| Feb. 16, 2007 #487 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(1) SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS MEET WITH STUDENTS AFTER LOCKDOWN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
After almost two weeks of discussion between students and
administrators, the effects of a school-wide lockdown drill can still
be felt throughout the halls of Scituate High School. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The school was the site of lockdown drill coordinated by Scituate
Police earlier this month that lead to the arrest of seven students on
various charges, including drug and weapons possession. Students and
teachers were forced to remain in their classrooms for nearly two
hours as police searched the building and student parking lot for
drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The drill, which started as a routine run though the school, escalated
to a legitimate lockdown after dogs brought in by police allegedly
detected traces of marijuana in the building. A cardboard box
allegedly containing marijuana and various drug paraphernalia was
found in the building, while police said canines also found a scarf
with traces of marijuana in a music room and additional drugs in a
student locker. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Police said they also found drugs, bongs, beer and in one instance a
weapon in plain sight upon searching four vehicles in the student
parking lot. | ||||||||||||||||||||
While police and school officials have received accolades for their
treatment of the incident, several students reacted with anger and
confusion to the drill, which some saw as an invasion of their Fourth
Amendment rights. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(2) TEENS POP PILLS AS USE OF POT FALLS: U.S. SURVEY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
White House Drug Czar Sounds Alarm | ||||||||||||||||||||
Junior's been helping himself to Mother's little helper. | ||||||||||||||||||||
That's the conclusion of a report released Wednesday by White House
drug czar John Walters that found while U.S. teenagers' use of
marijuana is declining, their abuse of prescription drugs is holding
steady or, in some cases, increasing. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"The drug dealer is us," said Walters, the national drug policy
director. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
While their use of marijuana declined from 30.1 per cent to 25.8 per
cent from 2002 to 2006, use of OxyContin, a painkiller, increased from
2.7 per cent to 3.5 per cent over the same period. Use of Vicodin, | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Teens are also abusing stimulants like Adderall and anti-anxiety drugs
like Xanax because they are readily available and perceived as safer
than street drugs, Walters said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Dr. Terry Horton, the medical director of Phoenix House, which operates nearly 100 substance abuse programs in nine states, said the belief that prescription drugs are safer than street drugs is false. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"These medicines cause dependence and addiction when misused and have
the potential to cause death," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(3) 'SAFEST CITY' NOW HAS DRUG WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
An Affluent City Just Two Hours From Texas Is The Newest Battleground
In A War Between Drug Cartels | ||||||||||||||||||||
SAN PEDRO GARZA GARCIA, Mexico -- From the shopping malls and the
fashionable clothes of its residents, this could be any affluent U.S.
suburb. Residents pride themselves on their prosperity. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But in recent weeks, drug-related violence has shattered the tranquillity. The main targets are police, and seven officers have been gunned down in Monterrey and its suburbs this year. Men with assault weapons killed two former police officers over the weekend. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Last year, 10 law enforcement officials were killed in the area. Five
were police chiefs, among them San Pedro's chief, Hector Ayala Moreno.
