| April 2, 2004 #344 | ||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
(1) AMERICA ACCUSES BRITAIN OF FAILING IN WAR ON DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
America's love affair with Tony Blair was thrown into crisis yesterday
when a US official publicly accused Britain of failing to take action
to eradicate a bumper crop of Afghan opium poppies. | ||||||||||||||||
The Bush administration took the highly unusual step of sending a
senior official to Congress to chastise Britain, its closest ally in
the war on terrorism, for dragging its feet in the fight against
drugs. | ||||||||||||||||
Robert Charles, the assistant secretary of state for international
narcotics and law enforcement, said Britain was being too squeamish
about eradicating poppy fields before Afghan farmers had found an
alternative source of crops and income. | ||||||||||||||||
"Our point of disagreement, and I put it very directly," said Mr
Charles, "is that we believe that if there is a heroin poppy that
needs to be eradicated, we shouldn't be picking and choosing, we
shouldn't be delaying, waiting for an alternative revenue stream to
become available." | ||||||||||||||||
He said: "Our priority should not be some kind of misplaced sympathy
for someone who will have to do a little bit more work [to grow other,
less-lucrative crops, such as wheat or barley]." | ||||||||||||||||
His onslaught came during an appearance before a Republican-chaired
hearing of the House narcotics sub-committee entitled: "Afghanistan:
are British counter-narcotics efforts going wobbly?" | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(2) ACTIVISTS HAVE HIGH HOPES FOR TOMORROW'S HASH BASH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Thousands of activists hoping to achieve the goal of legalizing
marijuana are set to descend on campus and the surrounding areas this
weekend to protest the nation?s war on drugs. | ||||||||||||||||
With the Federal Building on East Liberty Street serving as their
backdrop, the protesters will kick off the 33rd Ann Arbor Hash Bash at
11 a.m. Saturday. | ||||||||||||||||
After an hour-long rally in front of the building, the activists will march to campus, converging on the Diag where they will listen to speakers including poet John Sinclair and Chef Ra, a columnist at High Times, a magazine for marijuana connoisseurs. After one hour of speeches, Hash Bash will move to Monroe Street for a block party. | ||||||||||||||||
"This is the largest, most unadvertised event in America and 50,000
people will show up for an event that isn't supported by the City
Council, the Ann Arbor commerce bureau, the University and so on down
the line," long-time organizer Adam Brook said. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(3) POLICE IN CANADA, U.S. CRACK MAJOR DRUG RING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Simultaneous Raids in Both Countries Cap a Three-Year-Long Investigation | ||||||||||||||||
Two Asian nationals -- one in Toronto, the other in Ottawa -- headed a
huge North American drug-manufacturing ring that distributed ecstasy
pills and marijuana to 19 U.S. and Canadian cities, police said
yesterday. Arrest warrants were issued for 170 people on both sides of
the border. | ||||||||||||||||
The alleged conspiracy involves the biggest ecstasy-making operation
ever uncovered on the continent and netted an estimated $300-million
(U.S.) over its five-year life. Most of that money is believed to have
been funnelled to Vietnam. | ||||||||||||||||
Shortly after 7 a.m. yesterday police awakened Wong Ze Wai, who is accused of being the kingpin of the network, at the Scarborough condominium that had been his home for the past few months and whisked him to Toronto's 42 Division police station, where he was charged. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(4) CANNABIS 'DAMAGES MALE FERTILITY' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Cannabis was reclassified as a class C drug in January | ||||||||||||||||
Men who smoke cannabis could be damaging their fertility, research carried out by Queen's University Belfast has suggested. | ||||||||||||||||
The study by the university's Reproductive Medicine Research Group
examined the direct effects on sperm function of THC, the active
ingredient in cannabis. | ||||||||||||||||
The group found that THC made sperm less likely to reach the egg to
fertilise it. | ||||||||||||||||
They also discovered that the presence of cannabis impaired another
crucial function of sperm - the ability to digest the egg's protective
coat with enzymes to aid its penetration. | ||||||||||||||||
The government reclassified cannabis to a class C drug in January,
putting it on a par with tranquilisers. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
A backlash may be developing against federal drug warriors targeting
prescription pain medication. There are signs that people who live
with chronic pain are prepared to fight federal efforts to crack
down on prescription pain medication. A story from New Jersey quotes
patients and physicians who say rescheduling the drug hyrocodone
will cause more problems that such an act would solve. Another story
out of Florida shows pain patients organizing to support one of
their own who is facing legal troubles. | ||||||||||||||||
Also in Florida, some members of the state legislature want to make
it easier for schools to drug test students. One proposed bill would
force schools to test athletes for steroids if the schools want to
remain in the state's athletic association. And also this week,
another U.S. Supreme Court decision that upholds invasive law
enforcement searches, this time borders. For another court-approved
attack on privacy, see the following Law Enforcement and Prisons
section. | ||||||||||||||||
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(5) DRUG'S PROPONENTS FIND PROPOSAL HARD TO SWALLOW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Reclassifying Pain-Reliever To Stem Abuse Would Also Make Drug More
