| Aug. 27, 2004 #364 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(1) US CO: FEDS BACK DOWN IN MEDICAL POT CASE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Marijuana-Growing Supplies to Be Given Back to Aurora Man. | ||||||||||||||||||||
An Aurora man suffering from chronic pain won a major victory Thursday
when the federal government agreed to return all of his | ||||||||||||||||||||
The assistant U.S. attorney also told the lawyer for medical-marijuana
user Dana May that they will not prosecute May for any crime. But the
pot that the Drug Enforcement Administration and Aurora police seized
from May's Aurora home will stay in the possession of federal
authorities. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Supporters of medical marijuana said they believe it marks the first
time that the U.S. attorney has agreed to return growing equipment to
someone who has been cleared of wrongdoing. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"This case is precedent-setting and a very sympathetic case and just a terrible example of the federal government not recognizing that this is where the state of the law is going and where patients are going," Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(2) CN MB: ADDICTS GET SAFER DRUG KITS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Outreach Program Aims to Curb Spread of Disease | ||||||||||||||||||||
SOME hard-core crack cocaine users are now getting drug paraphernalia
from the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority through a program designed
to curb the spread of diseases. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Dr. Margaret Fast, the WRHA's medical officer of health, said
yesterday kits are being handed out by staff of Street Connections,
which already distributes condoms and exchanges needles to prostitutes
and drug users as part of its outreach program. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The kits contain a glass-tube pipe, cleaners, alcohol swabs and
matches in an effort to reduce the harms associated with crack cocaine
use -- seen as the current drug of choice in Winnipeg. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The kits cost the WRHA about $2 a piece. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Since Aug. 16, about half of the 200 kits assembled have been
distributed, in hopes of reducing the number of addicts with sores and
burns on their lips and throat -- conditions that may lead to the
spread of hepatitis and also HIV. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(3) CN BC: POT RAID TOO MUCH: LASQUETI RESIDENTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Residents of Lasqueti Island had an opportunity to voice their frustrations Wednesday night over police tactics they deemed excessive during a raid on marijuana grow operations last weekend. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Members from the RCMP Eradication Team crisscrossed the island during
the two-day raid, flying low over homes and properties and hauling out
an estimated 1,700 marijuana plants. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday's meeting, which drew an estimated 100 islanders out of the
400 permanent residents, had been set up two months previously to
discuss a variety of issues with members of the Oceanside RCMP
detachment. However, the meeting's close proximity to the raid made
the pot bust the main topic of debate. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In an interview, Lasqueti resident Wayne Bright said he sympathized
with the RCMP's requirement to uphold the law, but argued they were
too zealous in their actions. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"It was like Apocalypse Now without the Wagner," he said. "They don't
understand the fear and intimidation they cause." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bright said a police chopper broke off the top of his cedar tree as
officers attempted to look in his greenhouse. | ||||||||||||||||||||
At the meeting, he said, residents expressed their anger at being
termed a "marijuana Mecca" by police. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"You guys over there have electricity and people with grow shows can
do four crops a year," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(4) US AK: PRIVACY WINS IN POT RULING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The Alaska Court of Appeals ruled Friday that police cannot execute
a search warrant in a person's home for possession of less than 4
ounces of marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Attorney General Gregg Renkes says he will appeal the ruling to the
state Supreme Court and he is "fearful that this will shut down
effective investigation of marijuana growing cases." | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Appeals Court ruled in the case of Leo Richardson Crocker Jr.,
who was charged with controlled substance misconduct after police,
acting on a tip, searched his Anchor Point home and found marijuana
and growing equipment. | ||||||||||||||||||||
A lower court ruled the search warrant that led to the arrest
should never have been issued and suppressed the evidence against
Crocker. The Appeals Court agreed. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The opinion is the latest decision that has carved out protections for possessing marijuana in an Alaska home. The state Supreme Court in 1975 ruled that an adult's rights to limited marijuana possession was protected under the state constitution's privacy provisions. Last year the Appeals Court defined that limit as 4 ounces. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
If there was ever any doubt that law enforcement always trumps
medicine in the war on drugs, it was dispelled again last week as a
Virginia woman was sent to jail for taking methadone prescribed by
her doctor. At least she's not being charged with murder, like a
