| Nov. 12, 2004 #375 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
(1) JUSTICES HEAR CASE ON DRUG-DETECTION DOGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
High Court Is Asked to Decide on Legality of Such Searches During
Traffic Stops | ||||||||||||||||||
Nothing seemed unusual on the afternoon six years ago when Illinois state trooper Daniel Gillette pulled Roy Caballes over for driving six miles per hour faster than the posted speed limit of 65. | ||||||||||||||||||
Gillette indicated he would let Caballes off with a warning. But as Gillette went through some paperwork, a second trooper arrived with a drug-detection dog and began to stroll around Caballes's car. | ||||||||||||||||||
The dog reacted to the scent of drugs in the trunk, and the troopers
opened it to find a shipment of marijuana. Caballes was convicted of
drug trafficking and sentenced to 12 years in prison. | ||||||||||||||||||
Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case. To be
decided is whether using a drug-detection dog on a car pulled over
for a traffic offense is an invasion of privacy for which police
need a specific justification, or merely an aspect of modern law
enforcement no more intrusive than the sniffer dogs that routinely
patrol airports and bus stations. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(2) CANADA: WE'LL MAKE POT LAWS, PM TELLS CELLUCCI (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Border Congestion Fears | ||||||||||||||||||
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Paul Martin yesterday brushed aside warnings
from U.S. ambassador Paul Cellucci that a border crackdown will result
if Canada decriminalizes marijuana, saying this country reserves the
right to pass laws as it sees fit. | ||||||||||||||||||
Asked his opinion of Mr. Cellucci's prediction that relaxed marijuana
laws in Canada will worsen congestion at border crossings with the
United States, Mr. Martin was unequivocal. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Firstly, the legislation is before the House of Commons, then the parliamentary committee will have its discussions on all the various points, and we'll wait to see the legislation that comes from that," he said. "But Canada will make its own laws, pure and simple." | ||||||||||||||||||
Business groups have raised concerns over possible tie-ups resulting
from more liberal marijuana laws in Canada, saying that even the
current border morass costs Canadian businesses billions of dollars
annually. It is estimated that $1.2-billion in goods and services
travel across the border each day, making it the world's most
lucrative bilateral trading relationship. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(3) TWO MARIJUANA PROPONENTS CONVICTED OF POSSESSION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Two proponents of legalizing marijuana were convicted yesterday of
misdemeanor counts of possession of marijuana during three protests at
Independence National Historical Park after a federal judge rejected
their claim that smoking was constitutionally protected because they
are Rastafarians. | ||||||||||||||||||
Edward Forchion, 40, a perennial political candidate from Browns Mills in Burlington County who goes by the name "NJ Weedman," and Patrick L. Duff, 27, of Philadelphia, were convicted for their actions during demonstrations near the Liberty Bell on Dec. 20, March 20 and April | ||||||||||||||||||
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U.S. Magistrate Judge Arnold C. Rapoport set sentencing for tomorrow,
and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin R. Hayes said each man faces a
year's probation, with Forchion also facing a $750 fine and Duff a
$500 fine. Rapoport rejected their claim that the U.S. Religious
Freedom Restoration Act exempted them from marijuana laws because
marijuana is considered a sacrament in the Caribbean religion of
Rastafarianism. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(4) EDITORIAL: ASHCROFT II (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Important Questions for Attorney General Nominee | ||||||||||||||||||
The resignation of John Ashcroft as attorney general of the United
States would be welcome had not President George W. Bush appointed a
replacement Wednesday who is cut from the same cloth. | ||||||||||||||||||
White House counsel Alberto Gonzales, long rumored to be on the president's short list for the Supreme Court, has exhibited some of the same disdain for civil liberties displayed by Ashcroft. | ||||||||||||||||||
The outgoing attorney general was the primary author of the U.S.A.
