| February 7, 2003 #287 | ||||||||||||||||||
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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) MEDICAL MARIJUANA: BLIND INJUSTICE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Judge's Instructions and Withholding of Critical Facts Led Jurors to
Convict Grower | ||||||||||||||||||
Last week, I did something so profoundly wrong that it will haunt me
for the rest of my life. I helped send a man to prison who does not
belong there. | ||||||||||||||||||
As jurors, we followed the law exactly as it was explained to us by
Judge Charles Breyer. We played our part in the criminal justice
system precisely as instructed. But the verdict we reached -- the only
verdict those instructions allowed us to reach -- was wrong. It was
cruel, inhumane and unjust. | ||||||||||||||||||
As a result, Ed Rosenthal will spend years in federal prison,
separated from his wife and daughter, for doing nothing more than
trying to help the sick. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(2) STUDY: GIRLS AT HIGHER RISK THAN BOYS FOR SUBSTANCE ADDICTION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
National Center's Chief Suggests End To Unisex Approach To Treatment | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON (AP) - Girls and young women get hooked on cigarettes,
alcohol and drugs more quickly and for different reasons than boys and
should receive specialized treatment, according to a study released
Wednesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Teenage girls often begin smoking and drinking to relieve stress or
alleviate depression, and boys do it for thrills or heightened social
status, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance
Abuse at Columbia University. | ||||||||||||||||||
Girls "get hooked faster, they get hooked using lesser amounts of alcohol and drugs and cocaine, and they suffer the consequences faster and more severely," said Joseph Califano, chairman of the center. | ||||||||||||||||||
He said prevention and treatment centers need to design programs to deal with the risk factors leading to female substance abuse. | ||||||||||||||||||
"With some exceptions, the substance abuse prevention programs have really been designed with a unisex, one-size-fits-both-sexes mentality," said Mr. Califano, who served as Health and Human Services secretary under President Jimmy Carter. "We now know that girls are different than boys - let's recognize it, and let's help them." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(3) UK: ZERO TOLERANCE MAY MASK DRUG USAGE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
ZERO tolerance drug policies used by schools may be counter-productive
because pupils simply conceal their drug problems, according to a Home
Office report. A study of the drug abuse habits of 300 young offenders
concluded that low or zero tolerance strategies in schools "may not be
helpful" for the youngsters. "It encourages children to conceal rather
than deal with their drug use and can lead to the exclusion of those
caught," the report, published yesterday, said. "They are not
necessarily those who use drugs most and not the only users in
school." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(4) LAWMAKER PUSHES MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL FOR 3RD TIME (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
HARTFORD, Conn. - A state lawmaker on Thursday announced for the
third time in as many years a plan to legalize marijuana for medical
purposes. | ||||||||||||||||||
Legislation introduced by Rep. James W. Abrams, D-Meriden, would allow
doctors to give patients certificates authorizing the use of marijuana
to relieve pain and other symptoms. | ||||||||||||||||||
Connecticut passed one of the nation's first medical marijuana laws in
1981, allowing doctors to prescribe the drug. Doctors, fearing
prosecution, have refused to prescribe the drug because federal law
banning the drug overrides state law. | ||||||||||||||||||
The legislation sponsored by Abrams and three other state
representatives would shift the responsibility from doctors to
patients, Abrams said at a Capitol news conference. A certificate
would give patients a defense against state prosecution, but not
federal action. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-10) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The DEA was hit with a devastating review from the White House
Office of Management and Budget this week. However, instead of
seeing its budget slashed, the DEA will be punished with a modest
increase this year. The New York Times picked up the story on the
DEA's bad rating, making the newspaper of record a bastion for drug
war criticism in recent days. The Times also gave a fair amount of
space to the show trial of ganja guru Ed Rosenthal, including a
scathing editorial condemning the federal war on medical marijuana.
And, the Times covered the backlash by jurors in Rosenthal's case.
