------------------------------------------------------------------- NORML Weekly News (Canadian Government Health Agency Calls For Decriminalizing Marijuana; French Government Report Says Marijuana Poses Less Dangers Than Alcohol; Military Judge To Rule On Third Hemp Seed Oil Case In Seven Months) From: NORMLFNDTN@aol.com Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 17:14:38 EDT Subject: NORML WPR 6/18/98 (II) The NORML Foundation Weekly Press Release 1001 Connecticut Ave., NW Ste. 710 Washington, DC 20036 202-483-8751 (p) 202-483-0057 (f) www.norml.org normlfndtn@aol.com June 18, 1998 *** Canadian Government Health Agency Calls For Decriminalizing Marijuana June 18, 1998, Toronto, Ontario: The simple possession of marijuana should no longer be a criminal offense, concluded a recently released Canadian government report. "The available evidence indicates that removal of jail as a sentencing option would lead to considerable cost savings without leading to increases in rates of cannabis use," determined researchers at the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) National Working Group on Addictions Policy. The CCSA report, "Cannabis Control in Canada: Options Regarding Possession," further advises the government to replace current federal law criminalizing the possession of marijuana with a "fine only" option. "The civil violation option offers the best opportunity to achieve the most appropriate balance between the need to reduce the harms associated with cannabis use and the need to restrain the cost and harms involved in attempts to control use," researchers concluded. "It would remove cannabis possession from the criminal law, preclude imprisonment due to failure to pay fines, and eliminate the criminal record consequences of a conviction." The new policy would remain consistent with Canada's international treaty obligations to discourage marijuana possession, and mimic the laws of ten U.S. states that have decriminalized offenses involving the simple possession of marijuana. The report noted that criminalizing marijuana seemed to have little effect on an individual's decision to use the drug. "The enforcement of current law against cannabis possession has a very limited deterrent effect," the authors stated. "Cannabis use remains high despite a high level of law enforcement and there is no clear relationship between changes in enforcement and levels of illicit drug use over the past several decades." Finally, the study found that Canadians strongly supported decriminalizing marijuana. "The vast majority of Canadians no longer favor jail sentences for simple possession of cannabis," researchers declared. Despite funding the CCSA policy paper, the Canadian government remains hesitant of any proposal to relax the country's marijuana laws. "Moving too swiftly to liberalize the use of marijuana may result in an inability to control problematic use in the future," stated Health Department officials in a memo obtained by the Ottawa Citizen. "Virtually every federally commissioned report ever examining the issue of marijuana and the law recommends decriminalization," said Allen St. Pierre, Executive Director of The NORML Foundation. "It is time for governments to begin implementing the recommendations of the very commissions they appoint." The CCSA was created by Parliament in 1988 to promote debate on substance abuse issues and to support organizations involved in drug prevention and treatment. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in Canada, with possession accounting for about half of the estimated 60,000 drug offenses recorded annually. By comparison, American law enforcement arrested almost 550,000 individuals for possession of personal amounts of marijuana in 1996. For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of The NORML Foundation @ (202) 483-8751. The CCSA report is available from The NORML Foundation upon request or on-line at: http://www.ccsa.ca/canfinal2.htm. *** French Government Report Says Marijuana Poses Less Dangers Than Alcohol June 18, 1998, Paris, France: Smoking marijuana poses less of a threat to public health than the regular consumption of alcohol, determined a French government commissioned report Tuesday. "The report again shows that the basis [for policies prohibiting marijuana] is totally wrong," spokesman for the Greens party announced in a prepared statement. The party is calling for a federal review of the nation's drug policies. Marijuana has low toxicity, little addictive power, and poses only a minor threat to social behavior, researchers at the French medical institute INSERM concluded. The report identified alcohol, heroin, and cocaine as the drugs most dangerous to health. Tobacco, psychotropic drugs, tranquilizers, and hallucinogens were placed in a second, less harmful group. Marijuana was classified in a third category of substances defined as posing relatively little danger. "This federally commissioned report concludes, just as the World Health Organization did earlier this year, that marijuana smoking does less harm to public health than drink and cigarettes," said Allen St. Pierre, Executive Director of The NORML Foundation. Junior Health Minister Bernard Kouchner said that the report's findings would not encourage the federal government to consider decriminalizing the simple possession of marijuana. He called the report "toxicologically correct but politically wrong." Kouchner's office paid for the INSERM study. For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of The NORML Foundation @ (202) 483-8751. *** Military Judge To Rule On Third Hemp Seed Oil Case In Seven Months June 18, 1998, New Orleans, LA: A military administrative law judge will rule shortly on whether to acquit a Coast Guard engineer of charges that he smoked marijuana after hearing evidence that the consumption of legal hemp oil may cause and individual to test positive for the drug on a urine test. The case marks the third time in seven months that a military serviceman has raised the "hemp oil defense" to challenge a positive drug test. Both prior rulings found in favor of the defendants. Christopher Dresser, 38, said that the regular consumption of a hemp seed oil nutritional supplement caused him to test positive for marijuana on a November drug test. He denies that he smoked marijuana. "There is little doubt that the ingestion of some legal hemp oil products will cause one to test positive on a urine test shortly after consumption," explained NORML Publications Director Paul Armentano. A series of studies conducted this past summer and reported in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology indicated that regular users of the oil may test positive for low levels of THC. Those studies, along with two recent acquittals of military officers, prompted some within the drug testing industry to call on Congress to amend federal law to prohibit the possession and sale of hemp products. Tulane University Law Professor Julian Murray, a former federal prosecutor who testified during the hearing, said that a government ban on the oil would eliminate the confusion on drug tests. NORML board member Don Wirtshafter, Esq. of The Ohio Hempery, who has followed this issue closely, criticized any forced regulation on the American hemp industry based upon concern from drug testing companies. "This is not a health issue," he said. "To me the onus is on the drug testing industry and the employers. They are the ones putting out a faulty product that is not able to differentiate between the legal consumption of hemp products and the illegal consumption of drugs." Hemp health products, such as hemp seed oil, are sold commercially in nutrition stores across the nation and consumed for their high concentrations of amino and fatty acids. For more information, please contact either Paul Armentano or Allen St. Pierre of The NORML Foundation @ (202) 483-8751. Don Wirtshafter may be contacted @ (740) 662-4367. - END -
------------------------------------------------------------------- Minutes Of Portland NORML Board And Advisers Meeting (A Summary Of The Meeting Last Night) Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 15:06:00 -0700 (PDT) From: Anti-Prohibition Lg (aal@inetarena.com) To: "Portland N.O.R.M.L. Subject: Board & Advisers Meeting Notes, 6/17 Portland N.O.R.M.L. Certified chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Thursday June 18, 1998 From: Floyd Landrath, Secretary To: Terry Miller, Director re: Board & Advisers Meeting notes from 6/17 meeting cc: Perry Stripling, Dona MacPherson, Shasta Hatter, & membership email and fax list Hello everyone, 1. Oregon State Fair: TD will coordinate volunteers, Dona M will assist him and be available for most of the fair's run (8/22 - 9/7). WE NEED A LARGE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS FOR THIS EVENT, PLEASE CALL TD AT 777-9088 TO SCHEDULE. Perry is working on having the chapter's web pages available on a stand-alone computer. Voter Power (John Sajo) contributed $750 to complete the fund raising needed to secure our place at the fair. Thank you John. 2. A "members only" picnic is scheduled for Saturday, July 25. Call 777-9088 to make a reservation for you and your family. This event is only open to members whose dues are paid up (*). 3. Anne Pierce (sp?) is a prison activist and will be our guest speaker at the July general meeting, 7:30p.m., Wednesday 7/22 at the Phantom Gallery (3125 SE Belmont in Portland). This event is free and open to the public. Floyd volunteered to write a press release after he gets details from TD. 4. Outstanding issue with impending computer move and finding a new server for the chapter's state of the art web pages (www.pdxnorml.org). Perry and Phil Smith continue to work this issue and will keep the board appraised. 5. June 19 benefit: we have been informed this is a "no smoking" venue, Perry volunteered to make and post signs to that effect. Board agreed better communication between them and organizers was needed to avoid any misunderstandings. It was noted that we need at least 160 people to attend and clear the cost which has been put up by Shasta Hatter out of her own pocket. There was some confusion about financial commitments, but the board agreed Shasta should be reimbursed off the top. 6. We need a new newsletter editor. The board identified several items for next issue but needs someone to gather, edit and layout the newsletter. Hope was expressed we might find a volunteer at next week's general meeting. 7. The Secretary, Floyd Landrath, requested the Treasurer, Dona MacPherson, to develop regular financial reporting for the board. She agreed to work on this and have something set up by the next board meeting. 8. There was unanimous agreement that the event called WHEE2, a very commercial 'hemp festival' sponsored by High Times magazine was not the type of event Pdx NORML wanted to associate with, nor do we have any interest whatsoever in accepting the event organizer's offer of a free booth in exchange for working for them at this event. 9. Promoters of 'Eco-Fest 3' have invited us to set up a booth but we have not identified a trained volunteer to head it up. We'll keep looking. 10. No on M57: Board requested Floyd to represent the chapter at the first meeting on Sunday 6/21. Floyd agreed but noted it would only be for this meeting as he had to also represent the American Antiprohibition League within the forming coalition. Thank you. Floyd. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- How to contact Portland NORML: phone: 503-777-9088 email: pdxnorml@pdxnorml.org web: www.pdxnorml.org post: 4218 SE Glenwood, Portland, OR 97206 (*) -- Membership dues are $20 per year.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Drug Test Reliability (Dr. Dean Edell, The San Francisco Television Medical Reporter And Syndicated Radio Show Host, Interviews Another Doctor Who Has Investigated The Reliability Of Urine Tests, And Who Says They Are So Often Inaccurate That Thousands Of People Have Been Denied Employment Unfairly) Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 04:11:11 EDT Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org Reply-To: ltneidow@voyager.net Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org From: ltneidow@voyager.net (Lee T. Neidow) To: Multiple recipients of listSubject: Drug Test Reliability From Dean Edell M.D., San Francisco: Drug Testing for Jobs Could Ruin Your Life Applying for a new job? Well, along with your resume...you'll no doubt be handing over your bodily fluids in a pre-employment drug test. 80% of major corporations have climbed aboard the urine drug test bandwagon to screen job applicants. But, how accurate are they? Well, one doctor has investigated this issue and says they are so often inaccurate, thousand of people have been denied employment unfairly. Drug testing expert Kent Holtorf says, "Basically in some labs, over 50% of positives are false positives because of lab error." Even in the best lab, you may flunk a drug screen without taking drugs. Poppy seed bagels & rolls top the list...but most people don't realize how long these seeds can make you positive for heroin and morphine. Dr. Holtorf: "A single poppy seed bagel will cause your opiod level to go up to 38 times the cut off level and be positive for up to three days." Perhaps the most common problem, though, is legal drugs. In fact, I think you'd be amazed at the number and variety of medications that will make you test positive on a drug test. Things like nasal sprays can make you positive for amphetamines. Sleeping pills can do it, as well as Tylenol with codeine, Vicodin can turn you positive for opiods. Even something simple like some vitamins can make you positive for marijuana. The list goes on and on...but, it doesn't stop there. Go to a party where someone else is smoking marijuana, you'll test positive longer from the second hand smoke, than if you'd actually smoked a joint. Dr. Holtorf: "The low level constant absorption from 2nd hand mj smoke will cause the fat soluble thc to accumulate in the tissues and will actually be excreted longer period than for brief periods of active smoking." If you think hair testing for drugs is the answer, think again. Dr. Holtorf says, hair testing is racist because drugs are absorbed more easily into the hair of blacks. Holtorf: "For an equal dose, an African American will incorporate 50 times more metabolite than a Caucasian." Since the results of drug testing can destroy your life, these tests should be as perfect as any medical test...and often they are not.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Drugs And Police Corruption (Four Pro-Reform Letters To The Editor Of 'The Los Angeles Times' Respond To Two Recent Articles) Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1998 00:12:39 -0400 To: mapnews@mapinc.org From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) Subject: MN: US CA: PUB LTEs: Drugs And Police Corruption Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ Newshawk: Jim Rosenfield Pubdate: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 Source: Los Angeles Times (CA) Contact: letters@latimes.com Fax: 213-237-4712 Website: http://www.latimes.com/ DRUGS AND POLICE CORRUPTION It seems as if the war on drugs causes crime more than it helps people ("Illegal Drug Scene Spurs Rise in Police Corruption," June 13). First we've had to deal with increased theft and robberies so people using drugs can afford to buy them, with their increasing cost. Now we have to deal with corruption from police officers, too. Wouldn't it be better if the police were away from drugs and out helping to stop violent crimes such as rape and murder? If we ended the war on drugs, our lives would be much safer. Black market prices would be eliminated and drug-related theft would be reduced, violent criminals wouldn't need to be released early from prison to make room for nonviolent drug offenders and police would be focused on stopping and solving violent crimes. MARY MENOS Garden Grove *** It was truly chilling to read about armed police plotting and carrying out robbery, murder and embezzlement while ostensibly enforcing drug abstinence. The carte blanche, Constitution-be-damned ground rules of drug war enforcement have facilitated, almost invited, these abuses. It's shocking to read of a fivefold increase of police corruption convictions in four years. Even if this means police are policing themselves better, it's likely that those caught, as in all crimes, remain a small fraction of those involved in such corruption. As long as there are huge revenues at stake in criminalized pleasure drugs, there will be an endless line of lawbreakers on both sides of the police chase. Only by replacing the profit-guaranteeing prohibition system with civil regulation will the profits and attending corruption subside. PAUL M. BISCHKE, Co-Director Drug Policy Reform Group of Minnesota, St. Paul *** The article especially struck a nerve with me because I am a citizen of New Orleans, and as your article explained, corruption has been a problem here for years. Our status as a major port city is like a lighthouse for drug smugglers who bribe our police officers for "protection." The result has been a deep disrespect for, distrust of and cynicism toward the New Orleans Police Department. The black market for drugs that has led to police corruption has caused many citizens to fear the police. Our ineffective laws have done far more damage than drugs themselves ever could. WILL ELKINS New Orleans *** Re "The Drug War: a War on Poor, Lower Classes," Column Left, June 11: Alexander Cockburn's column points out the deep-rooted problem with initiating an honest debate on drug policy reform. The lingering question is, what do we do? We have allowed our government to operate on the basis of fear and lies. And, as demonstrated by the aftermath of Prop. 215, politicians are no longer interested in truth or the will of the people. The issue of drug policy is bipartisan in its ignorance; therefore, we are stuck with a failed position and no politicians open to change. GREGORY HANDEVIDT San Diego Copyright Los Angeles Times
------------------------------------------------------------------- Agents Seize 1,000 High-Grade Plants, Make Four Arrests ('The Modesto BeeŽ Covers The Bust Of A Marijuana Greenhouse In South Modesto Disguised As A Welding Shop - Police Say One Of The Suspects Sold 2.2 Pounds Of Cocaine And A Pound Of Marijuana To Undercover Agents) Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 10:28:15 -0800 To: mapnews@mapinc.org From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) Subject: MN: US CA: Agents Seize 1,000 High-Grade Plants, Make 4 Arrests Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World) Pubdate: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 Source: Modesto Bee Contact: http://www.modbee.com/man/help/contact.html Website: http://www.modbee.com/frontpage/index/0,1112,,00.html Author: Jeff Jardine and Daryl Farnsworth Bee staff writers AGENTS SEIZE 1,000 HIGH-GRADE PLANTS, MAKE 4 ARRESTS Drug agents filled a U-Haul van with more than 1,000 marijuana plants, $20,000 in specialized lighting and watering equipment, and 41/2 pounds of ready-to-sell drugs seized Wednesday from a facility in south Modesto. The marijuana greenhouse had been disguised as a welding shop. The plants, at maturity, could have produced at least $5 million worth of packaged marijuana, said Art Longoria, an agent with the state Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement. Agents began investigating a statewide money-laundering scheme six months ago and it led them to Modesto, said Sgt. Doug Leo of the Stanislaus Drug Enforcement Agency. Four people were arrested Wednesday and two suspects remain at large, Leo said. One of the suspects sold 2.2 pounds of cocaine and a pound of marijuana to undercover agents during the investigation, Leo said. "Through surveillance, they determined the other players who were involved and came up with the other locations," he said. Search warrants were issued for 10 local sites -- four addresses in Modesto, four in Turlock and one each in Ceres and Oakdale. At 8 a.m. Wednesday, agents raided portions of a commercial building at 509 Winmoore Way, south of Hatch Road. They seized 1,042 high-grade marijuana plants, the finished product and expensive cultivation equipment from two neighboring rental spaces. The spaces were rented as a welding shop by one of the suspects still at large, Leo said. Utility bills provided one of the signs of illegal activity, Leo said. Instead of being in the predictable $400 to $500 range each month, "one month it was $1,000 and another it was $1,500." The building contained four 40-by-10-foot tables holding marijuana plants. The plants averaged about 16 inches tall and were growing under a water-cooled halogen lighting system, Longoria said. "They had everything you'd need for a successful indoor grow and, as you can see, they had a successful indoor grow," Leo said. The plants, which produce a high-quality seedless grade of marijuana known as sinsemilla, are believed to have been imported from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Longoria said. Marijuana typically has a street value of $600 to $800 per pound, he said. Sinsemilla, however, sells for about $5,000 per pound. He estimated that each plant would have produced at least a pound of finished marijuana. He said the $5 million estimate is conservative, because some of the plants would have produced more than a pound each. It was the one of the larger indoor marijuana busts on record, Leo said. The four people arrested on cultivation and conspiracy charges were: Bryan Joseph Packnit, 27, and his wife, Melissa Packnit, 22, both of Turlock; Guilherme Bettencourt DeSousa, 29, of Modesto; and Paul Alan Dompeling, 24, of Turlock. Wednesday afternoon, the agents went to 657 Armstrong Way in Oakdale. In Suite B, they reported finding similar equipment and evidence of a marijuana harvest, but no plants. The suite had been rented by Dompeling as a dairy equipment repair shop but contained no dairy equipment, Leo said. Tuesday, Stanislaus drug agents seized a ready-to-cook drug lab -- capable of producing about $1.2 million of street-value methamphetamine -- in Empire, Leo said. Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Department crews, routinely following up on a May 13 fire at 5200 South Ave., came upon the lab and notified the county drug agency. The lab was inside one of two World War II-era Army barracks at a labor camp. Agents said they found flasks and materials used in the production of methamphetamine. Jose Gonzalez Aguilar, 49, who owns the property, was booked on manufacturing and other charges. Agents said cleanup costs at the Empire site would exceed $25,000.
