| Oct. 21, 2005 #422 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Table of Contents
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(1) STUMBLING INTO A DRUG WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Will our troops get mired in Colombian-style combat over poppies? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Afghanistan - Besides worries that Canada will be saddled with the Bush
admin's bad human rights rap in Afghanistan, there are now concerns
that our forces could end up smack in the middle of a Colombian-style
drug war. Observers fear that the U.S., which has been somewhat
restrained until this point for strategic reasons, is stepping up
pressure for eradication of the purple and pink poppy fields. And they
predict that Canada's approximately 1,000 troops in Kandahar will
suddenly find themselves mired in a full-scale shootout, not just with
al Qaeda forces but with opium gangs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"You are setting yourselves up to be targets,'' warns Cindy Fazey, a British criminologist at the University of Liverpool and former chief of demand reduction with the United Nations Drug Control Programme. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It will not matter, she says, that Canadians are engaged in a softer
development approach, financially enticing Afghani farmers in Kandahar
to grow a less lethal crop like wheat. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"A lot of the farmers are now dependent on a very lucrative crop. If
you take that away, what's going to happen? You are going to have
resentment against the invaders. [Some of those farmers] have
Kalashnikovs,'' she says. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Certainly, unlike the U.S., which officially focuses on the criminal
prosecution of users and sellers, Canada has sought to balance its
adherence to international bans on drugs like heroin with recognition
that addiction is primarily a public health issue. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(2) RISE AND RISE OF DUBLIN'S VICIOUS DRUG LORDS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dark Side Of Ireland's Economic Boom Is The Growth Of High-Octane
Gangsterism | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mark Glennon knew what was coming. He slept in a bullet-proof vest and
his west Dublin council house was a fortress of bullet-proof glass,
CCTV cameras and reinforced doors. To maintain his edge, and his
trigger finger, he fuelled himself with cocaine. But last month
Glennon, 32, became the latest in a long line of drug dealers with
reputations for extreme violence to be shot dead in Ireland's gangland
wars. He was gunned down in broad daylight outside his home in
Blanchardstown, Ireland's silicon valley, an area of conspicuous
wealth. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nearly 10 years after the crime reporter Veronica Guerin was shot dead
for pursuing Dublin's drug barons, Ireland's criminal gangs are more
dangerous and unpredictable than ever, according to residents on their
estates. They are heavily armed with automatic weapons from eastern
Europe. They are high on their own cocaine supply and turning over
ever-increasing profits from drugs and spectacular armed robberies -
some making in six months what the godfathers of Guerin's time made in
two years. Thirteen men have been shot dead in gangland-style killings
this year, 11 in Dublin alone. Politicians say people are so inured to
the turf wars that it now merits little attention when the bullet-
riddled corpse of a drug dealer is discovered. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The government, which had prematurely declared last year that the fight
against gangs was nearly won, is now cracking down, and police are
seizing weapons - 500 this year - from sawn-off shotguns to M16 rifles
and armour-piercing bullets. Amid the clamour for police to be seen to
be addressing Ireland's armed robberies, two post office raiders, one
an armed drug dealer and another unarmed man, were gunned down by
undercover police in an ambush in May. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Crossfire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amnesty International is demanding an independent inquiry and the men's families are planning a case for the European court of human rights alleging excessive force. Politicians and commentators are warning of the dangers of civilians getting caught in the crossfire. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(3) OPED: PRISONER OF PAIN BECOMES MARTYR OF DRUG WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Now State Pays For The Medication He Was Convicted For Obtaining | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Today, Richard Paey sits in a wheelchair behind high walls and razor
wire in a high-security prison near Daytona Beach, Fla. Paey is a 46-
year-old father of three, and a paraplegic. His condition is the result
of a car accident, a botched back surgery and multiple sclerosis --
three setbacks that left him in chronic, debilitating pain. After
moving to Florida from New Jersey, Paey found it increasingly difficult
to get prescriptions for the pain medication he needed to function
normally. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Paey's difficulties finding treatment were in large part due to the federal and state governments' efforts to prevent the illegal use of prescription pain medicine. A doctor today could face fines or suspension, the loss of his license or practice, even prison time and the seizure of his property should drug cops (most of whom have no medical training) decide he's prescribing too many painkillers. As a result, physicians are apprehensive about aggressively treating pain. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Paey went from doctor to doctor, looking for someone to give him the