Difficult For Patients To Get | ||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON -- The federal government is considering tightening
restrictions on narcotic pain relievers containing hydrocodone, a
move that would greatly complicate the pain relief therapies of
millions of Americans. | ||||||||||||||||
Literally the opioid of the masses, medication containing
hydrocodone -- Vicodin, Lortab, Norco and many others -- were
prescribed by doctors more than 100 million times last year, more
than any other prescription drug. Opioids are synthetic forms of
opiates. | ||||||||||||||||
Citing skyrocketing hydrocodone abuse statistics, the heads of the
Drug Enforcement Administration and the Food and Drug Administration
say they are considering moving hydrocodone compounds from Schedule
III to the much more restrictive Schedule II of the Controlled
Substances Act. | ||||||||||||||||
The change would place the hydrocodone compounds in the same category as their narcotic cousins morphine and OxyContin, prohibit doctors from phoning in prescriptions to pharmacies and require patients to see their doctors every time they need a refill. | ||||||||||||||||
"It's a horrible thought," said Salvatore Serra, a 24-year-old unemployed laborer from Goodrich, Mich., who relies on Vicodin to tame the pain he has endured since a 1998 assembly line accident. | ||||||||||||||||
"People are barely getting by with what little medicine they can
get. Doctors don't like to write prescriptions for narcotics. If
it's schedule II, they won't touch it," he said. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(6) GROUP WANTS PAINKILLER CASE THROWN OUT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The Pain Relief Network Is Encouraging A Letter-Writing Campaign On
Richard Paey's Behalf | ||||||||||||||||
The case of Richard Paey has gained the interest of the Pain Relief
Network, a New York City-based group that serves as an advocate for
pain patients and their doctors. The group is trying to raise
awareness and political momentum about Paey's case in hopes that his
March 5 conviction on 15 counts of drug trafficking, obtaining a
controlled substance by fraud and possession of controlled
substances will be thrown out. | ||||||||||||||||
Paey, 45, of Hudson, had written fraudulent prescriptions for the
painkillers Percocet and Lortab. He has been using a wheelchair and
in chronic pain since the mid 1980s, when he was injured in a car
accident. Paey subsequently endured a botched back surgery and also
suffers from multiple sclerosis. | ||||||||||||||||
Siobhan Reynolds, executive director of the Pain Relief Network,
said Paey's case is "a perfect example of just how badly out of
focus the system has become." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(7) BILLS BACK DRUG TESTING IN MIDDLE, HIGH SCHOOLS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
TALLAHASSEE -- Jenny Watkin is president of Boca Raton High School's
student council and a member of the varsity soccer and bowling
teams. She has a GPA of 3.6 and is headed to Florida State
University in the fall. | ||||||||||||||||
She says her active student life leaves no time for illegal drug
use, yet next year, students such as Watkin, 18, could find
themselves being tested if bills making their way through the
Florida Legislature become law. | ||||||||||||||||
The bills (HB 113, SB 1838) would give school boards more power to
require drug testing of all middle- and high school students
participating in any extracurricular activity, whether it be the
chess club or the varsity football team. | ||||||||||||||||
The two proposals are finding mostly favorable responses among legislators, who tentatively approved the House bill Tuesday. The matching Senate version goes to the education committee today. | ||||||||||||||||
"This bill works on the fear factor," said the House bill's sponsor,
Rep. Ed Homan, R-Tampa. "It will discourage serious athletes who
want to go to college from doing drugs." | ||||||||||||||||
It is not the only drug-testing bill on the agenda this year. Another House bill (HB 861) would require schools to test 5 percent of student athletes for performance-enhancing drugs as a condition of membership in the Florida High School Athletics Association. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(8) HIGH COURT BACKS CUSTOMS POWER TO CONDUCT SEARCHES AT BORDERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON -- In a ruling the Bush administration views as vital to
its war against terrorism, the Supreme Court bolstered the powers of
U.S. Customs officials to conduct searches, allowing border agents
to conduct extensive searches of vehicles at border crossings
without reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. | ||||||||||||||||
A unanimous court ruled that the Constitution's protection against
unreasonable searches and seizures doesn't apply fully when it comes
to the U.S. policing its borders. "The government's interest in
preventing the entry of unwanted persons and effects is at its
zenith at the international border," Chief Justice William Rehnquist
wrote for the court. | ||||||||||||||||
The opinion overturns a ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals, San Francisco, in the case against Manuel Flores-Montano,
who was caught with 81 pounds of marijuana in his gas tank while
trying to cross the border near San Diego. Customs agents discovered
the marijuana after disassembling the gas tank of his 1987 Ford
Taurus wagon. | ||||||||||||||||
Mr. Flores-Montano argued that the search was illegal, and the
appeals court agreed, saying law-enforcement officers must have a
reasonable suspicion of criminal activity before conducting such a
search. But the high court ruled that customs officials' authority
"includes the authority to remove, disassemble and reassemble a
vehicle's fuel tank." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Some newspapers, including Clarion-Ledger of Mississippi, are not
impressed with a circuit court ruling that allows police to perform