A top state investigator, Marcelo Garza Y Garza, was shot and killed
as he left church in San Pedro. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"One day you wake up and realize that your neighbors are not who you
thought they were," said Denise Colyer, 22, a waitress at a Chili's
here. "We thought we were immune from the violence, but we're
surrounded by fear and drug traffickers." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Law enforcement officials on both sides of the border say that the
killings represent an attempt on part of the Gulf Cartel and its
enforcement arm, the Zetas, to gain control of police. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(4) MIRED IN VIOLENCE AT RAMONA GARDENS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
L.A. Housing Project Stuck in a Cycle of Violence and Distrust | ||||||||||||||||||||
School was out, and the municipal gym jumped with the wholesome noise
of girls and boys slapping basketballs onto the hardwood. Then came
the clatter of a helicopter overhead. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"LAPD -- you see?" said Jose Saucedo, in a voice too weary for his 18
years. He stood at the gym door, eyeing the police chopper as if it
were a storm cloud. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"What's the reason for the helicopter? Why?" | ||||||||||||||||||||
The simple answer is that the gym sits in Ramona Gardens, an Eastside
housing project that has seen countless confrontations between the
police and its home-grown street gang, Big Hazard. The cycles of
seething standoffs and bursts of violence stretch back generations and
have defeated every effort to bring lasting security to the
neighborhood. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Caught in the middle are Saucedo and his fellow ballplayers, along with about 2,000 other folks determined to lead normal lives in the sprawl of barracks-like, World War II-era masonry buildings. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Some say they feel under siege more from the police than the gang, because of what they contend are heavy-handed tactics, a characterization that the Los Angeles Police Department disputes. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Growing up here is as close as you're going to get to living in a
police state," said Jose Navarro, 29, a USC doctoral student from
Ramona Gardens. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A cover story from Time Magazine shows the federal government's priorities when it tires to choose between the drug war and the terror war. Unfortunately, even those who have some autonomy from the U.S. government within the borders of the U.S. are also choosing to make the drug war more of a priority. Also last week: In Montana, legislators narrowly pulled back from another assault on pregnant women; and USA Today focused on the negative side of methadone. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(5) WARLORD OR DRUGLORD? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
For a week and a half in April 2005, one of the favorite warlords of
fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar was sitting in a room
at the Embassy Suites Hotel in lower Manhattan, not far from where
the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center once stood. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But Haji Bashar Noorzai, the burly, bearded leader of one of
Afghanistan's largest and most troublesome tribes, was not on a
mission to case New York City for a terrorist attack. | ||||||||||||||||||||
On the contrary, Noorzai, a confidant of the fugitive Taliban overlord, who is a well-known ally of Osama bin Laden's, says he had been invited to Manhattan to prove that he could be of value in America's war on terrorism. "I did not want to be considered an enemy of the United States," Noorzai told TIME. "I wanted to help the Americans and to help the new government in Afghanistan." | ||||||||||||||||||||
For several days he hunkered down in that hotel room and was
bombarded with questions by U.S. government agents. | ||||||||||||||||||||
What was going on in the war in Afghanistan? Where was Mullah Omar?
Where was bin Laden? What was the state of opium and heroin
production in the tribal lands Noorzai commanded--the very region of
Afghanistan where support for the Taliban remains strongest? Noorzai
believed he had answered everything to the agents' satisfaction,
that he had convinced them that he could help counter the Taliban's
resurgent influence in his home province and that he could be an
asset to the U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
He was wrong. | ||||||||||||||||||||
As he got up to leave, ready to be escorted to the airport to catch
a flight back to Pakistan, one of the agents in the room told him he
wasn't going anywhere. That agent, who worked for the Drug
Enforcement Administration ( DEA ), told him that a grand jury had
issued a sealed indictment against Noorzai 3 1/2 months earlier and
that he was now under arrest for conspiring to smuggle narcotics
into the U.S. from Afghanistan. An awkward silence ensued as the
words were translated into his native Pashtu. "I did not believe
it," Noorzai later told TIME from his prison cell. "I thought they
were joking." The previous August, an American agent he had met with
said the trip to the U.S. would be "like a vacation." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(6) TRIBE TO BANISH DRUG DEALERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
CHEROKEE -- A tribal law awaiting ratification would banish members
of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians from the reservation if
convicted of dealing drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Members would have to petition for court permission to return under the law. Nontribal members would be escorted off the Cherokee Indian Reservation immediately if they are suspected of selling drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The law is a radical step for the tribe. The 13,500 members of the Eastern Band identify themselves culturally with their homeland. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Tribal communities such as ours have remained a cohesive group for thousands of years," spokeswoman Lynne Harlan said. "Potential banishment is a serious issue because it disenfranchises the individuals from this tribal community and often their families." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tribal Council passed the Controlled Substances Act last week.
