| May 12, 2006 #448 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(1) OTTAWA SCHOOLS END RANDOM DRUG SEARCHES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sweeps Infringe On Charter Rights | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ottawa schools have ended random drug searches after the Ontario Court
of Appeal ruled spot searches without warrants violate students'
constitutional rights. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Criminal lawyer Lawrence Greenspon said yesterday a ruling that random
school drug searches violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms will
protect the rights of all students. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mr. Greenspon said the decision prevents police with sniffer dogs from searching student backpacks and lockers unless school principals have reasonable grounds to suspect there are drugs in their schools. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Students interviewed outside Sir Robert Borden High School were divided
in their reaction to the court decision. Some said random searches
would discourage drug use while others suggested the decision would
protect students' rights. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Court of Appeal dismissed the Crown's appeal of the acquittal of a
student at St. Patrick's High School in Sarnia after a police sniffer
dog found marijuana and psilocybin, commonly known as magic mushrooms,
in the student's backpack on Nov. 7, 2002. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(2) BONG REGISTRY SET UP IN CITY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sell a glass crack pipe or bong in Langley City and you'll have to tell police who you sold it to, including the person's name and address. | ||||||||||||||||||||
On Monday night, council passed a motion to prohibit sales of drug
paraphernalia to all persons under 19 years of age and require sellers
to record and report to RCMP all purchases. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Another bylaw that was passed prohibits any new business from selling
drug paraphernalia, grandfathering those stores that already sell pipes
and bongs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The bylaws stems from concerns outlined by the Downtown Langley
Merchants' Association who say there are about five convenience stores
that are selling products used to ingest illegal drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Main Spot News is one of those places. Glass bongs can be bought there
for $29.99. | ||||||||||||||||||||
If the bylaw receives final reading, the retail sellers of hash pipes
and bongs will be required to ask ID of all their purchasers. The owner
then has to record and report all information of the buyers. The
information given to police can be hand-delivered to the detachment or
sent via fax or e-mail the day of the sale. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(3) STUDY - OTC DRUGS, PRESCRIPTIONS SEND MORE TO ER THAN COCAINE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Abuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs is sending more people
to emergency rooms than cocaine, according to new federal data that
reflect the growing popularity of powerful painkillers such as
OxyContin, Vicodin and hydrocodone. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The data, to be released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA), show that almost 2 million people
visited a hospital emergency room for illnesses involving drugs. Of
those visits, nearly 1.3 million involved drug abuse or misuse. The
administration collects data from 417 hospitals and 106 million total
emergency room visits. | ||||||||||||||||||||
About 496,000 drug-related emergency room visits involved
pharmaceuticals: over-the-counter or prescription drugs. About 383,0001
visits involved cocaine. Marijuana was involved in about 216,000
visits. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We need to see a real focus getting the message out that just because
something is prescribed or over-the-counter doesn't mean it's not
harmful," says SAMHSA administrator Charles Curie. "We want to
recognize that medications prescribed by a doctor and taken exactly how
the doctor prescribes can work wonders. But if it's not prescribed for
you, if it's not taken the way it's intended, it's a recipe for
disaster." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(4) POT PLANT PHOTOS LEAD TO ARREST (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Eckerd Employee Summons Police After Developing Pictures | ||||||||||||||||||||
A Statesboro man was so proud of his crop, he photographed it and went
to a local drug store to have the pictures developed. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Unfortunately, his bumper crop was marijuana, and police arrested him
Tuesday as he went to pick the photos up. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Statesboro Police Capt. L. C. Williams said Byron Charles Mattheeussen, 21, Acorn Lane, photographed his healthy marijuana plants - 42 in all - and took the pictures to Eckerd to be developed. When the photo lab technician saw what the subject of the photos was, she called police. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Officers Ken Scott and Antoinette Harris responded to the store and confirmed the plants in the pictures were marijuana, he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
When Mattheeussen arrived to pick up his photos, Scott and Harris
questioned him and determined the pictures had been taken at his home,
Williams said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-9) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
New Jersey school athletics officials are coming closer to a state-wide drug-testing scheme for student athletes, while federal officials continue to push local schools toward random drug testing. This time, the feds made the pitch from a casino in Mississippi. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tampa Public Housing officials in Florida have spent nearly
half-a-million dollars fending off challenges from one former
