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NORML Weekly News (Senator Wants To Extend Marijuana Prohibition
To Include Medical Research; Use Of Thermal Imaging Without A Warrant
Unconstitutional, Ninth Circuit Rules; Hawaii Health Committee
Urges Federal Government To Expedite Medical Marijuana Research)
From: NORMLFNDTN (NORMLFNDTN@aol.com)
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 18:08:14 EDT
Subject: NORML WPR 4/9/98 (II)
A NON-PROFIT LEGAL, RESEARCH, AND EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION
THE NORML FOUNDATION
1001 CONNECTICUT AVENUE NW
SUITE 710
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20036
T 202-483-8751 o F 202-483-0057
E-MAIL NORMLFNDTN@AOL.COM
Internet http://www.norml.org
. . . a weekly service for the media on news items related to marijuana
prohibition.
April 9, 1998
***
Senator Wants To Extend Marijuana Prohibition To Include Medical Research
April 9, 1998, Washington, D.C.: The Senate approved a "sense of the
Senate" resolution on April 3 denying funding for any future medical
marijuana research projects. The amendment -- introduced by Sen. Gordon
Smith (R-Oregon) -- is included in Senate Concurrent Resolution 86, a
measure outlining Congressional budgets for the next five years.
Although the amendment is not legally binding, the resolution may
influence Congress when determining funding levels for health and
research programs.
"The language proposed by Smith represents the extreme position of those
in Congress who stand against the use of marijuana as a medicine," said
NORML Executive Director R. Keith Stroup. "This amendment is a slap in
the face to respected scientific and medical institutions such as the
National Institutes of Health (NIH), the American Medical Association
(AMA), the National Academy of Sciences, the American Cancer Society, and
others -- all of which have recently urged the federal government to
facilitate clinical trials to better determine marijuana's therapeutic
potential."
Senate Amendment 2180 states that "no funds appropriated by Congress
should be used to ... fund or support, or to compel any individual,
institution, or government entity to ... support any item, good, benefit,
program, or service, for the purpose of marijuana for medicinal
purposes." Smith argued that his amendment will help ensure that
America's children are not sent mixed messages on drug use.
Federal funds should only be spent on research to discover more
effective prescription medications, and not on the "medicinal use of an
illegal drug that is highly addictive and dangerous," he added.
Presently, all scientific protocols to examine marijuana's medical
potential must receive federal funds. According to Rick Doblin -- head
of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) --
this is because the only legal supplier of marijuana for research
purposes remains the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and that
agency will only consider providing marijuana to projects that have
passed the NIH grant review process. Presently, the NIH is funding only
one study regarding marijuana's medical potential.
"Senator Smith's amendment suggests that he cares more for anti-medical
marijuana rhetoric than he does for people who suffer from the diseases
for which marijuana is claimed to be effective in treating," said Doblin,
who also serves of NORML's board of directors. "Hopefully, neither he
nor any of his loved ones will come to regret this triumph of ideology
over medicine."
Senate Con. Res. 86 now goes to the House for consideration.
For more information, please contact either Paul Armentano or Keith
Stroup of NORML @ (202) 483-5500.
***
Use Of Thermal Imaging Without A Warrant Unconstitutional, Ninth Circuit
Rules
April 9, 1998, Portland, OR: The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
ruled on Tuesday that the Constitution's Fourth Amendment protects
citizens against the warrantless use of thermal imaging scanning devices
to measure heat emissions from residences. The Court rejected contrary
case law from the seventh, eighth, and eleventh circuits on grounds that
they improperly analogized excess heat from residential interiors to heat
emanating from trash.
"This decision affirms the right of individuals to be free in their home
from unreasonable searches," NORML Executive Director R. Keith Stroup,
Esq. said. Stroup noted that the conflicting decisions by the circuit
courts may persuade the Supreme Court to rule on the issue.
Thermal scanners detect heat from numerous sources inside the home such
as bathing, ovens, indoor gardening, and sexual activity. The technology
is often used by law enforcement officials to identify possible indoor
marijuana-grow operations.
The details unveiled by a thermal imager are sufficiently intimate to
give rise to a Fourth Amendment violation, declared Judge Robert Merhige,
writing for the court. "While the imager cannot reproduce images or
sounds, it strips the sanctuary of the home of the 'right to be let
alone' from arbitrary and discriminatory monitoring by government
officials," he said. "The use of a thermal imager to observe heat
emitted from various objects within the home infringes on an expectation
of privacy that society deems reasonable."
Dissenting Judge Michael Hawkins argued the use of thermal imaging fails
to constitute a search "under contemporary Fourth Amendment standards."
Tanya Kangas, Director of Litigation for The NORML Foundation, praised
the majority opinion. "Fortunately, two of the three judges in this case
looked to common sense and the privacy expectations of typical reasonable
persons to be free in their homes."
The case is United States v. Danny Lee Kyllo, No. 96-30333 (9th Cir.
filed April 7, 1998).
For more information or to notify the NORML Foundation of additional
thermal imaging cases, please contact Tanya Kangas @ (202) 483-8751. For
more information on thermal imaging and the law, please contact NORML
Legal Committee member John Henry Hingson @ (503) 656-0355.
***
Hawaii Health Committee Urges Federal Government To Expedite Medical
Marijuana Research
April 9, 1998, Honolulu, HI: Hawaii's House Committee on Health
approved a resolution on Saturday urging the federal government to
expedite research into the medical efficacy of marijuana.
"This measure makes it clear that the medical value of marijuana should
be determined by science, not politics," said the bill's sponsor, Rep.
David Tarnas (D-South Kohala). "The state is taking this reasonable and
measured step specifically because the federal government has a history
of refusing to take action [on the medical marijuana issue.]"
Earlier this year, Tarnas introduced legislation exempting patients and
their primary caregivers who possessed or cultivated marijuana for
medical use from criminal penalties. The Health Committee rejected that
bill in February, but Chairman Alex Santiago (D-Pupukea) encouraged
Tarnas to draft a separate resolution endorsing research.
"It is ... appropriate to urge the federal government to move more
swiftly in its establishment of rigorous scientific protocol standards to
reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule II drug," Santiago
said. At least five states -- California, Michigan, New Hampshire, and
Missouri -- have previously approved resolutions urging the government to
allow doctors to prescribe marijuana.
NORML Executive Director R. Keith Stroup, Esq. said he supported state
resolutions aimed at reforming federal law, but emphasized that state
laws are also necessary to protect patients already using medical
marijuana from state criminal charges. "States must realize that they
can play a pivotal role in protecting the health and safety of bona fide
medical marijuana patients," he said.
For more information, please contact either Rep. David Tarnas @ (808)
586-8510 or Keith Stroup of NORML @ (202) 483-5500.
-END-
MORE THAN 11 MILLION MARIJUANA ARRESTS SINCE 1965...ANOTHER EVERY 49 SECONDS!
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PUC Chief Is Grilled About Pot, Not Power ('The Oregonian'
Describes Reefer Madness At The Oregon Legislature,
Where The Republican Majority Has Made Marijuana The Biggest Issue
In State Government, And On Wednesday Engaged In Chemical McCarthyism
In An Attempt To Discredit Ron Eachus, Chairman
Of The Oregon Public Utility Commission)
The Oregonian
letters to editor:
letters@news.oregonian.com
1320 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97201
Web: http://www.oregonlive.com/
April 9, 1998
PUC chief is grilled about pot, not power
A Senate panel targets Ron Eachus' college days
during a hearing on his reappointment
By Gail Kinsey Hill
of The Oregonian staff
SALEM - Oregon's top utility regulator came under fire at a reappointment
hearing Wednesday - not about energy issues but about his 1960s college
days, marijuana smoking and involvement in anti-war protests.
Ron Eachus, chairman of the state Public Utility Commission, faces a vote
today in the conservative Oregon Senate that could end his tenure as the
commission's most experienced member.
Eachus, a Democrat renominated by Gov. John Kitzhaber, has been skeptical of
energy deregulation plans by Enron Corp. and tough on phone provider US West
for chronic service problems.
But the focus of questioning at the Senate Executive Appointments Committee
meeting was on the politics of an entirely different era.
The committee's chairman, Sen. Randy Miller, R-Lake Oswego, grilled Eachus
about a trip to Hanoi in the late 1960s to protest U.S. engagement in
Vietnam. He also wanted to know whether Eachus smoked marijuana while at the
University of Oregon.
After a tense exchange - Eachus defended his stance on Vietnam and admitted
smoking marijuana in college - the committee voted to send Eachus'
reappointment to the full Senate without recommendation.
Miller said he asked about Vietnam and drugs because he had received letters
from several people asking him to do so. He would not disclose who wrote the
letters.
Eachus is a former Democratic legislator whose trip to Hanoi as a student
was well-known. Still, the issue was raised in February by Miller and other
Republicans, who control the Senate 20-10.
Eachus states his case
In his testimony Wednesday, Eachus tried to clarify his position.
"Intentionally or not, my previous anti-Vietnam War activities were raised
as an issue in a manner that appeared to question my character," he said.
"One is always on shaky ground discussing one's own character, but I have
never hidden my anti-war activities, nor have I hidden from them. What I
did, I did out of conscience and sincere beliefs that what was happening was
bad for our nation."
When quizzed further about his anti-war activities, Eachus said, "I don't
believe what I did 30 years ago is relevant."
Miller countered that war veterans who had contacted his Senate office
thought otherwise.
"I received calls from people who believed it was inappropriate," Miller said.
Miller also wanted to know whether Eachus had ever done anything illegal.
Eachus said he had exceeded the speed limit a time or two.
What about drugs? Miller asked.
Yes, Eachus said, his voice growing angry.
"I was a student at University of Oregon between 1965 and 1970," he said.
"If I told you I did not, you probably wouldn't believe me anyway."
Eachus said he has not smoked marijuana for a long time.
At one point, Sen. Randy Leonard, D-Portland, objected that the questions
were offensive.
"I'm having a hard time sitting here listening to this," Leonard said. "This
is the United States of America. If he was a student activist 30 years ago,
well ... who wasn't?"
If Eachus is voted down in the Senate today, he could lose his job. But even
with the opposition of some Republicans, the governor's chief of staff, Bill
Wyatt, said the nomination should go through.
"We have reason to feel fairly confident of the ultimate results," said
Wyatt, who met with key Republicans on Wednesday in search of votes.
Kitzhaber considers Eachus' reappointment critical to the continued
restructuring of the electricity industry, Wyatt said.
Even Miller, by the end of the day, said he might vote in favor of
reappointment.
"It's possible," said Miller, who said he appreciated the direct, honest way
Eachus answered his questions. "I might support him."
Miller emphasized that the committee's main concern was with Eachus' job
performance and his ability to oversee the utility industry. The
three-member PUC is charged with ensuring that utility customers receive
safe, reliable service at reasonable rates. Eachus has been on the panel for
10 years.
Miller targets 'enemy' comment The PUC recently has trained its regulatory
eye on US West, demanding service improvements and threatening millions of
dollars in fines.
Miller said he received no direct opposition from US West about Eachus'
nomination, but Miller referred to a radio talk show on which Eachus
referred to US West as "the enemy."
"No regulator should see the regulated as the enemy," Miller said.
Eachus said his comments, made in jest, were taken out of context.
Neither is he "out to get" US West, as some Republicans suggested, Eachus said.
Several representatives from utilities were at the hearing, but none from US
West.
Denise McPhail, a lobbyist for Portland General Electric, said her company
supports Eachus' reappointment despite an edgy relationship.
"We disagree strongly at times," she said. But "he's honorable and
knowledgeable ... and we want restructuring to move forward."
Enron Corp. is PGE's parent corporation and has proposed allowing the
utility's 667,000 customers to choose their electricity suppliers in a
deregulated market. Consumer groups and other power companies have
criticized the plan, saying there is no guarantee that rates would be lower.
McPhail said she isn't concerned about Eachus' past use of marijuana.
"If he were doing opinions on utilities and tokin', that might be something
different," she said.
(c)1998 Oregon Live LLC
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County Wasting Lives And Money Storing Addicts (Staff Editorial
In 'The Columbian,' In Vancouver, Washington, Says That While Addiction
Is Considered A Sin By A Lot Of Moralists, It Is Not A Crime
By Any Specific Statute Or Law, Yet Policies In Clark County, Washington,
And Elsewhere Are Bent On Making It Next To Impossible For Addicts
To Improve Themselves)
The Columbian
701 W. Eighth St.
Vancouver WA 98666
Tel. (360) 694-2312
Or (360) 699-6000, Ext. 1560, to leave a recorded opinion
>From Portland: (503) 224-0654
Fax: (360) 699-6033
E-mail: editors@columbian.com
Web: http://www.columbian.com/
[Portland NORML notes: For those of you far away, Vancouver, Washington,
is just north across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon]
In Our View: Thursday, April 9, 1998
County wasting lives and money storing addicts
While addiction is considered a sin by a lot of moralists, it is not a crime
by any specific statute or law. Medical and other sciences approach
consensus that addiction is either a complex disease or a deep syndrome that
can be and sometimes is successfully treated.
