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Restore-Digest Saturday, August
17 2002 Volume 2002 : Number 168
Today's Restore Hemp News DrugSense
Weekly, Aug. 16, 2002, #263
NV: Regulation Of Marijuana Awaits Vote In Nevada NV: A Tip For Voters: Get The Facts ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2002 12:28:03 -0700 From: webmaster@drugsense.org (DrugSense) Subject:DrugSense Weekly, Aug. 16, 2002, #263 Up TOC ********************************************************************** DRUGSENSE WEEKLY ********************************************************************** DrugSense Weekly, Aug. 16, 2002 #263 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 * Weekly News in Review (1) US OK: Guymon To Eliminate Drug Program (2) Raves Endangered? (3) U.S. Seeks Court Immunity For Troops In Colombia (4) US CA: Lockwood Valley Couple Arrested For Growing Pot Drug Policy- (5) U.S. Agent Scolded By B.C. Judge (6) Spreading Drug War Bloodies Puerto Rico (7) Homicides Rise Again, Threatening Oakland's Renaissance (8) Relatives Conclude CIA Had a Hand in '53 Fatal Fall Law Enforcement & Prisons- (9) '3 Strikes' No Deterrent To Drug Crimes, Study Shows (10) No Indictment in Shooting of Young Man in Suffolk Raid (11) Keating Urged To Cut Sentence (12) Police Group Reverses OK On Marijuana Cannabis & Hemp- (13) Police Accused Of Illegal Campaign Against Pot (14) Marijuana Initiative Makes Ariz. Ballot (15) Manderson Area Family Harvests Hemp Crop (16) Minister Considers New Look At Legal System (17) `Medicine' Seized In Bust Of Pot Club International News- (18) Drug-Related Deaths At A Record Level (19) State Of Emergency As Colombia Steps Up War On Terrorism (20) Uribe Advisor Worries Some In U.S. (21) Ousted Peruvian Spy Chief Linked To Drugs (22) Peru Government Agrees To Slow Anti-Cocaine Operations (23) 12,000 Addicts Reside In Negor: Vigilantes (24) Drug Offenders No Longer Entitled To Plea Bargaining, Probation (25) Russia Bans Brain Surgery On Drug Addicts * Hot Off The 'Net Federal Court Rules in Favor of Ayahuasca-using Church The Mouse That Roared Support Nevada Police Who Endorse Initiative Cultural Baggage Radio Show Florida Prison Petition NPR Talk of the Nation Seattle Hempfest * Letter Of The Week Congressional Privilege / By Patricia E. Allard * Feature Article Primary Medical Condition For Medical Cannabis Use / By Jay R. Cavanaugh, PhD * Quote of the Week Oscar Benitez Linares *********************************************************************** THIS JUST IN ======================================================================= (1) US OK: GUYMON TO ELIMINATE DRUG PROGRAM GUYMON, Okla. - The Guymon Public Schools board of trustees decided Monday night to end the 3-year-old program that randomly tested student athletes and students in competitive extracurricular activities for drug use. Scot Dahl, vice president of the school board, said the program was administered by an outside drug-testing firm that provided a list of randomly selected students to be tested each month. "We didn't think it was the deterrent that we thought it would be," Dahl said. "We didn't think it was as effective with the money we spent on it." School officials started hearing stories about how students tried to beat the test by drinking bleach or researching test-beating techniques on the Internet, Dahl said. One student quit his athletic team before testing came up because he knew he had smoked marijuana over the weekend, but his test came back negative, Dahl said. "Of people that called me, they were 100 percent in favor of doing away with the program," Dahl said. "A lot of them thought it was a big joke." [snip] "One reason was how many kids are not going out to extracurricular activities because they are afraid of being tested" he said. "If they're not in school, they'd be out on the streets. If we could pull more kids in extracurricular activities where there's a little more supervision, then they wouldn't be on the streets where they can pick up drug habits." [snip] Pubdate: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 Source: Amarillo Globe-News (TX) Copyright: 2002 Amarillo Globe-News Website: http://amarillonet.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/13 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1511.a08.html === (2) RAVES ENDANGERED? Feds Go After All-Night Music Parties Generational showdowns abound in music history. In the Prohibition era, flappers and free-flowing jazz and booze irked authorities. Decades later, buttoned-down elders condemned Woodstock as just a hippie drug fest. Now, politicians are targeting raves, the all-night electronic music and dance marathons held anywhere from nightclubs to open fields -- also known these days as "massives," or "desert parties." Young devotees of rave culture claim that no musical genre in recent memory has been so endangered by a misunderstanding political and ruling class. [snip] The RAVE Act, which stands for "Reducing Americans' Vulnerability to Ecstasy," expands the federal "crack-house" statute, designed to prosecute anyone whose buildings are used as drug havens, to include party promoters. Under the Senate bill, anyone involved with the planning of a rave who knows drugs are used, exchanged or made there could face criminal charges and be subject to a civil penalty of $250,000 or two times the gross receipts derived from each violation. The legislation's broad language may appear to encompass any nightclub or other venue where drugs may be present, but the act's title suggests that the real targets here are raves. [snip] Pubdate: Fri, 16 Aug 2002 Source: ABC News (US Web) Copyright: 2002 ABC News Website: http://www.abcnews.go.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2105 Author: Geraldine Sealey Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raves.htm (Raves) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?158 (Club Drugs) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1510.a04.html === (3) U.S. SEEKS COURT IMMUNITY FOR TROOPS IN COLOMBIA BOGOTA, Colombia, Aug. 14 -- Senior U.S. officials asked President Alvaro Uribe today to shield U.S. military trainers in Colombia from prosecution by the International Criminal Court for any human rights abuses that may arise in connection with their work. The request, made by Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman, is part of a global campaign by the United States to prevent U.S. nationals from being subjected to the international court. Arguing that future military aid hangs in the balance, U.S. diplomats have begun working here and with other allies to arrange such immunity agreements, which are allowed under the treaty setting up the court. Under anti-terrorism legislation signed by President Bush this month, U.S. military aid would be cut off to countries that have ratified the treaty, except those granted a waiver by the White House. The United States has made it clear that governments granting an immunity pledge to U.S. citizens will continue to receive aid. [snip] The Bush administration has opposed the treaty and is seeking the immunity agreements, U.S. officials have said, because it fears that U.S. soldiers and other citizens could be subjected to politically motivated prosecutions