| Apr. 6, 2007 #493 | ||||||||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
(1) 'GET TOUGH ON SKUNK OR MORE WILL DIE' (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Addicts will kill more people unless the Government takes tougher
action against super-strength cannabis, a mental health charity has
warned. | ||||||||||||||||
Marjorie Wallace, the chief executive of the charity SANE, said at
least a third of murders committed by addicts of skunk cannabis were
preventable. | ||||||||||||||||
She called for an education campaign to teach young people that skunk
was highly dangerous and for special mental health units to treat
users suffering from schizophrenia. | ||||||||||||||||
The warning comes after a spate of killings linked to the drug. | ||||||||||||||||
Ms Wallace said: "The latest figures show 79 per cent of school children think cannabis is both harmless and legal, but we clearly need to have a much stronger message that it can devastate the mind. | ||||||||||||||||
"It's like giving school children loaded guns." | ||||||||||||||||
Last month an 18-year-old cannabis user was jailed for the frenzied
murder of two school friends and earlier this week a teenager addicted
to skunk admitted to stabbing a grandmother to death. | ||||||||||||||||
Ms Wallace said the killings could have been prevented if there was
more rigorous control of the drug. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(2) ALL I WANT IS SOME CHEAP MEXICAN WEED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Man, oh man, am I aggravated to all-Hell. It's been almost a month now
and I haven't been able to replenish my pot supply. I know the reason,
too. It's the goddamned Border Patrol. They've been doing a kick-ass
job lately over there at the San Ysidro crossing. Every time you turn
around, there's another story about another huge bust. A couple of
weeks ago, I read a U-T story reporting that agents at the San Ysidro
and El Centro borders collectively nabbed 10,000 pounds of pot in one
week, and because of busts like this, I can't get my goddamned hands
on any goddamned Mexican weed. | ||||||||||||||||
Oh sure, there's still plenty of kind bud floating around. Kind bud
(also known as ganja, indoor, chronic, dank and stank) is a higher-
quality weed. It is potent and pungent and can be grown by anyone with
$500 and an oversized closet. Since kind bud doesn't have to make that
perilous trek across the border, there's plenty of it. The problem is,
I smoke Mexican weed. | ||||||||||||||||
Now, admitting that one smokes Mexican (also known as mecky, mexy,
shake or schwag) when one lives in Ocean Beach is tantamount to social
suicide. OB is primarily populated with pot snobs. I can't tell you
how many times I've pulled out my trusty film canister of schwag
during one of our back-alley powwows behind the bar, only to watch my
potsnobbian friends recoil in disgust as if the canister was filled
with infected monkey entrails. | ||||||||||||||||
"How can you smoke that shit!?" they howl in disbelief. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(3) WAIT ... YOU MEAN WEED'S NOT LEGAL YET? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Decriminalization Remains A Pipe Dream In Current Political Climate | ||||||||||||||||
It was the subject of international hype a few years ago: the great
liberal northern bastion of Canada was planning to decriminalize
marijuana, snubbing its nose at its neo-conservative southern
neighbour's War on Drugs. | ||||||||||||||||
But the Liberal government that introduced the proposed | ||||||||||||||||
Nonetheless, marijuana advocates can still see the criminal
prohibition of pot being chiseled away through court cases, economic
changes and the simple on-the-ground reality. | ||||||||||||||||
"The Conservatives definitely set it back, but there are many things
happening," said Ched Ander, an Edmonton pot activist. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(4) NEW MEXICO BARS DRUG CHARGE WHEN OVERDOSE IS REPORTED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Struggling with an epidemic of drug fatalities, New Mexico has enacted a groundbreaking law providing immunity from prosecution for people who come forward to help drug users suffering overdoses. | ||||||||||||||||
The act, signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Bill Richardson, prevents the
authorities from prosecuting on the basis of evidence "gained as a
result of the seeking of medical assistance." | ||||||||||||||||
It also protects drug users themselves from prosecution if the process
of seeking help for an overdose provides the only evidence against
them. | ||||||||||||||||
The legislation, which was popularly known as the 911 Good Samaritan
bill, is the first of its kind in the nation, according to the
National Conference of State Legislatures. | ||||||||||||||||
In a statement yesterday, Mr. Richardson, who is running for the
Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, said: "I have always been
committed to prevention and rehabilitation of drug users. If we can
encourage people to save themselves or others from a drug-related
death or trauma, then we should do that. This bill will encourage
families and friends of addicts to seek medical care and prevent their
loved one from dying." | ||||||||||||||||
The action was praised by the Drug Policy Alliance, which works to
ease drug penalties. The group said New Mexico had the worst overdose
problem in the country, with about one death a day. | ||||||||||||||||
"Whatever it takes to get people to call 911 to save lives," said Tommy McDonald, a spokesman for the group in Washington. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
A scene in the movie "Traffic" shows some teenagers getting busted
while dropping off their OD'ing friend at an emergency room. The
Governor of New Mexico just signed a law which makes me think this
fictional event was actually based on reality. | ||||||||||||||||
Many articles from many locations covered the restoration of voting
rights to felons this week but the "must read" for all activists is
the Alternet piece. It reveals how the smallest U.S. state learned
big lessons and concludes that even the seemingly impossible is
possible. | ||||||||||||||||
A New York columnist used a proposed cigarette tax increase to
discuss our "War on Some Drugs". As most of you already know,
