| Nov. 18, 2005 #425 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(1) MARIJUANA WORLD (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A Look at Pot: Its Users, Its Trade, Its Cultivation, the Research And
the Anti-Prohibition Movement | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Marijuana. Cannabis. Grass. Pot. Smoke. Dank. Herb. Ganja. Dope. Hemp. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
It's the plant with a hundred names, including simply "weed," which is
what it grows like. It's been grown for fiber and medicine and fun for
thousands of years. In the United States, it currently has its own
subculture and economy, and even its own decades-long guerilla war--the
War on Drugs--plus a multi-faceted and increasingly visible anti-war
movement. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
And it's here, in Tucson. Boy, is it here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(2) CANNABIS FOR MS SUFFERERS APPROVED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Cannabis Plant On Which New Medicine Is Based | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Doctors are set to prescribe a new cannabis-based medicine to patients with multiple sclerosis even though it is yet to be licensed in the UK. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Home Office has agreed to requests from doctors and patients to
allow Sativex to be imported from Canada where it has been on sale
since late June. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The decision by drugs minister Paul Goggins was made in spite of the
refusal of regulators last year to award Sativex a full licence in the
UK until more clinical data was available. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A statement from maker GW Pharmaceuticals said there was scope within the Medicines Act for a drug to be prescribed and supplied in response to a specific request from a GP even if it has not yet been licensed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"The basis on which Sativex may be imported, therefore, is the clinical
judgement of doctors in relation to specific, nominated patients," GW
said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Doctors will need a special Home Office licence to prescribe Sativex -
an oral spray designed for the relief of spasticity, or involuntary
muscle contractions, in MS sufferers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Because it will remain a controlled drug, GW said talks will take place
with the Home Office during the coming weeks over how a licensing
regime can be put in place. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Today's news sent shares in GW up 20 per cent and the company confirmed it still intended to seek full regulatory approval for Sativex in the | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(3) DRUG CZAR CITES PROGRESS IN CURBING COKE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON -- Hopeful signs have emerged that after five years and $4
billion the United States is starting to see a payoff for its efforts
to stem the flow of cocaine out of Colombia. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
John P. Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy, said in the last six months there's been a steady
decline in the purity of Colombian cocaine and a steady increase in the
price. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Both are signs of a reduction in availability - the price goes up when
less is on the market while purity goes down because traffickers are
forced to dilute their drugs to stretch their supply. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"There were those who did not believe it was possible to change the availability of cocaine in the United States," Walters said. "What we're announcing today is, there's no question that's happened." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Between February and September, the price of a gram of cocaine in the
United States increased 19 percent to about $170, while the drug's
purity has decreased 15 percent, Walters said. Colombian officials say
they have seized a record amount of the drug this year. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Plan Colombia," a joint U.S.-Colombia anti-drug program, started in 2000 and ended in September. The United States spent about $4 billion on the project, providing training, equipment and other aid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Adam Isacson, the Colombia program director at the Center for
International Policy, said the latest numbers are encouraging but
warned that more time is needed to determine if the effort finally has
made real progress. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(4) CRIME FEARS AS LINE OF COCAINE 'COSTS LESS THAN GLASS OF WINE' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
EDINBURGH is being flooded with so much cheap cocaine that a line of
the drug now costs "less than a glass of wine". | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Drug workers say there is now more cocaine on the Capital's streets
than ever before. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Between April and October this year, police in Edinburgh seized more
than AUKP300,000 worth of the drug - compared with just over AUKP4000
for the same period in 2003 and AUKP25,000 last year. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The trend has sparked fears of widespread health problems and the gun
crime which is associated with cocaine and crack dealing emerging on
the Capital's streets. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Drug experts say the growing amount of seizures - which has risen 1200 per cent - is not down to a crackdown on drug dealers launched last year, but the rising amount of cocaine which has flooded the city. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The price of a gram of cocaine on the city's streets has fallen in the
last six years from AUKP90 to just AUKP35, meaning it is no longer the
yuppie drug it was in the 80s and 90s. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Cocaine is not bought by the line, but the cost of a gram is now so low
that according to the city's anti-drugs chief Tom Wood, a line is now
"cheaper than a glass of wine". | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The abundance of cheap cocaine has been sparked by South American drugs
barons targeting western Europe because they believe the North American
market has been saturated. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-9) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A major gathering of drug policy reformers took place last week in
Long Beach, Ca. at the 2005 Drug Policy Reform Conference. More
about the conference from DrugSense staff members who were there
will be shared next week. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In other news, less than a decade after it became a focal point of
media attention for its teen heroin use, Plano, Texas might be
seeing a resurgence of the trend. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Don't get sick in Washington state if you depend on pseudoephedrine.
