Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2002 23:24:33 -0700
Subject:MO: Show Me Cannabis Crawl Up TOC

from jme_j@juno.com

Missouri Cannabis Coalition presents our Protestival (to borrow from 
Seattle Hempfest): The second annual Cannabis Crawl across the state of 
Missouri will kick off on Friday 30th of Aug.

We will crawl across the state of Missouri bearing information about 
cannabis issues. At each of the four Crawl stops, Kansas City, Joplin, 
Columbia and St Louis, there will be informational booths, hemp products, 
food vendors, live music and the hemp cars.

Speakers will include defense attorney and National Board member Dan Viets, 
Washington University Economics Professor Dr Fredric Raines, hyper-activist 
Cannabis Al and many other passionate participants in cannabis law reform. 
Dave D of MO-HEMP and Terri Z of GSTL NORML will make a batch of bio-diesel 
at each event and explain the process. The events are free and open to the 
public.

We will have water base tempera paints available at each event for 
decorating cars for the caravan. We will also raffle off seats between 
KC-Joplin, Joplin-Columbia and Columbia-St Louis in both Hempmobiles! A 
team of individuals will meet at each site before the arrival of the 
caravan to set up the event and decorate the site.

The basic route will be from Kansas City to Joplin along US 71, from Joplin 
to Columbia along I-44 to US 65 to 5 to US 54 to US 63 with stops in 
Springfield and Jefferson City, from Columbia to St Louis along I-70 to 
I-64. The caravan route within those towns may vary from that listed below 
on the day of the event but we think you will be able to find us.

One of the most important tables we will have set up all 4 days is a letter 
writing table. We have 3 pre-written letters available for people to sign 
and complete with their address, to establish their constituency status, to 
their elected officials. We have a letter on medical marijuana use, 
industrial hemp and plain ol? recreational marijuana use. These letters 
will allow you to easily voice your opinions to your state and local 
senators and representatives. The letters are composed with available blank 
space for you to write in any personal anecdotes, stories or opinions.

We are hoping to generate several hundred letters as a continuance of the 
Seattle Hempfest letter writing campaign 17-18 Aug 02. At that event over 
150,000 attendees were provided the opportunity to write their elected 
officials and let them know it is time to end cannabis prohibition. We hope 
to keep this ball rolling at events across the nation. Our elected 
officials need to hear from us. We need to demand reform of cannabis laws!

At 7pm in Kansas City Missouri on Friday 30th Aug the Crawl begins at The 
Infinite Sun. Directions from I-70 westbound are: exit at McGee St, turn 
left (South), travel to 17th and turn left, travel one block to Oak and 
turn right. The Infinite Sun is located at 1732 Oak St near the corner with 
17th . There will be bands (Dat Band and Brain Glue), speakers, and the 
hemp cars. This event is free but donations will be accepted to offset the 
cost of procuring the venue.

Saturday morning we rally at 9am to motor on down to Joplin for the 5th 
annual Cannabis Revival hosted by none other than Cannabis Al. This event 
takes place in Shiffendecker Park (follow the signs) and will go from noon 
until 10:00 PM. There will be 9 live bands (including Ilijah and Cash 
Click) and hemp stands for you to enjoy during this once-a-year event. 
Hopefully, you'll partake in donating a little of your green (the foldable 
kind) and walk away with a T-shirt, a CD, or a Revival pin to document your 
participation in this historic event. All donations go directly to the 
cause and event costs.

Sunday morning we will rally at the park at 9am and travel towards 
Columbia. We will caravan through Springfield and Jefferson City and may 
have a press conference in each of those towns. The event in Columbia 
begins at 2pm at The Blue Note on 9th Street north of Broadway. Guests 
speakers and musicians will band together to educate participants about the 
legalization of cannabis.

Monday morning we will meet at the Blue Note and line up to caravan to St 
Louis on I-70 to I-64. We will arrive in St Louis around noon and then make 
our way to the Zeman Reunion at the Ordnance Shelter in Sylvan Springs 
County Park down Broadway to Telegraph. The park is located on Halsey St 
off of Telegraph Rd just north of I-270/255 and backs up to Jefferson 
Barracks and is very easy to find. The route in St Louis will include spurs 
into the Central West End and the Delmar Loop to rally more people to join 
us in the park for another fun and fact filled day of Cannabis Revelry. The 
St Louis event will include local bands Helliphino and All Said and Done in 
addition to a few bands we will have towed along from KC, Joplin (Four 
Core) and Columbia. Roger W will play a few of his cannabis songs during 
band changes and Jeremy H will share some drums and poetry. The St Louis 
event will wind down around 7pm.

  need more info? email: gstlnorml@yahoo.com or call 314-265-6189


------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2002 23:25:23 -0700
Subject:Zogby poll: 61% of Americans say police shouldn't spend  Up TOC

A Zogby poll in December found that 61% of Americans say police shouldn't
spend time dealing with minor marijuana offenses.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2002 23:26:05 -0700
Subject:American wins Canadian exemption to grow marijuana Up TOC

RELEASE DATE:
August 28, 2002

CONTACT:
Steve and Michele Kubby (604) 885-7651


AMERICAN WINS CANADIAN EXEMPTION TO  GROW  MARIJUANA

VANCOUVER- American cannabis refugee Steve Kubby, received an exemption
today from Health Canada to possess and cultivate medical cannabis.  The
American will be allowed to grow 59 plants, possess and travel with 360
grams (about 12 ounces), and store 2,655 grams (about 6 pounds).  The
exemption lasts for one year.  Mr. Kubby was issued an exemption for a
category 3 illness - chronic and long-term.

The exemption was initially submitted on the 12th of August, received on the
13th and a final exemption was delivered by courier to the Kubbys on August
29th.

"It's been six years that our family been fighting for recognition of
Steve's right to use the only medicine that is keeping him alive," said
Michele Kubby.  "The Health Canada program still has too many hoops for a
sick person to jump through, but the people at Health Canada were supportive
and showed genuine concern and respect for our situation.  The U.S would do
well to study the Canadian model."

The Kubbys said they were especially grateful to Marc Emery, John Conroy,
Michelle Rainey-Fenkarik, Brian Carlisle, Dale Pedersen, David Malmo-Lavine
and all of the other supporters who stood by them.  The Kubbys also are very
grateful to Dr. Joseph Connors for his courageous and compassionate stand on
their behalf.

- ---------------
Related Articles & Web Site:

The Chilliwack Progress: Holy Smoke!
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1402/a08.html

Seeking Refuge From The Drug War
http://www.mapinc.org/sknews/v02/n1330/a05.html?101

Drug Refugees - Report Newsmagazine
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13224.shtml

Medical Marijuana Users Take Refuge in Canada
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12972.shtml

# # #
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2002 23:33:17 -0700
Subject:OR: Dishonorable Conduct Up TOC

Pubdate: Thu, 08 Aug 2002
Source: Eugene Weekly (OR)
Copyright: 2002 Eugene Weekly
Contact: editor@eugeneweekly.com
Website: http://www.eugeneweekly.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/136
Author: Melissa Lewis
Note: Melissa Lewis, MA, is a Eugene writer and teacher. She's currently
working on her first collection of short stories.

Dishonorable Conduct
No medals in this battle to help patients.

Phillip Leveque, Ph.D. and doctor of osteopathy, was a scout in the U.S.
Army during World War II, a combat infantryman sent into enemy hands to
retrieve vital information, a true war hero. His job was "considered the
most dangerous job in the Army."

"On my best day," the 79 year old said, "I captured 26 German officers.
Luckily they surrendered or else I wouldn't be here today."

The war Leveque is fighting today is not on foreign soil or against Nazi
soldiers, but rather against the Oregon BME (Board of Medical Examiners)
and the OMMP (Oregon Medical Marijuana Program). The doctor has just
wrapped up a 90-day suspension that began May 1 for "dishonorable conduct."=

He was also made to pay a $5,000 fine.

