| July 14, 2006 #457 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(1) SAFE-INJECTION-SITE PLAN THREATENED WITH SLOW DEATH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Victoria's aspirations for a safe-injection site will suffer a
premature death if the federal government pulls the plug on Vancouver's
safe injection facility, Mayor Alan Lowe said Thursday. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Commenting on a proposal from city staff to install used needle drop
boxes at various downtown locations, Lowe noted that the federal
government has yet to extend the licence for Vancouver's safe injection
site and said a decision to terminate the pilot project would stall
momentum in Victoria toward a similar site. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"It would kill our safe injection site and I don't want to see that
happen," Lowe said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Vancouver facility, InSite, is a pilot project made possible by an exemption under the Canada Health Act allowing clients to use illegal drugs on the premises, including heroin and crack cocaine. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But with that exemption due to expire in September and Prime Minister
Stephen Harper stating publicly that his government opposes legalized
drug use, supporters of a safe injection site for Victoria are not
optimistic. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(2) DAISY GETS 10 YEARS IN INDIAN JAIL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
BOURNEMOUTH backpacker Daisy Angus has been sentenced to 10 years in an Indian prison after being found guilty of drug smuggling. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fitness instructor Daisy, 26, protested her innocence and sobbed loudly
as she was handed the lengthy jail term by a judge sitting at the
Special NDPS Court in Mumbai. | ||||||||||||||||||||
She has already spent nearly four years in prison on remand while her slow-moving case was heard and will be freed in six years. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Daisy was stopped by customs officers at Mumbai airport on November 8,
2002, as she was about to board a plane to the Netherlands. The image
of her luggage during x-ray examination roused suspicion. The bag was
examined and customs officers discovered 10kg of cannabis in a false
bottom of her suitcase. | ||||||||||||||||||||
When Special Judge PB Sawant announced the conviction, a tearful and
frightened Daisy said: "I have already served almost four years in jail
for a crime I did not commit. | ||||||||||||||||||||
This false case against me killed my father and grandmother." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Expressing their disappointment, Daisy's mum Nadine, younger sister Tenderesse and uncle Pascal said they believed Daisy was innocent. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Nadine said: "Expecting a fair trial, Daisy spoke the truth from the
beginning." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(3) METH METAMORPHOSIS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
'Cranksters' Adapt Despite Crackdown On Home Labs | ||||||||||||||||||||
Back when he started cooking crank five years ago, Ryan Spencer had
little trouble shopping for ingredients. | ||||||||||||||||||||
He bought or stole pseudoephedrine pills by the boxful. He would hop from pharmacy to pharmacy, gathering enough of the cold and allergy medicine for a decent batch of methamphetamine. For iodine he would drop by the local feed store. Red phosphorous proved harder to find, so Spencer would soak matchbook strike pads in acetone and scrape it off. | ||||||||||||||||||||
That was until lawmakers and police clamped down on bulk sales of pseudoephedrine and a host of volatile chemicals used to make the potent stimulant known as "meth," "zip," "Tina" and "hillbilly crack." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Spencer, 27, who started smoking meth when he was 13, responded like any sensible crankster might. He stopped cooking and bought from dealers, selling some off to subsidize an $80 to $110 a day habit. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"The way it is now, it just seems they'll catch you (cooking)," said
Spencer, who lives in Antioch and recently completed a 90-day treatment
program. "There's very little payoff. Meth, especially in Antioch, is
way easy to get." | ||||||||||||||||||||
State crime data suggest that meth cooks like Spencer have quit in
droves. And Contra Costa County, once the Bay Area's notorious hotbed
for meth labs, has seen the sharpest drop in lab seizures of any
California county that recorded 15 or more lab busts in 2000, a Times
analysis of the data shows. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The crackdown on precursor chemicals is one factor. But a bigger one, say authorities, may be the flood of cheap and stronger meth coming north from "superlabs" in the Central Valley and Mexico. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(4) SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT HAS GOOD DAY IN "WAR ON DRUGS" (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
On Thursday July 6 the Benton County Sheriff's Department received an
anonymous tip regarding the location of a large number of marijuana
plants. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Responding to the tip Sergeant-Investigator Ricky Pafford, Sheriff
Cecil Wells, and Reserve Deputy Mike Jenkins were led to the heavily
wooded area south of Camden. They found approximately 60 healthy
marijuana plants. A search of the immediate area uncovered fertilizer
and potting equipment. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The search area was expanded with the assistance of Benton County
Deputies Judy Stevens and Pat Chandler, Reserve Deputy Bobby Kee and
his tracking dog. Also assisting was James Inman with the Camden Police
Department. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The expanded search of nearly one square mile resulted in the location
of a tank believed to contain anhydrous ammonia a very hazardous
chemical which is a key ingredient used to manufacture methamphetamine
generally called "Meth." | ||||||||||||||||||||
During an interview with the Camden Chronicle Sergeant-Investigator
Ricky Pafford said, "Tips like the one we received today are important
in our "War on Drugs" and although we did not make an arrest, we
confiscated a significant quantity of marijuana plants and anhydrous
ammonia." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sheriff Wells added, "If anyone wants to claim the marijuana plants or
anhydrous tank they should stop in at the Benton County Sheriff's
Department." | ||||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-9) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch showed what he was made of last week, as he
helped an American escape a jail cell for drug crimes - in another
country. Hey, Senator, there's plenty here who need help to, thanks
