-------------------------------------------------------------------
Oregon State University Releases Results Of Study On Hemp
(News Release From OSU In Corvallis Says The OSU Agricultural Experiment
Station Has Just Published A Study Of Scientific Literature On The Feasibility
Of A Hemp Industry In The Pacific Northwest - Soon To Be Online)
From: "sburbank" (sburbank@orednet.org)
Subject: Oregon State University releases results of study on hemp
Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 14:18:42 -0700
News
Oregon State University
News & Communication Services
(541) 757-4611 x 416
Kerr Administration Bldg.
Corvallis, OR 97331-2124
5-29-98
FEASIBILITY 0F HEMP AS FIBER CROP STUDIED
By Carol Savonen
541-737-3380
SOURCES: Daryl Ehrensing, 541-737-5891
Andy Kerr, 541-432-0909
CORVALLIS - To help separate fact from myth about the production of hemp
- touted by some as a miracle crap and by others as an evil, pernicious
drug - an Oregon State University researcher has studied the feasibility of
cultivating hemp as a fiber crop in the Pacific Northwest and concluded it
may have some potential if it overcomes major obstacles.
Hemp, or cannabis sativa, can be manufactured into everything from fine
cloth to auto parts, and concentrations of the psychoactive ingredient,
THC, are too low in fiber hemp to produce a high.
The OSU study of scientific literature just published by the OSU
Agricultural Experiment Station found that several conditions must be met
before hemp could ever became a crop in this region.
First, it must become legal to grow hemp as a fiber crap; then it must
be researched, developed and studied like any other potential new crop; and
it must be able to compete with other fiber crops on the market, including
wood fiber from the forest industry.
"Environmental awareness as well as decreasing availability and rising
prices of local wood fiber resources have greatly increased commercial
interest in agricultural production of alternative fiber sources in the
Pacific Northwest," explained Daryl Ehrensing, researcher in the OSU
Department of Crop and Soil Science and author of the study.
"While many people have proposed industrial hemp production as both an
oil seed crop and a source of raw material for textiles, paper and
composite wood products, the feasibility of hemp production has not yet
been demonstrated in the Pacific Northwest," he said.
Major findings of the OSU study include:
* Hemp is a summer annual crap that is well-adapted to warm growing
conditions. an extended frost free season, highly productive agricultural
soils and ample moisture through the growing season.
* Hemp will almost certainly require supplemental irrigation to
reliably maximize productivity throughout the region, placing hemp in
direct competition with the highest value crops in the region.
* Hemp production in western Europe is made economically feasible
primarily by directsubsidies by the European Community. Since government
subsidy is extremely unlikely in the
United States, a thorough understanding of hemp production practices and
costs is essential to determine the viability of production.
* Total biomass yields will need to be substantially greater than
those previously recorded in other countries far hemp to be economically
feasible in the Pacific Northwest at current prices for raw hemp fiber and
seed.
* Improvements in hemp harvesting and processing equipment are still
required to make hemp a viable crop.
"Since industrial hemp has not been grown in the Pacific Northwest in
many decades, even an a research scale, the yield of modem hemp varieties
under our conditions is unknown," stressed Ehrensing. "Until legislative
restrictions are removed from hemp and production trials are completed, it
is difficult to accurately assess the feasibility of hemp as a fiber crop
in the region."
Hemp has been grown for many centuries for the strong fiber produced in
its stems. Hemp seeds contain vegetable oil with edible and industrial
uses. It is grown as a fiber crop in Europe and Asia, and regulated
cultivation was recently approved in Canada.
In March, 1998, a group of American farmers, businesses and non-profit
organizations filed a petition to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to
redefine industrial hemp to exclude cannabis sativa with I percent or less
THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, explained Andy
Kerr, of the North American Industrial Hemp Council. They also petitioned
the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish rules to certify farmers to
grow hemp.
"The feasibility of Industrial Hemp Production in the United States
Pacific Northwest."
publication SB 681, is available by mail at no charge, single copies only.
Send your request to:
Publication Orders, Extension and Station Communications, OSU, 422 Kerr
Administration, Corvallis, Ore.97331-2119.
The bulletin also is posted an the World Wide Web in the near future.
Open eesc.orst.edu and select "Educational Materials," then "Agriculture."
You'll find SB 681 under "Field Crops."
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Pot Shopping In Delightful Dolores Park ('San Francisco Chronicle' Columnist
Scott Ostler Walks A Mile In The Shoes Of San Francisco Residents With AIDS
And Other Serious Medical Conditions Who Have Been Endangered
By The Closure Of The Cannabis Healing Center)
Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 14:36:44 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US CA: Column: Pot Shopping In Delightful Dolores Park
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: tjeffoc@sirius.com (Tom O'Connell)
Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Page: A3
Contact: chronletters@sfgate.com
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Author: Scott Ostler
POT SHOPPING IN DELIGHTFUL DOLORES PARK
HERE WE ARE in lovely Dolores Park, trying to score some weed.
The medicinal marijuana clubs are being closed down by Dan Lungren and the
feds, so even if a person has a prescription and the blessing of
California's electorate to seek herbal relief from pain and suffering, he
or she must hit the streets to buy the pot.
Where do they go? Many of the clubbers mention Dolores Park. The name comes
up so often, I've come to think of the place as Reefers R Us.
Let's see what it's like to go pot shopping in San Francisco.
It's midday, and isn't this a lovely rectangle of the city? It's green and
terraced, with nice trees and a playground and tennis courts, a swell view
of the skyline. A streetcar track runs along one side of the park, under a
bridge, giving the park the feel of a quaint model-train layout.
Hardly a body in the park. A couple dog-walkers, a man pushing a cart
filled with cans and bottles.
So! Who will sell me some mota -- killer weed?
What is the etiquette? If I see a likely drug dealer, do I approach him or
her? Or would that make me seem too eager, thus driving up the price?
But how will they know to approach me? Do I look like a pot shopper?
Maybe I should have worn a backwards baseball cap.
I ask two park gardeners if they know where I can find some cannabis dealers.
``They're usually around,'' one gardener tells me. ``The cops chase 'em out
and the neighbors are active in putting pressure to keep 'em out, but
they're like locusts.'' ------
Some members of Dennis Peron's pot club have given me an idea of what I can
expect venturing into the free market.
``One woman in Dolores Park approached me with a bag of weed in her hand,''
Jonathan says. ``When I acted like I wanted to buy it, she got out her
handcuffs and threw me down on the ground. She was a cop, told me to stay
out of the park.''
So that's one situation best to avoid.
