| May 5, 2006 #447 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(1) HEROIN MIX LEAVES TRAIL OF DEATHS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Painkiller Cited in Rash of Overdoses | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Unusually potent heroin laced with a powerful painkiller has killed
more than two dozen people and sent more than 300 to hospitals across
the eastern USA during the past three weeks, local and federal
officials say. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Federal agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration have joined
police in cities from the East Coast to Chicago in scrambling to find
the source of the deadly concoction. It surfaced in Chicago on April 13
and has been linked to 11 deaths there since then, police spokeswoman
Monique Bond says. Chicago paramedics treated 144 overdoses from April
13 to April 27, says Donald Walsh, assistant deputy fire commissioner
for emergency medical services. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Just as Chicago officials began reporting a surge in heroin-related
deaths and overdoses, authorities in Camden, N.J.; Wilmington, Del.;
Salisbury, Md.; Harrisburg, Pa.; and several other communities did,
too. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The culprit in many of the cases appears to be heroin mixed with
fentanyl, a potent form of synthetic morphine that is used to treat
extreme pain. Veterinarians use one formulation of it to immobilize
large animals. The mixing of such a powerful, costly drug with heroin
for street sales is very unusual, says Mary Cooper, chief of
congressional and public affairs for the DEA. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Heroin sold illegally in the USA typically is diluted, or "cut," with
common household substances such as sugar, flour, quinine or starch.
Such fillers help drug traffickers boost profits. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(2) THE DEA COMES TO MONTREAL TO STRATEGIZE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
High Noon in Montreal | ||||||||||||||||||||||
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration prepares "drug war" strategies at
Montreal conference | ||||||||||||||||||||||
On May 8, 2006, undercover narcs and their handlers from around the
globe will meet behind closed doors at Montreal's Hilton Bonaventure to
share intelligence and devise strategies for the "war on drugs."
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which is
footing the bill, the conference will be conducted in English, Spanish
and Russian - French is conspicuously absent. The RCMP, pseudo co-
sponsors, suggest visiting the DEA's website | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The same day and down the street, with open arms, open doors and
simultaneous French/English translation, a counter-symposium called
"Can We Talk?" gets underway at the Marriott hotel. Sponsored by a
coalition of anti-prohibitionists, including Students for a Sensible
Drug Policy and the University of Ottawa's criminology department, the
symposium offers a who's who of drug scholars, activists and former
cops, all on a quixotic quest to "open a dialogue with the DEA" and
offer alternatives to prohibition. The general public is cordially
invited, but DEA delegates are especially welcome on the off chance
they might learn something. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(3) 'BONG HITS' TO SUPREME COURT? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
School Board Secures Former Clinton Investigator Kenneth Starr As Pro
Bono Attorney in Attempt to Reverse Ruling in First Amendment Banner
Case | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Juneau School Board is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a
court ruling that supported a former student's right to display a
banner that read "Bong Hits 4 Jesus." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Juneau School District has enlisted some big-name help in hopes of
overturning the ruling that could potentially cost it money. Los
Angeles attorney Kenneth Starr, who served as the independent counsel
investigating former president Bill Clinton, has agreed to represent
the School Board and former Juneau-Douglas High School Principal Deb
Morse on a pro bono basis to appeal an April decision by the 9th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals. The San Francisco-based court reversed a
lower federal court decision when it ruled Morse and the School Board
violated JDHS student Joseph Frederick's First Amendment rights in
January 2002. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"The 9th Circuit's decision has left the Board and school
administrators with no guidance as to where and when we can enforce our
policy against messages promoting illegal drug use," said Phyllis
Carlson, president of the School Board. "Federal law requires us to
maintain a consistent message that use of drugs like marijuana is
harmful and illegal. Yet, when we try to enforce our policies, our
administrators are sued and exposed to damage awards." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Frederick was suspended after he was observed with a sign that read
"Bong Hits 4 Jesus" during the visit of the 2002 Winter Olympic Torch
to Juneau. Frederick was off school grounds but it was during school
hours. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"How foolish," said Juneau-based lawyer Douglas Mertz, who has been
representing Frederick. "How much money are they going to waste trying
to deprive someone of their Constitutional rights?" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(4) OPED: PUFFING IS THE BEST MEDICINE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Food And Drug Administration is contradicting itself. It recently reiterated its position that cannabis has no medical utility, but it also approved advanced clinical trials for a marijuana-derived drug called Sativex, a liquid preparation of two of the most therapeutically useful compounds of cannabis. This is the same agency that in 1985 approved Marinol, another oral cannabis-derived medicine. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Both Sativex and Marinol represent the "pharmaceuticalization" of
marijuana. They are attempts to make available its quite obvious
medicinal properties -- to treat pain, appetite loss and many other
ailments -- while at the same time prohibiting it for any other use.