According to both the actual medical marijuana law, and the Oregon Medical=

Association Guidelines (adopted in April 1999 in response to the law passed=

November 1998), "physicians who comply [with the law] cannot be prosecuted=

criminally by state authorities," yet Leveque has been suspended and fined.

"They're pathetic ... They're not following their own law," Leveque says
about the Oregon BME.

"There's absolutely no appeal," he says, explaining that an appeal would
mean his medical license would be suspended until the appeal reaches a
court hearing, which could take up to a year, with his patients waiting all=

the while. Plus, the Oregon BME has its own judge, unlike a typical
courtroom case in which an impartial judge is selected.

"Do you think their judge is going to be fair to a medical doctor?" Leveque=

asked. He decided to take the fine and suspension without appeal, to ensure=

that on Aug. 1 he can return to his practice and help his many patients.

In an average week, Leveque sees about 80 patients, working four days a
week, with 16-20 patients a day. Leveque opened his own private practice in=

1979.

"There was nothing in [the office] but the walls and floor covering," he
said. "I had to put in all the cabinets. I had to put in all the plumbing,=

all that stuff."

"I started with zero patients. Within one year I was seeing 40 a day... I
ended up being the largest practice in South Clackamas County."

Patient rights are Leveque's main concern, just as his nation and battalion=

were during World War II. A hero's focus is not on himself.

"That poor Michael Golden," Leveque says of a patient who went public about=

medical marijuana patients' rights after having his home raided by the=
 police.

"They broke down his door with a battering ram and threw [the door] in his=

front yard =85. He's disabled. He's been in bike accidents and has head
injuries."

A doctor in Oregon cannot prescribe marijuana under the law, but can simply=

sign an application stating that the patient has one of the qualifying
conditions and has expressed that the condition is improved by
self-medicating with cannabis.

Leveque has a Ph.D. in pharmacology and toxicology and was a medical school=

professor for 30 years, making him more than familiar with pharmaceuticals=

and prescriptions.

"If the government says there's no medical value in marijuana, then why is=

it OK for a prescription item," he says, referring to Marinol, the
pharmaceutical form of cannabis that is pure, synthetic THC, the active
ingredient in marijuana.

"The federal government grows medical marijuana in Mississippi. I think
they have 10-15 [patients]... I think it's hemp [a form of cannabis lacking=

THC]. They chop it up like tobacco =85 the patients only get 150 cigarettes=
 a
month."

While still on suspension, Leveque worked for his patients by responding to=

the OMMP's inquiries.

"The last application I signed was on the 30th of April =85 They're still
mailing me forms [that say] is this your patient? =85 and they haven't=
 caught
up yet."

Leveque is openly opinionated about the $150 application fee required for
all patients wishing to register as a medical marijuana patient. Noting the=

low cost of an Oregon drivers license, which is "What, like 10 bucks?" he
then asked, "Why the hell does a disabled person have to pay $150 for the
privilege to take medicine?"

Almost 4,000 medical marijuana cards are now in the hands of Oregonians
(generating $600,000 in revenue for the state) and Leveque helped an
estimated 2,000 of them. Many say he is a hero of the chronically ill and
in pain.

In a written statement to his patients about his suspension, Leveque stated=

his dedication to his patients:

"The only thing I'm afraid of is German artillery and when someone
threatens me, I defend myself and also =85 my patients."


=



**




web:     http://www.crrh.org/

------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2002 22:38:35 -0700
Subject:OR: Dishonorable Conduct Up TOC

Pubdate: Thu, 08 Aug 2002
Source: Eugene Weekly (OR)
Copyright: 2002 Eugene Weekly
Contact: editor@eugeneweekly.com
Website: http://www.eugeneweekly.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/136
Author: Melissa Lewis
Note: Melissa Lewis, MA, is a Eugene writer and teacher. She's currently
working on her first collection of short stories.

Dishonorable Conduct
No medals in this battle to help patients.

Phillip Leveque, Ph.D. and doctor of osteopathy, was a scout in the U.S.
Army during World War II, a combat infantryman sent into enemy hands to
retrieve vital information, a true war hero. His job was "considered the
most dangerous job in the Army."

"On my best day," the 79 year old said, "I captured 26 German officers.
Luckily they surrendered or else I wouldn't be here today."

The war Leveque is fighting today is not on foreign soil or against Nazi
soldiers, but rather against the Oregon BME (Board of Medical Examiners)
and the OMMP (Oregon Medical Marijuana Program). The doctor has just
wrapped up a 90-day suspension that began May 1 for "dishonorable conduct."=

He was also made to pay a $5,000 fine.

According to both the actual medical marijuana law, and the Oregon Medical=

Association Guidelines (adopted in April 1999 in response to the law passed=

November 1998), "physicians who comply [with the law] cannot be prosecuted=

criminally by state authorities," yet Leveque has been suspended and fined.

"They're pathetic ... They're not following their own law," Leveque says
about the Oregon BME.

"There's absolutely no appeal," he says, explaining that an appeal would
mean his medical license would be suspended until the appeal reaches a
court hearing, which could take up to a year, with his patients waiting all=

the while. Plus, the Oregon BME has its own judge, unlike a typical
courtroom case in which an impartial judge is selected.

"Do you think their judge is going to be fair to a medical doctor?" Leveque=

asked. He decided to take the fine and suspension without appeal, to ensure=

that on Aug. 1 he can return to his practice and help his many patients.

In an average week, Leveque sees about 80 patients, working four days a
week, with 16-20 patients a day. Leveque opened his own private practice in=

1979.

"There was nothing in [the office] but the walls and floor covering," he
said. "I had to put in all the cabinets. I had to put in all the plumbing,=

all that stuff."

"I started with zero patients. Within one year I was seeing 40 a day... I
ended up being the largest practice in South Clackamas County."

Patient rights are Leveque's main concern, just as his nation and battalion=

were during World War II. A hero's focus is not on himself.

"That poor Michael Golden," Leveque says of a patient who went public about=

medical marijuana patients' rights after having his home raided by the=
 police.

"They broke down his door with a battering ram and threw [the door] in his=

front yard =85. He's disabled. He's been in bike accidents and has head
injuries."

A doctor in Oregon cannot prescribe marijuana under the law, but can simply=

sign an application stating that the patient has one of the qualifying
conditions and has expressed that the condition is improved by
self-medicating with cannabis.

Leveque has a Ph.D. in pharmacology and toxicology and was a medical school=

professor for 30 years, making him more than familiar with pharmaceuticals=

and prescriptions.

"If the government says there's no medical value in marijuana, then why is=

it OK for a prescription item," he says, referring to Marinol, the
pharmaceutical form of cannabis that is pure, synthetic THC, the active
ingredient in marijuana.

"The federal government grows medical marijuana in Mississippi. I think
they have 10-15 [patients]... I think it's hemp [a form of cannabis lacking=

THC]. They chop it up like tobacco =85 the patients only get 150 cigarettes=
 a
month."

While still on suspension, Leveque worked for his patients by responding to=

the OMMP's inquiries.

"The last application I signed was on the 30th of April =85 They're still
mailing me forms [that say] is this your patient? =85 and they haven't=
 caught
up yet."

Leveque is openly opinionated about the $150 application fee required for
all patients wishing to register as a medical marijuana patient. Noting the=

low cost of an Oregon drivers license, which is "What, like 10 bucks?" he
then asked, "Why the hell does a disabled person have to pay $150 for the
privilege to take medicine?"

Almost 4,000 medical marijuana cards are now in the hands of Oregonians
(generating $600,000 in revenue for the state) and Leveque helped an
estimated 2,000 of them. Many say he is a hero of the chronically ill and
in pain.

In a written statement to his patients about his suspension, Leveque stated=

his dedication to his patients:

"The only thing I'm afraid of is German artillery and when someone
threatens me, I defend myself and also =85 my patients."