I know I'll have to pay top dollar. In the clubs, pot goes for about $5 for
an eighth of an ounce, good for about six joints. On the street it's
$40-$65.
``I just paid $50 for a bag of oregano in Civic Center,'' a glum former
clubber says. ``You get a lot of bum weed. Lot of pesticides, and it's
always short (of the advertised weight).''
The pot gets messed with by dealers. Your buds might have been steamed in
Pepsi to make 'em heavier and seem sweeter, and the Pepsi'd stuff is murder
on the lungs. Moldly pot is common.
Then there's the danger.
``You have to go up to a stranger and pull out 65 bucks,'' Mary says.
``They want their money up front, so they take it and you don't know if
they're going to come back. Or he might just grab your money and run. Or
pull out a gun and take the money.''
Where is the Better Business Bureau while all this is going down?
Remember, the people who need pot for medicine tend not to be your Dirty
Harry types. It's a vulnerable group. ------
Well, there doesn't seem to be much action in Dolores Park today. But wait,
as I stroll past a storage shed I see three young men huddling. One holds a
bag of something, another has a fistful of cash, fanned out like a poker
hand.
Frankly, I am reluctant to intrude on their scene by calling out, `` 'Scuse
me, fellas, can I get a piece of that action?''
So I saunter on. As I reach the street, a car screeches to a stop and a
young man jumps out and strides past me, in a hurry, into the park.
In the bushes I see three more young men, moving about as busily as
squirrels, as if searching for something or someone.
Most of these fellows are wearing similar jackets. Members of a softball
team, perhaps?
They cast furtive glances at me, and I'm starting to sense that if I really
was desperate to buy pot here, I would not feel very much at ease.
I'm thinking that if I were sick with cancer/glaucoma/HIV/whatever and had
a prescription, there must be a better way to get my medicine.
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New SB 2048 Passes Senate - Start Calling And Faxing Assembly Members
(California NORML Says It's Time To Start Calling Legislators
And The Governor To Support A California Senate Bill To Reform The State's
'Three Strikes' Mandatory Minimum Law, Which Falls Particularly Hard
On Marijuana Offenders)
To: dpfca@drugsense.org
From: canorml@igc.apc.org (Dale Gieringer)
Subject: DPFCA: 3 Strikes Reform Bill passes Senate: start faxing
assemblymembers
Reply-To: dpfca@drugsense.org
Subject: New SB2048 passes Senate: start calling
and faxing assembly members
Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 10:59:57 -0700
Hey everybody,
The new SB2048 passed the Senate yesterday by a 21 to 15 vote. Call and fax
Assemblymembers as soon as possible and tell them to vote "yes" on the new
SB2048. In addition, we should probably start calling and faxing Governor
Wilson's office.
By the way, I'm not disappointed in the new bill. I just wanted the original
SB2048 to be voted on at least one time so all the Senators who have told us
"off the record" they are in favor of the original bill, would once again
have had to go against their conscience to play the "political" game.
Steve Birdlebough, a lobbyist with Friends Committee on Legislation, should
be congratulated for pushing the new language of the bill into Vasconcellos'
office. He proposed this idea a month or so ago and asked if we thought it
would be a good idea (we said "yes"). Steve has been our inside person for
us in Sacramento and has been doing a good job for us (even though we do not
pay him).
What is interesting about this vote is that Lockyer who has usually been
gruff with us and consistently told us he was against the original SB2048
voted "yes" and Calderon who told one of us he would vote "yes" on the
original SB2048 ended up voting "no" on the new bill I guess now we should
think about voting for Lockyer for Attorney General again.
Take care,
Doug Kieso
The vote in the Senate was as follows:
***
AYES
***
Alpert, Ayala, Burton, Costa, Dills, Greene, Hayden, Hughes,
Johnston, Karnette, Kopp, Lockyer, O'Connell, Peace, Polanco,
Rosenthal, Schiff, Sher, Solis, Vasconcellos, Watson
***
NOES
***
Brulte, Calderon, Haynes, Hurtt, Johannessen, Johnson,
Kelley, Knight, Leslie, Maddy, McPherson, Monteith,
Mountjoy, Rainey, Wright
***
ABSENT, ABSTAINING, OR NOT VOTING
***
Craven, Lewis, Thompson, Vacancy
***
Dale Gieringer (415) 563-5858 // canorml@igc.apc.org
2215-R Market St. #278, San Francisco CA 94114
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LSD Threat Called Hoax ('Standard-Times' Says The 'Blue Star'
Urban Myth Has Resurfaced In New Bedford, Massachusetts)
Date: Sat, 30 May 1998 00:28:27 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US MA: LSD Threat Called Hoax
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: John Smith
Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998
Source: Standard-Times (MA)
Contact: YourView@S-T.com
Website: http://www.s-t.com/
Author: David Rising, Standard-Times staff
LSD THREAT CALLED HOAX
NEW BEDFORD -- It sounds like every parent's worst nightmare.
Depraved drug dealers are selling LSD to school children in the form of
press-on tattoos that sport either blue stars or pictures of Bart Simpson,
Superman, Mickey Mouse and other cartoon characters.
But the seemingly nefarious plot to get youngsters hooked on hallucinogens
is a hoax. And quite a prolific one, at that.
Commonly called the "Blue Star Hoax," the warning has surfaced in the last
17 years in New York, California, North Carolina, and Texas, to name a few
states, and as far away as South Africa, Italy and Germany.
"This Blue Star LSD is a false rumor and it is believed to have started in
1981," said Agent Pamela Mersky of the Drug Enforcement Agency's New England
Field Division in Boston.
"Hundreds of incidents of this Blue Star hoax have been documented."
Now there is another one.
Recently, a student at the Campbell Elementary School brought in a leaflet
warning of the drug's distribution, and gave it to Principal Mario Jardin.
Alarmed by the message, Mr. Jardin copied the leaflet and sent it home with
his students. It seemed like the right thing to do.
"It appeared to be extremely legitimate, and a couple of years ago we had a
warning like that as well," Mr. Jardin said. "It's terrible when you can't
believe anyone anymore."
He said he will soon be circulating a new memo explaining the situation.
But the Blue Star hoax didn't die at Campbell Elementary.
The warning, in an abbreviated form, found its way to the cable access
television bulletin board on channels 17 and 18, and has been shown for the
last week or two.
Yesterday, when informed it was a hoax, the station manager said it would be
taken off the air immediately.
The Blue Star-LSD warning is a hoax that plays on people's earnest desire to
warn others of great peril -- much like the rampant Internet virus warnings
telling people not to open e-mail slugged "Good Times" or the like.
