| Aug. 18, 2006 #462 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
(1) 'CLUELESS' PARENTS GET SET STRAIGHT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lifestyle, Grades Are No Guarantee
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Study says moms and dads are 'parental palookas' who have no idea about
the extent of their teens' drug and alcohol use
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At first glance, Samantha Tish, 15, who lives in a small town near the Wisconsin border, would seem insulated from drug and alcohol use. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
She has good grades and a tight group of girlfriends whose weekend activities run to shopping and watching movies, rather than partying. But that doesn't mean that temptation isn't lurking everywhere. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Most parents are clueless," she said. "They have no idea what goes on
at parties ... or how drugs and alcohol are everywhere. Their kids are
going to do what they want to do."
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Tish's observation is supported by a survey released Thursday by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. Among the findings: One-third of teens and nearly half of 17-year-olds attend house parties where alcohol, marijuana and illegal drugs are plentiful--even when parents are actually in the home. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The head of CASA called the adults "parental palookas." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Where are they?" asked Joseph A. Califano, CASA's chairman and
president and former secretary of health, education and welfare during
the Carter administration. "Why aren't they walking in and out of the
party? Don't they smell the pot or the booze? There's just a tremendous
disconnect."
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[snip]
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"Parents are living in a fool's paradise," Califano said. "They've got
to take the blinders off and pay attention. If asbestos were in the
ceiling, they'd raise hell. But their schools are riddled with drugs.
If they'd say, 'Get the drugs out' with the same energy, we'd get
somewhere. This is a wake-up call."
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[snip]
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(2) PAIN SUFFERER TURNS TO 'SHROOMS' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Every New Year's Eve and July 4th, Bob Wold brews a tea containing a
psychedelic drug from "magic mushrooms."
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Wold takes a small dose of the drug psilocybin -- just enough to make sounds more distinct and colors a bit brighter. "I get a couple giggles out of it," he said. "It's like having two or three beers." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
But Wold doesn't take "shrooms" for the four-hour high. Rather, he has
found that psilocybin is the only drug that prevents one of the most
painful conditions known to man, cluster headaches. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hundreds of cluster headache sufferers have begun to self-medicate with
psilocybin and LSD. And now Harvard Medical School researchers plan to
do a carefully controlled study of the drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vivid hallucinations
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Wold, a 53-year-old construction contractor, began suffering cluster
headaches about 25 years ago. He would get four to six headaches a day,
each lasting 45 to 60 minutes. Each cluster period would last three or
four months. "The pain is similar to if you hit your thumb with a
hammer," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Five or six years ago, Wold read an Internet posting from a man who
said his cluster headaches went away after he took LSD for recreational
purposes. Word spread, and other patients began taking LSD or
psilocybin. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(3) U.S.-SUPPLIED PLANES SPRAY COCA AT COLOMBIAN PARK AMID DOUBTS (Top)OVER STRATEGY | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
BOGOTA, Colombia - Despite environmental concerns, Colombian authorities have for the first time used U.S.-supplied planes to spray a pristine national park where leftist rebels have grown coca - the raw ingredient for cocaine. Anti-narcotics police said they chemically fumigated the Sierra Macarena national park last week, clearing its entire 11,370 acres of coca. The spraying destroyed coca capable of producing 17.5 tons of high-grade cocaine and was likely a major blow to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
But environmentalists complain that the spraying of herbicides harms
the environment and causes health problems for those living in the
area. Local groups have promised a court battle to prevent spraying in
11 of Colombia's other 50 protected preserves known to have coca. Still
others say that spraying, a cornerstone of the war on drugs, is
ineffective, even in record use, at stopping a sharp rebound in coca
production. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
President Alvaro Uribe announced the park would be fumigated by air
after a 220-pound bomb planted by leftist rebels exploded on Aug. 2,
killing six peasants hired by the government to uproot the coca by
hand. The "world will have to understand that we must fumigate," he
said. Uribe said he wants to double aerial spraying, and his top
military advisers want to expand the practice to the 11 other parks
known to have coca. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"It's the most efficient way to do our job," Gen. Jorge Baron, head of
the anti-narcotic police, told The Associated Press. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
In addition to those killed by the bomb, 26 workers, soldiers, and
police guards have been killed at the Sierra Macarena park, 100 miles
south of the capital of Bogota, since December. That's when the
government launched a manual eradication drive there involving 3,000
troops - its biggest ever. Some 200 other workers quit, fearing for
their lives. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(4) COLUMN: REEFER GLADNESS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Before this week, I'd never heard of James Babb, let alone thought about whether he has what it takes to oust Carole Rubley in the 157th District state representative's race. Come to think of it, I'm still not all that sure who Rubley is or where one would find the 157th. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
But none of that much matters. What's important is that I received an
e-mail in which Babb, a Libertarian, announced the local premiere of a
12-minute "mini-documentary" about a new advocacy group. It read, "Law
Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) has released a scathing critique
of modern drug prohibition ... as a way to educate the community about
the drug war and the crime it creates."
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Well, he had me at "Law."