to laws which you passed. Speaking of political credibility in
question, the mayor of a Connecticut city is seeking forgiveness
after admitting cocaine use. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Meanwhile, politicians may seek special treatment for themselves and
their cronies, but average people, particularly less protected
classes, like students, have to face unreasonable security measures
which will allegedly create safety from drugs. This week, it's a
Massachusetts school district which allows school officials to seize
and search students' cell phones. Also last week, the formal removal
of rights from expectant mothers continues; and men in white coats
confirm what lots of people already learned on their own over the
past several thousand years: ingesting psilocybin mushrooms can
cause feelings of religious enlightenment for some, but great fear
for some others. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES ARE FOR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
LOS ANGELES - Although collaborations happen all the time in pop
music, they do not generally involve R & B hitmakers and Senator
Orrin G. Hatch. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But the release of a music producer from a Dubai jail this week,
quick on the heels of his conviction for drug possession, turns out
to be a story of high-level string-pulling on the part of Mr. Hatch,
the conservative Utah Republican and songwriter, along with Lionel
Richie, the singer; Quincy Jones, the music entrepreneur; and an
array of well-connected lawyers, businessmen and others, spanning
cities and continents. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Dallas Austin, 35, who has produced hits for Madonna, Janet Jackson
and others, flew home to Atlanta on Wednesday, after being released
after midnight on Tuesday from a holding cell in a Dubai jail. Hours
earlier Mr. Austin had been sentenced to four years in prison for
carrying just over a gram of cocaine with him when he entered the
country on May 19 to attend a birthday celebration for Naomi
Campbell. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Senator Hatch made numerous phone calls on Mr. Austin's behalf to
the ambassador and consul of the United Arab Emirates embassy in
Washington -- Dubai is one of the seven emirates -- and served as an
intermediary for Mr. Austin's representatives, the producer's
lawyers said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"The senator was one of a number of people who were very actively
involved," said Joe Reeder, the Washington lawyer, who, with an
Atlanta colleague, Joel A. Katz, spent 10 days in Dubai working to
secure Mr. Austin's reprieve. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mr. Katz, an entertainment lawyer, represents both Mr. Austin and
the somewhat less musically successful Mr. Hatch, a singer and
songwriter who has recorded religious-oriented albums. After hiring
Mr. Katz's firm, the senator last year took in $39,092 in income
from music publishing, according to financial documents filed in May
under the Ethics in Government Act. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(6) A QUESTION OF CREDIBILITY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Can Fabrizi still lead after cocaine admission? | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bridgeport's political, business and religious leaders are meeting with Mayor John M. Fabrizi to discuss his status after his admission that he has used cocaine and abused alcohol while serving as mayor. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The leaders said Fabrizi must show how he plans to rebuild his
credibility after he publicly admitted his substance abuse problems
June 20. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Last week, Fabrizi met with Democratic City Council members and
Bridgeport Regional Business Council ( BRBC ) members to explain his
past drug and alcohol use and current treatment. | ||||||||||||||||||||
A similar meeting with the Greater Bridgeport Council of Churches, a religious umbrella group, has been scheduled for the near future. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"I'm telling them my story and explaining my situation," said Fabrizi, whose admission came after his name surfaced in an ongoing federal drug investigation. A representative from the U.S. Attorney's Office has said Fabrizi is not a target in the case. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(7) STUDENTS CRY FOUL OVER CELL PHONE POLICY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Teens Say Officials Are 'Overreacting' And Violating Their Privacy | ||||||||||||||||||||
FRAMINGHAM - Fearing their wireless freedom may be in jeopardy,
students at Framingham High School were fuming over a new school
policy that allows administrators to seize cell phones and search
their contents. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The policy, administrators say, is to improve security and stop the
sale of drugs and stolen goods, but students said that the edict is
an invasion of privacy. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"It's not anyone's business what is in students' cell phones," said
Demitriy Kozlov, who will be a senior in September. "If they think
someone's dealing a pound of coke or pot, then there is a reason to,
but that doesn't happen here." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Kozlov said he believes administrators are overreacting and making
the school appear more troublesome than it actually is. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(8) NEW WAVE OF 'FETAL PROTECTIONISM' DECRIED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Today's Topic: Legal Rights | ||||||||||||||||||||
In Arkansas, lawmakers are considering making it a crime for a
pregnant woman to take a drag off a cigarette. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In Utah, a woman serves 18 months' probation for child endangerment after refusing to undergo a Caesarean section to save her twins, one of whom died. In Wisconsin and South Dakota, authorities can haul pregnant women into custody for abusing alcohol or drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
And July 1 in Alabama, Brody's Law took effect. It enables
prosecutors to level two charges against anyone who attacks a
pregnant woman and harms her fetus. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Common-sense measures to protect America's most helpless
citizens-to-be ... or something else? | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(9) GO ASK ALICE: MUSHROOM DRUG IS STUDIED ANEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
In a study that could revive interest in researching the effects of
psychedelic drugs, scientists said a substance in certain mushrooms
induced powerful, mind-altering experiences among a group of
well-educated, middle-age men and women. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions researchers conducted the study
following carefully controlled, scientifically rigorous procedures.
