| May 9, 2003 #299 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
(1) GRAND JURY SUGGESTS DISTRIBUTION OF DRUGS TO FIGHT EVILS OF TRAFFICKING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Report Nonbinding, Calls For A Study; O'Malley Says Figures Used Aren't
Recent | ||||||||||||||||||
A Baltimore grand jury released yesterday a report recommending that the
government and doctors become drug dealers, distributing narcotics in
limited doses to addicts as a way of eliminating the profit and violence
from the drug trade. | ||||||||||||||||||
The report of the grand jury, impaneled by Circuit Judge Althea Handy in
January, is nonbinding and calls first for a university study of the idea
to see if it would be feasible. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Conventional modes of attacking the drug problem simply aren't working,"
wrote the panel of 23 residents, led by foreman Clark J. Matthews.
"Regulated distribution begins with the recognition that addiction is a
continuing, progressive illness rather than a crime." | ||||||||||||||||||
The report also calls for increased drug treatment, job training,
education and housing assistance for addicts instead of arrest and
incarceration. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(2) WELL-KNOWN NEW YORKERS DEMANDING ROCKEFELLER LAWS REPEALED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
NEW YORK -- A group of activists, elected officials and celebrities on
Thursday called for the repeal of the state's Rockefeller-era drug
laws, demanding Gov. George Pataki and the state Legislature get rid of
them by a June 4 deadline. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It is unbelievable that we've allowed it to go on this long," hip-hop
entrepreneur Russell Simmons said of the decades-old laws. He was
joined at a news conference by well-known figures including Susan
Sarandon, Tim Robbins, former gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo and
Democrat presidential hopeful Al Sharpton. | ||||||||||||||||||
The coalition also included former inmates and parents of people
incarcerated under the drug laws. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(3) VIRTUE CAN ONLY TAKE YOU SO FAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
I met William J. Bennett seven years ago at a naturalization ceremony
for several dozen brand-new American citizens. Even for a jaded newsie,
it was hard not to choke up while watching them happily file by a huge,
flag-draped trash can and ceremoniously toss in little flags
representing their native countries. | ||||||||||||||||||
In the speech that followed, Bennett extolled the virtues of the Good
American; honesty, hard work, self-discipline and the ability to
successfully double down without looking like a monkey at the blackjack
tables. | ||||||||||||||||||
Bennett, a former "drug czar," which, in actual fact does NOT require
him to wear a funny pointy hat, is the self-appointed King of Virtues.
So imagine my surprise when I read that he'd lost $8 million playing
video poker. VIDEO POKER. Not even a classy James Bondian game like
baccarat, which requires shirt and shoes. Video poker? He's like those
pathetic old men I used to see in Atlantic City, N.J., who'd spend all
day betting quarters on motorized plastic horses racing around an
Astroturf-covered table. | ||||||||||||||||||
I don't know. For a former U.S. secretary of education, it's just so,
well, un-czarlike. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(4) PICKING UP THE PIECES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Girl Scout Troop Helps Jailed Moms Trying To Connect With Daughters | ||||||||||||||||||
Five Girl Scouts pair up with their mothers and split into two groups
for a singalong. They try to out-sing each other as they belt out show
tunes and oldies. | ||||||||||||||||||
In the corner of the room a uniformed correctional officer stands
guard. | ||||||||||||||||||
This is not your ordinary Girl Scout meeting. | ||||||||||||||||||
But for 90 minutes every Saturday, these young girls and their mothers
-- who are incarcerated at Santa Clara County's Correctional Center for
Women - -- try to rebuild troubled relationships torn apart by drugs,
crime and years of pent-up anger. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I don't have a good relationship with my mom, and I didn't really want to see her at first," said Desarie, 16, whose mother signed up for the program in January. The Mercury News is not identifying the children because their mothers are in jail. "But when I came, it kind of helped us get to know each other again, so that's why I still come." | ||||||||||||||||||
Despite the success of the new program, called Heart to Heart by the
Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County, it was perilously close to becoming
one of several rehabilitative projects cut this year because of the
county's $160 million budget deficit. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-9) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The battle over state funds for drug control efforts continue. In California, there's some squabbling over the governor's ability to redirect state funds from voter-mandated drug treatment programs to counties. In Albany, NY, operators of a treatment clinic were outraged over not receiving expected funding from the state for building improvements. Matters were aggravated further when clients at the clinic were evicted because the clinic was declared uninhabitable. | ||||||||||||||||||
As treatment funds become more sought after, the federal government apparently has the resources to make checking international travelers for pipes a priority. One traveler who had his souvenirs confiscated by US Customs agents thinks it's part of Operation Pipedreams, which squandered resources to bust online paraphernalia sellers. | ||||||||||||||||||
The feds don't want small businesses like head shops to thrive on the
drug war, but other businesses seem to be encouraged by prohibition.
