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Restore-Digest Saturday, June
22 2002 Volume 2002 : Number 114
Today's Restore Hemp News Canada:
Some Medipot Refugees Find Sanctuary In Canada
Canada: Insurers Eye Thermal Imager In Pot War DrugSense Weekly, June 21, 2002, #255 CA: Panel to Compile Marijuana Guidelines Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 09:23:20 -0700 Subject:Canada: Some Medipot Refugees Find Sanctuary In Canada Up TOC Newshawk: Steve Kubby Pubdate: Thu, 20 Jun 2002 Source: Daily Breeze (CA) Copyright: 2002 The Copley Press Inc. Contact: letters@dailybreeze.com Website: http://www.dailybreeze.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/881 Author: Tom Elias Webpage: http://www.dailybreeze.com/content/bop/nmelias20.html SOME MEDIPOT REFUGEES FIND SANCTUARY IN CANADA As federal officials and some California prosecutors repeatedly flout or ignore the state's 1996 law legalizing medical use of marijuana, dozens and perhaps hundreds who claim they depend on the weed for pain relief and even survival are taking flight. Like Vietnam-era draft dodgers, their usual destination is Canada. Medipot activists thought they had won the right to use their drug of choice without harassment when voters handily passed Proposition 215 six years ago, with its provisions for legal marijuana use upon the 'recommendation' of a doctor. But over the past three years, federal narcotics officers and some local officials have staged multiple raids on medical marijuana users clubs and suppliers in Alameda, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sonoma counties, plus the homes of some prominent users. Medical pot smokers began to feel the chill. Many now are drawn northward by a year-old Canadian government policy allowing users a specified amount of marijuana if they can demonstrate a medical necessity and then get permits from local authorities. So-called 'compassion clubs' of pot users say the number of medipot refugees probably is in the hundreds, and growing, with most coming from California. 'We have several here and we're just a small town,' said an officer of the Sunshine Coast Compassion Club in Sechelt, B.C., an isolated town of 18,000. __________________________________________________________________________ Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth ** web: http://www.crrh.org/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 09:23:53 -0700 Subject:Canada: Insurers Eye Thermal Imager In Pot War Up TOC Newshawk: Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy (http://www.cfdp.ca/) Pubdate: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 Source: National Post (Canada) Webpage: http://www.nationalpost.com/utilities/story.html?id=9CAA4DB4-14A5-489B-BE92- 4A78D1B1023B Copyright: 2002 Southam Inc. Contact: letters@nationalpost.com Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286 Author: Daryl-Lynn Carlson, National Post INSURERS EYE THERMAL IMAGER IN POT WAR A high-tech, infrared heat detection device could become Ontario's latest weapon in the war on drugs. The target: indoor marijuana-growing operations - -- in a neighbourhood likely near you. It's not the police eyeing this expensive portable piece of equipment but the insurance industry, which has been walloped with an onslaught of claims related to fires and damage following a 400% increase in residential marijuana cultivation operations in Ontario during the past two years. "From our perspective, there are upwards of 300 to 400 houses in some municipalities" that have been elaborately transformed into indoor marijuana farms, says Dan Little, president of the Ontario Chapter of the International Arson Investigators Association. "What we're seeing is extensive damage to these homes, usually in the way of a fire but also due to mould, moisture and renovations," Mr. Little said. Claims are paid unless it can be proven a registered homeowner was aware of a tenant's green thumb. Priced between $20,000 and $50,000, a thermal imaging device has not been an option for police. Instead, a private company called Asset Security and Protection, of Mississauga, has purchased one to lease to insurance investigators. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that thermal-imaging devices to detect indoor marijuana plots violate the privacy of citizens. __________________________________________________________________________ Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom ** web: http://www.crrh.org/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 10:28:12 -0700 From: webmaster@drugsense.org (DrugSense) Subject:DrugSense Weekly, June 21, 2002, #255 Up TOC ********************************************************************** DRUGSENSE WEEKLY ********************************************************************** DrugSense Weekly, June 21, 2002 #255 Read This Publication On-line at: http://www.drugsense.org/current.htm Listen On-line at: http://www.drugsense.org/radio/ - ------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS: * This Just In (1) Drug Law Foes Make Their Case In Spanish Ads (2) Higher Immorality? (3) Colombian President-Elect To Be Briefed On U.S. Policy Shift (4) UK: US Official Attacks Drug Tactics * Weekly News in Review Drug Policy- (5) Supreme Court Upholds Police Power On Bus Searches (6) Judge Overrules Pot Jury (7) US-Mexico Border Parks Take Beating (8) Drug Law Reform Not Dead, But Not Quite Alive (9) Editorial: Veto Hurts Anti-Drug Efforts (10) Johnson