| Dec. 8 , 2006 #478 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(1) JUDGE TOSSES COUNTY'S MEDICAL MARIJUANA CHALLENGE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
SAN DIEGO -- Medical marijuana advocates declared victory and San Diego
County officials mentioned the word "appeal" Wednesday when a Superior
Court judge rejected -- for the second time -- the county's
controversial challenge to overturn California's "Compassionate Use"
act. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Superior Court Judge William R. Nevitt, reaffirming the tentative
ruling he issued Nov. 16, rejected the county's argument that
California's voter-approved Compassionate Use act should be pre-empted
by federal law. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Federal law says marijuana has no medicinal value and its use is
illegal in all situations. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
San Diego County supervisors, in a move that angered local medical
marijuana patients and national advocacy groups, voted to try to
overturn the law in December 2005. Supervisors said the Compassionate
Use act was "bad law" and would promote drug abuse. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But Judge Nevitt, in his final ruling Wednesday, said the county failed to prove that the state law was in legal conflict with the federal law. He also ruled the state law did not "require" people to break the federal law, as the county's pre-emption argument claimed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Nevitt said the county's pre-emption argument failed because a
corollary to the U.S. Constitution's "Supremacy Clause" -- which says
federal law should be "supreme" over state laws -- says state laws
could take precedence over federal laws in some cases. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(2) FEDS: COP TARGETED MINORITIES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Pittston Twp. Officer Charles Michael Byra Jr. Is Accused Of Stealing
Evidence. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A federal prosecutor said a Pittston Township police officer accused of
stealing evidence targeted minority drug dealers and had female
suspects perform sex acts on him. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
U.S. Assistant Attorney William Houser further said Charles Michael
Byra Jr., 28, gave a .380-caliber pistol he stole from the Dupont
Police Department where he worked earlier this year to a convicted
felon. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Houser described some of the alleged evidence against Byra during a
hearing in federal court in Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday. Calling that
evidence "overwhelmingly strong," Houser attempted to convince U.S.
Magistrate Judge Malachy Mannion that Byra is a "continued danger to
the community" and should remain in federal custody. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
On Oct. 24, according to Houser, Byra was recorded saying to the
informant while inside a Pittston Township police cruiser, "I only hit
the boons up here. I don't hit anyone else but the boons," a reference
to black people. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
On the same recording, Byra was recorded saying he mainly stole iPods
from minorities that he stopped and was waiting to steal a new Nextel
cellular telephone, Houser said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"He had interactions with females. He engaged in sexual activity having
girls perform sexual acts on him," Houser said. He added that one
female was under the influence of cocaine and that Byra referred to her
by saying, "She was smoking." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Yet, Byra continued to file criminal charges against her, Houser said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
When the informant asked Byra if he was bored being a police officer,
Byra allegedly said, "That's all I do is sit here and look for black
people," Houser said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(3) OPED: HARNESSING THE POWER OF THE POPPY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
KANDAHAR - There has been much debate in Canada regarding the dramatic
increase in violence in Kandahar, the southern Afghan province where
Canadian troops are stationed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
For two years, I have lived in Afghanistan performing research for the Senlis Council, a European think tank. During this time, I witnessed how the Taliban insurgency has been fuelled by forced poppy-crop eradication. This disastrous counter-narcotics policy has destroyed the livelihoods of impoverished farmers, and led to the disintegration of whole communities. Kandahar has suffered years of severe drought -- poppy is one of the rare crops that will grow in this harsh climate. Over 85% of the province's population relies on farming to survive. Without crops, families have become internal refugees. Their poverty has engendered severe disillusionment with the international community and is hindering NATO's mission of winning hearts and minds. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Forced poppy eradication is also aiding the insurgents, who have gained widespread support from farmers. Southern Afghanistan is now in a state of war in which the international military presence is increasingly perceived as the enemy invader. The Taliban, who have cashed-in on local disillusionment by spreading effective anti-Western propaganda. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Norine MacDonald QC is President and Founder of the Senlis Council, a security and development think tank which focuses on counter narcotics. She is also Lead Field Researcher for Senlis Afghanistan, which has offices in Kabul, Kandahar and Lashkar Gah. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(4) U.S. MILITARY TO AID DEA'S AFGHAN EFFORT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon, which has resisted appeals from federal
drug agents to play a bigger role in the campaign to curb Afghanistan's
flourishing opium trade, has pledged more support for the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration's counternarcotics efforts. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
While the $2.3 billion profit from opium trafficking has helped arm the
Taliban and Al Qaeda insurgents in Afghanistan, the Pentagon has long
maintained that drug interdiction is primarily a law-enforcement
responsibility, one that belongs to Afghan authorities and the British
troops in the NATO operation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), chairman of the House International
Relations Committee, and other critics have urged the Pentagon to do
more, including transporting and protecting the DEA agents in
Afghanistan. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In a letter Hyde received Wednesday, Undersecretary of Defense for
Policy Eric Edelman wrote, "We have taken your concerns seriously and
will work more closely with DEA to make use of this important
capability." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Edelman's letter arrived a day after the Los Angeles Times reported
that U.S. military units in Afghanistan largely overlook drug bazaars,
