with conspiracy,
manufacturing more than 1,000 marijuana plants, and possession of
firearms to facilitate drug trafficking. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Prosecutors portrayed them as opportunists who jumped at the chance
to make a substantial amount of money growing pot. | ||||||||||||||||||||
They insist they were lured to the camp under false pretenses, had
no access to weapons, and were guarded day and night by armed men
who threatened to kill them if they tried to escape. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(7) US-MEXICO BORDER PARKS TAKE BEATING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
EL PINACATE BIOSPHERE RESERVE, Mexico -- Drug traffickers scar volcanic
desert with illicit runways, while law enforcement officials chase them
through once-tranquil parks. Thousands of migrants traipse across delicate
backcountry areas -- sending campers fleeing to ranger stations, fearful of
crowds trekking by their tents in the night. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wilderness areas on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border are taking
a beating from an onslaught of migrants, drug traffickers and law
enforcement officials, a new study says. Some national treasures in
both countries have been lost forever. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Few parks have taken a greater toll than the U.N.- designated biosphere reserve El Pinacate and Arizona's adjoining Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Last year, officials caught 200,000 migrants and 700,000 pounds of drugs in Organ Pipe alone. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(8) DRUG LAW REFORM NOT DEAD, BUT NOT QUITE ALIVE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Proponents of easing state mandatory sentencing laws
for drug offenders accused prosecutors Tuesday of halting momentum
toward reform by raising eleventh-hour objections. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"This is a tactic they have used every year to thwart any meaningful changes in the law," said Deborah Small of the Drug Policy Alliance. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Another proponent of softening the statute, former state Sen. John
Dunne, said the complaints of the state's district attorneys about a
drug reform plan from the state Assembly was "inflammatory and
self-serving." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Aides said the Legislature and Gov. George Pataki's office were
still talking about changing the drug laws to soften the harshest
penalty and create more opportunities for treatment for nonviolent
offenders. They said the issue was not dead. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said "I really don't detect an interest in the ... Senate in doing anything meaningful." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(9) EDITORIAL: VETO HURTS ANTI-DRUG EFFORTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
It is truly disheartening to learn that Gov. Bill Owens vetoed SB
39, a bill that passed the legislature with strong bipartisan
backing. The measure would have reduced sentences for possession of
less than a gram of certain drugs and used the money thus saved for
additional drug treatment programs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Although the bill is dead for this year, Colorado still needs to
change the way we view drug addiction and punishment. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In his veto message, Owens cited the state's budget crunch and said
he did not want to divert operating dollars from the Department of
Corrections to fund a new duplicative bureaucratic institution that
would put more criminals on the streets. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But Sen. Ken Gordon, D-Denver, sponsor of the bill, cites compelling
evidence that this overdue reform would reduce crime while saving
money - and lives. The bill, which passed the Republican-controlled
House 61-4, would not have taken operating funds from the Department
of Corrections. Instead, it would have reduced prison costs because
the need for incarceration would decrease. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) JOHNSON FORMS DRUG-REFORM GROUP (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gov. Johnson and a group of his closest advisors have taken the
first steps to set up a new national organization to support the
liberalization of drug laws. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Johnson said he formed Americans Against the War on Drugs as a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating elected officials and candidates for office about drug-law reform. He plans to be a spokesman for the new group after he leaves office in Jan. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(11) MARIJUANA INITIATIVE SUBMITTED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
CARSON CITY -- A group seeking to place a question on the November ballot that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana turned in more than 107,000 signatures gathered from all 17 counties Tuesday. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement need valid signatures from
61,336 registered voters, with minimum numbers required in 13 of 17
counties, for the petition to be approved by Secretary of State Dean
Heller. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The petitions will now go through a signature verification process
to determine if the group was successful. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The measure, which would also allow patients to obtain medical
marijuana at low cost, would have to be approved by voters twice,
this year and in 2004, for it to take effect. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(12) ARE SUPER MOMS TURNING TO METH TO DO IT ALL? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sheigla Murphy, director of the Center for Substance Abuse Studies
at the Institute for Scientific Analysis in San Francisco, says that
methamphetamine - often called "meth" for short - is the drug du
