| March 9, 2007 #490 | ||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
(1) STUDENT QUESTIONED ABOUT DAD'S USE OF POT (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The Controversy Surrounding a Bill to Allow the Use of Medical Marijuana Hits Home for a Junior-High Student in Brooklyn Park. | ||||||||||||||||
Shannon Pakonen told a House committee Thursday that his 15-year-old
son, Sam, was interrogated this week by a teacher at Brooklyn Junior
High School in Brooklyn Park about his father's use of marijuana for
medical purposes. | ||||||||||||||||
The incident, Pakonen said, demonstrates the need for legislation to
authorize medical use of the drug. | ||||||||||||||||
Lisa Hunter Jensen, the Osseo School District's director of
school/community relations, said the district had only sketchy
information about the incident from the school's principal but said
the district is investigating the matter further. | ||||||||||||||||
Telephone calls and e-mails to the school's principal and assistant
principal as well as the Osseo School District's superintendent and
school board members were not returned Thursday. | ||||||||||||||||
Sam Pakonen was pulled out of math class and told to report to his
speech teacher, his father said. While there, the teacher asked him
about his father. Were there marijuana plants in his house? Did he
ever see his father smoke pot? | ||||||||||||||||
No, he replied. | ||||||||||||||||
That was on Tuesday. Two days earlier, Sam's father, Shannon, had been
quoted in a Star Tribune story about a bill in the Legislature to
allow the use of medical marijuana in the state. He was quoted saying
he occasionally used marijuana to reduce tics and spasms caused by
Tourette's syndrome, a neurological disorder. Shannon Pakonen had also
testified in support of the bill last month in a Senate committee
hearing. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(2) SHAKE-UP AIMS TO REPLACE 'FAILED' DRUG LAWS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
An independent commission called for a fundamental overhaul of the 35- year-old strategy aimed at eradicating drug abuse entirely. | ||||||||||||||||
This could lead to casual drug users being left alone by police, who
would focus on pushers and serious criminals. | ||||||||||||||||
The report, from a body set up by the Royal Society for the
Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), said the law
was driven by "moral panic". | ||||||||||||||||
It suggested that harm caused by drugs had nothing to do with their legality and the main aim of public policy should be to reduce the amount of harm that drugs cause, not send people to jail. | ||||||||||||||||
The commission proposed replacing the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 with a
Misuse of Substances Act that reclassified drugs - legal and illegal -
according to the harm they do. | ||||||||||||||||
This would recognise that tobacco and alcohol can cause more damage than some illegal substances. The report triggered a furious reaction, with Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader who is reviewing party policy on drugs, denouncing it as "worryingly complacent". | ||||||||||||||||
He said the suggestion that some drugs could be taken harmlessly was
misleading. | ||||||||||||||||
"The RSA grossly underplays the damage done to individuals and society
by the taking of psychoactive drugs." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(3) HOUSE REJECTS BILL TO LEGALIZE MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
A proposal to legalize the medical use of marijuana failed Thursday in
the House, dashing hopes of advocates who had picked up the support of
Gov. Bill Richardson for the measure. | ||||||||||||||||
The Senate previously had approved the proposal, and it would have
gone to the governor had it cleared the House. Richardson had said he
would sign the proposal into law. | ||||||||||||||||
But the House narrowly rejected the bill, with 36 voting against it
and 33 supporting it. | ||||||||||||||||
Opponents disputed that marijuana was an effective medicine.
"Medically it just really has no value. For us to approve a drug like
this tells our children and tells the rest of the people in this state
that we, somehow as leaders, give tacit approval to the use of this
drug," said Rep. John Heaton, D-Carlsbad and a pharmacist. "That is
absolutely wrong for us to do." | ||||||||||||||||
He described marijuana as "the No. 1 gateway drug to abusing other
drugs in our society." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(4) 'SHROOM TO GROW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
OPP, RCMP Bust Massive Pot Operation At Ottawa-Area Mushroom Farm | ||||||||||||||||
MOOSE CREEK -- A mushroom farm east of Ottawa contains what police
believe is the largest indoor marijuana grow operation ever busted in
eastern Ontario. | ||||||||||||||||
"It would be great competition for the Molson plant," OPP Det. Sgt.
Paul Henry said, comparing the grow operation to the January 2004 raid
at the former brewery in Barrie. | ||||||||||||||||
Provincial drug officers stormed the Nordik Imperial Mushroom farm on
Hwy. 138, about 60 km east of Ottawa Tuesday morning, after receiving
a tip from Crime Stoppers last month. | ||||||||||||||||
Inside the 32,000 square-foot building, police found 3,100 marijuana plants worth an estimated $3.1 million. Officers also found eight people, some of them still sleeping in cramped, makeshift bedrooms. | ||||||||||||||||
DESTINED FOR U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
"There wasn't a whole lot of shock in their eyes," Henry said. | ||||||||||||||||
Henry, speaking at a press conference in Embrun yesterday, said the
grow operation had the potential to produce $3-million worth of
marijuana a month. He figures a large portion of the drugs were
destined for the U.S. and he suspects American authorities might "very
quickly" get involved in the investigation. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-9) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The most interesting policy news this week actually leads off the
cannabis section. It's about how a county in Wisconsin is formally
turning all low level marijuana possession into fine cases.
Officials feel they have no choice due to constraints on resources.
