| Oct. 28, 2005 #423 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(1) IRAN FACES UP TO ITS MOST LETHAL THREAT - DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
One in 17 People Are Addicted, but Groups Such As Narcotics Anonymous
Are Fighting Back | ||||||||||||||||||||
The longed for pilgrimage to Mecca should have been enough to give
Hasan, a devout Muslim, a spiritual high. But even while paying homage
to the Prophet Muhammad, he needed a little help from a friend. "When I
went on the haj, I put a lump of opium inside my walking stick," he
says, clicking open the fold-up device to show how he concealed the
contraband. "I went abroad like that many times, to Mecca, Turkey and
elsewhere. I was carrying the best quality opium. I was financially
well-off, so I could afford it." | ||||||||||||||||||||
The drug-hazed trip to Islam's holiest shrine was the moral nadir of
Hasan's 30-year battle with addiction, which, he says, left him
socially stigmatised and emotionally alienated from his wife and sons.
The physical signs of a titanic internal struggle against his need to
take opium five times a day are manifest in the tell-tale bulbous black
bags beneath his eyes. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But now he has found redemption. Aged 80, he is the oldest living
success story of Narcotics Anonymous, a rapidly growing grassroots
movement confronting Iran's addiction level - an epidemic defined by
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) statistics as the
worst in the world - through a nationwide network of open-air
counselling sessions. | ||||||||||||||||||||
According to the UNODC, more than 4 million of Iran's 70 million people
are addicted to drugs, and the addiction cuts across educational,
class, age and economic barriers. Middle-aged professionals and
academics are as vulnerable as under-educated, socially deprived
teenagers, say experts. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(2) DID POT CREW KNOW? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
27 Immigrants Busted At Grow-Op | ||||||||||||||||||||
Twenty-seven Chinese immigrants were driven non-stop from Toronto to a
rural Manitoba town to work around the clock at a marijuana grow-op --
and some claim they were tricked into it. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"They don't know the mess they've gotten into and they're afraid of the
trouble this will cause their families," said Winnipeg defence lawyer
Greg Brodsky, who is representing two of the workers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
His clients refused to talk to the Sun out of fear of retribution, he
said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Twenty-eight Chinese workers -- one from Vancouver -- were arrested
Oct. 7 at a tiny farmhouse in Sundown, 130 km southeast of Winnipeg.
Three were women and most only speak Cantonese, Manitoba RCMP spokesman
Sgt. Steve Colwell said. All have been charged with possession and
production of pot. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The workers were found sleeping head to head on the farmhouse floor,
said Winnipeg defence lawyer Mark Wasyliw. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"They were packed into this little farmhouse. I don't know if these people have been used. But it looks like they have been." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
At least some of the Sundown workers were duped, Toronto Councillor
Olivia Chow suspects. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"This is the life of immigrants in Canada," she said. "There are those
preying on these people who are desperate for jobs." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(3) THOMAS TARGETS MOMS OF BABIES ON DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Plan Would Allow Child Abuse Charges | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mothers whose newborns have illegal drugs in their systems would be
charged with child abuse under a law proposed Wednesday by Maricopa
County Attorney Andrew Thomas. | ||||||||||||||||||||
County prosecutors receive at least two to four inquiries a month from
police investigating cases of babies born on drugs, but the problem is
probably on a greater scale because most police officers know nothing
can be done, said Patty Stevens, who runs the county attorney's Family
Violence Bureau. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We're not involved in these as far as litigating them, so often times
our involvement ends with a phone call of 'can you do anything?' "
Stevens said. "And right now, we can't because the abuse was while the
baby was being carried by the mother." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Appellate courts have found that mothers can't be charged with child abuse under Arizona's current child abuse laws, Thomas said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rep. Steve Yarbrough, RChandler, is the bill's sponsor. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The legislation would make a mother guilty of child abuse if her child
tests positive for an illegal drug such as heroin, marijuana or
methamphetamine within 72 hours of birth. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mothers would also face charges if the child showed an injury within
one year of birth that is a direct result of drug use. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(4) EDITORIAL: THE EVOLVING POLITICS OF POT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Just about every time The Banner runs a story about a local police
