| Nov. 21, 2003 #326 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
(1) MEDICINAL POT HEADED TO '04 DETROIT BALLOT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Detroiters will have a chance to vote on the legalization of marijuana
for medical purposes next August. | ||||||||||||||||||
If the issue passes, authorities said users in Detroit would be exempt
from marijuana-possession laws if they have a medical need for the
drug. | ||||||||||||||||||
Earlier this month, Detroit City Clerk Jackie Currie validated 7,779 of
the signatures submitted by the Detroit Coalition for Compassionate
Care, a group of metro Detroiters that has been fighting to get
marijuana on the ballot for several years. The law requires 6,141 valid
signatures. | ||||||||||||||||||
In 2001, the group gathered more than enough valid signatures, but the
City of Detroit's law department challenged the petition, citing
technicalities, and kept the measure off the ballot. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The law department has raised no objections this time," said coalition
founder and chairman Tim Beck of Detroit. "So the Detroit Medical
Marijuana Initiative question will finally appear on the primary ballot
next August." | ||||||||||||||||||
Even if the proposal is adopted, it would affect only Detroit. It would
not prevent Wayne County sheriff's deputies, Michigan State Police or
federal agents from arresting users in Detroit. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(2) GORMLEY TO CO-SPONSOR STATE NEEDLE-EXCHANGE PROGRAM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
TRENTON - Over-the-counter sales of hypodermic needles and state-regulated needle-exchange programs would be legalized under a bill that will be introduced with bipartisan support when the state Senate returns for the start of its lame-duck session Nov. 24. | ||||||||||||||||||
Co-sponsoring the legislation on the Republican side is state Sen. Bill Gormley, R-Atlantic, who told The Press of Atlantic City in August that he opposed needle-exchange programs because they condone drug use. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I'd prefer an alternative, but I don't know of an alternative,"
Gormley said Tuesday. "It's a serious health issue that has to be
addressed. It's time we addressed it." | ||||||||||||||||||
New Jersey is one of only two states - Delaware is the other - that
deny access to clean needles and syringes in its cities. Drug-policy
advocates contend that the state's restrictive laws contribute to the
spread of HIV, hepatitis C and other diseases. | ||||||||||||||||||
Evidence supports the claim. According to the state Department of
Health, 46 percent of HIV infections in New Jersey are related to
shared needles. The national average is 25 percent. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(3) HIGH PROFILE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Drugs minister Caroline Flint is at the centre of a huge government
push to tackle drug abuse and improve treatment. She talks to Alan
Travis about the battle ahead | ||||||||||||||||||
Caroline Flint MP may have been drugs minister only for the past four months but already she is deeply immersed in overseeing one of the fastest growing government programmes in the public sector. | ||||||||||||||||||
After 30 years of Cinders-style neglect, drug treatment is finally receiving a massive cash injection that will see 1.5bn a year of ring-fenced cash pumped into tackling drug abuse within two years. | ||||||||||||||||||
Flint, the first Home Office minister to admit that she tried smoking dope while a student in the 1980s, has just successfully pushed the reclassification of cannabis through the Commons. A mother with three teenage children, she now plans a major education and advertising campaign in January, making clear how the new law will operate and stressing that cannabis remains illegal and is not harmless. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(4) MOTORIST CHOKES ON BAG OF MARIJUANA AS POLICE APPROACH TO HELP (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
(KRT) - A 24-year-old Texas man choked to death on a bag of marijuana
he stuffed down his throat in an apparent attempt to hide it from
police officers early Wednesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police said they had no idea Nickolas Sandoval was in possession of a drug when they stopped about 2:30 a.m. to help him fix a flat tire on northbound Interstate 35 in North Texas, Cpl. Frank Lott said. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It started out as a welfare concern - it looked like he was attempting
to change his tire on his Ford Ranger," Lott said. "But then he started
doing the entire choking, grabbing throat, kind of thing. Officers went
from `Oh, hey, here is someone with a flat tire,' to `Hey, this guy is
choking.' " | ||||||||||||||||||
Officers noticed a plastic bag lodged in the man's throat, but it was
too far down for them to extract. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Sandoval had been convicted in Denton County of multiple counts of
marijuana possession, a Class B misdemeanor, between September 1999 and
December 2001, court records show. He pleaded guilty to the charge in
September 1999 and served 12 months of probation. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-9) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Some U.S. National Guard soldiers who failed drug tests were sent to
Iraq anyway. Now, Guard commanders will need to decide whether the
soldiers should be punished for the failed drug tests when they
return to the U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
Meanwhile, in other drug testing news, the West Virginia Supreme
Court is deciding whether drug tests are appropriate for employees
once they have been hired. And high school student leaders from
around Montana took a stand against random drug tests in schools
last week. Unfortunately, the student leaders maintained support for
extra-curricular drug testing. | ||||||||||||||||||
Students in Illinois may soon have to do without DARE, as state
police funds available for DARE officer training dwindle. And all
such efforts to save the children still can't keep major cocaine
deliveries coming through the front door of some Mississippi
elementary schools. A second school reported finding a 15-pound
package of the drug hidden in a shipment of frozen ground beef last.
