| Dec. 6, 2002 #279 | ||||||||||||||||||
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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: GROUP SAYS DRUG CZAR VIOLATED LAW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Walters Accused of Campaigning Against Question 9 | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON -- A pro-marijuana group accused White House drug czar John Walters on Wednesday of violating Nevada and federal laws by urging voters to oppose legalization of small amounts of the drug. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Marijuana Policy Project, which initiated the Nevada ballot question that Walters opposed, filed a complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal investigator and prosecutor. | ||||||||||||||||||
The complaint accuses Walters of committing the violations when he traveled to Nevada in July and October to speak against legalization. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"We want to keep the federal government from campaigning for all ballot
measures," said Robert Kampia, executive director of the Washington-based
Marijuana Policy Project, which had dispatched an operative to Nevada to
organize the pro-legalization campaign. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
A White House spokesman for Walters, who is head of the Office of National
Drug Control Policy, dismissed the accusations as "laughable," and said the
Senate-confirmed appointee was only doing his job. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It's a Cheech and Chong interpretation of the law," spokesman Tom Riley said. "Part of the job description is to fight against drug legalization." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(2) WHY THE TSAR WAS DEPOSED IN FAVOUR OF A NEW POLICY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
TO CRACK RISING DRUG USE | ||||||||||||||||||
Performance Targets to Reduce Cocaine and Heroin Use Are Ripped Up As Government Aims to Increase Seizures and End Afghan Production | ||||||||||||||||||
It was a glittering occasion more usually associated with a film premiere than the launch of a new piece of government policy. In April 1998, after less than a year in power, Labour ministers hired the theatre of the Trocadero Centre, near Leicester Square, to tell the world of their plans for "tackling drugs to build a better Britain". | ||||||||||||||||||
Keith Hellawell, the newly appointed drugs tsar, took to the rostrum to
outline a 10-year strategy to "stifle the availability" of drugs and
enable young people and former drug users to live "healthy and
crime-free lives". | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Drug prices are now lower than ever before, and a strategy that was
largely based on the education of youngsters has coincided with an
estimated one million people taking ecstasy every weekend and deep
confusion over the legal status of cannabis, the drug most widely used
by teenagers. | ||||||||||||||||||
Faced with the might of the global traffickers and the expendability of
street dealers, the Government announced a new tack yesterday of
concentrating on "middle-market" dealers. | ||||||||||||||||||
It also ripped up three of the four "key performance targets" of the
Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain plan and replaced them with
new ones described as "achievable". | ||||||||||||||||||
Instead of 10-year objectives that aimed to cut by half the numbers of
young people using heroin and cocaine and to reduce by 50 per cent the
levels of repeat offending by drug users, the strategy now looks for any
downward trend in these areas by 2008. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"Let's be totally up front," said Bob Ainsworth, the Home Office's
drugs minister. "We had no strategy at all in 1998. There was no
evidence base." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(3) CN MB: KELVIN TEEN GETS 'F' FOR DRUG ESSAY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A Winnipeg high school student ordered by a judge to write an essay on
the evils of drugs -- then go on a public speaking tour -- has stunned
justice officials by turning it into a "how-to" guide filled with
advice for young users. | ||||||||||||||||||
The 18-year-old, who was arrested last winter during a highly
publicized undercover drug sweep at Kelvin High School, submitted his
assignment in court this week. | ||||||||||||||||||
His 24-page essay includes steps on how to prevent medical problems while taking ecstasy, tips for teens about limiting their drug intake for the best results, and even a plan about how to use drugs safely. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The message of abstinence does not work and never will work for one
simple reason - curiosity. So much is left to the unknown that is
sparks this primal urge to know what is not known," he writes in the
essay, obtained by the Free Press. | ||||||||||||||||||
"This is why the message of harm reduction is oh so very important. We
need to protect those who are curious." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(4) TEACH TEENS TO 'JUST SAY KNOW' TO DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
As the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program moves out of its
teenage years and turns 20, it's putting on a new face. | ||||||||||||||||||
In response to a series of negative evaluations during the mid-1990s,
the popular program that started in Los Angeles in 1983 went to work to
reinvent itself. Recently, findings from the new DARE were released. In
this program, seventh-graders learn that using drugs is socially
inappropriate, not the norm, and dangerous. They are then taught how to
"just say no." | ||||||||||||||||||
According to researchers, preliminary evaluations are "promising." I
wish, as the mother of a teenager, I could be more encouraged.