------------------------------------------------------------------- San Francisco Teens Trying High-Nicotine `Bidi' Cigarettes ('The San Francisco Chronicle' Says A New Survey Conducted By Students At Booker T. Washington Community Service Center In The Western Addition And Galileo High School Suggests 58 Percent Of Those Surveyed At Four City High Schools Had Tried Strawberry Scented Cigarettes Imported From India, Shaped Like Marijuana Joints) Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1998 01:31:39 -0400 To: mapnews@mapinc.org From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) Subject: MN: US CA: S.F. Teens Trying High-Nicotine `Bidi' Cigarettes Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ Newshawk: tjeffoc@sirius.com (Tom O'Connell) Pubdate: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA) Section: A23 Contact: chronletters@sfgate.com Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/ Author: Sabin Russell, Chronicle Staff Writer S.F. TEENS TRYING HIGH-NICOTINE `BIDI' CIGARETTES Strawberry scented cigarettes, shaped like marijuana joints and spiked with extra nicotine, are being sampled at an alarming rate by San Francisco teens, a new survey shows. The cigarettes, called ``bidis'' -- also ``beedies'' and ``beadies'' -- are manufactured in India and are widely available in grocery stores in paper-wrapped bundles of 20 for as little as $1.25 a pack. Results show that 58 percent of students surveyed at four city high schools had tried bidis at least once and that two-thirds knew someone under the legal age of 18 who had purchased them. ``I knew a lot of people were smoking them, but I didn't know the numbers were so high,'' said Frederick ``Junior'' Johnson, 16, a McAteer High School student who has worked on the project since February. The study found that 40 percent of the 461 students surveyed smoked bidis more than once. ``It's been out there, but it is growing into a bigger problem,'' said Johnson. The survey was conducted by young people themselves: Five teenagers at the Booker T. Washington Community Service Center in the Western Addition and two students at Galileo High spent 10 months on the project. Ebonne Smith, project coordinator for the community center, said teenagers found bidis widely available, particularly in the Western Addition, Haight, and Tenderloin neighborhoods. Smith's young investigators found that the required Surgeon General's warning label was missing on seven out of 10 packs of bidis and that young teens who tried to buy the products succeeded 24 percent of the time. As a result, the youth center filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission last month against the makers of the cigarettes. ``They said they are looking into it,'' said Smith. Representatives of the Federal Trade Commission could not be reached for comment. Bidis are a particularly potent form of tobacco, sold inexpensively. According to Susana Hennessey of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, each bidi, hand-rolled in a brown leaf called tendu, contains 7 to 8 percent nicotine --compared with 1 to 2 percent in American cigarettes. A reporter picked up six packs of bidis from a Union Square market for $2.50 each. ``Yes, they are very popular, particularly among the teenagers,'' a clerk volunteered. Bidis have been on the American market for at least 40 years. But as American cigarette prices rise and young people search for new fads, the crudely rolled cigarettes from India are a growing trend. ``It's an issue of peer pressure,'' said Johnson. ``It is kind of like clothes. You see somebody wearing something you like and you want to wear something like it too.'' Maurice Evans, 16, said the bidi manufacturers add flavors to make the harsh tobacco more appealing. ``They've got strawberry, chocolate, mango and vanilla,'' he said. Evans said he knows one friend who has smoked 20 packs of bidis. ``He's addicted to them. He wouldn't listen. It went in one ear and out the other.'' 1998 San Francisco Chronicle
------------------------------------------------------------------- Sixteen Sentenced In Idaho's Top Pot Bust ('The Oregonian' Says Illegal Immigrants From Mexico Who Planted The Biggest Marijuana Crop Ever Discovered In Idaho Relocated There To Avoid Paying A Bribe Of $10 Per Plant) Date: Sat, 20 Jun 1998 03:38:41 -0700 From: Paul Freedom (nepal@teleport.com) Organization: Oregon Libertarian Patriots To: Cannabis Patriots (cannabis-patriots-l@teleport.com) Subject: CanPat - 16 SENTENCED IN IDAHO'S TOP POT BUST! Sender: owner-cannabis-patriots-l@teleport.com Profits cutting bribes in Mexico prompted the growers to transplant their crop near the Oregon border, authorities say. by Stephen Stuebner special writer The Oregonian 6-18-98 - transcribed by Paul Freedom-- BOISE---Illegal immigrants from Mexico planted the largest marijuana groves discovered in Idaho to avoid paying high bribes in Mexico, officials with the U.S. Attorney's office said Wednesday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Lindquist, who summarized the initial outcome of the largest marijuana bust in Idaho's history, said the growers confessed that they moved their operations into Idaho to avoid paying $1,000 per 100 plants to Mexican authorities. They called the bribe fees "mordida" in Spanish, or "the bite." "They started to feel it in their pocketbook, so they moved their operations to California and Idaho, where the only risk was getting caught," Lindquist said. "It's a good indication of how we're affected in Idaho by the narcotics trade below the border." The Mexican growers set up a dozen well-hidden marijuana groves in the thick underbrush in the foothills of southwest Idaho, some of them just a few miles from Ontario, Oregon., and grew high-quality sinsemilla (seedless) pot, he said. Last summer, federal and state authorities seized 114,000 marijuana plants with an estimated worth of $26 million in groves stretching from the foothills of Weiser, Idaho, to Emmett, Idaho. Eighteen men---all illegal immigrants from Mexico, except for one Idaho resident---were indicted on federal felony charges of cultivating marijuana. Sixteen of the men have been sentenced in federal or state court in Idaho, some to 10 years of more. The only Idaho resident, Roberto Sandoval, 42, of Caldwell, fled from the United States after he was indicted and is still at large, Lindquist said. Another defendant, Juan Jesus Campos, 42, has been transported to Amarillo, Texas, to face drug trafficking charges. Fearing that "snitching" on growers who fled to Mexico after the big bust in Idaho might endanger their families back home, 11 defendants pleaded not guilty and are not cooperating with authorities, Lindquist said. That forced the U.S. Attorney's office to prosecute each defendant one at a time. All of the cases, except for one, resulted in convictions. Five defendants who did cooperate received lighter sentences of 30 months or less. Their testimony was invaluable in convicting the other defendants and in providing insight into how they managed the groves and marketed the pot, Lindquist said. Lindquist said he was amazed that the defendants did not cooperate and reduce their sentences by 80 percent. "It takes my breath away," he said. " They are worried that if they cooperate, their families would be harmed. It shows you how serious of a business it is." So far only two of the crew bosses who managed the operations and sold at least a portion of the crop have been convicted, Lindquist said. Crew boss Silvino Campos,26, of Nampa received the harshest sentence, about 22 years and a $1,000 fine. At Campos' sentencing hearing, the U.S. Attorney's office presented testimony that he tried to hire a to transport marijuana to another party for $10,000, according to federal and state drug enforcement authorities. Alfredo Sandoval was the other crew boss who was sentenced, Lindquist said. Sandoval received 16 years and a $1,000 fine. During trial, Lindquist said the growers indicated that they selected the remote foothills terrain in southwest Idaho because it resembled a setting in Florencia, Mexico. The other wise tiny foothills have tiny seeps and creeks that flow under thick brush, which provides excellent camouflage. The growers removed some of the brush to make space for marijuana plants, but kept some trees in place for cover and shade. Growers testified they made about $1,000 a week or $5,000 a month to grow pot in Idaho. The pot was sold in Idaho, Oregon, California and elsewhere by crew bosses and others, Lindquist said. It took three years before an anonymous source tipped off local authorities that drugs were being grown in the thickets. Others defendants and their sentences were: Gonzala Sandoval, 18, Caldwell, Idaho, 11 years in jail, $1,000 fine; Rodrigo Sandoval, 22, Callwell, 11 years in jail, $1,000 fine; Juan Francisco Ramirez, 26, Caldwell, 15-plus years in jail, $1,000 fine; Rafael Gonzales, 24, Caldwell, 10 years in jail, $1,000 fine; Roberto Cortez, 30, Caldwell, 10 years in jail, $1,000 fine; Jose Garcia, 29, Nampa, Idaho, 10 years in jail, $1,000 fine; Oscar Correa, 26, Nampa, 11-plus years in jail, $1,000 fine; Rubin Correa, 24, Parma, Idaho, 10 years in jail, $1,000 fine; Jesus Villa, 40, Mexico, 18 months in jail; Pascal Correa, 21, 30 months in jail; Isaias Flores, 20, Caldwell, 30 months in jail. Todocio Valdez and Roberto Valdez pleaded guilty to drug charges in Gem County , Idaho, and were sentenced in state court.
------------------------------------------------------------------- State Association Opposes Use Of Medical Marijuana (According To 'The Las Vegas Review-Journal,' Larry Matheis, Executive Director Of The Nevada Medical Association, Says The Group Opposes The Use Of Marijuana For Medical Reasons Until There Is Scientific Evidence It Helps Patients) Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 10:04:21 EDT Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org Reply-To: medmj@drcnet.org Originator: medmj@drcnet.org Sender: medmj@drcnet.org From: adbryan@onramp.net To: Multiple recipients of listSubject: ART: State association opposes use of medical marijuana 6-18-98 Las Vegas Review-Journal http://www.lvrj.com letters@lvrj.com *** Thursday, June 18, 1998 State association opposes use of medical marijuana As advocates push for a ballot item, one official questions if there's enough proof of marijuana's benefits. By Ed Vogel Donrey Capital Bureau CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Medical Association opposes the use of marijuana for medical reasons until there is scientific evidence it helps patients. Larry Matheis, executive director of the association, said Wednesday there are prescription drugs available now that alleviate the medical problems that marijuana is said to improve. Americans for Medical Rights filed petitions Tuesday signed by 70,155 Nevadans who want to vote in November to allow doctors to prescribe marijuana for sick people. "We obviously can't support the proposal," Matheis said. "There simply are better prescription drugs available." But the medical rights organization believes marijuana can help people with cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis and other ailments, and handle nausea, vomiting, chemotherapy and appetite loss. Matheis, however, questions whether there is enough evidence of marijuana's benefits. "There may be valid uses for marijuana, but there also are better alternatives already available," he added. Pharmaceutical companies even have developed a synthetic prescription drug, Marinol, that contains the active ingredient in marijuana. Nonetheless, Portland, Ore., physician Rick Bayer said some patients are unable to use the available prescription drugs, particularly because they are taken orally. "If patients have nausea and are vomiting, they can't use Marinol," said Bayer, who is pushing for a marijuana initiative to appear on Oregon's ballot this year. "They must inhale their medication. For them, marijuana may be the best medication. We don't think these patients should be rounded and put in jail." Bayer said the opposition to medical marijuana largely comes from pharmaceutical companies, such as Roxane Laboratories, the manufacturer of Marinol. By smoking marijuana, patients also can control the dosage they receive, something they cannot do with the current prescription drugs, according to Bayer. "Patients don't want to get high," he said. "They want to take as little as possible." Within the next couple of weeks, Secretary of State Dean Heller will determine if Americans for Medical Rights gathered enough valid signatures to place the proposal on the Nov. 3 ballot. County election workers first must count the signatures and then do sample checks to determine if enough are valid. The proposition needs at least 46,764 valid signatures to qualify. A minimum number of signatures must be found valid in all of the 13 Nevada counties where they were gathered. The proposal would require approval of voters this November and again in the year 2000 before doctors could prescribe marijuana. Matheis said during the election campaign season the Medical Association will serve as an information resource on marijuana. Doctors will be available to express their views. He added that Nevada doctors passed a resolution that called for scientific studies to determine whether marijuana should be used for medical reasons. Before such tests are completed, he said the doctors would oppose the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Bayer, on the other hand, said several tests have shown that marijuana is a more effective drug for nausea and chemotherapy for some patients. "You should look at it from the patient standpoint," he said. "He can't tolerate the first three drugs you gave him. It would make sense to have further choices available."