------------------------------
Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 09:47:34 -0700
Subject:NV: Legalize It Up TOC

Newshawk: Krissy www.mpp.org
Pubdate: Thu, 29 Aug 2002
Source: Las Vegas City Life (NV)
Copyright: 2002sLas Vegas City Life
Contact: obrien@lvpress.com
Website: http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1653
Author: Carlota
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?162 (Nevadans for Responsible Law
Enforcement)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?163 (Question 9 (NV))
Note: Listen to Carlota Mon. through Fri. from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on KOMP
92.3 FM, and listen for "Freaks" at 9 a.m., 1 p.m., 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.

LEGALIZE IT

Billy Rogers Is A Hero.

Billy Rogers is a god.

Billy Rogers, aka Really Super-Great-Awesome Dude, is the leader of a group
that wants possession of marijuana to be legal in the state of Nevada.
Apparently, Billy, who's done extensive research on the subject, has
discovered that legalized pot equals bong loads of cash (duh!).

And I'm not talking about a spliff or two (or even three). I'm not even
talking about an ounce. Mr. Rogers wants to make possession of three ounces
of marijuana legal in his neighborhood (and ours).

Three ounces? Whoa, baby! That makes one helluva wacky tabacky party!

"We are talking millions and millions of dollars of tax revenue," Rogers
said. "We figure there are 150,000 regular marijuana users in Nevada who
might buy an ounce per month."

An ounce a month? 150,000 people? Who smokes that much dope? And how do I
get invited to their parties?

Can you imagine how cool legalizing pot will be? Can you see it now? Hordes
of stoners with orange-cheese-curl fingers. A Mountain Dew in every hand. A
ridiculous, baked perma-grin on every face. What a wonderful world it would be.

Plus, the crime rate would go down, because people would be too loaded to
get up off the couch, much less go out and commit some sort of heinous
crime. I mean really, imagine Tommy Chong trying to jack a 7-Eleven: "Dude,
totally, like put the money in the uh ... in the uh ... dude, what's that
called?"

The economy would be buzzing. 7-Eleven could afford to hire workers who
actually speak English, Domino's alone would lower the unemployment rate,
and the Nevada treasury would be loaded with a stash of cash. Can you think
of all the things the government could do if a bunch of potheads were able
to purchase the chronic at their local Albertson's?

I can. In fact, I have a couple of ideas for the Reefer Fund. (But I just
did a little "research" of my own, so let me relate it to you before I
forget my point.)

The first thing we should do with the money is fix the fucking roads in
this city. Let's face it, the road situation in Vegas is out of control.
How are stoned people (or sober people for that matter) supposed to get
across this fine city safely and in one piece?

The roads are so bad in Vegas that if you wanted to "off" someone, all you
would have to do is give them directions to your house. Just make sure you
have them take Durango, or Rancho, or the 15, or ... hell, anywhere! No one
would even know you did it. Talk about the perfect hit.

An I-just-bitch-slapped-a-tourist legal fund would also be on my list of
ways to spend the "pot of dough." This legal defense fund would help locals
after they've ball-peened a tourist for acting like he owned this city.
Hey, Joe Blow from Idaho, just because you dropped a hundred dollars at the
blackjack table does not give you the key to the city. (However, I do have
an idea to help you experience gambling in Vegas in a more efficient
manner. Give me your wallet, spread your legs and let me punch you in the
crotch as hard as I can. Now shut up and get the fuck out of here.)

Regarding boobs, maybe we could use some of the weed money to create a
titty foundation. You know, supply hooters for those bodies that weren't
stocked on that part of the assembly line. We could call it the "Grow a
Pair Foundation."

But if we're going to be able to supply boobs to those with two backs, then
we need to supply doctors who can perform such a feat. Las Vegas is not
known for having Mayo Clinics everywhere (more like ketchup clinics), due
to the fact that doctors blow big ass in this city. I say we need to spend
some of the "bud fund" on building a renowned medical school. To entice
wannabe doctors, we should offer killer incentives like year-round golf and
big bags of other assorted "greens."

Think of how great and mellow this city will be when the bongs bubble in
unison, the city collectively exhales and Fritos reign supreme. So vote yes
on the ganja, dude, and let the government know that we are united and
strong and, um ... what the fuck was I saying?
__________________________________________________________________________
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
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 14:34:00 -0700
From: webmaster@drugsense.org (DrugSense)
Subject:DrugSense Weekly, August 30, 2002, #265 Up TOC

**********************************************************************

DRUGSENSE WEEKLY

**********************************************************************

DrugSense Weekly,             August 30, 2002                     #265

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) Texas To Probe Drug Sweep Criticized As Racially Biased
     (2) Steve Kubby Wins Medical Exemption
     (3) DAs Will Question Legality Of Ballot's Marijuana Question
     (4) Younger Pot Smokers Called Likelier Addicts

* Weekly News in Review

Drug Policy-

     (5) Lawmaker Questions Drug-Policy Meeting
     (6) South Dakota Ballot Initiative Puts The State's Law On Trial
     (7) Crack Death Will Be Hard Case To Prove
     (8) N.H. Police Chief Wants Dorm Forfeited Under Drug Laws
     (9) Your Tax Dollars On Drugs

Law Enforcement & Prisons-

     (10) 6.6M Adults In Prison Or On Parole
     (11) More Black Men In Prison Than College, Study Says
     (12) City Agrees To $1 Million Settlement In Torture Slaying
     (13) Firing Of Police Force Called Money-Saving Move
     (14) Keating Denies Relief In Drug Trafficking Conviction

Cannabis & Hemp-

     (15) Nevada Marijuana Initiative: Economic Benefits Touted
     (16) New Pain Reliever Derived From Marijuana
     (17) Don't Ease Up On Pot: Canadian Police
     (18) Federal Pot Program In Peril, Flin Flon Looks To Other Crops
     (19) Smoking Mad In Toronto

International News-

     (20) Gunmen Kill Official In Anti-Drug Agency
     (21) DEA Announces Sweep In Central Asia, Europe
     (22) Silence On U.S. Illegal Operation In B.C.
     (23) Mayor, Cops, And LGU Execs Yield To Drug Test
     (24) War On Narcotics: PM Backs Call To Use Drug Funds

* Hot Off The 'Net

     Conyers Questions Drug Enforcement Administration 
     Video Of Seattle Hempfest 
     Treatment or Jail - Is This Really a Choice? 
     Canadian  Senate  Special  Committee  on  Illegal  Drugs  Report  
     White  House  Drug  Czar  Releases  Guide  on Student Drug Testing 
     30,000  Californians  Using Medicinal Marijuana Legally, Study Says

* Letter Of The Week

     Paper Right To Back Legalization / By Suzanne Wills

* Feature Article

     Remembering  Activist  Martyrs  Tom  Crosslin  and  Rollie  Rohm 
     / By Richard Lake

* Quote of the Week

     Cecilia Self


***********************************************************************

THIS JUST IN
=======================================================================

(1) TEXAS TO PROBE DRUG SWEEP CRITICIZED AS RACIALLY BIASED

In  1999,  Many  Blacks  In  Town Were Arrested On One Man's Testimony

HOUSTON  --  Attorney  General  John  Cornyn  of  Texas  has opened an
investigation  into  a  1999  drug  sweep in which about 12 percent of
the  black  population  of  Tulia,  Texas,  was arrested. The decision
failed  to  appease  civil rights lawyers, who describe the arrests in
an  undercover  operation  as  atrocities  and  want  the  convictions
overturned.

Cornyn,  who  announced  the  investigation  Monday, suggested that he
had  opened  the  inquiry  partly because of confusion that had arisen
this  month  about  whether the U.S. Justice Department was continuing
its own civil rights investigation of more than two years.