The stories in this section show how desperate the drug war has
become everywhere else. But instead of pulling back, at least one
U.S. Senator continue to push for more, despite strong evidence that
it will do nothing to address the problem. | ||||||||||||||||
Elsewhere were illustrations of even more desperate failures: like the man who got 100 years for a couple ounces of cocaine; and a school principal accused of selling drugs from his office. With all this desperation, the U.S., for another year, had the temerity to judge other countries on their drug eradication efforts. In more positive news, at least one politician who has been a reliable opponent of the drug war is considering a run for the White House. | ||||||||||||||||
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(5) DOLE WANTS DRUG CRACKDOWN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Points To State As Trafficking Hot Spot | ||||||||||||||||
The number of Drug Enforcement Administration arrests doubled in
North Carolina from 2003 to 2005, and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole,
R-N.C., wants something done about it. | ||||||||||||||||
Dole is calling for the establishment of High Intensity Drug
Trafficking Area offices and increased federal funds to combat the
escalation of drug trafficking in the state. | ||||||||||||||||
HIDTA classification would require proof that North Carolina is a
national hot spot for drug trafficking. | ||||||||||||||||
Dole's request came during the week of a record-breaking Fayetteville drug bust in which policemen seized one ton of marijuana, 26 kilograms of cocaine and more than $3 million in cash. | ||||||||||||||||
"Anything that could alleviate drugs coming into the state of North Carolina would be good for the citizens," said Capt. Bobby Chapman of the Fayetteville Police Department who worked on the bust. | ||||||||||||||||
He said the HIDTA office in Texas, the state where the seized drugs
originated, assisted in the one-year investigation that culminated
in the bust. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(6) NO DEAL: 100 YEARS IN DRUG CASE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- A drug dealer who rejected a plea agreement that
called for six years behind bars has instead been sentenced by a
judge to 100 years in prison. | ||||||||||||||||
Sharico Devon Blakely, 28, was unfazed by the sentence Monday and
maintained his innocence during the hearing as he interrupted his
attorney, insulted the prosecutor and challenged Allen Superior
Court Judge Kenneth R. Scheibenberger. | ||||||||||||||||
"I'll be back. Soon," he told the judge. | ||||||||||||||||
"The last guy that said that to me is still in prison," | ||||||||||||||||
"I'm an innocent man," Blakely protested. | ||||||||||||||||
"So is Charles Manson," Scheibenberger said | ||||||||||||||||
Blakely was convicted last month on three counts of dealing cocaine
and possession with intent to distribute for selling more than 3
ounces of crack and powder cocaine to a confidential police
informant in May. Police also found nearly 2 ounces of cocaine in
his apartment along with marijuana, prescription pain medication, a
gun and nearly $5,000 in cash. | ||||||||||||||||
Deputy Prosecutor Jeff Stineburg asked Scheibenberger to give
Blakely the maximum sentence of 100 years because of his record,
which starts as a juvenile, includes three convictions for
delinquency, one of which was for cocaine possession; and as an
adult, 13 misdemeanors and four felonies, three of which were for
dealing cocaine. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(7) ARREST DISGRACEFUL, HORRIBLE, PARENTS SAY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
BETHLEHEM - Parents waiting outside Nitschmann Middle School on Wednesday afternoon were outraged at the drug-dealing charges against a man who was supposed to be guiding their children. | ||||||||||||||||
Lynn Faraldo, who has a daughter in seventh grade, said the
allegations that Principal John Acerra was dealing crystal
methamphetamine out of his office set a horrible example for the
students. | ||||||||||||||||
"It's disgraceful for the school district," particularly considering
students are being taught not to use drugs, she said. | ||||||||||||||||
Darlene Sculley, whose son is an eighth-grade student, said Acerra
was condoning drug use through his alleged actions. | ||||||||||||||||
"I think it's horrible. Kids have enough crap to deal with in life,"
she said. | ||||||||||||||||
Lois Brensinger, whose children attended Nitschmann when they were
younger, said she was a year behind Acerra at Bethlehem Catholic
High School. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(8) WORLDWIDE WAR ON DRUGS LAGGING, STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
WASHINGTON - The United States said Thursday that top anti-terror
allies Afghanistan, Pakistan and Colombia had fallen short in the
war on drugs despite enhanced counter-narcotics efforts, It also
criticized perennial foes Iran, North Korea and Venezuela for not
cooperating. The State Department also noted backsliding in some key
Latin American nations like Bolivia while it praised improved
performances by Mexico and Asian transshipment points China and
Thailand. | ||||||||||||||||
In its annual global survey of the drug war, the department said
massive opium-poppy production in Afghanistan, long the world's top
producer of the main ingredient for heroin, continued to pose a
major threat. "Afghanistan's huge drug trade undercuts efforts to
rebuild the economy and develop a strong democratic government based
on the rule of law," the department said in the 2007 International
Narcotic Control Strategy Report. "There is strong evidence that
narcotics trafficking is linked to the Taliban insurgency. These
links between drug traffickers and anti-government forces threaten
regional stability," the department said. It added that corruption
and security conditions hinder efforts to combat Afghan poppy
production that shot up 59 percent to a record 5,644 tons from 2005
to 2006. | ||||||||||||||||
"More must be done," Anne Patterson, assistant secretary of state
for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs, told
reporters. The report stressed that Afghan President Hamid Karzai
remained committed to reducing the harvest but Patterson said that
results remained "insufficient." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(9) 'DR. NO' MAY SAY YES TO RUN FOR WHITE HOUSE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Affable and unassuming, Republican Rep. Ron Paul of Texas steps into