Forms Drug-Reform Group (11) Marijuana Initiative Submitted (12) Are Super Moms Turning To Meth To Do It All? Law Enforcement & Prisons- (13) Jails Strained By Border Busts (14) Prison Guards Get Bonus For Passing Drug Tests (15) Drop In, Drop Pants At Probation Office? (16) Child Dead in Memphis Shooting After Drug Deal Goes Sour Cannabis & Hemp- (17) Federal Judge Rules Against California Medical Marijuana Clubs (18) LACRC Members Go On Hunger Strike (19) Berkeley Pot Club Closes Following Robbery (20) Include U.S. In Drug Discussions, Canadian Panel Hears (21) U.K. Police Chiefs Set To Extend Lambeth's Soft Line On Drugs International News- (22) Mendoza Rapped For Golf With Suspected Drug Lord (23) Union Study: Colombia Most Dangerous Nation (24) Police School For Americas Considered (25) Middle Class Going For Ganja And Ecstasy * Hot Off The 'Net Interview with Shawn Heller, National Director of SSDP Cultural Baggage Radio Show Philippe Lucas Appears Before Senate Committee Children Are Collateral Casualties of N.Y. Drug Laws Politically Incorrect Transcript "Unintended Consequences" Available For Viewing Three Facts About Marijuana Prices In Australia * Letter Of The Week A Wasteful Drug War / By Dan Goldman * Feature Article Soul of a Nation / By Jay R. Cavanaugh, PhD * Quote of the Week J. Edgar Hoover *********************************************************************** THIS JUST IN ======================================================================= (1) DRUG LAW FOES MAKE THEIR CASE IN SPANISH ADS AND PATAKI AIDES RAISE OBJECTIONS The city's largest Spanish-language television station pulled a commercial yesterday that had featured family members of imprisoned drug offenders and asked the governor for "real reform" on the Rockefeller drug laws. The ads were taken off the air at the request of Gov. George E. Pataki's senior aides, who called them inaccurate. The incident, coming just as the legislative session was threatening to close without resolving how the drug laws should be changed, illustrates how important Hispanics have become in the re-election campaign of Governor Pataki, who often mentions his fight to reduce the mandatory, lengthy prison sentences in the laws when he addresses a Spanish-speaking audience. [snip] Pubdate: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 Source: New York Times (NY) Copyright: 2002 The New York Times Company Website: http://www.nytimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298 Author: Shaila K. Dewan Cited: http://www.droptherock.org/ Cited: http://www.drugpolicy.org/ Univision http://www.univision.com/ Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?140 (Rockefeller Drug Laws) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1135.a01.html === (2) HIGHER IMMORALITY? For Some Religious Groups, Drug Laws Do More Harm Than Drugs Themselves June 20 -- For Jennifer Wallace, the revelation came four years ago, after she found out that a friend of hers who she knew came from a devout Christian family smoked marijuana, and she became worried about the young woman. Wallace, a devout Christian herself, started looking into the research on marijuana and what she found surprised her. She said she found no evidence to back up the horrible things she had heard about the drug, and when she searched the Bible for any reference to it she found nothing at all. So she began to wonder why some religious leaders seemed to favor stiff penalties for marijuana users. She even decided to try smoking it, though she had always been afraid before. "I was very surprised that I wasn't very different than I was before," she said of the experience. "I believe it made me think more, and thinking more is always good." [snip] Pubdate: Thu, 20 Jun 2002 Source: ABC News (US Web) Copyright: 2002 ABC News Website: http://www.abcnews.go.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2105 Author: Dean Schabner Cited: http://www.christiansforcannabis.com/ Cited: http://www.csdp.org/news/news/8steps.htm Cited: http://www.uudpr.org/ Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1134.a06.html === (3) COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT-ELECT TO BE BRIEFED ON U.S. POLICY SHIFT WASHINGTON - In a dramatic and historic shift, the U.S. government is about to raise the stakes on its involvement in Colombia, changing its focus to include fighting guerrillas as well as combating the drug trade. President-elect Alvaro Uribe of Colombia, who began three days of talks in Washington on Tuesday, will be briefed on the changes during his visit. He'll also feel intense pressure from U.S. officials who want Colombia to pony up more of its own money and soldiers to combat rampant lawlessness. Almost without exception, analysts believe Uribe's hard-line platforms, combined with the U.S. policy shift, will bring about a near-term increase in bloodshed in Colombia. [snip] Pubdate: Tue, 18 Jun 2002 Source: Miami Herald (FL) Copyright: 2002 The Miami Herald Website: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/262 Author: Tim Johnson Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1134.a05.html === (4) UK: US OFFICIAL ATTACKS DRUG TACTICS The controversial pilot scheme that relaxes Scotland Yard's attitude towards cannabis possession has been criticised by the head of the US drug enforcement administration for increasing drug usage. Asa Hutchinson, director of the DEA, said that the scheme in Lambeth, south London, had led to a rise in cannabis users and led