------------------------------------------------------------------- About Peter Wilson (A List Subscriber Asks You To Write A Letter In Support Of The Arizona Cannabis Activist - Sentencing July 6 In Phoenix) Subj: About Peter Wilson From: Jim Rosenfield (jnr@insightweb.com) Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 15:31:09 -0700 Fellow freedom fighter needs our help We need to help our fellow freedom fighter Peter Wilson by writing a letter to the sentencing judge. Ask your sympathetic friends to come out of the closet for the sake of Human Rights. Stand up and say hell yes I use cannabis and I am your doctor, judge, bus driver, garbage collector your brother and your sister. Pete's court date for sentencing is July 6th, 8:45 a.m. before Judge David Cole, Superior Court, Maricopa county. You might like to see Brenda Kershenbaum's Letter to Maricopa County Probation Department on behalf of Richard M. Davis http://hempmuseum.org/ltrtoprobation.htm write to : Judge David Cole Superior Court East Court Bld, 5th Floor 201 W. Jefferson Phoenix, AZ 85003 Phone No. (602) 506-5808 *** Here is what one hempster had to say about this situation: LIE WHEN YOU ARE CALLED FOR JURY DUTY! My case was lost when the judge weeded out any prospective jurors who truthfully said they would have problems convicting someone on marijuana charges. THIS IS WAR! Deception is appropriate game. Get on the jury. If any freedom fighters get called for jury duty, do what you must to stay on the jury. Honesty might get you thrown off the jury. *** My name is Peter Wilson. You may have heard or read something about me selling pot with a license(http://wise-up.com/HTML/taxrules.html ) issued by the state of Arizona. http://www.ecolution.com/azjudge.html http://hempmuseum.org/images/jpeg/barclay1.jpg http://hempmuseum.org/images/jpeg/barclay2.jpg http://hempmuseum.org/images/jpeg/wallstreetrd1.jpg This is my side of the story, as briefly as I can tell it. I came to offer my fellow human beings peace instead of war. For this, the mercenaries of the Drug War decided to crucify me. They tried to take 20 years of my life. The thought of peace to those who make their living off the War on Drugs was so frightening, they did everything in their power to put me behind bars for 20 years, NO WAY OUT, so that the public would never hear from this man of reason again. They came this close (thumb and forefinger held near) to succeeding. It was the most terrifying experience in my life. I am still in shock, knees shaky, stomach churning, emotionally in tatters, wondering why in the world I risked everything to bring a message of peace to a people in love with war. Here is how it began: In early 1990, a drunk threatened to take my life for asking him (in a somewhat intimidating manner) to turn down his blaring music at 3 in the morning. He was deadly serious, in a drunken rage and ready to kill me. I took a few steps back, and thought about my wife trying to raise my two young kids without me. As I tried to picture such a future, I saw a black cloud. It would not be good. As I contemplated being dead instead of alive, I heard God whisper to me, "Son, I want you to work to end the Drug War." I admit that up to that point, I had been somewhat skeptical about the idea of God, and felt like I had no real mission in life except to have fun. But I realized that the rest of my life was a gift, and that God wanted me to do something useful with what was left of it. I found out that Bill Green had just formed AZ4NORML, an Arizona chapter of NORML. I immediately joined and became an active supporter. In 1992, Bill decided to try to get a voter initiative on the ballot to legalize mj. He did a computer search on every law in AZ that mentioned mj or cannabis. There are about 40 such laws. We held a meeting at his house, and read every one, deciding which ones we wanted to change for the initiative. Among them was a tax law, requiring all cannabis dealers to become licensed by the state, and to pay a tax of $10 per ounce on all pot sold. Signature gathering was all voluntary, and by the July '94 deadline, we were still about 100,000 signatures short of having enough to get the initiative on the ballot. About a month earlier, the US Supreme court had declared that drug taxes were double jeopardy, and that states could not collect taxes on drug dealers after prosecuting them. It seemed to me that if I paid the tax first, then that should remove me from the jeopardy of prosecution. I bought a Cannabis & Controlled Substance Dealer's License from the state, and began selling pot for the first time. In February of '94, I realized my wife had Alzheimer's disease. She would be dying, but I didn't know when (she passed on in June of '96). She had always been argumentative, somewhat difficult to live with, but the disease made matters much worse. By the summer of '95, she had become so violent, I ended up calling the police. They came and arrested her, and charged her with domestic violence. A month later, I called the police again. She decided she didn't want to go to jail again, and tried to turn the tables by telling them I was selling pot, and showed them an ounce packaged for sale. They asked me about it, and I explained that I was licensed by the state to sell it. I showed them my license and the tax stamps. After some discussion, they gave me the pot back and left. Four days later, however, the narcotics unit of the Phoenix PD showed up at my door to arrest me. They seized about 1/2 ounce of pot, and enough stamps for a couple of pounds, and my license. They charged me with possession and paraphernalia. At the preliminary hearing, attorney Michael Waltz (working for free) made an offer of proof. Justice of the Peace John Barclays agreed with us, writing, "It would appear that...the legislature intended it to be lawful to posses marijuana..." My point exactly. Licenses are required for activities that are otherwise prohibited (hunting, fishing, driving...operating nuclear power plants). I renewed my license, and went back to selling. At AZ4NORML, our thinking was to keep the victory a secret among ourselves. Other people would become licensed and collecting tax for the state, too. We thought if we could get a bunch of dealers collecting a bunch of tax for the state, the people might just take a look at it, and say, Why not? At one point, about 150 people had bought licenses. It didn't stay secret for long. County attorney Richard Romley was incensed. He instructed the cops to arrest anyone with a license anyway. No one ever called the Department of Revenue to tell them to stop selling licenses and stamps. Several Californians (Richard Davis and Craig Ruben among them) http://hempmuseum.org/richd.htm bought licenses and created a media spectacle by selling pot openly at Super Bowl XXX, held in Tempe, AZ. Davis sold to an undercover cop twice and got arrested. Selling from the back of his traveling Hemp Museum, Davis was an easy target. The '96 legislature considered repealing the license and tax, but decided not to. Then George Soros and the Drug Policy Foundation bank-rolled prop 200, an initiative to allow doctors to prescribe mj and controlled substances