| Feb. 23, 2007 #488 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
(1) U.S. DRUG CZAR FINDS ALLY IN TORY GOVERNMENT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
OTTAWA -- The man known as the U.S. drug czar offered an unusually friendly message to Canada yesterday, thanking officials on this side of the border for their "renewed focus on illicit drug abuse." | ||||||||||||||||||
John Walters, the director of the National Drug Control Policy, was in
Ottawa to speak at a meeting of the Canadian Centre on Substance
Abuse, where he boasted that his policies have reduced drug use among
American teens by 23.2 per cent since 2001. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We want work on controlling both supply and demand so we can see not only declines, but sustained declines," he told reporters. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mr. Walters has previously had tough talk for Canada when it comes to this country's anti-drug measures. In 2002, he said British Columbia was a major source of high-potency marijuana being imported into the United States. That same year, he complained that liberalizing drug laws in Canada would increase the flow of marijuana into his country. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Later in the day, critics of the U.S. drug policy expressed surprise
at Mr. Walter's tone. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It was very much of a soft-pedal that seemed to be designed for a
Canadian audience. There was a lot of talk about health and helping
addicts," said Ethan Nadelmann, the founder of the Drug Policy
Alliance in New York, which promotes alternatives to the so-called war
on drugs. In fact, he said, U.S. drug policy is overwhelmingly
punitive. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(2) CHONG TO RAISE FUNDS FOR 'GANJA GURU' ROSENTHAL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"Guru of Ganja" Ed Rosenthal is bringing in another martyr of the
marijuana movement to help him raise funds for his upcoming federal
trial. | ||||||||||||||||||
Tommy Chong -- half of the Cheech and Chong comedy duo renowned for stoner movie classics such as "Up in Smoke" and "Nice Dreams" -- will appear a $125-per-head event March 4 at Rosenthal's Lake Avenue home in Piedmont. Some advance tickets are available for only $100 at Rosenthal's legal defense fund's Web site, www.green-aid.com | ||||||||||||||||||
"The party will celebrate how far we've come in legalizing medical
marijuana as well as provide me with the money I need to fund my
current trial that is defending all of our rights," Rosenthal, 62,
said in an e-mail Thursday. He's scheduled to appear in federal court
March 19, and he estimates his trial and related expenses could cost
more than $300,000. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(3) ADVOCACY GROUP'S SUIT CALLS ON U.S. TO ACKNOWLEDGE POT'S MEDICINAL VALUE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
SACRAMENTO -- A patient advocacy group sued the federal government
Wednesday to try to force U.S. health agencies to acknowledge that
marijuana has merit as a medicine. | ||||||||||||||||||
The lawsuit by Americans for Safe Access follows a two-year effort to
reverse what it calls a "misinformation campaign" by U.S. health
agencies. | ||||||||||||||||||
Americans for Safe Access is suing under the Data Quality Act, a
little-known statute that lets citizens challenge the accuracy of
government-disseminated information. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Oakland-based group filed a petition in October 2004 asking the United States to reverse its staunch opposition to pot as medicine. After months of delays, the government rejected the petition. | ||||||||||||||||||
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services said the
agency could not comment because of the litigation. | ||||||||||||||||||
For years, U.S. regulators have said marijuana has no accepted
medicinal value. | ||||||||||||||||||
Such statements are "false and misleading," Americans for Safe Access
said in its lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Oakland. The
group cited peer-reviewed studies suggesting cannabis can be effective
for AIDS wasting, muscle spasticity and chronic pain. | ||||||||||||||||||
The government's stance ignores its own studies, activists say. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(4) CALIFORNIA PRISON DRUG TREATMENT CALLED WASTE OF MONEY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The State Overseer Of The Corrections System Says The $1 Billion Spent Since 1989 On Programs Has Failed To Lessen The Recidivism Rate | ||||||||||||||||||
SACRAMENTO -- California's $1-billion investment in drug treatment for
prisoners since 1989 has been "a complete waste of money," the state's
inspector general said Wednesday, and has done nothing to reduce the
number of inmates cycling in and out of custody. | ||||||||||||||||||
One study of the two largest in-prison programs found that recidivism
rates for inmates who participated were actually a bit higher than
those of a group of convicts who did not receive treatment, Inspector
General Matt Cate said. | ||||||||||||||||||
He said corrections officials were told in more than 20 reports since
1997 that the programs were failing but did nothing to fix them,
choosing instead to expand them and fund more studies of their
results. | ||||||||||||||||||
Successful treatment programs could increase public safety, "change
lives and help relieve the state's prison overcrowding crisis," Cate
said in releasing the 50-page special review. "But so far the
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has squandered that
opportunity." | ||||||||||||||||||
The Office of the Inspector General is an independent state agency
that oversees the corrections department. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The inspector general's report can be viewed at http://www.oig.ca.gov/. | ||||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Kind of a slow week for drug policy news, so, much as I hate to do
it, we're leading with the latest bad meth news. Yet to be seen is
if this small study gets validated by further study. Of course,
however bad meth is, it's hard to imagine the drug deserving the new
