-------------------------------------------------------------------

OCTA Update! Meetings! Call for Activism And/Or Money!
(Paul Stanford, A Chief Petitioner For The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act
Ballot Initiative Campaign, Notes Paid Signature Gatherers Are Needed -
Monthly Campaign Meeting May 13 At The Rage)

Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 13:51:14 -0700
Sender: stanford@crrh.org
To: octa99@crrh.org
From: "D. Paul Stanford" 
Subject: OCTA Update! Meetings! Call for Activism and/or Money!

OCTA supporters and interested list subscribers,

Bruce House, our office manager, has almost single-handedly printed and
mailed out over 5,000 pieces of mail so far in the past two weeks (3,900
pieces out since Thursday the 30th,) and he has printed other things too,
earning dolars to help fund our petition drive. We have increased our pay
rate to 50 cents per signature for petitioners turning in over 400 OCTA
signatures a week, and we are circulating another petition so paid
petitioners can earn LOTS of money (50 cents on OCTA, 80 cents (at 500+ per
week) on an adoptee rights petition, with a dime bonus per signature if you
gather signatures with 90 percent or better validity rate, so up to $1.40
for each person who signs both.) Bruce is gearing up to mail out to
thousands of more of our supporters, so come on in to Floyd's office on
Thursday, as detailed [above], and/or call us to schedule a time you can come
in to our office just off 34th and Hawthorne to help.

Also, we have our monthly meeting for OCTA, the next to the last meeting
prior to the signature turn-in deadline at the first of July. That meeting
will be at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13th at 333 SW Park Ave. at our video
producers nightclub, The Rage. Please come and help or learn.

We have to raise at least $20,000 more dollars to ensure that we have
enough money to pay petitioners to qualify for a vote by the deadline at
the end of June. We aren't about to run out of money now, but we will in a
few weeks unless we raise more. Bruce, Paul Loney and I are all volunteers
and donors for OCTA, but most people need to earn money to live on if they
are going to spend 30-60 hours a week out gathering signatures. Please
donate! Ninety percent of all donations go to pay petitioners, and the rest
goes to do printing and mailing, with a little to cover the phone bill.

Our top petitioner turned in 1,300+ signatures on OCTA last week, getting
paid 30 cents each. He will definitely qualify for the raise of 50 cents
each on signatures gathered after 5-4-98.

If you know anyone who needs work, tell them they can earn good money by
petitioning for us. Volunteers are warmly welcomed and greatly appreciated
too.

Thanks to Floyd and the American Antiprohibition League for the time,
dedication to the cause and for sharing data for mailings with us. Thanks
to Bruce for giving 200 percent and working around the clock. Thanks to
Paul Loney for keeping our count, protecting our petitions and helping us
in a thousand different ways. Thanks to Mike, Jack, Tim, Bill, Lanny, the
other Lanny for your help in the office and in other ways too. Thanks to
all those petitioners out there especially! Thanks to all of you for your
generous and sustaining financial support.

If you have signatures on any petitions out there, please mail them in now,
don't wait. We need to get that signature number up so we can motivate
everyone. Paul Loney's official count is now 31,600+, and we we are told
that some folks have about 8,000-9,000 more signatures already collected
out there that haven't been turned in yet. Please get those in now, and
let's get that number up now. As our esteemed chief petitioner, treasurer,
attorney, TV show co-host and all around great guy, Paul Loney says, "The
time is now."

We have 56 days to turn in another 70,000 signatures and qualify OCTA for a
vote this November. It can definitely be done, but we all have to pull
together and work. Please help as best you can.

Sincerely yours,
D. Paul Stanford

***

We need your help to put this important issue on the ballot in Oregon:
November 3, 1998 ballot question on the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act,
amended by the Oregon Supreme Court: "Yes" vote permits
state-licensed cultivation, sale of marijuana for medical purposes
and to adults."

Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp
CRRH
P.O. Box 86741
Portland, OR 97286
Phone:(503) 235-4606
Fax:(503) 235-0120
Web: http://www.crrh.org/

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Signature Count (Paul Loney, An Attorney And Chief Petitioner For
The Oregon Cannabis Tax Act Initiative Petition, Says The Campaign
Has Officially Collected 31,774 Signatures Of The 73,261 Needed By July)

Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 10:45:47 -0700
To: octa99@crrh.org
From: blc@hevanet.com (Belmont Law Center)
Subject: Signature count

As of 6 May 1998, we have 31,774 signatures counted and stored. Thanks and
Praises. Please gather signatures and turn in the filled sheets that you
have. The time is now.

Paul L

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Eggleston Didn't Know He Was Firing At A Deputy (Tacoma, Washington,
'News Tribune' Article Recounts Testimony In Trial Of Brian Eggleston,
Who Shot And Killed A Pierce County Sheriff's Deputy
Who Broke Into His Parent's Home In 1995 In Search Of Marijuana)

From: "W.H.E.N. - Bob Owen - Olympia" 
To: "-Hemp Talk" 
Subject: HT: TAC - Eggleston didn't know he was firing at a deputy
Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 19:23:15 -0700
Sender: owner-hemp-talk@hemp.net

Murder defendant swears he didn't know he was firing at a deputy;
prosecutor attacks story

Hector Castro; The News Tribune

A stunning flash, a terrible blow to his pelvis, a shadowy figure crouched
in a darkened hallway.

Brian Eggleston testified Tuesday that's all he saw about 2 1/2 years ago
at the start of a frenzied gunfight that led to the death of Pierce County
sheriff's deputy John Bananola.

Eggleston told jurors at his murder trial in Pierce County Superior Court
that he never knew he was firing at a deputy when he shot and killed
Bananola at the Eggleston home.

He testified he didn't believe it even when another deputy told him.

"A guy comes in and he started screaming that I killed a sheriff,"
Eggleston said. "I told them, 'No. No way. I would never hurt a deputy. My
brother's a deputy.' "

Prosecutors contend Eggleston shot Bananola, then chased him into the
living room before pumping three bullets into his head as the injured
deputy lay on the floor.

Bananola was part of a team of deputies serving a search warrant on
Eggleston's home at 902 E. 52nd St. just past 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 16, 1995.

Investigators suspected Eggleston, 27, was dealing marijuana. They also
were trying to determine whether his brother, Brent Eggleston, a Pierce
County sheriff's deputy, was involved.

At the time of the shooting, Brent Eggleston no longer was living at the
home, and he later was cleared of any involvement.

A gunfight erupted during the search, Bananola was mortally wounded, and
Eggleston was bleeding from gunshots to his chest, knee and groin.

Eggleston has maintained, and testified repeatedly Tuesday, that he didn't
shoot first and never knew he was firing at a deputy.

"When the gunshot went off, I just started shooting back," Eggleston
testified.

The former bartender told jurors he got off work about 2 a.m. the day of
the shooting and went with his girlfriend to eat. After that they went to
the home they shared with his mother and father, Linda and Tom Eggleston.

Brian Eggleston didn't go to sleep until about 4 or 5 a.m., he testified.

He woke up briefly when his girlfriend gave him medication before she
headed to work about 7:30 a.m. Then he went back to sleep - until he heard
noises.

Deputies have testified they announced their presence at the home by
knocking loudly and shouting out that they were with the sheriff's
department and were serving a search warrant.

But Eggleston testified he couldn't tell what the noise was, only that it
woke him up and scared him. Earlier, he had said his home had been
burglarized once before, his neighbors' homes had been burglarized, and his
car frequently was vandalized.

"I grabbed my pistol," Eggleston testified. "I didn't know what it was. It
could have been somebody breaking into the house. I was afraid."

When he walked into the hallway, Eggleston said, it was so dark he felt
comfortable stepping out of his bedroom naked.

"All of a sudden there was this gigantic explosion," he said. "There was
this big flash and an impact to my groin."

He saw a crouched shadow and fired back, he said.

Asked by defense lawyer Monte Hester whether he saw Bananola's vest with
the word "SHERIFF" emblazoned on it in fluorescent letters, Eggleston said,
"No, sir, I did not. I was just shooting."

Eggleston testified he didn't know how many times he fired. But he made his
way down the hallway and then saw bullets striking a nearby wall, so he
turned.

"There was a man in the kitchen shooting at me," Eggleston said. "He had a
mask on."

Deputy John Reding testified earlier he saw Eggleston in the hallway from
his position in the kitchen, fired three times but missed.

Another deputy, Warren Dogeagle, testified earlier that he saw Eggleston
step into the doorway of the kitchen, aim and shoot at him. Eggleston said
Tuesday he didn't remember shooting at Dogeagle, who was wearing a mask.

Dogeagle returned fire, hitting Eggleston.

"I felt the air escape out of my lung," Eggleston testified.

Bleeding, Eggleston said he returned to his bedroom to get a flashlight he
kept by his box of comic books. On the way, he ran into his mother.