jour for some super moms who are trying to have it all. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"When they begin to use methamphetamine, they feel more energy, they
feel more mastery, they feel like they can get it all done," Murphy
said. "They can take care of their kids, they can do their job,
sometimes two jobs. They can meet what is for many women today, an
almost impossible ideal." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant that can be smoked, snorted or injected. Some women mix it with coffee, calling it "biker coffee." The drug produces a euphoria similar to cocaine, but lasts longer, and is made from common household ingredients. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-16) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The war on terror at the U.S.-Canadian border can't help but stumble over drug traffickers, leading to congested courts and jails. Local officials are hinting that they will stop handling federal drug cases unless they get more federal funds to do so, following a strategy of local prosecutors at the U.S.-Mexican border. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Prison guards who are drug tested in one Massachusetts county are getting $1,000 bonuses, despite a budget crunch. No bonuses for probationers in Texas though, and they might soon have to take urine tests without pants. And a three-year-old girl was killed and five other children were injured in Memphis, Tenn. last week. All were caught in the cross-fire of a small drug deal gone bad. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(13) JAILS STRAINED BY BORDER BUSTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
BLAINE, Wash. (AP) - A flood of federal agents patrolling the
Canadian border for would-be terrorists instead are catching drug
smugglers and small-time criminals, who are beginning to clog local
court systems. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"My jail is full," said Dale Brandland, sheriff of Whatcom County in the nation's northwestern corner. The county has long contended with what officials call the "border effect," when cases too small to interest federal prosecutors are turned over to local jurisdictions. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But as more border agents start making more busts, they fear it's
only going to get worse. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We are starting to stagger under this load," Whatcom County
prosecutor Dave McEachran wrote to Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., last
fall. | ||||||||||||||||||||
County officials are hinting that unless they get more federal
money, they just might stop handling federal cases - a stance that
counties along the southwestern border have used to secure funding
for the past few years. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(14) PRISON GUARDS GET BONUS FOR PASSING DRUG TESTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Despite a gaping deficit, Suffolk County Sheriff Richard J. Rouse is
handing out $1,000 bonuses to prison guards - just for passing
mandatory drug tests, records show. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The cash payments - hidden in union contracts at both the House of
Corrections and the Nashua Street Jail - are all but unheard of in
local law enforcement, where drug testing has become a standard
feature of police contracts.The bonus payments have cost Rouse's
cash-strapped department close to $800,000 in the past year as he
wrangles with a $6.5 million budget deficit that has already forced
more than 130 layoffs.Over at the House of Corrections, the Council
93's Local 419 got the $1,000 bonus rolled into each officer's base
pay, meaning the drug test payoff will continue giving even after
the men retire. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(15) DROP IN, DROP PANTS AT PROBATION OFFICE? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Bexar County Probation Department may start requiring probationers to remove their pants when they go for drug tests. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The announcement comes two weeks after an 18-year-old college student, on probation for a DWI, was caught wearing a prosthetic device attached to a heat-controlled pouch of synthetic urine. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ruben Escamilla Jr. bought the $149 gadget, which comes in four skin tones, through a magazine. "The Whizzinator," like a host of other products used to falsify drug tests, is also available online. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We're going to have to pay much more attention," Probation Chief
Caesar Garcia said. "We may have to go a little further now and
require them to drop their pants. We need to talk to the district
attorney's office and get some feedback." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(16) CHILD DEAD IN MEMPHIS SHOOTING AFTER DRUG DEAL GOES SOUR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
MEMPHIS, Tenn.- A 3-year-old girl died Wednesday after a man opened
fire on a home with a high-powered, semi-automatic rifle following a
drug deal that went sour nearby, police said. Eight other people,
including five children, were hurt. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The girl, whose name was not released, was shot in the chest, said
police spokeswoman LaTanya Able. | ||||||||||||||||||||
A 59-year-old woman also was critically injured, Deputy Police Chief
Bob Wright said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We know it's over a small quantity of drugs," Wright said. "We
don't know who sold who what." | ||||||||||||||||||||
He said the argument was over the quality of the unspecified
drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (17-21) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
California is burning, and unfortunately it's not the smell of
smoked cannabis filling the air; it's the constitutional and state
rights of its citizens going up in flames. In this week's news, U.S.
