| March 3, 2006 #439 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
(1) U.S. LISTS ITS PLUSES AND MINUSES IN FIGHTING NARCOTICS WORLDWIDE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON- The Bush administration published an annual report Wednesday on international narcotics control, listing its accomplishments in disrupting the production and trafficking of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and other drugs to the United States. | ||||||||||||||||||
But perhaps the most important measure of the programs' efficacy was
issued just a few weeks ago, when the White House drug-policy office
reported that "cocaine is widely available throughout most of the
nation." The office offered similar assessments for heroin and
marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Yes, narcotics are readily available," said Anne Patterson, the
assistant secretary of state for international narcotics enforcement.
"But if we weren't doing these projects, the problem would be
dramatically worse." The government spent more than $1 billion last
year fighting drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
The successes included Colombia's extradition of 134 suspects to the
United States on trafficking and other criminal charges during 2005,
the most ever. The report also noted that Laos had reduced its opium
poppy cultivation to negligible levels, and that Thailand, once a major
producer, had "practically eliminated" drug production, though that
point was also made in the 2004 report. | ||||||||||||||||||
In singling out trouble spots, the State Department report focused on
two countries in particular, Colombia and Afghanistan. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(2) VENEZUELA REJECTS U.S. CRITICISM ON DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela's vice president said Thursday that the
United States was the world's biggest consumer of illegal drugs and had
no "moral authority" to criticize Venezuela for failing to control
narcotics. | ||||||||||||||||||
The U.S. State Department said Wednesday in its annual report on drug
trafficking that it no longer considers Venezuela an ally in the war on
drugs, worsening already tense relations between Caracas and
Washington. | ||||||||||||||||||
In a speech to Venezuela's Congress, Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel
responded that: "The country with the highest consumption of drugs is
precisely the United States. Narcotrafficking and narcotraffickers are
in the United States, not in Venezuela." | ||||||||||||||||||
The U.S. report said that rampant corruption at high levels of law enforcement and a weak judicial system in Venezuela allowed hundreds of tons of Colombian cocaine to cross into the country each year. | ||||||||||||||||||
Rangel claimed Thursday that high-ranking members of President Bush's administration were involved in drug trafficking and that the U.S. financial system was "clearly infiltrated" by the drug trade. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela William Brownfield tried to defuse the
dispute Thursday. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The question is not what we have done in the past," he told reporters.
"The question is what we are going to do in the future. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(3) GOVT AID 'ESSENTIAL' IN WAR ON DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Winning the global war on drugs means increasing the levels of international aid to developing countries, an Australian expert says. | ||||||||||||||||||
The latest annual report from the United Nations International
Narcotics Control Board into the global state on drugs says alternative
development programs, which aim to protect and assist subsistence
farmers who are vulnerable to drug gangs, have been extremely
successful in stemming the cultivation of drugs such as opium and
cocaine. | ||||||||||||||||||
"For us to ask a subsistence farmer, whether he's growing opium in Afghanistan or coca leaf in Bolivia or Colombia, to stop growing it, he's not likely to do so if it means his family isn't going to be properly clothed and fed," said INCB member Major Brian Watters. | ||||||||||||||||||
"If it comes to the test between that and between not contributing to a
problem in the rich western world, then I'm sure there's no issue for
him." | ||||||||||||||||||
"If the western world really wants to see a reduction in these products
then they have to bite the bullet economically speaking and provide the
resources to enable these people to live a reasonable life with
reasonable earnings from jobs that are acceptable." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(4) B.C. POT ACTIVIST SAYS 60 MINUTES WILL SHOW HIS REAL SELF (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Vancouver - Pot crusader Marc Emery says his appearance on the news program 60 Minutes on Sunday will be an opportunity for Americans to see him as just an ordinary guy who regards himself as the Luke Skywalker against their government's Darth Vader tactics. | ||||||||||||||||||
Most people would be amused that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is trying to extradite him to face drug charges, Emery said. Americans weren't forced to buy his marijuana seeds, he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I think Americans are going to say that if this is the No. 1 drug trafficking kingpin, then I want to move to Canada," he said, adding he's fighting an evil empire similar to one in the movie Star Wars. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I enjoy that comic-book premise of my actions, that it's this little tiny person trying to bring justice and dignity to a whole culture in the face of a big, monolithic, Nazified institution like the DEA." | ||||||||||||||||||
Bob Simon, the reporter who interviewed Emery in Vancouver for the 60
Minutes piece, said the program decided to air the segment on Emery
because his case shows the enormous cultural divide between Canada and
the U.S. when it comes to smoking pot. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Vancouver has a very permissive culture as far as smoking of marijuana
is concerned," Simon said from New York. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Last week, Chicago's biggest newspaper told the same story that's
been told by several other suburban newspapers in the past five
year. You know, it's the one about suburban kids who drive into the
city to buy heroin and then get addicted. I'm waiting for one of
these stories to mention that there are other ways to deal with the
problem than coercion and the expectation of total abstinence, but
it never happens. Also last week, a "faith-based war on drugs" has
been initiated by Christians in Kentucky; students seem divided on a
drug dog program at a school in California; while Texas sheriffs say
they need lots more federal dollars to deal with the drug war on the
border. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(5) A LIFE IN FREE FALL, A COMMUNITY IN DENIAL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Joe Ortman's Drug Use Got So Bad, It Even Alarmed A Street Dealer.