warrantless searches. Editorialists at the Clarion-Ledger rightly
states that instead of helping law enforcement, the ruling could
hurt the ability of police to do their job. | ||||||||||||||||
While DrugSense Weekly has been following the folly of Texas anti-drug task forces for years, USA Today picked up on the story this week, and they don't seem to be impressed with what they found. Also this week, officials in Wisconsin are trying to cut down on the number of inmates sent out of state to serve prison sentences, while a human rights activist in the UK is taking up the plight of women in prison, many who are there because of non-violent drug crimes. | ||||||||||||||||
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(9) EDITORIAL: COURT RULING ATTACKS BASIC LIBERTIES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has come up with a real
bone-headed ruling in allowing police to search suspects' homes
without either a search or arrest warrant. | ||||||||||||||||
The warrantless search, which expands a 1994 standard to allow law
enforcement to make a so-called protective sweep for their own
safety, goes too far in allowing the state to infringe on private
property and citizens' privacy rights. | ||||||||||||||||
In this case, police were allowed into the home of a suspect by
someone other than the suspect and they proceeded to look in closets
and under beds under the guise of protecting themselves. From what?
Someone who is not there? With no ability to use any weapon they
might find? | ||||||||||||||||
This ruling could harm law enforcement. With such fuzzy guidelines
beyond the "plain view" standard, virtually any search will be
vulnerable to be negated in a court of law, making officers worse
off, and real criminals may go free. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(10) TEXAS SCANDAL THROWS DOUBT ON ANTI-DRUG TASK FORCES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
A 16-year-old federal program that has poured about $500 million a
year into more than 750 regional anti-drug task forces is under fire
from critics who say that a lack of oversight has led to wrongful
convictions of citizens and theft, perjury and misuse of public
funds by law enforcement officers. | ||||||||||||||||
The focus of many of the complaints from groups such as the American
Civil Liberties Union has been the scandal in Tulia, Texas, where
more than 40 residents -- most of them black -- were sent to jail
after an officer allegedly lied in court about selling them drugs
during a sting operation in 1999. | ||||||||||||||||
No drugs were ever recovered during raids in the Tulia case, and the
investigator, Tom Coleman, produced no physical evidence to back up
his testimony. Doubts surrounding the convictions eventually led
Texas Gov. Rick Perry to pardon nearly all of the defendants last
year. This month, the defendants reached a $5 million settlement
with officials in nearby Amarillo, the hub for the task force
operations. | ||||||||||||||||
Under the agreement, the Panhandle Regional Narcotics Trafficking
Task Force, a multiagency unit that covered 26 counties, was
disbanded. The task force's downfall -- along with local officials'
acknowledgement that it lacked leadership -- cast a spotlight on
problems in other federally funded task forces. | ||||||||||||||||
Investigations into possible misconduct by members of such task
forces are underway in nine states. In some cases, criminal charges
against people arrested in drug stings have been dismissed; in other
cases, convictions have been overturned. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(11) STATE CUTTING RANKS OF INMATES HELD ELSEWHERE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Prisoners More Likely To Rebuild Lives Near Home, Some Say | ||||||||||||||||
Madison - The number of Wisconsin prisoners held in out-of-state
institutions has been cut dramatically and by summer should be down
to 500 - about one-tenth of the 2000 figure. | ||||||||||||||||
A recent state Department of Corrections report puts the number of out-of-state inmates at 1,590, compared with 2,969 at this time last year. In late 2000, the figure topped 5,000, hitting its peak. | ||||||||||||||||
Holding inmates in private, for-profit facilities hundreds of miles
away is cheaper, but corrections officials say prisoners have a
better shot at staying straight when they are released if they are
kept near their homes. | ||||||||||||||||
"Family connections, or some sort of support network, is very
important to the rehabilitation of inmates," department spokesman
Bill Clausius said, adding that family visits "remind them of how
they need to change their lives." | ||||||||||||||||
The state pays the Corrections Corporation of America $50 a day per inmate for the prisoners it holds in Oklahoma and southwestern Minnesota. Housing an inmate at a state facility costs $67 a day. | ||||||||||||||||
If Wisconsin brings back all of the 1,590 prisoners now held out of state, it would cost taxpayers about $9.9 million more a year. | ||||||||||||||||
But Clausius said: "The social costs are never calculated in those
costs. The goal here is to reduce the level of crime in this state
and have less criminals." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(12) OPED: WE MUST STOP LOCKING UP SO MANY WOMEN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Leading Human Rights Barrister, Cherie Booth, QC, Questions The Way
We Treat Damaged Offenders | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
I am not suggesting that we treat women offenders with kid gloves or
that criminals, just because of their sex, should escape paying
their debt to society. Women who offend must, just like men, be
called to account and account for what they have done. And that must
mean prison for those who commit serious crimes or are a danger to
the community. | ||||||||||||||||
But it is also true that our prisons are full of distressed women
who, rather than being career criminals or a danger to anyone but