Clinicians know that the herb -- because it can be smoked or inhaled
via a vaporizer -- is a much more useful and reliable medicine than
oral preparations. So it might be wise to consider exactly what Sativex
can and can't do before it's marketed here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A few years ago, the British firm GW Pharmaceuticals convinced
Britain's Home Office that it should be allowed to develop Sativex
because the drug could provide all of the medical benefits of cannabis
without burdening patients with its "dangerous" effects -- those of
smoking and getting high. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But there is very little evidence that smoking marijuana as a means of
taking it represents a significant health risk. Although cannabis has
been smoked widely in Western countries for more than four decades,
there have been no reported cases of lung cancer or emphysema
attributed to marijuana. I suspect that a day's breathing in any city
with poor air quality poses more of a threat than inhaling a day's dose
-- which for many ailments is just a portion of a joint -- of
marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
From church activists in Ohio to cadets at West Point, more and more
citizens are expressing their frustration with the needless
destruction and harassment endemic in the drug war. Happily, in
another blow to government omnipotence on drug issues, an appeals
court in Washington, D.C. ruled that the Food and Drug | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) 400 SUPPORT FAMILY OF CHARLES PLINTON (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Community Members Sing, Pray, Speak Out | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The fight isn't nearly over, and they say the towel won't be thrown | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Instead, about 400 community members vowed to jump in the ring
Sunday at a rally to honor former University of Akron student
Charles Plinton, whose arrest and acquittal on questionable drug
charges fueled his suspension from the school and ended with his
suicide last year. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
From the pews of Mount Calvary Baptist Church, people of all ages
praised God and sang spirited hymns, standing when so moved, and
demanded further investigation into Plinton's case. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Front and center, Plinton's mother and brother sometimes joined them
in song. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But for most of the two-hour rally, the New Jersey family just
absorbed the words, nodding and applauding as numerous pastors took
turns honoring "Chuck," a former graduate student who took his own
life Dec. 12 after drug trafficking charges ended his aspirations to
enter law enforcement. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Even in the untimely demise of your son, we are not fighting for victory. We are fighting from victory," said the Rev. William V. Green, pastor of Galilee Baptist Church. "We're going to declare a new heavy-weight champion.... We're going to do what's right." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Those in attendance did not hold another funeral for the 25-year-old. They instead spoke about change. What happened to Plinton could have happened to anyone's child, they said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(6) ANGRY CADETS RIOT FOLLOWING DRUG SEARCH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
West Point - Cadets angry over a drug search rioted for more than an
hour last week, throwing fireworks and garbage from their barracks
in an uproar one officer described as "shameful." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Hundreds of cadets were hollering obscenities out of their windows
and some were throwing objects," in what the unidentified officer
termed a riot in an incident summary obtained by the Times
Herald-Record. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"A team-size element of firemen responded to the scene as cadets
were throwing objects that were on fire out of the windows in
Bradley Barracks," the summary continued. "It was a shameful,
pitiful day for" the U.S. Military Academy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Lt. Col. Kent P. Cassella, a West Point spokesman, confirmed the
events but downplayed their significance. He said no one was injured
and nothing was damaged during the disturbance on April 19. He said
no one was disciplined as a result of the incident. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
One cadet apparently was hit with a flying peanut butter jar around
11 p.m., the incident log said, but wasn't hurt. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"It sounded like the cadets were blowing off a little steam,"
Cassella said. "Basically, there were some cadets voicing their
frustrations, and there were some firecrackers going off. But in the
end, there was nothing more than that." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The frustration apparently stemmed from an unannounced drug and
weapons search of cadets' quarters earlier in the day. Around 6
a.m., cadets awoke to a fire drill in the barracks complex. They
left the barracks, as ordered. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(7) COURT BACKS EXPERIMENTAL DRUGS FOR DYING PATIENTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Terminally ill patients have a constitutional right to obtain
experimental drugs before the Food and Drug Administration has
decided whether to approve them, a federal appeals court ruled
yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Saying that dying patients have a basic "right of | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2 to 1 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit overturned a lower court's ruling. The judges sent
the case back to the district court for a full hearing and possibly
a trial. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The case was brought by the Abigail Alliance for Better Access to
Developmental Drugs -- which advocates making experimental drugs
available earlier to dying patients -- and was argued by the
Washington Legal Foundation, a public interest law firm that has
frequently challenged regulatory agencies. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(8) HUNDREDS TURN IN MARIJUANA USERS IN BOULDER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
BOULDER - Hundreds of people called University of Colorado police
Friday to name people photographed at last week's "4/20" marijuana
smoke-out on Farrand Field. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Police posted 150 pictures online Thursday of people lighting up,
exhaling and even streaking at the annual event. For each positive
identification, CU is offering a $50 reward. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Tipsters, who will remain anonymous to the offenders but not to police, began calling early Friday, said CU police Lt. Tim McGraw. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"The phones have been ringing off the hook," he said. "One person
called in and ID'd five people." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Andrea Hansen, 19, was among the estimated 2,500 people who gathered
at 4:20 p.m. April 20. When she heard about the online photos
Thursday night, she visited the site immediately. The CU freshman
said she was relieved to see she had succeeded in avoiding the
cameras, but some of her peers weren't so lucky. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"There are two pictures of my friend," Hansen said. "She got all
freaked out." If police can't confirm that those identified in the
pictures were puffing marijuana, they still can be ticketed for
trespassing on the closed CU field, officials said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A person must be charged and cited for tipsters to be rewarded. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hansen said she was surprised to hear that hundreds of people had
responded to the police department's reward offer. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"But $50 is a sack," she said, referring to the price of marijuana.
"So there's your incentive." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
It is sometimes said that there is no justice in the drug war, but
there is sometimes something like checkbook justice. That is, if
drug suspects can afford to pay off the particular sector of the
criminal justice system which has targeted them, they might not face
any more penalties. It worked for two huge institutions in Southern
Florida: one of them is a bank, the other is a conservative radio
star. Still, some drug warriors are still hurting for money, like
many drug task forces in Pennsylvania which will temporarily suspend
operations as federal funds dried up. But even without money, some
in law enforcement are willing to use other assets, like the ability
to lie convincingly, to keep the drug war moving. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(9) BANKATLANTIC FORFEITS $10 MILLION TO AVOID MONEY-LAUNDERING (Top)CHARGE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
MIAMI ( AP ) -- BankAtlantic Corp. agreed Wednesday to forfeit $10 million to the U.S. government to avoid criminal charges that it permitted millions of dollars in suspected drug money to be laundered through its accounts over a nearly seven-year period. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Under an agreement with the U.S. Justice Department filed in federal
court, prosecution against the Fort Lauderdale-based bank will be
deferred for at least 12 months in return for the payment. The
charges will be dismissed altogether if BankAtlantic continues
taking action to remedy the situation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The investigation, led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
and federal bank regulators, identified more than $50 million in
suspicious transactions between July 1997 and April 2004, according
to court documents. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
DEA agents working undercover as operatives for supposed Colombian
drug lords found that drug money was being wire transferred to a
handful of BankAtlantic accounts overseen by a specific branch
manager. That led to the discovery of other BankAtlantic accounts
being used to launder illicit drug proceeds. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) LIMBAUGH DEAL AVOIDS DRUG PROSECUTION, DEFENSE SAYS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh was booked on drug charges in
Florida on Friday, and his lawyer said that Limbaugh had agreed to a
deal enabling him to avoid prosecution in the prescription abuse
case if he continued treatment for addiction problems and avoided
any other run-ins with the law. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Limbaugh, a conservative darling and liberal bete noire, was booked,
photographed and fingerprinted in Palm Beach, Fla., then shortly
thereafter released on a $3,000 bond, according to a posting on the
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office website. A spokesman said there
would be no further comment. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The apparent deal caps a three-year investigation into allegations
originally aired by a housekeeper at Limbaugh's Palm Beach mansion,
who told the National Enquirer that the radio host had abused