medication he needed. By the time he eventually turned to his old New
Jersey doctor for help, he had attracted the attention of Florida drug
control authorities. What happened next is in dispute, but it ended
with a raid on Paey's home, his arrest, and his eventual conviction on
drug distribution charges. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Paey insists his old doctor wrote him the prescriptions he needed. The
Florida pharmacists who testified at his trial back him up. But the
doctor says Paey forged the prescriptions. Cops gave the doctor a
devil's bargain - -- give Paey up, or face 25 years to life
imprisonment himself for excessive prescribing of painkillers. Paey
maintains the prescriptions were legitimate, but understands why his
doctor turned against him. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Radley Balko is a policy analyst at the Cato Institute, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(4) WAR ON THE WAR ON DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A Conference at Trinity Aims to Bring Supporters of Decriminalization
Together With Those Who Favor a More Aggressive Fight Against Illegal
Drugs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In 1963, two weeks before Clifford Wallace Thornton Jr. was to graduate
high school, his mother died of an apparent heroin overdose. "At that
particular time, I thought that all illegal drugs should be eradicated
from the face of the earth," Thornton says. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
But after years of living in Hartford and studying the drug problem,
that opinion changed. Thornton, now 60 years old, says drugs are not
the problem, but that they're illegal is. He is the president of
Efficacy, Inc., a Hartford-based organization of people who want to end
the War on Drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"I watched, decade after decade, my native Hartford go downhill and I
began to delve into the drug problem to see what was wrong," Thornton
says. "More and more people were using drugs and more and more people
were going to jail, with no apparent stop to the flow of drugs into the
city." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thornton now says the best way to solve the drug problem is through
commitments to the decriminalization, medicalization and legalization
of presently illegal drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"All drug-policy reform begins with one question: Are people ever going
to stop using these illegal drugs? The overwhelming response is no,"
Thornton says. "So the next question becomes: How do we create an
atmosphere that causes the least amount of harm to the people that use
and the least amount of harm to society as a whole?" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Either the number of vocal opponents to the drug war is growing, or
the opponents are becoming more vocal. A Pennsylvania newspaper
columnist had to take time to listen when many residents, including
a prominent local surgeon, called to say its time to legalize drugs.
Elsewhere, drug prohibition seems to be aggravating a shortage of
legitimate pain medication in African American communities; a
Colorado campaign to legalize marijuana is gaining media attention;
and in Oregon, a court ruled that needle marks on a person's arms
are not sufficient evidence for a police stop. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(5) A SURGEON'S PLAN FOR LEGALIZED DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amid the flurry of voices on the phone cheering a column about an ex-cop advocating drug legalization was that of Dr. Joseph Foreman. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dr. Foreman isn't a crank. When he told me that heroin, cocaine and
meth should be legalized, I listened. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"You have to control the suppliers. Once you take their profits
away, they dry up. This is how we keep young people from getting
hooked," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Foreman, 79, lives in Churchville and spent 40 years as a surgeon,
part of it as chief of surgery at Warminster General Hospital in the
1980s. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Over that time, he treated surgical patients who, incidentally, were
dope addicts. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dr. Foreman believes the federal "War on Drugs" has descended into
the sludgy depths of quagmire, with billions of dollars spent each
year - and for what? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(6) PAINKILLERS SCARCE AT PHARMACIES IN BLACK COMMUNITIES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - -- Pharmacies in black neighborhoods are much less
likely to carry sufficient supplies of popular opioid painkillers
than those in white neighborhoods, a new study has found, leading
researchers to conclude that minorities are routinely undertreated
for chronic pain. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The study found that the disparity between what is available to
patients in majority-black neighborhoods compared with | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"The pharmacies in minority areas generally say they stock limited
amounts of pain medication because the demand is not there," said
Carmen Green, an associate professor at the University of Michigan
Medical School, who led the research. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"But the low-demand barrier does not ring true for me," she said.