resident on "one strike" rules that can cause eviction. Also last
week, officials in Patterson, N.J. paid for newspaper ads listing
people arrested on drug and other charges; while another common
flower became the center of the latest drug hype. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) DRUG TESTING FOR N.J. HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES CLEARS ANOTHER HURDLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey will become the first state to institute
a drug-testing policy for all high school athletes under a plan set
to receive final approval next month. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The policy, which received preliminary approval Wednesday from the
executive committee of the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic
Association, would bar high school athletes from competing unless
they and their parents agree to random tests. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Testing would start in the fall if the committee again endorses the
plan June 7. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(6) WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR CALLS FOR DRUG TESTING IN SCHOOLS | ||||||||||||||||||||
TUNICA -- One of the nation's top drug control policy advisers is
calling for random drug testing in schools to deter substance abuse
and will identify children who need help. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But a number of Mississippi officials were skeptical about due
process and privacy issues that accompany such testing. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We have this disease, and it is being spread from child to child," said Scott M. Burns, the deputy director for state and local affairs in the White House's office of national drug control policy. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Burns spoke Thursday at the Mississippi Association of Drug Court Professionals at a casino's conference center near Tunica. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(7) BURTON FIGHTS POLICY, PEOPLE WHO TOOK HER FROM HER HOME (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
TAMPA - Connie Burton raises her arms and shimmies in her seat. | ||||||||||||||||||||
She couldn't be happier. She has just learned how much she has cost
the Tampa Housing Authority in legal fees. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"That was their choice," she said, sitting in a shaded thicket on Virginia Avenue, across the street from Robles Park Village, the public housing property where she lived from 1987 to 2005, the last six of those spent battling eviction. "I'm a reasonable person." | ||||||||||||||||||||
A reasonable person might have thrown in the towel. Not Burton. She
chose to fight, and keep fighting. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The housing authority has spent $472,000 defending not only its
right to evict her, but also the legality of the federal policy used
to discipline millions of public housing residents nationwide. For
each legal decision against her, Burton has filed an appeal. It
hasn't cost her a dime except gas money. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The money the housing authority has spent likely would have gone toward public programs designed to help other housing residents in Tampa, the same people whom Burton claims she is trying to empower. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Is she taking a stand or belaboring a long-moot point? Does anyone
care anymore? | ||||||||||||||||||||
At times, during a series of conversations with Burton, 50, who left
Robles Park last year and splits her time staying with friends in
Tampa and St. Petersburg, she seems more interested in muddying the
name of Tampa's head housing honcho than advancing the rights of
other low-income residents. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The same could be said of Jerome Ryans, president and chief
executive director of Tampa's authority. | ||||||||||||||||||||
When he talks about Burton, he talks. And talks. What he says sounds
like an admonition. She refused to go along. She chose to take a
different path. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Although he says he is concerned about the amount of money spent, he
fervently defends the need to spend it. He says officials at the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development have urged him to
pursue the case, even though those same officials have refused to
pony up even a portion of the cost. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(8) NAMING NAMES IN PATERSON, AND LET THE NAMED BEWARE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
In an effort to discourage people from coming to Paterson, N.J., to buy drugs and solicit prostitutes, the Police Department has begun buying full-page ads in local newspapers listing the names, partial addresses and birth dates of people arrested for those crimes. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The first ads, which cost the department $2,500, appeared on Wednesday in The Record and The Herald News and listed the names of about 600 people arrested between July 2005 and February 2006. The Police Department plans to buy additional ads on a quarterly basis. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Under the headline "Caveat Emptor," the ads read: "Be advised that if you attempt to purchase drugs or sex in the City of Paterson you will be arrested, jailed, and have your vehicle impounded. Your name will then appear in a future newspaper ad like those listed below." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mayor Jose Torres, who is up for re-election to a second four-year
term when voters go to the polls tomorrow, said the ads were meant
to send a message to the city's unwanted visitors. "Out-of-towners
are not going to come here to buy drugs and sex, and their family
and neighbors will not even know about it," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
City officials said that at least half of the 2,233 people arrested
for the offenses from July to February came from outside Paterson,