woman in South Carolina who gave birth to a stillborn baby that
allegedly had cocaine in its system. Such a prosecution has
succeeded in South Carolina before, and the conviction was upheld by
the U.S. Supreme Court. | ||||||||||||||||||||
An interesting new twist on old drug war propaganda about sex and
drugs was announced last week. A survey released by a group headed
by long-time professional prohibitionist Joe Califano suggests that
teen sexual activity leads to drugs, and not necessarily the other
way around. I'm tempted to ask how rock 'n' roll fits into the
equation, but the Associated Press tried to a make a similar joke in
the first paragraph of its story on the survey. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Finally, advocates for drug policy reform have long said that
backing away from prohibition will not only save government money,
but that it could actually generate revenue. That's exactly what's
happening in Oregon, thanks to the state's medical marijuana
program. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) WOMAN JAILED FOR LISTENING TO DOCTOR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Case Presents A Conflict Between Law Enforcement And The Medical
Needs Of Recovering Addicts. | ||||||||||||||||||||
TAZEWELL - A doctor prescribed methadone to Kimberly Bucklin to help
her break an OxyContin addiction. | ||||||||||||||||||||
A judge prohibited her from taking methadone when he put her on
probation. Caught in the middle, Bucklin sits in the Tazewell County
jail. At a hearing Friday, Judge Henry Vanover was asked to
reconsider his earlier decision to sentence Bucklin to three years
in prison for violating her probation by receiving treatment at a
methadone clinic run by the Life Center of Galax. The case, reopened
at the request of the American Civil Liberties Union and drug
treatment advocates, presents a conflict between law enforcement's
fight against drug abuse and the medical needs of recovering
addicts. "It really, really is a medical decision and not a legal
decision," Bucklin's attorney, Tom Scott, said of her need for
methadone. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Vanover delayed making a decision Friday after hearing testimony in
Tazewell County Circuit Court. Last year, Bucklin was charged with
child abuse and possession of OxyContin. Following her arrest, she
became a patient at the Life Center's satellite clinic in Tazewell
County. "I would say her response was dramatic, positive and very
rapid," said Dr. Robert Newman, director of the Chemical Dependency
Institute of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. Testifying as
an expert witness, Newman said methadone is an effective treatment
for addicts of opium-based drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(6) WOMAN CHARGED WITH KILLING FETUS BY COCAINE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
FLORENCE - Prosecutors say a 31-year-old Lake City woman has been
charged with homicide by child abuse after tests showed her
stillborn infant had cocaine in its system. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Prosecutor Ed Clements III provided The (Florence) Morning News with
few details about the arrest of Brenda Elmore Black. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It is not clear when Black's baby was stillborn, how far along the
fetus was or where Black gave birth. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Clements did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated
Press. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Clements did tell the newspaper this is the first case of this type
his office has handled. | ||||||||||||||||||||
South Carolina is one of a few states in the union that allows
prosecutors to pursue homicide charges against women they think
killed their viable fetuses by taking cocaine. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In January 2003, the state Supreme Court upheld the May 2001
conviction and 12-year prison sentence of Conway resident Regina
McKnight. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(7) NATIONAL SURVEY CONNECTS TEENAGE SEX AND DRUG USE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Respondents Weren't Asked Directly, Instead Reported On Friends | ||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - For teenagers, it appears that sex and drugs do go
together, though the annual survey of U.S. teens didn't ask about
rock 'n' roll. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Teenagers who say that at least half their friends are having sex
are more likely to report having tried marijuana, alcohol and
cigarettes, according to a survey funded and released Thursday by
the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia
University. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The survey asked teenagers between 12 and 17 about their use of illegal substances. Researchers then looked at other teen activities to see if those who used drugs had anything else in common. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"This year's survey reveals a tight connection between teen sexual
behavior and substance abuse," said Joseph Califano, president of
the Columbia center. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Parents who become aware of certain dating and sexual behavior by
their children should be alert to the increased likelihood of
substance abuse," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(8) FEES FOR MEDICAL-MARIJUANA CREATE BUDGET SURPLUS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Advocates want more of the funds to go toward patients As the number
of medical-marijuana patients continues to rise in Oregon, the
accompanying licensing fees have generated a substantial budget
surplus. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Oregon Medical Marijuana Program reported a surplus of about
$986,000 by the end of March. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The patient-registration program was created after the Oregon