The home drug testing market is taking off, according to the Wall
Street Journal, as some companies wisely market to drug court
operators. | ||||||||||||||||||
And finally, the bright idea to restrict sales of anhydrous ammonia, a
key ingredient in the illicit manufacture of methamphetamine, has
pushed meth makers to find alternatives. According to a story out of
St. Louis, Mo., meth cooks sometimes attempt to create their own
anhydrous ammonia, but the process is even riskier than creating meth
itself. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(5) LEGAL OPINION SAYS PROP. 36 FUNDS CANNOT BE REDIRECTED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Money for drug treatment may not be in jeopardy after all. | ||||||||||||||||||
The state Office of Legislative Counsel issued an opinion Wednesday
that said rechanneling money set aside for Proposition 36 would be
illegal. | ||||||||||||||||||
Proposition 36, passed by 61 percent of the voters in November 2000,
allows first- and second-time nonviolent drug offenders to undergo
treatment instead of incarceration. | ||||||||||||||||||
Gov. Gray Davis had said he planned to change the funding mechanism so that counties would get $8.2 billion from income, sales and tobacco taxes to run health and social-service programs, including Proposition | ||||||||||||||||||
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The opinion by the legislative counsel means that the ballot measure's
required $120 million will likely be sent to the state's 58 counties on
July 1 regardless of the status of the state budget. | ||||||||||||||||||
Davis could still decide to move forward with his original plan, but
drug-policy experts say it's not likely. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(6) LEADERS OF DRUG PROGRAM CRY FOUL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Managers of a longtime South End drug treatment program blamed a state
funding snafu Tuesday for forcing out its clients and leaving it on the
verge of closing its doors. | ||||||||||||||||||
About two dozen men in treatment for drug and alcohol addictions at St.
John's Project Lift were moved into a downtown motel late Monday after
state officials declared the program's building at 37 S. Ferry St. a
fire hazard. | ||||||||||||||||||
That left the program's executive director, Sharon Facteau, foul,
saying the state Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services --
which ordered clients out of building -- had been dragging its feet for
more than two years on a promise of $1.5 million in aid needed to
repair the 157-year-old former church rectory. | ||||||||||||||||||
An OASAS spokeswoman would not comment on the funding issue but confirmed the agency ordered the clients out for safety reasons. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(7) PIPE DREAMS AND HEADHUNTERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Jay O'Mally just wanted to take home a few souvenirs from his Puerto
Vallarta getaway last February. | ||||||||||||||||||
Lazy strolls along the sandy beaches led to a few finds, including a hammock chair, a good bottle of tequila and four custom-made pipes. | ||||||||||||||||||
But O'Mally was never able to add the unique pipes to his collection
at home. | ||||||||||||||||||
Instead, U.S. Customs raised its eyebrows at the "suspicious" souvenirs
he brought through Mitchell International Airport later that week. He
says officials were quick to label the knickknacks as contraband and
demanded that he "voluntarily abandon" them. Failure to comply would
result in a lengthy, and costly, series of proceedings. | ||||||||||||||||||
O'Mally believes Customs officials were acting in accordance with two
nationwide investigations code-named Operation Pipe Dreams and
Operation Headhunter. Spearheaded by Attorney General John Ashcroft
and supported by acting DEA Administrator John B. Brown III, both
initiatives are aimed to curb the sale of drug paraphernalia
nationwide. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(8) AT-HOME DRUG TESTS SHOW AN UPWARD TREND IN SALES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Nearly half of today's teens have used drugs. And a small but growing
number of parents are trying at-home drug tests to figure out if their
child might be in the wrong half. | ||||||||||||||||||
Since the home-testing kits were introduced four years ago, sales to
parents have grown to about $10 million to $12 million a year,
according to industry estimates. While the numbers are still small,
there is a sharp upward trend. In the first quarter, sales of the
top-selling At Home brand rose 60% from a year earlier. | ||||||||||||||||||
The tests have been available since 1999, but awareness of them has
grown since the Supreme Court last year cleared the way for schools to
test children in certain activities. Closely held Phamatech Inc., maker
of the At Home brand, estimates that currently only about 5% of
consumers know about the tests, but "certainly awareness is going to
grow," says Phamatech spokesman Carl Mongiovi. | ||||||||||||||||||
To that end, Phamatech is sending information about its products to
more than 5,000 U.S. antidrug groups. The company has also hooked up as
a sponsor with the National Association of Drug Court Professionals,
which sends info about the company to its members, who work within a
special judiciary system that emphasizes rehab for some drug offenders,
aiming to keep them out of jail. | ||||||||||||||||||
Phamatech, based in San Diego, is hoping that the drug court workers
will recommend the at-home tests to people who come through the drug
court system. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(9) MORE METH COOKS ARE MAKING THEIR OWN AMMONIA, POLICE SAY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Narcotics investigators are seeing a troubling trend that could put
more methamphetamine on the streets and make the secret labs that
produce the highly addictive drug even more dangerous. | ||||||||||||||||||
Although there are several different ways to make the drug, police say
most meth cooks in the area use recipes requiring anhydrous ammonia, an
agricultural fertilizer that many meth cooks call "juice." Drugmakers
often steal the hazardous chemical from farmers, but police say more
cooks are starting to make their own juice from materials they can buy
legally. | ||||||||||||||||||
Making meth is difficult and dangerous work, but making anhydrous
ammonia can be even more complex and risky. Police believe a home in
Overland caught fire this year after the recipe went awry, and they
expect more fires, explosions and chemical burns as meth cooks start to
make their own anhydrous ammonia. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (10-13) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The wheels of justice continue turning at a slow pace in Tulia, Texas.