Eggleston said he told her to run and hide, then went on to his room. Once
there, he heard his mother screaming.

"I went back in the hallway to protect my mom," Eggleston said.

He collapsed on the floor just as other deputies had re-entered the home.

"One of the guys comes up and he kicks my mom," Eggleston testified. "I
remember saying, 'Please, don't hurt my mom,' "

Before ending his examination, Hester asked Eggleston point-blank: "Did you
have any idea that you were shooting at a police officer?"

Eggleston replied, "I would never shoot at a police officer."

But deputy prosecutor Lilah Amos tried to cast doubt on Eggleston's claim
that he didn't recognize the deputies.

"Did you ever see what you were shooting at?" she asked.

Eggleston answered: "I just saw a dark shadow."

Amos responded by pulling out a black vest with fluorescent stripes and
"SHERIFF" emblazoned across the front.

"Did you ever see anyone wearing this vest?" Amos asked.

"No, ma'am," Eggleston replied.

Later, she asked him why he yelled at the deputies to call 911 if he didn't
believe they were law enforcement officers.

Eggleston answered that he was shouting to his father, who he believed was
in the living room. He was not asking the men in the hallway for help, he
said.

"I had just got shot by these people," Eggleston said. "I was not asking
them to call 911 for me."

Amos wrapped up her cross-examination by asking, "You said you would never
a shoot a deputy sheriff in the head. Would you shoot anyone else in the
head?"

"I would never intentionally do that," Eggleston replied.

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Mendocino County To Keep Funds To Fight Pot ('The Press Democrat'
In Santa Rosa, California, Says Mendocino County Supervisors John Pinches
And Charles Peterson On Tuesday In Ukiah Couldn't Find A Third Vote
To Stop The County From Accepting An Annual $250,000 CAMP Allocation
Targeting Marijuana Growers - Pinches Is A Candidate For State Senate)


Date: Sat, 09 May 1998 17:28:50 -0400
To: DrugSense News Service 
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US CA: Mendocino County To Keep Funds To Fight Pot
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: rose@sonic.net (Rose Ann Fuhrman)
Pubdate: Wed., May 6, 1998
Source: The Press Democrat
Contact: letters@pressdemo.com
Mail: P.O. Box 569, Santa Rosa, 95402
Website: http://www.pressdemo.com/
Author: Mike Geniella
Editors note: Our newshawk writes: "Read on. It isn't just bad news.
Pinches is running for California Senate and is keeping the CAMP waste in
the news here..."

MENDOCINO COUNTY TO KEEP FUNDS TO FIGHT POT

UKIAH - After an emotional four-hour debate Tuesday, Mendocino County
supervisors decided to keep accepting yearly $250,000 state allocations
targeting marijuana growers rather than end an anti-pot war local critics
contend can't be won.

For the second year, Supervisors John Pinches and Charles Peterson could
not muster a third vote to become the first county in California to say no
to the pot money.

Pinches, a Republican running for state Senate, and Peterson, a retiring
liberal member of the board, have joined forces in a bid to send a message
to state and federal authorities over the alleged futility of
anti-marijuana campaigns. The pair contend that despite millions of dollars
spent by government agencies targeting marijuana growers, the program is a
bust.

"The only thing we've accomplished is to drive the price of marijuana up to
where it's worth more than gold," said Pinches.

Once again, the swing vote Tuesday was Supervisor Richard Shoemaker, who
said in the final analysis he simply couldn't bring himself to turn down
the state money just to send a political message.

Shoemaker then tried to win support for an alternative motion demanding
that the state allow the county to target methamphetamine as well as
marijuana. But Sheriff Jim Tuso countered that the state grant is specific
to marijuana, and that his department has a pending application in front of
federal authorities to fund a proposed joint venture with Lake County to
crack down on methamphetamine producers.

At the end opf the long afternoon, board members voted 3-2 in favor of
applying for the state marijuana grant, the final allocation of a
three-year program. Shoemaker succeeded in putting into the resolution
language that said the county recognized the state goal of eradicating
marijuana was not "reasonable or obtainable. The approved resolution also
said protecting public and private property owners from trespassing
marijuana growers was the county's highest priority.

Pinches and Peterson refused to support the motion, contending that despite
the added language the county board in reality was simply continuing the
status quo.

During Tuesday's long debate, tears were shed by some county supervisors as
they recounted drug horrors in their own families. A parade of speakers
reflected deep divisions among county residents over continued state
funding of a local county anti-marijuana unit within the sheriff's
department.

Supporters said for the county to stop targeting pot growers would be
sending the wrong message to the county's youth, while creating a possible
"safe haven" for outside drug dealers.

"Marijuana is illegal. Period. Are we going to turn our backs on laws that
when we took the oath of office we swore to uphold?" asked Supervisor
Michael Delbar.

Supervisor Patti Campbell wiped tears from her eyes, tears she said
reflected the anger she felt by having to debate the marijuana issue one
more time. She said marijuana policies are set at the state and federal
levels, and that it was unfair to ask that Mendocino County "do something
alone."

Pinches, who repeated his support for legalization of marijuana, said
continuing state and federal efforts against pot growers were wasting
millions of dollars of taxpayer monies in light of ample supplies of the
weed.

"The only way we're going (to) stop the marijuana problems is to take the
money out of it," said Pinches.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Mendocino County Continues Funds To Target Marijuana Growers
('Associated Press' Version In 'Sacramento Bee')

From: "Rolf Ernst" 
To: "MN" 
Subject: MN: US CA: Mendocino County Continues Funds To Target Marijuana Growers
Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 16:46:44 -0500
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Pubdate: Wed, 06 May 1998
Source: Sacramento Bee (CA)
Contact: opinion@sacbee.com
Website: http://www.sacbee.com/

MENDOCINO COUNTY CONTINUES FUNDS TO TARGET MARIJUANA GROWERS

UKIAH, Calif. (AP) -- Mendocino County supervisors will keep accepting
$250,000 a year in state funds to target marijuana growers.

A no vote on Tuesday would have made the county the first in California to
turn down money to battle pot.

For the second year, Supervisors John Pinches and Charles Peterson could not
muster a third vote for rejecting the money. The two want to send a message
to state and federal authorities that the anti-marijuana campaign is
useless.

"The only thing we've accomplished is to drive the price of marijuana up to
where it's worth more than gold," said Pinches.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Brown Wants To Save For Rainy Day ('San Francisco Examiner'
Article About The Budget Proposed By San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown
Notes More Resources Will Be Devoted To Achieving Drug Treatment On Demand)

Date: Wed, 06 May 1998 21:44:05 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Melodi Cornett 
Subject: MN: US CA: Brown Wants To Save For Rainy Day
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com
Pubdate: Wed, 06 May 1998
Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA)
Contact: letters@examiner.com
Website: http://www.examiner.com/
Author: Gregory Lewis and Chuck Finnie

BROWN WANTS TO SAVE FOR RAINY DAY

The City's $100 million budget surplus will boost funding for Muni, parks,
child care and drug treatment on demand -- but most of the money will be
placed in reserve for a rainy day, Mayor Brown says.

"We're flush with cash," the mayor said Tuesday at his biweekly press
conference. "We only think it's going to get better, at least through my
re-election.

"We're going to hold on to it because we know it's not money that is
guaranteed," Brown said. "We will be prudent in how we use it."

Brown said he expected to present a budget for Board of Supervisors approval
that would include only a small percentage increase over last year's $3.4
billion spending plan.

Muni and the parks are the big winners in his proposed budget. Brown also
said child care and drug treatment on demand would be a high priority for
the 1998-99 fiscal year spending plan.

"We will be downsizing in other places in order to be able to use our monies
more appropriately for those purposes," Brown said.

"There will be money to bring the parks up to the standards that they once
happened to be in," he said. "A little of the money will go for that. And
there will be some money to go toward child care. But the bulk of that money
-- more than $90 million -- will be held for prudent surplus."

While Brown did not go into detail about his overall budget, he did offer
some specifics about Muni, including criticizing the agency's abuse of
workers' compensation.

Brown said he would put a plan in place to control workers' comp and
possibly hire a private agency to monitor it.

Brown said some of the surplus money would go toward Muni improvements,
including 480 hires.

Andrew Sullivan, chairman of the riders advocacy group Muni Rescue,
applauded Brown, but said money wouldn't fix everything.

"It is really critical that the railway get the funding it needs," Sullivan
said, repeating Muni estimates that cutbacks during lean years had left the
transit agency with about a 10 percent hole in its equipment and personnel
budget.

However, he added, the mayor needs to roll up his sleeves and back changes
in hiring and promotion that Rescue Muni contends get in the way of filling
jobs and leaves Muni short of drivers.

"He needs to take the lead to change the civil service structure," Sullivan
said.

Those hiring and promotion rules, however, are the product of collective
bargaining between The City and the drivers' union, a close political ally
of the mayor.