publicity it got from officials in Phoenix who designed a graphic
anti-meth video specifically for the middle school crowd. In other
education news, a school district in West Virginia debating student
drug testing showing a scary vision of the future where anyone who
has anything to do with schools gets drug tested, all in the name of
fairness. And, in more upbeat news, mainstream editorialists are
starting to understand the absurdity of the DEA's position on
medical marijuana research. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(5) METH USE DAMAGES HEART, UH SHOWS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Study Of Patients At Queen's Confirms What Doctors Knew Of The
Dangers Of "Ice" | ||||||||||||||||||
A study of 221 patients at the Queen's Medical Center confirmed what
doctors here have long known: Methamphetamine use causes heart
trouble. | ||||||||||||||||||
The risk of cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, was
nearly four times higher in methamphetamine, or "ice," users than in
nonusers, researchers reported in this month's American Journal of
Medicine. | ||||||||||||||||||
"The problem was, for 10 to 15 years everybody knew methamphetamine
caused heart failure," said Dr. Irwin Schatz, professor of medicine
and cardiologist in the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of
Medicine. | ||||||||||||||||||
Doctors saw such patients all the time but were told at science
meetings that the cases were only anecdotal, he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Dr. Khung-Keong Yeo of the University of California-Davis Medical Center in Sacramento said a controlled study was needed, and he and his colleagues conducted it with the UH medical school, Schatz said. | ||||||||||||||||||
Schatz and Dr. Todd Seto, associate professor of medicine, led the JABSOM team. They reviewed charts of 221 patients age 45 and younger who were hospitalized at Queen's between January 2001 and June 2004. | ||||||||||||||||||
Of the total, 107, or 48 percent, were discharged with a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy. They were compared with 114 patients of similar ages who were discharged without evidence of heart problems. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(6) GRAPHIC VIDEO ON METH GRABS KIDS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Phoenix, School Officials Hope Film Is Deterrent | ||||||||||||||||||
People looking years older than their age, with hair loss, track marks, scabs on their bodies and rotted teeth were a few images shown to students from a new video called METH: Don't Even Start. | ||||||||||||||||||
A select group of Desert Foothills Junior High School students were the first to view the middle school version of the video. | ||||||||||||||||||
Zack Wilson, 14, called it graphic but interesting. "It's good to
inform kids our age," he said. advertisement | ||||||||||||||||||
Others also said it brought home the dangers of using | ||||||||||||||||||
"It shows how you can die from it, and it's very addictive," said
Emma Coleman, 13. | ||||||||||||||||||
The video is just one step Phoenix is taking to deter kids from
using meth. | ||||||||||||||||||
Educators and community members join the students to watch the
eight-minute video produced by the city. | ||||||||||||||||||
It is airing several times on the city channel, PHX 11. Eventually, city officials hope it will be shown to students across the state. | ||||||||||||||||||
The video shows teenagers who have used meth talk about their experiences and the harmful effects it has had on their lives. | ||||||||||||||||||
From one girl saying, "I don't think I'll ever be able to have
children" because of it, to another victim of the drug saying he no
longer cared whether he was alive or dead. | ||||||||||||||||||
They weren't actors. The young people in the video started using
meth at 12 to 14 years old. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(7) DRUG TEST PROPOSAL EXEMPTS HIGHER-UPS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Kanawha County schools' proposed drug-testing policy would exempt
upper-level administrators and board members from screenings, while
requiring principals, teachers and school service personnel to
undergo random tests. | ||||||||||||||||||
Board member Pete Thaw says that is not fair. | ||||||||||||||||||
The revamped policy -- up for discussion at a meeting Thursday -- will require all workers deemed to be in "safety sensitive" jobs to be randomly drug tested. The policy, however, does not include testing of administrators at the county's central board office. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thaw said all administrators, even board members, should be tested. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I would feel very uncomfortable if I didn't submit to the testing
myself, when we're asking all these other people to do it," he said
Tuesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
According to the proposed guidelines, "safety-sensitive" positions
include principals, assistant principals, guidance counselors,
teachers, mechanics, carpenters, cooks, custodians, electricians,
locksmiths and machinists. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Not once does it mention the staff at 200 Elizabeth Street or the
board," Thaw said. | ||||||||||||||||||
"How much more safety sensitive can you get? They're the ones
running the school system, making the big decisions. They should be
included, too." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(8) EDITORIAL: DEA STYMIES SCIENCE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Disingenuousness is a specialty of the Drug Enforcement | ||||||||||||||||||
The federal government likes to claim that there is little
scientific proof that smoking marijuana is therapeutic and relieves
patient suffering. Yet much of the research that legitimate academic
and medical scientists have tried to conduct to confirm the
anecdotal evidence of marijuana's benefits has been stymied through
tight federal supplies of legal marijuana available for testing
purposes. | ||||||||||||||||||