And yet most people in local jails, state penitentiaries and federal prisons
are there owing to various addictions. While incarcerated they get little or
no useful treatment. Many find ways to continue their addictions behind
bars. When they get out, as all but a very few do, more than half quickly
resume bad habits and a lot of them end up back in jail.
Incarceration is about 10 times as expensive as better proven treatments for
addiction. But society in general and Clark County in particular prefer to
spend rare dollars keeping addicts in storage for most of their lives rather
than trying to fix the addicts so they can become productive parts of the
economic system.
Such realities were demonstrated anew Tuesday in the article by The
Columbian's John Branton, "Suspended drivers cram the docket; big fines and
long jail stays can result for offenders caught in an escalating spiral."
Most of the men and women serving time in the jammed cells at the Clark
County Jail, Branton noted, were caught driving while their licenses were
suspended. That usually is the easiest case to make against somebody who is
off on a criminal track, and the Legislature has added more and more reasons
for suspending a license with every passing session. The state Department of
Licensing yanked 112,374 licenses in 1992, 328,973 last year. Almost all of
the reasons from drunken driving to failure to pay child support are
incidental to drug or alcohol addiction.
While incarcerated or barred from driving, the addicts cannot pay the
penalties or restitution demands that are based on the thoroughly
discredited premise that addictive behavior can generally be changed by
threat of a monetary penalty. Neither can they meet such other obligations
as family financial responsibility.
The crazy cycle must eventually reach a breaking point. How much worse must
it get before legislators and the justice system realize that better
treatment of addiction is the way out?
-- D. Michael Heywood, for the editorial board
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Resignation Stirs Pot Advocates ('San Jose Mercury News'
Says Reactions Are Mixed Among Bay Area Medical Marijuana Activists
To News That Peter Baez, Co-Founder Of The Santa Clara County
Medical Cannabis Center, Plans To Resign From His San Jose Dispensary
And May Shut It Because Of His Legal Trouble)
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 02:48:58 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)
Subject: MN: US CA: Resignation Stirs Pot Advocates
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Joel W. Johnson (jwjohnson@netmagic.net)
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Contact: letters@sjmercury.com
Website: http://www.sjmercury.com/
Pubdate: Thu, 9 Apr 1998
Author: Bill Romano
RESIGNATION STIRS POT ADVOCATES
Reaction was mixed -- but sharp -- among Bar Area medicinal marijuana
advocates to news that Peter Baez, co-founder of the Santa Clara County
Medical Cannabis Center, plans to resign from his San Jose dispensary and
may shut it because of his legal trouble.
"It's all political," said Jeff Jones, head of the Oakland Cannabis Buyers'
Cooperative, who defended Baez and lamented his decision last week to start
refusing prospective clients. "You didn't see them selling to kids. . . .
Now, they've stopped doing intakes and might fold up because Peter is
quitting."
But others say it's local officials who should be supported for their
efforts to maintain a workable relationship with the center over the past
year.
Dennis Augustine, a retired Saratoga podiatrist who once served as a
volunteer and fundraiser for Baez's center, said he stands behind the
police and the district attorney, who have been under pressure from the
state and federal authorities long opposed to Proposition 215.
Local officials "took a leap of faith like all of us who are interested in
seeing the center make good," said Augustine, leader of Friends of
Cannabis Under Seige -- a medical marijuana advocacy group.
The March 23 arrest of Baez and his subsequently being charged with six
counts of illegally selling pot surprised some, considering how often his
operation had been touted nationally as a model of how to implement
Proposition 215, California's voter-approved initiative legalizing medicinal
marijuana.
Baez, 34, who suffers from colon cancer, on Monday pleaded not guilty in
Santa Clara County Municipal Court to the charges and then announced his
plans to step down as the center's executive director as early as the end
of the month and possibly abandon the center. He suggested Wednesday that
others who want to submit an application for a new San Jose municipal
center are welcome to try.
"Good luck," he said. "Where will the people go for their pot? Probably
back to the street."
Center co-founder Jesse Garcia said he has no interest in carrying on
should Baez close the Meridian Avenue center.
City and county officials have repeated stated they have no desire to drive
the center out of business and added that Baez's troubles simply stem from
his failure to comply with local regulations governing the dispensing of
medicinal marijuana. He's been accused of illegal sales of marijuana for
providing pot for clients without a doctor's authorization -- allegations
he strenuously denies. Also, authorities have frozen nearly $30,000 in
center assets and seized copies of client records.
"I don't know how they think we can continue to run the place," Baez said.
"We need to pay bills and buy marijuana. Pot growers don't like to give
you stuff and bill you later."
Dennis Peron, co-author of Proposition 215 and founder of the San
Francisco's 10,000 member Cannabis Cultivators Club, sides with Baez.
"It's awful. They want to take his money, prosecute him and throw him in
prison," Peron said. "He should just fight it. Don't give up."
Baez's problems arose after a San Jose man, Enrique Robles, was cited and
convicted of misdemeanor marijuana possession. Police said Robles had
claimed to be taking pot with a doctor's verbal approval. But, police said
a check with the doctor failed to substantiate the claim.
Valerie Corral, founder and director of the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical
Marijuana, a non-profit Santa Cruz group that gives pot free to the
seriously ill, believes Baez was the victim of a bureaucratic snafu.
"In my opinion, there seems to have been a red tape foul-up," she said."
I think that's what happened with Peter. Why jeopardize everything for a
handful of marijuana for a few people?"
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City Tops State In Drug Deaths ('San Francisco Examiner' Says A Report
Released This Week By The California Department Of Health Services
Shows San Francisco Had 20.5 Drug-Related Deaths Per 100,000 People,
Or One Death For Every 4,901 Residents, Compared To A Statewide Average
Of Eight Drug Deaths Per 100,000 Residents)
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1998 00:04:55 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)
Subject: MN: US CA: City Tops State in Drug Deaths
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: "Frank S. World"
Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA)
Contact: letters@examiner.com
Website: http://www.examiner.com/
Pubdate: Thu, 09 Apr 1998
Author: Lisa M. Krieger - Examiner Medical Writer
CITY TOPS STATE IN DRUG DEATHS
Higher grade, lower cost of heroin are major factors, health officials say
San Francisco leads the rest of California in drug-related deaths, with
twice the death rate of the state, according to a new report by state
health officials.
The growing purity and decreasing cost of local heroin is driving the
trend, said city drug experts.
"Speed kills -- but not as much as heroin," said Dr. John Newmeyer, an
epidemiologist with the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic. Cocaine is also lethal,
he said.
Competition among heroin dealers here has helped push down the price of the
drug to one-quarter the cost of 15 or 20 years ago, said Newmeyer. The
dense urban environment of San Francisco, as well as its reputation of
tolerance, also may contribute to The City's high drug-related death rate.
The report, released this week by the state Department of Health Services,
shows The City had 20.5 drug-related deaths per 100,000 people, or one
death for every 4,901 residents.
This compares with a statewide average of 8 drug deaths per 100,000
residents. The lowest rate in the state was in Santa Clara County, with
4.7.
The City also ranks first in the number of cases of tuberculosis and AIDS
per 100,000 residents.
The good news is that San Franciscans are less likely to die of car
crashes, homicide, cancer or heart disease than the average state resident.
The City's teen pregnancy and infant mortality rates also are far below the
state average. The birth rate among teens in Tulare is double that of teens
in San Francisco.
The overall death rate in San Francisco has dipped slightly since last year
but remains one of the highest in the state, surpassed only by Lake and
Yuba counties.
The City's death rate was 547 per 100,000 residents, down from a rate of
576 in last year's report and 599 in the report before that.
The report compares 20 health-related indicators of San Francisco residents
-- rates of death, diseases and prenatal care -- to residents of other
California counties. Most of the rates are three-year averages for 1994,
1995 and 1996, the most recent data available. The data were age-adjusted,
compensating for the different age compositions of county populations.
San Joaquin County is the syphilis capital of the state. Kern County ranks
highest in infant mortality. Tulare County leads in teen pregnancies -- and
also youth poverty.
The report also found that:
RTulare County has the state's highest percentage of poor children and
youth. Thirty-three percent of children under age 18 lived in poverty
there, compared with only 6.3 percent in Marin County. About 18.6 percent
of San Francisco's youth are poor. This is close to the state average of
18.2.
RThe Gold Country region of Calaveras County has a death rate due to auto
wrecks that is five times higher than San Francisco: 42 vs. 8 per 100,000
residents. San Mateo County, with a death rate of only 6.4, has the safest
roads in the state.
RLos Angeles has the state's highest homicide rate, as well as the highest
rate of deaths from firearms injuries. Los Angeles reported 19.4 homicides
per 100,000 population, followed by Fresno County with 15.4 deaths. Alameda
County placed fifth, with 14.3 homicides per 100,000, and San Francisco had
a rate of 10.8, slightly lower than the statewide average of 11.8.
RLake County had the highest suicide rate in the state, with 30 cases per
100,000 -- more than threefold the rate of Santa Clara County, with a low
of 8.6 per 100,000 cases. San Francisco's suicide rate is 15.7,
significantly higher than the state average of 10.7.
RAs expected, San Francisco had the highest AIDS incidence in the state,
with 191 cases per 100,000 residents. This is down from 233 cases in last
year's report and 291 cases the year before that. The City has three times
as many AIDS cases per 100,000 residents as the statewide average -- and
more than 32 times the number of lowest-ranking Tulare County.
The county with the next-highest incidence of AIDS was Marin, followed by
Los Angeles, San Diego, Alameda and Sonoma.
RTuberculosis cases, perhaps related to the immune devastation of AIDS, are
also most common in San Francisco. The City has 36 TB cases per 100,000
residents, compared with the state average of 14.4.
The City's drug epidemic is an intransigent problem, worsened by the lack
of adequate treatment, according to city drug-abuse experts. As of Jan. 31,
there were 1,072 applicants waiting for substance-abuse treatment in public
programs.
Minority populations are disproportionately affected, according to
epidemiologist Al Abramowitz of the San Francisco Health Department.
African Americans were hospitalized for heroin overdose at a rate threefold
that of other San Franciscans. They were hospitalized for cocaine at a rate
fivefold that of other city residents.
After San Francisco, the counties with the next-highest rate of drug deaths
were Humboldt, Kern, Santa Barbara and San Joaquin. "Many people pack their
bags and move west," said Abramowitz, "only to find that their problems
have been stowed away in their baggage."
1998 San Francisco Examiner
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Rush To Forgive Drug-Related Arrest Of Socialite (Three Letters To The Editor
Of The 'Los Angeles Times' Address Hypocrisy And The Perception
Of A Double Standard)
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1998 22:53:38 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)
Subject: MN: US CA: LTE's: Rush to Forgive Drug-Related Arrest of Socialite
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Jim Rosenfield
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Contact: letters@latimes.com
Fax: 213-237-4712
Website: http://www.latimes.com/
Pubdate: April 9, 1998
READERS RESPOND
The rush to forgive the drug-related arrest of socialite Tina Schafnitz
leaves readers wondering whether others would be forgiven as quickly.
Regarding the arrest of Tina Schafnitz for selling cocaine, I note that Ms.
Peggy Goldwater Clay and her other wealthy friends believe she "needs help
and should not go to jail." I assume these people would have the same
compassion for a Latino or black person who was caught selling a little
marijuana now and then. I think not. These folks would say, "Lock 'em up
and throw away the key."
ARTHUR JOHNSON
Costa Mesa
***
I love it. A prominent Newport Beach socialite gets busted for dealing
drugs, and all the talk is about rehabilitation and getting help for poor
Tina. But these same people, I'm sure, would very quickly change their tune
if a Juan Gonzales of West Side Costa Mesa had been busted dealing drugs. I
think a jail sentence is in order for Tina, not a high-priced addiction
clinic.
Let's see how the courts handle this matter.
MARTIN MULVIHILL
Costa Mesa
***
Reading the published comments of local society figures regarding the
alleged sale of cocaine by one of their number makes one wonder. There
seems to be an initial rush of some to minimize the crime and put a better
spin on it by confusing the two issues involved, namely dealing versus
using.
Dealing in cocaine, obviously, is a much more damning crime than the other,
although neither can be excused. Dealing is vicious and considered a crime
against society committed for profit. It represents a deliberate decision
to spread the addiction, to gain new sufferers and to destroy more people
all for the sake of profit.
Money is the name of the game. Using cocaine and heroin, while still a
serious problem and a crime, primarily harms the user even though it tears
at the fabric of society itself in an evolving and ever-widening pattern.
The dealer, however, knows only too well he is spreading the use of cocaine
and heroin. Doing so is his stock in trade. His profit outweighs any moral
consideration. His product is human misery, and he sells to the highest
bidder.
It is well to remember such distinctions when trying to control the drug
trade and addiction. It doesn't matter if the person charged is your
friend, a member of your class, or one of your pals. It's all the same; no
matter who's doing it.