"We know that minorities are more at risk of suffering chronic pain,
and maybe they don't come to local pharmacies because they've come
to expect they won't carry the medicines they need." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The study found that one possible nonclinical explanation for the
lower availability is concern about illicit use, and the potential
consequences for the dispenser. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The head of the Washington D.C. Pharmaceutical Association and one
Capitol Hill pharmacist agreed with that assessment. Association
President Herbert Kwash said many pharmacists in Washington are
reluctant to carry controlled drugs because of concerns that they
will be robbed and their customers endangered. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For those reasons, said pharmacist Michael Kim of Grubbs Pharmacy on East Capitol Street, some druggists no longer carry prescription narcotics and have signs in their windows indicating that. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(7) POT LAW BACKERS DRAW FLAK | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Initiative Foes Assail Billboards That Will Show Battered Woman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Backers of a Denver ballot measure to legalize marijuana for adults
were accused Thursday of exploiting crime fears and deceiving
voters. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A pro-pot group, Change the Climate, on Monday plans to unveil three
billboards around Denver showing a battered woman with her male
abuser behind her and the slogan: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Reduce family and community violence in Denver. Vote Yes on I-100." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nowhere does the ad mention that Initiative 100's passage would
amend Denver law to make it legal for adults to possess 1 ounce or
less of marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
But Change the Climate founder Joe White said the Greenfield, Mass.,
nonprofit group's Denver billboards reflect dozens of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
He said his group independently spent less than $10,000 to post the
billboards in support of the I-100 campaign. One billboard will be
at Santa Fe Drive and Alameda Avenue, another will be outside
Invesco Field at Mile High and a third will be at 5500 Colorado
Blvd. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The goal, White said, is to get political leaders to rethink the
wasteful expenditure of $50 billion nationwide to combat nonviolent
marijuana users, when many American cities are hard-pressed to fund
police, fire, libraries and other social services. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(8) DRUG MARKS ON ARM NOT ENOUGH TO OK POLICE STOP, COURT RULES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Evidence of recent drug use doesn't give police the right to stop and question a person about suspected criminal activity, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday in a case from Douglas County. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tamara M. Holcomb, 24, of Cottage Grove, was arrested May 11, 2002,
after a sheriff's deputy saw her dancing on the side of Highway 99
in Curtin and stopped to question her. Two small bags of
methamphetamine and some syringes were later found in her
possession. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Holcomb was eventually convicted of one count of possession of a
controlled substance. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As noted in the policy section above, there seem to be more voices
speaking out against prohibition, including police. Norm Stamper,
former Chief of Police in Seattle, penned an excellent piece for the
Los Angeles Times explaining why he favors legalization. The rest of
the news shows why he might have come to such a conclusion. Violence
at the U.S.-Mexico border is drawing more law enforcement from both
countries to the area; prosecutors are trying to avoid details about
misconduct by informants by dropping charges; and drug couriers who
are so cavalier about their job that they start unloading more than
a ton of marijuana at a truck stop. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(9) OPED: LET THOSE DOPERS BE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A Former Police Chief Wants to End a Losing War by Legalizing Pot,
Coke, Meth and Other Drugs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SOMETIMES PEOPLE in law enforcement will hear it whispered that I'm
a former cop who favors decriminalization of marijuana laws, and
they'll approach me the way they might a traitor or snitch. So let
me set the record straight. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yes, I was a cop for 34 years, the last six of which I spent as
chief of Seattle's police department. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
But no, I don't favor decriminalization. I favor legalization, and
not just of pot but of all drugs, including heroin, cocaine, meth,
psychotropics, mushrooms and LSD. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Decriminalization, as my colleagues in the drug reform movement
hasten to inform me, takes the crime out of using drugs but
continues to classify possession and use as a public offense,
punishable by fines. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I've never understood why adults shouldn't enjoy the same right to
use "verboten" drugs as they have to suck on a Marlboro or knock
back a scotch and water. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(10) MEXICO, U.S. PLAN TO FIGHT BORDER VIOLENCE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SAN ANTONIO - Law enforcement from the United States and Mexico have
formed a partnership aimed at quelling drug-related violence on the
border. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Mexican counterpart
Daniel Cabeza de Vaca stood side by side Thursday to announce the
security plan. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Violent Crime Impact Team will target the most violent members
of warring drug cartels. Armed with high-powered weapons, the
warring cartels have been blamed for more than 140 murders this year
alone in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The new partnership will double the current presence of federal law
enforcement in Laredo and the border, Gonzales said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(11) SOME CHARGES DROPPED IN TRAFFICKING TRIAL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prosecutors Look To Avoid Inquiry On Alleged Informants | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Federal prosecutors have agreed to drop some of the charges against
a man accused of trafficking marijuana, to avoid court hearings into
allegations of government misconduct involving two alleged
informants. Arlindo Dossantos said that after his arrest on federal
drug charges in 1999, two suspected FBI informants paid for his
lawyer, pressured him to cooperate in a federal probe into
corruption in the New Bedford Police Department, and threatened to
hurt his family if he did not help them smuggle marijuana into
Massachusetts. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In affidavits filed in court, Dossantos said the alleged informants
took credit for getting the 1999 charges dropped, but also warned
him that he would be indicted if he did not cooperate with them.