But No One Around Him Saw The Danger | ||||||||||||||||||
When Joe Ortman began using heroin, the only person who seemed to
understand the danger ahead was a dope dealer. | ||||||||||||||||||
Ortman was a wire-thin white boy from Naperville, but he was nervy
enough to buy drugs inside Chicago's forbidding Stateway Gardens
housing project. He'd even hang out after getting high, charming the
gang-bangers with his playful personality until one finally gave him
an exasperated scolding. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Y'all coming up here every day!" he said. "You need to get off this
stuff." | ||||||||||||||||||
Ortman didn't hear many warnings like that back in the suburbs. His
parents didn't know what he was doing and his friends thought he
could handle it. Nobody saw him sinking until his hand was flailing
above the waves. | ||||||||||||||||||
That's how a heroin addiction often plays out in communities far
removed from the drug-ravaged streets of Chicago. Within shimmering
edge cities and prosperous villages, the drug's threat can be so
unthinkable that budding habits remain undetected, minimized or
ignored. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(6) FAITH-BASED WAR ON DRUGS KICKS OFF SATURDAY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Several times each week deputy jailers lead a line of handcuffed inmates from the Clark County Detention Center to circuit or district court to face a judge. In the majority of cases, perhaps as much as 80-90 percent of drug use is directly or indirectly responsible for inmates being locked up, according to prosecutors. | ||||||||||||||||||
What bothers Henry Baker, an 83-year-old retired minister in Winchester, even more are the drug overdose deaths he hears about - nearly one per month in Clark County over the past year. | ||||||||||||||||||
When he heard recently that a police drug dog was being used to
search for drugs at a local school, it was the final straw. Baker
said he couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned until he finally got
out of bed and told his wife he needed to go into another room to
pray. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I said, 'The Lord is trying to tell me something.' ... And it was
just as plain as you talking to me. He said, 'Come out of
retirement. I've got a job for you.'" | ||||||||||||||||||
Since then, Baker has begun a crusade to organize local ministers,
youth leaders, industrial leaders, police, judges and elected
officials to unite against drug use in Clark County. On Saturday,
Baker plans to launch an effort called Clark County Christians
United Against Drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
Baker hopes a higher power will succeed where tougher sentences and
anti-drug campaigns have failed. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I want a drug-free city and county," Baker said. "If they obey the
Lord, the Lord will rescue them. I want to give them another
opportunity, because God is a God of second chances. And work with
them and tell them that 'It's not cool to do drugs.'" | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(7) SOME QUESTION, SOME SUPPORT CANINE PROGRAM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
MURRIETA ---- Nearly a month after the Murrieta school district
announced a decision to allow dogs to search campuses for illicit
drugs, its officials are still working to get students to understand
and feel comfortable with the program. | ||||||||||||||||||
Some students do. Others don't. | ||||||||||||||||||
Two assemblies Friday morning in Murrieta Valley High School's gym
capped off similar events conducted throughout the week at the
district's other middle and high schools, during which students
learned about and were shown a demonstration of how the program
works. | ||||||||||||||||||
The searches are expected to begin next month, said Murrieta Valley
Unified School District spokeswoman Karen Parris, but she declined
to be more specific. | ||||||||||||||||||
As students filtered out of the second assembly Friday morning, one
young man yelled out "Smoke pot every day!" Some students laughed
and waved it off, saying they support the program. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I think it's cool," said junior Philip Vargas, 16. "It'll stop a
lot of drug use at school." | ||||||||||||||||||
Junior Sean Byrne, 17, said sometimes the smell of marijuana lingers
in the air in bathrooms. | ||||||||||||||||||
"This will get a lot of kids who do that to leave our school," he
said. | ||||||||||||||||||
But some students said they are upset officials OK'd the program. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I am not happy it's here," said sophomore Steven Grisham, 15. "Why