They said that the episodes generally led to positive changes in
attitude and behavior among the 36 volunteer participants and that
the changes appeared to last at least two months. Participants cited
feelings of intense joy, "distance from ordinary reality," and
feelings of peace and harmony after taking the drug. Two-thirds
described the effects of the drug, called psilocybin, as among the
five most meaningful experiences of their lives. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But in 30% of the cases, the drug provoked harrowing experiences
dominated by fear and paranoia. Two participants likened the
episodes to being in a war. While these episodes were managed by
trained monitors at the sessions where the drugs were taken,
researchers cautioned that in less-controlled settings, such
responses could trigger panic or other reactions that might put
people in danger. | ||||||||||||||||||||
A report on the study, among the first to systematically assess the
effects of hallucinogenic substances in 40 years, is being published
online today by the journal Psychopharmacology. An accompanying
editorial and commentaries from three prominent neuroscientists and
a psychiatrist praise the study and argue that further research into
such agents has the potential to unlock secrets of consciousness and
lead to new therapeutic strategies for depression, addiction and
other ailments. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (10-13) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A judge in Vermont is holding police to the standards of his state's Constitution in regard to the need to knock before entering a citizen's home, something the U.S. Supreme Court refused to do a couple weeks ago. Another judge in South Carolina allowed a settlement in a case in which police raided a high school and pointed guns at students. Also last week, more corruption and dangerous training seem likely to lead to more lawsuits. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) JUDGE SAYS POLICE IN VERMONT MUST KNOCK BEFORE SEARCHING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Police in Vermont must knock before raiding a home or risk having
any evidence they discover thrown out of court, despite a recent
U.S. Supreme Court decision to the contrary, an Essex County judge
has ruled. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Judge Robert Bent, presiding over a drug case in Vermont District
Court in Guildhall, wrote in an opinion released Monday that
Vermont's constitution gives criminal defendants greater protection
than that afforded by the U.S. Constitution against unreasonable
searches and seizures. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Evidence obtained in violation of the Vermont constitution, or as
the result of a violation, cannot be admitted at trial as a matter
of state law," Bent wrote, quoting a case he cited as underpinning
his ruling. "Introduction of such evidence at trial eviscerates our
most sacred rights, impinges on individual privacy, perverts our
judicial process, distorts any notion of fairness and encourages
official misconduct." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(11) JUDGE OKS SETTLEMENT FOR STRATFORD POLICE RAID (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
An estimated 140 Stratford High School students searched during the school's 2003 police raid could receive individual shares of settlement funds between $6,000 and $12,000 as soon as September. | ||||||||||||||||||||
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Patrick Michael Duffy gave final
approval to the class-action settlement that pitted students and
families affected by the police sweep against Berkeley County School
District officials and the Goose Creek Police Department. The judge
gave preliminary approval to the settlement in April. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The 16-page order handed down Monday calls for a final settlement
figure of $1.6 million, with students eligible to split $1.2 million
of those funds. Students' lawyers will earn the remaining $400,000
under the agreement. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(12) COP SAYS HE AIDED NARCOTICS RIP-OFF (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Metro Detective Says Fellow Officer Deceived Him About Traffic Stop | ||||||||||||||||||||
Two undercover Metro officers pretended they were making an arrest but instead ripped off a kilo of cocaine from a drug dealer, one of the officers claimed in court papers filed two weeks ago. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The April 30, 2003, incident involving detectives Charles Williams
III and Ernest Cecil is the subject of an investigation by the U.S.