Newspapers in the state reported this week that an agreement had been
made between prosecutors and defense attorneys in the case. The
agreement is expected to eventually bring freedom to the Tulia
residents who found themselves arrested on the word of a now
discredited undercover narcotics agent. | ||||||||||||||||||
Through the Tulia case, Texas may start to confront the racial bias of the drug war, but the bias continues apparently unabated in West Virginia. A group of black students who participated in a leadership conference in the city of Charleston last year is suing the city for what they say was an unwarranted and humiliating drug search. | ||||||||||||||||||
The drug czar of Mississippi continues to draw attention to himself. This week, he's being sued by some narcotics officers who say drug czar Frank Melton released false information to the press as part of an investigation into misdeeds at the state's bureau of narcotics. | ||||||||||||||||||
And as the federal drug czar makes threats about tightening the border
with Canada if the country dares to assert its sovereign ability to
decriminalize marijuana, perhaps he will be comforted by this story
about American cops who hang out by the Canadian border looking for
drug runners. | ||||||||||||||||||
== | ||||||||||||||||||
(10) FREEDOM MAY BE NEAR FOR 13 IN TULIA DRUG STING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The 13 people still in prison on convictions from the controversial
1999 Tulia drug sting should be freed, according to a general agreement
worked out Thursday. | ||||||||||||||||||
The agreement - known legally as findings of fact and conclusions of
law - was hammered out by defense attorneys, special prosecutors and
visiting judge Ron Chapman in a Dallas law office Thursday, according
to a source close to the negotiations. | ||||||||||||||||||
The two sides and the judge signed the 150-page findings of fact, which
will be sent on to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals for a final
decision, the source said. | ||||||||||||||||||
The negotiations were confirmed by representatives of the prosecution and the defense, although neither side would provide details. | ||||||||||||||||||
Special Prosecutor John Nation confirmed in a call to his office that the agreement had been worked out, but provided no details. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(11) THREE STUDENTS SUE CITY FOR ALLEGED RACIAL PROFILING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Three black West Virginia State College students who say they were
racially profiled by Charleston police officers one year ago filed suit
against the city Wednesday in U.S. District Court. | ||||||||||||||||||
Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union filed the suit on behalf
of Drew Williams, Jason Price and Courtney Shannon. The men were
stopped by nine police officers on their way home from a barbershop in
Charleston's East End. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Through this lawsuit the ACLU hopes to put an end to the substitution of skin color for evidence by law enforcement officers in Charleston," state ACLU Executive Director Andrew Schneider said in a press release. | ||||||||||||||||||
On April 30, 2002, the three students were returning from one of the last
seminars for their West Virginia State College Student Leadership Program,
the suit says. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Nine police officers, wearing uniforms and street clothes, surrounded
the car with guns drawn at about 9:30 p.m. and ordered Shannon to toss
his keys out the window. | ||||||||||||||||||
The three students were then ordered from the car one at a time,
ordered to kneel on the ground and handcuffed. As police searched the
men and the car for an hour, all three said at least one officer kept
insisting someone had handed the students a plastic bag with something
white in it before they pulled away from the barbershop. The students
said no one had walked up to the car. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(12) 4 SUE MELTON, MBN AGENT OVER PLANE-TRANSFER MEMO (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
MERIDIAN (AP)- The director of the Mississippi Narcotics Bureau and one
of his agents are named in a lawsuit related to the investigation of
the transfer of two agency airplanes. | ||||||||||||||||||
MBN director Frank Melton of Jackson and MBN agent Warren Buchanan of
Meridian were named as defendants in the suit filed by Earl Pierce,
Jimmy Saxton, Bill Taylor and Ronald Pitts. The complaint represents
one side of a legal argument. | ||||||||||||||||||
The plaintiffs allege Melton released the MBN memo to the media knowing it contained unfounded, uncorroborated and false information. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The MBN's internal investigation also claimed that several individuals
fraudulently applied for overtime. They turned in reports, signed by
Saxton, an MBN official, that said they were flying over Mississippi in
December and January looking for marijuana. Marijuana plants don't grow