Law enforcement officials said they didn't know where the cocaine
came from, but they reassured the community by insisting the
shipment was meant for another destination. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(5) GUARD COMMAND IN TOUGH SPOT OVER DRUG TESTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
National Guard commanders across the country face the excruciating
decision of whether to discipline soldiers returning from Iraq who
failed drug tests before they left the United States. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thirty-seven Iowa Army National Guard troops, briefed months in
advance on the possibility of war in the Middle East, tested
positive for illegal drugs on the eve of their deployment earlier
this year, Army records show. | ||||||||||||||||||
Despite a "zero-tolerance" policy that initiates discharge papers
against every Army soldier who uses drugs, 21 of the Iowa Guard
violators were sent by the U.S. Army to assist military operations
in Iraq and the Persian Gulf. | ||||||||||||||||||
Officials at one of the troops' assembly points, Fort McCoy, Wis., said Friday that some of the soldiers used the drugs intending to be caught and sent home. Others were deemed by medical officials to be infrequent users who posed no risk to themselves or their fellow soldiers in the field, said Fort McCoy spokeswoman Linda Fournier. | ||||||||||||||||||
"On a certain level, it would be perverse to throw people out
because of their misconduct, when other people who did not engage in
that misconduct are having to put their lives on the line," said
Eugene Fidell, a military law expert with the National Institute of
Military Justice. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(6) PRE-EMPLOYMENT DRUG TESTS ARGUED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The state Supreme Court on Tuesday heard arguments on whether
private businesses can require newly hired employees to take a drug
test before they start work. | ||||||||||||||||||
The case stems from the appeal of a lawsuit decision filed by Stephanie Baughman, a former Wal-Mart employee in Grafton. Baughman was fired in June 2001 for reasons unrelated to the drug test. | ||||||||||||||||||
Baughman began to search for legal claims against the company, and
she "learned for the first time that her privacy rights had been
violated" by the drug test, said her lawyer, Michael J. Florio.
Harrison County Circuit Court rejected the claim. | ||||||||||||||||||
Florio asked the justices to create a prohibition against post-hire,
pre-employment drug tests for all employees. | ||||||||||||||||||
He argued the court should extend its 1990 ruling barring random drug tests for employees after they are hired, except in circumstances where the job involves public safety or if the employee has grounds to suspect drug use by an employee. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(7) STUDENTS ATTENDING COUNCIL OPPOSE RANDOM DRUG TESTING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Montana high school and middle school student leaders decided
Tuesday to oppose random drug testing. | ||||||||||||||||||
The 900 students attending the Montana Association of Student
Councils convention here adopted a resolution "staunchly opposed to
drug use in our schools" but equally opposed to any random
drug-testing program in schools. | ||||||||||||||||||
The students said testing of students in athletics and other
extracurricular activities could deter some students from taking
part in positive activities. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(8) DARE ON ROPES IN FUNDING FIGHT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Illinois State Police, the only agency authorized to train
police officers in the state's most widely used school-based drug
prevention program, has no money to pay for training or materials
for DARE's new curriculum. | ||||||||||||||||||
The survival of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education training program
depends on the governor's office approving funding, which ran out
Oct. 1, said Master Sgt. Lincoln Hampton. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We have no money," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Last year, former Gov. George Ryan earmarked $600,000 for DARE, down
from $1.9 million the previous year, Illinois DARE officials said.