OxyContin and other painkillers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Prosecutors began looking into potential "doctor shopping" by
Limbaugh, who received about 2,000 pain pills prescribed by four
doctors over a six-month period - all from a pharmacy near the Palm
Beach house. The charge on the sheriff's website was listed as
"fraud - - conceal info to obtain prescription." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Limbaugh admitted on the air to being addicted to painkillers, and
told listeners he was entering a rehabilitation program. He took a
five-week leave. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Black said Limbaugh had pleaded not guilty and had willingly agreed
to continue treatment for his painkiller addiction. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Black said that the deal with prosecutors called for the fraud
charge to be dropped in 18 months if Limbaugh complied with all
court guidelines, and that Limbaugh would pay $30,000 to defray the
state's investigation costs and $30 a month for "supervision" of his
treatment. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(11) DRUG TASK FORCES OUT OF MONEY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Pa. Attorney General's Office Says The 22 Units Will Get Funded
Again In July, The New Fiscal Year | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office has run out of money for
its 22 regional drug task forces, but they should be fully funded
again in July, a spokesman said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The lack of funding for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends in
June, means the task forces have temporarily ceased their work, the
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported yesterday. Funding for the
investigative teams should be reinstated for the next fiscal year,
which begins July 1, said Kevin Harley, a spokesman for Attorney
General. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
More than 40 district attorney-controlled task forces, which have
separate budgets, still have money, Harley noted. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(12) COLUMN: FEDS NOT ABOVE FAKE NEWS REPORTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
When half a dozen or more federal employees endorse a lame,
dishonest idea, we have a problem. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Here's how it unfolded: U.S. Border Patrol agent Steve Garceau staked out a house in Orleans County near the Canadian border one night in January 2003 and caught a guy picking up 45 pounds of pot. He'd planned to deliver it to someone else at a restaurant in Stowe. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Garceau handed the chap over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement
officers, who cut the fellow, identified in court papers with the
pseudonym John Smith, a deal: We'll let you free if you agree to
tell us more about this and future marijuana sales. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
This is Crimefighting 101 -- use the guy as a baitfish to nail a
bigger trophy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
That's when feds got creative. To ensure John Smith could prove to
his Canadian cronies that he'd escaped unscathed, the Border Patrol
would spread word through the Vermont media that he'd gotten away
undetected. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
At least two Border Patrol agents beside Garceau knew of the
outgoing fake news release. There might have been a fourth in
Vermont. He doesn't recall, but somebody else remembers his
involvement. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
It's not illegal to lie to the media in Vermont. But it's bad form,
especially for the federal government. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Law enforcement agencies and the media have performed their
informational Kabuki for generations -- cops tell reporters what
they want, when it's useful. The unwritten code is that when they do
say something, it's true. We're manipulated into helping to solve
crimes, palatably. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
We in the media take lots of knocks, some of them accurate. We don't
need the U.S. government's help printing incorrect information. We
wear our mistakes in print, and at this daily newspaper, like at
most worth their salt, we correct them. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Here's a passage from the local mission statement of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Burlington: "We seek to instill public confidence as to the fairness and integrity of both this office and the federal criminal justice system of which we are a part." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Here's a pertinent portion of the now-named Customs and Border Protection standard of conduct: "Employees will not make false, misleading, incomplete, or ambiguous statements, whether oral or written, in connection with any matter of official interest." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-17) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In the UK, a Liverpool man who tried to open a cannabis cafe has
been sentenced to a year in jail. Meanwhile, cannabis resin was
found at the home of the Defence Secretary, but he won't get into
any trouble. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Editorialists in the U.S. continue to ridicule the Food and Drug
Administration for its ridiculous statement suggesting that
marijuana can't be medicine. Newspapers big and small have condemned
the FDA's statement, while showing that editors have learned at
least a little about medical marijuana since in the past few years.