"If he delivers," Sullivan said, "the mayor will boost the public's faith in
him in how he uses their tax dollars."

The public has remained critical of Brown's handling of Muni, which he
promised to improve in his first 100 days in office -- even promising to
drive the buses himself to make sure they were on time. Then, the mayor said
the system should be fixed by next May.

Tuesday, Brown told a reporter he would swap jobs with him if Muni did not
show improvement by May 1999, more than 1,000 days since he took office.

"I'm taking your job, and you've got mine," Brown joked.

Brown said it had taken a while to get new buses on line. In addition, Muni
hasn't had a full complement of personnel in a decade. Brown said by next
May that would no longer be an excuse.

Brown said he was looking at about $385,000 to add personnel to the parks
and recreation staff, particularly at The City's swimming pools.

He said money would be added to improve sections of Golden Gate Park damaged
by homeless dwellers.

Other park funds may go toward buying uniforms for park personnel and a ramp
at McLaren Lodge. Brown also would like to see The City's park Web site
improved. While the mayor took some credit for the budget surplus, he said a
dramatic increase in real estate values and tourist spending were the main
reasons for the windfall.

(c)1998 San Francisco Examiner

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Connecticut Plan Would Cut Prison Time For Some Drug Offenders
('New York Times' Says The Connecticut Legislature Passed A Bill This Week
That Will Drastically Cut Prison Time For Nonviolent Offenders
On The Condition That They Undergo Intensive Testing For Drug Use)

Date: Wed, 06 May 1998 22:18:32 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Mike Gogulski 
Subject: MN: US CT: Connecticut Plan Would Cut Prison Time for Some Drug
Offenders
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Jason Dunlap
Source: New York Times (NY)
Contact: letters@nytimes.com
Website: http://www.nytimes.com/
Pubdate: 6 May 1998
Author: Christopher S. Wren

CONNECTICUT PLAN WOULD CUT PRISON TIME FOR SOME DRUG OFFENDERS

In an effort to trim its overcrowded prisons and stop drug-using felons
from committing new crimes, Connecticut's legislature passed a bill this
week that will drastically cut prison time for nonviolent offenders on the
condition that they undergo intensive testing for drug use.

The offenders may be tested as often as three times a week, and every time
their urine test proves positive, they will be detained for two days in a
spartan halfway house that falls just short of being a jail. If they fail
the test repeatedly, they can be sent back to prison.

Although Maryland was the first to pass such a law, Connecticut, with a
single state judicial system instead of many county courts, will likely be
the first to put it in place statewide.

If they succeed, other states may look to follow their lead. Next year, the
federal government will require states to have a plan for regularly testing
prisoners and parolees to qualify for federal funds to build new prisons.

Keeping an inmate behind bars costs about $25,000 a year. But Connecticut
Rep. Robert Farr, a Republican, who proposed the bill, estimated that the
drug-testing program would cost $3,000 per person a year, plus probation
costs.

The bill would make nonviolent prisoners eligible for this type of parole
after serving at least half of a two-to four-year sentence. Typically,
prisoners in Connecticut served at least two-thirds of their sentence
before parole, and, although they could be tested for drugs while on
parole, such tests have been random and infrequent.

The bill sailed through both houses unanimously; the state House of
Representatives passed it on Saturday and the state Senate on Monday night.

Republicans embraced the notion of a "zero-tolerance drug supervision
program," as the bill is titled, while Democrats welcomed the alternative
to long prison terms for addicted offenders.

The bill does not provide any extra money for drug treatment, although
Connecticut is in the advantageous position of having enough treatment
slots for drug abusers who want to quit. The problem had been in
motivating them to do so. But Farr, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary
Committee, said that the threat of repeated short-term confinement provided
an incentive for an addicted criminal to find treatment and take personal
responsibility for his or her rehabilitation.

"In our prison and parole programs, a substantial number of our people are
using drugs," he said. "Now for the first time, we're saying there will be
consequences."

Nationwide, four out of five prisoners behind bars are there because of
some direct or indirect involvement with drug or alcohol abuse, according
to a recent study by the National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse
at Columbia University. The study, released in January, also found that
half the people who committed a new crime while on parole or probation were
under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The drug-testing program that Connecticut is planning has no large-scale
precedent, though Washington, D.C., and Lansing, Mich., saw success with
smaller pilot programs. In a trial program last year in Coos County, Ore.,
the number of drug offenders who tested positive dropped from 40 percent in
the first month to 10 percent by the sixth month, according to Mark A.R.
Kleiman, an expert on drug policy who presented the testing concept to some
Connecticut lawmakers late last year.

Kleiman, a professor of policy studies at UCLA, has promoted frequent drug
testing for offenders on probation and parole, who he said account for 60
percent of the cocaine consumed in the United States.

"This program will encourage people to go into treatment if they need it,
will encourage them to stick with it and will encourage them to succeed,"
he said in a telephone interview. "This is the single best shot we have at
reducing hard drug use and shrinking prison populations."

Connecticut's drug offenders who opt for parole or probation would likely
be tested three times a week at first, then less often if they come up
drug-free. Farr said the routine of testing and sanctions could be phased
in by this autumn. He envisioned starting with 10 beds for violators and
expanding gradually to more than 300 slots.

"We have to start small, we have to start slow," he said. "We don't have
any experience running this program."

Connecticut's new state budget includes an initial appropriation of
$420,000 for three more probation officers, drug tests and a halfway
facility to start the program.

Last year, the General Assembly voted down a broader package of legislation
that treated drug abuse as a public health problem rather than a criminal
justice issue.

No such antipathy has been expressed toward the tough-sounding program of
zero-tolerance drug supervision. Rep. Richard D. Tulisano, a Democratic
majority whip who represents Hartford's southern suburbs, said the bill
should be used as a tool to turn drug users into productive citizens.

"We know that addicts fail," he said. "That's got to be built into this.
One failure in two or three years is different from one failure every week."

Even the office of Connecticut's chief public defender, whose indigent
clientele includes many drug offenders, supports the proposed law.
"Anything that is going to offer more treatment and less incarceration we'd
be for" the office's legal counsel, Deborah Sullivan, said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Jailhouse Dog To Sniff Out Drugs (Raleigh, North Carolina 'News & Observer'
Says State Department Of Correction Officials, Noting That About A Dozen
Prison Personnel Get Caught With Drugs Each Year,
Have Hired A Drug-Sniffing Dog To Inspect Correctional Employees
As They Arrive For Work)

Date: Wed, 06 May 1998 22:27:58 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Melodi Cornett 
Subject: MN: US NC: Jailhouse Dog To Sniff Out Drugs
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Walter Latham
Pubdate: Wed, 6 May 1998
Source: Raleigh News & Observer (NC)
Section: Under the Dome
Contact: bsicelof@nando.net
Website: http://www.news-observer.com/

JAILHOUSE DOG TO SNIFF OUT DRUGS

The Department of Correction has a new employee with a nose for trouble. He
may not be too popular with some of his fellow employees.

His name: Arras. He's 2 years old, 2 feet tall and is not participating in
the state employees retirement plan.

Arras is a drug-sniffing dog, a specially trained Belgian Malinois. And in
the coming month, Arras is going to start sniffing correctional employees as
they arrive for work.

"These searches will be unannounced and any employee, whether assigned to
that facility or not, who enters the area of the canine interdiction
activity will be required to cooperate fully," Correction Secretary Mac
Jarvis said in a recent memo.

Jarvis said he's worried about drugs in prison. Some is brought in by
visitors -- and some by staff.

Prison officials estimate that about a dozen prison employees get caught
with drugs each year. Prison officials say Arras is not one to bark up the
wrong tree.

Spokeswoman Patty McQuillan told Dome about an exercise last year in which
Arras sniffed the human scent from a pack of cigarettes on the ground and
was told to find the owner. He trotted off and found the person a mile away.
McQuillan said that Arras is about to be used on prison employees for the
first time.

When and where?

"It's top secret," she said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Rats' Nicotine Withdrawal Studied ('Associated Press' Says New Research
Reported In Thursday's Issue Of 'Nature,' Funded Partly
By The US National Institute On Drug Abuse, Or NIDA,
Suggests Rats Going Through Nicotine Withdrawal
Showed A Brain Reaction Similar To What's Seen
In Amphetamine And Cocaine Withdrawal)

Date: Tue, 12 May 1998 15:04:50 -0400
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US: Wire: Rats' Nicotine Withdrawl Studied
To: DrugSense News Service 
Organization: The Media Awareness Project of DrugSense
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Marcus-Mermelstein Family 
Source: The Associated Press
Pubdate: Wed, 6 May 1998

RATS' NICOTINE WITHDRAWAL STUDIED

NEW YORK (AP) -- Rats going through nicotine withdrawal showed a brain
reaction similar to what's seen in amphetamine and cocaine withdrawal, which
might help explain nicotine craving in people who've quit cold turkey.