science shows there is no connection between the harm a drug does
and how the law has chosen to treat it. | ||||||||||||||||
National Public Radio (NPR) ran a week-long series on our failed
drug policies from April 2nd through April 6th. You can listen to
each show and view additional information by visiting their website,
http://www.npr.org/, and selecting the archives for their "All
Things Considered" program. | ||||||||||||||||
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(5) NEW MEXICO BARS DRUG CHARGE WHEN OVERDOSE IS REPORTED (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Struggling with an epidemic of drug fatalities, New Mexico has enacted a groundbreaking law providing immunity from prosecution for people who come forward to help drug users suffering overdoses. | ||||||||||||||||
The act, signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Bill Richardson, prevents
the authorities from prosecuting on the basis of evidence "gained as
a result of the seeking of medical assistance." | ||||||||||||||||
It also protects drug users themselves from prosecution if the
process of seeking help for an overdose provides the only evidence
against them. | ||||||||||||||||
The legislation, which was popularly known as the 911 Good Samaritan
bill, is the first of its kind in the nation, according to the
National Conference of State Legislatures. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(6) ROADMAP OF A PROGRESSIVE VICTORY (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Does "felon" bring to mind only rapists and murders and perhaps drug
dealers? It shouldn't, really. In many U.S. states, a felon is
anyone convicted of a crime where the sentence could be more than
one year. In practice, those offenses include not only rape and
murder, but perjury and bouncing a check. Yes, Martha Stewart is a
felon, in the eyes of the law. | ||||||||||||||||
America has always had felony voting bans. But their popularity
spiked in the Reconstruction-era South after the 15th Amendment gave
blacks the right to vote. Felony voting restrictions were a
seemingly "race neutral" tool, like the poll tax, that in practice
kept many blacks from the ballot box. (Currently, 1.4 million
African-American men cannot vote because of past felony | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
The group has just learned its first important lesson: to link its
research with other similar work to reach a larger audience -- in
doing so it not only increased public education, but got political
attention as well. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
"Legislators weren't taking a huge political risk -- they weren't ratifying anything," Schleifer says. If change had required that lawmakers directly expand rights for criminals, ending civil death may well have been dead on arrival -- instead, it was up to the voters themselves. This proved the second important lesson. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Schleifer began to build a corps of volunteers who could both win
over voters and make sure they turned out to vote. As it turned out,
some Restore the Vote volunteers were themselves disenfranchised or
had loved ones who were. But much of that corps was drawn from the
student bodies of Rhode Island College and Brown. Says Schleifer,
"We wouldn't have won without those students" -- another important
lesson. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
The expansion of voting rights in Rhode Island was a big concrete victory for voting rights activists, in that state and nationwide. But felony disenfranchisement doesn't exist in a bubble. It should be understood in the larger context of American civic life. It's "part and parcel of the way that we do democracy in this country," says Ana Munoz, field coordinator at the Brennan Center for Justice. | ||||||||||||||||
Digging into these issues, you strike at the fiber of American civics, where discussions over having to show a driver's license at the voting station spiral into a complex conversations on immigration and harkens back to the days of the poll tax. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
"Every civil rights change," says Munoz, "seems impossible at the
time." But of course, we can look at Rhode Island as one more of
example of how nothing is impossible. The harder progressives work
and the more we figure out how to work together, the more we can
achieve the social change we want to see -- no matter how daunting
the task might seem at first. | ||||||||||||||||
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(7) IN THE WAR ON DRUGS, A TAX PLAN THAT MAKES SENSE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Will higher prices really push smokers to stop? Will $7 packs persuade kids not to start? Or is the lure of smoking and grip of addiction so all-powerful, the customers will pay whatever it costs? | ||||||||||||||||
Most of the research says that higher prices have the most impact on
teenagers. They have less money in their pockets, even in the
affluent 'burbs. At the same time, tax opponents warn about a rise
in tax cheating, counterfeiting and illicit sales from Indian
reservations, should higher taxes come in. | ||||||||||||||||
Only one thing is certain: This debate will never be settled on the
facts. Addiction issues almost never are, and that certainly applies
to the new suburban cigarette-tax debate. | ||||||||||||||||
Why is tobacco legal and marijuana not? Why is alcohol taxed, while
cocaine and heroin are just available? Is it because some of these
substances are more dangerous than others? | ||||||||||||||||
Of course not. We've never had a War on Drugs in America. We've
always had a War on Some Drugs. And the teams were never chosen
rationally. | ||||||||||||||||
The prestigious British medical journal The Lancet published a
fascinating study last month. | ||||||||||||||||
Researchers from Oxford and Bristol universities set a | ||||||||||||||||
The researchers relied on three scales: the physical harm to the
user, the drug's addictiveness, and its impact on the user's family
and community. | ||||||||||||||||
Their data are hard to argue with: Alcohol and tobacco are more
harmful than marijuana or ecstasy. Heroin and cocaine topped the
list as most harmful. But there was hardly any connection at all,
the scientists pointed out, between the harm a drug does and how the