for serious medical conditions, and to release people from prison doing time for simple possession. The initiative passed by a landslide. The Drug War mercenaries were furious. The mercenaries refused to follow this new law, also. They immediately announced that doctors who prescribed mj under prop 200 would be arrested under federal law. And besides, there was no legal source, even if someone did get a prescription. Yours truly immediately responded by announcing the contrary: there was already a legal source of mj--licensed cannabis dealers! This announcement made the front page of the Arizona Republic, Arizona's largest circulation daily. This was the last straw for the Drug War mercenaries. They circled for the kill. They sent an undercover cop to buy from me...twice. Then, just to make sure, they sent two bounty-hunters to my home, and after they left, the bounty-hunters reported back to the pigs that they had seen me bagging up pot with my son, Lyle, who was 11 at the time. Nice lie. If a jury believed that (and they almost did), Peter Wilson would be locked up for 20 years, NO WAY OUT. The mercenaries returned with a warrant, and in addition to finding the expected pot, confiscated a magic mushroom garden that I had growing in my living room. At this point, the story gets pretty complicated. The state knew that if I were allowed to tell my side of the story in court, a jury would acquit me. So they used the 20-year mandatory minimum as a figurative gun-to-the-head to scare me into plea bargaining, which would have quashed the tax-and-license defense forever. And, they delayed the trial over and over, so that any prospective jurors who might have read about me or seen me on TV would forget. The judge, the prosecutor and the cops were all working together to railroad me. My own high-priced lawyer, Charles McNulty (a NORML referral) pretended there was no conspiracy; the frame up was business-as-usual for him, and a very lucrative business at that. All four players in the courtroom--the judge, the prosecutor, the cop and my own attorney--had an unspoken agreement to do whatever it takes to keep the easy money of the Drug War coming. They operate on a simple principle: tell the truth as often as possible, but lie whenever necessary to keep the easy money coming in. To the inexperienced, it looks like they are telling the truth all the time. There was no way out. I had as much chance as a steer being led to the slaughter house. I fretted and fretted over how to get out of this situation that had no way out. As a court hearing on January 30th, 1998 approached, I was unable to sleep for days on end. Then, about 3 a.m. on the 30th, a most extraordinary thing happened. God, who had sent me down this path so many years before, stopped time for me, opened up the heavens, and took me aside on "the other side" for a good long conference. God "revealed" an extraordinary array of concepts. Overall, he is pretty fed up with the behavior of humans, and disappointed that so few people believe in or take seriously The One that created us. Later on, I wrote down much of the conversation. If you are curious about what God said, e-mail me (phoenix029@aol.com), and I'll send you a copy. If you do not believe in God and just want to trash it, do not bother. Some of it conflicts with "standard" religious doctrine; all I can say in defense of it is that it is as accurate as God wants it to be. Highlights include: God's plans for humans; a simplified set of rules he wants us to live by; some changes in the way he wants us to treat the earth we live on, and the animals we eat; his opinion on how government ought to be run. Anyway, back to the story: judge Alan Kamin ended up ruling that I could say nothing in my defense in court. I could not mention tax or license, medicinal or religious use of pot or magic mushrooms. Kamin ruled in the state's favor on every pre-trial motion. After questioning the bounty hunters, my lawyer opined that a jury would believe them, therefore I should plea-bargain. I realized I would have to cross-examine them myself, in order to beat the charge of involving a minor (the 20-year mandatory), in order to preserve a basis for an appeal. I ended up representing myself at trial. People think I must have been crazy to have represented myself. Maybe they are right. I know the law, and how to cross-examine, but the courts do not follow the law, and they do not allow you to question your accusers. You cannot even talk about the law in a court of law. Lawyers know this; they make no protest, because the lawlessness of the courts is their bread-and-butter. If judges upheld the law, most lawyers, drug lawyers especially, would have no jobs. Its enough to drive you crazy. At the trial, presided over by judge David Cole, I asked the prospective jurors if any of them considered themselves to be "brave." Not one hand went up. I had a sinking feeling right then: no one here but sheep. Stripped of all defenses, the outcome was basically a foregone conclusion. The jury was laughing in the jury room as they convicted me on 8 felony counts of mj possession and sale, and 1 felony count of "manufacturing" dangerous drugs (growing magic mushrooms). Then they went quiet, and deliberated for nearly 3 hours on the count of involving a minor, which they finally acquitted me of. That was June 2. The next day, while in the court office to pick up a copy of my conviction paper, I overheard judge Cole say to judge Kamin on the phone, "I was relieved...and so was Ms. Sanders (the prosecuting attorney)." Yes! Their jobs at the slaughterhouse are all safe! As I await sentencing (July 6th), I contemplate my role in life. With 9 felony convictions, by career as an engineer is probably gutted for good. The state is going to ask for a good, long sentence, so I probably will spend some time behind bars. On July 4th, people all over the nation will celebrate living in "the land of the free and the home of the brave." I cannot join them. I came to offer the people an alternative to War: taxation and regulation. The mercenaries tried to kill the messenger. I am still alive, but feeling beat to a pulp, and I certainly learned my lesson: do not try to talk peace to a nation that loves war. Peter Wilson
------------------------------------------------------------------- Cop Fired For Tipping Off Suspects ('Reuters' Says The LaVergne Police Department In Tennessee Has Fired A Sergeant For Allegedly Warning People Who Were About To Be Investigated Or Arrested For 'Drug' Offenses) Date: Sun, 21 Jun 1998 02:39:03 -0400 To: mapnews@mapinc.org From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) Subject: MN: US TN: Wire: Cop Fired For Tipping Off Suspects Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ Newshawk: Patrick Henry Pubdate: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 Source: Reuters COP FIRED FOR TIPPING OFF SUSPECTS LAVERGNE, TENNESEE-- The LaVergne Police Department has fired a sergeant for allegedly tipping off suspects. The police chief says former Sergeant Sam Spicer was warning friends who were about to be investigated or arrested on drug charges. The chief believes the tip-offs have been going on for years.