rebuff some requests to take U.S. drug agents on raids and do little to
counter the organized crime syndicates. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Duncan Hunter
(R-Calif.), asked for a classified briefing on the military's
counternarcotics efforts. It is planned for Friday. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-9) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A handful of news stories published in the last week illustrate a
disturbing juxtaposition between the way institutions say they
protect kids from drugs, and the way they really do. The first story
shows that school officials seem to believe that curtailing students'
free speech rights is a good way to protect them from drugs, even
though the speech in question ("Bong Hits 4 Jesus") seems
ridiculous. The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether students
really have the right to convey such a message off campus. A
California school has also cancelled the publication of a student
newspaper issue which contained, among other controversial articles,
an oped in favor of legalizing marijuana. Of course, stopping young
people from talking about drugs isn't going to change their
behavior. A pair of more serious stories show how the drug war
really threatens young people, and how official prohibition policies
places them in more danger. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Also last week, a Vermont States Attorney caused a bit of a stir by
criticizing prohibition. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) TOP COURT TAKES 'BONG HITS' CASE ON FREE SPEECH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a
free-speech case from Alaska known as the "Bong Hits 4 Jesus"
dispute, in which a high school principal suspended a student for
displaying that phrase on a banner. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The case, which hinges on the extent free-speech rights are afforded
to students, drew national interest after former Whitewater
prosecutor Kenneth Starr took the case in August. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Acting on behalf of the Juneau school district, Starr petitioned the
Supreme Court to take up the case after the 9th Circuit Court of
Appeals ruled in favor of the student, saying the school violated
his 1st Amendment rights. The case has turned on the fuzzy line
separating students' free-speech rights and school officials'
authority to enforce anti-drug policies. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"The school boards and the administrators need guidance as to the
appropriate line between the enforcement of existing and common
school policies on one hand and the rights of students to engage in
certain types of speech on the other hand," Starr said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[ snip ] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(6) CARSON HIGH SCRAPS SECOND ISSUE OF STUDENT PAPER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Students May Protest and File an Appeal After Officials Halt
Publication Over Opinion Pieces Call for Legalized Pot and Greater
Sexual Freedom. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Carson High's student newspaper has run afoul of school authorities
for the second consecutive week, this time over articles that argue
for legalized marijuana, the benefits of masturbation and greater
sexual freedom among teenagers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
After consulting with his superiors, Principal Kenneth Keener
decided to postpone Wednesday's scheduled publication. He said that
three signed opinion pieces needed better writing and alternative
viewpoints. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(7) STUDENT SUES OVER 10-DAY SUSPENSION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Kids across America are warned to stay away from "nose candy" in anti-drug campaigns. But a Kanawha County student is fighting his suspension for pretending to put actual candy up his nose. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
According to a lawsuit filed in Kanawha Circuit Court Monday, a
student-athlete at Sissonville High School was given Smarties candy
as a reward for good academic performance. In front of his teacher
and fellow classmates, the student pretended to put one of the small
candy discs up his nose. Another student used his cell phone to
record video of the incident. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Principal Calvin McKinney, who is named as a defendant along with
the Kanawha County school board, allegedly called the plaintiff into
his office and confronted him about the incident. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"The plaintiff informed ... McKinney ... that at no time did he
possess any drug or did he claim to possess any drug," according to
the suit. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Still, McKinney then threatened to suspend the student -- identified
in the lawsuit only by his initials -- unless he joined McKinney's
"Narc Program" and went undercover to find real drug users at the
school, according to the suit. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"The [student] was told that he was to 'hang around the bathroom'
and the school parking lot," the suit states. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
McKinney's investigation into the incident confirmed that the
student was telling the truth about the Smarties candy, according to
the suit. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"The plaintiff was informed that even though it was, in fact, just
candy ... McKinney needed another 'Narc' for his program and that if
the student would not agree to enter said Narc Program that he would
be suspended," the suit reads. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
After the student and his parents met with school officials and the
student refused to cooperate with McKinney's proposal, he received a
10-day suspension, according to the suit. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(8) 'PAWNS' IN THE DRUG GAME (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Oswego Mall complex has some of the city's 5,000 kids caught
selling drugs -- and some who kill | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A shirtless boy of about 14 slurps from a plastic cup and jaws with
two other teenagers in oversized T-shirts. They stand at the edge of
a playground in the Oswego Mall public housing complex, enveloped in
the summertime whoops and laughter of children playing all around
them. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The teenagers occasionally turn toward a fourth figure, at first
standing a bit apart. He is older, more man than boy, with short
dreadlocks and wearing a striped polo shirt. They clearly defer to
him, competing, it seems, for his approval as they dance in place
and bump fists with him. To a casual observer, he could be an older
brother or a favorite uncle. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But the undercover officer videotaping the scene from a second-story
window knows Cyrus Lee Beads to be something else, a 19-year-old
drug dealer, already the author of a six-year rap sheet testifying