Evaluations tell us one thing -- that students can regurgitate
information. Young people say what they think adults want to hear --
especially about drugs. As with the old DARE, exposure to the program
has little to do with what teenagers actually do when confronted with
alcohol and other drugs in real life. | ||||||||||||||||||
DARE didn't work to prevent drug use before, and it is highly unlikely that it will work now. Not because it used cops in the classroom. Not because the lessons weren't sustained. Not because its creators and supporters weren't committed enough. DARE never stood a chance. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-9) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
New efforts at drug control continue to fail. It was reported last
week that a camera system set up on the U.S.-Canada border to track
terrorists and drugs is simply not working due to several technical
difficulties. | ||||||||||||||||||
An analysis of a plan to test welfare recipients in Michigan
suggests it is also ill-fated and unfair. Of course, unfairness has
become almost synonymous with drug testing. A would-be Chicago
paramedic who says he's only guilty of eating a poppy-seed bagel is
challenging the standards of city drug tests. | ||||||||||||||||||
While a bagel is enough to keep a man from a job, millions in
laundered money is not enough to indict any employees of a New York
bank, even though prosecutors charge the bank has been laundering
cash by the sackful. The bank itself, none of its human employees or
managers, pled guilty to the charges. Even with the ongoing U.S.
prison-building binge, we suspect it will be difficult to find a
cell for the whole bank building. | ||||||||||||||||||
And, finally, in California another study has shown that Prop. 36
has not caused the drug chaos predicted by opponents. Instead, the
study shows again that the measure is functioning much as it was
designed. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(5) U.S. CAMERA NETWORK ALONG B.C. BORDER A FAILURE: EX-OFFICIAL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Video cameras installed along the B.C.-Washington border after the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks regularly malfunction and fail to keep
terrorists and drug runners from entering the U.S. via Canada, the
former head of the Blaine border patrol said Tuesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
The 32 cameras have significant operating problems, including rusting poles and the inability to focus once temperatures hit 20 degrees Celsius, retired border patrol chief Carey James said. | ||||||||||||||||||
James said Tuesday the public should not be lulled into any false
sense of security about how well the border is guarded. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Truthfully, I have trouble sleeping at night because I know the
seriousness of the situation and how badly this system is failing,"
James said in an interview. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
According to James, who was the border chief from 1996 until his
retirement in 2001, the pilot project was supposed to cost $5
million, but the tally is now nearly $8 million and it will take
millions more to fix the problems. | ||||||||||||||||||
Hundreds of specific daily breakdowns were recorded by border staff
and compiled in a report for the Immigration and Naturalization
Services headquarters in Washington, D.C. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(6) MAKE DRUG TESTING FAIR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The recent federal appeals court decision to permit drug testing of
welfare recipients unfairly singles out one group. | ||||||||||||||||||
A policy like this, aimed at identifying a small number of people
who use drugs, reminds me of the person who loses his keys in the
dark but looks for them under the street light. It's a convenient
but irrational strategy. | ||||||||||||||||||
Instead of targeting the poor and disenfranchised, drug testing
should be an inclusive policy in which every American should be
equally likely to be tested. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
For example, according to the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug
Abuse, about 5.5 million people whose family income was under
$10,000 reported having used an illicit drug once in their lives.