abroad. [snip] Pubdate: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 Source: Washington Post (DC) Copyright: 2002 The Washington Post Company Contact: letters@washpost.com Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491 Author: Scott Wilson Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1509.a03.html === (4) US CA: LOCKWOOD VALLEY COUPLE ARRESTED FOR GROWING POT DEA Seizes 32 Marijuana Plants A Lockwood Valley couple who used to supply a Los Angeles medical marijuana cooperative have been arrested for a second time on suspicion of cultivating the drug. Lynn and Judy Osburn were arrested during an early morning raid at their home Tuesday as Drug Enforcement Administration agents seized 32 marijuana plants, said Jose Martinez, a DEA spokesman. [snip] The seizure Tuesday was the third time the couples' property has been raided and pot plants seized by police since California voters six years ago passed Proposition 215, which legalized medical marijuana use. During a raid in August 2000, agents confiscated 342 marijuana plants. The couple was arrested but never prosecuted, Mrozek said. A raid in September 2001 netted 273 plants and 76 pounds of pot. [snip] Pubdate: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 Source: Ventura County Star (CA) Copyright: 2002, The E.W. Scripps Co. Website: http://www.staronline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/479 Author: Andrea Cavanaugh Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1510.a09.html *********************************************************************** WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW ======================================================================= Domestic News- Policy - ---------------------------------- COMMENT: (5-8) Most of this week's big stories are contained in the International and Cannabis sections of DrugSense Weekly, but many of the tragedies and absurdities described there are rooted in domestic U.S. drug policy. While some foreign leaders often seem reluctant to challenge the audacity of American drug warriors, a Canadian judge this week was not. The judge chastised a U.S. drug agent who didn't seem to understand the concept of Canadian national sovereignty. The judge also refused to extradite the suspect who was illegally tailed by the overly eager U.S. agent. The violence caused by U.S.-style drug prohibition was highlighted this week in Puerto Rico and Oakland, Calif., where drug war-related killings continue to skyrocket. And, it seems drugs may not have caused an infamous death long tied to LSD. Frank Olson was a U.S. government employee who unknowingly participated in a CIA drug experiment only days before he died in 1953. His family now believes Olson was the victim of murder, not a bad acid trip. === (5) U.S. AGENT SCOLDED BY B.C. JUDGE The conduct of a U.S. drug enforcement agent who snuck into Canada to set up a drug buy was so appalling the Canadian involved should not be extradited to face charges in the United States, a B.C. Supreme Court judge has ruled. Justice Janice Dillon instead took the rare step of ordering a judicial stay of proceedings in the case of Dave Licht, who was wanted in California for trafficking and possession of cocaine. "The conduct of a United States civilian police agent entering Canada without the knowledge or consent of Canadian authorities, in defiance of known Canadian requirements for legal conduct, with the express purpose to entice Canadians to the United States to commit criminal acts in that jurisdiction, and acting illegally to offer to sell cocaine in Canada, is shocking to the Canadian conscience," Dillon wrote. [snip] Pubdate: Thu, 8 Aug 2002 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2002 The Province Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Page A29 Author: Barbara McLintock === (6) SPREADING DRUG WAR BLOODIES PUERTO RICO SAN JUAN - Edwin Melendez Primos died from a gunshot wound in his right ear. Thirty-one-year-old Alcidez Bauze Rivera was found with five bullets lodged in his body. And Jose Almazar Correa, 20, was killed following a shootout in a small town near here. Their deaths were notable because they were among 16 people who were killed last month in the same week and for pretty much the same reason: They and others have become statistics in an expanding drug war that has given Puerto Rico the dubious distinction of being one of the bloodiest places in the United States. According to federal crime statistics, Puerto Rico's homicide rate of 18 per 100,000 people in 2000 was more than three times the national average and higher than any U.S. state. But as the national average has decreased about 30 percent since 1995, Puerto Rico's rate has remained about the same those years. About 400 people have already died this year, and authorities blame the violence on turf battles fueled by a scarcity of drugs on the island since last fall. [snip] Pubdate: Mon, 12 Aug 2002 Source: Miami Herald (FL) Copyright: 2002 The Miami Herald Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/262 Author: Nancy San Martin Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1487/a03.html === (7) HOMICIDES RISE AGAIN, THREATENING OAKLAND'S RENAISSANCE OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 9 - Killing No. 69 of 2002, a shooting, took place on Thursday night just three blocks from a neighborhood rally to stop the violence in the streets. Killing No. 68, another shooting, happened on Tuesday while 2,000 Oaklanders were rallying all over the city as part of a "National Night Out" against crime. This is turning out to be a deadly year in Oakland. Only two years ago, the city was promoting its renaissance and boasting about bringing violent crime to its knees. But after several years of decline in the number of killings, Oakland, like many midsized cities, is finding itself faltering with the national economy, and wrestling anew with rising crime. [snip] The Oakland Police Department estimates that 60 to 65 percent of the city's violent crimes are committed by an estimated 10,000 people who are either on parole or probation and that about 80 percent of the killings committed are drug-related. "A large percentage of the homicides are centered around the violence that emanates around the sale of drugs," said George Phillips, a police spokesman. "You have people who for the most part are undereducated, they're from low-income backgrounds, they have low job skills, and they have no hope, unfortunately. And the drug business is a very lucrative business." [snip] Pubdate: Sun, 11 Aug 2002 Source: New York Times (NY) Copyright: 2002 The New York Times Company Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298 Author: Evelyn Nieves Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1487/a02.html === (8) RELATIVES CONCLUDE CIA HAD A HAND IN '53 FATAL FALL FREDERICK, MD. - Relatives of Frank Olson laid out for reporters Thursday their evidence that the research scientist was the victim of something far more sinister than a CIA experiment with LSD gone awry in 1953 when he fell to his death from a hotel. Speaking to reporters in the back yard of their family home, not far from the Fort Detrick research facility where Frank Olson worked, his sons and grandchildren took turns reading a