a crowded Holiday Inn lobby packed with libertarian activists. They
all know him by name. "I haven't seen you in two years," bellows
Dick Marple, a former Republican state representative who leans over
a vending table and plants a New Hampshire pin on the congressman's
tie. | ||||||||||||||||
Minutes later Paul receives a standing ovation following an anti-war
speech that blisters President Bush, the Republican Party and
Democrats. | ||||||||||||||||
"It's another no-win war where Americans are dying needlessly," the Lake Jackson congressman told the New Hampshire Liberty Forum. | ||||||||||||||||
Paul, 71, is weighing his second run at the presidency. | ||||||||||||||||
He was the Libertarian Party candidate in 1988. This time he's running as a Republican, although he concedes he's a long-shot. | ||||||||||||||||
He tells audiences some candidates will raise $100 million for the
campaign. Still, he said, he's running to win, on a platform to
limit government and maximize personal freedom. | ||||||||||||||||
"It's worth the fight, as far as I'm concerned," Paul said. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (10-14) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
It's something, but it's still too little too late in Georgia, where
legislators want to add some restrictions to the use of no-knock
warrants in the wake of a the killing of a 92-year-old in a drug
raid. In Illinois, on the other hand, it's too much too late, as a
legislator proposes another toughening of meth laws - this time
punishing those who would use a fake ID to purchase over-the-counter
medicines used to make meth. Elsewhere, there was more drug-related
police corruption, while reporter Mara Leveritt took a look at the
informant system in Arkansas. | ||||||||||||||||
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(10) MEASURE: TOUGHEN NO-KNOCK WARRANT REQUIREMENTS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
ATLANTA - A bipartisan group of lawmakers called for tighter
restrictions Wednesday on how police use "no-knock" warrants in the
wake of a shootout that left an elderly woman dead after
plainclothes officers stormed her home unannounced. | ||||||||||||||||
A measure by state Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, would allow judges
to grant the warrants only if police officers can prove a
"significant and imminent danger to human life." | ||||||||||||||||
The measure, which was co-sponsored by Republican state Sen. Jeff
Mullis, was prompted by a Nov. 21 shootout between Kathryn Johnston
and three Atlanta Police officers during a no-knock search for drugs
in her northwest Atlanta home. Johnston, who was 92, was killed and
three officers were wounded. | ||||||||||||||||
Fulton County prosecutors said they intend to seek murder charges
against three of the officers who raided the woman's home. Police
say Johnston fired a handgun and officers returned fire. An autopsy
report revealed Johnston was shot five or six times in the chest,
arms, legs and feet. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(11) LOCAL BILL TOUGHENS METH LAW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
SPRINGFIELD - In the ongoing battle against the methamphetamine epidemic State Sen. John Sullivan, D-Rushville, has introduced a bill that will increase the punishment for buying over-the counter ingredients for methamphetamine production with a fake or borrowed | ||||||||||||||||
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The bill sailed through the Senate Judiciary Criminal Law Committee
last week. The vote was unanimous. | ||||||||||||||||
Ephedrine or pseudoephedrine are ingredients found in | ||||||||||||||||
In recent years a number of laws have been put on the books to make
it more difficult for would-be methamphetamine makers to purchase
large quantities of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. One law requires
the person to show a photo ID and sign a log book when they purchase
the items. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(12) ARRESTS OF HOLLYWOOD OFFICERS JEOPARDIZE 61 CRIMINAL CASES THEY (Top)HANDLED | ||||||||||||||||
A former state legislator charged with having sex with a teenager, a
man accused in the rape of a 60-year-old woman, and a man who police
said molested his 13-year-old stepdaughter are among defendants in
61 pending cases jeopardized by alleged corruption in the Hollywood
police department. | ||||||||||||||||
The prosecutions, each involving one of four veteran officers
charged last week with corruption and drug offenses, are under
review by lawyers in the Broward State Attorney's Office, said
felony chief Jeff Marcus. | ||||||||||||||||
At the same time, the FBI continued to look into leaks from the
Hollywood Police Department that prematurely exposed an undercover
investigation of suspected dirty cops. The leaks forced agents to
wrap up the sting instead of following up on other leads that could
have produced more arrests, according to a federal law enforcement
official familiar with the matter. | ||||||||||||||||
Detective Kevin Companion, 41; Sgt. Jeffry Courtney, 51; Officer Stephen Harrison, 46; and Detective Thomas Simcox, 50, are accused of providing services to FBI agents posing as mobsters in exchange for cash, sometimes using official police vehicles and equipment. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(13) RIPLEY POLICE CHIEF ARRESTED ON FEDERAL DRUG CHARGES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Ripley Police Chief Bert Conely is out on $5,000 bond today after
pleading not guilty to each of seven counts alleging he possessed
drugs to sell them. | ||||||||||||||||
Conely appeared Tuesday before Magistrate Judge S. Allan Alexander
to enter his plea to the federal charges. | ||||||||||||||||
Although Conely is out on bond, he can't possess a firearm, must
have no contact with government witnesses and must submit to
supervision of the U.S. Probation Office, according to Alexander's
order. | ||||||||||||||||
The indictment was made public Tuesday. It alleges that from May 17,
2006, until Nov. 21, 2006, Conely possessed marijuana and
hydrocodone, a narcotic pain reliever with intent to distribute. The
indictment quotes Conely as saying that the marijuana came from
Mexico and was in a vault at the police department. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(14) DEATH UNDER COVER (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