This number of people corresponds to nearly 35 percent of those with
this income. | ||||||||||||||||||
On the other hand, over 21 million people with an income over $75,000 reported having used an illicit drug at least once in their lives. This is about 45 percent of those within this income bracket. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(7) PARAMEDIC FIGHTS CITY DRUG-TEST STANDARD (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Since he was a teenager, David Hughes had his heart set on becoming
a Chicago paramedic and was within days of graduating from the Fire
Department's academy when his long-held dream was blown apart by
what he contends was a bagel. | ||||||||||||||||||
Make that a poppy-seed bagel, along with a Fire Department drug
testing policy that Hughes and his lawyers contend are outmoded and
unfair. | ||||||||||||||||||
Hughes has filed suit against the city in federal court seeking
punitive and compensatory damages and reinstatement as a paramedic
candidate. | ||||||||||||||||||
But he said he would be willing to forgo the money. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I don't care about any of that stuff," said Hughes, 30, who has
wanted to work on a city ambulance since he was 18. "All I want to
do is be a Chicago paramedic." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(8) BANK FAILED TO QUESTION HUGE DEPOSITS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A small Manhattan bank that prosecutors said accepted duffel bags
full of cash without questioning their origin pleaded guilty
yesterday to violating federal money laundering rules in what the
government called the first case of its kind. | ||||||||||||||||||
Broadway National Bank pleaded guilty before Judge Thomas P. Griesa
of Federal District Court in Manhattan to three felony charges for
failing to file suspicious-activity reports on $123 million in cash
deposits and failing to establish a program to curb money
laundering. It will pay a $4 million fine immediately under a plea
agreement. Prosecutors said the case was the first instance of a
bank's being prosecuted for violating those laws. | ||||||||||||||||||
"This bank had become the bank of choice for criminal organizations
because it didn't ask questions and didn't want to know where the
money came from," said Dean Boyd, a spokesman for the Customs
Service, which investigated the bank with the Internal Revenue
Service. | ||||||||||||||||||
From 1996 to 1998, the bank failed to report hundreds of bulk cash
deposits totaling more than $46 million and thousands of transfers
structured to avoid federal disclosure laws, prosecutors said. Once
the cash was deposited, sometimes in large duffel bags dropped off
in the teller area, it was quickly wired to bank accounts in Latin
America and the Middle East, including several well-known money
laundering havens, they said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(9) LAW OFFERING DRUG TREATMENT IS CALLED A QUALIFIED SUCCESS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A law intended to divert nonviolent drug offenders into treatment
programs instead of prison is reaching fewer people overall and more
hard-core substance abusers than intended, according to a report
released Tuesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Enacted in July 2001, Proposition 36 requires that people convicted of possession, use or transportation of drugs for personal use be offered drug treatment rather than jail. It does not apply to those convicted of drug sales or to anyone with a prior violent felony conviction. The measure was intended to save taxpayer money. | ||||||||||||||||||
The report released Tuesday by the county found that 8,329 people
were sentenced to treatment under Proposition 36 in the first 12
months since its enactment, nearly 7,000 fewer than projected. Of
those, nearly 20% failed to report for treatment. | ||||||||||||||||||
Still, the report called the measure a success. It is "working really well" in terms of diverting thousands of people from prison and into treatment, said Patrick L. Ogawa, director of the county's Alcohol and Drug Program Administration, which compiled the report. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (10-14) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The town of Donna, Texas has seen another police chief removed from
office over a drug corruption scandal. The same thing happened just
five years ago. | ||||||||||||||||||
High school interns at police stations aren't necessarily immune from police brutality. That's what one former intern is alleging, saying he was beaten by police in Florissant, Mo. after he gave them a drug tip, then felt remorse and told the target of the tip. | ||||||||||||||||||
State police are using more subtle tactics to enlist the public in
the drug war. Hunters are being asked by police to keep an eye out
for marijuana as they stalk their prey. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Racine, Wisc. rave saga continues, with several of the hundreds
of people arrested at an alleged rave refusing the city's offer of
reduced fines. Many party-goers said they would prefer to fight the
charges in court. | ||||||||||||||||||
And, the blind faith of some Canadian police in a U.S.-style drug
war became a bit more understandable this week as it was reported
that the RCMP is getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in