themselves, are inside because they have made some terrible mistakes
or choices in their lives. Many are serving short sentences for
non-violent crimes. Prison is a very expensive way of protecting the
community from petty offenders. There is no doubt either that it is
a harsh place, no matter what the dedication and compassion of
staff, for those who are mentally ill. | ||||||||||||||||
Everyone has a choice not to commit crime. But that choice is harder
when, after years of being the victim of domestic violence or sexual
abuse, you have lost all respect for yourself and others. It is
harder still when you are addicted to drugs or have stopped caring
whether you live or die. Each of these factors not only makes the
choice less clear cut but also places an immense challenge on
prisons and staff once the women are inmates. | ||||||||||||||||
Prison is never going to be the best place for women to rebuild
their lives. Prisons are not hospitals or treatment centres. They
are not social services or housing advice offices nor does anyone
claim that their primary purpose is to teach inmates new skills or
find them employment. Prisons are - or at least should be - places
of absolute last resort for women whose offending is so serious that
there can be no alternative to custody. I'm not sure that is always
the case. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-17) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Despite dire warnings issued by John Walters, Dutch drug use
researcher Peter Cohen has suggested that legalizing the adult use
of cannabis in Holland would bring about little change in the rates
of cannabis consumption in Nevada. Cohen's research shows that drug
policies have little impact on actual rates of cannabis use, noting
that although Holland has some of the most liberal cannabis laws in
the world, the rates of teen use are half that of the U.S., which
boasts some of the world's harshest policies. | ||||||||||||||||
In news from up north this week, uber-activist Marc Emery was
finally released on $3500cdn bail after being held for three days in
a Saskatoon jail on trafficking charges. The charges resulted from
Emery passing a joint to activists who had gathered outside of his
hotel to hear him speak. | ||||||||||||||||
Irv Rosenfeld, one of a handful of federally licensed American
medicinal cannabis users, finally had his day in court regarding a
March 2001 incident during which Delta Airlines would not let him
board a flight with his medicine, despite his having forewarned the
airline of his special circumstances. The U.S. Department of
Transportation agreed that Rosenfeld had been unfairly discriminated
against, but decided against penalizing the airline. Rosenfeld plans
to appeal. | ||||||||||||||||
Our fourth story this week illustrates the unavoidable police abuses
and innocent victims inherent to this misguided war on drugs. A high
monthly electrical bill was a good enough reason for police to
obtain a search warrant to look for a grow-op for the California
home of Dina Dagy, a mother of three. It turns out that Dagy and her
family have simply chosen to ignore California's power crisis and
use a lot of electricity; a shame, but hardly a crime. | ||||||||||||||||
And lastly from Australia, news that pro-hemp farmers have sent 15 kilos of hemp mulch to every federal politician in order to illustrate the difference between cannabis and industrial hemp, for a total of two-and-a-half tonnes. The farmers feel that the federal government should be doing more to develop the burgeoning industry. | ||||||||||||||||
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(13) LEGALIZING MARIJUANA MAY NOT CHANGE MUCH, RESEARCHER SAYS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The leading drug use researcher in the Netherlands predicts there will be little change in Nevada drug use, particularly by teenagers, if citizens support the latest initiative to legalize marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||
"My personal view is that drug policies and the legal status of
marijuana is not a very important indicator of the use levels of
marijuana in a population," said Peter Cohen in a telephone
interview from Amsterdam. "It would neither increase nor reduce
levels. The determinants for marijuana use are complex. They have to
do with fashion, culture and economics." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Their research has found the actual number of regular marijuana
users is about 2.5 percent of the Netherlands' population over age
12, compared with 5 percent in the United States. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(14) 'PRINCE OF POT' RELEASED AFTER PAYING BAIL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
A marijuana activist was released from jail Thursday after spending
three nights and paying $3,500 bail. | ||||||||||||||||
"I'm actually ashamed to think this is part of Canada," Marc Emery
said outside provincial court. | ||||||||||||||||
"By the time I factor in my bail and all my legal fees, it cost me over $12,000 (for) passing a joint in this city. That's the most wicked, harshest jurisdiction I've ever encountered in Canada." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(15) AIRLINE NOT FINED FOR BARRING MEDICINAL POT USER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The U.S. Department of Transportation has ruled Delta Air Lines
shouldn't have barred former Boca Raton stockbroker Irvin Rosenfeld
and his medicinal marijuana from a flight, but declined to penalize
the airline. Rosenfeld said Monday he will appeal. | ||||||||||||||||
Rosenfeld, who now lives and works in Broward County, suffers from a
rare disease and needs the marijuana, grown and supplied by the
federal government, to control pain that makes it impossible to
walk. | ||||||||||||||||
In March 2001, Rosenfeld tried to fly from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood
International Airport to Washington to support defendants in a U.S.