"This is a new way of selling drugs by appealing to young children!" the
pamphlet reads.
It tells parents that a form of tattoo called "Blue Star" is being sold to
school children. The tattoo is a small piece of paper soaked in LSD, it
says, which can be absorbed through the skin through handling.
There are other brightly colored paper tattoos, the pamphlet goes on, that
resemble postage stamps and have the pictures of popular cartoon characters.
"If your child gets any of the above do not handle them," the pamphlet
reads. "These are known to react quickly and some are laced with strychnine."
The warning is attributed to J. O'Donell of the Danbury Hospital in Connecticut.
A secretary with the hospital's out-patient chemical dependency department
said yesterday that the hoax had been around for at least 10 years, and the
hospital just wished it would go away.
"The only information I have is that there is no association of a J.
O'Donell with the hospital, and there is no validity to the pamphlet," she said.
Like most urban legends, there is a thread of truth to the "Blue Star" hoax.
According to the DEA, LSD has been known to have been distributed on
"blotter" paper stamped with Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters.
That LSD is ingested, however, not absorbed through the skin.
As of 1996, no LSD-tattoo incidents had been documented in the United
States, Agent Mersky said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Nutritional Benefits Of Hemp Seeds (From The May Issue Of 'Hemp' Magazine)
Date: Thu, 28 May 1998 22:23:04 -0400
To: DrugSense News Service
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Nutritional Benefits of Hemp Seeds
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: John E. Dvorak, Managing Editor, Hemp Magazine
Source: Hemp Magazine
Author: Ann Fleischmann (ann@foodart.org)
Pubdate: May, 1998
Contact: boston.hemp@pobox.com
Editor's note: In a first for this service, Mr. Dvorak has supplied us with
a number of articles from the current issue of Hemp Magazine. We will
distribute some over the next few weeks. We would welcome similar
submissions from other magazines. A number of articles from past issues of
Hemp Magazine are available at http://www.marijuananews.com/hemp.htm
-- Richard Lake, Sr. Editor, DrugSense News Service (rlake@mapinc.org)
NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF HEMP SEEDS
by Ann Fleischmann
May 29, 1998
From the May Issue of Hemp Magazine
The seed of the hemp plant is one of the most nutritious foods available to
humans and animals. It is a complete protein source, containing all of the
essential amino acids. It is also an ideal source of the two essential
fatty acids (EFA).
Nutrients are considered essential when they are necessary for health but
cannot be made by the body. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain them from
the foods in our diet. There are about 50 essential nutrients for human
health, including: 2 essential fatty acids (fats), 8 essential amino acids
(proteins), 13 vitamins, 20-21 minerals, a source of energy (calories),
water, oxygen, and light. Foods usually contain some, but not all, of the
nutrients we need, which is why variety is the spice of life. Deficiencies
in the essential nutrients are detrimental to health, and they are
surprisingly common among affluent nations. Over 60% of North Americans get
less than the recommended daily amount of one or more essential nutrients.
This is because affluent nations consume large amounts of highly processed
foods, including refined flour, rice, sugar, and fats. The refining
processes strip away most of the vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty
acids, leaving the calories without the nutrients. Affluent nations also
consume more animal foods in relation to plant foods, which can also cause
imbalances in essential nutrients. (1)
In our bodies, essential amino acids and EFAs work together synergistically
to produce life's energies. They combine to form lipoproteins which make up
the cell membranes of every cell in our bodies. Lipoproteins also form the
hemoglobin in our blood and move fats through our bodies. To maintain
healthy bodies, it's important to balance our intake of protein and
essential fatty acids. The average North American consumes too much protein
and not enough EFAs to balance them out, which can lead to protein
toxicity. Increasing EFAs in the diet can decrease the toxicity of extra
protein, and also reverse many of the common health problems we have today,
including heart disease and cancer. (1)
The hemp seed is a rare source of plant food because it contains all of the
essential amino acids in an easily digestible form, plus both of the
essential fatty acids in the ideal ratio for human health. This is why some
populations have been able to survive on hemp seeds alone during times of
famine. (2)
Protein
The number of vegetarians and meat-reducers in this country is steadily
increasing, bringing an increased demand for good sources of plant protein.
In the past, government recommendations led people to believe that animal
foods were required in order to get complete proteins. We now know this to
be false; plant foods can easily provide all the protein we need.
Populations all over the world maintain excellent health by eating plant
based diets. North Americans actually consume 2-3 times the recommended
daily allowance (RDA) for protein, and the RDA represents over twice as
much as our bodies actually need. The RDA for protein for a 174 pound male
is about 63 grams; for a 138 pound woman about 50 grams. Nutritionists and
health professionals now consistently recommend the health benefits of
diets high in plant foods (grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and
seeds) and low in animal products.
There are a few plant foods that are excellent sources of complete
proteins, containing all the essential amino acids in a single source. The
most commonly used is the soybean. Soybeans can be made into many different
foods to replace animal products in the diet, and are a staple food for
many people.
Hemp seed is another great plant source of complete proteins, considered
equal or superior to soy protein. (2) Hemp seeds have a delicious, nutty
flavor, and can be made into a vast array of different products. These
include: hemp seed oil, hemp milk, hemp tofu and tempeh, hemp cheese, hemp
ice cream, hemp flour, hemp beer, and more. Whole hemp seeds contain about
23% protein; dehulled seeds contain around 30-31%. (8) Dehulled hemp seeds
have the outer fibrous shell removed, which is done to make products like
hemp milk, cheese, and tofu. Hemp seeds contain all 8 essential amino acids
for adults, plus three other amino acids that are considered essential for
children and infants. Table 1 lists the protein breakdown for a typical
batch of hemp seeds.
Another benefit of the protein in hemp seeds is that it contains the
highest amount (65%) of edestin protein among plant seeds. (2,3) This is a
form that is easily digested and utilized by the body. Edestin is a type of
globular protein, classified by their globe-like shapes. All enzymes and
antibodies in the body are globular proteins, as are many of the proteins
found in blood and hormones. These proteins carry out many of the important
life functions in our bodies. (3) Animal feeding studies have found that
edestin proteins are capable of serving as the sole source of protein in
animal diets. (2) Because of their high quality protein, hemp seeds were
used like soybeans for premium cattle feed in the United States, until they
became unavailable in the 1950's. As more people are getting more of their
protein from plants, it makes sense to look at the plant foods that provide
the best nutrition for other herbivores.
