| June 20, 2003 #305 | ||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
(1) RAT STUDY SHOWS USING DOPE KILLS BRAIN CELLS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
University of Georgia research | ||||||||||||||||
Learn a lesson from rats: don't smoke dope and drive. | ||||||||||||||||
University of Georgia researchers have unveiled a study suggesting that
someone smoking marijuana might be able to do a task briefly, but could
experience serious long-term attention-span problems that interfere
with the successful completion of the task. | ||||||||||||||||
While this might not be a shocking revelation to some, said Jonathon
Crystal, a UGA assistant professor in psychology and the research
leader, the study shows that many tasks - like driving a car - can seem
do-able for someone under the influence of marijuana, when actually
they are not. | ||||||||||||||||
"We gave the animals these marijuana-like compounds and it had a
profound effect on their ability to keep track of time. Before the
drugs, they were very good at the task - they were virtually perfect.
While they were on the drugs, their performance dropped substantially,"
said Crystal. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(2) DRINK AND DRUG ABUSE 'IS IN THE GENES' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
People who take illegal drugs, drink or smoke may be partly at the
mercy of their genes, according to a new study. | ||||||||||||||||
Research into more than 20,000 people has shown that genetic factors strongly influence personality traits linked to unhealthy lifestyles. | ||||||||||||||||
Scientists at Cancer Research UK and Oxford University pooled data from
46 studies into the links between behaviour and genes, and focused on
key genes that control neurotransmitters - the chemicals that pass
messages between brain cells. | ||||||||||||||||
They found that one version of the human serotonin transporter gene,
5HTT-LPR, was strongly associated with anxious personalities. People
with this gene variant were more likely to find social interaction
stressful and seek refuge in drinks, tobacco and drugs. | ||||||||||||||||
They also identified a weaker link between a variant in a second gene, the dopamine D4 receptor, and extrovert personality traits. People with the gene variant are more likely to smoke or take drugs. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(3) POT SMOKING, RISKY BEHAVIOUR LINKED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
But One Teen Says of Major Study: 'It's Not the Pot That Makes Them
Do Risky Things' | ||||||||||||||||
Teens who stay out all night without permission, steal and vandalize
property are about twice as likely as other teens to use pot, a major
study of Canada's youth has found. | ||||||||||||||||
"The incidence of marijuana use was 1.8 to 2.6 times higher among youth
who reported participating in risky behaviours such as staying out all
night without permission, taking money from parents and damaging
others' property," the survey found. | ||||||||||||||||
"Among 16 and 17-year-olds who reported staying out all night without
permission, 72 per cent reported that they had tried smoking marijuana
while the remaining 28 per cent reported that they had not. For 16 and
17-year-olds who reported that they had taken money from their parents,
64 per cent reported that they smoked marijuana, and for those who
reported that they had damaged others' property, 69 per cent reported
that they had smoked marijuana." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(4) POT SMOKERS' CAMPAIGN AIMED AT BOOSTING TOURISM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Police ignore group calling for laid-back summer | ||||||||||||||||
Before legislation was introduced to end criminal penalties for the possession of small amounts of marijuana, many people went to the police station because they were caught smoking a joint. | ||||||||||||||||
Not until yesterday had anyone gone to Toronto Police headquarters
because they wanted to get caught smoking a joint. | ||||||||||||||||
But at 4:20 p.m. yesterday, about 50 pro-cannabis activists burned
one down on the sidewalk in front of 40 College St. | ||||||||||||||||
Led by the self-proclaimed "Prince of Pot" the group was there to encourage police to allow a risk-free summer for marijuana smokers. | ||||||||||||||||
"With SARS and everything else going on, this is the ideal way to bring
thousands of tourists to the city," said British Columbia's Marc Emery,
who runs a mail-order seed distribution company and owns Internet-based
Pot-TV. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-7) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Among the states the mandatory minimums of New York's Rockefeller
Drug Law stands out a horrific example of drug war excess. It is sad
to learn that the many years of effort by the reform community to
repeal these laws has had still another setback. | ||||||||||||||||
Often it is the community weekly newspapers, the alternative press,
that lead the way. Reefer Badness accurately challenges the Office
of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) propaganda. We note with
interest that ONDCP says less than 10% of news items about cannabis
pay lip service to their cannabis myths. Has ONDCP been poking
around in the MAP archives again? We have come a long way since the
days when newspapers just quoted the "Just Say No" government
propaganda, in some part due to the efforts of MAP's Letter to the
Editor writers. | ||||||||||||||||
The drug war distortion about emergency room visits is knocked down at http://www.drugwardistortions.org/distortion6.htm While no peer reviewed scientific study has ever found evidence that cannabis causes death, the ONDCP reports nine in St. Louis alone in 2001. If the city is average, then there must be over 18,000 cannabis caused deaths each year the United States alone. Where are the bodies? What junk science are these figures based on? Or does ONDCP just make this stuff up as they go? Is it any wonder that the public, children, and the media don't believe anything ONDCP says? | ||||||||||||||||
While we seldom see the United States Supreme Court really
understanding the excesses of the War on Drugs, it is a pleasure to
note that the court rejected another appeal questioning their sound
Ferguson v. City of Charleston decision. This should move forward
the effort to see that someone pays for these crimes against women
in South Carolina. | ||||||||||||||||
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(5) DRUG LAW REFORM FALTERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Activists Angry That Meeting With State Leaders Results in Nothing
As Lawmakers Wrap Up | ||||||||||||||||
A Rockefeller Drug Law reform agreement appeared remote Thursday
night, much to the dismay of hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and
others who thought they had reached a deal with the governor and
state legislative leaders in a seven-hour negotiating session the
night before. Republican Gov. George Pataki, Senate Majority Leader
Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver,
D-Manhattan, said they had made progress during the marathon meeting
with Simmons that began Wednesday evening and dragged on past 1 a.m.