The  confusion  arose after a Justice Department official, in a letter
to  the  American  Bar  Association,  described  the  investigation as
closed.  Justice  Department  officials  now  say  the  letter was "in
error" and that the investigation is continuing.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Thu, 29 Aug 2002
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright: 2002 San Jose Mercury News
Website: http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/390
Author: Jim Yardley, New York Times
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/tulia.htm (Tulia, Texas)
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1609.a07.html

===

(2) STEVE KUBBY WINS MEDICAL EXEMPTION

VANCOUVER-  American  cannabis  refugee  Steve  Kubby,  received  an
exemption  today  from  Health Canada to possess and cultivate medical
cannabis.  The  American  will  be  allowed to grow 59 plants, possess
and  travel  with  360  grams (about 12 ounces), and store 2,655 grams
(about 6 pounds). The exemption lasts for one year. Mr. Kubby was
issued an exemption for a category 3 illness - chronic and
long-term.

The  exemption  was  initially  submitted  on  the  12th  of  August,
received  on  the  13th and a final exemption was delivered by courier
to the Kubbys on August 29th.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Thu, 29 Aug 2002 
Source: Cannabis Culture Magazine (CN BC)
Website: http://www.cannabisculture.com/ 
Copyright: 2002, Cannabis Culture
Continues: http://cannabisculture.com/articles/2583.html

===

(3) DAS WILL QUESTION LEGALITY OF BALLOT'S MARIJUANA QUESTION

Washoe  County  District  Attorney Dick Gammick says he is considering
challenging  the  legality  of  the marijuana initiative as it will be
printed on the November ballot.

Clark  County  District Attorney Stewart Bell agrees with Gammick that
the  Legislature  cannot,  as Question 9 is written, "provide a system
of  regulation  for  the  cultivation, taxation, sale and distribution
of marijuana" without breaking federal laws.

However,  both  say  nothing  can be done until after the first of two
potential  votes  is  taken in November that could legalize possession
of  small  amounts  of  marijuana, because the ballot has to go to the
printer by Sept. 10.

The  language  for  Question 9, complete with an explanation and brief
arguments  for  and  against  the measure, was released Tuesday by the
secretary  of  state's  office.  In  the  arguments  against  passage
section,  marijuana  is  called  a  "gateway"  drug  that  can lead to
cocaine and heroin use.

 [snip]

The  question  and  accompanying  documentation  are  posted  on  the
secretary of state's website http://sos.state.nv.us/

Pubdate: Thu, 29 Aug 2002
Source: Las Vegas Sun (NV)
Copyright: 2002 Las Vegas Sun, Inc
Website: http://www.lasvegassun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/234
Author: Ed Koch
Cited: Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement, http://www.nrle.org/
Cited: Marijuana Policy Project http://www.mpp.org/
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1613.a06.html

===

(4) YOUNGER POT SMOKERS CALLED LIKELIER ADDICTS

The  younger  someone  is when first trying marijuana, the more likely
he  or  she will become dependent on illegal drugs later in life, U.S.
government  researchers  said yesterday. They found that 62 percent of
adults  age  26  or older who started using marijuana before they were
15 had also tried cocaine at some point.

More  than  9  percent  reported  they  had used heroin, and more than
half had used prescription drugs for recreational purposes.

Fewer than 1 percent of those who said they had never tried
marijuana  reported  having  tried cocaine or heroin. Five percent had
abused  prescription  drugs,  according to the report by the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

"These  findings  are  of  grave  concern because studies show smoking
marijuana  leads  to  changes  in the brain similar to those caused by
cocaine,  heroin  and  alcohol,"  SAMHSA  Administrator  Charles Curie
said.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Thu, 29 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
Cited: http://www.samhsa.gov/
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1611.a09.html


***********************************************************************

WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW


=======================================================================

Domestic News- Policy
- ----------------------------------

COMMENT: (5-9)

 A  pair  of  challenges to the drug war establishment were publicized
 this  week.  In  Michigan,  U.S.  Rep.  John  Conyers  questioned the
 legality  of  the DEA's active opposition to drug reform initiatives.
 In  South  Dakota,  a  ballot  proposal  that  would  allow  criminal
 defendants  to  object  to  the laws under which they are being tried
 was covered in the Wall Street Journal.

 At  the  same  time,  prosecutors  and police are trying to break new
 ground  in  punishing drug law offenders. Prosecutors in Arizona have
 charged  a mother and a grandmother with murder after the young child
 in  their  care died from internal injuries caused by crack smoke. In
 New  Hampshire,  a  police  chief wants to seize a dorm building from
 the  culinary academy of a local college because of drug arrests made
 at the dorm.

 And  a  columnist in California noticed that there seems to be little
 room  for  objectivity  in the drug war. A panel convened to evaluate
 so-called  anti-drug  programs  in  schools was partially composed of
 people  with  professional  ties  to  programs  that  got the highest
 ratings. Imagine that, a stacked deck in the drug war.

===

(5) LAWMAKER QUESTIONS DRUG-POLICY MEETING

Detroit  --  A  meeting of state and federal law enforcement officials
scheduled  for  today in Detroit to discuss a Michigan ballot proposal
may  violate  federal  law,  U.S.  Rep.  John  Conyers, D-Detroit, has
charged in a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Conyers  asked  DEA Director Asa Hutchinson to investigate whether the
meeting  --  described  in  a letter from the Detroit DEA office as an
opportunity  to  discuss ways to combat drug legalization proposals --
was  political  activity  by  a  government agency that is prohibited.

The  proposal,  expected to appear on the Nov. 5 ballot, would require
the  state  to  relax  sentences for drug crimes and provide treatment
to drug users.

Conyers,  a  frequent  critic  of current prison policies, said he had
no  objection  to  citizens  expressing  their views about a proposal,
but  said  it  is unclear whether "federally funded agencies and their
employees  can  be  used  to  spread a message or promote a campaign."

 [snip]

Pubdate: Mon, 26 Aug 2002
Source: Detroit Free Press (MI)
Copyright: 2002 Detroit Free Press
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/125
Author: Dawson Bell
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1583/a01.html

===

(6) SOUTH DAKOTA BALLOT INITIATIVE PUTS THE STATE'S LAW ON TRIAL

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Matthew Ducheneaux goes on trial here Tuesday for
marijuana possession, but the jury's verdict could do more than decide
whether  the  38-year-old  quadriplegic  is  fined  or  sent  to jail.

Win  or  lose,  his trial will showcase a ballot initiative that could
spark  a  revolution  in South Dakota's criminal laws -- something far
beyond  measures  authorizing  the medical use of marijuana adopted by
nine states since 1996.

South  Dakota  courts  barred  Mr.  Ducheneaux  from  arguing that his
medical  condition,  which  he  says  is helped by smoking marijuana ,
justified  breaking  the  law.  That has made him, supporters say, the
"poster  child"  for Constitutional Amendment A, a voter initiative on
the  Nov.  5  ballot  that would authorize every criminal defendant in
the  state  to  challenge  "the  merits, validity and applicability of
the law, including the sentencing laws."

South  Dakota  is home to only .03% of the U.S. population, or 757,000
people.  Still,  should the measure pass, proponents predict a wave of
similar measures in other states where zero-tolerance law
enforcement  and  harsh  mandatory-sentencing rules have bred distrust
of the justice system.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Tue, 27 Aug 2002
Source: Wall Street Journal (US)
Copyright: 2002 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/487
Author: Jess Bravin
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1591/a01.html

===

(7) CRACK DEATH WILL BE HARD CASE TO PROVE

Maricopa  County  prosecutors  are  charting new legal ground with the
prosecution  of  a  mother  and  grandmother in the death of an infant
whose  intestines  were  destroyed  by  secondhand  cocaine  smoke.

Officials  say  they  know  of  no other Arizona prosecutions aimed at
parents  whose  children  died  of  exposure to homegrown meth labs or
other drugs, but they are confident in the case.

Demitres  Robertson,  23,  was  charged  Wednesday  with  first-degree
murder  and  child  abuse  in the November death of daughter Anndreah.

