| Sept. 24, 2004 #368 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
(1) BIG GROWTH IN AFGHAN POPPY CROP (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Record levels of poppy are being grown in new areas | ||||||||||||||||||
The US has confirmed a big increase in Afghanistan's opium poppy crop
and says the illicit drugs trade is endangering efforts to rebuild the
country. | ||||||||||||||||||
A US State Department official said poppy cultivation in Afghanistan
was expected to jump by 40% this year. | ||||||||||||||||||
Another official said there were record levels of poppy cultivation
in areas not previously used for this purpose. | ||||||||||||||||||
Afghanistan is one of 22 nations listed by Mr Bush in his annual
report to Congress on "major" drug-producers. | ||||||||||||||||||
"On the narcotics front, tied like a ball-and-chain to security, justice and economic development, we stand in the darkness of a long shadow," assistant secretary of state in the bureau of narcotics and law enforcement, Robert Charles, told a congressional hearing. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(2) U.S. NEITHER FOR NOR AGAINST PLAN TO FINE FOR POT POSSESSION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The nation's drug czar said Wednesday that a plan being considered by
Mayor Daley to fine -- rather than arrest -- people possessing small
amounts of marijuana could help control the use of a drug he sees as
being more potent than many people realize. | ||||||||||||||||||
It's clear from the high dismissal rate of marijuana-possession cases in Chicago that authorities are not treating pot as seriously as they should, said John Walters, the White House's top drug-fighting official. His remarks came in an interview a day after Daley embraced a Chicago Police sergeant's plan to impose fines on pot smokers ranging from $250 for up to 10 grams to $1,000 for 20 to 30 grams. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Walters did not object to the concept of imposing fines on people
caught with small amounts of pot. But he would not express outright
support for the idea, either. | ||||||||||||||||||
Instead, he said fines could be a "tool" for reducing pot consumption,
along with opening up more drug courts and requiring pot smokers to
attend classes to learn about the dangers of the drug. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(3) NEW ZEALAND: HERBAL HIGHS AND THE LAW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Over-the-counter herbal highs and party pills currently under the scrutiny of the Government are not as dangerous or addictive as illicit substances, a Victoria University psychology lecturer says. | ||||||||||||||||||
The legal highs, presently being sold as dietary supplements, will be
subject to stricter regulations if the third amendment to the Misuse
of Drugs Act is passed. | ||||||||||||||||||
Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton says he is drafting a
supplementary order paper to the amendment that will give State
agencies increased capacity to monitor the distribution of herbal
highs and other unclassified substances. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The purpose of the new schedule will be to enable regulations to be
made to protect young New Zealanders in particular against the sale of
legal substances, which are subject to abuse but do not warrant, on
current evidence, regulation under the current risk classes A, B or C
drug classifications." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(4) US AK: POT INITIATIVE BACKERS KICK OFF CAMPAIGN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A group formed in support of a ballot initiative that would legalize all amounts of marijuana in Alaska has kicked off its campaign. | ||||||||||||||||||
Yes on 2, named after Ballot Measure No. 2, opened its campaign
headquarters in Anchorage last week and started hitting the airwaves
with its message. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We have ads on TV, we have ads on radio and we have campaigners doing
door-to-door in selected areas," said Timothy Hinterberger, one of the
organizers of the initiative. | ||||||||||||||||||
Ballot Measure No. 2 would remove all criminal and civil penalties for
people 21 or older who "grow, use, sell or give away marijuana or hemp
products." It would allow the state or local governments to regulate
marijuana like alcohol or tobacco and establish laws that limit
marijuana use in public. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The makers of OxyContin continue to spread money to police and
community groups, but for once, a press story suggests the practice
may cause problems. | ||||||||||||||||||
Also last week, Michigan pushes ahead with a plan to drug test welfare recipients; while the U.S. is still attacking Canadian plans to decriminalize marijuana. Strangely, as our DrugSense Weekly Feature Article below demonstrates, U.S. officials aren't too worried about decriminalization within their own borders. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(5) DRUG MAKER HELPS THE POLICE FIGHT ABUSE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
In February, the St. Joseph County Area Narcotics Team in southern
Michigan raided the home of a 51-year-old woman who was selling the
pain killer OxyContin from her home. A paid informant purchased
eight pills for $200. | ||||||||||||||||||
Traditionally, police use money from their own budgets or from asset
forfeitures for undercover purchases. In this case, the money for
the buy, as well as the informant's pay, came from Purdue Pharma
L.P., the closely held drug company that makes OxyContin. All told,
St. Joseph County has received $51,000 from Purdue Pharma in the
past year. St. Joseph county prosecutor Doug Fisher says the county
felt obligated to pursue crimes involving OxyContin "since they
helped us financially." | ||||||||||||||||||
Since 2002, Purdue Pharma has given more than $1.7 million in grants to police and sheriff's departments from California to Maine. The money has proved a boon to some law-enforcement agencies, who say it has sparked a surge in arrests for OxyContin-related crimes. | ||||||||||||||||||