Some jurors said they felt manipulated by the process and have
called for a new trial. They would also likely be shocked by
journalist Dan Forbes's latest report on how the grand jury in the
case was manipulated by prosecutors. | ||||||||||||||||||
The draconian Rave Act, which would harshly punish club owners and
party organizers who don't make their events completely drug-free,
has resurfaced with a new name after failing to find support last
year. Finally, in a bizarre case out of Louisiana, a city mayor is
withholding the paycheck of a local judge until the judge submits to
a drug test. The judge is suing the mayor. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(5) WHITE HOUSE REPORT STINGS DRUG AGENCY ON ABILITIES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - In an unusually harsh critique of an agency with a
strong global reputation, the White House has questioned the ability
of the Drug Enforcement Administration to stem the flow of narcotics
and is threatening to give the agency its smallest budget increase
in 15 years. | ||||||||||||||||||
The agency "is unable to demonstrate progress in reducing the
availability of illegal drugs in the United States," the Office of
Management and Budget wrote in an assessment released this week as
part of the budget plan. The agency lacks clear long-term strategies
and goals, its managers are not held accountable for problems, and
its financial controls do not comply with federal standards, the
review found. | ||||||||||||||||||
The findings raise uncertainties for the agency at a time when
Washington expects it to enlarge its antidrug role. That is because
the F.B.I. is moving 400 agents off drug cases to terrorism, and the
drug agency is being asked to pick up the slack. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(6) EDITORIAL: MISGUIDED MARIJUANA WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Administration officials annoyed at California's support of the
medical use of marijuana have found someone on whom to vent their
frustration. Last week, at the urging of federal prosecutors, a
judge convicted Ed Rosenthal of charges that carry a five-year
minimum sentence. Mr. Rosenthal is a medical-marijuana advocate who
grows the drug for use by the seriously ill. His harsh punishment
shows that the misguided federal war on medical marijuana has now
escalated out of control. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mr. Rosenthal, who raised marijuana in an Oakland warehouse, was
acting within state and local law. California's Proposition 215,
which voters approved in a 1996 referendum, permits marijuana use by
seriously ill people. In addition, Oakland has its own medical
marijuana law, and Mr. Rosenthal was acting as an officer of the
city. Nevertheless, the judge refused to allow the defense to
mention any of this at his trial, since it is not a valid defense
against federal drug charges. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(7) JURORS WHO CONVICTED MARIJUANA GROWER SEEK NEW TRIAL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 4 - In an unusual show of solidarity with the
man they convicted last week, five jurors in the trial of a
medicinal marijuana advocate issued a public apology to him today
and demanded that the judge grant him a new trial. | ||||||||||||||||||
The jurors said they had been unaware that the defendant, Ed Rosenthal, was growing marijuana for medicinal purposes, allowed since 1996 under California state law, when they convicted him on three federal counts of cultivation and conspiracy. He is to be sentenced in June and faces a minimum of five years in prison. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I'm sorry doesn't begin to cover it," said one of the jurors,
Marney Craig, a property manager in Novato. "It's the most horrible
mistake I've ever made in my entire life. And I don't think that I
personally will ever recover from this." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(8) A PEEK BEHIND THE ROSENTHAL GRAND JURY VEIL: MANIPULATION RAMPANT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Groping for an indictment of Ed Rosenthal | ||||||||||||||||||
And then this federal prosecutor admitted: "The fact of the matter
is it allows marijuana for your personal use and - to be cultivated,
and if you are the primary caregiver." | ||||||||||||||||||
Had Bevan made such a statement during Rosenthal's actual trial,
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer would have immediately stifled
him. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(9) FEEL LIKE DANCING? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Beware of Tom Daschle. | ||||||||||||||||||
When John Ashcroft was nominated for attorney general, his political
enemies spent a lot of time mocking him for belonging to a
denomination that does not allow its members to engage in dancing.
Since taking office, Mr. Ashcroft has done absolutely nothing to
infringe upon the rights of people who like to dance. Tom Daschle,
however, is now pushing legislation that could send dance promoters
to federal prison for up to 20 years. Daschle's anti-dancing
legislation is a mean-spirited assault on youth culture, and an
extreme violation of principles of federalism. | ||||||||||||||||||
Last year, there was a big push in Congress to enact the so-called
"RAVE Act," sponsored by Rep. Lamar Smith (D., Tex.) as H.R. 5519
and in the Senate by Joseph Biden (D., Del.). Both lead sponsors
were very forthright; the very title of the bill announced its
intention to go after "raves" - dance parties popular with
Generations X and Y. | ||||||||||||||||||
But the "RAVE Act" aroused enormous opposition, so much so that the Senate Judiciary chairman withdrew his co-sponsorship of the bill. | ||||||||||||||||||
This year, the same act is back; but this time it's concealed deep
within an immense, omnibus bill sponsored by Tom Daschle - the so-
called "Justice Enhancement and Domestic Security Act of 2003" (S.
22). | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(10) CITY JUDGE SUES MAYOR OF BAKER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A mayor's edict that new Baker City Judge Mark Plaisance submit to a
drug test before he gets his first paycheck has ignited a legal
battle. | ||||||||||||||||||
Plaisance sued Mayor Leroy Davis and members of a Davis' staff to
force them to release his paycheck. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We're kind of scratching our heads over this one," John Olin Brown,
Plaisance's attorney, said Tuesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
According to the lawsuit, Davis instructed the city treasurer to
withhold the check until Plaisance submits to a drug test, a
requirement of Baker municipal employees. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (11-14) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Yet another startling revelation from the Dallas "sheetrock scandal"
involving arrests and prosecutions for defendants caught with fake
drugs. It was disclosed last week that officers tied to those local
cases also worked on a federal drug case. That raises questions
about the credibility of the federal case. The feds have no comment
so far. | ||||||||||||||||||
While drug-related police corruption is often portrayed as a few bad
apples, a report out of Kentucky suggests the phenomena may be more
widespread there. The corruption allegations don't just stop at the
police in Massachusetts, where a city alderman's bar was raided for
drug violations. | ||||||||||||||||||
And, another dimension of the prison crisis in Oklahoma was explored
last week. Experts wondered what would happen if business problems
hit any of the private prisons the state uses to house about 25
percent of its prison population. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(11) PAIR IN FAKE-DRUG SCANDAL ALSO WORKED FEDERAL CASES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Two Dallas detectives whose work with now-discredited informants is
at the center of an FBI inquiry also took part in a federal drug
investigation for at least seven months in 2001, according to
interviews and police records. Federal officials took over
investigating the so-called sheetrock drug scandal more than a year
ago but have never disclosed the officers' involvement in federal
cases. | ||||||||||||||||||
Time cards obtained through state open-records laws show that Senior
Cpl. Mark Delapaz and Officer Eddie Herrera applied for overtime on
a federal investigation at least 28 times between April and November
2001. The officers' work through the Police Department led state | ||||||||||||||||||
FBI officials did not respond Thursday when asked whether federal
drug cases had been tainted by the involvement of the officers, who
are on paid leave with the Police Department. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(12) A CLIMATE OF FEAR, MISTRUST (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
When frustrated community residents see people selling drugs and not
going to jail, it often causes questions about police. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sometimes, the questions aren't far-fetched. | ||||||||||||||||||
In Perry County, state police Detective Mark Lopez resigned after he
was indicted in 1994 on charges of forging another officer's name on
receipts. Police thought the object was to steal money meant for
undercover buys. The case was dismissed when the prosecution's
witness declined to testify. | ||||||||||||||||||
State police also investigated an allegation that Lopez stole marijuana from an evidence room and had an informant sell it for him. A police investigator said in a report that it was "difficult for me not to believe that there is truth to this allegation." | ||||||||||||||||||
Lopez was hired later as a detective by Perry Commonwealth's
Attorney John Hansen. "With my knowledge that the charges were
dismissed ... I really did not know all of Mark's history," Hansen
said recently. | ||||||||||||||||||
In 2001, Hansen fired Lopez after learning he was being investigated
on federal extortion charges. He later pleaded guilty. | ||||||||||||||||||
As Lopez's drama unfolded, Perry County sheriff's Deputy Freddie
White pleaded guilty in 2000 to three counts of distributing Tylox
and one count of marijuana possession. Investigators said White, who
handled the department's drug dog, was selling drugs he had taken
from evidence lockers. | ||||||||||||||||||
After working with addicts and their families for years, Perry County therapist Michael Spare said he's noted "an umbrella fear" that the entire community structure supports the drug trade. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(13) EIGHT ARE ARRESTED IN DRUG RAID AT EVERETT ALDERMAN'S BAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A bar owned by an Everett alderman was raided by a police task force
last night and eight people were arrested on drug charges, including
an Everett auxiliary police officer. | ||||||||||||||||||
Alderman Michael Marchese is the owner of McDonald's Cafe on Ferry
Street in Everett, where State and local police, along with federal
drug agents, conducted the raid. Marchese could not be reached for
comment last night. The state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission
ordered the bar closed after the raid, police said. | ||||||||||||||||||
In a statement, Everett police said the bar was targeted because
neighbors had long complained about "open drug transactions" there.