At a particularly dismal moment in Martin Scorsese's "The Departed," a disgusted undercover cop mutters, "It's a nation of rats." Not quite. But the film and the recent flap in the Northeast over t-shirts that demand "Stop Snitchin' " are calling attention to a part of the legal system that critics say has gotten out of control. | ||||||||||||||||
While it's impossible to get accurate counts due to the inherent
secrecy of the practice, moderate estimates place the number of
informants working for police agencies in the U.S. in the hundreds
of thousands. | ||||||||||||||||
Since the U.S. Supreme Court OK'd the use of confidential informants
50 years ago, the practice has become a primary tool of the
so-called war on drugs. As one court noted: | ||||||||||||||||
"Without informants, law enforcement authorities would be unable to
penetrate and destroy organized crime syndicates, drug trafficking
cartels, bank frauds, telephone solicitation scams, public
corruption, terrorist gangs, money launderers, espionage rings, and
the likes." | ||||||||||||||||
Critics counter that the practice has become a dangerous public
policy, compromising the integrity of police work, endangering both
informants and innocents, eroding confidence in the rule of law
enforcement, and often producing bad information. | ||||||||||||||||
The Little Rock Police Department and the Pulaski County sheriff's office would not disclose the number of informants in their files. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (15-18) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Dane County Wisconsin has surrendered the use of criminal prosecution for possession of under 25 grams of cannabis, and it was not achieved by ballot, nor court ruling but...lack of resources. Predictably, the cash cow of hefty fines will remain in place for the "insignificant cannabis cases," but the District Attorney was straight forward that crimes that produce real victims are priority. | ||||||||||||||||
Poor Ed Rosenthal - it must seem like another case of deja vu as he
faces more court time over his past activities. Based on allegations
by the defense that this is a vindictive prosecution, the judge
favorably ruled prosecutors must turn over paperwork to prove
otherwise. | ||||||||||||||||
Hats off to some defiant UK baby boomers and seniors who refuse to
give up their medicinal herb of choice despite the threat of a jail
cell for ignoring their sentence. The judge issued the ultimatum of
"If you want to stand on your principles you can take your prison
sentence - it's your choice." | ||||||||||||||||
Hemp growers in Australia and New Zealand are frustrated they can
only grow hemp for oil-seed extraction (which only uses 20% of the
plant) and not develop a hemp food or fiber industry. The reason,
according to government, is the public would get a mixed message
about hemp versus marijuana. Where have we heard that one before?
Fortunately, many countries ignore hemp prohibition. | ||||||||||||||||
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(15) NO PROSECUTION FOR A LITTLE MARIJUANA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
People who are busted in Dane County for having less than 25 grams
of marijuana - a little less than an ounce of pot, or the equivalent
of about 20 to 25 joints - will no longer face criminal prosecution,
but they could still pay some hefty fines. | ||||||||||||||||
Citing a lack of resources and continuing staff reductions, District
Attorney Brian Blanchard has told police chiefs his office will no
longer file charges of criminal possession against individuals for
having less than 25 grams of marijuana - an amount many law
enforcement agencies consider to be for personal use rather than for
distribution to others. | ||||||||||||||||
Blanchard's office also will not file charges for possession of drug
paraphernalia related to marijuana use. | ||||||||||||||||
"This is not a radical departure from current practice," Blanchard
said, adding that one of the major changes is that a person's
criminal history will no longer be considered. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Gary Storck, co-founder of the Madison chapter of the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws and a medical
marijuana activist and patient, welcomed the move saying, "I feel
it's overdue." | ||||||||||||||||
But Storck criticized linking it to a lack of resources, with the
implication that given additional staffing, criminal charges would
be filed. | ||||||||||||||||
"This community has a history very much intermingled with cannabis,
like it or not . . . It's a tradition," Storck said. "I think most
people understand a little bit of pot is no big deal." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(16) JUDGE TO DECIDE VALIDITY OF CASE AGAINST MARIJUANA ADVOCATE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
San Francisco -- A federal judge has asked the United States
attorney here to submit all trial preparation memorandums in the
case against a leading advocate of medical marijuana so that the
court can determine if the government has been pursuing a
"vindictive prosecution." | ||||||||||||||||
The judge, Charles R. Breyer, ordered the review at the request of
lawyers for Ed Rosenthal, a spokesman in the effort to legalize
marijuana who has been in a closely watched court battle with the
government. | ||||||||||||||||
At a motion hearing in Federal District Court here on Friday,
defense lawyers for Mr. Rosenthal urged Judge Breyer to dismiss an
array of federal drug, money laundering and tax evasion charges
against their client, saying an appellate court judge had overturned
his conviction in a nearly identical case last year. | ||||||||||||||||
The new charges, outlined in a federal grand jury indictment issued
in October, accuse Mr. Rosenthal of 14 felonies, including
conspiracy to grow and sell marijuana for medical use, laundering
$1,850 and failing to report income from the sale of crop plants on
his tax returns. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(17) AGEING HIPPIES' CANNABIS RING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
A couple of ageing hippies have escaped jail sentences for their part in a cannabis co-operative run by women in a South Yorkshire village who smoke 'joints' to ease their painful joints. | ||||||||||||||||
Jacqueline Bell and Valerie Owen were among a circle of six friends
