| Aug. 8, 2003 #312 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
(1) GLOBAL SCOURGE: SYNTHETIC DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - The dime-a-dozen storage unit in San Gabriel, Calif.,
yielded a big find: Law-enforcement officials on Sunday uncovered 70
pounds of Asian methamphetamine, carrying a street value of $3
million. | ||||||||||||||||||
The largest US seizure of the pure and potent Asian variety of the
stimulant, it was also the latest evidence of the global rise of
powerful synthetic illegal drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
Two decades after the naturally derived drugs cocaine and heroin
washed over global markets, this new peril is hitting shores from
Asia to Europe like a tsunami. Synthetic drugs - principally
amphetamines, methamphetamine, and the "party drug" Ecstasy - are
already heavily used in some Northern "developed" countries but
are now catching on among other youth populations. | ||||||||||||||||||
The head of the UN's drug-control agency says the world is not ready for an "epidemic" that breaks familiar drug-trafficking patterns and is dependent on weak states in much the way international terrorism is. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(2) BRITAIN LOSING NEW AFGHAN OPIUM WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
British-led plans to destroy Afghan opium poppy farming, responsible
for 90% of the UK's heroin supply, have made little progress so far,
UN figures will show next month. | ||||||||||||||||||
Britain, responsible for the international coordination of the fight against the Afghan drug trade, is to call a donors' conference to raise extra funds to combat the Afghan economy's dependence on opium production. The conference will also examine alternative livelihoods for desperately poor farmers attracted to the profitable opium market. | ||||||||||||||||||
The conference - probably to be held in Afghanistan in November - will
bring the major agencies together including the UN, the Aid
Development Bank, the World Bank and the European Union, as well as
individual countries. | ||||||||||||||||||
Britain has already provided nearly UKP300m to Afghanistan over three
years, including UKP70m just to fight drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(3) MIKURIYA'S MOTION DENIED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Administrative Law Judge Jonathan Lew has rejected a motion to dismiss
the state Medical Board's case against Tod Mikuriya. The Berkeley
psychiatrist, who has approved cannabis use by some 7,500 patients in
recent years, will have to defend his handling of 17 cases at a
hearing that's scheduled to start Sept. 3 in Oakland. According to
Mikuriya, all the patients involved have benefited from cannabis use,
and none have reported adverse effects. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Following a lengthy investigation in which the Board subpoenaed files
that the patients involved did not want to provide, Mikuriya was
accused of "unprofessional conduct" and "gross negligence" based on
his allegedly inadequate records, superficial examinations, lack of
follow-up, etc. Mikuriya's lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the
accusation, relying heavily on the argument that Prop 215 conferred
"absolute immunity" on doctors who recommend marijuana. They cited the
law created by 215, which states, "Notwithstanding any other provision
of law, no physician in this state shall be punished, or denied any
right or privilege, for having recommended marijuana to a patient for
medical purposes." | ||||||||||||||||||
Judge Lew, in a ruling issued Aug. 4, distinguished between a recommendation to use marijuana and the process by which the doctor decides to issue the recommendation. A doctor can't be punished for making the recommendation, according to Lew, but can be punished for failing to take certain steps in arriving at the decision. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(4) CASE THROWN OUT, DRUG-SNIFFING DOG UNQUALIFIED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
STATE DID Not Present Evidence Of Razor's Training In Sniffing. | ||||||||||||||||||
TAMPA -- Hillsborough Sheriff's deputies deployed their drugdetecting dog, Razor, to sniff around the car when they stopped motorist Gary Alan Matheson for a traffic infraction on Hillsborough Avenue. | ||||||||||||||||||
The German shepherd signaled the presence of drugs, which deputies
used as probable cause for the May 1999 search, which revealed
morphine and methamphetamine. | ||||||||||||||||||
Failing to get the evidence suppressed in court, Matheson pleaded guilty to drug-possession charges. He received probation in 2000. | ||||||||||||||||||
This week, however, the 2nd District Court of Appeal threw out the case against Matheson, saying the state had not presented any evidence of the dog's "track record" of sniffing out drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
In its unanimous ruling, the appeals court also noted that Razor
had received only five weeks of drug-sniffing training, whereas the
Customs Service puts its dogs through a 12-week course and teaches
them to disregard residual scents. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The court's ruling, which also affects law enforcement in Pinellas
County, does not forbid drug searches by dogs or declare them
uniformly unreliable. But without better training, the court ruled,
Razor should not have automatically been considered reliable enough
to give deputies probable cause for the car search. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-9) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A strange thing happened in Hawaii last week. A U.S. attorney
fabricated statistics regarding the state's methamphetamine problem
in hopes of curtailing constitutionally protected civil liberties.
