| Oct. 17, 2003 #322 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(1) VANCOUVER POLLED ON HEROIN CLINIC (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
VANCOUVER -- First it was safe injection sites. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Now it's free heroin. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Residents of Vancouver's drug-infested Downtown Eastside have until
Oct. 24 to tell City Hall how they feel about a rezoning application
for a new clinic in their neighbourhood. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The facility would hand out free heroin to addicts as part of a
national experiment to find out whether making the drug available
through prescription improves the health of injection-drug users,
reduces homelessness and cuts crime. Residents have been told that
addicts would come to the high-security clinic up to three times a
day, seven days a week, for heroin prescribed by a physician. They
would use the drug under supervision at the clinic. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The researchers plan on providing heroin to 88 addicts and methadone
to 70. After 12 months, the researchers intend to shift the addicts to
methadone or abstinence. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The researchers do not have official Health Canada approval yet to
open the heroin clinic. The survey of community opinion marks one of
the final stages in a lengthy two-year process to obtain the green
light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(2) A NEW ECSTASY CAMPAIGN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America will introduce today an ad
campaign focusing on the drug Ecstasy and backed by the largest
donation of media time it has received. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Comcast Corporation - the cable giant, has agreed to donate time valued at $51 million over three years. The campaign and the Comcast deal, to be detailed at the National Press Club in Washington, are efforts to answer two big challenges the partnership says it faces: having parents address the dangers of Ecstasy with their children and putting the most effective messages in front of the right audiences. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Comcast's sprawling reach - it has 21 million customers - will allow the partnership to reach parents and teenagers by channel and city. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The partnership's latest research, also to be released today, shows
that parents have heard of Ecstasy but rarely talk to their children
about it, far less than they discuss other drugs, said Stephen J.
Pasierb, president and chief executive. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(3) UNEQUAL FORCES LINE UP IN STRUGGLE OVER AFGHAN HEROIN TRADE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Only One Man Stands Between The Traffickers A Drug Explosion On
British Streets, Reports Ahmed Rashid In Lashkargah | ||||||||||||||||||||
A sandstorm without end blows through the Afghan town of Lashkargah.
There are no paved roads, no electricity and no running water.
Everyone and everything is caked in dust. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Yet in the centre of town, at least 8,000 vehicles are parked bumper
to bumper - a vast car showroom in the middle of nowhere where buyers
can pick up the latest four-wheel drives from Toyota and Mercedes,
luxurious saloons and air-conditioned pick up trucks with televisions
and video players. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Even in the dust storm the car shops have customers - big, bearded Pathan tribal chiefs surrounded by armed bodyguards. These are Afghanistan's most notorious drug dealers and traffickers, who can own as many as a dozen vehicles and buy new models for cash. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ranged against them is a lone, though brawny, American, lavishly
funded by the British Government. Steve Shaulis, a bodybuilder,
appears to be the only obstacle to another explosion of Afghan heroin
on British city streets in the coming months. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(4) LATIN AMERICA'S SEASON OF DISCONTENT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bolivia's Chaos Reflects Larger Anger at U.S. Policy And IMF's
Prescriptions | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mayhem in the streets of several Latin American cities, including a
virtual siege of Bolivia's pro-U.S. president by angry protesters,
shows that the region's disaffected are increasingly making their
voices heard. Like the so-called Arab street in the Middle East,
public protest in this impoverished region is growing more violent and
anti-American, and is starting to limit policy choices for regional
leaders. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday, protests against President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada spread
across Bolivia, as army troops tried to stop thousands of miners armed
with dynamite from entering the capital. Media reports said troops
killed two of the miners, adding to a grim tally of at least 53 dead
in the weekslong uprising. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The protests began against government plans -- since put on hold -- to
export natural gas to the U.S. But they have evolved into a locus for
widespread dissatisfaction with the government's pro-U.S. policies,