in December and January, the report said, quoting the confidential
source. | ||||||||||||||||||
The report also said Saxton promoted a civilian employee in exchange
for helicopter flight lessons and allowed thousands of dollars in
bureau money to be spent on personal items for employees, including
leather jackets, tools, boots and sunglasses. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(13) DRUG RUNNERS HAVE TROOPERS ON THEIR TAILS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
On a sunny Friday morning, two Washington State Patrol cruisers sat
side by side near an overpass on Interstate 90. | ||||||||||||||||||
The trooper in one car aimed a radar gun at drivers cresting a hill
almost 2,000 meters away. The trooper in the other car tore out of the
median after speeders or vehicles missing front plates. | ||||||||||||||||||
But while they work traffic, these troopers aren't really traffic cops,
per se. They don't get called out to respond to incidents unless
they're very serious, and they don't work a beat. | ||||||||||||||||||
They work on the State Patrol's Serious Crime Highway Apprehension
Team. They're looking for people with outstanding warrants, dangerous
weapons or stolen cars. But mostly they're looking for people running
drugs between Canada and Washington. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (14-18) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
This week begins with more excitement from Canada. On Tuesday the
Canadian Supreme Court heard a Constitutional challenge to its
cannabis possession and distribution laws. If successful, the
challenge would result in the striking down of Canada's cannabis
prohibition. A decision is not expected for a few months. Our second
story is an in-depth look at the economic and political pressure that
the U.S. is applying to its northern neighbour as Canadian Justice
Minister Cauchon considers decriminalizing the personal possession of
cannabis. | ||||||||||||||||||
Our third story looks at the case brought against California psychiatrist Dr. Tod Mikuriya by the Medical Board of California. Dr. Tod, who has made medical marijuana recommendations for over 7000 patients since the implementation of prop. 215 in 1996, is seeking to have the case against him dismissed. And in Oregon, a bill approved by the House would tighten restrictions allowing for the medical use of cannabis in the state. The bill is now before the state Senate. | ||||||||||||||||||
And lastly, Health Canada has announced that after over two years and
millions of dollars spent, its government-contracted cultivator of
medicinal cannabis has finally produced a crop that's good enough for
domestic research. Quite an accomplishment.gimme a closet, 400 watts
of light and a few good seeds and I could have done the same thing in
about three months time! | ||||||||||||||||||
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(14) CANADIAN SUPREME COURT TO HEAR THREE POT APPEALS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The government promises to rewrite the law on marijuana use but the
Supreme Court of Canada faces a more pressing question -- what to do
with the law as it is, not as it may be. | ||||||||||||||||||
In a trio of cases to be heard today, the high court is being asked to throw out criminal penalties for simple possession of small amounts of pot on the grounds that they violate the Charter of Rights. | ||||||||||||||||||
Government lawyers will be arguing the present law should be upheld,
even as Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Justice Minister Martin
Cauchon prepare to change it. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(15) CANADIAN POT PLAN PUTS U.S. NOSES OUT OF JOINT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Welcome to the latest flashpoint in Canada-U.S. relations, one that has nothing to do with regime change or war and everything to do with pot. | ||||||||||||||||||
Even as the wounds from a winter of bilateral discontent fester, Washington
this week sharpened its attack on Prime Minister Jean Chretien's plans to
decriminalize marijuana, indicating a move most Canadians are prepared to
accept with a shrug is seen as an affront to the administration of U.S.
President George W. Bush. | ||||||||||||||||||
John Walters, Bush's drug czar, said the Liberal government hasn't done
its homework in studying data to justify the move and accused Ottawa of
allowing "poison" to be shipped to his country. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(16) CALIFORNIA MARIJUANA SPECIALIST DEFENDS HIS PRACTICE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Lawyers for Tod Mikuriya, M.D. - a psychiatrist who has lived and practiced in Berkeley since 1970 - have filed a motion to dismiss the case against him brought by the Medical Board of California (MBC). If the motion fails, Mikuriya will spend the week of May 19 in an Oakland courtroom defending his handling of 17 cases in which medical board investigators claim he "departed from the standard of care." | ||||||||||||||||||
Mikuriya, 69, is a leading authority on the medicinal use of cannabis.