Principal Chief Michell Hicks is expected to sign off on the law in
April. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(7) HOUSE OPTS AGAINST MAKING METH PREGNANCIES A FELONY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
CHEYENNE - The House on Thursday backed away from the prospect of
imposing felony prosecutions on mothers who expose their newborn
children to methamphetamine in the womb. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Instead, the House adopted a sweeping amendment drafted by Majority
Floor Leader Colin Simpson, R-Cody, that expands the definition of
abuse under the Child Protective Services Act to include prenatal
exposure to methamphetamine. The House then passed the bill 39-21 on
final reading. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The change means that a mother who exposed her newborn to the drug during pregnancy could be referred to drug court. The drug court, in turn, could order the woman to get treatment, and any violation of such an order could land the woman in jail for up to 90 days. | ||||||||||||||||||||
A felony conviction under the earlier version of the bill could have
resulted in prison sentences. Although the amendment removed the
prospect of felony prosecution for meth mothers, the revised bill
could still result in mothers losing custody of their children to
the state. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Critics of the bill said they are concerned that the legislation threatens to deter drug-addicted women from seeking necessary medical care for themselves and their children. Public health professionals from around the country wrote to Wyoming legislators this week urging them to oppose the original bill on the grounds that it would discourage women from seeking medical care. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(8) DEADLY ABUSE OF METHADONE TOPS OTHER PRESCRIPTION DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Only Cocaine Kills More By Overdose | ||||||||||||||||||||
Methadone, a painkiller that has been used to treat heroin addicts
for decades, has emerged as an increasingly popular and deadly
street drug, joining narcotics such as Vicodin and OxyContin as
frequently abused prescription drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fatal overdoses of methadone rose at a higher rate than those
involving any other narcotic from 1999 through 2004, according to a
recent study by the National Center for Health Statistics ( NCHS ).
The number of deaths from methadone in 2004 (3,849) represented a
390% rise from 1999, the study said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Methadone was cited in nearly 13% of all the overdose deaths
reported in the USA in 2004, up from about 4% five years earlier.
Among drugs cited in fatal overdoses, only cocaine kills more people
than methadone. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The NCHS study -- and reports from coroners nationwide that the trend is continuing -- indicate that doctors' increasing tendency to prescribe methadone as a cheap alternative to addictive pain relievers such as OxyContin has made it easier for addicts to get methadone, the Drug Enforcement Administration's Denise Curry says. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"It's out there, it's available, and it can be dangerous," Curry says. Pharmacies report that methadone is among the most popular drugs stolen, along with Vicodin and OxyContin, she says. | ||||||||||||||||||||
At about $20 a pill on the black market and pennies a dose when prescribed, methadone is considerably cheaper than such opiates. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Methadone has long been viewed as a relatively safe and effective
narcotic, in part because its effects are gradual and it can ease
withdrawal symptoms for recovering heroin addicts. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
In a strange story out of Connecticut, a seven-year-old will have to go to juvenile court after he allegedly found packets of drugs on the way to school and then distributed them to classmates. Instead of punishing the kid, authorities might want to think how their own prohibitionist policies led to a situation where a kid can find dangerous drugs lying on the ground on the way to school. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Some pundits and legislators have tried to make martyrs out of two border patrol agents who were convicted of illegally shooting a suspect (and other crimes), but a new report on the incident offers nothing to show the agents acted properly. Again, if supporters of those agents were serious, they would push for a repeal of the prohibition policies that place the agents in such situations. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Also last week, editorial writers in North Carolina rightly rip a
silly proposed law to ban empty spaces in automobiles (because empty
spaces can be used to hide drugs); and Colorado tries to come to
grips with its prison crisis, which is appropriately described as
"the pac man of state government." | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(9) 2ND-GRADER FACES DRUG CHARGE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
NEW HAVEN -- A second-grader at Truman School is accused of bringing
crack cocaine into school this week and may have dispensed it to
classmates. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The 7-year-old, police said, is charged with possession of narcotics
and will have to appear in juvenile court. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sgt. Rick Rodriguez, a supervisor in family services, said police
released the boy to his parents, but made referrals to Yale Child
Study, which can provide follow-up counseling, and the state
Department of Children and Families "to take a look at the family
situation." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rodriguez said the boy told detectives he found the drugs on the way
to school. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We interviewed enough people that we're comfortable with that
answer," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Police were called to the school at 114 Truman St. by a school
official Thursday afternoon and two packets of crack were turned
over. It was unknown whether that was the extent of what was brought