That, of course, isn't the strange part of the story. It got a
little weird when one newspaper contacted the alleged source for the
statistics and determined the numbers had no foundation in reality.
Some newspaper editorialists seemed to take offense at the idea of a
government official lying to escalate the drug war. The U.S.
Attorney defended himself brilliantly by saying the specific figures
he cited were not meant to be taken as accurate. State leaders
appeared unconcerned about the issue, so things are apparently
getting back to normal. | ||||||||||||||||||
A different kind of strangeness in Florida, where new scrutiny is being directed an alleged former drug dealer who has been hired by the state's law enforcement agency to create an anti-terrorism network. Also bizarre is the willingness of voters in Jackson County, Missouri to continue a local drug war tax. Somehow, having the tax for the past 12 years hasn't made the county drug-free yet. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(5) STATE LAWS HINDERING DRUG WAR, PANEL TOLD (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Hawai'i's wiretapping laws and the state constitution must be changed
to help officials fight the state's war on crystal methamphetamine,
state and federal law enforcement officials told legislators
yesterday.-- or "ice" -- problem in the nation, with about 30,000
"hard-coecreational users, U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo told a House-Senate
Task Force on Ice and Drug Abatement. Kubo said Hawai'i's
law-enforcement officials seize 100 to 200 pounds of crystal meth each
year. | ||||||||||||||||||
Policy-makers have been struggling with how to deal with the state's ice problem, which authorities say has grown tremendously. | ||||||||||||||||||
"This is a problem that is threatening to tear apart our entire society here in Hawai'i," said state Attorney General Mark Bennett. | ||||||||||||||||||
Kubo and Bennett said the state's wiretap laws have so many hurdles
they are rarely used. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(6) 'ICE' USAGE OVERSTATED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Law enforcement officials from the U.S. attorney to the city prosecutor have been promoting a war against the "ice epidemic" this summer and have justified their call for stronger state laws by quoting an alarming statistic that 30,000 people in Hawaii are hard-core users and another 90,000 are recreational users. | ||||||||||||||||||
However, the University of Hawaii professor who is cited as the source of those numbers says he never made such an estimate. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I absolutely never said anything near 30,000 people. Certainly not
90,000 users or 120,000. That's ridiculous," said William Wood, a
professor of sociology who also serves on the drug epidemiology work
group for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which forecasts drug
trends regionally and nationally. | ||||||||||||||||||
Wood said yesterday that in a 2000 study he estimated 8,100 people
in the state were hard-core crystal methamphetamine users in need of
treatment after a 1998 household survey of more than 5,000 people in
Hawaii. | ||||||||||||||||||
He said he had no idea how that 8,100 became 30,000. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(7) OFFICIALS DEFEND ISLE 'ICE' NUMBERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Leaders Say The Data Should Not Diminish The Problem's Urgency | ||||||||||||||||||
U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo said yesterday he stands behind the estimate
that 30,000 people in Hawaii are "chronic users" of crystal
methamphetamine as "an accurate ballpark guesstimate" of the problem
today. | ||||||||||||||||||
In a Star-Bulletin story yesterday, University of Hawaii sociology
professor William Wood, cited as the source of that figure, denied
he ever made such an estimate. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Kubo and other law enforcement officers such as city Prosecutor Peter Carlisle have used the figures in recent public hearings and before the Legislature to get tougher wiretap and search laws. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I want to focus attention on the 30,000 chronic users. They are the
problem," Kubo said yesterday. "It is a best guesstimate and by no
means is intended to be an accurate number." | ||||||||||||||||||
Carlisle said: "The numbers are irrelevant. The key is that ice is a
mega-league problem, and anyone in law enforcement will tell you
that. The problem is very real and everyone knows it." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(8) STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRACTOR LINKED TO DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
TALLAHASSEE- A man implicated two decades ago in a Bahamian drug
smuggling ring has been hired by the Florida Department of Law
Enforcement to help create a 13-state anti-terrorism network being
launched with $4 million in Justice Department funding. | ||||||||||||||||||
Millionaire Hank Asher of Boca Raton, a friend of recently retired
FDLE Director James "Tim" Moore and a major political contributor,
was never charged with drug smuggling. He served as an informant and
witness in several trials and was identified by other FDLE
informants as someone who provided police protection for smuggling
operations. | ||||||||||||||||||
Interim FDLE head Daryl McLaughlin called Friday for complete
assessment of Asher's background, saying previous checks were
inadequate. | ||||||||||||||||||
"You have told me stuff we didn't know," McLaughlin told the St.