Medical Marijuana Act took effect in 1998. The program started
without state funding in 1999 and has operated solely on patient
fees. | ||||||||||||||||||||
More than 10,000 patients are registered. Estimates for the program's first years were between 500 and 1,000 participants. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Some of the surplus will go to the state's general fund and to
develop a 24-hour verification system that law enforcement officials
could use to confirm legal cardholders. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medical-marijuana advocates want to see more of the funds directed
to patient-care resources. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Police in Oklahoma aren't happy about a new web site that claims to
unveil the identities of undercover informants. But the operator of
the web site says it's nothing compared to the elaborate tactics
police use to catch a simple marijuana seller. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Police in South Carolina did nothing illegal when they performed a
drug raid at a high school with guns trained on students, according
to an U.S. Justice Department investigation. It's hard not to wonder
at which point the raid would have become illegal. | ||||||||||||||||||||
There might be a corruption problem at the Crittenden County Jail.
The administrator of the Tennessee jail was arrested recently for
allegedly selling cocaine at the facility. His predecessor had left
the post only months earlier after being arrested on different
charges. And, finally, agricultural researchers have come up with a
seemingly good solution to stop methamphetamine cooks from stealing
fertilizer from farmers. The preferred fertilizer now leaves pink
stains on those who try to use it improperly. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(9) COPS SMELL RODENT AT 'RAT'-OUTING WEB SITE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A North Shore man's Web site that encourages the posting of
informants' identities and personal information about law
enforcement officers is drawing criticism from authorities in
Oklahoma. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The "Who's A Rat" site (http://www.whosarat.com) was not put on the
Internet last week to endanger law officers or informants, said
founder Sean Bucci. Instead, it was posted to assist defense
attorneys and defendants with limited resources prepare for trial,
he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"It's something that's been needed for a long time. I'm trying to level the playing field," said Bucci, 31, who is fighting marijuana dealing charges that landed him in jail for almost a year thanks to a "heroin junkie and crack addict" snitch, whose stories led the DEA to mount cameras on a pole in front of his house for nine months. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"From that I got a deep, deep hate for the system for the way they handle informants. It's sick. They take these big fish to catch minnows," said Bucci, a North Shore resident. "The site was designed as just a tool to help people." But authorities in Oklahoma are among those questioning the site's accuracy and calling it irresponsible. Oklahoma City police Capt. Jeffrey Becker says the site could jeopardize undercover officers and informants. The service, which is free, also offers listings for defense attorneys. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) FEDS FIND NO VIOLATION AT STRATFORD (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Justice Dept. Ends Probe Of Drug Raid At High School | ||||||||||||||||||||
The U.S. Justice Department said Goose Creek police did not violate
federal civil rights laws in last year's drug sweep at Stratford
High School. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In a letter to Goose Creek Police Chief Harvey Becker, a Justice
Department official said "the evidence does not establish a
prosecutable violation" of federal civil rights laws, and that
"accordingly, we have closed our investigation." | ||||||||||||||||||||
"This is a great relief," said Andy Savage, a lawyer for officers in
the sweep. | ||||||||||||||||||||
As far as anyone being charged with a crime, Savage said, "it's
over." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(11) JAIL CHIEF CHARGED WITH TAKING COCAINE DELIVERY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Crittenden County jail administrator was arrested Monday after
accepting 61.5 grams of cocaine for delivery to an inmate, West
Memphis police officials said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Reginald Abram, 29, jail administrator for about 21/2 months, was
arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance and
public service bribery, said West Memphis Asst. Police Chief Mike
Allen. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We received information that Reginald Abram was using his official
capacity as chief administrator of Crittenden County Detention
Center in an illegal capacity," Allen said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Abram was arrested just after leaving the location with the money
and the cocaine, which has an estimated street value of $5,000 to
$6,000, Allen said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Abram has been with the Crittenden County Sheriff's Department since
1999. He became jail administrator June 5. | ||||||||||||||||||||
He replaced former jail administrator Robert Bretherick, who pleaded
not guilty on July 22 to charges of witness tampering and
deprivation of rights. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(12) STAIN MAY HELP SPOT METH COOKS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
WICHITA, KAN. -- It may fall a shade shy of catching thieves
red-handed, but for farmers fed up with methamphetamine cooks
filching their fertilizer, staining them pink will do just fine.