to the school. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Police found the boy at home. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) REPORT CONCLUDES CONVICTED AGENTS LIED, COVERED UP SHOOTING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
EL PASO, Texas -- A federal report released Wednesday on the
shooting of a suspected drug smuggler by Border Patrol agents
concurs with prosecutors that the men committed obstruction of
justice by failing to report the shooting, destroying evidence and
lying to investigators. Conservative members of Congress have
criticized the case against the former agents, who were fired after
their convictions, saying the men were doing their job when they
injured Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila in 2005 near El Paso. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security report on the investigation
was drafted in 2006 after Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean were
convicted and each was sentenced to more than a decade in federal
prison. The 77-page report was made public Wednesday and offered few
if any new details on the case. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The report, which is heavily redacted of names and some specific
details, primarily outlines what Aldrete said happened on Feb. 17,
2005, as he tried to run from Border Patrol agents after trying to
elude them in a van loaded with marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||
According to the report, Aldrete, who was given immunity and has
filed a multimillion dollar claim against the federal government,
told investigators he was unarmed and shot as he ran away from
Compean and other agents. He said he tried to surrender and ran
again after Compean slipped while trying to hit him with the butt of
a shotgun. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(11) ANTI-DRUG BILL COULD CONFUSE PRIVACY, SECRECY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
How many of you have a safe in your home? What about a secret place
in a closet or drawer where you hide money or mementos or anything
else? Perhaps it's a truly elaborate hiding place, because what you
want to conceal is so valuable or treasured that you never want
anyone else to find it or see it. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Is there anything wrong with these types of arrangements? Of course
not. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It's your home and you can hide what you want, how you want it,
right? If you agree with all that, then our question is: Why should
a car be any different? State Rep. Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, is
well-intentioned, but seriously misguided when he proposes a new
state law making it a felony for people to "have any compartment,
space or box" in their vehicle for the purposes of hiding illegal
items. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Let's really think about this. If this law were passed, it would
make it illegal to have empty space in your vehicle. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Empty space. Why could it possibly be the government's business if
you want to conceal something in your car? Some folks might want to
hide sensitive documents, cash, legally possessed guns or a
computer. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(12) AIMING FOR COURSE CORRECTIONS ON PRISON PRIORITIES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ari Zavaras felt sick when he had to appear before the legislature's
Joint Budget Committee recently. It was not because he thought the
lawmakers would turn down his request for more money. No, it made
him queasy to think they'd probably approve it. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The new director of the Department of Corrections calls his
bureaucratic empire "the Pac-Man of state government" because it
gobbles all the money. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Nobody disagrees. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Since 1985, general fund spending on corrections has grown from $57 million a year to $533.1 million; it's gone from 2.8 percent of the operating budget to 8.6 percent; and it keeps falling behind. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The latest estimate for meeting the needs of the exploding prison
population in the state is $806 million over the next five years -
and that's just to build the gulags. Staffing them is another cancer
on the state budget, spreading at the rate of $27,500 per year for
each inmate. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Zavaras' baby step toward slaying the monster that is savaging
Colorado's quality of life is to restore funding for programs to
rehabilitate prison inmates. | ||||||||||||||||||||
He's asking for money for treating things such as substance abuse, illiteracy, mental health problems, anger issues and the critically insufficient life skills of the inmates incarcerated in the state. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The objective, he said, is to keep inmates from committing crimes
after they complete their sentences and are released to the
community. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"For every 1 percent we can lower recidivism rates, it means $4.9
million we don't have to spend on prisons." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-17) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The world is literally abuzz with cannabis news again this week,
thanks in part to the published results of a short-term U.S.
cannabis study involving AIDS patients with nerve pain. Despite
using NIDA pot, the researchers found a significant number of
patients experienced greater relief from pain. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The issue of NIDA pot was also addressed in the courts and media.
Thanks to a ruling, a recommendation will be made to the DEA to allow
a researcher to break the monopoly on the government supply. But the
deputy administrator will make the final decision, which could then
be appealed, so it will be a long haul. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Besides the billion dollars of taxpayer money per year to keep
American pot smokers in jail, will 800,000 citizens arrested on
marijuana charges in 2005 become more fodder for the Pentagon? With
every barrier imaginable blocking their quality of life - from
financial aid to housing, jobs, and travel - where do they turn?