Drug Enforcement Administration. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Williams, 38, was indicted in January and has been placed on paid
leave. Cecil, 49, was stripped of his police powers after a separate
incident and has been on desk duty at the Hermitage Precinct. He has
not been charged with a crime. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The case offers a rare glimpse into the Metro Police Specialized Investigations Division, one of the department's most secretive units, whose plainclothes detectives frequently mingle among Nashville's narcotics underworld to root out drug criminals. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(13) LEARNING STREET SMARTS FOR DRUG WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Officers from around the state get hands-on training in 10-day
course | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Switch it up." | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Switch -- it -- up." | ||||||||||||||||||||
It's day nine in a 10-day course on fighting drugs, and Lexington Detective C. Robert Mercer doesn't like what he's seeing. | ||||||||||||||||||||
His students -- police officers and detectives from throughout the state -- are taking way too long to break down the door of a fictitious drug dealer in Lexington. It's so well barricaded that the big guy with the battering ram is exhausted, and Mercer wants him to give the job to a more rested member of the team. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Switch it up," he growls, for what seems like the 10th time. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Finally, it works. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The big man steps away, and his backup starts attacking the door
with an axe. | ||||||||||||||||||||
On this blisteringly hot morning, Mercer's students have learned a
valuable lesson: Expect the unexpected. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (14-18) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
We begin this week with big news from Alaska, where Superior Court
Judge Patricia Collins sided with the ACLU by striking down a new
law that criminalizes the personal possession of cannabis. Stating
that a lower court can't overturn an Alaska Supreme Court decision
from 1975 defending the privacy interests of the citizens of Alaska,
Collins upheld the rights of individuals to possess up to one ounce
of cannabis for personal use in their own homes. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Next, two great medical cannabis articles from e-zine CounterPunch.
The first is a report by Fred Gardner on the International
Cannabinoid Research Society's annual conference. Fred suggests that
this year's meeting focused on the cannabis pharmaceutical "holy
grail": cannabis-based medications without that most dreaded of all
side-effects, euphoria. This was perhaps best exemplified by the
large physical presence (and event sponsorship) of Sunofi-Aventis,
makers of the new CB1 receptor agonist Rimonabant, which is
currently being marketed as a treatment for obesity all over the
world. The second article is a remarkable case study by Dr. Tod
Mikuriya supporting the use of cannabis as a first-line treatment
for both childhood learning and emotional disorders. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Next, the tale of a 63 year old MS sufferer from the U.K. who has
received great relief from her symptoms by using Sativex (ironically
imported through special license from Canada), but now can't get the
government health service to cover the high cost of continued use.
The article reports that up to 500 people are currently using
Sativex in the U.K., despite the fact that approval has thus far
been denied by government regulatory bodies. | ||||||||||||||||||||
And lastly, a sad story from New Zealand, where school | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(14) JUDGE ALTERS MARIJUANA LAW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A judge Monday struck down part of a new Alaska law criminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, saying it conflicts with past constitutional decisions made by the Alaska Supreme Court. | ||||||||||||||||||||
That means the police won't be able charge people with a misdemeanor
under the new law for possessing less than 1 ounce of marijuana in
their homes. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The state Department of Law was expected to quickly file an appeal
with the high court. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Superior Court Judge Patricia Collins said a lower court can't
reverse the state Supreme Court's 1975 decision in Ravin v. State.
In that case, the Supreme Court ruled the right to privacy in one's
home included the possession of small amounts of marijuana for
personal use. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(15) CANNABIS WITHOUT EUPHORIA? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The International Cannabinoid Research Society held its 16th annual
meeting June 24-28 at a hotel on the shores of Lake Balaton, about
80 miles southwest of Budapest. Most of the 350 registrants were
scientists -chemists, pharmacologists-employed by universities
and/or drug companies. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The sponsor given top billing was Sanofi-Aventis, manufacturer of a synthetic drug, known variously as "SR-141716A," "Rimonabant," and "Acomplia," that blocks cannabinoid receptors in the brain. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Additional support came from Allergan, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Meyers
Squibb, Cayman Chemical, Eli Lilly, Elsohly Laboratories, Merck,
Pfizer, two Hungarian companies -Gedeon Richter Pharmaceutical and
Sigma-Aldrich- and G.W. Pharmaceuticals. Researchers affiliated with
other drug companies presented papers and posters and audited the
proceedings. For most the holy grail is a product that will exert
the beneficial effects of cannabis without that bad side-effect
known as "euphoria." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(16) WHY JUDGES SHOULDN'T HAVE CONTROL OVER EVERYTHING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
In 1996, California legalized cannabis as a treatment for "any... condition for which marijuana brings relief." Although the law does not constrain physicians from approving the use of cannabis by children and adolescents, the state medical board has investigated physicians for doing so, exerting a profoundly inhibiting effect. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Even doctors associated with the Society of Cannabis Clinicians have
been reluctant to approve cannabis use by patients under 16 years of
age, and have done so only in cases in which prescribable
pharmaceuticals had been tried unsuccessfully. The case of Alex P.
