| May 7, 2004 #348 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(1) COLOMBIA'S SEARCH FOR PEACE 'PARALYSED' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
At a clandestine field hospital in north Colombia, Fernando, an
outlawed paramilitary fighter, bumps across the rough terrain in a
wheelchair. At 28, Fernando is paralysed - shot in the neck during a
gun battle with leftist guerrillas lurking on the border with
neighbouring Venezuela. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Paralysis, he says, best describes the latest turn in Colombia's search for a peaceful end to its decades-long domestic conflict. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"I don't see the war ending. The government doesn't want to assume the
political cost of a real negotiation," says the 10-year veteran of the
United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC), the 20,000-strong
counter-subversive organisation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Alvaro Uribe, Colombia's president, has used military force to pursue
rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or Farc. With
the AUC, by contrast, he has sought to negotiate. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
After a year, however, government-AUC talks are in trouble. Mr Uribe
has recently taken an increasingly inflexible stand against the AUC's
commanders, arguing that they must face prison for past atrocities,
and insisting those wanted abroad will be extradited. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The US, which backs Mr Uribe and supplies his government with military
aid, is seeking the extradition of several AUC commanders on drug
trafficking charges. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(2) MAYOR SPARKS UP POT TALK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Legalization of marijuana will be a hot issue in the looming federal election, according to the B.C. Civil Liberties Association. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Kirk Tousaw, the BCCLA's policy director, pointed out that for the first time in Canadian history, one of the three major political parties has pot legalization as one of its election platforms. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"The NDP wants pot legalized-they say it should be available in
licensed outlets," said Tousaw, whose organization is holding a
conference Saturday to examine how Canada would look in a post
pot-prohibition era. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Liberal Party is seeking to reduce penalties for pot possession, while the Conservative Party wants to retain the status quo. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday's conference, called Beyond Prohibition: Legal Cannabis in
Canada, will be opened by Mayor Larry Campbell, fresh from giving a
speech in Australia on the benefits of Vancouver's supervised
injection site. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(3) NEW GROUPS OF POT ABUSERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
CHICAGO - Habitual marijuana use increased among U.S. adults over
the past decade, particularly among young minorities and baby
boomers, government figures show. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The prevalence of marijuana abuse or dependency climbed from 1.2
percent of adults in 1991-92 to 1.5 percent in 2001-02, or an
estimated 3 million adults 18 and over. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
That represents an increase of 800,000 people, according to data
from two nationally representative surveys that each queried at
least 40,000 adults. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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The report, published in today's Journal of the American Medical
Association (http://jama.ama-assn.org), was led by Dr. Wilson Compton
of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, who said the rise in
dependence was probably at least partly because of increases in the
potency of pot over the past decade. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Also, the figures may indicate that baby boomers "bring their bad
habits with them into old age," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(4) STALLED FOR YEARS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
NY Rethinking Its Ban On Medical Marijuana
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ALBANY - The Republican leader of the State Senate said yesterday he was warming to legalizing the use of medical marijuana, opening the door for movement on an issue that has been stalled here for years. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The new sentiment from Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Brunswick) came on a day when Assembly Democrats offered a measure that earned support from key medical and health associations and after TV personality Montel Williams met with legislative leaders. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Bruno said his change of heart may be in part due to his own bout with
prostate cancer last year. "Your life experiences can add to how you
legislate," Bruno said, adding that he would closely review the
measure. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The bill is more tightly defined than previous versions, and supporters said it would meet less resistance than in the past. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Gov. George Pataki said he would base his decision on the issue on
whether science proves marijuana treatments to be effective. His
health department was skeptical, he said, "but we'll continue to
listen to evidence on both sides."
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[snip]
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy
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COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
American drug prohibition is supposedly based on the idea that
keeping drugs illegal will reduce or eliminate illegal drug use.