Former DEA Administrator Robert Bonner once told supporters of medical marijuana that they would "serve society better by promoting or sponsoring more legitimate scientific research" rather than using the political process to make it legal. Of course, Bonner knew at the time that it was his agency that had helped block that research. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Last week, another family faced the sudden death of an innocent
during a botched drug raid, this time in Wharton, TX. As people ask
how this could happen again, the next two rather mundane stories
help to explain: A drug bust training facility by the DEA makes
learning to be a home invader fun; while law enforcement "experts"
advise state legislators on the need for a crackdown. Which leads to
another ongoing story, which is almost obscured by our current
prison crisis: At its current pace, the crisis is going to get much
worse in the future. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(9) DAD SEEKS ANSWERS IN KILLING BY WHARTON POLICE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Dad Seeks Answers in Killing by Police | ||||||||||||||||||
He Says His 17-Year-Old Son Was Awakened by His Sister's Cries
Before Being Shot | ||||||||||||||||||
WHARTON -- The father of a 17-year-old killed by a police officer
who was looking for drugs at his home said the shooting was
unprovoked. | ||||||||||||||||||
Daniel Castillo Sr. said his son, Daniel Jr., was awakened by pleas
from the teen's sister asking officers not to shoot her in the
Tuesday morning incident, during which law enforcement agencies were
executing a narcotics search warrant. | ||||||||||||||||||
"I just want justice," the elder Castillo said Wednesday from his
home in Wharton. | ||||||||||||||||||
Officials from the agencies involved in the shooting or its
investigation continued to decline comment. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Wharton police officer who shot the teen is on paid | ||||||||||||||||||
Don Falks was hired six years ago with no prior experience in law
enforcement, said Capt. David Coleman of the Wharton Police
Department. Coleman would not say whether Falks previously had
discharged his weapon while on duty or had been investigated under
similar circumstances. | ||||||||||||||||||
Falks was a member of the Wharton Police Department's emergency
response team, which was executing a narcotics search warrant with
members of the Wharton County District Attorney Narcotics Task Force
and the Wharton County Sheriff's Office Star Team. | ||||||||||||||||||
The elder Castillo said his son was awakened by the pleas of his
20-year-old sister, Ashley. When the younger Castillo turned toward
Falks, he said, the officer shot him in the face. | ||||||||||||||||||
"My son heard her say, 'Don't shoot.' He got up to see what was
going on," the elder Castillo said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(10) HOW TO BUST A METH LAB (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Training Essential For Extremely Dangerous Task | ||||||||||||||||||
A certain adrenaline rush comes with busting a meth lab, even if the
gun in your hand is loaded with paintball bullets. | ||||||||||||||||||
The bad guys may be cardboard cutouts and the lab a Quonset hut at a Drug Enforcement Administration training facility, rather than some backwoods shack or ramshackle trailer. But the Kevlar vest can withstand bullets fired from most handguns. The helmet is real. The gas mask makes a Darth Vader-like metallic click with each breath. | ||||||||||||||||||
The instructor knocks on the front door, shouting, "DEA. Police. We
have a search warrant." The next thing you know you're inside,
clearing rooms like a SWAT team on Cops, firing only at targets with
odd numbers. The even-numbered targets could be the good guys, even
children. Everyone shoots at the dog. It's covered with paintball
splatters. | ||||||||||||||||||
Over the past 20 years, more than 12,000 mostly state and local law
enforcement officers have taken the weeklong DEA course on raiding
and securing a methamphetamine lab. | ||||||||||||||||||
Though the number of meth lab busts has declined dramatically over
the past several years, it remains one of the most dangerous tasks
in law enforcement. Suspects can act like someone out of Night of
the Living Dead. Labs are sometimes booby-trapped. The chemicals
used to cook the meth are explosive, flammable and so toxic they can
blister flesh and damage internal organs. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It's rough stuff," said John Donnelly, a lead instructor at the DEA
training facility on the sprawling Marine base at Quantico. Donnelly
got his start in the late 1980s busting meth labs in California's
Central Valley. | ||||||||||||||||||
Even though he's raided meth labs more than 100 times, he said there
was nothing routine about it. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Your heart races at the critical time," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
They call them "Beavis and Butt-Head" labs, the small labs where
meth addicts produce less than an ounce or so of the chemical
cocktail for themselves and their friends. Most of the "super" labs,
which can produce 10 pounds or more in a single batch, are now in
Mexico. Mexican gangs increasingly are using their cocaine-, heroin-
and marijuana-distribution networks to transport meth to the United
States. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(11) GOP LAWMAKERS LOOK FOR ADVICE ON DRUG WAR (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Panel members listen to testimonials during the House Republican
Policy Committee meeting at the Pennsylvania College of Technology
on Tuesday. | ||||||||||||||||||
We need to build more jail cells" and impose "significant mandatory
sentences" whenever gun and drug crimes occur together. | ||||||||||||||||||
These were two of the get-tough recommendations local law
enforcement gave to a group of Republican lawmakers during the first
of a series of hearings planned across the Commonwealth by the state
House of Representatives Republican Policy Committee. | ||||||||||||||||||
The committees chairman, Rep. Mike Turzai of Allegheny County,
brought the panel to the Pennsylvania College of Technology's
Professional Development Center Tuesday for almost four hours of
testimony that included input from both the law enforcement and
treatment-prevention professions. | ||||||||||||||||||
The event was co-hosted by local state representatives Steven W.