Thursday. | ||||||||||||||||
But the three seemed steadfast in their individual beliefs that a
final agreement on changes to the 1973 drug laws remained out of
reach for the 2003 legislative session, which was winding down early
this morning. | ||||||||||||||||
"It can't get done by tonight," Bruno said, adding that drug law reform could be taken up later this year if the Legislature returns, as many believe will be necessary with so many issues unresolved. | ||||||||||||||||
Silver also held out hope of revisiting drug law reform before 2003
ends, but said the issue is too complex to rush. Pataki, while
insisting the three leaders "have never been this close" to an
agreement, said there were too many loose ends and not enough hours
left to tie them up. | ||||||||||||||||
Pataki, Bruno and Silver all lauded Simmons, founder of Def Jam
Records and Phat Pharm clothing, saying he played a key role in
trying to broker a deal on a contentious issue that activists have
been pushing state leaders to address for years. | ||||||||||||||||
But Simmons and his colleagues, Deborah Small, director of public
policy at the Drug Policy Alliance and Ben Chavis, president of the
Hip-Hop Action Network, a nonprofit advocacy organization, who flew
to Albany Wednesday to meet with the three state leaders, were
angry. | ||||||||||||||||
When they left the governor's office early Thursday, they said, they
were certain Silver, Pataki and Bruno had reached consensus on a
compromise reform bill. The said state Criminal Justice Services
Director Chauncey Parker, was even drafting legislation to reflect
their agreement. Pataki's office did not return numerous calls for
comment. | ||||||||||||||||
"Anyone who says that we did not close a deal last night is lying,"
Simmons said. "We had a full agreement on all the details and all
the language of this bill. ... It took a lot of pressing and beating
up on everybody." | ||||||||||||||||
In interviews, Small, Chavis and Simmons said the governor, Silver
and Bruno had all signed off on a plan that largely resembled a bill
proposed Tuesday by Assembly Democrats, which offered considerable
concessions to Bruno and Pataki. Most notably, the bill called for
returning no sentencing discretion to judges, essentially leaving it
to district attorneys to decide which drug offenders get substance
abuse treatment rather than prison. | ||||||||||||||||
The bill also would have restructured the sentences for every class
of drug offenses -- from the highest, Class A, to the lowest, Class
E -- and doubled the weights of narcotics found on an offender that
trigger specific prison sentences. The current laws set long to life
mandatory minimum sentences for selling two ounces of a narcotic or
possessing four ounces. | ||||||||||||||||
Under the plan, nonviolent Class A drug offenders would be able to
retroactively appeal their sentences under the new sentence
structure and B-level offenders would see an increase in merit time
that would effectively reduce their sentences. | ||||||||||||||||
Silver, Bruno and Pataki also agreed to increases in penalties for
drug kingpins and offenders who use guns or children to sell drugs,
Small said. | ||||||||||||||||
Advocates who have long sought full repeal of the drug laws
expressed relief that the deal Simmons, Small and Chavis said they
engineered did not succeed. Robert Gangi, executive director of the
Correctional Association of New York, a nonprofit prison watchdog
group, said the deal didn't go far enough because it didn't include
return of judicial discretion -- a move strongly opposed by the
state's powerful district attorneys. | ||||||||||||||||
"If this deal had taken place, we would have criticized it severely
for not being drug law reform at all," Gangi said. "It's marginal
tinkering that would have benefited a relatively small number of
people." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Randy Credico, spokesman for the Mothers of the New York Disappeared, a group whose members are former drug convicts or relatives of imprisoned drug offenders, said he felt Simmons had been used by Pataki in an effort to look serious of reform. Credico and his group were also shut out of recent drug law negotiations. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(6) REEFER BADNESS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
There's a Lot of Misinformation Out There: Here's More | ||||||||||||||||
Last Wednesday White House anti-drug crusaders set up camp at KETC-TV ( Channel 9)'s downtown St. Louis offices as part of a cross-country tour to help reduce teen drug use 25 percent by 2007. | ||||||||||||||||
The way the feds see it, the media are part of the drug problem.