Petersburg Times for its Saturday editions. "We should know more
about a company we are doing business with." | ||||||||||||||||||
Asher's first company, DBT Online Inc., bought him out for $147
million in 1999 after the FBI and the Drug Enforcement | ||||||||||||||||||
Asher has not charged the FDLE for many of his services, McLaughlin said. Technology from his company, Seisint Inc., has been demonstrated for Vice President Dick Cheney and Gov. Jeb Bush. | ||||||||||||||||||
Documents filed by prosecutors in Chicago identified Asher as a
pilot and former smuggler who lived in the Bahamas near a small
airport once used by smugglers. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(9) VOTERS RENEW COMBAT SALES TAX (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The results had about 67 percent of Kansas City voters voting in
favor of the one-fourth cent sales tax, or the Community Backed
Anti-drug Tax. Until that point, initial reports from Eastern
Jackson County were slightly closer at about 65 to 35 percent in
favor of approval. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I'll take any win but I love a big win," said Jackson County
Executive Katheryn Shields, speaking to the crowd of about 70
supporters at the Adam's Mark Hotel. "I want to thank the voters of
Jackson County who obviously know when they have a good thing and
are willing to go to the polls to keep it." | ||||||||||||||||||
Final poll results put the vote at 10,623 to 5,194 in favor in
Kansas City and 11,644 to 7,197 approving the tax in Eastern Jackson
County, for a total of 22,267 for and 12,391 against. That total
vote was 64.2 percent in favor and 35.7 percent against. It required
a simple majority for passage. In addition to the one-fourth cent
COMBAT tax, Jackson Countians pay a one-half cent sales tax for the
general fund. | ||||||||||||||||||
The vote represents less than 10 percent of eligible voters in the
county. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (10-14) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
US Attorney General John Ashcroft is following congress's lead and keeping tabs on federal judges who offer light sentences. Judges still say they need discretion, particularly in drug cases. | ||||||||||||||||||
The judges know drug offenders are filling federal prisons, but some
state officials from Vermont and Maine seem surprised that the rate
of women in state prisons is exploding. They don't know for sure,
but some observers think drug laws could have something to do with
the trend. | ||||||||||||||||||
There's no need to speculate in Oklahoma, where 45 percent of women
in state prisons are there for a drug-related charge, compared to a
mere 32 percent of the male population. Oklahoma, not by coincidence,
has the highest incarceration rate for women of any state in the
nation. | ||||||||||||||||||
And another heart-warming story from nearby Texas, where a
state-wide competition was held for high school students pretending
to be cops in a variety of situations, including mock drug busts.
One wonders if scores were helped or hindered by displaying respect
for rights and civil liberties. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(10) ASHCROFT INTENSIFIES CAMPAIGN AGAINST JUDGES' SOFT SENTENCES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Stepping up the Justice Department's battle with federal judges over sentencing guidelines, Attorney General John Ashcroft has directed government lawyers to report on judges who give out softer sentences and to start appealing those sentences in far higher numbers. | ||||||||||||||||||
The move, circulated in an internal memo last week, was anticipated
under a measure known as the Feeney amendment, adopted by Congress
in April to strengthen judges' adherence to new, stricter sentencing
guidelines. Many judges, including U.S. Chief Justice William
Rehnquist, view the new rules as a further attack on their
independence. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Many judges have voiced dissatisfaction with guidelines they view as onerous, particularly those that establish mandatory minimums for drug sales and possession. The guidelines are widely credited with the four-fold increase in the federal prison population since 1987. More than half of federal inmates are now drug offenders. | ||||||||||||||||||
While Congress is calling for ever-greater prison sentences for
almost all crimes, the trend in the states is going the opposite
way. Squeezed by tight budgets, many states have repealed mandatory
minimum sentences in the last three years. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(11) MAINE LOOKS FOR CAUSE OF FEMALE INMATE RISE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
AUGUSTA, Maine -- Two years ago, corrections officials were planning
the construction of a women's prison in Windham that was supposed to
meet the state's needs through 2010. | ||||||||||||||||||
When the facility opened its doors last summer, all 70 beds were
filled by the end of the first day. | ||||||||||||||||||
The dramatic increase in the number of prisoners has confounded
Maine officials, who say that while the crimes rate has dropped, the
inmate population has nearly doubled in the past two years. ''We
have found these statistics to be very perplexing,'' said Denise
Lord, associate commissioner of the Department of Corrections. ''We
think there are a number of anecdotal explanations for these
figures, but we have not yet been able to identify a single
determining factor.'' | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Lord said she suspects that a big part of the higher prisoner population can be blamed on rising drug abuse. Maine's courts are processing more and more cases in which women are committing crimes to buy drugs for themselves or their boyfriends or husbands. | ||||||||||||||||||