busting a marijuana grow operation, we receive a letter to the editor
or two from people championing the other side of the story and urging
our reporters to do the same. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Most often the letters come from Russell Barth, who identifies himself
as a "federal medical marijuana license holder" and former federal
Marijuana Party candidates, and other members of what I would call
[the] national marijuana movement. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The most recent one arrived just last week, after we printed information about Caledon OPP discovering huge amounts of pot and cash at three separate residences over a 12-hour period earlier this month. | ||||||||||||||||||||
His letter asserts "By not legalizing and regulating the cannabis
industry, our government is deliberately subsidizing the underground
economy, making pot easier for kids to access than either tobacco or
alcohol, and wasting valuable policy resources. If that isn't
'organized crime' I don't know what is." | ||||||||||||||||||||
But we also get the occasional letter from a local resident, also
wondering why The Banner doesn't also include the opinions of marijuana
proponents in articles like the one mentioned above. I remember a
particularly outraged response from a reader to information, provided
by local police, about how to spot and the dangers of indoor grow
operations. | ||||||||||||||||||||
To be honest, I'm not sure how to address this one. On one hand, as
journalists, our job is to examine all angles of any particular issue
or story. But, on the other hand the production, sale and possession of
marijuana is illegal in this country, and we report on other police
activity -- such as charges for theft or assault -- in much the same
way as we do the drug charges. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The war on meth is getting more aggressive, and in some places,
seemingly more unconstitutional. In Indiana, a court of appeals
ruled that police should be able to gather evidence without a
warrant if police believe they smell ether coming from suspected
meth labs. In Kentucky, at least one newspaper editorial board
believe the Constitution was well served when a judge limited the
use of wire taps in a drug case. Also this week, a high school
student at the center of a drug testing case before the U.S. Supreme
Court a few years ago explains how the case fired her passion for
justice, and in Illinois, a man accused of driving under the
influence of opiates is acquitted after claiming he ate several
poppy-seed muffins before a car accident. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) RULES TO SEARCH FOR METH LOOSENED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Appeals Court Backs Indiana Troopers | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Indiana Court of Appeals issued a ruling yesterday in a
Clark County case that may make it easier for police, without a
search warrant, to gather evidence from places they believe might
house methamphetamine labs. The court ruled that the smell of ether
from an apartment where a small child was present was enough to
justify searching the apartment without a warrant. | ||||||||||||||||||||
A statewide organization of defense attorneys said the ruling
amounts to a new exemption in meth cases to the constitutional
prohibition against unreasonable searches. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(6) EDITORIAL: FOLLOWING WIRETAP RULES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Electronic surveillance is a powerful tool, one that law enforcement must use prudently to safeguard the privacy of innocent citizens. | ||||||||||||||||||||
U.S. District Judge Thomas Russell's recent ruling -- which bars
prosecutors from using wiretap evidence in a major drug case -- is a
firm reminder of the importance of following the rules before
tapping private conversations. It is believed to be the first time a
federal judge has issued such a ruling in Kentucky. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The front-page headline -- which noted that 12 drug suspects could
walk as a result of the decision -- could serve to inspire anger
against the judge. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Certainly, it is deeply troubling that a man who seems to be a drug
kingpin for this region may not be convicted as a result of the
ruling. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But Judge Russell deserves praise, not condemnation, for having the
courage to decide as he did. It is more than a bit useful to note
that the defendants who may benefit from the ruling were represented
by a team of seven former prosecutors. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(7) WOMAN TURNS CASE INTO CAREER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The small-town girl whose challenge to mandatory drug testing in
schools went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1998 is now an
Ivy League graduate and a political activist working with American
Indians. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Lindsay Earls was a 16-year-old sophomore at Tecumseh High School
when the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on her
behalf against Tecumseh Public Schools as a means of challenging
drug- testing policies in schools nationwide. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Show airs tonight Earls' story will be featured on "ACLU Freedom