District Judge Charles Breyer granted the federal government request
for a permanent injunction against distributors of medical cannabis,
effectively reinforcing the DEA policy of busting compassion
societies. Meanwhile in West Hollywood, the U.S. Department of
Justice has moved to seize the real estate assets owned by the L.A.
Cannabis Resource Center. This has prompted the center's leaders,
including club president Scott Imler, to go on a hunger strike. And
after suffering another robbery, Berkeley Medical Herbs has closed
down, citing public safety concerns as well as the legal security of
the city's 4 other clubs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In Canada, the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs was told by
U.S. officials (including Drug Czar John Walters), that any shift in
Canadian drug policy should include and consider input from the U.S.
If the persecution of legitimate medical users and suppliers in
California is to serve as an example of American drug policy,
Canadians should have serious concerns regarding this encroachment
on their sovereignty and national policy. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In the U.K., Chiefs of Police appear ready to expand Lambeth's "soft
line" on drugs approach, which calls for the issuance of warnings
for personal possession of cannabis rather than fines or arrest. As
England's Home Office moves closer to the reclassification of
cannabis to Class C, nation-wide pilot schemes similar to Lambeth's
successful trial are being drawn up by the Association of Chief
Police Officers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Instead of adding to the suffering of the sickest and weakest
Americans with continued medical marijuana busts, the DEA and the
U.S. DOJ would do well to watch and learn from Britain's successful
experiments with harm-reduction policies. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(17) FEDERAL JUDGE RULES AGAINST CALIFORNIA MEDICAL MARIJUANA CLUBS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A federal judge in California has ruled in favor of a Justice Department request to permanently block three northern California medical marijuana clubs from the distributing the drug to patients. | ||||||||||||||||||||
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of San Francisco ruled against
the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative, the Marin Alliance for
Medical Marijuana and a dispensary located in Ukiah. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
The U.S. Supreme Court last year rejected the Oakland cooperative's
claim that federal law allowed the distribution of marijuana to
patients with a proven medical need for it. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(18) LACRC MEMBERS GO ON HUNGER STRIKE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
As part of a wide crackdown on medical marijuana programs, the U.S.
Department of Justice moved on May 31 to seize the Los Angeles
Cannabis Resource Center's real estate assets under federal
anti-drug laws, prompting the center's leaders to begin a hunger
strike. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Federal authorities are seeking the property, which was financed
partly by Wells Fargo Bank and the City of West Hollywood, as part
of an ongoing criminal probe into the center's activities. Federal
law says the government can seize any assets gained from trafficking
in banned drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"For one reason or another, we've been specifically targeted," says
Scott Imler, the center's president. "I don't know why, other than
that they can't understand that anyone would know that patients
could be provided marijuana in a way that doesn't compromise public
safety." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.mapinc.org/temp/LACRCnews07.jpg Photo by Gary McCarthy
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(19) BERKELEY POT CLUB CLOSES FOLLOWING ROBBERY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The University Avenue medicinal marijuana club that was robbed last
week for the third time in a year closed its doors permanently
Tuesday. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We wanted to make sure that we weren't putting patients at risk,
and we wanted to keep neighbors safe," said Berkeley Medical Herbs
office manager Dorrit Geshuri. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The club, which has attracted a spate of negative publicity with the
robberies, was closed also because the club wanted to protect the
medicinal marijuana movement and the other four pot clubs in town,
Geshuri said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(20) INCLUDE U.S. IN DRUG DISCUSSIONS, CANADIAN PANEL HEARS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Canada needs to include the United States in discussions on the
creation of a new drug policy, a Senate committee on illegal drugs
heard this week. | ||||||||||||||||||||
As part of its efforts to table a final report addressing Canada's
policy on cannabis, the committee held meetings with several U.S.