REBA WILLIAMS
Newport Beach
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Wiretap Ruling Rocks LA Legal, Police Circles ('Los Angeles Times'
Describes A Court Case That May Limit The Use Of Illegal Wiretaps
By Los Angeles Police Department And Prosecutors
Putting Together Drug Cases)
From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US CA: Wiretap Ruling Rocks LA Legal, Police Circles
Date: Thu, 09 Apr 1998 17:04:25 -0700
Lines: 237
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Nora Callahan
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Contact: letters@latimes.com
Website: http://www.latimes.com/
Author: GREG KRIKORIAN, Times Staff Writer
WIRETAP RULING ROCKS LA LEGAL, POLICE CIRCLES
Law: All sides are watching whether judge's order to reveal phone
surveillance information will affect other cases. Some see a threat to the
practice of concealing informants.
In the abstract, there are few civil liberties the average person holds as
dear as the constitutional protection against unlawful searches and
seizures. But that affection is often tested when the 4th Amendment, like a
bolted front door, is all that stands between police and the arrest of
someone who officers say is a criminal.
That is precisely the issue in what many legal observers are calling a
groundbreaking case now before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gregory
Alarcon.
Last month, Alarcon rocked Los Angeles' legal and law enforcement circles
when, after months of legal wrangling, he ordered the district attorney's
office to turn over a wiretap application that - through a backdoor police
procedure known as a "handoff" - led to the 1996 arrests of three men and
seizure of about $20 million worth of cocaine.
At the heart of the case, and debate, is how Los Angeles Police Department
narcotics detectives - with the guidance of the district attorney's office
- put together drug cases originating in wiretap information passed from
one group of investigators to another.
As outlined in court documents, when LAPD detectives on surveillance glean
information about a possible new suspect, they sometimes "hand off" the tip
to another set of detectives in the department without identifying its
source - in this case, the wiretap.
The second group of detectives can then launch an investigation that, if it
results in arrests, would not expose the ongoing wiretap - or allow
attorneys representing the accused to challenge the legality of the
electronic search, because they would not be made aware of its existence.
Now the question is whether Alarcon's ruling, if applied in other cases,
will affect only a few proceedings or undermine hundreds of prosecutions -
and convictions - dating back a decade.
"It is a non-issue," said prosecutor Jason Lustig, echoing the comments of
others in the district attorney's office and LAPD.
But others, including defense attorneys assigned to the cocaine case, say
that Alarcon's ruling could have far-reaching consequences.
"Who knows the extent of this?" asked attorney Roger Rosen, who represents
one of the three defendants in the case. "It could potentially affect every
major narcotics case in which a search warrant begins with a surveillance."
Law professor and former federal prosecutor Laurie Levenson said: "In terms
of whether it will open the jail doors for a lot of these defendants, I
don't think we can say that yet . . . [but] I think it is a big deal [for]
prosecutions and the Police Department in terms of a questionable practice."
Documents and interviews suggest that the handoff approach was developed
more than a decade ago by detectives and the district attorney's office and
that neither has plans to discontinue it, notwithstanding the recent court
ruling.
"The district attorney's office would never sanction a procedure that we
felt was improper. We think we are on firm legal ground here," said Deputy
Dist. Atty. David Demerjian, who directed the office's narcotics operation
until recently.
'Idea Is to Keep Your Source Confidential'
Capt. Ron Seban, who oversees the LAPD's narcotics bureau, said: "We
apprehend. We don't make laws. So until we are directed otherwise, we will
continue using the wire intercept when legal."
The LAPD, Seban said, has only used two wiretap operations since they were
permitted by state law in 1989. And in this case, he said, detectives are
willing to turn over the wiretap application at a court hearing a week from
today because they no longer worry that it will expose an ongoing
investigation. "We are more than willing to give it up," Seban said. "There
is a time and place where every wiretap has run its natural course, and in
this case, we feel that it has."
As for past or future wiretaps, he added: "The whole idea is to keep your
source or your informant confidential. The source could be the wiretap or
the individual . . . [and] every time that handoff process has been used,
it has been approved by the district attorney's office. We don't keep any
secrets from them."
'It Is Horrible What They Tried to Do'
The real issue, defense attorneys counter, is that authorities should not
be allowed to keep such matters secret from individuals accused of crimes.
"It is horrible what they tried to do," said defense attorney Rosen. "At
the very least it was disingenuous, and at the very most it was unethical.
They were trying to get these defendants to take a deal and were not
telling the defendants what they had [in evidence]."
Court records show that in May 1996, Los Angeles police arrested Antonio
Gastelum, Carlos Lobo and Lauro Gaxiola allegedly for attempting to sell
cocaine - investigators put the amount at 193 kilograms - from a Hacienda
Heights residence.
During the subsequent court proceedings, as they were attempting to get the
defendants to agree to a plea bargain, authorities showed some reluctance
to reveal how they learned of the alleged drug sales. And, in an unusual
but not extraordinary move, prosecutors asked to meet several times with
Judge Alarcon alone in his chambers.
Transcripts of those 1997 court proceedings underscore why.
With defense attorneys pressing for discovery documents from the
prosecution, Deputy Dist. Atty. Lustig and, later, a supervising prosecutor
in the narcotics office urged Alarcon not to order disclosure of the
government's source - in part, because it should be kept secret and in part
because it undermined their case, they argued.
"There's nothing in those statements that I could find that would in any
way help [the defendants'] case here. All they could do is hurt [the]
case," Lustig said at one of the closed-door hearings with the judge a year
ago.
Two days later, prosecutor Nancy Lidamore joined Lustig in asking the judge
not to allow release of the information.
"If we were required to reveal all defendants' statements, there would
never be an informant in any case that wasn't revealed because by its very
nature, informants speak to defendants. That's how they get the
incriminating information they pass on to police," Lidamore said. "And if
the rules were such that we had to pass over every defendant's statement,
there would never be an informant that was kept confidential."
But the judge disagreed.
"I have to tell you that I've spoken to virtually every judge in this
building and had a unanimous response with respect to this issue," Alarcon,
a former federal and county prosecutor, told the deputy district attorneys
at a hearing last April.
"The court finds, based upon the review of the information, that the
privilege [to withhold] must give way to the due process rights of the
defendants to have the statements that they are entitled to for trial,"
Alarcon said.
In that ruling and later court hearings, including the pivotal decision
last month, the judge rejected authorities' claim that there was probable
cause - apart from the wiretap - for their case. As such, he left them the
option of turning the information over to the defense or of risking a
dismissal of the charges.
As Alarcon said during one of the court proceedings last year: "Well, let
me put it this way. I used to be in the drug unit in the U.S. attorney's
office, and our office would have to make a decision if we were going to
prosecute or not prosecute based on the fact that those statements would
have to be turned over."
'Fruit of the Poisonous Tree'
Without commenting on the facts in the case before Alarcon, John Gordon,
chief of the U.S. attorney's narcotics section in Los Angeles, said the
office does not hand off information culled from a wiretap to another
agency with the understanding that a defendant will never be informed.
"If we intercept someone on a wiretap and use the information as the basis
for investigating someone, we have taken the position that if we initiate a
prosecution, we would reveal the fact that we learned about the person's
activities because of the wiretap," Gordon said.
And that, historically, is how many law enforcement agencies and courts
have viewed the law, interviews show.
"The courts apply a 'but for' kind of test that says . . . 'but for' the
wiretap, the investigation would never have been conducted," said law
professor and constitutional scholar Gerald Uelmen.
As such, he said, defendants are "certainly entitled" to know about the
wiretap and litigate the issue of whether the probable cause for their
arrest is tainted evidence - known in legal parlance as "fruit of the
poisonous tree."
Otherwise, said prominent defense attorney Harland Braun, "the real vice .
. . is that a defendant never knows there is a wiretap that he could have
challenged."
Years ago, Braun said, he represented a defendant who was wrongly accused
in a narcotics deal solely because a courier - being followed by police -
mistakenly gave the man a cache of drugs. Only by determining that the
arrest followed a vague tip by an anonymous informant, Braun said, was he
able to prove that detectives unwittingly arrested the wrong man.
"[Determining] the source of the information . . . may be the only hint
that you have gotten the wrong guy," said Braun, a former county
prosecutor. "And that is the worst thing that can happen."
But, the LAPD's Seban argues, wiretaps are not routinely handed out by
judges.
"Before a law enforcement agency can listen to any type of electronic
communication, an affidavit has to be prepared which delineates the
probable cause for doing so," he said. And in addition to 72-hour progress
reports on the wiretap, Seban said, authorities must renew their affidavits
every 30 days by showing a judge there is sound reason to continue the tap.
'4th Amendment Is Not a Technicality'
Seban also insists that the handoff procedure used in this case by
detectives is anything but unusual in law enforcement circles - a
contention supported by others in the district attorney's office and other
police agencies.
"Is it better to listen to the telephone and apprehend the people who are
introducing narcotics into our country . . . or do we allow them to
continue corrupting our society?" Seban asked. "In my estimation, that is
what the reviewer of facts has to weigh in making [the] determination of
whether or not to institute a wiretap."
But defense attorneys, including those involved in this case, say that the
issue - and case - is not that simple.
"This doesn't just go to drug trafficking. They are using this [technique]
on many investigations to protect the source of information . . and a
person who may be wrongly charged will never get to the true source of the
information," said attorney Philip DeMassa, who represents Gaxiola.
"I think the public has a right to know whether law enforcement is doing
its job correctly, because in the end, if you don't do it the right way,
all you are doing is creating more litigation in a system that is already
overburdened.
"And the 4th Amendment is not a technicality," DeMassa said. "It is an
amendment to the Constitution."
Copyright 1998 Los Angeles Times
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Targets Driving While Using Drugs ('Des Moines Register' Notes A Bill
Passed The Iowa House Of Representatives Wednesday On A 92-1 Vote
That Would Presume Impairment In Anyone Testing Positive
For Any Controlled Substance, Including Marijuana,
Though Everyone Seems To Be Mischaracterizing The Proposed Law
As A Get-Tough-On-Methamphetamine Bill Because It Would Also
Increase Punishment For Meth Offenders)
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1998 00:06:42 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)
Subject: MN: US IA: Bill Targets Driving While Using Drugs
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: "Carl E. Olsen"
Source: Des Moines Register
Contact: http://www.dmregister.com/letter.html
Website: http://www.dmregister.com/
Pubdate: Thu, 9 Apr 1998
Author: Jonathan Roos, Register Staff Writer -- Jonathan Roos can be
reached at (515) 284-8443 or roosj@news.dmreg.com.
BILL TARGETS DRIVING WHILE USING DRUGS
The House measure would make it easier to convict users of meth and other
substances.
Prosecution of drug users who drive on Iowa roads would become easier under
"drugged driving" legislation approved Wednesday by the House. The bill,
sent to Gov. Terry Branstad for his signature also contains other
provisions aimed at combating use of methamphetamine and other illicit
drugs.
Rep. Jeffrey Lamberti, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said it
is very difficult under the state's current drunken-driving law to convict
drivers impaired by illegal drugs.
The law sets no legal threshold for drugs other than alcohol, so
prosecutors face the problem of proving impairment without an objective
standard on which to rely. The legislation would make detection in a
driver's body of any level of drug such as heroin, cocaine, or
methamphetamine grounds for obtaining a conviction. Urine or blood tests
would be used to detect the drugs, based on national standards.
"It's a big change in the law," said Lamberti, R-Ankeny.
Only a handful of states have such an expanded drunken-driving law in force.
Other parts of the bill, approved on a 92-1 vote, would:
* Increase penalties for repeat violations of drug-possession laws. A
third offense could be punished by a five-year prison term.
* Enforce mandatory minimum sentences for meth dealers. No suspended or
deferred sentences would be allowed. But minimum sentences for those who
plead guilty or cooperate with authorities could be reduced.
* Deny appeal bonds for convicted dealers, so they would have to remain
behind bars while appealing their sentence.
* Allow judges to withhold certain state and federal benefits, such as
college student aid, to convicted drug offenders.
The anti-drug legislation already approved by the Senate, was spurred by
lawmakers' concern about Iowa's mushrooming meth problem. The highly
addictive drug has become widely available. A separate bill moving through
the Legislature would spend more than $600,000 on more law-enforcement and
drug prevention efforts.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Officer Admits Lying On Warrant Forms ('Boston Globe' Article
About A Lawyer Charged With Paying Bribes To Police Officers
To Get Clients Off Notes Boston Police Detective John Brazil
Admitted Under Oath In Federal Court On Tuesday That He Routinely Lied
On Applications For Search Warrants)
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1998 21:52:22 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)
Subject: MN: US MA: Officer Admits Lying on Warrant Forms
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: "Dick Evans"
Source: Boston Globe (MA)
Contact: letters@globe.com
Website: http://www.boston.com/globe/
Pubdate: Thu, 9 Apr 1998
Author: Patricia Nealon, Globe Staff
OFFICER ADMITS LYING ON WARRANT FORMS
Boston Police Detective John Brazil admitted under oath in federal court on
Tuesday that he routinely lied on applications for search warrants. And
yesterday, under cross-examination, he acknowledged that he never mentioned
finding packets of money when he testified in 1993 about a raid at the
suspected drug den where the money was found.