including the eradication of coca plantations as part of Washington's
war on drugs , and the adoption of economic policies prescribed by the
International Monetary Fund. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gray Davis may be on his way out of the California Governor's office, but that hasn't made him any more bold in terms of drug policy. Last week he signed a bill creating ID cards for medical marijuana users, while he vetoed a bill that would have let pharmacies sell hypodermic needles without a prescription. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Should recovered addicts have the right to return to jobs from which
they were dismissed for substance abuse problems? It's a question
for the U.S. Supreme Court. In a good decision, Georgia's state
court ruled last week that can't automatically test people in auto
accidents for drugs unless they show signs of intoxication. And
former police officer Howard Wooldridge finally finished his
multi-year horseback ride across the U.S. He used the ride as a
forum to condemn the drug war. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) DAVIS SIGNS MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL, VETOES NEEDLE BILL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
SACRAMENTO (AP) -- Gov. Gray Davis has signed a bill that will
create a card for medical marijuana users to help protect them from
arrest, but he vetoed another that would have let pharmacists sell
up to 30 hypodermic needles without a prescription. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Among the bills signed just before the Sunday deadline was one by
Sen. John Vasconcellos, D-Santa Clara, that directs the Department
of Health Services to provide medical marijuana users with a card
that protects them from arrest. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The identification cards are designed to protect medical marijuana users from arrest by state and local law enforcement officers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Proposition 215, approved by California voters in 1996, allows
Californians with cancer, HIV and certain other chronic medical
conditions to grow and use marijuana to ease nausea and other health
problems, if a physician recommends it. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Cultivation, possession and use of marijuana remains a crime under
federal law. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Davis vetoed another Vasconcellos bill, which aimed to reduce the
number of AIDS cases by letting adults buy up to 30 hypodermic
needles at a time without a doctor's prescription. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Supporters of the bill say it would have reduced the sharing of
needles by drug addicts, which would slow the spread of AIDS and
other blood borne diseases. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(6) FORMER ADDICT SEEKS OLD JOB IN LIGHT OF LAW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Wednesday wrestled with the
workplace rights of recovering drug addicts and alcoholics in a case
with implications for thousands of employers and more than 5 million
workers with substance abuse problems. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The justices are considering whether an Arizona missile plant worker
who lost his job after testing positive for drugs deserved to be
rehired after getting sober. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In one of the most closely watched business cases of the term that
began this week, the case of Joel Hernandez requires the court to
clarify protections for workers under the landmark Americans With
Disabilities Act. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The law specifically protects people who are clean after being
treated for addiction but allows companies to discipline those who
use substances on the job. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(7) POLICE CAN'T REQUIRE DRUG TESTS WITHOUT SUSPICION OF (Top)INTOXICATION | ||||||||||||||||||||
ATLANTA -- A driver who tested positive for cocaine during a head-on
collision will get a new trial after the Georgia Supreme Court threw
out his conviction Monday because the law is flawed. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Carey Don Cooper had cocaine in his bloodstream on Aug. 11, 2000,
when he swerved into the path of another car on the Atlanta Highway
in Barrow County. Since the other driver suffered a broken arm, a
trooper gave Cooper the choice between a routine blood test for
drugs or loss of his license - even though neither driver appeared
to be intoxicated. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Cooper agreed to the test and wound up convicted of a misdemeanor drug charge after it turned up positive. Then he appealed. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In the appeal, the court ruled the state's so-called "implied
consent" law cannot require a driver to submit to a blood test for
illegal drugs or alcohol unless a law-enforcement officer suspects
intoxication. Until Monday's decision, police officers had been
allowed to get the tests from any driver involved in an accident
resulting in serious injuries. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(8) COWBOY COP RIDES ACROSS AMERICA FOR DRUG LEGALIZATION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
When Cowboy Cop Howard J. Wooldridge rode into Lincoln County, he felt
a little like the pioneers did when they completed the Oregon Trail.