For the first time, because of the cuts, state police were forced to
charge local governments for DARE workbooks. | ||||||||||||||||||
DARE officials predicted half the schools and police departments in
the state would drop the program by year's end if money did not
materialize. | ||||||||||||||||||
Although some communities, including Crystal Lake, Evanston and Naperville, have replaced DARE with a different drug-prevention program, DARE has not experienced the predicted widespread decline. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(9) COCAINE DELIVERED TO SECOND SCHOOL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Cafeteria Worker Finds Drug In Box Of Meat | ||||||||||||||||||
HURLEY -- Fifteen pounds of cocaine found in a ground-meat box at
East Central Upper Elementary School came from the same shipment
sent to an Ellisville school, where 15 pounds of cocaine was found
in a ground meat box last week. | ||||||||||||||||||
A cafeteria worker at the Hurley school found the cocaine in a box
stamped Lot No. 021 early Monday morning. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Some of the ground meat was taken out, and in its place was six
bricks of cocaine," Lark Christian, food service director for the
Jackson County School District, said Thursday. "When she was lifting
the box to put it on a shelf, she knew it felt unusual. When she
went back to check that box, sure enough it had been tampered with.
It was the same lot number that Ellisville had." | ||||||||||||||||||
In the Ellisville case, a delivery driver from Merchants Co., which
has offices in Hattiesburg and Jackson, found the cocaine stacked in
a box when he stopped at Ellisville Elementary School to make a
delivery. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (10-13) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A North Carolina judge ruled against a prosecutor who tried to charge alleged meth lab operators under terror laws. The prosecutor is now appealing the ruling. But lest anyone think North Carolina is going soft on drugs, prosecutors are continuing to charge simple cocaine possession as a felony, even though the state's Supreme Court ruled that simple possession should be only a misdemeanor. | ||||||||||||||||||
A police corruption scandal in Detroit advanced this week as one of
the officers involved pleaded guilty to framing an innocent woman on
drug charges. The officer is expected to testify against others. And
in Chicago, the city's new police chief has ordered all desk-bound
officers who do administrative work to go out on the streets once a
month. The officers will not to pursue violent crime, but they will
be instructed to bust up drug corners. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(10) WATAUGA PROSECUTOR FIGHTS RULING ON USING TERROR LAW IN METH (Top)CASES | ||||||||||||||||||
BOONE - The Watauga County prosecutor who used a law intended to
combat terrorism to fight the spread of clandestine methamphetamine
laboratories in Northwest North Carolina will fight a judge's recent
ruling against him. | ||||||||||||||||||
Judge James Baker of Watauga Superior Court ruled Friday that the
process of "cooking" methamphetamine does not create a weapon of
mass destruction - throwing out 15 charges against at least 10
people in the process. | ||||||||||||||||||
Jerry Wilson, Watauga's district attorney, filed an appeal
yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Since July. Wilson has charged a number of Watauga County residents
under the North Carolina weapons-of-mass-destruction statute because
meth "cooks" combine toxic and volatile chemicals to produce the
illegal drug. | ||||||||||||||||||
These chemical combinations create a number of hazardous substances
that could harm neighbors, law-enforcement personnel, emergency
personnel and firefighters. | ||||||||||||||||||
Wilson decided to use the anti-terrorism law to deter the county's
growing meth problem because it carries much stiffer sentences than
laws that prohibit the drug's production. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(11) N.C. COCAINE CHARGES STILL PROSECUTED AS FELONIES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
For now, simple cocaine charges still will be prosecuted as felonies
in North Carolina, despite a recent Court of Appeals ruling that the
same charges are also misdemeanors. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a stay on the ruling in
response to a request by State Attorney General Roy Cooper that the
decision not be allowed to become law. | ||||||||||||||||||
"For the safety of our communities, it is important that possession
of cocaine remain a felony," Mr. Cooper said via e-mail. "I am
pleased that the court issued this stay so that prosecutors and law
enforcement can continue their fight against drugs while the case is
being decided." | ||||||||||||||||||
The Appeals Court ruling comes from the Forsyth County case, State
v. Norman Jones. In it, Mr. Jones pleaded guilty to possession with
