| July 11, 2008 #557 | ||||||||||
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Table of Contents
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THIS JUST IN (Top) | ||||||||||
(1) COMMUNITIES PAY FOR HIGH PRISON RATE (Top) | ||||||||||
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Phoenix Neighborhood's Missing Men | ||||||||||
PHOENIX -- When she hit 60, Sarah Coleman thought she was done
raising children. But today she is among the millions of Americans
left to fill the void for family members gone to jail. | ||||||||||
Now 66 years old, Ms. Coleman has three youngsters at home -- ages
5, 3 and 1. She doesn't know the whereabouts of her granddaughter,
who is their mother. As for the children's fathers, they have both
been in trouble with the law. One is in prison serving a 10-year
term for second-degree murder. The other has been in and out of jail
on drug charges. "I didn't intend to raise my great-grandkids," says
Ms. Coleman, who relies on supplies of diapers and baby wipes from a
local social-services center. "There are so many things I can't do
for them because of money, but I have to try." | ||||||||||
Here in South Mountain, a district in south Phoenix, more than 3,800
residents are displaced, serving time in prison or the county jail.
For every 100 adults, 6.1 are behind bars. That's more than five
times the national average of 1.09 per 100, according to a report by
the Pew Center, a nonpartisan research group. | ||||||||||
Arizona has the fastest-growing prison population of the Western
states, having increased 5.3% in 2007 to more than 38,000. Behind
those figures are many hidden, related costs -- financial burdens
that communities are often left to manage. | ||||||||||
For every person who goes to jail, businesses lose either a
potential employee or customer. | ||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||
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(2) EDITORIAL: TOO MANY PRISONERS (Top) | ||||||||||
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States Should Stop Warehousing Nonviolent Offenders. | ||||||||||
TWO REPORTS by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics show that the rate of growth in the prison and jail populations of the United States has slowed slightly but that the country still has the dubious distinction of being the largest jailer in the world. As of June 30, 2007, the country held roughly 2.3 million people behind bars, either in local or state jails or in federal prisons. | ||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||
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(3) EDITORIAL: MEDICAL MARIJUANA: DO NOT PROSECUTE (Top) | ||||||||||
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At least as long as President Bush is in charge, the federal
government is unlikely to advance medicine's use of marijuana.
Absent common sense leadership in the White House, Congress should
force the Justice Department to abandon prosecutions of possession
for medically prescribed marijuana in states that allow the
compassionate use of the drug. | ||||||||||
Bipartisan sponsors will try to win House approval for a measure to
guarantee no such abusive prosecutions in this state and the others
with medical marijuana laws. Reps. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., and Dana
Rohrabacher, R-Calif., hope to amend a Justice Department spending
bill to forbid use of any money for prosecuting patients using
marijuana in those states. | ||||||||||
As authors of a guest op-ed Tuesday noted, some members of the
Washington congressional delegation previously have opposed the
measure. A year ago, Reps. Norm Dicks, Doc Hastings, Rick Larsen,
Dave Reichert, Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Adam Smith rejected this
assurance to people sick enough to receive marijuana prescriptions.
To their credit, Reps. Brian Baird, Jay Inslee and Jim McDermott
opposed the wasteful use of federal funds. | ||||||||||
In this state, where a people's initiative has offered compassion
for a decade, the minimum expectation should be for every member of
the congressional delegation to support the measure. While we wait
for more science and less politics on medical marijuana, no patient
should fear prosecution. | ||||||||||
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(4) COLUMN: COME ON BACK AND MAKE SOME SENSE (Top) | ||||||||||
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It was one of the good things in a bad year. It was a serious
attempt to put some fairness and common sense into a system sadly
lacking in either. | ||||||||||
It was an attempt to keep people who shouldn't be in prison out of
prison. It was hopeful. | ||||||||||
And it was shot down by Governor Carcieri, who apparently wants to
keep the ACI running at full capacity and then some. | ||||||||||
So on Wednesday, people gathered across from the ACI in Cranston to point out how really shortsighted the governor has been. | ||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||
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WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW (Top) | ||||||||||
Domestic News- Policy | ||||||||||
COMMENT: (5-8) (Top) | ||||||||||
Not a whole lot of new policy news this week, other than old stories
are dragging on and advancing in sometimes disturbing ways.