Patriot Act -- including its provisions to seize library records and
gag librarians from alerting patrons that the government was
interested in their reading list. Ashcroft's standard response to
civil libertarian critics was "Treason!" | ||||||||||||||||||
In pursuing hospital abortion records, he challenged the
confidentiality of doctor-patient relations, and he crusaded against
medical marijuana and assisted suicide even as his office was botching
a much-ballyhooed terrorism case in Detroit. | ||||||||||||||||||
Ashcroft's presumptive successor, subject to Senate confirmation,
called the Geneva Conventions "quaint" when he wrote that the United
States could waive protections for prisoners of war. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Police officials in Ann Arbor, Michigan showed little respect for
the will of the people last week. Shortly after a new medical
marijuana initiative was passed by a heavy margin of voters in the
city, the police chief declared the law "invalid" and said police
would not change the way they handle marijuana arrests. Some
residents have vowed to take the issue to court. | ||||||||||||||||||
Will the dope cops start to cover college admissions testing? I
wouldn't be surprised. The Wall Street Journal reported that many
students find that stimulants (even some illegal ones that will
allegedly ruin one's academic life) help them score better on high
pressure exams. | ||||||||||||||||||
Purdue Pharma, which manufactures the demonized pain medication
OxyContin, will pay a $10 million settlement to the state of West
Virginia, while a respected pain doctor is starts a trial where he
faces life in prison. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(5) MEDICAL MARIJUANA VOTE CALLED INVALID (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Oates Says Police Won't Change Enforcement Practices | ||||||||||||||||||
A day after its approval by three-fourths of Ann Arbor voters, the medical marijuana initiative is getting the cold shoulder. | ||||||||||||||||||
Ann Arbor Police Chief Dan Oates said in a written statement he has
directed his officers to continue enforcement of all marijuana sale
and possession offenses as they did before the vote. | ||||||||||||||||||
Oates' decision came after City Attorney Stephen Postema said
Wednesday that Ann Arbor's new medical marijuana initiative is
invalid. | ||||||||||||||||||
Although the initiative was legally and appropriately placed on the
ballot after a petition drive, Postema said 27-year-old case law
dictates that city officials can refer complaints for prosecution
under state law even though it would be contrary to the city's new
charter language. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Medical marijuana proponents said Wednesday that the city's position
means the matter is likely to wind up in court. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(6) PRESSED TO DO WELL ON ADMISSIONS TESTS, STUDENTS TAKE DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Stimulants Prescribed For Attention Disorders Find New Unapproved | ||||||||||||||||||
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BETHESDA, Md. -- On the morning he was to take the SAT last March, a 17-year-old senior at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in suburban Washington went looking for a bottle of pills. His score on practice tests had been too low and, with his sights set on an Ivy League college, he needed a miracle. Or, friends suggested, Adderall. | ||||||||||||||||||
He grabbed a tiny blue pill from his little brother's prescription
stash and swallowed it two hours before the test. Despite some
jitters when he took the test that he attributes to the drug -- a
stimulant prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,
or ADHD -- he scored 200 points better than he had on a previous
test. In an interview recently, he credited the drug with keeping
him alert and confident: "It just felt like I was on top of my game.
I knew I was going to get the questions right." | ||||||||||||||||||
Students have long taken stimulants -- ranging from caffeine to
cocaine -- to help them stay up all night writing papers and
cramming for exams. Now, some high-school and college kids are using
prescription drugs in hopes of improving their performance on the
standardized admissions tests for college and graduate school,
according to interviews with students, parents, test tutors and
doctors. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It used to be on the fringes completely, but now it's seeping into
the mainstream," says Steven Roy Goodman, a college and | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(7) OXYCONTIN LAWSUIT SETTLED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Purdue Pharma To Pay State $10 Million | ||||||||||||||||||
Drugmaker Perdue Pharma has agreed to give the West Virginia Attorney General's office $10 million to end a lawsuit accusing the company of dishonestly marketing the painkiller OxyContin. | ||||||||||||||||||
The money will finance doctor continuing-education programs, law
enforcement drug-prevention programs and community | ||||||||||||||||||
A McDowell County circuit judge approved the settlement Thursday
before jury selection was scheduled to begin, Managing Deputy
Attorney General Will Steele said Friday. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We are pleased to put aside our differences and begin a working partnership which will benefit all West Virginians," said Purdue Pharma spokesman Tim Bannon. "Those funds and those programs will make a real difference in the lives of individuals and families confronted with the problem of prescription drug abuse." | ||||||||||||||||||
Attorney General Darrell McGraw filed the lawsuit in 2001, about
five years after the Stamford, Conn.-based company began shipping
OxyContin to West Virginia pharmacies. | ||||||||||||||||||
The lawsuit sought to recoup at least the $30.5 million state
agencies spent on OxyContin between 1996 and 2003. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(8) U.S. CALLS DOCTOR DEALER, NOT HEALER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Trial On Drug Charges Begins In Va. | ||||||||||||||||||