Assuming you can discourage thieves you cannot easily catch, a new
product called GloTell -- which is added to tanks of anhydrous
ammonia -- will not only besmirch the hands of those who touch the
fertilizer, but leave its mark on anyone who snorts or shoots the
end product. | ||||||||||||||||||||
GloTell is already proving to be a handy deterrent, but there were
details to be worked out between its birth as a farmer's brainstorm
and finished product. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In the two years it took to develop GloTell, researchers at the
Southern Illinois University Carbondale found it did much more than
just stain thieves pink. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The visible stain, even if washed off, was still detectable by
ultraviolet light 24 to 72 hours later. As an added benefit, the
additive helped farmers detect any tank leaks, said Truitt Clements,
spokesman for Illinois-based GloTell Distributors LLC. | ||||||||||||||||||||
During product testing, GloTell was added to anhydrous ammonia tanks
at farms that had been having problems with thefts in Illinois,
Kentucky and Indiana, Clements said. Within a week, the thefts
stopped. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-17) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Just as the U.S. election coverage is heating up, Canadian cannabis uber-activist Marc Emery has made the news by being sentenced to 3 months in a Saskatoon penitentiary for passing a joint, showing that you don't have to live in Alabama to get a ridiculous sentence for harmless behavior between consenting adults. Dana Larsen - editor of Cannabis Culture Magazine (owned by Emery) - is organizing protests in Saskatoon until Emery is set free. Our second story this week looks at the Montana medical use campaign, which has recently been buoyed by a California report showing that teen cannabis use has declined since the passage of California's medical cannabis law. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Our third story looks at an Arkansas medical initiative that would
legalize up to 6 plants or 1 ounce for medical use by legitimate
patients. Petitioners were expected to had in a 46,600 more
signatures this week, for a total of over 75,000; 65,000 valid
signatures are necessary to put the initiative on the November
ballot. Our next story this week is a comprehensive examination of
the many personal and medical use initiatives facing Massachusetts
voters this year. And lastly, Minneapolis medical activists were
frustrated by the city council's refusal to put their medicinal
cannabis question on the November ballot. A majority of council
members felt that if passed, the initiative would put them in
contravention of both state and federal law. The Marijuana Policy
Project, which was a major supporter of the campaign, may sue the
city over the issue. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(13) PROTESTS ERUPT AFTER CANADIAN ACTIVIST JAILED OVER JOINT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Pro-pot activists are staging protests and writing letters after
well-known marijuana supporter Marc Emery was sentenced to three
months in jail for passing a single joint. Emery's supporters
gathered at Saskatoon's provincial court building yesterday to
protest the jail sentence, which came last week after Emery pleaded
guilty to trafficking. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We'll be here every day until Marc Emery is released," said protest
co-ordinator Dana Larsen of Vancouver, editor of Emery's Cannabis
Culture magazine. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"I don't think this will succeed in getting Marc out early, but I
think it will draw attention. Our goal really is to stop this from
happening to anybody else." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Emery, president of the B.C. Marijuana party, was charged with trafficking after he passed a joint while speaking at a political rally at the University of Saskatchewan earlier this year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(14) MONTANA ADVOCATES CITE CALIF. POT-USE STUDY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A new California study showing that teen use of marijuana has
dropped since a medical marijuana law was adopted there in 1996
proves that the permissive laws don't foster youth pot use, Montana
marijuana advocates said Friday. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The new study, released this week by the state of California, reports that the number of ninth-graders using marijuana dropped 45 percent over the last eight years. When California's medical marijuana law was passed in 1996, 34.2 percent of ninth-graders reported using marijuana within six months of the survey. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But this year, 18.8 percent of ninth-graders reported using the drug