aged from 42 to 70 living in Highfields, Doncaster, who clubbed
together to buy the drug because of their various medical
conditions. | ||||||||||||||||
And today they vowed to carry on smoking dope even though they risk
going to prison for ignoring a sentence imposed by a judge at
Doncaster Crown Court. | ||||||||||||||||
Recorder Peter Kelson QC said he realised they would carry using
cannabis because they had strong feelings about it and told them:
"If you want to stand on your principles you can take your prison
sentence - it's your choice." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(18) HEMP TOUTED AS A HEALTHY FOOD (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Hemp growers want the Government to overturn food standards that are
preventing them from establishing a food-product industry in
Canterbury. Industrial hemp, related to the cannabis-plant species,
can be grown in New Zealand for oil-seed extraction, but regulations
prohibit the rest of the low-THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) plant from
being developed into a food product. | ||||||||||||||||
The major challenge facing hemp growing was the lack of consent to sell hemp-seed foods, said the director of Midlands Seeds and managing director of Oil Seed Extractions, Andrew Davidson. | ||||||||||||||||
The latter company had a licence to process hemp, but could sell
only hemp-seed oil, he said. | ||||||||||||||||
Davidson said the hurdle would have to be overcome if the industry was to develop hemp's commercial advantage in crop production and justify the investment required to develop a fibre-processing plant. | ||||||||||||||||
"The Government believes it will send a mixed message to the public
about hemp versus marijuana, with which we strongly disagree,
because Canada, the United States and Western Europe are
successfully selling hemp-seed foods." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (19-23) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The pressure is on to allow Afghan farmers to sell their opium to
legal western markets: like Australia, Turkey and India all do now.
While there is a worldwide glut of illegal opiates (raw smoking
opium and heroin) unbelievably, in 2007, there is actually a
worldwide shortage of legal painkillers like codeine and morphine.
This week, former Canadian ambassador to NATO, Gordon Smith, added
his voice to the growing list of those suggesting that Afghan
farmers simply be allowed to sell their opium in some kind of legal
market. "It's not a frightfully good option, but it's better than
any others that anyone else has come forward with," said Smith. An
editorial from the Ottawa Citizen newspaper this week put it as
follows. "Eradication will not work... The goal must be to let
Afghan poppy farmers make a living without having to deal with
smugglers and militias: Bring them over to our side, rather than
forcing them onto the enemy's." | ||||||||||||||||
The Central American nation of Guatemala has a request of the
colossus of the north, "Send more money." Why? It is because of the
drugs, you see. An Associated Press piece this week tries to make
the case for bigger helpings of drug war cash from Uncle Sam. Issues
of national sovereignty aside, "At the U.S. government's request,
the Guatemalan Congress has passed laws to strengthen law
enforcement's investigative abilities," AP admits. But although
Washington has long dictated policy in Guatemala, corruption remains
rampant. In 2005, the head of an elite Guatemalan anti-narcotic
force was arrested for "conspiring to import cocaine". Perhaps if
Washington sends more money to the Guatemalan police and military,
that will clean it up after all. | ||||||||||||||||
Mexican president Felipe Calderon, ever-obedient to the dictates of
prohibitionists in DC, sent in the troops. In less than a year,
Calderon ordered some 20,000 Federales into six Mexican states to
"fight drugs" (mostly to rip up small marijuana plots). The result?
More "bloodshed in a war between rival drug cartels." | ||||||||||||||||
And finally this week, although it is not quite "Tijuana Taxi",
drivers in other Mexican cities - cities which have seen drug
cartels shoot it out in the streets - are giving "narco taxi tours".
In Mazatlan, taxi tourists can pay about 20 dollars for a narco tour
that includes areas famous for "a battle between cartels that killed
2,000 people last year." Points of interest on this "ghoulish" tour
are said to include a beach-front disco owned by the Arellano Felix
brothers' cartel, as well as the spot where "police shot dead cartel
brother Ramon Arellano Felix in 2002." | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
(19) POPPY WARS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Razing the field of an impoverished Afghan farmer, even if it's full
of poppies, is no way to sell him on the benefits of development and
democracy. Yet that's the approach some NATO troops are taking, and
it's costing us big, according to the former Canadian ambassador to
NATO, Gordon Smith. | ||||||||||||||||
The poppy eradication effort (poppies are used in heroin production)
is a function of the United States government's drug policy -- and a
bad policy it is. U.S.-sponsored efforts to wipe out the coca crop
in Colombia have only pushed cultivation into neighbouring countries
while enhancing the power of drug lords' private armies and
promoting corruption in the police and military -- precisely the
conditions we're trying to undo in Afghanistan. | ||||||||||||||||
Eradication will not work. Once we accept that, we can think about
new approaches, such as the one Mr. Smith's team proposes: a central
marketing board that would buy up the Afghan poppy crop and re-sell
it to drug companies to make opiates such as morphine. | ||||||||||||||||
As a first step, we could invite farmers to sell their poppy crops
to buyers working for drug companies, or to western governments
through a legitimate market. | ||||||||||||||||
The goal must be to let Afghan poppy farmers make a living without
having to deal with smugglers and militias: Bring them over to our
side, rather than forcing them onto the enemy's. | ||||||||||||||||
NATO will not win the trust of Afghans by destroying their
livelihoods. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
(20) MARKETING BOARD FOR OPIUM URGED BY EX-NATO OFFICIAL (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
OTTAWA -- 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 poppy-eradication