Cappelli, city, and Garth Everett, Muncy, and began with a pointed
critique by Capt. Kenneth Hill, commanding officer of Troop F and a
former undercover state police drug investigator. | ||||||||||||||||||
Hill set the tone by calling for tougher penalties and more prison
space, saying Drug Court programs are worthwhile but should
concentrate on younger, non-violent offenders and be a second, but
last chance to turn drug offenders around. | ||||||||||||||||||
He said the state should also create sentencing standards similar to
those in place in the federal system with significant mandatory
enhancements for gun and drug crimes and "a no-bail clause for those
determined to be a danger to the community." | ||||||||||||||||||
According to Hill, in the long run it will prove cheaper to build
and staff new prisons than the cost of allowing the drug problem to
go unchecked. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(12) PRISONS PROJECTED TO OUTPACE U.S. IN POPULATION GROWTH (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Washington - Prison populations will grow 13 percent in five years,
triple the expected U.S. population growth rate during that time,
and will cost an additional $27.5 billion, a report released
Wednesday projected. | ||||||||||||||||||
The report by the Pew Charitable Trusts attributes the estimated addition of 192,000 inmates to overall demographic growth, coupled with current state policy decisions and a slowdown of parole grants. | ||||||||||||||||||
In addition to growth in the federal prison system, four states - Florida, Texas, California and Arizona - will account for about 45 percent of the total prison population increase, the study found. | ||||||||||||||||||
As for Colorado, it ranks sixth in expected growth between 2006 and
2011, at 31 percent, the report said. Barring reforms in sentencing
or release policies, it said, there will be one new prisoner for
every four now in prison in Colorado by 2011. | ||||||||||||||||||
James Austin, a co-author of the report, placed the onus for
stemming the growth on probation and parole systems. | ||||||||||||||||||
"If we can get some kind of improvement in that area, these numbers
would change radically," he told a news conference. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-16) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Cannabis went more mainstream recently when consumers were offered
affordable life-insurance policies for any responsible, "moderate"
pot smoker. This is a change from long-standing prejudicial practice
of denying cannabis consumers any coverage at all. | ||||||||||||||||||
Some opponents of cannabis regulation in Nevada are advocating for more collateral damage. A bill debated this week at the Legislature calls for parents to possibly face up to 15 years in prison if they grow even one cannabis plant in a home where children reside. Coincidentally, the Department of Corrections is seeking $300 million over the next two years for prison construction projects. | ||||||||||||||||||
The war on drugs claimed another victim when a Colorado activist
lost his life in a home invasion after recently being profiled in
the media. While the death of Ken Gorman could have been the work of
random vandals, some locals and family members wonder if he was
purposely targeted. | ||||||||||||||||||
A "pro-marijuana group" in Australia is sounding the alarm over
propaganda contained in a government report which claims people are
moving away from cannabis. What the report does not reveal is like
other places where cannabis prohibition is pursued, Aussies are
using more amphetamines and pharmaceuticals instead, probably
because they are less detectable in drug tests, manufacturing and
consumption. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(13) CORPORATE AMERICA, SAY HELLO TO YOUR NEW PARTNER - NORML (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
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To hear NORML Executive Director Allen St. Pierre tell it, the story
of Hubbell, NORML, and one of its Texas members goes like this:
About a year ago, a Texas NORML member called up the organization's
Washington, D.C., office with a problem. | ||||||||||||||||||
He was ready to expand his small business, but the bank -- in order to secure additional funds -- was requiring that he up his life insurance. This is pretty standard, sure, but the small-business owner is also a casual pot smoker and, as such, wouldn't be able to pee in a cup and come out clean, so, ultimately, his carrier told him that he would be uninsurable unless he gave up toking. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
To find out more about NORML-Hubbell life insurance, contact Hubbell
at , or call 202/293-5566. | ||||||||||||||||||
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(14) SENATE CONSIDERS MARIJUANA, KIDS BILL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Nevada parents who grow a single marijuana plant in their home where
children live could be subject to a prison term of up to 15 years,
according to a bill that was debated Monday at the Nevada
Legislature. | ||||||||||||||||||
Senate Bill 5, sponsored by state Sen. Joe Heck, R-Las Vegas, would
subject parents who grow or sell marijuana in the presence of
children to the same penalties as adults who operate methamphetamine
labs in front of children. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"You are exposing children to dangers when you are selling any illegal substance out of your house or growing any illegal substance out of your house, so you should be held to the higher penalties," Heck told the Senate Human Services and Education Committee. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The new law could negatively impact Nevada's overflowing prison
population, said Peck, who noted the Nevada Department of
Corrections is seeking $300 million over the next two years for
prison construction projects. | ||||||||||||||||||
"No one who is testifying in support of the bill can actually talk
about the implications in respect to the incarceration rate," Peck
said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(15) MARIJUANA PROVIDER'S DEATH SPURS QUESTIONS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
While Denver police hunt for a motive in the deadly shooting of
medical-marijuana provider Ken Gorman, his brother and marijuana
activists said the business of providing the drug to sick people
isn't the safest line of work. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Gorman, 59, was shot to death Saturday night in his home in the 1000
block of South Decatur Street in Denver. No arrests were announced
Monday. | ||||||||||||||||||
The marijuana activist often led pot-smoking festivals near the
state Capitol. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Gorman recently was profiled on TV station KCNC (Channel 4) in a
story about providing medicinal marijuana. Vicente believes the
story might have prompted someone to rob Gorman. | ||||||||||||||||||
"To me, he seems like a victim of the war on drugs," Vicente said.