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If you've read my stuff for a while, you know I'm all Tosh when it comes to legalizing it. I wrote about it last November when my late mother's battle with brain cancer made me question why it's illegal for terminally ill patients to numb their pain by burning a joint. (If they want to pull 5-foot bong hits, let 'em.) I also touched on it in 2002 when I set out to find cops on the street who'd bust somebody solely for smoking weed in public. (Not one cop said he would and even book- throwing Judge Seamus McCaffery said, "We've gotten to the point where it's pretty much looked upon as" an open-container violation.) But as with Ed "N.J. Weedman" Forchion's pot-puffing crusade, not much happens when people publicly cry out for legalization, other than inevitable eye-rolls from uptight prudes who think herb sends bug-eyed smokers hurtling out the nearest high-rise window in a fit of reefer madness. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Good people, that may soon change. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy
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COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
After traveling around the country for a couple of years, a museum display created by the DEA to highlight the purported links between drugs and terror was finally challenged in the mainstream press. Of course, the criticism came from Washington, D.C., while the exhibit was being displayed in Chicago. For the most part, the Chicago press played their part in the propaganda game, describing an inaccurate and sensationalistic provocation as a serious tool for education. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The drug war is also being challenged in Nevada, by influential
conservatives in the state, according to a report from Mother Jones,
which may or may not have its finger on the conservative pulse of
Nevadans. Also last week, Business Week compares the resources of
drug gangs to the resources of anti-drug law enforcement; while the
California Supreme Court is briefed on how much tolerance employers
should have for medical marijuana users. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) DRUG-TERROR CONNECTION DISPUTED
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DEA Defends Traveling Exhibit as Critics Draw Parallels to
Prohibition Era
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A photograph of President Bush waving a flag after the Sept. 11
attacks is juxtaposed against a black-and-white image of an African
American mother smoking crack cocaine in bed next to her baby.
Larger-than-life portraits of Osama bin Laden and Pablo Escobar line
the walls. The central message of a traveling Drug Enforcement
Administration exhibit unveiled at Chicago's Museum of Science and
Industry yesterday is that terrorism and drugs are inextricably
linked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
But advocates of legalization who are leafleting outside the exhibit
say the DEA is leaving out an important part of the story. Critics
agree that drug trafficking provides a potentially lucrative revenue
stream for terrorist organizations. But they say the profit is
actually fueled by the government's war on drugs, which creates a
situation akin to prohibition of alcohol. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"If we taxed and regulated drugs, terrorists wouldn't have drugs as
a source of profit," said Tom Angell of the nonprofit Students for
Sensible Drug Policy, which focuses on restoring financial aid for
college students with drug convictions. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"With the connection to Prohibition in Chicago we should know better," said Pete Guither, a professor of theater management at Illinois State University and founder of the blog DrugWarRant.com. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(6) NEVADA CONSERVATIVES AGAINST THE WAR ON DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
If Passed, a Fall Ballot Initiative With Some Unlikely Supporters
Could Turn Reno and Vegas into American Amsterdams. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Voters have been losing their taste for the war on drugs lately; in
the past few years, states from Arizona and Alaska to California and
Hawaii have moved toward making marijuana, in particular, a low
priority for law enforcement, with first-offense possession cases
often dismissed with small-time fines and medical-marijuana measures
on the books in several states. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
But the initiative voters in Nevada will be considering this fall goes much further: The "tax and regulate" measure, whose supporters got it on the ballot by collecting 86,000 signatures, would allow anyone over 21 to possess up to one ounce for personal use, would set up a system of pot shops ( at a specified distance from schools ), and would tax marijuana in a manner comparable to alcohol. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
What's intriguing about the measure is not just that it could turn
Reno and Vegas into American Amsterdams, but that its most
enthusiastic champions are folks like Chuck Muth. A burly, crew-cut,
47-year-old meat-and-potatoes man--during dinner at the Glen Eagles
restaurant, to which he has driven in a beat-up, 15-year-old station
wagon, he opts out of the salad and never touches the vegetables
that come with the steak--Muth runs a conservative networking
organization named Citizen Outreach. Inspired by a course designed
in Newt Gingrich's office that he took in Washington, D.C., in 1996,
he also leads message-honing seminars that have trained many
successful Republican politicians and public figures including the
state's current first lady, Dema Guinn; his electronic newsletter
claims 15,000 daily readers nationwide. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nevada went for Bush in 2000 and 2004, but not by much. It is a land of desert and mountains, conservative in an old-fashioned, western sense. And that, says Muth, who grew up in Baltimore and was arrested for pot possession in a city park late one night when he was 19 years old, makes it the perfect state to say no to the war on drugs. "Live and let live," says Muth. "If I'm not bothering anyone else, don't bother me." The politician he most idealizes is Barry Goldwater, another Republican who took on his party's sacred cows. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
What if Nevada were to pass the measure and the feds swept in?
"Bring it on," Muth exclaims, so excited his large fist literally
thumps the table. "This country has needed a big fight over
federalism for a long time. I'd love to see it here. If the feds
came in, you'd start to see a backlash against the drug war and the
federal government. The war on drugs is a total failure. It's time
to bring the troops home."