to a distinctly violent bent. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The video camera pulls back to show Beads walking off, and the
shirtless boy calls out a farewell, chilling to the officer who is
watching. "Hey Cyrus," the boy shouts after him, "I want to be just
like you when I grow up." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
It wasn't an idle wish. The cleverness of Beads and his partner,
23-year-old Joseph Omar Smith, was in building a drug-dealing
operation on a network of teenagers. They called themselves
"Cutthroat" and worked in Northwest Baltimore's Park Heights
neighborhood. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
It is a model that law enforcement officials increasingly see
repeated across the city, a modern-day version of Oliver Twist, with
youngsters doing the bidding of older members whom they fervently
wish to emulate one day in criminal enterprise. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Janet S. Hankin, deputy state's attorney of the juvenile division, calls what happened in Park Heights "Baltimore in miniature." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
It is a dynamic that helps explain why more than 5,000 youths - some
not even yet teenagers -- were arrested on serious drug-dealing
charges in Baltimore between January 2004 and September 2005. This
year a 10-year-old was arrested for cocaine distribution. Last year,
a 9-year-old was booked on charges of possession with intent to
distribute cocaine. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(9) STATE'S ATTORNEY CRITICAL OF DRUG LAWS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION -- Windsor County State's Attorney Robert Sand
is tired of wasting money and wasted lives. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Sand believes it's time for Vermont to start rethinking how it
handles illegal drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Sand, who has been a prosecutor for 15 years, the last nine as the
head of law enforcement in Windsor County, says he favors the
decriminalization of all drugs and a health-approach to people who
use drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"It's hard for me to see the vast resources expended on drug cases,"
Sand said, adding that he wished more resources would go into
prosecuting the physical and sexual abuse of children. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Don't get me wrong," Sand said in an interview in his office overlooking downtown White River Junction. "Drugs are bad for you, they impair your judgment, they affect your memory, they reduce your inhibitions in a dangerous way. They're not good for you." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But Sand said he doesn't think the role of government is to get
people to stop drinking alcohol or doing drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
It becomes an issue for government, he says, when people endanger
other people. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (10-14) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
With the "celebration" of "Meth Day" across the country, it was all
meth all the time last week, with police PR departments working
overtime writing press releases, and newspaper editors printing them
without assessing their credibility. Strangely, though, there were
contradictory reports. Was it a growing problem, or were authorities
getting it in check? Why doesn't the meth disappear when the meth
labs do? At least one observer took a more clearheaded approach and
asked more relevant questions. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE CREATES 'METH DAY' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Nov. 30 Is Now Officially Recognized As "Methamphetamine Awareness
Day" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Today marks the U.S. Justice Department's new creation, National
Methamphetamine Awareness Day, and begins a new era in the war on
drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A 2004 study showed between 11.7 and 12.3 million Americans age 12
and older have tried methamphetamine. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 20.8
million Americans age 12 and older have used stimulant-type
prescriptions for nonmedical purposes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Office of National Drug Control Policy, a program operated from
the White House, reports 3.1 percent of eighth graders have used
methamphetamine. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2004 N.C. State CORE Survey indicates the University is not
sheltered from meth use. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
It states that "3 [percent of students] have used amphetamines,"
which according to enrollment figures at the time translates to
nearly 900 students. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(11) METH USE CONTINUES TO SPREAD (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Federal officials say problem moving east President Bush declared
Nov. 30 the first National Methamphetamine Awareness Day, aimed to
educate citizens about the dangers of the illegal drug. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Garrison Courtney, a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman,
said officials have seen an upsurge in meth use even as legislation
to prevent its production is implemented. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Especially in the last year, one of the things we've seen is a
spread from the West Coast to the East Coast," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The danger of this particular drug extends beyond the individual
user and puts community members at risk. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"When there's some meth lab, it just doesn't go away," Courtney
said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Chemicals from the lab can pollute the environment, contaminating
the nearest air and groundwater, Courtney said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(12) METH LOSING GROUND IN NC (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Two new reports released yesterday suggest that North Carolina is winning the battle against methamphetamine, even as some urban areas along the East Coast are reporting an increase in its use. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper released figures that said that the state found 40 percent fewer meth labs between Jan. 15 and Nov. 28 of this year, compared with the same time period last year. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Law-enforcement officials confiscated 283 labs in 2005, compared
with 172 to date in 2006, the report said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Fighting meth means rooting out labs and cutting the flow of drugs into our state," Cooper said in a press release announcing the findings. The White House also released a report that noted a 27 percent drop in the number of North Carolina meth-lab seizures from Jan. 15 through April 30, compared with the same period in 2005. The number of lab seizures nationwide was down significantly as well. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The report, "Pushing Back Against Meth," also looked at workplace
drug-testing data to gauge the use of amphetamines, including meth.