He has edited an anthology of pre-prohibition scientific papers and
reported extensively on his own clinical observations. Since
Proposition 215 passed in 1996, legalizing marijuana for medical use in
California, he has approved and monitored its use by more than 7,000
patients, most of them seen at ad hoc clinics arranged by cannabis
clubs in rural counties. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(17) BILL SEEKS TO TIGHTEN MARIJUANA RULES IN OREGON (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Restrictions on medical marijuana would be tightened under a bill
approved by the Oregon House. | ||||||||||||||||||
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Jeff Kruse, R-Sutherlin, said it would avert
potential problems with the federal government, which has gone after
California's program in court. | ||||||||||||||||||
``I have come over time to understand that this is legitimate medicine
for some folks,'' said Kruse, who is chairman of the House Health and
Human Services Committee. | ||||||||||||||||||
``But it is also a very popular recreational device for a lot of other
folks. We need to make sure that the line between these two populations
is clear and distinct.'' | ||||||||||||||||||
A spokesman for A Life with Dignity Committee said the bill makes the
wrong changes to the law. | ||||||||||||||||||
``It will severely limit patient access to medical marijuana,''
spokesman Chris Rich said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(18) MANITOBA WEED MAKES MARK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
For the first time, grown-in-Canada marijuana is being offered to
researchers for use in clinical trials. | ||||||||||||||||||
Some 320 kilograms of pot grown in Northern Manitoba under the watchful
eye of the federal government has met strict quality standards and will
be made available immediately to researchers, Health Canada confirmed
yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||
"If a clinical trial was approved tomorrow, we could make the material
available within probably a week or 10 days," Cindy Cripps-Prawak,
director of the country's Office of Cannabis Medical Access, told The
Sun. | ||||||||||||||||||
The hydroponic marijuana includes two strains, both packing
significantly more punch than average street pot. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Lab tests have shown the buds of the main strain -- which makes up the
bulk of the approved weed -- contain between 13-16% THC, marijuana's
active ingredient. | ||||||||||||||||||
The buds, or flowery top, of the secondary strain contain up to 25%
THC, Cripps-Prawak said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (19-24) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
In Thailand, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra steadfastly pooh-poohed
any suggestion that his goading of police to eradicate drug users, the
police quotas, and the police death squads could possibly be the least
bit responsible for the recent massacres of some 2,000 drug "dealers"
(read: petty users). "Everything that has been done," pretended
Thaksin, "is according to our modern constitution." Going on, the Thai
PM claimed he was merely saving the world: "The success of this
campaign has helped the whole world, especially the western countries.
Otherwise it will spread to the whole world." | ||||||||||||||||||
In Canada, police crackdowns on drug users in Vancouver's Downtown
Eastside are diving people away from needle-exchange programs.
Observers worry that Vancouver, already suffering a severe HIV/AIDS
"epidemic," will only get worse as injectors shun needle exchange
programs because of more than triple the usual police presence in the
area, and with more arrests of users. | ||||||||||||||||||
In Hungary and Switzerland last week, there was a violent backlash
against cannabis users, as protestors in both countries denounced any
reduction of punishments. In Hungary, peaceful marchers at a
"pro-marijuana" rally in Budapest had objects including "tomatoes and
eggs" hurled at them by angry prohibitionists. Upset Swiss
prohibitionists also protested government plans to stop arresting
cannabis users. Interestingly, the Reuters report (about cannabis),
invoked the "needle park" heroin scene of the 80s (yet curiously
omitting the successful Swiss heroin prescription program that
replaced it and exists to this day). The proposed new laws would allow
"registered cannabis outlets." | ||||||||||||||||||
Reaction and rhetoric over proposed changes to cannabis laws continues
to mount elsewhere. The Australian Sunday Times last week soberly
announced a "Death Warning" to "Dope Smokers" -- based not on any
actual research using cannabis itself, but on projections based on
tobacco smokers. Experts were duly summonsed to decry today's "40
times stronger" cannabis than of the "Flower Power hippies in the
1960s." Meanwhile, politicians in Western Australia decried that
state's plans to cease arresting certain cannabis users. Predictably
invoking images of addicted youth, child crime, and suicidal schizo
kids, prohibitionist politicians asserted that anything but increasing
the harshness of punishments for cannabis use would be the "wrong
message." | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(19) THAI PREMIER DENIES KILLINGS IN DRUG WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
BANGKOK, Thailand - Thailand's prime minister on Wednesday denied that
any extrajudicial killings took place during the country's recent war
on drugs and said the world should be grateful it is helping to curb
the drug trade. | ||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's comments follow criticism by U.S.