------------------------------------------------------------------- 75 Will Face Party Charges (The Richmond, Virginia, 'Times-Dispatch' Says 66 Students At The Collegiate School Will Be Charged With Underage Possession Of Alcohol, As Well As Nine Parents Alleged To Have Supplied Kegs Of Beer For The Graduation Party June 5 At Tuckahoe Plantation, The Boyhood Home Of Thomas Jefferson) Date: Sat, 20 Jun 1998 09:12:01 -0700 To: mapnews@mapinc.org From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) Subject: MN: US VA: 75 Will Face Party Charges Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ Newshawk: Patrick Henry (resist_tyranny@hotmail.com) Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) Contact: feedback@gateway-va.com Fax:(804) 775-8072 Website: http://www.orcoastnews.com/headlight/ Pubdate: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 Author: Wynne W. Wasson, Times-Dispatch Staff Writer 75 WILL FACE PARTY CHARGES 66 Collegiate students, 9 parents involved; investigation continues Sixty-six students and nine parents will be prosecuted in connection with a June 5 party in Goochland County for Collegiate School graduates, authorities said yesterday. Charlottesville Commonwealth's Attorney Warner D. "Dave" Chapman, who has been appointed special prosecutor in the case, outlined the planned charges in a brief statement released yesterday. He said they relate to "the underage possession of alcohol by individuals who attended the party and consumed alcohol; the adults who aided and abetted the illegal consumption of alcohol by underage attendees; and, in one instance, contributing to the delinquency of minor attendees." "Because the investigation is continuing, further comment will be declined at this time," Chapman said. He did not say when the charges will be filed. Chapman was appointed after his Goochland counterpart, Edward K. Carpenter, identified himself as a potential witness because of a personal phone call he received from someone at the party after deputies arrived. The Goochland Sheriff's Office and the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control are assisting with the investigation. Sheriff James Agnew was only slightly more specific than Chapman. Agnew said the charges are being planned against 54 adult students, 12 juvenile students and nine parents. Even through the adult students to be charged are at least 18 years old, they are under the legal age for buying or drinking alcoholic beverages. The party was held at Tuckahoe Plantation, the boyhood home of Thomas Jefferson, where attorney Addison B. "Tad" Thompson serves as resident manager. The property is owned by his family. His son, Addison B. Thompson Jr. was one of 110 Collegiate School seniors who graduated the morning of June 5. Ninety of the graduates attended the party, and five kegs of beer were on hand, sources said. The kegs were seized by six Goochland deputies who responded to a complaint shortly after midnight. The deputies also administered 90 breath tests on the young partygoers and determined 68 had consumed alcohol. The breath tests registered up to 0.20 that night, according to law enforcement officials. A young person who registers 0.02 or higher is considered to have consumed alcohol, said Sgt. Mike Randell of the Richmond Police Department. Virginia's legal limit to be considered drunk while driving is 0.08. The contributing-to-the-delinquency charge apparently stems from the purchase of the beer. When kegs are bought, the purchaser must sign a permit stating that no one under 21 will be served. The permit normally is a public document, but in this case the name on the permit has been withheld as part of the investigation, said the ABC's Jennifer Farinholt. The pending charges against students and parents of the Henrico County-based school come against a background of pro-active substance abuse education at Collegiate, Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney Toby Vick said. Vick is a frequent speaker at Collegiate on drug and alcohol abuse. "Collegiate has been very active as a school about alcohol and drug use among kids. They're at the forefront of schools trying to deal with it," he said. "They don't turn a blind eye to the problem that I think exists in every school. "They're candid, up front and deal with the problem," Vick said. Dr. Beverly Sgro, interim headmaster of the 83-year-old private school, said the party was not school-sanctioned. Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)
------------------------------------------------------------------- McCaffrey Warns Senate Committee Of Legalization ('The New York Times' Says General Barry McCaffrey, The US Drug Czar, Has Stopped Ignoring Advocates Of Harm Reduction Policies And Begun A Campaign Against Them With Written Testimony To The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee - 'Through A Slick Misinformation Campaign,' He Said, 'These Individuals Perpetuate A Fraud On The American People, A Fraud So Devious That Even Some Of The Nation's Most Respectable Newspapers And Sophisticated Media Are Capable Of Echoing Their Falsehoods' - His Assertion Prompted The Judiciary Committee's Ranking Democrat, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. Of Delaware, To Propose Hearings Into The Issue Of 'Legalizing' Drugs) From: ttrippet@mail.sorosny.org Date: Thu, 18 Jun 98 12:32:05 EST To: TLC__ACTIVIST_at_osi-ny@mail.sorosny.org, tlc-activist@soros.org, Subject: NYT: McCaffrey Warns Senate Committee of Legalization Sender: owner-tlc-activist@soros.org From Today's New York Times Letters to the Editor Information Follows McCAFFREY WARNS SENATE COMMITTEE OF LEGALIZATION Drug Policy Official Warns Panel of Effort to Legalize Drugs By CHRISTOPHER S. WREN Thursday, June 18, 1998 Page A29 WASHINGTON, June 17 -- The White House's top drug policy official today accused critics of the nation's zero-tolerance drug laws of pursuing an agenda to legalize drugs from marijuana to heroin and cocaine. In written testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the official, Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, asserted, "There is a carefully camouflaged, exorbitantly funded, well-heeled elitist group whose ultimate goal is to legalize drug use in the United States." While General McCaffrey named no names, he was clearly referring to a coalition of advocacy groups that argues that the global war on drugs has cost society more than drug abuse itself. Some of those advocates attracted attention last week with an open letter to the United Nations Secretary General as the General Assembly opened a three-day special session on drugs. The letter -- whose 500 signers included the former Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar, former Secretary of State George P. Shultz and two former Senators, Alan Cranston and Claiborne Pell -- argued that by focusing on punishing drug users, the United States and other countries had helped create a worldwide criminal black market that wrecked national economies and democratic governments. The letter's signers also included George Soros, the billionaire investor and philanthropist, who has spent as much as $20 million supporting research and advocacy groups working to change Americans' views on how to deal with drug use. Mr. Soros said in an interview last week that he hoped that it would foster an open discussion of the issue. But General McCaffrey, the Clinton Administration's director of national drug policy, said the critics were disguising their true purpose because Americans overwhelmingly opposed legalizing drugs. "Through a slick misinformation campaign," he said, "these individuals perpetuate a fraud on the American people, a fraud so devious that even some of the nation's most respectable newspapers and sophisticated media are capable of echoing their falsehoods." His assertion prompted the Judiciary Committee's ranking Democrat, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, to propose hearings into the issue of legalizing drugs. "Let's expose it for the fraud that it is," Senator Biden said. Mr. Soros could not be reached today because he was traveling in Sweden. But one of the most prominent advocates of less punitive approaches to drug use, Ethan Nadelmann, director of the Lindesmith Center, a drug policy institute in New York supported by Mr. Soros, called the general's criticism "an attempt to smear what's a very responsible approach to dealing with drug abuse in our society." At the core of the disagreement is the concept of harm reduction, which to advocates like Mr. Nadelmann, means finding ways short of abstinence to reduce the harm that drug abusers cause themselves and society. Needle exchange, in which addicts are given clean needles to try to stem the spread of AIDS, is a prominent example. Kevin Zeese, president of Common Sense for Drug Policy, a group in Falls Church, Va., that also wants drug laws changed, said, "The reason why there is an upsurge of people advocating reform is because the current policy is not making for a safer or healthier society," But General McCaffrey called harm reduction "a hijacked concept that has become a euphemism for drug legalization." "It's become a cover story for people who would lower the barriers to drug use," he said. Mr. Nadelmann responded, "The majority of harm reduction advocates oppose drug legalization, and that includes George Soros." Until today, General McCaffrey had ignored the advocacy groups' lobbying, and so his sharp attack was a change in strategy. After testifying, he said he was suggesting a debate about legalization, not a witch hunt. "It's a legitimate subject of debate in our society if you do it openly," said General McCaffrey, who is retired from the Army. He predicted that the notion would be "rejected resoundingly" once Americans discovered what was involved. Mr. Nadelmann said: "I would welcome the opportunity to debate him anytime or anyplace. His trying to equate all forms of harm reduction with a free market approach to drug legalization is both false and duplicitous." But Mark A. R. Kleiman, a professor of public policy at the University of California at Los Angeles who follows drug issues, expressed concern that such a debate would detract from the more crucial task of finding ways to make the current anti-drug strategies work more effectively. *** LETTERS TO THE EDITOR INFORMATION: Letters must include the writer's name, address and telephone number. Those selected my be shortened for space reasons (ie. the shorter the better). Fax letters to 212-556-3622 or send by email to letters@nytimes.com, or by regular mail to Letters to the Editor, The New York Times, 229 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036. I recommend by email or fax before noon on Friday, June 19.