forfeiture money from the narcs to the south. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(10) TOWN TAINTED BY LEGACY OF CORRUPTION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Arrest of police chief latest Donna scandal | ||||||||||||||||||
DONNA -- In this small city that calls itself "The Heart of the
Valley," some stout hearts will be needed to overcome the stigma of
recent history. | ||||||||||||||||||
Two weeks ago -- and for the second time in five years -- Donna's chief of police was arrested on federal corruption charges. | ||||||||||||||||||
Chief Marco Abel Partida, nephew of a presiding state district
judge, was arrested by FBI agents who contend he took bribes from a
drug trafficker. A different police chief was arrested on drug
conspiracy charges in 1997. | ||||||||||||||||||
Partida's dramatic arrest Nov. 12 at the tiny police station came as
Donna residents were still on edge from the execution-style slayings
of four young Mexican barmaids, gunned down after leaving work at a
local tavern. The homicides, committed in September just outside the
city, remain unsolved. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(11) FORMER POLICE INTERN TESTIFIES THAT OFFICER IN FLORISSANT BEAT HIM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A former high school intern with the Florissant police testified in
federal court Tuesday that an angry Officer Gary Sperber had
punched, choked and head-butted him in a darkened room at the
station in 2000. | ||||||||||||||||||
Eric Schwab, 20, said Sperber accused him of tipping off a drug
investigation target and then attacked him while two other officers
looked on. | ||||||||||||||||||
All three - Sperber, Brian Dolan and John Lynch - are being tried on
charges of depriving Schwab of his civil rights. If convicted, they
could face up to 10 years in prison. | ||||||||||||||||||
Defense attorneys dispute that any beating occurred and contend there is little medical evidence to back up Schwab's claims. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(12) HUNTERS ASKED TO HELP FIND POT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Vermont State Police are enlisting hunters in their search for
marijuana crops. | ||||||||||||||||||
This year police are asking hunters to report any marijuana plots
they may see while walking through the woods. | ||||||||||||||||||
Marijuana plants are dead at this time of year, but knowing where
the dead plots are is still helpful, said Senior Trooper Jason
Rogers, the Marijuana Eradication Team officer for the State Police
barracks in Bradford. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
This is the first year police are formally asking hunters for help, Rogers said. Police issued a similar request last spring to hikers. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(13) RAVERS APPEAR IN COURT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
RACINE -- A month ago, Ashley Hurkmans, 18, and three friends drove
six hours from Escanaba, Mich., to go to a rave party in Racine. She
was one of 440 people the Racine Police Department cited for being
at the alleged drug party. | ||||||||||||||||||
On Monday, Hurkmans and her dad, Tony, made the same six-hour drive
to fight the ticket. | ||||||||||||||||||
"That's all I need, a drug charge on my record," Ashley Hurkmans
said. | ||||||||||||||||||
She was one of 166 people who appeared Monday in Racine Municipal
Court because of the citations issued at the Nov. 2 party. When
given the choice by Municipal Court Judge Rob Weber, most chose to
fight the citations instead of pleading no contest -- essentially
the same as pleading guilty -- for a reduced fine. | ||||||||||||||||||
In all, 147 pleaded innocent to being a patron at a disorderly
house. They were given trial dates of Jan. 24 and Jan. 30. Only 19
people took the city's offer of a no-contest plea. | ||||||||||||||||||
The disorderly house citations originally carried fines of $968
each, but the city lowered that to $100 for those who plead guilty
or no contest to the citations. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(14) BIG BUCKS IN BORDER BUSTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
U.S. authorities have dished out more than $900,000 Cdn this year to
the RCMP as part of gang assets seized from cross-border criminal
activity. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mounties were handed a cheque this week for $350,000 Cdn from U.S.
Customs for their role in smashing a Canada-U.S. drug ring, and the
forfeiture of goods and vehicles. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (15-19) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
This week, a new study released by the non-partisan RAND Drug Policy
Research Center dismissed the Gateway Theory once and for all. The
researchers, who used data from the National Household Survey on
Drug Abuse from 1982-1994, were able to show that teenagers who took
hard drugs were predisposed to do so, whether or not they used
cannabis first. This should seriously undermine the U.S. policy of
prosecuting cannabis use in order to reduce the future use of hard
drugs. Another study, conducted by the General Accounting Office on
4 of 8 states with medicinal cannabis laws (Oregon, Hawaii,
California, and Alaska) has found that 70% of medical users were
over 40 years old, and that most law enforcement agencies did not
report problems as a result of the laws exempting medical users from
prosecution. And a third study released this week, conducted by Dr.