Jail or the army may become the only options for many drug war
recruits in the prison-industrial complex. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Direct quote: "Attention all drug dealers, a tip for tax season:
Don't forget to purchase your marijuana tax stamps at the state
Department of Revenue Services. Three people arrested this week by
the Groton/Stonington Narcotics Task Force were charged with
possession of marijuana without a tax stamp." | ||||||||||||||||||||
After possibly watching a South Park (1999) movie rerun, U.S. officials were inspired to directly blame Canadians once again for their woes. Without ever explaining what they mean, law enforcers convinced their Canadian counterparts to claim that B.C. is exporting "marijuana growing expertise" into the U.S. via "information sharing." They want the nature of the connections to remain a mystery, but let it be known that every B.C. citizen is suspect. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(13) SMOKING POT REDUCES PAIN, STUDY SHOWS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Marijuana Better Than Prescriptions, It Says | ||||||||||||||||||||
AIDS patients suffering from debilitating nerve pain got as much or
more relief by smoking marijuana as they would typically get from
prescription drugs -- and with fewer side effects -- according to a
study conducted under rigorously controlled conditions with
government-grown pot. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In a five-day study performed in a specially ventilated hospital ward where patients smoked three marijuana cigarettes a day, more than half the participants tallied significant reductions in pain. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Less than one-quarter of those who smoked "placebo" pot, which had
its primary psychoactive ingredients removed, reported benefits, as
measured by subjective pain reports and standardized neurological
tests. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The White House belittled the study as "a smoke screen," short on
proof of efficacy and flawed because it did not consider the health
impacts of inhaling smoke. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(14) JUDGE SIDES WITH BOTANIST ON POT SUPPLY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A Massachusetts botanist should be allowed to grow marijuana for
medical study, a hearing officer said Monday in a ruling that would
end a longtime government requirement that all federally approved
researchers get their pot supplies from the University of
Mississippi. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
The ruling is actually only a recommendation to the DEA, which
supports the current policy. Agency spokesman Garrison Courtney said
a deputy administrator would make the final decision after reviewing
arguments from lawyers for the DEA staff and for Craker. The
agency's decision could be appealed to a federal court in
Washington, D.C. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"It's going to be a hard case to win," said Anjuli Verna of the
American Civil Liberties Union's drug law reform project, which
represents Craker. She said the court could overturn a DEA veto of
Bittner's ruling only if it was found that the agency was acting
arbitrarily. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
The agency turned Craker down in 2003, saying there was no need for
additional research supplies. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(15) POT PRISONERS COST AMERICANS $1 BILLION A YEAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The latest numbers are out: nearly 800,000 Americans were arrested on marijuana charges in 2005. When will the insanity stop? | ||||||||||||||||||||
American taxpayers are now spending more than a billion dollars per
year to incarcerate its citizens for pot. That's according to
statistics recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice's
Bureau of Justice Statistics. | ||||||||||||||||||||
According to the new BJS report, "Drug Use and Dependence, State and
Federal Prisoners, 2004," 12.7 percent of state inmates and 12.4
percent of federal inmates incarcerated for drug violations are
serving time for marijuana offenses. Combining these percentages
with separate U.S. Department of Justice statistics on the total
number of state and federal drug prisoners suggests that there are
now about 33,655 state inmates and 10,785 federal inmates behind
bars for marijuana offenses. The report failed to include estimates
on the percentage of inmates incarcerated in county and/or local
jails for pot-related offenses. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Multiplying these totals by U.S. DOJ prison expenditure data reveals
that taxpayers are spending more than $1 billion annually to
imprison pot offenders. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(16) STARTING TO PREPARE YOUR RETURNS? DON'T FORGET THOSE MARIJUANA (Top)TAX STAMPS | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
By state law, not only are drug dealers expected to pay the tax,
they also are expected to keep detailed records for tax purposes,
logging each transaction. Connecticut is one of 20 states with
similar laws. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sarah Kaufman, director of communications for the revenue
department, said the stamps can be purchased anonymously by walking
in the front door of the department and paying in cash. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The tax is $3.50 per gram if the owner possesses 42.5 grams or more. Civil and criminal penalties for not having the stamps include 200 percent of the tax up to $10,000, six years in prison or both. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Never in my 18 years have I seen somebody pay tax on marijuana," said Detective Cody Floyd at the Stonington Police Department. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(17) B.C. 'EXPORTS' MARIJUANA EXPERTISE WORLDWIDE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