According to Robert W. Denniston, deputy director of the National
Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, less than 10 percent of news stories
about marijuana mention negative consequences. "So we know there's a
lot of misinformation out there," Denniston says. | ||||||||||||||||
Eager to do our part - and to partake of the free box lunch - Unreal
joined two fellow journalists, a dozen drug-treatment providers and
the anti-drug panel, which consisted of Denniston, two experts and a
reformed teen toker. | ||||||||||||||||
"We have a lot of new scientific information," Denniston let it be
known. | ||||||||||||||||
In 2001, emergency rooms tallied 2,311 "marijuana drug episodes" in
St. Louis alone. Nine local people died - died - that year after
smoking pot. These statistics were distributed along with other
literature in a shiny folder festooned with a photo of a
spanking-new pipe stuffed with schwag. Unreal discerned that the
pictured pot was laced with seeds, and, more distressingly, that the
statistics were unadorned with context. What was the precise nature,
we wondered, of the "drug episodes" and the deaths? | ||||||||||||||||
Alas, there was no time for musing; it was on to the "new scientific
information." | ||||||||||||||||
To wit: Researchers have found that marijuana targets neurological
receptors that affect memory, emotional stability and cognitive
skills, said Dr. Michael Spigarelli, an assistant professor of
pediatrics and internal medicine at the University of Cincinnati.
Pot, Spigarelli added, is addictive, it's probably a gateway drug,
and kids who use it are more prone toward violence than kids who
don't. Teen dope smokers don't exercise as much as they should and
can end up as couch potatoes or worse. "Forgetting the condom,
getting in a car accident, can lead to devastating consequences for
getting high for a little while," said the doctor. Disaster aside,
pot's bad: "You escape for the fifteen minutes or two hours that you
are high, but in life you need to pay that time back." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(7) SUPREME COURT WON'T HEAR DRUG-TEST APPEAL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
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The Supreme Court ruled two years ago the tests, once given at the
Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, violated Fourth
Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure. Some
women who tested positive for drugs were arrested from their beds
shortly after giving birth. | ||||||||||||||||
The Medical University of South Carolina had asked the Supreme Court
to consider the narrower issue of whether the women knew their urine
was being screened for drugs, as part of a 1989 policy designed to
stop the crack baby epidemic. | ||||||||||||||||
The answer will help determine damages in the case. | ||||||||||||||||
The justices, without comment, declined. The case now will return to
a federal district court in Charleston, where a jury will rule on
damages. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
The appeals court ruling could be interpreted as requiring patient
consent for every test or procedure. | ||||||||||||||||
Robert Hood, the attorney for the city of Charleston and the
hospital, said that would endanger laws requiring "public health
care workers, as well as a whole spectrum of others such as social
workers and teachers, to report evidence of suspected crimes such as
child abuse or domestic violence." | ||||||||||||||||
The women's attorney, Priscilla Smith with the Center for Reproductive Rights, said patients need to be aware of tests run on them. A different ruling "would violate fundamental norms of medical ethics, undermining the doctor-patient relationship and threatening public health" because some pregnant women would not seek care. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (8-9) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Progress in Tulia is the top reform news story in the United States
this week. While it will not be over until the last person is free,
the convictions reversed, the defendants receive the substantial
damage payments they deserve, and Tom Coleman is viewing the world
from behind bars; Monday was a milestone in the road to justice in
Tulia. While many organizations and individuals contributed to this
progress, recognition should be given to the Drug Policy Forum of
Texas members http://www.dpft.org/ for their early work in bringing
the Tulia story out. And the 50 Letters to the Editor MAPsters had
published, the 127 editorials and opinion items archived, along with
370 news stories helped. However, as our columnist notes, Tulia is
just an example of many, many thousands of similar cases across the
country. | ||||||||||||||||
It is Detroit's turn to make headlines in the latest drug war
related corruption scandal. But Weekly and MAP news readers already
know that these cases are not the exception. They are common. Over a
thousand news items about United States law enforcement folks going
bad are in the MAP archives. How many more are not yet known, or
will never be known? | ||||||||||||||||
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(8) DEBACLE OF TULIA DEFENDANTS AN ONGOING OUTRAGE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
More black men are in jail in this country than are in college. More
than one-third of black men between the ages of 18 and 35 are
involved in the criminal justice system. | ||||||||||||||||