Karen Bolla, suggests that very heavy cannabis users (averaging 91
joints a week, or about 13 a day - yikes!) performed worse than
light users (who averaged 11 joints a week) on 69% of 35 tasks put
before them, although neither performances could be judged as being
clinically abnormal. | ||||||||||||||||||
And bad news from the U.K.: although cannabis is set to be
downgraded from a Class B to a Class C drug, the new Criminal
Justice Bill would allow the police to maintain the power of arrest
in cases of possession, and would triple the maximum penalty for
trafficking, from 5 years to 14 years in prison. | ||||||||||||||||||
And from the Netherlands, where sane drug policies are still the
rule of law, this year's Cannabis Cup celebrations also marked the
30th anniversary of the opening of Holland's first coffeeshop,
Mellow Yellow. Thirty years of quasi-legal cannabis use and still
less teen and adult drug use than almost any other western nation;
are we actually going to wait another thirty years before we realize
the soundness and sanity of harm reduction? | ||||||||||||||||||
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(15) U.S. STUDY SAYS MARIJUANA DOES NOT LEAD TO HARD DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Countering a basic principle of American anti-drug policies, an
independent U.S. study concluded on Monday that marijuana use does
not lead teenagers to experiment with hard drugs like heroin or
cocaine. | ||||||||||||||||||
The study by the private, nonprofit RAND Drug Policy Research Center
rebutted the theory that marijuana acts as a so-called gateway drug
to more harmful narcotics, a key argument against legalizing pot in
the United States. | ||||||||||||||||||
The researchers did not advocate easing restrictions in marijuana, but questioned the focus on this substance in drug control efforts. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(16) U.S. GOVERNMENT STUDY: MOST MEDICAL POT USERS OLDER MEN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The typical medicinal marijuana user is likely to resemble someone
from the Baby Boom generation - or older - rather than a
20-something poster child, according to a congressional study. Data
collected in Hawaii and Oregon - two of the eight states allowing
marijuana use for medical treatment - show the majority of users are
males, 40 years old or older, who take the drug for severe pain or
persistent muscle spasms, said the report. | ||||||||||||||||||
The study by the General Accounting Office, which covered Alaska and
California as well, also said the relaxed drug laws in those four
states have had minimal impact on crimefighting, although they at
times complicate prosecution of drug cases. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(17) VERY HEAVY POT USE CLOUDS MENTAL FUNCTION: U.S. STUDY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
People who smoked unusually large amounts of marijuana performed
worse on tests of mental function than their peers who smoked less
pot, even after a 30-day abstinence period, according to a new
report. | ||||||||||||||||||
Heavy users performed worse on 69% of the 35 tasks than light users,
though their performances were not "clinically abnormal," the
researchers found. The 22 participants were admitted to hospital
during the course of the study and submitted to random urine tests
to ensure they remained abstinent. | ||||||||||||||||||
Lead author Dr. Karen Bolla characterized the study group as being
"unusual" because of the large number of joints they smoked per
week. Heavy users smoked on average 91 joints a week, or about 13 a
day, while light smokers smoked an average of 11 marijuana
cigarettes a week. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(18) NEW U.K. LAWS 'CONFUSE CANNABIS POLICY' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The government's policy on cannabis has been condemned as "confused" because new legislation means possession could lead to arrest. | ||||||||||||||||||
Under the new Criminal Justice Bill, to be debated by MPs this week, any individuals caught with any Class C drugs could be arrested. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Simon Hughes said his party
would challenge the bill. | ||||||||||||||||||
He said: "Possession of Class C drugs should not be an arrestable
offence. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(19) HEADS HOPPIN' AT DUTCH HEMPFEST (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
It was the start of a three-day Hash and Weed Festival on Friday
evening. The aging pioneers of the Dutch marijuana culture, watched
by hundreds of young aficionados, gathered in a sports gymnasium to
mark the 30th anniversary of the first "coffee shop" that openly
sold reefers like cups of coffee. | ||||||||||||||||||
"This celebration honours the world's most successful marijuana
experiment: the Dutch coffee-shop system," said Pete Brady, an
organizer and writer for Cannabis Culture Magazine. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
In 1972, Mellow Yellow - then called a "tea house" - opened on the
Amstel River in Amsterdam, the Dutch capital that is now a Mecca for
marijuana smokers. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (20-23) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Western-installed Afghan President Hamid Karzai last week again took
a chance to meet with Western leaders in Bonn as an opportunity to
beg for more money. Karzai claimed the money would to be used to
fight drug trafficking which has soared since the Taliban regime was
toppled last year. | ||||||||||||||||||
Satisfied US-dictated efforts to douse Colombia with plant-poison
are sufficiently denuding rainforests and the meagre plantings of
poor sustenance farmers, US Secretary of State Colin Powell
predictably concluded his junket to Colombia with generous promises
to send more US-taxpayer funds to business and military interests
there. "I am very impressed by what I have seen," crowed Powell,
"and I go back reinforced in my commitment to do all we can for
Colombia." | ||||||||||||||||||
As Powell was thundering approval for ever-more-harsh measures in
Colombia, US-backed rightwing Colombian president Uribe warned
coffee-drinkers worldwide that Colombian coffee could be
contaminated with the same synthetic chemical poison spray
(glyphosate) used to kill other plants (including coca and opium
poppies). "With our policy, there is no going back," proclaimed
Uribe. Human consumption of glyphosate has been shown to cause birth
defects, lymphoma, and other cancers. | ||||||||||||||||||
Jason Ricciuti, the 15-year-old minor hockey goalie driven to
suicide in British Columbia after being caught with marijuana and
threatened with suspension, was buried last Friday. Attended by some
1,300 mourners, a service was held in his honor at a local church.