Federal prosecutors yesterday portrayed prominent pain doctor
William E. Hurwitz as a man who used his white coat and prescription
pad to traffic in narcotics, spreading the abuse of addictive
painkillers nationwide and ultimately leading to the deaths of
several patients. | ||||||||||||||||||
During the opening day of his trial in U.S. District Court in
Alexandria, prosecutors outlined a 62-count indictment against the
McLean doctor that includes charges of drug trafficking resulting in
death and serious bodily injury, conspiracy to traffic in controlled
substances and health care fraud. | ||||||||||||||||||
During the trial, which is expected to last as long as eight weeks
and has drawn national attention from advocates for patients with
chronic pain, prosecutors intend to prove that Hurwitz, 59, was "a
drug dealer in his own right," entering into sketchy financial
agreements with patients whom he provided with countless
prescriptions for painkillers such as OxyContin -- sometimes up to
600 pills per day. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Hurwitz's attorneys have denounced the charges against their client
as an attempt by the government to criminalize good medical
practice. They say Hurwitz was providing needed pain management to a
class of patients whose chronic suffering "destroys your body ...
your soul." | ||||||||||||||||||
"This case is not about drug dealing," said defense attorney Patrick
S. Hallinan, who is based in San Francisco. "This is a case about
new science: the treatment of chronic pain with high opioid doses to
ameliorate that pain." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-13) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The prison population, particularly the number of women behind bars,
continues to increase. It's easy to understand why in places like
California. Even with a new governor, the budget process always
seems to favor the prison system. Drug task forces that prey on
people in small, poor towns are helping to keep the prisons full in
Texas as well. | ||||||||||||||||||
Finally, another drug bust gone bad fatality, this time outside a
shopping mall in South Carolina. Police say the public wasn't in
danger. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(9) DESPITE DROP IN CRIME, AN INCREASE IN INMATES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The number of inmates in state and federal prisons rose 2.1 percent last year, even as violent crime and property crime fell, according to a study by the Justice Department released yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||
The continuing increase in the prison population, despite a drop or
leveling off in the crime rate in the past few years, is a result of
laws passed in the 1990's that led to more prison sentences and
longer terms, said Allen J. Beck, chief of corrections statistics
for the department's Bureau of Justice Statistics and an author of
the report. | ||||||||||||||||||
At the end of 2003, there were 1,470,045 men and women in state and
federal prisons in the United States, the report found. In addition,
counting those inmates in city and county jails and incarcerated
juvenile offenders, the total number of Americans behind bars was
2,212,475 on Dec. 31 last year, the report said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Alfred Blumstein, a criminologist at Carnegie Mellon University, said one of the most striking findings in the report was that almost 10 percent of all American black men ages 25 to 29 were in prison. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(10) MORE WOMEN FILL PRISONS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - The number of women in state and federal prisons is at an all-time high and growing fast, the government reported Sunday. | ||||||||||||||||||
There were 101,179 women in prisons last year, 3.6 percent more than
in 2002, the Justice Department said. That marks the first time the
women's prison population has topped 100,000, and continues a trend
of rapid growth. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(11) GOVERNOR SEEKS RISE IN PRISON SPENDING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
SACRAMENTO - As he seeks to rein in California's budget, Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger is finding that there's some state spending even he
can't control. | ||||||||||||||||||
With the state's prison population surging to an all-time record,
the Schwarzenegger administration in late September alerted
lawmakers that it might need an additional $109 million to manage
the nation's largest correctional system, according to documents
obtained Tuesday by the Mercury News. | ||||||||||||||||||
Coincidentally, that is roughly equal to the $108 million in labor
concessions the governor negotiated earlier this year with prison
guards. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sen. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, a critic of the prison system,
blasted the budget woes as "indefensible." She said Schwarzenegger
could discard his entire plan to reform government and still save
taxpayers money if he focused just on cutting costs in the prison
system. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(12) THE USUAL SUSPECTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Were there really 72 crack dealers in rural Anderson | ||||||||||||||||||
It began, as many drug stings do, with a lucky break. | ||||||||||||||||||
In November 2002, a traffic cop pulled over a driver ferrying crack
cocaine on U.S. Highway 79 into the small East Texas town of
Palestine. Police believed they had caught a glimpse into a drug ring
that was smuggling crack from Houston and Dallas into rural Anderson
County, 40 miles southwest of Tyler. The Dogwood Trails Narcotics Task
Force, a regional alliance of local, state, and federal law
enforcement, promptly launched an investigation. | ||||||||||||||||||
When the arrests came two years later, residents of Palestine must
have been surprised to learn that their small town apparently had more
crack dealers than restaurants. On October 13, teams from the Anderson
County sheriff's office, Texas Department of Public Safety, U.S.