Once again the fallacy of that position has been exposed, this time
in a new study. Comparing a U.S. city with a Dutch city that had
similar demographics, the report showed virtually no difference in
marijuana use rates, even though marijuana is illegal in the U.S.,
while it is tolerated in the Netherlands. As an added bonus, Dutch
marijuana users were less likely to use harder drugs, like cocaine
and heroin, than their American counterparts. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Of course, the results are not a surprise, but they add a layer of meaning to other stories in the news this week. For example, U.S. Congressman Ernest Istook looks even more petty and hostile to free speech, as his bill to withhold funds from public transportation agencies that accept ads promoting drug policy reform is challenged in court. What's so scary Rep. Istook? Afraid hard drug use might be reduced in the country if people learn what's really happening? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Likewise, as Nevada activists make another attempt to pry legally
required campaign information out of U.S. drug czar John Walters,
his resistance seems more suspicious and arrogant. You can almost
see Walters hissing through clenched teeth, "Accountability? We
don't need no stinking accountability!" Also last week, Florida
lawmakers voted down a Big Brotheresque plan to track prescription
users in a computerized state database. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) UCSC SOCIOLOGIST SAYS MAKING POT LEGAL DOES NOT BOOST USE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
SANTA CRUZ - A leading critic of U.S. drug policy contends there is
no link between the decriminalization of marijuana and increased
drug use. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In research published in the May issue of the American Journal of
Public Health, Craig Reinarman, a UC Santa Cruz sociologist, said he
found there was no difference between drug-use rates in Amsterdam,
where marijuana is freely bought at licensed coffee shops, and San
Francisco, where pot-smokers still can get busted. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Drug policy doesn't appear to have much relevance," Reinarman said
in an interview Monday. "There is not a lot of evidence to suggest
that criminalization has a deterrent effect."
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In the late 1990s, Reinarman conducted random door-to-door surveys of 265 adults from San Francisco who had used marijuana 25 times or more. The research team, including two scientists from the Center for Drug Research in the Netherlands, then compared the data with identical survey information gathered from 216 adults in Amsterdam. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The results showed no difference between the cities for key factors such as age of first use, and age and duration of maximum use. Dutch marijuana users also were less likely to use other illicit drugs such as cocaine, crack, amphetamines or opiates such as heroin. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(6) RULING IN SUIT CHARGING CENSORSHIP COULD AFFECT TRANSIT SYSTEMS (Top)ACROSS NATION | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A lawsuit accusing Congress of illegally selecting the kind of
political views that can be expressed in Metro station
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A federal judge heard arguments in a suit filed after Metro rejected
an ad from Change the Climate, a group that advocates reforms in
laws against marijuana. Metro took the action after Congress passed
a law that denies federal money to transit systems that accept
advertising promoting the legalization of drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman warned that the case's outcome
might require Metro to make painful choices. The transit system
could be pressed to remove other politically charged advertisements
it has long accepted on train platforms and bus shelters, or it
could be forced to give up crucial federal funds that help pay for
the transit system's expansion. He said he would announce a ruling
soon. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Change the Climate and two other drug policy groups filed the suit,
along with the American Civil Liberties Union. They contended that
the law amounted to unconstitutional censorship. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The suit challenges a law that threatens 53 transit authorities with
the loss of $3.1 billion in federal funds annually if they accept
ads criticizing U.S. drug policy. Rep. Ernest J. Istook Jr.
(R-Okla.), angered by a marijuana legalization ad that appeared last
year in the Metro system, introduced the legislation in December.
The ad showed a couple with the legend "Enjoy better sex! Legalize
and Tax Marijuana."