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[snip]
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(7) IN THIS WAR, TECHNOLOGY IS KEY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Who is more tech-savvy--drug traffickers or federal agents? The
answer may determine who wins the war on drugs
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The war on terrorism grabs most of the headlines these days, but the war on drugs is still very much underway. With legal and illegal entry into the country falling under heavier scrutiny, the work of preventing terrorism and keeping illegal drugs out of the country often overlap, and often put to use some of the same tools. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
As with the war on terror, fighting drug use is a highly segmented
endeavor. Its missions include everything from after-school programs
to keep kids busy to elaborate sting operations targeting the
substances and those who make and move them. Various government
agencies still fight the war in traditional ways by patrolling
national borders in search of smugglers and searching out drug
producing operations. But nowadays those on the front lines of the
drug war are getting some pretty cool toys. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the pitched battle surrounding illegal drugs, each side has its
advantages. Law enforcement can take advantage of private sector
expertise, expensive machines, and, of course, the law. Those who
cultivate, manufacture, and smuggle illegal drugs can leverage vast
sums of cash, generated by constant demand. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(8) CALIF. SUPREMES HEAR FROM FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES ON EMPLOYEE'S (Top)MARIJUANA USE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eight days after accepting a systems administration job with
Sacramento's RagingWire Telecommunications Inc. in 2001, Gary Ross
was fired for testing positive for marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 43-year-old father of two admitted he smoked pot at home for
back pain, but explained it was legally prescribed by his doctor
under the state's Compassionate Use Act. His new bosses backed their
decision, however, by citing federal law that still criminalizes
marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Five years later, the dispute shows no sign of losing steam as an employment discrimination suit filed by Ross awaits a full hearing by the California Supreme Court. Although oral arguments haven't been set, a host of high-powered amici curiae have already stoked expectations with hard-hitting briefs on both sides of the issue. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Their arguments could go a long way in helping the court decide whether Ross' state-approved treatment regimen trumps an employer's right to discharge employees for violating federal law. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
While the state Supreme Court has held that the Compassionate Use
Act - -- approved by voters in 1996 -- provides an affirmative
defense for using marijuana as medicine, the U.S. Supreme Court has
declared medical necessity no exception to the federal Controlled
Substances Act. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last week, 10 state and national medical organizations and two
well-regarded disability rights groups took up Ross' cause by filing
two separate briefs in which they argued RagingWire violated the
state's Fair Employment and Housing Act by firing Ross for following
doctor's orders. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
In addition, five state legislators took the highly unusual step of
filing a third brief, claiming that a 2003 bill they authored was
meant to require employers to accommodate off-duty, off-premises pot
use by employees with valid prescriptions. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Law Enforcement & Prisons
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COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
For decades we've been putting people in prison to make them and
society "drug-free"; now some government officials are recommending
that inmates serve as guinea pigs for pharmaceutical trials, since
they're in a controlled environment and all. Of course, past
experience with similar programs wasn't pleasant. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
In Florida, a business owner spent two days in jail for breaking a drug law that never existed, but police still insist they did the right thing. Also last week, a Texas business owner refuses to play the snitching game at a high cost to himself; and after cracking down on the drugs people use to make meth, (and after a similar federal law was passed) Illinois law enforcement officials have determined they need a new crackdown, one that involves more expensive technology. How many overly onerous anti-meth laws will be passed before the press and politicians discover a new demon drug? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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(9) PANEL SUGGESTS USING INMATES IN DRUG TRIALS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
PHILADELPHIA -- An influential federal panel of medical advisers has
recommended that the government loosen regulations that severely
limit the testing of pharmaceuticals on prison inmates, a practice
that was all but stopped three decades ago after revelations of
abuse. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The proposed change includes provisions intended to prevent problems that plagued earlier programs. Nevertheless, it has dredged up a painful history of medical mistreatment and incited debate among prison rights advocates and researchers about whether prisoners can truly make uncoerced decisions, given the environment they live in. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Supporters of such programs cite the possibility of benefit to
prison populations, and the potential for contributing to the
greater good. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Until the early 1970's, about 90 percent of all pharmaceutical
products were tested on prison inmates, federal officials say. But
such research diminished sharply in 1974 after revelations of abuse
at prisons like Holmesburg here, where inmates were paid hundreds of
dollars a month to test items as varied as dandruff treatments and
dioxin, and where they were exposed to radioactive, hallucinogenic
and carcinogenic chemicals. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
In addition to addressing the abuses at Holmesburg, the regulations
were a reaction to revelations in 1972 surrounding what the
government called the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the
Negro Male, which was begun in the 1930's and lasted 40 years. In
it, several hundred mostly illiterate men with syphilis in rural
Alabama were left untreated, even after a cure was discovered, so
that researchers could study the disease. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"What happened at Holmesburg was just as gruesome as Tuskegee, but
at Holmesburg it happened smack dab in the middle of a major city,
not in some backwoods in Alabama," said Allen M. Hornblum, an urban
studies professor at Temple University and the author of "Acres of
Skin," a 1998 book about the Holmesburg research. "It just goes to
show how prisons are truly distinct institutions where the walls
don't just serve to keep inmates in, they also serve to keep public
eyes out."
