| December 5, 2003 #328 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
(1) SOLICITOR WON'T CHARGE POLICE IN SCHOOL DRUG RAID (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
GOOSE CREEK - A prosecutor will let the state attorney general decide
whether to file charges in connection with the drug raid at Stratford
High School. | ||||||||||||||||||
"While I am confident the goals of the Goose Creek Police Department were appropriate, the actual methods employed by certain officers were ill-advised at best," Ninth Circuit Solicitor Ralph Hoisington said Thursday at City Hall. "My review of the surveillance tapes and witness interviews left me with questions and concerns regarding the actions of several officers involved in the intervention." | ||||||||||||||||||
Because the solicitor’s office has several pending cases with Goose
Creek police, "it creates a certain amount of conflict" if he
decided to prosecute, Hoisington said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Hoisington is also asking that the State Law Enforcement Division
share the results of its probe with the U.S. attorney’s office and
FBI to see if any federal criminal violations occurred. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(2) RELUCTANT JURORS CONVICT ALBERTAN POT CRUSADER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Judge Sentences Multiple-Sclerosis Sufferer to One Day in Jail | ||||||||||||||||||
CALGARY -- An Alberta jury convicted a medicinal-marijuana crusader of drug trafficking last night almost 10 hours after the judge told jurors they had no choice but to find to find him guilty. | ||||||||||||||||||
The verdict was reached after two jurors asked to be excused,
saying they could not in good conscience convict Grant Krieger,
a 49-year-old multiple-sclerosis sufferer who admitted in court
that he ran a marijuana-grow operation to provide pot for himself
and the ill. | ||||||||||||||||||
Both jurors, one man and one woman, asked to be excused almost
seven hours into deliberating Mr. Krieger's fate. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I don't feel this man is a guilty man," explained the male juror
who fought back tears as he spoke to the Alberta Court of Queen's
Bench. ". . .I believe that I could not live with myself if I'm
part of the conviction of this man." | ||||||||||||||||||
The woman juror told the court she was too emotionally involved
in the case to judge Mr. Krieger, who she said was helping others.
"I can take your instructions," she said told the judge, "But it's
not in my heart." | ||||||||||||||||||
Mr. Justice Paul Chrumka reminded them there was only one option in the case -- a finding of guilty -- and refused their requests to be excused before sending them back for further discussion. | ||||||||||||||||||
Judge Chrumka sentenced Mr. Krieger to one day in jail, saying
Mr. Krieger's operation was non-profit and aimed to help the
sick. The maximum charge for drug trafficking is life | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(3) FAMILY FILES LAWSUIT IN RAINBOW DEATH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Rohm's Shooting Called 'Hate Crime' | ||||||||||||||||||
Authorities say 28-year-old Rolland Rohm signed his own death warrant
when he pointed a gun at an armored vehicle full of police officers.
Rohm's family says the authorities are blatantly lying. | ||||||||||||||||||
And this week, the family of the slain pro-marijuana activist filed a
civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Detroit alleging that Rohm,
known as Rollie to his friends, was wrongfully killed during a police
standoff at the Rainbow Farm Campground during Labor Day weekend 2001
-- and that investigators conspired to cover it up. | ||||||||||||||||||
"This was murder, pure and simple," Rohm's stepfather, John Livermore,
said. "It was a hate crime." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(4) JUST POPPYCOCK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
In Afghanistan And Colombia, America's Allies In The War On Terror
Should Be Its Enemies In The War On Drugs | ||||||||||||||||||
In early November 2001, as the war in Afghanistan was getting under way, the United Nations held a press conference in Islamabad to announce the latest scores in the global drug eradication effort. Those journalists who bothered to attend were surprised to learn that the previous year the Taliban had all but eradicated the opium poppy from the areas it controlled. At the time, it was the crimes of the Taliban regime - from its treatment of women and its love for Osama bin Laden to its promotion of heroin addiction among western youth - that were of interest. To discover that the Taliban had eradicated the opium poppy did not fit the picture of unhallowed evil that the moment demanded. The story made little impact. Even if it was true - as it undoubtedly was - there was a feeling that the Taliban did not really mean it: they probably had their fingers crossed. Praise was politically impossible. | ||||||||||||||||||