Officials from the hockey association which promised to make an
example of the youth, have so far stonewalled requests for more
information. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(20) AFGHAN LEADER ASKS FOR HELP TO FIGHT DRUG TRAFFICKING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Jack Straw was pressed yesterday for an urgent increase in
international help to combat the exponential growth in drug
trafficking since the defeat of the Taliban a year ago. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, made the plea in talks with the
Foreign Secretary during a 31-country conference in Bonn to review
progress and problems in Afghanistan, exactly a year after a similar
meeting set up the interim administration in Kabul. | ||||||||||||||||||
After a ban on poppy production by the Taliban "assumed | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(21) COLOMBIA IN LINE FOR MORE U.S. AID (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Powell To Seek It, Sees Progress In Drug War | ||||||||||||||||||
BOGOTA, Colombia -- Pleased by signs Colombia is making progress
spraying cocaine crops, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will
recommend the United States grant more aid to the war-torn country,
a U.S. official said Wednesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Speaking to reporters after Powell met Colombian President Alvaro
Uribe in Bogota, U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson said Powell would
recommend that the Bush administration give more aid to Colombia in
the next financial year, which starts in October. | ||||||||||||||||||
"He told them he would ask for more," she said. | ||||||||||||||||||
The United States has in the past few years plowed almost $2 billion
in mainly military aid into Bogota's Plan Colombia offensive against
cocaine production, spraying crops grown by peasant growers and
trying to stem the flow of drug cash to illegal armed groups
fighting a 38-year-old war. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"I am very impressed by what I have seen, and I go back reinforced
in my commitment to do all we can for Colombia," Powell told
reporters. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The Bush administration has asked Congress for more than $430 million for Colombia's war and antidrug effort in 2003, as well as $98 million to help protect an oil pipeline. Colombia is the third-largest recipient of U.S. aid after Israel and Egypt. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(22) COLOMBIA PRES WARNS COFFEE GROWERS TO KILL DRUG CROPS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
BOGOTA ( AP )--Colombian President Alvaro Uribe warned coffee growers, traditionally a bastion of society and the economy here, that he wouldn't hesitate to fumigate their plantations if they didn't eliminate the drug crops planted among the coffee bushes. | ||||||||||||||||||
"With our policy, there is no going back," he said, in a speech
Monday at the 62nd National Coffee Growers Congress. "The zones that
are growing coca and poppy must be fumigated." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The coffee growers estimate that 14% of the acreage previously dedicated to coffee has been planted in the illegal crops. | ||||||||||||||||||
The government's policy of fumigating illicit crops with herbicides
is supported by U.S. aid. | ||||||||||||||||||
Colombia is the world's second largest coffee producer, after
Brazil. About 500,000 Colombian families make their livelihoods on
coffee plantations. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(23) FUNERAL FOR YOUNG HOCKEY PLAYER AN EMOTIONAL SERVICE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
There weren't too many empty seats or dry eyes Friday morning at the
memorial service for Jason Ricciuti. | ||||||||||||||||||
A crowd of about 1,300 mourners filled the main auditorium at
Trinity Baptist Church to celebrate the life of the young hockey
player. | ||||||||||||||||||
The 15-year-old minor hockey goalie and Rutland senior secondary
student died by suicide last Saturday while on a road trip with his
team. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Ricciuti's death by suicide in a Lower Mainland hotel room generated
a storm of media coverage after it was revealed it had occurred
after the youth had been found in possession of marijuana and was
facing suspension from his team. | ||||||||||||||||||
His parents have said publicly they do not blame his coach nor the
Kelowna Minor Hockey Association for his death but would like to see
a review of the suspension policy. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Requests for interviews with officials from both associations by
various media including the Capital News have so far gone
unanswered. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
COLOMBIAN REPORTER TELLS ALL - TO U.S. PRESS | ||||||||||||||||||