officials including John Walters, director of the U.S. national drug
policy. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Committee chair Pierre Claude Nolin said Mr. Walters told the group that if Canada adopts some form of decriminalization of marijuana, the U.S. would not want to encroach on Canada's legislation. | ||||||||||||||||||||
However, "the two neighbours would influence each other's policy,"
Mr. Nolin told globeandmail.com. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(21) U.K. POLICE CHIEFS SET TO EXTEND LAMBETH'S SOFT LINE ON DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Relaxed approach on cannabis possession will be rolled out to other parts of the country despite warnings about risk to schoolchildren | ||||||||||||||||||||
Police chiefs are drawing up plans to extend the Lambeth experiment
on cannabis to other parts of the country, despite growing criticism
of the scheme. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The move will see several forces in England and Wales warn, rather than arrest, many people caught with small amounts with the drug. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (22-25) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
In the Philippines last Monday, authorities called for charges against
National Police chief and (soon to be) Transportation Secretary
Leandro Mendoza, for playing golf with a suspected "drug lord." Six
other officers were also accused. | ||||||||||||||||||||
A report released in Brussels last week revealed that the nation of Colombia was "the most dangerous nation," according to the San Jose Mercury News. No mention was made of the role of drugs or drug prohibition in helping Colombia to earn this unwelcome title. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Abel Pacheco, president of Costa Rica, disclosed plans for a
U.S.-supported international "police" academy to be built on Costa
Rican soil. According to agreements, trainees would be indoctrinated
to fight against "terrorism" and "drug trafficking." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Loudly proclaiming that "'soft drug' users fail to realise they would
gradually go into hard drugs," the Malaysian Narcotics Department
director-general announced a crackdown on cannabis and MDMA users.
Otherwise, asserted the official, "society would become ill and
unproductive." The announcement was made at a meeting on cross-border
cooperation, which also noted "the number of heroin addicts still
remained high." | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(22) MENDOZA RAPPED FOR GOLF WITH SUSPECTED DRUG LORD (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
CEBU CITY -- Talk about a bogey. Because he played golf with a suspected drug lord, Philippine National Police chief and incoming Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza now finds himself in a sand trap of his own making. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas on Monday recommended the
filing of administrative charges against Mendoza and six other
police and military officers for playing golf at the Cebu Country
Club with Wellington Lim last November -- at a time when a
congressional investigation had linked Lim to big-time drug
operations in Cebu. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Ombudsman's fact-finding showed that contrary to Mendoza's
earlier claims that he only happened to meet Lim at the golf course,
it was Lim who actually "sponsored" the game. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Visayas Ombudsman Director Virginia Santiago said that Mendoza's act
of playing with a suspected drug lord who was a subject of a pending
investigation was "degrading to the integrity of the Philippine
National Police and would possibly lead to mistrust of our people to
our law enforcement ( sic )." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(23) UNION STUDY: COLOMBIA MOST DANGEROUS NATION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Colombia was the most dangerous nation for union members again last
year, with 201 killings or disappearances reported, or 90 percent of
the worldwide total, according to an annual survey released today in
Brussels. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(24) POLICE SCHOOL FOR AMERICAS CONSIDERED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
New Costa Rican President Abel Pacheco said yesterday that his
country, which has no army and has experienced nearly half a century
of peace, may become the site of a U.S.-supported international
police academy. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In an interview, Mr. Pacheco said he spoke with President Bush at
the White House on Thursday about opening the police school in Costa
Rica. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It would train officers from throughout North and South America to
handle "modern" threats, Mr. Pacheco said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"The police will learn management of very modern crime circumstances
for which our traditional police aren't prepared," Mr. Pacheco said
in Spanish. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The West Virginia-sized country -- known by locals as the
"Switzerland of Central America" -- was chosen because of its
central location and peaceful history, according to Costa Rican
Ambassador Jaime Daremblum. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Officers would train to face such problems as terrorism, drug