Files," a 10-part television series that addresses civil rights
issues and stars ACLU clients, the attorneys who defend them and
well-known actors, activists and comedians. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The show airs at 8 p.m. today on DirectTV's channel 374 and Dish
Network station 9410. Episodes may be purchased on the Internet at
aclu.tv. | ||||||||||||||||||||
At age 23, she's a recent graduate of Dartmouth University and is working for INDS List, a Tulsa-based organization training American Indians for political office. She plans to attend law school. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"I'm really happy with way things in my life are shaping up," Earls
said this week. "Even though we lost the case, I gained loads of
personal strength from the experience that no one will ever be able
to take away." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(8) POPPY SEEDS TIED TO DUI ACQUITTAL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Using poppy-seed muffins as a defense, a Lake Forest man was acquitted
Monday of driving with a controlled substance in his system in the
death of a 15-year-old boy three years ago. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Charles Hausberg, 20, of the 1400 block of North Green Bay Road was
found guilty of making an illegal U-turn. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"The court cannot say that the only cause for this could be the
ingestion of an illegal drug," said Lake County Associate Judge Patrick
Lawler in rendering his verdict. "The court has no alternative but to
find this young man not guilty." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Prison is bad enough, but it can be a lot worse for inmates who need
medical care. An awful story from Texas shows how, and other
extremely disturbing allegations from one prison. In North Carolina,
a drug case was upheld by the state's supreme court who agreed with
prosecutors that it's OK for police to harass citizens repeatedly
over the same small infraction. And the drug war shrinks ever so
slightly as another town dumps DARE and another drug task for faces
a bleak future. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(9) HOSPITAL OF HORRORS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Time in Carswell's prison medical facility can be a death sentence
for women prisoners. | ||||||||||||||||||||
This is the prison at Carswell. ...We got an inmate who is not
breathing. She's turning blue." The 911 tape was scratchy, but the
words were clear. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Are they doing CPR?" the Med-Star ambulance company operator asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"I assume so," the caller replied. "They've got about 90 people up
there. ..." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Betty Appleby gets angrier and more frustrated each time she listens
to the tape, describing key moments in a tragedy that would change
her large, closely knit family forever. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Can you believe that? Ninety people? I know that's an exaggeration
by whoever's calling, but what it says to me is that a lot of people
were tramping around that cell and destroying evidence that could
have helped us find out exactly what happened to my sister so that
we could see justice done. And get some peace." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Appleby is speaking of her youngest sister, Linda D'Antuono Fenton
-- the inmate who was "turning blue." On Feb. 23, 2004, Fenton was
found unconscious and near death in a supposed high-security cell at
Federal Medical Center Carswell -- a prison that a federal judge two
years earlier had allegedly ordered her removed from. She was two
days away from being released, after serving almost seven years for
a drug offense -- two days before she could get out and, as she had
promised in letters to her family and friends, tell the world about
what was going on inside the Fort Worth federal prison hospital
walls. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fenton was 34 years old. In her last month at Carswell, she'd
written her family long, excited letters about how happy she was to
be almost done with prison, about finding a job and getting new
clothes and starting fresh. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Linda wanted to leave that place in style," Appleby said. "My
mother had a limo hired to pick her up at the gate. But instead, she
came home in a body bag." | ||||||||||||||||||||
The night of the 911 call, Fenton was taken to Fort Worth
Osteopathic Medical Center. She died there eight days later, without
ever regaining consciousness, with her family members at her bedside
-- and with shackles on her legs, two guards on duty to watch her.
"She was in a coma, for God's sake," her brother said. "Where was
the compassion for my mother? For us?" | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Tarrant County medical examiner's office ruled Fenton's death a
suicide by hanging. But like just about everything else in the
official record concerning the death, it's a ruling that Fenton's
family and friends, and current and former inmates of Carswell, find
impossible to believe. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
The questions about Carswell go beyond those in Fenton's case.
Nicole Vasquez, 27, and Mari Ayn Sailer, 29, died there in August
and September, respectively, under questionable circumstances.