Besides, if the story had been given more play it might have been noticed that in those parts of Afghanistan controlled by the Northern Alliance - who had successfully auditioned for the parts of noble heroes in the melodrama of the war against evil - opium production had risen sharply. Had too much attention been paid to that, it might have raised the question of what would happen if our new friends, the warlords, had the whole country in which to plant their favourite crop. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
More details about the bias in anti-drug research were uncovered by
the New York Times last week. The story looked at the notorious
Ecstasy study that had to be retracted from the journal Science
because the nation's so-called leading drug experts couldn't tell
the difference between methamphetamine and Ecstasy. The Times looked
at some other questionable research practices from the main author
of the study. The long tradition of poor research sponsored by
prohibitionists is examined in today's DrugSense Weekly feature
article. | ||||||||||||||||||
Also seeking to restrict the honest flow of information about drugs is a crusading U.S. Congressman. Ernest Istook of Oklahoma wants to cut part of the budget for Washington, D.C. mass transit systems as punishment for the systems' acceptance of an ad about marijuana legalization and sex. Without regard for the first amendment, Istook doesn't want to see a marijuana ad on a city bus ever again. | ||||||||||||||||||
Challenges against drug tests are proceeding in two venues. In Pennsylvania, a suit by two high school students who challenged their school's drug test policy moved forward, while in New York, a court ruled that a man whose life was destroyed by a false positive drug test does indeed have the right to sue over his firing. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(5) RESEARCH ON ECSTASY IS CLOUDED BY ERRORS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
In September, the journal Science issued a startling retraction. | ||||||||||||||||||
A primate study it published in 2002, with heavy publicity, warned
that the amount of the drug Ecstasy that a typical user consumes in
a single night might cause permanent brain damage. | ||||||||||||||||||
It turned out that the $1.3 million study, led by Dr. George A. Ricaurte of Johns Hopkins University, had not used Ecstasy at all. His 10 squirrel monkeys and baboons had instead been injected with overdoses of methamphetamine, and two of them had died. The labels on two vials he bought in 2000, he said, were somehow switched. | ||||||||||||||||||
The problem corrupted four other studies in his lab, forcing him to
withdraw four other papers. | ||||||||||||||||||
It was not the first time Dr. Ricaurte's lab was accused of using
flawed studies to suggest that recreational drugs are highly
dangerous. In previous years he was accused of publicizing doubtful
results without checking them, and was criticized for research that
contributed to a government campaign suggesting that Ecstasy made
"holes in the brain." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(6) MARIJUANA AD ON METRO INFURIATES LAWMAKER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
An Oklahoma lawmaker is seeking to slice $92,500 from the federal
government's annual payment to Metro because he is angry that the
transit agency accepted advertising from a nonprofit group that
wants to decriminalize marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
Change the Climate Inc. has been using public service advertising
space on the Metro system since 2001, but it was the latest round of
advertising, this fall, that drew the ire of Rep. Ernest J. Istook
Jr. (R-Okla.). | ||||||||||||||||||
The ad showed a man carrying a tanned blonde in a short white dress,
the two of them set against the azure sky of some tropical retreat.
Under the picture appeared the declaration: "Enjoy better sex!
Legalize and tax marijuana." | ||||||||||||||||||
In a Nov. 10 letter to Jim Graham, chairman of the Metro board,
Istook called the ad "shocking" and said the board had "exercised
the poorest possible judgment, so I must assure that [Metro] will
learn the proper lessons from this experience and will only accept
appropriate ads in the future." | ||||||||||||||||||
This week, Istook inserted language into a bill that would cut
Metro's funds by $92,500 and prohibit any transit system that
receives federal funds from running advertising from a group that
wants to decriminalize marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(7) COURT ALLOWS LAWSUIT AGAINST SCHOOL DRUG TESTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
HARRISBURG - A desire to discourage drug use among students is not a sufficient reason to justify "suspicionless" drug screening targeted at student-athletes, parking-permit holders, and participants in extracurricular activities, the state Supreme Court has ruled. | ||||||||||||||||||
The justices on Thursday turned down the Delaware Valley School
District's attempt to have a lawsuit in Pike County dismissed,
meaning a legal challenge seeking to block the testing can proceed.