suggests that the practice of employing pharmaceutical drugs as
first-line treatment exposes children gratuitously to harmful side
effects. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(17) MS SUFFERER FACES HUGE BILL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A Grandmother suffering from multiple sclerosis faces forking out
more than UKP 2,000 a year for a painkilling cannabis-based drug
after NHS chiefs refused to fund it. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sheila Clarke, 63, of Sleights, near Whitby, has enjoyed her best
nights of rest for years since she began using the spray in
February. She decided to pay for the drug herself to see if it
helped her overcome excruciating night-time cramps which mean at
times she cannot sleep. But when she applied for the NHS to fund the
treatment, which costs UKP 5 a day, officials refused - despite its
availability in other parts of the country. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(18) PRIMARY SCHOOLS INTRODUCING RANDOM DRUG TESTING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Cannabis use among schoolchildren is forcing primary schools to
implement random drug testing, according to the School Trustees'
Association. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Speaking at the association's national conference in Christchurch this week, an association adviser Ron Mulligan said drug tests were being increasingly used in schools for children of all ages. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Last year there were more than 5000 student suspensions, of which 29
per cent were drug-related. | ||||||||||||||||||||
While most drug use was at secondary school level, there were
increasing numbers of primary school pupils using drugs, Mr Mulligan
told Radio New Zealand. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (19-23) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
While the world suffers shortages of opiates to treat pain,
Afghanistan is expected to produce bumper harvests of opium again
this year. U.S.-installed President Hamid Karzai, reassured by U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on a recent visit that he would
not be abandoned (like the Soviet's Afghan puppet, Najibullah),
agreed to continue fighting drugs to please the Americans. Opium
growing, which now accounts for about half of Afghanistan's gross
domestic product, was wiped out by the Taliban, but has since surged
back to record levels. "Warlords and farmers may support Karzai in
the abstract, but not when he is compelled to target their only
reliable source of livelihood," noted Ted Galen Carpenter of the
Cato Institute. | ||||||||||||||||||||
While Afghan farmers produce more opium than ever, those in the U.K.
who suffer from the pain which accompanies terminal illness find
that they can't get the opiate diamorphine (heroin), because
there's a shortage. While doctors may prescribe heroin for terminal
pain, there are supplies to meet only half the legal demand for the
drug. "I don't want anybody to go through what my three children had
to go through - the hell of having to listen to their mother scream
in pain," pleaded Joe Fortescue of Derbyshire, after being unable to
obtain the doctor-prescribed drug for his wife who was suffering
with terminal cancer. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Labor politicians in Scotland continue to reap a firestorm of
criticism after suggesting that methadone addicts should be
prevented from having children. Labor member of the Scottish
parliament, Duncan McNeil, proposed that addicts sign contracts
agreeing not to have children while addicted to drugs, in exchange
for government benefits (money) and the drug methadone. The money
and drugs exchange for children drew criticism last week as
"dehumanizing." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Authoritarian regimes like Malaysia think they can stop drugs, by renaming them. In Kuala Lumpur last week, a "top Malaysian anti-drug official" Ariffin Man, according to the Gulf Times newspaper, is pushing for changes to the names of drugs. Drugs, says Ariffin, are now apparently too "glamorous-sounding". Instead of "Ecstasy" which sounds too "trendy and divine", MDMA should be called "agony" or "bamboozle" according to the anti-drug official. "Likewise, all opiate drugs should be called organised killers, cannabis as mind destroyers and ketamine as community-paralyzing agents." | ||||||||||||||||||||
In Vancouver, Canada, the Insite supervised-injection center is
seeking to add 30 new beds and other services to the facility,
despite a chilly reception from Canada's Prime Minister. Addicts,
according to the Health Authority, "regularly ask for help
getting off drugs, and sometimes need a place to stay for a few days
before they can get into a treatment centre." The center, the first
and only safe-injection center in North America is currently
operating under an exception to Canada's drug laws, an exception
which expires this September. The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority
is awaiting a "final" decision. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(19) AFGHANISTAN REELS UNDER BUMPER HARVESTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Afghanistan boasts two bumper crops this season, and both could be lethal to the already fledgling authority of its government. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Western officials expect the largest-ever opium crop in the face of a toothless US$1 billion eradication campaign. And contrary to earlier pronouncements by military officials, the Taliban are gaining steam in the volatile southern provinces, where fighting has raged at levels not seen since the US-led invasion that toppled the al-Qaeda-allied Islamic fundamentalist movement five years ago. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Forty thousand tons of narcotics were burned last week at a ceremony in Kabul to show the state's determination to stamp out illegal drugs that now account for nearly half of its gross domestic product. This came just one week after U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a five-hour pit stop for a meeting with President Hamid Karzai to affirm Washington's full support of his efforts to steer reconstruction and defeat a reconstituted Taliban. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
In the absence of viable economic alternatives, some NATO officials
and experts say the war on drugs has reinforced the Taliban's power.