the intent to sell and deliver cocaine, which then classified him as
a habitual felon. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(12) COP GUILTY IN FALSE ARREST (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Detroit Officer May Help in Wider Corruption Case | ||||||||||||||||||
A Detroit police officer pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor
charge Friday in what could be a major break in a Detroit police
corruption case. | ||||||||||||||||||
Officer Hubert Brown, 37, admitted in a plea deal with federal
prosecutors that he deprived Tracy Marie Brown of her civil rights
on May 2, 2000, by writing a bogus police report to justify her
false arrest on drug charges. | ||||||||||||||||||
Officer Brown, who is not related to the woman, also admitted lying
at the woman's preliminary examination. She was bound over for trial
in Wayne County Circuit Court, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to
18 months of probation. | ||||||||||||||||||
Brown said he fabricated the police report at the behest of Police
Officers Matthew Zani and Chrisopher Ruiz. Brown said Zani also
testified falsely at the preliminary exam. | ||||||||||||||||||
Zani, 36, and Ruiz, 29, now of Tampa, Fla., are among 17 Detroit
police officers from the 3rd (Vernor) and 4th (Fort-Green) precincts
who were indicted in June for allegedly stealing money, drugs and
guns from drug dealers in southwest Detroit during 2002-03. Zani and
Ruiz are central figures in the case. An 18th police officer was
indicted last month. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(13) 1,000 DESK COPS TO HIT THE STREET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
One thousand Chicago Police officers -- some of whom have not been on regular street duty in years -- were ordered Tuesday to come out from behind their desks to disrupt open-air drug markets that Mayor Daley said create a "climate of fear" akin to terrorism. | ||||||||||||||||||
All officers not assigned to a beat, tactical or detective car will
"take their turn in the field" one week out of every five. The
assignments are expected to begin early next month at 100 of
Chicago's most active drug markets, according to newly appointed
Police Supt. Phil Cline. | ||||||||||||||||||
That includes officers in the motor maintenance, records, medical,
personnel, training, evidence and recovery sections, as well as
those on the personal staffs assigned to police brass. | ||||||||||||||||||
It will not include those assigned to the City Council, the
corporation counsel and inspector general's offices and officers
working as bodyguards for elected officials. Those officers are
already considered part of "field units." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (14-18) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Alaska Court of Appeals denied a petition to rehear a case that
legalized the adult possession of up to 4 ounces of cannabis within
the privacy of one's home. The court rejected the argument that
their decision was flawed, so the state's Attorney General's office
announced plans to challenge the Ravin decision, a 1975 case on
which Noy was based. | ||||||||||||||||||
With U.S. federal elections looming, DSW has another look at the
recent Rock the Vote Democratic candidate debate from Boston. The
Austin Chronicle article illuminates where the candidates stand on
cannabis and drug policy reform. | ||||||||||||||||||
Our third story covers the recent change in leadership and format at
High Times. The venerable pot culture magazine will now focus more
on issues of personal freedom rather than just cannabis, and will be
run by John Mailer, the 25 year old son of American literary icon
Norman Mailer. | ||||||||||||||||||
And from the U.K., news that the ever-growing Legalize Cannabis
Alliance party will run up to 120 candidates in the next federal
election, up from the 13 candidates it fielded in 2001. The party,
which was formed in 1997, feels that the recent reclassification of
cannabis in England does not go far enough. And finally, a good New
Zealand Herald review of a new book by Martin Booth titled
"Cannabis: A History". The author's previous book, "Opium: A
History" was short-listed for the Booker Prize. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(14) ALASKA APPEALS COURT JUST SAYS NO TO POT CASE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Alaska Court of Appeals will not reconsider its August decision
allowing adults to possess as much as a quarter-pound of marijuana
in their home. | ||||||||||||||||||
In an opinion released Friday, the court denied the Alaska attorney general's petition to rehear the case, which invalidated a 1990 voter initiative criminalizing all amounts of marijuana by calling the resulting ban on personal pot use in the home unconstitutional. | ||||||||||||||||||
The court rejected all the assertions the attorney general's office
made in arguing that the decision was flawed in the case of Noy v.