Fat
Fats, or fatty acids, come in many different forms. Natural fatty acids are
either saturated, monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated, depending on the
number of double bonds in the molecule. Saturated fats have no double
bonds, making them straight chain molecules which tend to stick together.
An excess of saturated fatty acids in the diet can cause diseases of the
heart and arteries. (1) Monounsaturated fats have one double bond, which
makes the shape of the molecule slightly bent. These fats have less
tendency to stick together and are more fluid at body temperatures.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids have more than one double bond, so they are
even more bent in shape and more fluid, or less sticky. The ratio of these
fats in our diets is important; polyunsaturated fats in the diet help to
fluidize the saturated fats so our bodies can effectively transport and
process them. (1)
Of all of these natural fats, only two are essential in our diets, and they
are both polyunsaturated. Linoleic acid (LA) has two double bonds and is
also know as the omega-6 fatty acid. Alpha-linolenic acid (LNA) has three
double bonds and is known as the omega-3 fatty acid. The fact that these
two fats are essential in our diets is dangerously ignored in America
today. Americans have caught on to the fact that high amounts of some fats
can cause health problems, but the rush to eliminate harmful fats from the
diet has lead to a low-fat craze where any and all fat is viewed as taboo.
The truth is that we absolutely need the essential fats in our diet every
day; health problems come from eating too much of the wrong fat, and too
little of the right fat. (1)
Many of the diseases that afflict developed nations, including heart
disease and cancer, have shown dramatic increases in the last century.
Researchers are now recognizing that the increases in these diseases
probably correspond to overall changes in our diets; especially the
consumption of processed fats and excessive amounts of animal products.
Many of our current health problems are thought to be related to fatty
degeneration diseases, which come from eating too much bad fat and not
enough good fat. The topic is too large to cover in this article, but an
excellent source for the complete story on fats is "Fats that Heal, Fats
that Kill" by Udo Erasmus. (1)
One of the problems with our current dietary fat is that the ratio of
saturated fat is often too high. The main source of saturated fat is animal
products, while plants are high in mono- and polyunsaturated fats. The
second problem with dietary fat is our heavy consumption of refined and
processed fats. These fats usually start off with good sources of plant
oils, high in polyunsaturates. However the processes used to make them more
shelf-stable can convert them from nutrients into toxins. (1)
Because essential fatty acids contain two or three double bonds, they are
inherently unstable, and easily react with heat, light, and oxygen. These
reactions can convert them from healthy molecules into unhealthy ones. In
order to obtain oil that is nutritious, plant seeds should be processed
with great care in the absence of heat, light, and oxygen, then stored in
opaque bottles at reduced temperatures. Unfortunately, the processing of
most commercially available oils is the exact opposite. Manufacturers are
concerned with making fats and oils more stable, so they have a long
shelf-life and can be stored for up to a year without turning rancid. They
often subject natural oils to severe processing with high heat and
chemicals, with no care to exclude light or oxygen. These processes remove
the unstable molecules, which, unfortunately, are also the nutrients. The
end result is drastic changes in our fats. Refined oils have had many of
the nutrients stripped away, and some toxic compounds can be formed. A
worse case is partially hydrogenated oils, where almost all of the
nutrients are removed with the formation of large amounts of unnatural
molecules that can be extremely toxic to our bodies, including high amounts
of trans-fatty acids. Trans-fatty acids were once essential fatty acids
whose double bonds have been morphed into a form that is not usually found
in nature. These fats are no longer bent in shape and no longer function in
the roles of essential fatty acids, but instead function like saturated
fats. Margarines and shortenings are partially hydrogenated oils, and most
contain high amounts of trans-fatty acids. (1)
Neither monounsaturated nor saturated fats are essential in our diets
because our bodies can make them from the essential fatty acids. We use
them primarily for calories. EFAs, on the other hand, have many vital
functions in the body, including the oxidation of food into life energy,
oxygen transport, and the formation of the molecules in blood and cell
membranes of every cell in the body. EFAs, especially LNA, are often
deficient in the diets of North Americans, due to our consumption of highly
processed, refined fats and animal fats. Deficiencies in EFAs can lead to
deficiency symptoms (see Table 2) and contribute to fatty degeneration
diseases. The reintroduction of these nutrients into the diet can reverse
these conditions. We require the essential fatty acids at minimum amounts
of 1-2% of the calories in our diet to prevent deficiency disease.
Researchers such as Dr. Andrew Weil and Udo Erasmus believe that the
optimum amounts of EFAs are much higher, and both recommend the health
benefits of including hemp seed oil in the diet (1,5). Optimum amounts of
the two essential amino acids are in the range of 9-18 grams or about 1
tablespoon for LA, and between 2-9 grams or 1-2 teaspoons for LNA. (1)
The oil of hemp seeds is an ideal source of the two essential fatty acids.
The seeds contain about 35% oil. The oil contains about 75-80% essential
fatty acids. Hemp seed oil is also the only oil which has these two EFAs in
the ideal ratio for human health: 3 parts LA to 1 part LNA. (1,5) Hemp seed
oil typically contains 56.9% LA and 18.9% LNA. (7) The daily addition of
1-2 tablespoons of hemp seed oil in the diet can provide all the essential
fatty acids needed for optimum health. Hemp seed oil production is
increasing because of it's health benefits, so better care is taken to
process virgin hemp seed oil that is cold pressed in the absence of heat,
light, or oxygen. However, it is always best to look into the processing
methods of individual oil producers.
Hemp seed oil is also one of the few plant sources of gamma-linolenic acid
(GLA). This is a polyunsaturated fatty acid that can be made by the body
from LA, however, production of GLA may be impaired due to stress or aging,
and dietary GLA is thought to be beneficial for preventing or treating
certain health conditions, (6) including premenstrual syndrome (PMS). (8)
The fatty acid breakdown of hemp seed oil is listed in Table 3.
Nutrition experts such as Dr. Andrew Weil and Udo Erasmus are strong
supporters of the therapeutic benefits of including hemp seed oil in the
diet. (1,5) But hemp seeds are valuable for more than just the oil. The
seeds contain about 35% oil high in essential fatty acids and 23% complete
plant protein, and can be grown organically. Hemp improves the soil and
helps reduce pests. All of these factors make hemp an ideal food crop, not
only for a diet which sustains our health, but also for agriculture which
sustains the health of our planet.