Working undercover for the past four months, a State Police trooper
was able to purchase cocaine, marijuana, and pharmaceutical drugs at
the bar, police said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(14) PRIVATE PRISON USE POSES RISK TO STATE, EXPERT SAYS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A prison expert told legislators Wednesday that Oklahoma's
dependence on private prisons leaves the state "vulnerable" and that
lawmakers should look at ways other than privatization to save
money. James Austin, director of George Washington University's
Institute on Crime, Justice and Corrections, said Oklahoma could
have problems if private prison companies decided to end their
contracts with the state or faced financial difficulties and had to
close. | ||||||||||||||||||
Such a situation would leave the state with thousands of inmates needing cells. As of Jan. 27, Oklahoma's public prisons are almost 98 percent full, state Corrections Department statistics show. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The state's high dependence on private prisons -- almost 24 percent
of Oklahoma's inmates are housed in private prisons -- could hurt
the state if a company folds or ends its contract with the state,
Austin said. | ||||||||||||||||||
According to 2001 U.S. Justice Department statistics, only three
states housed a higher percentage of their inmates in private
prisons than Oklahoma. Those same statistics showed that only one
state -- Texas -- housed more inmates in private prisons than did
Oklahoma. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (15-19) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
In a sad testament to all that is indefensibly wrong and unfair in
the U.S. federal war on drugs, cannabis author/activist Ed Rosenthal
was found guilty of conspiracy and cultivation of marijuana last
Friday. Rosenthal, who had permission from the city of Oakland to
grow the cannabis for distribution through local compassion clubs,
now faces a maximum of life in prison. | ||||||||||||||||||
As if to counterpoint the difference between Canadian and American
drug policy, activist and Pot-TV host Steve Kubby, an American
political refugee from the U.S. war on drugs, will have cannabis and
equipment that was seized by the Sechelt Police returned to him
shortly. Kubby, who suffers from a rare form of adrenal cancer, was
granted legal permission to use cannabis by Health Canada earlier
this year. To recap: U.S. activist Rosenthal caught with plants
grown for medicinal purposes possible life in jail; U.S. activist
in Canada Kubby caught with plants grown for medicinal purposes
return of pot and equipment, with added bonus of apology from
prosecutor and police. | ||||||||||||||||||
Our third story shows that despite their efforts to fight against a
rational drug policy, they will never win. 13-year-old Veronica
Mouser from the Belmont-Shores School District has finally gotten
permission to enter her school project - which examines the effects
of cannabis on pain and nausea in 3 medical users - in the school
science fair. This bright and feisty teen hopes to become a lawyer
some day. If the DEA thinks that fighting kindly hippies like Ed was
tough, wait until they have to face off against Veronica in the
court of law! | ||||||||||||||||||
And finally, two fascinating articles about cannabis culture and
research. The first looks at the incredible economic impact of
cannabis in the U.K., where more people use cannabis regularly than
"attend church, play Sunday league football, or go jogging". And
lastly, a comprehensive article that examines anandamide, Mechoulam,
and the very origins of cannabis research. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(15) JURY FINDS CALIFORNIA MARIJUANA GURU GUILTY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A San Francisco jury on Friday convicted a pro-marijuana movement guru on charges of growing the drug -- a verdict that could land him in prison for life even though California deems his actions legal. | ||||||||||||||||||
Ed Rosenthal, 58, an outspoken columnist who has written many books
on marijuana, was charged with three counts of growing the weed in a
case that pitted a strict federal law against more liberal
California rules that allow the cultivation and use of the drug for
medicinal uses. | ||||||||||||||||||
Rosenthal's family and adolescent daughter, who on Thursday told Reuters her life would be ruined if her father was convicted, sobbed as the verdict was read. He faces a maximum life in prison when he is sentenced for the marijuana cultivation and conspiracy charges. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(16) U.S. POT ACTIVIST TO GET HIS DRUGS BACK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Steve Kubby is hoping his days in Sechelt provincial court are
finally over. | ||||||||||||||||||
Kubby learned this week that an order has been issued asking the
Sunshine Coast RCMP to return his marijuana and property that was
taken in a police raid last April. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We did have the law on our side and we were prepared to go to the
Supreme Court, but it's nicer to do it in a friendly way," Kubby
said. "I think Sechelt can set an example for cases around the
world. I can't say enough about the judge and everyone involved.