Well, maybe 5 percent like a pioneer. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The rest was a modern cowboy with an ATM card, cell telephone, an
email address, and bridges. "Bridges are wonderful," he said, as he
explains that on one of his first days out, he knew bridges made his
trip possible. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wooldridge kept thinking of Daniel Boone and how that pioneer probably had wet clothes all day long as he forded one river after the other without the help of a bridge. Wooldridge and his pinto, Misty, started their cross-country trip March 15, 2001, from Savannah, Ga. The trip was planned to promote Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). LEAP is a drug-policy reform group that believes the United States' drug policies have failed and that to save lives, lower the rate of addiction and conserve tax dollars, the U.S. must end drug prohibition, according to LEAP's website. LEAP believes a system of regulation and control is more effective than prohibition. Like Paul Revere, who rode his horse to warn that the British were coming, Wooldridge has done the same. In the 10 states he crossed to get to the West Coast, the retired police officer warned "that drug prohibition causes more pain, suffering and death than the drugs themselves." The total trip was 3,100 miles, and it took three years. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The first leg in 2001 was 400 miles. "I had no idea what I was doing,"
he said Friday at the home of Jennifer and Mike Knight in Toledo. He
returned home to regroup before continuing the journey. In 2002, he
picked up the trip where he had left off the previous year. He rode
1,400 miles to Denver, Colo., and returned home again to Fort Worth,
Texas. In July of this year, he and Misty returned to Denver and
started the ride again. | ||||||||||||||||||||
On Saturday, he reached Nye Beach. Wooldridge chose a route that took him through temperate climate, as he wanted to make sure his nights were cool enough to sleep. Nights were spent with friends he made along the way. He traveled about 25 miles a day, alternately walking and riding Misty. His saddlebags weighed about 16 pounds, and he carried a gun. He crossed 10 states and lost as many pounds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The assault on judicial discretion continues. The U.S. Sentencing
Commission recommended new restrictions on deviations from federal
sentencing guidelines last week. Congress will now consider the
recommendations. | ||||||||||||||||||||
How does a routine traffic stop turn into a deadly shooting? The
family of a man shot fatally shot by police saw first hand last week
as they were allowed to watch a police videotape of the encounter.
While tensions built throughout the incident, an officer's
insistence on a search of the car seemed to be a turning point.
Another victim of a drug-related police shooting in Texas will be
allowed to sue the officer who killed her son, while other police
officials will be off limits. | ||||||||||||||||||||
And a different kind of lawsuit is being considered in Mississippi,
where police destroyed 500 plants on private property that they
thought were marijuana. Turns out the plants were actually deer
food. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(9) SENTENCING PANEL LEAVES JUDGES WITH SOME ROOM FOR LENIENCY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Sentencing Commission, under pressure from
Congress and the Justice Department to restrict judges from handing
down sentences milder than federal guidelines, recommended some new
restrictions -- but stopped short of a blanket ban. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Among the recommendations, which will go to Congress: Guilty pleas
or plea bargains are no longer grounds for a sentence shorter than
the guidelines dictate; nor are restitution to victims by the
accused, community ties, mitigating circumstances or drug or alcohol
dependence. But the Justice Department's representative, Eric Jaso,
rebuked the panel and said the recommendations would have little or
no effect on federal judges who ignore the guidelines. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Even as the panel voted, staff members worked to clear pathways in
the aisles of the commission's offices here, which are laden with
hundreds of boxes of judges' sentencing-report records that have
been coming in daily since Congress required more specific record
keeping in April. The office gets about 5,000 new reports each month
from judges. Attorney General John Ashcroft also has directed U.S.