should they have to bring drug dogs to school?" | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(8) TEXAS SHERIFFS TO ASK CONGRESS FOR BORDER FUNDS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A coalition of Texas border sheriffs will testify at Capitol Hill
hearings this week that illegal immigration and drug smuggling have
sent law-enforcement costs soaring and exposed their deputies and
communities to escalating violence. | ||||||||||||||||||
Overwhelmed by a flood of illegal aliens, drug smugglers and rapidly
increasing violence, the Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition -- which
includes all the sheriffs from Texas' 16 border counties -- want the
federal government to help them pay for manpower increases, rising
fuel bills, vehicles and equipment. | ||||||||||||||||||
"If anything happens along the border areas, we're the first ones to
respond, and it's the local taxpayers who are footing the bills for
the federal government's inability to control the area," said Zapata
County Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez. Sheriff Gonzalez, who heads the
coalition, has argued that the federal government's failure to
control illegal immigration and drug smuggling and to curtail
growing violence along the 1,200-mile U.S.-Mexico border in Texas
has forced county law-enforcement authorities into a "financial
nightmare." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
As if the drug war wasn't bad enough for women, the Wall Street
Journal reported last week on laws that force women to give up
custody of their children while they are in prison even for
relatively short sentences, without even being able to attend a
hearing on the issue. Also last week: harsh drug-related sentencing
laws are filling Alabama prisons; another urine drug test screener
is charged with corruption and implicated in massive fraud; and,
finally, the cost of getting pulled into the criminal justice system
just keeps goings up, and former prisoners are still paying the
price once released. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(9) A LAW'S FALLOUT: WOMEN IN PRISON FIGHT FOR CUSTODY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
It Encourages Adoption Of Many Foster Kids; Mothers Lose Contact | ||||||||||||||||||
CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. -- In January 2004, Tamika Davis was leaving a
department store in a mall with her son, when security officers
nabbed her for stealing men's jeans and shirts. Her children, an
11-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl, were eventually sent to
foster care. Last summer, while Ms. Davis was completing her jail
term, child-welfare authorities moved to end her parental rights, so
the children could be available for adoption. | ||||||||||||||||||
Now free, Ms. Davis, 29, is fighting the move. In November, she
admitted to a Buffalo family court judge that she neglected her
children. | ||||||||||||||||||
Still, she wants to retain custody of them. "I'm numb," she says. "I
fear I'll never see my kids again." Under a 1997 federal law, states
must move to end the rights of parents whose children have been in
foster care for 15 of the past 22 months. | ||||||||||||||||||
The law, known as the Adoption and Safe Families Act, was intended
to keep abused or neglected children from languishing in foster care
while their biological parents, often drug-addicted, tried to kick
their habits. Since then, the population of women in prison has
exploded -- to more than 104,800 from 79,624 -- and now the law is
raising difficult questions about what is best for children whose
parents are incarcerated. Some say children need to stay connected
to their parents during that traumatic time. Others contend the
women have demonstrated that they are negligent and unfit and it is
better if the state can find the children a permanent new home. Once
their rights are terminated, the law forbids parents to see their
children, or even know where they are. Prison sentences for many
women are longer than the 15-month period the law dictates, meaning
they automatically risk losing their children. | ||||||||||||||||||
Inmates often can't attend hearings on whether their parental rights
should be terminated. In some cases they aren't even informed about
those hearings, which may be held hundreds or thousands of miles
away. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(10) HABITUAL OFFENDER LAW FILLING PRISONS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
MONTGOMERY - Nearly a third of the inmates serving time in Alabama's
overcrowded prisons were sentenced under the state's habitual
offender law, deemed one of the harshest in the nation by sentencing
experts. | ||||||||||||||||||
Unlike most states, Alabama's repeat offender law - often known as the three-strikes-and-you're-out law - does not figure in the length of time between convictions or the severity of prior offenses. | ||||||||||||||||||