They have all been so helpful. We're here in Canada because the
Charter of Rights is respected and upheld." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(17) SCHOOL PROJECT ON POT GETS OK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A Belmont eighth-grader won her battle Wednesday to have her project
on medicinal marijuana entered into her school science fair, nearly
two weeks after it was banned. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Belmont-Redwood Shores School District decided the project submitted by Veronica Mouser, 13, met science fair guidelines and stayed within legal bounds. The Ralston Middle School teen did not use the weed herself or administer it to any research subjects. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
At the center of her research, Veronica used three medicinal-marijuana
patients who logged the effects of using weed for one week to relieve
pain and nausea, and what happened when they abstained for a week. She
determined that the pot did help relieve symptoms. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(18) CANNABIS ECONOMY BRINGS IN UKP 11BN IN BRITAIN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The stock market is faltering and house prices are on the edge of a
precipice. Could cannabis smokers be the unlikely saviours of the
British economy? A major new study is being used to advise well
known household and high-street companies about the gains and losses
they face as cannabis smoking becomes commonplace. | ||||||||||||||||||
Research has revealed that Britain's 'cannabis economy' is worth UKP
5 billion a year in sales alone. | ||||||||||||||||||
Now it has been discovered that a further UKP 6bn of consumer
expenditure each year is closely linked to the growing | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(19) EVERYBODY'S HIGH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Getting Stoned Is Just A Matter Of Degree. Our Brains Give Us All A
Marijuana-Like High Every Day, Like It Or Not | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Right now, there's a naturally occurring molecule in your brain and
body that's chemically similar to THC, or delta-9 | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (20-25) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A new reign of terror was unleashed by the Thai government against
its people last week, under the pretext of a "war on drugs." Reports
place the body count at over 20 earlier this week. Police,
themselves often dealers in this corrupt nation, are said to be
killing off rivals and witnesses alike. As opposition and human
rights leaders cry out against the government-condoned and
encouraged bloodbath, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and
Interior Minister Wan Muhamad Nor Matha encouraged execution of drug
suspects. "Do not put the safety of drug dealers above that of
police." Untroubled by details of proving innocence or guilt in
court, the confident PM urged support for the government killings:
"Do not care about drug dealers or they will sell drugs to your
children." | ||||||||||||||||||
The Asia Forum human rights group condemned the Thai government's extra-judicial killings as obvious "death-squad" activity. Police say the force was justified, because (this week) many more drug users and dealers "resisted arrest." For those not immediately shot by police, fenced military bases will be used as concentration camps for drug-users, according to the Bangkok Post. The Post also praised the government's summary execution of suspected drug "dealers," and reassured readers they "need not worry about extra-judicial killings since police would do everything in accordance with the law." | ||||||||||||||||||
Meanwhile in nearby Indonesia, the government believes with
attention shifted to a looming attack on Iraq, now would make a
great time to execute its drug prisoners. President Megawati is
poised to sign formal orders of execution. Those sentenced to death
for drug "dealing" are foreigners. | ||||||||||||||||||
And in Australia last week, a government report let slip that the financial costs of the legal drugs of tobacco and alcohol "far outweigh the impact of illicit drugs." The report shows that tobacco and alcohol accounted for over 83 percent of the "social costs" of "drugs," including the cost of drug enforcement itself. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(20) WARNING ON 'SECRET KILLINGS' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Six Suspects Dead, Four Shot By Police | ||||||||||||||||||
The opposition has warned the government against condoning extra-
judicial killings in the war on drugs, after a weekend in which six
drug suspects were killed, four by police. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Democrats say a campaign of secret killings would create a climate of fear and possibly lead to international trade boycotts. | ||||||||||||||||||
Jaran Dithapichai, a human rights commissioner, said his panel
fielded complaints every year about alleged police executions of
drug suspects, masked as justified shootings. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Chuan Leekpai, the Democrat leader, warned on his website yesterday
that recent comments by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and
Interior Minister Wan Muhamad Nor Matha almost condoned summary
execution of drug suspects. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Six drug suspects have been killed since Saturday, when the
government launched its war to rid the country of drugs within three
months. | ||||||||||||||||||
The first two men were killed on Saturday in Bangkok. Police claimed they were killed by drug mafia trying to eliminate evidence. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police spokesman Pol Maj-Gen Pongsapas Pongcharoen said another four
people were killed in gunfights with arresting officers yesterday _
two in Tak's Mae Sot district, one in Bangkok and one in Chiang Rai.