lengthy statement that contends his fall through a New York hotel window was no accident. "We have satisfied ourselves that Frank Olson was murdered because of security concerns regarding his work," said one son, Eric Olson, citing his father's work both on biological weapons and on interrogation techniques. It was not, he said, a conclusion that the family came to easily. The Olson family has spent years trying to piece together what happened to Frank Olson, ever since learning through newspaper accounts in 1975 that an unnamed scientist who jumped to his death out a New York hotel window in 1953 had been given LSD days earlier. [snip] Pubdate: Fri, 9 Aug 2002 Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Copyright: 2002 San Jose Mercury News Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/390 Author: Fredric N. Tulsky, Mercury News Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Frank+Olson Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1479/a03.html ======================================================================= Law Enforcement & Prisons - ------------------------- COMMENT: (9-12) The negative effects of rigid drug war ideology within the criminal justice system were plain to see this week. A new study showed "three strikes" laws, which impose long mandatory sentences on repeat offenders, have no impact on drug-related crime rates. The family of an innocent man who was killed in a botched drug raid learned that the police who shot him will not be indicted. Perhaps there will be a little bit of common sense in Oklahoma, as a state parole board recommends that a life sentence for an ounce of cocaine be commuted to a 20-year sentence. The recommendation was not unanimous, and governor Frank Keating, no softy on drugs, has the final say. Finally, the ground-breaking endorsement by a police organization of a marijuana initiative in Nevada was withdrawn roughly three days after it was issued.= But, it is better to be logical for 72 hours, than to never be logical at all. === (9) '3 STRIKES' NO DETERRENT TO DRUG CRIMES, STUDY SHOWS Narcotics Demand Draws New Replacements Quickly WASHINGTON - California's landmark "three strikes and you're out" law contributed to the state's sharp decrease in property crimes and violent crimes but has done nothing to reduce drug offenses, according to a new report to be released next month. The study by a consortium of the Claremont colleges was led by a self-described skeptic of the get-tough sentencing law and is the first to closely examine its impact on drug crimes. Experts said the law, now under review by the U.S. Supreme Court, has not reduced drug sales and possession because the demand for narcotics is so high that new traffickers simply replace those who are imprisoned. "Apparently, when one drug offender is jailed, there is another, and perhaps more than just one other, ready to take his or her place," said William Crano, who led the study for the Claremont Graduate University. "Even imprisoning the most high-rate drug offenders for long periods of time does not appear to have affected the commission of such crimes." [snip] Pubdate: Sun, 11 Aug 2002 Source: San Diego Union Tribune (CA) Copyright: 2002 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/386 Author: Dana Wilkie, Copley News Service === (10) NO INDICTMENT IN SHOOTING OF YOUNG MAN IN SUFFOLK RAID A Suffolk County grand jury has declined to indict a police officer who fatally shot a man during a botched drug raid in April. But a lawyer for the dead man's family said yesterday that they would seek damages in a wrongful-death lawsuit. Jose Colon, 20, a graphic arts student, was shot in the head on April 19 as he emerged from a house in Bellport, just as several officers were advancing in a drug raid. According to the police, Officer Tony Gonzalez's drawn 9-millimeter submachine gun accidentally fired when he was bumped from behind by another officer who had tripped on a tree root. A Suffolk County grand jury ended its investigation on Wednesday without an indictment. Officer Gonzalez, who was temporarily placed on administrative duty as a firearms instructor, has expressed remorse. Police officials said they conveyed apologies and sympathy to the relatives, and District Attorney Thomas Spota plans to meet with the family. [snip] Although the police said they seized several ounces of marijuana at the house and arrested four other men on drug possession charges, there was no indication that Mr. Colon had bought, sold or used drugs. [snip] Pubdate: Fri, 09 Aug 2002 Source: New York Times (NY) Copyright: 2002 The New York Times Company Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298 Author: Bruce Lambert Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm (Drug Raids) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1472/a04.html === (11) KEATING URGED TO CUT SENTENCE LEXINGTON -- In an historic vote Tuesday, the state Pardon and Parole Board unanimously recommended the governor commute the sentence of a Kingfisher man serving life without parole for drug trafficking. Three of five board members voted to recommend that Larry E. Yarbrough's sentence be commuted to 20 years in prison. That recommendation will be forwarded to Gov. Frank Keating, who will make the final decision. The two other board members -- Currie Ballard and Marc Dreyer -- voted to commute Yarbrough's sentence to time served. Board members said Yarbrough's sentence seemed harsh compared with other drug cases. "It's just so out of line with everything else we see in here," said board member Patrick Morgan, a former Oklahoma County prosecutor. Of the 470 inmates in Oklahoma serving life without parole, only a dozen were sentenced for drug trafficking, said Jerry Massie, state Department of Corrections spokesman. Dreyer also questioned the severity of punishment for a defendant convicted of having just one ounce of powder cocaine. [snip] Pubdate: Wed, 07 Aug 2002 Source: Oklahoman, The (OK) Copyright: 2002 The Oklahoma Publishing Co. Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/318 Author: Ed Godfrey Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1465/a02.html === (12) POLICE GROUP REVERSES OK ON MARIJUANA LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Nevada's largest police organization has ousted its president and reversed his endorsement of a statewide initiative that would let adults legally possess small amounts of marijuana. The Nevada Conference of Police and Sheriffs issued a statement blaming former President Andy Anderson for a "misunderstanding" and declared that the executive board had not endorsed decriminalizing marijuana when Anderson polled them Tuesday. The organization said Friday that it does not endorse the measure, which will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot, "nor will it support any measure for the decriminalization or legalization of marijuana." [snip] Pubdate: Sun, 11 Aug 2002 Source: Chicago Tribune (IL) Copyright: 2002 Chicago Tribune Company Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/82 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?162 (NRLE) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/areas/Nevada Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1483/a05.html ======================================================================= Cannabis & Hemp- - --------------------------- COMMENT: (13-17) The batch of depenalization initiatives to appear on ballots this fall continues to grow and draw press attention. Billy Rogers, campaign manager for Nevadans for Responsible law enforcement, has accused Metro police of using government funds to campaign against the Nevada decriminalization initiative, which is a violation of state law. Meanwhile, Arizona has quietly gathered enough signatures to put Proposition 203 - which would make possession of up to 2 ounces a civil violation punishable by a fine of no more than $250 - on the fall ballot. Prop. 203 would also allow doctors to write recommendations for medicinal cannabis, as well as putting the state Department of Public Safety in charge of the free re-distribution of confiscated cannabis to those with a doctor's permission to use it. And in the best news of the week, a South Dakota man named Alex White Plume was finally able to harvest his hemp crop this year. The White Plume family have planted a field of hemp for the last three years, but the DEA has seized the last two harvests, since the federal government makes no legal distinction between cannabis and hemp. The hemp was grown at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, which is part of the Oglala Sioux tribe, whose council voted to legalize hemp cultivation in 1998. Canada's Justice Minister continued his dirty dance with decriminalization this week. At a meeting of the Canadian Bar Association, Minister Cauchon reiterated his call for Canada to have a debate on decriminalization, while still holding the anti-legalization line of the ruling Liberal party. And right on the heels of Justice Minister Cauchon's speech, police have raided the Toronto Compassion Club, one of Canada's largest suppliers of medicinal cannabis (1000+ members), holding four of its workers in jail overnight. The hazy daze of summer must have clouded the common sense and compassion of Toronto Police, who by their own indefensible actions have now forced hundreds of sick and dying Canadians to buy their medicine from often dangerous and unreliable street dealers. === (13) POLICE ACCUSED OF ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST POT The leader of a group pushing for a ballot question that would ease marijuana possession laws sent a letter this morning to Clark County Sheriff Jerry Keller accusing Metro Police of using government time and resources to campaign against the initiative -- a violation of state law. "The bottom line is you shouldn't be able to use tax dollars and resources to campaign," said Billy Rogers, campaign manager for Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement. Undersheriff Richard Winget said Metro broke no law when he directed narcotics Detective Todd Raybuck to appear on television news programs - -- including CNN's "Crossfire" -- displaying marijuana and discussing Question 9. [snip] Pubdate: Mon, 12 Aug 2002 Source: Las Vegas Sun (NV) Copyright: 2002 Las Vegas Sun, Inc Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/234 Author: Keith Paul Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?162 (NRLE) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1491.a01.html === (14) MARIJUANA INITIATIVE MAKES ARIZ. BALLOT An initiative that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana will appear on Arizona's general-election ballot this fall, state officials said Monday. Proposition 203, also known as the "Drug Medicalization, Prevention, and Control Act of 2002," would make possession of 2 ounces or less of marijuana a civil violation punishable by a fine of no more than $250. [snip] Besides reducing penalties for marijuana possession from a low-level felony, the law would allow doctors to recommend, rather than prescribe marijuana for qualifying patients. [snip] The proposition would also require the state Department of Public Safety to distribute confiscated marijuana for free to those who receive doctors' recommendations. However, patients who qualify for medical use will not be able to sell or otherwise distribute the marijuana provided to them by the state. [snip] Pubdate: Tue, 13 Aug 2002 Source: United Press International (Wire) Copyright: 2002 United Press International Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/469 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1493.a05.html === (15) MANDERSON AREA FAMILY HARVESTS HEMP CROP The third time was a charm for Alex White Plume and his family as they quietly harvested their first crop of industrial hemp this week. "It really felt good," White Plume said Friday. "Just like a sense of relief." This was the third straight year the White Plume family planted hemp on their land near Manderson. Two years in a row, federal agents confiscated the plants before they could be harvested, although the U.S. government did not file any charges against any of the White Plumes, who planned to produce and sell hemp oil and other products from the plants. This time, family members beat government agents to the punch. They harvested most of the 3.5-acre crop Monday night. [snip] Pubdate: Fri, 02 Aug 2002 Source: Rapid City Journal (SD) Copyright: 2002 The Rapid City Journal Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1029 Author: Heidi Bell Gease Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?169 (Sioux Hemp) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1463.a08.html === (16) MINISTER CONSIDERS NEW LOOK AT LEGAL SYSTEM Canada's justice minister says it may be time to rethink the country's approach to crime and punishment, with a view to reducing prosecutions of minor crimes, like marijuana possession, and easing pressures on legal aid. [snip] "Canadian society has experienced profound change during the past few decades, and I believe it is appropriate to ask ourselves whether we are satisfied with the overall functioning of our criminal justice system," he said in a speech at the Hilton London. "For example, as a society we must question our motivation when we devote so many of our precious legal resources to the prosecution of cannabis offences. "Do these prosecutions improve the safety of our communities? "Please don't misunderstand me -- Canada has no plans to legalize marijuana," he said. "I believe endorsing marijuana use might inflict harm on society and lead to greater problems. "But I believe it's time for an open discussion about modernizing the criminal justice system in this regard." [snip] Pubdate: Tue, 13 Aug 2002 Source: Toronto Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2002 The Toronto Star Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456 Author: Tracey Tyler, Legal Affairs Reporter Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1497.a03.html === (17) `MEDICINE' SEIZED IN BUST OF POT CLUB Four charged were helping sick people, their lawyer says Four people were taken into custody last night after police raided a Toronto "compassion club" set up to distribute "medical" marijuana. "They are not criminals," their lawyer, Alan Young, said after leaving Toronto police 13 Division, where his clients were being held pending a bail hearing today at old city hall. "They were providing medicine to sick