The gross miscarriage of justice in Tulia is a small example of how this evil can occur. In that case, a rogue cop/informant helped put 46 residents of Tulia (39 of whom were black -- 16 percent of the town's black population ) in jail following a drug sting in the summer of 1999. Even though a state district judge said that the one and only informant was guilty of blatant perjury, 13 people remained in jail until Monday because the system is stacked against them. Twelve of the 13 people were released on Monday ( the 13th defendant was technically freed on bail, but remains in custody on a drug charge ), but their convictions have yet to be overturned. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
It is to our great shame that what happened in Tulia happens every
day somewhere in our country. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
I have only questions. I can think of no logical or rational reason why more black men are in prison than are in college. I am deeply troubled that I live in a society where such an insult to a group of people can occur and hardly anyone raises a voice of concern. | ||||||||||||||||
The only possible explanation is that we have institutionalized
racism beyond the wildest dreams of any white supremacist, and that
is not logical and rational. It is twisted and evil. How did this
happen? | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
The bumper sticker morality of today provides cover for the evil of
putting more black men in prison than in college. "If you do the
crime you're gonna do the time." This evil of institutionalized
racism has society so bamboozled that we accept it as good old law
and order. Like the society that defined Huck's conscience, today's
society allows us to brutalize an entire segment of our population
with not even a whimper of protest. | ||||||||||||||||
I realize that making an analogy with slavery might be considered by
some to be an overstatement of the issue. In my mind, however, the
numbers justify the comparison. More black men are in prison than in
college and a third of young black men are involved in the criminal
justice system. Substitute "white" for "black" in the previous
sentence and imagine the outcry. | ||||||||||||||||
There is something terribly wrong with our system of justice. People
of good will have to change it just as the media, the NAACP Legal
Defense Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union righted the
wrong in Tulia. | ||||||||||||||||
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(9) 17 OFFICERS ACCUSED OF CITY REIGN OF TERROR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Police Are Suspected Of Rogue Conduct, Threats And Assaults | ||||||||||||||||
They dangled one man by his legs from a second-story window. | ||||||||||||||||
They threatened to kill a woman if she told anyone about the way
they were treating her. | ||||||||||||||||
They stepped on the face of another woman with such force, they
dislodged a tooth. | ||||||||||||||||
Prosecutors say these were not the acts of neighborhood gang
members, but of 17 rogue Detroit police officers charged in a
federal indictment Thursday. The officers allegedly stole drugs,
firearms and money from suspected drug dealers during a two-year
reign of terror on the city's southwest side. | ||||||||||||||||
All 17 were indicted on one count of conspiring to violate people's
civil rights, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison
and a $250,000 fine upon conviction. Eight officers were charged
with additional civil rights violations. | ||||||||||||||||
Two officers were charged with using a firearm to commit a crime of
violence, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 7 years in
prison. Two were accused of possession of a stolen firearm, which
carries a maximum penalty of 10 years. | ||||||||||||||||
The indictment said the officers planted evidence and falsified police reports on several victims, five to 10 of whom may be serving time in prison for crimes they didn't commit. In other cases, the officers allegedly let victims go after pocketing money and drugs. | ||||||||||||||||
"The conduct that gives rise to the indictment is despicable," U.S.
Attorney Jeffrey Collins said at a news conference. | ||||||||||||||||
Although the department has been beset with repeated scandals,
longtime observers couldn't recall so many officers being caught up
in a single indictment. | ||||||||||||||||
The indictment came a week after the U.S. Justice Department and Detroit Police signed two federal consent decrees to take steps to stop violating the civil rights of people who come into contact with city cops. The decrees were prompted by Free Press reports of fatal shootings of civilians by police, mistreatment of prisoners in lockups and the mass arrests of witnesses in homicide cases. | ||||||||||||||||
On Tuesday, the Detroit Police Officers Association launched radio
ads against Police Chief Jerry Oliver, who Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick
hired last year to clean up the department. The union is unhappy
with Oliver's methods. | ||||||||||||||||
"These 17 indictments today represent yet one more installment on
our collective pledge to restore this department to prominence and
more importantly to rebuild our credibility and the confidence and
respect in the citizens of Detroit," Oliver said. | ||||||||||||||||
Other officers stepped forward to help in the probe, officials said. | ||||||||||||||||
Alleged Rights Violations | ||||||||||||||||
The eight-count indictment said the officers, most of whom work for
the 3rd ( Vernor ) and 4th ( Fort-Green ) precincts, conspired to
violate the constitutional rights of several people since April
2000. | ||||||||||||||||