Table 1: Protein Breakdown of Hemp Seeds (7)
Amino Acid mg/g seeds
Phosphoserine 0.9
Aspartic Acid 19.8
Glutamic Acid 34.8
*Threonine 3.7
Serine 8.6
Proline 7.3
Glycine 9.7
Alanine 9.6
*Valine 3.0
Cystine + Cysteine 1.2
*Methionine 2.6
Cystathionine 0.9
*Isoleucine 1.5
*Leucine 7.1
Tyrosine 5.8
*Phenylalanine 3.5
*Tryptophan 0.6
Ethanolamine 0.4
*Lysine 4.3
**Histidine 2.5
**Arginine 18.8
* essential amino acids
**essential for children
Table 2: Symptoms of Fatty Acid Deficiencies (1)
LA Deficiency Symptoms
eczema like skin eruptions
loss of hair
liver degeneration
behavioral disturbances
kidney degeneration
excessive water loss through the skin accompanied by thirst
drying up of glands
susceptibility to infection
failure of wound healing
sterility in males
miscarriages in females
arthritis-like conditions
hearth and circulatory problems
growth retardation
LNA Deficiency Symptoms
growth retardation
weakness
impairment of vision & learning disability
motor incoordination
tingling sensations in arms & legs
behavioral changes
high triglycerides
high blood pressure
sticky platelets
tissue inflammation
edema
dry skin
mental deterioration
low metabolic rate
some kinds of immune dysfunction
Table 3: Fatty Acid Breakdown of Hemp Seeds (7)
Component Name
Carbon Chain
% of Total Chain Fatty Acids
Palmitic Acid C16:0 6.1
Palmitoleic Acid C16:1 0.3
Heptadecanoic Acid C17:0 0.2
Stearic Acid C18:0 2.1
Oleic Acid C18:1 12.0
*Linoleic Acid (LA) C18:2 56.9
*Linolenic Acid (LNA) C18:3 18.9
Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) C18:3 1.7
Arachidic Acid C20:0 0.5
Eicosenoic Acid C20:1 0.3
Behenic Acid C22:0 0.3
Erucic Acid C22:1 0.2
Lignoceric Acid C24:0 0.3
Nervonic Acid C24:1 0.2
*essential fatty acid
C18:0 has 18 carbons in a chain and no double bonds - (saturated).
C18:1 has 18 carbons and 1 double bond - (mono-unsaturated)
LA, LNA and GLA have 18 carbons and 2 or 3 double bonds
(polyunsaturated)
REFERENCES:
(1) Erasmus, U. 1993. Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill. Alive Books. 7436
Fraser Drive, Burnaby, BC, Canada.
(2) Jones, K. 1995. Nutritional and Medicinal Guide to Hemp seed.
Rainforest Botanical Laboratory. P.O. Box 1793, Gibsons, BC, Canada V0N 1V0.
(3) Osburn, L. 1992. Hemp Seed: The Most Nutritionally Complete Food
Source in the World : Part One. Hemp Line Journal, Vol 1. No. 1., pp14-15.
(4) Osburn, L. 1992. Hemp Seed: The Most Nutritionally Complete Food
Source in the World: Part Two: Hemp Seed Oils and the Flow of Life Force.
Hemp Line Journal, Vol. 1 No. 2, pp12-13, 21.
(5) Weil, A., 1993. Therapeutic hemp oil. Natural Health, March/April,
pp10-12.
(6) Deferne, J. and Pate, D., 1997. Hemp Seed Oil: A Source of Valuable
Essential Fatty Acids. Hemp Magazine, Oct, pp19-20.
(7) Das, A. Original Sources. Boulder, CO.
(8) Rose, R. Rella Good Cheese Co., Santa Rosa, CA.
Copyright 1998 Hemp Magazine. Redistributed by The Media Awareness Project
of DrugSense by permission.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Operation Casablanca's Sting (A Translation Via 'World Press Review'
Of A Political Column In Mexico City's 'Reforma' Which Says
What Is Surprising About The Exchanges Between The United States
And Mexico In The Aftermath Of The Sting Is Not The Arrogance
Of The US Government But The Unusual Vigor Shown By President Zedillo
In Protesting US Violations Of Mexican Sovereignty)
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 01:28:21 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Mexico: Operation Casablanca's Sting
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Marcus-Mermelstein Family (mmfamily@ix.netcom.com)
Source: Reforma (Mexico) (via World Press Review)
Website: http://www.reforma.com.mx/
Pubdate: Tue, 14 Jul 1998
From Reforma, May 29, 1998 Published in World Press Review, August, 1998
Page 48
OPERATION CASABLANCA'S STING
In Operation Casablanca, billed as the biggest international sting
operation in history, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
charged three of Mexico's largest banks with laundering millions in drug
money for Mexican and Colombian cartels. Mexican officials called it a
national insult: Whatever the banks had done, they said, Mexican
authorities should have been informed of U.S. police activities in their
territory. Here political Adolfo Aguilar Zinser expresses his anguished
ambivalence about the incident. - WPR
Until the U.S. launched Operation Casablanca to catch money-launderers in
Mexico, President Ernesto Zedillo had never been so stung by U.S.
violations of Mexico's sovereignty. After issuing a cautious diplomatic
note, Zedillo followed up in very concrete and undiplomatic language,
publicly charging the U.S. government with giving its agents free rein in
Mexico without informing Mexican authorities.
Far from offering an apology. President Bill Clinton told Zedillo he was
awfully sorry to have to treat Mexico in this way but his government could
not inform ours about its covert operations, and these operations would be
repeated as often as necessary in Mexico and anywhere else in the world. A
State Department spokesman added that Mexico should worry less about
formalities and more about actually combating drug trafficking.
What is surprising about these exchanges is not the arrogance of the U.S.
government but the unusual vigor shown by Zedillo in this case. Instead of
taking refuge in diplomatic niceties, Zedillo insisted that the two
countries seek a way to restore sovereignty through a commitment by the
U.S. to respect binational agreements on the exchange of information and to
punish U.S. agents who have violated the law. Foreign Minister Rosario
Green says that the Americans have been asked for detailed information
about their operations in Mexico. So far, the demands by Mexican officials
have had little substance. They are like the daredevil stunts of a
bullfighter trying to impress the crowd. Does the Foreign Ministry really
believe that the U.S. Justice Department is going to humbly hand its agents
over to Mexican authorities so that the offending agents can serve time in
prison?
U.S. agents in Mexico enjoy complete immunity from prosecution by Mexican
authorities. If a DEA agent were to be detained by a Mexican officer, the
Camarena syndrome would explode all over again, and the U.S. government
would accuse Mexico of kidnapping. [U.S.-Mexican relations hit a low in
1985, when DEA agent Enrique Camarena was killed in Guadalajara. The U.S.
accused Mexican officials of collaborating with drug dealers in Camarena's
murder. -WPR.] It is absurd to talk about protecting sovereignty through
actions that the Mexican government will never dare to take.