Many companies contribute to law-enforcement agencies for things such as new uniforms or equipment, but most have shied away from making such targeted donations. The Purdue Pharma grants are earmarked for investigations into prescription-drug crimes. | ||||||||||||||||||
Still, the practice walks a precarious ethical line, some say. "It's
outside interference into the deployment of police resources," says
John Kleinig, director of the Institute for Criminal Justice Ethics
at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. "It's like
pollution. One chimney belching smoke -- no big deal. When you have
3,000 belching smoke, it's a problem, because police resources are
taken over by other interests." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(6) COMMUNITY HEALTH INITIATIVE RECEIVES ANTI-ABUSE GRANTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Blount County's Community Health Initiative has been awarded a $25,000 Community Partnerships grant by Purdue Pharma L.P., with an additional $14,000 grant from the Blount Memorial Foundation. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Purdue Pharma grant is part of the organization's effort to
reduce prescription drug abuse and other problem behaviors among
young people through the Communities That Care prevention planning
process. Only 10 such grants were awarded nationally. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Purdue Pharma produces the prescription drug OxyContin (Oxycodone
HCI Controlled-Release) Tablets, a powerful pain medication which
has the potential for patient abuse. Yeager said the company
recognizes this potential and is ``the only (drug manufacturer)
doing something about it.'' | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(7) WELFARE RECIPIENTS COULD BE TESTED FOR ILLEGAL DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
ACLU Wonders If Proposal Is What It Agreed to With State | ||||||||||||||||||
LANSING -- Welfare recipients could be required to take a drug test
to continue receiving state aid under legislation on its way to the
state House. | ||||||||||||||||||
The bill approved Wednesday by the House Family and Children Services
Committee would allow the Family Independence Agency to require a drug
test if one of its employees has probable cause to suspect a recipient
of substance abuse. | ||||||||||||||||||
It's the first time the Legislature has taken up the issue since the
American Civil Liberties Union and the state reached a settlement to
end their four-year dispute over the state's 1999 pilot program to
drug test all welfare recipients. The agreement followed an April
2003 ruling by the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals that said the
drug-testing program violated the Fourth Amendment. | ||||||||||||||||||
The agreement only would allow people suspected by a professional of
having a drug problem to be subject to a test. The determination
would be made, in part, by drug-use surveys filled out by welfare
recipients. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(8) U.S. REPORT SLAMS OUR DRUG LAWS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON -- An annual White House report on countries with drug
problems says Canada's relatively lax penalties for marijuana
producers and moves toward decriminalizing pot could be an
"invitation" to organized crime that hinders police and prosecutors.
Canada isn't on the president's list of 22 major illicit
drug-producing and transit countries, which includes Mexico and some
South American countries that supply the vast majority of drugs to
the United States. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We are now working intensively with Canadian authorities to address
the increase in the smuggling of Canadian-produced marijuana into
the U.S.," said a White House release. | ||||||||||||||||||
The report noted that Canada, in turn, has expressed concern about the flow of cocaine and other illegal substances from the U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
An editorial out of Macon, Georgia shows why people everywhere are
losing their patience with low level drug busts that are hyped as
big deals. | ||||||||||||||||||
Elsewhere, drug-related corruption of law enforcement continues. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(9) EDITORIAL: DRUG 'STINGS' MOSTLY FOR SHOW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Illegal drug sales and drug-related crime is arguably the most serious social and legal problem facing communities nationwide today. These are also areas that police, despite massive efforts in cracking down on violators, have the least success in battling. | ||||||||||||||||||
The harsh reality is that successful drug interdiction will continue
to be limited as long as there are massive quantities of illegal
drugs available and a flourishing market eager to buy and consume
them. | ||||||||||||||||||
Considering this, it is only logical that the most effective
approach to cutting into this criminal endeavor involves blocking
the steady flow of drugs coming into the country and arresting and
prosecuting those who are major distributors and manufacturers of
illicit drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
This is far easier said than done, as U.S. Customs and the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Agency can testify. Unfortunately, it's not unusual for
police agencies to take the easy way out, which involves devising a
procedure to arrest a large number of drug users and low-level
sellers. Once this is accomplished, then police can point to
newspaper stories and TV reports that seem to suggest that police
are taking a bite out of drug crime. | ||||||||||||||||||
This appears to be the case in Macon. The police department set up a
"sting" operation in which it was selling small quantities of
court-approved marijuana and then arresting the buyers. This
operation has resulted in the arrests of 39 people from their Pio
Nono drug house. | ||||||||||||||||||
There are several serious problems with this, not the least of which
is that it really doesn't address the core problem of illegal drugs.