It said the officers tried to find people they believed were
involved in drug trafficking. The officers then allegedly broke into
the suspects' homes without search warrants to look for drugs. In
some cases, they grabbed people off the street, the indictment
charged. | ||||||||||||||||
If they found drugs, guns or other contraband, they would decide which victims to arrest and then falsify reports to justify taking them in, the indictment said. Sometimes they kept the money, drugs, or guns they seized and let the people go, the indictment said. | ||||||||||||||||
When they found too little contraband, they planted drugs, guns or money on their victims, the indictment said. Besides falsifying police reports, they also lied in court, the indictment said. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (10-14) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
With Ed now a free man, it looks as if a new battlefront is
developing in the implementation of California's Prop 215. Prompted
by State and County police and prosecutors, the State Medical Board
is currently investigating at least 9 physicians who have made
medicinal cannabis recommendations. According to some physicians,
this has already had a serious impact on the willingness of doctors
to recommend cannabis for therapeutic purposes. In other California
news, a survey of 58 HIV patients who use cannabis has revealed that
most (57%) use it primarily to relieve depression and anxiety, with
the relief of nausea and the stimulation of appetite coming in
second. You'd be depressed and anxious too if your doctor was under
investigation for trying to help you to stay alive! | ||||||||||||||||
Our third story is (sort of) a happy ending. The Alabama teen who made headlines this year after receiving a ridiculous 26 year sentence for selling a few ounces of cannabis has had his jail time cut to 1 year. Only in a harsh, prohibitionist country like the U.S. can this sad ending be considered anything close to a "victory". It's hard to cheer when you're in arm and leg shackles. | ||||||||||||||||
And in a sad reminder that North Americans are not alone in the
battle to end cannabis prohibition, our fourth story is about a 56
year-old MS sufferer from the U.K. who plans to kill herself
following her trial for cannabis possession, production and
distribution this week. Biz Ivol made cannabis chocolates for fellow
MS sufferers in England before she was busted for the cultivation of
2 plants. With her lengthy public trial coming to an end, Ms. Ivol
cited her intolerable pain in her plans to take a lethal overdose of
pills and to get into a cardboard coffin she has already assembled
in her home in Orkney, U.K.. | ||||||||||||||||
And lastly, the Canadian Medical Association has issued a new warning about the potential dangers of cannabis this week. I wonder how these so-called health care professionals feel about the "potential dangers" of living with unbearable pain, going to jail, or overdosing on pain-killers? There is a cure for these many ills; it's called rational, compassionate, science-based drug policy! | ||||||||||||||||
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(10) CALIFORNIA POT PROSECUTIONS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
While medical marijuana grower Ed Rosenthal won his fight with the
feds last week, California doctors who recommend cannabis under
Proposition 215 (the California Compassionate Use Act) say they have
become the next target of the crackdown on those who support the
right to use the drug. Unlike Rosenthal, who was prosecuted by U.S.
government attorneys, doctors say they are being harassed by state
and county officials who conspire with federal authorities to
undermine California's medical marijuana law. | ||||||||||||||||
Police, sheriffs, and prosecutors throughout California have brought
complaints against at least nine doctors, who are being investigated
by the state Medical Board. Together, these physicians are
responsible for writing more than half of the estimated 50,000
medical marijuana recommendations in California. According to the
doctors, not one of the investigations has been triggered by a
complaint brought by a patient, a patient's family, or health care
professionals. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(11) U.S. STUDY: MANY HIV PATIENTS USE POT FOR MENTAL HEALTH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Results coming out of the medical marijuana research project at the
San Mateo Medical Center are making waves in the scientific
community. | ||||||||||||||||
The first clinical trials, which ended in February, are still being
analyzed. But psychologists were treated to some surprising data
from an initial Medical Center survey of HIV patients at the
American Psychiatric Association conference in May. The study
indicated that more HIV patients smoked marijuana for mental rather
than physical reasons. | ||||||||||||||||
"We expected to see people smoking marijuana to alleviate nausea,
pain and to increase their appetite -- all the reasons that are
commonly cited," said Diane Prentiss, a research epidemiologist with
the Medical Center. "In this case, we were surprised that 57 percent
say they smoked to relieve anxiety or depression." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(12) ALABAMA TEEN HAS DRUG SENTENCE CUT FROM 26 YEARS TO ONE YEAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
A Lawrence County teenager who sold about $350 worth of marijuana to
an undercover police officer will serve only one year of a 26-year
prison sentence. | ||||||||||||||||
Circuit Judge Philip Reich ruled Wednesday that Webster Alexander,
