| Mar. 2, 2007 #489 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(1) KILLING HIGHLIGHTS RISK OF SELLING MARIJUANA, EVEN LEGALLY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
DENVER -- Ken Gorman, an aging missionary of marijuana, was found
murdered in his home here two weeks ago. The unsolved crime is
exposing the tangled threads at the borderland of the legal and
illegal drug worlds he inhabited. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mr. Gorman, who was 60, legally provided marijuana to patients under
Colorado's medical marijuana law, but he also openly preached the
virtues of illegal use, and even ran for governor in the 1990s on a
pro-drug platform. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In recent years, he had grown frightened as the mainstream medicine of
cannabis care bumped against the unregulated and violent terrain of
the illicit drug market. He had been robbed more than a dozen times in
his home on Denver's west side, had recently gotten a gun and also
talked of installing a steel door and gates. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Ken was really fed up with the barrage of robberies and he told me it
would never happen again," said Timothy Tipton, a friend and fellow
medical marijuana supplier, who said Mr. Gorman showed him the gun
about two months ago. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Some legal experts say Mr. Gorman's death could lead to a
reconsideration of how medical marijuana is administered here and
elsewhere. Providers are often left exposed and vulnerable because of
the nation's conflicting drug laws, with marijuana use illegal under
federal law but legalized for some medicinal purposes here and in 10
other states. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(2) OPED: MARIJUANA AS WONDER DRUG (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A new study in the journal Neurology is being hailed as unassailable
proof that marijuana is a valuable medicine. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It is a sad commentary on the state of modern medicine -- and US drug
policy -- that we still need "proof" of something that medicine has
known for 5,000 years. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The study, from the University of California at San Francisco, found
smoked marijuana to be effective at relieving the extreme pain of a
debilitating condition known as peripheral neuropathy. It was a study
of HIV patients, but a similar type of pain caused by damage to nerves
afflicts people with many other illnesses including diabetes and
multiple sclerosis. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Neuropathic pain is notoriously resistant to treatment with
conventional pain drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Even powerful and addictive narcotics like morphine and OxyContin
often provide little relief. This study leaves no doubt that marijuana
can safely ease this type of pain. As all marijuana research in the
United States must be, the new study was conducted with government-
supplied marijuana of notoriously poor quality. | ||||||||||||||||||||
So it probably underestimated the potential benefit. | ||||||||||||||||||||
This is all good news, but it should not be news at all. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Lester Grinspoon, an emeritus professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, is the coauthor of "Marijuana, the Forbidden Medicine. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(3) LEGALIZE AFGHAN OPIUM: REPORT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
An international marketing board for opium, similar to Canada's wheat
board, would better fight terrorism and the booming drug trade in
Afghanistan instead of current efforts to eradicate the poppy, a
former Canadian envoy says. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Destroying poppy crops, a major plank of American and British anti-
drug policy, only drives farmers toward the Taliban, said Gordon
Smith, Canada's NATO ambassador between 1985 and 1990. He's the lead
author of a report released Thursday that urges the continuation of
Canada's military presence beyond the current 2009 deadline, but also
says current NATO policies need a shakeup. | ||||||||||||||||||||
His study, prepared for the Calgary-based Canadian Defence and Foreign
Affairs Institute, urged the creation of an international
clearinghouse to buy opium crops and prevent money from entering the
hands of Taliban insurgents or traffickers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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"In a perfect world, nobody would be allowed to grow poppies and all
would be well," Smith said. "It would never be leak-proof. It's not a
frightfully good option, but it's better than any others that anyone
else has come forward with."
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[snip]
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(4) UN SCOLDS CANADA'S INJECTION HAVENS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
UNITED NATIONS - The UN's drug control agency is to warn Tony Clement, the Health Minister, that Canada is flouting international drug control treaties by enabling illicit drug use at a safe injection site in Vancouver and through drug-paraphernalia giveaways elsewhere. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mr. Clement will be urged to shut down the initiatives, which the agency says effectively condone the use of drugs that Canada has agreed in an international forum are banned without a prescription. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"In a way [Canada] is encouraging illicit trafficking," Zhu Li-Qin,
chief of the Convention Evaluation Section of the UN's International
Narcotics Control Board (INCB), said from the agency's headquarters in
Vienna. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Traffickers are searching for markets, and a [safe injection site] serves as a small market where people go and legally inject drugs." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Article Four of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs says
countries will pass laws to make sure drugs are used only for medical
and scientific purposes. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"There can be interpretations of a treaty and disagreements on how it
should be implemented, but generally, in international law, when you
sign a treaty, you are supposed to conform both your domestic
legislation and your domestic behaviour to the obligations you have
under the treaty," said Melvyn Levitsky, a retired U.S. ambassador who
sits on the board. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Although we understand the compulsion behind these sites, the
convention says drugs are supposed to be used for medical or
scientific purposes -- not for getting public nuisances off the
streets."
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Other countries facing board criticism for operating safe injection
sites are Australia, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway,
Spain and Switzerland. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"The board regrets that no measures have been taken to terminate the
operation of such facilities in the countries concerned," says the
2006 report. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy
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COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Who needs Drug Puppies?! A new drug-testing kit is being used in
several Georgia schools which will show evidence of drug use when
applied to surfaces. I wonder if they will test this aerosol spray
kit on the bills in their wallets before concluding the guilt of
their students?