law has chosen to treat it. | ||||||||||||||||
Otherwise, pot would be legal. Tobacco and alcohol would not. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(8) NPR SERIES EXAMINES WAR ON DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The title sounds familiar - "The Forgotten War." So does the focus
of the NPR special that will premiere this week on the network's
"All Things Considered." | ||||||||||||||||
Scheduled to run Monday through Friday at 3 p.m. on KVCR-FM (91.9),
the miniseries consist of five features. Each is approximately 10
minutes in length, covering aspects of this country's largely
ineffective battle against drug use. | ||||||||||||||||
And, NPR reporter/producer Laura Sullivan agrees, that is hardly a
new topic for radio or television. However, she points out, "This is
a war that has been going on since the '80s and it seemed a good
time to go back and look at what is happening." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Monday's opening program will be hosted by veteran NPR newsman John
Burnett. It studies American efforts to reduce foreign drug
operations - efforts that have resulted in huge costs in dollars and
lives. | ||||||||||||||||
Juan Forero takes over Tuesday with a report on a six-year multi-billion dollar plan to slash Colombia's coca crop. | ||||||||||||||||
Burnett returns Wednesday in a broadcast that deals with efforts to
cut off drug supplies from foreign countries and to highlight a
successful anti-narcotics program in San Antonio. And Friday he will
be back to profile John P. Wilson, described as "the man behind the
Bush administration's war on drugs." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) must be doing something
right as they continue to get great coverage both by the press and
in the public's eye! | ||||||||||||||||
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(9) EX-OFFICER LIKENS DRUG WAR TO PROHIBITION (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Retired police officer Peter Christ on Tuesday compared the
contemporary war on drugs to National Prohibition of the 1920s. He
even likened the bloody St. Valentine's Day Massacre to a
"drug-related shooting" in today's big cities. | ||||||||||||||||
"When some reporter writes a story about a drug-related shooting,
the reader says, 'See what drugs cause,'" he said. "Not one reporter
in 1929, when reporting on the St. Valentine's Day Massacre,
referred to that as an alcohol-related shooting. They all called it
what it was -- a Prohibition-related shooting." | ||||||||||||||||
He said the same is true today. Drug policy, drug sales and drug
turf wars end up in gunplay; it is not people high on drugs shooting
it out. | ||||||||||||||||
Therefore, he said, it is the nation's failed drug policy that is
causing the problems. He is calling for the legalization -- with
strict regulation and control -- of all drugs: Marijuana, cocaine,
heroin, methamphetamine and LSD. | ||||||||||||||||
Christ, who spent 20 years as a captain on the police force of in
Tonawanda, N.Y., near Buffalo, is a founding member of LEAP -- Law
Enforcement Against Prohibition. | ||||||||||||||||
He spoke to students at Colby College on Tuesday afternoon on the
topic of cocaine and later in the day in a Goldfarb lecture on the
Mayflower Hill campus. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
He said members of LEAP believe that all of the drugs mentioned are dangerous and that they must be regulated and controlled. | ||||||||||||||||
"Now, here's the reality," he said. "When you chose the policy of
prohibition to deal with these drugs, you give up all of your
ability to regulate and control." | ||||||||||||||||
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(10) SSDP BRINGS NATIONAL SPEAKER TO CAMPUS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Nelson Addresses War On Drugs | ||||||||||||||||
"Cop says legalize drugs." The message lined Missouri Southern
sidewalks for the past week. | ||||||||||||||||
With less than a month as an official campus organization, Students
for a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) brought Law enforcement against
prohibition speaker Terry Nelson to the University. | ||||||||||||||||
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) is a non-profit
organization consisting of law enforcement officials and private
citizens dedicated to education on what they call the "failed public
policy" of the war on drugs. Nelson-a former police officer-gave two
presentations about drug policy reform to members of SSDP, students
and members of the community. | ||||||||||||||||
"His argument is inarguable," said Kyle Tucker, instructor of
English and faculty adviser to SSDP. | ||||||||||||||||
Nelson said the organizations primary goal is to educate the public on the dangers of the war on drugs and how reforms can be made. | ||||||||||||||||
"They [students] have to be given the truth," he said. "It's the not
the drugs it's the abuse of the drugs. | ||||||||||||||||
LEAP does not support or condone the use of currently illegal
substances. However, they wish to draw attention to the tax dollars
spent and the violence produced by waging the drug war. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(11) ALL DRUGS SHOULD BE LEGALIZED, RETIRED DETECTIVE SAYS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
If Howard Wooldridge had it his way, all illicit drugs in America
would be as legal as tobacco and alcohol. | ||||||||||||||||
The retired Michigan police detective is traveling across West
Virginia this week speaking on behalf of the organization Law
Enforcement Against Prohibition. | ||||||||||||||||
The nation's drug policy is badly in need of reform, Wooldridge said
in an interview with the Gazette, and the best reform is to legalize
all drugs so their sales are regulated and managed by the
government, not criminals, he said. - advertisement - | ||||||||||||||||
"We have tried to make America a land that is drug free, or close to it," he said, but those efforts have been a "catastrophic failure." | ||||||||||||||||
Wooldridge says the decades-old war on drugs waged by the government
is too expensive and has only made the drug situation in this
country worse. | ||||||||||||||||
"What's been the return on the investment for $1 trillion?" he
asked. "[Illegal] drugs are cheaper, stronger and readily available.