Independent contractors have been used in the international drug war
for some time, but their use seems to be increasing according to the
Wall Street Journal. In Hawaii, drug war politics and union politics
are still tied up; in Pennsylvania some journalists and police are
coming to the disturbing realization that drug dealers live in the
suburbs too; and in Michigan voters will decide on medical
marijuana. | ||||||||||
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(5) U.S. RELIES MORE ON CONTRACTORS TO FIGHT DRUG TRADE (Top) | ||||||||||
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During the more than five years that three Northrop Grumman Corp. employees were held hostage in Colombia, captured while on a Defense Department job, the U.S. steadily increased its use of contractors to help fight the drug trade in dangerous parts of the world. | ||||||||||
Although the biggest defense contractors have shown no interest in
providing teams of armed security guards similar to those in Iraq
from Blackwater Worldwide or DynCorp International, they are
increasingly willing to operate close to danger. | ||||||||||
The U.S. spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year hiring
pilots, mechanics, and military and police trainers to combat the
drug trade in South American countries, as well as Afghanistan and
other Central Asian states. Lockheed Martin Corp. also supports
peacekeeping forces in Darfur. Last year, the Defense Department
tapped Northrop as one of five to lead a five-year contract focused
on fighting terrorism and the drug trade. The contract could be
worth as much as $15 billion if fully funded, but the work, under
the Counter Narcoterrorism Technology Program Office, will be
assigned through small contracts depending on the government's
needs. Others given a shot at competing for the work include
Blackwater, Raytheon Co., Lockheed and Arinc Inc. | ||||||||||
"The military is not enamored of these other missions," said Brian
Jenkins, a senior adviser at Rand Corp. and former Army Special
Forces officer. The Pentagon has awarded Northrop seven smaller
contracts as part of the larger counterdrug contract, but details
are classified. Northrop spokesman Randy Belote said the company is
making greater inroads into that line of business as such efforts
become more high-tech. "It's moving more into the electronic
surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance realm, so it's
perfectly aligned with our business," he said. | ||||||||||
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(6) EDITORIAL: PUBLIC ILL-SERVED WITH ENDLESS DRUG TEST FIGHT (Top) | ||||||||||
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Enough. | ||||||||||
It is long past time to end the petty quarreling over implementation
of public school teacher drug testing. | ||||||||||
In the private sector, this would have been accomplished long ago. | ||||||||||
Is it any wonder the public has little faith in government? | ||||||||||
The tests were agreed to a year ago. Deadlines were set for
implementation. The same old arguing is going on. | ||||||||||
Neither side in this ugly dispute was clear about funding. Each
carries the blame for that and each has a responsibility to settle
the matter quickly and fairly. | ||||||||||
Yes, this was the governor's idea, but it was agreed to by all sides
in the contract and it is the Department of Education's | ||||||||||
The governor is right that the cost estimates from the DOE seem
wildly high. | ||||||||||
The governor is wrong, however, to again raise the ill-conceived
suggestion that pay raises should be tied to implementation of drug
testing. | ||||||||||
All of this smacks of the same old political fight between the DOE
and the governor. | ||||||||||
It needs to end now. | ||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||
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(7) DRUG KINGPINS CASHING IN ON SUBURBS' SPOILS (Top) | ||||||||||
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The Comfort And Security Of Affluent Areas Are Selling Points For
Criminals, Officials Say. | ||||||||||
They were living the American dream. | ||||||||||
A lavish home in the suburbs. Fine clothes and jewelry. Expensive
cars. All financed, if federal investigators are correct, with narco
dollars. | ||||||||||
While the description was applied most recently to the lifestyle of
Vicente and Chantal Esteves, a young couple arrested on charges of
running an international cocaine distribution network from their
home in Monmouth County, it could apply to a number of convicted or
suspected drug kingpins whose cases have surfaced in the last two
years. | ||||||||||
They live in comfortable, upper-middle-class communities where BMWs
are commonplace, swimming pools dot many backyards, and the school
system is top-notch. | ||||||||||
And they accumulate the kind of luxury items - authorities found
nearly 100 Rolex watches and 100 pairs of Prada shoes in the Esteves
residence - that separate the really wealthy from the merely
well-to-do. | ||||||||||
"It was an enterprise concealed in suburbia," said DEA Agent Douglas
S. Collier, spokesman for the agency's Newark office that worked the
Esteves case. "They had so much money they didn't know what to do
with it." | ||||||||||
While several neighbors, who would only speak anonymously, said last
week that they wondered about the Esteveses' ostentatious lifestyle,
narcotics investigators say it fits a pattern. | ||||||||||
Drug kingpins, they say, move to the suburbs for the same reasons as