While most see the FDA's cynicism for what it is, one pharmaceutical
company seemed to take some comfort (or at least profit) from the
statement. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Finally this week, the Wall Street Journal buys into the drug war
hype suggesting more Americans seeking treatment for marijuana
dependence. What the article fails to note is that the criminal
justice system is pushing more people toward treatment, even if they
don't need it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(13) IF YOU WERE THINKING OF OPENING A CANNABIS CAFE - LET THIS BE A (Top)WARNING | ||||||||||||||||||||||
THE jailing of a Liverpool cannabis cafe owner should serve as a
warning to others, police said today. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Officers welcomed the 12-month term handed to Gary Youds who had opened an Amsterdam-style cafe in Holt Road, Kensington, last year. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Superintendent Chris Armitt of Merseyside police said: "Mr Youds has
flagrantly broken the law and despite repeated warnings and
intervention, engaged in acts that could bring harm to the local
community, and he has been sentenced accordingly. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"We don't condone drug taking or law breaking in any way and will
always act when matters of this nature are brought to our
attention." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But those who live close to the Chill-in' Rooms said they were
surprised by Mr Youds' sentence.. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Enid Bristow, of the Needham Road residents association, was one of a group of locals invited to tour the cafe shortly after it opened. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Mrs Bristow said today: "It's sad for Gary, I wouldn't wish any harm
on the lad. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(14) CANNABIS FOUND AT HOME OF DEFENCE SECRETARY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Cannabis resin with a street value of 85p was found during a routine security search of the home of the Defence Secretary John Reid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The discovery came while Reid was in Afghanistan last week visiting
newly deployed British troops. Strathclyde police said that the
cannabis, weighing less than a gram, had been found in a guest room
in Reid's home in his former constituency of Hamilton North and
Bellshill in Lanarkshire. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Assistant Chief Constable John Corrigan said that Reid had
'co-operated fully with the police and is not suspected of having
committed any offence'. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Reid issued a statement confirming that a 'minuscule' amount of
cannabis resin had been found, and added: 'I have no idea where it
came from, or when. There is no suggestion that this involves me or
members of my family and both I and the Strathclyde Police regard
the matter as closed.' | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(15) EDITORIAL: FDA'S MARIJUANA STANCE IGNORES ACTUAL SCIENCE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Agency Position Should Have Been Based On Facts, Not A Predetermined
Political Conclusion | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last week that "no
sound scientific studies" found any benefit from the medicinal use
of marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Only those who have not been paying attention to the Bush
administration's disdain and disregard for science the last five
years will be stunned to learn that the FDA's pronouncement was more
wish-fulfillment than science. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In fact, a 1999 review by the Institute of Medicine found that
marijuana was "moderately well suited" for treating or comforting
those suffering from several medical conditions, including nausea
caused by chemotherapy and AIDS. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(16) GW GAINS FROM FDA'S STAND ON CANNABIS USE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
GW Pharmaceuticals, which is developing medicines derived from
cannabis, was given a lift as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
confirmed it did not endorse the smoking of the drug for medical
purposes. Evolution Securities said this was good news for GW as it
may make its product a "politically expedient option". GW shares
gained 10.1 per cent to 98p. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(17) COLUMN: AS MARIJUANA USE RISES, MORE PEOPLE ARE SEEKING (Top)TREATMENT FOR ADDICTION | ||||||||||||||||||||||
People are aware of the addictive potential of alcohol, cocaine,
heroin, even gambling. But the perception persists that marijuana
isn't addictive. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The doggedness of this myth may be attributable to the campaign to
legalize the drug, as well as the comparatively subtle costs of
marijuana addiction. But there is virtually no debate among American
researchers, who have been documenting and studying marijuana
addiction for more than two decades. Now, Cambridge University Press
has combined the results of their federally funded studies -- most
already published in peer-reviewed journals -- in a new book called
"Cannabis Dependence." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The book offers substantial scientific evidence of what Marijuana
Anonymous members know firsthand -- that the euphoria induced by
THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, can be addictive. Studies
show that between 2% and 3% of U.S. marijuana users become addicted
within two years of first trying the drug, which is scientifically
known as cannabis. About 10% of those who try it become addicted at
some point. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Now, addiction-treatment statistics are showing dramatic growth in
marijuana-related problems. A study issued last month by the
University of Maryland's Center for Substance Abuse Research
examined the drug of choice for Americans seeking treatment for
addiction during the decade that ended in 2003. It found that the
percentage of addicts who cited marijuana as their primary problem
more than doubled to 16% from 7%, while alcohol fell to 41% from
57%. Among illegal drugs, only opiates ranked higher than marijuana
as a problem for treatment seekers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (18-21) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
For all the talk coming from Mexico about "independence" this Cinco
de Mayo, the reality is this: The Colossus to the North in
Washington D.C. gives the orders, and Mexico obeys these orders, in
a servile manner. That pattern was repeated last Friday when Mexican
Presidente Vicente Fox's party, implementing Fox's own drug policy
plan, announced minimum amounts for drugs (5 grams of pot, 1 kilo of
peyote, etc.) below which users would not be prosecuted, essentially
a weak decrim bill. (Never mind that there are no Mexican minimum
amounts now, so anyone can now claim to be an 'addict' thus avoiding
jail!) By the following Wednesday, amid fierce howls of
"Legalization!" from U.S. prohibitionists, the Mexican President had
been forced to obey the dictates of U.S. drug warriors, once again.