19, must serve an additional year on probation in addition to 300
hours of community service. The remaining 24 years of the sentence
were suspended. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Two years ago, as a senior at Lawrence County High School, Alexander
sold small amounts of marijuana on several occasions to an
undercover agent recruited by Principal Ricky Nichols. The
transactions took place at school and at Alexander's trailer, where
he lived with his family. | ||||||||||||||||
Alexander pleaded guilty in January and received the 26-year
sentence. It was his first arrest. State laws increase the penalties
for selling drugs within three miles of a school. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(13) U.K. CANNABIS CAMPAIGNER TO TAKE OWN LIFE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
A WHEELCHAIR-bound cannabis campaigner plans to take her own life
with an overdose of paracetamol and champagne after putting her case
to legalise the drug at a court case next week. | ||||||||||||||||
Biz Ivol, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, is already planning
her own funeral and has had a cardboard coffin delivered to her home
in Orkney. | ||||||||||||||||
She says she desperately wants to end her life because of the
crippling pain from the illness which makes her feel like a prisoner
in her own body. | ||||||||||||||||
However, she has pledged that she will first of all fight her
charges of possessing and supplying cannabis, which she claims
alleviates her suffering. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
(14) CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION ISSUES MARIJUANA WARNING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
As the federal government prepared legislation to decriminalize
possession of small amounts of marijuana this spring, the CMA
"strongly advised" Canadians against using the drug. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Richard Garlick, director of communications at the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, says international experience indicates that no spike in usage is likely following decriminalization. This has been true for Holland and 11 U.S. states that have made the move. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
International News | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (15-18) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Two years ago, the CIA and Peruvian Air Force (thinking they had
targeted a drug lord's airplane) shot down a missionary plane,
killing Veronica Bowers along with her baby daughter. Last week,
U.S. officials in Peru announced the flights would start again,
according to reports. Officials did not explain how similar future
mishaps would be avoided. | ||||||||||||||||
In Afghanistan, U.S. military spokesmen denied reports by the UK's
Guardian newspaper which alleged the military had sprayed herbicides
on opium crops. Spraying operations, according to the Guardian, took
place in the Zafar Khel region in eastern Afghanistan. | ||||||||||||||||
The city of Prince George, in British Columbia, Canada, announced
last week it will provide a crack-pipe exchange service as a harm
reduction measure to reduce the spread of hepatitis C. Prince George
joins a growing list of communities across Canada which have
crack-pipe exchanges. The Prince George program will also offer AIDS
prevention, needle exchange, pregnancy testing, contraceptives,
detox centers and other services. | ||||||||||||||||
And in Australia, the New South Wales government ballyhooed the
launch of a new anti-cannabis ad campaign. In ads "unashamedly
targeted at young people," officials hailed messages which use young
actors to scapegoat cannabis users as irresponsible losers.
Saturating the radio airwaves in NSW, the $545,000 government
propaganda campaign featured "Johnny ... whose relationships -
family life, work and health - suffer as a result of his cannabis
use." | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
(15) ANTIDRUG FLIGHTS TO RESUME IN PERU (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
As U.S. Cracks Down In Colombia, It Seems Coca Production Is
Shifting | ||||||||||||||||
AGUAYTIA, Peru - Alarmed by evidence that drug trafficking is on the
rise in Peru, the Bush administration expects controversial
antinarcotics air-interdiction flights to resume in the Andean
nation by the end of this year. | ||||||||||||||||
"We are seeing a large increase in the number of people clearing out
old coca fields, and getting back into it," explained a senior U.S.
official in Peru who is familiar with antinarcotics efforts there.
His agency doesn't permit him to be named. | ||||||||||||||||
The official and other experts attribute the resurgence in Peru of
coca, the raw material for cocaine, mainly to intense pressure on
coca growers in neighboring Colombia, where Washington has spent
nearly $2 billion in recent years. Other factors include lapses in
enforcement in Peru and the failure of U.S.-promoted alternative
crops such as coffee and heart of palm to be as profitable as coca
for Peruvian farmers. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Equally troubling, said the U.S. official, is evidence that Peru has
become a player in the global heroin trade through the export of
growing quantities of opium sap or latex. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
U.S.-backed air surveillance and interdiction of traffickers ended
abruptly in Peru and Colombia on April 20, 2001, when the Peruvian
air force and a CIA contractor downed a floatplane and killed U.S.