The challenge was filed by two sisters, who had passed the drug
screening and have since graduated, and their parents. | ||||||||||||||||||
The family's lawyer said the ruling provides Pennsylvania students
with privacy rights beyond the limits of a 2002 U.S. Supreme Court
case that upheld random testing of participants in an Oklahoma
school district's extracurricular activities. | ||||||||||||||||||
"What the Pennsylvania court did is [it] said, 'Well, the Pennsylvania Constitution does recognize the privacy right.' That is, it affords the students [a] broader right of privacy than the U.S. Supreme Court held," said the lawyer, Robert N. Isseks. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(8) U.S. DRUG TEST ACT DOES NOT BAR TORTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The federal scheme for the drug testing of transportation employees
does not pre-empt a state common-law cause of action brought for a
false positive drug test, an Eastern District of New York judge has
ruled. | ||||||||||||||||||
Judge Frederic Block, ruling on an issue that has divided some
circuit courts, found that the pre-emption language of Federal
Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act (OTETA) and rules passed
to implement the act make clear that the federal government intended
only to prevent state or local law from interfering with its drug
testing regime. | ||||||||||||||||||
The ruling came in the case of Drake v. Laboratory Corp. of America
Holdings, 02-CV-1924, the latest filing in the 10-year effort of
former Delta Airlines flight attendant Richard W. Drake to clear his
name. | ||||||||||||||||||
Drake lost his job in 1993 because he allegedly failed a drug test
required by OTETA. He claimed the test was a false positive, the
result of a series of errors in handling the sample and the
alteration of test results. He also claimed that the false positive
contradicted other tests on the same sample that clearly showed a
lack of narcotics or adulterants in his system. | ||||||||||||||||||
When he was fired after refusing to resign, Drake claimed, he asked
the defendants for records relating to his drug test, but he was
told the records had either been lost or destroyed. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A lawsuit has been filed by the family of a man shot to death by police in a standoff at the Rainbow Farm campground in 2001. | ||||||||||||||||||
Obviously not troubled by overuse of police force in the drug war, the U.S.= Supreme Court ruled that preserving cocaine as evidence is more important than preserving the privacy and dignity of citizens. | ||||||||||||||||||
Other court actions on police conduct were more encouraging. A
federal appeals court in Georgia ruled that an unjustified search
for illegal drugs during a traffic stop was not allowable as
evidence. And in Tennessee, a judge ordered that cash be returned to
citizen who was urged to "donate" the money during an encounter with
police. The judge said the incident amounted to extortion on the
part of the police. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(9) FAMILY FILES LAWSUIT IN RAINBOW DEATH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Authorities say 28-year-old Rolland Rohm signed his own death warrant when he pointed a gun at an armored vehicle full of police officers. Rohm's family says the authorities are blatantly lying. | ||||||||||||||||||
And this week, the family of the slain pro-marijuana activist filed a civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Detroit alleging that Rohm, known as Rollie to his friends, was wrongfully killed during a police standoff at the Rainbow Farm Campground during Labor Day weekend 2001 -- and that investigators conspired to cover it up. | ||||||||||||||||||
"This was murder, pure and simple," Rohm's stepfather, John
Livermore, said. "It was a hate crime." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(10) POLICE CAN BREAK INTO HOME SOON AFTER KNOCKING, COURT SAYS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON -- After knocking, police don't have to wait longer than 20 seconds before breaking into the home of a drug suspect, a unanimous Supreme Court ruled yesterday in a case involving a man who said he needed more time to get from the shower to the door. | ||||||||||||||||||
LaShawn Banks emerged soapy and naked to find masked, heavily armed officers searching for drugs in his Las Vegas apartment in 1998. His case gave the court its first opportunity to say how long police must wait before breaking into a home to serve a warrant. | ||||||||||||||||||
The court didn't set a specific standard but said the brief delay in
the Banks case was long enough. More time would give drug suspects
an opportunity to flush evidence down the toilet. | ||||||||||||||||||
Justice David Souter, writing for the nine justices, said that
although "this call is a close one, we think that after 15 or 20
seconds without a response, police could fairly suspect that cocaine
would be gone if they were reticent any longer." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(11) TRAFFIC SEARCH WAS ILLEGAL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Court Rules In Favor Of Motorist Found With Illegal Drugs | ||||||||||||||||||
The federal appeals court in Atlanta has found that a South Georgia
deputy made an illegal search when he uncovered 10,000 pills of
Ecstasy after a traffic stop. | ||||||||||||||||||
In a ruling issued Friday, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
said there was no lawful basis for the deputy to detain Jody James
Boyce long enough to have a drug-sniffing dog brought to the scene.