programs, a former NATO ambassador says. | ||||||||||||||||
Destroying poppy crops, a major plank of American and British anti-drug policy, only drives farmers closer towards 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 shake-up. | ||||||||||||||||
His study, prepared for the Calgary-based Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, urged the creation of an international clearing house to purchase opium crops and prevent money from entering the hands of Taliban insurgents or traffickers. | ||||||||||||||||
Afghanistan remains the largest heroin producing and trafficking
country, producing more than 90 per cent of the world's opium poppy
supply in 2006. That's 172,000 hectares according to recent American
estimates -- a 61 per cent jump from the previous year. Opium
exports account for one-third of the country's combined licit and
illicit GDP, according to the United Nations. | ||||||||||||||||
"In a perfect world nobody would be allowed to grow poppies and all
would be well," Smith said Thursday. "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." | ||||||||||||||||
Fair opium prices and central regulation by the Afghan government
and foreign states would also help alleviate international morphine
shortages, said Smith, a former deputy minister of foreign affairs
and now the executive director of the University of Victoria's
Centre for Global Studies. | ||||||||||||||||
Poppy cultivation remains the only lucrative career choice for many
impoverished Afghans, living under the burden of three continuous
decades of civil war. | ||||||||||||||||
But strong links exist between Afghanistan's burgeoning | ||||||||||||||||
"Traffickers provide weapons, funding, and personnel to the Taliban
in exchange for the production of drug trade routes, poppy fields,
and members of their organizations," the report said. | ||||||||||||||||
Barnett Rubin, a former UN adviser on Afghanistan, argued in 2003
that the marketing board concept would represent disaster for small
Afghan farmers, keeping prices low along the lines of African
coffee, tea, and, cocoa boards. An auction house in Kabul, with
sales taxed by the central government, represented a better idea,
said Rubin, a New York University professor. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
(21) DRUG WAR IS OVERWHELMING GUATEMALA (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Murder Of Politicians By Police Just Latest Indication | ||||||||||||||||
Guatemala City (AP) - Guatemala knows it is losing the battle
against drug trafficking - its police, military and justice system
are beholden to traffickers who use the country as a way station for
Colombian drug shipments to the U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
In a case that has laid bare the extent of corruption in the Central
American nation, FBI agents are trying to help discover who ordered
the murders of three Salvadoran politicians and the Guatemalan
police officers who said they were told to kill them. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Asks Bush for aid | ||||||||||||||||
Berger says he needs more help in fighting organized crime and will
ask President Bush when he visits March 12 to provide U.S.
helicopters, planes and radar equipment. | ||||||||||||||||
The U.S. government complains that three-quarters of the cocaine
reaching U.S. consumers moves through Guatemala. Traffickers use
speed boats and planes to carry tons of drugs along the narrow
Central American isthmus, dropping off shipments in the Guatemalan
jungle before sneaking them into Mexico and up across the U.S.
border. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Police purged | ||||||||||||||||
Guatemalan authorities argue that seizures are not a good measure of their anti-drug efforts because in the past, traffickers have offered corrupt authorities huge amounts of cocaine to stage busts. | ||||||||||||||||
Guatemala has tried to change that by purging police forces -
including its elite anti-narcotics unit. In 2005, the group's
director, Adan Castillo, was arrested in Virginia for conspiring to
import cocaine to the U.S. and his 401 agents were given drug and
lie detectors tests. Only 50 passed. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
At the U.S. government's request, the Guatemalan Congress has passed
laws to strengthen law enforcement's investigative abilities, such
as allowing undercover agents and phone taps. Guatemala's Interior
Ministry has yet to implement the measures, however. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
(22) DRUG WAR RIPS APART MEXICO (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The Conflict Between Cartels Takes Violence To Bloody | ||||||||||||||||
In An Attempt To Halt The Bloodshed In A War Between Rival Drug
Cartels, Mexican Police Have Begun Random Vehicle Inspections On The
Beach At Acapulco | ||||||||||||||||
ACAPULCO, Mexico -- On the sun-kissed beach, women paraded by in
bikinis, vendors sold cheap bracelets to the tourists and heavyset
men in Speedos sipped margaritas. | ||||||||||||||||
On the boardwalk, though, machine gun-wielding members of Mexico's
elite federal police force pulled over cars for random inspections,
stopped city buses and checked trunks and IDs. | ||||||||||||||||
More than 250 people were executed last year in Acapulco as the
sweltering Pacific resort became the latest battleground between
rival cartels battling for supremacy of the multibillion-dollar drug
trade. | ||||||||||||||||
After what experts called a decade of paralysis, corruption and
inefficiency, newly elected President Felipe Calderon has sent
20,000 Mexican military and federal troops to six states to confront
the drug cartels. | ||||||||||||||||
It remains to be seen whether Calderon's operations, the defining
action of his young administration, will restore law and order or
are a publicity gambit, as his critics allege. | ||||||||||||||||
What is more clear is that as the war between the Matamoros-based
Gulf Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel plunges into its third year,
Mexico has passed into a stage of violence unprecedented in the
nation's modern history. | ||||||||||||||||
Police are gunned down inside their own headquarters, the executions
videotaped by gloating hit men. Traffickers are decapitated, their
heads spilled across dance floors as warnings. Federal legislators
are sprayed with bullets. Singers are murdered after concerts.