missionary Veronica Bowers and her infant daughter. Their return
home had been mistaken for a drug flight. | ||||||||||||||||
Before that, Peru, with CIA help, had made sharp gains against drug
trafficking by blowing small planes ferrying drugs to Colombia out
of the sky. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
It's unclear when antidrug flights will resume. Peruvian pilots and
their on-the-ground tracking partners have completed training on
simulators in Oklahoma City. | ||||||||||||||||
Colombia also expects to resume antidrug flights before the year's
end. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
(16) U.S. DENIES SPRAYING AFGHAN POPPIES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The U.S. military has denied using helicopters to spray herbicides
on opium crops in Afghanistan. | ||||||||||||||||
The move came after a report in Britain's Guardian newspaper, in
which villagers in eastern Afghanistan said U.S. forces had secretly
tried to wipe out their poppy crops in April under cover of
darkness. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
The Guardian reported that the herbicide spraying had taken place in
the Zafar Khel region of eastern Afghanistan. | ||||||||||||||||
Since the fall of the Taleban in 2001, Afghanistan has reclaimed its
position as the world's top producer of opium. | ||||||||||||||||
Since the fall of the Taleban in 2001, Afghanistan has
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
(17) CRACK PIPES ADDED TO NEEDLE EXCHANGE PROGRAM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
It's a simple apparatus -- a filtered glass tube about the size of a peppermint stick, attached to a clear-rubber mouthpiece. | ||||||||||||||||
But Linda Keefe hopes that giving out clean crack pipes to drug addicts will help combat a more complex problem -- the spread of hepatitis C, a contagious disease that's prevalent among intravenous drug users. The AIDS prevention and needle exchange program began its new campaign last Friday, and has already handed out nearly 60 clean pipes from its Third Avenue office. "We're trying to keep the younger ones from getting hepatitis C" through sharing pipes with infected users, said Keefe, program co-ordinator and nurse. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
When the needle exchange first opened, workers saw a number of young
teenagers who were shooting intravenous drugs, but Keefe said
there's been a shift among that age group to crack and crystal
methamphetamine. | ||||||||||||||||
When clean pipes are handed out, the worker explains how to safely
use the pipe, changing the removable mouthpiece to avoid
contamination. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Other communities, such as the Sunshine Coast, Nelson, Parksville,
Whitehorse and Toronto, have also established crack-pipe exchanges,
she said. | ||||||||||||||||
Besides providing clean needles and pipes to drug users, the AIDS prevention and needle exchange program also provides nursing services, disease and pregnancy testing, contraceptives, community education and referrals to detox centres and medical help. | ||||||||||||||||
http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange)
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
(18) RADIO ADS TO WARN ON CANNABIS USE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
A series of radio advertisements would warn teenagers of the negative effects of using cannabis, the NSW government said. | ||||||||||||||||
Special Minister of State John Della Bosca has launched the "bold"
second phase of the state government's youth anti-cannabis
initiative. | ||||||||||||||||
This stage follows the "loser" poster series which hit cinemas and
the streets during the summer school holidays. | ||||||||||||||||
Mr Della Bosca said the radio ads were "unashamedly targeted at
young people". | ||||||||||||||||
"Cannabis is not harmless," Mr Della Bosca said in a statement. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
"The series features a character called Johnny, whose relationships
- family life, work and health - suffer as a result of his cannabis
use," he said. | ||||||||||||||||
"By using young actors, young language and realistic situations,
there's no lecturing tone." | ||||||||||||||||
The initiative's third phase would be launched shortly with all
three stages costing $545,000, Mr Della Bosca said. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
NEW High Times Radio Interview with Todd- "The Joint" | ||||||||||||||||
"Medical pot prisoner Todd McCormick joins Callum for an
unforgettable episode of HIGH ON THE AIR. In this jailhouse
interview, Todd implores the marijuana world to stand up for their
rights. Also, an exclusive report from Iraq and a new rap star makes
some reefer rhymes." | ||||||||||||||||
Listen to Medical Marijuana Political Prisoner Todd McCormick's
interview at: | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
Canada's First Cannabis HIV/AIDS Study Suspended | ||||||||||||||||
TORONTO, June 19 /CNW/ - The Community Research Initiative of Toronto
(CRIT) today announced the cancellation of the first Canadian study
evaluating the therapeutic effects of smoked marijuana, a direct result
of Health Canada's decision not to renew funding for this groundbreaking
project. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
Cultural Baggage Radio Show | ||||||||||||||||
Friday, June 13, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||
Jacob Sullum - Author: "Saying Yes in Defense of Drug Use",
Senior Editor Reason Magazine | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
Skate For Justice 2003 | ||||||||||||||||
Sunday, June 22, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||
A Students for Sensible Drug Policy Event | ||||||||||||||||
Inline Skating from Binghamton, NY to Ithaca, NY | ||||||||||||||||
On June 22, 2003, a group of about 20 activists - comprised mostly of
students - will set out on an all day journey on inline skates from
Binghamton, NY, to Ithaca, NY, in a very public display of disgust
with the drug policies of the United States of America. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the Marijuana Policy Project
Benefit | ||||||||||||||||
Bill Maher - John Fugelsang - Pauly Shore | ||||||||||||||||
Performing at the Comedy Store | ||||||||||||||||
July 7th at 8:00 PM | ||||||||||||||||
8433 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, Ca 90069 | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
DEA Showed Its Contempt For Our Liberty | ||||||||||||||||
By Glenn White | ||||||||||||||||
In your article on Ed Rosenthal (June 4), DEA spokesman, Richard
Meyer says: "We feel Proposition 215 was a coup d'etat by the
movement that wants to legalize not only marijuana, but all drugs.