Brazil, who has been on paid leave from the Boston police for two years, is
a key witness in the federal trial of Joseph P. Murphy of Milton, a lawyer
charged with funneling thousands of dollars from a client to two detectives
who worked with Brazil.
In exchange for the alleged payments of $52,000 to former detectives Walter
F. Robinson Jr. and Kenneth Acerra, drug charges against a client of
Murphy's were either dropped or the client was released from jail pending
trial, federal prosecutors allege.
Robinson and Acerra, who were charged in a sweeping indictment last year
with stealing more than $200,000 from drug dealers and other criminals
during searches, pleaded guilty last month to three charges and face up to
three years in prison and repayment of up to $100,000 each when they are
sentenced next month.
Yesterday, Murphy's lawyer, E. Peter Parker, tried to damage Brazil's
credibility by pointing out that Brazil never mentioned finding an
estimated $8,000 in bundled bills during a May 28, 1992 search of two
apartments in West Roxbury when he testified at the trial of one of the
suspects. The defendant was acquitted.
On Tuesday, as the lead government witness in Murphy's trial in federal
court, Brazil did testify about finding the money. He said he gave it to
Robinson and later overheard he and Acerra talking about ''working out''
something with Murphy regarding the money. Boston police have no record of
any money being turned in after the raid in West Roxbury in which Brazil
said he found at least $8,000 in a storage box under a bed.
Prosecutors allege that Murphy told a defendant in the case that he could
be released from jail if Robinson and Acerra were paid $50,000.
Under questioning by Assistant US Attorney Ben T. Clements, Boston Police
Sergeant Edward Miller, who handled money seized in drug raids as the
department's financial evidence officer, testified yesterday that $7,500
seized during a May 6, 1992 Jamaica Plain raid involving Murphy's client,
Bruno Machore, was returned to Murphy the following month. Prosecutors
allege that the money was given back after Robinson had the charges
dropped, in exchange for $1,000 payments to him and Acerra.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
DARE's Effectiveness Questioned (Columnist For 'Daily Hampshire Gazette'
In Northampton, Massachusetts, Recounts The Evidence
Showing DARE Is Counterproductive)
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1998 21:57:10 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Olafur Brentmar
Subject: MN: US MA: DARE's Effectiveness Questioned
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: "Dick Evans"
Pubdate: Thu, 9 Apr 1998
Source: Daily Hampshire Gazette (Northampton, Mass.)
Author: Bill Newman
Contact: letters@gazettenet.com
Website: http://gazettenet.com/index2.shtml
DARE'S EFFECTIVENESS QUESTIONED
Publicly criticize DARE - the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program?
Until recently, anyway, you'd do better to condemn mom, apple pie and Betsy
Ross on the Fourth of July.
Former Police Chief Daryl Gates created the program in Los Angeles in 1983.
In 1986 Northampton became the first Massachusetts municipality to adopt
it. Since then, more than 80 percent of America's schools - nearly 90
percent in Massachusetts - have adopted DARE.
Many people love DARE. Public school administrators love it because it
gives them an anti-drug program for free; Politicians love it because it
presents great photo ops that show them in action in the war on drugs;
Police departments love it because it allows them to develop positive
relationships with kids and gives them great p.r.; Some parents love it
because it makes them feel that their school system is aggressively
fighting drugs.
And a lot of kids initially love DARE, too. The fifth or sixth graders who
take the 17-hour course, and received introductory lessons in earlier
grades, are impressed with the concern and dedication of their DARE
officer. They also like the paraphernalia - the DARE TO KEEP KIDS OFF DRUGS
sweatshirts, pencils, and the ubiquitous bumper stickers. But DARE has a
problem. It doesn't work.
In 1991, a U.S. Justice Department study determined that kids who had gone
through a DARE program used drugs as often as kids who had not. A 1993
Government Accounting Office report criticized bureaucrats for restricting
drug education funding to programs that hewed the "Just Say No" line. And a
1998 U.S. Department of Education analysis of over 10,000 public school
students found that other programs had better outcomes than DARE. More than
15 university and government studies have concluded that DARE doesn't
reduce drug use or abuse. The most recent one, conducted by the University
of Illinois and published this year, is perhaps the most disturbing. It
determined that kids in the suburbs who participated in DARE "had
significantly higher levels of drug use" than those who didn't. This
phenomenon reflects what critics of DARE call "the boomerang effect" - that
is, DARE puts some kids at risk by increasing their interest in drugs. The
number of teen-agers in America using drugs has risen dramatically - from
1.1 million in 1992 to 2.4 million in 1995, according to the National
Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. Locally, the story is the same. A
1995 survey of students in Northampton, Easthampton and Belchertown found
that 80 percent of our 15-18-year-olds had used alcohol within the previous
12 months. More than 50 percent had used marijuana. And most alarming,
almost 30 percent had used other illicit drugs, including barbiturates,
cocaine, heroin and other narcotics.
Experts offer a number of explanations for DARE's failure. An effective
drug education program is, to begin with, difficult to devise. Some youths
don't trust information from the police. And there's little reason to
believe that a 17-hour course in the last year of elementary school will
have any significant effect.
There's another problem. DARE dumps all drugs - it defines drugs as
"anything but food that affects your body and mind" - into the same
condemned category. As local attorney Richard Evans, a DARE critic,
explains, "Some kids who discover that DARE's lessons don't square with
their own experience reject everything the program tried to teach. And
that's tragic," Evans adds. "Heroin and crack kill." But efficacy is not a
criterion for continued government funding. DARE has become a
government-sanctioned monopoly.
The Drug-Free School and Communities Act mandates that a hefty percentage
of federal drug education money be spent on programs taught by uniformed
police officers in public schools. In Massachusetts, DARE became entitled
to $20 million a year from the state's cigarette tax by adding an
anti-smoking message. "It hurts me to sit here and tell you that DARE does
not work," said Dennis Rosenbaum, in a recent TV interview. Rosenbaum is
head of the University of Illinois Criminal Justice Department and author
of the comprehensive 1997 study. "But," he added, "it's time for us to go
back to the drawing board and figure out how it can be improved or (in)
what better ways we can better spend our money..."
Fortunately, other models appear promising. Santa Barbara recently
instituted a program called "Fighting Back," which uses trained
professionals and peer counseling to work with kids who appear at risk.
Pilot programs that use rehabilitated former abusers as counselors have had
good results. Even Massachusetts Secretary of Public Safety, Kathleen M.
O'Toole, a DARE supporter, announced last year that she would consider
proposals for alternatives.
DARE's supporters want kids to make informed and intelligent choices. They
want to make sure that kids don't mess up their lives with drugs. And DARE
critics want exactly the same thing.
Northampton demonstrated leadership in 1986 when it instituted DARE.
Communities in Hampshire County once again should act innovatively and join
cities such as Seattle and Oakland which have dropped DARE, and develop a
workable alternative.
As the Boston Herald editorialized, "The same old methods (of drug
prevention and education) - and that includes DARE - aren't working. We
know that. We know that more kids are experimenting with drugs and alcohol
than before. We owe it to all kids to try another way."
Bill Newman, a Northampton lawyer, writes a monthly column.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pot Use Penalty Weighed At Southwest Texas State University
('San Antonio Express-News' Says A Tribunal Met In San Marcos, Texas,
Behind Closed Doors Thursday To Decide The Punishment Of A Student
Who Openly Smoked Marijuana On Campus To Challenge The School's
Zero Tolerance Policy - The Student, Bryan Anderson, And His Attorney
Walked Out Of The Hearing In Protest, Pledging To File Suit
If Anderson Is Suspended)
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1998 23:28:01 -0400
To: DrugSense News Service
From: Richard Lake
Subject: MN: US TX: Pot Use Penalty Weighed At SWT
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Harald Lerch
Pubdate: Thursday, 09 Apr 1998
Source: San Antonio Express-News
Contact: Editors@expressnews.net
Website: http://www.expressnews.com/
Author: Roger Croteau, Express-News Staff Writer
POT USE PENALTY WEIGHED AT SWT
SAN MARCOS -- A tribunal made up of two students and a faculty member met
behind closed doors Thursday afternoon to decide the punishment of a
Southwest Texas State University student who openly smoked marijuana on
campus to challenge the school's zero tolerance policy.
The student, Bryan Anderson, walked out of the hearing in protest.
The tribunal, known as the Student Justice Council, reached a decision, but
would not tell Anderson what it was, saying he will be notified by mail.
On Jan. 28, Anderson stood on the Quad, a gathering place on the university
campus, read a statement denouncing the zero tolerance policy, and lit a
marijuana cigarette in front of campus police officers.
The university policy calls for a two-semester suspension for any student
in possession of drugs.
Anderson also faces a Class B misdemeanor charge in San Marcos Municipal
Court.
The student and his attorney, David Sergi, walked out of his hearing
Thursday, claiming the proceeding violated the Open Meetings Act by barring
members of the media.
Sergi also claimed the student members on the tribunal were not impartial
because they are "handpicked by the university," and objected to his being
barred from questioning witnesses.
"We do not feel it is a fair hearing," he said.
Sergi said if Anderson is suspended, he will file for an injunction in
district court in an effort to keep the suspension from being enacted, and
will pursue a civil case against the university.
Dean of Students John Garrison said that although the university's drug
policy is commonly referred to as "zero tolerance," it is not.
Although the majority of first-time violators are given two-semester
suspensions, the vice president of student affairs or the university
president can reduce the penalty, he said.
(c) 1998 San Antonio Express-News.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Caning - Gateway To Drugs ('Christian Science Monitor' Says Michael Fay,
The Boy Who Gained International Notoriety In 1994 For Being Caned
In Singapore, Pleaded Guilty In Florida Last Week To Possession Of Marijuana)
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 14:51:26 EDT
Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org
Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org
From: "Doug Keenan"
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Caning: gateway to drugs
http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/1998/04/09/fp18s3-csm.htm
BOSTON - THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1998
Boy Caned in Singapore Makes News Again
B. Greisch of Page, Ariz. asks, "Whatever happened to the American boy
who was caned in Singapore in 1994?"
American teenager Michael Fay grabbed headlines in 1994 when he was
sentenced to 83 days in a Singapore prison and six strokes of a cane for
spray-painting cars.
Four years later, Mr. Fay is once again in the news. Last week, Fay was
arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and other drug
paraphernalia in Winter Park, Fla.
But what has Fay been doing between newsmaking events?
During his imprisonment in Singapore, Fay's parents appealed to the
international community for clemency, maintaining his innocence. But few
people protested the way his parents had hoped and a plea from President
Clinton to the Singapore government resulted in only two fewer lashes.
After serving his sentence, Fay returned home to Ohio with his mother.
Family problems erupted the following summer, and in the fall of 1994, Fay
was treated for burns that he said were related to a drug habit he acquired
while dealing with the aftermath of the caning.
In 1995, Fay moved to Florida, took a job at Universal Studios, and later
enrolled at Valencia Community College, in Orlando, Fla.
Last week, Fay pleaded guilty to marijuana possession and was released from
an Orange County jail after posting a $500 bond.
- Kerry A. Flatley
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The Politics Of Needles And AIDS (Op-Ed In 'New York Times'
By The Authors Of The Two Canadian Studies Cited By US Drug Czar
General Barry McCaffrey As Justification For Not Funding
Needle Exchange Programs Says The General Errs In His Interpretation)
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1998 21:58:47 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)
Subject: MN: NYT: OPED: The Politics of Needles and AIDS
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: ttrippet@mail.sorosny.org and Jim Rosenfield
Source: New York Times (NY)
Contact: letters@nytimes.com
Website: http://www.nytimes.com/
Pubdate: Thu, 09 Apr 1998
Authors: Julie Bruneau and Martin T. Schechter
OPINION: THE POLITICS OF NEEDLES AND AIDS
Debate has started up again in Washington about whether the Government
should renew its ban on subsidies for needle-exchange programs, which
advocates say can help stop the spread of AIDS.
In a letter to Congress, Barry McCaffrey, who is in charge of national drug
policy, cited two Canadian studies to show that needle-exchange plans have
failed to reduce the spread of H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, and may
even have worsened the problem. Congressional leaders have cited these
studies to make the same argument.
As the authors of the Canadian studies, we must point out that these
officials have misinterpreted our research. True, we found that addicts who
took part in needle exchange programs in Vancouver and Montreal had higher
H.I.V. infection rates than addicts who did not. That's not surprising.
Because these programs are in inner-city neighborhoods, they serve users
who are at greatest risk of infection. Those who didn't accept free needles
often didn't need them since they could afford to buy syringes in drug
stores. The also were less likely to engage in the riskiest activities.
Also, needle-exchange programs must be tailored to local conditions. For
example, in Montreal and Vancouver, cocaine injection is a major source of
H.I.V. transmission. Some users inject the drug up to 40 times a day. At
that rate, we have calculated that the two cities we studied would each
need 10 million clean needles a year to prevent the re-use of syringes.
Currently, the Vancouver program exchanges two million syringes annually,
and Montreal, half a million.
A study conducted last year and published in The Lancet, the British
medical journal, found that in 29 cities worldwide where programs are in
place, H.I.V. infection dropped by an average of 5.8 percent a year among
drug users. In 51 cities that had no needle-exchange plans, drug-related
infection rose by 5.9 percent a year. Clearly these efforts can work.