It said that last year in North Carolina, 11 percent fewer workers
tested positive for amphetamine use. But use of the drug is up in
many areas along the East Coast, including Washington, Maryland, New
York and Connecticut. Justice Department officials cite mostly
anecdotal evidence showing that meth use and cooking labs are
spreading to inner cities. They say that's in part because drug
traffickers, largely from Mexico, are now selling meth to cocaine
and heroin customers in urban areas. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(13) METH BUST LARGEST EVER IN REGION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
SEABROOK - A drug bust in Seabrook has netted the largest cache of
crystal methamphetamine ever seized in New England. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The 12 pounds of crystal methamphetamine was produced in "super
labs" in Mexico, said U.S. Attorney Thomas Colantuono on Thursday.
It was brought from Mexico to Georgia to Seabrook for distribution
in New England, an open market for methamphetamine, a highly
addictive manufactured drug that gives a quick high. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Drug Enforcement Administration officers and Seabrook police
arrested two men in front of Lowe's on Route 1 on Oct. 24. The meth
was allegedly hidden in their motor vehicle. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The 12 pounds of meth has a wholesale value of $250,000 and a street value of at least $1.5 million, officials said Thursday. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Two other men were arrested in Lynn, Mass. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
All have been indicted and are expected to appear in federal
District Court on Tuesday, Dec. 12. If convicted, they face life in
prison and fines of up to $4 million. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Authorities had no ages or addresses for the men, but they said they
believe all are from Georgia. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Arturo Soto-Saavedra, aka Ricardo Ocampo-Garcia, and Omar Hervis,
aka Omar Hebis, were arrested in Seabrook. Soto-Saavedra is a
Mexican national living in Atlanta, according to a released
statement from Colantuono. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Jose Ambriz, aka Joe Ambris, and Tyler James were arrested in Lynn,
Mass. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The four arrests follow a yearlong investigation by the Drug
Enforcement Administration and other law enforcement agencies,
including Seabrook police. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"I'm pleased to announce today the arrest ( of ) the four men
involved in the largest seizure of methamphetamine in New England,"
Colantuono said during the press conference held on National
Methamphetamine Awareness Day. He was backed by 17 law enforcement
officials from various agencies. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(14) OPED: METH: THE OVERSTATED ADDICTION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Department of Justice has declared today National Methamphetamine
Awareness Day. What better way to observe it than taking a break
from the hype? Rather than repeating the popular fiction about
methamphetamine ( that use is skyrocketing, that only stepped up
policing will counter the trend, and that addiction is untreatable),
let's take a moment today to consider the evidence. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
First, methamphetamine use is not prevalent. Although some 12
million Americans have tried methamphetamine, this is far fewer than
the number who have tried inhalants (23 million ), hallucinogens (34
million ), cocaine (34 million ), or marijuana ( 96 million ). Of
those who have tried methamphetamine, only 1.5 million have used the
drug in the last year; and only 583,000 have used it within the last
30 days. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
There is no indication that methamphetamine use is increasing. The
proportion of Americans who use methamphetamine on a monthly basis
has hovered in the range of 0.2 percent-0.3 percent since 1999. In
fact, according to the 2005 Monitoring the Future survey, the
percentage of high school seniors who reported using methamphetamine
in the last year fell to a low of 2.5 percent in 2005. ( Use of
depressants, meanwhile, increased from a low of 2.8 percent in 1992
to around 7 percent in 2005. ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Second, policing is not "taking care" of methamphetamine. While
limits on purchases of precursors have pushed many illicit labs out
of our neighborhoods, the drug is still being manufactured -- just
now it's across the border. Indeed, methamphetamine is now as
available and cheap as it has ever been. This comes as no surprise.