"If marijuana were legal, there would be no incentive for someone to
break into his home and steal it." | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Gorman's 71-year-old brother, Gregory Gorman, also believes the TV
exposure may have contributed to his death. But there also were
marijuana opponents who had made threats against Ken Gorman, his
brother said. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
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(16) PRO-CANNABIS GROUP SAYS SHIFT TOWARDS AMPHETAMINES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
A pro-marijuana group says a recent report on cannabis shows people are moving away from the drug and are using more amphetamines. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Nimbin Hemp Embassy in northern New South Wales has slammed the
Federal Government for claiming the latest research shows it is
winning the war on drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
The report from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre has revealed many young people believe cannabis is uncool and dangerous. | ||||||||||||||||||
Hemp embassy spokesman Michael Balderstone says the Prime Minister and Assistant Health Minister Christopher Pyne have no idea of the affect of cannabis, or what people are using on the street. | ||||||||||||||||||
"They would really know a lot about cannabis wouldn't they ... these
are people that have no idea of what's going on in the street I
reckon," he said. | ||||||||||||||||||
"Pot is the easy bust. You have to smoke it, it's smelly but alcohol
is legal and 'ice', powders, pills they're very hard to detect, so
there are changes happening there's no doubt about it." | ||||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (17-21) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Thailand's ousted Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra could be
indicted for the "extra-judicial killings" inflicted upon drug
suspects in 2002-2003, says the Bangkok Post this week. The Thai
Department of Special Investigation, looking into the police
killings of just four of the victims of the bloodbath Thaksin
unleashed upon blacklisted drug suspects, was able to link these
killings to police death squads. However, police will be called to
account for the extra-legal death squad killings only if "the
reasons they killed the victims" were not the best of reasons, says
DSI director-general Sunai Manomai-udom. If the illegal police death
squads were found to have used "fake witnesses or evidence" then
police might be prosecuted for "contempt of court, giving false
evidence, providing fake witnesses and malfeasance of duty."
However, murder was not listed as one of the crimes with which Thai
police death squads could be prosecuted. | ||||||||||||||||||
According to a report in the right-wing Washington Times newspaper,
the Bush regime has decided on "the largest across-the-board" cuts
to the flow of Washington D.C. cash for programs sold to "fight drug
trafficking" in the Andes. Cuts have are planned for Peru, Ecuador,
Venezuela and Bolivia, but no funding cuts are planned for Colombia.
The Andean Counterdrug Initiative has been a pet project for vocal
prohibitionists in Washington since the late 1980s. But since then,
the street price of cocaine in the U.S. has plummeted, indicating
that despite the billions of dollars thrown at arresting cocaine
traffickers, dousing rain forests with plant poison, or even
shooting down the aircraft of "kingpins" (or missionaries), the
supply of cocaine exceeds the demand for it. | ||||||||||||||||||
In Canada, the Harper government continues to attempt to stack the judiciary with ideological cronies who are "tough on crime" (meaning, eager to jail people involved with cannabis). This week Canada's Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin spoke out against attempts to subvert the judicial process, which she said was "in peril". Judges need to be independent of "political or ideological considerations," added McLachlin. Stacking judicial panels with police, as Harper suggests, contradicts "the concept of an independent body that advises the government on who is best qualified to be a judge," noted the Canadian Judicial Council. | ||||||||||||||||||
In the U.K. this week, Brighton Labour MP David Lepper added his
voice to calls that heroin should be prescribed to "hardcore"
addicts to prevent them from committing crimes. Earlier, the
president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, Ken Jones,
had also called for heroin prescription trials. There's "a hard
core, a minority, who nevertheless commit masses of crime to feed
their addiction," said Jones. "We have to find a way of dealing with
them and licensed prescription is definitely something we should be
thinking about." | ||||||||||||||||||
And finally this week, we leave you with a rather lucid editorial from the (U.K.) Independent newspaper. Guns and violence, says the Independent, don't come from "drugs" as we are led to assume. Rather, the violence of the drug trade stems from "prohibition". Writes the Independent, "one key word has been missing: prohibition... Here's how it works. By criminalising the trade in cannabis, cocaine and heroin, we don't make the drugs disappear. We simply hand this multi-billion pound industry - around 3 per cent of Britain's GDP - to armed gangs... Yet our politicians are too pickled in prohibitionist platitudes to see this." Amen. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(17) DSI LINKS POLICE TO DRUG WAR KILLINGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Department of Special Investigation has evidence linking police
to four extra-judicial killings during deposed prime minister
Thaksin Shinawatra's war on drugs in 2003. Ex-premier Thaksin could
face charges of incitement. | ||||||||||||||||||
DSI director-general Sunai Manomai-udom said on Monday that all four
cases were transferred from the police to the DSI which began its
investigation in December 2006 following complaints lodged by
victims' families. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
"The DSI will query the officers who were on duty at that time [of
the killings] in order to ascertain the reasons they killed the
victims," said Mr Sunai. | ||||||||||||||||||
He said if the DSI found evidence that police procured fake
witnesses or evidence in the death of Nong Fluke, the officials
involved would be prosecuted on many counts including contempt of
court, giving false evidence, providing fake witnesses and
malfeasance of duty. | ||||||||||||||||||
He said he has assigned his deputy, Tarit Pengdit, to collect the speeches by Mr Thaksin on drug suppression, to find evidence that may link the former prime minister to the extra-judicial killings. | ||||||||||||||||||
In one well-known case, Mr Thaksin was heard mentioning an
"iron-fist" method in approving brutal measures for drug
suppression. In particular, he said it was not uncommon for people
to die during a war on drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||
