| April 22, 2005 #396 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(1) SCHOOLS URGED TO USE DOGS TO DETECT DRUGS AFTER SUCCESS OF PILOT SCHEME (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Schools in England and Wales were urged to use sniffer dogs to combat
a growing drugs problem. The call came yesterday after a successful
pilot in six secondary schools in Buckinghamshire where the dogs were
used to detect teenagers dealing and taking drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
An evaluation of the scheme by a specialist research team yesterday
said it had been a success and called on all local education
authorities to introduce it. Professor Allyson MacVean, of the John
Grieve Centre for Policing and Community Studies, said the dogs should
be part of every school's anti-drugs strategy. But searches may be
more effective if done at random during lessons. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Tim Andrew, head of Chesham High School and president of the Secondary
Heads Association, said: "It is important you get the support of all
concerned before you start. We had to consider 'what if' before we
started. For instance, what if the labrador went straight up to a
teacher and stood beside him? Fortunately, that did not happen. Nor
did the dogs find pupils with drugs." Mr Andrew said the scheme had
made pupils realise bringing drugs to school "was not sensible",
adding: "If you like, it created a no-go zone for drugs in the
schools."
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[snip]
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(2) CITY COUNCIL TEMPORARILY BANS CANNABIS CLUBS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Lompoc City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday to pass a temporary urgency
ordinance that bans facilities that sell medicinal marijuana from city
limits. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The ordinance lasts up to 45 days and can be extended up to two years.
The City Council will vote to end or extend the moratorium at their
May 17 meeting. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The moratorium is needed because Lompoc does not currently have zoning
restrictions on where a "cannabis club" - or facility that dispenses
medicinal marijuana - could be established, city officials said.
Without such zoning, a marijuana dispensary could be opened in any
location zoned for retail, drug store, commercial enterprises or
medical uses. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The urgency ordinance also allows time for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on California's medical marijuana laws in Ashcroft v. Raich. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(3) PRISON DRUG TESTS 'FAILING TO HAVE IMPACT' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Scottish prison chiefs are to scrap the compulsory drug testing of
inmates after admitting it had failed to tackle rising heroin abuse
behind bars. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Prison officers say mandatory random drug tests (MRDTs), which were introduced ten years ago at the height of the so-called "war on drugs", have actually encouraged the use of heroin in jails. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But opposition politicians say the decision shows the Scottish Executive has "thrown in the towel" on eradicating drugs in prisons. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Under current rules at least 10 per cent of prisoners are tested every
month. If an inmate tests positive, privileges, including access to
their money, recreational activities and movement between jails, can
be stopped. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Under the proposed new system, there will be no such punishments.
Instead, officers will concentrate their efforts on encouraging
prisoners to seek treatment for their drug problems. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(4) PUT THAT IN YOUR PIPE... (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Health Chief Trumps Top Cop As City Committee Backs Free Crack Kits | ||||||||||||||||||||
THE CITY'S free crack pipe program is here to stay -- at least for
now. Dr. Robert Cushman came out on top yesterday after a marathon
debate with Police Chief Vince Bevan and other critics over the city
handing out crack pipes to drug addicts. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"I think when we look back five years from now, this program, like
other things, they're tough to introduce, but over time their merit
becomes apparent," said Cushman. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"This will reduce the spread of hep C and HIV."