But clean needles are only part of the solution. A comprehensive approach
that includes needle exchange, health care, treatment for drug addiction,
social support and counseling is also needed. In Canada, local governments
acted on our research by expanding needle exchanges and adding related
services. We hope the Clinton Administration and Congress will provide the
same kind of leadership in the United States.
Julie Bruneau is an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of
Montreal. Martin T. Schechter is a professor of epidemiology at the
University of British Columbia.
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Letters must include the writer's
name, address and telephone number. Those selected my be shortened for
space reasons (ie. the shorter the better). Fax letters to 212-556-3622 or
send by email to letters@nytimes.com, or by regular mail to Letters to the
Editor, The New York Times, 229 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Scientists Determine That Members Of Congress And Drug Czar
Have Misinterpreted Results Of Canadian Needle Exchange Studies
('The Lancet,' Britain's Leading Medical Journal, Says It In A Way
Even The Drug Czar Will Understand - 'The Science Is Clear -
Needle Exchange Programs Work')
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1998 22:03:00 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)
Subject: MN: US: Members of Congress and Drug Czar Have
Misinterpreted Results of Canadian Needle Exchange Studies
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: ttrippet@mail.sorosny.org
Source: Lancet, The (UK)
Contact: lancet.editorial@elsevier.co.uk
Website: http://www.thelancet.com/
Pubdate: Thu, 09 Apr 98
SCIENTISTS DETERMINE THAT MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND DRUG CZAR HAVE
MISINTERPRETED RESULTS OF CANADIAN NEEDLE EXCHANGE STUDIES
Science is Clear: Needle Exchange Programs Work
NEW YORK - The authors of the two studies most cited by critics of needle
exchange programs have concluded that U.S. officials have misinterpreted
the results of their studies. In a powerful op-ed in today's New York
Times, Drs. Julie Bruneau and Martin T. Schechter debunk claims by some
major U.S. officials, including Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey, that needle
exchange programs do not reduce the spread of HIV.
"As one of the authors of the Canadian studies, I must point out that some
U.S. officials have misinterpreted our research," said Dr. Schechter. "Our
research showed that needle exchange is a necessary but not sufficient
component of HIV prevention efforts. Clean needles are only part of the
solution. A comprehensive approach that includes needle exchange, health
care, treatment for drug addiction, social support and counseling is also
needed."
Numerous studies have concluded that needle exchange programs dramatically
reduce the spread of HIV and do not encourage drug use. Given the strength
of the evidence supporting needle exchange programs, opponents have had
very little information to use as evidence against needle exchanges.
Opponents have frequently cited the Canadian studies as evidence that
needle exchange programs do not stem HIV infections.
"Opponents of needle exchange programs are playing politics with people's
lives by intentionally misinterpreting scientific results," said Ethan
Nadelmann, Director of the Lindesmith Center. "Needle sharing contributes
to over 50% of all pediatric AIDS cases. Many of these infections could
have been avoided if the Federal government funded these crucial, life
saving programs."
Needle exchange programs are supported by the American Medical Association,
the National Academy of Sciences, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the American Public Health Association as well as other
prestigious medical and public health organizations. In addition, the
American Bar Association and the U.S. Conference of Mayors have urged the
federal government to allow states and localities to use Federal HIV
prevention funds to implement needle exchange programs. Currently, federal
law bans the use of federal HIV prevention funding for needle exchange
programs. Secretary Donna Shalala has the authority to allow funding, but
has so far failed to act.
Polls have shown that Americans support lifting the ban on federal funding
of needle exchange programs. A recent Harris poll found that 71% of
Americans believe that cities and states -- and not the federal government
-- should decide whether federal HIV prevention funds can be spent on
needle exchange programs.
Based in New York, the Lindesmith Center is a drug policy research
institute that concentrates on broadening the drug policy debate. The
Lindesmith Center is a project of the Open Society Institute. Founded by
philanthropist George Soros, the Open Society Institute promotes the
development of open societies around the world through projects relating to
education, media, legal reform and human rights. The founder and director
of The Lindesmith Center is Ethan Nadelmann, J.D., Ph.D. , author of Cops
Across Borders: The Internationalization of U.S. Criminal Law Enforcement
(Penn State Press, 1993) as well as numerous articles on drug control
policy in leading scholarly and popular journals.
For Further Comment:
Dr. Martin Schechter University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC (Pacific
Standard Time) 604-822-3081
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Tobacco Deal Up In Smoke, Makers Say ('Associated Press' Article In Everett,
Washington, 'Herald,' Says US Tobacco Companies Have Called Off
Last Summer's Tentative Settlement Because Congress Has Twisted Their Offer
To Help Cut Teen Smoking Into A Harsh Attack On Their Industry
And Sharp Tax Increases For American Smokers)
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 19:49:04 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Olafur Brentmar
Subject: MN: US: Tobacco Deal Up In Smoke, Makers Say
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: John Smith
Pubdate: Thu, 09 Apr 1998
Source: The Herald, Everett (WA)
Contact: letters@heraldnet.com
Website: http://www.heraldnet.com/
Author: Laura Meckler, Associated Press Writer
TOBACCO DEAL UP IN SMOKE, MAKERS SAY
Firms Say Federal Pressure Too Harsh, Jeopardizing Last Year's Pact With States
WASHINGTON -- The nation's major cigarette makers sounded a death knell
yesterday for last summer's historic tobacco settlement, saying Congress
has twisted their offer to help cut teen smoking into a harsh attack on
their industry and sharp tax increases for American smokers.
Led by Steven Goldstone, head of No. 2 tobacco maker RJR Nabisco, the
companies vowed to fight efforts by President Clinton and Congress to
increase prices and fashion tougher restrictions on advertising.
"Those price increases will destroy the domestic tobacco business, and I
don't just mean my company," Goldstone told the National Press Club.
But Clinton and congressional leaders insisted they will press forward with
efforts to pass a comprehensive law meant to curb teen smoking and
compensate states for treating sick smokers -- with or without the
industry's cooperation.
"They can be part of it or they can fight it," an angry Clinton said on his
return from a trip to Chicago. "I think they ought to rethink their
position because we're going to get this done one way or the other."
The companies had warned for weeks they would walk away. But yesterday,
Goldstone said the process was "broken beyond repair."
"We have failed in our effort to achieve a comprehensive resolution of the
contentious issues surrounding tobacco in our country," he told the
National Press Club.
The leading proposals in Congress would raise cigarette prices too much, he
said, without regard for adult smokers and businesses that depend on
tobacco sales.
"Washington has rushed to collect more tobacco revenues while playing the
politics of punishment," said Goldstone, whose company, R.J. Reynolds
Tobacco Co., makes Winston and Camel brands.
White House spokesman Mike McCurry said Goldstone's remarks show how
worried the tobacco industry is that Congress will pass tough legislation.
"It's a mark of how serious the effort is in Congress," he said.
The leading Senate bill, sponsored by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., would cost
the industry $506 billion and force tobacco companies to curb advertising
that critics say helps lure teens to smoke. It overwhelmingly passed a
Senate committee last week.
It is tougher than the settlement tobacco companies negotiated with states
and public health advocates last June. That deal -- had Congress approved
it -- would have given the industry significantly more legal protection
from product liability suits and would have cost companies $368 billion.
McCain agreed with Clinton that the effort will continue with or without
industry support. "In the most charitable terms that I can describe it, the
tobacco companies do have an enormous credibility problem."
"Tobacco companies are not in a position to dictate to Congress," said Rep.
Henry Waxman, D-Calif., a longtime tobacco foe. "We don't need their
permission." But Congress might need the industry's cooperation to ensure
that advertising restrictions are implemented. Tobacco companies have
fought these restrictions in court before, saying the Constitution protects
their right to free speech.
Goldstone said his comments yesterday were not coordinated with other
tobacco companies, but other companies immediately endorsed them.
"It would be irresponsible -- to our customers and our company -- to agree
to the kind of proposals now before Congress," said Lorillard Tobacco Co.
Philip Morris, maker of No. 1-selling Marlboro cigarettes, said a solution
is "no longer possible" and promised to fight McCain's bill. "We regret
that a historic opportunity to resolve decades-old controversies
surrounding tobacco has been lost," the company said in a statement.
The industry continues to face a host of lawsuits from states looking to
recover the costs of treating smoking-related illnesses. Legislation would
have settled those suits, but state attorneys general said that if no
national deal is reached, they will move forward in the courts.
A handful of states have already settled individually with the companies,
collecting money but failing to impose the broad national restrictions
possible under a congressional deal.
Goldstone said he hasn't decided whether to try to settle those cases out
of court but said his instinct is to continue fighting.
Tobacco stocks, which had fallen about 15 percent in recent weeks as tough
legislation gathered support in Congress, were up for the day. RJR Nabisco
held on to a $1.06 increase, and Philip Morris was up $2.25 a share.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Tobacco Companies Say Deal Is Up In Smoke (Lengthier Version
Of 'Associated Press' Article In Massachusetts' 'Standard Times')
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 19:52:59 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Olafur Brentmar
Subject: MN: US: Tobacco Companies Say Deal Is Up In Smoke
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: John Smith
Pubdate: Thu, 09 Apr 1998
Source: Standard-Times (MA)
Contact: YourView@S-T.com
Website: http://www.s-t.com/
Author: Laura Meckler, Associated Press writer
TOBACCO COMPANIES SAY DEAL IS UP IN SMOKE
WASHINGTON -- The nation's major cigarette makers sounded a death
knell yesterday for last summer's historic tobacco settlement, saying
Congress has twisted their offer to help cut teen smoking into a harsh
attack on their industry and sharp tax increases for American smokers.
Led by Steven Goldstone, head of No. 2 tobacco maker RJR Nabisco, the
companies vowed to fight efforts by President Clinton and Congress to
increase prices and fashion tougher restrictions on
advertising.
"Those price increases will destroy the domestic tobacco business, and
I don't just mean my company," Goldstone told the National Press Club.
But Clinton and congressional leaders insisted they will press forward
with efforts to pass a comprehensive law meant to curb teen smoking
and compensate states for treating sick smokers -- with or without the
industry's cooperation.
"They can be part of it or they can fight it," an angry Clinton said
on his return from a trip to Chicago. "I think they ought to rethink
their position because we're going to get this done one way or the
other."
The companies had warned for weeks they would walk away. But
yesterday, Goldstone said the process was "broken beyond repair."
"We have failed in our effort to achieve a comprehensive resolution of
the contentious issues surrounding tobacco in our country," he told
the National Press Club.
The leading proposals in Congress would raise cigarette prices too
much, he said, without regard for adult smokers and businesses that
depend on tobacco sales.
"Washington has rushed to collect more tobacco revenues while playing
the politics of punishment," said Goldstone, whose company, R.J.
Reynolds Tobacco Co., makes Winston and Camel brands.
White House spokesman Mike McCurry said Goldstone's remarks show how
worried the tobacco industry is that Congress will pass tough
legislation.
"It's a mark of how serious the effort is in Congress," he
said.
The leading Senate bill, sponsored by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., would
cost the industry $506 billion and force tobacco companies to curb
advertising that critics say helps lure teens to smoke. It
overwhelmingly passed a Senate committee last week.
It is tougher than the settlement tobacco companies negotiated with
states and public health advocates last June. That deal -- had
Congress approved it -- would have given the industry significantly
more legal protection from product liability suits and would have cost
companies $368 billion.
McCain agreed with Clinton that the effort will continue with or
without industry support. "In the most charitable terms that I can
describe it, the tobacco companies do have an enormous credibility
problem."
"Tobacco companies are not in a position to dictate to Congress," said
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., a longtime tobacco foe. "We don't need
their permission." But Congress might need the industry's cooperation
to ensure that advertising restrictions are implemented. Tobacco
companies have fought these restrictions in court before, saying the
Constitution protects their right to free speech.
Goldstone said his comments yesterday were not coordinated with other
tobacco companies, but other companies immediately endorsed them.
"It would be irresponsible -- to our customers and our company -- to
agree to the kind of proposals now before Congress," said Lorillard
Tobacco Co. Philip Morris, maker of No. 1-selling Marlboro cigarettes,
said a solution is "no longer possible" and promised to fight McCain's
bill. "We regret that a historic opportunity to resolve decades-old
controversies surrounding tobacco has been lost," the company said in
a statement.
The industry continues to face a host of lawsuits from states looking
to recover the costs of treating smoking-related illnesses.
Legislation would have settled those suits, but state attorneys
general said that if no national deal is reached, they will move
forward in the courts. A handful of states have already settled
individually with the companies, collecting money but failing to
impose the broad national restrictions possible under a congressional
deal. Goldstone said he hasn't decided whether to try to settle those
cases out of court but said his instinct is to continue fighting.
Tobacco stocks, which had fallen about 15 percent in recent weeks as
tough legislation gathered support in Congress, were up for the day.
RJR Nabisco held on to a $1.06 increase, and Philip Morris was up
$2.25 a share.