Dossantos said that he refused and was indicted in July 2001 on new
charges, which included drug deals orchestrated by the alleged
informants. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Just as a hearing was set to begin in federal court in Boston on Tuesday, prosecutors said they planned to avoid a judge's inquiry by dropping some charges against Dossantos, 36, of North Dartmouth and his codefendant, David Breault, 42, of Acushnet, for alleged drug dealing that occurred after the initial arrest in August 1999. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In a motion filed yesterday, Assistant U.S. Attorney William F.
Bloomer said the government was dropping two of the charges against
Dossantos and Breault "in the interest of justice." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(12) POLICE SEIZE MORE THAN A TON OF MARIJUANA AT ILL. TRUCK STOP (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TROY, Ill. - Authorities in southern Illinois say three men, one of
them from North Carolina, face drug charges after police found them
with more than a ton of marijuana at a truck stop. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A Troy, Illinois, police officer noticed the men Sunday in the
parking lot, standing near the tractor-trailer and unloading boxes
from the trailer. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Police say they later determined the truck held 29-hundred pounds of
marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-17) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The good news about cannabis this week has to do with the fact that
most of the bad news you hear about cannabis is completely wrong.
The mainstream press is finally picking up on a couple very
important studies that contradicts everything that governments
around the world have been saying to justify marijuana prohibition.
They said cannabis can cause mental problems; the new research shows
cannabis can be anti-depressant. They said cannabis causes cancer;
the new research shows cannabis might inhibit cancer. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
At least one politician in the U.K. is paying attention, and he's
bucking his party's line on cannabis laws in Britain. While other
Tories have criticized recent government actions to downgrade
penalties for the drug, David Cameron has supported the downgrade.
In response, as discussed in the international section below, he has
been hassled about his personal drug use. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Also this week, medical marijuana gets another high-profile personal
testimony, this time from rocker Melissa Etheridge; while a long
story in the Dallas Observer takes another look at the underground
economy of marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(13) 'CANNABIS' ACTS AS ANTIDEPRESSANT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mental health experts warn against cannabis use | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A chemical found in cannabis can act like an antidepressant,
researchers have found. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A team from Canada's University of Saskatchewan suggest the compound
causes nerve cells to regenerate. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Journal of Clinical Investigation study showed rats given a
cannabinoid were less anxious and less depressed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
But UK experts warned other conflicting research had linked
cannabis, and other cannabinoids, to an increased risk of depression
and anxiety. [snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Canadian researchers gave rats injections of high levels of one
artificial cannabinoid, HU210, for a month. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The animals were seen to have nerve cell regeneration in the
hippocampus, which is linked to memory and emotions. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The hippocampus has been shown to generate new nerve cells
throughout a person's or an animal's life, but this ability is
reduced if cells are engineered to lack a cannabinoid receptor
protein called CB-1. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the Canadian study, rats given the cannabinoid were also found to
be less anxious, and more willing to eat food in new environments -
a change which would normally frighten them. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(14) CANNABIS CANCER RISK PLAYED DOWN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cannabis smoke is less likely to cause cancer than tobacco smoke, a
leading U.S. expert says. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dr Robert Melamede, of the University of Colorado, said that, while chemically the two were similar, tobacco was more carcinogenic. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
He said the difference was mainly due to nicotine in tobacco,
whereas cannabis may inhibit cancer because of the presence of the
chemical THC. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
But health campaigners warned against complacency. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(15) CAMERON REJECTS TOUGH LINE ON CANNABIS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
David Cameron, the bookies' favourite for the Tory leadership, has
backed away from the hard-line anti-drugs policy championed by the
Conservative Party at the last general election. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Aides to Mr Cameron, who has refused to disclose whether he took
drugs while at Oxford University, said yesterday that he was
undecided about whether cannabis should be upgraded from a Class C
to a more dangerous Class B drug. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mr Cameron believes that the emphasis should be placed on educating
young people about the dangers of drugs and on rehabilitation of
addicts. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Appearing on BBC's Question Time last night, Mr Cameron again
refused to be drawn on whether he took drugs, although he said
politicians should be allowed to "err and stray" before they go into
public life. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"I have not answered the question about drugs because I think that
is all in the past and I don't think you have to answer it," he
said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(16) ETHERIDGE: I USED MEDICINAL MARIJUANA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NEW YORK ( AP ) -- Melissa Etheridge says she smoked medicinal