Vasquez, a recent surgery patient, died of septic shock after prison
medical personnel apparently ignored her pleas for help. In Sailer's
case, the prison notified the Tarrant County medical examiner's
office that it would send her body for an autopsy -- and then
reversed the decision. The prison told medical examiners they had
decided not to do an autopsy, which is contrary to prison policy,
according to Carswell spokesperson Deborah Denham. Only under
pressure from Sailer's family did prison officials agree to do their
own autopsy. The family is still waiting on the report. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) DIVIDED SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS CAR SEARCH FOR MARIJUANA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
BISMARCK, N.D. - Authorities who stopped a man's car twice in less
than an hour to check its illegally tinted windows were justified in
searching it for marijuana, a divided North Dakota Supreme Court
concluded. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The court's five justices split 3-2 in their ruling Tuesday, with Justice Mary Muehlen Maring and Chief Justice Gerald VandeWalle arguing that police conduct in the case "bordered on harassment." | ||||||||||||||||||||
The decision upholds Brent Bartelson's guilty plea to a felony charge of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bartelson had pleaded guilty on the condition that he be allowed to
appeal a judge's ruling that marijuana seized from his car could be
used as evidence against him. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Court records say Bartelson was driving north on U.S. Highway 83 on
Feb. 14, 2003, when a Highway Patrol trooper, Patrick Hudson,
stopped Bartelson's black sedan near Washburn because his car's
windows had a darker tint that state law allows. | ||||||||||||||||||||
A few minutes after Bartelson resumed driving, an anonymous caller
told a Ward County sheriff's office dispatcher that a recently
stopped vehicle held a large amount of marijuana. A state Bureau of
Criminal Investigation agent, Mike Marchus, connected the tip to
Bartelson's car, and asked for help in finding it. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Forty-two minutes after the first stop, another Highway Patrol
trooper, Kevin Huston, pulled over Bartelson's car for the same
tinted-windows violation. Marchus, Hudson and three other officers
joined the stop, court records say. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Authorities checked the driver's license of a passenger in
Bartelson's car, Lance Cotton, and discovered it was suspended.
Cotton was arrested, Bartelson's car searched and the marijuana
discovered. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bartelson's lawyer, Eric Baumann, argued the search was illegal
because it was unreasonable for the police to pull over Bartelson's
car twice in less than an hour for the same reason. Huston knew of
the earlier stop, yet pulled Bartelson over on the same pretext, the
attorney said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Justice Carol Ronning Kapsner, who wrote the court's majority
opinion, said it was unclear what Huston knew about the earlier
stop. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"An officer's probable cause ( to stop a vehicle ) does not
disintegrate simply because another police officer had previously
stopped the same vehicle for the same violation," Kapsner wrote. "It
is not unreasonable for different law enforcement officers to stop a
vehicle twice for the same tinted-window infraction in a short
period of time." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(11) BUDGET CUTS FORCE END TO DARE PROGRAM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
It's just say no to DARE, as the Pierre Police Department pulls the
plug on the popular anti-drug school program. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The loss of the program is a direct result of Pierre City Commission's austere budget plans for 2006. The commission wanted the amount of overtime paid by the city cut significantly. According to the director of public safety, Al Aden, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program was one of those run by the police department that cost in overtime as well as taking a patrolwoman out of the field. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"The actual cost of the program isn't that large," said Aden, who
was one of the first policeman in the state to help initiate the
novel program in 1985 when Attorney General Roger Tellinghuisen
brought it to the state. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"It's when you figure in the overtime and comp time and the flex
time that it becomes too expensive for us right now." | ||||||||||||||||||||
According to Aden, it's not just the classroom time used by the DARE
officer, it's also the preparation time for each class, reading
assignments and collecting materials to distribute. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(12) COMBINED DRUG FORCE MAY END (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Law Enforcement Organization Is Down To One Officer, Sheriff Says | ||||||||||||||||||||
PLYMOUTH -- The Marshall County Drug Task Force could be on its last legs if member organizations cannot find a way to staff it. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Marshall County Sheriff Bob Ruff told the Marshall County commissioners earlier this week that the Marshall County sheriff's deputy who has been with the task force for seven years "needs a break" as the sole officer currently on the drug task force. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bremen Police Department and the Plymouth Police Department, along
with the Marshall County prosecutor's office are the member agencies
on the task force, Ruff said. The task force's board of directors
will be meeting in November to discuss how the force might remain
intact next year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ruff had nothing negative to say about the other member agencies,