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[snip]
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(10) COLUMN: THIS CASE HAS BECOME A REAL PILL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
You can't deny that on the night of Aug. 1, a small group of newbie
Tampa police officers who were being guided in a field training
experience by Cpl. J.S. Wester learned a valuable lesson at the
expense of auto mechanic Kevin Connolly. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
And it is this: If you are going to deny someone their liberty, it
probably is a good idea to throw them into the hoosegow based on a
law that exists. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Connolly, 45, found himself in the role of "Law & Order's" answer to
show and tell after he was awakened to learn his place of business,
K.B.K. Auto Repair, on North Armenia Avenue, had been plowed into by
a vehicle driven by a 16-year-old lass. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"I was tired. I had taken an Ambien sleeping pill," Connolly
recalled, adding that when he arrived at his business, he was
shocked by the damage. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Officers took Connolly's car keys and discovered a container of
pills - - morphine and oxycodene. "And that was it," Connolly said,
adding that he uses the prescription drugs to ease the pain of a
degenerative hip problem. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The gendarmes were neither moved nor amused. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Moments later, Connolly's wife, Kerri, arrived on the scene and
attempted to explain to Wester, as her husband had done, that the
medications all were legally obtained by prescription. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
She insists she offered to produce the prescriptions for the drugs,
but she, too, was rebuffed. Look it Up
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Still, Connolly was charged with possessing and concealing a
controlled substance and driving under the influence, although his
blood alcohol reading was 0.03, well below the 0.08 level at which
charges can be filed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"This was ridiculous," Connolly said. "A car hits my building, and
I'm the one in jail."
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It only got more ridiculous. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tampa Police Department flack Laura McElroy declined to produce
Wester for comment. Wester's supervisor, Capt. Russ Marcotrigiano,
insisted everything that occurred on Aug. 1 regarding these pills
was perfectly peachy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"The law says they can't be mixed up," the captain said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oh, really? And what law is that?
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"Look it up," Marcotrigiano said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
What a great idea. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"There's nothing that says you've got to carry a prescription
around," Hillsborough Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi said.
"There used to be a statute that said they had to be in a bottle,
but it was ruled unconstitutional."
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There must be a legal term here for "Ooooops!" Less Stress | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Or, put another way, Kevin Connolly spent two days sitting in the
Orient Road Jail - with a $17,500 bond hanging over his head -
charged with a parallel universe crime. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Once Connolly's attorney, John Cullaro, got before Circuit Judge Walter Heinrich, Connolly was released on his own recognizance. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(11) THANK YOU FOR NOT SNITCHING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Let's be absolutely clear: The government had incriminating evidence against Weaver. He says he was an unapologetic pot-smoker ( as are one in seven Americans, according to the marijuana-policy watchdogs at NORML ). Now subject to drug screenings as a condition of his $100,000 bond, his green-blue eyes look into the middle distance as he fondly recalls kayaking in Port Aransas and lighting up a bowl with just a magnifying glass ( because matches would get damp ). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weaver is represented by one of the nation's best drug-defense gurus, San Antonio lawyer Gerald Goldstein. Goldstein helped clear Hunter S. Thompson of multiple charges stemming from an illegal Colorado raid that turned up four sticks of dynamite and the usual Fear and Loathing suspects: cocaine, LSD, marijuana. Records show the investigation into Weaver and four associates ( including his alleged informer friend ) took place between January 2003 and the end of March 2005. Hundreds of marijuana plants were seized on Weaver's properties in West Rockport and his hometown Floresville ( and on the property of associates locally ). By April 2005, Weaver was arrested, and entered a plea agreement rather than face trial and be subject to a mandatory minimum 10 years for conspiring to grow up to 1,400 marijuana plants with the intent to distribute. He was sentenced in May 2006, and waived his right to appeal. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
But it was during the course of the investigation, Weaver said, that
he had the option of going free, when the regional narcotics task
force would camp across the street at San Pedro Springs Park, then
show up with a yearbook filled with photos of 300 dirtless gardeners
who came from as far as Buda, San Marcos, and Corpus Christi to buy
indoor-lighting systems, hydroponic systems, and organic nutrients -
instruments used by NASA, 4-H clubs, orchid societies, schools, and
marijuana growers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"They told me from the very beginning, 'Give us three and we'll set you free, buddy,'" Weaver says. "I may be stupid or arrogant, but I said it's got to stop right here. This is going to ruin someone else's life." He says he burned customer records and played dumb. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(12) STATE OFFICIALS WANT TO TIGHTEN ANTI-METH LAWS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
SPRINGFIELD -- State law enforcement officials want to improve
logbooks used to track cold medicine sales that could be connected
to methamphetamine. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
While a new law appears to have made it more difficult for meth
cooks to make the drug and slowed the flow of addicts coming to
Illinois from border states, Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office
is looking to tweak the system. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"We're making steady progress on a number of fronts," said Cara
Smith, the attorney general's policy director. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Since mid-January, when the law went into effect, drugs containing
pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in methamphetamine, have been
kept behind store counters or doled out by pharmacists. People
buying these types of medications must also show photo
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However, the logs can't be searched in real time and there is no
standard for how the records must be kept. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Sometimes the pharmacist would write out the information, which was
really helpful because it was normally legible and kept in a
consistent way," Smith said. "Other times, they would just turn the
sheet over to the customer and have the customer scrawl it in and
you couldn't read the stuff."
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To avoid detection and circumvent restrictions, meth makers often travel long distances to obtain the needed ingredients. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Creating an electronic database could make it easier for law
enforcement to build cases and track pseudoephedrine sales as they
occur. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Cannabis & Hemp-
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-16) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The cable TV series "Weeds" has charmed lots of television critics,
but not the folks over at the Office of National Drug Control
Policy. As the show tries inventive promotional tactics, including
the distribution of free brownies (unmedicated I presume) through a
traveling "Munchie Mobile," the drug warriors are shocked that
anyone might relate to the perceptions presented on the show. Of
course, the ONDCP doesn't consider that their own continually failed
attempts to influence public perception have created a market for
alternatives like "Weeds."