Some small markets are going to stop selling certain cold
medications in response to new regulations which requires buyers to
sign a register at the time of purchase. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Another new anti-drug media campaign is ready to debut, and certain to fail the way all its predecessors have. And, in a novel twist on an old favorite, light bondage involving red ribbons seems to be the anti-drug of choice at one Massachusetts middle school. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) COPS AND HARM REDUCTION HOTTIES, OH MY! (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
You wouldn't have expected it during any other week, but for a few days in mid-November, pot smoke wafted throughout the hallways and meeting rooms of the Westin Hotel in Long Beach, California. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Upscale hotels aren't typical hangouts for barefoot young hippies, recovering addicts, or a handful of self-described "harm reduction hotties" toting their own 12-month calendar and information about how to minimize disease and other damage from injection drug use. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But here they were, rubbing elbows with retired police chiefs,
academics, addiction specialists, attorneys, non-profit directors,
religious leaders and formerly incarcerated prisoners. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The occasion? The 2005 International Drug Policy Reform Conference,
organized by the Drug Policy Alliance. With nearly 1,000 registrants
from all over the United States and many parts of Europe, Latin
America and Canada, the event offered attendees nearly 75 sessions
over three days, on topics such as harm reduction psychotherapy,
rogue anti-drug task forces, and cutting edge cannabis research in
Canada. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(6) HEROIN USE 'COMES FULL CIRCLE' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Greg Thomas began working with the Plano ISD at the start of a
deadly heroin crisis that made national headlines. More than a dozen
teenagers died from heroin overdoses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
With a background working in drug and alcohol abuse treatment
centers, he took on the job of educating teachers, students and
community members about drugs and their effects. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Use of heroin among teenagers has fluctuated since then as other
drugs have become more popular, but officials in law enforcement and
those working in local hospitals and treatment centers are seeing a
return of heroin. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"We're pretty much full circle now," he said. "We have to raise the
concern again about heroin." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(7) IT WILL BE TOUGHER TO FIND COLD PILLS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Some Smaller Stores Will Stop Selling Cold Medications Rather Than
Keep Track Of The Sales | ||||||||||||||||||||||
OLYMPIA - Cold and allergy sufferers may have trouble finding the
medicine they seek at the corner market next year. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Starting Jan. 1, some owners of minimarkets in the state are
expected to stop selling popular medications such as Sudafed,
Actifed and Claritin because a new state law requires them to log
each sale and obtain the signature of every buyer. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"When you have a cold or an allergy attack, don't turn to your
convenience store for any relief. The Legislature has put an end to
that," said T.K. Bentler, executive director of the Washington
Association of Neighborhood Stores. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Small market owners are reacting differently to the new rules. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(8) TEEN ANTI-DRUG CAMPAIGN TAKES NEW FORM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
DETROIT -- In the 1980s, a frying egg was used as a scary metaphor
for a brain sizzling on drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Two decades later, the White House Office of National Drug Control
Policy's National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign has launched an
Above the Influence campaign -- a play on the saying "under the
influence" -- to remind teens to just say no to drugs but in a
unique way. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Unlike the previous ads that have tried to shock teens into action,
the new ads use humor, exaggeration and shame to play on teens'
desires to maintain their identities and reject negative influences.