Supreme Court case over expanded medical use of the drug. Rosenfeld
said he alerted Delta in advance, as he has many times when flying
Delta and other airlines. But when he arrived, agents wouldn't let
him board. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(16) CALIF. HOME POWER BILL PROMPTS POT PROBE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
When police noticed Dina Dagy's family was spending $250 to $300 a month on electricity, they suspected a marijuana farm was flourishing under high-intensity lights inside their suburban home. | ||||||||||||||||
What they found when they showed up with a drug-sniffing dog and a
search warrant was a wife and mother who does several loads of
laundry a day, keeps a dishwashing machine going, has three
electricity-guzzling computers and three kids who can't remember to
turn the lights out when they leave a room. | ||||||||||||||||
"It's hard to believe a high utility bill would be enough to issue a
state warrant," said Dagy, who is demanding the Police Department
issue a written apology. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(17) HEMP GROWERS SEND CANNABIS TO EDUCATE POLITICIANS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Two and a half tonnes of cannabis has been sent to Federal
Parliament in a bid to educate politicians about the difference
between industrial hemp and marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||
Philip Warner from Queensland's Ecofibre Industries Limited says too
many politicians do not know that industrial hemp is useless as a
drug. | ||||||||||||||||
He says each politician has been sent a 15 kilogram bag of hemp
mulch in an effort to change their thinking. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (18-22) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The US-installed president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, last week
demanded western nations give more money to Afghanistan to fight
drugs there. Speaking at a conference in Berlin, Karzai claimed
illegal drugs undermine the "very existence" of the nation. Helping
Afghan farmers find new crops and destroy opium farms will be a tall
order as opium farmers earn about 10 times as much as soldiers or
policemen. Earlier UN reports showed Afghan opium production
skyrocketed to record highs in the years after U.S. forces chased
the Taliban out. | ||||||||||||||||
A British teen had the bad luck to be accused of smuggling MDMA into Thailand. Facing the death penalty for pleading "not guilty," the youth was last week spared death when he reversed his plea to "guilty." He was accused of smuggling 3,400 MDMA tablets from the UK to Thailand, on a commercial airline flight. The lad originally denied knowledge of the drug; Thai judges said they would instead take the word of Thai customs officers over the teenager. | ||||||||||||||||
One charge leveled against the U.S. prohibition of alcohol in the
early twentieth century, was that the people charged with law
enforcement were often corrupted by the money associated with the
prohibited trade. Drug prohibition in the early twenty first century
is no different. Last week, another police officer was arrested for
stealing from drugs stored as evidence, this time in Ontario,
Canada. The 29-year veteran police officer, only months shy of
retirement, was busted with some 6 kilos of cocaine in his car,
$400,000 worth of hash stashed in his home. Officials estimate the
haul at $2.5 million. | ||||||||||||||||
In the city of Victoria, Canada, talk of a safe- injection site in
this city continues as British Columbia's top doctor weighed in on
the controversy. Dr. Perry Kendall, chief health officer for the
province said "speaking as a provincial health officer ... it would
be appropriate" for Victoria to have a safe-injection site, to cut
down on overdoses and other harm. UN claims that Canada violated
international drug treaties with such sites were dismissed by
officials, as the sites are used for medical and social service,
which is allowed. One member of the B.C. legislature, Victoria MLA
Jeff Bray, expressed surprised at support for the proposed site, and
changed his position. Bray now supports a safe injection site in
Victoria. | ||||||||||||||||
It seems that prohibitionists learn the lessons of drug prohibition
slowly, if ever. Politicians in the in the Northern Territory,
Australia have a typical knee-jerk response to the problem of petrol
inhalation (huffing) as a means of intoxication. Politicians want to
(surprise) use a law to stop the practice, as if those huffing
petrol cared. "We need to bite the bullet in terms of seriously
considering legislation to outlaw petrol sniffing," puffed one
politician. Politicians in favor of the new petrol huffing
prohibition did not explain how the law could have an impact on
those desperate enough to use the widely available petrol as an
intoxicant, in the first place. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
(18) KABUL 'NEEDS AID IN WAR ON DRUGS' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
President Hamid Karzai has called for more international help to
fight drug production in Afghanistan. | ||||||||||||||||
Speaking at a major aid conference in Berlin, he said drugs were
undermining the "very existence" of his country. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Mr Karzai urged the world community to help destroy opium
plantations and find alternative crops for farmers. | ||||||||||||||||
He said the problem was "too huge" for his country to | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Much of the country is controlled by warlords and drug production - estimated at $2.3bn in 2003 by the United Nations-is rising. | ||||||||||||||||