but explained that a number of factors have played a role as to why
other police officers have not been that active in the drug task
force. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-16) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
We begin this week with a report indicating that cannabis smoking has very little cancer risk, particularly when compared with cigarette smoking. The literature review for this research was conducted by Dr. Robert Melamede, a professor at the University of Colorado - Colorado Springs, and also supports the use of cannabis as a medicine. Our second story this week comes to us from Nevada, where city officials have threatened a Boulder City woman with the seizure of her $400000 home after she was convicted of growing six plants in the residence. The ACLU has offered to help with the court case if a settlement cannot be reached between the two parties. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Our third article is a comprehensive look at the DEA's extradition
request of Marc Emery, Canada's so-called "Prince of Pot". The
Seattle Times story details Marc's history as a cannabis activist,
and looks at what's to come in this latest and most threatening of
Emery's many legal challenges. Lastly this week, a story about an
Australian study conducted by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and
Research and the National Drug and Alcohol Research Center on
cannabis and driving that has found that although 78% of the 320
cannabis users they interviewed admitted to driving shortly after
using cannabis, the researchers failed to find a link between
driving under the influence of cannabis and increased accident
rates. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(13) EXPERT: POT HAS LITTLE CANCER RISK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Even though they're chemically similar, marijuana smoke is less
likely than tobacco smoke to cause cancer, according to one expert
review of the literature. The review, by Dr. Robert Melamede of the
University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, noted that tobacco and
marijuana smoke differ in a number of ways, particularly in the fact
that marijuana smoke contains tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, while
tobacco smoke contains nicotine. Nicotine increases the | ||||||||||||||||||||
Although THC and nicotine act on related cellular pathways, they bind to different receptors to activate these pathways, the review found. However, the review warned that the effects of marijuana are complex and sometimes contradictory. It also noted that many people use marijuana and tobacco together, and the two drugs may interact in complex ways. Although some governments are reluctant to approve marijuana for medicinal use, the review noted that there's increasing evidence that marijuana can improve the lives of patients with a broad range of health problems, including insomnia, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. The review will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Harm Reduction. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(14) ACLU OFFERS HELP IN POT CASE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Accusing Boulder City of legalized extortion, the state's American
Civil Liberties Union has offered to help a 56-year-old woman
convicted of misdemeanor pot possession fight the city's threat to
seize her $400,000 home or force her to pay to keep it. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Although Boulder City, which accused Warren of selling marijuana out
of her home, filed a lawsuit in April to confiscate her house, it
also is discussing a deal that would allow her to keep it for a
payment of up to $100,000. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"It would be terribly unfortunate if Boulder City was able to bully someone into paying a fine on a threat of taking their house away from them," said Gary Peck, Nevada ACLU executive director. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Peck said his organization is willing to work for free with Warren's attorney, John Lusk, in resisting the Boulder City lawsuit if Warren decides to fight it in court. National ACLU officials also have expressed interest in getting involved in the case, he added. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(15) B.C.'s "PRINCE OF POT" FIGHTS EXTRADITION ON DRUG CHARGES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Marc Emery differs in so many ways from most people accused of big-time drug dealing, it's hard to know where to start. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Even though he faces the possibility of decades in a U.S. prison for
selling marijuana seeds to Americans, Emery regularly welcomes a
steady stream of journalists. That's an approach most people accused
of drug dealing avoid instinctively, or on advice of their
attorneys. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Not Emery, founder of the B.C. Marijuana Party, who maintains that
his legal troubles spring from the U.S. government's desire to
muzzle him and the movement he claims to lead. | ||||||||||||||||||||
He relishes his reputation as the so-called "Prince of Pot" and
"Mayor of Vansterdam," the latter a reference to Vancouver and
Amsterdam, the Dutch city where marijuana can be purchased from
"coffee shops." He proudly proclaims his long-term vision to
"overgrow the government" by spreading marijuana faster than drug
agents could eradicate it. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Unlike others accused of drug dealing, Emery has for years made no
effort to hide the fact he earns his living from marijuana, making
millions selling marijuana seeds and paraphernalia through his
Vancouver store and the Internet. It's that marijuana-centered
business that has landed Emery in hot water in the U.S., where a
Seattle-based grand jury has indicted him and two of his employees