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After spending seven hours listening to Cushman, Bevan and a long list
of critics, residents, addicts and health workers, the city's health,
recreation and social services committee voted 6-3 to maintain the
program that gives safer crack pipe kits to addicts. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy
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COMMENT: (5-9) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Another case of U.S. military involvement with illegal drug smuggling
has been exposed; a religious group is pushing its First Amendment
right to engage in ritual ceremonies involving hallucinogens to the
Supreme Court; some California legislators seem to be trying to undo
a voter-mandated drug treatment program; a respected pain doctor gets
25 years for doing his job; and retailing giant Target joins the meth
war. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) AIR FORCE JET WAS USED FOR DRUG RUN, AUTHORITIES SAY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
NEW YORK - A U.S. military pilot and a sergeant were being held on
federal narcotics charges after admitting they flew an Air Force jet
from New York to Germany and returned with 290,000 pills of Ecstasy
worth millions of dollars, authorities said Wednesday. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Capt. Franklin Rodriguez, 35, and Master Sgt. John Fong, 36, were
arrested Tuesday when their cargo plane returned to Stewart Air
National Guard Base in Newburgh, about 40 miles north of New York
City. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The men were ordered held without bail at court appearances late Wednesday. Jennifer Brown, a lawyer for Fong, declined to comment. A lawyer for Rodriguez could not immediately be reached for comment. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rodriguez and Fong, members of the Air National Guard, allegedly
went to a hotel room in Germany and loaded packages of Ecstasy into
their personal luggage, the complaint alleged. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(6) RELIGIOUS GROUP ASKS EXEMPTION FOR HALLUCINOGEN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Justices To Rule On Use Of Banned Tea Under Religious-Freedom Laws | ||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Supreme Court agreed yesterday to consider
whether a church in New Mexico can continue using hallucinogenic tea
in its religious services. | ||||||||||||||||||||
At issue is whether use of the tea, which contains a drug banned under the U.S. federal Controlled Substances Act, is protected under freedom-of-religion laws. The U.S. administration contends the tea is illegal and use of it potentially dangerous for church members. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Justices will review a lower court ruling that allowed the
Brazil-based church -- O Centro Espirita Beneficiente Uniao do
Vegetal -- to import and use the hoasca tea while the case was
appealed. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The church, which has about 140 members in the U.S. and 8,000
worldwide, says the herbal brew is a central sacrament in its
religious practice, which is a blend of Christian beliefs and
traditions rooted in the Amazon basin. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, ruling that the
church had shown a "substantial likelihood of success" in winning
religious exemption, rejected the government's request to
temporarily ban use of the drug at the church. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(7) DRUG USER BILLS DUEL IN SENATE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
April 19, 2005 By Josh Richman, STAFF WRITER Inside Bay Area | ||||||||||||||||||||
A state Senate committee today is hearing two bills that claim to
strengthen California's treatment-instead-of-jail law for drug
users. But only one of these bills is backed by the original law's
authors while the other is supported by law enforcement, amounting
to a battle for the future of Proposition 36. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"California voters made it clear that they want addiction to be
treated as a health issue instead of a criminal justice one, and
Sen. Ducheny is trying to overrule the public will," Glenn Backes,
the Drug Policy Alliance Network's health policy director, said in a
release. Proposition 36, approved by 61 percent of voters in 2000,
essentially required drug treatment instead of jail for first- and
second-time nonviolent drug offenders. | ||||||||||||||||||||
S.B. 830, authored by state Sen. Denise Moreno Ducheny, D-San Diego,
among other things would allow jail time for such offenders by
redefining "treatment programs" to include those offered inside
jails, and by specifically authorizing judges to assign defendants
to these in-custody programs. This way, money earmarked for
treatment could be spent behind bars. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ducheny's bill also would appropriate $150 million per year for drug
testing to ensure offenders in treatment are staying clean; the
original law didn't allow any of the money it appropriated to be
used for testing. Ducheny's bill is supported by law enforcement
groups including the California Peace Officers Association,
California Police Chiefs Association and California District
Attorneys Association. When introducing the bill in February,
Ducheny said it will "add the sanctions and structure to Prop. 36
required to make it work and give drug users the necessary support
to avoid re-offending and become productive citizens."
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But Backes noted existing law "does not give drug offenders a free
pass - it allows judges to sanction clients for missed appointments
or early signs of relapse to drug use, but it does not allow them to
be jailed." That's what voters wanted, he said, and that's how it
should stay. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(8) 25-YEAR SENTENCE FOR PAIN DOCTOR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
1 Death, 2 Injuries Linked To Overdoses
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A federal judge in Alexandria sentenced William E. Hurwitz yesterday
to 25 years in prison, accusing the prominent pain doctor of lying
to the jury during his narcotics trafficking trial and ignoring
repeated warnings that he was prescribing dangerous quantities of
drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In a courtroom crammed with supporters, U.S. District Judge Leonard
D. Wexler told Hurwitz that he knew some of his patients were
selling or abusing OxyContin and other drugs but that his
prescription writing never slowed. He said Hurwitz lied when he
denied seeing track marks on the arm of a patient who was a
notorious drug abuser. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Dr. Hurwitz, I don't feel sorry for you," Wexler told the former
McLean pain doctor as Hurwitz stared back and bowed his head
slightly. "By your behavior, you put people in jail. By your
behavior, you ruined people's lives. By your behavior, you seriously
injured people. By your behavior, you killed people."