anyone else - for comfort and security. And, like other | ||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||
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(8) 3 ISSUES SET TO FACE VOTERS IN NOVEMBER (Top) | ||||||||||
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The once-crowded field of ballot proposals hoping to win voter
approval in November dwindled to just three Monday -- two
constitutional amendments and one law -- as the deadline passed for
submitting petitions. | ||||||||||
Barring late action by the Legislature to assign another amendment to the ballot, those three will be the only policy decisions facing state voters Nov. 4 ( assuming all three survive legal challenges ). | ||||||||||
The two amendments are: | ||||||||||
. A proposed easing of restrictions on embryonic stem cell research | ||||||||||
. A sweeping revision of the constitution's political provisions, | ||||||||||
The initiative would: | ||||||||||
* Legalize the possession and use of marijuana for medical purposes. | ||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||
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Law Enforcement & Prisons | ||||||||||
COMMENT: (9-12) (Top) | ||||||||||
Drug war politics and immigration politics got mixed up in San
Francisco last week; more details about a sheriff's drug war slush
fund have emerged; a judge punishes a man for possibly drinking too
much water; and in an annual mid-summer ritual, police are asking
people enjoying the great outdoors to spend some of that time
working as cannabis spotters. | ||||||||||
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(9) S.F. JUVENILE HALL BRACES FOR DETAINEE SURGE (Top) | ||||||||||
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The population of San Francisco's juvenile hall is likely to spike
now that the city has reversed its policy of shielding juvenile
illegal immigrants convicted of felonies from federal immigration
officials, city officials said Thursday. | ||||||||||
And the undocumented youths are likely to see the length of their
stays in detention increase dramatically as the juvenile probation
department faces fewer alternatives to locking them up. At least one
city official warned that many of the teenagers could be detained
for a year or more. | ||||||||||
Controversy over the number of youths locked up at juvenile hall
erupted last spring when children's advocates criticized Mayor Gavin
Newsom and his handpicked Chief Probation Officer William Siffermann
for allowing the number of incarcerated youths to rise to 156, a
30-year high. | ||||||||||
That was more than the maximum capacity of 150 at the new Youth Guidance Center near Twin Peaks, and city officials promised during the facility's construction that the beds would never be filled. Siffermann was hired by Newsom in 2005 in large part because he had cut the size of the juvenile hall population in Chicago. | ||||||||||
After the complaints, Newsom promptly ordered the number in San Francisco reduced and issued an executive order demanding reform in the city's juvenile justice system. The number of incarcerated youths immediately went down to 128. As of Thursday, it was at 119. | ||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||
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(10) SHERIFF'S DRUG FUND SPENDING REVEALED (Top) | ||||||||||
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Smith Used $615,000 in Federal Funds for Tuition, a Lease, Private
Lawyer and More | ||||||||||
ST. MARYS - Camden County Sheriff Bill Smith stopped paying jail inmates from seized drug assets when state investigators began looking into the controversial practice last July, according to copies of checks he released to avoid a lawsuit last month. | ||||||||||
But Smith continued to use the federal forfeiture money for other
questionable expenditures such as college tuition for favored
deputies, a Kingsland boxing club's lease, and a retainer for a
private lawyer, the checks show. And he used the federally regulated
fund to pay routine expenses after county commissioners cut his
operating budget last year. | ||||||||||
Federal guidelines say the asset money, returned to counties based
on drug arrests, is to be used only for law enforcement purposes
such as equipment, jails or training. They expressly say the funds
are not to be used for the department's general operational costs or
in any way that gives the appearance of extravagance, waste or
impropriety. | ||||||||||
But over the years , Smith has used the money to work inmates on
private property, establish college scholarships and donate to
Camden nonprofits. Questions over his use of the funds led County
Commission Chairman Preston Rhodes to refuse to sign an | ||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||
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(11) URINE TEST SETS OFF A DISPUTE AND LANDS A MAN IN JAIL (Top) | ||||||||||
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BRADENTON - Little Sam Rich was free on bail awaiting sentencing in a drug case when a judge ordered him locked up after a urine test. | ||||||||||
There were trace amounts of cocaine and marijuana in his system, but
something else caught the judge's eye and convinced her that Rich
had tried to cheat the system: his "abnormal" level of a chemical
called creatinine. | ||||||||||
Creatinine is a natural by-product of chemical reactions in muscle.
Doctors look at creatinine levels to determine kidney functioning.