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Senator Biden Calls For Hearings On Drug Legalization (Commentary From List Subscribers About Today's 'New York Times' Article And Yesterday's Press Release From Senator Biden's Web Site) Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 15:32:49 EDT Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org Reply-To: rgivens@sirius.com Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org From: R Givens (rgivens@sirius.com) To: Multiple recipients of list (drctalk@drcnet.org) Subject: Senator Biden Calls For Hearings On Drug Legalization Well, troops our labors are bearing fruit. It's a sign of desperation when a narcomaniac like Senator Biden feels compelled to call for Senate hearings to defend drug prohibition in the face of our withering criticism. Biden better be careful because a man can get himself incinerated playing around with number nine napaalm like this. One little slip and he could end up exposing "the myths and dangers" of prohibition. We should encourage this dog and pony show because no matter how they try to stage manage things a lot of ugly facts about prohibition are sure to emerge. This is sure to be a lose-lose deal for the narcs, no matter how they play it. We should demand that Biden drag these outspoken "legalizers" in front of the Committee and expose them for the world to see (C-Span). Ask them the hard questions and ..... We know what'll happen if they dare to give any of our big guns a platform to "defend their myths about drugs" from and we should urge Biden forward into the attack. Kinda like encouraging General Custer to attack those pesky Indians at the Little Bighorn. Yes sireee a good old fashioned Senate hearing about drug prohibition is just the thing....... No matter how they script it, we'll beat them flat. R Givens *** Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 15:56:18 EDT Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org Reply-To: aal@inetarena.com Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org From: Anti-Prohibition LgTo: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Re: Senator Biden is p*ssed off at the drug reformers On Thu, 18 Jun 1998, Kelly T. Conlon wrote: > from http://www.senate.gov/~biden/ > --------------------------------- > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > > June 17, 1998 > >Biden Calls for Expanded D.A.R.E. Programs > > WASHINGTON -- Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr., today proposed expanding > D.A.R.E. to include education and prevention programs for eighth graders. [snip] > "I remain convinced that drug legalization would be a disaster. But, > today, many powerful voices in our society are supporting a variety of > legalization policies. They say, Let's save money and trouble and just > legalize drugs.' So I am suggesting that we on the Senate Judiciary > Committee take a hard, unblinking look at drug legalization. I think it > unfortunate that we must, but I believe it necessary," Biden said. > It's about time! But of course "unblinking" probably means eyes closed... This should be interesting... Floyd. *** Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 15:22:25 EDT Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org Reply-To: RKSTROUP@aol.com Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org From: (RKSTROUP@aol.com) To: Multiple recipients of list (drctalk@drcnet.org) Subject: Legalization Hearings Dear Colleagues: FYI, NORML today sent this letter to Sen. Biden. Keith Stroup *** June 18, 1998 Sen. Joseph R. Biden, Jr. 221 Russell SOB Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator Biden: I was pleased to read that you are considering scheduling hearings on the legalization of drugs. While I recognize you do not support legalization, I commend you for your willingness to allow this policy debate to occur. Surely, in a free country, we have nothing to fear from a healthy debate over drug policies. Should such a hearing be scheduled, I would request the opportunity to testify regarding the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana. As you may know, NORML is a public-interest lobby that has been advocating the legalization of marijuana since 1970. We strongly oppose the use of marijuana, as well as legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco, by adolescents. But the current policy of arresting adults for marijuana smoking is a misguided policy which causes enormous harm to the lives, careers and families of the more than 500,000 marijuana smokers arrested each year in this country. Furthermore, enforcing prohibition extends government into areas of our private lives that are inappropriate. Marijuana smokers in this country are no different from their non-smoking peers, except for their marijuana use. Like most Americans, they are responsible citizens who work hard, raise families, contribute to their communities, and want a safe, crime-free neighborhood in which to live. They are not part of the crime problem and should not be treated like criminals. I hope you will permit us to testify if hearings are held on this important subject. Regards, R. Keith Stroup, Esq. Executive Director *** Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 21:43:55 EDT Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org Reply-To: dreaming@avana.net Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org From: Gary Metzendorf To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Re: Senator Biden is p*ssed off at the drug reformers Hello Kelly T. Conlon, on 18-Jun-98 13:46:35, you said, >from http://www.senate.gov/~biden/ > >FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE >June 17, 1998 > >Biden Calls for Expanded D.A.R.E. Programs > >WASHINGTON -- Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr., today proposed expanding >D.A.R.E. to include education and prevention programs for eighth graders. snippage of S.O.S. re: DARE -- >Biden also called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold hearings on >drug legalization in order to "expose the myths and dangers of >legalization." >"I remain convinced that drug legalization would be a disaster. But, >today, many powerful voices in our society are supporting a variety of >legalization policies. They say, Let's save money and trouble and just >legalize drugs.' So I am suggesting that we on the Senate Judiciary >Committee take a hard, unblinking look at drug legalization. I think it >unfortunate that we must, but I believe it necessary," Biden said. If I understand political speak, this looks like a tentative wet finger in the wind to see which way the wind is blowing. These are interesting times to be alive compadres. Gary M. *** Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 16:41:02 EDT Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org Reply-To: schaffer@smartlink.net Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org From: "Cliff Schaffer" (schaffer@smartlink.net) To: Multiple recipients of list (drctalk@drcnet.org) Subject: RE: Senator Biden is p*ssed off at the drug reformers > -----Original Message----- > From: drctalk@drcnet.org [mailto:drctalk@drcnet.org]On Behalf Of Kelly > T. Conlon > > Biden also called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold hearings on > drug legalization in order to "expose the myths and dangers of > legalization." > > "I remain convinced that drug legalization would be a disaster. But, > today, many powerful voices in our society are supporting a variety of > legalization policies. They say, Let's save money and trouble and just > legalize drugs.' So I am suggesting that we on the Senate Judiciary > Committee take a hard, unblinking look at drug legalization. I think it > unfortunate that we must, but I believe it necessary," Biden said. Uuuuuh, gee, Senator Biden. I recall a few years ago we sent you the Resolution for a Federal Commission on Drug Policy, asking for an open and honest investigation of the evidence so you could publicly and firmly refute all those nasty legalization people. You didn't sign it. Have you changed your mind? *** Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 21:54:46 EDT Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org Reply-To: rumba2@earthlink.net Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org From: Scott Dykstra (rumba2@earthlink.net) To: Multiple recipients of list (drctalk@drcnet.org) Subject: Re: Senator Biden is p*ssed off at the drug reformers Organization: Citizens Against the Drug War > If I understand political speak, this looks like a tenative wet finger in > the wind to see which way the wind is blowing. These are interesting times to > be alive compadres. > > Gary M. I equally, strongly agree Gary. Do