Goldstone accused the administration, Congress and public health
advocates of undercutting the deal by demanding more than the industry
agreed to in June.
"The administration, while publicly praising the concept, privately
dismantled it piece by piece," he said. "This resolution cried out for
strong, bold political leadership. Precious little was
forthcoming."
But he said the industry also shouldered some of the blame for
misunderstanding public anger about past industry practices such as
targeting young people.
"(We) did not fully appreciate the depth of the mistrust and anger
that existed," he said. "We did underestimate ... how angry people
have been over this issue."
Associated Press writer SOME QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE TOBACCO
DEAL AND TOBACCO LEGISLATION:
Q: What was last summer's historic tobacco agreement?
A: To settle lawsuits brought by 40 states, the tobacco companies
signed a deal in June with state attorneys general, offering to pay
$368 billion over 25 years, most of it for anti-smoking campaigns, and
to repay state Medicaid money spent treating sick smokers. In
exchange, the tobacco companies would get sharp reductions in their
future legal liability, and thus a measure of financial certainty.
Q: Why wasn't that agreement implemented?
A: Congress had to approve it first. But lawmakers instead decided to
write their own agreement -- one that was tougher on the industry. The
leading bill, approved by a key Senate committee last week, would
require the industry to pay $506 billion over 25 years and curb
advertising. It also calls for fining companies billions of dollars if
teen smoking rates do not drop significantly. And to the companies'
anger, it would not provide the protections from smokers' lawsuits
that they had gotten in last June's agreement with the states.
Q: What did the cigarette makers say yesterday?
A: Led by RJR Nabisco, corporate parent of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, the
cigarette manufacturers said they would stand behind last summer's
deal, but would fight congressional efforts to enact legislation that
would be more costly and restrictive to the companies. They said they
believe last summer's deal, because it lacks support in Congress, is
now dead.
Q: Why should Congress care if the tobacco companies cooperate and
back the tobacco bill?
A: Many lawmakers and President Clinton say they don't care if the
tobacco companies are on board. However, the tobacco companies have
threatened to sue if the resulting bill overly restricted their
advertising, saying that would violate their First Amendment right of
free speech. Many analysts believe that could tie the issue up in
courts for years.
Q: How does yesterday's announcement by the tobacco companies affect
the agreement negotiated last summer by the state attorneys general?
A: Those state lawsuits are still pending, and many states will press
forward with them while the debate in Congress continues. Mississippi,
Texas and Florida have already signed individual deals with the
tobacco companies, collecting millions of dollars in compensation for
sick smokers, and the tobacco companies' new position will not affect
those.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pot Estimate Too High - Analysis Is Needed (Two Letters To The Editor
Of 'The Record' In Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Criticize Junk Science
Behind New US Study Claiming Cannabis Is Addictive For Troubled Teens)
From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: PUB LTE: Pot estimate too high : Analysis is needed
Date: Thu, 09 Apr 1998 17:34:38 -0700
Lines: 61
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Starr (seedling@golden.net)
Pubdate: April 9, 1998
Source: The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo)
Contact: recordletters@southam.ca
POT ESTIMATE IS TOO HIGH
Both the Record and Dr. Alan Lesher seem to have misinterpreted the
findings of Dr. Thomas Crowley of the University of Colorado in the
April 3 article, Pot Addictive For Troubled Teenagers.
When we learn that two thirds of teens "referred" to treatment centres
for cannabis dependence report symptoms of dependence, the first
question that comes to mind is, why only two thirds?
A survey of compulsive gamblers in treatment for gambling should
report that all of them are dependent on gambling.
Similarly, a survey of patients in a weight-loss clinic should reveal
that all of them are clinically dependent on food. Could we safely
conclude that some people are susceptible to compulsive disorders and
the best place to find them is in a weight-loss clinic?
In reality, less than five per cent of cannabis users become dependent
on the herb. I suspect many non-dependent cannabis users are accepting
treatment in lieu of punishment.
Matthew M. Elrod
Victoria, B.C.
***
ANALYSIS IS NEEDED
It was disturbing to see the April 3 story, Pot Addictive For Troubled
Teenagers reprinted without a critical analysis.
For example, where in the story does it say that these were troubled
teens, all of whom had problems before they started using marijuana,
as it does in other versions of the story?
And what makes marijuana "dangerous" in this case? Many people report
that coffee is a difficult thing to give up, yet we don't see stories
on the addictiveness, and, therefore, dangerousness, of coffee.
The Record must be aware that the studies the U.S. National Institute
of Drug Abuse is waging a campaign against marijuana, making vague and
unsubstantiated assertions about studies they fund which are never
adequately reported.
I realize newspapers are under pressure to fill pages. However,
printing these types of stories without analysis makes the Record a
party to U.S. drug war propaganda.
The Record might want to reconsider carrying similar stories in the
future.
Dave Haans
Toronto
-------------------------------------------------------------------
British Columbia Is Going To Pot ('The Record' In Kitchener-Waterloo,
Ontario, Thinks The Grass Is Greener On The Left Coast,
And Quotes Gene Davis, Deputy Chief Patrol Agent For The Blain Region
Of Northern Washington State, Who Says, 'The Potency
Of The Canadian Marijuana Is Such They'll Trade, Pound For Pound,
Cocaine For Canadian Marijuana - There Is Nowhere
That's Got Better Quality Marijuana Than BC')
From: "Starr"
To: "mattalk"
Subject: B.C. is going to pot
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 16:01:14 -0400
Source: The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo)
recordletters@southam.ca
Date: April 9, 1998
By: Ken MacQueen (Southam Newspapers)
Vancouver
B.C. IS GOING TO POT
PROVINCE HAS WORLD-CLASS REPUTATION FOR MARIJUANA PRODUCTION
A world-class reputation is a carefully cultivated thing, and so it is with
B.C. pot.
Within the span of a generation, home-grown marijuana has gone from outlaw
weed to major export item by following--with glaring exception of the
Criminal Code-- all the accepted rules of commerce.
Imported expertise, initially in the form of Vietnam-era draft dodgers,
research and development, security of supply and international marketing
have all played their part.
Even the U.S. Border Patrol, run ragged by B.C. pot-smuggling traffic, pays
a grudging compliment.
"The potency of the Canadian marijuana is such they'll trade, pound for
pound, cocaine for Canadian marijuana," says Gene Davis, deputy chief
patrol agent for the Blain region of northern Washington State.
"There is nowhere that's got better quality marijuana than B.C."
Davis says this with the resigned air of a man who knows the record 160
kilograms his agents have seized this year represent the tip of the
iceberg.
Local police are also fighting an uphill battle - against the scale of the
endless harvest, and the weight of public and judicial indifference.
NUMBERS IN THOUSANDS
Apart from outdoor cultivation--hidden in forest, field and island
outpost--police estimate indoor hydroponic operations in Greater Vancouver
alone number in the thousands.
Most growers/operators without previous convictions face fines and
equipment seizure, something they treat as a business tax, says RCMP Sgt.
Chuck Doucette, provincial drug awareness co-ordinator.
Busts do little to undo the marketing bonanza that B.C. pot has enjoyed in
both the international mainstream and the outlaw media in recent years.
Consider the protective public attitude to Whistler snowboarder Ross
Rebagliati, whose gold metal redefined the Olympic ideals of Faster,
Higher, Stronger.
His pot-positive urine sample, far from generating outrage, became an
endorsment of the power of B.C. pot. "Our boy shredded!" said a recent
Doonsbury comic. "He's way worthy, man. Who cares if he hangs with
stoners?"
Put aside for a moment the nagging question of its illeglity (as do 12 per
cent of British Columbians who smoke pot, according to a Health Canada
estimate) and you have an economic success story akin to the reborn B.C.
wine industry.
Except, very probably, the numbers are larger.
REVERENTIAL DESCRIPTIONS
Even marijuana seed catalogues are reminisent of the Wine Spectator's
reverntial descriptions of taste and lineage:
"Northern Lights (10 seeds, $300) has dominated the various Harvest
Festivals."
"Slyder" offers "a strong lethargic stone." "Western Winds" is "fantastic
for conversation or romance, with its relaxing and invigorating qualities."
The RCMP's Doucette won't publicly estimate the value of the pot crop,
saying it gets too much glorification as it is.
CNN, ABC, the New York Times and Wall Street Journal are among the latest
media outlets to look at B.C.'s high test pot and tolerant judiciary.
Most recently, the April 2 Rolling Stone magazine celebrated "Vansterdam's"
easy ways: "The drug is being cultivated, smoked and championed in
Vancouver more openly than...anywhere else on the continent.
Will this "common-sense drug policy" spread, asked the magazine, "or is it
just a Prague Spring for pot activists?"
Lately, the betting is on prague Spring. Such articles have a way of
getting up the authorities' nose. Raids have a tendency to follow with
renewed vigor.
Even Marc Emery, ex-Vancouver mayoral candidate and the city's most visible
potrepreneur, has been laid low by successive series of police raids.
Several pending trafficking charges over the sale of marijuana seeds, a
mountian of legal bills, and Vancouver's withdrawal of his business licence
forced the sale of Hemp B.C. and Cannabis Cafe to some of his 30-odd
employees.
CAFE REMAINS OPEN
Still, the cafe remains open, as does the rival Amsterdam Hemporium around
the corner.
Emery is still publishing the bi-monthly Cannabis Canada magazine, and his
Internet seed outlet is still operating, although down from his preraid
high of $20,000 a week in sales.
"I'm a bit despondent actually," says Emery, who nonetheless talks in
exclamations points.
Not just police are barking at his heels. He is now going--head to
head--against four or five seed order competitors.
Emery estimates B.C.'s crop has an annual value of $2 billion to 44
billion. He credits his ability to sell his message in the media for much
of this. His critics tend to agree.
"There is no more perfect economy than pot,' Emery says ona recent
afternoon in the funky Gastown distribution centre for Hemp B.C.
"Here you start with bull-s---, water, a few seeds and some dirt. Three
months later, an American is giving you a big wad of money, taking your
stuff, going home--and he burns it!"
With bull and seeds Emery grew what he calls a "revolution by retail" since
1994, although he claims to have never sold pot. His niche is serving those
who grow and those who smoke.
(Vancouver Sun)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Delay Granted In City's Case Against Church ('The Record,'
In Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Notes The Cannabis-Friendly
Church Of The Universe Has Received A Temporary Reprieve)
From: "Starr"
To: "mattalk"
Subject: Delay granted in city's case against church
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 17:21:45 -0400
Source: The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo)
recordletters@southam.ca
Date: April 9, 1998
Cambridge
DELAY GRANTED IN CITY'S CASE AGAINST CHURCH
A brief was granted Wednesday in court proceedings aimed at removing a
marijuana-smoking church from an abandoned Cambridge factory.
The City of Cambridge is trying to get the Church of the Universe out of
the old Kanmet foundry site in the Preston area, where it now has its
headquarters.
The city is asking Kitchener general division court to uphold Cambridge
bylaws that govern who can live on an industrial site.
The site is owned by john Long, but used by the church, which has made
marijuana-smoking a ritual.
On Wednesday, micheal Baldasaro and Walter Tucker, both reverend brothers
with the church, wearing their multi-colored hemp hats, argued against a
request for an adjournment by the city. They said the city doesn't even
have jurisdiction to launch the proceeding.
"All they really have is an illegal investigation by the fire department,"
Baldasaro said. "They lied to get on to the property. In reality, their
purpose is to get rid of the Church of the Universe."
At one point, tucker chastised the city's lawyer, Brian Law, for not
addressing him the way he prefers.
"It's Reverend Tucker, by the way," he told him. "I don't like to be
addressed as Mr. Tucker."
The pair were to be back in court this morning at 10a.m.
Neighbors near the factory have long been concerned about the state of the
property. But it could cost more than a million dollors to clean up
contaminated soil and demolish the building.
The church moved to Cambridge last year after being evicted from a Guelph
foundry that had been owned by Long and is now owned by the city.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Drug Deaths Down ('Toronto Sun' Says An Annual Report On Drug Use
In Toronto Shows The Number Of Illegal Drug Related Deaths In 1996
Was The Lowest In Over A Decade - A Surge In Marijuana Use
Among High School Students In The 1980s Seems To Have Tapered Off,
With Just 19 Percent Of Junior High And High School Students In Toronto
Admitting To Using Pot In The Past Year, A 1 Percent Increase Over 1995)
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 13:04:24 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Olafur Brentmar
Subject: MN: Canada: Drug Deaths Down
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org
Pubdate: Thu, 9 Apr 1998
Source: Toronto Sun (Canada)
Contact: editor@sunpub.com
Website: http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoSun/
Author: Scot Magnish -- Toronto Sun
DRUG DEATHS DOWN
More Addicts Seeking Treatment, Study Shows
Drug deaths are down, more heroin addicts are seeking treatment and pot use
is waning among students, according to an annual report on drug use in
Toronto.
A record 3,500 recovering addicts in Ontario are receiving methadone
treatments, double the level of two years ago.
"New data from the coroner's office indicates the total number of
drug-related deaths in Toronto in 1996 was the lowest in over a decade,"
said Dr. Joyce Bernstein of the city's health department and co-author of
the report released yesterday.