By Lucy Komisar, published at the American Reporter. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Colombian journalist Ignacio Gomez told a roomful of America's most influential journalists Tuesday how Washington-supported Colombian president Alvaro Uribe is connected to drug traffickers and how U.S. military trainers helped organize a massacre in his country." | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
GAO REPORT ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA | ||||||||||||||||||
What a shock, medical marijuana doesn't have much of an effect on
crime-fighting. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
TAKING THEIR HITS | ||||||||||||||||||
Weeding is fundamental for many professional athletes, even though
they're winding up on the blotter pages | ||||||||||||||||||
By L. Jon Wertheim for Sports Illustrated | ||||||||||||||||||
The NBA is going to pot. But so are the NFL and Major League
Baseball. Does a week go by nowadays without an athlete getting
busted for marijuana possession? The list of tokin' offenders is too
long to catalog here, but it cuts a wide swath, from Mets reliever
Grant Roberts -- who was pictured smoking in a New York tabloid in
September -- to Randy Moss, whose run-in with a traffic cop was
compounded when marijuana was found in his Lexus. | ||||||||||||||||||
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/scorecard/news/2002/12/03/sc/ | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
An anthology which draws on the best writing from across the political
spectrum, charting the violence, chaos and corruption that the war on
drugs has spawned. | ||||||||||||||||||
"If you weren't already suspicious of the 'war on drugs' and this
collection fails to dissuade you, then you probably work for the DEA."
-- Kirkus Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||
Edited and introduced by Mike Gray, one of America's leading voices
for drug policy reform, Busted includes Oliver Stone's jailhouse
interview with the deposed leader of Panama, General Manuel Noriega,
and Milton Friedman's declaration that there is "no justice in the
war on drugs." The effect of US policy south of the border is
explored in T.D. Allman's report on the "blowback" from American
policy in Colombia and Charles Bowden's insights into the life and
death of a DEA informant. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday, Dec. 13, Midnite CDT | ||||||||||||||||||
ACLU attorney Greg Gladden will be our guest to discuss the drug
laws, the "Fatherland" bill and many other aspects that impact
our freedoms. | ||||||||||||||||||
Listen live at: http://www.kpft.org/ | ||||||||||||||||||
Call in or join the discussion at: | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
ONDCP'S MARIJUANA INITIATIVE: FACTS AND SOLUTIONS | ||||||||||||||||||
Recovery Month 2002 Special Webcast | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Many youth think that marijuana is harmless. They feel if their
friends are doing it, then it is cool. What young people don't
realize is marijuana has dangerous side effects. This webcast
explored the hidden truths about this commonly used illicit drug
and examined new treatment options. | ||||||||||||||||||
[Note: Have an anti-emetic handy] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
America Can Be Either Free or 'Drug-Free,' But Not Both | ||||||||||||||||||
By Robert Sharpe | ||||||||||||||||||
According to a Nov. 21 article, the federal government presented the
Kanawha County Sheriff's Department with a $10,328.36 check for
their help in a drug investigation. The financial incentives created
by civil asset forfeiture laws create a dangerous precedent. Police
can confiscate cars, cash and homes without bothering to charge
owners with a crime. | ||||||||||||||||||
Vague allegations of drug trafficking don't justify turning what should be protectors of the peace into financial predators. | ||||||||||||||||||
The drug war threatens the integrity of a country founded on the
concept of limited government. Police searches on public transit,
drug-sniffing dogs in schools, and random drug testing have led to a
loss of civil liberties while failing miserably at preventing drug
use. | ||||||||||||||||||
A majority of European Union countries have decriminalized
marijuana. Despite marijuana prohibition, and perhaps because of
forbidden fruit appeal, lifetime use of marijuana is higher in the
United States than any European country. | ||||||||||||||||||
The United States now has the highest incarceration rate in the world, in large part due to the war on some drugs. At an average cost of $25,071 per inmate annually, maintaining the world's largest prison system can hardly be considered fiscally conservative. | ||||||||||||||||||
It's not possible to wage a moralistic war against consensual vices
unless privacy is completely eliminated, along with the | ||||||||||||||||||
The results of a comparative study of European and U.S. rates of
drug use can be found at | ||||||||||||||||||
Robert Sharpe, | ||||||||||||||||||
Sharpe is program officer for the Drug Policy Alliance, | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER WRITER OF THE MONTH - NOVEMBER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Carey Ker of Toronto is recognized for five published letters during