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A Michigan State University senior wrote a fantastic column
analyzing our failed drug policies. He not only does a great job of
explaining why our current approach will not work but also offers a
seemingly simple solution. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The journey of pseudoephedrine from drug store shelves to limited,
registered buys behind the counter may not be over yet. A Nevada
columnist revealed that her state legislators are proposing a bill
to move it into the realm of "controlled" substances. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The "Stoner Moment" of the week goes to the teacher who was trying
to set up a pot deal via texting. Unfortunately, her messages landed
on a state trooper's cell bringing a whole new meaning to the phrase
"copping a buzz."
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(5) WCPS TO BEGIN USE OF DRUG-DETECTING KITS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
COUNTY -- Striving to decrease drug use in local schools, Walton
County Public Schools has added a new weapon to its arsenal in
fighting back against drug use. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thanks to a federal grant, the school system has acquired new
drug-testing kits that allow school officials to determine not only
whether a student has used or handled drugs, but the particular drug
in question in each case. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"The kit has two aerosol sprays," said Capt. Darren Vinson of the Walton County Sheriff's Office. "One detects marijuana and the other detects cocaine, crack and meth and that sort of thing." | ||||||||||||||||||||
Using the kits, a school employee can rub a small pad on a book bag, locker handle or another possession of a student suspected of drug use and then spray the pad with the aerosol, school officials said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
If the student has been using any sort of drug, the pad will change
color to detect the presence of illicit chemicals. Various colors
betray the use of corresponding drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(6) COLUMN: DRUG WAR OVERHAUL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
For years, the United States has been fighting a seemingly endless
battle with no clear solution in sight, against an enemy that
threatens to tear our society apart. | ||||||||||||||||||||
No, I'm not talking about the debacle happening halfway around the
world in Iraq -- I'm referring to the war on drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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This is where the origin of the problem lies. There will always be a
market for drug use. Producers within our country and abroad will
always exist so long as there is a market. | ||||||||||||||||||||
So what's the solution? Snip out the middleman. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It's the average, low-level street corner drug dealer who keeps the
cycle perpetuating -- not the Pablo Escobars of the world or even
the casual users and chronic drug abusers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The solution to the war on drugs, as I see it, is to eliminate the
pawns of the drug trade by instead focusing on the war on poverty.
Throwing people in jail won't solve the problem, but improving the
conditions of their environment and giving them more opportunities
and incentives to earn an honest buck will. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(7) COLUMN: LEAVE MY COLD MEDICINE ALONE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
If 63 Nevada legislators get their way, I'll be wasting more time
and money in doctors' offices just to get the simple
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A proposed bill that would make decongestants with pseudoephedrine,
among other things, available only with a doc's prescription perhaps
makes sense as a frontal assault in the War on Drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
That's bad logic. Meth makers will find ways to obtain meth
ingredients--over the Internet, if nothing else. Even without meth,
substance abusers will find substances to abuse. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Turning cold medicine into a prescription drug complicates life
needlessly for everyone, especially those 400,000 Nevadans without
health insurance. For them, a trip to a doctor to obtain a
prescription for cold medicine costs money they don't have--and
means missing work they can't afford to miss. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(8) TEACHER ARRESTED AFTER TEXT MESSAGES MISTAKENLY SENT TO TROOPER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
MURRAY, Ky. -- Misguided text messages led to the arrest of a
western Kentucky teacher who is accused of trying to buy pot from a
state trooper. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Trooper Trevor Pervine was at dinner with his wife and parents, celebrating her birthday when his phone started buzzing. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Pervine was getting text messages about buying marijuana Thursday
night, Kentucky State Police spokesman Barry Meadows said. The
person sending the messages had the wrong number. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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When [Name redacted] arrived at the meeting point, she found Pervine and other law enforcement officers waiting for her, Meadows said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"She figured out when she got there, it wasn't what she expected," Meadows said. Meadows said the situation was a new one to him. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Technology got her this time," Meadows said. "She learned her
lesson. Program your dealers into your phone."
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[Name redacted] was suspended with pay from her job pending results
of an investigation into the charges, the Murray Independent School
District said in a statement posted Friday on the district's Web
site. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons
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COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The edges of the band-aids on our incarceration system continue to peel off. Although flawed legislation has caused much of the problem, thank goodness there are also some humane laws which set limits on how many citizens can be crammed into cages. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Two west coast states are at the tip of the iceberg which bobbed up
in the news this week. The many California "power players" were
thoroughly chastised in a Fresno Bee editorial. The domino affect
lead to the release of 83 state probation violators from county
jails this week. The state prisons are too crowded to hold these
convicted felons and the bulging county jails will only accept the
number agreed upon in state/county contracts. | ||||||||||||||||||||
There were several opinion pieces this week about the fallacies of trying to incarcerate our way out of social problems. A Philadelphia attorney composed an insightful description of our current problems and actually ended with a hopeful note. In Ohio, a recent OSU graduate nailed the problems and possible solutions in his OPED. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(9) EDITORIAL: DON'T LET POLITICIANS FOOL YOU WITH PRISON SPIN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The politicians and their special-interest pals in Sacramento have
tried to make California's prison crisis complicated. Don't fall for
the spin. It's really very simple.