''We're finding that with the influx of heroin and other drugs,
we're seeing women commit the same kind of crimes like burglaries,
check fraud, and shoplifting'' that men have long committed, said
Michael Povich, the district attorney for Hancock and Washington
counties. | ||||||||||||||||||
Judges also are taking a harder line with female criminals, Povich
said. | ||||||||||||||||||
''We're now becoming pretty color-blind to gender, particularly
those charged with drug-related offenses, and the courts are
responding with shock sentences,'' he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(12) MORE VT. WOMEN ARE DOING TIME (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
MONTPELIER -- The increasing number of women in Vermont's prisons
mirrors national trends, experts say, fueled in large measure by
more intensive substance abuse problems such as heroin and
prescription drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
While there are no definitive studies to indicate why Vermont's
female prison population is growing at such a rapid rate, Vermont
Corrections Department officials, judges, and experts in the field
say anecdotal evidence suggests that drugs -- especially heroin --
are playing a large role. | ||||||||||||||||||
"This is not based on any scientific assessment but on repeated
conversations with women offenders," said Corrections Commissioner
Steven Gold. "The issue of heroin and the context of substance abuse
plays a large role in the world of women offenders." | ||||||||||||||||||
Last June there were 80 women in Vermont's prison system. This year that number has mushroomed to 140. From 1992, when the state averaged about 28 women in prison at any one time, to 2002, when the state averaged 92, the number has risen fairly steadily. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(13) WOMEN'S DRUG CRIME RATE TOPS MALES IN STATE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Forty-five percent of women going into the state's prison system have violated a drug law, a researcher told a special task force on female incarceration Wednesday. Thirty-two percent of men going into the system have violated drug laws, said David Wright, director of research for the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Research Center. | ||||||||||||||||||
Prison receptions for drug crimes grew from 11.6 percent of total receptions in 1986 to 37.4 percent in fiscal year 2002, Wright said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
A 2001 report stated Oklahoma ranked No. 1 in the nation in
incarceration of women. | ||||||||||||||||||
The national average is 58 women per 100,000 women, Moon said. | ||||||||||||||||||
"In Oklahoma, the number is 130 women per 100,000 women, more than
twice the national rate," Moon said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(14) POLICE COMPETITION BROUGHT IN 67 TEAMS TO PARTICIPATE IN EVENT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
BAY CITY - Darla Galvan is thrown to the ground, handcuffed and
searched. Three youths search Galvan's clothing and the classrooms
contents for more drugs. They find mock crack - rocks and chalk, and
ether water in a bottle. | ||||||||||||||||||
"What's this about?" Galvan yells as she's being patted down, her
shoes and socks stripped and her hair combed through. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The more you struggle the more you'll get hurt, so just comply with
the orders," Carlos Vasquez responded. | ||||||||||||||||||
Fifteen minutes later, the Houston Police Department's Explorers
Unit 2461 notifies the dispatcher that they have completed their
scenario and the drug raid ends. Galvan gathers her belongings and
exits the room with the Explorers. | ||||||||||||||||||
Similar scenarios went on last Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the
Bay City High School as part of the Bay City Law Enforcement
Explorer Competition. | ||||||||||||||||||
The competition brought 67 teams from various police departments and
schools from across the state and Mississippi to compete in the mock
law enforcement competition. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It is a lot of fun. It is amazing how good they are," said Bay City
Police Sgt. Chris Crummett. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (15-18) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
No news may be good news; all that I know is that at the peak of summer, it means a bit less time in front of the computer, and a bit more time working on my disk golf game. I'm sorry to announce that due to a lack of news or content this week, the hemp and cannabis section will be somewhat abbreviated. We'll begin with a review of Martin Booth's Cannabis: A History. This book is a comprehensive historical examination of the history of cannabis and the fruitless efforts to prohibit its use and cultivation in modern time. | ||||||||||||||||||
Our second story is a slightly inaccurate editorial about cannabis
and driving which addresses the two biggest battles fronts facing
proponents for the legalization of marijuana: 1) the courts; and 2)
public perception. In Canada the courts have acknowledged that
driving under the influence of cannabis is both hard to detect and
unlikely to have serious adverse consequences; but will this create
a backlash against further cannabis policy liberalization in a
public that simply doesn't understand the science and truth of
cannabis use and intoxication? What can activists do to alleviate
such concerns? | ||||||||||||||||||
Other stories last week were small but not without glimmers of hope.