For this reason, the search that found the Ecstasy and two large
containers of marijuana was illegal, the court said. | ||||||||||||||||||
"While we recognize that drug trafficking is a serious problem in
this country and we encourage law enforcement agencies to use every
available means to control it, we cannot condone methods that offend
the protections afforded by the Constitution," Judge Stanley Birch
wrote for a unanimous three-judge panel. | ||||||||||||||||||
Boyce pleaded guilty in July 2002 to possession with intent to
distribute the drugs and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. But
his plea was entered conditionally, because Boyce believes he was
illegally searched and detained. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(12) 'COERCED' CONTRIBUTION RETURNED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Loudon County Sheriff's Office has returned nearly $10,000 and
paid the legal fees of a man who said he was pressured into making a
"contribution" to the county's law-enforcement drug fund by deputies
who stopped him last year. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Sheriff's Office never filed an answer to a Loudon County
Circuit Court lawsuit filed in June by Eddie W. Witt of Soddy-Daisy,
Tenn. | ||||||||||||||||||
Early this week, Witt agreed to dismiss the lawsuit after all of his
money was returned and his attorney fees were paid. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Essentially, that money was extorted from Mr. Witt," said Witt's
lawyer, Jes Beard of Chattanooga. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-16) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
This week the Oakland City Council is expected to impose new
restrictions on the growing number of medicinal cannabis
distribution organizations found in the city's so-called
"Oaksterdam". The restrictions may include limiting the number of
clubs, imposing rules on proper ventilation, and tougher licensing
guidelines. Activists have argued that any restrictions on the clubs
will make them more vulnerable to federal DEA raids, and may force
sick Californians to buy medicine off of the streets. | ||||||||||||||||||
Our second story takes us North to Montreal, where the opening of
the city's first "smoke-easy" has caused quite a stir. Chez
Marijane's, a cafe that doesn't actually sell cannabis but permits
its use within the premises, opened last weekend to much publicity
and public scrutiny. Despite two arrests the cafe - which is
sponsored in large part by the Quebec Marijuana Party (better known
as Bloc Pot) - Marijane's plans to keep on offering Montrealers a
safe and social place to their herb. | ||||||||||||||||||
Our third story examines a controversy surrounding the | ||||||||||||||||||
And lastly a story about Gale Glenn's efforts to legalize the
industrial production of hemp in the U.S. Glenn, who has spent years
fighting a DEA ban on domestic hemp cultivation, is Vice-Chairwoman
of the North American Hemp Council. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(13) 'OAKSTERDAM' POT CLUBS MAY FACE LICENSING, ZONING RULES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
If there's an epicenter of the nation's medicinal marijuana
movement, it may be right here in a gritty six-block area near
Oakland City Hall, where at least 11 dispensaries sell pot to any
California resident with a doctor's note. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Now the council is considering a requirement that clubs carry
business licenses, or zoning rules that would limit the | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(14) JOINT VENTURE HAS MONTREAL ABUZZ (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Montreal-By most measures, Chez Marijane ought not to create much of
a buzz. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
When it opened its doors yesterday at noon, an event marked by a crowd of about 50 patrons lighting up joints, this spartan cafe in Montreal's eastside became a notable institution in Quebec. | ||||||||||||||||||
Its patrons plan to come here on a daily basis to thumb their nose
at Canada's drug laws, which they believe should be changed to
legalize pot. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Marijane's is not the first place in Canada that allows its customers to openly smoke marijuana. There are a handful of such establishments in Toronto and Vancouver and other Canadian cities. | ||||||||||||||||||
But Montreal's pot cafe may be the first that challenges police so directly - it is located across the street from a police station. | ||||||||||||||||||