The finding might also help scientists develop better ways of treating the
symptoms of nicotine withdrawal, such as depression, anxiety, irritability
and craving, all of which interfere with attempts to kick the habit, said
Dr. Alan I. Leshner, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

NIDA helped pay for the study, which appears in Thursday's issue of the
journal Nature.

The study focused on brain circuitry that produces pleasure from activities
like eating and sex. It found that during nicotine withdrawal, this
``reward'' system became harder to turn on, just as previous studies had
found for withdrawal from other drugs.

In people who've just stopped smoking, that could cause depressive symptoms
like losing interest in activities that used to be rewarding, said Athina
Markou, who reports the work with colleagues at the Scripps Research
Institute in La Jolla, Calif.

She believes such emotional aspects of nicotine withdrawal are important
contributors to craving. So if scientists can find drugs that make the brain
reward system easier to activate, the medications might be able to ease
nicotine craving, she said.

The rats activated their brain reward circuitry by turning a wheel, which
made electrical current run into electrodes in their brains. Scientists
recorded how much current the rats needed, which revealed how sensitive the
circuitry was.

Then rats were given a constant supply of nicotine through tiny pumps,
producing blood levels about equal to smoking a pack-and-a-half a day. After
seven days, the pumps were removed to produce withdrawal.

The amount of current the rats needed to feel reward shot up, peaking some
six to eight hours after their nicotine supply was cut off. The effect
persisted an average of four days.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Study - College Athletes Drink Most ('Associated Press' Article
Says That College Athletes, Far From Being Health-Conscious Role Models,
Tend To Binge Drink And Get Into More Alcohol-Related Trouble
Than Other Students, According To A New Study Reported In The May Issue
Of 'The Journal Of American College Health')

Date: Sat, 09 May 1998 20:13:58 -0400
To: DrugSense News Service 
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US: Wire: Study: College Athletes Drink Most
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Marcus-Mermelstein Family 
Source: Associated Press
Pubdate: Wed, 6 May 1998

Study: College Athletes Drink Most

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) -- Far from being health-conscious role models,
college athletes tend to binge drink and get into more alcohol-related
trouble than other students, a study shows.

The study, the largest yet linking participation in college sports to
increased alcohol use, appears in the May issue of the Journal of American
College Health.

The survey covered 51,483 students on 125 campuses. It found that college
athletes consumed an average of 7.34 drinks a week -- 78 percent more than
did students who were not athletes, who averaged 4.12 drinks.

Team leaders drank even more -- more than twice as much as other students,
8.25 drinks per week. Male students outdrank females, but alcohol use
increased along with athletic participation for both sexes.

``Students involved in social groups tend to drink more,'' said Jami
Leichliter, lead author of the study and assistant director at the Core
Institute of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

But she said the degree of alcohol-related problems among team leaders
surprised researchers. Compared to others, students who identified
themselves as team leaders reported higher rates of hangovers, impaired
academic work, trouble with police, drunken driving, violence and sexual
misconduct resulting from the use of alcohol and other drugs.

Although the survey forms completed by students did not ask about reasons
for drinking, Leichliter said it was probably a result of pressure -- and
the urge to celebrate.

``They have a work hard, play hard ethic,'' she said. ``Alcohol is seen as
a way to let loose.''

Henry Wechsler, a social psychologist who studies college drinking for the
Harvard University School of Public Health, said the SIUC study confirms
previous work on alcohol and athletes.

Student athletes are influenced by sports-heavy alcohol advertising and
tend to drink to celebrate and mourn athletic milestones, he said.

`Binge drinking is a highly social activity,'' Wechsler said.

``Everybody parties, not only athletes,'' said Tavita Tovio, a Southern
Illinois sophomore football player from Hawaii. ``It's not something that
goes on all the time, mostly just on weekends.''

Ann Marie Rogers, associate athletic director at the University of Florida,
said the athletic personality may lead to problems with substance abuse.

``I think athletes often feel that they are indestructible,'' she said.
``They're physically strong, they're gamblers with the kinds of things they
do. They live on the edge a bit.''

But she said she's not convinced that athletes have more problems than
another students.

``When a regular student gets in trouble, you never hear about it,'' she said.

Leichliter said she doubted public scrutiny played a role in the higher
incidence of athlete-reported problems. She said many of the consequences
reported by students -- such as memory loss and illness -- would not have
been detectable by others.

The anonymous survey was conducted between October 1994 and May 1996 at 125
universities that agreed to participate in the institute's annual alcohol
survey.

The schools represented public and private schools of all sizes and from
all parts of the country. Student samples from each school were designed to
be representative of the student population at that campus, according to
researchers.

Among students who said they were not involved in athletics, 36 percent
reported binge drinking -- defined as having five or more drinks at one
sitting -- in the two weeks before taking the survey.

Researchers said 54.4 percent of college athletes reported binge drinking,
as did 58 percent of team leaders.

Men had higher rates of binge drinking then women. About 60 percent of male
athletes and 47 percent of female athletes reported binge drinking.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Anti-Smoking Bill Should Also Be Anti-Drug Use, GOP Leaders Say
('Associated Press' Says Senior Senate Republicans Unveiled A Proposal
Wednesday They Will Try To Attach To Whatever Tobacco Bill
Comes To The Floor That Would Tax Tobacco Consumers $3 Billion
To Use On Anti-Illegal Drug Programs)

Date: Thu, 07 May 1998 21:48:05 -0400
To: DrugSense News Service 
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Anti-smoking Bill Should Also Be Anti-Drug Use, GOP Leaders Say
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Joey4rigs 
Pubdate: 6 May 1998
Source: Associated Press
Author: Laurie Kellman, Associated Press Writer

ANTI-SMOKING BILL SHOULD ALSO BE ANTI-DRUG USE, GOP LEADERS SAY

WASHINGTON (AP) -- GOP Senate leaders say Congress should not pass a
tobacco bill unless it also addresses a far bigger problem among the
nation's kids: illicit drug use.

Frustrated by the pressing tobacco debate and by what they consider the
White House's ``deafening silence'' on illegal drug use, senior Senate
Republicans unveiled a proposal Wednesday that they will try to attach to
whatever tobacco bill comes to the floor.

``Tobacco is a health problem among teen-agers, and it must be addressed,''
said Senate GOP Conference Secretary Paul Coverdell, co-sponsoring the
amendment proposal with Policy Committee Chairman Larry Craig. ``But to do
so while you remain silent on what drug use is doing to teen-agers is
mind-boggling.''

The senators, joined by Assistant Majority Leader Don Nickles, said they
would spend $3 billion of the tobacco industry's money on anti-drug
education programs and for stepped-up enforcement of laws that ban
narcotics smuggling and laundering of drug money.

They cited published research showing that between 1991 and 1997, the
percentage of 10th graders who regularly used marijuana increased 135
percent. In the same time period, the percentage of 10th graders who
regularly smoked cigarettes increased 40 percent, the senators said.

Theirs was one of two tobacco-related pieces of legislation bills revealed
Wednesday in a Congress roiled with conflicting proposals.

A group of House Democrats and moderate Republicans sought to draw in more
GOP support with their bill to charge the tobacco industry approximately
$500 billion over 25 years and use more than half that amount to pay down
the nation's $5.5 trillion federal debt.

``I've never heard of cutting the national debt to be a liberal
challenge,'' said Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Mass., co-sponsoring the bill with
Rep. James Hansen, R-Utah.

The sponsors hope their bill will gather momentum, but GOP leaders have not
embraced it so far. President Clinton offered qualified support for it
Wednesday.

A major drawback for both parties is the lack of money in the bill for
tobacco farmers, whose livelihoods would be threatened if demand for their
crops decreases.

``I look forward to working with them to insure that their legislation
adequately protects tobacco farmers,'' Clinton said.

The sponsors also released supportive statements from House Minority Leader
Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., and public health advocates C. Everett Koop, one-time
surgeon general, and David Kessler, former commissioner of the Food and
Drug Administration.

The bill would increase cigarette taxes by $1.50 over three years, grant
the industry no lawsuit protection and fine tobacco companies of the levels
of teen-age smoking did not decline by 80 percent over 10 years. The money
not used for the federal debt would go to the states and for programs to
stop young people from smoking.

The measure is among at least five proposals congressional leaders are
considering that aim to reduce teen-age smoking. Like the $368 billion
settlement the industry and states struck in June, several bills would
force companies to pay hefty fees and sharply curtail advertising. In
exchange, the tobacco industry wants protection from certain kinds of
lawsuits.

Only one bill, sponsored by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain,
has cleared a congressional committee. It would charge the industry $516
billion over 25 years and cap awards the industry would be forced to pay
plaintiffs at $6.5 billion annually. It would raise federal cigarette taxes
by $1.10 a pack by 2003.