children to believe it was legal. [snip] Pubdate: Wed, 19 Jun 2002 Source: Guardian, The (UK) Copyright: 2002 Guardian Newspapers Limited Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/175 Author: Colin Blackstock, Guardian Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?207 (Cannabis - United Kingdom) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?194 (Hutchinson, Asa) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1129.a04.html *********************************************************************** WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW ======================================================================= Domestic News- Policy - ---------------------------------- COMMENT: (5-12) The U.S. Supreme Court gave another boost to police power last week, as it ruled that bus passengers do not need to be advised of their rights before being searched for drugs. A startling surprise came out of a federal courtroom in California, where a judge threw out the conviction of two illegal Mexican immigrants who had been charged with marijuana cultivation. The immigrants claimed they were working under duress. Illegal immigrants and illicit drug trafficking are helping to destroy nature preserves at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a new report. The report suggests that 350 tons of drugs had been seized in one park in one year. Drug policy reform at the state level took a number of turns in the past week. Legislative efforts to reform Rockefeller-era drug laws in New York appear to be stalled - at least that's the way it looked at deadline time for DrugSense Weekly. In Colorado, the governor vetoed a drug reform bill, and the Denver Post rightly editorialized against the unreasonable veto. A more admirable governor, New Mexico's Gary Johnson, announced he would form a national drug-reform group when after he leaves office. In Nevada, signatures for an voter initiative to relax marijuana laws in the state were submitted. And, finally, methamphetamine isn't just for biker gangs and the down-and-out anymore. If a report from ABC News is to be believed, "super moms" are adding the drug to their morning coffee in order to cope with overwhelming family duties. === (5) SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS POLICE POWER ON BUS SEARCHES WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld on Monday police searches of bus passengers and their luggage for drugs or weapons, rejecting the argument that such coercive tactics require that people be told of their rights. The justices, by a 6-3 vote, overturned a U.S. appeals court ruling that a bus search should be considered unconstitutionally coercive unless the police first warn passengers they have the right to refuse to cooperate. The appeals court held the consent given by two Greyhound bus passengers in 1999 in Tallahassee, Florida, was not sufficiently free of coercion and therefore amounted to an unconstitutional search and seizure. The high court's ruling was a major victory for the Bush administration. It argued the police should not be deprived of an essential crime-fighting tool needed to protect the nation's public transportation system after the Sept. 11 hijacked plane attacks on America. [snip] Pubdate: Mon, 17 Jun 2002 Source: Reuters (Wire) Copyright: 2002 Reuters Limited Author: James Vicini Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1112/a10.html === (6) JUDGE OVERRULES POT JURY In an unprecedented action that stunned attorneys on both sides, a Sacramento federal judge tossed out a jury's guilty verdict in a marijuana-growing case and ordered a new trial. Despite the verdict and the government's evidence, "a serious miscarriage of justice may have occurred," U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. found Wednesday in a 21-page order. It is a ruling that has far broader implications than the fate of the two defendants. The judge's findings go to the heart of a practice by U.S. Forest Service investigators and federal prosecutors that targets marginal players in the marijuana trade, defense attorneys said. That practice has been the subject of criticism by the region's defense lawyers for at least two years. Undocumented immigrants Miguel Navarro Viayra, 25, and Manuel Alvarez Guerra, 22, were arrested almost two years ago at a camp in the Mendocino National Forest and charged with conspiracy, manufacturing more than 1,000 marijuana plants, and possession of firearms to facilitate drug trafficking. Prosecutors portrayed them as opportunists who jumped at the chance to make a substantial amount of money growing pot. They insist they were lured to the camp under false pretenses, had no access to weapons, and were guarded day and night by armed men who threatened to kill them if they tried to escape. [snip] Pubdate: Sat, 15 Jun 2002 Source: Sacramento Bee (CA) Webpage: http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/3216070p-4255574c.html Copyright: 2002 The Sacramento Bee Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/376 Author: Denny Walsh, Bee Staff Writer === (7) US-MEXICO BORDER PARKS TAKE BEATING EL PINACATE BIOSPHERE RESERVE, Mexico -- Drug traffickers scar volcanic desert with illicit runways, while law enforcement officials chase them through once-tranquil parks. Thousands of migrants traipse across delicate backcountry areas -- sending campers fleeing to ranger stations, fearful of crowds trekking by their tents in the night. Wilderness areas on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border are taking a beating from an onslaught of migrants, drug traffickers and law enforcement officials, a new study says. Some national treasures in both countries have been lost forever. Few parks have taken a greater toll than the U.N.