attorneys to file their own reports to Washington when judges depart
downward from the sentencing guidelines. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) FAMILY WATCHES TAPES OF TROOPER KILLING MAN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
He was fatally shot during a traffic stop in Camden. N.J. state
police were ordered to release the footage. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Deborah Johnson had waited eight months for this moment, unable to
sleep through the night - ever since Jan. 29, the day a New Jersey
state trooper killed her son as he fled a traffic stop. She needed
to know what happened. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It took a federal court order, but on Friday the state finally
provided her family with videotapes of what happened, as filmed from
the dashboards of three trooper cruisers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Johnson's family members, already stung by news Friday afternoon
that a state grand jury would not indict any troopers involved,
gathered at dusk around a big-screen TV in their Pennsauken living
room. | ||||||||||||||||||||
They drew curtains, and someone pushed the play button. What they
saw was a rare window into a fatal traffic stop, and how a seat-belt
violation turned into a homicide. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
"The troopers probably broke every attorney-general guideline in the
book," Marrone said. "It came down to a ticket for not wearing your
seat belt and it escalated to this?" | ||||||||||||||||||||
The tapes also did not appear to shed any light on the cocaine that troopers allegedly found in the car. Herbert was initially charged with drug possession, but the charges later were dropped. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(11) JUDGE SAYS HILL CAN BE SUED IN DAVIS DEATH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
FORT WORTH - A federal judge has again ruled that a former North
Richland Hills police officer who shot and killed the son of
true-crime author Barbara Davis in a 1999 drug raid can be sued over
claims he used excessive force. | ||||||||||||||||||||
U.S. District Judge Terry Means also dismissed all claims against Police Chief Tom Shockley and Sgt. Andy Wallace except for allegations that they failed to supervise former officer Allen Hill. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The city faces two consolidated wrongful-death lawsuits in
connection with the death of 25-year-old Troy Davis: one by the
Davis estate and another brought by Barbara Davis. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In the ruling handed down Sept. 30, Means also granted former SWAT
team leader Greg Crane and officer Curtis Westbrook full immunity
from the lawsuits. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Hill shot and killed Troy Davis during a SWAT team no-knock drug
raid at the Davis house on Dec. 15, 1999. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(12) $255,000 SOUGHT FOR 'POT' RAID (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Hunting Club Leader Wants Compensation | ||||||||||||||||||||
HARRISON COUNTY - The president of a hunting club is seeking a $255,000 settlement from the county over the raid last month that destroyed more than 500 plants suspected of being marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The demand, written on behalf of Marion "Bucky" Waltman, accuses
Sheriff George H. Payne Jr. and his agents of negligence,
trespassing, invasion of privacy and defamation. Waltman said he
hired an attorney after the Sheriff's Department refused to resolve
losses and damage incurred in the raid Sept. 8 on land the Boarhog
Hunting Club leases off Herman Ladner Road. | ||||||||||||||||||||
A civil lawsuit has not been filed. However, a letter from Waltman's attorney to county supervisors and the sheriff demands the cash settlement and implies that federal charges also may be filed. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"I want them to fix the road and gate they destroyed, compensate for
my plants, arrest the people that were trespassing and apologize to
the hunting clubs," Waltman said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Waltman, 53, maintains the plants were kenaf, which is harvested as
a wood substitute and as food for deer and wildlife. Waltman said he
grows it for deer. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"I used to be just an old hunting club president," Waltman said.