As long as demand for an illegal drug exists, there will be supply
to meet it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Margaret Dooley, who is based in San Diego, is the outreach
coordinator for the Drug Policy Alliance. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (15-18) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Researchers are dismissing the "popular belief" that cannabis is a stepping stone to harder drugs while inadvertently revealing the best argument for regulation from a research subject in the article. It may be a popular belief for politicians, law enforcers and other bureaucrats with a vested interest in prohibition, but the selected article that follows is likely closer to popular belief for those without the vested interest. And just to sum up the real popular belief, and show how global it is, "It seems that nowadays our leaders, especially parliamentarians, are really out of touch with the people they claim to represent," or so claims the author of a letter published in a newspaper in the depths of Nambia, Africa. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Farmers in North Dakota may start applying for state licenses to
grow industrial hemp next year, so why is no one rejoicing? This
would be fabulous news except no seeds can be sown until it is
approved by the DEA, and we all know hell would freeze over before
they will cooperate. But you have to start somewhere, and thanks to
efforts like this, someday hemp will be legal to grow. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(15) RESEARCHERS SAY SMOKING POT NOT ALWAYS PATH TO HARD DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Contrary to popular belief, smoking marijuana need not be a
steppingstone between using alcohol and tobacco and experimenting
with illegal drugs such as cocaine and heroin. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Researchers led by Ralph E. Tarter, a professor at the University of
Pittsburgh's School of Pharmacy, found that nearly a quarter of the
young men they studied used marijuana before they began drinking or
smoking cigarettes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
It's the reverse of what's known as the "gateway hypothesis," in
which drug use is thought to progress from alcohol and tobacco to
marijuana to hard drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"You always had to show a form of ID to get those," he said. "But I could always go to the person who was selling the weed to get it, and they wouldn't ask for ID. It was never hard to get for me." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(16) WE'RE DOPES NOT TO OK MARIJUANA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
I used to think that I wanted to be famous. Really famous. I wanted
to be so famous that kids dressed up as me for Halloween. I wanted
to be so famous that Dale Chihuly would beg me for permission to
create a life-sized ornate art-bong in my likeness. Not that I would
know anything about that sort of thing, of course. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Well, that's not fully true. I know a bit about the marijuana thing. I know, or rather, I believe that the stuff should be undemonized, decriminalized and, yes, even fully legalized. If marijuana were legal, about a billion Christmas present dilemmas would be solved. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The snack industry would go through the roof. Prime time television
might even be bearable. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The concept of legal pot may be too "Reefer Madness" for some. After
all, if marijuana were legal, people everywhere would be running
around high. Guess what? They already are. People whom you would
never peg as pot users lead perfectly normal lives, and are able to
maintain and function within the boundaries of an otherwise legal
and healthy lifestyle. They bag your groceries. They write the
novels that you enjoy. They create the artwork that you admire. They
are scholars, chefs,= woodworkers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: Cathy Sorbo is a Seattle-based comedian; www.cathysorbo.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(17) LEGALISE IT! (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
IT seems that nowadays our leaders, especially parliamentarians, are really out of touch with the people they claim to represent. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
This is reflected in the way parliamentarians pass ridiculous bills
such as the 20-year jail sentences in respect of livestock theft and
the Liquor Act. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Who do these laws really benefit? Lately, Safety and Security Minister Peter Tsheehama has advocated, and the National Assembly passed, a new controversial bill that will see drug consumers getting 20-year jail sentence in an effort to reduce crime. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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(18) STATE TO BEGIN TAKING APPLICATIONS FOR HEMP FARMERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
BISMARCK, N.D.-- North Dakota farmers may start applying for state
licenses to grow industrial hemp next year but no seed may be sown
until federal drug agents approve, Agriculture Commissioner Roger
Johnson says. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"We'll see where it goes," said Johnson, who has been pushing
industrial hemp as a crop in North Dakota for more than a decade.
"Hopefully, North Dakota will be the first state where producers can
grow hemp for legitimate uses." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The federal Drug Enforcement Agency remains a major hurdle for
would-be growers of marijuana's biological cousin. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
International News | ||||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (19-22) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In Thailand this week, calls for justice in the wake of the over
2,500 summary executions of drug suspects in 2002 and 2003 continue
to grow stronger and seem to be a focus of the new Thai Prime
Minister, General Surayud Chulanont. While it may not be possible to
place deposed Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra on trial, human rights
activists were encouraged by the new PM's willingness to chair a
meeting on the Thaksin-era executions scheduled for next week.
"Thaksin effectively signed death warrants by issuing an order that
drugs cases were considered closed only when the drug suspects were
convicted, summarily executed or dead, he said. Less than 15 days
after that, 586 people had been killed," noted an article in the
Bangkok Post. Former Thai senator Kraisak Choonhavan: "No
progressive constitution can usher in political reforms as long as
Thai society allows a person linked to the murder of so many people
to go free." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The numbers are in, and surprise, Afghanistan's bumper opium harvest
this year set new records. And it is not just the Taliban cashing
in, "It would be wrong to say that this is just the Taliban. I think
I need to set that record straight," admitted "supreme allied
commander" Gen. James L. Jones. The fact that the Afghan farmers
whose hearts and minds the western invaders so desperately need to
win, can't get one tenth the money for any other crop, and would
turn against the Western-propped Karzai regime in even greater
numbers if opium eradication were to be attempted on any large
scale, paints supreme would-be commanders into a corner. "It's
almost the devil's own problem," stated CIA Director Michael V.