Yesterday, police arrested two people at the cafe who were holding joints, said Hugo St-Onge, president of the Bloc Pot party. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(15) BUD OUT! (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Local Civil-Rights Lawyers Fend Off Feds' Attempt To Shut Down
Medical-Marijuana Conference. | ||||||||||||||||||
Organizers from the Oregon chapter of the National Organization for
the Reform of Marijuana Laws are still fuming over what they view as
an effort to intimidate advocates of medicinal pot. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
This conflict was underlined on Nov. 13, when Ken Magee of the
Oregon office of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration wrote a
letter to the DoubleTree Hotel. Delivered in person by two DEA
agents, the letter noted NORML's plans for a marijuana-judging event
to be held at the banquet and asked an ominous question: Did the
hotel intend to "knowingly permit...the illegal possession,
conspiracy to possess or to aid and abet the possession of
marijuana"? | ||||||||||||||||||
Facing the possibility of having their hotel seized by the feds, DoubleTree officials promptly informed NORML it was canceling its contract to host the banquet (see Murmurs, WW, Nov. 19, 2003). | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(16) HEMP, HEMP, HOORAY? NO WAY, SAYS DEA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Durham's Gale Glenn could rightly be called the hemp lady. | ||||||||||||||||||
No, not that kind of hemp, she says; it's the kind that can be
harvested to make clothes, paper and other textile products, the
kind that produces the longest and strongest natural fibers in the
world. But because it's in the cannabis family, along with
marijuana, it's illegal. | ||||||||||||||||||
As a former Kentucky tobacco farmer, Glenn sees industrial hemp as
the perfect money-making alternative crop. From her Durham home, she
has been lobbying Congress, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
and the White House for years. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It's an illegal crop, even though it's grown in 35 Western
countries because the DEA is convinced it is a stalking horse for
illegal marijuana. We've been working in a concerted effort for
about eight years to legalize it as an alternative crop," said
Glenn, who is vice chairwoman of the North American Industrial Hemp
Council. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (17-20) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra this week declared the Thai
kingdom had won the war on drugs. "Illegal drugs have been eradicated
to the point they [no] longer have any great influence on people's
lives," boasted Shinawatra. Last October, observers will recall the
PM's new Thai drug war was "aimed at eliminating illicit drugs from
the country before December 3 to please His Majesty the King." But
now, "the fight will continue until Thailand is completely drug free,"
admitted the Thai Prime Minister. Evidently, "drug free" means
whatever the Prime Minister says it means. | ||||||||||||||||||
Bolivian leader Evo Morales, a coca-farmer turned leader of a
revolution, last week denounced the US government's abuse of the
Bolivian people. "The US government does not understand our way of
life and our philosophy," noted Morales. He also pointed out that the
U.S. has not moved on its policy to eradicate traditional coca
farming, calling the stationing of US troops in Bolivia "permanent
aggression." Morales concluded what many drug reformers have seen here
in the U.S. itself; the war on drugs is a governmental power grab.
"For the U.S. government, the 'war on drugs' is just an excuse for the
U.S. to increase its power and control over other countries," said
Morales. | ||||||||||||||||||
Afghan opium poppy production doubled over the last year, the U.S. government reported last week. Growing "enough poppies in 2003 to make 2,865 tonnes of opium," a statement by U.S. drug "czar" John Walters advised that this year "61,000 hectares were under cultivation in 2003, compared with 30,750 hectares in 2002." Good luck in trying to persuade farmers to switch to tomatoes while "opium-growing families were making an average 3,900 dollars a year against the gross domestic product per capita of 184 dollars," according to UN estimates. | ||||||||||||||||||
Philippine president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo launched a new
governmental propaganda offensive, "The Nation's Outrage Against
Drugs: Saving This Generation" (Himagsik) project in Manilla last
week. This latest anti-drugs program in the Philippines follows last
year's all-around toughening of the prohibition, including (for
example) the death penalty for trafficking a few ounces of cannabis.