though they noted that future ads would include the names of
Paterson residents. ( There was only enough space for 600 names in
the first ads ). | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(9) TEENS FINDING A HIGH IN FLOWERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Law Enforcement Officials Say They Didn't Know About Morning Glory | ||||||||||||||||||||
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WASHINGTON - They have such whimsical names as heavenly blue,
crimson rambler and pearly gates, and delicate blooms that crawl
quickly up trellises. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But when morning glory seeds aren't planted -- when they are instead
ingested -- whimsical thoughts can crawl through altered minds with
kaleidoscope-like visions. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Once popular in the hippie era of the 1960s, morning glory seeds as
a hallucinogen seem to have sprouted once again. Local gardening
shops have noticed their seed stocks depleted by adolescent hands,
and poison control centers in the District of Columbia and its
suburbs have received calls from hospitals with patients
experiencing adverse reactions from the seeds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"These kids have a misconception that it's natural, that it's more
safe" than other drugs, said Chris Holstege, a doctor who runs
Virginia's Blue Ridge Poison Center. "It alters your perception, and
that puts you at risk." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (10-13) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The criminal justice system usually shows a unified face on drug
laws, so a police chief and sheriff in New York were quite agitated
to learn that their local prosecutor had criticized the drug war in
general at a conference in Canada. The criticism didn't quiet the
prosecutor. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In California, the Los Angeles Times reported on a "skid row" drug empire; while in Florida, legislators finally appear to be making some real effort on restoring the rights of released prisoners. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) PROSECUTOR'S DRUG TALK RAISES IRE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Vancouver Speech By David Soares Draws Rebuke From Police Chief,
Sheriff | ||||||||||||||||||||
ALBANY -- A speech by Albany County District Attorney David Soares
in Canada attacking U.S. drug policies has drawn criticism from top
county law enforcement officials. | ||||||||||||||||||||
U.S. lawmakers, judges and prosecutors know the system doesn't work
well, "but they support it anyway because it provides law
enforcement officials with lucrative jobs," Soares said Tuesday in a
speech at the 17th International Conference on the Reduction of
Drug-Related Harm in Vancouver. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"You ( Canada ) are headed in the right direction," Soares said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Soares' remarks aggravated an already strained relationship with law
enforcement officials in Albany County. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Albany Police Chief James Tuffey said he needs clarification on
whether Soares actually intends to enforce the state's drug laws.
"When he comes back, he really needs to meet with us to explain,"
Tuffey said. "It's disingenuous to the officers who go out every day
who are not highly paid, contrary to what he said." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Albany County Sheriff James Campbell said, "For 41 years I've been doing this, and it's a slap. I am as angry as I am disappointed." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(11) PROSECUTOR URGES POLITICAL REFORM (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Albany County District Attorney Slams Jennings, Top Cops In Crime
Fight | ||||||||||||||||||||
ALBANY -- A "political fiefdom" of Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings, the city police chief and the county sheriff must end for law enforcement to improve, District Attorney David Soares said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In a stinging answer Thursday to local criticism of his stance on
the U.S. war on drugs, the first-term prosecutor said Jennings
should focus on city redevelopment and stay out of the operation of
the police department. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"He has been running that department," Soares said of Jennings,
noting the mayor has gone through four police chiefs in the past two
years. "It's time to remove the politics." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Soares said the local furor over a speech he gave in Canada
questioning the effectiveness of U.S. drug policy is just the latest
of what was previously a behind-the-scenes effort by Jennings,
Sheriff James Campbell and other Democrats to undermine his
credibility since his surprise defeat of Democratic nominee Paul
Clyne in the 2004 primary. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Jennings said he has more things to worry about than who is DA: "My comments were simply that we have laws he's supposed to enforce." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(12) RAID TARGETS SKID ROW DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Police arrest eight for allegedly selling crack cocaine to homeless
buyers paying with coins or even food vouchers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Los Angeles police raided a hotel Thursday on the outskirts of
Chinatown, arresting eight suspects in an alleged crack cocaine ring
that provided a stark look at how even homeless people with only
pennies to their name can fuel a burgeoning drug trade. | ||||||||||||||||||||
During the raid -- the first in the LAPD's new crackdown on the
downtown homeless district's crime and drug problem -- officers
reportedly discovered $130,000, including $700 in quarters, nickels,
dimes and even pesos that they believe homeless people amassed by
panhandling or stealing from parking meters. The money was used to