But creatinine is also carefully watched by the courts as a measure
of dilution in a urine sample. | ||||||||||
A person who drinks a lot of water before a urine test will likely
show low levels of creatinine, experts say, and in the world of drug
courts, an abnormally low level of the chemical is considered a
positive drug test. | ||||||||||
"Creatinine is not, of course, an illegal substance," said Rich's
attorney, Charles M. Britt III, who urged Circuit Judge Debra Johnes
Riva to free Rich from jail at a hearing last week. "There is
nothing out there showing he ever did anything wrong. We are basing
this all on a lot of assumptions." | ||||||||||
Riva was not moved. Riva said she had to put public safety first and was concerned Rich had been out using drugs while awaiting sentencing. Drug use leads to crime, she said. Riva ordered Rich held in custody until he is sentenced in his drug case this month. | ||||||||||
But Rich likely will not be prosecuted for trying to defraud a urine
test -- a misdemeanor -- because there is no solid evidence he tried
to cheat. Britt said Rich is a landscaper who naturally drinks lots
of water. | ||||||||||
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(12) STATE COPS ASK HELP IN SPOTTING POT (Top) | ||||||||||
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LANSING - While enjoying the outdoors this summer, Michigan State
Police troopers are asking residents and travelers to be on the
lookout for indicators of illegal marijuana planting. | ||||||||||
"With its fertile land and remote areas, Michigan is a popular state
for marijuana planting," said Col. Peter C. Munoz, director of the
Michigan State Police. "To avoid apprehension and forfeiture of
their property, growers often plant marijuana on public land or on
the property of others, making it common to find marijuana plants in
farm fields, backyards, natural forest openings and the shores of
lakes, rivers, streams and swamps." | ||||||||||
Indicators of outdoor grow operations include unusual amounts of traffic; use of camping equipment or recreational vehicles on wooded property with no evidence of recreational activities; persons with little or no farming experience who purchase fertilizer, plastic PVC piping, chicken wire, camouflage netting and clothing; large amounts of PVC piping or irrigation hoses located in heavily wooded areas; and patrolled or guarded woods, swamps and other remote areas. | ||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||
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Cannabis & Hemp- | ||||||||||
COMMENT: (13-16) (Top) | ||||||||||
Some opponents of cannabis law reform appear to object on primarily esthetic grounds, based on a distaste for "cannabis culture" and all the lava lamps and tie-dyed clothing that go with it, never ceasing to amuse themselves with tiresome pot puns, stereotypes and cliches. | ||||||||||
In counter-point, a student journalist argues that "cannabis culture"
is defined by prohibition and may, he posits, depend on it for its
very survival. Prohibition once again promoting what it claims to
suppress. | ||||||||||
For example, carefully consider the justifications offered by a DEA
official for investing significant resources into tearing up cannabis
crops while Californian beds are burning. | ||||||||||
Finally, an informative column on the evolving jurisprudence
surrounding the integration of medicinal cannabis law with labor and
civil rights law in California. | ||||||||||
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(13) SENSIBLE POT A HALF-BAKED POLICY, DUDE (Top) | ||||||||||
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Marijuana makes you stupid. It's as simple as that. | ||||||||||
And now in Massachusetts, we are going to have a ballot question that
asks the following: Do you really want to make it even easier than it
already is to get stupid, and stay stupid? | ||||||||||
Yes, the Bong Brigade is on the march again. They want to put the high
back into high school, the truckin' back in truck stops, the joint
back in all those joint legislative committees. Stand by to see
stoners at the Stone Zoo, potheads in Marblehead. The grass is always
greener in Greenfield, dude. | ||||||||||
If you liked HempFest on the Boston Common every September, you're
going to love legalized marijuana. | ||||||||||
This one's, like, totally for Jerry Garcia! | ||||||||||
This year, the front group is something called the Committee for
Sensible Marijuana Policy, and it's pushing a Sensible State Marijuana
Policy. Its flacks are available for media interviews to discuss their
"sensible policy." | ||||||||||
Organizers include the usual "concerned citizens," with a few token
"former law enforcement professionals" thrown in. Their goal is to use
the initiative to abolish criminal penalties for less than an ounce of
marijuana or, to use their preferred word, hemp, as in, "Dude, did you
know, like, George Washington's army used hemp when it was fighting
in, uh, like, was it the Civil War, man?" | ||||||||||
The sensible group's press release sounds like it was written after
watching a "Dragnet 1967" marathon on TVLand. Harmless people, we are
told, "are arrested, booked, entered into the Criminal Offender Record
Information (CORI) system, resulting in a possible sentence of up to
six months in jail and a $500 fine." | ||||||||||
Key word: possible. | ||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||
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(14) LEGALIZING MARIJUANA WILL RUIN A GREAT CULTURE (Top) | ||||||||||
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As we coast through this election season, it seems that everyone has
knowledge on current and relevant issues: the economy, gas prices, gay
rights, etc. That said, there is one issue on the minds of American
youth that you don't have to wait until an election year to hear
about: Marijuana. | ||||||||||
The fight for reform of weed laws has been quite a long battle -
nearly half a century and counting - but the pot smokers of America
refuse to relent. From their ongoing struggle against the woes of
prohibition, the cannabis consumers of our country have managed to
create what is now one of the nation's largest student organizations -
the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML.