If Mexico had any guts, it would stop observing bilateral agreements on
information exchange. Secondly, it would suspend ratification of additional
protocols to the extradition treaty signed by both countries. And thirdly,
Mexico would ask the U.S. to recall all of its police agents stationed in
Mexico. Surely some of those agents were involved in Operation Casablanca.
But it will be hard to prove it or to detain them for investigation.
Zedillo's government lacks the political credibility to defend its
sovereignty. The reason that the U.S. claims it is necessary to maintain
the secrecy of its covert anti-drug operations is the risk that if the
Mexican authorities find out, those actions would be sabotaged by the
corruption prevailing in the Mexican government and the complicity of the
police with drug traffickers. In other words, the only way to guarantee our
sovereignty is to leave no doubt about the capacity of our political
institutions to combat corruption on their own. The Zedillo administration
is not doing that.
Much has been written recently about why the U.S. gave full media exposure
to the results of a covert operation that has overstepped its bounds and
threatened the entire Mexican financial system, a system that the U.S.
itself has spent billions shoring up. For many Mexicans, the motives for
Casablanca are questionable. Little has been said, however, about what may
have suddenly inspired Zedillo to react with such patriotic zeal. Would it
be wrongheaded to suspect that the president's defense of our sovereignty
is not very sincere either, that his real motive is to conceal the
corruption thriving at the highest levels of power in Mexico? The lack of
credibility and moral authority of our government isthe true enemy of our
sovereignty.
-- Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, "Reforma" (independent), Mexico City, May 29, 1998
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Halton Drug Raid A Bust (Columnist Andrew Dreschel
In 'The Hamilton Spectator' In Ontario Says Halton Police Spent About $6,000
To Mount The Recently Disclosed Drug Sting At Oakville's
General Wolfe High School, But The Total Street Value Of The Marijuana,
Hashish And Magic Mushrooms Seized In The Two-Month Covert Investigation
Is Only About $1,000 - Not Much Bhang For The Buck)
Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 22:04:13 -0400
To: DrugSense News Service
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Canada: Halton Drug Raid A Bust
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org
Source: Hamilton Spectator (Canada)
Section: Local News A1 / Front Page
Author: Andrew Dreschel
Contact: letters@spectator.southam.ca
Website: http://www.southam.com/hamiltonspectator/
Pubdate: Fri 29 May 1998
HALTON DRUG RAID A BUST
High school sting only netted $1,000 in pot, hash and mushrooms
It cost Halton police about $6,000 to mount the recently disclosed drug
sting at Oakville's General Wolfe High School.
But the total street value of the marijuana, hashish and magic mushrooms
seized in the two-month covert investigation is only about $1,000.
Pardon the pun, but that's not much bhang for the buck, particularly since
the operation raises troubling questions about the invasion of young
people's privacy and rights.
Police say the single biggest drug purchase made by the undercover cop, who
posed as a student, was $125. The average buy was about $20.
In the war against drugs, that's the equivalent of shooting a spit ball
into the face of a hurricane, especially when you consider the measly
seizures were spread out among 14 students.
Despite the penny ante nature of the haul, police believe the operation
scored big.
They not only laid trafficking charges against 14 teenagers, they think
they've got an effective deterrent on their hands. The idea is to make all
school dealers worry that their next sale might be to a narc.
Too bad the price tag for the initiative includes using deceit and
deception in an institution that's supposed to instill positive social
values as well as educate the young.
Neither Halton police nor the Halton District School Board, whose
co-operation made the sting possible, are apologizing for the aggressive
investigation.
``Not everyone agrees with what we did, but we can live with that,'' says
police spokesman Sergeant Frank Phillips.
``We're making the public and students aware that trafficking is going on
and that people are going to have to be accountable for their actions.''
Tom Adams, principal of both General Wolfe and White Oaks high school, says
as many as 10 parents have called to express their support for the sting,
and the majority of his students feel the same way.
He says negative reaction from a small number of students who personally
know some of those charged is already softening.
Adams acknowledges he had some moral qualms about allowing secret police
surveillance in his school. But he believes the vast majority of students
who aren't doing anything wrong have nothing to fear.
There's no question that drug use by students is a troubling issue for
police, parents and school officials who are justifiably worried it may be
hampering learning and contributing to crimes such as break and enters.
But the use of undercover officers in school is no less disturbing than
bringing drug-sniffing dogs into schools, another aggressive tactic used by
Halton police.
Police and school officials may have the very best of intentions, but we
don't judge people by their intentions, we judge them by their actions. And
these kind of actions demean all students by treating them with less
respect than adults.
Imagine the outcry if it came to light that other publicly funded
institutions were employing the same heavy-handed tactics. Imagine
undercover cops masquerading as employees in hospitals, universities,
colleges and government offices.
Picture your reaction if you found out your private sector boss is
permitting undercover operatives to scope out potential drug action in your
workplace.
Would you still take the view that if you've done nothing wrong, you've
nothing to fear? If so, ask yourself how you feel about urine tests in the
workplace. If you've done nothing wrong, why would you object to them, either?
It's always easier to sacrifice someone else's privacy and rights than our
own. Maybe that's why some people don't think twice about the ethics of
sending an undercover cop into a high school.
After all, doesn't the end justify the means?
As a matter of fact, it doesn't. It's the other way around. The means
always justify the end, for adults and teenage students alike.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Helicopter Giants Battle Over Colombian Drug Missions ('Defense Daily' Version
Of A Previously Reported Story About How Military Suppliers Influence
How The War On Some Drugs Will Be Carried Out)
Date: Sat, 30 May 1998 01:05:55 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US: Helicopter Giants Battle Over Colombian Drug Missions
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: isenberd@DynCorp.com (Isenberg, David)
Source: Defense Daily
Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998
Section: Pg. 4
Author: Chuck Steele
HELICOPTER GIANTS BATTLE OVER COLOMBIAN DRUG MISSIONS
While Congress and the State Department quarrel over the release of $36
million to equip the Colombian National Police (CNP) with three UH-60L Black
Hawk utility helicopters, Sikorsky [UTX]--the manufacturer of the UH-60--and
Bell Helicopter Textron [TXT] are scuffling over the appropriate mix of
helicopters needed to fly counter-drug operations in the beleaguered nation.