Militants have offered to protect lucrative crops, using kickbacks
from drug smugglers to fuel their campaign. "Like it or not, the
opium trade is a huge part of the Afghan economy," Ted Galen
Carpenter, vice president for defense and foreign policy studies at
the Cato Institute, told Asia Times Online. "Warlords and farmers
may support Karzai in the abstract, but not when he is compelled to
target their only reliable source of livelihood. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Even supporters of the war on drugs need to wake up and smell the coffee ... The anti-drug-effort needs to be put on the back burner at least until we can fight off the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(20) LACK OF DRUG LED TO 'AGONY' DEATH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Lack of drug led to 'agony' death The former husband of a mother of
three says she died in agony from cancer because of a shortage of a
painkiller. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Joe Fortescue from Alfreton, Derbyshire wants the government to provide more diamorphine, which has been in short supply since 2004. | ||||||||||||||||||||
He said his 49-year-old ex-wife from Nottingham was screaming in pain in the days before her death because it was not available. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gedling Primary Care Trust said there was a national shortage of the
drug. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Highly Effective | ||||||||||||||||||||
Diamorphine is an opiate produced from poppies. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"I want to know why the drug is not available more readily to make patients comfortable in their last hours," Mr Fortescue said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
He said his former wife was diagnosed with cancer three years ago
and had been prescribed morphine up until a few days before her
death. | ||||||||||||||||||||
She was then prescribed diamorphine, which is a stronger derivative
of morphine, but the supply ran out and the district nurse was not
able to replace it, he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
We cannot meet much more than 50% to 60% of the market | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
He said the supply shortage dated back to December | ||||||||||||||||||||
"This has been going on for a year and a half - since then we have
been scrapping for supplies almost on a weekly basis." | ||||||||||||||||||||
He said there are some dedicated poppy farms in the UK to produce
raw material for the medication, but there were stringent controls
on them. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Screams of Pain | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mr Fortescue said: "I don't want anybody to go through what my three
children had to go through - the hell of having to listen to their
mother scream in pain." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
The pharmaceutical firm that supplies diamorphine, Wockhardt, said:
"Capacity constraints in our manufacturing facilities mean that
despite our best efforts we cannot meet much more than 50% to 60% of
the market demand". | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Department of Health was not available for comment. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(21) ANGER AT MOVE TO STOP DRUG USERS HAVING CHILDREN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
LABOUR leaders prompted an angry reaction from drug workers
yesterday after it emerged that they were considering plans to
prevent drug addicts from having children until they kicked the
habit. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The plans, which will be considered by the Scottish Labour Party for
its Holyrood manifesto next year, were dismissed as "cynical
expediency" and derided for showing "a depressing lack of vision" by
drug experts. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The proposals, drawn up by Labour MSP Duncan McNeil, would require
addicts to sign a "social contract", under which they would only get
benefits and methadone if they agreed not to have children while
addicted to drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
If addicts agree, but then breach the contract, they face having
their children taken into care, as well as the withdrawal of
treatment and benefits. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Drugs Forum, which brings together a
range of different bodies working with drugs policy and information,
said the plans were "dehumanising". | ||||||||||||||||||||
She said it was wrong for the state to tell anyone not to have
children and worse to single out drug users for attack. | ||||||||||||||||||||
She said: "There is a vicious tenor to these proposals and the apparent hypocrisy surrounding them is deeply disquieting. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"What's proposed dehumanises people who are in need of help and
support simply because their problems are seen as too difficult and
complex for society to deal with. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"These proposals unfairly single out drug users for hardline
treatment and are completely at odds with the patient-centred
approach which is a basic and accepted principle applying to other
groups in need of social and healthcare." | ||||||||||||||||||||
The spokeswoman said there were many more families affected by
serious drink problems than by drugs but no-one would suggest
putting them under pressure not to have children. | ||||||||||||||||||||
She said: "These proposals smack of cynical expediency and a
depressing lack of vision. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"What's more, they conveniently overlook the role of poverty, lack
of employment and other strategic issues far removed from the sphere
of influence of the average drug user - yet which create the bleak
environment and conditions which encourage drug problems to
proliferate." | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(22) 'HIP' DRUGS NEED REPELLENT NAMES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
KUALA LUMPUR: A top Malaysian anti-drug official has | ||||||||||||||||||||
Designer drugs such as Ecstasy and Ketamine gave the impression of a
"trendy and divine" experience for first-time drug users, said
northern Kedah state's anti-drug agency spokesman Ariffin Man.
