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Restore-Digest Friday, August
23 2002 Volume 2002 : Number 173
Today's Restore Hemp News ME:
Editorial: Free Speech Hardly At Issue At Hempstock
CRRH's HempTV update WA: 195,000 come out of the closet about pot NV: Web: Will Nevada Take Lid Off Pot? U.S., Oregon to Renew Assisted-Suicide Fight Med MJ Used by 30,000 Californians Canada: Editorial: Potpourri UK: Cannabis Grower Jailed CA: No Charges Filed After Marijuana Plants Seized From Patient a "SIlver Bullet" in So. Dak. DrugSense Weekly, Aug. 23, 2002, #264 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 08:45:29 -0700 Subject:ME: Editorial: Free Speech Hardly At Issue At Hempstock Up TOC Newshawk: Libertarians 1 - Drug Warriors 0 - http://www.plylar.org Pubdate: Wed, 21 Aug 2002 Source: Morning Sentinel (ME) Copyright: 2002 Morning Sentinel Contact: dcheever@centralmaine.com Website: http://www.onlinesentinel.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1474 FREE SPEECH HARDLY AT ISSUE AT HEMPSTOCK Nobody was arrested in Starks last weekend for speaking out in favor of legalizing marijuana. Nobody was prevented from exercising the right of peaceable assembly. This year's Hempstock concert-and-campout festival was in fact a pretty subdued affair. Its organizers managed to remain in compliance of the town's mass gathering ordinance, which requires a permit for events where more than 750 persons gather for six hours or more. Promoters of the festival got help from thousands of rock and pot fans who simply stayed away from this year's celebration. In the past, upwards of 7,000 concertgoers poured into tiny Starks (population 500), tying up traffic, littering front lawns, trapping residents in their homes and shattering their sleep long into the night. This year, only a fraction of the usual crowd showed up. No more than 649 camping tickets were sold for the event. Except for a few traffic and drug violations, the crowd was reportedly well behaved. Performers turned down the volume at 10 o'clock each night. One of those who did not show up for Hempstock XII was its chief organizer, Maine Vocals leader Don Christen. He was under court order to stay away as a condition of bail because of a disorderly conduct charge left over from last year's concert. Christen's compliance is somewhat surprising. His contempt for judicial rulings is well known. And he has never conceded the right of state or local officials to place restrictions on the festival, arguing that such regulation interferes with his constitutional rights of free speech. The argument is disingenuous at best. Nobody is interested in stifling debate about the legalization of marijuana and other drugs. Three decades ago, Maine was one of the first states to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use. Four years ago, Maine voters approved a medical marijuana law by a nearly 2-1 majority. And earlier this year, the Legislature quietly passed a bill doubling the amount of pot that patients may legally possess. True, the Maine laws are still in legal limbo because of prevailing federal drug restrictions. But the point is, this state has a strong history of tolerance for relaxed drug regulation ... and zero tolerance for restricting political debate of any kind. The Hempstock controversy has never been a battle about political rights. Mostly it's been a battle about the right of Starks residents to get a good night's sleep, to move freely about their own town and not to be threatened by strangers trespassing on their property. __________________________________________________________________________ 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 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 09:52:06 -0700 Subject:CRRH's HempTV update Up TOC Our website has been adding new videos and upgrading old ones for better quality at a feverish pace. http://www.crrh.org/hemptv/ Recently added: "Leaves of Green: The Industrial Hemp / Medical Marijuana controversy," is the most up to date "realworld" view of the advocates in this cause! Six TV commercials produced by Ed "New Jersey Weedman" Forchion. These ads led to Ed Forchion's arrest on Monday for a dubious "parole violation" for speaking publicly against the drug war. "War on drugs" with John Stessel- July 30, 2002. A great news special on the failure of the war. "Donahue"- July 29, 2002; Donahue has Gov. Gary Johnson of New Mexico, Sup. Mark Leno of San Francisco, Lynn Nofzinger of the Reagan administration and Billy Rogers of the new Nevada marijuana regulation initiative debate ex-Drug Czar, General Barry McCaffrey. McCaffrey complains that this is the most unbalanced program he has ever been on. "The War on Drugs: R.I.P" with Bill Curtis, by Investigative Reports and The A & E Channel (1995). A great documentary on the futility of the WOD, with Milton Friedman and other experts. "Chronic Amsterdam" is an underground documentary that explores the cannabis culture in the Netherlands. It's the point of view of one pot smoking aficionado - who takes you to all of the best smoker's cafes and clubs. Meet the owners - the growers, the locals and the tokers as we make the rounds. You'll see the 2000 Cannabis Cup competition - where like the wine merchants who compete with their grapes and bouquets so too do the cafes compete entering their best buds. Marijuana Ant-Prohibition Project, Palm Spring, CA May 6, 2001. Cannabis Common Sense's Lanny Swerdlow hosts a forum at the Palm Desert Civic Park Amphitheater in conjunction with the MIllion Marijuana Marches around the world. "America's Drug Forum" This show was produced in the late 1980s by the Drug Policy Foundation. It features Arnold Trebach, Ethan Nadelmann, Richard Dennis, Richard Cowan, David Boaz, and NY Sen. Joseph Galiber. This is a well-produced documentary on how drugs could be legalized. In the studio audience you can see the activist community, including Dana Beal, Dale Gieringer, and me too, in the light beige suit. Dr. Todd Mikuriya asks the panel a question. There are also lots of new editions of our own TV show, Cannabis Common Sense online too. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 09:53:12 -0700 Subject:WA: 195,000 come out of the closet about pot Up TOC Seattle (GTV) - The largest hempfest west of the Mississippi and one of the largest marijuana-reform rallies in the world took place this weekend August 18-19 at Seattle's Myrtle Edwards Park for Hempfest XI,. "Pot Pride" and "Come out of the closet" about marijuana use were the themes of this year's Seattle Hempfest. That many if not most pot smokers are otherwise law abiding peaceful citizens. No special rights for drinkers was one of the other slogans bantered around for this grand event. Many signatures were collected for a local Seattle ballot measure, I-75. This would adult possession of small amounts of marijuana Seattle's lowest law enforcement priority. Hempfest director Dominic Holden said, "The vast majority of marijuana smokers are like all other adults and have jobs and families... who use marijuana responsibly should not be treated as criminals, and nonviolent drug offenders need alternatives to incarceration such as treatment and job training." Seattle police were there, but Officer E.A. Greening told The Associated Press on Saturday, "We're just monitoring things in case things go bad. Everybody is getting along." Police, arrested four people Saturday and four more Sunday. One was busted on suspicion of smoking marijuana and the other seven on suspicion of selling marijuana to undercover officers. Not bad when thousands were lighting up enjoying great tunes by President Brown, Molehill Okestrah, Zaphara's Belly Dancers, Merideth Cushing & Raina Rose, Phat Sidy Smokehouse and many more. The weather was great- sunny, 80 degrees with a light breeze. The event featured over 1000 volunteers, 50 political organizations and over 400 vendors, and over 20 speakers, including Seattle City Councilman Nick Licata, Roger Goodman, director of the King County Bar Association.Chris Conrad, Kevin Zeese, Keith Stroup, Allen St. Pierre. Will Foster, Don Wirtshafter, Ed Rosenthal, Elvy Musikka, Jack Herer and many others spoke of their thoughts about pot pride. ___________________________________________________ Full Permission to reprint with this notice (c)2002 http://www.goldentroll.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 08:56:35 -0700 Subject:NV: Web: Will Nevada Take Lid Off Pot? Up TOC? Newshawk: Krissy www.mpp.org Pubdate: Thu, 01 Aug 2002 Source: Wired News (US Web) Webpage: http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,54415,00.html Copyright: 2002 Wired Digital Inc. Contact: newsfeedback@wired.com Website: http://www.wired.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1055 Author: Elliot Borin Cited: Marijuana Policy Project ( www.mpp.org ) Cited: Partnership for a Drug-Free America ( www.drugfreeamerica.org ) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/findUKP162 (Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/findUKP163 (Question 9 (NV)) WILL NEVADA TAKE LID OFF POT? Call it Operation Desert Smoke, aka the war to legalize marijuana in Nevada. A war, pardon the cliche, for hearts and minds. A battle of words, concepts and alliances built on common values. A war in which the Internet, as history's most potent vehicle for disseminating "facts" -- true or otherwise -- has become a significant weapon. "Information is always the enemy of stupidity and prejudice," says Bruce Mirken, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project, which is providing organizational support and funding for the Nevada initiative. "The Net has played a substantial role in undermining (marijuana) prohibition." "Is it possible that glittering websites offering what may be very biased perspectives regarding marijuana are having an impact on the decriminalization/legalization movement? Sure," retorts Howard Simon, deputy director of public affairs for the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. "Is it certain that's the cause? No. There was a widespread decriminalization movement in the 1970s which led to several states reducing penalties associated with marijuana.... It would be hard to argue that had anything to do with the Internet. "Still, one can't discount the possible influence of the Internet in spreading a pro-drug message -- or the 'nothing's working in the fight against drugs' message that too often goes hand in hand with it. Of course, that latter message isn't biased; it's just wrong." Anti-marijuana crusaders in the Illinois legislature are so convinced that the Internet is impeding noxious-weed-abatement efforts they've twice introduced bills to make it illegal to transmit information about marijuana over the Net. Had it not been