After all the buildup I've crammed into this introduction, it will
probably surprise many readers that I think the legalization of
marijuana is a terrible idea. | ||||||||||
Before I explain myself, I feel obligated to mention this: I have
nothing against pot smokers. Some of the nicest, most intelligent
people I know are frequent users, and almost everyone I know will
admit to trying it at least once in their lives. I honestly see
nothing wrong with purchasing or smoking marijuana, - after all, it
doesn't seem to have any negative effects, short or long term. It's
the lack of any real negative effects that make weed the most popular
illegal substance. I would never tell a pot smoker that what they are
doing is wrong or try to get them to stop because it just doesn't seem
like that big of a deal. That said, I myself have never participated
in such an activity; it's just not my style. I like the idea of
knowing that my zany thoughts sprout from a sober mind. | ||||||||||
So why not legalize it? Simple logic: If pot becomes legal, it just
won't be interesting anymore. Marijuana is one of the only illegal
substances so influential in American culture that it's users have
developed a sub-culture of their own. Weed culture is a nationwide
phenomenon complete with films, music, books, stores and silly T-
shirts; all dedicated to America's favorite criminal pastime. It's a
culture with its own heroes, like Bob Marley, Willie Nelson, Cheech
and Chong. A pot leaf is more than just a picture of a drug; it is a
symbol that connects people to a lifestyle. | ||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||
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(15) IN DEFENSE OF THE MARIJUANA BUSTS (Top) | ||||||||||
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Re "As fires rage, the law protects us from marijuana," July 1: Peter
Schrag's commentary on marijuana is short-sighted on many levels. For
example, he suggests that law-enforcement agencies disregard large-
scale marijuana cultivation because he doesn't perceive the imminent
danger to our communities. Unfortunately, Mr. Schrag hasn't followed
the news for the past two years. | ||||||||||
Specifically, heavily armed drug gangs are invading California's once pristine forest land and stripping away the lush vegetation to clear space for marijuana cultivation. In turn, sophisticated crime syndicates are creating indoor marijuana factories in nearby, quiet residential neighborhoods, dumping toxic fertilizers and assorted chemicals into the otherwise clean community water systems. | ||||||||||
These surreptitious activities pose serious health risks to
unsuspecting residents, including children attending local schools.
They should not be ignored, and they cannot be tolerated. Accordingly,
the Drug Enforcement Administration regards these illegal incursions
by drug profiteers as a clear and present danger to our national well-
being. | ||||||||||
Adopting a permissive attitude toward the marijuana trade will lead to
three immediate consequences. First, it will encourage more
involvement by organized crime. Second, it will lead to greater
devastation of our natural environment. Third, it will further
endanger the long-term health of our younger citizens. Click here to
find out more! | ||||||||||
Gordon Taylor, Sacramento | ||||||||||
Special Agent in Charge, | ||||||||||
DEA Sacramento Office | ||||||||||
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(16) NO GOOD REASON FOR MEDIPOT DECISION (Top) | ||||||||||
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It is almost certain that the 56 percent of California voters who
approved Proposition 215 in an attempt to legalize medical use of
marijuana did not intend for employers to discriminate against persons
who take advantage of the law they passed. | ||||||||||
As it has evolved since passage, the 1996 initiative lets cities and
counties issue medipot usage cards to users who smoke the weed to ward
off pain caused by ailments from migraine headaches to a wide variety
of cancers. Where they exist, the cards can only be obtained with a
doctor's recommendation. | ||||||||||
With that background, the question before the state Supreme Court
earlier this year was whether an employer can fire a worker for using
medical marijuana with a doctor's recommendation. | ||||||||||
Given that court's longtime background as a bastion of civil liberties, most recently seen in a gay marriage decision very much in line with its tradition of ensuring Californians have even more rights than the U.S. Constitution guarantees, the answer was surprising. | ||||||||||
Yes, the court said, a worker can be fired for using medipot with a
doctor's permission even if that use has zero effect on his or her job
performance. | ||||||||||
"The Compassionate Use Act (Proposition 215) does not eliminate
marijuana's potential for abuse or the employer's legitimate interest
in whether an employee uses the drug," said the 5-2 majority opinion
written by Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar. She somehow thought she
was backing up that statement by adding that "Under California law, an
employer may require pre-employment drug tests and take illegal drug
use into consideration in making employment decisions." What about
legal drug use, as defined by California voters? | ||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||
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International News | ||||||||||
COMMENT: (17-21) (Top) | ||||||||||
Two articles from the Los Angeles Times this week about the
continuing slaughter in Mexico, as an escalated drug war backfires