Now, even though Fox had supported the bill before, after U.S.
prohibitionists complained, Fox announced that he would not, after
all, sign the bill. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In Vancouver, Canada this week, the 17th International Conference on
the Reduction of Drug-Related Harm is being held, with former drug
"czar" from the South American nation of Colombia, Gustavo de
Greiff, featured as the keynote speaker. De Greiff was the one-time
darling of U.S. prohibitionists, until he advocated legalization.
After that, in 1993, he was banned from entering the U.S. Why is
drug reform held back across the world? "The U.S. has so much power
to influence countries," notes De Greiff. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Right-wing Canadian MP Steven Harper knows how to deflect criticism
for supplying Canadian troops as sacrificial cannon-fodder to the
Americans' foreign adventures in Afghanistan. If Canadians are
coming home in coffins, simply pump up the rhetoric at home about
"crime" and of course "drugs." Never mind that none of it is true,
that "crime" has been dropping in Canada for decades. According to
an investigative report in this week's Winnipeg Free Press, crime
has been plummeting in Canada, but Harper has been harping on an
epidemic of "guns, gangs and drug crime" all the same. "Everything
Prime Minister Harper [says was] based on the premise crime growth
is rampant," noted witnesses to a speech Harper made recently in
Manitoba. Some see Harper's oft-repeated "guns, gangs and drug
crime" scare mantra merely as a fig-leaf to go after non-violent
marijuana growers and sellers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
(18) UNDER U.S. PRESSURE, MEXICO PRESIDENT SEEKS REVIEW OF DRUG LAW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
MEXICO CITY -- After intense pressure from the United States,
President Vicente Fox has asked Congress to reconsider a law it
passed last week that would decriminalize the possession of small
amounts of drugs as part of a larger effort to crack down on
street-level dealing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Officials from the State Department and the White House's drug
control office met with the Mexican ambassador in Washington Monday
and expressed grave reservations about the law, saying it would draw
tourists to Mexico who want to take drugs and would lead to more
consumption, said Tom Riley, a spokesman for the Office of National
Drug Control Policy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The current law has a provision allowing people arrested on charges
of possessing drugs to argue they are addicts and that the drugs
were for personal use. The new law sets an upper limit on how much
of each drug one could possess and still claim to be using it to
support a habit, Mr. Medina Mora said, and stiffens penalties for
people possessing larger amounts of drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But the law drew a firestorm of criticism from American officials on
the border and among American drug enforcement officials in Mexico,
who argue any move toward decriminalization would encourage drug
tourism. Some municipal officials on the border have worried that
cities like Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez would become the Mexican
equivalent of Amsterdam, where marijuana is legal in some bars.
Mayor Jerry Sanders of San Diego, a former police chief, called the
bill "appallingly reckless and incredibly dangerous." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Judith Bryan, a spokeswoman for the American Embassy here, said the
officials in Washington had urged Mexico "to review the legislation
and to avoid the perception that drug use would be tolerated in
Mexico and to prevent drug tourism." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(19) CANADA SHOULD STEER CLEAR OF U.S.-STYLE DRUG POLICIES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
VANCOUVER - Governments in Canada should steer completely clear from
adopting or emulating current drug policies in the United States, an
outspoken New York state prosecutor said Tuesday. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"My advice to Canada is stay as completely far away from U.S. drug
law policy as possible," said David Soares, the district attorney
for Albany County in the state of New York. "You [Canada] are headed
in the right direction." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In a blunt and scathing condemnation of his state and country's
ineffective drug war, Soares said lawmakers, judges and prosecutors
in the U.S. know their system is ineffective. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But they support it anyway because it provides law enforcement
officials with lucrative jobs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The vast majority of people incarcerated as a result of drug laws in
the U.S. are young African-American and Hispanic males, he said
after a speech at the 17th International Conference on the Reduction
of Drug-Related Harm. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
(20) LEGALIZING DRUGS: THE GRAND, SCARY SCOPE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
VANCOUVER -- There was a time when Gustavo de Greiff was seen as one
of America's greatest allies in its war on drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Now they won't let him into the country. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In 1993, Mr. de Greiff was Colombia's prosecutor-general,
responsible for cracking down on the country's infamous drug
cartels. During his tenure, the conviction rate for traffickers in
Colombia jumped to 75 per cent from 20 per cent. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Not long into what would be a two-year term as Colombia's top anti-drug czar, Mr. de Greiff came to a stunning realization: The war on drugs wasn't working, anywhere. And it was time, he thought, that the world woke up to this fact and accepted there was only one way to put the planet's narco-traffickers out of business. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Make drugs legal. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Which is precisely what he told a conference on drug policy in
Baltimore, Md., in late 1993. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"I could have stayed quiet and said nothing but I couldn't," he
recalled. "My conscience wouldn't allow it." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The authorities in Washington were not amused. He was scolded by
then-attorney general Janet Reno in a private meeting in her office.