Hayden last month (with no hint of irony). | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Glasgow University Professor Neil McKeganey, who directs the drug abuse research center there, has made a public about-face on the issue of prescribing heroin to addicts. While cautioning that a heroin prescription trial would be "extremely risky," McKeganey stated last week, "I don't think we have had enormous successes in tackling our drugs problem and we should be prepared to develop innovative initiatives of various different kinds and have them rigorously evaluated, and pilot provision of heroin is one of them." In 2002, McKeganey -- "Scotland's Leading drugs expert," according to the Sunday Herald -- denounced the idea of prescribing heroin to addicts who have failed other treatment methods, as "free" heroin where "you're almost giving out the message 'use heroin'." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
(19) DRUG DEATHS DEMAND EXTRA ATTENTION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Few things can keep Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont from chairing
the meeting on extra-judicial killings at the Department of Special
Investigation on Friday. His show of interest in the issue has
raised the hopes of relatives of the victims of deposed Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's war on drugs, and human rights
defenders across the country. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The meeting of the DSI's committee on special cases, which Gen
Surayud chairs in his capacity as prime minister, is due to decide
which of the extra-judicial killings it should take on. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
An estimated 2,500 people are believed to have died in | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In mid-November, Kraisak Choonhavan, the former senator for Nakhon
Ratchasima who is a veteran human rights defender, met with Jarun
Pukditanakul, permanent secretary for Justice and brought his
attention to cases in Nakhon Ratchasima and Narathiwat. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A week later, the National Human Rights Commission and the Lawyers
Council of Thailand called on the government to ratify the Rome
Statute of the International Criminal Court, saying this would
enable prosecution of Mr Thaksin for crimes against humanity and in
all countries that were signatories. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Last Monday, Mr Kraisak conferred with the prime minister and
reported that he had promised to re-open an investigation into the
extra-judicial killings. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The prime minister after all has called for reform of the justice
system, the flaws in which have enabled politicians to interfere in
law enforcement for their own gain. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hence his leading role in seeing to it that justice is done in the
case of extra-judicial killings is imperative. That means ensuring
punishment of the killers and their masterminds, and help for the
bereaved to cope with irreplaceable losses of life. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
(20) MEETING CALLED ON DRUG WAR KILLINGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Surayud Likely to Chair It; Activists Delighted | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Human rights activists yesterday hailed the prospect of Prime
Minister Surayud Chulanont chairing a meeting next week on
extra-judicial killings during the war on drugs under the Thaksin
Shinawatra government. Former senator Kraisak Choonhavan said no
other prime minister had shown an interest in dealing with breaches
of human rights. But he stressed that the task required no less than
changing the mindset of state officials who had been "programmed" to
kill. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Justice Minister Chanchai Likhitjitta said he approached Gen Surayud
to chair the meeting at the Department of Special Investigation on
Dec 8, and the prime minister promised to do so if he was not
otherwise engaged. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Gen Surayud earlier vowed to reopen cases of extra-judicial killings during the war on drugs from February to April 2003, and in 2005. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
More than 2,500 people are estimated to have died during the
anti-drugs campaigns. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Addressing a forum on human rights at the October 14, 1973 memorial,
Mr Kraisak deplored the Thaksin administration's heavy-handed
approach to tackling problems, ranging from drugs to the southern
unrest. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
This was estimated to have led to the deaths of 7,000-8,000 people,
some by extra-judicial killing, and Mr Thaksin must be summoned for
questioning and tried, Mr Kraisak said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Mr Thaksin effectively signed death warrants by issuing an order
that drugs cases were considered closed only when the drug suspects
were convicted, summarily executed or dead, he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Less than 15 days after that, 586 people had been | ||||||||||||||||||||||
For this, Mr Thaksin could not be allowed to walk free when former
Iraqi president Saddam Hussein had been tried for the deaths of 149
people, he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Mr Kraisak emphasised the solution of extra-judicial killings was
important to political reform. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"No progressive constitution can usher in political reforms as long
as Thai society allows a person linked to the murder of so many
people to go free," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Angkhana Neelaphaijit, wife of missing human rights lawyer Somchai,
said the situation had barely improved despite Gen Surayud's apology
because authorities in the field had hardly changed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
(21) AFGHANISTAN OPIUM CROP SETS RECORD (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
U.S.-Backed Efforts at Eradication Fail | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Opium production in Afghanistan, which provides more than 90 percent
of the world's heroin, broke all records in 2006, reaching a
historic high despite ongoing U.S.-sponsored eradication efforts,
the Bush administration reported yesterday. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In addition to a 26 percent production increase over past year --
for a total of 5,644 metric tons -- the amount of land under
cultivation in opium poppies grew by 61 percent. Cultivation in the
two main production provinces, Helmand in the southwest and Oruzgan
in central Afghanistan, was up by 132 percent. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"It is truly the Achilles' heel of Afghanistan," Gen. James L. Jones, the supreme allied commander for NATO, said in a recent speech at the Council on Foreign Relations. Afghanistan is NATO's biggest operation, with more than 30,000 troops. Drug cartels with their own armies engage in regular combat with NATO forces deployed in Afghanistan, he said. "It would be wrong to say that this is just the Taliban. I think I need to set that record straight," he added. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Farmers who cultivate opium poppies receive only a small percentage
of the profits, but U.S. officials estimate the crop provides up to
12 times as much income per acre as conventional farming, and there
is violent local resistance to eradication. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"It's almost the devil's own problem," CIA Director Michael V.
Hayden told Congress last month. "Right now the issue is stability.