More than half of the nearly 8,600 habitual offenders were given
tougher or "enhanced" sentences after their latest conviction was
for property or drug crimes, according to the Alabama Sentencing
Commission's preliminary 2006 report. That doesn't mean they didn't
commit a violent crime in the past; but in most cases the law
doesn't give any weight to the prior offense. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Alabama does have one of the most stringent habitual felony
offender acts," said Lynda Flynt, executive director of the Alabama
Sentencing Commission. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(11) DRUG SCREEN FRAUD GOES UNDETECTED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
S.C. Man Accused Of Accepting Bribes | ||||||||||||||||||
CHARLESTON ( AP ) - A lab assistant charged with taking money to
cover up urine test results has highlighted the state's lack of
oversight of drug-test screeners. Neal Lamar Holmes, 41, of
Charleston, was arrested last month on a charge of obstructing
justice. He is accused of taking $90 total from two undercover
agents to give clean test results. | ||||||||||||||||||
Authorities say it was not the first time Holmes had asked for money
to alter tests. They believe he conducted at least hundreds of drug
tests for the U.S. Probation Office and the U.S. District Court in
Charleston during his three years as a drug screener. | ||||||||||||||||||
Authorities concede they have no way of knowing how many of those
results are potentially tainted. | ||||||||||||||||||
If convicted, Holmes faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a
$250,000 fine. He has not yet entered a plea. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(12) DEBT TO SOCIETY IS LEAST OF COSTS FOR EX-CONVICTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
It is increasingly expensive to be a criminal. | ||||||||||||||||||
Beverly Dubois, a 49-year-old former park ranger in Washington State, spent nine months in jail for growing and selling marijuana. She still owes the state almost $1,900 for court costs and various fees. Until she pays up, the state has taken away her right to vote. | ||||||||||||||||||
Wilbert Rideau, 64, a convicted killer, spent 44 years in Louisiana
prisons. Not long after he was released last year, he filed for
bankruptcy in an effort to avoid the state's attempts to collect
$127,000 in court costs. | ||||||||||||||||||
Almost every encounter with the criminal justice system these days
can give rise to a fee. There are application fees and co-payments
for public defenders. Sentences include court costs, restitution and
contributions to various funds. In Washington State, people
convicted of certain crimes are also charged $100 so their DNA can
be put in a database. | ||||||||||||||||||
Private probation companies charge $30 to $40 a month for
supervision. Halfway houses charge for staying in them. People
sentenced to community service are required to buy $15 insurance
policies for every week they work. Criminals on probation and parole
wear global positioning devices that monitor their whereabouts --
for a charge of as much as $16 a day. | ||||||||||||||||||
The sums raised by these ever-mounting fees are intended to help
offset some of the enormous costs of operating the criminal justice
system. But even relatively small fees -- $40 per session, say, for
a court-ordered anger management class or $15 for a drug test -- can
have devastating consequences for people who emerge from prison with
no money, credit or prospects, and who live in fear of being sent
back for failing to pay. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The difference between 30 years ago and today," said George H.
Kendall, a lawyer with Holland & Knight in New York who represents
Mr. Rideau, "is that people who everyone agrees are poor are leaving
the courthouse significantly poorer." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-17) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Big news from Canada this week, as the crackdown on cannabis seed
distribution that began with the DEA arrest and extradition request
of B.C.-based activist Marc Emery has apparently spread to Quebec.
The Globe and Mail reports that Heaven's Stairway, an international
cannabis seed distribution business based in Montreal, has been
raided and closed by the RCMP. Reports indicate that the raid on the
business, which has been in operation since 1998, has netted over
200,000 cannabis seeds, $183,000 USD in cash, and three gold bars.
Richard Hrath Baghdadlian and six of his employees face a total of
49 charges, and could be sentenced to up to 10 years of
imprisonment. | ||||||||||||||||||
And in a growing municipal backlash against the implementation of
California's medical cannabis laws, the Auburn city council has
approved an ordinance banning medical cannabis dispensaries 4-1.