The United States ended up revoking his visa to enter the country,
allegedly on the grounds he associated with drug dealers. These were
rumours circulated by enemies of Mr. de Greiff that were never
proved to be true. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Now 76, he is in Vancouver to be a keynote speaker at the
International Harm Reduction conference, aimed at examining how
regulating illegal drugs, in much the same way alcohol and tobacco
are regulated, is a healthier approach to dealing with society's
drug problems than prohibition. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
While Mr. de Greiff and a growing army of health officials who share his view make a compelling case, there are two problems. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
First, is the grand, and I would say scary, scope of the
make-all-drugs-legal plan. I think society might one day go for a
graduated approach to legalization. Let's see how it goes with
marijuana first before we say yes to heroin and cocaine. But not all
at once. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The bigger obstacle, however, remains Mr. de Greiff's old friend,
the United States. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"I agree with you," Mr. de Greiff said. "That is the No. 1 obstacle in my view, too. The U.S. has so much power to influence countries. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
(21) HARPER DIDN'T POINT OUT DROP IN CRIME (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
IT has been just over a week now since Prime Minister Stephen Harper rode into town cowboy-style to deliver his gangbuster's speech on cracking down on crime, and the reviews are still coming in. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In the course of his speech, Harper had suggested that, unlike the
good old days when we grew up, violent crime in Canada is up, and up
dangerously. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
His used the refrain "guns, gangs and drug crime" to focus his aim and then used the word "terror" and streets in the same sentence. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Everything Prime Minister Harper said at that lunch was based on
the premise crime growth is rampant," the man recalled. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"When I pointed out to someone at our table that crime rates have
actually been dropping for a couple of decades," he continued, "they
looked at me as if I had escaped from an asylum. Since everyone
'knows' that crime is much worse, I was obviously delusional."
Perhaps because he was concerned that he might, indeed, be imagining
things -- and given that a Canadian leader of the Prime Minister's
ethical stature would never purposely mislead his people -- the man
went straight back to work after the lunch and checked the
Statistics Canada website. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"It took me about 15 seconds," he reported. What he | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Based on data reported by Canadian police services in 2004 -- the
latest year for which statistics have been processed -- violent
crime and crime overall fell that year. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
As crime has for decades. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In fact, overall crime dropped 12 per cent in the last | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But here's the most telling statistic on "terror" in | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Of the nation's total of 622 homicides, only five happened in public
places. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Public places like our streets. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But then there's the spectre of "guns, gangs and drug crime" that
Prime Minister Harper raised. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Handgun homicides are up over the last decade, although at last look they were involved in only about a quarter of all murders. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
And gangs, because they supply and push drugs, are a real threat to
our children. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
We can all agree on that and, if need be, we can adjust our laws accordingly. But we can do it using the facts in an intelligent way. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Instead of using fear like an unregistered weapon. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A LITTLE DRUG WAR HUMOR WITH ALI G. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
http://daregeneration.blogspot.com/2006/05/little-drug-war-humor.html | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
REFORMING RUSH LIMBAUGH | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Anthony Papa, AlterNet. Posted May 3, 2006. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Sure, it would be nice to give Limbaugh a taste of his own medicine, but nobody deserves to serve time for a nonviolent drug offense. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
MEXICO'S LOST OPPORTUNITY TOWARD DRUG LEGALIZATION | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Congress Passed a Flawed Bill, and then Fox - Pressured by the U.S.