"Now, people know me as the old dope-grower." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-17) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The U.S. Supreme Court this week upheld a lower court ruling that bars the federal government from punishing physicians who recommend marijuana to their patients. This important decision protects the practical implementation of many state medical marijuana laws that depend on a doctor's recommendation for legal access to cannabis. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Conversely, our second story looks at the continued persecution of
Dr. Tod Mikuriya, a Berkeley psychologist who is under investigation
by the California medical board in relation to the large number of
medical marijuana recommendations issued under his name. A decision
on the case is expected before year's end. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Our third story is a report on a small-scale study conducted at
Buffalo University which suggests that the chronic use of cannabis
may damage sperm. How Deadheads ever reproduced thus remains one of
the great mysteries of science. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Our fourth story this week looks at Hawaii three years after the
legalization of medical marijuana, where there are currently 1039
legal users registered in the state program. And lastly this week,
news from up North, where New Brunswick's Hemp Cannabis Cafe has
become the first over-the-counter compassion center in Canada. The
cafe turned medical marijuana dispenser, located across the street
from a police station, will sell cannabis to anyone with a sworn
declaration of illness. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(13) HIGH COURT: DOCS' POT ADVICE IS OK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Victory for Medical Marijuana Movement | ||||||||||||||||||||
The U.S. Supreme Court announced yesterday that it will let stand a federal appeals court ruling that bars the federal government from punishing doctors who recommend marijuana to their patients. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Without comment, the court declined to hear the Bush | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(14) PROSECUTING THE POT DOC (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Berkeley Medical Marijuana Specialist Will Lose His License If The
Drug Warriors Get Their Way | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Medical Board of California receives complaints against about
11,000 doctors every year, most of them generated by unhappy
patients. But no patients have yet suggested they were harmed by Dr.
Tod Mikuriya, California's foremost medical-community proponent of
medical marijuana. In the board's current investigation of Mikuriya,
all the accusations against him have been generated by law
enforcement. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mikuriya, 70, a Berkeley-based psychiatrist and author of widely
read books and papers on therapeutic cannabis, has been accused by
the Medical Board of "extreme departure from the standard of care"
in 16 of his 7,500 medical cannabis recommendations permitted under
the 1996 Compassionate Use Act (Proposition 215). Mikuriya is one of
nine doctors being investigated by the Medical Board who together
have written more than half the estimated 50,000 medical marijuana
recommendations in California. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(15) MARIJUANA SMOKING DAMAGES SPERM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Men who smoke marijuana frequently damage their fertility in several
different ways, research suggests. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Scientists at Buffalo University found regular smokers had significantly less seminal fluid, and a lower sperm count. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Their sperm were also more likely to swim too fast too early,
leading to burn-out before they reach the egg. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Dr Burkman conceded that many men who smoke marijuana have fathered
children. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(16) 1,039 REGISTER FOR ISLE POT USE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Big Island Has The Most Patients Listed In A Program That Tracks
Medical Marijuana Use | ||||||||||||||||||||
Three years after Hawaii legalized the medical use of marijuana, more than 1,000 patients are registered to use and grow the plant. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Pamela Lichty, president of the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, said the number of people approved to use medical marijuana "is really quite extraordinary considering how little you hear about it." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(17) FINDING THE HIGHER GROUND IN SAINT JOHN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
If you've already seen the reversing falls in Saint John, N.B., you
might want to drop by the other hot tourist attraction: the Hemp
N.B.'s Cannabis Cafe, where you can flare up a doobie, if you can
find a seat. Last month, with cruise ships still docking on the
Saint John waterfront, the head shop and pot-friendly coffee bar was
averaging some 200 customers a day. Many were "just looking." But
anyone who buys a beverage can pull out their own stash, and roll a
joint on the big tables provided for just that purpose. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Making matters more interesting is the fact that, just weeks ago,
the cafe became the country's first out-in-the-open, | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (18-21) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
While the dangers and horrible effects of prohibited drugs are given
great play in the press, when government-paid "experts" are found to
have exaggerated "facts" little attention is paid. In New Zealand
last week, a government scientist who promotes drug testing was
forced to admit she had exaggerated by some 244% the number of drug
users detected by random tests. The government's "expert", Dr Susan
Nolan, twice testified to court last week that drugs were found in
22 percent of samples collected from workers tested. But when called
on it, the government-hired expert conceded that only 9 percent
contained drugs, not 22 percent as she had originally testified. The
244% mistake (in the government's favor) was merely a "copying
error," explained Nolan. | ||||||||||||||||||||
An unlicensed safe-injection site in Vancouver closed last week. The site had been in operation since April 2003, and survived a police raid in September. Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users spokesman Dean Wilson said that the site had served its purpose, and was not needed now that a legal safe-injection site was operating in the city. The closing of the unlicensed site followed the successful launch of a city-operated facility in Vancouver last month. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel lashed out at U.S.