Though the issues related to helicopter support for the CNP's counter-drug
operations were supposed to have been resolved late last year, the State
Department's current reluctance to spend the $36 million Congress earmarked
for the CNP has led to another round of acrimonious debate.
On Capitol Hill, a vocal and powerful segment of Congress is adamant that
the money be spent on the purchase of the three Black Hawks and all that has
been deemed necessary for their support.
Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-N.Y.), Chairman of the House Committee on
International Relations, sent Thomas Pickering, the Under Secretary of State
for Political Affairs, a letter late last month both imploring him to
provide the CNP with Black Hawks and warning him of serious consequences
should the administration refuse.
In the letter Gilman plainly urged Pickering to provide the CNP with
helicopters that are more capable than Colombia's Bell UH-1s. "It makes no
sense to merely upgrade 40-year-old equipment that is already grounded or
not operating, and which cannot survive crashes or ground fire as well as
the Black Hawk," he wrote.
Additionally, Gilman warned Pickering and the Clinton administration that
the $36 million would have no other use if it is not to be expended on the
Black Hawks. According to Gilman, "[i]f the Administration continues to
block the delivery of Black Hawk helicopters, I will exercise my option to
hold the obligation of any State Department reprogramming requests dealing
with $36 million provided in the FY 1998 foreign operations appropriations
bill."
One Congressional source is confident that the impasse will be resolved in
favor of fielding the Black Hawks--because he believes the UH-60s are the
best equipment for the task.
"When you have a limited number of good men who are trained and capable of
flying in hostile combat conditions, fighting our fight for our kids, we
ought to give them the best equipment we can," the source said.
Despite Hueys having played a major role in shutting down a right-wing
paramilitary drug production lab recently--the lab was believed to be
capable of producing 70 tons of cocaine annually--there are many that feel
that in any configuration the single engined UH-1 lacks the power and
durability to afford the CNP an adequately broad range of operations.
Though not opposed to fielding Hueys, particularly in the improved Huey II
configuration, many people close to the issue contend there are too many
missions that tax the Hueys to the edge of their performance envelopes.
The Huey II is the product of a combined Bell and AlliedSignal [ALD] effort
that upgrades the UH-1Hs engine from the problematic T-53-L-13B
configuration to that of the T-53-L-703. The Huey II also derives better
performance from corresponding upgrades to the transmission, gearbox, rotor
blades, tail boom and drive system.
Once modified the Huey II improves its maximum weight from 9,500 to 10,500
pounds and provides an increase of 400 shaft horsepower (shp) to 1,800shp.
In contrast the UH-60L is equipped with two General Electric [GE] T700-701C
engines that provide 1,890shp each and can operate at a maximum weight of
22,000 pounds.
However, procuring the more powerful Black Hawk is also a more expensive
proposition than purchasing the upgrade kits for the Hueys--a point Bell has
seized upon in an attempt to reap benefits from the latest governmental impasse.
Recently a briefing document with the heading of "Huey II the 7-to-1
advantage" was obtained by sister publication Helicopter News. In that
document Bell advocated the procurement of seven Huey IIs for each of the
three UH-60s sought by the CNP and the leadership of the House Committee on
International Relations.
Bell contends that both the Huey II and the Black Hawk are capable of flying
the same counter-drug missions.
Furthermore, Bell promotes the procurement of 21 Huey IIs as being the more
cost effective solution to the problems faced by the CNP. According to Bell,
Huey IIs offer a 7:1 advantage in procurement costs and a 5:1 advantage in
operating costs (figures disputed by Sikorsky). Concluding "[i]t all adds
up. The Huey II meets all operational requirements at one-seventh the cost
of the Black Hawk."
Sikorsky and other sources close to Congress, however, see major differences
in the capabilities of the two aircraft. According to a Sikorsky response to
Bell's 7:1 document, "Bell Helicopter's attention to the issue of price in
its competition with Sikorsky is the only tactic available to them, since
the topics associated with function/performance all favor the BLACK HAWK.
Further, when lower price delivers equipment with limited capabilities such
as the Huey II--equipment that is incapable of meeting the scope of CNP
mission requirements--then Bell's argument is one of false economy."
One contention of Sikorsky's is that Bell is said to have attempted to
"limit" debate by giving consideration only to operations requiring Hover In
Ground Effect (HIGE) takeoffs. "If Hover Out Of Ground Effect (HOGE)
takeoffs are considered, both the UH-1H and the upgraded Huey II lose a
substantial portion of their useful load (fuel + payload capability). The
BLACK HAWK will also have a lower useful load capability, but it still
retains enough payload and fuel capability to do the mission," Sikorsky said.
As an example, Sikorsky maintains that in operations requiring HOGE takeoffs
the Huey II would only be able to fly seven troops a distance of 120
nautical miles, while the UH-60 could carry twice as many troops the same
distance.
A further contention of Sikorsky's, and an important consideration for those
hearing the debate on Capitol Hill, is that the UH-60 provides greater
crashworthiness and ballistic protection. According to Sikorsky, "[a]n
upgraded Huey II helicopter still suffers from the same combat deficiencies
inherent in the original UH-1 discovered in Vietnam at a high cost in human
lives. These deficiencies led to the US Army's fielding of the BLACK HAWK to
replace the UH-1." Specifically, Sikorsky touts the UH-60's crashworthiness
by citing that it provides crashworthy seats for the CNP whereas Huey II
does not and that the Black Hawk is "survivable" in crashes with impact
occurring at 50 ft/sec as opposed to 35 ft/sec for the UH-1.
Additionally, Sikorsky lauds the ballistic resistance of the UH-60.
According to Sikorsky, "[b]oth the UH-1 and Huey II are incapable of
providing the levels of battlefield survivability that the BLACK HAWK offers
in the hostile environment in which the CNP perform their drug interdiction
mission. The BLACK HAWK is the first US Army production helicopter designed
from its inception to minimize ballistic vulnerability. The designed-in
ballistic survivability has been optimized and proven through extensive
testing and actual combat damage."
In a "vulnerable area comparison," provided by Sikorsky, the UH-60 is shown
to be 100 percent less vulnerable than the UH-1 to 7.62mm munitions, 94
percent less vulnerable to 12.7mm threats and 82 percent less vulnerable to
threats posed by weapons firing projectiles as large as 23mm.
In the estimation of one Capitol Hill source, the survivability of the UH-60
is its most endearing quality--particularly as 40 percent of CNP helicopter
missions are said to draw ground fire.
For now, the debate is likely to amount to little more than posturing
between Bell and Sikorsky, as sources close to both Congress and Sikorsky
consider the most plausible course of action being the fielding of the three
Black Hawks.