In Kentucky, a teacher who was fired after bringing Woody Harrelson
and other hemp supporters to her classroom won a settlement from her
former school district, while city fathers in Gardern, Mass. are
allowing the broadcast of a video series about marijuana on the
local cable access station. | ||||||||||||||||||
Until next week, your faithful editor urges you all to go out and
play in the sun, but be careful if you're driving. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(15) JUST SAY THINK AGAIN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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When Pope Gregory IX initiated the Holy Inquisition in 1231, one of the substances that came under scrutiny was hemp - used apparently not only by herbalists and physicians but sorcerers as well. | ||||||||||||||||||
Their persecution began in earnest in 1484, when Pope Innocent VIII,
specifically targeting women, banned the use of hemp in rituals to
prevent the celebration of the Black or Satanic Mass. | ||||||||||||||||||
Hemp aided in driving Satanists and witches into ecstatic frenzies, making them hungry and acting as an aphrodisiac for orgies. Hemp seed oil was also an ingredient in "flying ointment", which witches used to "ride their broomsticks". This was according to Malleus Maleficarum, a handbook on sorcery, first published in 1482. | ||||||||||||||||||
God alone knows how the Inquisition would have gone had they
discovered hemp's psychoactive qualities. But, more than 500 years
later, it would appear that the hysteria is still with us. Despite
its use by cancer patients, Aids victims and many other sufferers
from painful diseases the world over, the U.S. Supreme Court struck
down the medical uses of marijuana in May 2001. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(16) CASE THROWN OUT FOR POT-SMOKING DRIVER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
An Ontario judge threw out a case involving a pot-smoking driver, setting a precedent that has a lot of people scratching their heads. | ||||||||||||||||||
Apparently the driver has legal permission to smoke marijuana for
medical reasons. He was smoking while driving, and got stopped for a
traffic offence. The judge decided it could not be proved the
marijuana caused the offence. | ||||||||||||||||||
In essence, the judge handed the man a "get out of jail free" card.
He, and others who have medical permission to consume the drug, can
now do it while driving. | ||||||||||||||||||
Granted, the drug provides relief for some health conditions. Few
would argue against a cancer sufferer using the drug to combat pain
and nausea from chemotherapy. Why this particular user was not
satisfied to quietly smoke up in his living room but saw fit to take
the show on the road, so to speak, no one knows. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(17) TEACHER FIRED FOR PROMOTING HEMP GETS $70,000 SETTLEMENT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
FRANKFORT -- A former teacher will receive $70,000 from the Shelby County School District to settle a lawsuit she filed claiming she was wrongfully fired for promoting the legalization of hemp. | ||||||||||||||||||
The settlement with Donna Cockrel, formerly of Frankfort, was
reached Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Frankfort where jury
selection was to begin in the suit filed in 1997. | ||||||||||||||||||
Cockrel came under fire in 1996 when she invited actor Woody Harrelson, an industrial hemp advocate, to talk to her fifth-grade students at the Simpsonville Elementary School about his cause. | ||||||||||||||||||
Accompanying Harrelson were a retired banker and hemp farmers from
nations where it's a legal crop. This topic related to Cockrel's
agricultural class about alternative crops that could preserve the
environment. But hemp is controversial because it can be smoked,
causing marijuanalike effects. Cockrel also taught about other fiber
crops. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(18) GARDNER OKS CABLE SERIES PROMOTING POT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
GARDNER- The city's Cable Commission, concerned about the possibility of a lawsuit, voted 3-2 yesterday to allow pro-marijuana videotapes to be shown on the local cable access station. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Steve Drury, a pro-marijuana activist from Templeton, asked the city
a couple of months ago to air four tapes that are part of a cable
series by Jim Pillsbury of Framingham. The tapes concern potential
state budget savings from decriminalizing marijuana; medicinal
marijuana; a hemp clothing pageant; and the politics of pot,
according to a flier. | ||||||||||||||||||
When the commission discussed the issue last week, Mr. Drury and Mr.