within six months of the survey. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"What I think may be happening is young people start to see that
marijuana is for sick people and it's not something that should be
used lightly," said Paul Befumo, treasurer of the Montana Policy
Project of Montana. | ||||||||||||||||||||
At the very least, Befumo said the study shows medical marijuana
laws don't increase the rate of teen pot use. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(15) ADDITIONAL SIGNATURES FOR ARKANSAS MARIJUANA PROPOSAL DUE TODAY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Supporters of a proposed ballot measure that would legalize
marijuana for medical use said they were confident Tuesday that
enough additional signatures had been gathered to get their proposal
on the Nov. 2 ballot. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The deadline to turn them in is 5 p.m. today. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Last month the measure fell about 33,500 short of the 64,465
signatures needed, and supporters were given another 30 days to
gather the additional signatures. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Riggs said he expects about 46,600 new signatures to be turned in. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(16) MARIJUANA QUESTIONS ON SEVERAL MASSACHUSETTS LOCAL BALLOTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Drug reform activists, convinced that law enforcement resources
would be better spent on other crimes, will ask voters in several
area communities this fall to weigh in on reducing penalties for
marijuana possession. Proponents of the change have succeeded in
getting a series of nonbinding questions -- meant to gauge public
opinion -- on ballots this November in communities across Greater
Boston. In Bellingham and Milford, voters will consider the legality
of medicinal marijuana -- allowing seriously ill patients to grow
the drug for medical use. In Boylston, Northborough, Franklin, and
parts of Medway, voters will weigh in on whether the penalty for
possession should be reduced from a criminal charge to a civil
violation subject to a fine. According to state law, first-time
marijuana offenders are typically placed on probation, but the law
also allows for imprisonment and fines for possession. Opponents of
relaxing the rules say marijuana use is often the first step toward
drug addiction and see no point in amending current policies, but
supporters of the change say it's a waste of money to prosecute
low-level possession offenses. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(17) MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS OFF MINNEAPOLIS BALLOT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Minneapolis City Council on Friday rejected putting a medical
marijuana initiative on the November ballot, despite the signatures
of thousands of supporters. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Organizers had gathered the signatures of more than 7,000 registered
voters on a petition in favor of adding a city charter amendment for
a medicinal marijuana distribution system. The charter amendment
would have taken effect if medicinal marijuana ever became legal at
the state and federal level. | ||||||||||||||||||||
City Council members who opposed the amendment said it did not fit
in with the city charter's mission. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"My view is that we shouldn't be putting things in the charter that
don't relate to the general governance of the city," said Council
Member Scott Benson. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (18-21) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
In the Philippines, relatives of drug suspects killed by death squads
who have joined together to oppose summary executions, have lost hope
justice will ever be done. Death squads, say activists, draw strength
from the government encouragement they receive. "For as long as the
city government regards killing as the solution to crime, summary
executions will not be solved. It has become a mark of this
government. Without killings, this government will lose its
identity," noted Filipino activist Bernie Mondragon. In bloodstained
Davao, where death squads kill suspected drug users with blessing of
mayor and police, victims' mothers last week "dared" Davao City
Police to present to the public ("for other witnesses of summary
executions to identify") a suspected hitman, who was arrested by
another task force. Over 60 former or suspected drug offenders have
been killed by death squads in Davao so far this year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In the Philippines, those selling a little pot are subject to
Draconian punishments that, like the penalties in the U.S., are
excessive and cruel, and in no way can be said to fit the "crime".