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The sentencing of Hurwitz, 59, reflected the charged emotions in a
case that became a symbol of the national debate over whether
doctors should be able to prescribe medication in massive doses to
patients in chronic pain who might be abusing or selling it. Hurwitz
was convicted in December of running a drug conspiracy out of his
office and trafficking in narcotics, causing the death of one
patient and seriously injuring two others. He faced a minimum
sentence of 20 years in prison, and prosecutors wanted to send him
to prison for life. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(9) TARGET TO CLAMP DOWN ON COLD MEDICINES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Discount retailer Target Corp. will no longer
allow unfettered access to cold medicines that are used to make the
illegal stimulant methamphetamine. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Target stores nationwide will pull many cold, allergy and cough remedies from their regular shelves and sell them only from pharmacy counters, the Minneapolis-based company announced Monday. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The restrictions apply to all over-the-counter drugs containing pseudoephedrine, including children's medicines, tablets, liquids and gel-caps, spokeswoman Carolyn Brookter said. Pseudoephedrine is a key ingredient for meth, which can be made in makeshift labs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The products won't be sold at all by about 300 Target stores that don't have pharmacies. Target operates 1,330 stores in 47 states and is the nation's second largest discount retailer after Wal-Mart. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Brookter said the shift, which will take effect in two to three
months, was in response to a growing number of state and local
restrictions on the sale of the medications. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We know that this is going to be a change in behavior for our
guests," Brookter said. "The products won't be on the shelves. It'll
be a little different."
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[snip]
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Law Enforcement & Prisons
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COMMENT: (10-13) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
For years drug laws have put people in prisons allegedly to break up
drug-dealing organizations. Now in Tennessee, some are suggesting
that those drug dealing organizations have infiltrated prison
security. In Missouri, reform legislation to relieve prison
overcrowding hasn't had much impact, but legislators still want to
rollback the reforms. Also this week, the U.S. Supreme Court
decides how many residents have to consent before police can search
a residence; and anti-drug officials in West Virginia aren't happy
about proposed federal cuts to their budgets. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) GUARDS ASSISTING DRUG RINGS AT PRISONS? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
State Correction Chief Says There's 'Conspiracy'
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NASHVILLE - A "conspiracy" among prison guards to smuggle drugs and
cell phones to inmates is leading to sophisticated jailhouse drug
rings, the Department of Correction commissioner said Tuesday during
a legislative hearing. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Prison guards earning little more than $20,000 a year are being
coerced to traffic drugs and, worse yet, authorities suspect that
outside gang members have been able to infiltrate the system as
guards, officials said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
One lawmaker said the drug rings stretch far beyond prison walls. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The testimony prompted a legislative committee to delay the
Correction Department's budget, saying it wants to look more into
the issue. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Agency Commissioner Quenton White said drug smuggling into prisons
is increasing, something that would be nearly impossible without the
help of prison employees. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(11) HOUSE MOVES TO RESCIND EARLY-RELEASE LEGISLATION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
JEFFERSON CITY - Just two years after lawmakers moved to ease
sentencing for some nonviolent offenders, the Missouri House
yesterday went in the other direction. | ||||||||||||||||||||
State representatives gave first-round approval to anti-crime
measures that eliminate a provision allowing some nonviolent felons
to seek early release. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Under existing law, offenders in prison for the first time who have
been convicted of nonviolent Class C or Class D felonies can seek
probation or parole after serving 120 days. That measure was adopted
in 2003 as a remedy for Missouri's burgeoning prison population,
which has grown by 11 percent in the last five years. | ||||||||||||||||||||
After the law was passed, though, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that it applied retroactively, prompting Attorney General Jay Nixon to predict that thousands of inmates would be released. | ||||||||||||||||||||
So far, that prediction hasn't panned out. According to the state
Department of Corrections, 913 inmates have petitioned for early
release but only 37 have been successful. Lawmakers still appear
eager to overturn the provision. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(12) COURT TO WEIGH CONFLICTING PERMISSIONS FOR SEARCHES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Justices To Hear GA. Case Where Couple Differed On Letting Officers
In Home
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WASHINGTON - Scott Randolph didn't want police to search his home
after officers showed up to answer his wife's domestic disturbance
call. She had no such reservations.