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
And while TV critics may like it, cannabis journalist Fred Gardner isn't too impressed with the level of verisimilitude displayed on the show. Meanwhile, in the UK, citizens apparently don't need cable TV or the government to tell them what they know about cannabis. A recent poll shows that a majority of British citizens would like to see cannabis laws softened even further. And, in Seattle, a look at the biggest medical marijuana bust in Washington State, and what that means in a state that condones medical marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
(13) TV SHOW PROMO GOES TO POT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Most TV networks are high on their programming. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
To promote its Emmy-nominated comedy about suburban pot smokers,
"Weeds," Showtime will roll into Boston next week with a "Munchie
Mobile," handing out free brownies, shirts, hats and first-season
DVDs from various landmarks. The second season premieres at 10 p.m.
Monday. An ad for "Weeds" in the current issue of Rolling Stone
magazine features a scent strip meant to evoke an aroma of
marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Certainly this is to promote a show and help us break through the
clutter, fully appreciating what the show is about," said Showtime
spokesman Stuart Zakim. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
But as Tom Riley, public affairs director for the U.S. Office of
National Drug Control Policy, told TVWeek.com this week, "There are
more teens in treatment for marijuana than for alcohol dependence -
Is that funny?"
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
A converted ice-cream truck, the Munchie Mobile arrives here
Wednesday, parked outside Faneuil Hall in the morning, North Station
in the afternoon. On Thursday, it's Copley Square and South Station;
Friday, Downtown Crossing and Harvard Square. Next Saturday, it'll
be on Newbury Street and outside Fenway Park. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(14) COLUMN: "WEEDS" ( HOLLYWOOD DOES CANNABIS )
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The first season of "Weeds" is now out on DVD. Some pro-cannabis
friends who get Showtime had given it two thumbs up and I rented it
with high hopes. The plot revolves around a young widow, Nancy
Botwin ( Mary-Louise Parker ), who deals marijuana to maintain her
bourgeois lifestyle in an LA suburb called Agrestic. Nancy doesn't
smoke the commodity she sells ( which is unusual if not unrealistic.
She drives a leased Range Rover, employs a Hispanic maid, and pays
the mortgage on a big house. She has two sons, Silas, 16, whose
interest is girls, and Josh, 10, who acts out in troubling ways ( he
shoots a wild animal, bites another kid ) and is a candidate for
anti-depressants. Nancy, supposedly a good mom, pushes sports on
Josh. She is preoccupied with her business, which she conceals from
the kids, i.e., she lies to them all the time. No wonder the little
guy is troubled. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nancy's friend from the PTA, a striver named Celia Hodes ( played by
a very droll actress, Elizabeth Perkins ), doesn't smoke pot,
either. In the early episodes she is pressuring her 10-year-old
daughter to lose weight ( baby fat, obviously ). When Celia finds
the kid's hidden bag of chocolates, she spikes it with laxatives,
leading to the girl's extreme humiliation in school. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(15) PUBLIC RELAXED ON THE USE OF CANNABIS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Most people would be happy to see the personal use of cannabis
decriminalised or penalties for possession lowered to the status of
a parking fine, says one of the largest opinion surveys conducted on
the issue. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
However, the majority of the public is adamantly against any lessening of the restrictions on heroin or crack cocaine, drawing a clear distinction between so-called hard and soft drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Three quarters of people think that the sale and possession of hard
drugs should remain a serious criminal offence but only a third
think the same of soft drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The YouGov survey, carried out for the The Daily Telegraph and the
Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and
Commerce ( RSA ), indicates a pragmatic attitude towards drugs,
legal and illegal, with many people acknowledging that the damage
caused by alcohol and tobacco often outweighs that from the
occasional use of soft drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The findings follow a report this month from the Commons science and technology committee suggesting that the drugs classification system, which dates from 1971, should be scrapped and replaced by a scale that rates substances on the basis of health and social risks. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
(16) CLUB POT MED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Livid over the vague voter-enacted state law allowing use of medical
marijuana, a crusading lawyer tries to untangle unintended
consequences. The law has driven the supply system underground, pot
patients are getting busted, and some cops, prosecutors, and judges
just don't get it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jon Graves heard noise behind his house one evening last October.