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The state is on the verge of being forced to release thousands of
inmates from overcrowded prisons because legislators and governors
have traded campaign contributions from the prison guards union for
taxpayer-funded goodies that have made our prisons too expensive to
operate. And as the overcrowding problem has escalated, the
legislators -- Democrats and Republicans -- have ducked every
solution put before them. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Incompetent management of the correctional system, as well as
individual prisons, has contributed to the problem careening out of
control. Prison authorities can't even hire the 4,000 correctional
officers that have been authorized because they can't get them
trained. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Now the state's politicians are wringing their hands, blaming everyone but themselves for the out-of-control prison system. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Schwarzenegger has proposed building more prisons and also wants a sentencing commission to look at ways to reduce the prison population. But he's not getting help from the Legislature. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Lawsuits have put the prison system under federal oversight for
several reasons, including overcrowding. If the governor doesn't
offer a viable plan to a federal judge, the release of prisoners
could be ordered by the court. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Schwarzenegger administration says it will appeal last week's
state court decision on the out-of-state transfer of prisoners. The
governor wants the ability to transfer prisoners to ease the
crowding problem until a long-term solution can be found. Of course,
"long-term solution" is not a phrase that the state's politicians
are familiar with. | ||||||||||||||||||||
On Thursday, Schwarzenegger gave the predictable sound bite: "One
thing I can assure you, we will not release any inmates that are a
danger to society just because of overcrowding."
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He may not have a choice if the federal judge doesn't think the
governor and Legislature is acting in good faith on the overcrowding
issue. | ||||||||||||||||||||
With their backs to the wall, maybe our leaders will solve this
problem. But don't count on it. If their pattern holds, they'll do
just enough to avert the immediate crisis. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Then they'll move to the next crisis. They can't help themselves. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(10) 83 CONVICTED FELONS FREED IN KING COUNTY AS STATE EXCEEDS JAIL (Top)LIMIT | ||||||||||||||||||||
SEATTLE -- Eighty-three convicted criminals, including high-risk sex
offenders and violent felons, have been released from two King
County jails because they exceeded the total that the state
Department of Corrections was allowed to place there. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The felons had all been placed in the jails, in Seattle and Kent,
because they were accused of violating the terms of their release
from prison. A significant number of the offenders had been arrested
because they had missed mandatory appointments with community
corrections officers, said a spokeswoman for the union that
represents the officers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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In the past, former inmates who violated terms of their release were
housed in prison until a DOC administrative-hearings officer could
determine their fate. But in recent years the DOC has signed
contracts with county jails to house them because of prison
overcrowding, Larson said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"This is the first time I've seen DOC do something like this," said
Merrill, who is also a community corrections officer. "We put out
these warrants because these people don't report Ato DOCA. These
people will all be back in jail next week."
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Merrill said that all of the felons released Friday afternoon were told to check in with their community corrections officer by 5 p.m. Monday. The officer could then determine what happens to them. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The DOC didn't know Monday how many people followed this order. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(11) OPED: GETTING TOUGH ON CRIME CARRIES A HEAVY BURDEN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The land of the free is a nation of prisons. A recent study by the
Pew Charitable Trusts has sounded the alarm on the high rate of
prison growth in this country. By 2011, one out of every 178 U.S.
residents will live in prison if current policies do not change,
according to the study titled "Public Safety, Public Spending:
Forecasting America's Prison Population 2007-2011."
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[snip]
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What is fueling this prison boom? It boils down to policy choices.
More and more people are being incarcerated with longer and longer
sentences, particularly for nonviolent offenses. Prisons are
overcrowding. Parole is a thing of the past in some places,
mandatory minimum sentences are the rule of the day and the concept
of rehabilitation has been abandoned. | ||||||||||||||||||||
As state budgets tighten and prison spending goes out of control,
education and badly needed social services fall by the wayside.