on drug and money-laundering charges. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(16) 78% OF CANNABIS USERS DRIVE SOON AFTER SMOKING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Drivers are happy to jump behind the wheel just an hour after
smoking drugs, but most say they would be less likely to if they ran
the risk of being randomly tested on the roadside. | ||||||||||||||||||||
A study of cannabis users in Sydney and Newcastle found that 78 per
cent have driven not long after smoking drugs and 27 per cent
admitted to driving under the influence of cannabis at least once a
week. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research and the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre surveyed 320 people to find out what measures would stop them from driving under the influence. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Most people admitted that driving under the influence affected their
skills, but the study could not find a link between smokers and
accident risk, a concern for the researchers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Don Weatherburn, director of the crime bureau, said the results
should be treated with caution. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"There is enough evidence around to justify determined efforts to
reduce the rate at which people drive under the influence of
cannabis, whether alone or in conjunction with alcohol or drugs," Dr
Weatherburn said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (17-21) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
As predicted, the tragedy of the killings of four Mounties in
Alberta, Canada, earlier in 2005 has metamorphosed into calls for
ever more punishing prohibition laws. Families of the slain
Mounties, in a police-orchestrated press event last week, laid blame
for the murders with cannabis use, denouncing any lessening of
punishments for cannabis in Canada. Echoing police calls for
mandatory minimums for drug offenses (proven effective at packing
for-profit prisons down in the states), families of the killed
Mounties ignored the killer's many violent threats, sexual assaults,
and illegal firearms, preferring instead to concentrate on
"eliminating the bill to decriminalize marijuana." | ||||||||||||||||||||
As we see, prohibitionists convert any tragedy into a political opportunity to punish drug (cannabis) users. In Alberta, Canada, prohibitionists are using the supposed horrors of methamphetamines as a way to build consensus to take the children of cannabis users. An editorial in the Calgary Herald seems to have woken up a bit to this favorite prohibitionist bait-and-switch. After frightening Albertans with a media blitz on the evils of meth, Premier Ralph Klein now explains the target all along was really "crystal meth, crack cocaine and other harmful drugs," (meaning, of course: pot). Wondered the Herald, "is there any reason to seize the children of a casual pot smoker?" Of course there is! Job security for social workers, job security for police and other government bureaucrats are all at stake. Expect the government of Alberta to seize the kids of pot smokers with great gusto and self-righteousness. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The City Council of Toronto, Canada, has approved plans for a
supervised injection center, which will attempt to copy the success of
a supervised injection center in Vancouver, British Colombia. If
approved by the mayor, the center would be the second in North
America. Measures were also approved to support "decriminalizing small
amounts of pot for personal use." | ||||||||||||||||||||
In the Philippines, as in the U.S.A., most prisoners are jailed for
drug offenses, another report let slip last week. The report in the
Sun Star Cebu newspaper in Cebu City, admitted that fully 80 percent
of the female inmates at the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center are
there "for using and selling illegal drugs." Released inmates in the
Philippines are often brutally "salvaged" (killed in extra-legal
summary executions) by police. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(17) FAMILIES OF MURDERED MOUNTIES WANT TOUGHER SENTENCES FOR (Top)SERIOUS CRIMES | ||||||||||||||||||||
The families of the four Mounties murdered in Mayerthorpe, Alta.,
earlier this year returned to Ottawa on Tuesday to appeal for
changes to the Criminal Code that could better protect law
enforcement officers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The families spent the day meeting the prime minister and other politicians, demanding tougher sentences for repeat criminals. | ||||||||||||||||||||
They said they received sincere sympathies from members of all four
federal parties, but no promises on action. They say they hope to
followup with more meetings in the future. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The four RCMP officers were investigating stolen truck parts and marijuana plants on a farm in central Alberta owned by James Roszko. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Const. Peter Schiemann, Const. Leo Johnston, Const. Brock Myrol and
Const. Anthony Gordon were gunned down by Roszko, who then killed
himself. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The families are lobbying for mandatory minimum sentences for
serious crimes; consecutive, not concurrent, sentences; and
eliminating the bill to decriminalize marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Records show that over 30 years, Roszko faced 44 charges including sexual assault and unlawful confinement. He was convicted on 14. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(18) 'FALLEN FOUR' HONOURED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Schiemann's father, Don, thanked Rice and his colleagues for their
support, and said the families of the four officers plan to continue
pushing for changes to better protect Canadian police officers on
the job. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The families will meet with Prime Minister Paul Martin on Tuesday in
Ottawa to ask for changes to the justice system, which would include