Marshall's Service, and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) started at 7
a.m. and swept through tiny Palestine (population 17,000) to round up
an astonishing 40 indicted drug dealers. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Curtis Bitz, head of the Dogwood Trails task force, told the Lufkin Daily News, "There's no question as to whether they did it or not." | ||||||||||||||||||
An Observer examination of the charges, however, raises questions
about the drug bust, especially about the sheer number of people
charged as dealers. Could there really be 72 crack dealers in little
Palestine? And is it only a coincidence that all 72 of them are
black? | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(13) POLICE SAY SUSPECTS CHOSE SITE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Mall Shoppers Weren't At Risk, Department Says | ||||||||||||||||||
North Charleston police say innocent people were never in harm's way
when a drug sting turned deadly Wednesday night in a parking lot
outside Northwoods Mall. | ||||||||||||||||||
A North Charleston officer shot 20-year-old Jammar Antwan West of Charleston once in the chest at about 6:30 p.m. after he fired one shot at police. West died at the scene. No officers were hurt. | ||||||||||||||||||
Undercover detectives set up the drug sting, but West and 18-year-old
Lavon Drayton, the targets of the sting, chose the mall parking lot,
said police spokesman Spencer Pryor. | ||||||||||||||||||
Officers had to let the two men choose the location in order for the
sting operation to work. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (14-18) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
We begin this week with a great retrospective by former High Times
editor Steve Wishnia on the cannabis-related initiatives put to U.S.
voters in the 2004 federal election. With victories in 17 out of 20
polls seeking to reduce the harms of cannabis prohibition on both
recreational and medical users, these are the silver lining in an
otherwise stormy election cycle. Our second story goes one step
further by investigating why the western states - 75% of which now
boast laws protecting medicinal cannabis users - are leading the
nation in progressive drug policy reform. | ||||||||||||||||||
Our third story pops into the annual Society for Neurosciences
Conference in San Diego, where nearly 200 papers were presented this
year on the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids in treating
serious conditions such as ALS, Parkinson's, stroke and MS. In our
fourth story this week, Congressman Mark Souder threatens Canada
with a potential trade slowdown should the U.S.' northern neighbour
and biggest economic partner chose to implement a newly revived bill
that would make the minor possession of cannabis a ticketable
offense. | ||||||||||||||||||
And lastly, in a desperate attempt to stem the supposedly growing
number of grow-ops in British Columbia, provincial Solicitor General
Rich Coleman has put forth a proposal which would force hydroponic
supply shops to set up a registry of whom they sell supplies and
equipment to. I'm sorry Mr. Coleman, did you just say that you want
me to show ID and sign a form before I can buy a bag of dirt? No
really, I'm happy to give up all of my rights to privacy and
security to join your fruitless and unending fight against a benign,
non-addictive, medicinal plant. This should be a nice intermediate
step until drug war zealots create a tracking device small enough to
fit on my Zig-Zags. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(14) DRUGS AND THE NATION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
In an election whose outcome was determined by militaristic,
theocratic culture warriors, medical marijuana in Montana was one of
the few bright spots. | ||||||||||||||||||
Even as 59 percent of the state's voters were going for George W. Bush and two-thirds opting to ban gay marriage, Montanans were approving Initiative 148, which would allow medical marijuana use by patients with a doctor's recommendation, by a 62-38 percent margin. | ||||||||||||||||||
Two further-reaching state drug initiatives lost. Alaskans rejected
a proposal to legalize marijuana under regulations similar to
alcohol, by a 57-43 percent margin, and Oregon defeated a measure to
expand the state's medical marijuana law by 58-42. The number of
people voting against the Oregon initiative -- which would have set
up state-licensed medical-herb dispensaries, so patients could
obtain a legal supply -- almost exactly matched the number who voted
to ban gay marriage. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(15) NEARLY THREE-FOURTHS OF WEST HAS MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAWS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
With Montana's approval of a medical marijuana initiative, nearly
three-fourths of Western states now have such laws -- while only two
of the 37 states outside the West have adopted them. | ||||||||||||||||||