Auburn joins other municipalities like Roseville and Rocklin in
subverting the will of California voters, who overwhelmingly
supported the use of distribution of medical cannabis in a 1996
referendum. | ||||||||||||||||||
Our third article is a comprehensive story on hemp and its many
practical applications from the Bradenton Herald (Fla). The story
outlines the incredible potential for industrial hemp, and examines
the U.S.'s unscientific ban on domestic cultivation. And in an
unusual move this week, we close with two great Opeds from
Massachusetts. The first is a column by Rick Holmes calling for a
common sense, "tax and regulate" approach to adult cannabis use, and
the second is an article by Peter Martin comparing the failures of
alcohol prohibition in the 20s and 30s with today's futile federal
war on cannabis. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(13) RCMP BUST DRUG RING, SEIZE 200,000 MARIJUANA SEEDS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Loyal customers around the world knew that Heaven's Stairway was
neither in the funeral business nor offering old Led Zeppelin
records for sale. In fact, police say, the Montreal-based outfit was
clear about its product: Marijuana seeds. | ||||||||||||||||||
It ran an Internet business out of a Montreal apartment and grew it
into a multimillion-dollar concern, police say, that shipped
high-potency seeds across Canada, the United States and even Europe.
At least until late January. | ||||||||||||||||||
Yesterday, the Mounties in Montreal announced they had busted
Heaven's Stairway, and shut down its six websites. In a series of
raids in late January, it arrested seven people and seized 200,000
marijuana seeds, along with bootie including $183,000 (U.S.) and
three gold bricks. | ||||||||||||||||||
"This was a major and large-scale operation," Staff Sgt. Andre
Potvin, chief of operations for the Montreal drug section of the
RCMP, said in an interview. "It was centralized, very organized, and
active around the world." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(14) COUNCIL SNUFFS OUT FUTURE POT STORES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Medical marijuana patients won't be getting their prescriptions
filled in Auburn anytime soon. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Auburn City Council approved a new ordinance Monday night
disallowing facilities that distribute medical marijuana within city
limits | ||||||||||||||||||
Councilman Keith Nesbitt was the lone no in the 4-1 vote as the
other council members, Kevin Hanley, Bob Snyder, Bridget Powers and
Mayor Mike Holmes, voted to outlaw dispensaries. | ||||||||||||||||||
Many proponents at the meeting said outlawing dispensaries goes
against the will of California voters, who approved the | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(15) HEMP: A GROWING NEED? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Hemp. It's a fantastic product, says Elizabeth Western, a local
clothing retailer who sells hemp purses, shirts and jeans at
Chameleon Natural Boutique on Manatee Avenue. | ||||||||||||||||||
She'd like to see laws change to make it legal to produce hemp for clothing. The United States is the only developed nation in the world that doesn't produce hemp as an economic crop, according to NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. | ||||||||||||||||||
Several states have passed laws allowing hemp to be grown for
research and commercial purposes. But farmers in those states can't
grow the outlaw crop without a federal OK. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(16) SITTING IN: 40 YEARS OF REEFER MADNESS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Save us from politicians sending messages. | ||||||||||||||||||
They were at it again last week, debating a bill that would provide
civil fines, instead of criminal records, for those caught
possessing small amounts of marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||
"That's the wrong message to send to our kids," Attorney General Tom
Reilly said. "We have to keep them out of drugs." | ||||||||||||||||||
State Rep. Karyn Polito, R-Shrewsbury, agreed, saying the bill
"sends the wrong message." | ||||||||||||||||||
Let's get real: Politicians don't send messages, especially to kids,
who couldn't name their state representative if their iPods depended
on it. For 40 years, politicians have been "sending messages" to
kids about the dangers of pot and for 40 years, the kids have been
ignoring them. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(17) PROHIBITION'S LESSON (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
OUR MARIJUANA wars and the staggering sums of money wasted on
stake-outs, busts and prosecutions have never been my "bag," but
kids who live in our neighborhoods are about to stand criminal
trials for selling and using very small amounts of marijuana
ostensibly within 1,000 feet of a school. | ||||||||||||||||||
Given location and circumstance, this is a shaky argument in the
name of "justice." Going forward to trial on criminal charges is a
horrific and massive miscarriage of what justice is all about.