. . . Going in there in itself and attacking the drug trade actually | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"Attacking the problem directly in terms of the drug trade . . . would undermine the attempt to gain popular support in the region," agreed Lt. Gen. Michael D. Maples, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. "There's a real conflict, I think." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Afghan government has prohibited the aerial herbicide spraying
used by U.S. anti-narcotic programs in Latin America. Instead, opium
poppy plants in Afghanistan are destroyed by tractors dragging heavy
bars. But only 38,500 of nearly 430,000 acres under cultivation were
eradicated this year. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
(22) EXPERT MAKES U-TURN TO BACK HEROIN PRESCRIPTION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Scotland's Leading drugs expert has admitted he has changed his mind
and now supports the prescribing of heroin to addicts. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Professor Neil McKeganey, director of the centre for drug misuse
research at Glasgow University, has called for a pilot study to
evaluate the outcome of giving heroin to addicts. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
He said: "I don't think we have had enormous successes in tackling our drugs problem and we should be prepared to develop innovative initiatives of various different kinds and have them rigorously evaluated, and pilot provision of heroin is one of them. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"I don't think that it's sensible to rule that out in principle. One
should be prepared to evaluate its possible use. But I think one
would have to recognise it's an extremely risky proposal; that it
may be of benefit for some addicts but one would have to have it
very tightly controlled." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
McKeganey's latest comments are at odds with his previous
assertions. In an interview in 2002 he had rebuffed the idea,
saying: "The problem with prescribing heroin is that you're almost
giving out the message use heroin and don't be an addict and pay for
it, or use heroin, become an addict and we'll give you it for
free'." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
His apparent U-turn comes days before a major drugs debate, to be
held on Tuesday at the Scottish Drugs Forum's (SDF) annual general
meeting. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
NOT COCAINE, BUT MADE FROM COCA | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Alexander Provan | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
HOUSE OF THEFT | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Bill Conroy at Narco News | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
BUSH ADMINSTRATION IMPLICATED IN NARCO DEATH SQUAD COVER UP | ||||||||||||||||||||||
by Alex Gabor, December 5, 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_alex_gab_061205_bush_adminstration_i.htm | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
NEW SAFETY FIRST BOOKLET | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Marsha Rosenbaum's popular booklet for parents and other adults who care
about the health and safety of teenagers, and who are willing to look
beyond convention for pragmatic strategies, has been fully updated for 2007.
Download the full PDF at: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
NORML'S DAILY "AUDIOSTASH" CELEBRATES SIX-MONTH ANNIVERSARY | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Surpasses 775,000 Downloads | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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CRUEL AND UNUSUAL - 25 YEARS FOR TAKING OWN PAIN MEDS | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Maia Szalavitz | ||||||||||||||||||||||
In a mind-boggling act of sadistic legal buck-passing (I can't bring
myself to glorify it with the word "reasoning"), the Florida District
Court of Appeals upheld a 25 year mandatory minimum sentence for a
Florida man convicted of "drug trafficking" for possessing his own pain
medication. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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DAMAGE DONE - THE DRUG WAR ODYSSEY | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A Fresh Look At The War On Drugs | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Frustration Over Attitudes About Substance Abuse Led To Documentary | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Imagine a Canada where marijuana is legal and a prescription gets you a
hit of heroin or cocaine. That's the proposal of Senator Larry Campbell,
the former cop and mayor of Vancouver whose life inspired the Da Vinci's
Inquest TV series. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Such controversial and contrarian views are at the heart of the provocative Damage Done: The Drug War Odyssey, airing Saturday at 7 p.m. on Global as part of the Global Currents series of documentaries. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Damage Done depicts many people who have wrestled with their stance on
forbidden substances, most notably members of Law Enforcement Against
Prohibition. The group claims about 5,000 members and anyone can join,
but LEAP was founded by police veterans who gradually concluded that
the traditional war on drugs was illogical. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
WRITE A LETTER | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Respond to "Just Say No To Legalization" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A DrugSense Focus Alert | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
APPLY FOR A JOB | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Marijuana Policy Project seeks a CAMPAIGN MANAGER to run New
Hampshire campaign for fast-paced, respected marijuana policy reform
lobby. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
WAR ON DRUGS IS INEFFECTIVE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Jim Dean | ||||||||||||||||||||||
I commend Windsor County State's Attorney Robert Sand for having the intellectual integrity and political courage to point out the self-defeating nature of our approach to drugs ( Herald, Nov. 30). | ||||||||||||||||||||||
I was a probation officer for 25 years, most of which was in the
federal system here in Vermont, before retiring in 1997. My career
coincided with the ramp-up of the "War on Drugs," and I had the
opportunity to observe its ineffectiveness first-hand. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The various drugs that we classify as illegal are usually dangerous
substances and certainly pose both individual and public health
problems. However, we selectively decide which substances to
criminalize. Once we criminalize a substance, we transform a health
problem into a social problem. We create a market incentive -- and
by criminalizing a drug, we ensure that the only ones who will