Unlike the House's bipartisan bill, McCain's does not say how the
government should spend the industry's money.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Sending Mixed Messages On Drugs (Courtland Milloy In 'The Washington Post'
Marvels At The Double Standards In The United States
Between Legal And Illegal Drugs)

Date: Wed, 06 May 1998 21:38:01 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: Melodi Cornett 
Subject: MN: US: Sending Mixed Messages On Drugs
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com
Pubdate: Wed, 6 May 1998
Source: Washington Post
Contact: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/edit/letters/letterform.htm
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Author: Courtland Milloy

SENDING MIXED MESSAGES ON DRUGS

The new media messages about drugs are really blowing my mind.

On the radio, you can hear an anti-marijuana spot warning that the evil weed
causes memory loss. That's bad.

At the same time, you can read in news magazines that some legally
prescribed antidepressants also may have adverse side effects, such as
memory loss. But that's okay, because a new pill to enhance memory is in the
pipeline.

Cocaine and heroin are bad, we are told, because they artificially stimulate
or block natural biochemical functions. However, mood drugs such as Zoloft
and Prozac are good, even though they do the same thing.

Just say no to drugs, the media messages say, except to those made by
pharmaceutical companies.

It is estimated that 10 percent of the U.S. population suffers from chronic
or acute anxiety. Much of that is the result of wrongheaded thinking -- the
refusal to accept the things we cannot change or the lack of courage to
change the things we can, or so we were told during the "war on drugs,"
which has sent hundreds of thousands of drug users to prison for failing to
show they have the wisdom to make a change.

These days, we are being told that U.S. pharmaceutical giants are able to
identify specific receptors in our brain cells and manipulate them to good
purpose. In the old days, we called that "getting high." And that was bad.
But now that Pfizer and Eli Lilly, et al., are in control, it's called
"lifestyle enhancement." And that's good.

The thinking seems to be that just because we have the power to tamper with
nature, we should -- as long as it's legal. Take the biochemical
phosphodiesterase 5, or PDE 5, which has the sole function of working
against male sexual arousal. The new impotency drug craze, Viagra,
supposedly works by blocking PDE 5. Here is a biochemical with such an
important function, and yet virtually no man had ever heard of it until some
drug was created to destroy it.

We haven't even had time to ask ourselves why we were born with PDE 5 in the
first place. For all we know, the chemical is triggered when we don't take
enough time to talk with or embrace our mates before trying to have sex. PDE
5 may be naturally occurring when men are confused about the difference
between making love and having sex.

Viagra, as we all know by now, was initially conceived as a drug to
alleviate angina, chest pains caused by the blockage of blood vessels that
lead to the heart. That didn't work, but the drug did have the side effect
of causing erections.

Now it's all the rage, and impotence has suddenly become a physiological
rather than psychological problem, as if there is a clear distinction
between the two.

Ruth Westheimer, the sex adviser, is probably right when she says, "Even if
a man has an erection from floor to ceiling and can keep it that way for an
hour, it will not be pleasurable for a woman if he is not sexually literate."

According to a 1992 National Institutes of Health conference study of the
problem, impotence includes anything from "inability to get an erection" to
"unsatisfactory sex performance."

I could tell you about some other drugs that probably would enhance sexual
stimulation and no doubt cost less than Viagra. But if you got caught buying
some, say at the corner of Seventh and T streets NW, you could end up in
prison -- maybe under some mandatory minimum drug sentencing law -- for the
next 10 years. The street drugs are said to be addictive and have side
effects that include paranoia, irritability and loss of appetite. That's bad.

Viagra, on the other hand, causes only headaches, blurred vision, blackouts,
coital coronaries and something called priapism, which is an erection that
lasts four hours or more and, if untreated, can lead to tissue damage and
even impotence.

But that's okay, because it's legal.

According to a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical
Association, more than 2 million Americans become seriously ill every year
because of toxic reactions to correctly prescribed medicine -- and 106,000
die of those reactions.

Bruce H. Pomeranz, the University of Toronto neurophysiologist who initiated
the study, was quoted as saying, "We're not saying, 'Stop taking drugs.' "
What the study was saying, he said, was that there ought to be more research
into the problem.

It would be hard to imagine a similar reaction if 2 million Americans had
overdosed last year on drugs produced in Colombia or Mexico.

"The important message," said Michael Friedman, acting commissioner of the
Food and Drug Administration, "is not to be afraid of your medication but to
be respectful of the possibility of side effects."

The finding came with a statement from pharmaceutical manufacturers warning
against overreacting to the numbers, noting that the study made no effort to
measure the benefits of their drugs. Imagine the same courtesy being granted
to, say, the Marijuana Growers Association of America.

(c) Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Viagra Theme - Love Is Blue ('Toronto Sun'
Says The American Academy Of Ophthalmology Has Called For More Studies
Into Pfizer's Newly Approved Drug For Impotence, Suggesting That Users
With Certain Eye Problems Should Stay Away From Higher Doses)

From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod)
To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com
Subject: Viagra theme: Love is blue
Date: Wed, 06 May 1998 09:06:05 -0700
Lines: 23
Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org
Source: Toronto Sun
Contact: editor@sunpub.com
Pubdate: Wednesday, May 6, 1998

Viagra theme: Love is blue

By AP

SAN FRANCISCO -- Eye doctors are calling for more studies into the
newly approved impotence drug, Viagra, saying users with certain eye
problems should stay away from higher doses.

A moderate percentage of people taking Viagra have experienced
temporary vision problems, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology
urged that people take the effects seriously.

Patients have reported visual disturbances described as a bluish color
tinge and light sensitivity.

Users with problems such as macular degeneration or retinitis
pigmentosa are advised to "stay at the lowest dose level possible,"
Dr. Michael Marmor said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Mexican Military Blames Drug Traffickers For Fires In Two Western States
('Associated Press' Cites Article In Mexico's 'Reforma'
Quoting Military Commanders In Michoacan And Guerrero
Saying Marijuana Cultivators Clearing Land In Preparation For New Crops
Were To Blame For As Many As 30 Percent Of The Fires
That Have Claimed At Least 23 Lives)

Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 17:36:59 EDT
Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org
Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org
From: ltneidow@voyager.net (Lee T. Neidow)
To: Multiple recipients of list 
Subject: "Agriculture" In Mexico

MEXICO CITY (AP) - At least 23 people have died in fires in
southeastern Mexico, and the military blamed drug traffickers today
for fires in two western states where fields are being burned to
prepare for marijuana crops.

So far this year, 8,957 fires have burned a total of 540,270
acres, Environmental Minister Julia Carabias said.

The daily Reforma quoted military commanders in the states of
Michoacan and Guerrero as saying drug traffickers were to blame for
as many as 30 percent of the fires in those Pacific Coast states.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Massive Drug Seizure - Hamilton Men Charged In Smuggling Plot
('The Hamilton Spectator' In Ontario Says A Routine Customs Check In Halifax,
Nova Scotia, Led Police To Arrest Of Four Hamilton-Area Men For Attempting
To Smuggle 314 Kilograms Of Cannabis Oil In A Boat Cradle -
Corporal Michele Paradis Of The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Valued The Shipment At $12.5 Million)

From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod)
To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com
Subject: Canada: Massive drug seizure:
Hamilton men charged in smuggling plot
Date: Wed, 06 May 1998 08:48:26 -0700
Lines: 76
Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org
Source: Hamilton Spectator
Contact: letters@spectator.southam.ca
Pubdate: Wed 06 May 1998
Section: Burlington News N1 / Front
Authors: Bill Dunphy and Tony Fitz-Gerald

Massive drug seizure: Hamilton men charged in smuggling plot

A routine customs check in Halifax has led police to the arrest of
four Hamilton-area men and one of the largest and richest pot seizures
in Canada -- a haul of 314 kilograms (690 pounds) of cannabis oil
hidden in a boat cradle.

Corporal Michele Paradis, of the RCMP in Milton pegged the street
value of the shipment at $12.5 million.

The sheer size of the May 1 bust, which took place in a Burlington
hotel parking lot, is reminiscent of 1992's Project Maple Syrup, which
netted 450 kilograms (990 pounds) of the sticky cannabis product in a
series of raids in Florida.

Among those convicted in what police billed as North America's largest
hash oil busts were Hamilton brothers Paul and Andre Gravelle. Their
brother Daniel George Gravelle, 38, of Magnolia Drive, Hamilton, was
arrested in this latest investigation, RCMP Staff Sergeant Keith
Milner confirmed yesterday.

Paradis said a joint forces team involving Canada Customs in Halifax,
RCMP from Milton, Hamilton and Halifax, and Halifax city police
cooperated in the discovery and seizure of the resin. The drug was
hidden inside a hollow metal boat cradle, a structure used to support
a boat during shipping.