Why is the West so much more receptive to the idea? | ||||||||||||||||||
From a procedural standpoint, it's just easier to get pot issues on
Western ballots because most states in the region allow such
initiatives. Nationwide, just 24 states allow citizens to put issues
on the ballot by petition, bypassing the Legislature. Eleven of those
states are in the West. | ||||||||||||||||||
But activists and political scientists also say Westerners are less
willing than other Americans to tell their neighbors what they can
and can't do. And historically, Western states tend to be in front
on social trends. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(16) RESEARCHERS BUZZING ABOUT MARIJUANA-DERIVED MEDICINES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
San Diego -- A decade ago, when Daniele Piomelli went to scientific conferences, he was often the only researcher studying cannabinoids, the class of chemicals that give marijuana users a high. | ||||||||||||||||||
His work often drew snickers and jokes -- but no more. At the annual
Society for Neuroscience conference last week, scientists delivered
almost 200 papers on the subject. | ||||||||||||||||||
Why the attention? Many scientists believe marijuana-like drugs may
be able to treat a wide range of diseases, far beyond the nausea and
chronic pain typically treated with medical marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
Researchers presented tantalizing evidence that cannabinoid drugs
can help treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as ALS or Lou
Gehrig's disease, Parkinson's disease and obesity. Other researchers
are studying whether the compounds can help victims of stroke and
multiple sclerosis. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(17) POT BILL COULD MEAN TRADE SLOWDOWN - CONGRESSMAN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
An influential U.S. Congressman is predicting a trade slowdown if
Canada decriminalizes marijuana possession. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I believe there'll be more searches at the border both coming and
going from Canada, which hurts our trade," said Republican Mark
Souder, in an interview to be broadcast Sunday on CTV's Question
Period. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Trade is the anchor of our relationship and our friendship and
anything that shows that down, complicates that." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(18) B.C. CONSIDERS REGULATING HYDROPONIC EQUIPMENT TO BATTLE (Top)MARIJUANA GROWERS | ||||||||||||||||||
Solicitor-General Rich Coleman says the B.C. government may regulate
stores selling hydroponic equipment as a way of cracking down on the
marijuana trade. | ||||||||||||||||||
Officials are studying a proposed law that would force hydroponic
equipment sellers to keep a registry of their buyers -- which could
then be forwarded to police, he told a B.C. Liberal convention in
Whistler. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It might focus people's minds a bit more," he argued, speculating
the registry would be similar to regulations facing Vancouver pawn
shops, which have electronic links to police tracking property
crimes. | ||||||||||||||||||
B.C. Liberals voted overwhelmingly to get tough with marijuana
growers by regulating hydroponics. Not everyone supports the
strategy. "Let's stop fighting a war that we can't win," said one
delegate, who argued B.C. Liberals are moving in the wrong direction
-- especially as the feds consider decriminalizing possession of
small amounts of pot. | ||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (19-22) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
In the Southeast Asian nation of Vietnam, two Canadian nationals were each sentenced to 16 years for allegedly selling MDMA. Police accused the two of distributing the drug in clubs in the south. The two had been held since their arrests in 2003. The verdict was handed down by a judge after a one-day summary trial last week. | ||||||||||||||||||
Every Eastern African nation stands united in their reverence for
prohibition, so this must be stemming the tide of drugs there,
right? Of course not; prohibiting drugs only hands lucrative markets
to criminals while the flow of drugs continues. This is good news
for career bureaucrats and police: they can attend seminars at
resorts, and cry for bigger budgets. At a seminar last week at
Whitesands Beach Hotel, Mombasa, Kenya, police and bureaucrats from
Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, as well as the host nation,
Kenya, predictably asked for more power and money. This was due to
the "upsurge in crime," which, "posed a security threat," claimed
police. These, no doubt "problems caused by drug abuse and
trafficking," would be cured by "closer co-operation among the
region's law enforcement agencies." While prohibition budgets have
increased, however, drug production and consumption also increase.