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[snip]
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(7) GROUP SEEKS TO COMPEL DRUG CZAR TO REPORT EXPENSES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Carson City - An organization pushing a petition to legalize small amounts of marijuana has filed suit in the Nevada Supreme Court to force federal drug czar John Walters to file campaign expense reports when he campaigns against the issue in this state. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Marijuana Policy Project, based in Washington, D.C., says Nevada Attorney General Brian Sandoval was wrong when his office said Walters did not have to submit a list of his expenses when he campaigned against a similar drug petition in the 2002 election. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The group pointed out that Walters has already campaigned in Nevada
this year against a new petition on marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Those who support or oppose ballot questions must file their
expenses and contributions report with the secretary of state's
office. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(8) PRIVACY FEARS KILL FLORIDA PRESCRIPTION DATABASE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But Health Officials Got More Power To Fight Medicaid Fraud And
Prescription Abuse
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TALLAHASSEE -- Worries about patient privacy drove Florida
legislators Friday to kill a bill calling for a prescription-drug
database. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But lawmakers agreed in a separate bill to give state health
officials more powers to fight prescription-drug abuse and Medicaid
fraud. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Florida House approved the second measure (SB 1064) and sent it
to Gov. Jeb Bush. It gives the Agency for Health Care Administration
new authority to get more information about medical diagnoses before
authorizing Medicaid payments. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The measure gives the state the ability to ban doctors from the
government insurance program if they are prescribing too much
medicine. And anyone convicted of defrauding Medicaid also could be
denied benefits for a year or longer. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Law Enforcement & Prisons
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COMMENT: (9-13) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The prison boom in the U.S. can be at least partly blamed on the drug war,= and the consequences of that boom are becoming more clear. A new report released last week suggests that some counties in the U.S. hold more than 30 percent of their population in prisons. How such a thing could happen becomes understandable in the next two stories. A Missouri city is passing out search warrants like candy, even though a vast majority of those warrants do not end in arrest. Some residents believe racial profiling is at work. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A different kind of unconstitutional drug war tactic was overturned
by a federal court recently. Tax stamps for illegal drugs, which are
used to convict suspects of additional crimes, will no longer be
required in Wisconsin. Prosecutors had touted the tax as an
effective tool in the drug war, but now that the tax is off limits,
prosecutors say it's no big deal. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By definition, undercover officers misrepresent themselves. But officials in a North Carolina town think some local police went too far when they passed themselves off as DEA officers. And in other undercover news, a long-running lawsuit by a group of New Zealand undercover cops against their employers was finally settled. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(9) STUDY TRACKS BOOM IN PRISONS AND NOTES IMPACT ON COUNTIES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A study mapping the prisons built in the boom of the last two
decades has found that some counties in the United States now have
more than 30 percent of their residents behind bars. The study, by
the Urban Institute, also found that nearly a third of counties have
at least one prison. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"This study shows that the prison network is now deeply intertwined
with American life, deeply integrated into the physical and economic
infrastructure of a large number of American counties," said Jeremy
Travis, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute and an author of the
study. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"This network has become a separate reality, apart from the criminal
justice system," Mr. Travis said. "It provides jobs for construction
workers and guards, and because the inmates are counted as residents
of the counties where they are incarcerated, it means more federal
and state funding and greater political representation for these
counties."
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In addition, Mr. Travis said, because the study found that prisons
were increasingly being built far from the cities where most inmates
come from, "we are making it harder and harder for their families to
remain in contact with them." As a result, he said, "we have made it
harder for these inmates to successfully re-enter society when they
are released."
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[snip]
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(10) FEW DRUG CASES MADE BY SEARCH WARRANTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
First Ward Residents Suspect Racial Profiling By Police. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The search warrant is a frequently deployed weapon in the Columbia Police Department's war on drugs. Since January 2003, officers have searched 120 residences using a tool that, according to one police commander, is designed to target people who sell narcotics. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Yet police rarely find enough evidence during those searches to make
the case for drug dealing. Court records say that in 2003, police
searched 84 residences and found evidence of drug distribution in 12
of them; six of those cases were eventually reduced to possession
charges. Through this April, police have exercised 36 search
warrants and have netted seven distribution charges. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Of the 120 search warrants served in the past 16 months,
distribution charges have held up in court against 13 suspects.
Cases involving 45 of the 120 search warrants have been sealed.
Those cases are considered confidential, according to the Boone
County circuit clerk's office, because charges were never filed or
the defendants pleaded guilty to a charge they weren't originally
charged with. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Capt. Mike Martin, investigative commander for the police
department, said the number of suspects charged with distribution
might be low because they often sell all their drugs before the
police arrive to search. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"It's a very quick-selling product," he said. He said they also
might flush drugs down their toilets. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(11) STATE ANTI-DRUG LAW REQUIRING TAX STAMPS FAILS IN FEDERAL COURT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Prosecutors, However, Say It's No Big Loss
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Fourteen years after it was enacted as an innovative weapon for law enforcement in the war on narcotics, Wisconsin's drug tax stamp law is virtually unusable, but prosecutors don't seem to mind. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In a little-noticed case this year, a federal appeals court ruled
that use of the law in criminal cases amounted to double jeopardy.