They deceived the public." | ||||||||||||||||
This reflects the DEA's contempt for liberty, elections, democracy,
and the intelligence of American voters in many states over a period
of years. | ||||||||||||||||
Jesus says it is not what enters a man that defiles him, but what
comes out (Mark 7:15). This treasonous language spewing from the DEA
while America fights for the freedom of others speaks much of the
anti-American, anti-Christian, and anti-family values of those who
only wish to preserve their well-abused privileges to impose
suffering upon those who've harmed no one nor their property while
living off other peoples' taxes. | ||||||||||||||||
Some say terrorists will take away our freedom. The DEA political
ideology calls American elections "coups," and continues to
terrorize those deemed "politically incorrect." | ||||||||||||||||
They appear to relish their opposition to American democracy. The
DEA and the Justice Department owe the people of this and other
states an apology for their arrogance and treasonous contempt
against our elections, our democracy, our liberty and our
intelligence. | ||||||||||||||||
Limit government, not liberty. It is still our patriotic duty. | ||||||||||||||||
Glenn White | ||||||||||||||||
Dublin | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
Keeping Kids Off Drugs | ||||||||||||||||
By Marsha Rosenbaum | ||||||||||||||||
Pragmatism Vs. Zero Tolerance -- Let Science Be The Guide | ||||||||||||||||
The emotionally charged issue of keeping teenagers off drugs has
prompted a variety of programs and policies. The problem is that we
don't know whether they work. | ||||||||||||||||
For more than 20 years we have carried on a huge experiment on our teenagers. Beginning in the early 1980s with Nancy Reagan's simplistic "just say no" mantra, we have tried persuasion, encouragement and scare tactics. We started by subjecting our kids to school-based prevention programs (such as DARE), and provocative (if ridiculous) commercials (such as the egg in the frying pan). | ||||||||||||||||
Obviously, our teenagers did not stop using drugs. In fact, year after year, government studies have indicated that by the time they graduate from high school, half of American teenagers will have admitted trying an illegal drug and 8 of 10 will have used alcohol. | ||||||||||||||||
Frustrated by our inability to get them to stop using drugs, we added threats and punishment to our repertoire. To show we meant business we instituted "zero tolerance" policies that included invasive and offensive procedures such as drug testing, sniffing dogs and locker searches. When caught, even for the silliest offense (such as theMaine high school student who brought Tylenol to school to alleviate menstrual cramps), students have been stigmatized, barred from extracurricular activities or expelled from school. | ||||||||||||||||
As the mother of a teenager and a young adult, I wish we'd done the
research before instituting these draconian policies. | ||||||||||||||||
In April the surprising results from the largest national survey of
student drug testing appeared in the American School Health
Association's well-respected Journal of School Health. For educators
and others who thought drug testing would be the panacea that could
deter their students' substance use, and certainly for the
ever-expanding, multibillion dollar drug testing industry, the news
was crushing. | ||||||||||||||||
The study found that drug testing, (costing from $10 to $70 per
student), while humiliating and alienating them in the process, does
nothing to deter drug use. In school districts that tested students
for drugs, 37 percent had used marijuana during the past year, and
21 percent had used "hard" drugs. In comparable schools that did not
test for drugs, 36 percent of students had used marijuana and 19
percent had used harder drugs -- a wash at best. | ||||||||||||||||
Now that the results are in, I'm hopeful the National School Boards
Association will retreat from its pro-drug testing posture. And just
for the record, I hope the U.S. Supreme Court justices, who ruled in
a 2002 case that it was constitutional (and clearly stated that they
believed it effective) to test students wanting to participate in
the choir, the chess club and any other extra-curricular activities,
will find a way to reverse their misbegotten decision. | ||||||||||||||||
Whereas policymakers may not be looking critically for evidence
before making decisions, the good news is that real parents dealing
with real teenagers in the real world seem to be paying attention.
Recent news from the California Parent-Teacher Association suggests
that parents fed up with zero tolerance "horror stories" will lead
the way in making pragmatic, science-based decisions. | ||||||||||||||||
After deciding last year to partner with the Safety First project of
the Drug Policy Alliance, which advocates honest drug education and
an end to counterproductive scare tactics, in May the | ||||||||||||||||
When California PTA Vice President for Community Concerns, Julie
Bauer, reviewed research findings, including those from the
comprehensive National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, she
learned that school connectedness has a direct relationship to
lowered health risk behaviors, such as drug use. | ||||||||||||||||
At the annual PTA convention held in early May, she did something
about what she had learned. Noting that "suspension or expulsion of
students that use alcohol and drugs, without behavioral | ||||||||||||||||
In other words, rather than throwing students out of school for
making bad decisions, let's offer help, keep them busy, locate
constructive punishment for rule-breaking within the school context,
and try to increase their connection to teachers, administrators and
other students. | ||||||||||||||||
Though there was much discussion and some dissention, in a show of
common sense, pragmatism, and courage, voting members of the PTA
overwhelmingly approved the "Alternatives to Zero Tolerance"
resolution. | ||||||||||||||||
With parents taking the lead, we hope that high level educators (and
Supreme Court justices) will follow with evidence-based policies,
and stop using our teenagers as guinea pigs. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it, misdiagnosing it, and then misapplying the wrong remedies." -- Groucho Marx | ||||||||||||||||
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