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Janet Randolph not only let them in -- she led officers to evidence
later used to charge Randolph with drug possession. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Supreme Court said Monday it will use the case to clarify when police can search homes. The high court previously has said searches based on a cohabitant's consent is OK, but it's not clear whether that applies when another resident is present and objects. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Under Chief Justice William Rehnquist, the court has generally
expanded government powers for police searches. | ||||||||||||||||||||
A trial court upheld the searches in the Randolph case, but a
Georgia appeals court reversed it in a ruling the state Supreme
Court affirmed in November. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In siding with Scott Randolph, the courts ruled police must defer to
an objecting occupant's position when two people have equal use and
control of the home. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(13) BUSH BUDGET WOULD PUT PRESSURE ON LOCAL POLICE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration's war on drugs is retreating
in its battle against methamphetamine, an epidemic confronting law
enforcement agencies from California to New York. | ||||||||||||||||||||
President Bush has proposed gutting funding for some programs and
slashing spending for others, including programs that anti-meth
forces deem vital to their efforts. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"If it passes the way it is, it would put us completely out of
business," said Billy Cook, director of the 14th Judicial District
Drug Task Force in Tennessee. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The state seized 1,259 illegal methamphetamine labs last year, the
third highest number of seizures in the country behind Iowa with
1,300 and Missouri with 2,707. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Lt. Steve Dalton, supervisor of an anti-meth task force in southwest
Missouri, called the administration's proposed cuts "absolutely
asinine." The task force busted 101 meth labs in a seven-county area
last year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n628/a04.html | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp-
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COMMENT: (14-18) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The big news this week comes out of Canada, where Sativex - the
world's first whole-plant cannabis pharmaceutical - has just
received its final notice of compliance. What this means is that as
of late Spring Canadians suffering from MS neuropathic pain will
have another option in cannabis-based therapy to treat the symptoms
of their condition. Although not as heavily reported, GW also made
news in the U.S. this week with the hiring of former Deputy Drug
Czar Andrea Barthwell who will assist the company in getting U.S.
approval for Sativex. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Our second story this week is an opinion piece by Chicago Sun-Times Columnist Neil Steinberg criticizing a new ONDCP campaign that suggests that cannabis is more dangerous than tobacco. Steinberg exposes the hypocrisy and danger of promoting cigarette use over cannabis to America's youth. Our fourth article is a great op-ed by TV personality and MS sufferer Montel Williams, whose public struggles with both his condition and the prohibitionist policies that make his therapeutic use of cannabis illegal have turned him into veritable medical marijuana spokesperson and hero. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Our fourth story takes us to the U.K., where a Dutch-style cafe has
recently come under fire in Liverpool. The Tea cafe, which is owned
by 35-year old Gary Youds, was raided by police last month and has
now been served with a 28-day closure notice by the city council.