... All we have done is filled up prison after prison." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(12) DRUG ADVOCATES FOCUS EFFORTS ON REFORMING LAWS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
NORMAL -- The war on drugs has failed and U.S. policies against illegal drug use cost taxpayers $60 billion annually, three activists told an Illinois State University audience Thursday. | ||||||||||||||||
Greg Francisco of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Pete
Guinther, author/editor of Drug WarRant.com, and George Pappas,
executive director of Illinois Drug Education And Legislative Reform
and related groups promoting medical marijuana, talked to about 60
people at ISU's Bone Student Center. ISU's chapter of Students for a
Sensible Drug Policy sponsored the event. | ||||||||||||||||
Although their focuses varied, they all called for lessening the legal restrictions on currently illegal drugs, especially marijuana. | ||||||||||||||||
Guinther said the United States has 5 percent of the world's
population but 25 percent of its prison population. | ||||||||||||||||
"That's largely because of the drug war," he said. | ||||||||||||||||
Pappas said more black men are in Illinois prisons than in college classrooms. Citing a 2004 statistic, he said 24,949 Illinois black men were in prison and 20,725 were in colleges or universities. | ||||||||||||||||
Pappas said for every $1 spent for drug treatment, $7 is saved in
other costs, such as prison. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Guinther said current drug policies destroy families, especially in
inner cities, take away civil liberties, create a criminal class,
escalate violence and deny medicine to sick people. Marijuana has
been used for a variety of illnesses, such as AIDS, glaucoma,
cancer, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and chronic pain. | ||||||||||||||||
Guinther cited a four-year study in Switzerland in which free heroin
was given to addicts, and as a result their involvement in burglary,
muggings and robberies fell 98 percent. | ||||||||||||||||
Users in the program were healthier and had better employment,
housing and relationships than users not in the program, he said. He
added he did not advocate its use in any way and would not use it
himself. | ||||||||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-16) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson ignored pleas and fear talk from
drug czar John Walters and officially became the 12th state to
sanction medical cannabis. Let us hope the trend toward state
medical cannabis programs continues to spread to the rest of the
country. | ||||||||||||||||
A Calgary MS sufferer with a life long court exemption to grow and
use medicinal cannabis was sentenced to four months jail time for
supplying other medical users. Here is the twist - the judge gave
the judicial system until June to figure out how to accommodate
Grant Krieger and his cannabis requirements in prison. | ||||||||||||||||
Patricia Tabram, the infamous UK grandmother who was criminalized
for self-medicating with cannabis, is organizing a protest that will
force authorities to listen to her concerns and has invited the
sick, elderly and disabled who also benefit from cannabis to
participate. Let's hope the police who will oversee security are
compassionate enough to leave their taser guns and other riot gear
at home. | ||||||||||||||||
The new dark ages reigns once again as another growing season will
come and go in the USA without a single hemp plant being harvested.