The BBC's Andrew North says that an opium farmer may be earning 10
times as much as the government soldier or policeman whose job it is
to enforce the law against growing the crop. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
(19) ECSTASY SMUGGLER - BRITISH TEENAGER GIVEN LIFE SENTENCE FOR (Top)DRUG SMUGGLING | ||||||||||||||||
A British teenager was yesterday sentenced to life in prison after
he pleaded guilty to possessing ecstasy and bringing the drug into
the country. | ||||||||||||||||
Michael Alan Connell, 19, was spared the death penalty because he
reversed his earlier "not guilty" plea and admitted bringing 3,400
tablets into the country on November 10 last year. | ||||||||||||||||
During the trial at the end of December, the prosecution claimed
Connell concealed the drugs in two jars of skin cream when he
travelled to Thailand from Manchester, via Dubai. | ||||||||||||||||
Connell originally denied the charge and claimed he didn't know the
jars of cream contained drugs. He said he bought the cream in
Manchester and claimed the drugs might have been concealed in the
jars during his stopover in Dubai. | ||||||||||||||||
The judges said they had no reason not to believe the testimonies of
airport customs officer Theerayut Bushikanon, who said Connell
arrived in the country carrying the jars of cream and acted
suspiciously when the jars were Xrayed. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
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(20) OFFICER CHARGED IN $2.9M DRUG BUST (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Cocaine, Hash Discovered In Car | ||||||||||||||||
Audit Under Way Of Evidence Room | ||||||||||||||||
A Peel Region police officer one month from retirement faces
criminal charges after millions of dollars worth of drugs
disappeared from a police property room. | ||||||||||||||||
The 29-year veteran's car was surrounded by armed officers Monday afternoon, moments after he finished his shift in the drug property room at Peel police headquarters on Derry Rd. in Brampton. | ||||||||||||||||
Police say they found 6 kilos of cocaine, worth an estimated $2.5
million, in the trunk of a Cadillac. | ||||||||||||||||
Hashish worth about $400,000 was later found at another | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Police sources said the accused officer had been under surveillance
for several months, but would not reveal what led to the
investigation. | ||||||||||||||||
Constable Martin Goold, 59, of Mississauga has been charged with
theft and fraud over $5,000, possession of stolen property, breach
of trust and possession of cocaine and hashish for the purpose of
trafficking. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(21) SAFE-INJECTION SITE IN VICTORIA FINE WITH B.C.'S TOP DOCTOR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Dr. Perry Kendall says needle drug users are a health-care concern,
and the capital's mayor agrees | ||||||||||||||||
VICTORIA - B.C.'s chief medical health doctor has weighed in on the
debate about a safe drug injection site for Victoria, saying that
such a facility is needed for the city. | ||||||||||||||||
"Speaking as a provincial health officer, I think it would be
appropriate," Dr. Perry Kendall said Friday. | ||||||||||||||||
The use of illegal drugs administered by needles is an "acknowledged
problem" in Victoria reflected by repeated overdoses and health
issues like HIV and Hepatitis C, he said. | ||||||||||||||||
Diseases are spread through the sharing of needles and drug users are shooting up openly in public areas, Kendall said. The city's needle exchange centre has more than 2,000 clients, he noted. | ||||||||||||||||
Mayor Alan Lowe has mused out loud about making Victoria the second
city in North America with an officially supervised injection site,
following Vancouver's example. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Earlier this month, the International Narcotics Control Board, an
independent United Nations organization, took a swipe at the
Vancouver operation. In a report, it criticized the injection site
for allowing people to "inject drugs acquired on the illicit market
with impunity" and suggested that Canada is violating international
drug treaties it signed. | ||||||||||||||||
However, Kendall, who co-chaired a panel into the feasibility of
such facilities from 1999-2001, said it concluded that injection
sites meet the requirements of such treaties provided they are used
for medical and social service reasons. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Victoria-Beacon Hill MLA Jeff Bray, who has said Victoria did not
need a safe injection site, admitted Friday he has changed his mind
after last week's forum. | ||||||||||||||||
Bray said he was "surprised" by how many people support such a site
and now thinks such a facility could be useful. But it may be that
several "satellite" injection sites are needed rather than a central
facility that could attract drug users from outside Victoria, he
said. | ||||||||||||||||
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(22) NT POLITICIANS PUSH TO OUTLAW PETROL SNIFFING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The Northern Territory's Assistant Indigenous Affairs Minister, John
Ah Kit, has endorsed a push to make petrol sniffing illegal in the
Territory. | ||||||||||||||||
The idea was raised in the Territory Parliament last night, with the
Member for Sanderson, Len Kiely, suggesting the destructive practice
will only be stopped if becomes a criminal offence. | ||||||||||||||||
The comments were applauded by the Country Liberal Party Opposition. | ||||||||||||||||
Mr Ah Kit also supports the idea and says the issue should be on the