A source said the DSI may bring in criminologists as witnesses to Mr
Thaksin's "iron-fist" approach to determine if this constituted
abuse of power. | ||||||||||||||||||
He said if the evidence is clear, the DSI will bring it to Justice
Minister Chanchai Likhitjitta and Justice permanent secretary Jarun
Pukditanakul to discuss if there are sufficient grounds to issue an
arrest warrant for Mr Thaksin on charges of supporting or inciting
officials to kill suspects. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(18) BUSH PLANS DEEP CUTS TO ANDEAN DRUG WAR BUDGET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia -- President Bush's new budget calls for deep cuts in the leading U.S. program to fight drug trafficking in the Andean region, amid growing clashes over drug policy between Washington and leftist governments in Venezuela and Bolivia. | ||||||||||||||||||
The cuts to the Andean Counterdrug Initiative (ACI) affect every
country in the region except Colombia. They have been criticized by
governments in the area, as well as by U.S. counternarcotics
officials and some lawmakers on Capitol Hill. | ||||||||||||||||||
"It would be the largest across-the-board reduction in aid since the
war on drugs began," said one U.S. diplomatic official, who asked
not to be named. The ACI was designed to help local efforts to
reduce the flow of illegal drugs, which surged in the late 1980s
when cocaine production skyrocketed and powerful drug cartels
emerged. | ||||||||||||||||||
The ACI would receive $442.8 million under the fiscal 2008 budget
that Mr. Bush submitted to Congress earlier this month, down 23
percent from the estimated spending for the current fiscal year and
off nearly 40 percent from $727.2 million in fiscal 2006. The
largest percentage cuts would be in Peru and Bolivia, which remain
major producers of coca. More than $2 million in anti-drug aid
budgeted for Venezuela in fiscal 2007 was never spent as American
officials feuded with populist anti-U.S. President Hugo Chavez over
counternarcotics policy. Venezuela would get no ACI money in the new
budget. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(19) JUDGES LASH OUT AT PM'S COMMENTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Say Independence Of Judiciary 'In Peril' | ||||||||||||||||||
Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin and a contingent of other senior
judges took a swipe yesterday at the Conservative government by
asserting that the independence of the judiciary is "in peril" and
that it must be free to make rulings "irrespective of political or
ideological considerations." | ||||||||||||||||||
The rebuke from the Canadian Judicial Council has once again thrust
judges into a public battle with the government. It was delivered
amid a fierce debate fuelled last week by Prime Minister Stephen
Harper's blunt acknowledgment that he wants judges who are tough on
crime. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The council also denounced the Harper government for tampering with
the system of appointing federal judges so that the appearance of
judicial independence is in jeopardy. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The government now holds the balance of power in that the minister of justice's appointees to the panels have the majority of votes. | ||||||||||||||||||
"This puts in peril the concept of an independent body that advises
the government on who is best qualified to be a judge," said the
council. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
The Conservative government recently added one more, a member of the
police force, to each committee, giving the minister of justice's
representatives the bulk of power in the event of a tie, because the
judge on each committee does not vote. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
It is rare for judges to dive into a public spat with the
government. | ||||||||||||||||||
Norman Sabourin, the council's executive director, said senior
judges felt they had to add their voice. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(20) HEROIN SHOULD BE MADE LEGAL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Heroin should be given to hardcore drug addicts to stop them
committing crime, a Brighton MP has said. | ||||||||||||||||||
David Lepper, Labour MP for Brighton Pavilion, warned that drugs
were still a "big problem" in the city and backed calls to expand
licensed prescription. | ||||||||||||||||||
Home Office research has found heroin addicts commit on average 432 crimes a year, each costing victims a total of UKP45,000. | ||||||||||||||||||
In the UK only a few hundred of the 40,000 registered heroin addicts
are being prescribed the drug by doctors as part of a limited
experiment. | ||||||||||||||||||
Yesterday Ken Jones, president of the Association of Chief Police
Officers which represents the most senior ranks of the 43 police
forces in England and Wales, called for the drug to be made
available to more long-term users. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mr Jones, a former chief constable of Sussex Police, said: "You need
to understand there is a hard core, a minority, who nevertheless
commit masses of crime to feed their addiction. | ||||||||||||||||||
"We have to find a way of dealing with them and licensed prescription is definitely something we should be thinking about." | ||||||||||||||||||
Mr Lepper said: "If it was part of a carefully controlled scheme with carefully chosen clients then it would be good to try it to see if it does help to get people off drugs and help reduce crime. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
(21) YOUNG PEOPLE ARE THE VICTIMS OF THE WAR ON DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
Guns Are Not Inherent to the Sale of Drugs, Only to the Sale of
Drugs Under Prohibition | ||||||||||||||||||
In our week-long national shriek about south London slowly morphing into South Central, one key word has been missing: prohibition. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
But we have failed to see that the events of the past week are simply following the inexorable logic of drug prohibition. | ||||||||||||||||||
Here's how it works. By criminalising the trade in cannabis, cocaine
and heroin, we don't make the drugs disappear. We simply hand this
multi-billion pound industry - around 3 per cent of Britain's GDP -
to armed gangs. A fortnight ago, two of the most powerful drug
dealers in south London were sent to prison, so a slew of gangs is
now fighting to take over their patch, their trade and their
profits. The boys who are being gunned down are rivals for these
riches. They will keep shooting their opponents until one gang
emerges as the clear winner, or until a few gangs band together in
an obviously unbeatable alliance. | ||||||||||||||||||
So these gun-toting posses of kids have not tooled up simply to play
the Big Man and look like Snoop Dogg (though no doubt it's an
incidental pleasure). This is not Columbine-style senseless
violence. It is happening for hard economic reasons. Milton
Friedman, the late Nobel Prize-winning economist, understood this.