In carefully orchestrated propaganda rallies and other events,
"representatives from the youth and religious sectors as well as civil
society," as well as "sports personalities" shall "exhort the youth to
junk drugs in favor of sports." Surely this will make the Philippines
drug free! | ||||||||||||||||||
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(17) PM DECLARES NATION NOW OUT OF DANGER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
People Have Their Sons, Daughters Back | ||||||||||||||||||
Illegal drugs have been eradicated to the point they longer have any
great influence on people's lives, but the fight will continue until
Thailand is completely drug free, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
said yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||
The government would declare its victory over drugs tomorrow, he
said. | ||||||||||||||||||
It was made possible by the people's contribution of physical and spiritual forces, and even their lives, to protect their society. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We are now in a position to declare that drugs, which formerly were
a big danger to our nation, can no longer hurt us. Many Thai people
now have their sons and daughters back," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(18) EVO MORALES: 'AFTER 500 YEARS OF RESISTANCE, WE ARE RETAKING (Top)POWER' | ||||||||||||||||||
COCHABAMBA -- This interview with socialist leader Evo Morales took place a month after the massive popular uprising against the Bolivian government's proposal to export the country's natural gas to the U.S. for a meagre sum. Huge demonstrations demanded that the gas reserves be nationalised to benefit the neediest sections of Bolivian society. On October 17, President Sanchez de Lozada was forced to flee to Miami and the gas export plan was postponed. Lozada's vice-president Carlos Mesa took over the presidency. | ||||||||||||||||||
Morales played a central role in mobilising opposition to Lozada's
plan. For years, he has been an active leader of social movements in
Bolivia. He is a member of congress and the leader of the Movement
Towards Socialism (MAS) party. He is also leader of the coca growers
in the Chapare, a tropical region in Bolivia where much coca is
grown. Morales narrowly failed to be elected president in 2002,
losing to Lozada by just 1.5% of the votes. | ||||||||||||||||||
Morales' role as both the most prominent socialist in Bolivia and a top leader of the coca growers (coca is the raw material from which cocaine is made) has meant that he is not popular in Washington. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Many in Bolivia say that you should be president and that you have
more support nationally than any other candidate. What do you have
to say about the pressure you may receive from the U.S. government
if you are elected president? The U.S. ambassador in Bolivia has
stated that if you are elected, the U.S. will pull its financial
support from Bolivia. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(19) AFGHAN HEROIN POPPIES DOUBLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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"Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is a major and growing problem,"
drug "czar" John Walters said in a statement. | ||||||||||||||||||
Some 61,000 hectares (acres) were under cultivation in 2003, compared with 30,750 hectares (acres) in 2002, the statement said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Afghanistan grew enough poppies in 2003 to make 2,865 tonnes of
opium. That is an increase of 1,587 tonnes over the 2002 level, the
statement said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The UN reported that opium-growing families were making an average
3,900 dollars a year against the gross domestic product (GDP) per
capita of 184 dollars, based on 2002 estimates. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(20) HIMAGSIK ANTI-DRUGS PROJECT STARTS TOMORROW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will launch "The Nation's Outrage
Against Drugs: Saving This Generation" (Himagsik) project at the
Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila tomorrow, Monday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Representatives from the youth and religious sectors as well as
civil society are expected to join Mrs. Arroyo in the nationwide
launch of Himagsik. | ||||||||||||||||||
There will also be launching ceremonies at the City Park in Davao
City, Fuente Osmena in Cebu, and Burnham Park in Baguio City
starting at 4:30 p.m. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Himagsik launch will also be graced by International Boxing Federation (IBP) superbantamweight champion Manny Pacquiao, billiards legend Efren "Bata" Reyes, and other sports personalities who will exhort the youth to junk drugs in favor of sports. | ||||||||||||||||||
Singers and other movie personalities have also been invited to join
the President in celebrating the first nationwide coordinated and
multi-sectoral fight against illegal drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
The launching of Himagsik comes on the heels of the recent success
of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the fight against illegal
drugs with over P18 billion confiscated from raids of shabu
factories. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
DRUG POLICY REFORM LIVE WEB CHAT: TURNING THE TIDE | ||||||||||||||||||
How can I get the presidential candidates to talk about drug policy
reform? What's up with Rush Limbaugh? What is the status of medical
marijuana legalization? What craziness is the Drug Czar up to? Could
the RAVE Act be repealed any time soon? | ||||||||||||||||||
Join the country's preeminent drug policy reformers, Ethan
Nadelmann, director of the Alliance, and Ira Glasser, retired ACLU
director, when they take your questions in a live online audio chat
Tuesday, December 9, at 3 p.m. EDT. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
ON 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF PROHIBITION REPEAL, MPP CALLS FOR RETHINKING | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
MARC EMERY AND BORIS ST. MAURICE TALK CANADIAN POT POLITICS | ||||||||||||||||||
Marc Emery President of the BC Marijuana Party and President of the
Federal Marijuana Party Marc Boris' St. Maurice discuss whether or
not Marijuana Party members would be better off joining the NDP
in the next Federal election in order to attain their goal of
cannabis legalization. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HIGH TIMES PRESS CONFERENCE | ||||||||||||||||||
The new Heads at High Times Richard Stratton and John Mailer, explain the new format and direction the famous counter culture magazine is taking. Filmed at the 2003 cannabis cup in Amsterdam. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL-BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Dr. Earleywine is the author of "Understanding Marijuana, a New Look
at the Scientific Evidence." | ||||||||||||||||||
MP3: http://cultural-baggage.com/Audio/FDBCB_120203.mp3
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Deborah Small of the Drug Policy Alliance will be our guest.