people." The four were charged with trafficking in a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking over a three-month period, Young said. He said if they are released on bail today, one of the conditions will probably be that the Toronto Compassion Centre, which is located on Bathurst St. near St. Clair Ave. W., be shut down, and that will leave more than 1,000 members without the marijuana they say they need to cope with serious illnesses. Young called the arrests "vindictive" and "stupid." [snip] "They (Toronto police) are going to have to live with the repercussions of cutting off the supply of medicine to sick people," Young said, predicting the phones at 13 Division will be ringing off the hook with calls from club members. [snip] Pubdate: Wed, 14 Aug 2002 Source: Toronto Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2002 The Toronto Star Author: Tracey Tyler, Legal Affairs Reporter Cited: http://www.torontocompassioncentre.org/ Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1498/a02.html ====================================================================== International News - --------------------------- COMMENT: (18-25) Figures released by the Scottish government last week indicate "drug-related" deaths rose by 14 percent last year to a new high of 332 deaths in 2001. Heroin, methadone, cocaine and ecstasy were most often involved. In Colombia, the new government led by right-wing Alvaro Uribe lost no time in declaring a state of emergency giving his government more power, authorizing "preventive detention without a warrant, the suppression of protests, restrictions on the movements of civilians and curbs on the media." Meanwhile, some congressional Republicans expressed reservations over Uribe's national security chief, Pedro Juan Moreno. Moreno headed a company that the DEA said attempted several times to import chemicals needed to process cocaine. Former Peruvian security chief Vladimiro Montesinos -- once a "valued ally in the drug war" according to the U.S. Embassy -- is now in jail, himself accused of trafficking cocaine. Also in Peru last week, after a three-day protest of 7,700 coca farmers in Ayacucho, the Peruvian government relented, agreeing "to ease up on anti-drug operations." Following a spate of killings, vigilantes in the Philippine province of Negros Oriental denounced "12,000 drug addicts" in the area. Calling on citizens for tips as to the identities of drug users, the group asserted that most of the 12,000 users were young people. The Philippine government also decreed last week that drug users would no longer be entitled to plea bargaining or probation. And from Russia this week: authorities prohibited trepanation/lobotomy operations intended to cure to drug addiction, the Guardian newspaper reported. The operations, which often failed to stop the addictions, caused "damaging side-effects" according to patients. === (18) DRUG-RELATED DEATHS AT A RECORD LEVEL THE number of people killed by drugs in Scotland has risen to an all-time high, according to new statistics. Scottish Executive figures show that drug-related deaths rose by 14 per cent to 332 last year, compared with 292 in 2000. Since 1996, there has been a 36 per cent increase in drug deaths. Heroin is still by far the biggest killer, with the drug being present in 216 deaths - some 65 per cent. However, while still relatively small in number, deaths involving cocaine and ecstasy have both increased. Of those who died in 2001, 20 had used cocaine, while 19 had taken ecstasy. The previous year, cocaine was only present in four deaths, with ecstasy present in eleven. Police believe the rise is partly due to a growing trend of injecting a mixture of heroin and cocaine. The heroin substitute methadone was present in 69 deaths, prompting calls for the drug to be more closely managed. [snip] Pubdate: Thu, 8 Aug 2002 Source: Scotsman (UK) Copyright: The Scotsman Publications Ltd 2002 Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/406 Author: Andrew Denholm, Home Affairs Correspondent Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/areas/United+Kingdom Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1476/a12.html === (19) STATE OF EMERGENCY AS COLOMBIA STEPS UP WAR ON TERRORISM President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia imposed a limited state of emergency yesterday after more than 100 people were killed by Marxist rebels in the five days since he took office. The "state of internal commotion" gives him power to sideline Congress on security issues. It also authorises preventive detention without a warrant, the suppression of protests, restrictions on the movements of civilians and curbs on the media. The first measure imposed after an all-night cabinet session was a wealth tax on individuals and businesses with liquid assets of more than UKP40,000. It is intended to raise UKP510 million for the security forces. [snip] He is also being watched carefully by Washington, which has just lifted restrictions on a UKP1 billion package of military aid granted by Bill Clinton when he was president specifically for the war on drugs so that it can be used against the rebels. [snip] Pubdate: Tue, 13 Aug 2002 Source: Daily Telegraph (UK) Copyright: 2002 Telegraph Group Limited Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/114 Author: Jeremy McDermott, in Medellin Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/colombia.htm Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1493/a03.html === (20) URIBE ADVISOR WORRIES SOME IN U.S. WASHINGTON - Several Republican legislators are expressing concern over the possibility that President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia will name Pedro Juan Moreno, a longtime advisor and friend who once had run-ins with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, as his national security chief. [snip] PUSH FOR DETAILS But three Republican legislators have peppered the Bush administration for details about Moreno's past, seeking information about four separate U.S. seizures of a substance bound for Moreno's chemical company in Medellin in 1997, 1998 and 2000. The seizures involved potassium permanganate, which has a variety of legitimate uses as a bleach, oxidizer and purifying agent but is also vital in the processing of cocaine. Moreno, who was chief of staff to Uribe when he was governor of Antioquia state in the 1990s, has stated that the chemicals were for legitimate industrial purposes. [snip] Moreno's company contested the seizures, but the DEA denied the appeal and asked for details about how the chemicals would be used, the letter says. When the company did not respond, ''the chemicals were deemed abandoned and then forfeited to the United States,'' Hutchinson wrote. Pubdate: Sat, 10 Aug 2002 Source: Miami Herald (FL) Copyright: 2002 The Miami Herald Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/262 Author: Tim Johnson Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/colombia.htm (Colombia) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1485/a10.html === (21) OUSTED PERUVIAN SPY CHIEF LINKED TO DRUGS LIMA, Peru - A State Department cable from the U.S. Embassy once described former Peruvian security chief Vladimiro Montesinos as a "valued ally in the drug war, but