Why? Because the DEA believes it is impossible to evaluate and
approve two applications to grow "marijuana" on the largest scale
ever seeking authorization in the seven weeks remaining before
planting season begins. | ||||||||||||||||
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(13) MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL SIGNED INTO LAW (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
SANTA FE -- Nearly three decades after medical marijuana first was
approved in New Mexico, Gov. Bill Richardson on Monday signed a law
authorizing the state Department of Health to give the drug to some
seriously ill patients. | ||||||||||||||||
New Mexico became the 12th state to legalize the use of marijuana
for medical reasons. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Richardson's signing of the bill, which takes effect July 1, drew
immediate criticism from White House drug czar John Walters, who had
asked the governor not to sign it. | ||||||||||||||||
Walters in an interview called it "disappointing" and | ||||||||||||||||
He said it would worsen New Mexico's problem of illegal drug use,
undermine the anti-drug message to youngsters and result in the
control problems like those California has experienced. | ||||||||||||||||
"This is a triumph of politics over science," he said, suggesting
Richardson sought "to curry the favor of wealthy donors who are
marijuana legalization advocates." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
New Mexico's health department will set up the program, which will
be overseen by an eight-member board of physicians. | ||||||||||||||||
Patients with certification from their doctors could apply to the
state agency, which would issue identification cards. | ||||||||||||||||
The health department must obtain the marijuana from production
facilities in the state "housed on secure grounds and operated by
licensed producers." Patients could not grow their own. | ||||||||||||||||
"So we have the proper safeguards," Richardson said at a news
conference. | ||||||||||||||||
The department is supposed to issue rules for the program in the
fall. | ||||||||||||||||
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(14) POT CRUSADER GETS JAIL TIME (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Judge Seeks Provisions to Allow Man to Smoke Marijuana in the Joint | ||||||||||||||||
A city pot crusader and medicinal marijuana user was sentenced
yesterday to four months in jail for trafficking, but the ruling
judge doesn't want him behind bars until Grant Krieger is allowed to
smoke weed while in the joint. | ||||||||||||||||
Krieger, 52, who has multiple sclerosis, was previously given a
constitutional exemption allowing him to smoke marijuana for
medicinal purposes, and provincial court Judge William Pepler
delayed the start of his sentence until provisions are made so
Krieger can light up while serving his time. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Before being sentenced, Krieger said he will never give up his fight
a cause he's been championing for 12 years -- even if he is sent to
jail. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
"The only thing necessary for evil to prevail is when good men do
nothing." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Pepler set a date in June to allow corrections officials enough time to make provisions for Krieger and to allow him to prepare for jail. | ||||||||||||||||
If provisions are made for Krieger to smoke marijuana in jail before that date, he has 48 hours to turn himself in to authorities. | ||||||||||||||||
If provisions can't be made by the deadline, there will be another
hearing with Pepler on June 18. | ||||||||||||||||
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(15) GRAN'S PROTEST PLANS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
A grandmother prosecuted for growing cannabis for self-medication is
to lead a protest in London supporting the right of people to use
the drug for health reasons. | ||||||||||||||||
Patricia Tabram, 68, said she expected hundreds of elderly, disabled
and sick people to take part. | ||||||||||||||||
She said: "We are planning to take 300 cars with four people in each
to London and block a very important area to cause as much chaos to
MPs as we can. | ||||||||||||||||
"We are going to be there all day and sit there until they listen to
us and take our concerns seriously. | ||||||||||||||||
"The people who are going to take part are all either elderly,
disabled or sick who want the right to grow cannabis in their homes
or take it as a medicine. | ||||||||||||||||
"We are sick of being ignored and victimised for taking a drug that
helps us." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
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(16) DEA WON'T RULE ON ND HEMP LICENSES IN TIME FOR SPRING PLANTING (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has told North Dakota
officials it is "unrealistic" for them to expect the DEA to approve
industrial hemp production by Sunday. | ||||||||||||||||
State Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson sums up the DEA
response in two words: permission denied. | ||||||||||||||||
Farmers Dave Monson and Wayne Hauge in February were issued the
nation's first licenses to grow industrial hemp, a cousin of
marijuana that falls under federal anti-drug rules even though it
does not produce a high. The state licenses are worthless without
DEA permission. | ||||||||||||||||
Hauge has said his crop must be in the ground by mid-May, and he
needs time to acquire seed and prepare the land. | ||||||||||||||||
Johnson hand-delivered to the DEA federal applications on Feb. 13 from Monson, a state lawmaker who farms near Osnabrock, and Hauge, a farmer from Ray, along with the farmers' nonrefundable $2,293 annual federal registration fees. He asked for a decision by April 1. | ||||||||||||||||
"If the applicants cannot have a decision in time to plant the crop,
then the applications are meaningless," Johnson said in a statement
Friday. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
"The time frame is even more infeasible where the agency is being
asked to evaluate two separate applications, both of which seek to
grow marijuana on a larger scale than any DEA registrant has ever
been authorized to undertake," Rannazzisi said. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
"Every other industrialized country in the world allows production
of industrialized hemp," Johnson said. "It's really time DEA let the
United States catch up." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
International News | ||||||||||||||||
COMMENT: (17-20) (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Momentum is building to allow Afghan farmers to sell their
much-needed opium just like Turkey and Tasmania do: for use as legal
painkillers. This week, according to the UK newspaper "Independent
on Sunday," Prime Minister Tony Blair is considering the idea of
buying up the Afghani farmers' opium crop, in a move said to have
surprised his own Home Office. Pakistan's president, Pervez
Musharraf, as well as Afghanistan's U.S.-installed president Hamid
Karzai, are also weighing the possibility of legalizing the growing
of opium, reported the IoS. U.S.-led prohibitionists, on the other
hand, still cling to fantasies of a technological silver bullet that
will eliminate the poppy, but President Karzai has so far refused to
allow aerial spraying for fear of open rebellion. | ||||||||||||||||
A new survey in Vancouver, Canada shows that the mayor's proposal to provide substitute drugs for heroin, meth and crack addicts is gaining ground. The survey, done by 24hours magazine, indicates that most of those polled think that the mayor's "Chronic Addiction Substitution Treatment" plan is a good idea. "[T]he average citizen is far more progressive than the politicians," said Ann Livingston of VANDU, a Vancouver drug-users advocacy organization. "People are getting past their moralistic approach to this issue," added Dave Jones, a retired 30-year veteran of the Vancouver police, and director of a crime prevention group in downtown Vancouver. | ||||||||||||||||