VANCOUVER - A different kind of brain drain is under way in B.C. as
marijuana growers share their billions of dollars worth of skills
with a worldwide audience. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We think they're exporting their expertise," said Supt. Paul
Nadeau, director of the RCMP's national drug branch. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"We've heard of it on an international scale." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ironically, it's enhanced border security in the post 9/11 U.S. that
is driving the information-sharing and possibly adding an unintended
front to the U.S. "war on drugs." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sgt. Urquhart was reluctant to expand on the nature of the
connections and the organization involved. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But when Supt. Nadeau was asked who in B.C. is exporting their
skills, his answer was simple -- "Everybody." | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
International News | ||||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (18-21) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
In the U.K. last week, newspapers were buzzing with talk that David Cameron, head of the U.K. Conservative party, took "drugs". Well, at least cannabis was taken by the Conservative party leader, and it was when Cameron was a lad of but 15. Still, this makes Mr. Cameron "the first party leader... to confess to breaking the law over its use," said the Independent on Sunday, which broke the story. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In Vancouver, Canada, Mayor Sam Sullivan is moving forward with
plans to pursue new strategies in drug treatment, including "drug
maintenance for at least 700 cocaine and crystal-meth users,"
according to the Vancouver Sun. The proposed program, Chronic
Addiction Substitution Treatment (CAST), reduces harms to hard drug
users by "providing legal drugs (such as opiate-based Oxy Contin) as
substitutes for the stimulant-type illegal drugs." | ||||||||||||||||||||
In Mexico this week, lawmakers re-introduced a modified "drug-abuse" bill into the Mexican national Senate. Last year (under President Fox) a similar bill was vetoed after it was denounced in Washington D.C. as enabling "American tourists to go on drug binges," according to a Houston Chronicle feature report this week. The proposed bill lowers "personal use" amounts, adding mandatory drug treatment for first-time offenders. As Fox did before him, the current Mexican President, Felipe Calderon, is expected to vet proposed changes to Mexican drug laws with prohibition officials in the U.S. government. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In New Zealand, Prime Minister Helen Clark was handed a political
hot potato when it was leaked to the press that Health Minister Pete
Hodgson presented a report to the PM - last October - which endorsed
medical marijuana, the Dominion Post newspaper revealed. The Health
Ministry report admitted there were indeed grounds for compassionate
use of cannabis, and there existed "sufficient evidence of safety
and efficacy of cannabis in some medical conditions." Prime Minister
Clark was swift to downplay the report, emphasizing that the
government's own Health Department report wasn't really a "major"
recommendation for medical cannabis. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(18) YES, I TOOK DRUGS, SAYS CAMERON (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Independent on Sunday journalists reveal how Tory leader broke the | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
David Cameron, the Conservative leader, has admitted taking drugs
when he was a 15-year-old schoolboy at Eton, The Independent on
Sunday can reveal today. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The disclosures that Mr Cameron has smoked cannabis came in a new biography serialised in today's paper. It is expected to mark a watershed in the debate about drugs in Britain, making him the first party leader and prospective British prime minister to confess to breaking the law over its use. The disclosure - in a biography written by Independent on Sunday journalists Francis Elliott and James Hanning - is conclusive evidence of Mr Cameron's drugs past. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(19) MAYOR PUSHES DRUG PLAN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A Private Poll Showed Support For Alternative Measures | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mayor Sam Sullivan ramped up his marketing of a new alternative
drug-treatment plan for cocaine and crystal-meth addicts with the
release of a new poll showing that most Vancouver residents support
his approach. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The survey, commissioned by Sullivan and released Friday, found that 61 per cent of respondents would support a prescription drug program to deal with rampant drug addiction in the Downtown Eastside. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The mayor is lobbying the federal government for an exemption from
Canada's narcotics laws that would sanction a large-scale program in
Vancouver for drug maintenance for at least 700 cocaine and
crystal-meth users. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sullivan's plan, called CAST (chronic addiction substitution
treatment), would involve providing legal drugs (such as
opiate-based Oxy Contin) as substitutes for the stimulant-type
illegal drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(20) MEXICO PROPOSES NEW DRUG BILL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Updated Version Drops A Clause Allowing Users To Skirt | ||||||||||||||||||||