The house backed onto an alley in the University District, and he
was always watchful. He went to the back of the house to
investigate. A woman was banging on his bedroom window from the
alley below. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Graves calls her a crackhead and crack dealer. He took a laser
pointer and aimed it at a "No Trespassing" sign. The woman and
Graves exchanged unpleasantries. "Take your crack dealing somewhere
else," Graves said to her. She'd been a hassle for him before. "They
were always out back of the framing shop doing their thing," Graves
says. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
At some point, Graves pointed to an unloaded Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, hanging on a rack on his bedroom wall. Graves, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, stout, with a broken spine, was a firm believer in keeping neighborhood crackheads and street people from his property--and being capable of dealing with them should they break in. Once they learned what was inside his home, he'd be screwed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Graves, you see, had a medical marijuana growing operation, associated with a religious group called Earth Family Ministries, in the basement of the house on 12th Avenue Northeast. Known as a "group grow," the garden had about 100 plants--worth maybe $200,000 on the street when fully grown, although many plants were far from mature. Graves was part of the subculture providing medical marijuana for patients in the Seattle area. In his case, Graves says, he and others grew the pot for at least 10 patients. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The crackhead called Seattle police. And so Graves' house became the
site of the biggest medical marijuana bust in Seattle since medical
marijuana was legalized in Washington in 1998. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
If Graves' attorney, Douglas Hiatt, a crusader in a Cubs T-shirt and
jeans, gets his way, a crackhead will help change state law. But
back to the bust. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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International News
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (17-20) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
When alleged Mexican "drug lord" Francisco Javier Arellano Felix was
arrested aboard a fishing boat this week, U.S. prohibition officials
crowed they had "taken the head off the snake." But drugs will be
just as available after this one man's arrest as before. "For the
war against drugs, this means nothing," admitted Tijuana journalist
Jesus Blancornelas. Mexican journalist Jorge Fernandez Menendez:
"It's not like the U.S. government says, that it has 'taken the head
off the snake'... This is unlikely to dramatically change the
distribution of drugs in the United States."
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The official U.N. report won't be out for another few weeks, but officials say that opium cultivation looks to be more than 40 percent over last year's bumper opium crops in Afghanistan. Over 370,000 acres are under opium cultivation in the landlocked Asian nation, up from estimated 257,000 acres in 2005. "Opium cultivation," noted an Associated Press report carried in the Tampa Tribune, "has surged since the ouster of the Taliban in late 2001." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
In Toronto, Canada, protesters from the International AIDS
Conference blocked 336 intersections to protest the far-right Harper
government's refusal to say whether or not it will cut funding and
approval for North America's first supervised injection center. The
Vancouver center, called Insite, has saved lives because
professional medical staff are present in case of overdose. Insite
staff have responded to 336 overdoses at the facility, but because
of the staff's prompt medical attention, no deaths have occurred
there. Insite also provides clean needles for patients to use, thus
preventing the spread of diseases like HIV. Noted protest organizer
Christopher Livingstone, "If you prevent one person from getting HIV
you're saving at least $350,000 a year." "If the Canadian
government, which has turned conservative of late, closes this down,
they will have blood on their hands," said Libby Davies an NDP MP
whose riding (district) includes the Insite facility. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
(17) KINGPIN FELIX ARREST NOT LIKELY TO AFFECT MEXICAN DRUG CARTEL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
MEXICO CITY -- The capture of suspected drug lord Francisco Javier Arellano Felix is unlikely to deal a death blow to the Tijuana cartel that bears his family name, partly because his reputation had little to do with his leadership abilities, experts said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Although U.S. authorities announced Wednesday that they had "taken
the head off the snake" with the arrest of Arellano Felix aboard a
boat off Mexico's Pacific coast on Monday, the gang has effectively
lost much of its influence over the years. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"For the war against drugs, this means nothing, since Francisco
Javier was not an important part of the organization," said Jesus
Blancornelas, a Tijuana journalist who has chronicled the city's
drug trade for decades and was wounded in a 1997 assassination
attempt linked to the cartel. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Still, Mexican analysts doubted the significance of Arellano Felix's
arrest. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"It's not like the U.S. government says, that it has 'taken the head
off the snake,'" said Jorge Fernandez Menendez, a writer for the
newspaper Excelsior. "This is unlikely to dramatically change the
distribution of drugs in the United States."
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
(18) AFGHAN OPIUM CULTIVATION SURGES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - Opium cultivation in Afghanistan has hit record
levels - up more than 40 percent from 2005 - despite hundreds of
millions in counternarcotics money, Western officials told The
Associated Press. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
A Western antinarcotics official in Kabul said about 370,650 acres
of opium poppy was cultivated this season - up from 257,000 acres in
2005 - - citing their preliminary crop projections. The previous
record was 323,700 acres in 2004, according to the U.N. Office on
Drugs and Crime. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"It is a significant increase from last year ... unfortunately, it
is a record year," said a senior U.S. government official based in
Kabul, who like the other Western officials would speak only on
condition of anonymity because of the sensitive topic. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime estimate that opium accounted for 52 percent of Afghanistan's gross domestic product in 2005. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Now what they have is a narco-economy. If they do not get
corruption sorted they can slip into being a narco-state," the U.S.
official warned. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opium cultivation has surged since the ouster of the Taliban in late
2001. The former regime enforced an effective ban on poppy growing
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
(19) PM PRESSED ON SAFE INJECTION SITE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Government's Silence Worries Delegates
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
TORONTO - To the sound of angry lunchtime motorists honking their
horns, protesters stopped traffic at one of Canada's busiest
intersections yesterday to protest the Harper government's
continuing refusal to say whether it will allow a safe injection
site in Vancouver to stay open. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
About 500 protesters left in buses from the International AIDS
Conference to briefly block 336 Toronto intersections, but the bulk
of them headed to Yonge and Bloor streets. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The injection site's three-year exemption from federal drug laws
expires next month. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has already expressed his
philosophical opposition to safe injection sites, but promised
earlier this year to wait for evidence of its effectiveness before
making a decision on whether to prolong its life. The centre, called
Insite, released a study here on Tuesday saying that the evidence is
overwhelmingly in favour of the centre remaining open. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rally organizer Christopher Livingstone, from Vancouver, said he is worried about the injection site's future. "If the federal government had good news," he said, "they would have announced it at the AIDS conference, which is the perfect opportunity." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mr. Livingstone said it makes financial sense to keep the site open:
"If you prevent one person from getting HIV you're saving at least
$350,000 a year."