Recently the state attorney general's office decided not to pursue
the case to the nation's highest court. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Those events freed a convicted cocaine dealer from a 12-year prison
term and effectively rendered the tax stamp law unenforceable. In
recent interviews, however, prosecutors had no concerns over the
loss of a once highly touted law. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"You're not going to see us ranting and raving and asking for an appeal," Waukesha County District Attorney Paul Bucher said. "It really has had negligible impact on our cases in recent years." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(12) WPD OFFICERS IMPERSONATED DEA AGENTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Several Wilmington police officers impersonated Drug Enforcement
Administration agents during a drug sting last year. As a result,
then-Interim Police Chief Tandy Carter received a letter from the
U.S. Attorney's office pointing out the danger regarding such
actions. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Impersonating DEA agents apparently could jeopardize the successful
prosecution of certain cases, according to the Oct. 21 letter,
signed by Robert Higdon Jr., assistant U.S. attorney and chief of
the criminal division. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Mr. Higdon said Tuesday that he couldn't comment on the specifics of
the issue. In general, it is appropriate for officers to
misrepresent themselves to make suspects more comfortable so they
will cooperate. But it depends on the stage of the investigation
whether officers should continue to misrepresent themselves to
potential defendants, he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
While conducting a ruse can be a valuable tool in drug
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"To fail to be candid may have serious implications for the
admission of evidence and the legality of any statement which might
be taken from a target," the letter says. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(13) LONG-RUNNING DISPUTE ON STRESS AND ADDICTION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Undercover Police Settle
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Wellington (NZPA) : Up to 19 undercover police officers have reached
a confidential settlement over their long-running claim against
police for stress and drug addiction. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Police management reached the agreement with the officers at the
High Court in Wellington yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The terms were confidential, but did include rehabilitation and
retraining for the officers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Cannabis & Hemp-
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COMMENT: (14-17) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
So, did you hear the one about the British Prime Minister partying
with rock stars when a legendary film director breaks out a joint?
Sounds like a joke, but it's not, according to director Robert
Altman. The story would be better if Prime Minister Tony Blair had
taken a big dog-choking hit off the joint and then proceeded to
bogart it for ten minutes while expounding the on the relative
virtues of indica versus sativa, but Altman said Blair didn't smoke.
Apparently not afraid of second-hand smoke, Blair did hang around to
enjoy the atmosphere. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A joke that isn't funny from Canada this week. Medical cannabis
users are returning government-provided marijuana due to low
quality. Philippe Lucas,= Director of Canadians for Safe Access,
noted, "High school students in a cupboard could grow a product that
is better and safer than what we're getting." By the way, Lucas, who
usually writes this section, will be taking a two-month break from
his duties here. He's off spreading the word about medical cannabis
in person. Knock 'em out, Phil!
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And in the U.S., medical marijuana gets a fresh look in the state
legislature of New York, while the usually radical city of Berkeley,
California, refuses to further liberalize its medical marijuana
laws. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(14) HOW BLAIR STAYED COOL AT SPLIFF TIME IN ROCK STAR'S (Top)SMOKE-FILLED ROOM | ||||||||||||||||||||||
As great leaders know only too well, it is best to never be seen in
the proximity of an oddly-rolled cigarette. Denials that you ever
inhaled are also compulsory. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
So when the sweet smell of marijuana reached the prime ministerial
nostrils at dinner one evening, Tony Blair could have been forgiven
for racing from the room. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But, as the source of the smoke, film director Robert Altman,
reveals in today's Weekend magazine, the relaxed prime minister did
no such thing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Sitting opposite Altman, Mr Blair, who once said the one thing his father "drummed into" him was "never to take drugs", continued to enjoy an intimate meal with some of his rock'n'roll idols. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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When the after-dinner spliff was lit up, Mr Blair did not partake,
according to the 79-year-old Altman, but appeared to have no
objections, even though it was in the days before cannabis was
downgraded to a class C drug. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"We were sitting there smoking grass," Altman said. "He [Mr Blair] was sitting across from me, so I thought he was pretty cool." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(15) ACTIVISTS SNIFF AT LEGAL POT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
NEARLY A third of patients who got marijuana through Health Canada's
medical access program have returned it. Proof, an an activist says,
that federal pot isn't worth smoking. "High school students in a
cupboard could grow a product that is better and safer than what
we're getting," Philippe Lucas said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"I think it's much weaker than the government claims. I'd really
suggest their testing is off."
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Lucas, director of Canadians for Safe Access, said tests
commissioned by his pro-pot group found the product contains 5.1%
THC not the 10.2% claimed by Health Canada. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"They know it's no good, and they send it out to people who aren't
just suffering from minor aches and pains but in some cases have
AIDS and cancer."