defeated, the 2002 bill would have criminalized posting information about using or growing marijuana to websites, newsgroups, message boards, mailing lists and chat rooms. Make no mistake, the measure on Nevada's November ballot is more about what Simon would call legalization than decriminalization. Decriminalization measures aim at reducing penalties or exempting a "special-interest" group from current laws. The Nevada bill would treat marijuana in much the same way as tobacco and alcohol. Possession (of up to three ounces) and use would be legal for adults, but not minors. Driving under the influence would be illegal and, as is increasingly the case with tobacco, smoking pot in most public places would be prohibited. Most important, the initiative, which would have to be passed twice in two general elections to amend the state's constitution, would direct the legislature to establish a system for the sale and taxation of marijuana. This would make Nevada the only state giving black-thumbed citizens the same legal access to getting high as world-class gardeners. Surprisingly, this ultra-radical (or, according to its supporters, ultra-rational) proposal is supported by the state's largest newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and the state's largest law-enforcement organization, the Nevada Conference of Police and Sheriffs. With the most recent polls indicating the vote would end in a draw if held today, the NPP's Mirken is looking toward the Internet to help persuade "undecideds." "When you are in opposition to a dominant policy it forces you to be more creative," he says. "The Internet allows us to do huge amounts of grassroots organizing instantly, a key advantage as we head toward November." Prior to 2000, Nevadans could draw a multi-year prison sentence for possession of one marijuana cigarette. Voters passed a medical-marijuana decriminalization bill in 2000 and the 2001 legislature eliminated incarceration as a penalty for possession of less than one ounce by first-or second-time adult offenders. __________________________________________________________________________ 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 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 12:05:53 -0700 Subject:U.S., Oregon to Renew Assisted-Suicide Fight Up TOC U.S., Oregon to Renew Assisted-Suicide Fight byMarcia Coyle The National Law Journal 08-19-2002 In a few weeks, the Bush administration will begin round two in its fight to block Oregon's physician-assisted suicide law. The litigation is rich with conflicts over the interpretation of a federal drug law, the existence of constitutional protections and the primacy of state or federal powers. The battle is over the so-called Ashcroft directive, in which Attorney General John Ashcroft announced last year that he was reversing a department position, held since 1998, that physicians prescribing controlled substances under the law do not violate the federal Controlled Substances Act. Assisting a suicide, Ashcroft said, is not a "legitimate medical practice" within the meaning of the act, and physicians who prescribe, dispense or administer controlled substances to do it violate the law and risk losing their drug licenses. Last April, U.S. District Judge Robert Jones of the District of Oregon found that the directive exceeded the authority granted to the attorney general under the Controlled Substances Act and entered a permanent injunction against its enforcement. Oregon v. Ashcroft, No. 01-1647. In September, Justice Department lawyers will fire the opening salvo in their appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. VANTAGE POINT That Circuit brings a unique vantage point to the legal debate. Seven years ago it upheld terminally ill patients' choice to end their lives, striking down a Washington law banning physician-assisted suicide. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court has weighed in on the Washington ban and the one in New York. And the public debate continues. Only Oregon has a law permitting physician-assisted suicide. Its battle with the administration is being closely watched by other states and by health care professionals. The case has "huge national implications" for two reasons, says Kathryn Tucker, legal director of Portland, Ore.-based Compassion in Dying, which represents a group of terminally ill patients in the litigation. "If the directive were to take effect, there would be additional concern in the physician community that prescribing strong pain medication to dying patients could bring scrutiny and sanctions," she says. "Many, many studies show that programs like that chill the willingness to prescribe. "And, second, this is an unprecedented intrusion into an arena historically left to the states -- the regulation of the practice of medicine." The Oregon act was enacted in 1994 not by the state Legislature but through the initiative process. Its enforcement was blocked for a time by litigation brought by right-to-life organizations. In 1997, state voters defeated an attempt to repeal the law. Since 1997, it has been used by approximately 70 terminally ill Oregonians, the District Court said. The Ashcroft directive was immediately challenged by the state, an Oregon group of terminally ill patients and an Oregon physician and pharmacist. The state made a four-pronged attack on the directive, saying that it: * Violated the federal Administrative Procedures Act by failing to comply with the notice and public comment procedures required for such decisions. * Violated an executive order on federalism requiring all departments to be sensitive to state sovereignty issues. * Exceeded the authority delegated by Congress in the Controlled Substances Act. * Violated the Supreme Court's rule that agency actions cannot encroach on traditional areas of state power without a "clear statement" from Congress. The Tucker group also argued that the directive violated a Fifth Amendment right to receive pain treatment. They argued that the Supreme Court in Washington v. Glucksberg, 521 U.S. 702 (1997) and Vacco v. Quill, 521 U.S. 793 (1997) -- decisions upholding state bans on assisted suicide -- recognized there are circumstances in which efforts to relieve a dying patient's pain justify the use of medications that may hasten death. "It was our contention that the Ashcroft directive would impair all patients nationwide from getting adequate pain medication and that was a Fifth Amendment violation," Tucker says. And, they added, the directive violates the U.S. Constitution's commerce clause and the 10th Amendment. The Bush administration argued that the law makes it unlawful for anyone to dispense controlled substances unless affirmatively authorized by federal law, specifically the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Nothing in its language, history or regulations, it said, authorizes practitioners to dispense controlled substances to assist suicide. It disputed the idea that states can determine what someone registered to dispense controlled substances may do with them. The government also rejected the constitutional claims, argued that executive orders are not judicially enforceable and said the Administrative Procedures Act does not apply to interpretive rulings, such as the directive. Jones based his ruling against the government on one claim, the statutory interpretation of the law. Congress, he said, "did not intend to override a state's decisions concerning what constitutes legitimate medical practice, at least in the absence of an express federal law prohibiting that practice." And he wrote, "Congress never intended, through the CSA or through any other current federal law, to grant blanket authority to the Attorney General or the DEA to define, as a matter of federal policy, what constitutes the legitimate practice of medicine." Tucker says, "The language in the CSA does have that core phrase -- legitimate medical practice. The fact of the matter is what is a legitimate medical practice has always been determined at the state level. "The content or substance of it is formed within each state through a complex amalgam of sources -- state medical licensing boards, peer practice which develops standards of care and sometimes state statutes." Federal law enforcement, she says, is authorized to use the act only against doctors who practice in a way that is not legitimate and not accepted by a state -- "pill-mill" doctors or those trafficking in drugs, for instance. "What we have with Ashcroft is the exact opposite," she says, "an attorney general trying to intrude himself into the sphere of legitimate medical practice." However, regardless of whether the policy is good or bad, the federal government has the better statutory argument, says Douglas Kmiec, dean of Catholic University School of Law and a Reagan DOJ veteran. "The state can license whomever it wants, but if in fact those doctors are going to be utilizing controlled drugs, then the federal government has interests in assuring they're being used correctly," he says. The Controlled Substances Act was amended in 1984, he says, to empower the attorney general to deny, suspend or revoke a practitioner's registration after determining that it's inconsistent with the public interest. "That's hardly a constraining statute," he says. Assisted suicide was not on Congress' radar screen when the law was enacted in 1970 or amended in 1984, he says, and the statute doesn't define "public interest" or "legitimate medical practice." "If you have a gap or ambiguity, the Chevron framework" -- from a Supreme Court ruling outlining when deference to agency actions prevails -- "largely allows the executive to fill that in with a reasonable interpretation," says Kmiec. "There is a good body of authority on assisted suicide, including most professional societies, taking the position it is problematic and should be avoided. All of that is, I think, enough for the attorney general to point to and say, 'It's my reasonable judgment, as it is the AMA's, that assisted suicide is not a legitimate medical purpose and, at least in terms of the authority given me in this statute, I'm not going to license it.'" UNDERLYING ISSUE The issue of federal and state authority underlines much of Jones' decision, says Marc Spindelman of the Ohio State University College of Law, who has written about the Oregon statute. By embracing a federalism or states' rights doctrine that supports the state's position here, Spindelman suggests, proponents of assisted suicide embrace "a set of arguments that are dangerous, or a potential threat" to women's rights and equality rights generally. "Suppose the decision does confirm that the regulation of the practice of medicine is the state's job," he says. "If it really is, it's difficult to see, for example, why a state shouldn't be allowed to regulate or prohibit abortion." Spindelman and others say they will be surprised if the parties limit their briefs to the statutory interpretation issues. Although it held in 1997 that there was no constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide, the Supreme Court did say that it was important for the debate to continue in the "laboratory of the states," Tucker says. "Part of this whole picture is that as efforts in other states emerge, the data from the Oregon experience is valuable to consideration by those states, and that is what the Supreme Court was really encouraging," she says. "The fact is we now know from four years of published data that none of the risks speculated about assisted suicide has been realized. That's so important and why the Oregon experience must be permitted to continue." ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 15:55:38 -0700 Subject:Med MJ Used by 30,000 Californians Up TOC Cal NORML Survey Finds 30,000 Medical Marijuana Patients in California Growing Acceptance in Medical Community, but Disproportionate Focus of Federal Law Enforcement An estimated 30,000 Californians have physicians' recommendations to use marijuana as medicine according to a survey of patients' groups, registration programs, and physicians by California NORML. The survey will be published in a forthcoming report in the Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics, Vol 3#1 ("The Acceptance of Medicinal Marijuana in the U.S." by Dale Gieringer). Another 5,000 patients were estimated to reside in the seven other states with medical marijuana laws as of May, 2002. California has the highest concentration of medical marijuana patients in the country, 89 per 100,000 population. Elsewhere usage rates range from 79 per 100,000 in Oregon to a low of 3 per 100,000 in Colorado. The concentration of legal patients is highest in Northern California, where local attitudes are most supportive. Of the state's 55 patients' groups identified in the survey, 48 are in Northern California. Elsewhere, patients complain about the lack of access to legal medicine. The highest rate of usage is in Mendocino County, where 1% of the population are currently registered as legal patients with the sheriff's department. Canadian surveys suggest illegal medical usage of marijuana as high as 2% - 4% in the general population. The survey also found growing acceptance of marijuana in the medical community. Over 1,500 physicians have recommended marijuana in California, and some 5% of all licensed physicians in Oregon. Under current federal law marijuana is classified as a Schedule One substance, meaning it has "no currently accepted medical use in the United States." However, the growing numbers of medical marijuana patients and physicians suggest this classification is obsolete. Despite their growing number, medical marijuana patients remain a small minority. California's 30,000 patients represent only 1% of the state's total marijuana-using population. In this light, a disproportionate share of law enforcement resources seem devoted to medical marijuana. A survey by California NORML found that nearly half of all federal marijuana cases filed in the Northern District of California since September 11th involve medical marijuana (<http://www.canorml.org/news/moremmjraidsthanterrorists.html>More arrests for medical marijuana than terrorism in Cal.). Medical marijuana patients are an easy target for law enforcement because they believe they are acting legally and are less cautious about covering up their activities, which have been increasingly targeted by federal authorities. Cal NORML Press Release Aug 22, 2002 - -- - ---- Dale Gieringer (415) 563-5858 // canorml@igc.org 2215-R Market St. #278, San Francisco CA 94114 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2002 09:25:42 -0700 Subject:Canada: Editorial: Potpourri Up TOC Newshawk: CannabisLink.ca (http://cannabislink.ca) Pubdate: Fri, 23 Aug 2002 Source: Halifax Herald (CN NS) Copyright: 2002 The Halifax Herald Limited Contact: letters@herald.ns.ca Website: http://www.herald.ns.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/180 POTPOURRI SMOKING POT can lead to lethargy and indecision, which makes one wonder whether the feds aren't breathing in too many second-hand fumes from the medical marijuana debate. Ottawa can't seem to make up its mind how to proceed. After an Ontario court ruling two years ago, which allowed terminally ill Canadians to smoke marijuana for pain relief, the federal government decided not to appeal. Instead, it bowed before the court and changed the criminal law, making a medical exception for the ailing. Patients, however, still had no one they could buy cannabis from legally, so the Health Department stepped in and started growing its own. Ultimately, the marijuana was supposed to make its way to the 800 or so people on the approved list. Don't hold your breath. Anne McLellan, who was justice minister when the decision not to appeal was made, is now backtracking in her new capacity as health minister. She told doctors at the annual meeting of the Canadian Medical Association in Saint John this week that she's now hoping for a medical marijuana case to make it to the Supreme Court of Canada "so we can get some clarity about what is happening here." But there is no such case pending. Besides, the time to take it to the highest court in the land was two years ago, before $5.7 million was spent on the alternative - growing grass in a mine shaft in Manitoba and devising a system to distribute it for medicinal purposes. She also said the government-grown marijuana won't be available until clinical trials are through. Such trials have not even begun. Doctors are legitimately concerned - from both the liability and medical perspectives - about prescribing cannabis if they don't fully understand all the ramifications or interactions with other drugs. Moreover, she had a potpourri of other misgivings. She's uncomfortable with folks smoking pot to relieve pain and fears that if the Health Department is in the business of selling joints, it could undermine its anti-smoking campaign. Again, we ask: Should these issues not have been sorted out before millions were spent and the government committed itself to buying 400 kilograms of cannabis a year for the next four years from the company producing the plants? The way things are going, Ottawa is going to end up with a whole lot of pot on its hands that only a small minority of doctors will agree to prescribe. The patients with chronic or terminal conditions will be no further ahead in the battle to alleviate their suffering. And taxpayers will be further behind because Ottawa couldn't see the forest for the trees - or rather the grass for the blades. __________________________________________________________________________ Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2002 09:26:26 -0700 Subject: UK: Cannabis Grower Jailed Newshawk: ccguide.org.uk Pubdate: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 Source: East Anglian Daily Times (UK) Copyright: 2002 Eastern Counties Newspapers Group Ltd Contact: eadtletters@ecng.co.uk Website: http://www.eadt.co.uk/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/913 CANNABIS GROWER JAILED A STEPFATHER and the girlfriend of a man imprisoned for growing cannabis have insisted he should be in a hospital not in jail. Lance Ridler, 33, of Elizabeth Way in Halstead, was given a two-month prison sentence at Colchester Magistrates' Court, yesterday - one month of which was suspended - after he admitted producing cannabis at an earlier hearing. After he was sentenced, Ridler's step-father Tom Wood, 57, from Halstead, said: "He is not fit to go to prison. He should be in a hospital. He can barely walk. The GP has said he should see a specialist. "He was not producing the plants for any financial gain. A custodial sentence seems to me totally out of order." Ridler's partner, Rebecca Cass, 27, said: "He needs to be in a hospital not a prison. He has not been able to work since November. Six weeks ago our flat burnt down. We lost everything. And now this." The court heard yesterday how firefighters discovered 37 cannabis plants growing in a cupboard at Ridler's flat on July 7 when dealing with a blaze which had spread from an adjoining building. Equipment to supply them with light and water was also present. The plants were about 12 ins high and capable of producing drugs worth about UKP 18,800 on the street, the prosecution alleged. But defending Peter Richards yesterday insisted that Ridler had been growing them for his own use, to help ease a neurological condition he was suffering from and that they were far less valuable. The accused had been unable to work for months because of the debilitating symptoms, which included pain, numbness and weakness in his limbs. But he had a UKP 5,000 painting and decorating contract that was being held for when his health improved. Mr Richards, said: "He is a thoroughly decent young man who was working hard until his illness prevented him from doing so. "He is a man of previous good character who was worried about his medical condition." He described Ridler's cultivation as an "unsophisticated operation" which was "not commercially motivated" and very much a "hit and miss experiment". Magistrates examined medical reports before retiring to deliberate. When they returned, chairman of the bench Adrian Amos, said: "We have listened very carefully to all that has been said. In our minds, here was a large amount of cannabis being cultivated - 37 plants." __________________________________________________________________________ Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2002 09:29:33 -0700 Subject: CA: No Charges Filed After Marijuana Plants Seized From Patient Title: No Charges Filed After Marijuana Plants Seized From Author: Jason Schultz Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel Contact: editorial@santa-cruz.com Website: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ Pubdate: Wednesday, August 21, 2002 SCOTTS VALLEY, CA - An apparent miscommunication between police and a medical marijuana user last week led to seizure of the man's pot. Scott's Valley firefighters were putting out a fire Aug. 11 on Lucinda Drive when they spotted seven marijuana plants growing behind a shed on an adjacent property. Police were called, and they approached the property owner, 49- year-old Michael Joseph Dominguez. Dominguez has AIDS and has a prescription to smoke marijuana. The prescription is allowed under a state law that allows those with chronic illness to legally smoke marijuana to ease their pain. California and federal authorities have sparred for years over validity of the