Youds insists that his cafe doesn't supply cannabis, and asks for
tolerance from local authorities for those who chose to use it at
his shop. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Lastly this week, a look at the media frenzy percolating out of the
Shapelle Corby case. Dr. Karen Brooks, a cultural studies lecturer
at the University of the Sunshine Coast, suggests that "Ms Corby
would most definitely become a major celebrity if she beats the
charges. But if she is shot, it will harm Australia-Indonesian
relations for many years." Yikes; seems like a pretty rough road to
fame if you ask me. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(14) GW CLEARS CANNABIS HURDLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
DRUG regulators in Canada ushered in a new era in pain management
yesterday when they approved a cannabis-based medicine for use in
patients suffering from multiple sclerosis. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The move, the first time that cannabis has been approved for use in
a prescription drug, marks a significant breakthrough for GW
Pharmaceuticals, the British company that has spent millions of
pounds developing Sativex, an under-the-tongue spray made from
cannabis plants, over the past six years. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(15) GUNS DON'T KILL, POT DOES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The strangest things excite the frenzy of Bush Republicans. I don't know why they were so hot to drill in the Arctic National Wilderness. But they were, to a degree that can't be based solely on energy policy. Maybe they thought it was a Moral Victory. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Or pot. Kids shouldn't take drugs, because they're a waste of time
and can be dangerous. But pot is not exactly packing them into the
emergency rooms, certainly not in proportion to the rabid White
House assaults upon it. Talk about reefer madness.
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[snip]
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(16) DEFENDING THE USE OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
You may know me as a television talk-show host, but here in 40 states, I am also a criminal. My crime? Using the medicine that has allowed me to lead a normal life, despite having multiple sclerosis: medical marijuana. Being diagnosed with MS, in 1999, felt like a death sentence. I doubted my ability to function as a father, son, brother, friend, talk-show host and producer. I honestly couldn't see a future. I had always taken excellent care of my body; I'd worked out, followed a healthful diet and looked the picture of health. What no one could see was the mind-numbing pain that seared through my legs, as if I were being stabbed with hot pokers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(17) FIGHT FOR CANNABIS CAFEMerseyside's first cannabis cafe is open (Top)for business. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Amsterdam-style Tea Cafe in Liverpool is tucked away behind a
bona fide cafe and, despite being raided by police last month, is
still trading. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Owner Gary Youds was arrested but has now reopened the business in
Holt Road, Kensington, and is pledging to fight any moves to close
him down. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mr Youds asked the council for permission to set up the cafe but was refused. He appealed and was refused again but opened up anyway. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The 35-year-old appeared in court and, after pleading guilty to
allowing his premises to be used for the taking of a controlled
drug, was given a conditional discharge. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(18) APPEAL ON CORBYS SIDE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Celebrity Or Martyr?
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Ms Schapelle Corby will become one or the other after her Bali drugs
trial ordeal. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Gold Coast beauty student, 27, has joined Lindy Chamberlain and
Pauline Hanson on the podium of famous Australian women who've been
behind bars. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ms Corby was allegedly caught with 4.1kg of marijuana in her unlocked bodyboard bag at Denpasar airport in Bali last October. | ||||||||||||||||||||
She insists shes innocent and that the drugs were planted, probably by a baggage handler involved in an Australian drug ring. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But if convicted she could face death by firing squad. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Her case has generated massive media attention and national debate. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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International News
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COMMENT: (19-22) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
In the Philippines, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is running
into a brick wall in their attempts to investigate vigilante
killings of drug suspects. Police, normally quite efficient at
investigating other crimes, turn a blind eye toward death squads
when they dispatch former drug arrestees. "Why can they solve other
cases in a short time?" asked CHR regional director Alejandro
Alonzo, noting lack of police action on the killings. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In Australia, civil liberties groups demanded that the Australian
government clarify its position on the death penalty, which is
officially banned in Australia. This followed instances where
Australian authorities decided to have Australian citizens arrested
by Indonesian police in Indonesia, just before they would have
boarded planes to Australia. If found guilty in Bali, then the
Australians will be subject to the death penalty. To some, it
appears Australian police are arranging to have arrests happen in
Indonesia, in order to circumvent the death penalty ban in
Australia. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In Afghanistan, a much vaunted opium eradication drive ran into opposition last week when a demonstration turned ugly near Kandahar city. Some 2,000 peasants launched demonstrations and roadblocks in an attempt to halt a 600-strong U.S.-trained "counter narcotics" brigade which arrived at the province to destroy opium and cannabis plants. Six demonstrators were reported shot by security forces. Government prohibition strategists in Afghanistan decided to try a different tact: making local mullahs and elders publicly profess support for the government's poppy and cannabis eradication plans. | ||||||||||||||||||||
And in the city of Bangkok, Thailand, the government has decreed
that police shall round up exactly 900 "drug addicts," for
"treatment." Previous government treatment for drug use in Thailand
has consisted of little more than a lengthy stay in a squalid
concentration camp, but officials hope to "coax" if not "round up"
900 more Bangkok drug users to make them "turn over a new leaf,"
according to the Thai Nation newspaper. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(19) CHR CLUELESS IN PROBE ON "VIGILANTE" KILLINGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Commission on Human Rights yesterday admitted that it is facing
a blank wall in its efforts to unmask the so-called vigilantes
operating in the city. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Alejandro Alonzo, CHR regional director, said the evidence they
obtained in their three-month investigation failed to identify any
responsible for the series of summary executions in the city since
there were no available witnesses. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But he stressed this failure should not be compared with the police's inability to solve the vigilante-style killings because the law enforcement agency has all the resources in its investigations. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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"Why can they solve other cases in a short time?