officials and human rights groups of the high death toll during the
anti-drug campaign and charges of extrajudicial killings by security
forces. | ||||||||||||||||||
A total of 2,274 people were killed in the three-month campaign that
ended April 30, according to official figures. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Everything that has been done is according to our modern
constitution... everything is according to law," Thaksin told a select
group of reporters at his office. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"The success of this campaign has helped the whole world, especially
the western countries. Otherwise it (the drug problem) will spread to
the whole world. I'm not claiming credit for the whole world, but they
have to understand that we have done our duty as a member of the world
community," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(20) COLLATERAL DAMAGE OF A DRUG WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
So when I moved from Toronto last year to work for Human Rights Watch
in New York, the last thing I expected was to be reporting on Canada's
abuse of drug users. | ||||||||||||||||||
That was before April 7, which marked the beginning of the Vancouver police department's "citywide enforcement team," a three-month campaign to rid the streets of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside of drug traffickers and "restore order to a community in distress." In practice, this has meant a severe crackdown against drug users, not drug traffickers. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Vancouver exchangers say that since the beginning of the police
crackdown, they have distributed only a fraction of their usual number
of sterile syringes. Fearing arrest, injectors stay away from exchange
points; needles they do turn in have been reused so many times, the
numbers have worn off. | ||||||||||||||||||
Vancouver suffers from what may be North America's worst HIV/AIDS
epidemic. As many as 40 per cent of the Downtown Eastside's 5,000 drug
users are HIV-positive. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(21) PROTESTERS DISRUPT PRO-MARIJUANA EVENT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
BUDAPEST, Hungary - Revelers at Hungary's first pro-marijuana rally and
rock concert were pelted with tomatoes and eggs yesterday, forcing the
festivities to end early. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police kept pro-marijuana demonstrators and their opponents apart to
prevent clashes, but the anti-drug campaigners hissed, booed and threw
objects, forcing the rally to end an hour early. | ||||||||||||||||||
Hungary has one of the toughest anti-drug laws in Europe. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(22) PARENTS PROTEST SWISS CANNABIS DECRIMINALIZATION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
ZURICH (Reuters) - Angry parents protested outside the Swiss parliament on Monday over government plans to decriminalize cannabis -- a step they say would make Switzerland a Mecca for dope smokers. | ||||||||||||||||||
The demonstration organized by the Swiss Association of Parents against
Drugs was timed to pre-empt a debate in the lower house on Thursday on
relaxing the laws on cannabis use. Parliament's upper house has already
approved the proposals. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The laws would tolerate a certain number of registered cannabis
outlets. At the moment so-called "hemp shops," where cannabis
masquerades as herbal tea or pot-pourri, constantly run the risk of
being closed by the police. | ||||||||||||||||||
But memories are still fresh in Switzerland of a liberal heroin policy
in the 1990s which led to the nightmare of "Needle Park" in central
Zurich, prompting concern that a Dutch-style acceptance of the narcotic
could encourage use of harder drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
However, opponents say the proposals will only encourage youngsters to
take drugs and could make the problem of the black market worse,
especially if plans to levy a tax on production and purchase were
adopted. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(23) DOPE SMOKERS' DEATH WARNING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
MORE than 30,000 British cannabis smokers could die every year, doctors
have warned. | ||||||||||||||||||
Medical experts blame Home Secretary David Blunkett for creating
confusion about the risks posed by the drug - leading young people to
believe wrongly it is harmless. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
In the British Medical Journal, Professor Henry and other doctors from
Imperial College and St Mary's Hospital, both in London, said cannabis
could be a major contributor to UK deaths. | ||||||||||||||||||
Researchers calculate that if 120,000 deaths are caused among 13
million smokers, the corresponding figure among 3.2 million cannabis
smokers would be 30,000. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Dr William Oldfield, from St Mary's Hospital and one of the authors of
the article, said: "Cannabis and nicotine cigarettes have a different
mode of inhalation. The puff taken by cannabis smokers is two-thirds
larger, they inhale a third more and hold down the smoke four times
longer. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Dr Oldfield said the cannabis used today - especially that bought in
the Netherlands - was up to 40 times stronger than that used by Flower
Power hippies in the 1960s. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(24) DRUG BILL LABELLED "TROUBLE" (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
DAWESVILLE MLA Arthur Marshall has labelled the State Government's