In Davao City, where the mayor urges vigilantes to gun down
suspected drug offenders, a 24-year-old Davao man was sentenced to
life imprisonment. To draw such a harsh sentence, was the crime
murder, or perhaps kidnapping, or rape? No, something far worse. The
man's "crime" was selling about 13 grams of cannabis to an
informant, near a school. In addition to a life term, vindicative
judges fined the man 500,000 to 10 million pesos. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The United States and Canada, which formerly maintained what was called "world's longest undefended border" last week lost that distinction as the U.S. unilaterally moved to activate bases and "scan" (read: spy) deep into Canadian sovereign territory. Sold to gullible U.S. (and somewhat less gullible Canadian) populations as a brilliant blow against "terror" and "drugs," the move, explained the U.S., would make Canadians more secure. The border militarization, which would normally be an aggressive and provocative act against a sovereign nation, was instead presented as a wonderful benefit to Canadians. The act of creating new bases against a formerly peaceful border, spying on and intruding in a previously military-free airspace, merely provides "an additional level of security for Canadian citizens," explained U.S. spokesmen. Not to worry: operations "will not cross into Canada without permission," weaseled U.S. officials. (Readers will note that the U.S.-Canadian "Smart Border Declaration" of December 2001 stresses intelligence sharing, so the "permission" has already most likely been given.) | ||||||||||||||||||||
And finally this week, an Ontario, Canada Court ruled that police
may approach any person, and attempt to "coerce" them to sell drugs.
Previously, police needed specific targets, but the Ontario Superior
Court last week ruled that because of the exigencies of "drugs,"
undercover police could cast a wider net and attempt to entrap
anyone they meet. Ontario police asked to have the entrapment laws
they didn't like voided along a one-kilometer stretch of road in
Toronto. Defense lawyers protested that Toronto drug squads tended
to focus on petty users who sold small amounts of drugs to finance
their own habits. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(18) CASE SAYS JUSTICE ELUSIVE FOR VICTIMS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A convenor of the Coalition Against Summary Execution (CASE) lost
hope that victims of summary killings in the city will see justice,
especially those coming from the urban poor families. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bernie Mondragon, executive director of the Kabataan Consortium, a
non-government organization that caters to the youth from urban poor
communities, told the Mindanao Times it is clear hitmen are drawing
their strength from the posture of the city government against petty
crimes and illegal drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
"For as long as the city goverment regards killing as the solution
to crime, summary executions will not be solved. It has become a
mark of this government. Without killings, this government will lose
its identity," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mondragon said with the executive department's pronouncements and
reactions towards summary executions, the killings become a policy
in itself. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
The CASE has recorded 300 cases of killings in the city since 1997,
of which 63 cases happened this year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mothers Cry Justice | ||||||||||||||||||||
Six mothers of victims of the summary executions dared the Davao City Police Office to present to the public Romeo Taysa, a suspected hitman who was arrested by Cafgu members of the Task Force Davao, after gunning down Hilario Daylo a public utility van dispatcher at the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal on August 12. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In a press briefing at the Phil. Information Agency (PIA) they
challenged Davao City police director Sr. Supt Conrado Laza to present
the suspected hitman for other witnesses of summary executions to
identify. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(19) MAN GETS LIFE FOR MARIJUANA PUSHING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
FOR a measly sum of P200, a 24-year-old man was convicted to spend
his life behind bars after the court found him guilty of selling
five packs of dried Indian Hemp, popularly known as marijuana
leaves, to a high-school student in Calinan, Davao City in January
this year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Confiscated from Gaputan were five packs of dried marijuana leaves
weighing a total of 13 grams. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Based on the law, Gaputan will also pay a fine ranging from P500,000
to P10 million to the government inaddition to his life imprisonment
penalty. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(20) U.S. ADDS MORE MUSCLE TO ITS BORDER SECURITY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A new air and marine branch south of the border will do more than
protect American citizens from terrorism and smugglers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gary Bracken, with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Air
and Marine Operations, said beefing up enforcement in the air, on
land and sea will enhance safety for Canadians. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Security afforded Americans by the new facility "reaches across to
provide an additional level of security for Canadian citizens."