Expect the same collection of prohibition-fattened bureaucrats to be
at another resort seminar next year, calling again for more of the
same. | ||||||||||||||||||
While most government-salaried prohibitionists are content to maintain the lucrative drug-war charade, some do speak out. Last week, former Interpol chief Raymond Kendall declared that the war on drugs was lost, and drug prohibition has failed. "After a lifetime fighting drugs, Kendall admitted that the war on drugs is not having any effect any more," reported the Maltese newspaper, Independent on Sunday. "Harm reduction," said Kendall, was the only effective solution, whereas prohibition leads to increased crime. | ||||||||||||||||||
And from Quebec, Canada this week, plans to begin construction of
U.S-style prisons-for-profit upset organizations that work to
rehabilitate prisoners. The prison, one of the first for-profit
prisons in Canada, is slated for construction near Longueuil. "We
mustn't fall into the logic of the private sector," said Johanne
Vallee, executive director of the Association des services de
rehabilitation sociale du Quebec. Vallee noted most prisoners in the
province have "addiction and mental health" problems. Expect the
profitable new private prisons in Canada to fill up with petty drug
offenders, just as have in the U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(19) CANADIANS SENTENCED TO 16 YEARS FOR PEDDLING ECSTASY IN VIETNAM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
HANOI, Vietnam - Two Canadians were sentenced up to 16 years in
prison for drug-dealing in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnamese
news media reported Tuesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
Randy James Sachs, 27, was sentenced to 16 years in prison and
Nguyen Van Hai Sheena, 41, to 16 years at a one-day trial Monday,
the Liberated Saigon newspaper said. | ||||||||||||||||||
The two were arrested in May 2003 while distributing 1,000 ecstasy
tablets to dealers in Ho Chi Minh City night clubs, the newspaper
said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Vietnamese media said Sachs and Hai were part of a ring that
trafficked the pills from overseas to Ho Chi Minh City for
distribution to dealers. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(20) DRUG TRAFFICKING ON THE RISE, WARNS ALI (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Drug trafficking in Eastern Africa has increased in recent years,
police commissioner Hussein Ali said yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||
It was, therefore, urgent for countries in the region to forge a
collective strategy to fight the vice, he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
He was speaking when he opened a three-day seminar at the Whitesands
Beach Hotel, Mombasa. | ||||||||||||||||||
Trafficking and consumption of the drugs had added to an upsurge in
crime, especially in Kenya, and posed a security threat in the
region, the police boss said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snop] | ||||||||||||||||||
Mr Adadi Rajab (Tanzania), Ms Elizabeth Kuteesa (Uganda), Mr
Emmanuel Bayingana (Rwanda), Mr Tshehayou Kinfu (Ethiopia), Mr
Patrick Obimo (the sub-regional Bureau in Nairobi) and Mr Joseph
Kamau (Kenya) were among the CID and anti-drug unit heads attending
the meeting. | ||||||||||||||||||
Brig Ali called for closer co-operation among the region's law
enforcement agencies, enhanced cross-border investigations, joint
operations and frequent exchange of intelligence as drug trafficking
transcends national boundaries. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(21) THE WAR ON DRUGS IS 'LOST' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
One of the biggest problems faced by governments is drug addiction
and the crime it brings with it. | ||||||||||||||||||
The tactics used by the U.S. and many European governments to tackle
this problem are similar to those used in military battles and is
based on prohibition. Unfortunately, prohibition does not seem to be
improving the situation. | ||||||||||||||||||
Former Interpol chief Raymond Kendall has admitted that drug
prohibition has failed - in fact he claimed that it has made things
worse. In an article in French newspaper Le Monde, Kendall declared
the war on drugs lost and said that enforcement policies had failed
to protect the world from drugs. The only effective solution was
"harm reduction". In 2008, the UN drug conventions policy renewal
will take place and Kendall called for Europe to take the lead in a
reform policy that has never been seen before. | ||||||||||||||||||
The UN convention states that all countries are obliged to pursue
growers, dealers and users in an attempt to hold back an unstoppable
tide. Prohibition leads to an increase in crime and while most
countries believe that an increase in drug seizures is a sign of