- designated biosphere reserve El Pinacate and Arizona's adjoining Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Last year, officials caught 200,000 migrants and 700,000 pounds of drugs in Organ Pipe alone. [snip] Pubdate: Sun, 16 Jun 2002 Source: Oklahoman, The (OK) Copyright: 2002 The Oklahoma Publishing Co. Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/318 Author: Julie Watson, Associated Press Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1109/a06.html === (8) DRUG LAW REFORM NOT DEAD, BUT NOT QUITE ALIVE ALBANY, N.Y. -- Proponents of easing state mandatory sentencing laws for drug offenders accused prosecutors Tuesday of halting momentum toward reform by raising eleventh-hour objections. "This is a tactic they have used every year to thwart any meaningful changes in the law," said Deborah Small of the Drug Policy Alliance. Another proponent of softening the statute, former state Sen. John Dunne, said the complaints of the state's district attorneys about a drug reform plan from the state Assembly was "inflammatory and self-serving." Aides said the Legislature and Gov. George Pataki's office were still talking about changing the drug laws to soften the harshest penalty and create more opportunities for treatment for nonviolent offenders. They said the issue was not dead. But Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said "I really don't detect an interest in the ... Senate in doing anything meaningful." [snip] Pubdate: Tue, 18 Jun 2002 Source: Associated Press (Wire) Copyright: 2002 Associated Press Author: Joel Stashenko, Associated Press Writer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?140 (Rockefeller Drug Laws) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1125/a04.html === (9) EDITORIAL: VETO HURTS ANTI-DRUG EFFORTS It is truly disheartening to learn that Gov. Bill Owens vetoed SB 39, a bill that passed the legislature with strong bipartisan backing. The measure would have reduced sentences for possession of less than a gram of certain drugs and used the money thus saved for additional drug treatment programs. Although the bill is dead for this year, Colorado still needs to change the way we view drug addiction and punishment. In his veto message, Owens cited the state's budget crunch and said he did not want to divert operating dollars from the Department of Corrections to fund a new duplicative bureaucratic institution that would put more criminals on the streets. But Sen. Ken Gordon, D-Denver, sponsor of the bill, cites compelling evidence that this overdue reform would reduce crime while saving money - and lives. The bill, which passed the Republican-controlled House 61-4, would not have taken operating funds from the Department of Corrections. Instead, it would have reduced prison costs because the need for incarceration would decrease. [snip] Pubdate: Sun, 16 Jun 2002 Source: Denver Post (CO) Webpage: www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E417%257E675121%257E,00.html Copyright: 2002 The Denver Post Corp Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122 === (10) JOHNSON FORMS DRUG-REFORM GROUP Gov. Johnson and a group of his closest advisors have taken the first steps to set up a new national organization to support the liberalization of drug laws. Johnson said he formed Americans Against the War on Drugs as a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating elected officials and candidates for office about drug-law reform. He plans to be a spokesman for the new group after he leaves office in Jan. [snip] Pubdate: Thu, 13 Jun 2002 Source: Santa Fe New Mexican (NM) Copyright: 2002 The Santa Fe New Mexican Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/695 Author: Steve Terrell Related: http://www.governor.state.nm.us/ Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/johnson.htm (Johnson, Gary) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1108/a02.html === (11) MARIJUANA INITIATIVE SUBMITTED CARSON CITY -- A group seeking to place a question on the November ballot that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana turned in more than 107,000 signatures gathered from all 17 counties Tuesday. Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement need valid signatures from 61,336 registered voters, with minimum numbers required in 13 of 17 counties, for the petition to be approved by Secretary of State Dean Heller. The petitions will now go through a signature verification process to determine if the group was successful. The measure, which would also allow patients to obtain medical marijuana at low cost, would have to be approved by voters twice, this year and in 2004, for it to take effect. [snip] Pubdate: Wed, 19 Jun 2002 Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV) Copyright: 2002 Las Vegas Review-Journal Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/233 Webpage: http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2002/Jun-19-Wed-2002/news/19005917.html Author: Sean Whaley, Review-Journal Capital Bureau Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1122/a06.html === (12) ARE SUPER MOMS TURNING TO METH TO DO IT ALL? [snip] Sheigla Murphy, director of the Center for Substance Abuse Studies at the Institute for Scientific Analysis in San Francisco, says that methamphetamine - often called "meth" for short - is the drug du jour for some super moms who are trying to have it all. "When they begin to use methamphetamine, they feel more energy, they feel more mastery, they feel like they can get it all done," Murphy said. "They can take care of their kids, they can do their job, sometimes two jobs. They can meet what is for many women today, an almost impossible ideal." Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant that can be smoked, snorted or injected. Some women mix it with coffee, calling it "biker coffee." The drug produces a euphoria similar to cocaine, but lasts longer, and is made from common household ingredients. [snip] Pubdate: Tue, 18 Jun 2002 Source: ABC News (US Web) Copyright: 2002 ABC News Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2105 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1128/a06.html ======================================================================= Law Enforcement & Prisons - ------------------------- COMMENT: (13-16) The war on terror at the U.S.-Canadian border can't help but stumble over drug traffickers, leading to congested courts and jails. Local officials are hinting that they will stop handling federal drug cases unless they get more federal funds to do so, following a strategy of local prosecutors at the U.S.-Mexican border. Prison guards who are drug tested in one Massachusetts county are getting $1,000 bonuses, despite a budget crunch. No bonuses for probationers in Texas though, and they might soon have to take urine tests without pants. And a three-year-old girl was killed and five other children were injured in Memphis, Tenn. last week. All were caught in the cross-fire of a small drug deal gone bad. === (13) JAILS STRAINED BY BORDER BUSTS BLAINE, Wash. (AP) - A flood of federal agents patrolling the Canadian border for would-be terrorists instead are catching drug smugglers and small-time criminals, who are beginning to clog local court systems. "My jail is full," said Dale Brandland, sheriff of Whatcom County in the nation's northwestern corner. The county has long contended with what officials call the "border effect," when cases too small to interest federal prosecutors are turned over to local jurisdictions. But as more border agents start making more busts, they fear it's only going to get worse. "We are starting to stagger under this load," Whatcom County prosecutor Dave McEachran wrote to Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., last fall. County officials are hinting that unless they get more federal money, they just might stop handling federal cases - a stance that counties along the southwestern border have used to secure funding for the past few years. [snip] Pubdate: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 Source: Associated Press (Wire) Copyright: 2002 Associated Press Author: Gene Johnson, Associated Press Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?203 (Terrorism) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1084/a04.html === (14) PRISON GUARDS GET BONUS FOR PASSING DRUG TESTS Despite a gaping deficit, Suffolk County Sheriff Richard J. Rouse is handing out $1,000 bonuses to prison guards - just for passing mandatory drug tests, records show. The cash payments - hidden in union contracts at both the House of Corrections and the Nashua Street Jail - are all but unheard of in local law enforcement, where drug testing has become a standard feature of police contracts.The bonus payments have cost Rouse's cash-strapped department close to $800,000 in the past year as he wrangles with a $6.5 million budget deficit that has already forced more than 130 layoffs.Over at the House of Corrections, the Council 93's Local 419 got the $1,000 bonus rolled into each officer's base pay, meaning the drug test payoff will continue giving even after the men retire. [snip] Pubdate: Fri, 14 Jun 2002 Source: Boston Herald (MA) Copyright: 2002 The Boston Herald, Inc Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/53 Author: Ellen J. Silberman Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1101/a11.html === (15) DROP IN, DROP PANTS AT PROBATION OFFICE? The Bexar County Probation Department may start requiring probationers to remove their pants when they go for drug tests. The announcement comes two weeks after an 18-year-old college student, on probation for a DWI, was caught wearing a prosthetic device attached to a heat-controlled pouch of synthetic urine. Ruben Escamilla Jr. bought the $149 gadget, which comes in four skin tones, through a magazine. "The Whizzinator," like a host of other products used to falsify drug tests, is also available online. "We're going to have to pay much more attention," Probation Chief Caesar Garcia said. "We may have to go a little further now and require them to drop their pants. We need to talk to the district attorney's office and get some feedback." [snip] Pubdate: Wed, 19 Jun 2002 Source: San Antonio Express-News (TX) Webpage: http://news.mysanantonio.com/story.cfm?xla=saen&xlb=180&xlc=735853 Copyright: 2002 San Antonio Express-News Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/384 Author: Lisa Sandberg Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) === (16) CHILD DEAD IN MEMPHIS SHOOTING AFTER DRUG DEAL GOES SOUR MEMPHIS, Tenn.