intervention in his country last week, saying that the U.S. should
concern itself with its own drug problem. Rangel noted that the U.S.
itself is the "the largest producer of marijuana in the world" as
well as the largest consumer of illegal drugs. Earlier, US sources
had accused Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez of complicity in the
drug trade, a charge which Hugo denied. | ||||||||||||||||||||
And finally this week, Jamaican MP Delroy Chuck urged the Jamaican government's (new) Joint Select Committee to speed up a review of the Ganja Commission's report. The Report, which recommended that ganja (cannabis) be decriminalized for private or religious use, has been bottled up in committee for over a year. "We have been lagging with this since 1972," Chuck pointed out, "let the Parliament by whatever means make a decision." The Commission noted that the dangers associated with pot didn't indicate the need to make criminals out of "thousands of Jamaicans for using it in ways and with beliefs that are deeply rooted in the culture of the people." | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(18) SCIENTIST ADMITS SHE GAVE WRONG DRUG TEST EVIDENCE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A Government scientist promoting workplace drug testing said yesterday that she inadvertently exaggerated evidence to the Employment Court in a landmark case involving Air New Zealand. Dr Susan Nolan, client development manager for the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR), testified to the court in Auckland on Friday that drugs were found in 22 per cent of urine samples of workers tested randomly at about 50 other firms. | ||||||||||||||||||||
She repeated the figure under cross-examination by unions lawyer
John Haigh, QC, and to a query from the Herald after a four-day
hearing which has been adjourned until December. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But yesterday, after other media relayed the figure, she confirmed that it was incorrect and that the true strike for drugs found in two years of testing at the firms in question was 9 per cent. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Dr Nolan said she deeply regretted the mix-up, which appeared to
have been caused by a copying error, and would ask Air New Zealand's
lawyer to set the record straight with the court. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Engineering union secretary Andrew Little said the six | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(19) UNLICENSED INJECTION SITE CLOSES ITS DOORS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Operators of an unlicensed safe-injection site in the Downtown Eastside say they plan to close it to drug users at 2 a.m. today. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Two weeks ago, when Vancouver police boarded up the facility at 327
Carrall Street and changed the locks, the operators vowed to keep it
open. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But Dean Wilson of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users said
Monday the site has served its purpose and it will now be used as a
community meeting place. In an interview with BC CTV, Wilson said
the unlicensed site was initially set up to call attention to the
need for a legal facility in the city. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Now that a licensed site sanctioned by Health Canada is up and running nearby under the guidance of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, Wilson said the unlicensed site can be closed. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
The unlicensed safe injection site was opened by Downtown Eastside
advocates April 7. A rotating collection of volunteers kept it
running. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(20) VENEZUELA VP; U.S. SHOULD DEAL WITH ITS OWN DRUG PROBLEM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
CARACAS -- The U.S. should worry about its own illegal drug problem
instead of criticizing that of other countries, Venezuelan Vice
President Jose Vicente Rangel said Friday. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rangel accused the U.S. of being "the largest producer of marijuana
in the world" and the largest consumer of illegal substances. He
didn't back up his comments with specific figures or refer to
research. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rangel made the comments in response to recent U.S. press reports
that accused the administration of President Hugo Chavez of taking
part in the illegal drugs trade with Colombian guerrilla groups.