Bernstein said the decrease seems to be a trend. There were 96 overdose
deaths in '96, compared to 130 in '95 and 173 in '94.
"An important part of this overall decrease was the decline in
heroin-related fatalities," she said. "For the the second year in a row,
we've seen a drop in heroin-related deaths with 38 reported for 1996,
compared to 67 just two years before."
The decline in fatalities can be linked to both an increased number of
addicts seeking treatment and a drop in the purity levels of the drugs, the
report said.
HEROIN PURITY
Heroin purity has dropped from 72% to under 50%, with similar drops in the
level of cocaine purity to 62.8% -- its lowest level since monitoring
began. Crack cocaine, however, has increased in purity for the first time
in the 1990s to 77.6%.
The boom of marijuana use among high school students recorded in the 1980s
seems to have tapered off, according to the report.
Just 19% of junior high and high school students in Toronto admitted to
using pot in the past year -- a 1% increase over '95.
There was some bad news, however: Prenatal drug exposure among infants born
last year is up.
Copyright (c) 1998, Canoe Limited Partnership.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Panama Ponders Anti-Drug Installation ('Christian Science Monitor'
Notes Panamanians Who Are Weary Of A Century Of US Occupation
Are Trying To Figure Out How To Stop A Proposed International
Drug-Fighting Center That Would Operate On One Of The US Military Bases
With At Least 2,500 US Soldiers)
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1998 09:20:05 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)
Subject: MN: Panama Ponders Anti-Drug Installation
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: "Dave Cull"
Source: Christian Science Monitor
Contact: oped@csps.com
Website: http://www.csmonitor.com/
Pubdate: Thu, 09 Apr 98
Author: Howard LaFranchi, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
PANAMA PONDERS ANTI-DRUG INSTALLATION
PANAMA CITY -- On a tropical patio in a middle-class neighborhood, a group
of Panamanian intellectuals sit around a table littered with position
papers, sodas, and bowls of limp cheese puffs. They are trying to figure
out how to stop what they see as the next United States invasion of Panama.
"We've been an occupied country for 100 years," says Diogenes Arosemena, an
international law expert. "So it's all the more painful that just when we
thought we were about to become truly sovereign, we realize the American
soldiers are coming again."
Talk of a US invasion in this Central American home to the Panama Canal may
sound cold-war-ish and anachronistic, and probably comes as a surprise to
the Pentagon. Under a US-Panama treaty ratified in 1978, the US is to
relinquish control of the canal and all remaining military bases by Dec.
31, 1999.
But Mr. Arosemena and his friends say a proposed international
drug-fighting center that would operate on one of the US military bases
here, with the support of at least 2,500 US soldiers, means occupation all
over again.
"Just as Britain turned over Hong Kong to China, the United States is to
turn over its remaining military bases by the end of next year. But this
[drug center] is a sure sign that both sides are getting cold feet," says
Miguel Antonio Bernal, a prominent political analyst here.
"But what the Panamanian government thinks makes good economic sense, and
what the US thinks serves its geopolitical interests, does not fit our
vision of an independent Panama," he adds.
The proposed multilateral antidrug center, or CMA as it is known by its
Spanish acronym, may be literally unheard of in the US.
The idea is to provide a civilian-run facility where antidrug officials
throughout the continent (and eventually perhaps Europe) could receive
training and access to drug-trafficking intelligence.
"We've learned from experience that if you don't have countries working
together on [drug trafficking], you just push the activity from one place
to another," says US Ambassador to Panama William Hughes.
Yet because the center would include a sizable US military presence for
logistical support - and perhaps because the Panamanian government has
failed to explain openly what the CMA would and wouldn't do - the proposal
is causing considerable hand-wringing in Panama.
And with the sense of uncertainty rising, it may well touch off an ugly
demonstration or two before the issue is settled.
In the government's favor are opinion polls showing that a majority of
Panamanians support some kind of US military presence.
That feeling dates from the canal's construction, but was heightened in
1989 after the US invaded to restore democracy and topple military
strongman Manuel Noriega.
But Mr. Bernal and his "national consensus" group say such numbers reflect
a fear of the unknown - the US has been a presence in Panama since
President Theodore Roosevelt caused the new country to be carved out of
Colombia in 1903.
That public uncertainty about a Panama without Uncle Sam can be reversed,
they say, with education and national pride.
The CMA proposal actually came out of the office of President Ernesto Perez
Balladares in late 1995 as a response to those "US stay here!" opinion
polls.
Many Panamanians were worrying about the effect of a full US withdrawal and
an estimated $200 million in lost economic activity. Some shippers and
other business leaders were also jittery about the prospect of a canal
without a US presence.
The government said it would only advocate creating such a center if it
were multilateral and civilian-run.
The idea was also supported by the US, which carries out regional
antinarcotics surveillance from the canal area's Howard Air Force Base, and
which already hosts military liaison officers here from a half-dozen South
American countries.
Howard's antinarcotics surveillance activities have already had a regional
impact, US officials say, by curtailing the infamous "air bridge" that
Colombian drug lords developed to ferry huge amounts of cocaine and other
drugs north to the US.
A regional center would augment that, they insist, by offering more
extensive training and reaching more participants.
US officials also strongly counter arguments that the CMA is nothing more
than a US military base in disguise.
"We don't need a military base in Panama, and we certainly don't need it to
project power or collect information today," says one US official in
Panama. The center, unlike a military base, would not be fenced off from
Panamanian society, the official says.
An agreement creating the CMA was set for signing late last year. But
Panama surprised the US by presenting a new list of suggested amendments,
most of which reflected concerns of other Latin countries, especially
Mexico and Brazil.
The concerns included wording that speaks vaguely of other uses for the
center beyond antinarcotics work that would leave the door open to US
military intervention in the region. The US and Panama say the wording
refers to benign activities like disaster relief.
Mexico especially appears to be concerned that the center would be another
step toward what it considers a worrisome militarization and creeping
interventionism of regional antidrug activities.
Those arguments and more are fueling Panamanian opposition to the center.
Critics like Bernal say the "secrecy" in which the Panamanian government
has cloaked the proposal only raises doubts.
Some US officials agree with that point, saying the government could have
taken the proposal to the people "in town hall format" without revealing
sensitive specifics.
Other opponents, like Panama City architect Ricardo Bermudez, say the
center would disrupt the chance this booming city was finally getting to
integrate its "heart" with the rest of the community.
"These bases occupy some of the city's finest jewels, and Howard is [in]
the heart of the heart," he says.
Yet like other critics, Mr. Bermudez says the central drawback of the CMA
proposal is that it denies Panama the possibility to finally stop living as
an "adolescent" under the American guardian and develop as a truly
sovereign nation.
"No one's against waging this battle against drugs," he says. "But at what
price for Panama?"
Copyright 1998 The Christian Science Publishing Society. All rights reserved.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Drug Warnings To Pupils 'May Have Opposite Effect' (Britain's 'Telegraph'
Quotes A Variety Of Interesting Sources Who Suggest 'Drug Education'
And 'Prevention' Efforts May Only Increase Illegal Drug Use -
And That Alcohol Use Is A Bigger Problem And Health Risk Anyway)
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1998 11:00:27 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Olafur Brentmar
Subject: MN: UK: Drug Warnings To Pupils "May Have Opposite Effect"
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Derrick Large
Source: Telegraph, The (UK)
Contact: et.letters@telegraph.co.uk
Pubdate: Thu, 09 Apr 1998
DRUG WARNINGS TO PUPILS "MAY HAVE OPPOSITE EFFECT"
Drugs counsellors in schools can do more harm than good by inadvertently
glamorising the use of illegal substances, teachers said yesterday. Too
much stress on information about where to get help and too little on
pointing out the dangers could create the wrong impression, they said. In
one school a pupil had walked out of a session saying that the discussion
had made her feel like taking drugs for the first time, a teacher claimed.
In another, according to a school governor, a nine or 10 year old told his
mother that he might try drugs after listening to a talk from a drugs
education worker. Teachers said they needed more information about drugs
themselves and advice on how to educate the children who often knew more
than they did. Drug education should be a compulsory part of teacher
training, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers decided at their annual
conference in Bournemouth. More comprehensive drugs education should be
carried out, starting in primary schools, they decided.
Alcohol use, solvent abuse and smoking, particularly among girls, were also
high-lighted as growing problems.
David Lutwyche, a house-master from Lancing College, West Sussex, described
how one pupil had punched his wife after drinking several lagers and a
bottle of vodka. Another pupil had such problems with school that he was
drying out in a private clinic over the Easter holidays ready to take his
A-levels next term. "A year ago I lost five boys when they were expelled
for drugs offences. So clearly the drugs education we gave them did not
prove effective. But over 16 years I have had more problems sobering up 14
and 15 year olds from the effects of alcohol."
David Britton, a teacher at the Skinners Company Girls School in Hackney,
east London, said: "We have the Hackney drugs support unit which does a
difficult job going to schools talking to young people about drugs. "A
group of 11 year olds had been unresponsive to the information and
afterwards one of them said, 'These people are making us feel that we want
to take drugs and we would never have dreamed of doing it before'." However
Dudley Craig, team leader for the drugs education project run by Tower
Hamlets NHS Trust, said it was funded by the Home Office and follows
guidelines from the Department for Education and the Qualifications and
Curriculum Authority. The project, which is being monitored by the
Roehampton Institute, had been in the schools since 1995 and parents were
very complimentary about it. It had run 1,200 sessions for 9,000 pupils in
60 Hackney schools. The sensitivity needed when educating primary pupils
about drugs was raised by Judith Bennet, a retired teacher and a member of
the School Governors Association in Oxfordshire.
A parent of a child aged nine or ten at a rural primary school had told of
her concern over the drugs education given by a young man who had visited
the sc hool. She noticed that the young man was talking a lot about where
to get help when you were involved in drugs which she felt was not the
appropriate advice she would give to nine and ten year olds.
It worried her because she thought it was inappropriate and afterwards she
asked her son what he thought of it. He said that before the talk, drug
taking was something which had never occurred to him, but now he might try
it. Peter Smith, the union's general secretary, said drugs education should
become part of the teachers' qualification because it needed sensitive
handling.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Cheap Cigarettes Supplied By Drugs Gangs ('The Scotsman'
Says Organised Criminals Involved In Illegal Drug Dealing Are Also Behind
A Deluge Of Cheap Cigarettes Being Smuggled Into Scotland)
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 13:18:08 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Olafur Brentmar
Subject: MN: UK: Cheap Cigarettes Supplied By Drugs Gangs
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: shug@shug.co.uk
Pubdate: Thu, 9 Apr 1998
Source: Scotsman (UK)
Contact: Letters_ts@scotsman.com
Website: http://www.scotsman.com
Author: Graeme Stewart
CHEAP CIGARETTES SUPPLIED BY DRUGS GANGS
Organised criminals involved in drug dealing are behind the deluge of cheap
cigarettes being smuggled into Scotland.
The trade in smuggled cigarettes costs the Scottish economy tens of
millions of pounds every year and particularly hits corner shops and
tobacconists.
Customs officers are bracing themselves for a vast increase in cigarette
smuggling into Scottish airports between now and 1 December when 20p goes
on to the price of a packet of 20 in the United Kingdom.
John MacDougall, the head of FAST, the Flexible Anti- Smuggling Team, based
at Glasgow Airport, said that in all major UK cities gangs involved in drug
dealing were behind the cigarette-smuggling trade.
The huge profits they gleaned off the sale of the illegal cigarettes helped
to fund their drugs operations, he said.
Some 2.5 million bootleg cigarettes, worth tens of millions of pounds, were
seized at Scottish airports over the past 12 months.
Customs investigators are convinced organised crime is behind the smuggling
racket, with drugs barons paying unemployed "mules" to travel to the Canary
Islands with empty cases to load with cheap cigarettes.
Popular brand names can be bought for only UKP7 a carton, or a quarter of
what they cost in Britain. They are then sold on to street traders, markets
and shopkeepers, who sell them at a huge profit.
The Customs and Excise warning came as the Scottish Grocer's Federation
warned that organised gangs of bootleggers were costing independent
retailers hundreds of thousands of pounds a year.
The difference in duty rates between the UK and the rest of Europe means
that criminals are using the more flexible arrangement now allowed under
the free market conditions to bring millions of pounds worth of goods,
including alcohol, from abroad to be resold at less than half the price of
UK duty-paid goods.
The smugglers are costing British taxpayers an estimated UKP1 billion a
year in lost duty.
The president of the federation, Eddie Thompson, said: "Unless the
Government takes the strong action they have promised, this criminal
activity will continue to escalate ...There are warehouses full of cheap
cigarettes in these holiday isles which we are sure have been organised by
criminal groups based in the UK.