The  baby's  grandmother, Lillian Ann Butler, 44, also is charged with
child  abuse  because  of  her  role  as one of the baby's caretakers.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Sun, 25 Aug 2002
Source: Arizona Republic (AZ)
Webpage: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0825cracksmoke25.html
Copyright: 2002 The Arizona Republic
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/24
Author: Carol Sowers

===

(8) N.H. POLICE CHIEF WANTS DORM FORFEITED UNDER DRUG LAWS

DOVER,  N.H.  (AP)  Police  arrested  nine current and former McIntosh
College  students  on  drug  charges Tuesday, as the city police chief
said  he  was  pushing  federal  prosecutors  to  seize a college dorm
under federal drug forfeiture laws.

''It  is  an open-air drug market like we've never seen in the city,''
Chief  William  Fenniman  said  of  the  dormitory  at 181 Silver St.,
where  most  of  the  suspects  lived.  ''My  idea  is ... to stop the
building  from  being  used for illicit activity. Whatever it takes to
do that, I'm willing to do.''

The  two-month  undercover  investigation by city police and the state
Attorney General's Drug Task Force, dubbed ''Operation Home
Cookin',''  focused  on  students  at  the college's Atlantic Culinary
Academy.

 [snip]

Culinary  students  who  saw  the  raid had mixed reactions. Amy Todd,
19,  of  Billerica, Mass., and Cecilia Self, 18, of Harrisville, N.H.,
said police used excessive force.

They  said  reporters  were  present  before the raid started and news
photographers  took  pictures  as  students  were thrown to the ground
and arrested.

''They  had  guns  like in a movie,'' Todd said. ''I thought they were
going to arrest all of us.''

 [snip]

Pubdate: Tue, 27 Aug 2002
Source: Associated Press (Wire)
Copyright: 2002 Associated Press
Author: Stephen Frothingham, Associated Press
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/af.htm (Asset Forfeiture)
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1599/a03.html

===

(9) YOUR TAX DOLLARS ON DRUGS

If  the  Department of Education's list of America's best school drug-
prevention  programs  were  a  game,  it  would  be called: The judges
can't  lose.  It  turns  out  that five of the 15 panelists who picked
the  nine  exemplary and 33 promising programs were involved with drug
programs  that  the panelists found to be the best. Four programs were
deemed exemplary, one promising. Some coincidence.

School  districts  that  look  to  this  list  for help choosing which
anti-drug  programs  to adopt, however, won't see affiliations between
panelist  and  program  clearly  posted  in  the  glossy  8-by-11-inch
brochure  the  Dept  of  Ed folk put out. Panelist Gilbert Botvin, for
example,  is  listed  for  his  affiliation  with  Cornell  University
Medical  College  --  not  with the exemplary "clearly articulated and
logically  appropriate"  Life  Skills  Training  program he developed.

Botvin's  on  vacation.  The  Dept  of  Ed folks couldn't offer a good
response  by  deadline.  Phyllis Ellickson of Rand and its "exemplary"
Project  Alert,  denied  the  relationship was incestuous. "You should
realize  before  any programs came to the panel for review," she said,
"they  had  been  reviewed by a larger group of experts in the field."
Ellickson recused herself from evaluating Rand's program.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Thu, 22 Aug 2002
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Webpage: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/08/22/ED59324.DTL
Copyright: 2002 Hearst Communications Inc.
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388
Author: Debra J. Saunders


=======================================================================

Law Enforcement & Prisons
- -------------------------

COMMENT: (10-14)

 The  prison  state  continues  to grow and shatter old records. A new
 report  showed  that  one  in every 32 adults in the United States is
 behind  bars  or  on  probation.  A  different report showed that the
 number  of  incarcerated  black men in America is roughly three times
 higher  than  the  number of black men going to college. The drug war
 played a part in both reports.

 In  California,  the family of a teenager who was tortured and killed
 while  working  as  a  drug  informant  for  police  was awarded a $1
 million  settlement.  In  a  sign  that  some citizens might have had
 enough  of  the  drug war, a small town in Tennessee fired its entire
 police  force.  The  reasons  given by different sources close to the
 issue  varied,  ranging  from  corruption  to  high  costs.  But some
 observers  said  the  force spent too much time hunting out meth labs
 and  not  enough  on  mundane  local  crimes, like speeding and drunk
 driving.

 Finally,  Gov.  Frank  Keating of Oklahoma still clearly supports the
 drug  war.  He  vetoed  a  parole board recommendation to shorten the
 life  sentence  of  a  man  convicted of drug trafficking after being
 caught with a single ounce of cocaine.

===

(10) 6.6M ADULTS IN PRISON OR ON PAROLE

WASHINGTON  -  One  in every 32 adults in the United States was behind
bars  or  on probation or parole by the end of last year, according to
a  government  report Sunday that found a record 6.6 million people in
the nation's correctional system.

The  number  of  adults  under  supervision  by  the  criminal justice
system  rose  by  147,700,  or 2.3 percent, between 2000 and 2001, the
Justice  Department  reported. In 1990, almost 4.4 million adults were
incarcerated or being supervised.

"The  overall  figures suggest that we've come to rely on the criminal
justice  system  as  a  way  of responding to social problems in a way
that's  unprecedented,"  said  Marc  Mauer,  assistant director of the
Sentencing  Project,  an  advocacy  and  research  group  that  favors
alternatives  to  incarceration.  "We're  setting  a  new record every
day."

 [snip]

Pubdate: Mon, 26 Aug 2002
Source: Knoxville News-Sentinel (TN)
Copyright: 2002 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co.
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/226
Author: Jonathan D. Salant, Associated Press
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1584/a11.html

===

(11) MORE BLACK MEN IN PRISON THAN COLLEGE, STUDY SAYS

The  number  of  black men in jail or prison has grown fivefold in the
past  20  years,  to  the  point  where more black men are behind bars
than  are  enrolled  in colleges or universities, according to a study
released Tuesday.

The  increase  coincides  with the prison construction boom that began
1980.  Then,  black  men  enrolled  in institutions of higher learning
outnumbered men behind bars by a 3-1 ratio, the study said.

The  report  was  prepared  by  the  Justice  Policy  Institute, which
supports alternatives to incarceration.

 [snip]

The  study  did  not  directly  address why the number of black men in
jail  and  prison  climbed  so  quickly. Some experts suggested as one
explanation  a  rise  in the number of black men serving time for drug
offenses.  But  Justice  Department  figures  show  that  from 1990 to
2000,  50  percent  of  the  growth  in  inmate  populations  at state
prisons  was  for  violent  crimes,  and  that only 20 percent was for
drug crimes.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Wed, 28 Aug 2002
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright: 2002 San Jose Mercury News
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/390
Author: Fox Butterfield, New York Times
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1600/a03.html

===

(12) CITY AGREES TO $1 MILLION SETTLEMENT IN TORTURE SLAYING OF 
TEENAGE POLICE INFORMANT

BREA,  Calif.  (Associated  Press) The city has agreed to a $1 million
settlement  for  the  mother of a teenager who was tortured and killed
because of his undercover work as a police drug ''snitch.''

City  Manager  Tim  O'Donnell  said the settlement would be paid by an
insurance  company  to  Cindy  MacDonald,  mother  of 17-year-old Chad
MacDonald.

"This  is  a  number  that  will  send  out  a  message  to all police
departments  that  they  can't  use  juveniles  as  drug  informants,"
MacDonald's  attorney,  Lloyd  Charton,  said  of  the  settlement.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Tue, 27 Aug 2002
Source: Boston Globe (MA)
Copyright: 2002 Globe Newspaper Company
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/52
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1597/a06.html

===

(13) FIRING OF POLICE FORCE CALLED MONEY-SAVING MOVE

GRUETLI-LAAGER,  Tenn.  -  This  tiny  town's  former  mayor  and  the
district  attorney  both  said  Monday  they thought the firing of the
town's police force was about money, not corruption.

The  mayor  and  aldermen  voted  last week to dissolve the force. One
vote  came  from an alderman who had been arrested just days before on
prescription fraud charges.