Sadly, opportunistic politicians pander to white America's fear of
black and brown criminality. Lawmakers enact "get tough on crime"
measures that provide catchy slogans and the appearance of action
but do little to provide creative, effective solutions to society's
ills. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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Fortunately, there are signs of hope as people question the vast
investment in incarceration and seek creative alternatives to the
prison industrial complex. The Supreme Court is revisiting how much
latitude federal judges should have in sentencing. Two years ago,
the high court struck down the mandatory federal sentencing
guidelines and made them advisory instead. The guidelines had
sometimes forced judges to increase a criminal defendant's
punishment based on information that had never been proved to a
jury, resulting in a violation of the constitutional right to a jury
trial. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Some states are recognizing what a drain the prison craze has on their budgets and are looking for more sensible solutions. | ||||||||||||||||||||
This prison madness is not about serving justice or protecting the
public. It is about warped public-policy priorities, a lack of
leadership and protecting powerful interests. We cannot make society
whole by locking millions of people up and expecting our problems to
go away. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(12) OPED: FREEING PRISON IDEAS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
When thinking about society, either as we would like to see it or as
it currently operates, there is a tendency to dismiss entire
segments of the population. Perhaps this is because of the
discomfort we feel when trying to fit these groups into a patriotic
grand narrative or because our privilege allows us to develop and
maintain tunnel vision to a certain extent. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Whatever the explanation, the fact is we engage in a process of
dehumanization and "othering," which makes it comfortable to neglect
and dismiss. This is perhaps most noticeable with regard to the
prison population and youth offenders. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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The outright social rejection of the prison population surely plays
some role in reinforcing the attitudes perpetuated by the prison
culture, a culture that offers little hope to those within prison
walls. Given few alternatives, it should not surprise any of us that
former inmates often gravitate back toward criminal ways almost as a
mechanism of survival. Also, the notion those who end up in prison
are born with a natural predisposition toward criminality is not
only an outdated mode of analysis - it is also dangerous. Societal
factors and deprivation must be taken into account when analyzing
criminal behavior. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It is necessary to adopt an approach that understands the need to
re-configure the prison system in a way that is just and also
strives toward the stated goals of rehabilitation and
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[snip]
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Fortunately, there are some local examples that can be drawn upon as
positive examples of how to move forward. As reported by WOSU 820
radio, the local National Public Radio affiliate, the Ohio
Department of Youth Services has implemented programs and other
initiatives to reduce the rate of youth offender recidivism. For
example, DYS has placed an added emphasis on aftercare release
programs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Aftercare involves community volunteers and family members in the
re-entry process for youth offenders. Other programs promote
improving communication, skill-building, non-violent resolution to
conflict, resisting peer pressure and the value of education, among
other things. Programs such as this should be implemented on a
national scale and not just for youth offenders. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The prison population and the criminal justice system must become
part of the mainstream political discourse or the United States will
continue to be the nation of incarceration. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp-
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COMMENT: (13-17) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Where there is a medical cannabis law or ordinance in the U.S.,
there is a federal/state conflict. A Washington State man is waiting
on a pending decision from the Appeals Court after he fought both
his conviction for cultivating cannabis needed to treat his
glaucoma, and the validity of the state law that refuses to protect
him under Initiative 692. Alas, where medpot laws do not exist,
there are people endeavouring to get one, like those who gathered at
the Texas Legislature for the "Texans for Medical Marijuana Lobby
Day" to support the recently filed HB 1534. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The mayor of Barre, Vermont wants to separate the hard/soft illegal
drug market in the most extreme way possible. His drug reform
message that the drug war is a failure and he wants pot legalized is
completely overshadowed by his drug warrior message calling for the
death penalty for crack and heroin dealers. His stance certainly
deflects any criticism that he is being soft on crime or
surrendering his drug warrior mantle. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Although there are insinuations that City Council and staff in
Lafayette, Colorado 'got their asses kicked by a bunch of goddamn
stoners', it was more likely a civil coup that eventually forced
them to withdraw their bid to increase local penalties for cannabis
possession. Strong opposition was voiced by many groups, culminating
in protest resignations from a judge and his backup, a
criminal-defense lawyer. Wow!
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Indoor cannabis gardens (aka "grow ops") are probably more prominent in Canada than anywhere else on earth, so watching how the prohibition induced issue is dealt with, could provide a glimpse into how it will eventually be dealt with everywhere. Thankfully there is some editorial opposition to a North Cowichan town by-law that requires landlords to inspect their properties every two months. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(13) MAN DISPUTES LAW, MARIJUANA CONVICTION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
A 64-year-old Whitman County man with glaucoma is challenging not
only his conviction for growing marijuana, but the validity of the
Washington state law that has rendered him a felon. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Attorneys for Pullman motel owner Loren R. Hanson, whose case is
pending in Washington state Court of Appeals for District 3,
contends the law under which he was convicted "has been effectively
repealed" by the 1998 medical marijuana initiative. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Hanson's attorneys also contend their client was denied a medical
marijuana defense in the case that led to his conviction, and a
penalty of $1,700 and 40 hours of community service. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(14) MEDICAL MARIJUANA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Patients, doctors and advocates gathered at the Capitol on Wednesday
for Texans for Medical Marijuana Lobby Day. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The group is encouraging the Legislature to support House Bill 1534
by Rep. Elliott Naishtat. It would offer bona fide medical marijuana
patients an affirmative defense to prosecution for possession of
marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Past efforts to pass such a bill in the Texas Legislature have
failed. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(15) BARRE MAYOR WANTS DEATH PENALTY FOR DRUG DEALERS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
BARRE, Vt. --Mayor Thomas Lauzon says Vermont is losing the war on drugs, and that the solutions are to legalize marijuana and impose the death penalty on dealers of crack cocaine and heroin. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"I'm sure everyone will distance themselves from me," Lauzon said
Saturday. "But if anyone tells you we're winning the war on drugs,
they're lying."
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Of hard drug dealers, he asked, "What social value do they have?
They are dealing crack and heroin to young people, knowing full well
what the effects will be. What purpose do they serve in society
other than to destroy lives, to destroy families?"