The ads will run through April. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In one of the new Above the Influence TV spots, a boy, through an
interpreter, tells teens that he's an idiot for allowing his friends
to dupe him into smoking marijuana and accepting a dare that led to
his fist being stuck in his mouth. Another ad, called "Flat," shows
a girl speaking up for a friend, a teenager who looks like a
deflated human balloon who breathes heavily and wants to do nothing
but sit lifelessly on a couch after having started smoking
marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The $25 million Above the Influence campaign -- the value of which
is doubled because media companies such as MTV, Fox, WB and UPN
provide one free ad for every paid one -- is a slight departure from
public service announcements of recent years. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(9) ANTI-DRUG EFFORT ROPES IN TEACHERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
WESTFIELD - It was not retaliation, but an experiment to show
restrictions of body movement when under the influence of drugs or
alcohol. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Students at the South Middle School were given the opportunity last week to tape up some teachers with red ribbon, a symbol of a national drug awareness program in memory of the 1985 murder of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration undercover agent in Mexico. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Jeffrey W. Collier was one teacher who volunteered for the demonstration, and said he did so because, "I thought it would generate excitement and enthusiasm among students." He was right. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"It's fun to tie up my teacher," said Olivia T. Gamble, 12, a
seventh-grade student. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
She tied the first piece of red ribbon around Collier's head and
neck in the shape of a bonnet. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (10-14) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A former justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court thinks the
state should consider decriminalizing drugs, based on all the
failure of the drug war. The U.S. Supreme Court heard a case asking
what should happen when two people who live in one place disagree
about whether they should allow a search. In California, a troubling
arrest is documented, and officials say local needle exchange
patrons won't be hassled by police. Finally, from Pennsylvania, a
police official says meth cooks in prison are using their time to
exchange recipes with other inmates. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) FORMER N.C. JUSTICE: STOP WAR ON DRUGS | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Spend On Treatment Instead Of Enforcement, Says Burley Mitchell | ||||||||||||||||||||||
RALEIGH - North Carolina should consider decriminalizing illegal
drugs as it tries to stem the need for additional prisons, a former
state Supreme Court chief justice said Monday. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Burley Mitchell, the state's top judge from 1995 to 1999, said the
war on drugs in North Carolina and nationwide has been "a total
failure" that has filled up prisons. The money saved if police no
longer made arrests and courts no longer handed out sentences could
be used to treat drug addicts, he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"What if we decriminalized drugs? Then you'd knock out all of the
profits of every dealer and more to the point, the big producers,"
Mitchell said at a Raleigh luncheon crowd interested in prison
reform. Drug demand also would go down due to lower supplies, and
drug-related crimes such as robbery and murder also would fall, he
said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(11) HIGH COURT DEBATES HOME SEARCHES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - The love lost between Scott and Janet Randolph worked
to the advantage of the police in the summer of 2001, when
authorities investigating a domestic dispute between the two asked
to search the couple's Georgia home. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Scott Randolph said no. His wife said yes, and police went ahead with her consent. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court weighed whether the subsequent search -- in which Janet Randolph led them to drugs that resulted in her husband's arrest -- was unconstitutional. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The case is the latest in a long line of opportunities for the court
to refine the scope of permissible searches under the Fourth
Amendment. But the question involved -- How much privacy can anyone
expect in a home they share with someone else? -- inspired an
animated debate among the justices. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Even Clarence Thomas, usually silent during oral arguments, jumped
into the fray. Thomas not only asked a question, but also engaged in
a lively back-and-forth with a lawyer, saying that rules of criminal
procedure shouldn't prevent Janet Randolph from leading police to
evidence of a crime. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(12) TROUBLING ARREST (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The videotaped scuffle between narcotics suspect Harold Sykes III
and undercover San Bernardino police last year is disturbing in
three ways: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1. Officers continued to pummel Sykes after he was subdued. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
2. The camera of a witness who recorded the beating was seized. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
3. The officers remain on the street 13 months later -- apparently | ||||||||||||||||||||||
According to official accounts, on Oct. 5, 2004, police were doing
surveillance at a motel known for drug deals when Sykes -- an
"extremely muscular," 6-foot-1 ex-con -- drove into the parking lot
and knocked on a door. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
An officer asked Sykes who he was; Sykes didn't answer and began to
walk away. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The officer grabbed his arm, Sykes jerked away, the officer pushed him against the car, Sykes shoved him away and the scuffle was on. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Two officers came to assist, but the 260-pound suspect dragged all
three, falling and gashing his head on the car. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Two more officers joined in the fray. By the time Sykes was subdued,
he and three officers were smeared with his blood. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
An officer noticed a witness in a motel room doorway and saw the man
had a camera. The officer asked for ID; he refused. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The officer asked if he'd taken pictures of the scuffle; the man
said yes. When he retreated into the room, the officer followed,
shoving him on the bed and handcuffing him. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The officer saw a small amount of marijuana and arrested the man for
marijuana possession and obstructing an officer, and took the camera
as possible evidence of a crime. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Two days later, the witness was told the charges would be dropped
and he would get $1,000 if he signed a release giving up the camera
and the video. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
I spoke to three civil-rights lawyers who found this inappropriate.