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
(20) SAFE DRUG-INJECTION SITE APPLAUDED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
TORONTO-- A roomful of scientists and AIDS activists gave a standing
ovation yesterday to a Vancouver HIV expert who reported that the
city's controversial safe drug-injection site had been a resounding
success. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Another researcher participating in the same emotional session
warned that the federal government will have "blood on its hands" if
it closes down the project now. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Insite is the first project in North America to allow drug addicts to inject heroin and other narcotics under medical supervision. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The project has cut crime in its Downtown Eastside neighbourhood,
reduced the number of overdose deaths, made potentially fatal needle
sharing less common --and not encouraged more drug use, said Dr. Tom
Kerr of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, which evaluated
the project. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"This facility should remain open," he said. "We're less than 30
days to the potential closure of the facility, which is very
disturbing to the community. A lot of valuable information could be
lost if we don't have an answer soon. So we are waiting." Stephanie
Strathdee, a University of California professor who also studies HIV
among injection-drug users, told the session she was proud of the
project. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"If the Canadian government, which has turned conservative of late, closes this down, they will have blood on their hands," Davies said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
As the conference session shifted further from science to advocacy,
Libby Davies, the NDP MP whose riding encompasses the facility,
predicted "chaos" if Insite is closed down. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
'GIVE THEM DIRTY NEEDLES AND LET THEM DIE'
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
By Roseanne Scotti, TomPaine.com. Posted August 17, 2006. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Needle exchange programs are a cheap and effective way of preventing
the spread of HIV, so why does the government's HIV-prevention plan
consist only of silence and inaction?
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
THE SPIRIT OF TOMMY CHONG
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
By Dean Kuipers, LA CityBeat. Posted August 15, 2006.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The world's funniest stoner talks about meditation, surviving prison,
and his new book, 'The I Chong'
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
MULTIDISCIPLINARY ASSOCIATION FOR PSYCHEDELIC STUDIES NEWS
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
August 11, 2006
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
CONTROVERSIAL MEDICAL MARIJUANA ADS IN CALIFORNIA
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Earlier this week, Time Warner Desert Cities refused to air three pro-
medical marijuana ads in the Coachella Valley. The cable company
reversed its position on Thursday, saying it will air the commercials
after all.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/misc/video/0816_marijuana1_VIDEO.pbs http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/misc/video/0816_marijuana2_VIDEO.pbs http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/misc/video/0816_marijuana3_VIDEO.pbs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"BEYOND ZERO TOLERANCE"
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Conference Aims To Provide New Paradigm For Educators
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Beyond Zero Tolerance conference is set for October 25 and is aimed at
teachers, administrators, and school board members, said Marsha Rosenbaum of
the Drug Policy Alliance, one of the groups sponsoring the event. Other
sponsors include the city and county of San Francisco, the San Francisco
Department of Public Health, the San Francisco Medical Society, the Marin
County Department of Health and Human Services, and the International
Institute for Restorative Practices.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/449/beyond_zero_tolerance_conference.shtml | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
COLORADO CANNABIS LEGALIZATION INITIATIVE CERTIFIED FOR NOVEMBER BALLOT
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
August 17, 2006 - Denver, CO, USA
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Denver, CO: The Colorado Secretary of State's office announced Wednesday that a statewide initiative that seeks to eliminate all criminal and civil penalties for the possession of cannabis by adults has been certified to appear on the November 2006 ballot. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Listen to the interview with Mason Tvert of SAFER in Colorado. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.norml.org/audio/events/NORML_Mason_Tvert_Interview_8-14-06.mp3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 CALIFORNIAN CITIES TO VOTE ON ENFORCEMENT PRIORITY INITIATIVES
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Voters in the California cities of Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, and Santa Monica will be voting on lowest law enforcement initiatives this November since they have also qualified for the ballot. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.sensiblesantacruz.org/
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WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
JOIN A MEDIA ACTIVISM ROUNDTABLE ONLINE
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gather with leading hearts and minds from the drug policy reform movement as we discuss ways to write Letters to the Editor that get printed. We'll also discuss ways to get notable OPEDS printed in your local and in-state newspapers. We'll also educate on how to increase drug policy coverage in your local radio markets. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The conferences will be held every Tuesday evening starting at 9
p.m. Eastern, 8 p.m. Central, 7 p.m. Mountain and 6 p.m. Pacific in
the DrugSense Virtual Conference Room. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
SEE: http://mapinc.org/resource/paltalk.htm for details on how you
can participate. Discussion is conducted by voice (microphone and
speakers all that is needed - however, you may listen if you don't
have a microphone) and also by text messaging. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
SEATTLE HEMPFEST
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday and Sunday, August 19 & 20, 2006
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1991-2006 - Fifteen Years of Fighting for Freedom!