State, which resulted in Attorney General Gregg Renkes instructing
all state law enforcement agencies not to arrest or cite adults for
personal marijuana use in their home. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(15) DEMS ON DRUGS: ANY QUESTIONS? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Last week's youth-oriented CNN Democratic candidate forum, "America
Rocks the Vote," was forgettable for many reasons -- except for the
admissions by three candidates that they had, in the past, inhaled.
Democratic hopefuls Howard Dean, John Edwards, and John Kerry each
admitted they'd used marijuana in the past, in response to an
e-mailed question posed to the candidates. But those confessions
don't necessarily reflect any progressive political positions
regarding either medical marijuana or decriminalization. Only Kerry
has spoken publicly in favor of medical marijuana for seriously ill
patients. | ||||||||||||||||||
As governor of Vermont, in 2002 Dean successfully opposed the
passage of a law to legalize medical marijuana for qualified
patients. | ||||||||||||||||||
And according to the National Organization for the Reform of
Marijuana Laws, Edwards has said it would be "irresponsible" to ask
the U.S. Department of Justice to cease arresting medical marijuana
patients using the drug in compliance with state laws. | ||||||||||||||||||
Conversely, Democratic candidate Dennis Kucinich said during the
debate that although he'd never actually tried marijuana, if elected
president, he'd seek decriminalization. Candidates Wesley Clark, Al
Sharpton, and Joe Lieberman denied ever having tried a toke; Carol
Moseley-Braun declined to answer the question. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(16) WHO'S SMOKING NOW? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
When Forbes magazine splashed a marijuana leaf on its cover last month, John Buffalo Mailer weighed the propriety of flaunting such images in public. Mr. Mailer, who is just starting out in journalism, said he hoped never to run such a cover. "It's a personal thing, but I don't believe we should be throwing that in people's faces," he said. "I don't think that's our role." | ||||||||||||||||||
Mr. Mailer, 25, the son of Norman Mailer and Norris Church Mailer, speaks with the self-assurance of the handsome and intellectually well born. Yet his words begged a little clarification. Looming over him was a blowup of a magazine cover with Snoop Dogg holding a water pipe in each hand, accepting the honor of 2002's Stoner of the Year. Mr. Mailer, you see, is the new executive editor of High Times. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(17) UK CANNABIS PARTY IN MIDLANDS BID (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A party which supports the legalisation of cannabis will field
candidates in the Midlands for the first time at the next general
election. The Legalise Cannabis Alliance (LCA) is hoping to put up
at least 120 candidates nationwide - including a handful in the
Midlands. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The LCA will make its biggest ever political push at the next
general election despite the Government's moves to reclassify
cannabis to a class C drug next year. The party first formed in 1997
when their first candidate stood for election in Essex. Since then
the party has grown and in the 2001 elections the party fielded 13
candidates but none in the Midlands. | ||||||||||||||||||
Now party organisers are hoping to field at least 120 candidates at the next general election, which will most likely be in 2005. Don Barnard, the LCA's spokesman, said the Government's plans to reclassify cannabis would not thwart the party's momentum. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(18) CANNABIS: A HISTORY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Martin Booth started with opium, but moved on to softer drugs. The new book from the author of the Booker Prize-shortlisted Opium: A History tells the tale of the narcotic weed Cannabis sativa - nom de guerre: hemp, marijuana, gunja, hashish, dope, weed, grass. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Booth charts the weed's history, chemical components and smuggling
methods (in dates, stuffed into dead animals, cut into camel fur)
from around 2000BC. | ||||||||||||||||||
This is worthy stuff, but hardly as exciting as the drug's more
recent past. The second part deals with the past 150 years - much