One called it bribery, another said it was coercive. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(13) NEEDLE EXCHANGE WON'T BE TARGETED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Los Angeles Police Department officials took steps this week to ease
concerns that police had been trying to intimidate clients of a
needle exchange program in Hollywood. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"We recognize that we need to continue to evolve, and we're
certainly sensitive to this problem," Assistant Chief George Gascon
told the Police Commission on Tuesday. "It's a matter of us finding
a way trying to strike a balance between public health and reducing
crime." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Needle exchange advocates at the Hollywood site recently complained
of several instances in which addicts felt intimidated by the
presence of police in the area. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(14) METH PROBLEM WORSENS AS 'COOKS' SWAP RECIPES IN JAIL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
They can't battle the methamphetamine problem alone. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
And they're asking for the community's help. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
That's what representatives from the Titusville Police Department
and Pennsylvania State Police told a small group that turned out at
the Pitt-Titusville's Henne Auditorium Monday. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"The problem's here and it's up to you folks to make a difference,"
state police Cpl. James Basinger said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"The problem is in your town," he said. "Help these guys out." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Methamphetamine - or meth - has been a rapidly rising problem in the
area in the past few years. "Cooks" are preparing highly addictive
and dangerous drug in homes, hotel rooms, campers, shacks, barns and
wooded areas. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Forty-one labs were found in Crawford County in 2004 and 11 were
found in Venango County, according to Titusville police officer
William Dilley. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But now there is a new problem, according to Basinger. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Those who have been arrested for meth are meeting up with other meth
"cooks" in jail and swapping recipes, Basinger said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (15-18) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
We start this week with a dip into the category of "Dubious
Accomplishments": this year California's cannabis interdiction
forces seized more than 1 million plants from illegal outdoor
gardens, more than doubling the total of any previous year. Nearly
75% of the plants were found on public lands, and the raids resulted
in the arrest of=85wait for it=85a total of 42 people. Thanks Cali
narcs; I feel so much safer now. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
And from Australia, news that Prime Minister John Howard is calling
for tougher cannabis laws. Citing inconclusive reports that cannabis
use is linked to mental illness, Howard called on lawmakers to
reconsider recent policy shifts towards decriminalization. In
another story from down under, a new study suggests that cannabis
use in 30-40 year olds is rising. The article expresses concern that
if use increases amongst older users, it may also lead to an
increase in use by their kids. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Our last story this week is a Globe and Mail review of a new book by
Vancouver Sun Columnist Ian Mulgrew called Bud Inc. The book, which
is an investigation of Canada's licit and illicit cannabis economy,
has caused a bit of a stir amongst activist circles for its frank
tone and revealing "insider" look at this budding multi-million
(billion?) dollar marijuana industry. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(15) POT PLANT HAUL TOPS 1 MILLION IN '05 (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
California narcotics agents seized more than a million marijuana
plants worth more than $4.5 billion during this year's growing
season - -- more than double any other year -- according to new
figures released by the Department of Justice. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In Santa Clara County, sheriff's deputies working with state
narcotics agents confiscated 37,811 plants, worth at least $114
million, ranking Silicon Valley ninth among the Top 10 counties
where marijuana gardens were found and destroyed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Johnson said many of the marijuana gardens, and particularly large
gardens that are becoming more common -- appear to have been set up
by Mexican drug cartels who are increasingly moving marijuana
growing operations to California's public lands. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Nearly 75 percent of the confiscated pot plants were found in public
lands, including state and national parks and forests. That's up
from about 60 percent last year. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(16) PM URGES NATION TO GET TOUGH ON DOPE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
JOHN Howard has called for a crackdown on cannabis use, saying
marijuana is linked to mental illness, and warning that | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Far from embracing further decriminalisation, authorities should be
examining going in the opposite direction," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"There is a higher rate of drug use among people experiencing mental
health problems. When it comes to cannabis, the time has arrived for
us -- legislators and parents -- to get tougher." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Prime Minister said that while there was some debate about the