Police made 264 arrests and seized 727,742 methamphetamine pills at
the weekend. The spokesman said 63 drug suspects were arrested in
Bangkok, 42 in the upper central provinces, 38 in the lower central
provinces and the rest in other areas. | ||||||||||||||||||
The pill haul includes 598,000 methamphetamine pills confiscated in
the lower northern provinces, after information was provided to the
police mailbox 1234 between Jan 21 and 30. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(21) ROGUE THAI POLICE APT TO SHOOT FIRST IN DRUG WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Rights Group Says Death Squads Are At Work, And A Soldier Blames
'Bad Eggs' | ||||||||||||||||||
Twenty-three suspected drug traffickers have been killed since Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's most recent war on drugs got under
way, police in Thailand have reported. | ||||||||||||||||||
There is little sympathy for drug peddlers in Thailand but many people are concerned that once again, victory will only be declared over the dead bodies of victims of extrajudicial killings. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police said their bullets accounted for only four of the 23 dead.
But their claim merely served to highlight the authorities' shadowy
ways of perpetuating a crackdown; few observers believe that a gang
war has spontaneously broken out to coincide with the premier's
three-month-old campaign. | ||||||||||||||||||
Somchai Homlaor, secretary-general of the Asia Forum | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Previous campaigns of this type have also ended with a pile of
corpses tagged with ''resisted arrest'' labels by a force that
apparently fears no investigation. | ||||||||||||||||||
Amnesty International tried five years ago to | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Over the weekend, 268 suspected traffickers were arrested and more than three million amphetamine pills seized, police said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Critics of the current campaign say that rewards offered to the
police for drug seizures and for every arrested ''major trafficker''
merely tempt them to hunt for more bodies. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
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(22) ARMY TO TURN MORE CAMPS INTO REHABILITATION CENTRES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The army will this month turn 37 military camps into rehabilitation
centres for drug addicts. | ||||||||||||||||||
Maj-Gen Jongsak Panitkul, director-general of the Directorate of
Civil Affairs, said the army would open applications for male and
female addicts aged 15-35 years to join the army-run Wiwat
Ponlamuang anti- drug school scheme. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(23) DEALERS WILL HAVE TO RUN FOREVER, SAYS PM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has warned traffickers on the run
from the government's war on drugs to think twice about returning to
Thailand. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mr Thaksin said he was happy with the first three days of the
campaign, with prominent drug dealers having been arrested while
many others were being hunted down. [snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"They have to run for the rest of their lives and not come back
because we have details about all the important dealers." Mr Thaksin
said the drug clampdown would be evaluated constantly and improved
after three months. | ||||||||||||||||||
The public need not worry about extra-judicial killings since police
would do everything in accordance with the law. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Do not put the safety of drug dealers above that of | ||||||||||||||||||
"If police do not shoot when they fight, they will die. Do not care
about drug dealers or they will sell drugs to your children - look
out," the prime minister said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
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(24) CONVICTED DRUG DEALERS TO BE EXECUTED SOON (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Attorney General's Office will execute six drug dealers in the
near future after President Megawati Soekarnoputri refused to pardon
the convicts on death row. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We will execute them soon after we settle administrative matters.
It's about time," spokesman Andi Syarifuddin told reporters during a
press conference on Tuesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
He said that his office had been informed that Megawati had refused
to pardon the convicts, meaning that their sentence was final.