more entertaining. | ||||||||||||||||||
One of the startling aspects of the recent history of cannabis is
society's love-hate relationship with it. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (19-22) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
In Dubai (as in Saudi Arabia, China, Thailand, Singapore and other
beacons of freedom) even a death penalty seems to be little
deterrent to those tempted to smuggle prohibited drugs. A Dubai
court this week triumphantly condemned two men from Iran to death
for allegedly smuggling cannabis from Iran. Four other Iranians were
sentenced to "life imprisonment followed by deportation" for the
deed. | ||||||||||||||||||
The former director of the US-led project to spray plant killing-chemicals on Colombian coca fields revealed last week that the boondoggle is getting spray-planes shot down "at the rate of one a month." Alleging government mismanagement "seriously jeopardized" the effort, the newly retired U.S. official also noted that to avoid hostile ground fire, pilots are "avoiding flying" and shift "aircraft to areas that have already been cleared" of coca. | ||||||||||||||||||
In Western Australia, drivers may now be subjected to an array of drug tests on suspicion alone, the State Government proclaimed last week. Punishments for using drugs while driving are also to be ratcheted up in the new laws which are being floated by the government of the state of Western Australia. Police will be able to order drug tests based on such reliable indicators such as eye movements an officer claims to observe. Drivers in Australia are warned to be extra-nice to Officer Friendly because in the proposed new laws, he can take your car keys on mere suspicion, too. | ||||||||||||||||||
Rafael Macedo de la Concha, Mexico's attorney general and chairman of an Organization of American States' "Drug Abuse" commission last week scolded Canadians for proposals to decriminalize small amounts of cannabis. "I fully respect the decisions of the Canadian government," Concha explained, while at the same time he denounced cannabis decriminalization as the "legalization of drugs." | ||||||||||||||||||
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(19) DEALERS GET DEATH FOR TRAFFICKING CANNABIS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Dubai Supreme Court has handed death sentence to two of six drug smugglers who set fire to a boat containing two tonnes of cannabis as an Anti Narcotics Squad approached them off the Dubai coast. | ||||||||||||||||||
The rest of the gang got life imprisonment followed by deportation.
The six Iranian smugglers attempted to bring the contraband from
Iran to Dubai last November. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(20) COLOMBIA DRUG PROGRAM PANNED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Mismanagement by the State Department has "seriously jeopardized" the U.S. airborne drug-eradication program in cocaine- and heroin-rich Colombia, the program's former director says. | ||||||||||||||||||
The department's inability to provide "consistent competent
oversight" has contributed to the death of one pilot who was shot
down, two others killed in separate crashes and the capture of three
others by Marxist rebels, John McLaughlin said in a recent letter to
a House committee. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mr. McLaughlin, who retired last month after 25 years as head of the
Office of Aviation in the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement Affairs, said the program is in such disarray it should
be transferred to a federal law-enforcement agency. | ||||||||||||||||||
He said the program is losing aircraft "at the rate of one a month"
and without the "exceptional skill of the pilots, the commitment of
our mainstream recovery teams and the dedication of our Combat
Search and Rescue crews," several more pilots and crew would have
died or been captured. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Intelligence sharing has been a real problem," Mr. McLaughlin said
in a telephone interview yesterday from his home in Florida. "We'd
fly over an area, take a real shellacking, come back and report, and
they'd tell us 'Yeah, we knew something was there.' | ||||||||||||||||||
"If that were the case, why would they send an airplane in, knowing
the area was heavily defended?" | ||||||||||||||||||
While there have been no aircraft lost during the past month, Mr.