and causes the kind of turf-war gang violence that stopped in the
U.S. when the prohibition of alcohol was repealed in 1933. Reporters
in Mexico fear to even report on aspects of the drug turf wars for
fear of becoming targets themselves. | ||||||||||
The Irish government has an original, new way to stop drugs reports
this week's Irish examiner newspaper: a new telephone hotline where
people can denounce drug suspects to police. Similar programs, like
"Dob-In-A-Dealer" in the U.K. and Australia, as well as
"Crimestoppers" in the U.S. have failed to dent demand for, or
reduce supply of illicit drugs. | ||||||||||
The Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper this week reports that the
new chief of the Dangerous Drugs Board would fight the "war" on
drugs in a most zealous manner. Vicente "Tito" Sotto III (formerly
in the Philippine Senate), took the reigns of the prohibitionist
agency following the admission last month by Philippine Drug
Enforcement Agency Dionisio Santiago that police do "plant
evidence," after all. Incoming DDB head Sotto did not mention
Santiago's earlier promises to frame citizens to obtain drug
convictions. | ||||||||||
Speakers at a seminar on healthcare and drug abuse in Indonesia this week called on government to stop criminalizing drug users, reported the Jakarta Post in Indonesia. Harsh laws aimed at addicts make things worse by making people "too afraid to seek treatment because the police targeted them for arrest and criminal prosecution." | ||||||||||
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(17) 11 BODIES FOUND IN TIJUANA OVER 3 DAYS (Top) | ||||||||||
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Six Are Found Monday Morning, Shot Execution-Style and Partially
Burned in What Appears to Be Drug-Related Violence. | ||||||||||
TIJUANA -- Police discovered the tortured and burned bodies of six
men in an empty lot Monday morning, ending a period of relative calm
in this border city beset by drug war violence. | ||||||||||
Eleven bodies have been discovered since Saturday in violence
believed to be drug-related, including the corpse of a woman found
in a barrel, state and federal authorities said. | ||||||||||
The weekend tally pushed the city's death toll this year to more than 260, compared with about 152 homicides at this time last year, and underscored authorities' difficulties curbing organized crime. | ||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||
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(18) REPORTERS COVERING MEXICO DRUG WARS RISK THEIR LIVES (Top) | ||||||||||
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As Violence Has Soared, More Than 30 Reporters Have Died or
Disappeared in Mexico Since 2000, the Group Reporters Without
Borders Says. | ||||||||||
VILLAHERMOSA, MEXICO -- Rodolfo Rincon had reason to feel cheery when he left his newspaper office on a January evening last year. | ||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||
Colleagues believe Rincon, 54, was captured, and probably killed, by
drug traffickers aggrieved by his crime coverage. He is among more
than 30 reporters killed or missing in Mexico since 2000 as drug
violence has skyrocketed, according to Paris-based Reporters Without
Borders. | ||||||||||
In many ways, Mexico's democratic evolution has afforded the news
media greater freedom than at any time in modern history. But at the
same time, reporters are working on a battlefield: Mexico is
considered the most dangerous Latin American nation in which to be a
journalist, and one of the riskiest in the world. | ||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||
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| ||||||||||
(19) NATIONAL HOTLINE AIMS TO COMBAT DRUG DEALING (Top) | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
A NATIONAL hotline to combat drug dealing is to be rolled out across
the country from this autumn. | ||||||||||
The confidential phoneline is aimed at providing "intimidated
communities" a safe way to pass on information anonymously about
drug dealing in their areas, and indirectly, to gardai. | ||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
(20) NEW DDB CHAIR SOTTO LAUNCHES 'WAR' VS DANGEROUS DRUGS (Top) | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
MANILA, Philippines -- Former Sen. Vicente "Tito" Sotto III on
Tuesday formally took over the helm of the Dangerous Drugs Board
(DDB) and other agencies involved in the crusade against illegal
drugs, but said that as a "war machine" the agency needs fine
tuning. | ||||||||||
Amid criticisms that it was part of President Gloria | ||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||
In an interview after the rites, Sotto told reporters, "When it
comes to the issue of illegal drugs, politics is out of the
question" as he maintained that he would focus on addressing the
drug menace and buckle down to work. | ||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
(21) DRUG LAWS NEED REVISING TO STOP CRIMINALIZING ADDICTS: SEMINAR (Top) | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
Speakers at a seminar in Depok on Saturday said drug laws needed to
place more of an emphasis on rehabilitation for users and stop
treating addicts the same as traffickers and dealers. | ||||||||||
Drug laws, according to an official from the Health Ministry,
criminalize drug users, treating them like traffickers, which in
turn undermines efforts aimed at rehabilitation. | ||||||||||
The ministry's director for the development of mental health,
Aminullah, said drug users require special treatment to help them
break their addiction. | ||||||||||