trafficking, domestic violence and kidnapping. The project would be
a joint venture within the Americas to promote better law
enforcement. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(25) MIDDLE CLASS GOING FOR GANJA AND ECSTASY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Narcotics Department director-general Datuk Mohd Sedek Mohd Ali said "soft drugs" such as ganja and Ecstasy pills had made an impact among professionals and youngsters from the middle class. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
"There is now a shift in focus in combating drug abuse in the
country by increasing a crackdown on drugs like ganja and
amphetamine-based drugs at entry points and other spots,
particularly at entertainment outlets," he said after chairing a
meeting on cross-border co- operation to fight drug trafficking with
officials from Thailand including members of the Office of Narcotics
Control Board, Thailand Royal Police and Customs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
He said such a shift was necessary to prevent drug addiction among
the middle-class professionals. | ||||||||||||||||||||
He added that the young and trendy who frequented entertainment
outlets were at risk and if the trend continued, society would
become ill and unproductive. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"These 'soft drug' users fail to realise they would gradually go
into hard drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
However, he said the number of heroin addicts still remained high at
220,000 registered addicts and there was a need for cross-border
efforts to curb drug trafficking. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Interview with Shawn Heller, National Director of the Students for
Sensible Drug Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Shawn Heller was one of the 10 people arrested June 6 2002 at the
Washington DC location of the DEA Direct Action Day Protests
nationwide in around 55 cities. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Cultural Baggage Radio Show | ||||||||||||||||||||
We've been assigned a permanent spot at midnight CDT, every
second Friday. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Daniel Forbes will be our guest this coming Friday, the 21st. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Discussion on Sub Rosa plot, MMJ and call in ideas. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Our Pacifica radio show airs on KPFT, Houston on 90.1 FM and is
available live on the net at http://www.kpft.org/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
You can already listen onsite to Kevin Zeese discuss Americans
for Safe Access. (The first in my recorded series) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Submitted by Dean Becker | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Children Are Collateral Casualties of N.Y. Drug Laws | ||||||||||||||||||||
A press release from Human Rights Watch, along with a link to a more
detailed report. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Politically Incorrect Transcript | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gary Johnson, Gene Simmons and others discuss the drug war | ||||||||||||||||||||
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"Unintended Consequences" Available For Viewing | ||||||||||||||||||||
To watch the film "Unintended Consequences," about New York's
Rockefeller drug, go to the mediarights.org site and click on the
frame for "Unintended Consequences." | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Three Facts About Marijuana Prices In Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
An Australian study found that as cannabis prices dropped 40% over the last decade, use has increased 15%, leading to a drop in alcohol use, and an increase in disposable income for marijuana users. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A WASTEFUL DRUG WAR | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Dan Goldman | ||||||||||||||||||||
To the Editor: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Re "Time to Move on Drug Law Reform" (editorial, June 13): | ||||||||||||||||||||
Government resources are finite, and with necessary new security measures that will require more money, it is imperative that federal, state and local officials move to stop wasting police time with the arrests of peaceful drug users and concentrate their efforts on finding the terrorists who threaten all our lives. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The war on drugs has been waged under the guise of protecting
children. Now those same children are demanding that illicit drugs
be legally regulated, and in the case of marijuana, taxed, so as to
provide another source of revenue to finance our schools and
homeland security forces. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Dan Goldman, | ||||||||||||||||||||
Teaneck, N.J. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The writer is a board member of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Soul of a Nation | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Jay R. Cavanaugh, PhD | ||||||||||||||||||||
In troubled times such as these, we look increasingly for
reassurance. Living with uncertainty and danger, we seek to know
that the soul of the nation is sound and centered. Many look to the
media giants on the nightly news or to our leaders in Washington.