marijuana to help with the side effects of chemotherapy during her
treatment for breast cancer. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 44-year-old singer, who was diagnosed over a year ago, is now
cancer-free. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Instead of taking five or six of the prescriptions, I decided to go
a natural route and smoke marijuana," Etheridge says in an interview
to air Sunday on "Dateline NBC" (7 p.m. EDT ). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
When asked how her doctors reacted, Etheridge says, "Every single
one was, 'Oh, yeah. That's the best help for the effects of
chemotherapy.'" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(17) THE OTHER FARMERS MARKET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Local Marijuana Growers Cash In On Well-Heeled Tokers' Love Of Fine
Weed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dallas, Texas -- It's 9 o'clock in the morning when "Ace" begins his
regular "wake and bake" routine of brushing his teeth, brewing a pot
of coffee and rolling a joint. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Today he has a job to do, and he won't have to leave his home to do
it. In a spare bedroom in his northeast Dallas duplex, 35 fully
mature marijuana plants are in bloom, their buds ready to be picked
and hung out to dry. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Harvesting them will take all day, and by the time all of the buds
have been trimmed, cured, weighed and bagged a week from now, Ace
will be ready to introduce his latest "boutique" strain of marijuana
to his faithful clientele. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Two weeks later, he'll sanitize his grow room, plant a new crop and
begin the process again. On average, he manages four or five good
crops a year, each earning him more than $10,000, not to mention all
the weed he can smoke. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sure beats waiting in traffic to go sit in a cubicle--if you don't
mind committing a felony. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
International News | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (18-22) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In Canada this week, Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell outraged stunned
prohibitionists when he cast doubt on apocalyptic warnings of a
methamphetamine epidemic. "This idea that there's a huge crystal
meth disaster happening in this country is garbage," said the mayor.
Prohibitionists were undeterred, demanding action be taken before
waiting for more evidence. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In British Columbia, Canada, The Health Officers Council of B.C.
release a scathing report last week which demanded government
decriminalize drugs, labelling the so-called "war on drugs" a dismal
and racist failure. "[The existing drug laws] are not in the best
interest of Canada and Canadians," stressed Dr. Richard Mathias of
the University of B.C. faculty of medicine. "We have to find a
different paradigm here. The paradigm we have is killing Canadians.
If they [in Washington] wish to kill their own people, that's their
business. Killing our people is our business." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the eastern Canadian city of Toronto, a report released by Toronto Public Health came to similar conclusions. Government, the report urged, should decriminalize marijuana, open supervised injection sites, and provide crack pipes to addicts. Prohibition police predictably balked at any talk of lessening of penalties for using drugs, citing social problems linked to grow houses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Islamic Malaysia, ever-willing to demonstrate their drug-fighting
zeal before Mecca and Washington D.C., last week admitted that all
the hangings and brutal repression of drug users has accomplished
little. Seizures of meth pills ("Syabu") are up, and up over 300
percent from last year. The number of "addicts" arrested, according
to police, remained steady. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the U.K., a tempest has erupted over conservative Member of
Parliament David Cameron, as admissions of college cocaine use dog
him in the British press. Last month, Cameron announced his
candidacy for the leadership of the Conservative Party. When pressed
by reporters, Cameron's equivocal answers (described by the Sunday
Herald as "manna from heaven" to reporters) served only to turn up
the volume on the matter and get Cameron more unwanted attention.
Cameron's Conservative Party rival, Ken Clarke, is making hay of the
issue, tarring Cameron as a privileged hedonist. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(18) CRYSTAL METH 'DISASTER' A PHANTOM, CAMPBELL SAYS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"I keep telling people the water is rising and we better get ready,"
said Mr. Robson, who said he understands how the mayor of New
Orleans felt when he warned people before hurricane Katrina. "And
some of these people say it's just a wave and there's nothing to
worry about." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
But some remain unconvinced. This weekend, Vancouver Mayor Larry
Campbell said warnings that crystal meth addiction is an epidemic
are exaggerated and a knee-jerk reaction. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"This idea that there's a huge crystal meth disaster happening in
this country is garbage," Mr. Campbell said at a forum on the city's
plan to prevent drug use. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mr. Campbell said paranoia is feeding into some calls to restrict sales of cold medicine, an ingredient in the making of crystal meth. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The number of people addicted has never been accurately documented. But anecdotes nonetheless are powerful and frequently cited. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In some regions of British Columbia, police have said 100 per cent
of all under-18 car thieves are addicted to crystal meth and 70 per
cent of all property crimes committed are linked to people on the
drug. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A recent report from the Surrey School District found 10 per cent of the school population's 14,000 students said they have tried meth. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
By the time all the evidence is in regarding crystal meth, Mr.