specific relationship between drug use and mental illness, there was
a consensus that people with drug problems had an increased risk of
mental health problems. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(17) OLD AND OFF THEIR FACES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
JOY expected one of her children to experiment with cannabis. It was almost inevitable, living on Sydney's northern beaches where the drug culture is as entrenched as the pursuit of surf and sun. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
She anticipated her child would be induced by a friend to take that first toke, just as she was as a schoolgirl in the 1970s. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Those were the days of Buddha sticks," Joy says. "I can't even
remember how we used them." Two of Joy's four children became
regular cannabis users between the ages of 15 and 17. Both are now
in their 20s and although one is an occasional user, Joy is
confident his dalliance will have no long-term effect. But the
46-year-old, middle-class mum didn't tell her children of her own
teenage experiences until years later. "It just hadn't come up in
conversation," she says. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Lana Coleman plans a different approach. She will wait for her
10-year-old daughter to ask but plans to tell all. In anticipation
of that day Coleman, also from Sydney's northern beaches, enrolled
in a Parents Prepared course at the Manly Drug Education Centre.
"Kids are going to experiment, you need to give them information,"
she says. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(18) JOINT VENTURE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Bud Inc.: Inside Canada's Marijuana Industry By Ian Mulgrew Random
House Canada, 287 pages, $35 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Among the many soft spots in the road to marijuana-law reform is the
lack of hard numbers. People in the cannabis trade don't report to
StatsCan, and the police are prone to exaggerate the pot "problem"
to justify the $300-million Canada sinks every year into the war on
drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But however anecdotal or even apocryphal, the numbers do matter,
because they are, like dispatches from the front, our only way of
gauging the progress of the battle. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
So it is here, with the calculus, that Vancouver journalist Ian
Mulgrew opens this timely and engaging book. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
He turns for help to Simon Fraser University economist Stephen
Easton, who has developed a mathematical formula to track the growth
of Canada's marijuana industry (a formula that I, as a one-time pot
grower, find largely credible). The figures churned out by Easton's
computers are stunning: a Canadian wholesale value in 2003 of
$5.7-billion, or $19.5-billion at high-end street prices, with the
bulk of this coming from British Columbia. And the trend of
production has nowhere to go but up, more than trebling in B.C. over
the past seven years. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
As they like to put it, pot producers are "overgrowing the
government." And the justice system into the bargain. Police busts
as a percentage of grow ops are tumbling, while judges, rather than
plug the jails, are handing out more conditional sentences. "The
law," Mulgrew tells us, "is no longer a risk to growers, it is an
operating cost." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
This, then, is Bud, Inc., a huge and burgeoning industry operating
outside the law and out of control. Mulgrew's purpose, as a toker,
civil libertarian and champion of medical marijuana, is to make the
case for outright legalization. His method is to take us inside this
closed and secretive business, meeting some of the biggest players
on their own ground. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (19-22) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Watchers worldwide were shocked, shocked when Adan Castillo, the
head of Guatemala's "special" anti-drug police force, was arrested
and indicted this week on charges of conspiracy to bring cocaine
into the U.S. Castillo had earlier in the week announced plans to
resign in December, but not this way, exactly. Guatemala's top narc
was arrested while in the U.S. attending, ironically, DEA "training
on stopping drug trafficking". | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In Quebec, Canada, pundits in the press reacted with dismay to the
election of 39-year-old Andre Boisclair as premier of the Parti
Quebecois. Why the unhappiness from reporters who 'exposed'
Boisclair's youthful cocaine use? Because, "if anything, the
revelation of Mr. Boisclair's drug use actually seemed to help his
campaign," as one spurned reporter rued. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
So much for the "let them take drugs and they will just flock to it"
theory. In Vancouver, Canada, a study which involves prescribing
(free) heroin to addicts is still having trouble recruiting people
willing to take the heroin. Hoping for some 470 addicts to take the
heroin, only 80 people could be found, and this in Vancouver's "most
heroin-addicted neighborhoods." "We're working very hard to get as
many people as we can," said Dr. Martin Schechter, leader of the
organization doing the research. Studies are slated to be done by
2007 at the earliest. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
And from New Zealand this week, sad news that addicts are dying
while waiting for treatment. With waits of up to six months in some
parts of New Zealand, addicts lose motivation to stop. "It's about
securing that window of opportunity," said Tim Harding, head of Care
New Zealand. With increasing closure of available treatment centers,