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[snip]
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(16) STALLED FOR YEARS
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N Y Rethinking Its Ban On Medical Marijuana
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ALBANY - The Republican leader of the State Senate said yesterday he was warming to legalizing the use of medical marijuana, opening the door for movement on an issue that has been stalled here for years. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The new sentiment from Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno
(R-Brunswick) came on a day when Assembly Democrats offered a
measure that earned support from key medical and health associations
and after TV personality Montel Williams met with legislative
leaders. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Bruno said his change of heart may be in part due to his own bout
with prostate cancer last year. "Your life experiences can add to
how you legislate," Bruno said, adding that he would closely review
the measure. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The bill is more tightly defined than previous versions, and supporters said it would meet less resistance than in the past. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(17) CANNABIS PROPOSAL TABLED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Presented with an opportunity to liberalize Berkeley's medical marijuana law, the City Council decided to just say no. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Technically, they only voted to table the proposal, which would have
raised the number of plants an individual patient could cultivate
from 10 to 72. But they left no doubt that the issue, for now, is
dead. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
It was a bitter disappointment for the measure's sponsor, Councilman Kriss Worthington. He had been supported by cancer patient after cancer patient, who trooped to the microphone to describe how marijuana eases the side effects of their chemotherapy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But the council seemed more swayed by Police Chief Roy Meisner, who voiced concern about a different kind of side effect: crime. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"(Seventy-two plants) would yield about 18 pounds of marijuana, with
a street value of from $5,000 to $6,000," he said. "That's a lot of
money and a lot of temptation."
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[snip]
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International News
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COMMENT: (18-21) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In New Zealand this week, a stunning reminder of the gross inequity
of drug laws around the world as a father who killed his son for
using drugs was given the lightest sentence possible. Only last year
did New Zealand pass tough laws that include life imprisonment for
distributing some drugs. While government can't come down hard
enough on small-time meth dealers, great deference is shown to those
who murder (accused) drug users. Users of prohibited drugs are
scapegoats: no punishment is too harsh for them. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In Lima, Peru, some 3,000 coca farmers marched on the capital in support of demands to stop coca eradication. They also protested the jailing of one of their leaders. Protesters would stay in Lima until the government helped, said leader Nancy Obregon. Marchers began their trek ten days earlier from the town of Tingo Maria; about 200 riot police escorted marchers in Lima. Farmers note that coca was chewed for hundreds of years before cocaine was invented. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Observers were surprised last week when drug police forces in
Manila, Philippines, announced the creation of a program to obtain
"zero cases of frame-ups, planting of evidence" and other
racketeering by Manila narcotics police. In what amounts to an
admission of widespread corruption by police trusted to enforce drug
prohibition, Manila anti-drug officials met to determine the best
way to root out the endemic corruption, corruption caused in large
part by the temptations to which police fall prey because of
prohibition. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Our last item this week is an editorial by Alan Young appearing in
Canada's NOW Magazine. Young, law professor at Osgoode Hall Law
School, notes that bad laws themselves, chiefly drug prohibition
laws, create police corruption. After a spate of police corruption
cases in Canada recently, Young points out, "the current allegations
of corruption seem to relate to the enforcement of drug and liquor
licence laws ... Enforcing laws relating to private morality among
consenting adults brings out the worst in police." One reason
alcohol prohibition was scrapped in the U.S. in the 1930's was that
prohibition regularly corrupted police there. Police the world over
repeat the pattern with the prohibition of drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
(18) JAIL FOR MAN WHO BEAT SON TO DEATH FOR SMOKING DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A man beat his son to death because he did not want him smoking
drugs, the High Court at Gisborne was told yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Rangi Kotura Wano, 44, of Tuai, northwest of Wairoa was sentenced to
4 1/2 years' jail for the manslaughter of his 15-year-old son Rocky
Wano, Justice Patterson allowing maximum discount from a starting
sentence of seven to eight years. Wano previously pleaded guilty to
the charge which had been reduced from murder. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The court was told Wano went in search of Rocky on December 28 last
year, after receiving a phone call from a person concerned the boy
was intoxicated. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
He denied prosecutor Denys Barry's submission that rather than
getting his son medical treatment Wano went to thank the person who
made the earlier phone call. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
The sequential nature of the violence showed that it was not a
spontaneous burst of temper but a chapter of brutality over a
significant amount of time. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Sentencing Wano Justice Patterson said that he had perhaps received a greater credit than usual but he was unlikely to ever reoffend. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(19) PROTESTING COCA GROWERS MARCH INTO PERUVIAN CAPITAL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
LIMA (AP)--About 3,000 rural coca growers marched peacefully into Lima on Monday to demand the government stop programs to eradicate their cocaine-producing crop and release of one of their leaders. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Protest leader Nancy Obregon told The Associated Press that the coca farmers would remain in the capital "until they solve our problems." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Coca growers frequently complain about government attempts to wean