mandatory minimum sentences for certain crimes. | ||||||||||||||||||||
They also want the Liberal government to scrap Bill C-17, which calls for the decriminalization of marijuana possession. | ||||||||||||||||||||
There is already an epidemic of grow operations in Canada, said
Schiemann, and decriminalizing possession of marijuana is not the
best way to deal with the country's drug problems. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(19) SEIZING KIDS MUST BE LAST RESORT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Even Drug Abusers' Families Should Often Be Kept Intact | ||||||||||||||||||||
Removing children from their families is never a step to be taken
lightly. That's why Alberta must use extreme care in setting
criteria for a bill that will allow for the removal of children from
homes where the parents abuse drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The proposal is excellent in principle but, unfortunately, it is
also open to abuse by zealous social workers, if it is not carefully
and narrowly defined. The legislation would provide for rescuing
children from families in which there is drug abuse, production and
trafficking. Premier Ralph Klein has said this would include
"crystal meth, crack cocaine and other harmful drugs." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Whose definition of "harmful" will form the basis of this
legislation? Nobody will argue that crystal meth and crack aren't
dangerous, but some people would also put marijuana into that
category. Unless there is some other form of child abuse going on in
the home, is there any reason to seize the children of a casual pot
smoker? | ||||||||||||||||||||
Laudable as the notion of rescuing children from severely
dysfunctional situations is, this is one piece of legislation which
has the potential to do more harm than good if it is not clearly and
finely worded. Any vagueness opens the door to trampling on the
basic value that Albertans hold dear -- the sanctity of the family
unit. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(20) T.O. BOARD OKs INJECTION SITES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Council Must Now Decide on Supervised Narcotics Use | ||||||||||||||||||||
A controversial call to look at creating safe injection sites for
junkies was overwhelmingly approved yesterday by Toronto's health
board. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Members okayed 66 broad-ranging recommendations from a newly
proposed drug strategy that include support for decriminalizing
small amounts of pot for personal use and limiting the number of
bars in neighbourhoods. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Toronto council will have final say on whether the plan becomes city
policy. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(21) MOST WOMEN INMATES FACE DRUG-RELATED CASES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Majority of female inmates at the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center
(BBRC) are facing drug-related cases, said the deputy jail warden
for the women's dormitory. | ||||||||||||||||||||
SJO4 Merlina Metante yesterday said they have 221 women prisoners,
80 percent of whom were arrested for using and selling illegal
drugs. The rest were charged with estafa. One is charged with
murder. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
THE DECRIMINALIZATION OF MARIJUANA | ||||||||||||||||||||
Inevitable or a disaster in the making? | ||||||||||||||||||||
How should Canadians respond to its government's plan to push for
decriminalization of cannabis? Will decriminalizing marijuana
lead to less work for police and more destructive behaviour on
our streets? | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
ALBERTA CONSIDERS TAKING CHILDREN FROM PARENTS WHO ARE DRUG USERS | ||||||||||||||||||||
The government of Alberta has come up with a new weapon in its war on drugs. Yesterday, Premier Ralph Klein announced his government is preparing legislation that will give the province the power to take children from parents who are drug users or involved in the drug trade. The legislation would be the first of its kind in Canada. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Heather Forsyth is Alberta's Children's Services Minister. She is in
Calgary. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||||
RETHINKING THE CONSEQUENCES OF DECRIMINALIZING MARIJUANA | ||||||||||||||||||||
Liberalizing Marijuana Laws Enables Police To Focus Efforts On More
Serious Crimes, Study Says | ||||||||||||||||||||
October 27, 2005 - Washington, DC, USA | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||||
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HARTFORD DRUG CONFERENCE SPEECH BY ERIC STERLING OF CJPF | ||||||||||||||||||||
Criminal Justice Policy Foundation, http://cjpf.org/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
DRUG WAR PRISONER COUNT OVER HALF A MILLION | ||||||||||||||||||||
U.S. Prison Population at All-Time High | ||||||||||||||||||||
More than half a million people were behind bars for drug offenses in
the United States at the end of last year, according to numbers from
the Bureau of Justice Statistics. In a report released Sunday,
Prisoners in 2004, the Justice Department number-crunchers found that
people sentenced for drug crimes accounted for 21% of state prisoners
and 55% of all federal prisoners. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
MAP ONAIR EVENTS CALENDAR | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Media Awareness Project Onair Events Calendar has been updated. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Job Opportunity: Assistant Director Of Communications | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) is hiring an Assistant Director
of Communications, to be based in the organization's main office in
Washington, D.C. The Assistant Director of Communications promotes
MPP's message to the news media, writes and edits brochures and
other literature for public distribution, and serves as the managing