In the first place, the people who are being arrested are, for the
most part, drug users, the lowest link in the drug chain - not the
high-level criminals who bring dangerous drugs such as crack and
powder cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines as well as designer drugs
and illegal prescription narcotics - into our city. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(10) DISMISSING POT CASE, JUDGE BLASTS SEARCHERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A judge dismissed a marijuana-growing case against Terrence M. Sutton
in the interest of justice while blasting the U.S. Border Patrol and
local police for a "warrantless" search that "traumatized" Mr.
Sutton's wife and 8-year-old daughter. | ||||||||||||||||||
Jefferson county Court Judge Kim H. Martusewicz repeatedly referred to
the "occupation" by federal agents and police of the Sutton modular
home and property at Route 1 in the town of Alexandria. The judge
ruled that the Aug. 28, 2003, raid violated the U.S. and state
constitutions. | ||||||||||||||||||
The decision is prompting the U.S. Border Patrol to address
"procedural errors" made, including how better to coordinate with
other agencies, said Ed R. Duda, deputy director of the Border
Patrol's Buffalo sector, which covers an area from Buffalo to
Ogdensburg. "It's not going to happen again," said Mr. Duda, who first
learned of the decision Thursday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Agents are allowed to go onto property without a warrant within 25 miles of the border but only while patrolling, he said. That does not include homes. He said agents, who are dedicated to protecting communities from drugs, may get a little too eager. But he added that the raid took about $50,000 worth of marijuana off the streets. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(11) JUDGE PLEADS GUILTY, RESIGNS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Crystal Meth Possession Nets Sentence | ||||||||||||||||||
BROOKHAVEN - Lawrence County justice court judge has pleaded guilty to possession of crystal methamphetamine and resigned from office. | ||||||||||||||||||
Robert C. "Bobby" Fortenberry Jr. entered the plea Monday in Lincoln
County Circuit Court. He stepped down from office in an agreement
with prosecutors and the court. | ||||||||||||||||||
Fortenberry, 46, of New Hebron, was sentenced by Circuit Judge Mike
Smith to 20 years in prison with 16 years suspended. Fortenberry was
fined $5,000 and ordered to pay $5,400 restitution to the
Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. He also was ordered to pay court
costs. | ||||||||||||||||||
Smith ordered Fortenberry to complete the Therapeutic Alcohol and
Drug Program. Fortenberry was given five years' probation upon his
release. An additional charge of conspiracy to transfer a controlled
substance was dismissed, officials said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(12) WITNESS: OFFICER WANTED EVIDENCE PLANTED | ||||||||||||||||||
WILMINGTON - Scott LaClaire testified Monday that police Lt. Leon
Oxendine told him to plant a computer disk in a house at 11 Albion
St. in Lumberton on Sept. 6, 2001. | ||||||||||||||||||
Oxendine Oxendine, a 26-year veteran of the Lumberton Police
Department, is on trial in U.S. District Court. | ||||||||||||||||||
He is charged with tampering with a witness; making false statements
to the FBI; and five counts of making false declarations to a grand
jury. Oxendine, 51, was placed on administrative leave without pay
in April. | ||||||||||||||||||
LaClaire, a police informant with an extensive criminal background,
was the first witness called by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Evenson
in Oxendine's trial. LaClaire testified that he spent two years in
prison for possession of a firearm by a felon. He was released in
May 2000, but later learned that other pending charges could send
him back to prison. LaClaire went to the Lumberton police looking
for a deal that might help him stay out of prison. | ||||||||||||||||||
LaClaire testified that he told Oxendine that he could help him
catch a drug dealer who sold drugs out of the house on Albion
Street. A computer disk at the drug dealer's house, LaClaire said,
contained an image of a $100 bill. LaClaire testified that Oxendine
told him to get the disk from the dealer's house. | ||||||||||||||||||
LaClaire testified that he lied about the disk being at the drug
dealer's house. It actually was at his own house, he said. LaClaire
went home, retrieved the disk and brought it to Oxendine at the
police station. Oxendine told him to go to the house on Albion
Street and plant the disk, LaClaire said. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It was his intention to arrest (the drug dealer) for the disk and get him on federal (counterfeiting) charges," LaClaire said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-17) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
We begin this week with some surprising support for decriminalization out of Chicago. Mayor Daley has expressed support for a plan put forth by Wentworth District police sergeant Donegan which would see the minor possession of cannabis by adults become a ticketable offense rather than a criminal charge. It is estimated that up to 95% of minor cannabis possession arrests currently get tossed out of Chicago courts, and that the city could save police time and money - and collect up to $5 million a year - under a system of fines. | ||||||||||||||||||
Hurricane season has taken another victim this fall: last Saturday's
15th Annual Boston Freedom Rally. High winds and rain kept attendees
and vendors away from what is typically one of the nation's largest
pro-legalization events. A small crowd of 400 or so devoted activists
showed up at the waterlogged event; considerably less than the 30,000
or so anticipated attendees. And from Canada this week, news that
the now infamous Da Kine cafe will no longer be selling cannabis
over-the-counter. Following a second arrest, Da Kine manager Carol
Gwilt has ordered her employees to stop the distribution of marijuana.