success, it might mean that more drugs are available on the market
at a cheaper price. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
After a lifetime fighting drugs, Kendall admitted that the war on
drugs is not having any effect any more. He suggested "medicalising"
drugs instead of criminalising them. Doctors will prescribe
"pharmaceutical opiates" to the addicts which, he said, will reduce
overdose deaths by 80 per cent, as well as see a "sharp cut in the
delinquency rates of drug addicts". | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(22) PUBLIC-PRIVATE JAIL PROPOSAL SETS OFF ALARMS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Quebec looking at South Shore site. Prisoner rehabilitation groups
concerned programs might be outsourced, too | ||||||||||||||||||
Plans by the province to build a jail on the South Shore under a
public-private partnership formula - and possibly have it operated
by the private sector as well - have upset organizations working to
rehabilitate offenders. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We're urging the government to exercise great caution," said
Johanne Vallee, executive director of the Association des services
de rehabilitation sociale du Quebec, of the jail expected to go up
in the Longueuil area. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We mustn't fall into the logic of the private sector," where the main aim is to make profits, she said, giving the example of privately run jails and prisons in the U.S., France and Britain. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Vallee said that trend is troubling because the majority of
provincial inmates are struggling with addiction and mental-health
problems. They need more personal contact with jail staff - not
less, Vallee said. | ||||||||||||||||||
In September, Vallee's association, which represents 50 | ||||||||||||||||||
The rehabilitation association's committee, whose members include
criminologists and former Corrections Canada administrators, is to
table its report to the association's board of directors next week,
Vallee said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
REMEMBRANCE AND IGNORANCE: IN AFGHAN FIELDS THE POPPIES GROW... | ||||||||||||||||||
By Richard Cowan at Marijuananews.com | ||||||||||||||||||
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JEAN COOPER ARREST PROTEST - UP IN SMOKE CAFE | ||||||||||||||||||
This video features interviews conducted after the protest rally in
Hamilton, Ontario in response to the arrest of 70-year-old diabetic
and medical marijuana user Jean Cooper. Prince of Pot Marc Emery,
the featured speaker, explains recent examples of medical marijuana
user persecution and the Canadian drugged driving bill. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||
11/09/04: Ethan Nadelmann, Matt Elrod, Scarlett Swerdlow, Bruce Mirken | ||||||||||||||||||
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KEEP THE GOVERNMENT OUT OF YOUR MEDICINE CABINET | ||||||||||||||||||
The United States Attorney General could soon have the power to look
in your medicine cabinet and prosecute you (along with your doctor)
if he doesn't like what he sees. Act today to make sure this doesn't
happen! | ||||||||||||||||||
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=22713&ms=painhp | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
BETTER WAKING THROUGH CHEMISTRY | ||||||||||||||||||
An overextended, overmedicated insomniac turns to Provigil, the
skyrocketingly popular pill that's been a godsend for the narcoleptic,
the jet-lagged and the just plain dog-tired. | ||||||||||||||||||
By Larry Smith, salon.com | ||||||||||||||||||
http://salon.com/mwt/feature/2004/11/12/provigil/index_np.html | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
JUDGING PROHIBITION | ||||||||||||||||||
For the past thirty years Judges have looked on as America?s War on
Drugs has played itself out before their eyes. They have seen the
inevitable increase in police powers and erosion of civil rights
needed to facilitate the investigation of drug offenses. They're
finally speaking out. | ||||||||||||||||||
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VETERANS FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA | ||||||||||||||||||
This website's mission is to provide support for veterans regarding
medical marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
THE D.A.R.E. GENERATION RETURNS TO D.C. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mark your Calenders! | ||||||||||||||||||
The SSDP 6th Annual National Conference will be held November 18-21 at
University of Maryland @ College Park | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
DRUG LAWS A THREAT TO INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS | ||||||||||||||||||
By Chris Buors | ||||||||||||||||||