"Illegal activity in either direction is stopped." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Bellingham AMB is the first of five opening along the American
border with Canada - once considered the longest undefended border
in the world. An office in Plattsburgh, N.Y., is next in October,
followed by sites in Montana, North Dakota and Michigan over the
next three years. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Surveillance and enforcement will stretch east and west along the border, but will not cross into Canada without permission. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bracken acknowledged existing security - U.S. Border Patrol and
Integrated Border Enforcement Team - already conduct air, land and
sea enforcement. AMB "brings a different capability and a different
mission set," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(21) DRUG TRAP LEGAL: COURT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Judge Widens Undercover Powers In Target Drug Area | ||||||||||||||||||||
TORONTO -- A nearly one-km-long stretch of a busy Toronto street has
been designated a target area where undercover police can approach
"any person" and try to coerce them to sell drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Normally police must have specific targets. But an Ontario Superior
Court judge has ruled that because trafficking along a stretch of
Eglinton Avenue East in the Scarborough area of Toronto was
"mobile," it justified random stops of people to see if they would
sell drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
But in the ruling released earlier this month, LaForme said police
must be given "substantial leeway in investigation techniques"
because of the "social consequence" of trafficking. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In an earlier decision, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in a case
involving Vancouver's Granville Mall that police may target an area
instead of a specific person and attempt to solicit drug sales on
the basis that there is evidence of trafficking and the area is
"sufficiently defined." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
The defence lawyer also questioned the strategy of Toronto police drug squads for a focus on street-level dealers, who are frequently addicts, selling small amounts of crack to subsidize their habit. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Police are not going after people higher up in the (drug) chain,"
said Bawden. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Lessons from the Defeat of Chile's Marijuana Legalization Bill | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Al Giordano at The Narcosphere - | ||||||||||||||||||||
"The time has come for drug policy reformers - good people who
really do want to see the drug laws changed - to see through the
'free market' snake oil and look at where progress is being made,
and why: the reforms in Latin America - despite this latest defeat
in Chile - move forward while even in New York state they can't seem
to drop the Rockefeller drug laws that everyone claims to agree need
overhaul." | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
The Hilary Black Show - Sen. Claude Nolin | ||||||||||||||||||||
Hilary interviews Hon Senator Claude Nolin about The Senate Report's repercussions and revisions. She is also joined by Rob And Adam of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) who discuss Vancouver's proposed Safe Inhalation Centre for crack smokers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Drug Truth Network Releases | ||||||||||||||||||||
1. Cultural Baggage invites Dr. Claudia Jensen, a pediatrician who | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
2. Unvarnished Truth 1. (A new format from the DTN that features | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
3. Unvarnished Truth 2. Gary Bledsoe, Pres Tx NAACP, Judge James | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
4. Unvarnished Truth 3. Bruce Merkin of MPP, Noelle Davis of | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
We are still looking for assistants to help prepare transcripts
of our programs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
If you can help, please contact | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Marc Emery the "Chronic Offender" | ||||||||||||||||||||
Pot TV Manager Chris Bennett talks to Marc Emery from the jail
where he is serving 3 months for passing a joint. Also included
is an interview with activist and Cannabis Culture editor Dana
Larsen, who is on the scene in Saskatchewan galvinating activists
for vigils and more in Marc's honor. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
NYC's Guerilla Ibogaine Treatments - a brief discussion | ||||||||||||||||||||
by Preston Peet, for DrugWar.com, August 26, 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Swing States: Crime, Prisons and the Future of the Nation | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Eric Lotke, Deborah Stromberg & Vincent Schiraldi | ||||||||||||||||||||
Nearly 2 million adults in Florida and 16 other key election
states are ineligible to vote because of laws that prevent felons
from voting, according to a study released today. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The trend disproportionately affects African-Americans, according
to Swing States: Crime, Prisons and the Future of the Nation, a
report released by the Justice Policy Institute, a Washington-based
nonprofit research organization dedicated to ending society?s reliance
on incarceration. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
MARIJUANA AND SPORTS | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Jim White | ||||||||||||||||||||
I don't mind ignorant columnists, I read them everyday, I don't mind people who haven't read anything on a subject spewing propaganda like good little citizens sending the approved government messages. But when Dan O'Neill tells us we need to get real about what we tolerate, he himself needs to get real with his knowledge. | ||||||||||||||||||||
O'Neill's admitted personal experience reflects on him, not on the drugs he used. Potent marijuana has been available since mankind first used it 5,000 years ago, O'Neill just had a bad supplier. Hence his assertion that today's grass is stronger than what he smoked in the '60's is simply wrong. Remember tia-sticks? | ||||||||||||||||||||
O'Neill suggested that football player Ricky Williams should be
responsible for sending O'Neill's impressionable kids the right
message, even if it is based on outright lies and misinformation.