Chavez flatly denied the charges. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In July, the U.S. embassy said it would continue to coordinate with
Venezuelan authorities in the fight against drugs and terrorism,
despite a decision to withhold military aid. In early July, the U.S.
suspended some military aid to dozens of countries including
Venezuela amid a dispute concerning a new international war crimes
court. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(21) SPEED UP GANJA DISCUSSIONS - CHUCK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
THE NEW Joint Select Committee that will consider the report of the
National Commission on Ganja met for the first time yesterday, but has
yet to begin deliberations on the recommendations put forward for the
legalisation of the drug. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Committee member Delroy Chuck said the group should push to complete
its examination of the Ganja Commission's report and submit its own
recommendations by the end of the year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We have been lagging with this since 1972...I don't want us to be sitting on this next year; let us finish it this year," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Let there be as minimum deliberations as possible so that the Parliament can get it and let the Parliament by whatever means make a decision," he said. From November 200O to July 2001, and on the request of the Prime Minister, the National Commission on Ganja conducted "a period of exhaustive consultation and inquiry" on ganja use. The consultation involved interviews with more than 350 persons, including professional and influential leaders of society. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In its report, the Commission determined that the health hazards
associated with the drug did not substantiate the criminalisation of
"thousands of Jamaicans for using it in ways and with beliefs that
are deeply rooted in the culture of the people." | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Commission made seven recommendations, including the amendment
of the relevant laws so that ganja be decriminalised for the
private, personal use of specific quantities by adults, as well as
for use as a sacrament for religious purposes. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rob Kampia Vs. Dr. Barthwell On PBS Newshour | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gwen Ifill gets two perspectives on the controversial decision from
Rob Kampia, director of the Marijuana Policy Project, and Dr. Andrea
Barthwell, deputy director of the White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy. Transcript, audio and video. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Waiting to Exhale | ||||||||||||||||||||
Where do we stand on marijuana reform in Canada? | ||||||||||||||||||||
Featuring lawyers John Conroy and Alan Young, and MP Dan McTeague. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||||
DEA Slammed By Another Government Report | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Our audit determined that the DEA had failed to meet key aspects of
GPRA as we identified deficiencies in each of the three areas
reviewed." | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Why Must I Pay To Watch Lies | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Pete Guither at www.drugwarrant.com | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
The Prohibitionist Counterattack in Canada Escalates. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Blatant Drive to Create DEAland Style Police State. Phony Decrim
Bill Gets Even Worse. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Analysis By Richard Cowan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
The Best of The Cultural Baggage Radio Show | ||||||||||||||||||||
Cultural Baggage takes an in depth look at the insanity of the drug war, featuring the voices of several guests from around the world. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Drug Library Mirror | ||||||||||||||||||||
DrugSense is pleased to announce an alternate repository of the
invaluable research and information available at the DRCNet Online
Library of Drug Policy, http://www.druglibrary.org/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
The replica, or "mirror" site, is at http://www.druglibrary.net/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
Special thanks to librarian Cliff Schaffer for compiling the original
collection and for making this copy of it possible. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Matt Elrod, | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Dean Should Talk With Medical Marijuana Patients | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Jim Miller | ||||||||||||||||||||
I was the person that asked Howard Dean at his Madison rally if he could justify jailing patients who use marijuana for medical purposes. I was not a heckler, as your story characterized me. | ||||||||||||||||||||
What I actually said was "Multiple sclerosis patients in England
will have prescription marijuana (in the form of a sublingual spray)
this year that MS patients here would be arrested for having." When
Mr. Dean responded that his position on this issue "is a little
complicated" I added "my wife died in June after battling multiple
sclerosis for 32 years and marijuana was of great help to her." It
was then that he decided to talk about medical marijuana for a
couple of minutes. | ||||||||||||||||||||
His comment that he would direct the Food and Drug Administration to
do a yearlong review of all studies and abide by their decision is a
sham. He is well aware that the Institute of Medicine of the
National Academies has already done a 1 1/2-year review -- at former
drug czar Barry McCaffrey's behest -- which concluded that marijuana
is medicine for a number of ailments, but smoking is not the best
method of ingestion. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Dean's best comment was saying he was reluctant to promise action of
the issue "for the same reason I'm pro-choice: I don't like
politicians making medical decisions." I couldn't agree with him
more. It was the Congress that decided marijuana has no medical
utility in 1970 when it passed the Controlled Dangerous Substances
Act. Dr. Dean is right. That politically motivated decision should
not stand. | ||||||||||||||||||||
I was at the Dean rally to ask questions that dying Americans deserved to have answered. If we are the greatest country in the world, why do we have to look to England for the results of medical marijuana testing that is not allowed to be done here? Why will MS patients in England soon have less pain or spasticity than American MS patients? Why did Cheryl, the light of my life, have to die in more pain that was necessary? When will candidate Dean start talking to medical marijuana patients instead of talking about them? | ||||||||||||||||||||
Jim Miller, | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
What Do Rush Limbaugh And Narco News Have In Common? | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Stephen Young | ||||||||||||||||||||
A pair of media-related surprises left me slack-jawed last week. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In the morning, journalist Al Giordano announced that the Narco News Bulletin (www.narconews.com) would cease publication. In the afternoon, Rush Limbaugh admitted being addicted to pain pills. | ||||||||||||||||||||
I was startled by both the developments, but more so by the Narco
News announcement. I'd been reading the site since its inception. On
the other hand, I'd been listening to Limbaugh only for a week.