However, he said many users were too afraid to seek treatment
because the police targeted them for arrest and criminal
prosecution. | ||||||||||
[snip] | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
HOT OFF THE 'NET (Top) | ||||||||||
EMERGING FROM THE DRUG WAR DARK AGE | ||||||||||
LSD and Other Psychedelic Medicines Make a Comeback | ||||||||||
By Charles Shaw | ||||||||||
After a 40-year moratorium, credible research for treating illnesses
and addictions with psychedelic compounds has made a miraculous
comeback. | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
Laura Carlsen is the director of the Americas program for the Center
for International Policy, which advocates foreign policy based on
demilitarization and a respect for human rights. She writes
extensively on Mexico. | ||||||||||
Senator Patrick Leahy is a Vermont Democrat who heads the foreign operations subcommittee and is an advocate of the package. | ||||||||||
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laplaza/2008/07/draft-merida.html | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
UNCLE SAM'S PATENTED MARIJUANA MEDICINE | ||||||||||
By Jacob Sullum | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
BIG PHARMA IS IN A FRENZY TO BRING CANNABIS-BASED MEDICINES TO MARKET | ||||||||||
By Paul Armentano | ||||||||||
While the the American Medical Association claims pot has no medical value, Big Pharma is busy getting patents for marijuana products. | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
DRUG TRUTH NETWORK | ||||||||||
Century of Lies - 07/08/08 - John Stossel | ||||||||||
ABC reporter John Stossel & DTN reporter Dean Becker spend the half hour discussing the drug war & Stossel's latest article at Townhall.com | ||||||||||
Cultural Baggage Radio Show - 07/09/08 - Ryan King | ||||||||||
Ryan King of the Sentencing Project + Terry Nelson with the LEAP
report, Cannabis College ad. | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
DISPATCHES FROM VIENNA | ||||||||||
By Graham Boyd, ACLU | ||||||||||
As I head to Vienna for a historic U.N. meeting on drug policy, I find
myself reflecting on the pervasive influence of the United States on
drug laws around the globe. The news of today, and of any given day,
is permeated with tragedies and dramas that exist only because we, in
the United States, have convinced ourselves and much of the world that
prison and black markets are the best solutions to the human urge to
ingest substances, despite (or perhaps because of) their powerful
ability to alter brain chemistry. | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
BC UNDER SMOKE: CANNABIS CULTURE THRIVES IN VANCOUVER | ||||||||||
Welcome to Vansterdam, where marijuana is as close to legal as it gets
and cannabis culture has become mainstream. From the huge smoke-ins to
cannabis-friendly establishments, it's clear that Vancouverites like
their BC bud. | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
WHY CRACKDOWNS ON DRUGS IN PRISON COMPLETELY MISS THE POINT | ||||||||||
By Steve Rolles, Transform Drug Policy Foundation | ||||||||||
So another report on drugs in prisons, another outline of how bad the
problem is, another list of how drugs get into prisons, and set of
recommendations for a crackdown - based on, you guessed it, a new
co-ordinated strategy, new technology and some new guidelines on
best practice. | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
ADOPTING A HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED GLOBAL DRUG POLICY | ||||||||||
ACLU Statement to the United Nations | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
WOULD LEGALIZING CANNABIS BENEFIT YOUR COMMUNITY? | ||||||||||
World Have Your Say, BBC World Service | ||||||||||
Dope on the ropes : two U.S states consider legalising cannabis for health, crime and economic reasons, you ask us... if it's the right time to take marijuana off the crime list... Would it spare police for bigger crimes, ease the pain of the sick and stop the dealers cashing in? Or will it just lead to people trying stronger drugs? | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||
Write A Letter | ||||||||||
Too Many Prisoners. A DrugSense Focus Alert. | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
LETTER OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||
FAILURES IN THE FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS | ||||||||||
By Anthony Papa | ||||||||||
To the Editor: | ||||||||||
Your editorial, while accurate, misses the overarching point. Prohibition failed in the past, and it is not working now. The scarce tax dollars currently being wasted by the White House on quixotic interdiction adventures pale in comparison to the decades of tax revenues we haven't been collecting because of prohibition. | ||||||||||
These funds could help pay for honest drug education, free drug
treatment on demand and better health care -- all things we need right
now. | ||||||||||
Instead of flawed government hype, we need policy alternatives to the
drug war that uphold the sovereignty of individuals over their minds
and bodies and are grounded in science, compassion, health and human
rights. | ||||||||||
Anthony Papa | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
LETTER WRITER OF THE MONTH - JUNE (Top) | ||||||||||
DrugSense recognizes Robert Sharpe for his 12 letters published
during June, bringing the total number of published letters archived
by MAP to 2,012. Robert writes as a volunteer for Common Sense for
Drug Policy ( www.csdp.org ). Robert spends about an hour a day
after work, which is unrelated to drug policy, sending out letters.