no choir boy." Peruvian investigators now believe Montesinos was a traitor in that war. As Montesinos languishes in jail, at least nine accused or convicted drug traffickers in Colombia, Panama and Peru have come forward to allege that he collected money for assisting selected criminal drug enterprises, according to reports compiled by prosecutors and congressional investigators who are trying to uncover the extent of his criminal involvement. [snip] The Miami Herald obtained transcripts of several hearings, including Tijero's. It is hard to overestimate the power that Montesinos wielded under the Fujimori government from 1990 to late 2000, when Fujimori fled to Japan. A declassified 1999 U.S. cable called Montesinos the de facto head of the powerful National Intelligence Service, the "go-to guy ... on any key issue, particularly any major counter-narcotics issue." [snip] Pubdate: Sun, 11 Aug 2002 Source: Miami Herald (FL) Copyright: 2002 The Miami Herald Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/262 Author: Tim Johnson Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1485/a09.html === (22) PERU GOVERNMENT AGREES TO SLOW ANTI-COCAINE OPERATIONS TO END FARMER PROTEST LIMA, Peru ( AP ) - Peru has agreed to ease up on anti-drug operations in response to protests by coca farmers, the second move in a month that jeopardize U.S.-backed efforts to fight the cocaine trade. The government agreed Monday to gradually reduce the cultivation of coca - the raw material in cocaine - and help find markets for alternative crops grown in Peru's second-largest coca producing valley, the Ene-Apurimac river basin. The agreement follows one in late June in which the government suspended a coca eradication program in the Huallaga River valley in the eastern Amazon jungle region. It ended a three-day sit-in by about 7,700 coca farms in the Andean city of Ayacucho. They had marched more than 90 miles from their farms in the eastern Amazon jungle, and threatened to march all the way to the capital, Lima, some 200 miles away. [snip] Pubdate: Tue, 06 Aug 2002 Source: News-Times, The (CT) Copyright: 2002 The News-Times Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/637 Author: Drew Benson, Associated Press Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) http://www.mapinc.org/area/Peru Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1477/a01.html === (23) 12,000 ADDICTS RESIDE IN NEGOR: VIGILANTES Negros Oriental is inhabited by about 12,000 drug addicts excluding drug dealers, drug lords and distributors, the vigilante group calling themselves the 6425 Brigade, said in a two-page statement sent to DAILY STAR. The group, led by a certain Kumander Boy Blanco, said most of the 12,000 addicts are young persons. [snip] The 6425 Brigade has called on the public to be vigilant and help them identify individuals who are into the drug trade. But they did not give details on how to do so. [snip] Pubdate: Tue, 13 Aug 2002 Source: Visayan Daily Star (Philippines) Copyright: 2002 Visayan Daily Star Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1688 Author: Edmund Sestoso Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1491/a08.html ==== (24) DRUG OFFENDERS NO LONGER ENTITLED TO PLEA BARGAINING, PROBATION Persons accused of drug crimes are now banned from availing themselves of the provision on plea bargaining, and once convicted in court they will lose the privilege granted by the probation law, Sen. Renato Cayetano said yesterday. Under the new Dangerous Drugs Law or Republic Act 9165, all drug convicts are now prohibited from availing of the benefits of probation. [snip] Section 23 of RA 9165 provides that: "Any person accused of any drug offense regardless of the impossible penalty shall not be allowed to avail of the provision on plea bargaining." [snip] Pubdate: Mon, 12 Aug 2002 Source: Philippine Star (Philippines) Copyright: PhilSTAR Daily Inc. 2002 Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/622 Author: Aurea Calica Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1485/a07.html === (25) RUSSIA BANS BRAIN SURGERY ON DRUG ADDICTS A series of controversial brain operations pioneered by St Petersburg scientists as a cure to drug addiction has been halted by Russian authorities after a patient complained of damaging side-effects. The operations, which began at the institute of the human brain in St Petersburg in 1999, removed a part of the brain associated with addiction. The programme has so far treated 335 patients, but the prosecutor's office in St Petersburg ordered an end to the operations on Monday after a former patient won a court case against the institute. [snip] The operation is one of several controversial anti-addiction treatments used in Russia. In the technique, a small hole is cut in the scalp, and a hole drilled in the skull. The doctors prefer not to put their patient under a general anaesthetic so they can monitor their responses as they probe the brain. About one cubic millimetre of tissue is taken from each hemisphere of the brain. [snip] Pubdate: Fri, 09 Aug 2002 Source: Guardian, The (UK) Copyright: 2002 Guardian Newspapers Limited Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/175 Author: Nick Paton Walsh Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1474/a03.html *********************************************************************** HOT OFF THE 'NET - ------------------------------- Federal Court Rules in Favor of Ayahuasca-using Church A report by Richard Glenn Boire "Members of the ayahuasca-using religious group known as the Uniao Do Vegetal (UDV), won a major legal victory on Monday (August 12, 2002), when a federal court ruled that the group's use of ayahuasca was likely protected under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Ayahuasca (also known as hoasca) is a visionary tea that serves as the sacrament of the UDV religion." http://www.alchemind.org/DLL/udv_pj_granted.htm === THE MOUSE THAT ROARED A report by Dan Forbes "The small, influential Unitarian Universalist church has issued the rather remarkable call to: "Make all drugs legally available with a prescription by a licensed physician, subject to professional oversight." That's one element - certainly the most controversial - of the denomination's recent Statement of Conscience, all of it meant to be taken at face value." http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1481/a13.html === Support Nevada Police Who Endorse Initiative A DrugSense Focus Alert. http://www.mapinc.org/alert/0247.html === Cultural Baggage Radio Show WHEN: Friday, Aug 16, Midnite (CDT) WHO: Dr. Alan G. Robison, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology at UT Health Science Center & Exec. Dir. of Drug Policy Forum of Texas http://www.dpft.org/ David F. Duncan, Dr.P.H., C.A.S., F.A.A.H.B, President Duncan & Associates & Clinical Associate Professor, School of Medicine, Brown University, http://www.duncan-associates.com/ George McMahon, one of six surviving, federally supplied Medical Marijuana Patients http://www.trvnet.net/~mmcmahon/ WHERE: KPFT Houston at 90.1 FM or on the net at http://www.kpft.org/ Submitted by Dean Becker === Florida Prison Petition Help clean up the overcrowding in Florida's prisons by signing this petition to make the Parole Commission