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But acting city director Melvin Gayotin said they actually lack the
manpower and equipment in their effort to solve the spate of summary
executions in the city, aside from having a hard time finding
witnesses and complainants. | ||||||||||||||||||||
At least 46 notorious personalities, 11 of whom were believed to be
involved in illegal drugs, were killed since last December by a
suspected vigilante group operating in the city. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(20) GOVT ACCUSED OF EXPORTING DEATH PENALTY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A civil libertarian wants the Federal Government to clarify its
position on the death penalty after nine Australians were arrested
in Bali for heroin smuggling. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Australian Council for Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman says
it appears they were about to board a plane to Australia when they
were arrested. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mr O'Gorman says he cannot understand why the Australian Federal
Police (AFP) passed information to Indonesian authorities rather
than waiting to make the arrest themselves. | ||||||||||||||||||||
He says then they could have faced the Australian
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"What has to be answered by the Federal Justice Minister Chris Ellison is why were these people, the subject of an arrest in Indonesia where it's already been said quite categorically that if found guilty, no question they will be executed," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
He says if the Federal Government was opposed to the death penalty it should have waited until the group was on Australian soil. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"They have been arrested in Indonesia where they will be executed,"
he said
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"If we're in effect exporting the death penalty of Australians to
other countries and if there has in effect, been a change in
Government policy, then let's hear about it."
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[snip]
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(21) WAR ON OPIUM FALTERS IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN TALIBAN STRONGHOLD (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
KANDAHAR -- The abrupt end last week to a poppy
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The 600-strong US-trained force came to Kandahar, one of the five
Afghan provinces where the production of opium increased this year,
at the beginning of April to lay the groundwork for wiping out opium
poppy crops. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But confrontation flared Tuesday on the first day the force began
its work in Maiwand district, 45 kilometers (28 miles) outside
Kandahar city, as 2,000 peasants blocked the road to demonstrate
against the destruction of their crops. | ||||||||||||||||||||
At least six civilians and a police officer were wounded by bullets in the demonstration, according to local security sources. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The roadblock was the first time since Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai launched his war on drugs last autumn that the central government had suspended the poppy eradication programme. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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To avoid more violent clashes, Kandahar governor Ghul Agha Shirzai
Thursday invited Pashtun elders, mullahs, and warlords to meet
General Zahir Aghbar, head of the anti-drug brigade in the
governor's mansion to hash out the issues over cups of green tea.