However, Andi said that the office needed to secure a written letter
from the President ordering the execution. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Currently, there are 16 convicts who have been sentenced to death
and five others who have received life imprisonment. Most of the
convicts are foreigners. They are five Nepalese, four Nigerians, two
Thais, an Angolan, a Pakistani, a Zimbabwean, a Malawi, a Dutch man
and five Indonesians. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(25) SOCIAL COSTS OF SMOKING ARE TRIPLE THOSE OF ILLICIT DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The financial impact of tobacco and alcohol far outweigh the impact
of illicit drugs, with smoking costing the community almost three
times as much as any other category of drug, according to a study on
the social costs of drug use in Australia. | ||||||||||||||||||
The report, produced for the federal government's national drug
strategy, estimates that tobacco accounted for 61.2% of the costs to
society of drugs, or $A21bn (=A37.6bn; $12.4bn; =AC11.5bn). For the
first time the cost calculations included an estimate of the impact
of passive smoking and newly available data to assess the effect on
the Australian population of absenteeism, drugs, ambulances, fires,
crime, and even litter. | ||||||||||||||||||
Alcohol accounted for 22% of total costs ($A7.5bn) and illegal drugs
for 17% ($A6.0bn). The calculations for the survey period, 1998-9,
included both tangible and intangible costs to individuals,
companies, and governments. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Cannabis, opiates, stimulants, hallucinogens, and anabolic steroids
were listed as illicit drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Drug agencies said that they had been aware that tobacco and alcohol
were responsible for more problems than were illicit drugs, but they
added that the report would show the general public how legal drugs
had much more impact. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Rhetorical Question | ||||||||||||||||||
Would the U.S. Government rather you go blind than smoke marijuana? | ||||||||||||||||||
By Bryan Brickner | ||||||||||||||||||
http://www.newtopiamagazine.net/features/issue8/rhetorical.htm | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Reported Treatment Admissions for Marijuana Use | ||||||||||||||||||
Click on the notice posted 1/30/03 | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Transcendent Laws of the Heart | ||||||||||||||||||
Jay R. Cavanaugh, PhD, National Director, American Alliance for Medical Cannabis, posted at DrugWar.com, February 6, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||
"Jurors should acquit, even against the judge's instruction... if
exercising their judgement with discretion and honesty they have a
clear conviction the charge of the court is wrong." -- Alexander
Hamilton, 1804 | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Chicago Tribune Flip-Flops on DARE Criticism | ||||||||||||||||||
A DrugSense Focus Alert | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
General Ashcroft wants YOU! | ||||||||||||||||||
Mark Fiore presents a new Flash comic starring the Attorney General of the United States in full battle regalia. Remember, there's more than ONE war going on here. Fiore's "General Ashcroft wants YOU!" is at: http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=14463 | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
The Case for Cheryl Miller: Medical Marijuana Necessity | ||||||||||||||||||
The highly acclaimed documentary about 32-year multiple sclerosis patient Cheryl Miller and her husband and caregiver Jim Miller, "The Case for Cheryl Miller: Medical Marijuana Necessity" is now online! | ||||||||||||||||||
The documentary, produced by Peter Christopher and Next Play Video (http://nextplayvideo.com/);, tells the story of the Silverton New Jersey couple's long struggle with Cheryl's multiple sclerosis. | ||||||||||||||||||
The video can be viewed on Jim & Cheryl's website: The Cherylheart
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Legal Marijuana Grower Convicted by Overiding Federal Law | ||||||||||||||||||
Connie Chung of CNN Interviews Two Angry Rosenthal Jurors | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
State Should Just Say No To Drug Testing | ||||||||||||||||||
By Alexandra Cox | ||||||||||||||||||
Regarding the Jan. 17 story by Catherine Toth, "Student drug tests
debated": The state Legislature should disregard any proposal to
institute drug testing in Hawai'i's public schools. | ||||||||||||||||||
Drug testing is counterproductive, costly and ineffective. It acts
as a deterrent to participation in extracurricular activities and
sports, the very activities that have been shown to prevent young
people from using drugs. Young people are most likely to use drugs
between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.,= the hours of the day when | ||||||||||||||||||
Drug testing also costs money. | ||||||||||||||||||
Hawai'i is facing a severe budget crisis, so it is important that
the state avoid implementing drug testing programs that are
expensive and ineffective. Instead, the state should encourage
schools and teachers to cultivate open and trusting relationships
with young people so that those young people feel comfortable
talking about their concerns, including drug use. There is a growing
movement around the country of parents, caregivers and educators to
stop drug testing in schools and to promote safer and more effective