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Lauzon said he hopes to host a statewide forum in late April on
Vermont's problems with illegal drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(16) LOCAL POTHEADS PUT DOWN FRITOS, PICK UP A CAUSE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Lafayette City Council recently withdrew their bid to increase
local penalties for marijuana possession from a $100 fine and no
jail time to a $1,000 fine and up to one year in the clink. After
coming up against strong opposition from numerous political
organizations, local judges and citizens, the council announced,
"City staff and City Council have determined that more information
and analysis are needed on this matter."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
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(17) EDITORIAL: GROW-OPS AND OUR CASTLES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
North Cowichan councillors seem to have forgotten a basic principle
of our system of law, captured in an expression that's been around
for some 500 years: "A man's home is his castle." Forced intrusions
are considered so serious that police are required to persuade a
court that they have a good reason to enter a home against the
occupant's wishes. The principle applies to everyone, owner or
renter. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Now North Cowichan council is undoing centuries of legal principle,
at least for the 25 per cent of residents who live in rental
accommodation. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Landlords are being told they should be intruding every two months,
effectively acting as agents of the state. Seniors, families, people
who are ill all face the erosion of their basic right to the
sanctity of their home. | ||||||||||||||||||||
All this even though councillors had no evidence the bylaw would be
enforced, or effective, even if it were. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Most landlords will, thankfully, ignore the bylaw. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But it remains offensive. Canadians have sacrificed a great deal to
protect their rights. It is wrong for municipal councils to erode
them so casually, to such little purpose. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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International News
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COMMENT: (18-21) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Calls to allow Afghanistan to legally cultivate opium poppies became
louder last week as Liberal deputy leader Michael Ignatieff
suggested Canada lead the way in the licensing process. Among those
already on board are an international policy think-tank and the
British Medical Association. These experts believe this action will
disenfranchise Afghan's rebel military forces which currently profit
from black market prices. Not surprisingly, the U.S. will hear none
of this. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Recommendations from an unpublished UK Home Office briefing began
leaking out this week. Among them were calls to legalize controlled
distribution of heroin in an attempt to reduce street crime and
disempower the illegal drug traffickers. Not surprisingly, Tony
Blair's office will hear none of this - mirroring his personal
history of kowtowing to any and all policy instruction sent to him
by Washington D.C. | ||||||||||||||||||||
DPA's Ethan Nadelmann warned Canadians that they would have to
"ignore science, compassion, health and human rights" to follow U.S.
drug policy in his Windsor Star OPED this week. The piece was
written in response to U.S. drug czar, John Walters, visit to
Ottawa. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mexican President Felipe Calderon has discovered that he can
suppress violence by sending thousands of soldiers into an area.
Citizens not "lucky" enough to live in that specific area, though,
are now paying the price for Calderon's lesson. In addition to this
troubling news, Mexico's El Universal newspaper divulged the
continuance of the drug cartels with two of the strongest actually
joining forces. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(18) COLUMN: TURKEY DID IT. CAN AFGHANISTAN? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Experts debate whether the Afghan poppy problem could be solved by
following Ankara's strategy of diverting heroin production into
legal medical products, writes Lynda Hurst
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Back in the 1960s, Marseilles was the conduit, but Turkey was the
originating source of almost all the illegal heroin flowing into the
West. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Today, it's Afghanistan. Ongoing attempts by the United States to
obliterate the poppy fields of that embattled land have been a
fiasco. Afghan fields now supply the opium for 92 per cent of the
global heroin trade. | ||||||||||||||||||||
And Turkey? It's still growing opium poppies and selling the product
- but not to the black market. It earns $60 million ( all figures
U.S. ) a year exporting the raw materials that are turned into
medical morphine and codeine. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The country's shift in 1974 from an out-of-control supplier of
criminal narcotics into a licensed system of legal farming is a
clear model for what could be done in Afghanistan. Or so a growing
number of analysts are controversially arguing. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Chief among them is the Senlis Council, an international policy
think-tank with offices in London, Paris, Kabul and, as of this
month, Ottawa. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It says that legitimizing the poppy crop is the only feasible solution to Afghanistan's drug crisis. Licensing not only would cut out the drug-lord insurgents, but also correct the shortfall in painkilling medicines available to the developing world. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Faced last month with an opiates shortage in the United Kingdom, the
British Medical Association surprised many by calling for an
investigation into the idea: "We should be looking at this and
saying how can we convert it ( opium ) from being an illicit crop to
a legal crop that is medicinally useful?"
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Even Liberal deputy leader Michael Ignatieff got in on the act. Last week, he told a military audience in Ottawa that he had "stress-tested" the Senlis proposal and thinks Canada should spearhead an international effort to license Afghan poppy fields. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Washington, however, remains implacably opposed, saying complete
eradication, no matter how long it takes, is the only acceptable
outcome. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
The council argues that the same is true for Afghanistan, where
opium production has hit record levels. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The UN says production rose 49 per cent to 6,000 tonnes last year, enough to make 600 tonnes of heroin. In 2002, there were 74,000 hectares under poppy cultivation; today there are 400,000 hectares. More than 2 million Afghans are economically dependent on the crop. | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Afghanistan has the same history and same problems that Turkey
had," says Almas Zakhilwal, a Senlis spokesperson in Ottawa. "Turkey
knew that forced eradication would lead to worse problems, to
corruption and instability."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Critics say the two situations are not the same. Turkey was able to
force farmers to sell their crop to legal buyers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
In Afghanistan, the lawless culture in the 11 provinces where opium
cultivation is rife means farmers will sell to the highest bidder.