release these people. It takes 30 seconds and your signature could make the difference. Please follow this link to sign: The system centralizes signature collection to provide consolidated, useful reports for petition authors and targets. Please forward this email to others you believe share your concern. To view additional petitions, please click here: http://www.thePetitionSite.com/ Submitted by Kaylee === NPR Talk of the Nation Mitchell Earleywine, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Southern California, Author, Understanding Marijuana (Oxford University Press, 2002) John L. Smith, Columnist, Las Vegas Review Journal Martin O'Hanlon, Ottawa, News Editor, The Canadian Press John Walters, Director, National Drug Control Policy Audio: http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/totn/20020814.totn.ram === Seattle Hempfest This year our speaker line-up was almost a who's who of movement luminaries. Keith Stroup, Founder and Executive Director of National NORML (norml.org) came and he brought almost the entire Board of Directors with him including Stephen Dillon (Chair), Dale Gieringer (Vice Chair), & longtime Board Member Norm Kent. We were also excited to have Todd McCormick's mother Ann come out from back East to participate for the first time. Other notable speakers are almost too numerous to mention. Included were Kevin Zeese and Doug McVay from Common Sense for Drug Policy (csdp.org), Nora Callahan, Chuck Armsbury and Dietra Lied from November Coalition (november.org). http://www.seattlehempfest.com/ ********************************************************************** LETTER OF THE WEEK - ------------------------------------ CONGRESSIONAL PRIVILEGE By Patricia E. Allard To the Editor: People like former Representative James A. Traficant Jr., sentenced to eight years in prison for bribery and kickbacks (news article, July 31), can continue to receive their Congressional pensions. But an ordinary citizen convicted of a felony drug offense for possession of $5 worth of drugs becomes permanently ineligible for cash assistance and food stamps regardless of any of his or her rehabilitative efforts. Under the 1996 welfare reform law, people convicted of a felony drug offense are subject to a lifetime ban on receiving welfare benefits. It was also in 1996 that lawmakers rejected a proposal to end tax-subsidized Congressional pensions for members of Congress convicted of a felony. This two-tier system of punishment gives new meaning to our notion of injustice. Patricia E. Allard, Washington The writer is a policy analyst with the Sentencing Project Pubdate: 08/07/2002 Source: New York Times (NY) Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298 ********************************************************************** FEATURE ARTICLE - ------------------------------- Primary Medical Condition For Medical Cannabis Use PRIMARY MEDICAL CONDITION FOR MEDICAL CANNABIS USE By Jay R. Cavanaugh, PhD Using our albeit limited polling resources, the American Alliance for Medical Cannabis ran a front page website poll asking patients to identify the major reason they utilized medical cannabis. Of course, such a poll is not scientific but it does provide results from 500 patients who responded. This large number of patients was asked to choose between six categories to identify their major diagnosis. Here are the results: Please tell us your experience What is the major condition you treat with Cannabis? votes percent 1.) Chronic pain 156 31% 2.) HIV / AIDS 19 4% 3.) Cancer 27 5% 4.) Depression 129 26% 5.) Migraine 57 11% 6.) Other 112 22% Total Votes: 500 While chronic pain is cited more often than any other single condition (31%), self reported depression (actually a broad category of illnesses) came in a close second (26%). It would have been nice to be able to ask respondents to choose both a primary and secondary condition. In that event we might have seen some linkage between chronic pain and the depression that so frequently accompanies it. Regardless, we can see that psychiatric medication with cannabis is common. In view of the fact that repeated double blind studies of the new SSRI drugs like Zoloft, Paxil, and Prozac have shown virtually no benefit beyond placebo, perhaps these patients know more than their psychiatrists what works for them. Another fascinating result is the large number of patients (57 or 11%) who report migraine as their primary medical condition. This number is larger than HIV and Cancer combined (4% and 5% respectively). It is noted that migraine has a higher incidence and prevalence than either cancer or HIV. Prior to the prohibition of cannabis in the 1930's, cannabis was the primary drug prescribed for headache. Obviously, it still works. We're interested to know just what the "other" category is comprised of. More than one in five patients (112 or 22%) reports "other" which may include such diseases and disorders as MS, diabetes, HCV, Tourette's disease, Parkinson's disease, and others. Future polls may seek to elucidate other conditions in more detail. One major result from this poll is that decision makers must be more careful when writing medical cannabis laws that delineate what conditions "qualify" for cannabis. Cannabis is most certainly not just for terminal illness but more likely for a large number of chronic conditions. Patients in States that have a "list" of appropriate conditions are blocking many legitimate patients from appropriate adjunctive therapy with cannabis. These States (i.e., Colorado) insist that the patient produce findings to justify their use of cannabis for an "off list" application yet research is virtually banned in the United States making documentation nearly impossible. Jay R. Cavanaugh is the National Director of American Alliance for Medical Cannabis http://www.letfreedomgrow.com/ *********************************************************************** QUOTE OF THE WEEK - ------------------------------------ "They knew everything." - - DEA informant Oscar Benitez Linares, when asked if the DEA knew of charges that former Peruvian spy chief Vladimiro Montesinos personally authorized illegal cocaine shipments in the early 1990s. Montesinos was the U.S. government's "point-man" on drug control in Peru before being arrested for corruption charges. See http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1485/a09.html *********************************************************************** DS Weekly is one of the many free educational services DrugSense offers our members. Watch this feature to learn more about what DrugSense can do for you. TO SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, OR UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS: Please utilize the following URLs http://www.drugsense.org/hurry.htm http://www.drugsense.org/unsub.htm CREDITS: Policy and Law Enforcement/Prison content selection and analyses by Stephen Young (maxharm@maximizingharm.com), Cannabis/Hemp content selection and analysis by Philippe Lucas (phil@drugsense.org), International content selection and analysis by Doug Snead (doug@drugsense.org), Layout by Matt Elrod (webmaster@drugsense.org) 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. === NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. === MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TO DRUGSENSE ON-LINE http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm - -OR- Mail in your contribution. Make checks payable to MAP Inc. send your contribution to: The Media Awareness Project (MAP) Inc. D/B/a DrugSense PO Box 651 Porterville, CA 93258 (800) 266 5759 MGreer@mapinc.org ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2002 10:32:03 -0700 Subject: NV: Regulation Of Marijuana Awaits Vote In Nevada Up TOC Newshawk: Thomas Angell Pubdate: Sat, 17 Aug 2002 Source: Boston Weekly Dig (MA) Copyright: 2002 Boston Weekly Dig Contact: letters@weeklydig.com Website: http://www.weeklydig.