- A 3-year-old girl died Wednesday after a man opened fire on a home with a high-powered, semi-automatic rifle following a drug deal that went sour nearby, police said. Eight other people, including five children, were hurt. The girl, whose name was not released, was shot in the chest, said police spokeswoman LaTanya Able. A 59-year-old woman also was critically injured, Deputy Police Chief Bob Wright said. [snip] "We know it's over a small quantity of drugs," Wright said. "We don't know who sold who what." He said the argument was over the quality of the unspecified drugs. [snip] Pubdate: Thu, 13 Jun 2002 Source: Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO) Copyright: 2002, Denver Publishing Co. Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/371 Author: Woody Baird, Associated Press Writer Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1092/a08.html ======================================================================= Cannabis & Hemp- - --------------------------- COMMENT: (17-21) California is burning, and unfortunately it's not the smell of smoked cannabis filling the air; it's the constitutional and state rights of its citizens going up in flames. In this week's news, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer granted the federal government request for a permanent injunction against distributors of medical cannabis, effectively reinforcing the DEA policy of busting compassion societies. Meanwhile in West Hollywood, the U.S. Department of Justice has moved to seize the real estate assets owned by the L.A. Cannabis Resource Center. This has prompted the center's leaders, including club president Scott Imler, to go on a hunger strike. And after suffering another robbery, Berkeley Medical Herbs has closed down, citing public safety concerns as well as the legal security of the city's 4 other clubs. In Canada, the Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs was told by U.S. officials (including Drug Czar John Walters), that any shift in Canadian drug policy should include and consider input from the U.S. If the persecution of legitimate medical users and suppliers in California is to serve as an example of American drug policy, Canadians should have serious concerns regarding this encroachment on their sovereignty and national policy. In the U.K., Chiefs of Police appear ready to expand Lambeth's "soft line" on drugs approach, which calls for the issuance of warnings for personal possession of cannabis rather than fines or arrest. As England's Home Office moves closer to the reclassification of cannabis to Class C, nation-wide pilot schemes similar to Lambeth's successful trial are being drawn up by the Association of Chief Police Officers. Instead of adding to the suffering of the sickest and weakest Americans with continued medical marijuana busts, the DEA and the U.S. DOJ would do well to watch and learn from Britain's successful experiments with harm-reduction policies. === (17) FEDERAL JUDGE RULES AGAINST CALIFORNIA MEDICAL MARIJUANA CLUBS A federal judge in California has ruled in favor of a Justice Department request to permanently block three northern California medical marijuana clubs from the distributing the drug to patients. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of San Francisco ruled against the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative, the Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana and a dispensary located in Ukiah. [snip] The U.S. Supreme Court last year rejected the Oakland cooperative's claim that federal law allowed the distribution of marijuana to patients with a proven medical need for it. [snip] Pubdate: Fri, 14 Jun 2002 Source: CNSNews (US) Copyright: 2002 Cybercast News Service Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1589 Author: Jim Burns Cited: Americans For Safe Access (ASA) http://www.SafeAccessNow.org Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/ocbc.htm (Oakland Cannabis Court Case) Note: Posted as an exception to MAP's policies on web based items Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1094.a10.html === (18) LACRC MEMBERS GO ON HUNGER STRIKE As part of a wide crackdown on medical marijuana programs, the U.S. Department of Justice moved on May 31 to seize the Los Angeles Cannabis Resource Center's real estate assets under federal anti-drug laws, prompting the center's leaders to begin a hunger strike. Federal authorities are seeking the property, which was financed partly by Wells Fargo Bank and the City of West Hollywood, as part of an ongoing criminal probe into the center's activities. Federal law says the government can seize any assets gained from trafficking in banned drugs. "For one reason or another, we've been specifically targeted," says Scott Imler, the center's president. "I don't know why, other than that they can't understand that anyone would know that patients could be provided marijuana in a way that doesn't compromise public safety." [snip] Pubdate: Thu, 13 Jun 2002 Source: Los Angeles Independent (CA) Copyright: 2002 Los Angeles Independent Newspaper Group Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1602 Author: Kevin Butler Photo: LACRC president Scott Imler led a rally last Wednesday voicing opposition to the federal government's move to seize the center's property. Imler and other activists have begun a hunger strike. http://www.mapinc.org/temp/LACRCnews07.jpg Photo by Gary McCarthy Cited: Los Angeles Cannabis Resource Center http://www.lacbc.org Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Scott+Imler Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1104.a08.html === (19) BERKELEY POT CLUB CLOSES FOLLOWING ROBBERY The University Avenue medicinal marijuana club that was robbed last week for the third time in a year closed its doors permanently Tuesday. "We wanted to make sure that we weren't putting patients at risk, and we wanted to keep neighbors safe," said Berkeley Medical Herbs office manager Dorrit Geshuri. The club, which has attracted a spate of negative publicity with the robberies, was closed also because the club wanted to protect the medicinal marijuana movement and the other four pot clubs in town, Geshuri said. [snip] Pubdate: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 Source: Berkeley Daily Planet (US CA) Copyright: 2002 The Berkeley Daily Planet Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1238 Author: David Scharfenberg, Daily Planet Staff Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1096.a08.html === (20) INCLUDE U.S. IN DRUG DISCUSSIONS, CANADIAN PANEL HEARS Canada needs to include the United States in discussions on the creation of a new drug policy, a Senate committee on illegal drugs heard this week. As part of its efforts to table a final report addressing Canada's policy on cannabis, the committee held meetings with several U.S. officials including John Walters, director of the U.S. national drug policy. Committee chair Pierre Claude Nolin said Mr. Walters told the group that if Canada adopts some form of decriminalization of marijuana, the U.S. would not want to encroach on Canada's legislation. However, "the two neighbours would influence each other's policy," Mr. Nolin told globeandmail.com. [snip] Pubdate: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 Source: Globe and Mail (Canada) Copyright: 2002, The Globe and Mail Company Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168 Author: Allison Dunfield Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1088.a08.html === (21) U.K. POLICE CHIEFS SET TO EXTEND LAMBETH'S SOFT LINE ON DRUGS Relaxed approach on cannabis possession will be rolled out to other parts of the country despite warnings about risk to schoolchildren Police chiefs are drawing up plans to extend the Lambeth experiment on cannabis to other parts of the country, despite growing criticism of the scheme. The move will see several forces in England and Wales warn, rather than arrest, many people caught with small amounts with the drug. [snip] Pubdate: Fri, 14 Jun 2002 Source: Independent (UK) Copyright: 2002 Independent Newspapers (UK) Ltd. Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/209 Author: Jason Bennetto, Crime Correspondent Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1091.a03.html ======================================================================= International News - --------------------------- COMMENT: (22-25) In the Philippines last Monday, authorities called for charges against National Police chief and (soon to be) Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza, for playing golf with a suspected "drug lord." Six other officers were also accused. A report released in Brussels last week revealed that the nation of Colombia was "the most dangerous nation," according to the San Jose Mercury News. No mention was made of the role of drugs or drug prohibition in helping Colombia to earn this unwelcome title. Abel Pacheco, president of Costa Rica, disclosed plans for a U.S.-supported international "police" academy to be built on Costa Rican soil. According to agreements, trainees would be indoctrinated to fight against "terrorism" and "drug trafficking." Loudly proclaiming that "'soft drug' users fail to realise they would gradually go into hard drugs," the Malaysian Narcotics Department director-general announced a crackdown on cannabis and MDMA users. Otherwise, asserted the official, "society would become ill and unproductive." The announcement was made at a meeting on cross-border cooperation, which also noted "the number of heroin addicts still remained high." === (22) MENDOZA RAPPED FOR GOLF WITH SUSPECTED DRUG LORD CEBU CITY -- Talk about a bogey. Because he played golf with a suspected drug lord, Philippine National Police chief and incoming Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza now finds himself in a sand trap of his own making. The Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas on Monday recommended the filing of administrative charges against Mendoza and six other police and military officers for playing golf at the Cebu Country Club with Wellington Lim last November -- at a time when a congressional investigation had linked Lim to big-time drug operations in Cebu. The Ombudsman's fact-finding showed that contrary to Mendoza's earlier claims that he only happened to meet Lim at the golf course, it was Lim who actually "sponsored" the game. Visayas Ombudsman Director Virginia Santiago said that Mendoza's act of playing with a suspected drug lord who was a subject of a pending investigation was "degrading to the integrity of the Philippine National Police and would possibly lead to mistrust of our people to our law enforcement ( sic )." [snip] Pubdate: Wed, 19 Jun 2002 Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer (Philippines) Copyright: 2002 Philippine Daily Inquirer Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1073 Author: Jolene R. Bulambot Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1122/a10.html === (23) UNION STUDY: COLOMBIA MOST DANGEROUS NATION Colombia was the most dangerous nation for union members again last year, with 201 killings or disappearances reported, or 90 percent of the worldwide total, according to an annual survey released today in Brussels. [snip] Pubdate: Tue, 18 Jun 2002 Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Copyright: 2002 San Jose Mercury News Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/390 Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1118/a06.html === (24) POLICE SCHOOL FOR AMERICAS CONSIDERED New Costa Rican President Abel Pacheco said yesterday that his country, which has no army and has experienced nearly half a century of peace, may become the site of a U.S.