proposal to decriminalise cannabis as "trouble" that "attacks the
vulnerability of youth". | ||||||||||||||||||
Mr Marshall spoke passionately against the Bill that was passed in the
Lower House last month. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"To allow all West Australians to grow two marijuana plants in their
backyard is just asking for trouble," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It will lead to lower drug prices and increased availability. "Now
regular cannabis users need go only into their backyards to ensure they
keep getting those kicks. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I simply ask what two backyard plants will be worth on the street and
what will they do to a youngster who wishes to experience with drugs;
to the health and wellbeing of happy families; to the addicts who live
next door; to the out-of-control home invasion statistics; to suicidal
youth; and to youngsters who hear the wrong message when it is said
that a little bit is okay." | ||||||||||||||||||
However, Mandurah MLA David Templeman said the opposition was using
intimidation tactics to scare the public. He said his support of the
Bill did not indicate a tolerance for substance abuse. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
ETHAN NADELMAN ON CBC RADIO VANCOUVER | ||||||||||||||||||
In a fast moving eight minute interview the realities of Canada's consideration of decriminalizing cannabis are discussed: | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
JEANETTE IRWIN EXAMINES THREATS TO THE INTERNET | ||||||||||||||||||
SOME THREATS TO THE INTERNET AS A NEUTRAL FORUM FOR THE FREE EXCHANGE | ||||||||||||||||||
By Jeanette Irwin. Presented At: "NORML 2003. Back to Basics: Stop Arresting Marijuana Smokers." San Francisco, CA. April 17, 2003. Increasing privatization and surveillance will threaten the drug policy reform movement's ability to use the Internet to share non-biased information, participate in public life, and organize politically. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
KEITH STROUP OF NORML ON COURT TV | ||||||||||||||||||
NORML's director and founder, Keith Stroup, Esq. will appear on former TX judge Catherine Crier's show on Court TV @ 5:30 (eastern). | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HEA PRESS CONFERENCE | ||||||||||||||||||
Members of Congress Speak Out Against Student Financial Aid
Restrictions | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
CANADIAN CBC RADIO LISTENERS REACT TO ONDCP | ||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Drug Testing Is Limited | ||||||||||||||||||
By Robert E. Field | ||||||||||||||||||
In "Drug policy passes the test", Art Morris makes two common mistakes: | ||||||||||||||||||
1) He implies that drug tests identify all sorts of drugs that are
illegal for youngsters to take, including alcohol, tobacco, heroin,
cocaine, methamphetamines, and marijuana. In fact the only drug used
over the weekend that tests would likely detect during the school week
is marijuana. According to reports from the American Medical
Association and the federal Bureau of Justice: Amphetamine /
Methamphetamine remains detectable for up to 48 hours. Cocaine
metabolites can remain detectable for 2-3 days. Opiates (heroin) can
remain detectable for up to 48 hours. Cannabinoid metabolite can remain
detectable for up to 27th days for daily users; even a single use of
cannabis (marijuana) can remain detectable for up to 3 days.
(http://www.drugwarfacts.org/drugtest.htm) | ||||||||||||||||||
Certainly it is not our intention to induce kids to sniff dangerous
heroin rather than sample a relatively innocuous joint! | ||||||||||||||||||
2) He confuses the benefits of prosecution for crimes against others
with the negative results of prosecution for personal use. I too had a
young friend who was able to break away from drug addiction after being
jailed, but the sentence was for passing bad checks. | ||||||||||||||||||
The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
estimates that 91.1 million Americans (41.7% of the US population age
12 or over) have used an illicit drug at least once. | ||||||||||||||||||
Obviously only a modest portion continue to use drugs beyond
experimentation and, of those repeaters, only a tiny fraction encounter
a serious problem. Do we want to randomly trap kids engaging in common
experimentation and thus disrupt their families and potentially mar
their lives? | ||||||||||||||||||
Let us as teachers, coaches and parents monitor the performance of youngsters in school, in extra-curricular activities and at home and then, if we have reason for concern, let parents take their kid for a Monday morning drug test at the office of the family doctor. | ||||||||||||||||||
Drug testing without signs of any corresponding problem is likely to do
far more damage to youngsters and their family than good. First do no
harm! | ||||||||||||||||||
Robert E. Field, | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER WRITER OF THE MONTH - April (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Massachusetts activist Robert Merkin is recognized for the five
published letters MAP archived during April, bringing the total we are
aware of to 29. Writing under the pen name 'Elmer Elevator' Robert is a
valued contributor to the excellent DrugWar Discussion and News List
which folks may sign up for at the top of the http://www.drugwar.com/
homepage. You may read Robert's published letters at | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
STUDY SHOWS VAPORIZER CAN DRASTICALLY REDUCE TOXINS IN MARIJUANA SMOKE | ||||||||||||||||||