The previous night, some of the suspected Taliban militants
announced their presence by firing several rockets at the building,
hitting the walls of the compound. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Representatives of the villages and chiefs of tribes officially gave
their support for the eradication campaign, but their political
agendas run counter to the demands of peasants who are farming local
lands. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(22) ROUNDING ADDICTS UP FOR TREATMENT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bangkok police hope to coax 900 drug addicts to get treatment every month as part of measures to help the government win the latest round in its war on drugs, the city police chief said yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Pol Lt-General Parnsiri Praphawat said it was essential to the
government's efforts to crack down on drugs that drug addicts get
treatment and turn over a new leaf. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Speaking after a meeting with senior city police officers and
representatives of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board and the
Narcotics Suppression Division, he each of Bangkok's nine police
divisions were assigned to convince 100 drug addicts to seek
treatment every month. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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The government announced that the new round in its war on drugs
would be implemented between April and June. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
MARIJUANA MEDICINE APPROVED
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A Drug Sense Focus Alert. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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SENATOR FACES POLICE RETALIATION OVER BILLS
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By Scott Henson at Grits For Breakfast
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http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2005/04/senator-faces-police-retaliation-over.html | ||||||||||||||||||||
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U.S. PROSECUTORS CUT DEAL TO BURY THE HOUSE OF DEATH
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By Bill Conroy at the Narcosphere
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NEW ADDITION TO MAP PUBLISHED LETTERS SILVER AWARD: BRUCE MIRKEN
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Bruce Mirken joins other MAP letter writers who have had 100 or more
letters published. Congratulations Bruce!
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PARTNERSHIP ATTITUDE TRACKING STUDY
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WASHINGTON, D.C., April 21st - In its 17th annual national study of teen drug abuse, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America today reports that an alarming number of teenagers are abusing a variety of prescription (Rx) and over-the-counter (OTC) medications to get high. | ||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.csdp.org/research/Full_Report_PATS_TEENS_7th-12th_grades_2004.pdf | ||||||||||||||||||||
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EMAILS MORE DAMAGING THAN CANNABIS
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Researchers at the University of London Institute of Psychiatry have
found that the constant distractions of email and texting are more
harmful to performance than cannabis. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW
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by Nigel Olson (20 Apr, 2005)
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TOKE THE VOTE 2005
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To commence the BC Marijuana Party Campaign, over 5,000 people
fearlessly came down to "Toke The Vote", a fine afternoon of civil
disobedience, music, raffles, mass toking, and speeches by BCMP
candidates. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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AN AUDIO WEB CHAT WITH DR. ANDREW WEIL
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Best-selling author Andrew Weil, M.D., and Ethan Nadelmann will be
online April 28th for an audio web chat on the revised and updated
editions of From Chocolate to Morphine: Everything You Need to Know
About Mind-Altering Drugs and The Natural Mind. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Dr. Weil will be online to address your questions on a range of
topics. Please email before April 28 to
submit questions. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
LEAP SAYS IT'S TIME TO LEGALIZE, REGULATE ILLEGAL DRUGS
| ||||||||||||||||||||
By Stephen Heath
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Robert Gregg ( Your View, April 1) is right on target. His views
about the urgent need to end the so-called "Drug War" echo the views
expressed by a growing group of other judges and police who believe
the best way to deal with dangerous drugs is to legalize them and
eliminate the criminal dealers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
They have organized as Law Enforcement Against Prohibition - LEAP
(www.leap.cc )
| ||||||||||||||||||||
LEAP knows that criminal dealers are the ones who actively market
dangerous drugs to minors and who conduct violence in the streets.