buy small hits of crack cocaine, they said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(13) EX-FELONS GET HELP REGAINING CIVIL RIGHTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
State Lawmakers Have Passed Legislation That Will Give Thousands Of
Ex-Felons a Better Shot at Regaining Their Civil Rights, Including
The Right to Vote. | ||||||||||||||||||||
TALLAHASSEE - In a rare show of support for disenfranchised felons,
the Florida Legislature on Monday unanimously passed a bill
requiring county jails to help thousands of inmates apply for their
civil rights once they have paid for their crimes. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The bill, now headed to Gov. Jeb Bush for approval, closes a
little-known loophole in state law that has cost an estimated 50,000
felons since 1980 the chance to vote, serve on a jury, hold public
office or qualify for various occupational licenses. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday's vote represents one of the first times in state history the
Legislature has intervened on behalf of felons, who have been barred
for 137 years by the state's Constitution from regaining their most
basic rights. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Only the Florida Clemency Board, made up of the governor and
Cabinet, can restore rights to felons. | ||||||||||||||||||||
State law has required the Department of Corrections to assist
felons released from state prison or supervision with the clemency
process by automatically forwarding their names to the Clemency
Board for consideration. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But the law ignores felons released from dozens of local jails statewide, even though most are nonviolent offenders who should have the best shot at getting their rights back. The state largely relies on county officials, most often sheriffs, to run and regulate jails. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The oversight was first revealed in a 2004 Herald investigation that
exposed widespread breakdowns in Florida's clemency system. The
newspaper found that since 1987, less than 2 percent of all felons
who had their rights restored came from jails. | ||||||||||||||||||||
State Sen. Frederica Wilson, a Miami Democrat, and Rep. Chris Smith, a Fort Lauderdale Democrat, sponsored the legislation to close the gap. The Senate on Monday voted 39-0 in favor of the measure. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The House earlier this month approved the bill by a 117-0 vote. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In a state with the highest number of disenfranchised voters in the
nation, the move was heralded by lawmakers and civil rights
advocates. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (14-18) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
We'll begin this week with a few reports about the international
Million Marijuana March that has now become a mainstay of cannabis
activism in over 100 countries. Our first story comes from
Bakersfield, California, where a few hundred folks gathered to
celebrate both the Marijuana March and the 10th anniversary of the
passage of Proposition 215, which on May 5th of 1996 gave all
medical cannabis users in California legal protection at the state
level. Next we boogie up to Toronto, which over the last few years
has become home to one of the world's biggest annual marijuana
legalization marches. This year's attendance estimates range from
10,000-25,000, and boasted no reported arrests. And now let's head
on down to Nimbin, Australia where over 6000 pro-pot folks gathered
to celebrate a weekend of weed. The Nimbin event was unfortunately
marred by a heavy-handed police presence that included officers in
riot gear, and over 40 arrests were reported in or around the
pot-friendly village. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Our next article comes to us from New Jersey, where a medical
cannabis bill introduced by Sen. Nicholas Scutari is slated to be
discussed by the Senate Health Panel, who will hear expert testimony
on the topic on June 8th. If the bill passes, it would make New
Jersey the 12th state in the U.S. to legalize the medical use of
cannabis. | ||||||||||||||||||||
And lastly this week, news that North Dakota will initiate a process
to license farmers wishing to grow hemp. Sadly, the implementation
of this licensing scheme is contingent of the U.S. government
changing it's current opposition to hemp cultivation, and legalizing
its domestic production. Now let me see if I've got U.S. drug policy
right. hemp jeans: okay; hemp oil: bad; crude oil: gift from God to
U.S.; Eggos: good; hemp waffles: pretty bad; lollipops: good;
pot-flavored lollipops: bad; alcohol: good (but in moderation, like
when watching football, or eating dinner, or going out with friends,
or at home alone at night.); Kahlua-flavoured chocolates: good;
cigarettes: sorta bad (but what the heck); pot: absolute evil. I
think that I've got it now, it's just that it all leaves me kinda
sad and confused. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(14) MARCH MARKS MEDICAL MARIJUANA MILESTONE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
In front of the Liberty Bell on Truxtun Avenue, Douglas McAfee asked
if anybody had a light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
And from the rush of lighters presented to him, he lit up a joint of
marijuana, took a long drag and exhaled. Then he held up the joint
for everyone to see. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"It starts here," said the president of the Bakersfield chapter of
the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, to the
crowd of about 60 people. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The group marched from Beach Park to the Liberty Bell Saturday to
celebrate the 10th anniversary of the passage of California's
Proposition 215. Passed on Nov. 5, 1996, the Compassionate Use Act
legalized medical marijuana for use by qualified patients. The march
was also a part of the Million Marijuana March, an international
event where groups from around the world rallied for the