the problem is expected to get worse. "It is serious and it is a
killer," stressed Harding. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
(19) TOP DRUG COPS ARRESTED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - Guatemala's top anti-drug investigators have been
arrested on charges they conspired to import and distribute cocaine
in the United States after being lured to America for what they
thought was training on fighting drug traffickers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A three-count indictment issued Wednesday by a federal grand jury in
Washington names Adan Castillo, chief of Guatemala's special
anti-drug police force, who has lamented the slow pace of progress
in combating cocaine smugglers in Guatemala. Also indicted were
Jorge Aguilar Garcia, Castillo's deputy, and Rubilio Orlando
Palacios, another police official. They were arrested Tuesday after
arriving in the United States for drug enforcement Administration
training on stopping drug trafficking in ports. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(20) IN QUEBEC, COCAINE'S OK, MARGARINE IS NOT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
We have an interesting approach to the law in Quebec. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The balloting doesn't end until tonight but it looks as if the Parti
Quebecois is about to elect as its leader and, the way the polls are
running these days, Quebec's next premier, a 39-year-old, Andre
Boisclair, who admits to having used cocaine as recently as seven
years ago, while he was a cabinet minister in Lucien Bouchard's
government. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Now, the use of cocaine was at the time and still is illegal. People
presumably are being incarcerated for it even as you read this.
They're certainly being incarcerated for selling cocaine. (That's
always been a puzzle: If buying marijuana, say, is no longer a
crime, why should selling marijuana be one?) But, if anything, the
revelation of Mr. Boisclair's drug use actually seemed to help his
campaign. In the short run, at least, he seemed a victim of the
boisterous press scrum at which he first addressed his former
habits. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A cabinet minister admits to having broken the law, knowingly and
recklessly, and the public gets all bothered about the press being
rude, which admittedly the press often is, though usually not often
enough. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(21) HEROIN STUDY STRUGGLES FOR TEST SUBJECTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - On Vancouver's skid row, one of the
most heroin-addicted neighborhoods in Canada, researchers offering a
free prescription version of the drug have been struggling to find
test subjects. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
North America's leading study of whether a therapy | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The researchers working in Vancouver and Montreal have only enrolled
80 people, and their hope of conducting part of the | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Initially, recruitment was slower than expected," said Dr. Martin Schechter, who heads the North American Opiate Medication Initiative (NAOMI). "We're working very hard to get as many people as we can." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The study is examining if hard-core addicts will be more willing to
stick with a prescribed heroin treatment program than the
traditional methadone treatment. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
While researchers had intended to complete the study by February
2007, "it will likely be longer than that," Schechter said. "We're
going to go as long as it takes." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
(22) ADDICTS 'DYING' ON WAITING LISTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Some drug addicts are dying on the waiting lists for rehabilitation
after the closure of 10 residential treatment centres in the past 11
years, say addiction services. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Addicts are waiting up to six months for treatment in some parts of
the country. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The latest closure, of the 35-bed Kahunui centre at Opotiki two
weeks ago, leaves no residential facility in the central North
Island and only one remaining Kaupapa Maori residence - Dunedin's
Moana House, which only takes addicts referred through the justice
system. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tim Harding, the chief executive of the former National Society of
Alcohol and Drug Dependence (NSAD), now known as Care New Zealand,
said the number of residential beds had more than halved in the past
decade, and some addicts were losing motivation to get treatment
while they waited for beds. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"It's about securing that window of opportunity. If you have to wait
two or three or even four to six months, then you can lose
motivation," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"It is serious and it is a killer." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
DRUGSENSE AWARDED FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN THE FIELD OF CITIZEN ACTION | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Robert C. Randall Award honors citizens who make democracy work in
the difficult area of drug law and policy reform. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
DARE GENERATION DIARY | ||||||||||||||||||||||
DARE Generation Diary is the new group blog by Students for Sensible
Drug Policy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
DGD provides a forum for members of the DARE Generation - those of us who grew up during the escalation of the War on Drugs - to share our thoughts on punitive policies that negatively impact us. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