November. A long time activist, newshawk and participant in the email
discussion list of the Canadian Media Awareness Project | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Marijuana Policy Fails Youth | ||||||||||||||||||
By Paul Armentano | ||||||||||||||||||
The anti-pot ads are back -- and with a vengeance. This fall marked
the much-ballyhooed relaunch of the White House's National Youth
Anti-Drug Media Campaign, made possible with a new five year, $875
million commitment from Congress. | ||||||||||||||||||
The decision to restart the campaign -- which has already spent some
$2 billion in taxpayer dollars and matching funds to buy print and
television ads demonizing marijuana -- came despite a federal review
that found teens were more likely to use pot after seeing the
government's public service announcements. | ||||||||||||||||||
Reviewers called the results the worst ever recorded in the history
of public health campaigns. | ||||||||||||||||||
So has the Drug Czar's office learned from their mistakes? From the
looks of the Feds' most recent round of propaganda-laced ads -- the
latest of which show two stereotypically stoned-out teens yukking it
up until one accidentally shoots the other with his father's handgun
-- the answer is no. | ||||||||||||||||||
It's too bad, because dissuading kids from using marijuana is one
goal that the public can all agree on. The political debate hinges
on how we strive to achieve it. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Drug Czar argues that by enacting stiffer penalties for pot and
arresting adult marijuana users, we as a nation will dissuade
children from trying the drug. History has shown this logic to be
patently false. | ||||||||||||||||||
For example, federal studies have repeatedly found that teens living
in states that have stopped arresting pot offenders do not use
cannabis with any greater frequency than those who live in
criminalized states. | ||||||||||||||||||
Federal arrest data offers similar implications. As annual arrests
for marijuana soared to record levels in the 1990s, so did the
number of teens experimenting with marijuana. Clearly, children are
basing their decision regarding the use of marijuana on factors
other than the law or the fear of arrest. | ||||||||||||||||||
Of course, this fact should come as little surprise to anyone who
has studied drug policy. Studies from the United States, Canada and
abroad find similar results -- noting that in virtually all cases,
persons who have stopped using pot or never used it in the first
place did so because of reasons other than the fact that marijuana
is illegal. | ||||||||||||||||||
Most respondents site health concerns, anticipated or actual dislike of the drug, and family obligations as their chief reasons for abstaining. These studies also note that one's difficulty or ease obtaining pot has little influence on their decision to use it. | ||||||||||||||||||
So then, should we expect our government to admit the error of their
ways? Don't count on it, since doing so would undermine the very
foundation of our nation's drug policy. Instead, we can anticipate
more billion-dollar ad campaigns pushing reefer madness rather than
credible information. And we can anticipate teen drug use to
continue to rise as a result. | ||||||||||||||||||
Fortunately, there is another way, and ironically, it's the Feds and
public health officials that have shown it to us. Rather than stay
the course, government officials ought to take a page from their
more successful public health campaigns to discourage teen
pregnancy, drunk driving, and adolescent tobacco smoking -- all of
which have been significantly reduced in recent years. | ||||||||||||||||||
Our nation has not achieved these results by banning the use of
alcohol and tobacco, or by targeting and arresting adults who use
these products responsibly, but through honest, health and
science-based education campaigns. Until the federal government
applies these same common-sense principles to the responsible use of
marijuana, both their ad campaigns as well as their national drug
policy will inevitably be destined to fail. | ||||||||||||||||||
Regardless of which side of the drug war fence you sit on, that is
sure to be disappointing news. | ||||||||||||||||||
-- Paul Armentano is a Senior Policy Analyst for The NORML
Foundation in Washington, DC. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"Is it not possible that an individual may be right and a government wrong? Are laws to be enforced simply because they are made? Or declared by any number of men to be good if they are not good?" | ||||||||||||||||||
- Henry David Thoreau, 1859 | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
DS Weekly is one of the many free educational services DrugSense
offers our members. Watch this feature to learn more about what
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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 () | ||||||||||||||||||
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. | ||||||||||||||||||
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