First, full disclosure: I do not know our district attorney or any
of the families or kids involved in the Great Barrington marijuana
sting operation. | ||||||||||||||||||
The relentless pursuit of these tenuous cases has the smack of
posturing for political gain and, intended or otherwise, seems to be
using tough "justice" as a device for personal aggrandizement. I
should also note that I voted for Mr. Capeless for D.A. and have no
axe to grind regarding his political future. Like the silent majority
in our communities, I believe that further pursuit of these kids is
wrong morally and on all other counts, mainly to curry fear in our
communities. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (18-20) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Government and media in the U.K., like The U.S., New Zealand, Canada,
and Australia before it, is now undergoing an intense anti-meth media
blitz. Past anti-meth campaigns have served to demonize drug users in
general, while ostensibly aimed at "methamphetamines." The U.K.
anti-meth campaign, heavily promoted by government, is led by the
International Narcotics Control Board. Papers in the U.K. last week
obligingly released a spate of meth-scare reports, stoking fears of a
"pandemic" of the "dance and sex drug." | ||||||||||||||||||
In other U.K. news, a Rand report commissioned by British members of
parliament concerning the official classifications of illegal drugs,
said that magic (hallucinogenic) mushrooms were wrongly lumped in
with heroin. "Classification is not based upon a set of standards
for harm caused by a drug, it varied depending upon the drug in
question." Observers for years have noted official drug
classifications often appear to be motivated by superstition, fear,
and politics rather than harms actually caused by the drugs in
question. | ||||||||||||||||||
In what was hailed as a "radical libertarian" idea, a newly
published book co-authored by a deputy party leader and a party
lawyer and former councillor of the Scottish Tory (conservative)
party says that "legalizing drugs" could be key to winning
elections. The work, entitled, "The Blue Book," has been "endorsed"
by Scottish Tory party leader Annabel Goldie, according to a report
in The Scotsman newspaper this week. Arguing that the force of
government should be used only when an "overwhelming necessity", the
book goes on to add, "If an individual is aware of the risks
involved in taking drugs - which makes education vital - and if the
individual has the capacity to consent, then surely it should be
left to the individual to make that choice?" | ||||||||||||||||||
In Victoria, Canada, recent heroin busts haven't taken drugs off of
the street: the busts simply paved the way for other dealers to step
in and sell a more potent product. Overdoses in the western Canadian
city have shot up since the busts, with two fatal overdoses last
week alone. Victoria has been considering establishing a supervised
injection center, similar to the Insite safe injection center in
nearby Vancouver, Canada. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(18) UN WARNS OF CRYSTAL METH PANDEMIC (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A dance and sex drug which is more addictive than crack cocaine is
becoming a global problem, the United Nations' drug control agency
warned today. | ||||||||||||||||||
The International Narcotics Control Board said it was concerned
about rising use of methamphetamine, or crystal meth. | ||||||||||||||||||
The board called on governments across the world to introduce
tougher restrictions on chemicals used in the manufacture of the
drug, which is also known in varying forms as "ice", "meth", "Tina"
and "Nazi crank". | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Crystal meth was now regarded as the No 1 problem drug in North
America, Prof Ghodse said. | ||||||||||||||||||
But the extent of its use in Britain is obscured by the fact that
seizures and arrests are lumped in with amphetamines, meaning no
statistics are collected specifically on crystal meth. | ||||||||||||||||||
Police chiefs and the government have commissioned separate studies
into methamphetamine to see if the use of crystal meth is spreading.
The home secretary, Charles Clarke, has ordered that drug deaths be
monitored to see if they are linked to the drug. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The INCB's annual report also said governments should screen all
incoming and outgoing mail to combat "drugs by post" scams. Drug
dealers were increasingly using the postal system to move the
substances across borders, Prof Ghodse said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Meanwhile, a report commissioned by MPs today raised questions over
the way the government classified illegal drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
The study for the all-party science and technology select committee said that including magic mushrooms in the same category as heroin and crack cocaine did not appear to reflect scientific evidence. | ||||||||||||||||||
It concluded that drugs were not put in class A, B or C according to the harm they caused; instead varying criteria had been applied from drug to drug. The report did not, however, come to any conclusions about the effectiveness of current drug classifications. | ||||||||||||||||||
In January, Mr Clarke announced plans for a complete overhaul of the
way illegal drugs were categorised and prohibited. | ||||||||||||||||||
Today's report, by consultants Rand Europe, said: "Classification is
not based upon a set of standards for harm caused by a drug, it
varied depending upon the drug in question." | ||||||||||||||||||
On magic mushrooms being in the most serious category, where
supplying the drugs carries life imprisonment, it added: "The
positioning of them in class A does not seem to reflect any
scientific evidence that they are of equivalent harm to other class
A drugs." | ||||||||||||||||||
The theory that cannabis use acted as a "gateway" to more serious
drugs had not been proven despite extensive research, the report
added. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(19) NEW TORY BOOK SAYS LEGALISING DRUGS IS THE WAY AHEAD (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
RADICAL libertarian ideas - including legalising drug-taking -
should be at the heart of policies aimed at reviving the Tories'
electoral fortunes in Scotland, according to a new book endorsed by