And traffickers will always pay more, because they can still make a
profit. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||||
(19) HEROIN ON THE NHS AND A DOCUMENT TOO HOT TO HANDLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Secret Home Office Brief To Tony Blair And David Blunkett Urges
Dramatic Steps To Counter Rising Criminality
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Some of the proposals are political dynamite, so it is small wonder
the Home Office briefing paper is marked "restricted". | ||||||||||||||||||||
Its contents dare to say what ministers cannot. On drugs, for example, it reports: "There is mounting evidence of the impossibility of winning the war against drugs supply." Furthermore, if the "Government did succeed in cutting the supply of heroin" the price of the street drug would rise, driving addicts to more desperate and dangerous criminal acts to pay for their habit. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The warning is alarming, and undermines the policy of targeting drug
smugglers. Perhaps this is why the report containing this damaging
analysis has never been published, particularly since its authors
were the Home Secretary's own policy advisers. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Home Office strategic policy team's plan to reduce crime
contains other startling conclusions. One way to reduce drug-fuelled
burglary and muggings was for the Government to take control of the
drugs supply. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The strategists say: "There is a strong argument that prohibition
has caused or created many of the problems associated with the use
or misuse of drugs. One option for the future would be to regulate
drugs differently, through either over-the-counter sales, licensed
sales or doctor's prescription."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
This radical policy recommendation in the Final Report of the Crime
Reduction Review has not been adopted by Downing Street. But other
proposals, unthinkable when they were presented to David Blunkett
and Tony Blair in May 2004, are now very much part of Whitehall
policy formation. Among them is the suggestion that pure heroin be
given to hard-core addicts who steal to pay for drugs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
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(20) OPED: DON'T LET U.S. DRUG POLICY INTO CANADA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
The U.S. drug czar, John Walters, is in Ottawa trying his best to
put a positive spin on one of the greatest disasters in U.S. foreign
and domestic policy. Part of his agenda is to persuade Canada to
follow in U.S. footsteps, which can only happen if Canadians ignore
science, compassion, health and human rights. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The United States ranks first in the world in per-capita
incarceration, with roughly five per cent of the earth's population
but 25 per cent of the total incarcerated population. Russia and
China simply can't keep up. Among the 2.2 million people behind bars
today in the United States, roughly half a million are locked up for
drug-law violations, and hundreds of thousands more for other
"drug-related" offences. The U.S. "war on drugs" costs at least $40
billion U.S. a year in direct costs, and tens of billions more in
indirect costs. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It's all useful information for Canadians to keep in mind when being
encouraged to further toughen their drug laws to bring them in line
with those of the United States. | ||||||||||||||||||||
What's most remarkable about U.S. drug policy is the way it endures
despite persistent evidence that it is ineffective, costly and
counterproductive. One report after another -- by the U.S. General
Accountability Office, the National Academy of Sciences, independent
agencies and even the Bush administration itself -- consistently
fault federal drug-control programs for failing to achieve their
objectives. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
But I wonder whether Canada just can't help following in U.S.
footsteps. DARE survives in Canada too, notwithstanding evidence of
its lack of efficacy. Almost three-quarters of Canadian federal
drug-strategy spending is for law-enforcement initiatives, few of
which demonstrate any success in reducing drug problems. "While
harm-reduction interventions supported through the drug strategy are
being held to an extraordinary standard of proof," the director of
the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Dr. Julio Montaner,
recently observed, "those receiving the greatest proportion of
funding remain under-evaluated or have already proven to be
ineffective."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Canada needs to lead, not follow, the United States when it comes to
dealing sensibly with drugs. Mr. Walters's Canadian hosts should
remind him of the 2002 report of the Canadian Senate Special
Committee on Illegal Drugs, chaired by Conservative Senator
Pierre-Claude Nolin. | ||||||||||||||||||||
It's probably the best, most comprehensive, most evidence-based
report on drug policy produced by any government in the past 30
years. And its recommendations are all about dealing with drugs as
if politics were an afterthought, and all that mattered were
reducing the harms associated with both drug use and failed drug
policies. Imagine that.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
(21) CALDERON'S PLAN FOR DRUG WAR HAS MIXED SUCCESS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
MEXICO CITY - President Felipe Calderon's deployment of more than
20,000 soldiers and federal police in the drug war has reduced
rampant violence in the areas where they were sent. But the narco
cartels' power remains virtually intact, and gangland-style killings
have spiked in at least three states formerly immune from the
menace, officials and drug experts say. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Since Calderon launched the first arm of the anti-drug offensive on
Dec. 7 - just days after his inauguration - soldiers have arrested
hundreds of suspected traffickers, seized tons of drugs and
destroyed thousands of acres of marijuana and heroin poppy fields,
according to the government. | ||||||||||||||||||||
But only 94 people have been indicted so far, none of them
top-ranking cartel members. Meanwhile, gangland-style killings have
spread to the states of Aguascalientes in central Mexico, Oaxaca in
southern Mexico and Campeche in the Yucatan Peninsula. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Earlier this month, suspected cartel hitmen gunned down four
municipal police officers in the city of Aguascalientes. And on
Tuesday, police there discovered a body dumped in a plastic bag with
the message: "This is for mistreating the Family."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Despite what the government has called an unprecedented military
offensive in seven states, the country's main cartels remain
virtually intact, according to an internal report from the Attorney
General's office cited in El Universal newspaper. Two of the most
powerful gangs, the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels, have joined forces
and forged "alliances that have increased their presence both
nationally and internationally," the report concluded. | ||||||||||||||||||||
An official at the Attorney General's office said he would "not deny
the existence of the report," but declined to comment on its
contents. | ||||||||||||||||||||
[snip]
| ||||||||||||||||||||
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| ||||||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
RONN MANN'S CANNABIS CLIP CONTEST
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
WHO'S YOUR NANNY?