law. Dominguez said he showed the officers his prescriptions, but the officers cited him for cultivating marijuana, a possible felony, then confiscated the plants. Valerie Corral, director of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana, the Santa Cruz pot club that Dominguez belongs to, said her group had confirmed Dominguez's prescription. She added that he is allowed under the state law to grow the seven plants for his own use. She said she was surprised by the police action because her group in the past has been treated well not only by Scotts Valley officers, but by officers with most every law enforcement agency in the county. Corral called new Scotts Valley Police Chief Steve Lind and explained the situation. Lind said it appears Dominguez had a legitimate prescription. He called the citation a "miscommunication" centering on the fact police initially encountered a caretaker on the property who refused to give officers any information. Lind said his department has no intention of cracking down on medical marijuana users as long as they are following the law. "We don't want to spend a lot of time on this," he said. "If they are allowed by law to have it, that is good enough for me." He said parts of the state law - including how much a person can grow and what police should do when confronted by someone who claims to have medical marijuana - are unclear, and that the state Legislature needs to go back and make the law more explicit for police. Assistant District Attorney Ton Ngo said once prosecutors verified Dominguez had a valid prescription, they decided not to pursue any charges. Dominguez said his plants had not budded and it is now too late to re- plant them and get a crop, but Corral said the cooperative would help supply him. Copyright Santa Cruz Sentinel. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2002 09:36:09 -0700 Subject: a "SIlver Bullet" in So. Dak. from Bob Newland Amendment "A", the "Common Sense Justice Amendment", is the most important issue on any ballot, anywhere, in 2002. South Dakotans will vote on it in November. It is, simply, the closest thing to a "silver bullet" for victims of drug prohibition laws which has come along. And we've lost our ability to promote it. Why should someone who doesn't live in SD help with Amendment A, a change to South Dakota's constitution? Posted by Bob Newland HC 89 Box 184-A Hermosa SD 57744 605-255-4032 1-877-687-5297 toll-free http://www.CommonSenseJustice.Us What's justice worth to you? We put Amendment A on the ballot two years ago by obtaining the signatures of 40,000 South Dakota voters (typically, about 250,000 - 285,000 people vote in SD elections). It's been cerified for the 2002 ballot since late 2000. We raised and spent $60,000 to put it on the ballot. We have raised only $25,000 to promote it for the election. That's in addition to the thousands of hours and thousands of dollars out-of-pocket expenses donated by me and four or five other people to promote Amendment A. We're now out of money, with about 75 days left before the election. Amendment A will add the words, "and to argue the merits, validity, and applicability of the law, including the sentencing laws", to Article VI, Sec. 7 (Rights of Accused Person), of So. Dak.'s constitution. Art. VI, Sec. 7, already outlines the right to know the charges, see the evidence, present evidence in support of oneself, meet accusing witnesses, present one's own witnesses, to have a lawyer or represent oneself, and to a trial by jury (at least in cases where jail time is a possibility). By visiting our website, http://www.CommonSenseJustice.Us, you can see for yourself the historical background of Amendment A, and what we and our opponents have to say about it. Briefly, however, this is what "A" will do for accused people and for our search for justice in the justice system. Currently, if one is accused of a crime, he has only two choices: He can say, "I did what they say I did," ('Guilty'), and take the punishment of the court. Or he can say, "I didn't do it" ('Not Guilty'), and then try to prove he didn't do it. We think a third path -- one currently denied, almost universally, by courts (judges), especially in cases where it is most applicable -- is necessary to the deliverance of anything approaching justice. That path would resemble this, in some cases: "Yes, I did what I am accused of doing. However, I don't think I committed a 'crime', at least not in a sane sense of that word. I didn't hurt anyone, nor did I cause anyone financial loss. I don't think my act should be against the law. I have some evidence here that shows that this law causes lots of harm, but that it provides no benefits to the people of this state. . . (and so on)." Currently, in Sioux Falls SD, a quadriplegic is being prosecuted for possession of marijuana. All sides, even the prosecutor, acknowledge that Mathew Ducheneaux uses marijuana to quell the muscle tremors of "spastic paralysis syndrome", a life-threatening condidtion suffered by many people with spinal injuries. Yet, the prosecutor maintains that, since the legislature has determined that marijuana has no medical use, then Ducheneaux should be punished for attempting to prolong his life. The judge in Ducheneaux's case granted his attorney the 'right' to use a medical necessity defense. That decision was overturned by a higher judge. The SD Supreme Court refuses to hear the issue until after Ducheneaux's trial. So, Ducheneaux will go to trial. Mathew will sit in court and listen to the prosecutor tell the jury about the goodness of the laws prohibiting marijuana use. The prosecutor will tell how putting Mathew in jail will send a message to users everywhere. He'll say, "By convicting Mathew Ducheneaux, you'll help protect your own children from the ravages of the demon weed." Ducheneaux will not be able to say, "I use marijuana because if I don't my muscles contract so violently that they throw me from my wheelchair. My muscles contract so violently that they tear, and I bleed internally. If I don't use marijuana, I will die much sooner that I would otherwise." Ducheneaux will only be able to say, "I possesed marijuana", or "I didn't possess marijuana". If the jury convicts him, his attorney will appeal to the SD Supreme Court on the grounds that the trial court didn't allow a "necessity" defense. All of this business is being conducted on the public expense pad. Mathew hasn't been able to earn much income as a quadriplegic. We think that the ramifications of Amendment A are obvious in Mathew's case. 1. He would not have had to beg the court for the right to tell the common sense story of why he uses marijuana. 2. He would be able to tell the jury about the medical studies which show that marijuana is effective for spastic paralysis syndrome. He would be able to call witnesses as to marijuana's effectiveness in his own medical condidtion. He would be able to talk about it himself. 3. All of the grounds for appeal would be taken care of at the trial court level. If the jury, after hearing ALL the evidence, still convicted Mathew, so be it. The people will have spoken, and they will have said (at least in this case), "We don't believe the benefits to Mathew Ducheneaux justify allowing him to possess this most dangerous of all substances." If, on the other hand, the jury said, "Not guilty. Why did you even prosecute this case?", it would also be over, and justice will have been done (aside from the stupidity of the prosecutor's even having brought the case). 4. If, after a few cases like this, where defendants are able to tell their whole stories, prosecutors are unable to obtain convictions, the prosecutors themselves will ask the legislature to write some common sense into the law. 5. Public money will be spent much less freely on frivolous prosecutions for bullshit "offenses". We believe that common sense arguments can be used to good effect in other "drug" cases as well, including cases of prosecution of peaceful, honest adults simply copping a buzz in the privacy of their own homes. Please take a look at http://www.CommonSenseJustice.Us Okay, now here's why I'm writing. We need money to continue to tell people why Amendment A is important to them. We've used the $25000 we've raised to promote Amendment A. Our accomplishments include: 1. Ads in all So. Dak. college newspapers last spring. 2. Attracting the attention of the "Wall Street Journal" and "Legal Affairs" magazine. Both have said they will carry feature stories in the next couple weeks. http://www.wsj.com/ http://www.legalaffairs.org/ 3. Extensive news coverage, including about 20 interviews with individual news outlets and statewide media organizations, like AP. 4. Many personal appearances/speeches by reps of Amendment A to various civic groups. 5. Publication of an effective pamphlet (50,000 copies distributed to-date). http://www.CommonSenseJustice.Us/pamphlet.htm 6. Presence at several major summer events in South Dakota (State Fair and other regional fairs and festivals). 7. We've heard dozens of horror stories about the "justice" system's unwillingness to allow common sense arguments in court, including many which do not involve drug "crimes". And now, with 75 days left before the election, we're out of money. Our opponents are free now to say anything they want to say, and we can't afford to refute their inaccuracies and deceptions. We don't even have gas money to drive 100 miles to appear at a Lions Club dinner speech. Why should someone who doesn't live in SD help with Amendment A, a change to South Dakota's constitution? Here's why. When A wins, we'll be in a position to help 'export' A to your state. Think about that. There are several important issues appearing on ballots this fall. Nevada decriminalization comes to mind. We know you are deluged by requests for money to help repeal drug prohibition laws and for many other causes as well. We simply ask that you browse http://www.CommonSenseJustice.Us and decide whether our attempt to return a little common sense and justice to the justice system is worth anything to you. We accept checks and cash, of course. We can accept credit cards, but that will require a phone call to 605-255-4032. In the alternative, you can donate by credit card through a secure server by PayPal. (You need to join PayPal at www.paypal.com). Our PayPal ID is "newland@rapidcity.com". Please don't hesitate to call or email for further info. Common Sense Justice Bob Newland, Director HC 89 Box 184-A Hermosa SD 57744 605-255-4032 mailto:newland@rapidcity.com (If a REPLY, or a direct message to newland@rapidcity.com should bounce, please try mailto:rjnewland@yahoo.com. My ISP's spam filter sometimes filters out legitimate emails. Please use mailto:rjnewland@yahoo.com ONLY if my primary email address doesn't work for you. I can then forward your email address to my ISP for placement on an "okay" list.) Thanks for taking the time to read this message. Very best regards to all of you. Bob Newland P.S. Some lawyers have expresed concern about the effect of "A" on the administration of justice in cases involving actions we all agree should be crimes -- assault, robbery, murder, etc., especially those crimes involving an element of racial hatred. We urge you to read Larry Dodge's explication of those ramifications at http://www.commonsensejustice.us/questions/goodolboy.