- Said He Would Veto His Own Proposal | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Ricardo Sala, Drogas Mexico | ||||||||||||||||||||||
May 4, 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
POLICY MAKERS IGNORING SCIENCE SCIENTISTS IGNORING POLICY | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The medical ethical challenges of heroin treatment | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Dan R Small and Ernest Drucker | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Harm Reduction Journal 2006, 3:16, doi:10.1186/1477-7517-3-16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||||||
MULTIDISCIPLINARY ASSOCIATION FOR PSYCHEDELIC STUDIES NEWS UPDATE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
May 4, 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
HARM REDUCTIONISTS GATHER IN VANCOUVER | ||||||||||||||||||||||
More than a thousand activists, front-line workers, researchers, and civil and political officials from 93 countries gathered in Vancouver this week for the 17th Annual International Harm Reduction Conference sponsored by the International Harm Reduction Association. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT - WEB CONTENT DEVELOPER, WASHINGTON DC | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Drug Policy Alliance, http://www.drugpolicy.org, seeks a
full-time website developer in the Internet Communications Department,
located in Washington, DC. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.drugpolicy.org/about/jobsfunding/jobs/webjob050306.cfm | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
SUMMER INTERNSHIP WITH AMERICANS FOR SAFE ACCESS | ||||||||||||||||||||||
An internship with ASA is available to undergraduate and graduate
with basic writing, communication, and organizational skills.
Experience with or study of law or politics is a plus, but not a
requirement. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
For more information contact Rebecca Saltzman, | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
2006 GLOBAL MARIJUANA MARCH | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The annual Marijuana March has been going on for approximately thirty years. Join us the first Saturday every May, in a city near you. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
OVERZEALOUS DRUG ENFORCEMENT | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Ron Bednar | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Re "DEA agents hit 16th St. store in medical pot raid," April 20:
There is a substantial methamphetamine and crack problem in
Sacramento, along with the violence of those drugs, and these guys
bust a few people for medical marijuana? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Gordon Taylor, assistant special agent in charge of the Sacramento
DEA office, said, "Many of these operators will say they're just
concerned about the seriously or terminally ill, but their true
agenda is to line their pockets with drug money." Isn't that exactly
what every pharmaceutical company in the world does - line its
pockets with drug money selling something that makes people feel
better? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
As for Councilman Robbie Waters' comment, medical marijuana is legal
in California. It was voted on by the people. If Waters doesn't like
the law, put it to a vote. Otherwise, leave it be. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Ron Bednar | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
What's A Guy Gotta Do To Get A Debate Around Here? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Kris Krane | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In the past two months SSDP has brought the HEA Aid Elimination Penalty back into the national spotlight with a Congressional scale-back of the law and two federal lawsuits. In an effort to jumpstart a national debate on this very important issue, SSDP has reached out to some of the law's biggest proponents, offering to debate them on national television and college campuses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Apparently our opponents on this issue are too chicken to defend
their position in a one-on-one debate. We first reached out to
Students Taking Action Not Drugs ( http://www.standnow.com ), a
"grassroots" movement of students who support current drug war
policies (presumably the same students who remind their professors
to collect class homework assignments). It turns out that STAND is
nothing more than a front group for the Drug Free America Foundation
( www.dfaf.org/stand.php ), as it appears that no students are
actually involved in the organization (surprise!). | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In response to my e-mail offering to debate STAND's executive
director on college campuses, I received the following responses
from DFAF executive director and self-avowed prohibitionist Calvina
Fay: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"We do not believe that utilizing science-based principles to
educate students about the dangers of drugs, facilitating the
reduction of drug use among 18-25 year olds, or directing young
people into treatment are debatable issues." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Calvina Fay and her non-existent STAND students aren't the only ones
without the spine to debate the repeal of the Aid Elimination
Penalty. The law's own author Mark Souder doesn't even have the guts
to defend his own law in a direct debate. SSDP not only offered to
debate Souder on the issue, we even proposed to do so on his own
home turf, Fox News. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Souder's office refused, claiming that the issue was "settled" when
Congress scaled the law back earlier this year. Considering the
amount of press garnered by our federal lawsuit challenging the
constitutionality of the penalty, I would hardly say this is a
settled issue. The American public deserves a free exchange of ideas
on this law. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
What is it with these drug warriors anyway? Why are they so afraid
to defend their position when confronted by a reformer? How could a
46-year-old Congressman be so scared of a public discussion with a
27-year-old student representative? Could it be that they know we
have the truth and the facts on our side? Come on Souder, let's talk
about this like grown-ups. I promise to be civil and cordial. Just
ask my good friend and former DEA agent Bob Stutman=85 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Kris Krane is the Executive Director of Students for Sensible Drug
Policy - http://www.ssdp.org. This piece originally appeared at the
DARE Generation Diary, a SSDP blog - | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie: deliberate,
continued, and dishonest; but the myth: persistent, persuasive, and
unrealistic." - John F. Kennedy | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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