At the time of this writing Gwilt remained in jail pending a bail
hearing. And in further Canadian cannabis crackdown news, a pot
mail-order service called "Bud Buddy" has ceased operations
following extensive media and police attention. | ||||||||||||||||||
Lastly this week, an incredible Op-ed by University of Colorado law
professor Paul Campos on the lies that underpin the shaky, faltering
foundation of our modern war on drugs. In addition, I'd like to give
a big shout out to Montel Williams for his incredible talk show
outlining the hypocrisy of the U.S. govt. policy on medicinal
cannabis. If you haven't had a chance to see former deputy drug czar
Dr. Andrea Barthwell get lambasted by Montel yet, please check it
out below in "Hot Off The 'Net" | ||||||||||||||||||
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(13) DALEY: JUST TICKET MARIJUANA USERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Mayor Daley today embraced a Wentworth District police sergeant's
idea to ticket people caught with small amounts of marijuana, rather
than file criminal charges and take up the time of police officers
only to end up seeing the charges thrown out in court, as often
happens. | ||||||||||||||||||
Daley said it makes little sense to keep piling up arrests for
marijuana use when "99 percent" of the cases are dismissed. The
mayor said judges appear to have so little regard for the cases that
many defendants don't even bother showing up in court. | ||||||||||||||||||
"If 99 percent of the cases are all thrown out, and you have a police officer going - why?" Daley said. "Why do we arrest the individual, seize the marijuana, [go] to court and they're all thrown out? . . . It costs you a lot of money for that. It costs you a lot of money for police officers to go to court. [snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(14) STORM DAMPENS BOSTON RALLY FOR MARIJUANA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Keith Saunders had expected to use a microphone yesterday to address
tens of thousands who support the decriminalization of marijuana.
Instead, he needed only a megaphone to be heard by the several
hundred who showed up at the gathering, the 15th annual Boston
Freedom Rally. | ||||||||||||||||||
"You folks came out in a hurricane because you believe in this so
much," Saunders said to the cheers of enthusiasts, who were jammed
into small tents on a corner of the Boston Common, many of whose
feet were buried in mud. Saunders and other organizers of what is
normally one of the nation's largest annual marijuana culture
festivals didn't get the 40,000 people they had expected. Only about
400 showed up in the driving rain, and only four of the expected 50
vendors turned out to hawk T-shirts, posters, and CDs. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(15) OWNER OF VANCOUVER POT CAFE CALLS IT QUITS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The owner of the Vancouver cafe that has been openly selling pot for
months said Friday the stakes in the ongoing game of cat and mouse
with police have become too high. | ||||||||||||||||||
Carol Gwilt says the cafe on the trendy Commercial Drive will stop
selling marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I'm directing my staff at the Da Kine Smoke Shop to stop selling
cannabis," Gwilt said in a statement read by lawyer Jason Gratl
outside the Vancouver provincial court. | ||||||||||||||||||
Gwilt was arrested Thursday on a charge of breaching bail conditions. She remains in custody until a bail hearing on Monday. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(16) MAIL-ORDER POT BUSINESS SHUTS DOWN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Bud Buddy, the Vancouver-based mail-order marijuana service being
probed by Canada Post and city police, says it's going out of
business. The embattled web dealer said yesterday it was having to
shut down because of a "media firestorm" -- and the prospect of
being busted by police. "I cannot stay in business when there are TV
crews outside the place where I pick up my mail," Bud Buddy's
operator told The Province in an anonymous e-mail. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Bud Buddy is going to shut down before I have to deal with a police
bust like Da Kine." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(17) DRUG WAR IS A WAR AGAINST TRUTH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
America loves to export health hysteria, as illustrated by the comments of U.S. drug czar John Walters, who is upset by signs that Canada is implementing a rational policy in regard to marijuana. "The kind of marijuana coming from Canada is the crack of marijuana," Walters says. "It is dangerous. It is destructive." | ||||||||||||||||||
Referring to recent Canadian legislation that has decriminalized
possession of small amounts of marijuana, our drug czar fumed that,
"The political leadership in Canada has been utterly unable to come
to grips with this. They're talking about legalization while Rome