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2002 13:02:14 -0700 From: webmaster@drugsense.org (DrugSense) Subject: DrugSense Weekly, Aug. 23, 2002, #264 ********************************************************************** DRUGSENSE WEEKLY ********************************************************************** DrugSense Weekly, Aug. 23, 2002 #264 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) South America: Drug War Is Slipping Away From U.S. (2) Jury Indicts Parents In Son's Overdose Death (3) Hopes Fading For Revision Of Rockefeller Drug Laws (4) Marijuana Drug Touted As A Safe Pain Reliever * Weekly News in Review Drug Policy- (5) Teens Say Buying Dope is Easy (6) Guymon To Eliminate Drug Program (7) Son of Miami Prosecutor Arrested (8) Assemblywoman Steps Up To Endorse Marijuana Initiative (9) Marijuana Advocate Jailed For Espousing Legalization Of Drug Law Enforcement & Prisons- (10) Trooper Accused of Illegal Search (11) Judge Rules Drug Search Illegal (12) Grand Coteau Police Chief Arrested On Drug Charges (13) Woman, 82, Jailed Over Meth Sales Cannabis & Hemp- (14) Political Scientist: Nevada Pot Proponents Have Good Points (15) D.C. Marijuana Activists Urge Ballot Review (16) Seattle Hempfest Crowd Rallies For Pot-Policy Reform (17) Ottawa Shelves Medicinal Pot (18) Seized Pot Packs Punch, Ottawa Finds International News- (19) Civilian Court Orders Release Of Peruvian Air Force Pilots (20) Five Drug Traffickers Sentenced To Death In Vietnam (21) U.N. Report: Afghan Poppy Cultivation Near Record (22) U.S. May Get Colombian Support For Court Exemption * Hot Off The 'Net Bombing The Mind Drug Warriors In A Dead Heat Good Riddance, Bob Barr! Please Thank The San Francisco Chronicle Monitoring the Future Volume II Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) Teen Survey SAMHSA Releases 2001 DAWN Survey Annual Report on Organized Crime in Canada 2002 Streaming Media on Canadian Medicinal Cannabis Developments * Letter Of The Week War On Drugs Larger Tragedy / By Dean Becker * Feature Article LP's Medical Marijuana Ads Play Role In Defeat Of U.S. Rep. Bob Barr / By The Libertarian Party * Quote of the Week Curtis Tyler *********************************************************************** THIS JUST IN ======================================================================= (1) SOUTH AMERICA: DRUG WAR IS SLIPPING AWAY FROM U.S. Coca's Profitability Brings Farmers Back RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Despite spending billions of dollars to train police forces, whip soldiers into shape, spray crops with defoliants and teach farmers how to grow anything but coca plants, the United States is losing ground in the South American drug war. In Peru, coca eradication efforts stopped July 2. In Bolivia, where by last year authorities had nearly ended the growing of coca leaves that are refined to make cocaine, farmers are back at it. In Colombia, the president-elect's pledge to eliminate the nation's burgeoning coca crop has shrunk to a pledge to attack only industrial-size plots. The three Andean countries produce virtually all the world's cocaine. At a time when market prices for coffee and other substitute crops are at record lows, the political will to continue the unpopular pressuring of coca farmers in the three countries is questionable. To make matters worse, government opponents and rebels in the three countries are siding with the cocaine industry. [snip] Pubdate: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 Source: Detroit Free Press (MI) Copyright: 2002 Detroit Free Press Website: http://www.freep.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/125 Author: Kevin G. Hall and Cassio Furtado, Free Press Foreign Correspondents Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1554.a13.html === (2) JURY INDICTS PARENTS IN SON'S OVERDOSE DEATH Prosecutor says Lebanon Township pair failed to try to prevent his death. FLEMINGTON -- A Lebanon Township teen's parents and three of his friends will face charges stemming from his July 2001 drug overdose death, a Hunterdon County grand jury decided Tuesday. Leonardo DiPasquale, 18, died July 7, 2001, at his parents' home after he took a cocktail of heroin and Xanax, a prescription drug used to treat anxiety. An autopsy showed DiPasquale died of a heroin overdose. A seven-month investigation led authorities to three friends who allegedly provided the drugs DiPasquale took before his death. [snip] The grand jury on Tuesday affirmed the state's case against Poch, Curtin and Bowkley. It also returned indictments for DiPasquale's parents, Mary and Lewis Hockenbury of 645 Winding Brook Road in Lebanon Township. Mary and Lewis Hockenbury face one count of reckless manslaughter. Acting Hunterdon County Prosecutor Steven Lember said Wednesday that DiPasquale's parents failed to take action that would have prevented his death. "The theory is that the Hockenburys were well aware that their son was in the throes of a heroin overdose," Lember said. "Knowing that, they should have taken steps that reasonable parents would have taken under those circumstances, and our allegation is that they did not." [snip] Pubdate: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 Source: Express-Times, The (PA) Copyright: 2002 The Express-Times Website: http://www.pennlive.com/expresstimes/today/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1489 Author: Peter Hall Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1556.a01.html === (3) HOPES FADING FOR REVISION OF ROCKEFELLER DRUG LAWS Gov. George E. Pataki and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver acknowledged yesterday that they had reached a stalemate over revising the state's Rockefeller drug laws, and heatedly disagreed over who was responsible. Each accused the other of lacking the will to act, and each called the other guilty of playing politics. The charges seemed to dampen hopes that a revision of the laws could be achieved this year " a year that advocates of revision had seen as favorable to their cause, given the backdrop of the race for governor and legislative elections. [snip] Pubdate: Thu, 22 Aug 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 Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1557.a08.html === (4) MARIJUANA DRUG TOUTED AS A SAFE PAIN RELIEVER U.S. researchers say they have derived a drug from marijuana that relieves pain without the mood-altering, giggle-inducing side effects. And you don't need to roll it and smoke it, either. Sumner Burstein, a professor of molecular pharmacology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Mass., said the drug, called ajulemic acid, could improve treatment of a variety of conditions, including chronic pain, arthritis and multiple sclerosis. "We believe that ajulemic acid will replace Aspirin and similar drugs in most applications primarily because of a lack of toxic side effects," he said. [snip] Ajulemic acid is a synthetic derivative of THC. In animal tests, it was up to 50 times more potent than THC as a pain-killer. People who took the drug did not experience any of the mood-altering effects usually associated with marijuana. [snip] Pubdate: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 Source: Globe and Mail (Canada) Copyright: 2002, The Globe and Mail Company Website: http://www.globeandmail.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168 Author: Andre Picard Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1559.a02.html *********************************************************************** WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW ======================================================================= Domestic News- Policy - ---------------------------------- COMMENT: (5-9) One of the week's most interesting stories was ignored by the mainstream press. While the unseating of U.S. Rep. Bob Barr during a Georgia primary election was widely covered, reports did not note the role of the Libertarian Party and its ads showing a medical marijuana patients who challenged Barr's extremism on the issue. The Libertarian party's press release on the issue is highlighted as this week's Feature Article in DrugSense Weekly. Kids and drugs were a dominant theme in the news this week, as a new survey by a prohibitionists shows that teens say marijuana is easier to obtain than legal drugs like alcohol or tobacco. If school officials think student drug testing is going to change this situation, they might want to look at the experience of an Oklahoma district that is ready to drop random drug tests for extracurricular activities. Officials said after three years, the program brought many unforeseen consequences and few benefits. Kids of high-profile members of the criminal justice system apparently aren't immune from the lure of drugs. A Florida State Attorney's son was arrested for marijuana possession as he tried to board a plane with his mother. In other news, marijuana initiative organizers in Nevada got a boost when a state legislator endorsed the ballot measure. And it's a long way from Nevada to New Jersey, where an activist has been jailed for speaking his mind about drug prohibition. Parole supervisors decided the activist's free speech rights conflict with the terms of his parole. === (5) TEENS SAY BUYING DOPE IS EASY WASHINGTON (AP) - Few teenagers say they've tried marijuana, but teens say it's easier to buy than cigarettes or beer, according to a national survey. More than one-third of teens polled by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse said they could buy marijuana in just a few hours, 27 percent in an hour or less. For the first time since the study began in 1996, marijuana edged out cigarettes and beer as the easiest drug for teenagers to buy - 34 percent said it's the easiest of the three, compared with 31 percent for cigarettes and 14 percent for beer. Overall, however, 75 percent of students said they have not smoked marijuana. [snip] Pubdate: Tue, 20 Aug 2002 Source: Associated Press (Wire) Copyright: 2002 Associated Press Author: Greg Toppo Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1539/a06.html === (6) 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] Pubdate: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 