national agenda. | ||||||||||||||||
"We need to bite the bullet in terms of seriously considering
legislation to outlaw petrol sniffing," he said. | ||||||||||||||||
"It's sad and tragic when you go to these communities and see that
kids are walking round with petrol in cans under their noses or
sitting in creeks at Angurugu and places like that. | ||||||||||||||||
"If the police can't do anything, the parents can't do anything, we
might have to enact some legislation." | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
COLLEGE REHABILITATES | ||||||||||||||||
A DrugSense Focus Alert | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
AUDIO FROM MEDICAL CANNABIS DEBATE | ||||||||||||||||
Philippe Lucas of the VICS and DrugSense along with Jim Miller debate
prohibitionists on "It's Your Call with Lynn Doyle" | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
ECSTASY RISING | ||||||||||||||||
Federal Campaign to Curb Club Drug?s Use Hasn?t Dimmed Its Popularity | ||||||||||||||||
World News Tonight With Peter Jennings | ||||||||||||||||
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/WNT/Primetime/ecstasy_040401-1.html | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
THE TROUBLE WITH MARIJUANA AND LEGISLATORS | ||||||||||||||||
By Bruce Mirken, AlterNet, April 1, 2004 | ||||||||||||||||
For a long time many of us have puzzled over why overwhelming public
support for legal access to medical marijuana has not translated into
legislative action. A new Zogby poll conducted in Vermont and Rhode
Island, released March 29, may have solved the mystery. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
CANNABIS POLICY, IMPLEMENTATION AND OUTCOMES | ||||||||||||||||
A review of the scientific literature on cannabis policy and its
consequences. | ||||||||||||||||
You can download a copy from RAND at | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
As a member of efficacy-online.org, Cliff has been requested to speak to hundreds of organizations about the harms of the drug war. Last month, Cliff returned from a several weeks journey to New Zealand, where he spoke before their Parliament and elected officials. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
Join us as we recap the events of the Breaking the Chains Conference, being held at Texas Southern University, in Houston, Texas. Guests will include Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and many others. | ||||||||||||||||
7:30 to 8 PM EDT, 6:30 to 7 PM CDT and 4:30 to 5 PM PDT. | ||||||||||||||||
Listen Live Online at http://www.kpft.org | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
BATTLE FOR CANADA PART 21 | ||||||||||||||||
With Richard Cowan | ||||||||||||||||
It Is April Fool?s Day, So Let?s Talk About Canadian Police | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
POLICING PREGNANCY | ||||||||||||||||
By Lynn M. Paltrow, executive director of National Advocates for
Pregnant Women | ||||||||||||||||
After the Senate passed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act last week, President George W. Bush - the same man who supports relaxing rules for fetus-poisoning mercury - wasted no time signing it into law. Most of those opposing the Act, from pro-choice leaders to The New York Times editorial board, charge that it will undermine the right to choose abortion. In fact, while this fear is indeed warranted, those who are most likely to be harmed by this law are not women seeking abortions, but women who want to continue their pregnancies to term. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
THE HILARY BLACK SHOW #8 | ||||||||||||||||
Hilary interviews Marc Emery and discusses his arrest in Saskatoon,
and invites Compassion Club members Flash and Crash to share the
reasons behind their need for medical marijuana and how the club
improves their life. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Prohibition Has Failed Again | ||||||||||||||||
By Steven Charles | ||||||||||||||||
Columnist George Will wrote of the daunting task the Los Angeles
Police Department has protecting the public from "the 60 or so gangs
that deal drugs to customers and death to each other" ("In rising
tide of chaos, police 'work the gangs' March 21). | ||||||||||||||||
I cannot read this without despair, both for this tragic situation
and for why more don't see this as Prohibition, Part Two. Though
prohibition was an abject failure the first time, with many of the
same horrible consequences (drive-by shootings, gang warfare,
government corruption, etc.), we continue the madness of the "war on
drugs." | ||||||||||||||||
Isn't it obvious that without the profit motive of the black-market
drug trade, all this would be history? | ||||||||||||||||
Steven Charles, | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Take 2 Joints and Call Me in the Morning | ||||||||||||||||
By Philippe Lucas | ||||||||||||||||
Having first heard of Health Canada's proposal to explore the
distribution of cannabis through pharmacies a few months ago, the
media frenzy around this pilot-project has been a bit of a surprise
to me. After continued complaints from the Canadian Medical
Association (CMA) regarding the short-lived plan to have physicians
act as suppliers of the Health Canada grown cannabis, the government
had little choice but to turn to the pharmacies. | ||||||||||||||||
Although it is encouraging to finally see pharmacists recognize the safety and effectiveness of medicinal cannabis, is this plan really in the best interest of Canada's 700 or so legal users, and the public at large who would be funding this expensive pilot program? | ||||||||||||||||
First let's examine who might benefit from having pot in B.C.