She is the coordinator of the "Breaking the Chains" conference on
racial bias to be held in Houston Texas on April 1 to April 3 of
2004. | ||||||||||||||||||
Listen online at http://cultural-baggage.com/kpft.htm | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Modern-Day Version Of The Salem Witch Trials | ||||||||||||||||||
By Marie Caldwell | ||||||||||||||||||
The Salem witch trials reveal striking similarities to our
present-day war on drugs. Both were/are fueled by fear, not logic.
The war on drugs is waged against substances deemed to "possess"
individuals, either causing them to become evil or deliver death.
The war on witches was against spirits declared to produce the same
results. Both were/are moralistic in their declaration of saving
humanity from sin by destroying a menace. | ||||||||||||||||||
In reality, both were/are attacks on individuals, free will and
choice. The tactics used in seeking out violators are the same.
Enforcers must hunt. During the war on witches, those admitting
guilt were given reduced sentences while those declaring innocence
obtained harsher sentences. | ||||||||||||||||||
Under either plea, the government confiscated the assets of the
accused. Prosecutors were more interested in conviction than truth.
Acquaintances were persuaded to snitch. In federal drug cases, every
one of these same tactics are used today. | ||||||||||||||||||
Both wars result in overcrowded prisons and favor conviction over rehabilitation. Both demonize the accused and financially and physically destroy families. Oddly, they both turn a deaf ear and instantly demonize individuals requesting consideration of alternative solutions. They brand them as either pro-drug or pro-Satan and play on public fear to maintain the status quo. | ||||||||||||||||||
When a prominent governor's daughter was accused of being a witch,
it was declared a private matter and never entered the courts. Today
we have examples of this same practice in Noelle Bush and Rush
Limbaugh. When poverty-stricken villagers were accused, a conviction
nearly always ensued. Nothing has changed. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mankind is still allowing a fear of spell-binding potions to
overrule common sense. History will not be kind to us. They will
sigh at our ignorance, bemuse our blind insanity and eventually
vindicate our accused. | ||||||||||||||||||
Marie Caldwell, | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Prohibition's Not-So-Great Moments in Science | ||||||||||||||||||
By Stephen Young | ||||||||||||||||||
Descriptions of "scientific" studies used to support the drug war
frequently sound as if they were conducted by Jerry Lewis (or Eddie
Murphy) in "The Nutty Professor." | ||||||||||||||||||
The slapstick hilarity hit a new low last week. It inspired me to
attempt a joke. | ||||||||||||||||||
How many National Institute on Drug Abuse researchers does it take
to change a light bulb? | ||||||||||||||||||
The answer depends on two factors: results expected by NIDA
administrators and the amount of funding available. | ||||||||||||||||||
If NIDA-funded researchers are encountering more ridicule than usual this week, they've got one of their brightest stars to thank. George Ricaurte, who literally carved a career out of Ecstasy hysteria, was the subject of an unflattering but generally tame profile in the New York Times - http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1857/a03.html | ||||||||||||||||||
His research had been exposed as shoddy before, but Ricaurte found
new notoriety in September after he retracted a study which
purported a single exposure to Ecstasy to be capable of causing
brain damage in monkeys. | ||||||||||||||||||
Ricaurte initially said he injected Ecstasy into monkeys as part of
the study - which is strange in itself, since no humans inject
Ecstasy. The retraction indicated that he really injected the poor
creatures with a dose methamphetamine that proved deadly to some.