Rumors  flew  that  the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the U.S.
Drug  Enforcement  Administration  were  investigating  in  connection
with  the  methamphetamine  trade  that  thrives  on  the  Cumberland
Plateau.

 [snip]

Former  Mayor  Wanda  Hart,  whose  administration  preceded  Mayor
Rollins',  said  the  police  department takes about 50 percent of the
town's  budget  and  citizens  were  unhappy  with  the  department's
service.  She  said  residents  were  becoming  concerned  the  police
department  had  become  too  focused  on "big-time" meth lab busts in
Grundy  and  surrounding  counties.  People  were worried the officers
were overlooking "small time" crimes like speeding, public
intoxication and drunken driving, she said.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Tue, 27 Aug 2002
Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press (TN)
Copyright: 2002 Chattanooga Publishing Co.
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/992
Author: Candice Combs and Dick Cook
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1590/a03.html

===

(14) KEATING DENIES RELIEF IN DRUG TRAFFICKING CONVICTION

Gov. Frank Keating on Thursday denied drug trafficker Larry
Yarbrough  relief  from  his  prison  sentence of life without parole.
Keating  rejected  a  Pardon and Parole Board recommendation to reduce
Yarbrough's  sentence  to 20 years, noting that commutation would make
Yarbrough  eligible  for  parole  in  January  after  serving just six
years.

"That  is  unacceptable,"  Keating said in a news release. "The Pardon
and  Parole  Board  should  not  seek  to  act as a 'super court' that
changes sentences it may disagree with."

Yarbrough,  52,  was  convicted  in  1997.  Officers found 28 grams --
about  an  ounce  --  of  powdered  cocaine  during  a  1994 search of
Yarbrough's  Kingfisher  home.  That amount -- coupled with five prior
felony convictions in 1982 for unlawful delivery of LSD and
marijuana  --  meant  Yarbrough  could be prosecuted under the state's
drug trafficking law.

Life  without  parole is an automatic sentence for anyone convicted of
drug  trafficking  with two prior felony offenses involving controlled
and dangerous substances.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Fri, 23 Aug 2002
Source: Oklahoman, The (OK)
Copyright: 2002 The Oklahoma Publishing Co.
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/318
Author: Mac Bentley, The Oklahoman
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1562/a09.html


=======================================================================

Cannabis & Hemp-
- ---------------------------

COMMENT: (15-19)

 Billy Rogers, spokesman for Nevadans for Responsible Law
 Enforcement,  is  touting  the potential financial windfall in Nevada
 should  the  state  vote  to  legalize  and  tax cannabis in the fall
 elections.  According  to  Rogers, Nevada could raise upwards of $200
 million  a  year  by  voting  "yes"  on  Question  9  and  taxing the
 state-controlled sale of cannabis.

 Good  news  from  the  world  of  science:  a  professor of molecular
 biology  at  the  University  of  Massachussets Medical School claims
 that  a  chemical derivative of THC can provide effective pain relief
 without  the  "high"  associated  with  marijuana  use.  Prof. Sumner
 Burnstein  believes  that  the  compound, called Ajulenic Acid (CT-3)
 may  be  safer  and more effective than common pain relievers such as
 aspirin or acetominophen.

 Even  as  the summer's forest fires are finally being quelled by cool
 fall  winds,  things  have been seriously heating up in Canada's drug
 policy  debate.  Last  week  Herb  Krieling,  head  of  the  Canadian
 Association  of  Police  Boards  (which  represents  police officers,
 chiefs  of police, and police boards) announced that the organization
 had  passed  a  motion  denouncing the legalization of illicit drugs,
 including  cannabis.  Meanwhile,  deep  in  the  mines  of Flin Flon,
 Manitoba,  Canada's  official  cultivator  of  medicinal  cannabis is
 exploring  its options. Following the announcement by Health Minister
 McLellan  that Health Canada will not be distributing cannabis to the
 over  800  federally  approved  users  for  the  foreseeable  future,
 Prairie  Plant  Systems  has  been  looking  into using its extensive
 underground  facilities  to  grow  other  pharmaceutical  herbs  or
 possibly  even  GM  crops.  How  nice  that they are able to make the
 transition  from  growing  a  completely  prohibited benign herb like
 cannabis,  to  completely  legal yet environmentally (and potentially
 physically) dangerous GM plants and pharmaceuticals.

 And  in Toronto, about 100 people took part in a rally last Friday to
 protest  the  local  recent  police  raid  on  the Toronto Compassion
 Center,  which  supplies  cannabis  to  upwards  of 1,200 people with
 serious  medical  conditions,  and  to  ask  Health  Canada  to begin
 supplying  sick  Canadians with federally grown cannabis. On the same
 day,  the  Sunshine  Coast  Compassion Center in British Columbia was
 raided by local police. Le plus ca change.

===

(15) NEVADA MARIJUANA INITIATIVE: ECONOMIC BENEFITS TOUTED

The  leader  of  the drive to permit adult Nevadans to legally possess
marijuana  said  Friday  the  state  could  reap  untold  millions  of
dollars by selling and taxing marijuana.

Billy Rogers, spokesman for Nevadans for Responsible Law
Enforcement,  said  his  group  has  commissioned a study to determine
how  much  the state might receive if it grew marijuana and sold it in
stores  like  the  ones  Utah uses for liquor sales. Other options for
the  cultivation  and  sale  also  are  being  studied.  Results  are
expected in late September.

"We  are  talking  millions  and  millions of dollars of tax revenue,"
Rogers  said.  "We figure there are 150,000 regular marijuana users in
Nevada who might buy an ounce per month."

 [snip]

Pubdate: Sat, 24 Aug 2002
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV)
Copyright: 2002 Las Vegas Review-Journal
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/233
Author: Ed Vogel
Cited: Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement http://www.nrle.org/
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1569.a07.html

===

(16) NEW PAIN RELIEVER DERIVED FROM MARIJUANA

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, said the
drug,  called  ajulemic acid, could improve the 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.  "The  indications  so far are that it's safe and
effective."

 [snip]

Pubdate: Sun, 25 Aug 2002
Source: Augusta Chronicle, The (GA)
Copyright: 2002 The Augusta Chronicle
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/31
Note: Does not publishing letters from outside of the immediate Georgia and
South Carolina circulation area
Author: Andre Picard, Scripps Howard News Service
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1584.a08.html

===

(17) DON'T EASE UP ON POT: CANADIAN POLICE

A  group  representing Canadian municipal police authorities urged the
federal  government  to  implement  a national drug strategy yesterday
as  it  denounced  the  legalization  of  illicit  drugs,  including
marijuana.

"This  resolution,  which  has  been  endorsed  by  all  three  of the
country's  national  policing  advocates  --  the boards, the officers
and  the  chiefs  --  we  believe  will  send  a  clear message to our
nation's leaders," Herb Kreling, president of the Canadian
Association of Police Boards, told a news conference.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Sun, 25 Aug 2002
Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2002, Canoe Limited Partnership
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/457
Author: Canadian Press
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1578.a10.html

===

(18) FEDERAL POT PROGRAM IN PERIL, FLIN FLON LOOKS TO OTHER CROPS

With the future of the federal medicinal marijuana program
potentially in doubt, the company chosen to grow the crop
underground  in  a  Flin Flon mine shaft is exploring what other crops
it could produce there.

Phil  Robinson,  president  of  the  Flin  Flon  and  Area  Chamber of
Commerce,  says  Prairie  Plant  Systems  is  looking  into  growing
genetically-modified crops and pharmaceuticals.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Mon, 26 Aug 2002
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2002 Winnipeg Free Press
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: Kevin Rollason
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02.n1584.a10.html

===

(19) SMOKING MAD IN TORONTO

Medicinal  marijuana  users  lit  up on a downtown street yesterday to
protest  a  delay  in  releasing  government-grown  cannabis  to  sick
people  and  a recent police raid on a Toronto cannabis supply centre.

About  100  marijuana  users  smoked  their natural medicine on a busy
street in front of Justice Department offices.