The cradle and drugs arrived by ship from the Caribbean a few days
prior to May 1. Paradis said Canada Customs officers in Halifax found
the drug in a routine check, alerted police but allowed the boat and
suspects to continue on to Ontario.

Milner, whose Milton drug unit made the arrests, said officers trailed
the men to Ontario after the boat was picked up on the East Coast. The
arrests were made at a Holiday Inn parking lot on Harvester Road.

``We arrested the three Hamilton men at that time,'' Milner said.

In addition to Gravelle, police arrested Thomas Walter Lockhart, 59,
of Arthur Street, Hamilton, Alexander Richard Goodbrand, 43, of Beach
Road, Hamilton, and Jon Paul Jennings, 39, of Second Street North,
Stoney Creek.

The group faces charges of conspiracy to import a controlled
substance, importing a controlled substance, conspiracy to traffick a
controlled substance, and possession of a controlled substance for the
purpose of trafficking.

Jennings was arrested by Halton police on Aug. 23, 1997, in connection
with a large hydroponic marijuana operation in Hamilton and Oakville.

The growing operation included cannabis-resin manufacturing equipment,
cutting equipment and 940 marijuana plants.

Cannabis resin is a term which includes both the widely available
``weed oil'' and it's more expensive and potent cousin, hash oil. It
is unclear from police remarks just which of the two substances was
seized by police. Both are manufactured by soaking the marijuana plant
in a suitable solvent, then distilling the result.

The difference lies in which part of the plant is used for the
process, Hamilton-Wentworth Detective Bryan Barker of the drug squad
explained yesterday.

Barker took his hat off to the RCMP and customs team.

``By the time it normally gets to us, we're dealing with a lot of
five-gram vials, but nothing in the kilograms. This is a very large
bust.''

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Chief Hails Cash For War On Crime - A 'Thrilled' Fantino Was Even On Hand
When Budget Was Read ('London Free Press' In Ontario Says Outlaw Biker Gangs,
Code Words In Canada For 'Illegal Drugs,' Were Singled Out For New Heat
In Tuesday's Ontario Budget - And London's Top Cop, Julian Fantino,
Couldn't Be Happier)

From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod)
To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com
Subject: Chief hails cash for war on crime
Date: Wed, 06 May 1998 09:01:43 -0700
Lines: 167

Source: London Free Press
Contact: letters@lfpress.com

May 6, 1998

CHIEF HAILS CASH FOR WAR ON CRIME

A 'THRILLED' FANTINO WAS EVEN ON HAND WHEN BUDGET WAS READ

CREDIT: By Greg Van Moorsel -- Free Press Reporter

Outlaw biker gangs were singled out in Tuesday's Ontario budget --
not for tax cuts but new heat -- and London's top cop couldn't be
happier.

The Tory government is expanding its police anti-biker task force to
17 civic police forces -- including London's -- in a package of new
crime-fighting measures.

London police Chief Julian Fantino, one of the leading Ontario cops
who'd pushed for just such a task force, said he was "thrilled" by the
measure. It comes on the heels of the fatal shooting of two bikers in
London.

"We're going to go where the action is" to combat bike gangs, said
Fantino, insisting a national strategy to "dismantle and destroy"
gangs and seize their ill-gotten assets will be more easily pursued.

The task force -- combining the resources of the OPP, help from the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police and civic forces -- will give police
unified undercover, intelligence and enforcement capabilities, said
Fantino, on hand at Queen's Park to hear the budget.

Most of the new crime-fighting money in the budget -- $150 million
-- will go to help hire front-line police officers, with the province
pledging to foot half the cost of up to 1,000 new hires for
municipalities that pay the rest.

Ontario is also cracking down on petty crimes in rural areas,
setting up an OPP task force to target break-and-enters and auto
thefts.

There's $6 million for the OPP to take on 115 new cadets, in
non-operational police roles, freeing up even more front-line cops.

The province, under pressure by municipalities to allow cameras at
intersections to nab red-light runners -- will also more than double
minimum fines for drivers who ignore red lights to $150 from $60.

But it's the anti-biker task force, costing $3.4 million in its first
year and $2.7 million a year afterward, that stood out in the budget's
new law-and-order measures.

Fantino, one of Canada's most outspoken critics on organized crime by
bike gangs, said the outlaw gangs are intimately connected with the
drug trade and represent a pervasive threat no Ontario community can
afford to ignore.

"The stuff that we're dealing with at the community level has a life
beyond London -- that's why we (police forces) have to unite."

By linking forces, under the task force commanded by the OPP, cops
will have a potent weapon to take on bike gangs, Fantino said.

"The borders in policing right now, with respect to this issue, have
come right down," he said.

London had a graphic illustration of the problem's underbelly last
month when two local members of the Outlaws biker gang -- including
the local chapter's head -- were gunned down outside a strip club,
triggering a Canada-wide warrant for the arrest of two non-bikers.
Observers have speculated the fatal shootings were a response to
bikers muscling in on local drug turf.

In Quebec, where the Hells Angels are the dominant gang, dozens of
people have been killed in recent years in biker wars over control of
the illegal drug trade.

Ontario has directed provincial police to rid the province of biker
gangs, especially Hells Angels. Police say there are 11 gangs in
Ontario with 550 known members.

Fantino said the expanded anti-biker task force -- the OPP's
contribution will rise to 20 officers from seven -- means police
forces will be able to call on one another more easily for help and do
more "pro-active" or undercover work to bust organized crime by
bikers.

"This is going to be an integrated, co-ordinated effort," said
Fantino, who chairs a national police strategy on outlaw bike gangs.

London South MPP Bob Wood, an aide to Ontario's solicitor-general,
said the special task force didn't come "out of the blue" but is a
response to a long-time threat.

"The trick (now) is to make it so difficult for them to come here and
do business that they won't come," he said of the biker gangs.

Fantino also cheered the 50-per-cent provincial offer for new police
hires, a program spread over five years, and said he will recommend
London -- its police force "stretched to the limit" -- apply.

"Where can you get a 50-per-cent discount on anything these days?" he
asked.

About 10 per cent of London's 434 officers are unavailable for duty
at any given time, he said, while others are hunkered down with
"bureaucratic" police work off the front lines.

Policing costs about $2 billion a year in Ontario.

-- With files from news services

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Tories Beef Up Police, Task Forces, Laws ('Ottawa Sun' Version)

Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org
Source: Ottawa Sun
Contact: editor@sunpub.com
Pubdate: May 6, 1998

CHIEF OK'S HARD LINE

TORIES BEEF UP POLICE, TASK FORCES, LAWS

CREDIT: By BRAD HUNTER -- Ottawa Sun

Ottawa-Carleton Regional Police Chief Brian Ford was slow to endorse
the Tories' crackdown on crime budget yesterday.

While Queen's Park outlined a number of new initiatives, including a
beefed-up biker task force and hundreds of new frontline officers on
the street, specifics on spending were sparse.

The police chief said Ontario is far better than any other province
when it comes to fighting crime.

"They're pretty good when it comes to funding," Ford said. "They
provide all the money for the the Criminal Intelligence Service of
Ontario.

"That's $3.5 million for joint forces operations, whereas in Alberta
it's $0."

In his third budget speech, Finance Minister Ernie Eves said law and
order issues were near the top of the Tories' priorities.

"Everyone has a right to a sense of personal safety and to feel
assured that their family is safe," Eves said.

To keep police on the streets, the OPP will hire and train 100 cadets
to take over some of the paperwork.

Ontario is also cracking down on petty crimes in rural areas. An OPP
task force will be established to target break-and-enters and car
thefts for a one-year trial.

The government has also directed the OPP to rid the province of biker
gangs, in particular Hells Angels. Police say there are 11 gangs in
Ontario, with 550 known members.

The province will also introduce legislation aimed at drivers who run
red lights. The minimum fine will jump to $150 from $60. About 20
people died in Ontario in 1996, as a result of red-light violations.
Ford endorsed the tough approach.

"I think it's a good move and will send a message," he said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Ontario Budget '98 - Crime Down But Public Not Getting The Message
('Canadian Press' Quotes Alberta Justice Minister John Havelock
Saying Crime Is Down But 90 Percent Of The Public Thinks The Crime Rate
Stayed The Same Or Increased - Media Play A Role In Scaring People)

From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod)
To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com
Subject: Crime down but public not getting the message
Date: Thu, 07 May 1998 16:44:22 -0700
Lines: 76

ONTARIO BUDGET '98
May 6, 1998

Crime down but public not getting the message

EDMONTON (CP)

It's tough getting people to believe that crime
rates are continuing their downward slide in Alberta, say Justice
Department officials.

Alberta's crime rate in 1996 - the most recent statistics
available - dropped 1.3 per cent from the previous year. Property
crime in that same period was down 2.3 per cent.