-supported international police academy. In an interview, Mr. Pacheco said he spoke with President Bush at the White House on Thursday about opening the police school in Costa Rica. It would train officers from throughout North and South America to handle "modern" threats, Mr. Pacheco said. "The police will learn management of very modern crime circumstances for which our traditional police aren't prepared," Mr. Pacheco said in Spanish. The West Virginia-sized country -- known by locals as the "Switzerland of Central America" -- was chosen because of its central location and peaceful history, according to Costa Rican Ambassador Jaime Daremblum. Officers would train to face such problems as terrorism, drug trafficking, domestic violence and kidnapping. The project would be a joint venture within the Americas to promote better law enforcement. [snip] Pubdate: Sat, 15 Jun 2002 Source: Washington Times (DC) Copyright: 2002 News World Communications, Inc. Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/492 Author: Andy Olsen Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1106/a05.html === (25) MIDDLE CLASS GOING FOR GANJA AND ECSTASY [snip] Narcotics Department director-general Datuk Mohd Sedek Mohd Ali said "soft drugs" such as ganja and Ecstasy pills had made an impact among professionals and youngsters from the middle class. [snip] "There is now a shift in focus in combating drug abuse in the country by increasing a crackdown on drugs like ganja and amphetamine-based drugs at entry points and other spots, particularly at entertainment outlets," he said after chairing a meeting on cross-border co- operation to fight drug trafficking with officials from Thailand including members of the Office of Narcotics Control Board, Thailand Royal Police and Customs. He said such a shift was necessary to prevent drug addiction among the middle-class professionals. He added that the young and trendy who frequented entertainment outlets were at risk and if the trend continued, society would become ill and unproductive. "These 'soft drug' users fail to realise they would gradually go into hard drugs. However, he said the number of heroin addicts still remained high at 220,000 registered addicts and there was a need for cross-border efforts to curb drug trafficking. Pubdate: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 Source: Star, The (Malaysia) Copyright: 2002 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/922 Author: Lam Li Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1087/a07.html *********************************************************************** HOT OFF THE 'NET - ------------------------------- Interview with Shawn Heller, National Director of the Students for Sensible Drug Policy Shawn Heller was one of the 10 people arrested June 6 2002 at the Washington DC location of the DEA Direct Action Day Protests held nationwide in around 55 cities. Interview: http://www.drugwar.com/pshellerinterview.shtm Video: http://flow.mediavac.com/ramgen/sinkers/2002/dojJun0602.rm Video: http://drugpolicycentral.com/real/ssdp/hcfoxshawn.rm === Cultural Baggage Radio Show We've been assigned a permanent spot at midnight CDT, every second Friday. Daniel Forbes will be our guest this coming Friday, the 21st. Discussion on Sub Rosa plot, MMJ and call in ideas. Our Pacifica radio show airs on KPFT, Houston on 90.1 FM and is available live on the net at http://www.kpft.org/ You can already listen onsite to Kevin Zeese discuss Americans for Safe Access. (The first in my recorded series) http://www.cultural-baggage.com/kpft.htm Submitted by Dean Becker === Transcript: Philippe Lucas, Newlywed, Vancouver Island Compassion Society founder and DSW Cannabis Section editor, appears before Canada's Special Committee On Illegal Drugs http://thevics.com/senateevid.htm === Children Are Collateral Casualties of N.Y. Drug Laws A press release from Human Rights Watch, along with a link to a more detailed report. http://www.hrw.org/press/2002/06/druglaws0618.htm === Politically Incorrect Transcript Gary Johnson, Gene Simmons and others discuss the drug war http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread13135.shtml === "Unintended Consequences" Available For Viewing To watch the film "Unintended Consequences," about New York's Rockefeller drug, go to the mediarights.org site and click on the frame for "Unintended Consequences." http://www.mediarights.org/festival/presentation/fp2002.php === Three Facts About Marijuana Prices In Australia An Australian study found that as cannabis prices dropped 40% over the last decade, use has increased 15%, leading to a drop in alcohol use, and an increase in disposable income for marijuana users. http://www.econs.ecel.uwa.edu.au/erc/erc/2001/ Today's Restore Hemp News Visit our sister site crrh.org
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