Annabel Goldie, the party's leader. | ||||||||||||||||||
In one of a series of essays in The Blue Book, edited by Murdo
Fraser, the Tories' deputy leader, Iain Catto, a lawyer and former
Tory councillor, argues that politicians ban drug-taking because
they are "fearful of being seen as soft on drugs". | ||||||||||||||||||
In the book, published today, Mr Catto argues that Tory policies
should be based on individual choice and only permit intervention by
the state when there is "overwhelming necessity". | ||||||||||||||||||
He writes: "If an individual is aware of the risks involved in
taking drugs - which makes education vital - and if the individual
has the capacity to consent, then surely it should be left to the
individual to make that choice?" | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(20) OVERDOSE DEATHS PROMPT DRUG WARNING FROM POLICE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A second overdose death in a matter of days have Victoria police
warning about the possibility of bad or overly pure injection drugs
on Victoria streets. | ||||||||||||||||||
On Wednesday evening last week, police were called to four overdose
incidents. Three survived but one woman in her 40s died, Insp. Clark
Russell said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
CRONKITE VS. O'REILLY | ||||||||||||||||||
May The Most Trusted Man Win | ||||||||||||||||||
By Phillip Smith, AlterNet. Posted March 3, 2006. | ||||||||||||||||||
When Walter Cronkite spoke out against current drug war policies, Bill
O'Reilly -- predictably enough -- launched an attack. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
NORM STAMPER OF LEAP ON THE PETER WARREN RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday, Feb 26, 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
THE PRINCE OF POT | ||||||||||||||||||
(CBS) A Canadian who calls himself the "Prince of Pot" could wind up in a U.S. prison for life for selling marijuana seeds, but says he would be "blessed" because such a plight could help legalize the drug. | ||||||||||||||||||
60 Minutes correspondent Bob Simon talks to Marc Emery, who had a
mail-order pot seed business that Canada ignored and the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Agency wants to prosecute him for. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday, March 5 at 7 p.m. ET/PT. | ||||||||||||||||||
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/02/60minutes/main1363340.shtml | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL BOARD FOR 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORT | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2006 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) is
an annual report by the Department of State to Congress prepared
in accordance with the Foreign Assistance Act. It describes the
efforts of key countries to attack all aspects of the international
drug trade in Calendar Year 2005. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
CANADA CANNABIS SEED CRACKDOWN? | ||||||||||||||||||
The rumors began circulating on Canadian marijuana-oriented web sites
a month ago when people reported that the web sites related to what
was arguably Canada's largest seed seller -- nobody really knows --
Montreal-based Heaven's Stairway suddenly went down. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT - RELIGIOUS OUTREACH COORDINATOR | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Application Deadline: March 20, 2006 Starting Date: April 17, 2006
Ending Date: September 17, 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||
The Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative seeks an experienced community
organizer who is a dynamic person of faith (ideally a clergyperson,
seminary graduate, etc.) to build support among the religious
community for taxing and regulating marijuana (similarly to
alcohol). | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
DRUG POLICY ALLIANCE JOB OPPORTUNITIES | ||||||||||||||||||
The Alliance is currently looking to fill 2 positions: Part-Time Office Manager/Receptionist (DC) and Legislative Assistant (DC). | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
LEGALIZE MARIJUANA FOR ADULTS | ||||||||||||||||||
By Jack A. Cole | ||||||||||||||||||
Dear Editor: | ||||||||||||||||||
Regarding the letter to the editor Regulate 'Gateway' Drug in the
Feb. 15 issue of the Ponoka News. | ||||||||||||||||||
As the leader of the world's largest organization of police, judges and other criminal justice professionals who oppose the policy of drug Prohibition, I'd like to echo letter writer Robert Sharpe. | ||||||||||||||||||
Having the criminal justice system as the primary arm of public
response to marijuana use is bad policy. The proposed law changes
better mirror the common sense approach we use in response to the
most addictive and dangerous drugs - alcohol, tobacco and
pharmaceuticals. | ||||||||||||||||||
Furthermore, based on our combined decades of experience fighting the so-called "drug war," the cops and judges of LEAP believe it's time to legalize marijuana for adults only and move production and distribution into a licensed and regulated setting. This need is made more urgent when we know that unregulated dealers to often market more dangerous and addictive substances like methamphetamine. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It will 'open the door wide' for teenagers to use marijuana", the
Prohibitionist proclaims. However, the fact is that legal, regulated
drug dealers do not knowingly supply minors. It is only the
uncontrolled street marijuana dealers who actively sell pot or any
other substance to minors. | ||||||||||||||||||
Legalizing marijuana for adults will not solve all the problems
connected to pot in our society. But it will in fact close the
number one "gateway" to teenage acquisition of risky and addictive
drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
Jack A. Cole | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Drug Crisis | ||||||||||||||||||
By Harry Browne | ||||||||||||||||||
Few people are aware that before World War I, a 9-year-old girl
could walk into a drug store and buy heroin. | ||||||||||||||||||
That's right - heroin. She didn't need a doctor's prescription or
a note from her parents. She could buy it right off the shelf. Bayer
and other large drug companies sold heroin as a pain-reliever and
sedative in measured doses - just the way aspirin is sold today.