Whoops! Such a silly mistake! Nobody's perfect, it seems, even if
they warrant $10 million in funding from NIDA. | ||||||||||||||||||
Embarrassing as the story might be, the Times let Ricaurte off the
hook regarding the mysterious drug mix-up. The story states: "The
labels on two vials he bought in 2000, he said, were somehow
switched." | ||||||||||||||||||
In previous stories, Ricaurte blamed the supplier of the drugs for
the switched labels, but the supplier has since offered a vehement
denial - http://www.maps.org/media/tbj111003.html | ||||||||||||||||||
"Somehow switched"? Who could have been so wacky? | ||||||||||||||||||
The Times does suggest Ricaurte didn't want just any data in his
studies; he wanted data that would fit his (and NIDA's) preconceived
notions about Ecstasy. | ||||||||||||||||||
A pair of human subjects who had participated in another Ricaurte
study told the Times they were coached to deny using drugs other
than Ecstasy in the days prior to the study, even though one had
done just that. They also said they took memory tests while they
were jet-lagged and sleep tests while they were in pain, conditions
that could obviously impact test results negatively. | ||||||||||||||||||
The human subjects should count their blessings - at least they weren't "accidentally" injected with a lethal dose of crank. | ||||||||||||||||||
Kudos to the Times for finding some new details, but skewed government research on illegal drugs isn't exactly news. It is, however, always interesting to learn how the skewing occurs. | ||||||||||||||||||
Back in 2000, the Orlando Sentinel published a story - | ||||||||||||||||||
Predictably, Florida officials blamed medical examiners for bad
data, but medical examiners said they answered state requests with
precision. "I spent weeks trying to educate them on what they were
really looking for," one medical examiner told the Sentinel. "I
talked until I was blue in the face." | ||||||||||||||||||
The research was announced at the same time Florida's drug czar
unveiled a plan to cut state drug use rates in half within five
years. Do the math - if you want to cut future drug use rate by 50
percent, it's awfully convenient to have current drug use rates
overstated by 50 percent. (Set back in 1999, the five year mark hits
in less than a month. Good luck to Governor Bush on pulling it out
in the home stretch, but not even the bloated numbers would help at
this point.) | ||||||||||||||||||
The history of drug war rhetoric sold as research goes back several decades. In his 1965 book "The Addict and the Law," drug research pioneer Alfred Lindesmith wrote about the federal anti-drug establishment and its methods of controlling information. | ||||||||||||||||||
"... any individual investigator who found himself at odds with the comprehensive official line laid down by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics had to contend with the solid, monolithic phalanxes of the government bureaucracy. The latter, with the mass media and government printing presses available to them, could readily brand the heretic as an irresponsible self-appointed expert,' or inspire a stooge to attack him or label his work as unscientific.'" | ||||||||||||||||||
As Lindesmith wrote, he hoped the era of scientific bias was ending.
Just seven years later, the Shafer Commission appointed by President
Nixon to study marijuana dispelled many long-standing myths about
marijuana and urged a tolerant policy. The study was dismissed by
Nixon and generally ignored. The same sort of thing happened when
the National Academy of Science released another honest marijuana
report in 1982. | ||||||||||||||||||
In the upside down world of the drug war, the situation sort of
makes sense. Solid research efforts are blocked; those that get
through are consciously overlooked by prohibitionists. But when
biased researchers are challenged on deliberately twisted studies,
it's always explained away as an honest mistake. | ||||||||||||||||||
The paradox might seem funny if it did not advance such a destructive
force. | ||||||||||||||||||
Stephen Young is an editor with DrugSense Weekly and Author of
"Maximizing Harm: Losers and Winners in the Drug War" | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a
revolutionary act." - George Orwell | ||||||||||||||||||
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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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