respond to that market incentive are those willing to operate
outside the law. Operating outside the law means that the usual
mechanisms for resolving business conflicts -- suing for breach of
contract, for example -- are not available. Hence, when business
conflicts arise, they tend to be resolved by extra-legal means,
i.e., violence. We also artificially inflate the price of the
commodity we have criminalized, meaning that huge profit margins are
available to those willing to break the law. We transform health
problems into social problems, to the detriment of everyone in our
society. And because it is so profitable, we create a powerful
market incentive for people, especially those marginalized due to
discrimination or lack of education, to enter the market. In my
career I saw numerous drug pushers who were ill-equipped to operate
in the legitimate economy, but who made fortunes ( and wreaked
untold havoc ) by selling drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
It is very difficult to have a rational discussion of this
emotionally charged topic, and I commend Mr. Sand for his effort to
start that process here in Vermont. The present system harms many
and protects few, while guaranteeing a never-ending source of
criminals and social damage. We need to step back and re-examine
what we are doing. We have the polar opposite of the "If it ain't
broke don't fix it" situation. Our present approach is deeply flawed
and does a great deal of harm. We need to fix it. I am heartened to
see Mr. Sand take the public lead in that effort. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Jim Dean, Burlington, The writer is retired chief U.S. probation
officer. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Speak Truth To Power | ||||||||||||||||||||||
By Bryan Brickner | ||||||||||||||||||||||
As I prepared to debate a representative of the DEA about ending the
drug war, a friend said I should speak truth to power. "The truth,"
he said, "is a way among many. Power, on the other hand, is just
used to getting its way." | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The friend was correct. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
When speaking truth to power, the immediate effect is usually not
noticed. In debating William Otis, JD, Counselor to the | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Ah, but here is another way of looking at the debate. Great moments,
like the ending of the drug war, will perhaps be inaudible to us. In
other words, we often do not sense the meaning of moments as they
happen. That being the case, when speaking truth to power, one
should watch for when "the spell" begins to break. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The spell? The spell is the spell of power. It begins to break when
the appearance of the reasons for believing become unbelievable. In
the case of the drug war, the reasons for fighting it no longer
produce fear. Without the fear of the illegal drug user -- in
oneself and in others -- power has only one remaining effect, that
of force. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Here is an example from the debate. The new science clearly states
that smoking cannabis does not cause lung cancer. Most recently, in
May 2006, researcher Donald Tashkin, MD, of UCLA's David Geffen
School of Medicine, reported that even heavy cannabis smokers did
not show an increased risk for lung cancer. But at the debate, Mr.
Otis said, on several occasions, that smoking marijuana was
considerably worse than smoking tobacco. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
That is what power will do. Power will force its way. It is used to
getting its way, so it first plays to our emotions and second to the
use of force. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
But truth, which generally works at a different pace, that is,
slower, waits for the evidence to unfold. More importantly, as it
concerns the ending of a war, the reasons for fighting the war (such
as, smoking marijuana is considerably worse than smoking tobacco),
no longer produce the intended effect. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Here is another example: illegal drugs and the people who use them
were once the latest most-scary-thing facing our social order.
President Nixon and our Congress responded to this supposed threat
with a war on citizens who use illegal drugs. That war has failed.
The truth is that a war on citizens who use illegal drugs causes
more social disruption than illegal drug use. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The citizens of the United States were told we would win the drug
war by fighting drugs at their source and by imprisoning drug
traffickers. The truth is that staying the course in the drug war
means accepting 1.5 million annual citizen casualties (or arrests)
for drugs. That means we are willing to accept, as policy, 1.5
million annual drug violations. That also means, as policy, that we
are willing to accept 1.5 million occurrences when a police officer
could be spending his or her time improving other aspects of our
social order. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Prohibition has proven to be an anti-liberty solution for a nation
based on liberty. Nobel Prize recipient Friedrich Hayek, writing
about true coercion in his book The Constitution of Liberty, did not
advocate the power of government to coerce behavior (i.e., the drug
war). | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"True coercion," Hayek wrote, "occurs when armed bands of conquerors
make the subject people toil for them, when organized gangsters
extort a levy for protection, when the knower of an evil secret
blackmails his victim, and, of course when the state threatens to
inflict punishment and employ physical force to make us obey its
commands." (1960:137) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Coercion is the truth of the war on illegal drug users -- as
punishment and force equal power. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
When speaking truth to power, keep the focus on science and liberty
-- and look for when the spell begins to break. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Bryan W. Brickner is the author of Article the first of the Bill of
Rights (2006) and the novel hereafter (2006). He received his
doctorate in political science from Purdue University in 1997 and is
a freelance speaker and writer in Chicago. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace." -- John Lennon (October 9, 1940 - December 8, 1980) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
"I like any reaction I can get with my music. Just anything to get people to think. I mean if you can get a whole room full of drunk, stoned people to actually wake up and think, you're doing something." -- James Douglas "Jim" Morrison (December 8, 1943 - 3 July 1971) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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