editor and primary author of MPP's newsletter to its dues-paying
membership. | ||||||||||||||||||||
For more details, see: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Job Opportunity: Executive Assistant | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Marijuana Policy Project is seeking an Executive Assistant to
manage MPP's main office in Washington, D.C., and to assist the
executive director. | ||||||||||||||||||||
For more details, see: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
WAR ON DRUGS FAILS BLACK AMERICANS | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Tony Newman | ||||||||||||||||||||
I was deeply moved by Breea Willingham's commentary regarding the
devastation that children endure, particularly in the | ||||||||||||||||||||
One reason why many fathers can't be with their families is because of this country's misguided war on drugs. Of the two million people behind bars in America, more than 450,000 are there for drug offenses. While drug abuse doesn't discriminate, our drug policies | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Despite roughly equal drug use between blacks and whites,
African-Americans are 13 times more likely to go to jail for drugs
than whites. In New York, 93% of the people in jail under the
draconian Rockefeller drug laws are African-Americans and Latino,
even though there are likely a number of white people on Wall Street
who use cocaine. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Offering people treatment and help instead of incarceration for
their drug addictions would not only save this country much-needed
resources, it would help keep tens of thousands of fathers with
their families. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tony Newman | ||||||||||||||||||||
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FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Help Stop The War On Drugs From Becoming A War On Hurricane Victims | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Drug Policy Alliance | ||||||||||||||||||||
Nearly three million people have been displaced from their homes
because of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Many have lost everything.
Yet federal laws prohibit these victims from receiving welfare, food
stamps, public housing, student loans and other benefits if they
have a drug law conviction. People who have lost everything should
not be denied public assistance just because they were convicted of
a drug offense sometime in their past. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Alliance held a press conference today with Congressman Bobby
Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Crime Subcommittee, and
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), ranking member of the House
Immigration Subcommittee, to announce the introduction of the
"Elimination of Barriers for Katrina Victims Act," which would
temporarily suspend federal laws that deny public assistance to
hurricane victims who have drug offenses in their past. If the bill
is enacted, thousands of destitute families that would otherwise be
denied food stamps, public housing and other aid because of prior
drug offenses would be able to obtain benefits to help put their
lives back together. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fax Congress in support of this important bill: | ||||||||||||||||||||
In addition to holding a press conference, the Alliance released a
statement in support of the bill | ||||||||||||||||||||
We would like to thank Joyce Ann Brown, president and CEO of Mothers
(Fathers) for the Advancement of Social Systems (MASS), and Lorenzo
Ford, a MASS case worker, for traveling all the way from Texas to
speak at our press conference. We would like to especially thank
Antoinette Samson for coming to DC to speak. Her family was
evacuated from New Orleans, where they lost everything, and her
courage in the face of adversity is amazing. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Introduced by Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), the "Elimination of
Barriers for Katrina Victims Act" is co-sponsored by Rep. John
Conyers (D-MI), Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), Rep. William Jefferson
(D-LA), Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA),
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), Rep. Charles
Rangel (D-NY), and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS). Since the bill was
just introduced, it does not have a bill number yet. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Now we need you to speak up. Fax your U.S. Representative today http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=1876&l=109090 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
The Media Awareness Project of DrugSense adds: | ||||||||||||||||||||
After you have contacted your U.S. Representative, please write a letter on this issue to your local newspaper. The problems of hurricane victims is daily news now, but few are aware of this issue. Your letters will help bring the issue to the public. | ||||||||||||||||||||
To see a listing of the newspapers from your state and their contact
information, go to http://www.mapinc.org/media.htm, use the dropdown
menu to select your state and then select CONTACT. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thanks for your effort and support. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It's not what others do it's what YOU do. | ||||||||||||||||||||
For more information about the Drug Policy Alliance, see
http://www.drugpolicy.org/homepage.cfm For more information on the
Media Awareness Project, see http://www.mapinc.org/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Never open the door to a lesser evil, for other and greater ones
invariably slink in after it." -- Baltasar Gracian | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
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and analysis by Philippe Lucas (), International
content selection and analysis by Doug Snead (),
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