However, even if the State Department opts to give the CNP the three UH-60s
they are asking for, the debate is likely to resurface in the near future.
Bell, it would seem, is correct in stating that three UH-60s will not be
enough to meet the needs of the CNP.
Both Sikorsky and the CNP have stated that six Black Hawks would be far
better for the war on drugs than three.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The $500 Million Drug Gang ('The Herald Sun' Describes An Australian Group
Who Organized The World's Biggest-Known Illegal Amphetamine Business,
With Laboratories In Queensland And Victoria, Supplied With Chemicals
And Equipment Smuggled In From China)
Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 21:52:51 -0400
To: DrugSense News Service
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Australia: The $500m Drug Gang
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Ken Russell
Source: Herald Sun (Australia)
Contact: hseditor@ozemail.com.au
Pubdate: Fri, 29 May 1998
Author: Keith Moor
THE $500M DRUG GANG
VICTORIAN truckies and bikies were the major buyers of drugs from an
Australian gang running the world's biggest-known amphetamine operation.
The gang churned out "speed" worth almost $500 million from hi-tech
laboratories in Queensland and Victoria.
Most of the chemicals and equipment used to make enormous batches of pure
amphetamine were smuggled in from China.
Detectives busted the syndicate just days before members were due to ditch
their life of crime and invest the massive proceeds in legitimate businesses.
They had elaborate money laundering schemes in train and some had
well-advanced plans to set up a merchant bank.
Syndicate leader and expert amphetamine "cook" Allan Barrow intended
fleeing to China, where he had invested in expensive residential property
and planned to set up a glass factory in Shanghai.
Barrow, 45, was yesterday jailed for 20 years after the Queensland Supreme
Court in Brisbane was told he had perfected the art of producing
amphetamine powder.
Investigators who raided the gang's laboratory in the inner Brisbane suburb
of Newstead were stunned to discover 178kg of pure amphetamine - with a
street value of $284million - laid out on long tables.
Interpol and Australian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence records seen by the
Herald Sun reveal the haul was the world's second-biggest, behind 280kg
seized at the port of Ramsgate in England on July 7, 1995.
But records kept by Barrow and his Victorian partner-in-crime, Donald
Vinall, reveal a further 127kg was made and sold from gang labs in 1994-95,
making their operation the biggest detected.
The snowy-white powder produced by Barrow - who learned the craft after
being asked for help by the operator of a Melbourne drugs lab - was the
most highly prized type of amphetamine.
Genuine amphetamine is so hard to make that most speed sold on the street
is actually methamphetamine, a relative of the real thing.
Even most of the genuine amphetamine sold is amphetamine sulphate.
Amphetamine phosphate is prized by users because it is highly soluble in
water - making it much easier to prepare for injection than inferior and
more common forms of amphetamine.
Crown prosecutor Peter Ridgeway told the Queensland court amphetamine in
Australia was usually cut down to about 5 per cent pure for sale at street
level at $80 a gram, giving the 305kg of pure amphetamine produced by
Barrow and Vinall a potential street value of $488million.
"That is the magnitude of this operation," Mr Ridgeway said.
"This is the largest amount of amphetamine on record to the knowledge of
any worldwide law enforcement agency."
The arrests of various gang members, including Barrow and Vinall, 40, were
engineered by a joint task force code-named Operation Chinook. This
comprised officers from the Victorian and Queensland police forces and the
Melbourne and Brisbane offices of the National Crime Authority.
Barrow's first amphetamine-making experience was in Victoria, in
partnership with former truck driver Garry David Maguire at Maguire's home
in Woodstock Rd, Wallan East.
The Wallan East lab equipment was moved to Queensland in mid-1994 after
Maguire became worried the lab was about to be discovered.
Task force investigators were able to establish the gang had organised
numerous distributors in Melbourne, particularly within motorcycle gangs
and the trucking industry.
Vinall, who was born in Yallourn and worked in the transport industry for
15 years, told the task force that Melbourne Hells Angels gang member Sonny
Otene was a major buyer, and truckies from Victoria and Queensland were the
other big customers.
"Nine out of 10 drivers I know take drugs," Vinall said in a statement to
the NCA.
Det-Insp. Ross Barnett, the chief investigator in the Brisbane NCA office
said during the investigation that Otene bought bulk pure amphetamine on
behalf of motorcycle gangs.
"Amphetamine is the favored drug of outlaw motorcycle gangs, both for
personal use and more importantly, to cut and on-sell to make money," said
Det-Insp. Barnett, who is now with the Queensland Crimes Commission.
"Vinall and Maguire had made a business arrangement to provide pure
amphetamine to Otene, who had a ready market through the Hells Angels. The
only pressure the Angels was putting on them was they wanted to have a
continuous supply."
The NCA's Melbourne operations manager, Robert McAllan, said much of the
amphetamine produced by the gang at its two Queensland labs ended up in
Victoria.
"The bikies were taking a fair slice of the production and Maguire and
Vinall both had extensive contacts in the Victorian trucking industry," he
said.
Victorian task force members raided Otene's luxury home in Yan Yean Rd,
Yarrambat, on October 17, 1994, and seized 15kg of pure amphetamine powder
with a street value of $24 million.
Otene, 47, was found guilty at trial in the Victorian County Court last
year to one charge of possessing and two of trafficking amphetamines. He
was jailed for nine years, with a minimum of seven.
Vinall, of Raby Bay, Queensland, pleaded guilty to trafficking amphetamines
and on September 13, 1995, was sentenced to 12 years' jail with a
recommendation of parole after five years because he agreed to give
evidence against other gang members.
Maguire, 60, of Wallan Rd, Whittlesea, has pleaded guilty to one count each
of possessing and trafficking amphetamines. He is due to be sentenced in
the County Court on June 29.
A judge will sentence Maguire only in respect of the charges to which he
has pleaded guilty.
Barrow, of Boyd St, Bowen Hills, Brisbane, pleaded guilty to charges
arising out of an amphetamine lab at Doggett St, in the inner Brisbane
suburb of Newstead, and not guilty to charges in relation to another lab at
Dayboro on Brisbane's north-western outskirts.
A Queensland Supreme Court jury this week found Barrow guilty of producing
amphetamines at both labs in 1994-95 and Justice John Helman yesterday
sentenced him to 20 years for each of three charges and 15 years on the
fourth charge.
Justice Helman ordered the sentences be served at the same time.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
[End]
to 1998 Daily News index for May 28-June 3