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1515 Author: Danielle Ben-Veniste http://www.mapinc.org/find?162 (Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement) REGULATION OF MARIJUANA AWAITS VOTE IN NEVADA Nevada does not come readily to mind as a place to find solace from all that is dangerous and scary in today's world, but come November that may change, and we'll have marijuana to thank. Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement (NRLE) have created a ballot initiative (Section 38 of Article 4 of the Constitution of the State of Nevada, commonly known as Question 9) proposing the statewide regulation of marijuana use and distribution that will appear on the statewide ballot on November 5, 2002. The initiative would lead to fewer small-scale marijuana arrests and free up cops to protect citizens from the more pressing problems of violent crime and terrorist threats through a program that would eliminate the threat of arrest for adults over the age of 21 who use and/or possess up to three ounces of marijuana; require the state government to implement a system whereby marijuana can be legally obtained only through a regulated market of licensed establishments rather than underground or black-market sales; allow seriously ill patients to obtain marijuana for medicinal use at a lower cost than that available to non-medical or recreational users (though the law does not require insurance companies to reimburse patients for the purchase of marijuana for these purposes); and include common-sense restrictions that would prohibit use in public or on public transportation, advertising on billboards and in newspapers or magazines, distribution and/or sale of marijuana to minors (under the age of 21), and transportation of marijuana in or out of the state. The ballot initiative has already been endorsed by the Nevada Conference of Police and Sherriffs (NCOPS), which, with more than 3,000 members, is the largest police association in Nevada. Members of NCOPS support the initiative on the grounds that it would provide for a much-needed reallocation of time and money and enable law enforcement officials to devote their attention to crimes that pose more immediate threats to the well-being of Nevada's citizens. On August 6, the NRLE reported NCOPS president Andy Anderson announcing his organization's ground-breaking endorsement, "As a former law-enforcement officer, I know that a simple marijuana arrest takes me off the street for half my shift." Public opinion polls show widespread support for the initiative as well: at present, 44 percent of voters say that they plan to vote for the initiative, compared with 46 percent who are opposed and 10 percent who are undecided. While these figures may not seem to indicate certain success for Question 9, it is important to note that this polling takes place months before the voting date and the aggressive campaigning that the NRLE plans to launch as the big day approaches. __________________________________________________________________________ Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2002 10:34:14 -0700 Subject: NV: A Tip For Voters: Get The Facts Up TOC Newshawk: Plylar - State Congress - http://www.plylar.org Pubdate: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 Source: Reno Gazette-Journal (NV) Webpage: http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2002/08/15/21629.php Copyright: 2002 Reno Gazette-Journal Contact: rgjmail@nevadanet.com Website: http://www.rgj.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/363 Author: Cory Farley Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/walters.htm (Walters, John) A TIP FOR VOTERS: GET THE FACTS Among the mysteries of modern life is the knee-jerk, jump-up-and-shout reaction a lot of people have to marijuana. I've seen with my own eyes an officer of the court, cigarette in mouth and martini in hand, ranting about how people who smoke dope should be locked up. When I mentioned his own habits, he sneered. "I'm talking about drugs," he said. I mean, the guy has graduate degrees. For the record, I don't use marijuana. I have used it (inhaled, too), but not since the Nixon administration. No personal interest here. In November, Nevada voters will see a ballot initiative that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot. Early polls show it will fail, which is OK with me. OK, too, though, if it passes, because it would show people trying to force-feed us manure that we're not pure fools. One is John Walters, head of the federal Office of Drug Control Policy (motto: "We are, too, accomplishing something"). In Las Vegas recently, Walters said that Nevada is a "pawn in a nationally funded campaign" aimed at legalizing marijuana. The rhetoric! The rhetoric! When you call someone a pawn, you imply that he's being used, he's too dumb to see it (could he be slightly backward?) and it's your duty to protect him. Walters trotted out all the icons - "criminal organizations" that are a "dangerous threat" to our "democratic institutions" - and called decriminalization "a great con." If he gave evidence, it wasn't reported. On the same side is Washoe County District Attorney Dick Gammick, who has said marijuana advocates are "dishonest" and part of a "national coalition (supporting) the legalization of all illegal drugs." Oh, poo. I'm a lukewarm advocate, and the only national coalition I belong to is the Sierra Club. Decriminalization's backers say we're throwing $10 billion a year at weed, yet it's still America's No. 3 drug of choice, behind alcohol and tobacco. About 30 percent of us have used it. In social terms, the cost of marijuana is invisible next to those of tobacco and alcohol. And the proposed law wouldn't legalize it, only decriminalize it. Personal use would not be a crime. Selling in quantity would, as would supplying to minors or driving while zonked. The law is similar to one proposed by Richard Nixon's Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse 30 years ago, and by several bodies since. You can read summaries, and get a look at the other side of this issue, at www.norml.org, the Web site of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws. It's not unbiased, but it's no more biased than the stuff you're seeing now. __________________________________________________________________________ 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 ------------------------------ End of Restore-Digest V2002 #168 ******************************** Restore Hemp News Today Visit our sister site crrh.org
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