burns." | ||||||||||||||||||
Rome is burning, according to Walters, because the marijuana being
sold today is vastly more potent than that of a generation ago - as
much as 30 times more powerful. "This isn't your parents' marijuana"
(i.e., the kind smoked 20 years ago by a large proportion of the
government officials who now prosecute the drug war), Walters warns
our ever-vulnerable children. | ||||||||||||||||||
Even by the abysmally low standards of truthfulness employed by
public health officials in regard to drugs in general, and marijuana
in particular, these statements are remarkable for their dishonesty.
The claim that today's marijuana is 30 times more powerful than the
schwag once enjoyed by our current leaders is true only in the
Clintonian sense that it isn't 100 percent false. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (18-22) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
This week the focus is on Canada, the United States' neighbor to the north. We start off with an editorial from the Edmonton Journal which comes to the same realization to which so many in the drug reform movement have arrived. Getting "tough" on drugs never works. The article comes on the heels of a renewed effort to jail more Canadian pot growers for longer, which is favored by U.S. officials. Especially irksome to U.S prohibitionists are Canadian efforts to decriminalize cannabis, which makes the "land of the free" look less free than its neighbor. While police stress some Canadian reefer is sold south of the border in the U.S., the Journal OPED notes Mexico and the U.S. itself supply the vast majority of America's pot. | ||||||||||||||||||
In Vancouver, Mayor Larry Campbell continues to stir controversy by
pressing on in the quest for North America's first crack cocaine
safe-smoking site "as soon as possible." But authorities say that
the bureaucratic process to get official approval will be difficult,
and the project would need to show it is medically beneficial for
users. Meanwhile, the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users announced
this week it will make and hand out crack pipes to addicts in the
Downtown Eastside. Activists say the pipes should be treated as
needles, which are also handed out to drug users as a harm reduction
measure. | ||||||||||||||||||
Vancouver's safe-injection site has only been open for a year, but
officials already say the site has "saved lives." And advocates
agree. "Medical experts and users say that the site is making a
difference," noted Jean Kavanagh, spokeswoman for a group of health
workers, addicts and others. The site is "keeping people alive and
stopping the spread of HIV and other diseases," she added. Three
cities have shown interest in replicating the Vancouver
safe-injection site, the first in North America. | ||||||||||||||||||
Finally this week, a dispatch from the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), where the a senior official at the Ministry of Justice has big plans to further prohibition. The official (under-secretary of the ministry), Dr Mohammed bin Jumma bin Salim, was just full of ideas, the Khaleej Times in the U.A.E. reported last week. Bin Salim's ideas -- put forth in his latest book -- included adding helicopters to constantly watch borders, x-rays at airports to find drugs, as well as enhanced radar capability. While Bin Salim has plans for the drug war in the oil-rich Emirate, his designs don't stop at the borders of his Persian Gulf nation. Bin Salim wants drug offenders worldwide to be put to the sword of justice: this U.A.E. official suggests "passing of an international law stipulating death penalty for drug dealers and cultivators." To cow reluctant nations into executing their drug offenders, Bin Salim urged the "international community to show seriousness in implementing the clauses of the law if some countries adopt dilatory tactics." | ||||||||||||||||||
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(18) TOUGHER DRUG LAWS DON'T WORK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
For years, the police have claimed that so much marijuana is grown
in Canada that this country has become a major supplier to the
United States. | ||||||||||||||||||
Soft sentences are to blame, the police say, and the government has
agreed: Legislation doubling maximum sentences for growing pot is
expected in the fall. | ||||||||||||||||||
Before that happens, however, federal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler might want to read the most recent report on the drug situation in the United States, prepared by the U.S. Justice Department. | ||||||||||||||||||
It turns out that Canada is not the largest foreign source of
marijuana in the U.S. -- not by a long shot. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Mexico," the report says, "is the source of the vast majority" of
America's pot. In fact, Mexican pot accounted for 98 per cent of all
marijuana seized at U.S. border crossings. | ||||||||||||||||||