alternative drug education and prevention programs. | ||||||||||||||||||
To learn more about this campaign, visit: | ||||||||||||||||||
Alexandra Cox, | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER WRITER OF THE MONTH - JANUARY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
We recognize Chris Buors of Winnipeg, Manitoba for his four
published letters during January, and a career total of 106 that we
are aware of. Way to go, Chris! You can review his published letters
at http://www.mapinc.org/writers/Chris+Buors | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The DEA: Results Not Demonstrated - Or Are They? | ||||||||||||||||||
By Stephen Young | ||||||||||||||||||
Talk about a demoralizing job review. | ||||||||||||||||||
The spanking administered to the Drug Enforcement Agency by the
White House Office of Management and Budget this week should have
smarted, even as it was delivered in the gray language of
bureaucracy. | ||||||||||||||||||
"DEA is unable to demonstrate its progress in reducing the availability of illegal drugs in the U.S. While DEA has developed some strategic goals and objectives, these goals lack specificity in targets and time frames," according to the White House assessment. "DEA managers are not held accountable for achieving results." | ||||||||||||||||||
Even if you're already convinced the DEA is a scam, it's nice to
have some verification from the federal government. See | ||||||||||||||||||
The assessment includes ratings on various categories. The ratings are scored on a scale of zero to 100. The DEA scored zero in the "Results/Accountability" category. Zero. Nil. Nothing. The ultimate void of non-being. Not even a token point for style or effort. | ||||||||||||||||||
The assessment also includes one overall rating. In this space, the
DEA was categorized as "Results Not Demonstrated." | ||||||||||||||||||
The DEA was budgeted at about $1.5 billion last year. Its budget has
increased consistently since its inception. Somehow this growth has
been achieved without clear results or accountability. | ||||||||||||||||||
So, can we hope things will change now? The champions of small
government in the Bush administration wouldn't just maintain a
massive bureaucratic structure that has the power to destroy
citizens' lives without accountability, would it? | ||||||||||||||||||
A housecleaning should be in order with heads rolling and
complacency challenged. | ||||||||||||||||||
Strangely, Asa Hutchinson, the most recent head of the DEA, isn't
hightailing out of Washington with his head hung in shame. No, he
got a promotion - a prestigious and powerful job with the Department
of Homeland Security. Hutchinson's right hand man, John W. Brown, a
career agent around since the time when the DEA was called the
Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, is running the agency now.
If there's a shake-up, it's remarkably subdued. | ||||||||||||||||||
Perhaps the agency will be forced to make do with less? No, the
budget is still set to go up by $13 million in the year 2004.
Granted, that's a small increase compared to the glory days of the
eighties. | ||||||||||||||||||
But the eighties are long gone, and so is the image of the DEA agent as swashbuckling hero. The agency's most high profile acts lately have been the persecution of medical marijuana providers and users. | ||||||||||||||||||
By shutting down locally-sanctioned medical marijuana clubs, the DEA
is not only hurting sick people and subverting the will of voters,
it is pushing patients back to the black market. Such actions are
not only cruel, they are counterproductive. Through this policy, the
DEA feeds the market it is supposedly trying to fight. | ||||||||||||||||||
Of course, the DEA may claim to fight black market drugs, but if the market really ever disappeared, the agency would become redundant. As long as the black market grows, the DEA can expect to grow. | ||||||||||||||||||
And as long as the most popular illegal drug (marijuana) remains
demonized,= the DEA has nothing to worry about. But, if the general
population ever suddenly realized that prohibiting marijuana is a
waste of lives and resources, that cannabis really can help many
people, the agency would be forced to downsize. | ||||||||||||||||||
It seems as if the maintenance of absolute prohibition is the main
priority, and everything else, like the Constitution and basic human
decency, are inconveniences to be overcome. | ||||||||||||||||||
It's as if the agency is accountable to no one. Oh, that's right,
that's what the White House said just before watching the DEA
continue on its devastating path. | ||||||||||||||||||
The DEA's results, far from being not demonstrated, are becoming
more painfully clear every day. | ||||||||||||||||||
Stephen Young is an editor with DrugSense Weekly, and the author of
Maximizing Harm (http://www.maximizingharm.com/). | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"I maintain there is much more wonder in science than in pseudoscience.
And in addition, to whatever measure this term has any meaning, science
has the additional virtue, and it is not an inconsiderable one, of
being true." -- Carl Sagan | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
DS Weekly is one of the many free educational services DrugSense
offers our members. Watch this feature to learn more about what
DrugSense can do for you. | ||||||||||||||||||
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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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