In New Zealand, police decide what kind of punishments that cannabis
users should receive, and police have decided that your boss should
be told if you're caught with a little pot. After staking out
small-time cannabis sellers' houses in South Auckland, police,
frustrated that they are unable to sufficiently punish cannabis
users with existing laws, are seeking to further punish cannabis
users who were snagged in the dragnet with loss of employment, by
informing employers of the arrests. The move to extend punishment
for cannabis users drew criticism from the Green Party. "The police
are enforcers of the law, not of their own views or morals. People
are entitled to their privacy," said Green Party spokeswoman Metiria
Turei of the police pre-conviction punishment plans. | ||||||||||||||||
And from the U.K., another police defection from the ranks of
prohibition happened when Chief Constable Tim Hollis of Humberside,
England, last week called for an open debate on drugs policy, which
includes looking at alternatives to jailing drug users. "It is
really important that we have a clear discussion about what the
options are, rather than just prohibition and locking people up. We
have been doing that for years." | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
(17) EXTRAORDINARY MOVE TO LEGALISE POPPY CROPS (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
The 'IoS' can reveal Tony Blair is considering calls to legalise
poppy production in the Taliban's backyard. The plan could cut
medical shortages of opiates worldwide, curb smuggling - and hit the
insurgents. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
The U.S. wants to step up eradication programmes, crop-spraying from the air. But, desperate to win "hearts and minds" in Afghanistan and protect British troops, Tony Blair is on the brink of a U-turn that will set him on a collision course with President George Bush. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
A Downing Street spokesman confirmed last night that Mr Blair is now
considering whether to back a pilot project that would allow some
farmers to produce and sell their crops legally to drugs companies.
His change of heart has surprised the Foreign Office, which recently
denied that licit poppy production was being considered. A freedom
of information request has revealed that the Government looked
carefully at proposals to buy up Afghanistan's poppy crop as early
as 2000, under the Taliban. The removal of that regime - justified
to both U.S. and British voters partly in terms of a victory in the
"war on drugs" - - has made it politically difficult to financially
reward poppy farmers. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
The White House has consistently rejected the idea that opium could help to solve Afghanistan's chronic poverty. But there are clear signs of a shift in international opinion towards allowing a legal trade. Pervez Musharraf, the President of Pakistan, has said that "buying the crop is an idea we could explore". He added: "We would need money from the U.S. or the UN. But we could buy the whole crop and destroy it. In that way the poor growers would not suffer." | ||||||||||||||||
The Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, who has opposed the idea in the
past, is said privately to have changed his mind - as long as the
international community takes on any licensing scheme. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Britain has resisted U.S. pressure to spray poppies from the air, fearing a widespread destruction of poor farmers' livelihoods would simply drive more of them into the hands of the Taliban. Last year, troops stationed in Helmand were plunged into some of the fiercest fighting experienced by British soldiers since the Korean War, despite carefully avoiding destroying local poppy crops. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
(18) CURE FOR DRUG WOES? (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Will a proposal to give legal drug substitutes to hardcore addicts
solve Vancouver's drug problems? A majority of residents appear
willing to give the idea a try. | ||||||||||||||||
A new survey done for 24 hours suggests cautious support for
Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan's plan to prescribe synthetic drugs to
some 700 Downtown Eastside addicts. | ||||||||||||||||
The survey, by official 24 hours pollster Strategic Communications, showed 57 per cent of respondents thought Sullivan's Chronic Addiction Substitution Treatment proposal could be a "good idea." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
For Ann Livingston, a coordinator with the outspoken drug-users
advocacy group VANDU, the results are a criticism of current drug
policy. | ||||||||||||||||
"It's an indication that the average citizen is far more progressive than the politicians," Livingston said. "There's nothing we're doing right now that works, so I'm happy to see some support for this." | ||||||||||||||||
Dave Jones, director of crime prevention with the Downtown Vancouver
Business Improvement Area, said the poll results show a change in
public attitude towards addiction. | ||||||||||||||||
"People are getting past their moralistic approach to this issue," said Jones, a retired 30-year veteran of the Vancouver police. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
(19) POLICE WANT TO TELL DRUG USERS' BOSSES (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
Police want to tell employers about the arrests of more than 40
people - - including a nurse and a train driver - caught buying
drugs from South Auckland tinnie houses. | ||||||||||||||||
The arrests were made during Operation Beware, in which people from
as far as Huntly, Tauranga and New Plymouth were among those buying
cannabis at Otara tinnie houses in the past few weeks. | ||||||||||||||||
Eastern area commander Inspector Jim Searle said they included a
train driver, mortgage broker, nurse and tradespeople. Some turned
up at tinnie houses during the day in company vehicles. | ||||||||||||||||
As well as prosecution, police are investigating if there is any way
of legally telling employers what employees have been up to during
work hours. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
Green Party associate health (drugs and alcohol) spokeswoman Metiria Turei said police had no right interfering in employment matters. | ||||||||||||||||
"The police are enforcers of the law, not of their own views or
morals. People are entitled to their privacy." | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
(20) POLICE CHIEF URGES DRUGS RETHINK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
HUMBERSIDE Chief Constable Tim Hollis, who is also responsible for national policies on illegal drugs, has called for an "open and dispassionate" debate as the Government prepares its strategy for the next decade, including a rethink on prosecutions for many users. | ||||||||||||||||
In 2008 Ministers will announce guidelines for the state's response
to drug issues for the next ten years and the debate is now starting
about which direction the Government should take. | ||||||||||||||||
Mr Hollis is also the Association of Chief Police Officers'
spokesman on drugs and believes public opinion is polarised, with
the liberal lobby seemingly prepared to legalise all drugs and their
conservative opponents viewing any apparent softening of the
authorities' approach with deep suspicion. | ||||||||||||||||
This leaves a vacuum where it is difficult to have a rational public
debate, he believes. | ||||||||||||||||
He told the Yorkshire Post: "We need to do what we can to generate
an open and dispassionate discussion about what does and doesn't
work. | ||||||||||||||||
"It is really important that we have a clear discussion about what
the options are, rather than just prohibition and locking people up.