| ||||||||||||||||||||
As meddling scolds, Democrats and Republicans are equal offenders. | ||||||||||||||||||||
By Jacob Sullum
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| ||||||||||||||||||||
FLINT BECOMES FIFTH MICHIGAN CITY TO PASS MEDICAL POT LAW
| ||||||||||||||||||||
March 1, 2007 - Flint, MI, USA
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Flint, MI: Flint voters overwhelmingly decided on Tuesday in favor of
a municipal initiative shielding medicinal cannabis patients from
local prosecution. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL BOARD FOR 2006
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Listen Live Fridays 8:00 PM, ET, 7:00 CT, 6:00 MT & 5:00 PT at
http://www.kpft.org/
| ||||||||||||||||||||
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CANADA IN AFGHANISTAN: IS IT WORKING?
| ||||||||||||||||||||
by Gordon Smith
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Gordon Smith suggests that NATO may have to find a way of negotiating with elements of the Taliban and that the poppy crop should be sold through a marketing board and be processed for medicinal purposes. | ||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.cdfai.org/PDF/Canada%20in%20Afghanistan%20Is%20it%20Working.pdf | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
BONG HITS 4 JESUS - SUPREME COURT CASE
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Morse v. Frederick (06-278)
| ||||||||||||||||||||
This page will have further detail and analysis of the "Bong Hits for
Jesus" case which will be heard in the Supreme Court on March 19,
2007. | ||||||||||||||||||||
On the right are links to court documents and filings regarding the
case. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
PRIVATE PRISONS: COMMERCE IN SOULS?
| ||||||||||||||||||||
A documentary by Silja Talvi
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
CHRONIC ADDICTION SUBSTITUTION TREATMENT TRIAL
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Or CAST, is a research trial that will work with addicted people to change their drug habits from illegal street drugs to legally available, orally-administered prescription medications. | ||||||||||||||||||||
==
| ||||||||||||||||||||
ENCORE BROADCAST OF DAMAGE DONE: A DRUG WAR ODYSSEY
| ||||||||||||||||||||
If you missed it last time, here's your chance! The Encore Presentation
of Damage Done: A Drug War Odyssey airs at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 3rd
as part of Global TV's Global Currents; a new series of social issue
documentaries.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
http://www.canada.com/globaltv/globalshows/globalcurrents/damage_done/ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
JOIN THE VIRTUAL MEDICAL MARIJUANA MARCH ON OTTAWA
| ||||||||||||||||||||
By adding your name and contact information to this "Virtual Medical
Marijuana March On Ottawa", you are joining hundreds of other
Canadians who want to tell the federal government and Health Canada
that they have an obligation to review their medical cannabis
program RIGHT NOW. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
PARTY WITH TOMMY CHONG!
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday, March 4th, 2007
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Tommy Chong wants you to party with him for the Ed Rosenthal defense
fund!
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Purchase tickets online at http://www.green-aid.com/ or Contact
Kristine (510-338-8115) or Rod (510-533-0605, ext 3#) to reserve in
advance. First 100 tickets are $100 in advance; General Admission is
$125. Space is limited.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
FIGHT THE POWER
| ||||||||||||||||||||
By Misty Novitch
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Mr. Sugg is doing an amazing job of bringing back true journalism,
especially with his last article, ( Metropolis, "Kathryn Johnston's
real killer," Feb. 15). He makes one of the best connections I've
seen in print: the war on drugs and the war on terror. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Both of these "wars" accomplish nothing but INCREASING what the war
is waged upon: drug dealing and terrorist activity. | ||||||||||||||||||||
The bulk of the "collateral damage" falls upon regular people,
whether it's the weed dealers in jail or the 655,000 Iraqis killed
on lies. I think basically every thinking person in this country --
the rest of the world found out a long time ago -- now knows that
both of these wars are wasting time, money and especially lives. So
why is Bush allowed to continue and expand them? Why are we still
relying on the spineless politicians who supposedly represent us? Do
we not want to hurt feelings?