MEXICO CITY -- A new drug-abuse bill is making its way through the
Mexican Senate, just months after a more liberal measure was
scrapped amid pressure from Washington. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The proposed legislation, due to be voted on Wednesday by the
Justice and Health committees, drops a clause that would have
allowed drug users to escape punishment. | ||||||||||||||||||||
U.S. officials complained that the provision, which they viewed as
decriminalization, would have inspired some American tourists to go
on drug binges. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The bill, which Mexican officials said is needed to curb a soaring
drug problem, would require first-time offenders caught with small
quantities to enter mandatory treatment programs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Second-time offenders would face criminal charges and could serve
jail terms. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
'Personal Use' | ||||||||||||||||||||
But people carrying small quantities of drugs for so-called
"personal use" -- defined in the bill as 2 grams of marijuana or 40
milligrams of methamphetamine -- would escape prosecution, which
officials said was a continuation of current policy. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Officials said 2 grams of marijuana would make four cigarettes, and
40 milligrams of methamphetamine is the equivalent of about one
pill. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Increases Police Power | ||||||||||||||||||||
The original bill passed both houses of Congress but was vetoed by
then-President Vicente Fox in May 2006 after U.S. officials
expressed their opposition to the measure's provisions. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mario Moronatti, a technical adviser to the Senate Health Committee, insisted that the new bill makes it clear the government does not condone drug use. "Nor is it legalizing consumption," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ritual use allowed | ||||||||||||||||||||
In addition, indigenous groups would be permitted to use peyote and
mushrooms as part of their rituals, an attempt to spare them
frequent police harassment and jail. | ||||||||||||||||||||
However, the bill needs the support of President Felipe Calderon,
who has won praise in Washington for his aggressive crackdowns on
the drug gangs since taking office Dec. 1. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Like Fox, he may choose caution over ruffling feathers in
Washington, analysts say. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(21) CLARK SNUFFS OUT DOPE LAW HOPE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister Helen Clark has dampened down expectations of an immediate change to medicinal cannabis laws, saying Health Ministry advice should not be read as a "major endorsement" of its use. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Miss Clark also made it clear that the ministry came down against
the use of leaf cannabis to ease pain, as the release of new papers
raises fresh debate over what has become a politically contentious
issue. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Dominion Post revealed yesterday that health authorities had
acknowledged that there was enough evidence to support the use of
cannabis on compassionate grounds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In an October briefing paper to Health Minister Pete Hodgson, the
ministry said there was "sufficient evidence of safety and efficacy
of cannabis in some medical conditions" to support consideration of
compassionate, controlled use. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Miss Clark said her reading of the Health Department paper was that it was "not a major endorsement of the use of cannabis". | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
DID "BOGOTA CONNECTION" EMBASSY LEAKS DOOM U.S. SPY PLANE IN COLOMBIA? | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Bill Conroy | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
REP. MARK SOUDER, R-IND. DEFENDS ONDCP MEDIA CAMPAIGN | ||||||||||||||||||||
Feb. 8: President Bush is asking for a 31 percent increase for his anti-drug campaign that studies suggest actually increases drug use among teens. Tucker Carlson discusses with Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
ADDRESSING KEY CRIMINAL JUSTICE ISSUES IN THE 21ST CENTURY | ||||||||||||||||||||
This report, released from the Correctional Association of New York,
aims to establish more accountable and transparent criminal justice
and prison systems that treat the youth and adults in their charge
more fairly and humanely and that operate more effectively to cut
unnecessary costs and to reduce crime. | ||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.drugpolicy.org/docUploads/Key_Criminal_Justice_Issues_Feb07.pdf | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
"INDUSTRIAL HEMP FARMING ACT" REINTRODUCED IN CONGRESS | ||||||||||||||||||||
Washington, DC: Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX), along with nine Democrat
co-sponsors, reintroduced legislation in Congress this week to
authorize the state-sanctioned cultivation of industrial hemp for
commercial purposes. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
CALIFORNIA'S PRISON-TRANSFER PLAN ANGERS CRITICS | ||||||||||||||||||||
All Things Considered, February 15, 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||
The California prison guards' union will take the state to court
Friday, trying to stop inmates from being shipped to prisons in other
states. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The transfers are part of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to deal