Suggested new names for the drugs would be "agony" and "bamboozle",
said Ariffin. "Likewise, all opiate drugs should be called organised
killers, cannabis as mind destroyers and ketamine as | ||||||||||||||||||||
He said the distasteful names would act as a psychological repellent to curious youngsters, adding that society ought to reject the names of the drugs which were dictated by drug manufacturers and pushers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(23) INJECTION SITE SEEKS TO EXPAND (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Vancouver's historic safe-injection site may not exist after
September, but that's not stopping them from trying to expand their
services. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, which runs the site, made a proposal to the City of Vancouver in April to add 30 beds and a food service to the facility. They're awaiting a final decision. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Coastal Health spokeswoman Laurie Dawkins said addicts who use the
site regularly ask for help getting off drugs, and sometimes need a
place to stay for a few days before they can get into a treatment
centre. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"It's a matter of getting people from using [drugs] to treatment,"
she said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
This is the first such site in North America and operates under an exception from Canada's Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. That exception expires in September and if it isn't renewed, the facility will have to shut down. Vancouver's mayor and several community and health organizations are lobbying Ottawa to keep the site open. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
DOMESTIC DRUG MARKETS AND PROHIBITION | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Andrew Macintosh, Deputy Director of the Australia Institute | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
STATE OF SIEGE: DRUG-RELATED VIOLENCE AND CORRUPTION IN MEXICO | ||||||||||||||||||||
Washington Office on Latin America | ||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.wola.org/publications/mexico_state_of_siege_06.06.pdf | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
THE SHOT HEARD ACROSS BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Bill Conroy | ||||||||||||||||||||
FOIA Documents Reveal Details of the Shooting of 18-Year-Old Texas
Goat Herder Esequiel Hernandez Jr. by U.S. Marines Fighting "Drug
Traffickers" | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
MYSTICAL MAGIC MUSHROOM EXPERIENCE NOT GOD IN A PILL | ||||||||||||||||||||
Magic mushrooms taken by hippies do produce mystical experiences, but they should not be confused with faith, a theologian says. | ||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2006/07/12/mushroom-magic.html | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
GARDNER V. SCHWARZENEGGER | ||||||||||||||||||||
DPA Files Lawsuit against Undemocratic, Anti-treatment Bill | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Listen Live Fridays 8:00 PM, ET, 7:00 CT, 6:00 MT & 5:00 PT at
www.KPFT.org | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
COLBERT TO CONGRESSMAN: "ARE YOU HIGH RIGHT NOW?" | ||||||||||||||||||||
In an interview with Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Stephen Colbert noted
that Washington is one of the few states that has a medical marijuana
program. | ||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/20060712_colbert_marijuana_larsen/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
HELP SAVE INSITE, NORTH AMERICA'S FIRST SUPERVISED INJECTION FACILITY | ||||||||||||||||||||
Despite its successes, INSITE is at risk of closing down. The facility
exists because of an exemption under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs
and Substances Act. If Health Minister Tony Clement does not renew this
exemption, this facility will close down as of September 12th of this
year. Please take action. | ||||||||||||||||||||
If you believe that INSITE should continue, then please let Health
Minister Tony Clement know! His email address is: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Learn more at http://communityinsite.ca/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
MORE TO IT THAN 'JUST SAY NO' | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Alan Randell | ||||||||||||||||||||
Re 'Handsome, articulate' - and dead, June 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||
George Chuvalo was a courageous and skillful boxer, but his take on
the tragic heroin-induced deaths of his sons is tragically wrong.
Simply urging kids to 'just say no' to drugs just doesn't work and
besides, it was drug prohibition that killed his sons, not the drug
itself. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Prohibition works in two ways to harm users. | ||||||||||||||||||||
First, the drugs are often adulterated because of prohibition, so
that, even though the 1973 Le Dain Commission concluded, "There
appears to be little permanent physiological damage from chronic use
of pure opiate narcotics." Prohibition kills users by denying them
access to unadulterated drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
History provides confirmation of this process when we recall that
the prohibition of alcohol poisoned thousands by denying them access
to unadulterated alcohol. | ||||||||||||||||||||
My nineteen-year-old son, Peter, died in February of 1993 shortly
after ingesting some street heroin. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Second, the prices charged by dealers are much higher than they
would be if the drugs were legally available at the corner store
because the dealer has to factor in the possibility of being caught
by the police. | ||||||||||||||||||||
How sad to see that George Chuvalo has been bamboozled into
supporting the very laws that killed his sons, the failed crusade of
drug prohibition. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Alan Randell | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER WRITER OF THE MONTH - JUNE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
DrugSense recognizes Kirk Muse of Mesa, Arizona for his 10 letters published during June, bringing the total number of published letters archived by MAP to 759. Kirk is also a dedicated MAP volunteer newshawk. Kirk is pictured on the left in this photo http://www.mapinc.org/images/Kirk.jpg attending the 2005 Drug Policy Alliance Conference in Long Beach, CA. Kirk was the recipient of a generous grant to attend provided by Common Sense for Drug Policy. | ||||||||||||||||||||
You may read Kirk's published letters at | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Film Review: A Scanner Darkly | ||||||||||||||||||||
Reviewed By Stephen Young | ||||||||||||||||||||
Do you really know who your friends are? Do you really know who you
are? | ||||||||||||||||||||
The new film A Scanner Darkly suggests those questions might be
harder to answer a few years from now, thanks in large part to the
ongoing drug war. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Set seven years in the future, the film presents a world populated
by essentially two kinds of people: narcs and junkies - though some
characters are one and the same. Identities are fleeting and
uncertain in A Scanner Darkly, but for the most part, characters
adhere to one of the two available stereotypes. | ||||||||||||||||||||
About halfway through the film, one character breaks an ideological
boundary by standing on a street corner with a bullhorn denouncing
society's approach to problems, telling anyone who will listen that
there is another way. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The audience doesn't hear much more about his ideas, though, as
burly police officers emerge from a black van to abduct the
character and his bullhorn. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The character tries to tell the police he used to be like them.