Langdon said yesterday, it will be too late to begin prevention
programs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(19) HEALTH OFFICERS WANT DRUG LAW CHANGES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A Paper Says Present Drug Laws Are Based On Racism And Cultural Bias | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
B.C. public health officers are demanding the government
decriminalize drug offences because the war on illicit substances is
an abysmal failure. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In a strident, progressive paper, the province's public health
professionals say it's time to address the harmful effects of the
criminal prohibition against substances such as heroin and
marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
They say the laws are based on racism and cultural biases, not
evidence of harm, and that the prohibition causes far more damage to
health and to society. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"The current regulatory regime in Canada places most of these
substances in either legal [tobacco and alcohol], prescription
[morphine, benzodiazepines] or illegal [marijuana, cocaine, heroin]
drug status," the paper says. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"It is important to recognize that these classifications are not based in pharmacology, economic analysis or risk-benefit analysis, but stem from historical precedent and cultural preference. There is a growing consensus in Canada that there should be an exploration of other drug control mechanisms with possible adoption of strict regulatory approaches to what are currently illegal drugs." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Titled, A Public Health Approach To Drug Control in Canada, the
paper recommends reform of federal and provincial laws and
international agreements that deal with illegal drugs, development
of national public health strategies to manage all psychoactive
drugs, including alcohol and prescription drugs, improved monitoring
and more education. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I could not agree more. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Health Officers Council of B.C. released the 38-page document to
coincide with a two-day conference called Beyond Drug Prohibition: A
Public Health Approach, which starts today at the Wosk Centre for
Dialogue. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dr. Richard Mathias of the University of B.C. faculty of medicine
underscored the point. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"[The existing drug laws] are not in the best interest of Canada and
Canadians," he said. "We have to find a different paradigm here. The
paradigm we have is killing Canadians. If they [in Washington] wish
to kill their own people, that's their business. Killing our people
is our business." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(20) DRUG STRATEGY SEEKS SAFER USE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Toronto Public Health | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Toronto should provide crack pipes to junkies, consider | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The drug strategy prepared by Toronto Public Health | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The report also highlights the need to expand harm reduction
programs such as the distribution of "safe crack" kits. Providing
sterile pipes and other items could help prevent the spread of
diseases such as hepatitis C, according to David McKeown, the
Medical Officer of Health. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The kits also provide street outreach workers with a tool to connect
with crack users. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"The kits are a way to reach out and pull in a very marginalized
group of drug users. You can't get people into treatment and you
can't reach people with prevention messages if you can't talk to
them directly. So the crack kits are seen as a good way to do that,"
Dr. McKeown said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Public health officials consulted more than 30 community groups and
government agencies while working on the strategy, in addition to
holding a series of town hall meetings. But they admit some of the
parties involved did not agree with the final recommendations. For
example, Toronto police do not support the opening of safe injection
sites. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Based on the experience in Vancouver and other cities, we do not
see it as a viable way, but I'm quite willing to support an
investigation into whether it can be done better," Deputy Chief Tony
War said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Police also object to the report's call to decriminalize possession
of small amounts of marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"We're concerned about the influx of grow houses. Grow houses are a
big social problem, not just a drug problem. And it's creating a
market for the grow houses," Deputy Chief War said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The report will be presented to the Board of Health for approval
this month. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(21) 5-FOLD JUMP IN SYABU SEIZURES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kota Kinabalu: Syabu seizures increased by a staggering 343.2 per cent this year with over 15,413gms seized till September. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A total of 3,477.64gms were seized over the same period last year,
State Commissioner of Police, Datuk Mangsor Ismail, said this had to
do with the seizure of eight kgs of Syabu that was about to be sent
through a courier service company in September. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
He also disclosed that fewer addicts were arrested this year with 4,385 detained till September compared to 4,446 previously. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(22) THE TORY WAR ON DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
David Cameron's halo is tarnishing fast due to his refusal to
candidly answer questions on past drug use, writes Westminster
Editor James Cusick | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
From leader-in-waiting to derailed boy-wonder under pressure: David Cameron's rise and potential downfall has regenerated the debate on what kind of past life a politician is justified in keeping secret. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In Cameron's case, the secret he's now fighting to protect is
whether or not he dabbled with class A drugs, in particular cocaine,
especially during his years at Oxford University. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The young shadow education secretary, who promised the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
At the beginning of last week, Cameron's feathers had been only slightly ruffled by his refusal to answer a question over whether or not he'd used drugs, first asked on the hustings in Blackpool, then during a BBC television interview - when he asked if "we are going to have some sort of McCarthyite hearings into every MP?" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It was assumed the inquisition was about soft drugs and cannabis -
and the party had been here before. In 2000, Ann Widdecombe, then
shadow home secretary, had suggested instant ?100 fines for anyone
caught with cannabis. Eight prominent Tories quickly came out as
former users, including Francis Maude. David Willetts, Tim Yeo and
Oliver Letwin. Their careers survived. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cameron's election team must have assumed the storm would blow over
for their man too. But the drugs debate jumped a class when the
former Chancellor and fellow leadership contender Ken Clarke was
asked during a Commons hustings if he had ever used hard drugs.