We have been doing that for years. | ||||||||||||||||
"We want to continue targeting those which cause most harm and
criminals involved in drugs. That manifests itself in a series of
ways," he said. | ||||||||||||||||
That could involve "greater pragmatism" at street level, with a
higher level or recognition from police that normally law-abiding
youngsters are more likely than most of society to come into contact
with drugs because of where they socialise. | ||||||||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
THE MAGIC MUSHROOM MOMENT | ||||||||||||||||
A cultural history of the fanciful fungus. | ||||||||||||||||
Jacob Sullum | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
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/ | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
ASSESSING THE WAR ON DRUGS | ||||||||||||||||
Minnesota Public Radio | ||||||||||||||||
It's been more than 35 years since Richard Nixon declared drug abuse
"public enemy number one in the United States." Midmorning looks at
the history and effectiveness of the war on drugs, and talks about
efforts to reform the nation's drug laws. | ||||||||||||||||
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/04/02/midmorning1/ | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
NEW YORK CITY IS HELL FOR POT SMOKERS | ||||||||||||||||
By Paul Armentano | ||||||||||||||||
If you're a pot smoking African-American or Hispanic in New York City,
chances are you and the NYPD are on a first-name basis. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
THE FORGOTTEN WAR ON DRUGS | ||||||||||||||||
Nearly four decades after the United States declared a war on drugs,
juvenile drug abuse is on the decline, but illegal narcotics remain
cheap and plentiful. In a five-part series, NPR examines the progress
of U.S. anti-drug policy so far, and where experts say it should focus
next. | ||||||||||||||||
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9288397 | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
PATIENTS OUT OF TIME CONFERENCE VIDEO ONLINE | ||||||||||||||||
Patients Out of Time is pleased to announce that long term volunteer
Erv Dargan has begun to arrange for viewing on You Tube and
Google, past presentations of speakers at the four national clinical
cannabis conferences that POT has co-sponsored. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
'FLEX YOUR RIGHTS' INTERVIEWS | ||||||||||||||||
Flex Your Rights envisions a United States where every citizen is
prepared to assert his or her constitutional rights during police
encounters. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
THE OTHER WAR | ||||||||||||||||
Democratic Candidates are Deafeningly Silent on the Drug War | ||||||||||||||||
By Arianna Huffington | ||||||||||||||||
There is a major disconnect in the 2008 Democratic race for the White
House. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
MAPS FUNDRAISER: "THE FINAL FRONTIER" | ||||||||||||||||
April 28, 2007 in San Francisco, CA | ||||||||||||||||
Featuring Special Guests Stan and Christina Grof, Rick Doblin, and
Erik Davis, Ralph Metzner, Angel Raich and many more! Purchase tickets
at the MAPS Webstore. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
O'REILLY RIGHT ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA | ||||||||||||||||
By Mary Jane Borden | ||||||||||||||||
Bill O'Reilly is right. If you remove the digs on George Soros, fear
mongering, and disinformation veiled as fact, his Op-Ed, High on
Compassion, hits the mark on these important points: | ||||||||||||||||
- Cannabis is medicine that should be available to patients. If
marijuana can help those suffering with debilitating diseases, then
doctors should have the power to prescribe it and licensed
pharmacies should carry it. | ||||||||||||||||
- Cannabis distribution to patients should be regulated. Incredibly,
there is no age requirement to secure medical marijuana in
California. | ||||||||||||||||
- Non-medical use by children should be discouraged. There is
nothing compassionate about kids being intoxicated. | ||||||||||||||||
- The War on Drugs is wrong. Society needs to rethink its strategy
on intoxicants in general. | ||||||||||||||||
Unlike California, Ohio has the opportunity to roll out medicinal
cannabis the right way. State legislators are now considering such
legislation for Ohio. All of O'Reilly's points should be taken into
consideration - availability for patients, state regulation of
distribution, and the discouraging use by children. As he wisely
points out, we do indeed need to rethink our antiquated drug war
strategies toward this medicine. | ||||||||||||||||
One correction is in order, however. According to the DASIS Report of the U.S. Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 58 percent of admissions to treatment for marijuana come from the criminal justice system; in other words, from the over 700,000 arrests for cannabis each year. | ||||||||||||||||
Let's listen closely to the spirit of what Mr. O'Reilly says about compassion, not his vitriol, fear mongering, or disinformation. | ||||||||||||||||
Mary Jane Borden | ||||||||||||||||
President, Ohio Patient Network | ||||||||||||||||
Westerville | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