Unswayed, they drag him away. He isn't heard from again. For the
rest of the film, an atmosphere of hallucinatory paranoia overwhelms
any sense of hope or possibility for change. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Based on the classic Philip K. Dick novel, A Scanner Darkly portrays
the drug war pushed to one horrifyingly logical extreme: total
surveillance. While the film is about more than the drug war, it
presents a keener understanding of the dynamics of the drug war than
any other movie I recall seeing. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Of course, I'm a fan of both Dick and director Richard Linklater; and Linklater is clearly a fan of Dick. The director treats the material with great respect, following the book closely. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Linklater still leaves his imprint on the work, most notably merging
animation and live film as he did in his 2001 feature Waking Life.
The technique gives the sense of simultaneous reality and unreality,
capturing one perspective of woozy intoxication. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Just as the drug war is portrayed in harsh light, chronic drug use
for non-medical purposes doesn't look too pretty either. The film
generally doesn't oversell addiction as a horror show, with the
exception of the opening scene (a bug hater's worst nightmare) which
effectively sets the movie's weird tone. However, a jarring text
coda reproduced from the end of the book reminds viewers of the high
stakes involved. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Keanu Reeves plays the main character, an undercover cop addicted to
the demon street drug of his era, an oblong red pill nicknamed "D,"
or "Death." | ||||||||||||||||||||
(The irony might have seemed heavy-handed in 1977 when the book was first published, but some recent news reports suggest batches of fentanyl-laced heroin being sold under street brands like "Drop Dead.") | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Reeves character, introduced as Officer Fred, has surrounded
himself with quirky drug buddies who spend their time together
getting loaded on D and other substances. The actual dialog in these
scenes is utterly banal, but thanks to the inspired casting of
Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson and Winona Ryder as the perpetual
party people, it's amusing to watch. The manic yet distant
interaction between Downey and Harrelson was worth the price of the
ticket for me. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The three play their parts well, but the actors' own evolving personal identities following encounters with drug laws and/or other laws in "real life" adds another dimension to their scenes. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Unlike his cohorts, Officer Fred has momentary realizations of the
wasted squalor of his drug-addled life, and of the hypocrisy of
being a cog in the drug war machine. But he can't seem to imagine an
alternative to either. He's too tightly wrapped in lies to see
anything except the slightest glimmer of truth. | ||||||||||||||||||||
His problems are aggravated by the side effects from "D," which
include a slow disconnection between the right and left hemispheres
of the brain. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The sharply divided stresses of Fred's undercover life, as well as
the growing schism in his own mind, serve as metaphors for the drug
war. Just as Officer Fred can't separate his addict life from his
cop life, it's difficult to separate the individuals who make
illegal drugs their life from the people who make prohibition their
life. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The film portrays a drug war industrial complex so interdependent that it can't help but push its roots deeper into society (literally). The police state implemented in order to carry out the movie's vision of prohibition leaves no room for personal trust in relationships. The characters are sometimes physically close, but wide emotional distances only expand as the film progresses. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Knowing where the drug war stands today and how it has evolved over
the past 7 years, reflecting on the film can be a gloomy experience.
In seven more years could it get that bad? | ||||||||||||||||||||
In a recent interview, Linklater said the film isn't about the
future; it's about the present. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In some ways, sadly, it is. But, on the optimistic side, the black
vans loaded with police aren't here yet to take away those who try
to speak out about something beyond two false choices. | ||||||||||||||||||||
If more people speak, maybe those trucks will never arrive. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Stephen Young is an editor with DrugSense Weekly. He has a degree in
Radio-Television-Film from Northwestern University, which he
mentions only to add an air of authority to his opinions regarding
movies. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
"The American people deserve to know that they're not just watching
the administration's spin on their local newscasts -- they're paying
for it, too." -- Senator John Kerry | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
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Policy and Law Enforcement/Prison content selection and analysis by
Stephen Young (), Cannabis/Hemp content selection
and analysis by Philippe Lucas (), International
content selection and analysis by Doug Snead (),
Layout by Matt Elrod (). Analysis comments
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