Hey, O'Neill, the effects of marijuana on the sexual organs of teens
is a lie, they aren't telling anymore, don't you read? | ||||||||||||||||||||
If O'Neill really wants to help kids stay off drugs, he can start by
being honest and truthful. Then you can regulate drugs rather than
continue to allow criminals to sell them to kids. We can stop
arresting adults and hounding football players about some
recreational pot smoking and concentrate our efforts on educating
the young. We can medicalize hard drugs and coax addicts off the
streets and into treatment. | ||||||||||||||||||||
My teacher told me that smoking marijuana would cause me to grow
breasts. It didn't. I never believed another thing adults said about
drugs. Little white lies about Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy hurt
no one, but lies about super pot and other drugs that kill in a
single whiff harm children beyond belief, because they no longer
believe. | ||||||||||||||||||||
O'Neill is right in that we should read as much as we can. That way
we can get a real understanding of the subject. I suggest a trip to
the Schaffer Drug Library, which contains a copy of nearly every
major study of drugs and drug policy from governments around the
world. The address is http://www.druglibrary.org/. | ||||||||||||||||||||
As for Ricky Williams, he has a right to stand up for what he
believes in. Pot didn't turn him, let alone 20 million other adults,
into a writhing addict. Absolute fact-based truth is the way to deal
with drugs. Anything else is fruitless and has been for four
decades. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Jim White, | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
New Federal Report Contradicts Drug Czar's Claims | ||||||||||||||||||||
By NORML | ||||||||||||||||||||
A newly released federal report refutes claims by US Drug Czar John Walters that the United States is being inundated with Canadian pot, that the drug's potency is dramatically rising, and that marijuana poses a greater public health threat than heroin or cocaine. | ||||||||||||||||||||
According to the U.S. Department of Justice report, "National Drug
Threat Assessment 2004," the overwhelming majority of commercial
grade marijuana consumed in the U.S. comes from California and
Mexico. The report further adds that Hawaii, not Canada, is the US'
"leading source of high potency marijuana." The report estimated
that between 10,000 and 24,000 metric tons of marijuana is available
in the US. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In recent months, Walters has testified that the U.S. marijuana
market is being inundated with high potency cannabis from British
Columbia, dubbing it the "crack of marijuana." Most recently,
Walters has claimed that this influx of Canadian pot is directly
responsible for sending rising numbers of Americans to the emergency
room. | ||||||||||||||||||||
According to the DOJ report, however, increased mentions of
marijuana during emergency room visits "in recent years have not
been significant," and account for less than ten percent of all drug
mentions. The report further stated that the average THC content of
U.S. commercial grade marijuana is around five percent, despite
claims by Walters that today's marijuana potency levels are "10 to
20 times stronger" than they were a generation ago. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Authors of the report note that despite federal and state anti-drug
efforts, marijuana remains "widely available" in the United States,
with "98.2 percent of state and local law enforcement agencies
nationwide [describing] marijuana availability as high or moderate."
Nevertheless, only 13 percent of state and local law enforcement
agencies identified marijuana as "their greatest drug threat," and
less than five percent identified pot as "the drug most contributing
to violent crime in their areas." | ||||||||||||||||||||
The release of the DOJ report came on the eve of an announcement
from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy that the
administration plans "to shift some of the focus in research and
enforcement from 'hard' drugs such as cocaine and heroin to
marijuana." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Copies of the report are available online at: | ||||||||||||||||||||
For more information about NORML, see http://www.norml.org/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." - Aldous Huxley | ||||||||||||||||||||
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