Robert's tips for letter writing success are at | ||||||||||
You may read Robert's published letters at: | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
FEATURE ARTICLE (Top) | ||||||||||
Allergies And Addictions | ||||||||||
By Stephen Young | ||||||||||
Just say no to corn. That's my current motto. | ||||||||||
It's just for me - I don't want to force it on anyone else. But,
personally, corn abstinence is the right thing. | ||||||||||
There was a time in my life when I had lots of asthma attacks. The
attacks were more or less daily events. | ||||||||||
When I started to take a close look a when those attacks occurred, I realized many were precipitated by eating corn. I did a little research and learned that there are people who are indeed allergic to corn, so I decided to try and avoid the substance for a while. | ||||||||||
A strange thing happened. The asthma attacks decreased in frequency
and severity. They didn't disappear altogether until years later
when I looked at other activities and events in my life that seemed
to impact the asthma attacks. | ||||||||||
But saying no to corn helped to get the ball rolling. | ||||||||||
Giving up corn isn't necessarily an easy thing to do, particularly
if you eat a typical American diet with frequent portions of
processed fast food. Corn is hidden in many foods (just about
anything that mentions "high fructose" or "modified food starch" on
a label is suspect), but it's more difficult than that. Corn is
hidden in many things I find tasty: most candy bars, many bakery
sweets, most ice creams and so on. | ||||||||||
Just thinking about a sticky-chewy-crunchy-sweet Snickers bar right
now gets the old salivary glands pumping a bit. But I'm not going to
have one, as I know the sensation of constricted lungs and other
allergic reactions are not worth the taste. | ||||||||||
For me, the negatives outweigh the positives, and thus I try my best
to abstain. | ||||||||||
Many people who have problems with substances may not realize the
point when they've passed from beneficial use into detrimental use.
However, as the benefits dwindle while the problems accumulate, the
reality becomes difficult to ignore. | ||||||||||
Some people give up at that point; some don't. But those who do give
up tend to make the decision on their own, without coercion from the
government or anyone else. | ||||||||||
Our current model of prohibition suggests that by outlawing certain
drugs for everyone, fewer people will reach the point of addiction
when a substance's harms outweigh its benefits. But that makes
little more sense than outlawing corn for everyone to protect me
from my allergies. | ||||||||||
A prohibition on corn might make the world less confusing for me,
but why should all the people who enjoy a little corn on the cob be
forced into the black market for produce? | ||||||||||
This may seem like a silly question, but we are entering the season
when state, local and federal government resources will be spent to
eradicate wild hemp all over the nation. Rising gas prices won't
stop it; all the great benefits of hemp won't stop it; the fact that
no one gets high off the stuff won't stop it. | ||||||||||
The helicopters will be flying and those mostly THC-free leaves will
be burning allegedly to save someone somewhere from the dangers of
evil marijuana - even though most Americans handle their cannabis
just fine without major problems. | ||||||||||
A small percentage of people who try common foods eventually learn
they have allergies. A small percentage of people who try drugs find
themselves addicted. Both of those small groups need to take
responsibility for themselves to avoid substances they find
dangerous. | ||||||||||
That doesn't mean everyone needs to be protected, and it doesn't
mean that prohibition offers that desired protection. | ||||||||||
So, I'll continue to say no to corn, and anyone who wants can say no to other substances is welcome to make that choice. But, we would all be better if we could also just say no to prohibition. | ||||||||||
Stephen Young is an editor with DrugSense Weekly and author of How
to Inhale the Universe Without Wheezing and other Unconventional
Asthma Lessons published by Lulu.com | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
QUOTE OF THE WEEK (Top) | ||||||||||
"Nobody in the government said that putting the military on the
borders was a bad idea. But people in the military objected; they had
been saying from the beginning that they didn't want to be used in the
war on drugs. So the fact that the military, in this case, ended up
killing an American civilian was due to the failure of the government
to see the obvious." | ||||||||||
-- Kieran Fitzgerald, on his film "The Ballad of Esequiel Hernandez"
http://http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2008/ballad/ | ||||||||||
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Policy and Law Enforcement/Prison content selection and analysis by
Stephen Young (), This Just In selection by
Richard Lake () and Stephen Young, International
content selection and analysis by Doug Snead (),
Cannabis/Hemp content selection and analysis, Hot Off The Net
selection and Layout by Matt Elrod ().
Analysis comments represent the personal views of editors, not
necessarily the views of DrugSense. | ||||||||||
We wish to thank all our contributors, editors, NewsHawks and letter writing activists. Please help us help reform. Become a NewsHawk See http://www.mapinc.org/hawk.htm for info on contributing clippings. | ||||||||||
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