He explained: "Al Capone epitomises our earlier attempt at
Prohibition; the Crips and Bloods epitomise this one." | ||||||||||||||||||
He saw a central truth. Guns are not inherent to the sale of drugs.
They are only inherent to the sale of drugs under prohibition. Go to
a pub or off-license in Hackney, and you'll find that Oddbins and
Costcutters are not engaged in a turf-war. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
Yet our politicians are too pickled in prohibitionist platitudes to
see this. Tony Blair is talking about extending prison sentences for
carrying guns, but this is a weapon with no ammunition. If you talk
to any of these gang-kids, they'll tell you their odds of ever being
caught are tiny. | ||||||||||||||||||
They're right. As Stephen Lander, chairman of the Serious and
Organised Crime Agency, puts it: "If you are an organised crook for
20 years, you have a 5 per cent chance of getting nicked." This
isn't because of police laxness; it's because the drugs trade is so
vast the police can only ever hope to pick at its surface. Adding a
few extra years to a hypothetical sentence you'll never serve is no
deterrent at all to a gang member. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
No. The only real solution is to take the drugs trade back from the
gun-wielding gangster-children, and hand it to doctors and
pharmacists and off-licenses. This would bankrupt most of our
criminal gangs overnight, and remove the need for (and purchasing
power behind) 95 per cent of the guns in Britain. | ||||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
NEW STUDY SHOWS MEDICAL VALUE OF MARIJUANA | ||||||||||||||||||
New research gives more ammunition to those hoping to change federal
marijuana policy. | ||||||||||||||||||
By Rob Kampia, Marijuana Policy Project | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
THE WAR WITHIN - TREMENDOUS DANGERS OF MARIJUANA | ||||||||||||||||||
With Lou Dobbs | ||||||||||||||||||
The detrimental effects, the dangerous effects of marijuana.
Researchers now say marijuana may cause long-term brain damage and
cancer. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
CHALLENGE TO U.S. DRUG CZAR'S CRITICISMS OF CANADIAN DRUG POLICY | ||||||||||||||||||
The Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy (Ottawa) and the Drug Policy Alliance (New York) held a press conference yesterday in Ottawa on the occasion of a visit from the head of the ONDCP, John Walters. | ||||||||||||||||||
Ethan Nadelmann of the DPA had the following oped published in the
Ottawa Citizen. | ||||||||||||||||||
CANADA MUST NOT FOLLOW THE U.S. ON DRUG POLICY
| ||||||||||||||||||
Thanks to Canadian activist Russell Barth for providing video of the
CFDP/DPA press conference at: | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
THE POLITICISATION OF FUMIGATIONS | ||||||||||||||||||
Glyphosate on the Colombian-Ecuadorian border | ||||||||||||||||||
A report by the Transnational Institute | ||||||||||||||||||
After six long years of intensive fumigation within the scope of Plan
Colombia, it is surprising that we are still embroiled in the old
controversy over whether or not to perform aerial spraying with
glyphosate. | ||||||||||||||||||
http://www.tni.org/detail_page.phtml?page=policybriefings_brief20 | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
CANNABIS POSES LESS ON-ROAD RISK THAN ALCOHOL, U.S. CRASH DATA SAYS | ||||||||||||||||||
U.S. drivers involved in fatal crashes who had trace levels of cannabis
in their blood or urine are less likely to have engaged in risky driving
behavior than drivers who test positive for low levels of alcohol,
according to case-control data published in the current issue of the
Canadian Journal of Public Health. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||||
The Impact of the Drug War on the African-American Community | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Part-2 Cliff Thornton of Efficacy-online.org, Author L.V. Gaither & Phil
Jackson | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
A VIDEO RESPONSE TO ONDCP YOUTUBE ADVERTISEMENTS | ||||||||||||||||||
John Holowatch, creator and director of the documentary High: The True
Tale of American Marijuana, has taken on a new project, video commentary
on the Drug Czar's YouTube advertisements. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
HANDS OFF THE CAPOS, BUST THE USERS | ||||||||||||||||||
Calderon's War on Drugs | ||||||||||||||||||
By John Ross | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
JOIN DPR ACTIVISTS FROM AROUND NORTH AMERICA | ||||||||||||||||||
Tue. February 27, 2007, 09:00 p.m. ET | ||||||||||||||||||
Join leading hearts and minds from the drug policy reform movement as
we discuss ways to write Letters to the Editor that get printed. We'll
also discuss ways to get notable OPEDS printed in your local and
in-state newspapers. | ||||||||||||||||||
Discussion is conducted via the TeamSpeak voicechat and text messaging
program. See http://mapinc.org/resource/teamspeak/ for full details on
the easy, free download. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
LEGALIZE MARIJUANA | ||||||||||||||||||
By Amy George | ||||||||||||||||||
As a mother of a high school teenager I've read with interest the
recent letters in your newspaper about how drug education is
presented to our kids. | ||||||||||||||||||
While I'm no expert on the Holy Bible, I've observed that there are literally hundreds of ways people read it and choose to interpret it. So I won't quibble with either letter writer Ben Hooker ( No Justification For Pot, Feb. 7), nor Stan White ( Conflict of Interest - Feb. 2) and their personal opinion of popular scripture. | ||||||||||||||||||