You can check out the discussion on the latest drug policy developments
and their implications for young people at | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
PSEUDOEPHEDRINE RESTRICTIONS RAISE FEARS OF 'MORE ADDICTION" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Scott Henson at Grits For Breakfast | ||||||||||||||||||||||
http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2005/11/pseudoephedrine-restrictions-raise.html | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
MILITARIZING MAYBERRY / BY RADLEY BALKO | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
RESPECTABLE REEFER | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Gary Greenberg, MotherJones.com. Posted November 14, 2005. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Sativex, a pulverized, liquefied, and doctor-prescribed form of marijuana, has the potential to transform the drug-war landscape. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
BUILDING A MOVEMENT FOR REASON, COMPASSION AND JUSTICE - PICTURES | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2005 International Drug Policy Reform Conference | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||||||
11/11/05 - Hartford Drug Conference III: Cliff Thornton,
Phil Jackson's "Black Perspective" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
DRUG TRUTH NETWORK | ||||||||||||||||||||||
11/11/05 - Hartford Drug Conference IV: Judge Arthur Burnett, Nick Eyle of Reconsider, Scarlet Swerdlow of SSDP & David Biklin | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
11/04/05 - Hartford Conference wrap up, Ethan Nadelmann of Drug Policy
Alliance Conf. 11/12/05 in Long Beach Ca. + Daniel Abrahamson re:
psychedelic hoasca tea & the US Supreme Court. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
NEW STUDY - MARIJUANA USERS LESS DEPRESSED | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Largest-Ever Study of Marijuana, Depression Finds Fewer Depressive
Symptoms, Better Mood | ||||||||||||||||||||||
ALBANY, NEW YORK-In the largest-ever study of marijuana and depression,
to be published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, daily or weekly
marijuana users had fewer symptoms of depression than non-users.
Marijuana users were also more likely to report positive moods and
fewer somatic complaints such as sleeplessness. Noteworthy differences
were also found between those using marijuana for medical purposes and
non-medical or "recreational" users. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Join A DrugSense Virtual Conference | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The staff of DrugSense and The Media Awareness Project are pleased to
announce scheduled events for Nov. 19, 23 and 30 to be held in our
online Virtual Conference Room. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
SATURDAY, NOV 19 9pm EST, 8pm CST, 6pm PST - Highlights of the Drug
Policy Alliance conference in Long Beach | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Join DrugSense staff members Mark Greer, Matt Elrod, Philippe Lucas,
Mary Jane Borden and Steve Heath as they welcome in leading DPR
activists who were present for some or all of the previous week's DPA
Conference. We will share with visitors highlights of the conference.
And we will welcome questions from visitors who were unable to attend
in person. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
TUESDAY, Nov 23 and Nov 30 8pm EST, 7pm CST, 5pm PST - Media Activism | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Join MAP's Media Activism Facilitator Steve Heath and leading MAP
volunteers and letter writers. Discussion will include How To Newshawk
drug policy clippings from newspapers; how to write Letters to the
Editor which get printed; and how to help the Drug Policy Writers Group
place favorable OPEDs in your local and in-state newspapers. If you are
already versed in these areas, please consider joining us to share your
input and experience with others who are new. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
See: http://mapinc.org/resource/paltalk.htm for all details on how you can participate in this important meeting of leading minds in reform. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
JOB OPPORTUNITIES: WEB ADMINISTRATOR AND WEB MASTER | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Web Administrator | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), the nation's largest and most
respected marijuana policy reform organization, is hiring a Web
Administrator, to be based in the organization's main office in
Washington, D.C. This position is an excellent opportunity for someone
who is meticulous and hard working to become immersed in the technology
aspect of a successful, fast-paced, and good-sized nonprofit
organization. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Webmaster | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana (CRCM), the Nevada campaign committee of the national Marijuana Policy Project, seeks a Web Designer/Master to create and manage a unique and aggressive presence on the Web. This position is based in Las Vegas. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
PASSAGE OF MARIJUANA LAW IN DENVER | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Melanie Marshall | ||||||||||||||||||||||
I couldn't agree more with Attorney General John Suthers when he said, "I understand the debate about legalization and whether our drug laws are constructive. But I wish we would have a full-out debate instead of these peripheral issues that accomplish just about nothing." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
We need that "full-out debate" because marijuana is truly safe to
legalize. Decades of misinformation have done a number on us all, and
it's time we look for ways to correct our shameful laws - laws that do
nothing but force decent citizens to enrich the crooked justice system.