Pillsbury attended along with Ronal C. Madnick, executive director
of the Worcester County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties
Union of Massachusetts. The commission referred the matter back to
City Solicitor Scott Graves for a second opinion - which arrived in
a document, stamped "Confidential," and was handed out to
commissioners before yesterday's meeting. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (19-22) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
After a two year pause, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell last
week ordered the Colombian military to again shoot down suspected
"drug planes" when told to do so by U.S. intelligence agencies. The
policy allows US intelligence officials to have planes shot down and
their occupants killed on suspicion alone. The program was halted in
2001 after reports circulated about slain shoot-down victims -- a
missionary and her daughter -- who had been mistaken for drug lords
in the shoot-first policy. | ||||||||||||||||||
In bordering Peru, coca farmers last week demanded a larger share of
the legal coca market as coca production continues to rise. "[W]e
are asking for five years of [coca] production ... When we have
markets assured, farmers are ready to produce," stated cocalero
chief Flavio Sanchez. Like Bolivia, Peru had been ballyhooed by U.S.
prohibition officials as a successful drug war model. Recently,
however, both countries have seen steep increases in coca
cultivation, as well as mounting organized resistance from
traditional peasant coca farmers. | ||||||||||||||||||
Government is forever enchanted with the idea of greater control
over the media. (Why? To save "children" from "drugs", of course!)
Bureaucrats in the African nation of Ghana are no different.
Ghanaian officials announced last week that the "media" was to blame
for the spread of "illicit drugs". Because radio presenters hawked
"herbal concoctions" with "inviting language", fretted authorities
in Ghana, "the problem of drug abuse has been on the ascending", the
Ghanaian Chronicle reported last week. | ||||||||||||||||||
The UK has quietly dropped British Prime Minister Tony Blair's
earlier promise to eradicate opium production in occupied
Afghanistan. In what reports have described as a "scandal" and a
"fiasco", Blair's earlier pledge to wipe out Afghan opium has now
been abandoned, as Afghanistan's production soared to record
(pre-Taliban) levels. Last year, Afghanistan produced an estimated
3,4000 metric tons, believed to be about three fourths of the world
total. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(19) U.S. DRUG FLIGHTS TO RESUME IN COLOMBIA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Colin Powell has approved the resumption of U.S. surveillance flights over Colombia, which then guide Colombian air force jets to drug planes that can be shot down, after a two-year suspension imposed when a plane carrying American missionaries was mistakenly shot down, a U.S. official said Tuesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
The official said the White House is expected to announce the
resumption of the drug surveillance flights Thursday, when President
Alvaro Uribe observes his first anniversary in office. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
They were suspended in April 2001 after a Peruvian fighter jet acting on U.S intelligence shot down the ill-fated flight, killing U.S. missionary Veronica Bowers and her daughter Charity. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Other officials have said no agreement is expected soon to resume
flights over Peru, which lacks radar and aircraft needed for the
program. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(20) AS TRAFFICKING RISES IN PERU, FARMERS WANT LARGER LEGAL MARKET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
In the context of the larger Andean drug war, things are going badly
in Peru. It was held up as a model in the 1990s, when Washington
credited it with reducing the amount of coca under cultivation by 70
percent. But since 2001, the year Toledo assumed office, Peru has
seen an explosion in coca planting. | ||||||||||||||||||
A U.S. official in Peru, speaking on the condition of anonymity,
said Peru's survey of the legal coca market was welcome if it also
helped to clarify the larger illegal market. | ||||||||||||||||||
But the Bush administration is wary of any expansion of the legal
market, wanting to hold Peru to its September 2002 pledge of near-
eradication by 2006. Months after making that pledge, Toledo
compromised with the cocaleros, agreeing to give them until 2008 to
switch to alternative crops. | ||||||||||||||||||
"What we need is for them to sit down with us and forge an
agriculture policy, so that the farmer doesn't need to grow coca.