The  Toronto  Compassion  Centre was providing marijuana to 1,200 sick
people before it was raided last week.

Pubdate: Sat, 24 Aug 2002
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2002 Winnipeg Free Press
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada)


=======================================================================

International News
- ---------------------------

COMMENT: (20-24)

 A  senior  official of Guyana's anti-drug bureaucracy was killed last
 week,  shot  by  unidentified  gunmen.  The  deputy chief of Guyana's
 Customs  Anti-Narcotics  Unit,  Vibert  Inniss,  was  shot  near  the
 capitol  of  Georgetown  while  buying newspapers. Attackers had also
 recently  thrown  grenades  into  an  the  headquarters  of  Guyana's
 anti-drug  squad,  which  is  said to work closely with the U.S. DEA.

 In  another  bid  to  make  the  world  drug  "free",  multinational,
 coordinated  drug-raids  led  by  the  DEA  ended  in  "the arrest or
 detention  of thousands of suspects," proclaimed anti-drug officials.
 Utilizing  more  than  25,000 police and stretching across 15 nations
 in  Central Asia and the Balkans, the raids netted little more than a
 ton  of  heroin,  but  nine  tons  of  "other  narcotics"  (probably
 cannabis).

 DEA  violations  of  Canadian  sovereignty has the B.C. Supreme Court
 hopping  mad.  Calling  recent  DEA  sorties  into Canada "a shocking
 abuse  of  Canadian law", the Court decried the "illegal conduct," as
 "extremely offensive because of the violation of Canadian
 sovereignty without explanation or apology."

 Mayor  Yoyong  Yap of the Philippine city of Glan has a new tactic in
 the  eternal war against the users of some drugs: the government will
 give  a  reward to anyone who denounces a drug user to the police. To
 demonstrate  his  fitness  for  office,  Mayor  Yap  along  with  200
 government  employees,  took  drug  tests. The drug-loyalty tests for
 government  were  decreed as an "all-out war campaign against drugs."

 And  finally  this week, Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
 declared  he  was  "receptive"  to the suggestion that the government
 should  produce  fake  pills  that  would  make drugs users sick. The
 pills  would  have  "sickening effects such as nausea and vomiting to
 make them unattractive to buyers."

===

(20) GUNMEN KILL OFFICIAL IN ANTI-DRUG AGENCY

GEORGETOWN,  GUYANA  --  Gunmen  killed  the  deputy  head of Guyana's
anti-  drug  agency  Saturday,  the latest murder of a law-enforcement
official along the South American nation's coast.

Vibert  Inniss,  deputy chief of Guyana's Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit,
was  shot  several  times  when  he  stopped his car to buy newspapers
from  a  vendor  in  Buxton,  12 miles east of the capital Georgetown,
police said.

Gunmen  recently  hurled  concussion grenades into the headquarters of
the  anti-drug  unit,  which  works  with  the  U.S.  Drug Enforcement
Agency.  Eight  police  officers  and  several  businessmen  have been
killed in recent attacks.

Pubdate: Sun, 25 Aug 2002
Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)
Copyright: 2002 Chicago Tribune Company
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/82
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1577/a05.html

===

(21) DEA ANNOUNCES SWEEP IN CENTRAL ASIA, EUROPE

A  broad  narcotics  sweep  involving  25,000 law enforcement officers
and  coordinated  by  the  Drug  Enforcement  Administration across 15
countries  of  Central Asia and the Balkans has resulted in the arrest
or  detention  of  thousands  of  suspects,  officials said last week.

The  sweep  this summer -- from June 10 to July 11 -- seized more than
3,700 pounds of heroin and nine tons of other narcotics.

Pubdate: Sun, 25 Aug 2002
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright: 2002 San Jose Mercury News
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/390
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1584/a02.html

===

(22) SILENCE ON U.S. ILLEGAL OPERATION IN B.C.

Maybe  they  just  don't  care up in Ottawa that U.S. agents feel free
to  enter  Canada  illegally,  break  our  laws  and  then conceal the
evidence from the courts here.

For  a  week I've been trying to get someone - anyone - in the federal
government  to  describe Canada's response to a B.C. court ruling that
U.S.  Drug  Enforcement  Agency  operatives  knowingly broke our laws.

B.C.  Supreme  Court  Justice  Janice  Dillon  found  the  Americans
knowingly  snuck  into Canada, ran an illegal operation and then tried
to  conceal  their  activities  from  the  court - a shocking abuse of
Canadian law, she called it.

"The  illegal  conduct is extremely offensive because of the violation
of  Canadian  sovereignty  without explanation or apology," she wrote.

 [snip]

The  rules  governing  a  DEA  operation in Canada are clear. A U.S. -
Canada  agreement  requires  the  DEA  to  get RCMP consent. They also
needed  a  special  permit  from  the immigration minister because the
undercover  agent  had  a  criminal  record.  And they needed approval
from  the  RCMP's  top narcotics officer to pretend they had drugs for
sale.

The  tactic  is illegal in Canada except under tight controls, because
of  the  risk  of  injustice.  When  police approach potential buyers,
they  may  be  creating a crime that would never have happened without
their instigation.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Fri, 23 Aug 2002
Source: Goldstream Gazette (CN BC)
Copyright: 2002 Goldstream Gazette
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1291
Author: Paul Willcocks
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1583/a06.html

===

(23) MAYOR, COPS, AND LGU EXECS YIELD TO DRUG TEST

GLAN  Municipal  Mayor  Yoyong  Yap  together  with  some  203  local
government  employees  including  members  of  the Philippine National
Police  (PNP)  in Glan Sarangani Province submitted themselves to drug
test.

Mayor  Yap  ordered the drug test to government workers as part of his
all-out war campaign against drugs in the municipality.

Yap  vowed  to  fire  immediately any employee or member of the PNP in
his  town  who  will  turn  positive  of illegal dugs in their system.

Also,  Yap  decided  to  give  a  reward to anybody who can pinpoint a
drug  pusher  and user operating in his area of responsibility just to
contain the rampant drug addiction in Glan.

Yap  said  through  the  reward  system  he is offering to the public,
many  drug  pushers have gone now while number of drug users declined.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Mon, 26 Aug 2002
Source: Sunstar General Santos (Philippines)
Copyright: 2002, Sunstar
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2450
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1579/a02.html

===

(24) WAR ON NARCOTICS: PM BACKS CALL TO USE DRUG FUNDS

 [snip]

Mr  Thaksin  was  also  receptive,  albeit cautiously, to a suggestion
for  the  government  to  churn  out  fake  speed  pills causing minor
sickening effects such as nausea and vomiting to make them
unattractive to buyers.

Sitha  Thiwaree,  secretary to the deputy defence minister who floated
the  idea,  said the fake pills should be made available at low prices
or  even  free  of  charge  in  a market-dumping tactic to destroy the
mainstream drug network.

The  prime  minister  said  the  suggestion was made "in jest". But it
would  not  hurt  for the Public Health Ministry to study the idea, he
added.

 [snip]

Pubdate: Tue, 27 Aug 2002
Source: Bangkok Post (Thailand)
Copyright: The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 2002
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/39
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1594/a06.html
  
***********************************************************************

HOT OFF THE 'NET
- -------------------------------

CONYERS  QUESTIONS  DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION ON USE OF FEDERAL 
FUNDS FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES

A press release from U.S. Rep. John Conyers of Michigan

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1586/a06.html

===

Video Of Seattle Hempfest

Posted at Pot-TV.net

http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-1483.html

===

Treatment or Jail - Is This Really a Choice?

By Preston Peet; posted at Drugwar.com

http://www.drugwar.com/ptreatjail.shtm

===

The  Canadian  Senate  Special Committee on Illegal Drugs will release
its  final  report  on  cannabis  at a news conference in the National
Press  Theatre,  1st  floor,  150  Wellington  St.  in Ottawa at 11:00
a.m., Wednesday, September 4, 2002.