them off of their mostly illegal crop. They argue that the leaves of
the coca shrub are part of Andean culture and have been used in
ceremonies or chewed to ward off hunger for centuries - long before
the invention of cocaine. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Peru's government permits the cultivation of about 10,000 hectares of coca for personal use - for chewing and making tea - and for commercial use for sale to Coca Cola and local soft drink makers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The 3,000 impoverished coca growers began marching toward Lima from the jungle town of Tingo Maria, 330 kilometers northeast of Lima, on April 23. Growers in other regions boycotted the march. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
About 200 riot police escorted the marchers into the
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(20) COPS VOW TO ERADICATE EXTORTION, FRAME-UPS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AID-SOT Force)
and the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) have joined
forces in an ambitious bid to attain a zero cases of frame-ups,
planting of evidence and other extortion rackets by anti-drug units
in Metro Manila. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
AID-SOT Force chief Deputy Director General Edgar Aglipay met with ranking NCRPO officials in Camp Crame to map out a common strategy to unmask and arrest members of local anti-drug units involved in extortion rackets in the guise of legitimate anti-drug operations. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Aglipay and the NCRPO officials admitted it is very difficult to
catch local AID-SOT Force units engaged in extortion rackets because
of the non-cooperation of complainants. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||||||
(21) GOOD COPS GONE BAD (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Police Culture Fosters Corruption By Upholding Bad Laws | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
But secondly, police culture fosters corruption by upholding bad laws. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
All the current allegations of corruption seem to relate to the
enforcement of drug and liquor licence laws, with smatterings of
elements of prostitution and gambling. Enforcing laws relating to
private morality among consenting adults brings out the worst in
police. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Mayor David Miller felt compelled to apologize for joking that his entire police force was in jail. Perhaps an apology would be in order for implying that we seriously punish our police wrongdoers. If we actually did, maybe we wouldn't be in such a mess today. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
It's well known that alcohol prohibition in the 1920s led to an
epidemic of police bribery. The underground speakeasy flourished in
this era, its success largely due to the fact that owners could pay
police for protection from arrest and prosecution. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In consensual pleasure-seeking crimes there is no ascertainable
victim calling upon the police to take action, so it's easy for the
cop on the beat to turn a blind eye for a fee. Bribery is less of a
problem these days, but there's little question that the prohibitory
drug policies of this century can undermine the integrity of modern
policing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
PAIN MANAGEMENT IN CRISIS!
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Pain Management ad that Common Sense for Drug Policy is currently
running in six magazines can be seen at:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
and
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
THE LIMITED RELEVANCE OF DRUG POLICY
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
CANNABIS IN AMSTERDAM AND IN SAN FRANCISCO
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
by Craig Reinarman, PhD, Peter D. A. Cohen, PhD and Hendrien L. Kaal, PhD as published in the American Journal of Public Health. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The article, complete with it's many graphs, is also currently on line as a .pdf document at http://www.mapinc.org/lib/limited.pdf | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
BIG PRISONS, SMALL TOWNS
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Prison economics in rural America. A report by the Sentencing
Commission. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
PREVALENCE OF MARIJUANA USE DISORDERS IN THE UNITED STATES
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
1991-1992 and 2001-2002
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Wilson M. Compton, MD, MPE; Bridget F. Grant, PhD, PhD; James D. Colliver,
PhD; Meyer D. Glantz, PhD; Frederick S. Stinson, PhD
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
JAMA. 2004;291:2114-2121.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
LIES AND THE LAZY REPORTERS WHO REPEAT THEM
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Bruce Mirken, AlterNet, May 6, 2004
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
On May 5, newspapers and news broadcasts around the country carried
alarming stories about a new study of marijuana published in that
day's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"Stronger marijuana makes more addicted," screamed the Los Angeles
Daily News. "
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
05/04/04, Josh Gilbert
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Josh is writing, directing and producing a documentary film about the
incarceration of Tommy Chong of Cheech and Chong fame. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
IT'S A PROTEST, NOT A POT-FEST : MMM 2004
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Preston Peet for DrugWar.com, May 2, 2004
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
May 1 was a beautiful Spring day, perfect to spend outside in Battery
Park at the lower end of Manhattan in New York City, where an
estimated one to three thousand people attended the 2004 Million
Marijuana March and rally in support of medical marijuana and Drug War
reforms. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Walters Is Unfit For His Position
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Scott Russ
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Thanks for publishing the letter by Jim Miller [April 8]. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Drug Czar Walters says that patients use marijuana to feel better,
so they might as well use crack. Hmm.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Does Mr. Walters not know of the system within our bodies that research shows without a doubt is activated by cannabis? Does Mr. Walters not know that cocaine does nothing to activate this system? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Institute of Medicine Report that: "Scientific data indicate the
potential therapeutic value of cannabinoid drugs, primarily THC, for
pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite
stimulation. ." And: "Cannabis and its derivatives have shown
promise in the treatment of a variety of disorders."