That's why we are asking for five years of [coca] production," said
Flavio Sanchez, a cocalero leader who was interviewed at a recent
march in his town of Aguaytia. "When we have markets assured,
farmers are ready to produce." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(21) MEDIA BLAMED FOR PROLIFERATION OF ILLICIT DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Ashanti Regional Zonal officer of the Food and drugs Board (FDB), Mr. P.K. Agyemang-Duah, has blamed the electronic media for the proliferation of unwholesome drugs on the Ghanaian market. | ||||||||||||||||||
According to him, the various electronic media houses have
perpetually refused to comply with the laws governing drug
advertisements and continue to advertise various kinds of illicit
drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
He described the defiance of the drug advertisement law by the
electronic media as an act that poses a severe health threat to
numerous Ghanaians since, according to him, most of the herbal
concoctions that are being promoted by the media as being very
effective for the treatment of various ailments will surely have a
long term health effects on their users. | ||||||||||||||||||
The FDB officer further noted that the problem of drug abuse has
been on the ascending largely due to the inviting language used by
most radio presenters to advertise the illicit drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
He further appealed to the National Media Commission to compel all
media houses to comply with drug-related laws since. As he said, the
media has a vital role to play in ensuring good health for
Ghanaians. | ||||||||||||||||||
This, according to him, will help to ensure that drugs that have
been approved by the FDB are the only ones that are advertised for
public patronage. | ||||||||||||||||||
Agyemang-Duah also announced that the FDB would soon come out with
stringent measures to check the proliferation of illicit drugs on
the Ghanaian market and hinted that media houses that are found to
be promoting such drugs would also be dealt with according to the
laws of the land. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(22) BLAIR DRUG VOW FIASCO (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
We Promised To Wipe Out The Afghan Poppy Fields. Instead More Heroin
Than Ever Is About To Hit Britain | ||||||||||||||||||
BRITAIN has abandoned plans to wipe out Afghanistan's poppy fields despite fears this year's opium harvest will be the biggest ever. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Two months after the September 11 atrocities which led to the attack
on Afghanistan and the fall of its cruel Taliban regime, Tony Blair
pledged Britain would take the lead role in wiping out the lethal
Afghan opium trade. | ||||||||||||||||||
He said: "In helping with the reconstruction of Afghanistan we shall
make clear we want it to develop farming of proper agricultural
produce, not produce for the drugs trade.'' | ||||||||||||||||||
The reality is a scandal. While the U.S. spends an estimated UKP 600
million a month on military operations in Afghanistan, Britain has
pledged just UKP 70 million over three years to build up an
anti-drugs force. | ||||||||||||||||||
None of the money has yet arrived. Meanwhile opium production since
the fall of the Taliban, which banned the drug, has risen by some
1,400 per cent. | ||||||||||||||||||
Last year production rose to 3,400 tonnes - three quarters of the
world total. Output is expected to increase. No major drugs arrest
has been made. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Production is booming because poverty stricken Afghans can earn 15
times more from growing poppies - which are chemically converted to
heroin - than farming wheat. | ||||||||||||||||||
Tragically, the weak government in Kabul is powerless to stop the
warlords behind the hugely profitable trade. | ||||||||||||||||||
At first, it was thought wiping out the poppy fields would solve the
problem. Each hectare of poppies produces about 35kgs of raw opium
worth up to UKP 900. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
MAP's Platinum Letter Award | ||||||||||||||||||
See who's had more than 1,000 letters published. (Hint: it's the same person who wrote this week's feature article below.) | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
DrugSense FOCUS Alert #270 August 8, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||
Drug policy reform activists know all too well that entrenched interests
riding the drug war gravy train use misinformation to justify the
continuation of failed drug policies that do more harm than good.
Thanks in large part to the efforts of MAP volunteers, drug war lies
are no longer accepted at face value. It's no coincidence that newspaper
editorials have been increasingly critical of drug war propaganda ever
since the advent of the Internet. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
New Zealand Cannabis Report | ||||||||||||||||||
Inquiry into the public health strategies related to cannabis use and
the most appropriate legal status : Report of the Health Committee
Forty-seventh Parliament, August 2003, Presented to the House of
Representatives. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
http://www.clerk.parliament.govt.nz/Content/SelectCommitteeReports/i6c.pdf | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Drug War Rant | ||||||||||||||||||
A new weblog by Pete Guither | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Drug Action Network | ||||||||||||||||||
"We've come to realize that America's course of action, largely
following Richard Nixon's 'War On Drugs' has made the problems of
drug use far worse than they were or should be." | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Audio Chat with Dr. Ethan Russo Online | ||||||||||||||||||
Dr. Russo attended the last Ohio Patient Network's Patient Monthly Forum to discuss cannabis for treating migraine headaches. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Medical Marijuana | ||||||||||||||||||
By Paul Armentano | ||||||||||||||||||
It's ironic that Dr. Andrea Barthwell, deputy director for the White
House Office of National Drug Control Policy, willfully misconstrues
the facts regarding the medicinal use of marijuana ("More Tests