Most important criminal dealers require millions of valuable police
man-hours be wasted in a futile attempt to "control" illegal drug
flow. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The only way to control in-demand drugs is to have them in a
regulated market. This is how we deal with the risky and most
commonly abused drug in America - alcohol. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Legalizing drugs will not solve all the problems related to drug use
and abuse. But we did not end alcohol Prohibition in 1934 because
alcohol use was without risk. We did it because of the urgent need
to put Al Capone and other criminal dealers out of business and move
the product into a market that could be easily monitored by
authorities. We were then more able to help those who have problems
with alcohol while respecting the privacy of those who use the drug
responsibly. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It's time for an equally sensible change in policy for the 21st
century. It's time to legalize drugs.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
STEPHEN HEATH Clearwater, Fla. The writer is with the Florida office of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. http://leap.cc/tbay | ||||||||||||||||||||
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LETTER WRITER OF THE MONTH - MARCH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
DrugSense recognizes Tyson Campbell of Calgary, Alberta, Canada for
his eight letters published during March. Mr. Campbell, a very
recent letter writer, proves that if you write frequently you will
be published. The eight letters bring the total published letters
that we know of to twelve. You may read his published letters at
http://www.mapinc.org/writer/Tyson+Campbell
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FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
CANADA'S LIQUID MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROVES U.S. GOVERNMENT WRONG
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By Rob Kampia
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On April 19, the Canadian government delivered what should be the final blow to the U.S. government's irrational prohibition against the medical use of marijuana. It approved prescription sale of a natural marijuana extract -- for all practical purposes, liquid marijuana -- to treat pain and other symptoms caused by multiple sclerosis. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sativex, produced by GW Pharmaceuticals in Britain, brings the medical
marijuana debate full circle. Though the technology has advanced in 70
years, this product is a direct descendent of the marijuana extracts
and tinctures that were a standard part of the medical armamentarium
until the late 1930s -- universally recognized as being safe and
effective for certain conditions. These products were taken away from
patients and doctors as a result of the prohibition on marijuana that
began in 1937, despite the public opposition of the American Medical
Association. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In short, the Canadian government has just certified that virtually
everything our own government has been telling us about marijuana is
wrong. In defiance of a large and growing pile of scientific
studies, our government still claims that marijuana has no medical
value. White House Drug Czar John Walters even compared medical
marijuana to "medicinal crack."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Such statements were always scientifically ridiculous, as has been
noted by a wide range of authorities, including the American Public
Health Association, the American Nurses Association, and the state
medical societies of New York, California and Rhode Island, to name
just a few. Now, GW Pharmaceuticals' research has definitively put
such nonsense to rest. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Make no mistake: Sativex is liquid marijuana. It is nothing like Marinol, the synthetic THC pill sold in the U.S. and sometimes falsely touted as an adequate substitute for marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sativex is a whole-plant extract, containing the rich variety of
naturally occurring compounds called cannabinoids that are unique to
marijuana. It also contains trace elements of other compounds
contained in the plant, which scientists believe contribute to its
therapeutic value. | ||||||||||||||||||||
On its Web site, GW Pharmaceuticals explains, "We believe very
strongly that many of the advantages of using the whole plant come
from the inclusion of other components of cannabis [marijuana]," not
just THC. "In the cannabis plant, it appears that some of the
components added together give better effect. Some components seem
to work to counteract some of the side effects of others, and the
whole plant is generally well tolerated by humans."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Sativex is to marijuana as a cup of coffee is to coffee beans. If Sativex is safe and effective, marijuana is safe and effective. | ||||||||||||||||||||
And Sativex is safe and effective. Studies have shown significant effect against pain and other symptoms caused by multiple sclerosis and other debilitating conditions. Over 600 patient-years of research have established a remarkable record of safety. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sativex should certainly be approved in the U.S., but the process
may take years -- if it is allowed to happen at all. Sadly, our
government's reflexive hostility to the medical use of marijuana
shows no sign of abating. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But an even larger issue looms: Now that we know beyond doubt that
marijuana is a safe, effective medicine, how long will our
government continue to arrest patients who use it?
| ||||||||||||||||||||
And even if Sativex is approved here someday, it won't be the answer
for every patient now benefiting from medical marijuana. For one
thing, it has been clearly shown that different strains of marijuana
-- with different blends of cannabinoids -- work better for some
conditions and less well for others. Sativex just comes in one
formula, and it won't be right for everyone. | ||||||||||||||||||||
And Sativex will be expensive. Will we force patients to buy a
pricey pharmaceutical version of a plant they could grow themselves
for pennies? At a time when our health care system is drowning in
rising costs, that's insane. We could end up with a policy every bit
as silly as telling coffee drinkers that they can buy a cappuccino,
but they'll be arrested on sight if caught in possession of coffee
beans. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The lesson of Sativex is simple: Our government was wrong. Marijuana is medicine, and patients and doctors should be able to use it in whatever form works best for their particular situation. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rob Kampia is executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in
Washington, D.C., www.mpp.org. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
"If the words `life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' don't
include the right to experiment with your own consciousness, then
the Declaration of Independence isn't worth the hemp it was written
on." - Terence McKenna
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content selection and analysis by Doug Snead (),
Layout by Matt Elrod ()
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