At the Mexican border, the crossing with the highest seizure total
netted 88,000 kilograms; the equivalent crossing at the Canadian
border seized just 2,000 kilograms. | ||||||||||||||||||
Even more important is the report's declaration that the single largest source of marijuana in the U.S. -- is the U.S. itself. | ||||||||||||||||||
Marijuana is grown abundantly throughout the United States, both
indoors and out, in operations from a few plants in the window to
giant outdoor farms. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(19) MAYOR PUSHES SAFE-SMOKING SITE FOR CRACK-COKE ADDICTS IN (Top)VANCOUVER | ||||||||||||||||||
Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell said yesterday he wants a
safe-smoking site for crack cocaine addicts up and running "as soon
as possible." | ||||||||||||||||||
"It makes perfect sense," he said, adding that European cities
already have similar programs. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
But Clay Adams, spokesman for the Vancouver Coastal Health
Authority, said getting a safe-smoking site approved by the federal
Health Ministry won't be easy. | ||||||||||||||||||
"One of the problems with the safe inhalation room right now is
we're not 100-per-cent sure that everybody's on board with the
concept," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
To be approved, he said, the project would have to have medical
benefits for its users. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
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(20) FREE CRACK PIPES ON THE WAY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users will manufacture thousands
of crack pipes and distribute them free to addicts in the Downtown
Eastside. | ||||||||||||||||||
David Cunningham, VANDU board member, and Rob Morgan, of the
VANDU-affiliated Rock Users Group, were busy Wednesday afternoon
coordinating supplies. | ||||||||||||||||||
Morgan was also speaking with representatives from a Winnipeg-based
organization, Street Connections, which produces and distributes
crack pipes to local addicts, and to a Montreal business that makes
and sells pipes. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Cunningham believes crack pipes should be given to addicts in the
same way millions of needles are handed out free each year to local
drug users as a harm reduction measure. Crack use breaks down mucus
membranes and dehydrates the addict, leading to cracked lips and
mouth wounds that may offer hepatitis C, HIV and other viruses a
route into the bloodstream. Most crack addicts also share pipes,
increasing the chance of infection. | ||||||||||||||||||
"[Crack pipes] are like rigs in prison, they get used over and over
again," said Cunningham, who works for the Downtown Eastside
Residents Association and is a founding member of the Anti-Poverty
Committee. "If it's a good pipe, you might get a quarter of a rock
to share it. Handing them out for free doesn't need to be justified,
it's just common sense." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(21) INJECTION SITE SAVING LIVES, SAYS OFFICIAL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Three Other Cities Have Expressed Interest in Vancouver's
Groundbreaking Health Program | ||||||||||||||||||
VANCOUVER - In its first year of operation, Vancouver's pioneering
safe injection site has saved lives, cleaned up the streets, brought
hundreds of marginalized people back into the health system, and
raised awareness of the plight of addicts, all without destroying
the neighbourhood, say advocates of the project. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It's a good start," said Donald MacPherson, the city's drug policy
coordinator who helped advocate North America's first safe injection
site at Hastings and Main in the Downtown Eastside. "We've
definitely saved lives." | ||||||||||||||||||
"The site has exceeded expectations. Medical experts and users say that the site is making a difference," said Jean Kavanagh, spokeswoman for Keeping the Door Open, a coalition of addicts, health workers, community groups and others. "It's keeping people alive and stopping the spread of HIV and other diseases." | ||||||||||||||||||
Today marks the completion of the first year of the three-year pilot
project, the first in North America to follow the lead of sites in
Australia and Europe. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
MacPherson said anecdotal evidence suggests the site is a success.
He said that nurses, who supervise about 600 injections a day, have
reported no deaths, and have intervened to stop "a significant
number of overdoses." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Officials from the cities of Victoria, Toronto and Montreal have expressed interested in adopting Vancouver's policy, he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
But he said Vancouver still needs more efforts aimed at prevention,
housing and treatment, especially for youth, women and mothers.