Source: Amarillo Globe-News (TX) Copyright: 2002 Amarillo Globe-News 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 === (7) SON OF MIAMI PROSECUTOR ARRESTED MIAMI -- The 18-year-old son of Miami-Dade County's top prosecutor was arrested Thursday for allegedly trying to carry marijuana onto a flight to Puerto Rico. Justin Rundle was about to board the flight with his mother, State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, and her sister when screeners at the Miami airport found a pipe and 3 grams of suspected marijuana in his pocket, police spokesman Robert Williams said. Justin Rundle was allowed to board the American Airlines flight, but an airline official later made him return to the gate. The boy was released to his father. Police said his mother did not accompany him to the police station and did not leave on the flight. [snip] Pubdate: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 Source: Associated Press (Wire) Copyright: 2002 Associated Press Author: Associated Press Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1515/a04.html === (8) ASSEMBLYWOMAN STEPS UP TO ENDORSE MARIJUANA INITIATIVE Nevada's Controversial Marijuana Initiative Finally Has A Formidable And Familiar Face. It's Chris Giunchigliani. The 12-year assemblywoman and 23-year teacher has been hired as a consultant to Billy Rogers of Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement. Associated with the Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project, the NRLE backs the passage of Question 9, which proposes to change Nevada's Constitution to allow adults to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana for private use. An unabashedly liberal Democrat and tireless legislator, Giunchigliani is also known as the driving force in Carson City behind the passage of Nevada's medical marijuana law, which reduced small-time pot possession from a felony to a misdemeanor and provided protection for those using the controlled substance under a physician's care. [snip] Pubdate: Sun, 18 Aug 2002 Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV) Copyright: 2002 Las Vegas Review-Journal Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/233 Author: John L. Smith Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?163 (Question 9 (NV)) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1526/a07.html === (9) MARIJUANA ADVOCATE JAILED FOR ESPOUSING LEGALIZATION OF DRUG Marijuana legalization advocate Ed "njweedman" Forchion is in trouble with the law again. Forchion was jailed Monday night after he violated the terms of the supervisory program in which he is enrolled, officials said yesterday. As a result, the Pemberton Township resident could be forced to return to prison to serve the remainder of his 10-year sentence on marijuana- related charges. Tom Bartlett, regional director for the Intensive Supervision Program, said Forchion violated provisions of the program by advocating marijuana use. [snip] In a telephone interview from the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly yesterday, Forchion said he was told he violated the terms of the program by taping three television commercials in which he advocated the legalization of marijuana. Forchion said he simply expressed his opinions on free speech and the nation's war on drugs in the commercials. [snip] Pubdate: Wed, 21 Aug 2002 Source: Burlington County Times (NJ) Copyright: 2002 Calkins Newspapers. Inc. Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2128 Author: Mike Mathis Note: BCT staff writer John Reitmeyer also contributed to this story. Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1545/a09.html ======================================================================= Law Enforcement & Prisons - ------------------------- COMMENT: (10-13) If you ever get the feeling that certain elements of the criminal justice system that deal with drug prohibition are charades, news from this week might confirm your suspicions. In Virginia, a state trooper who taught other officers how to conduct legal drug searches was sued by a man who said his rights were violated repeatedly by the trooper. In Kansas, a judge ruled that an area drug squad had performed illegal searches, but she went on to praise their work anyway. In Louisiana, a local police chief was arrested for drug charges. And in Missouri, an 82-year-old woman is awaiting sentencing for selling a gram of methamphetamine. Surely neighbors will feel safer knowing she is off the streets. === (10) TROOPER ACCUSED OF ILLEGAL SEARCH A state police field supervisor who instructed officers how to lawfully conduct drug interdiction stops is facing a $20 million lawsuit for allegedly violating those same standards during a traffic stop two years ago in Hanover County. [snip] The lawsuit, filed last week in U.S. District Court in Richmond, alleges that Sgt. William C. Blydenburgh illegally detained and repeatedly searched Samuel H. Brown and his car for more than 90 minutes during an errant search for drugs along Interstate 95. Brown was never charged with a crime. He repeatedly asked to leave but was prevented from doing so, even after Blydenburgh's initial searches turned up nothing, Uvanni said. "The search that he conducted, holding the man as long as he did, continuously searching the car, and ignoring the man when he said he wanted to leave - all of that would violate standard police practice, and the law," said a senior law enforcement officer who recently viewed the tape with a Times-Dispatch reporter. [snip] Pubdate: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) Copyright: 2002 Richmond Newspapers Inc. Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/365 Author: Mark Bowes Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1506/a12.html === (11) JUDGE RULES DRUG SEARCH ILLEGAL But District Judge Rebecca Pilshaw finds no pattern of unconstitutional searches by the Wichita Police Department. In a closely watched ruling, a judge on Friday found serious misconduct but no pattern of constitutional violations by a special Wichita police team. The finding came in a hearing on whether to suppress evidence the officers obtained on a suspected methamphetamine lab. District Judge Rebecca Pilshaw dismissed that evidence after finding the search unconstitutional. [snip] She noted the accused officers are highly decorated members of a west- side crime-fighting unit known as SCAT -- Special Community Action Team. She credited them with "getting the baddest of the bad guys off the street." But she faulted their tactics, saying they sometimes coerced people into giving consent to search or wrongfully looked through people's belongings. [snip] Pubdate: Sat, 17 Aug 2002 Source: Wichita Eagle (KS) Copyright: 2002 The Wichita Eagle Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/680 Author: Tim Potter Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1523/a14.html === (12) GRAND COTEAU POLICE CHIEF ARRESTED ON DRUG CHARGES CARENCRO - Grand Coteau Chief of Police Raymond Simmons was arrested by Carencro police Friday night and charged with possession of Schedule IV narcotics and malfeasance in office, Carencro Police Chief Timmy Duhon said Saturday. Simmons, 49, spent the night in the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center. He was released at 9 a.m. Saturday after posting $20,000 bail, booking records show. Simmons, an elected official, is accused of buying Lortab, a prescription pain reliever, from a person in a house in Carencro. Grand Coteau is located a few miles north of Carencro, across the parish line in southern St. Landry Parish. [snip] Pubdate: Sun, 18 Aug 2002 Source: Daily Advertiser, The (LA) Webpage: http://www.theadvertiser.com/html/CFBCA27C-7445-41B0-ABC3-D1704C0CB82B.shtml Copyright: 2002 South Louisiana Publishing Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1670 Author: Todd Billiot Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/corrupt.htm (Corruption - United States) === (13) WOMAN, 82, JAILED OVER METH SALES West Plains - An 82-year-old woman, who authorities said is known for dealing drugs, is awaiting sentencing on a methamphetamine charge after telling a Howell County judge that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict her. Josephine Mary Greer has entered an Alford plea in Howell County Circuit Court to a felony charge of distributing meth. The plea does not admit guilt but acknowledges that the prosecution has enough evidence to secure a conviction if the case were to go to trial. Greer, of Caulfield, is accused of selling one gram of meth to an undercover officer in March 2001 at the Sahara Motel, north of West Plains. [snip] "That's the oldest lady we've had in jail for anything," said Howell County Sheriff Bill Shephard, adding that in his 29-year law enforcement career, Greer is the oldest person he's incarcerated. [snip] Pubdate: Tue, 20 Aug 2002 Source: Springfield News-Leader (MO) Webpage: http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/news/meth082002.html Copyright: 2002 The Springfield News-Leader Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1129 Author: Christine Justice Note: The Associated Press contributed to this story. Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) ======================================================================= Cannabis & Hemp- - --------------------------- COMMENT: (14-18) Ahhh summer - a time for tans and bbqs, forest fires and floods; and if you're a cannabis activist this summer, it's a time for ballot initiatives and potfests. In Nevada this week, Erik Herzig, the chief author of the Nevada Substance Abuse Report and associate professor of Political Science at the University of Nevada supported the claims made by the leaders of the Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement's initiative that police in the state spend an inordinate amount of time chasing and convicting cannabis users. And in Washington, D.C., the Marijuana Policy Project has asked the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics to reconsider pulling the local medical marijuana initiative off the ballot. The Board has ruled that MPP fell 122 signatures short in one of the 5 wards necessary to allow local constituents to vote on the issue in the November election. This weekend's Seattle Hempfest was a huge success once again. North America's biggest two-day celebration of pot pride and personal liberties drew an estimated 150,000 people this year, with only a few minor arrests reported. Frustrating news this week for Canada's medicinal cannabis users. Justice Minister McLellan has suggested that she expects the federal government's home-grown cannabis supply to go through the same rigorous (and altogether unnecessary) development and research protocol as a pharmaceutical product would. Sadly, this suggests that the cannabis - which is being grown by Prairie Plant Systems in a mineshaft in Flin Flon Manitoba - will not make its way into the hands of the sick and suffering who need it any time soon. To add insult to injury, Ottawa took the time to announce that Prairie Plant Systems had narrowed their genetics down to two high-potency strains, with the eventual goal of developing a standardized cannabis product for research (rather than distribution) purposes. Meanwhile, the sick and needy, who aren't near a compassion club, continue to either suffer without relief, or to brave back alleys to purchase their medicine. Do these seem like the actions of a modern, compassionate nation? Et tu, Canada? === (14) POLITICAL SCIENTIST: NEVADA POT PROPONENTS HAVE GOOD POINTS Despite the recent chaos, leaders of Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement - the group behind the ballot question that would legalize the possession of three ounces or less of marijuana - remain optimistic about Question 9's chances come Election Day. Billy Rogers, the spokesman and leader of NRLE, said the recent controversy over the endorsement-turned-nonendorsement by the Nevada Conference of Police and Sheriffs won't hurt the initiative's chances; if anything, he said, it will help it by showing that the police are divided over the initiative. And at least one of the state's most prominent political scientists agrees - on that point and several others. [snip] Eric Herzik, an associate professor and director of graduate studies in political science at the University of Nevada, Reno, was hired by NDI to head up the Nevada Substance Abuse Report. He said that its numbers clearly show what NRLE has been saying all along: Nevada police spend a lot of time on marijuana possession arrests. [snip] Pubdate: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 Source: Las Vegas City Life (NV) Copyright: 2002 Las Vegas City Life Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1653 Author: Jimmy Boegle Cited: Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement http://www.nrle.org/ Bookmarks: http://www.mapinc.org/find?162 (NRLE) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1528.a03.html === (15) D.C. MARIJUANA ACTIVISTS URGE BALLOT REVIEW Representatives of the Marijuana Policy Project yesterday asked the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics to reconsider its decision to keep a medical marijuana initiative off the November ballot. This month, the board ruled that the group failed to gather enough valid signatures to place an initiative on the general election ballot that would decriminalize the medical use of marijuana. The group's appeal said the board had made "massive errors" that resulted in the rejection of thousands of petition signatures. It asked for a review of those signatures. [snip] Pubdate: Sat, 17 Aug 2002 Source: Washington Post (DC) Copyright: 2002 The Washington Post Company Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491 Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1525.a12.html === (16) SEATTLE HEMPFEST CROWD RALLIES FOR POT-POLICY REFORM Around 75,000 people were living the high life yesterday as they packed Seattle's Myrtle Edwards Park for Hempfest 11, one of the largest marijuana-reform rallies in the world. This year's two-day event, which organizers estimated drew an all-time high of 150,000, served as an opportunity for marijuana smokers to show their "Pot Pride" and for supporters of drug-policy reform to unite and support the city's Initiative 75. The initiative would make law enforcement's lowest priority enforcement of laws on personal marijuana possession. [snip] Pubdate: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 Source: Seattle Times (WA) Copyright: 2002 The Seattle Times Company Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/409 Author: J.J. Jensen Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1533.a11.html === (17) OTTAWA SHELVES MEDICINAL POT Canada's Health Minister has all but snuffed out the government's much-ballyhooed plans to supply marijuana as medicine. Anne McLellan says that she feels uncomfortable with the idea of people smoking pot to relieve pain, and that Ottawa will not distribute marijuana for medicinal purposes until clinical trials are completed -- trials that have yet to begin. Ending months of silence and speculation that the federal government may be backing away from its controversial $5.7-million project to grow "medicinal-grade" marijuana, Ms. McLellan made her comments yesterday while speaking to doctors at the annual meeting of the Canadian Medical Association in Saint John. [snip] Pubdate: Tue, 20 Aug 2002 Source: Globe and Mail (Canada) Copyright: 2002, The Globe and Mail Company Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168 Authors: Andre Picard, Carolyn Abraham Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1542.a07.html === (18) SEIZED POT PACKS PUNCH, OTTAWA FINDS [snip] But whatever their origins, two strains of marijuana have been selected, from hundreds of others, as possible candidates for clinical research in Health Canada's beleaguered program to investigate and supply cannabis as medicine. [snip] Any approved harvest from the government's year-old pot-growing operation in Flin Flon will be used in clinical trials to assess the safety and effectiveness of marijuana in treating symptoms associated with diseases such as AIDS and multiple sclerosis. But the program, on which the government is spending $5.7-million, was originally designed to supply the drug to all sick Canadians medically qualified to possess it. Now, however, Ms. Lynch said that aside from approved strains, the bulk of the pot grown to date -- more than 250 kilograms worth -- will be used only for non-human research. [snip] Pubdate: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 Source: Globe and Mail (Canada) Copyright: 2002, The Globe and Mail Company Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168 Author: Carolyn Abraham Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1534.a02.html ======================================================================= International News - --------------------------- COMMENT: (19-22) Peruvian courts last week ordered the release of the two pilots who shot down a missionary plane in 2001, killing American Veronica Bowers and her child. The pilots, held for the shooting of the plane, still have pending charges of disobedience and negligence. That they were jailed at all might come as a surprise: in the many articles gushing over the surviving missionaries' forgiveness (after all, the pilots were fighting "drugs"), the jailing of the Peruvian pilots who pulled the trigger was somehow overlooked in U.S. reports. In another stark testament to the futility of prohibition, the government of Vietnam executed five more "drug traffickers" last week, making 24 drug-executions so far this year. Even in this totalitarian communist regime, it seems the laws do little to stop people from taking the drugs they choose. A UN report released last week predicts a bumper harvest of Afghan poppies will yield a record level of opium production. Everyone seems to want their own poppy farm: the report noted that now "non-traditional areas had also begun growing the crop." Still not sure exactly what American forces are doing in Colombia to defend freedom and purity in the US? Whatever it is, the U.S. government thoughtfully requested that Colombia make American troops exempt from prosecution by the International Criminal Court. The Colombian government quickly agreed that exempting the U.S. military from the cramping constraints of international law was the correct course of action. === (19) CIVILIAN COURT ORDERS RELEASE OF PERUVIAN AIR FORCE PILOTS JAILED FOR MISSIONARY PLANE DOWNING LIMA, Peru ( AP ) -- A civilian court has ordered the release of two air force pilots who were jailed after they mistakenly shot down a small plane in 2001, killing an American missionary and her infant child, their lawyer said Monday. [snip] Redhead and Hercilla piloted a fighter plane that shot down a Cessna float plane, instantly killing American missionary Veronica Bowers, 35, and her 7-month-old daughter, Charity, in a botched drug interdiction mission in April 2001. Power said the pilots still face charges including disobedience and negligence, but did not know when they would go to trial. Pilot Kevin Donaldson, who sustained serious leg wounds, crash-landed the plane on the Amazon River. Bowers' husband, Jim Bowers, and the couple's son, Cory, escaped serious injury. The Peruvian plane downed the Cessna the Bowers were traveling in after a CIA-operated surveillance flight identified it as a possible drug courier. [snip] Pubdate: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 Source: Associated Press (Wire) Copyright: 2002 Associated Press Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?172 (Peruvian Aircraft Shooting) Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1540/a11.html === (20) FIVE DRUG TRAFFICKERS SENTENCED TO DEATH IN VIETNAM Five drug traffickers, including three women, were sentenced to death in northern Vietnam as part of the government's crackdown against the narcotics trade, officials said Monday. The People's Court in Hung Yen province handed eight other defendants prison sentences ranging from 13 years to life imprisonment on Saturday after a three-day trial, a court official told AFP. [snip] Under Vietnam's tough drug laws, anyone found in possession of 300 grams or more of heroin, or 10 kilograms or more of opium, faces the death penalty. [snip] At least 24 people have been executed so far this year, according to partial figures published in the official press. Drug-trafficking alone accounted for 55 executions in 2001. Pubdate: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 Source: Hindustan Times (India) Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/910 Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1548/a09.html === (21) U.N. REPORT: AFGHAN POPPY CULTIVATION NEAR RECORD KABUL - Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is close to record levels a year after being nearly wiped out under the hard-line Taliban regime, the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a report obtained on Tuesday. The assessment report, originally designed to survey the annual food deficit in drought-stricken Afghanistan, found poppy cultivation has surged under the government of President Hamid Karzai despite a ban and steps to entice farmers to stop planting the crop. "Poppy cultivation, that was virtually halted last year, has resumed again in most poppy growing areas of Afghanistan. It is estimated that the area under cultivation for poppy this year is very close to the record level of 90,000 hectares (225,000 acres ) set in 1999," the report obtained by Reuters said. [snip] Another FAO official even some non-traditional areas had also begun growing the crop. [snip] Pubdate: Tue, 20 Aug 2002 Source: Reuters (Wire) Copyright: 2002 Reuters Limited Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1541/a03.html === (22) U.S. MAY GET COLOMBIAN SUPPORT FOR COURT EXEMPTION The Colombian government indicated Saturday that it will agree to a U.S. request to exempt American troops from prosecution by the International Criminal Court. The request, made earlier this week by a visiting State Department official in Colombia, is part of a global campaign by the Bush administration to shield U.S. military personnel from the reach of the new international war crimes court. Vice President Francisco Santos said Saturday that he does not foresee the desired immunity pledge as posing any problems for the Colombian government. Pubdate: Sun, 18 Aug 2002 Source: Tacoma News Tribune (WA) Copyright: 2002 Tacoma News Inc. Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/442 Author: Associated Press Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1527/a11.html *********************************************************************** HOT OFF THE 'NET - ------------------------------- Bombing the Mind The Pentagon's Program for Psychopharmalogical Warfare by Edward Hammond / From The Sunshine Project and Counterpunch http://www.counterpunch.org/hammond0702.html === DRUG WARRIORS IN A DEAD HEAT A report from Dan Forbes before Bob Barr's primary defeat in Georgia. http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1521/a06.html === Good Riddance, Bob Barr! A DrugSense Focus Alert. http://www.mapinc.org/alert/0251.html === Please Thank the San Francisco Chronicle - Exceptional Recent Coverage on the damage being done by the War on Drugs in South America. A DrugSense Focus Alert. http://www.mapinc.org/alert/0248.html === The Monitoring the Future project has issued Volume 2 of its indepth trend report showing data for young adults (through age 40) from 1980-2001. It's available from http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/new.html or directly as a PDF from http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/vol2_2001.pdf Submitted by Doug McVay === Joe Califano's Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University released its new teen survey on drug use in schools. http://www.casacolumbia.org/usr_doc/Teen_Survey_2002.pdf Submitted by Doug McVay === SAMHSA Releases 2001 DAWN Survey Marijuana, Cocaine Emergency Department Visits Up Emergency department mentions of cocaine increased 10 percent and marijuana increased 15 percent from 2000 to 2001, according to new data in the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). DAWN is a nationally representative survey of hospitals with emergency departments conducted annually by SAMHSA. In 2001, 458 hospitals participated in DAWN. The survey is designed to provide information about emergency department visits that are induced by or related to the use of an illegal drug or the nonmedical use of a legal drug. The complete report (text and tables) are available online at http://www.DrugAbuseStatistics.samhsa.gov/ Submitted by Kevin Zeese === Criminal Intelligence Service Canada Annual Report on Organized Crime in Canada 2002 This report is designed to present a comprehensive review of targeted organized crime groups and their activities, based on intelligence and investigation reports from Canadian and international enforcement agencies. In particular, CISC relies on intelligence from CISC member agencies across Canada. Asian-based organized crime (AOC) groups remain extensively engaged in the large-scale manufacture and distribution of counterfeit credit cards, software and electronic entertainment such as CDs and DVDs. AOC groups in Canada are involved in the importation and distribution of cocaine and southeast Asian heroin at the multi-kilogram quantity and, increasingly, the importation and distribution of designer synthetic drugs, including ecstasy. Across the country, the HELLS ANGELS and Asian-based organized crime groups, particularly Vietnamese-based groups, prevail as major participants in the large-scale cultivation and exportation of marihuana. In January and April 2002, police across Canada launched Operations GREENSWEEP I & II to counter the nationally widespread phenomenon of residential marihuana growing operations. http://www.cisc.gc.ca/AnnualReport2002/Cisc2002/frontpage2002.html === Streaming Media on Canadian Medicinal Cannabis Developments Canadian Broadcasting Corporation http://www.cbc.ca/news/radionews/house_includes/latest-the_house.ram Scroll to 15min 50sec http://www.cbc.ca/clips/ram-newsworld/buckner_neuberger020821.ram CTV Television Network http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20020820/mclellan_medicinal_pot_020820/ *********************************************************************** LETTER OF THE WEEK - ------------------------------------ WAR ON DRUGS LARGER TRAGEDY By Dean Becker Regarding the Chronicle's Aug. 10 article, "Drug dealer convicted of killing teenage client, sentenced to life": It took a jury less than two hours to sentence Nathan Neil McKinney to life in prison for the murder of a teenage drug user. According to the evidence and testimony presented to the court, the sentence seems appropriate. There is, however, a larger, continual tragedy when we fail to consider the reasons behind this and thousands of similar deaths each year -- the tragedy of drug prohibition. Houston has had more than its share of prohibition-related deaths. Within the last year, several law enforcement officers have been shot and killed by drug users trying to avoid arrest. Last summer, 15 young people died in just one weekend from heroin overdoses because they thought the powder was cocaine. What our society has done through the implementation and escalation of the drug war is to create a huge and often violent subset of the population with no recourse to the law. Drug users and vendors have no legal recourse,= having to either write off any losses or to take the law into their own hands. Until such time that we realize the utter failure of drug prohibition, we are certain to reap a continual harvest of ignorance, death and destruction. Dean Becker, community liaison, Drug Policy Forum, Houston Pubdate: 08/17/2002 Source: Houston Chronicle (TX) *********************************************************************** FEATURE ARTICLE - ------------------------------- LP's Medical Marijuana Ads Play Role In Defeat Of U.S. Rep. Bob Barr By The Libertarian Party WASHINGTON, DC -- The "worst drug warrior in Congress" has lost his seat, and the Libertarian Party appears to have played a small role in making it happen. U.S. Rep. Bob Barr, a four-term incumbent, lost the Republican primary in Georgia's 7th District on Tuesday night to fellow Republican John Linder, 67 percent to 33 percent. Over the past two weeks, Barr's Libertarian opponent, Carole Ann Rand, flooded Georgia's 7th District with more than 4,000 TV spots. The ads feature a multiple sclerosis victim who lashes out against the Congressman for his crusade against medical marijuana. "Barr's defeat is a victory for every American who believes that doctors and patients - rather than politicians - should be making medical decisions," said Rand. "Like Babe Ruth pointing to a spot in the bleachers before he hit that home run, we pointed out our target and knocked him right out of Congress." The party's political director, Ron Crickenberger, acknowledged that many factors contributed to Barr's defeat. "Actually, it's impossible to gauge the precise effect that this or any other ad had on the outcome," he said. "Nevertheless, there are a number of reasons to believe that our ad had an impact. "For one thing, our ad was virtually the only issue-based TV spot in the campaign, so it became a lightning rod for publicity. Both Barr and Linder ran personality-based, feel-good ads. Linder's main ad simply described how he met his wife, which was designed to leave voters with a warm, fuzzy feeling. And Barr's TV spot came to be called the 'Barr is gooder' ad. It portrayed a good 'ol boy saying, 'Linder is good. But I'm going to vote for Barr, because he's gooder.' "That left us a huge opportunity to inject our issue into the public debate - and we did." For another thing, media interest was piqued by the dramatic ads, Crickenberger said. "Political reporters for every major paper in the district, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, wrote about the ad's expected impact," he said. "In addition, local talk radio hosts turned it into a topic for discussion, and Atlanta-based, syndicated radio host Neal Boortz really beat Barr up over the medical marijuana issue. "So while Barr's loss was attributable to many factors, I believe these ads put another nail into his political coffin." The 30-second ad opens with a shot of multiple sclerosis sufferer Cheryl Miller lying on a stretcher as an announcer asks: "Why does Bob Barr want this woman in jail?" Miller introduces herself as a medical marijuana user and says, "Bob Barr thinks I should be in jail for using my medicine. Why would you do that to me, Bob?" The ad concludes: "When the Drug War turns on our own sick and dying, it's gone too far -- and so has Bob Barr." The 30-second ads ran in Barr's district on two broadcast networks - Fox and NBC - as well as on CNN, TNT, Comedy Central, MS/NBC, and dozens of other cable networks. Produced by the national Libertarian Party, the ads are part of its goal of defeating the worst drug warriors in Congress, whether Republican or Democrat. Other targets for defeat include U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-TX; Sen. Max Cleland, D-GA; Senator Tim Hutchison, R- AR; and Senator Max Baucus, D-MT. *********************************************************************** QUOTE OF THE WEEK - ------------------------------------ "Let's try to protect our community instead of repelling out of helicopters. This is outrageous what's going on in this community." - - Curtis Tyler, member of the Hawaii County Council, referring to a recent incident in which police operating from a helicopter destroyed three marijuana plants belonging to a medical marijuana user in Puna. See http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1518/a07.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 analysis 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 ------------------------------ End of Restore-Digest V2002 #173 ******************************** Restore Hemp News Today Visit our sister site crrh.org
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