What's Right with Drugs | ||||||||||||||||
By Buford C. Terrell | ||||||||||||||||
I've been studying drugs, drug laws, and drug use, mainly from a
historical viewpoint, for many years now. As that time passed, a
couple of things slowly dawned on me. | ||||||||||||||||
The first is that almost all of the people arguing for reform of the
drug laws argue either that drugs aren't really as bad as they are
portrayed or that they would have no worse effects if they were
legal. Even the Libertarians tend to argue that if people want to
destroy themselves, they should be allowed to do so. Almost no one
argues that the use (other than medical use) of some drugs has some
beneficial effect. | ||||||||||||||||
The use of psychoactive drugs seems to be coextensive with human
society, and evidence from non-human populations like elephants and
birds, which seek out and eat fermented fruits, suggests that the
use extends throughout prehistory as well. I'm enough of a Darwinian
to believe that any behavior that has been that universal must have
some survival benefit, especially when we know that it comes with a
relatively high price in terms of negative effects. | ||||||||||||||||
The second thing I noticed was that for 150 years, the length of
time the drug as been available in the West, many creative people,
especially poets and musicians, have strongly claimed that hashish
or cannabis has enhanced their creativity. This claim is
wide-spread, and often comes from those who have reached the top of
their art; Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, and Willy Nelson are among
the musicians so claiming. In some branches of music -- jazz and
rock in particular, those using seem to be a majority of the active
performers. | ||||||||||||||||
Interestingly enough, no one seems to have tried to rebut these
claims. A few critics have scoffed, saying that the performers were
stoned and only thought they were playing better; but no one has
ever offered any evidence opposing the claim. On the other hand,
many musicians have bemoaned their use of opioids or stimulants and
have ruined their careers or fought long and hard to break
dependencies on those drugs. | ||||||||||||||||
My next change in thinking came when I starting studying LSD. Even
those of us who work extensively have trouble overcoming the
stereotypes drummed into us through a lifetime of propaganda. But I
soon realized that the proponents of LSD in the 1950s and 60s were
not drug fiends or junkies. Aldous Huxley was the third generation
of one of Britain's leading scientific families and an accomplished
writer and thinker himself. Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert were
respected members of the Harvard faculty. Ken Kesey was an
outstanding novelist and a fellow of the Stanford Creative Writing
Project. Strong evidence suggests that President Kennedy tried LSD.
When men of that stature and with those backgrounds report that LSD
expands and deepens thinking and experience and encourage others to
follow them, their reports are hard to ignore. | ||||||||||||||||
Amphetamines were first developed in the 1930s, and by WWII, all of
the armies of the world were using them to keep troops alert and
awake under adverse circumstances. The armies, including the U.S.,
are still using them today, with over 60% of the air missions in the
Gulf War being flown by aircrews using amphetamines. For 80 years
now, long distance truckers have used them to be more productive;
and many college students, including medical students find the
invaluable for those necessary all-nighters. | ||||||||||||||||
Over 80% of Americans use caffeine daily and find it makes them more
alert and productive. They do this in spite of "coffee nerves" and
upset stomachs. | ||||||||||||||||
Will any of these claims survive the cold light of the laboratory? I
don't know. I do know that they present testable hypotheses; and
that if confirmed, could lead to large social benefits. | ||||||||||||||||
Should we change the law if the benefits are established? I think
so, but a social calculus weighing those benefits against any social
cost would have to be made. In the 1970s, prescription amphetamines
clearly provided weight-loss and energy benefits to many, but the
problems of managing the resultant abuse was felt to outweigh those
benefits. | ||||||||||||||||
What I do know is that we should put those claims to the test and
see if they hold up. I don't know about you, but my life would be
better with some more Willy Nelsons, Louis Armstrongs, and Ken
Keseys. | ||||||||||||||||
Buford C. Terrell is a retired law professor whose teaching fields
included drug laws, law and sex, First Amendment, and legal history.
He also hosts a public interest television show in Houston called
"Drugs, Crime, and Politics". Read more of his writings at his blog,
http://terrelldruglaws.blogspot.com/. | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||||||||
"If Easter says anything to us today, it says this: You can put truth
in a grave, but it won't stay there. You can nail it to a cross, wrap
it in winding sheets and shut it up in a tomb, but it will rise!"
-- Clarence W. Hall | ||||||||||||||||
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