Re: Police and infrared camera intrusions into your home. "The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail. Its roof may shake, the wind may blow through it, the storm may enter, the rain may enter, but the King of England cannot enter; all his forces dare not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement," said 1800s' British Prime Minister William Pitt. | ||||||||||||||||||
I used to think a man's home was his castle, too. I learned the hard
way that the police can pretty well enter your home any time the
neighbour calls 911. Looks like the police can now enter any home they
want whenever they darn well please. | ||||||||||||||||||
I just thought I would remind Canadians about the way it was before
every single right our ancestors spilled their blood for was
diminished to the point of uselessness by our government's war on
drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
Milton Friedman warned 30 years ago that drug prohibition would result
in a police state. | ||||||||||||||||||
Prohibition has now had 96 years as a social policy failure. | ||||||||||||||||||
In the interests of equality, I say we give drug liberty a 96-year
try and see if that works. | ||||||||||||||||||
Chris Buors | ||||||||||||||||||
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FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Playing Cops And Dealers At School | ||||||||||||||||||
By Stephen Young | ||||||||||||||||||
Out of all the heinous things that happen in the name of the drug war, one kind of story never fails to wash a wave of nausea over me. | ||||||||||||||||||
The stories involve a young-looking, undercover police officer who
infiltrates a high school to save it from drugs. Usually, it leads to
a headline, like one in the Knoxville News-Sentinel last week:
"Drug-dealing students busted by undercover cop." | ||||||||||||||||||
See http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1590/a04.html for the whole
story. | ||||||||||||||||||
The headline may sound noble, but the details aren't. | ||||||||||||||||||
From the story: | ||||||||||||||||||
"Students sold the drugs, many of which may have been taken from home medicine cabinets, for a pittance, Police Chief Rick Scarbrough said. | ||||||||||||||||||
"'They (students) are not as street-savvy and business-savvy as our usual street dealers are. They almost give the drugs away.'" | ||||||||||||||||||
Really? Why would that happen? Is that what a ruthless pusher would do? | ||||||||||||||||||
Sounds to me like some kids are looking for friendship, social
acceptance and approval. Because police can pretend to be students
looking for drugs convincingly enough, some students pretend to be
drug dealers as well as they can. It would be a silly game, if the
consequences for students weren't so real. | ||||||||||||||||||
The reason these stories bother me so much is that I remember high
school. I didn't use illegal drugs, and probably wouldn't have
recognized many had I seen them up close. | ||||||||||||||||||
But it was fairly common knowledge who did use drugs. When some self-confident, interesting new student with a hint of danger tried to befriend me in class, would I have eventually pointed him in the direction where I thought the drugs were? Would I have tried to get some myself and pass it along if he or she had encouraged me? | ||||||||||||||||||
We didn't worry about such questions back when I was in high school
in the middle Reagan years. It didn't seem like a bastion of
constitutional protection then, but we didn't even have | ||||||||||||||||||
In fact, such undercover programs have been in use for so long in
the Los Angeles area, most of the students who have been "caught" (or
is it more appropriate to say "entrapped"?) recently are in special
education classes - see | ||||||||||||||||||
There's no question that the war on drugs is a war on young people at their most vulnerable, but it occasionally offers a real lesson. When a new baby-face narc comes to school, students quickly learn they can't put too much faith in anyone, particularly the police. | ||||||||||||||||||
Stephen Young is an editor with DrugSense Weekly and operator of
http://www.decrimwatch.com/ | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"We fight for simple things, for the little things that are
all-important. We fight for the right to lock our house doors and be
sure that no bully with official sanction will break the lock."
-Brehon Somervell | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
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offers our members. Watch this feature to learn more about what
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Policy and Law Enforcement/Prison content selection and analysis by
Stephen Young (), Cannabis/Hemp content selection
and analysis by Philippe Lucas (), International
content selection and analysis by Doug Snead (),
Layout by Matt Elrod () | ||||||||||||||||||
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