Clarke replied that he had never used cocaine. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The inquisition immediately shifted from "soft" usage to class A,
hard drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
One Tory insider said: "Clarke is the most experienced Westminster
operator still left in the Tory Party. Nothing he does is by
accident. He answered the question in the way he did, knowing the
implications it would have. He must have known the noise level in
the inquisition on Cameron would be turned up." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
His trouble began during a fringe event in Blackpool, when the
Observer columnist Andrew Rawnsley asked Cameron if he had ever
taken drugs. The question wasn't related to a strand of debate or
discussion that had risen during the fringe meeting, and Rawnsley
insists it was curiosity, rather than a pre-designed attack, that
made him ask. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cameron's reply was manna from heaven to journalists struggling to
create a dramatic contest between the Tory right, left and centre
contestants who were all promising glory ahead without defining any
precise policies. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"I had a normal university experience," Cameron said. "There were
things I did as a student that I don't think I should talk about now
that I am a politician." But what was "normal" for Cameron at
Oxford? A heroic level of drinking doesn't appear to be what he was
hinting at. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
With Ken Clarke's manipulation changing the focus from soft to hard
drugs, and associating Cameron - in media terms anyway - with the
fashionable underworld of model Kate Moss and the hedonistic sets of
upper-class west London where he lives, it was open to David Davis
to begin to score points against his potential adversary in a
contest turning dirtier by the day. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
LEAVE THE DOPERS ALONE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
By Norm Stamper, AlterNet. Posted October 20, 2005. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A former police chief espouses his controversial views on drug laws --
namely, that we shouldn't have any. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
LINES IN THE SAND | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A Week of Drug War Summits in South America | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
By Dan Feder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MARC EMERY ON SHAW TV'S STUDIO 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Marc shoots from the hip as always, as he is interviewed by Franny
Kiefer. From a segment on her show - Studio 4. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH TO DRUG CONTROL IN CANADA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Health Officers Council of BC is calling for political leadership
to establish a comprehensive public health approach to drug control,
including exploration of a regulatory system. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.keepingthedooropen.com/files/hoc_public_health_approach_to_drug_control.pdf | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
THE TORONTO DRUG STRATEGY | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A comprehensive approach to alcohol and other drugs in the City of
Toronto, was released on Friday, 14 October. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
To read The Toronto Drug Strategy, and the accompanying documents - The
Environmental Scan - Substance Use in Toronto: Issues, Impacts &
Interventions, 2005, and the Public Consultation Summary, 2005 - please
visit the Strategy's website: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DRUG SITUATION IN CANADA - 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Criminal Intelligence Directorate Royal Canadian Mounted Police | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ottawa, September 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.rcmp.ca/crimint/2004%20drug%20sit%20report-draft-Sept%2022.pdf | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CANNABIS AND TOBACCO SMOKE ARE NOT EQUALLY CARCINOGENIC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Robert J Melamede | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Harm Reduction Journal 2005, 2:21 - doi:10.1186/1477-7517-2-21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
More people are using the cannabis plant as modern basic and clinical
science reaffirms and extends its medicinal uses. Concomitantly,
concern and opposition to smoked medicine has occurred, in part due to
the known carcinogenic consequences of smoking tobacco. Are these
reactions justified? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finalize Plans For Drug Policy Alliance Conference | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DrugSense Interview With Clifford Thornton of Efficacy in Hartford,
CT. http://www.efficacy-online.org/ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Please join us Thursday, Oct. 27, 9.00 pm EDT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
See http://mapinc.org/resource/paltalk.htm for all details on how you
can participate in this important meeting. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ORIGINS OF PROFILING | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
By John Chase | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Leonard Pitts speaks with passion but offers no remedy other than
the unspoken wish that it stop. First, we must understand how racial
profiling became a tool of law enforcement. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It began with Nixon's statement, as recorded in the diary of his
chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, in 1969 ( cf. Dan Baum's book ``Smoke
and Mirrors'' ): ``You have to face the fact that the whole problem