Our soul is not there. The talking heads and "experts" on the news
stations are simply powdered faces speaking banalities. Similarly,
in Washington there is only the much rehearsed rhetoric tossed to
focus groups and refined in secret meetings where the "will of the
people" is fabricated and promoted by sanitized officials who are
bought and paid for by special interests. The soul of the nation is
not to be found in Washington's cauldron of lies or cable TV's
rating driven drivel. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Yet, we are a nation in fear and a nation at war. Serenity and, most of all, victory, are only to be achieved when the true soul of the people is made manifest. So, where does that soul survive? | ||||||||||||||||||||
Our heart and our soul can be vividly seen in the actions of our
police and firefighters who sacrificed themselves on 9/11. It can be
seen in the courage and compassion of those ten brave individuals
who chained themselves to the doors of the infamous DEA this month,
braving arrest to speak for the thousands of disabled being
terrorized by their own government for seeking relief with medical
cannabis. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Our soul can be seen in the millions who came out to vote for a
Green or a Libertarian or an Independent, knowing that elections
must be lost rather than compromised if real victory is to be
possible in the future. | ||||||||||||||||||||
This writer sees the soul of the nation working in hospice volunteers; marchers for AIDS research, in home bible studies, in after school volunteers, in our folks in uniform far away, and most of all, in the broad and bountiful Internet. It is on the Internet that the most basic aspects of our national soul are expressed. Democracy and freedom prevail. Speak your mind but don't hurt your neighbor. Do what you please so long you don't harm others. Help the poor help themselves. Care for the sick and the dying. Pray or not pray as it suits you. Be responsible and work hard. Care for the children and the old. We have a simple soul. It is elegant. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Our American soul is one of compassion, generosity, and common
sense. We are giving and patient. We are slow to anger. Anger now,
though, is smoldering. The government and the media have lied to and
attempted to deceive the true soul of the nation for too long. They
offend our intelligence. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The government seeks to channel all of our anger and attention to
foreign enemies. Perpetual war for perpetual political power seems
to be the game. When fanatics attack us, as they have, our anger is
natural and justified. Yet, may we take care not to be so distracted
by this foreign threat as to miss the dangers right here at home. We
do not have to abandon our liberties to fight terrorists. We do not
have to ignore the DEA raids on the sick to be protected from Bin
Laden and his sick fellows. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In fact, if we ignore the unconstitutional, unethical, and cruel
actions of our government against its own people then any victory
over foreign threats is empty and meaningless. What profit is there
in defeating our foreign attackers only to lose our national
conscience? Even more important is the observation that final
victory over foreign rivals is impossible if we are not the America
of the heart. | ||||||||||||||||||||
This heart and this soul are grieved nearly beyond measure by the
callous and cynical actions emanating from the power elite in
Washington. I am sustained by the knowledge that true Americans do
not and will never support a government that wars on its own people.
The current President may gain comfort in 70% approval ratings in
the midst of war but that popularity is a balloon about to burst.
The Attorney General can take solace that the bare breast of liberty
is now cloaked but her sword is still unsheathed and pointed now at
the desecrator. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The time of rascals and pretenders is drawing to a close as the true
soul of a nation rises in indignation at the acts committed in its
name. Share your heart and your mind with your friends and your
neighbors. Together we will recover our liberty and our soul for
they were never really ours to give away. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Since the use of marijuana and other narcotics is widespread among
members of the New Left, you should be alert to opportunities to have
them arrested by local authorities on drug charges." - COINTELPRO
letter from J. Edgar Hoover to Special Agent in Charge, Albany, 5 July
1968, http://www.pir.org/foia/fbi01.html | ||||||||||||||||||||
Subject Of `Free Lee Otis' Rallying Cries Laid To Rest
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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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