McLaughlin said it was not due to improvements in safety, but
because the department is "avoiding flying and have moved the
aircraft to areas that have already been cleared. | ||||||||||||||||||
"They are trading off productivity. If you don't fly, you don't get
hit," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
He also said that while the program had sought to spray 160,000
acres of coca, "they'll be lucky if they kill 110,000. State is
drawing into a protective stance and the tragedy is that this is the
only way to stop drugs from coming into the country." | ||||||||||||||||||
The U.S. government has spent $2.5 billion since 2000 for aircraft,
military equipment and training to protect drug spraying and other
counternarcotics operations in Colombia. Leftist guerrillas and
right-wing paramilitaries finance their insurgencies through drug
sales. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
He also said that after the February crash of a plane operated by a separate U.S. contract agency, which was not identified, State Department officials declined to clear two of his air crews for an immediate rescue attempt, holding them on the ground for 15 minutes. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The gunships arrived overhead after two of the crew had been
executed and just in time to see the three surviving ... captives
being led off by their FARC captors," he said. He said the crew
members included four Americans, one of whom was killed, and a
Colombian, who also was executed. | ||||||||||||||||||
An investigation of the crash by the State Department and the
Federal Aviation Administration concluded a lack of intelligence
about the area led to the crash. | ||||||||||||||||||
http://www.state.gov/g/inl/
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(21) DRUG-DRIVERS FACE ROADSIDE TEST (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
DRUG-AFFECTED drivers will be subjected to roadside tests and face
tough penalties under a major change to road safety laws announced
by the State Government yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||
They can also have their car keys confiscated for up to 24 hours if
drug use is suspected. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police will conduct vision tests for signs of prescription and
illegal drugs when a new offence - driving while impaired by a drug
- is introduced next year. | ||||||||||||||||||
Officers are being trained to test for nystagmus - an involuntary
movement of the eye which can indicate recent drug use. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Police Minister Michelle Roberts said research had shown that almost
10 per cent of deaths on WA roads involved prescription or illegal
drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mrs Roberts said Cabinet had approved the drafting of amendments to
the WA Road Safety Act, which will be introduced to Parliament next
year. | ||||||||||||||||||
The legislation will make it easier for police to test for drugs using saliva-testing machines like those on trial in Victoria. | ||||||||||||||||||
She said targeting drug users would make roads safer. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(22) MEXICO BLASTS TREND TO LEGALIZING DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Attorney General Warns Canada And Others Against Any Move Toward
Drug Decriminalization. | ||||||||||||||||||
MONTREAL -- Canada and other members of the Organization of American
States must reject the trend to legalize drugs in order to better
fight drug abuse and trafficking, Mexico's attorney general warned
yesterday. But Wayne Easter, Canada's solicitor general, insisted
Ottawa's plans to decriminalize possession of small amounts of
marijuana do not clash with Canada's participation in an
international drug conference this week in Montreal. | ||||||||||||||||||
Easter was responding to an opening address by Rafael Macedo de la
Concha, Mexico's attorney general and outgoing chair of the OAS
Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"Rejecting drug trafficking and preventing drug consumption without
allowing its legal or controlled consumption is a form to do that,"
Macedo de la Concha said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Canada's proposed bill would decriminalize marijuana for any users
caught with less than 15 grams and would give them fines of $100 to
$400. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Following his speech, Macedo de la Concha told reporters he was not
taking specific aim at Canada. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I fully respect the decisions of the Canadian government," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
"But . . . with the problem my country is experiencing, I have expressed that I don't agree with the legalization of drugs." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
ABANDONING THE 'DRUG-FREE AMERICA' MYTH | ||||||||||||||||||
By Glenn Backes of Drug Policy Alliance | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HARSH DRUG BILL TO BE INTRODUCED | ||||||||||||||||||
Drug Policy Alliance, Wed, Nov 19, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||
Now, just before Congress goes out of session, one of the country's harshest drug war extremists, Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN), is about to introduce some of the scariest legislation we've seen this year. | ||||||||||||||||||
Rep. Souder's bill increases penalties for many drug offenses and takes away the right of judges to show mercy when it's appropriate. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LORETTA NALL IN GOOSE CREEK | ||||||||||||||||||
Pot TV News anchor Loretta Nall travels to Goose Creek, South
Carolina to investigate the armed police raid on Stratford
High School. This is the first encounter with the students. She
met up with them after school. Watch as they express their opinions
on the raid, marijuana and the drug war in general. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
POT COMPOUND INHIBITS TUMOR CELL GROWTH, STUDY SAYS | ||||||||||||||||||
NORML's Weekly Bulletin | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
She became interested in Drug Policy when she wrote her senior
paper on the administration of US drug laws and knew something
was terribly wrong. She is a member of Law Enforcement Against
Prohibition, http://leap.cc/ | ||||||||||||||||||
MP3: http://cultural-baggage.com/Audio/FDBCB_111803.mp3
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Ret. Police Officer Jack Cole | ||||||||||||||||||
Jack spent many years as an undercover cop, busting nice folks like
you and me. He now sees the utter futility of drug prohibition and
tours the USA as director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.