Rather, I'll just submit that for my son and for his peers, accurate education about all drugs is vital. And I know that one fact about drugs is that our current laws in Texas regarding marijuana possession can create far more harm for teenagers than marijuana use itself. This makes using cops as "drug teachers" a bad idea. | ||||||||||||||||||
I'm teaching my teenager that abstinence from marijuana is best for
his health. But in the unlikely event that he might ignore my
counsel and somehow get caught by police, a lifetime criminal record
will burden him far longer than the effects of any teenage
experimentation with pot. | ||||||||||||||||||
Let's change our laws to legalize marijuana and get its dealing off
the streets where kids have easier access. Than we can use our cops
for police work and leave the drug education to health care
professionals who aren't conflicted in delivering accurate
information about all drugs to our teens. | ||||||||||||||||||
Amy George | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
The Waiting Game | ||||||||||||||||||
By Mary Jane Borden | ||||||||||||||||||
Like many patients, I make frequent trips to the doctor. There's always that seemingly endless wait. Waiting in the Waiting Room. Waiting in the exam room. Waiting. Waiting. Frankly, I become bored. During one visit - after I perused the golf course paintings, thumbed through the magazines left by other patients, and scrutinized the proudly displayed diplomas - I noticed a consistent presence: the pharmaceutical industry. I decided to write down the names of all the products I saw in the exam room. Mind you, this list doesn't come from the waiting area, nor the hallway, nor lab, nor even the office in its entirety. Merely one little exam room: | ||||||||||||||||||
Flexeril | ||||||||||||||||||
Neither does this list represent the universe of drug names I saw in
the room. Logos were affixed to posters, calendars, instruments,
note pads, pencils, and a host of other artifacts. As with stadiums,
I expected to see signs that read the "Rozerem Room" or the "Cylert
Closet." | ||||||||||||||||||
You might ask why should we as patients be concerned about this kind
of advertising. The International Herald Tribune recently reported
about one reason: "Spending on consumer drug advertising, meanwhile,
has been growing robustly, from $1.1 billion in 1997 to $4.2 billion
in 2005, according to a report to Congress by the U.S. Government
Accountability Office. In the first nine months of 2006, spending
rose 8.4 percent, to $3.29 billion, and was on track to reach $4.5
billion for the year, according to TNS Media Intelligence, an
advertising research firm." | ||||||||||||||||||
( see http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/22/business/drug.php ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Further, direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising - all $4.5
billion of it - is only one way in which the industry promotes its
wares. Drug makers also field expensive sales forces, offer
incentives to pharmacies, entertain lavishly at trade shows, dole
out free samples, and maintain detailed data on physician
prescribing and consumer buying habits. In all, the Kaiser Family
Foundation estimates that the industry's marketing costs as a
percentage of revenue exceeds 35%. | ||||||||||||||||||
With this excessive and costly physician information overload, is it
any wonder why, when the doctor finally enters the exam room,
cannabis becomes denigrated? After all, advocates of a simple plant
can't compete with a multi-billion dollar advertising campaign. Or
can we? | ||||||||||||||||||
What if each of us the next time we visited a physician became reps
for our own industry? A wait of any length in a doctor's office will
easily reveal who the pharmaceutical rep is: the impeccably dressed
individual carrying a big bag who seems to gain access to the office
quicker than any of the waiting patients. | ||||||||||||||||||
Certainly portraying a rep might not lessen our wait, but getting
into the office what counts. Many doctors, while polite, won't
listen all that keenly to the drug reps - they're not patients. But
doctors will listen to us. | ||||||||||||||||||
The recipe? Dress nicely, be polite, and carry a packet of
professionally prepared materials about cannabis. For help getting
started, visit OPN's library. | ||||||||||||||||||
Be prepared for rejection - every sales rep should - but be persistent.
To one office, I carried a copy of Drug War Facts | ||||||||||||||||||
There's an old saying in sales and marketing: repetition =
recognition. Perhaps I'm forever the optimist, but I believe that
the more we professionally 'sell' cannabis to physicians and as more
of us do this on a regular basis, the medical community will
eventually 'get it'. | ||||||||||||||||||
But if not, in a mere two years, we'll be reading Sativex on
posters, calendars, instruments, note pads, pencils, and a host of
other artifacts as we wait and wait and wait. | ||||||||||||||||||
Mary Jane Borden is a writer, artist, and activist in drug policy from
Westerville, Ohio. She serves as Business Manager for DrugSense and
is President of the Ohio Patient Network. | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||
"A desire to resist oppression is implanted in the nature of man."
- Tacitus | ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
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