Needed on Medical Marijuana Use," Viewpoints, July 28) mere weeks
after Delegates of the American Nurses Association resolved to
"support the right of patients to have safe access to therapeutic
marijuana." Whom do you believe? A paid spokeswoman for the drug
czar's office, or the RNs who have dedicated their lives to attending
the needs of the sick and dying? | ||||||||||||||||||
The nurses' support for the use of marijuana as a medicine is not
based on "misinformation," but rather on scores of scientific studies
and patient testimonies demonstrating the therapeutic value of
cannabis. But, if Barthwell and the Bush administration have their
way, these patients will not only be denied legal access to the one
medicine that alleviates their suffering but they will also face
arrest and imprisonment. | ||||||||||||||||||
In addition, the Bush administration is now appealing to the Supreme
Court to allow the Justice Department to punish doctors who so much as
speak to their patients about the medical use of marijuana - a
position so extreme that it runs contrary to both the American Medical
Association and the American Society of Addiction Medicine, the latter
of which Barthwell formerly served as president. | ||||||||||||||||||
Paul Armentano, Washington, D.C. Editor's Note: The writer is senior
policy analyst of the NORML Foundation | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER WRITER OF THE MONTH - JULY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
DrugSense recognizes Gary Storck of Madison, Wisconsin for his seven
letters published during July, bringing his career total that we know
of to an impressive 143. A long-time activist, Gary is also Director
of Communications for Is My Medicine Legal Yet? http://www.immly.org/,
web and listmaster for the Drug Policy Forum of Wisconsin
http://www.drugsense.org/dpfwi/, and is currently spearheading the
Cheryl Miller Memorial Project - with a website in the final days of
construction at http://www.cheryldcmemorial.org/ | ||||||||||||||||||
You can read all of Gary's excellent letters by clicking this link: | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Tips for Getting Letters to the Editor Published | ||||||||||||||||||
By Robert Sharpe | ||||||||||||||||||
In general, letters written in response to editorials are more likely to be published than letters written in response to wire stories (does not apply to major news stories). Avoid scathing criticism. Civility will increase the likelihood of your views being published. | ||||||||||||||||||
Respond to major news stories while they are still hot. Nonetheless, investing time in editing pays off. Always spell-check your letter. | ||||||||||||||||||
Local newspapers are far more likely to publish letters than out of
state papers (does not apply to major newspapers). | ||||||||||||||||||
Adding local relevance helps, especially when replying to an AP wire
story (use the MAP search functions). Repeat information found in
the article if necessary. | ||||||||||||||||||
Including credible statistics to make a point helps, especially when
government statistics are used (see http://www.drugwarfacts.org/).
Include links to government websites whenever possible. | ||||||||||||||||||
Write with a specific target audience in mind, i.e. soccer moms,
fiscal conservatives, etc. | ||||||||||||||||||
Tailor letters for specific newspapers. If you're going to write to
the Wall Street Journal you can be pedantic, but you'd better dumb
it down for certain papers. You're always better off preempting
editors. | ||||||||||||||||||
Use an organizational affiliation if possible. Consider starting a
local drug policy organization, if only to get the reform message
out. | ||||||||||||||||||
Most newspapers require that letters submitted be exclusive. When recycling letters make slight edits. Having the exact same letter published in both the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun on the same day would not be good. Having the exact same letter simultaneously published in Alabama and Idaho should not pose a problem. | ||||||||||||||||||
It's important to keep track of when you last sent a particular
newspaper a letter. Likewise, avoid sending the same letter to the
same newspaper twice. Anything that indicates you've got a system in
place will hurt your chances of getting published. | ||||||||||||||||||
Last but definitely not least, visit the newspaper's website and find
out what their policy is for publishing letters. In general, letters
should be under 250 words. The shorter the letter, the greater the
chance of it being published. Most papers will edit letters down to
less than 200 words anyway. You're better off aiming for roughly 200
words and sticking to one or two key points. There are many brilliant
activists out there who would be published far more often if they just
shortened their letters. | ||||||||||||||||||
Robert Sharpe has had more than 1,000 letters published regarding
drug policy in newspapers around the planet. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"They won't tell it on the TV | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
DS Weekly is one of the many free educational services DrugSense
offers our members. Watch this feature to learn more about what
DrugSense can do for you. | ||||||||||||||||||
TO SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, OR UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS: | ||||||||||||||||||
Please utilize the following URLs | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Policy and Law Enforcement/Prison content selection and analysis by Stephen Young (), Cannabis/Hemp content selection and analysis by Philippe Lucas (), International content selection and analysis by Doug Snead (), Layout by Matt Elrod () | ||||||||||||||||||
We wish to thank all our contributors, editors, NewsHawks and letter writing activists. Please help us help reform. Become a NewsHawk See http://www.mapinc.org/hawk.htm for info on contributing clippings. | ||||||||||||||||||
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In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is
distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior
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