"We reckon the gangs are involved in the supply of drugs... the huge
profits these gangs make from cigarete smuggling go towards drugs
operations."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Brewer Fights Tougher Driving Laws ('The Scotsman' Says Representatives
Of The Scottish Campaign Against Irresponsible Drivers
And The Campaign Against Drinking And Driving
Attacked The Edinburgh-Based Brewing Conglomerate Scottish & Newcastle
Because It Wrote To 8,000 Pubs, Clubs And Bars Asking Them To Join
An Appeal Against A Proposal To Lower The Legal Limit
For Blood-Alcohol Levels)
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 13:21:53 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Olafur Brentmar
Subject: MN: UK: Brewer Fights Tougher Driving Laws
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: shug@shug.co.uk
Pubdate: Thu, 9 Apr 1998
Source: Scotsman (UK)
Contact: Letters_ts@scotsman.com
Website: http://www.scotsman.com
Author: Jean West
BREWER FIGHTS TOUGHER DRIVING LAWS
THE brewing conglomerate Scottish & Newcastle was attacked yesterday for
challenging government plans to toughen drink-driving laws.
Directors of the company have written to 8,000 pubs, clubs and bars asking
them to join an appeal against the proposal to lower the legal driving
limit from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg - a figure approved
by British Euro-MPs.
The company claims that the move could herald the death of some pubs and is
urging its customers to lobby their local MPs with concerns about the
effects on the industry.
The move comes after the Government announced in the green paper Combating
Drink Driving that it was considering reducing the legal limit to cut road
deaths and injuries.
Last night, the Campaign Against Drinking and Driving attacked the brewer's
campaign as a disgrace. The CADD secretary, Maria Cape, said: "They are
putting profits before lives."
Isobel Brydie, of the Scottish Campaign Against Irresponsible Drivers,
said: "No amount of money could ever compensate the families I have known
over the last 12 years for the loss of a life. Certainly the profit motive
is very disappointing if that is what is going to come into the debate. How
do you compare profit with loss of life?"
The Edinburgh-based Scottish & Newcastle - the parent company for brewers
including Courage, John Smith and William Younger - made its views clear in
mailshots sent to landlords.
One sent by a Courage business director said: "I am writing to you to ask
for your help in a matter that threatens both our businesses, namely the
Government's proposal to reduce the drink-drive limit.
"Under these plans drinking anything over a pint puts your customers at
risk of prosecution by turning a fair law into an unreasonable one.
"Like many, Courage has been an active supporter of the current law and
condemns those who drive while they are drunk. However, there are powerful
arguments against a change in the law and you can be sure that we will be
working hard to bring these matters to the attention of government
ministers and other opinion formers."
Scottish & Newcastle yesterday defended the letter and said that it had
been approved and sent by the company to all its customers around the
country. Spokesman Nigel Pollard said: "We feel the current limit is a
sensible one and the message is getting home to people about the dangers of
drink driving.
"There are a lot of people who act within the law and are being
responsible. They might have a quick drink after work before going home,
and stay well within the limit.
"This new law will put a lot of people off going to the pub and the reality
is that many pubs, which are already struggling for survival anyway, will
go out of business.
"We are certainly not putting business before road safety."
A further press release from S&N added: "The majority of drink-drive
accidents involve drivers who are at least double the current limit.
"Scottish & Newcastle believes that the Government should focus its
attention on these hard core drink offenders, as well as speeding
motorists, who cause far more deaths and are punished much less harshly."
There are, on average 540 deaths attributed to drink-driving in the UK each
year, compared to 1,500 recorded annually in the late 1970s.
The release continued: "This reduction has been achieved through a
combination of highly visible public awareness programmes, partly supported
by the drinks industry-sponsored Portman Group; the more rigorous
enforcement of the 80mg legislation and the application of the toughest
penalties on conviction anywhere in the world."
Scots publicans themselves could see both sides of the coin. John Taylor,
landlord of The Unicorn Roadhouse, Newmills Road, Dalkeith, said: "We get
people coming for a couple of pints and then going away again because they
have the car. Reducing this to one pint is cutting the amount they can
drink in half, they might not think this is worth it.
"But as far as the safety side of it goes, it would probably make a
difference."
George MacDonald, of The Golfer's Rest, North Berwick, said: "It will hit a
lot of people going to the country pubs who need to drive to get there.
Here, locals just walk."
Neil Greig, roads and environment officer with the Automobile Association,
said the organisation had surveyed its members and 80 per cent were in
favour of reducing the limit. He said: "Ultimately we advise people not to
drink and drive."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Antiprohibitionist Action Report Year 4, Number 7 (Summary For Activists Of
International Drug Policy Reform News, From CORA In Italy)
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 10:56:16 EDT
Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org
Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org
From: cora.belgique@agora.stm.it
To: Multiple recipients of list (drctalk@drcnet.org)
Subject: CORAFax #7 (EN)
ANTIPROHIBITIONISTS OF THE ENTIRE WORLD...#7
Antiprohibitionist action report
April, 9 1998 - (Year 4) #7
***
CO.R.A.
Radical | Association federated with
Antiprohibitionist | the Transnational
Coordination | Radical Party
***
OLD - Observatory of laws on drugs
***
PAA - PARLAMENTARIANS FOR
ANTIPROHIBITIONIST ACTION
European campaign for the revision
of international conventions
***
CORA-ITALY
Via di Torre Argentina 76
00186 ROME
Tel:+39-6-68.97.91
Fax:+39-6-68.80.53.96
E-mail: cora.italia@agora.stm.it
***
CORA-BELGIUM
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c/o European Parliament
Rem 5.08
1040 BRUSSELS
Tel:+32-2-230.41.21 - 646.26.31
Fax:+32-2-230.36.70
E-mail: cora.belgique@agora.stm.it
***
CORAnet http://www.agora.stm.it/coranet (in Italian)
***
Director: Vincenzo Donvito
All rights reserved
***
NEWS FROM CORA
***
ITALY: NATIONAL MOBILIZATION
56 denounces filed by CORA on the negligence of public services for drug
addiction. After the cities of Pisa and Campobasso took into consideration
the complaint, the general procurator has decided to take action on a larger
scale. CORA writes to the president of the Commission for the Investigation
of the Sanitary System.
ARLACCHI/BONINO/TALIBANS
AFTER PINO ARLACCHI'S LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION IN
WHICH HE STRONGLY CRITICIZED BONINO'S SKEPTICISM ON UN DRUG-RELATED ISSUES
IN AFGHANISTAN, MEMBERS OF THE RADICAL PARTY TAKE HER PARTS. DECLARATION OF
MEPS GIANFRANCO DELL'ALBA AND OLIVIER DUPUIS, SECRETARY OF THE RADICAL PARTY.
With his behavior, quite similar to his taliban friends, Pino Arlacchi
manifests also at an international level his arrogance and justicialism
already known in his Italian activities. Bonino is to blame for having said
loud and clear what everybody is thinking about Mr. Arlacchi's project of
financing the talibans for a crop eradication project that, that is, to say
the least, a nonsense.
Does Mr. Arlacchi know that the European Parliament has unanimously adopted
last February a resolution on Afghanistan in which, besides reiterating its
"firm condemnation of the taliban regime" it also expressed its
"preoccupation for the agreement reached by UNDCP and the talibans"?
Does he know that the EP also invited "the European Commission and the
Member States to closely monitor the actual implementation of the
agreement;" and urged the international community to suspend all the
cooperation, including Arlacchi's, with the exception of humanitarian aid in
the country?
Does he know that the Vice-President of the European Commission Mr. Marin,
in his intervention at the European Parliament has affirmed that "the
Commission shares the preoccupation of the EP on the feasibility of the
UNDCP project in conjunction with the talibans [...] and that the current
situation in Afghanistan cannot allow the implementation of such a project"?
Does he know that the UN has recently withdrawn its officers from the region?
CORA ON THE BONINO/ARLACCHI AFFAIR
The taliban of anti-drugs Mr. Arlacchi is isolated. His arrogant letter to
the President of the European Commission Jacques Santer is a clear evidence.
Good for Mr. Snater to have replied with the same tone.
The letter sounds like a direct threat to 'non-aligned' on the eve of the
UNGA Special Session on Narcotics, which Mr. Arlacchi wants to armor against
any criticism on the failures of the prohibitionist strategy of the UN. Mr.
Arlacchi should be more cautious, because this behavior could backfire on him.
***
NEWS FROM THE WORLD
THE NETHERLANDS
Nimwegen - The police have halted representatives of "Centrum Demokraten",
the party of the conservative right, while they were giving heroin to
addicts in order to collect signatures to present candidates in the next May
elections. Party leader Hans Janmaat told "De Telegraaf" that his
organization is not against this type of practice. (SUDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG 26/3)
AUSTRIA
The spokesperson for the Minister of Justice, Gerhard Litzka has affirmed
that the increasing criminalization of youth for drug-related activities
must be stopped. It is much more important to inform them than to punish
them. Mr. Litzka has also said that when Austria will be the rotating
President of the European Union it will try to raise the question of
alternative models of support to addicts. (DIE PRESSE 26/3)
SWITZERLAND
The spokesperson for the Minister of Health Lorenz Hess has rendered public
the favorable opinion of the Ethic Commission regarding the enlargement of
the controlled heroin distribution program to 200 new addicts. The
Commission has also forwarded two requests: to offer more cures to
rehabilitated addicts and establish an office for the monitoring of the
experimentation.
SAN MARINO
In a workshop hosted by the Council of Europe, researchers from various
European countries have gathered to discuss ecstasy. It was clear that,
despite the lack of studies concerning the consequences of the use of MDMA,
we can exclude physical damages or lethal effects but still monitor the
cerebral metabolism. What is very dangerous is MDMA consumption with other
narcotics, because it aggravates the toxic aspects of the drug and can
endanger cerebral functions like concentration and/or memory. In the long
term the major risk is depression. (FRANKFURTER ALLEGEMEINE ZEITUNG 27-18/3,
IL MESSAGGERO 28/3)
AUSTRIA
Vienna - The local section of the Liberal Party has criticized teachers in
favor the distribution of hashish. Party Counselor Karin Landauer, quoting a
study according to which 65% of Austrian teachers are for free hashish, has
affirmed: "if it was only a personal opinion for me it would have been ok,
but if they are diffusing it while working, they should be sanctioned." (DIE
PRESSE 26/3)
BOLIVIA
The Government has started to diminish the subsidies for coca growers that
decide to join the program for alternative development. The U.S. has reduced
its aid for the war on drugs, and the Government is willing to find funds
somewhere else, notably the EU. Peasants, once received the money, simply
move their coca crops to other fields. (FINANCIAL TIMES)
MEXICO
While a controversial resolution on the 'certification' of Mexico was
introduced at the Senate a document of the DEA, was rendered public by the
higher house. In the text it appears that numerous high commanders of the
Mexican Army continue to have relationships with mobs of narco dealers. (EL
PAIS 27-8/3)
BURMA
The U.S. and Japan have jointly allocated $3.8 billion to help the
Government to eradicate poppy along the border. The initiative was discussed
in a seminar on poppy eradication strategies held in Rangoon organized by
UNDCP, the UN agency to fight drugs, in conjunction with the local and the
Japanese Government. (INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE 2/4)
WORLD
International duel between Pino Arlacchi, Director of UNDCP, and European
Commissioner Emma Bonino. The argument regards the adoption of the means for
the war on drugs: Mr. Arlacchi supports the re-conversion of crops a
strategy that Ms. Bonino considers old and ineffective. (LA REPUBBLICA 27/3,
CORSERA, IL GIORNALE, IL MESSAGGERO, LA STAMPA 28/3)
WORLD
Costa Rica - At the XVI International Conference on Drug Control, the
director of the Colombian police has declared that South American, Italian
and Russian Mafias have struck a deal to increase the production of drugs
for the European market during the football World Cup in France this coming
Summer. (LE MONDE 2/4)
THE NETHERLANDS
A new medicine has arrived in pharmacies: Marinol, with THC
tetrahydrocannabinoid - the principal active substance of marijuana. The
medicine is destined to people with AIDS, cancer and sclerosis. Despite its
high price the medicine sells well. (LIBERATION 30/3)
FRANCE
Six months, parole and some administrative sanctions. This is the penalty
requested for the President of the Center the Research on Cannabis (CIRC)
Jean-Pierre Galland, and for other antiprohibitionist militants that some
months ago sent a joint to every French MPs.
GREAT BRITAIN
London - Over 1,000 people from all over Europe participated in the
demonstration in support of the legalization of hashish. The march was
organized by the director of the Independent of Sunday Rosie Boycott as the
final event of the IoS campaign against prohibition. (CORSERA 29/3,
LIBERATION, NEUE ZUERCHER ZEITUNG, SUDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG 30/3)
COLUMBIA
Representatives of 54 Spanish and Latin American organizations have founded
a network of Non-Governmental Organizations specialized on narcotics. The
objective is to facilitate the cooperation and the interchange of expertise
on prevention, assistance and personnel training. (EL PAIS 6/4)
***
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CORA
-COORDINATION RADICALE ANTIPROHIBITIONNISTE
-ANTIPROHIBITIONIST RADICAL COORDINATION
-COORDINAMENTO RADICALE ANTIPROIBIZIONISTA
Federated with the Transnational Radical Party NGO with category I
consultative status at the UN
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http://www.agora.stm.it/coranet
-------------------------------------------------------------------
[End]
to 1998 Daily News index for April 9-15