By California NORML | ||||||||||||||||||
Harmful toxins in marijuana smoke can be effectively avoided by a vaporization device, according to a new study by California NORML and MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) with support from a grant from the MPP (Marijuana Policy Project). | ||||||||||||||||||
The study, conducted by Chemic Labs in Canton, Mass., tested vapors
from cannabis heated in an herbal vaporizer known as the VolcanoŽ
(manufactured by Storz & Bickel GmbH&Co. KG, Tuttlingen, Germany;
http://www.storz-bickel.com) and compared them to smoke produced by
combusted marijuana. The VolcanoŽ is designed to heat material to
temperatures of 130 to 230 C (266 to 446 F) where medically active
vapors are produced, but below the threshold of combustion where smoke
is formed. | ||||||||||||||||||
The vapors from the Volcano were found to consist overwhelmingly of
THC, the major active component in marijuana, whereas the combusted
smoke contained over 100 other chemicals, including several polynuclear
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), carcinogenic toxins that are common in
tobacco smoke. The respiratory hazards of marijuana and tobacco smoke
are due to toxic byproducts of combustion, not the active ingredients
in the plant, known as cannabinoids. | ||||||||||||||||||
The study suggests that medical marijuana patients can avoid the respiratory hazards of smoking by using a vaporizer. In its 1999 report on medical marijuana, the Institute of Medicine recommended against long-term use of smoked marijuana because of the health risks of smoking. However, the IOM failed to take account of vaporizers. | ||||||||||||||||||
Previous studies have found that vaporizers can reduce harmful toxins
in cannabis smoke. However, this is the first study to analyze the gas
phase of the vapor for a wide range of toxins. A previous NORML/MAPS
study conducted by Chemic Labs found that a vaporizer known as the M-1
Volatizer (http:// www.volatizer.com) completely eliminated three
specific toxins (naphthalene, benzene and toluene) in. the solid phase
of the vapor (D. Gieringer, "Cannabis Vaporization: A Promising
Strategy for Smoke Harm Reduction," Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics
Vol. 1#3-4: 153-70 (2001); | ||||||||||||||||||
The new study used a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GCMS) to
examine the gas components of the vapor. .The analysis showed that the
Volcano vapor was remarkably clean, consisting 95% of THC with traces
of cannabinol (CBN), another cannabinoid. The remaining 5% consisted of
small amounts of three other components: one suspected cannabinoid
relative, one suspected PAH, and caryophyllene, a fragrant oil in
cannabis and other plants. In contrast over 111 different components
appeared in the gas of the combusted smoke, including a half dozen
known PAHs. Non-cannabinoids accounted for as much as 88% of the total
gas content of the smoke. | ||||||||||||||||||
The study used standard NIDA cannabis with 4% THC content. A
quantitative analysis found that the Volcano delivered 46% of the THC
into vapor following three 45-second exposures of the sample to the
heat. This compares favorably with the typical efficiency of marijuana
cigarettes as observed in other studies, which depending on conditions
can fall below 25% due to loss of THC in sidestream smoke. An important
feature of the Volcano is that it uses a balloon to capture the vapor,
thereby avoiding leakage to the air. It is possible that higher THC
efficiencies could have been reached with the Volcano by stirring the
sample around and exposing it to more heat. | ||||||||||||||||||
The combusted sample achieved a relatively high THC efficiency of 78%
upon complete combustion. The high efficiency seems due to the fact
that the sample was completely consumed by combustion, and that smoke
leakage was effectively prevented by the laboratory setup. Similar
conditions do not obtain under normal circumstances when a marijuana
cigarette is smoked and much of the THC is lost to the air or left in
the unburned "roach." | ||||||||||||||||||
Two other cannabinoids , cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabinol (CBN), were
detected in the NIDA cannabis in trace amounts of 0.1%. Both the
Volcano and combustion delivered an apparent increase in CBD and CBN,
but the variance of the data was too high to reach statistically
significant conclusions. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sponsors believe that the study results lend support for wider use of
vaporizers by medical marijuana patients and researchers. At present,
the only FDA-approved method for administering marijuana to human
research subjects is via smoking NIDA cigarettes. NORML and MAPS are
supporting efforts to have vaporizers approved by the FDA. As a first
step in this effort, Dr. Donald Abrams of the University of California,
San Francisco, has submitted a grant proposal to the California Center
for Medical Cannabis Research in San Diego to test the Volcano in human
subjects. If the protocol is funded and the Volcano approved by the FDA
for human research, it will be the first human study using a vaporizer.
If the FDA requests additional laboratory data about the Volcano,
additional funding may be necessary. | ||||||||||||||||||
For more information on, see http://www.maps.org/mmj/vaporizer.html
http://www.canorml.org/healthfacts/vaporizers.html | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"The pillars of truth and the pillars of freedom - they are the pillars
of society." - Henrik Ibsen, "The Pillars of Society" | ||||||||||||||||||
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