"Just opening one injection site isn't enough," he said, adding that
the city would like one or two more sites. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(22) THE U.A.E PLEA FOR COPTERS TO KEEP TAB ON DRUG SMUGGLERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
ABU DHABI -- To curb drug smuggling, interior ministries in the Arab
and Islamic world should deploy helicopters to keep an eye on the
long borders of the countries, urged a senior official at the
Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Awqaf. | ||||||||||||||||||
Authorities should also utilise x-rays at airports and entry points
to detect narcotics, said Dr Mohammed bin Jumma bin Salim,
under-secretary of the ministry. He said it was necessary for
authorities to adopt radar monitoring to control drug movement. Dr
Salim's recommendations came as part of his latest book Islamic
perspective in eradicating drugs that focused on preventive measures
required to fight smuggling and trafficking of drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
He also recommended passing of an international law stipulating death penality for drug dealers and cultivators, stressing the international community to show seriousness in implementing the clauses of the law if some countries adopt dilatory tactics. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
SAFE INJECTION SITE SAVING LIVES: REPORT | ||||||||||||||||||
VANCOUVER - The one-year assessment of Vancouver's safe injection
site shows the Downtown Eastside clinic is saving lives, and helping
heroin addicts change their lives. | ||||||||||||||||||
The report says that clinic staff have been able to save 72 drugs users in 107 incidents since last March. CPR was required in one case. | ||||||||||||||||||
http://vancouver.cbc.ca/clips/Vancouver/ram-audio/bc_clinic_040923.ram | ||||||||||||||||||
insite : North America's first official supervised injection site.
http://www.vch.ca/sis/ | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
PHILLIPE LUCAS AND JIM MILLER ON IT'S YOUR CALL | ||||||||||||||||||
Phillipe Lucas of the Vancouver Island Compassion Society and med
pot activist Jim Miller take on medical marijuana opponents Terry
Farley and David Evans on this Philadelphia talk show with calls
from medical users. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
MONTEL WILLIAMS - MARIJUANA: ILLEGAL DRUG OR MEDICAL TREATMENT? | ||||||||||||||||||
One main question Montel poses is that in spite of the federal government's attacks on the use of medicinal marijuana, it has been producing and delivering it's own medicinal marijuana for the past 20 years to a select number of patients throughout the country | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
SSDP RELEASES NEW WEB SITE | ||||||||||||||||||
Over the summer, the staff worked to create a handful of materials and resources to facilitate the great work that the chapters do on their campuses and in their communities. Please take time to look through the Campaigns section to the site, where you will find our organization' positions on a variety of issues, as well as materials and resources to enable you to be smarter, savvier activists. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
ANNUAL REPORT CARD SAYS PROP. 36 DOING WELL IN SECOND YEAR | ||||||||||||||||||
September 23, 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||
The California law that diverts first and second-time nonviolent drug
offenders into treatment is improving lives and saving hundreds of
millions of dollars, according to an annual report card released by
the University of California at Los Angeles. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
ALISON MYRDEN ON CBC, CHML | ||||||||||||||||||
Canadian medical activist Alison Myrden talks with live radio
callers. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Author of "7 Ways to Beat Addiction" which outlines the failures of
most drug treatment regimens. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LISTEN UP, MR. PRESIDENT | ||||||||||||||||||
AlterNet, posted September 24, 2004. | ||||||||||||||||||
What would you say to George Bush if you had five minutes with the
man? Janeane Garofalo, Minnie Driver, Montel Williams and Morgan
Fairchild have their say. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
'VANSTERDAM' REVISITED | ||||||||||||||||||
By Matthew M. Elrod | ||||||||||||||||||
Re: Enforcing The Law In 'Vansterdam,' Susan Martinuk, Sept. 14. | ||||||||||||||||||
Contrary to Susan Martinuk's selective review of the evidence, the
effects of cannabis decriminalization are well documented. Teen
usage rates in the dozen U.S. states that have decriminalized
cannabis remain the same or below rates in states that have
maintained criminal penalties. | ||||||||||||||||||
Similarly, Australian jurisdictions that decriminalized cannabis
over a decade ago have witnessed no corresponding increase in teen
use. Teen usage rates in the Netherlands, where adults may purchase
and consume cannabis in "coffee shops," remain below usage rates
here in North America. | ||||||||||||||||||
Ms. Martinuk concluded that "the law asserts the message that
marijuana use doesn't benefit anyone or any society." Leaving aside
the proven therapeutic benefits of cannabinoids, several studies
have confirmed that cannabis, alcohol and other psychotropic
substances are economic substitutes with cross-price elasticities.