This is one show you don't want to miss. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HEMPFEST 2003: FROM THE SOAPBOX | ||||||||||||||||||
Activist Mikki Norris and Ken Slusher put together this collection
of video testimonials that were collected at the 2003 Seattle
Hempfest. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON... | ||||||||||||||||||
Wed, Nov 19, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||
Mitch Earleywine, USC Professor and author of "Understanding
Marijuana," calls into question the efficacy of government-sponsored
anti-drug ads. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Gestapo Tactics | ||||||||||||||||||
By Neil Tackett | ||||||||||||||||||
The stimulus for this letter is the recent Gestapo tactics at Stratford High School. The Post and Courier reported that the police said, "Several drew their guns but did not use force." The act itself was an intimidating implication of deadly force, regardless of whatever phrases are applied to temper public reaction! | ||||||||||||||||||
While I support the zero tolerance drug policy, I question the
judgment (this is as nice as I can phrase it) of leadership involved
in this situation. | ||||||||||||||||||
Of course, I'll be told that I don't have all the information or
some other excuse that will attempt to pacify me, but that does not
excuse the fact that: | ||||||||||||||||||
1) The children of our community were held at gunpoint by the
institution that we, the taxpayers, depend on to protect them from
that very thing! | ||||||||||||||||||
2) While the police stated that days of surveillance tapes showed
suspected drug deals, not one arrest was made nor were drugs,
weapons or a large amount of cash found. | ||||||||||||||||||
3) This took place in one of the supposedly best schools in our
district and state. | ||||||||||||||||||
4) The leadership of the school and district, which we, the
taxpayers, depend on to provide a safe learning environment,
condones placing our children at gunpoint by their permissiveness of
this situation. | ||||||||||||||||||
Is there no semblance of common sense in the institutions meant to educate and protect our children? When the children of our community are threatened/ intimidated or whatever anyone wishes to call it, in our schools, by our police force with guns drawn, while school leadership is looking on (or looking the other way), the ends do not justify the means and people need to be held accountable! | ||||||||||||||||||
I have two teenage children. My son is in the Army, and my daughter
(presently) attends Stratford. The current thought I have is that my
son is in a safer environment. | ||||||||||||||||||
Neil Tackett, | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Rep. Souder Prepares To Introduce "Lung Disease Promotion Act" | ||||||||||||||||||
By Marijuana Policy Project | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A bill being circulated by U.S. Rep. Mark Souder
(R-IN) for introduction in the current session of Congress poses a
direct threat to the health of marijuana smokers, particularly
medical patients who use marijuana to alleviate the symptoms of
cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, and other illnesses. | ||||||||||||||||||
The "Drug Sentencing Reform Act" contains a number of onerous provisions, including language limiting the ability of federal judges to show mercy in medical marijuana cases via "downward departures" from sentencing guidelines. Most importantly, the legislation sharply increases penalties for marijuana producers based on the level of THC, marijuana's main active component -- with stepped-up penalties at the 6, 13, and 25 percent levels. | ||||||||||||||||||
"This bill is a direct threat to the health of patients and to the
caregivers and loved ones who assist them," said Steve Fox, director
of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project in
Washington, D.C. "Souder should call his bill the Lung Disease
Promotion Act of 2003. The only serious health risks associated with
marijuana use involve lung problems like bronchitis caused by the
tars in smoke, and research has shown that users of higher-THC
marijuana inhale less of those contaminants." | ||||||||||||||||||
A 1997 study from the UCLA School of Medicine, published in Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, demonstrated that smokers of higher-THC marijuana inhaled "significantly less" tar than those smoking marijuana with a lower THC level. In a 1999 report commissioned by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Institute of Medicine noted, "Except for the harms associated with smoking, the adverse effects of marijuana use are within the range of effects tolerated for other medications." | ||||||||||||||||||
For that reason, most medical marijuana dispensaries protect the
health of their patients by providing high-quality marijuana that
minimizes smoking-associated health risks. The government of the
Netherlands follows the same practice: Medical marijuana sold in
Dutch pharmacies and produced by government-contracted growers
contains THC levels of 15 or 18 percent, as specified in government
regulations. | ||||||||||||||||||
For more information, please visit http://www.MarijuanaPolicy.org/ | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"Who does not thank for little will not thank for much." | ||||||||||||||||||
-- Estonian Proverb | ||||||||||||||||||
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