is really the blacks. The key is to devise a system that recognizes
this while not appearing to.'' In 1971 Nixon declared his war on
drugs, destined to replace and nationalize the states' Jim Crow laws
trashed by the 1964 Civil Rights Act. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I wish Pitts would write about that - the immorality of a policy
that puts illegal ``gold'' on the streets of the inner city to
attract unskilled men to crime. The policy supports an illegal
market for substances that sell for 50 times what they'd bring if
legal. It has become a sort of institutionalized entrapment, a
self-fulfilling prophesy that allows whites to blame blacks for
American drug problems. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
JOHN CHASE, Palm Harbor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Marijuana Arrests For Year 2004: 771,608, Record High; FBI Report
Reveals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
By NORML | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Washington, D.C. - Police arrested an estimated 771,608 persons for
marijuana violations in 2004, according to the Federal Bureau of
Investigation's annual Uniform Crime Report, released today. The
total is the highest ever recorded by the FBI, and comprised 44.2
percent of all drug arrests in the United States. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"These numbers belie the myth that police do not target and arrest
minor marijuana offenders," said NORML Executive Director Allen St.
Pierre, who noted that at current rates, a marijuana smoker is
arrested every 41 seconds in America. "This effort is a tremendous
waste of criminal justice resources that diverts law enforcement
personnel away from focusing on serious and violent crime, including
the war on terrorism." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Of those charged with marijuana violations, 89 percent - some
684,319 Americans - were charged with possession only. The remaining
87,289 individuals were charged with "sale/manufacture," a category
that includes all cultivation offenses - even those where the
marijuana was being grown for personal or medical use. In past
years, approximately 30 percent of those arrested were age 19 or
younger. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Present policies have done little if anything to decrease marijuana's availability or dissuade youth from trying it," St. Pierre said, noting that a majority of young people in the U.S. now report that they have easier access to pot than alcohol or tobacco. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The total number of marijuana arrests in the U.S. for 2004 far
exceeded the total number of arrests in the U.S. for all violent
crimes combined, including murder, manslaughter, forcible rape,
robbery and aggravated assault. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Marijuana arrests have more than doubled since 1993. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Arresting adults who smoke marijuana responsibly needlessly
destroys the lives of tens of thousands of otherwise law abiding
citizens each year," St. Pierre said, adding that over 8 million
Americans have been arrested on marijuana charges in the past
decade. During this same time, arrests for cocaine and heroin have
declined sharply, indicating that increased enforcement of marijuana
laws is being achieved at the expense of enforcing laws against the
possession and trafficking of more dangerous drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
St. Pierre concluded that "with nearly 17 million citizens arrested
on marijuana-related charges since 1965, is now not the time for the
state and federal governments to finally consider legally
controlling marijuana via taxation? Is not such a public policy
preferable to the current one where government arrests an
extraordinary amount of citizens for an adult behavior that is not
deviant, or, for that matter, dissimilar than consuming products
that contain alcohol?" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
YEAR MARIJUANA ARRESTS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2004 771,608 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Visit the NORML website - http://www.norml.org/ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Not the least misfortune in a prominent falsehood is the fact that tradition is apt to repeat it for the truth." - Hosea Ballou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DS Weekly is one of the many free educational services DrugSense
offers our members. Watch this feature to learn more about what
DrugSense can do for you. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TO SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, OR UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Please utilize the following URLs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Policy, Law Enforcement/Prison, and Cannabis/Hemp content selection
and analysis by Stephen Young (), International
content selection and analysis by Doug Snead (),
Layout by Matt Elrod () | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
We wish to thank all our contributors, editors, NewsHawks and letter writing activists. Please help us help reform. Become a NewsHawk See http://www.mapinc.org/hawk.htm for info on contributing clippings. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is
distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior
interest in receiving the included information for research and
educational purposes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TO DRUGSENSE ON-LINE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
-OR- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mail in your contribution. Make checks payable to MAP Inc. send your
contribution to: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Media Awareness Project (MAP) Inc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 | current issue | this issue |