legalization of marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(15) THIS GRASS HAS WEED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Advocates of Legalizing Pot Hold Eighth Annual March | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thousands of pot smokers converged on Queen's Park yesterday where
they sparked up joints of "skunk weed" with the slogan of Stinking
it to the Man. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The day-long eighth annual Toronto Global Marijuana March included
goths, hippies and others on the fringe of society as well as
university students. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Booths with cookies and assorted baked goods, pizza and hamburgers
and hot dogs were on hand. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
There was a uniformed police presence at the rally which caused
giggles and smirks as officers made their way through the smoking
crowd. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We are here for event managing," said Toronto police Sgt. Dave
Hogan. "We are observing and keeping the peace and hope it will be a
pleasant event. We don't want a mass riot." | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(16) NIMBIN POLICE SMOKED OUT AT THE MARDI GRASS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A RECORD number of riot police descended on the northern NSW hippie
town of Nimbin, but not even the packs of police on foot and
horseback could stop the pungent smoke billowing from all corners of
the town's Mardi Grass festival. | ||||||||||||||||||||
About 6000 people poured into Nimbin -- a former dairy town
described by its own state MP, Thomas George, as a "slum" --
bringing their tents, Kombies, bongo drums and fairy wings along for
the weekend. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Many openly puffed on joints from breakfast onwards, defying the
state laws that prohibit the sale and possession of marijuana and
other drugs. More than 30 police patrolled the town at any one time,
while competitors in the Hemp Olympix battled to win the
bong-throwing and joint-rolling competitions. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(17) LEGALIZING OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA TO BE ON AGENDA NEXT MONTH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
New Jersey would become the 12th state to legalize marijuana for
people with debilitating medical conditions under a bill slated to
be discussed next month by state lawmakers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sen. Joseph Vitale, chairman of a Senate health panel, said he's
scheduled a June 8 discussion to hear from experts on the bill
proposed by Sen. Nicholas Scutari. Vitale said he supports the
concept, but has questions. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"It's really an effort to provide some sort of relief for people and
some compassion," said Vitale, D-Middlesex. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The legislation has long been proposed by Scutari, D-Union, but has
never received a legislative hearing. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(18) N.D. PUSHING AHEAD WITH HEMP FARMING RULES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
North Dakota is pushing ahead with plans to license state farmers to
grow industrial hemp even as it tries to allay law enforcement fears
about marijuana's biological cousin. | ||||||||||||||||||||
State Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson and his department are
crafting hemp rules after meeting in February with Drug Enforcement
Agency officials in Washington. A public hearing on the proposed
rules is slated for June 15. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The rules would require a criminal background check on farmers who want to grow hemp. The sale of hemp and location of the hemp fields must be documented. And the farmer must get a permit from the DEA. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Adam Eidinger, a spokesman for Vote Hemp, the lobbying arm of the
hemp industry, said North Dakota is the first state to actually
craft rules to license hemp farmers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (19-22) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The U.S. and China, two major authoritarian nations in the world
today, joined together for a record cocaine bust and media
extravaganza last week. Before rolling cameras, authorities
displayed cocaine claimed to be smuggled from Colombia to China. Due
to vigilance by the authorities, officials said, children would be
saved from drugs. According to the Herald Democrat, the DEA
"quietly" opened offices in Beijing five years ago. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Right-wing Canadian Prime Minister Harper's Conservative government
introduced a mandatory minimum sentencing initiative last week, as
promised. If enacted, the sweeping new laws would pack Canadian
prisons with low-level drug offenders, necessitating more prisons
and police. Police, predictably, are all for it. Harper has been
campaigning on a "get tough" anti-crime platform, even though crime
rates have been falling in Canada for decades. An excellent
editorial this week from the Montreal Gazette points out that
mandatory minimums "have not been shown to have any discernible
effect on crime rates," something that Canada might consider before
heading down that path. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Also this week, some fallout from the recent flip-flop in Mexico of
the Fox government on a drug decrim bill. Readers will recall that
Mexican President Fox's own government had proposed a modest decrim
bill, which was shouted down by U.S. prohibitionists. Fox, kissing
up to Washington, reversed his position and opposed the bill. This
week, however, a defiant Mexican congress said they may override
Fox's veto. "The US method of repression does not work," noted one
observer. "Not only have we failed to reduce drug use, we have
filled our jails with prisoners in for drug-related crimes, many of
them non-violent." A Quebec paper even used the "P" word to describe
the situation: "This lose-lose situation has strong parallels to
Prohibition, the ban on liquor in the U.S. between 1920 and 1933.