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Are we too busy to participate in our democracy outside voting? | ||||||||||||||||||||
Have we grown too apathetic to stop our own government from acting
like Nazis? Is anyone else anywhere nearly as ashamed as I am? If
so, let's do something about it before they take the REST of our
rights away. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Misty Novitch
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Dunwoody
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Cannabis Studies By Condition
| ||||||||||||||||||||
By Mary Jane Borden
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Last week, Administrative Law Judge Marry Ellen Bittner, ruled that
the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) should issue a
license to Massachusetts plant biologist, Dr. Lyle E. Craker, which
would allow him to grow cannabis for research purposes. Judge
Bittner stated in her long-awaited 87-page ruling that issuing such
a license would be "in the public interest."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
We would hope so. DEA and those promoting cannabis prohibition have
numerous times declared cannabis to be of limited medicinal value
due to a perceived lack of scientific research. Just in the last
five years alone, we counted more than 12 studies that reported in
the media the possible effectiveness of marijuana in treating such
debilitating conditions as:
| ||||||||||||||||||||
1. Alzheimer's Disease
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Pot May Be Boost To Older Brains / New York Daily News (NY) /
October 19, 2006 / "Anti-inflammatory compounds in pot deflect the
memory loss associated with the illness Alzheimer's] and could
ultimately slow its progression, said psychology Prof. Gary Wenk of
Ohio State University."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
2. Cancer - Brain Tumors
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Report Supressed That Marijuana Components Can Inhibit Cancer Growth
/ The Coastal Post (CA) / November 1, 2004 / "Clinical research
touted by the journal of the American Association for Cancer
Research that shows marijuana's components can inhibit the growth of
cancerous brain tumors is the latest in a long line of studies
demonstrating the drug's potential as an anti-cancer agent."
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1518/a07.html
| ||||||||||||||||||||
3. Epilepsy
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Cannabis 'Could Help Epileptics' / BBC News (UK Web) / October 4,
2003 / "Further evidence has emerged that an ingredient of cannabis
could help prevent epileptic seizures."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
4. High Blood Pressure
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Israeli Researcher Lowers Blood Pressure With Cannabis Component /
Jerusalem Post / June 14, 2006 / "A new method for lowering blood
pressure with a compound that synthesizes a cannabis ( hashish or
marijuana ) plant component has been developed by a Hebrew
University doctoral student in pharmacology."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
5. Hepatitis C
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Us Ca: Study: Medical Marijuana Can Help People With Hep C / Bay
Area Reporter / September 21, 2006 / "Medical marijuana can help
people with hepatitis C stay on treatment longer, leading to better
outcomes, according to a study published in the October 2006 issue
of the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology."
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n1262/a01.html
| ||||||||||||||||||||
6. Multiple Sclerosis
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Study Suggests Marijuana May Ease Ms Symptoms / Sacramento Bee (CA)
/ November 7, 2003 / "A marijuana pill appeared to relieve some of
the symptoms of multiple sclerosis in the first scientifically
rigorous study of the strongly debated drug."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
7. Nausea - Chemotherapy
| ||||||||||||||||||||
One Drug, Two Takes / Los Angeles Times / May 1, 2006 / "For nausea,
the panel examined about a dozen studies that looked at THC or
marijuana's ability to quell nausea during chemotherapy. For
example, in one study, 56 cancer patients who did not respond to
other anti-nausea and vomiting drugs were given marijuana. More than
one-third rated the plant as moderately or highly effective."
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n546/a05.html
| ||||||||||||||||||||
8. Nausea - Morning Sickness
| ||||||||||||||||||||
More Pregnancy Highs Than Lows / National Post (Canada) / January
17, 2006 / "Almost all of the B.C. women surveyed at the University
of Victoria and University of British Columbia said smoking
marijuana helped curb the nausea of pregnancy."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
9. Pain - Peripheral Neuropathy (in AIDS)
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Smoking Pot Reduces Pain, Study Shows / Washington Post / February
13, 2007 / "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."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
10. Pain - Post surgical
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Cannabis 'Reduces Surgery Pain / BBC News / June 2, 2006 / "A
cannabis plant extract provides pain relief for patients after major
surgery, research has shown."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
11. Psychosis
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Cannabis 'Could Reverse Psychosis' / Daily Telegraph (UK) / December
1, 2005 / "AUSTRALIAN researchers believe cannabis, a drug believed
to increase the risk of psychosis, may also be able to reverse
psychotic behaviour."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
12. Schizophrenia
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Marijuana Mood Swing / NOW Magazine (CN ON) / September 21, 2006 /
"The strongest data out there is that CBD [a component of cannabis],
in strong enough doses, controls schizophrenia."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Those who need to persuade policy makers about cannabis' medicinal
value should present this list to them. A formatted PDF of it can be
found here. | ||||||||||||||||||||
While you're at it, please note the source from which this list is
derived. DrugSense (http://www.DrugSense.org) has been archiving
articles like these since 1996. Our DrugNews Archive
| ||||||||||||||||||||
If you find this list useful, why not help the organization that
made it possible? DrugSense is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
that is dedicated to accuracy in the media concerning drug policy
topics. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent provided by
law. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Donating is quick and easy. Just visit this link:
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Checks can also be made payable to DrugSense and mailed to: | ||||||||||||||||||||
DrugSense
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Remember, it's not what others do, it's what we all do together that
makes a difference. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mary Jane Borden is a writer, artist, and activist in drug policy
from Westerville, Ohio. She serves as Business Manager/Fundraising
Specialist for DrugSense. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||||||
"Our citizens may be deceived for awhile, and have been deceived; but as long as the presses can be protected, we may trust to them for light." - Thomas Jefferson to Archibald Stuart, 1799. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
DS Weekly is one of the many free educational services DrugSense
offers our members. Watch this feature to learn more about what
DrugSense can do for you. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Policy and Law Enforcement/Prison content selection and analysis by
Jo-D Harrison (), Cannabis/Hemp content selection and
analysis by Deb Harper (), International content
selection and analysis by Steve Heath (), Layout by
Matt Elrod ()
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