When cannabis use goes up, alcohol and other "hard" drug use goes
down, resulting in a net decrease in fetal alcohol syndrome, traffic
accidents, addiction, disease, violence, crime, overdose deaths and
medical emergencies. | ||||||||||||||||||
Matthew M. Elrod, Victoria | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Chicago Pot Fines OK - Just Don't Say The "D" Word | ||||||||||||||||||
By Stephen Young | ||||||||||||||||||
Did the drug war slack off a little this week in Chicago? Was it just too tired to fight? Demoralized by Montel Williams? | ||||||||||||||||||
I thought Montel's show about medical marijuana, in which he
confronted and shamed former deputy drug czar Andrea Barthwell over
the issue, would be the big news of the week. But while the former
czarina stuck to the cruel party line that Montel shouldn't be
smoking weed to stop his pain, something else happened. | ||||||||||||||||||
A major American city proposed marijuana decriminalization, and no
one expressed serious opposition. Not even the federal freakin' drug
czar himself. | ||||||||||||||||||
Maybe things will get back to normal next week, and maybe this
proposal isn't as good as it seems, but Chicago's leaders want to
stop arresting pot smokers for possessing small amounts. Instead,
tickets would be issued. Chicago officials insist they are not
talking about decriminalization. It's really a way to get tough on
marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
Uh, OK, guys. Whatever you say. Semantics can be important, and the
term decriminalization carries varied meanings and connotations that
can confound listeners. But if this was 1978, everyone would be
using the language of decrim. | ||||||||||||||||||
Of course, it's not 1978 and the proposal isn't ideal. Among other problems, the fines as discussed are too high, but from a reformer's perspective, it still looks like a step in the right direction. | ||||||||||||||||||
It all started on Monday when the Chicago Sun-Times released details on a police sergeant's memo suggesting that fines would be more appropriate than arrest. He argued that judges were dismissing cases for the vast majority of suspects arrested with 2.5 grams or less. | ||||||||||||||||||
An unstated but central question floated beneath language of
bureaucracy: Why spend money arresting potheads, when you can make
money fining potheads? | ||||||||||||||||||
It was a relatively rational idea, but drug war's central function
is to aggressively smash down rationality wherever it rears its
confusing head. While other counties and cities have similar schemes
in place, American prohibitionists go insane and froth at the mouth
whenever they discuss Canadian decrim proposals. I assumed that we
would hear little more about the subject in Chicago. | ||||||||||||||||||
The next day, the Chief of Police said it was an idea worth
consideration.= Then Mayor Daley said he didn't have a problem with
it. In Chicago, that's all that really matters. Both the Sun-Times
and the Chicago Tribune endorsed the idea. | ||||||||||||||||||
And then two holes within the space time continuum apparently
aligned momentarily and we entered some kind of alternate dimension.
I'm talking mystical signs of biblical proportions; lambs lying down
with lions and that type of thing. John Walters, the federal
freakin' drug czar, told the Sun-Times does not have a problem with
Chicago's plan to stop arresting marijuana smokers! He didn't
endorse it, but he wouldn't criticize it. The federal freakin' drug
czar! | ||||||||||||||||||
The reporter was polite and/or ignorant enough not to ask the federal freakin' drug czar why it's OK for Chicago but not Canada. | ||||||||||||||||||
Federal hypocrisy aside, Chicago's fines for pot plan sounds OK, but regulation and a mild tax would be much better. Government shouldn't have to depend on people breaking the law to generate revenue when it could depend on people obeying the law to generate revenue. | ||||||||||||||||||
Better policies, however, will come around in the future. When Chicago fails to fall apart because marijuana smokers are no longer being arrested,= more significant reforms will arrive in the Windy City and elsewhere, particularly if the reforms offer broader revenue streams and decreased costs for local government. | ||||||||||||||||||
At the very least some obscured truth seems to be ripe for mass
recognition across the United States: Using the limited resources of
law enforcement to arrest our way toward a pot-free America is a
stupid, short-sighted waste.= Even the federal freakin' drug czar
understands marijuana arrests are a malicious luxury he can no
longer afford to demand. | ||||||||||||||||||
Stephen Young is an editor with DrugSense Weekly, author of
Maximizing Harm ( http://www.maximizingharm.com ) and a board member
of Illinois NORML ( http://www.illinoisnorml.org ) | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"One of the best effects Marijuana can have in any terminal illness is
to produce a degree of euphoria which boosts morale in a depressing
situation." -- Dr. Anthony Henman | ||||||||||||||||||
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