Prohibition was enacted to solve the same problems associated with
illegal drugs today. It did not." Conclusion? "The United States
should take a long look at itself. More than half of all U.S.
prisoners are behind bars for drug-related offenses. Neither Canada
nor Mexico wants to follow in those footsteps." | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(19) FIRST CHINA-U.S. DRUG INQUIRY NETS RECORD COCAINE SEIZURE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
BEIJING (AP) -- Chinese and U.S. agents seized more than 300 pounds
of cocaine smuggled from Colombia, authorities said Tuesday - a
record drug bust for China that underscores how South American
narcotics gangs are aggressively moving into Asia. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Nine people were arrested. Chinese television footage showed a locker stacked high with dozens of bricks of smuggled cocaine, some with a yin yang symbol embossed on the solid white blocks. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
A joint inquiry by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Liu said authorities also discovered a drug lab tied to the gang
during their investigation. No details were given, although photos
of the raid provided by police showed bottles of ethyl ether - a key
ingredient in making highly addictive crack cocaine. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Following the communist revolution in 1949, China virtually wiped
out opium use that had afflicted as many as 20 million addicts and
crippled the economy. Stocks were destroyed, traffickers executed
and millions of users forced to quit cold turkey or be sent to labor
camps. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese and U.S. authorities have been stepping up cooperation in recent years as the drug trade between the two countries grows. The DEA quietly opened an office in Beijing about five years ago. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fiebig said the agency has been working closely with China's
anti-narcotics agency, but the cocaine case marked the first time
Chinese customs has worked with U.S. authorities on a drug
investigation. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We hope this will lay out a model for the future," | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(20) MINIMUM SENTENCES ARE NOT THE ANSWER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Two anti-crime bills introduced by the Conservative government last
week included some good initiatives. But mandatory minimum
sentencing was not one of them. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Yet that is the measure likely to have the biggest impact on
Canada's justice system. The Conservatives estimate that between the
mandatory minimum (MM) sentencing law and a second bill designed to
eliminate conditional sentences such as community service or house
arrest for a number of crimes, as many as 4,000 people will be added
to the country's prison population. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Housing them would require new prisons, which could cost, opposition
critics claim, as much as $5 billion to build, and many millions a
year to operate. | ||||||||||||||||||||
That is a very large investment for the Canadian taxpayer to make in
MMs, that have not been shown to have any discernible effect on
crime rates, either here or outside the country. Normally, a record
of failure elsewhere will dissuade lawmakers from introducing a
given measure here. Bringing in mandatory minimums in the face of
all evidence suggests the Conservatives are acting on an ideological
basis, not a factual one. | ||||||||||||||||||||
MM sentencing was first introduced in a big way by the United States
in its war on drugs. Drug traffickers were subject to mandatory
minimums of five to 10 years, depending on the quantity and type of
drug. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But according to research by Thomas Gabor of the University of
Ottawa and Nicole Crutcher of Carleton University, this sentencing
provision left gun-related crime in the United States "generally
unaffected." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(21) RETHINKING DRUG LAWS IS RIGHT PATH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mexico's eye-opening new approach to drug-abuse law comes just as
Canada is stepping back from decriminalizing marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In both countries, it must be admitted that the old approach -
treating as a criminal every person caught with even a small amount
of a banned substance - has not produced hoped-for results. The
market for illegal drugs has not declined. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Instead, criminal penalties have filled the jails and created an
enormously profitable business run by people quite willing to use
violence to ensure market share. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In Mexico, furthermore, the war on drugs has produced an appreciable number of corrupt police officers, prosecutors and politicians. | ||||||||||||||||||||
This lose-lose situation has strong parallels to Prohibition, the
ban on liquor in the U.S. between 1920 and 1933. Prohibition was
enacted to solve the same problems associated with illegal drugs
today. It did not. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
The United States should take a long look at itself. | ||||||||||||||||||||
More than half of all U.S. prisoners are behind bars for
drug-related offenses. Neither Canada nor Mexico wants to follow in