"The bad news is that 90 per cent of Albertans think crime levels in
their communities have stayed the same or increased over the last
several years," Justice Minister John Havelock says in his annual Crime
Prevention Week message.

"This and other statistics demonstrate that Albertans have some
concerns about the current justice system that need to be aired and
considered."

Havelock has planned a conference on the state of justice in Alberta
for early next year. In the meantime, efforts are under way to try to
convince Albertans that they are less likely to become victims of
crime than ever before.

"We are getting some success and yet people are still not happy with
the justice system; they are still afraid to walk at night," said
Justice spokeswoman Karen Sigurdson.

"We need to have a frank discussion about what's working and what
isn't.

"We have the information out there," she said, "but sometimes I think
it's too much for people to get their heads around."

Sue Olsen, the Liberal justice critic and a former Edmonton cop, says
it is not the public's fault but rather the government's "barroom
justice mentality" that has people confused.

"We have to address the fear of crime and send out a more positive
message. The message is not clearly coming out."

She said people have not lost confidence in the justice system but
rather with Justice officials who have perpetuated myths about young
offenders, violent crime and out-of-control courts.

Havelock recently told a meeting of the Canadian Bar Association that
the Young Offenders Act is "ineffective" for those who commit serious
crimes.

Youths are responsible for 26 per cent of all crimes in Alberta and
most of those crimes are minor property offences.

Prof. Jim Creechan, a University of Alberta sociologist, agrees,
saying social-conservative governments like those in Alberta and
Ontario "play on that fear to distract people from other kinds of
things.

"What would the government rather deal with? It doesn't want to deal
with child abuse that comes out of a faulty social welfare system. It
gets a lot more credit with a right-wing agenda if it talks about all
the evil kids out there who are doing all these nasty things."

Creechan said the media play a role in scaring people.

There was little mention in the media when statistics released last
week showed another drop in youth crime, he said.

"But you get a case like the Reena Virk case, it's front page
coverage. Reporting in the papers is completely distorting and
sensational when it plays up the most rare and unusual kinds of
events."

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Hazardous Hash Warning Issued ('Toronto Star' Quotes One Police Detective
Who Says Some Unidentified Young People Who Allegedly Used Hashish
Supposedly Developed Hives And Their Skin Broke Out In A Rash)

Date: Wed, 06 May 1998 09:33:42 -0400
To: mattalk@islandnet.com, editor@mapinc.org
From: Dave Haans 
Subject: TorStar: Hazardous hash warning issued
Newshawk: Dave Haans
Source: The Toronto Star
Pubdate: Wednesday, May 6, 1998
URL: http://www.thestar.ca
Page: B2
Contact: LetterToEd@thestar.ca

Hazardous hash warning issued

Police have issued a warning about hazardous hashish after a number of
Burlington teenagers experienced an allergic reaction after using the
illegal substance.

Detective Bruce Mitchell said some young people who used hashish developed
hives and their skin broke out in a rash.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Watch Your Corn, It May Hold A Pot Surprise ('The Record'
In Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Publicizes Message To Farmers
From Ontario Provincial Police)

From: "Starr" 
To: "mattalk" , "maptalk" 
Subject: Watch Your Corn....
Date: Fri, 8 May 1998 02:11:52 -0400

'Tis the season of narcs. Every summer there are warnings in the paper like
this one, and posted around the area and on police station billboards. It's
a good scare tactic, so supplies remain low around this time. That includes
medical patients without ease.
--Starr--

Source: The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo)
recordletters@southam.ca
Date:May 6, 1998

WATCH YOUR CORN, IT MAY HOLD A POT SURPRISE

MOUNT FOREST-- Watch for weed in your corn fields.

That's the message given farmers by Ontario provincial police trying to
catch people growing illegal marijuana in local corn crops.

Farmers should look for clues such as footprints along the edges of crops,
vehicles parked unattended in the morning and evening hours, discarded seed
trays and fertilizer bags and hidden tools like shovels and water cans, the
OPP said.

Const. Bob McIntee of the Mount Forest detachment of the OPP said police
know from previous years that the farming area from Fergus to Tobermory is
used extensively by people growing pot.

"They go for areas where there are fewer people around...where it might be
a second farm and not the home farm where the farmer spends most of his
time," McIntee said. "That's where they try to grow marijuana."

He siad one technique commonly used to grow pot is to uproot a row of corn
plants and replace them with marijuana seedlings. Another involves growing
a quantity of pot in the centre of a cornfield.

"The corn gives the marijuana plant excellent cover and makes detection
very difficult," McIntee said.

However, the OPP uses a helicopter each fall to spot those marijuana crops.

Small crops are burned while larger crops are watched by police in an
effort to catch growers.

Other preferred locations for illegal pot crops are along fences, in
swamps, creek beds and among cedar trees.

Marijuana plants can grow to a height of six feet. They require a moist
environment and good sun exposure.

When a seedling is planted, it requires maintenance and water on a regular
basis. But once plants are stable, growers may not return until harvest
time, McIntee said.

Police say farmers should be aware of their rights under the Traspass to
Property Act and are encouraged to post signs on property not enclosed by
fencing.

Notices may not keep offenders off a farmer's property, but will give
police more authority if they are apprehended, McIntee said.

The officer cautioned that farmers should never directly confront ant
criminals.

"At no point should the farmer approach the individual," he said. "Our main
concern is the public's safety (rather) than the marijuana."

Anyone noticing any suspious activity is urged to call Crime Stoppers at
1-800-222-TIPS (8477) of the OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

If a vehicle is involved, police recommend writing down the licence plate,
make and model.

For further information, McIntee can be reached at 1-519-323-3130

-------------------------------------------------------------------

New Anti-Gang Law Not Tested In Court (Kingston, Ontario, 'Whig-Standard'
Notes The Conviction Of Just One Man, A Former Member Of The Motorcycle Club,
Rock Machine, For Conspiring To Traffic In The Designer Drug Nexus)

From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod)
To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com
Subject: New anti-gang law not tested in court
Date: Wed, 06 May 1998 08:58:30 -0700
Lines: 95
Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org
Source: Kingston Whig-Standard
Contact: Kinwhig@southam.ca
Pubdate: Wed 06 May 1998
Section: Community 1 / Front
Authors: Shawn Thompson, Whig-Standard Staff Writer

New anti-gang law not tested in court

Another chapter in the brief history in Kingston of the outlaw
motorcycle club the Rock Machine closed yesterday when a ``low-level''
member living on welfare was sentenced to six months in jail on drug
offences.

Marc Yakimishan, 34, a former member of the armed forces, pleaded
guilty to two counts of conspiring to traffic in the designer drug
Nexus and had a charge withdrawn under new legislation (Bill C-95) of
being a member of a criminal gang. Charges against three others under
the new anti-gang legislation were also withdrawn.

Federal Crown prosecutor David Crowe told The Whig-Standard later that
the government wanted to pick a better case to defend the legislation.
The first legal challenge to the legislation in Canada under the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms had been expected to take
place in Kingston.

``It's pointless to argue until there is a strong factual basis,''
said the prosecutor. ``The legislation was fairly new and the factual
basis on it, upon discussion with the Department of Justice, led us to
believe there were insufficient facts to prove the charge beyond a
reasonable doubt.''

Crowe explained that one difficulty in prosecuting the new law in the
Kingston case was that the Crown would have to prove that the accused
were members of the Rock Machine in the one-month period between the
proclamation of the law last May and the laying of the charges in
June.

In the sentencing of Yakimishan, Crowe told General Division Justice
Helen MacLeod some details of the police surveillance of Yakimishan,
his co-accused, Joseph Sly, and members of the Rock Machine, involving
informants, undercover officers, surveillance and wire taps.

In May of 1996, an informant told police that Sly was the ``main''
figure of the new Rock Machine chapter in Kingston, Crowe told the
court.

Through two court orders for wire taps, police were able to monitor
cellular phone messages that spoke of drug deals and led to searches
and arrests which gang members thought were either accidental or
involved being tailed.

The police listened to a phone call that announced, ``These ones are
going to go fast because they are the strawberry-colored ones.''
Following this message, police stopped a car on Division Street with
4,500 red pills later identified as nexus. The Rock Machine members
involved said that the seizure was ``a fluke.''

The same month police seized another 8,000 pink nexus pills from a
truck and in March last year another 4,900 Nexus pills were seized
from a car returning to Kingston from the Rock Machine clubhouse in
Montreal. Sly speculated in an intercepted phone call that police had
simply followed the car from the Montreal clubhouse.

Sly was running into money problems in the drug deals when the RCMP
seized a car with $64,000 in narcotics proceeds in a brown paper bag.
Then the police intercepted a phone call planning a break-in to the
RCMP area where the car was stored to retrieve the money.

There was no break-in because police stopped the car before it got to
the RCMP building.