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The nation's leading cannabis policy reform event turns fifteen years
old this year. Since 1991 Seattle Hempfest has been bringing you the
nation's leading experts, activists, and advocates for industrial hemp
and marijuana law reform, amid multiple stages of music and hundreds of
food, crafts and information vendors. Hempfest is a work-party, so come
prepared to learn while you celebrate. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
'HANG YOUR HEAD JOHN DOOLEY'
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
By Paddy Roberts
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
To the editor:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The recent arrest of Holy Smoke proprietor Paul DeFelice represents
the chilliest of winds blowing through North America's most pot
progressive city. Despite the sweltering heat, it is a most
unwelcome wind that raises serious questions about the relationship
between police and politics in Nelson. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The dogs in the street know about Holy Smoke. It is a quiet but
distinctive part of the fabric of Nelson life. It represents the
triumph of reason over mendacity. Holy Smoke is a symbol of the
community's rejection of decades of public lies about marijuana.
That colourful old house on the embankment signifies our acceptance
that there are better ways to deal with the issue than through the
brute force of criminal law. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
If we are to believe him, one man has decided we are all wrong and that brute force is the path to take. Sgt. Steve Banks of the Nelson City Police has advanced the dubious proposition that this is just police business as usual. In the process, he has left us to ponder once again the ever-increasing influence of police on politics. Despite its growing prevalence in North America, that is an influence that can never be tolerated in a democracy. Never. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Not content to report the facts of the arrest, Banks has gone on to
dictate to us who we are and even where we may walk on the Queen's
highway without fear of confrontation with police. With pistol by
his side, Banks tells reporters that marijuana is not tolerated in
Nelson. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
An armed man telling us what we think and what we may tolerate. He
then tells us that persons legally visiting Holy Smoke are under
police surveillance and may be arrested for simply walking out of
there. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Where have we lost the plot? How is it come to be that we are seemingly being threatened by our own police officers for simply walking in and out of a legal business? How is it that the supposedly inviolable principle that the police must stay out of politics is violated on the front pages of our newspapers? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
What does our mayor have to say? Doesn't know anything about
marijuana, says our wee John. Sure thing, laddie. I'm the mayor of
Detroit and I don't know anything about cars. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oblivious to a product that brings $30 million a year into the local
economy? And you are somehow the mayor? Hang down your head, John
Dooley. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Paddy Roberts
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER WRITER OF THE MONTH - JULY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
DrugSense recognizes Stan White of Dillon, Colorado for his seven
letters published during July, bringing his career total that we
know of to 256. You may read Stan's published letters by clicking
this link: http://www.mapinc.org/writers/Stan+White
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
DEA Snake Oil
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
By Jacob G. Hornberger
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Don't ever suggest that federal bureaucrats are not smart. Take, for
instance, the DEA, the federal agency that has the responsibility of
waging the war on drugs, a war that has obviously failed to achieve
its objective after 30 years of warfare, not to mention all the
collateral violence that the drug war has spawned. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amidst growing discussion and debate in the mainstream media on the
libertarian idea of ending the war on drugs by legalizing drugs,
guess what the DEA is using as a way to distract people's attention
away from that solution. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yes, you guessed it! The DEA is employing the magic word, the word
that gets everyone's knees a-knockin' - the word that causes them to
pull the duct tape out and start sealing their windows - the word
that induces them to beg the government to "temporarily" take away
their freedoms. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yes, the DEA is saying that the drug war is necessary because of ...
(drum roll) ... terrorism!
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Much like the snake-oil salesmen of old, the DEA is touring the
country with a traveling exhibit in which a post-9/11 President
Bush waving a flag is juxtaposed with an African-American woman
lying in bed next to her baby as she smokes crack cocaine. There are
also photos of the noted terrorist Osama bin Laden on the walls of
the exhibit alongside noted drug dealer Pablo Escobar. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The irony of all this is that to the extent that there are
terrorists financing the operations through drug sales, it's a
direct result of the exorbitant profits that the drug war produces,
which would disintegrate with legalization. Thus, what the DEA
officials fail to realize (or not) is that it is their own war that
provides the monies to finance the terrorists. It's just another
perverse result of another perverse federal program. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
According to the Washington Post, the exhibit claims that heroin
sales supported the Taliban, while conveniently omitting not only
that the Taliban regime opposed heroin production but also that
heroin production has soared in the wake of the U.S. government's
invasion of Afghanistan to fight terrorism. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Of course, the sad part about this is that many Americans will walk through the exhibit and never figure any of this out. They'll see the photos of 9/11, Osama, Escobar, and drug deals and quickly draw the conclusion that the DEA wants them to reach: "Drugs and terrorism go together. Please keep going with the 30-year war on drugs and the perpetual war on terrorism to protect us from both the drug dealers and the terrorists." It will never occur to some people that it is the U.S. government's own policies - the drug war and an interventionist foreign policy - that have engendered both the drug lords and the terrorist blowback against the United States. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
As people fall for the obviously deceptive propaganda, the DEA
bureaucrats will cheer because they'll get to keep their budgets,
jobs, and salaries as the drug war continues. The drug lords will
cheer as well, for the same reason. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jacob Hornberger is founder and president of The Future of Freedom
Foundation - www.fff.org
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
"I made my living enforcing these ( drug ) laws at one time; I'm not easily going to change my mind." Bencia Supervisor John Silva, a former police officer, on why he has trouble supporting a medical marijuana law - see http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n1073/a10.html | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Policy and Law Enforcement/Prison content selection and analysis by
Stephen Young (), Cannabis/Hemp content selection
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content selection and analysis by Doug Snead (),
Layout, TJI and HOTN by Matt Elrod ().
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