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Either Mr. Walters is lying or he is simply uneducated on the
matter. In either case, I feel that he is unfit for his current
position. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The federal government is making fools out of us. They are lying in our face and getting away with it. How much longer are we going to sit idly by and allow our country to be destroyed by prohibition? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Scott Russ,
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
IN THE GOOD OLE DAYS, WE SMOKED POT
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Gerald Ensley
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
There are two things you can count on at 3:30 a.m. at our house:
I'll get up to use the bathroom and the college kids in the nearby
apartment complex still will be whooping it up at the top of their
lungs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Today's college kids party late, and their drug of choice is alcohol, which tends to make people loud. Starting about 2 a.m., the kids roll in from the bars, set the stereo speakers on the deck, crank up the tunes and yell delightedly until daylight. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
We're two blocks over, so it's not too bad for us. But the neighbors
alongside the complex are going crazy. They call the cops, the cops
chase one party inside and a half-hour later a different party
erupts outside. Some neighbors have called the cops three times in
one night and still not gotten much sleep. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
I'm all for young people and partying. But I tell you what, that kind of thing didn't happen in my day. No, sir. When I went to college, we smoked pot when we partied. That kept us mellow and quiet. The last thing we wanted to do was go outside, make a lot of noise, annoy the neighbors and have them call the cops. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
We need to get back to those days. We need to legalize marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
We should have done it already. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
It's chic to complain about the baby-boomer generation. To say we
are self-indulgent and materialistic. To say we haven't fought a
great war, haven't written the great American novel and haven't put
an imprint on society. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
I say baloney. Baby boomers demanded sensitivity, tolerance and
equality from society. We made this a better world for black people
and women and gays and gave voice to a dozen previously ignored
issues. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But we didn't follow through on drugs. We smoked pot and said we
would legalize it when we ran the world. Well, we run the world now,
and we haven't done anything. We should be ashamed.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
The war on drugs is killing us. More than 5 million people have been
arrested in the past decade for marijuana violations. We spend $25
billion a year for law enforcement, legal fees and incarceration of
drug offenders. The laws and penalties against marijuana violate a
half-dozen constitutional guarantees (privacy, due process, equal
protection, freedom of religion). | ||||||||||||||||||||||
We are ruining lives and wasting money in a fruitless defense of a false morality. The urge to intoxicate is as old as mankind. The majority of those who use drugs recreationally also conduct productive lives. Those who become addicted to drugs have medical and psychological problems that need treatment, not punishment. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
We should legalize all drugs. But marijuana would be a good start:
Statistics show only one in 100 of those who regularly smoke
marijuana goes on to regularly use cocaine or heroin. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
There are two reasons why boomers haven't changed the drug laws. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
One is they became parents and became just as fearful and
hypocritical as their parents. They bought into the scare tactics of
drug opponents and didn't trust their children to make wise choices.
The other reason is drug prohibitions lost resonance with baby
boomers. They got older, quit smoking dope and quit caring about the
issue. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
They need to care again. We made the world better for black people
and women and gays by sustained support of legal changes. We can
make the world better for everyone with sustained support of
marijuana legalization. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Then maybe we can all get some sleep in my neighborhood. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Extreme justice is extreme injustice." - Marcus Tillius Cicero | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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