pharmacies. According to the latest Health Canada statistics (from
Feb. 2004), there are currently 115 federally licensed users in B.C.
- since about 10% of legal users have ordered their cannabis from
the government, that would add up to a mere 12 potential
participants in this program. | ||||||||||||||||
Dr. Robin O'Brien, the consulting pharmacist organizing this pilot
program has stated that according to Health Canada's own statistics,
about 7%, of people in B.C. (about 290,000) currently claim to use
cannabis for medical purposes. Unfortunately, the incredible
bureaucratic hurdles posed by the Marijuana Medical Access
Regulations (MMAR) coupled with a continued reluctance by the CMA to
support the use of medicinal cannabis has resulted in an anaemic 150
new registrations to the federal program every year. By comparison,
the non-profit, Vancouver-based British Columbia Compassion Club
Society, Canada's oldest and biggest distributor of medicinal
cannabis, currently helps over 2700 critically and chronically ill
members gain access to a safe and affordable supply of cannabis, all
at no cost to the taxpayer. | ||||||||||||||||
So this expensive, federally funded program pilot program won't
really affect many people, but isn't it a positive step to finally
get cannabis in pharmacies? The answer to this is both "yes" and
"no": it would be an incredible step to make multiple strains of
safe, organic cannabis available in pharmacies and distributed by
experienced and qualified experts. Unfortunately, all of this
expertise currently resides in compassion clubs, and the federal
government has not seen fit to either license or regulate them, nor
have they worked to establish a more cooperative relationship with
these important social/welfare organizations. | ||||||||||||||||
Canada's compassion clubs and societies are currently safely and effectively distributing cannabis to over 7000 critically and chronically ill Canadians, they are doing more legitimate research than Health Canada (the Vancouver Island Compassion Society, of which I am founder and Director, is currently conducting Hep-C research with UCLA-SF, nausea and pregnancy research with UBC, and will soon begin the first high-THC chronic pain and smoked cannabis double-blind protocol in North America), and they are doing all of this at no cost to the taxpayer. In addition, compassion clubs currently distribute to over half of the 700 legally registered exemptees, compared to the 10% who currently order their cannabis from the government. If Health Canada truly cared about the end-users of this program, which sadly are some of Canada's sickest citizens, they should start by licensing compassion societies. | ||||||||||||||||
The real problem is that this pilot program's sole offering would be
the single strain of cannabis grown by Prairie Plant Systems at the
bottom of a mineshaft in Flin Flon, Manitoba, one of North America's
most environmentally contaminated areas | ||||||||||||||||
So as a legal user of cannabis, I applaud the enthusiasm of B.C. pharmacists to address this important issue, but before they undertake an expensive, taxpayer funded program to get cannabis into the drugstores, I urge them to 1) pressure Health Canada to license and regulate the organizations who have the most relevant experience in this matter - the compassion clubs - and to have pharmacists work with them in order to better understand the safe and effective cultivation and distribution of cannabis; 2) lobby Health Canada to improve access to the program by making access to medicinal cannabis possible with a simple physician's or health care practitioner's recommendation; and 3) to make the implementation of this pilot project conditional on the federal government supplying pharmacies with multiple strains of high-potency, organically-grown cannabis. | ||||||||||||||||
Finally, if the pharmacists hope to get the support of the public
and the med-cannabis community for this initiative, they must make
it clear that they are here to supplement and learn from the good
work of Canada's compassion clubs, and not to replace them. If
B.C.'s pharmacists truly wish to help ease the suffering of Canada's
critically and chronically ill, then they have to do the one thing
that Health Canada has refused to do so far: listen to the very real
concerns of the end users of this product, the sick and dying
Canadians who so depend on this medicine to improve their lives and
alleviate their suffering. | ||||||||||||||||
Philippe Lucas is an experienced cannabis researcher and distributor who uses cannabis to alleviate the symptoms of hepatitis C. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
"An oppressive government is more to be feared than a tiger."
-- Confucius | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
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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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