those footsteps. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(22) DEBATE FAR FROM OVER FOR MEXICO'S DRUG BILL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Lawmakers Vowed Monday To Pass A Bill That Drops Charges For Small
Amounts Of Drugs | ||||||||||||||||||||
MEXICO CITY -- Welcome to Mexico, a paradise of beaches, Mayan ruins
... and methamphetamines? | ||||||||||||||||||||
Much to the relief of many in Washington, Mexican President Vicente
Fox decided last week not to sign into law a bill that would drop
criminal charges for possession of small amounts of marijuana,
cocaine, heroin, and other drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But Mexican lawmakers pledged Monday to keep pushing for the decriminalization bill, saying they could override Mr. Fox's veto. The bill has proved controversial, sparking debate in both the U.S. and Mexico over how best to battle drug trafficking and use. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fox helped design the bill, and when Mexico's Congress initially
passed it at the end of April, presidential spokesman Ruben Aguilar
called it "an advance in combating narcotics trafficking." The
reason: it would free up jail space and re-focus funding and
manpower currently used to crack down on small-time users on
big-time smugglers and dealers who, in the past few years, have
turned Mexico into a more dangerous hub in the international drug
trade. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But that was before Washington began raising objections. Officials
from the State Department and the White House Office of National
Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) "expressed concern," says Judith Bryan,
a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, that such a law
would both increase local drug consumption and encourage "drug
tourism." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Peter Reuter, a professor of public policy at the University of
Maryland's Department of Criminology disagrees, arguing that there
is no proof leniency affects the number of users. "Italy and Spain
have moderately severe drug problems but don't stand out with the
highest addiction rates or more drug-related criminality.
Switzerland has a higher rate of addiction and has much more
conventional policy," he says. "A study has yet to show that
decriminalizing drugs has an effect on drug consumption or
trafficking." | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
THE MURKY DAWN & MORE FUN WITH DAWN | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Pete Guither | ||||||||||||||||||||
DrugWarRant - http://www.drugwarrant.com | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
DRUG SANITY SOUTH OF THE BORDER | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Margaret Dooley, AlterNet. Posted May 8, 2006. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mexico has the right idea in its attempt to decriminalize possession
of small amounts of some drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
STUDY SHOWS NO BRAIN STRUCTURAL CHANGE WITH ADOLESCENT CANNABIS USE | ||||||||||||||||||||
Lynn E DeLisi [et al.] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Listen Live Fridays 8:00 PM, ET, 7:00 CT, 6:00 MT & 5:00 PT at
www.KPFT.org | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
MPP'S ROB KAMPIA DISCUSSES THE COST OF MARIJUANA PROHIBITION | ||||||||||||||||||||
April 21, 2006 -- MPP's Rob Kampia discusses the cost of marijuana
prohibition on CNBC's "On the Money" | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
MULTIDISCIPLINARY ASSOCIATION FOR PSYCHEDELIC STUDIES NEWS UPDATE | ||||||||||||||||||||
May 11, 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
DEA MONTREAL CONFAB GREETED BY COUNTER-CONFERENCE | ||||||||||||||||||||
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its law enforcement
buddies from across the hemisphere met in Montreal this week for the
agency's annual International Drug Enforcement Conference. But for the
first time, the annual narc convention was met by organized opposition
as an ad hoc coalition of Canadian and US drug reform groups countered
the DEA with produced two days of events in Montreal and Ottawa, the
Canadian national capital. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
2006 REGIONAL DRUG TESTING SUMMITS | ||||||||||||||||||||
In 2006 ONDCP hosted Regional Drug Testing Summits in Orlando,
Florida; San Diego, California; Falls Church, Virginia; and Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. Presentations are listed at the URL below by summit location
and can be viewed in PDF format. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
JOB OPPORTUNITY AT MPP | ||||||||||||||||||||
Office Administrator/Bookkeeper for fast-paced marijuana policy reform
lobby. Strong writing and organization skills required, bookkeeping
experience a plus. $40K. | ||||||||||||||||||||
For more details, see | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
METH HYPE | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Connie Littlefield | ||||||||||||||||||||
So the scourge of crystal meth is approaching Nova Scotia like a
hurricane on the horizon, is it? Well not everybody thinks so. Some
folks say it's just the same old amphetamine that we've known, in
various forms, since before time was measured. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Western culture has been soaking in speed, seriously, since right
after the Second World War, when governments started selling
civilians the supplies they had earlier stockpiled for official use.