Cocaine, opium, and marijuana were readily available as well. No
Drug Enforcement Agency, no undercover cops, no "Parents - the
Anti-Drug" commercials. Just people going about their own business
is whatever way they chose. | ||||||||||||||||||
Seeing today's never-ending crisis of teenagers using drugs, you can
imagine how bad it must have been when there were no laws to stop
children - or adults - from using drugs. But, in fact, there was
no drug crisis at all. A few people were addicted to heroin or
cocaine, just as a few people today are addicted to sleeping pills
or Big Macs, but there was no national uproar about it. Such people,
if they wanted to break their habits, could freely consult doctors
without fear of being sent to prison. | ||||||||||||||||||
There were no black-market drug dealers preying on school children.
There were no gang wars over drug profits, because there were no
drug gangs. After all, who would buy dangerous drugs from a gangster
at outrageous prices when he could buy safe drugs made by a
reputable drug company at modest prices? | ||||||||||||||||||
Americans got a taste of what a Drug War might be like when they
endorsed the 18th Amendment invoking alcohol Prohibition in 1919.
The result was gang warfare, people dying from drinking bathtub gin,
corruption in police departments, and non-violent citizens sent to
prison for indulging in a vice that was strictly personal. Most
Americans rejoiced when Prohibition was repealed in 1933. The
chances of them supporting another such Constitutional amendment
within the next 50 years were slim to none. | ||||||||||||||||||
So the federal government didn't dare try amending the Constitution
when politicians and bureaucrats decided to reinstate all the
trappings of Prohibition in a new Drug War. This War That Will Never
End was begun in stages - probably starting with the | ||||||||||||||||||
The Drug War has been easily the greatest cause of violent crime in
American history: Gangs fighting over monopoly territories, children
killed in drive-by shootings, families in the inner city living with
the constant sound of gunfire outside their doors, police killing
innocent people in misguided drug raids, crooked cops helping to
spread poisonous drugs, non-violent citizens sent to prison to be
terrorized by violent prisoners - none of which would exist in the
absence of the federal drug laws. | ||||||||||||||||||
There is nothing that could make our cities safer than repealing the
drug laws - all of them. | ||||||||||||||||||
Does the idea of heroin, cocaine, and opium being sold over the
counter sound too ludicrous to be true? You can check it out for
yourself. A marvelous website, maintained by the University of
Buffalo's Addiction Research Unit, shows the actual labels and ads
from patent medicines of the 19th and early-20th centuries. You can
see the claims made, the ingredients used, and the acceptance of
what so many Americans fear today. | ||||||||||||||||||
That era of innocence didn't end because America was threatened by a
drug crisis. It was ended in the traditional way - by politicians
looking for new worlds to conquer, politicians who have no interest
in examining dispassionately the chaos they cause, and who will
never face a single personal consequence for the lives they have
ruined. | ||||||||||||||||||
Harry Browne, the author of Why Government Doesn't Work and many
other books, was the Libertarian presidential candidate in 1996 and
2000. He died March 1, 2006. This piece was originally published
Feb. 3, 2005 at http://www.lewrockwell.com/ | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"The coward threatens when he is safe." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe | ||||||||||||||||||
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