Former safe harbors such as Monterrey have become battlefields.
Beach resorts have become militarized zones. | ||||||||||||||||
"The Mexican state wasn't ready for this war," said Jorge Chabat, a
Mexico City analyst who specializes in criminal justice. "The
narco-traffickers have traditionally lived in their own dimension,
with their own laws. Until recently, the narcos didn't leave that
dimension. Now we're seeing them leaving, like ghosts leaving a
haunted house." | ||||||||||||||||
Drug violence is nothing new in Mexico. What is extraordinary is the
extreme violence of recent months. | ||||||||||||||||
Luis Astorga, a sociology professor at Mexico City's National
Autonomous University, said that the Gulf Cartel, with its armed
wing of former army officers known as Zetas, has accelerated the
level of destruction. | ||||||||||||||||
"It's part of the psychological war, which they learned in the
counter-insurgency while they were in the military," he said.
"They're killing machines without ethical brakes. In the old days,
they put heads on spears to paralyze their adversary. But (the Gulf
Cartel's) rivals have the same logic, so they've entered a violent
spiral." | ||||||||||||||||
Few people expect Calderon to dismantle the cartels or even
seriously weaken them. | ||||||||||||||||
"He's trying to establish a minimum of order," Chabat said. "He's
sending a message that someone is in charge." | ||||||||||||||||
Calderon has earned praise from the Bush administration for his firm
stance against the cartels and for extraditing some top drug lords,
including Osiel Cardenas, who was running the Gulf Cartel from his
maximum-security prison cell. | ||||||||||||||||
The operations are widely seen as a stopgap. The Mexican government has neither the manpower nor money to keep them going indefinitely. | ||||||||||||||||
So far the operations have met with mixed success. Even critics
acknowledge that soldiers have brought order to some far-flung
pockets that have long existed beyond the rule of law. And while
experts warn that it is too early to tell, it seems that the
blistering pace of drug killings -- more than 2,000 in 2006 -- has
slowed since the military was unleashed. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
(23) 'NARCO' TAXI TOURS PROFIT ON MEXICO DRUG WAR CHAOS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Streetwise cabbies in northern Mexico are cashing in on the chaos of
a violent drug war by whisking wide-eyed visitors about town in
macabre tours of seized narco properties and famous murder scenes,
Mexico City's Reforma newspaper reported on Sunday. | ||||||||||||||||
Taxi drivers in the Pacific coast city of Mazatlan satisfy tourists'
ghoulish fascination with a battle between cartels that killed 2,000
people last year, for about 200 pesos ($18) a trip, the newspaper
said. | ||||||||||||||||
Located in the state of Sinaloa, one of the worst hit by recent
violence in the war between an alliance of local traffickers and the
powerful Gulf Cartel, Mazatlan has its fair share of historic drug
violence "must-sees." | ||||||||||||||||
A boarded up discotheque on Mazatlan's beach front, once the property of the Arellano Felix brothers, who ran a fierce cartel that was once Mexico's most powerful but is now said to be largely dismantled, is the starting point for most tours, Reform reported. | ||||||||||||||||
Then comes the spot on the nearby street where police shot dead
cartel brother Ramon Arellano Felix in 2002. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
KICKING DOWN THE DOOR AT THE "HOUSE OF DEATH" | ||||||||||||||||
Narco News, and reporter Bill Conroy in particular, have driven the story since The Dallas Morning News first broke it in 2004. | ||||||||||||||||
I recently caught up with Giordano (via e-mail) to talk about the House of Death story, his definition of Authentic Journalism and the impact blogs like his are having on the way news is covered. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
CULTURAL BAGGAGE RADIO SHOW | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
PRESIDENT CALDERON SHOULD NOT REPEAT DRUG WAR FAILURES OF THE PAST | ||||||||||||||||
What President Calderon is doing now differs little from what his predecessors did at the start of their terms. So what should Calderon do? | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
RSA DRUGS REPORT : GOOD, BUT NO CIGAR | ||||||||||||||||
So the drugs report from the RSA is finally out. After a lengthy two
year gestation period I now have all the report in front of me, all
335 pages of it - and its mostly pretty good too. You can read the
press release, the exec summary, or the full volume here and judge
for yourself. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
CANNABIS GRANDMOTHER TO FIGHT ON | ||||||||||||||||
A grandmother who "self medicates" with cannabis to ease her
depression has vowed to continue to use the drug in defiance of a
judge's jail warning. Patricia Tabram, 68, walked free from court
despite a jury taking only 15 minutes to convict her of growing and
possessing cannabis, but she was ordered to carry out 250 hours
community service and pay UKP1,000 costs. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
MOUSE PARTY | ||||||||||||||||
This Flash Media presentation primarily depicts how drugs interact
with dopamine neurotransmitters to demonstrate the brain's reward
pathway. | ||||||||||||||||
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/addiction/drugs/mouse.cfm | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
CALL ON CONGRESS TO HOLD HEARINGS ON MEDICAL CANNABIS | ||||||||||||||||
ASA is asking Congress to support our call for congressional oversight
hearings to investigate why federal agencies resist full
implementation of the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine in
their 1999 report, Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base.