The  news  conference  will  be  broadcast on the Senate Internet site
(floor sound) http://senate-senat.ca/webcast.asp

The  report  will  also  be  available on the Committee's Internet web
site at that time http://www.parl.gc.ca/illegal-drugs.asp

===

WHITE  HOUSE  DRUG  CZAR  RELEASES  GUIDE  ON  STUDENT  DRUG  TESTING 

(Washington, D.C.) - John P. Walters, Director of National Drug 
Control  Policy  (ONDCP),  today  released a new publication entitled 
What  You Need to Know About Drug Testing in Schools. The publication 
is  being  released  as  millions  of  young people return to school, 
and  is  designed  to  assist  educators,  parents,  and  community  
leaders  in  determining  whether student drug testing is appropriate 
for their schools. 

Continues: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/news/press02/082902.html

What  You  Need  to Know About Drug Testing in Schools is available at
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/pdf/drug_testing.pdf

===

30,000  Californians  Using  Medicinal  Marijuana  Legally, Study Says

San  Francisco,  CA:  An  estimated 30,000 California patients possess
physician's  recommendations  to use pot medicinally, according to the
results  of  a  study  to  be  published  in  The  Journal of Cannabis
Therapeutics.  California  NORML  conducted  the study, which surveyed
numerous  statewide  patient  support  groups,  local  registration
programs and physicians.

For more information, please contact either Dale Gieringer,
California  NORML  Coordinator, at (415) 563-5858 or Allen St. Pierre,
Executive  Director  of  The  NORML Foundation, at (202) 483-8751. The
Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics is available online at:

http://www.acmed.org/english/home.htm

***********************************************************************

LETTER OF THE WEEK
- ------------------------------------

PAPER RIGHT TO BACK LEGALIZATION

By Suzanne Wills

To the editor:

Last  year,  the  King  County, Wash., Bar Association, in conjunction
with  the  medical  society  in  King County, did a drug policy study.
They  determined  that  the most important objectives of a drug policy
should be:

* Enhanced public order and reduced crime. * Improved public health.

* Protection of children. * Efficient use of scarce public resources.

Their  report  concluded that "The War on Drugs has not only failed to
fulfill  any  of  these  objectives, but also has exacerbated the very
problems  it  was designed to address." You are quite right to support
change.

The  war  on  drugs  benefits formidable special interests and remains
in  place  for  that  reason only. The special interests include every
federal  agency,  the  defense  industry,  the  prison  industry,  law
enforcement,  the  drug testing industry, the drug treatment industry,
the  home  security  industry,  the tobacco and liquor industries, the
media,  the  pharmaceutical industry and, of course, the international
illicit drug cartels.

I  am  certain  that  Byron  D.  Cagle ("Stupid to back legalization,"
Aug.  15)  earns  his living in one of these areas. Fear of losing his
livelihood  is  the  only  logical  reason  for  such  a  hysterical,
illogical defense of the status quo.

Suzanne Wills,

Drug Policy Forum of Texas,

Dallas

Referenced: Drug Policy Forum of Texas, http://www.dpft.org
Pubdate: 08/21/2002
Source: The Monitor (TX)

***********************************************************************

FEATURE ARTICLE
- -------------------------------

Remembering Activist Martyrs Tom Crosslin and Rollie Rohm

By Richard Lake http://www.mapinc.org/rlake/

It's also time to remember the Rainbow Farm Campground.

Rainbow  Farm  owner  Tom Crosslin, 46, and his partner, Rolland Rohm,
28,  were  killed  by  police  Labor  Day  weekend  last year during a
four-day standoff at the farm.

Crosslin was shot to death Sept. 3, 2001 by two FBI agents,
allegedly  after  he  pointed  a  gun  at  them.  Rohm  was  killed by
Michigan  state  police  in a similar scenario early the next morning.

Details are at the Rainbow Farm memorial website:

http://www.rainbowfarmcamp.com/

This  weekend  and next week we remember Tom and Rollie. Here are some
events  and  links  of interest. If I have missed any please drop me a
note so I can do an update.

===

Rainbow Farm Tributes:

Friday,  August  30th  at  12  Midnight CDT, Cultural Baggage Radio at
90.1  FM  in  Houston  or  online  at http://www.kpft.org will feature
Doug  Leinbach,  the  long  time  friend and associate of Tom Crosslin
and  Rollie  Rohm.  Also  featured  will be Atty. Greg Schmid, another
close  friend.  Friday  Midnight to 1 AM Saturday Central time - Thats
1  a.m.  Eastern,  11 p.m. Mountain, or 10 p.m. Pacific. Listeners are
invited to call in their questions at 713-526-5738

Sunday,  Sept.  1  at  9  p.m. EDT, 8 CDT, 7 MDT and 6 PDT, Drug Sense
Chat  room,  with guests Doug Leinbach and Greg Schmid. 60-90 Minutes.
http://www.drugsense.org/chat

Tuesday,  Sept.  3  at 8 p.m. EDT, 7 CDT, 6 MDT, 5 PDT, New York Times
Drug Policy Forum, scheduled for 60-90 Minutes.

See: http://www.cultural-baggage.com/schedule.htm and 'Instructions:
Participate in NY Times Forum & Drugsense Chat'
http://www.cultural-baggage.com/instruct.htm

===

The  Michigan  Marijuana  Movement  has  a  memorial  page for Tom and
Rollie

http://www.mmm420.org/memorial.html

===

Tom Crosslin & Rollie Rohm Memorial Page

http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/rb.htm

===

Federal and state police kill owner of Rainbow Farm

http://www.november.org/razorwire/oct-nov-dec2001/page1.html

===

A  9  minute  video  tribute  from High Times magazine to Tom Crosslin

http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-911.html

===

Musical Tribute

http://www.sandiegonorml.org/Rainbow_Farm.htm

===

Rainbow Farm news clippings: http://www.mapinc.org/find?200

The ten most read clippings:

US IL: PUB LTE: Justice Department Priorities Skewed 
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1070/a10.html

US MI: Column: Was Rainbow Farm 'Our Own Little Waco'? 
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n187/a06.html

US MI: Was Rainbow Farm Another Waco? 
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n130/a05.html

US MI: Rainbow Farm Fallout 
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1850/a09.html

US MI: Westland Lawyer Questions Deadly SWET Raid 
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1808/a04.html

US MI: Rage Over Slain Pot-Pushers 
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1682/a09.html

US IN: More Questions Than Answers at Rainbow Farm 
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1667/a08.html

US MI: Rainbow Farm - What Others Are Saying 
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1653/a11.html

US MI: 10 PUB LTEs: Rainbow Farm Outcry 
URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1645/a02.html

US MI: Martyers or Menaces? URL:
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1637/a07.html

===

Hemp Aid 98! from Hemp Magazine

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98/n691/a08.html

===

Rainbow Farm Mailing List 

The  list  is  a  one  way  announcement  list. As such during average
months  there  should  be  less than a dozen email announcements. It's
purpose  is  to  alert  list  members of events, activities, webpages,
and  news  related  to  remembering  activist martyrs Tom Crosslin and
Rollie Rohm - as well as the Rainbow Farm Campground.

http://www.rainbowfarmcamp.com/mlist.htm  sign  on/off  webform.

***********************************************************************

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
- ------------------------------------

''Why do you need M-14s to arrest kids with weed?''

- -  Cecilia  Self,  a  student  at  McIntosh  College in New Hampshire,
where  a  police  chief  is threatening to seize a dorm building where
drug arrests were made recently. See
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1599/a03.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
===
CRRH is working to regulate and tax the sale of cannabis to adults like 
alcohol, allow doctors to recommend cannabis through pharmacies and restore 
the unregulated production of industrial hemp.

*Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp*
mail:     CRRH ; P.O. Box 86741 ; Portland, OR 97286 USA
email:   crrh@crrh.org
phone:  (503) 235-4606
fax:       (503) 235-0120
web:     http://www.crrh.org/


------------------------------
End of Restore-Digest V2002 #179
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