Crystal meth is a faster and more intense way to get high because it
is smoked, but it's the same old substance. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The reason you hear things like the "storm approaching" story is
that certain elements in law enforcement need the public to get
behind the drug war. They need us to continue to bulk up the budget
for use on tactical attacks, surveillance, the prison-industrial
complex, etc. The drug war is big business, and it needs a constant
supply of fresh hype to perpetuate itself. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Humans will always have the urge to get high. Instead of adopting an
American warfare model, we should continue the Canadian peacemaking
tradition and treat addiction as the health problem that it is, not
the criminal law problem that it has become. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Connie Littlefield, Halifax member, Law Enforcement Against
Prohibition | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER WRITER OF THE MONTH - APRIL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
DrugSense recognizes Gary Storck, of Madison, Wisconsin for his three published letters during April, which brings his total published letters that we know of to 212. Gary is webmaster for Is My Medicine Legal YET? http://www.immly.org/, the Drug Policy Forum of Wisconsin http://www.drugsense.org/dpfwi/, the Cheryl Miller Memorial Project http://www.cheryldcmemorial.org/ and Wisconsin NORML http://www.winorml.org as well as listmaster for several reform email lists. Gary blogs at http://madisonnorml.org/blog/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
You may read his published letters at: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Teens More Likely To Try Marijuana After Viewing Feds' Anti-Pot Ads,
Study Says | ||||||||||||||||||||
By NORML | ||||||||||||||||||||
San Marcos, TX: Teenagers exposed to anti-marijuana public service
announcements (PSAs) produced by the Office of National Drug Control
Policy (ONDCP) are more likely to hold positive attitudes about the
drug and are more likely to express their intent to use cannabis
after viewing the advertisements, according to a study published in
the May issue of the journal Addictive Behaviors. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Two hundred and twenty-six volunteers age 18- to 19-years old took part in the study. Participants viewed either a series of anti-marijuana PSAs accessed from the ONDCP website or a series of anti-tobacco advertisements. Investigators then surveyed viewers' attitudes toward the two substances by using a five-point scale (e.g., good-bad) and computerized implicit association tests (IATs). Researchers also measured respondents' intent to use either marijuana or tobacco via a 10-point scale (e.g., agree-disagree). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Investigators found that viewers expressed significantly fewer
negative attitudes toward marijuana after viewing the ads. No such
"boomerang effect" was noted among those who viewed anti-tobacco
advertising. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"It appears that ... anti-marijuana public statement announcements
used in national anti-drug campaigns in the U.S. produce immediate
effects [that are the] opposite [of those] intended by the creators
of this campaign," authors concluded. "This reactance effect was
triggered only by anti-marijuana ads [and] not by anti-tobacco ads.
Therefore, it cannot be attributed to a general disposition [by
adolescents] to respond with reactance (e.g. rebelliousness) to any
anti-substance use persuasion." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Investigators added: "Students viewing anti-marijuana advertising
[also] declared significantly higher intention to use this substance
than students exposed to anti-tobacco ads, while controlling for
pre-existing differences in attitudes to marijuana. ... [This] would
suggest that exposure to anti-marijuana advertising might not only
change young viewers attitudes to [become] more positive toward this
substance, but also might directly increase [their] risk of using
marijuana." | ||||||||||||||||||||
The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign ( | ||||||||||||||||||||
For more NORML news, see - http://www.norml.org/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction." | ||||||||||||||||||||
-- Robert Nesta Marley (February 6, 1945 - May 11, 1981) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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