Still I was convinced, as I wrongly predicted in this space last
week, that Limbaugh would continue to avoid comments on his own
personal drug scandal while waiting for the controversy to
dissipate. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Instead, Limbaugh took the most politically correct path he could -
straight to rehab. He spoke with a seemingly forthright tone, but he
disingenuously tried to distance himself from fellow celebrities who
had checked themselves into treatment after being caught up in nasty
drug-related publicity. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"They are said to be great role models and examples for others," he
declared. "Well, I am no role model." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thanks for clearing up the confusion, Rush. | ||||||||||||||||||||
He'll be gone for 30 days, but sadly, Narco News will stop growing
indefinitely. Giordano, the publisher of Narco News, will continue
to update his weblog, Bigleftoutside.com (which offered a typically
subversive take on Limbaugh in a post titled "Of Course Rush is a
Junky... He's an American!"). And, fortunately, the Narco News
archives will remain online. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But Narco News itself will not be updated after tomorrow, three and a half years after it started disseminating news that few in North America had ever seen. From the beginning, Narco News tackled subjects beyond drug policy, and the more than 800 articles at the site cover a wide variety of topics. There was a common theme, however. The stories always aimed to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, striving toward the difficult standard established for newspapers by journalist Finley Peter Dunne. | ||||||||||||||||||||
I learned a lot about the world which I would not have known without reading the site, but drug news junky that I am, it was the drug corruption stories that kept me coming back. Narco News dug under the superficial surface that the mainstream press report as the drug war. What it revealed was embarrassing for those in power. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Narco News showed how heads of state in different countries have
ties to the illegal drug trade; how narco-dollars run through the
American economy; how the biggest banks in the world profit from
drug money laundering. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Power sometimes pushed back, as it did when Giordano was sued by
banking giant Banamex for distributing well-established reports that
the company was involved with drug trafficking. Narco News stood its
ground, and not only won the trial, but emerged with a legal
precedent elevating free speech rights for internet-based
journalists. | ||||||||||||||||||||
What freedoms has Rush Limbaugh won for anyone lately? | ||||||||||||||||||||
But Narco News and the Rush Limbaugh Show do share some | ||||||||||||||||||||
More importantly, they both offered an important lesson about drug prohibition to their respective audiences: Many who passionately condemn drugs hold a vested interest in that which they denounce. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Stephen Young is an editor with DrugSense Weekly and author of
Maximizing Harm - www.maximizingharm.com | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Man must not check reason by tradition, but contrawise, must check
tradition by reason." - Leo Tolstoy | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Policy and Law Enforcement/Prison content selection and analysis by Stephen Young (), Cannabis/Hemp content selection and analysis by Philippe Lucas (), International content selection and analysis by Doug Snead (), Layout by Matt Elrod () | ||||||||||||||||||||
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