Good for Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation for bringing this
matter to the nation's attention. The sooner we get to the truth about
marijuana, the better. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Melanie Marshall, Leavenworth, Kan. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER WRITER OF THE MONTH - OCTOBER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
DrugSense recognizes Tom Angell of Washington, D.C. for his three published letters during October, which brings his total published letters that we know of up to 33. Tom is the Campaign Director for Students for Sensible Drug Policy http://www.DAREgeneration.com/ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
You may read Tom's published letters at: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Increasing Danger Of Cocaine No Reason To Celebrate | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Stephen Young | ||||||||||||||||||||||
U.S. Drug Czar John Walters worked the phone with major media
reporters yesterday to share seemingly good cocaine news: prices are
up, purity is down. The drug war, he suggested, is doing what it's
supposed to do. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
According to data released by the Office of National Drug Control
Policy, the street-level price of cocaine rose by 19 percent from
February to September. That means a gram of cocaine rose from just
over $120 last April to more than $170 in September. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Not exactly the dramatic increase I experience with gas prices
during the same period, but I understand, the folks at the ONDCP are
starved for good news. They are also happy that cocaine purity is
down 15 percent. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Various news outlets quoted typically vague but emotional analysis from Walters. "What we see on the streets of the United States is the clear and irrefutable evidence of a change in availability that will help us reduce demand and will change the profitability of the cocaine market for those who make money off the death and destruction of lives through addiction," Walters told Reuters. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Some mainstream media stories mention the expense of Plan Colombia,
a U.S. military aid package that has cost taxpayers about $4 billion
since 2000. None of the stories I read mentioned the human and
environmental price of dumping herbicide across large swaths of land
where people are trying to scrape out a living. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Is the cost worth the alleged success? I don't think so, but even if we put that aside (along with other questions, like: Is the data really good? Did Plan Colombia cause the price increase? Can this be yet another temporary blip, or have we really "turned the corner"?), let's try to look at it from the drug czar's perspective. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
If it's true, and the supply of cocaine is being limited in a way
that impacts prices, we should ask, do we really want more
expensive, less pure cocaine on the streets? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Both those conditions lead to problems. Less pure cocaine means more
cutting agents, which can be riskier for users. More expensive
cocaine means users who can't afford the increases may turn to
illegal means to finance their use. Other users will move on to
cheaper, and possibly more dangerous substitutes, like | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Exporters and dealers will see profits increase in a fragmented
market, spurring competition. (I love how Walters spins this ever so
carefully in his statement: the increased prices "...will change the
profitability of the cocaine market for those who make money..."!
Business owners throughout the world would love to "change the
profitability" of their markets, if only they had their own
high-level bureaucrat consciously working to artificially raise
prices.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
To me, it doesn't sound like there's much to be happy about, unless
the ultimate goals are to perpetuate prohibition and maximize harm.
Even when the drug war goes according to plan, the rare successes
can be just as dangerous as the frequent failures. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Stephen Young is and editor with DrugSense Weekly. A new edition of
his book Maximizing Harm will be published by Quick American
Archives next year. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Having opinions without knowledge is not of much value; not knowing
the difference between them is a positive indicator of ignorance."
- Diane Ravitch | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Policy and Law Enforcement/Prison content selection and analysis by Stephen Young (), Cannabis/Hemp content selection and analysis by Philippe Lucas (), International content selection and analysis by Doug Snead (), HOTN, TJI and Layout by Matt Elrod () | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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