Yakimishan's lawyer, Josh Zambrowsky, argued that his client had a
minor criminal record, with the most serious conviction being 40 days
served on weekends for possession of marijuana.

Yakimishan was a member of the armed forces for four years and was
discharged honorably, said Zambrowsky. He had ``12 years of solid
employment'' before he ran into his current legal difficulties, said
his lawyer.

``He was not a high-level member of the Rock Machine organization,''
said his lawyer. ``He had low-level participation.''

Yakimishan had ``nothing of value'' in his house and was living
``pretty close to the poverty level'' with his wife and six-month-old
baby.

In the sentencing, the judge gave Yakimishan credit for the seven
months and 10 days served in custody at the Quinte Detention Centre
while awaiting trial.

Sly will return to court for sentencing on June 8 on drug charges. The
drug charges against Alain Brunette and Keith Beattie will proceed to
trial on June 8.

***

Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 12:43:59 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Kelly T. Conlon" (conlonkt@mcmail.CIS.McMaster.CA)
To: mattalk@islandnet.com
Subject: Re: New anti-gang law not tested in court

> New anti-gang law not tested in court
>
> Federal Crown prosecutor David Crowe told The Whig-Standard later that
> the government wanted to pick a better case to defend the legislation.

Translation: He had a good lawyer who would have kicked our sorry asses.

KTC

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Latin American Briefs ('Associated Press' Says A Colombian Appeals Court
Has Increased The Sentences Of Two Jailed Cali Cartel Leaders
And Ordered An Investigation Of A Lower Court Judge
Accused Of Granting Unwarranted Sentence Reductions)

Date: Sat, 09 May 1998 20:17:39 -0400
To: DrugSense News Service 
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Colombia: Wire: Latin American Briefs
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Marcus-Mermelstein Family 
Source: Associated Press
Pubdate: Wed, 6 May 1998

LATIN AMERICAN BRIEFS

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- An appeals court increased the sentences of two
jailed Cali cartel leaders and ordered an investigation of a lower court
judge accused of granting unwarranted sentence reductions, officials said
Wednesday.

Gilberto and Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela each received five extra years in
prison, increasing their sentences to 15 and 14 years, respectively.

The judge, whose identity was withheld for security reasons, also fined
Gilberto Rodriguez $121.3 million and Miguel $35 million for drug
trafficking, illegal enrichment and racketeering, Attorney General Jaime
Bernal Cuellar said.

The two built a multi-billion dollar empire in the 1980s and early 1990s,
taking over as authorities cracked down on the rival Medellin cartel. They
were jailed with other Cali cartel leaders in 1995.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Scientist Calls For New Cannabis Law (Aberdeen, Scotland 'Press & Journal'
Notes Dr. Roger Pertwee Of Aberdeen University Is To Tell A House Of Lords
Committee That A Strong Case Can Be Made On The Grounds Of 'Commonsense
And Compassion' For Allowing Cannabis Derivatives To Treat Muscle Spasm)

Date: Thu, 07 May 1998 21:24:35 -0400
To: DrugSense News Service 
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: UK: Scientist Calls For New Cannabis Law
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: J M Petrie 
Pubdate: Wed, 6 May 1998
Source: Press & Journal (Aberdeen) UK
Contact: editor@pj.ajl.co.uk
Website: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/
Author: David Perry

SCIENTIST CALLS FOR NEW CANNABIS LAW

A Leading Aberdeen academic is to urge Parliament to legalise cannabis as a
medicine which doctors can prescribe.

Dr. Roger Pertwee of Aberdeen University is to tell a House of Lords
committee a strong case can be made out on the grounds of "commonsense and
compassion" for allowing cannabis derivatives to treat muscle spasm.

He has submitted written evidence to the Science and Technology Committee,
studying the medical use of the banned drug, that there is sufficient
evidence to warrant additional clinical studies with cannabis-derived
medicines for the management of several disorders including multiple
sclerosis, spinal injury, glaucoma, bronchial asthma and pain.

Dr. Pertwee, reader in Biomedical Sciences in the Institute of Medical
Sciences, describes in detail how the various constituents that make up the
cannabis used by drug abusers can help those suffering crippling medical
conditions.

He reveals that one derivative is already licensed for use to suppress
nausea and vomiting caused by life-saving anti-cancer drugs.

And he suggests another "may also have therapeutic uses, for example in
reducing memory deficits associated with ageing or neurological diseases."

Dr. Pertwee insists smoking cannabis is toxic and probably causes cancer,
but it can be taken orally, and tincture of cannabis was available under
prescription in the UK until 1971.

Some individuals "self medicate" by eating cannabis leaves or resin in
cakes or fudge, or even drink cannabis tea.

In his evidence, he said legal prescribing would seem better than many
otherwise law-abiding patients who feel so strongly that they should have
to self-medicate with cannabis having to risk discovery and punishment.

Dr. Pertwee will have to defend his views before experts on the committee
on Tuesday May 12.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Hemp Hotel Opens In Amsterdam, Holland (Spam From Dutch Proprietors
Includes URL For What Is Sure To Be A Popular Tourist Destination)

Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 19:06:48 +0200 (MET DST)
X-Sender: greenfin@euronet.nl (Unverified)
From: Pollinator (greenfin@euronet.nl)

Hello there,

we took the liberty to write you , because we want to share some information
with you about something you might be interested in.

We are glad to announce that we soon will be opening "Hemp Hotel Amsterdam".
Sounds good , doesn't it?

In the Hotel (almost) everything that we use or serve to eat & drink
will be made from Hemp-material, and we can tell you, it tastes great!

The Hemp Hotel will be opening on May 16th, but at that date we only
celebrate the opening of the bar, named "the Hemple Temple Bar".

We want to invite you of course for this opening, but in case you couldn't
make it (we know we are quite late with this mail) you are always welcome
on any other occasion to see -or stay at- the Hemp Hotel.

When you want to take a previeuw, take a look at our web-site.
(http//www.hemp-hotel.com)
There you can also find some of the products that we will be using in the Hotel,
and we will sell them also to you, if you would be interested. The products
will
be available from the 16th of May.

We hope to see you at the opening, and if not, we'll see you hopefully some
other time,
when you visit Amsterdam again.

Greetings,

Mila Jansen

-------------------------------------------------------------------

UN Board Questions Colombian Member ('Associated Press'
Says Alfonso Gomez Mendez Has Declined A Request From UN Officials
To Resign From The International Narcotics Control Board,
One Of The Most Influential And Secretive UN Organizations -
They Fear A Conflict Of Interest Since He Was Appointed
Colombia's Top Federal Prosecutor)

Date: Sat, 09 May 1998 20:39:31 -0400
To: DrugSense News Service 
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: UN: Wire: UN Board Questions Colombian Member
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Marcus-Mermelstein Family 
Source: Associated Press
Pubdate: Wed, 6 May 1998

UN BOARD QUESTIONS COLOMBIAN MEMBER

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Colombia's federal prosecutor, who once defended a
top official implicated in his nation's biggest drug scandal, has refused
to resign from a U.N. board set up to combat narcotics trafficking, sources
said Wednesday.

U.N. officials cite a possible conflict of interest as long as Alfonso
Gomez Mendez wears the two hats of federal prosecutor and board member.

Gomez was elected in 1996 to a five-year term on the International
Narcotics Control Board -- one of the most influential and secretive U.N.
organizations.

Soon after he began sitting on the board last year, Gomez was appointed
Colombia's federal prosecutor, replacing Alfonso Valdivieso, an anti-drug
crusader whose investigation nearly toppled President Ernesto Samper.

The 1961 treaty establishing the U.N. board states that members ``shall not
hold any position'' which would ``impair their impartiality.'' That clause
has generally been invoked to bar entry anyone holding national posts in
their home governments.

Sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the board president,
Hamid Ghodse asked Gomez to step down shortly after he became federal
prosecutor in July. Gomez then refused and Ghodse referred the matter to
the U.N. legal office

In a January 6 letter, the chief U.N. legal officer, Hans Corell, said ``it
would appear'' that holding the prosecutor's post would constitute a
conflict of interest.

Corell recommended the issue be put before the board at its meeting late
this month in Vienna. Nine of the 13 board members would have to agree to
dismiss Gomez.

Before assuming the prosecutor's job, Gomez successfully defended Rodrigo
Pardo, a former foreign minister suspected of helping cover up evidence of
drug money donations to Samper's campaign.

After taking office as federal prosecutor, Gomez split up the investigative
team that had put more than a dozen congressmen, a former attorney general
and the comptroller in prison for taking money from Cali cartel drug
traffickers.

Gomez has denied sabotaging any cases to protect Samper and says he has
stepped up the investigations.

The U.N. board works with governments to determine what drugs should be
declared illegal. It also helps regulate ``precursors'' -- chemicals which
are not banned but can be used to manufacture illicit drugs.