E-mail your Senators and Representative and urge support for
congressional hearings to investigate why federal agencies discourage
medical cannabis research. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
JOIN DPR ACTIVISTS FROM AROUND NORTH AMERICA | ||||||||||||||||
Tue. March 13 /07, 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. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
JOB OPENINGS AT MPP | ||||||||||||||||
The Marijuana Policy Project has two new job openings available: | ||||||||||||||||
1. IT Director (Washington, D.C.) | ||||||||||||||||
2. Campaigns Analyst (Minnesota) | ||||||||||||||||
For both positions, please visit http://www.mpp.org/jobs for full job descriptions, salary information, and instructions on how to apply. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
DEFEND MEDICAL POT USERS | ||||||||||||||||
By Richard Bayer, M.D. | ||||||||||||||||
"Democrats spar over medical pot for workers ( Feb. 26)" was
incomplete. | ||||||||||||||||
I was the filing chief petitioner for the Oregon Medical Marijuana
Act in 1998. The law, ORS 475.300, begins: "Patients and doctors
have found marijuana to be an effective treatment for suffering
caused by debilitating medical conditions, and therefore, marijuana
should be treated like other medicines." | ||||||||||||||||
Polling shows that three out four Oregonians support medical
marijuana. Patients who use cannabis as medicine ask for the same
rights as those using medical morphine. | ||||||||||||||||
Professionals routinely test for impairment during patient
encounters. Some businesses use computer simulations. Moreover,
blood tests are available for THC, the chemical in cannabis that
causes the high. | ||||||||||||||||
The U.S. Department of Transportation states that urine testing "cannot be used by itself to prove behavioral impairment." | ||||||||||||||||
Sen. Rick Metsger's bill [to make it easier for employers to fire workers who use medical marijuana] has nothing to do with impairment but everything to do with money as he seeks to bury the Americans with Disabilities Act. Sen. Floyd Prozanski's [opposing] bill supports disabled Oregonians. Can compassion compete with money? | ||||||||||||||||
Richard Bayer, M.D. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
GOVERNMENT OPPOSES FREEDOM OF CHOICE ON BOTH ENDS OF DRUG WAR | ||||||||||||||||
By Stephen Young | ||||||||||||||||
After three years, it finally happened in my state. The medical
cannabis bill that has lingered in committee since being introduced
back in 2004 will go before the full senate and, perhaps,
the full Illinois legislature sometime this session. | ||||||||||||||||
I applaud everyone who was involved and hope for the best as the bill progresses. It seems like the time may have finally come. Legislators anywhere would have to be blind not to see all the amazing medical advances being made in regard to cannabis ( see my colleague Mary Jane Borden's look from last week's DrugSense Weekly feature article. | ||||||||||||||||
Here in Illinois, unfortunately, a few legislators do indeed
appear to be blind, as the vote to get the bill out of committee was
a narrow six to four in favor. | ||||||||||||||||
As with most state medical marijuana bills, there are limitations on
who can benefit from the law. I am happy to see anyone who can
benefit from cannabis be able to use the law, but there will be
people who could benefit from cannabis who won't be able to use the
law. | ||||||||||||||||
When it actually enters the legislative process, medical marijuana
becomes more about scaling back the number of potential users, as
opposed to broadening access. The legislators say they don't want the
law abused, making the pool of people under possible protection
smaller, even as science shows the pool of people who could benefit
growing. | ||||||||||||||||
Take any other substance with the same medical potential, legislators
would be clawing over each to get access to constituents, and to get
development contracts in their states. The media would have new
headlines every day about the Wonder Drug. | ||||||||||||||||
Sometimes, when government gets excited about a new drug, it even
uses its power to induce citizens to take it. | ||||||||||||||||
For example, several states have been considering broad use of the
HPV vaccine, which is designed to guard women against cervical cancer
from the human papillomavirus. Since the vaccine is believed to be
most effective before a woman becomes sexually active, advocates want
mandatory vaccination at a relatively young age. Some legislators
have bought into the idea, though not without intense and secretive
lobbying by the firm which makes the vaccine ( more news broke about
the story in New York just today. | ||||||||||||||||
http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzmerc095122894mar09,0,5992376.story | ||||||||||||||||
This is a relatively new medicine, yet some government officials want
to use pre-teen female populations from entire states without
exception to essentially serve as guinea pigs. | ||||||||||||||||
Cannabis, on the other hand, has been used for thousands of years. We
know about the main effects and the side effects. Many who use
cannabis medically and otherwise perceive few negative effects at
all. We are only starting to understand how many different people
might benefit from some type of cannabinoid therapy - there's no
doubt the pool of potential beneficiaries will grow. | ||||||||||||||||
And yet, legislative officials who don't seem to know how to search the web for a few selections from a wide choice of medical journal articles, want to make sure that not too many people get it. | ||||||||||||||||
Again, some is better than none, and absolute prohibition remains
ridiculous. I assume (and hope) as government loosens its grip on
cannabis, it won't go to the other extreme and consider forcing
citizens to take the miracle herb. | ||||||||||||||||
It should be, like other medical decisions, a matter of personal
choice. | ||||||||||||||||
Stephen Young is an editor with DrugSense Weekly. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
"The evidence suggests that a majority of people who use drugs are
able to use them without harming themselves or others. The harmless
use of illegal drugs is thus possible, indeed common." | ||||||||||||||||
-- Royal Society of Arts Commission on Drugs | ||||||||||||||||
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Policy and Law Enforcement/Prison content selection and analysis by
Stephen Young (), Cannabis/Hemp content selection
and analysis by Deb Harper (), International
content selection and analysis by Doug Snead (),
Layout by Matt Elrod (). Analysis comments
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