with severe overcrowding. | ||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7431201 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
THE WAR WITHIN, KILLING OURSELVES | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Lou Dobbs | ||||||||||||||||||||
NEW YORK (CNN) -- We're fighting a war that is inflicting even greater
casualties than the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and, incredibly,
costing even more money. We're losing the War on Drugs, and we've been
in retreat for three decades. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
A TRIBUTE TO EDDIE ELLISON | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Transform Drug Policy Foundation | ||||||||||||||||||||
It was with great sadness we learnt that Eddie Ellison, a long time
friend and Patron of Transform, had lost his battle with cancer on
January 29th this year. | ||||||||||||||||||||
http://transform-drugs.blogspot.com/2007/02/tribute-to-eddie-ellison.html | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
WRITE A LETTER TO INCREASE MEDICAL MARIJUANA RESEARCH | ||||||||||||||||||||
A DrugSense Focus Alert. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
SUPPORT MEDICAL CANNABIS INMATES | ||||||||||||||||||||
Write Letters, Buy Reading Materials & Donate Money | ||||||||||||||||||||
Several patients and providers are in jail awaiting trial or in prison serving out their sentences. These medical cannabis inmates depend on support from people like you to stay connected to the outside world. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
END FEDERAL INTERVENTION | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Mark Hughes | ||||||||||||||||||||
Your editorial says it's "hard to blame" feds for intervening
against unregulated medical marijuana dispensaries. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But the feds assert that even the most ethical provider dispensing
medical marijuana to the most suffering patient is no different than
a common drug dealer, so the raids would continue even in a
stringently regulated environment. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Indeed, the DEA raided five dispensaries in West Hollywood, despite
the fact that the city was making a good-faith effort to regulate
them. | ||||||||||||||||||||
You dismissed the increased use of medical marijuana as attributable
to "rampant abuse." While there may be people fraudulently obtaining
medical marijuana, scientific research has found widespread
efficacy, including for illnesses that encompass a large patient
community ( such as Hepatitis C ). | ||||||||||||||||||||
The flier distribution incident you claim proves widespread illicit
use appears to be an isolated incident best handled by local
officials, not armed federal intervention. Indeed, the heavy hand of
the federal government has actually discouraged local regulation of
dispensaries. | ||||||||||||||||||||
You are correct that Proposition 215 should be administered. The
best way to accomplish this is to end federal intervention, not
excuse it. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mark Hughes | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER WRITER OF THE MONTH - JANUARY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
DrugSense recognizes George Kosinski of Gibsons, British Colombia
for his four letters published during January. This brings his total
published letters, that we know of, to 39. | ||||||||||||||||||||
You may read his published letters at: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
'Progress' In A Glacial Debate | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Dr. Tom O'Connell | ||||||||||||||||||||
In addition to DEA Administrative Judge Mary Ellen Bittner's
non-binding recommendation that Professor Lyle Craker be allowed to
grow cannabis for research purposes ( see | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
My optimism stems from the historical impact of an earlier peer
reviewed paper which 'officially' established a medical benefit from
cannabis that could not be easily dismissed (see | ||||||||||||||||||||
More recently, the rhetorical argument with which Barry McCaffrey,
following cues within the report itself, minimized the impact of the
1999 IOM report by stating that anything 'smoked' couldn't be
'medicine' ( see | ||||||||||||||||||||
Of course, the insistence by most lobbyists for medical use that
it's only valid for the 'seriously' ill, and that their lifetime use
has been strictly 'recreational' hasn't helped to either clarify a
murky situation or advance their cause. Quite the opposite; it has
tended to validate the exaggerated Cheech and Chong image of the
Seventies. In that way, opinionated reformers have been more than a
little like the Congressional Democrats who painted themselves into
a corner by voting for a feckless war in Iraq. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Incidentally, neuropathic pain is a well known, but poorly
understood, medical problem which also tends to be undertreated; the
fact that cannabis can do so effectively wasn't news to me because
I'd been enlightened by several patients seeking recommendations;
unfortunately, that still isn't 'official,' because it has yet to be
published in a peer reviewed journal. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But I'm working on it... | ||||||||||||||||||||
Dr. Tom O'Connell publishes a blog at http://www.doctortom.org/ ,
where this piece originally appeared. He is a former editor of
DrugSense Weekly. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
"The present blitz about drugs - I think it looks very much like how
we treated insane people 100 years ago -- throw them in the cage -
as if that's the whole answer." - Gene Roddenberry | ||||||||||||||||||||
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