you think they'll bite at the opportunity to save their own ass by admitting another approach is needed? (regulation) or will they just dismiss it altogether. After all, the prisons, probation, courts, cops, judges, DEA, FBI, CIA and customs agents stand to lose thousands, not to mention the BEER companies......and pills whores. Like I've said before, if those impotent, sexually starved Americans who cannot achieve a physical requirement without Viagra, they should try smoking some cannabis. Works for thousands...... I've noticed that a lot more of my friends are becoming chronic alkies because they can no longer smoke cannabis. People say, "why not just do nothing at all"? Because we WANT TO smoke, or drink or masturbate....it's our right. The puritanical mind-set makes me want to gag.... Scott Dykstra http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/9584/ *** Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 17:54:16 EDT Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org Reply-To: gsutliff@dnai.com Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org From: Gerald Sutliff (gsutliff@dnai.com) To: Multiple recipients of list (drctalk@drcnet.org) Subject: Re: Senator Biden is p*ssed off at the drug reformers >Biden also called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold hearings on >drug legalization in order to "expose the myths and dangers of >legalization." > >"I remain convinced that drug legalization would be a disaster. But, >today, many powerful voices in our society are supporting a variety of >legalization policies. They say, Let's save money and trouble and just >legalize drugs.' So I am suggesting that we on the Senate Judiciary >Committee take a hard, unblinking look at drug legalization. I think it >unfortunate that we must, but I believe it necessary," Biden said. Dear Talkers, The good senator is certainly ascribing a lot of power to a handful of truth tellers. Maybe he, we and the Internet are on to something. (;~)] vty, jerry sutliff *** Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 15:42:48 EDT Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org Reply-To: tom.barrus@denver.cahners.com Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org From: Tom Barrus (tom.barrus@denver.cahners.com) To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: LTE Re: McCaffrey warns Senate Committee of Legalization 1998-Jun-18 Editor: Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey warned the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: "There is a carefully camouflaged, exorbitantly funded, well-heeled elitist group whose ultimate goal is to legalize drug use in the United States." He also said: "Through a slick misinformation campaign, these individuals perpetuate a fraud on the American people, a fraud so devious that even some of the nation's most respectable newspapers and sophisticated media are capable of echoing their falsehoods." This exorbitantly funded, well-heeled elitist group is actually the federal government of the United States. It is the government that is running a "slick misinformation campaign" and is perpetuating "a fraud on the American people". Drug use is already "legalized" in the United States. Actually, this "legal" drug use is the unlawful exemption of tobacco & alcohol (the drugs which account for the most disease & death of any drug) from our drug "laws", particularly the Controlled Substances Act. If Gen. McCaffrey had any respect for the rule of law or the Constitution, he would be demanding that tobacco & alcohol both be classified as controlled substances. Has McCaffrey ever demanded that Congress uphold the Constitution's guarantee of the "equal protection of the laws" by applying the drug laws to all drugs, including tobacco & alcohol? No. We need to expose the government's so-called "war on drugs" for the fraud that it is. Tom Barrus, R.Ph., MBA President, American Federation for Legal Consistency P.O. Box 10732 Golden, CO [80401] (303) 499-4648 Tom.Barrus@denver.cahners.com *** Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1998 22:30:30 EDT Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org Reply-To: amr@lainet.com Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org From: Dave Fratello (amr@lainet.com) To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: "Legalization" hearings of 1988 The suggestion by drug czar McCaffrey and Sen. Biden that now is the time to hold congressional hearings on drug legalization proves that history repeats itself. In 1988, the (now defunct) House Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control also held a couple days' worth of hearings on legalization. (And produced a fat report compiling anti-legalization rhetoric.) The context then was ongoing debate on the election-year drug war bill (father of mandatory sentencing, or at least its worst escalation) and the then-"recent" emergence of credible voices in favor of reform, decrim, and legalization. (Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke had made the biggest splash that year in calling for a debate on decriminalization.) Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY, and a familiar character in this) called the hearings for the same reason Biden and McCaffrey now want to do the same -- to use the forum to attack, belittle, and explode all the arguments and people against the drug war. Though many prominent critics were invited in '88, many others were not, and while people could submit written testimony, I've never heard anyone call the hearings themselves fair or open to inquiry. It was a quickie hatchet job of a hearing meant to discredit the critics and move on to escalating the drug war. And that's what our reps did move on to do... True, the situations then and now are different, and the opportunity is not insignificant. But congressional hearings that might be called in open hostility to our issues don't sound like a promising chance to change minds on the Hill. Indeed, reformers may even be missing a key point of the hearings -- they might not really be about reformers and the drug war at all, but about Republicans vs. Democrats in an election year. Two months ago Newt Gingrich brought all the hard-right Republicans he could to the Capitol steps to announce an election-year commitment to escalating the drug war. Center-right Democrats like Biden and Clinton's general McCaffrey need a counter to that -- more, it seems, than they need to hear out drug policy reform issues and craft a new policy... -- dave fratello *** Date: Sat, 20 Jun 1998 18:18:48 EDT Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org Reply-To: Phillizy@aol.com Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org Subject: Re: "Legalization" hearings of 1988 In a message dated 98-06-20 10:59:36 EDT, alive wrote: >I think these hearings would be a great step in the right direction. >Politics being the glacial change of our world, the R vs. D confrontation >of who is "toughest" on drugs would be a great dog and pony show. > >Even if no reformers are invited to speak, the news will carry the rest of >the story. The House had a medical marijuana hearing earlier this year. Professor Grinspoon testified, and so did Peron; several flunkies from the loyal opposition testified, as well: a panel of about five witnesses, as I recall. It was a Republican show start-to-finish. Democrats took a walk, never asked a question. Congressman Barr held forth as prime inquisitor and ultimate drug warrior, mainly trying to discredit Grinspoon. This tactic backfired on Barr, as Grinspoon literally buried the loyal opposition with his experience and expertise. Barr backed off on Grinspoon and Peron, and spent the rest of his time tossing softball questions to the drug war flunkies on the panel. The Democrats plainly wanted no part of this dog and pony show. They were having second thoughts about the drug war, and thinking the voters might be having second thoughts, as well. They may be getting ready to jump ship, and leave the GOPers swinging in the wind with both nicotine and marijuana. Lizy *** From: Rgbakan@aol.com Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 15:14:41 EDT To: hemp-talk@hemp.net, november-l@november.org, drctalk@drcnet.org Subject: HT: Fwd: : Senator Biden is p*ssed off - a plan to reply Sender: owner-hemp-talk@hemp.net From: Rgbakan@aol.com Return-path: (Rgbakan@aol.com) To: conlonkt@mcmail.CIS.McMaster.CA Subject: : Senator Biden is p*ssed off - a plan to reply Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 15:13:10 EDT A plan for Biden - and all other congresspersons - The truth about DARE.- it doesn't work. We need to assemble a very credible and well documented portfolio - might go along way to change the discussion. Our contention is basically "it just isn't working" -- starting with DARE is right on message. [Portland NORML notes - Well, how timely. Go to Portland NORML's new archive full of information about DARE at: http://www.pdxnorml.org/dare_index.html It also has a prominent link to DRCNet's similarly large archive on DARE.]
------------------------------------------------------------------- 1988 Drug Legalization Hearings - Review (Jon Gettman, Former Director Of NORML, Recounts Some Of What Transpired The Last Time Congress Supposedly Examined US Drug Policy - No Reformers Need Have Applied For Time At The Podium) Date: Mon, 22 Jun 1998 12:16:09 EDT Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org Reply-To: Gettman_J@mediasoft.net Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org From: Jon Gettman (Gettman_J@mediasoft.net) To: Multiple recipients of list (drctalk@drcnet.org) Subject: 1988 Drug Legalization Hearings - Review I know a little bit about the 1988 Congressional Hearings on Drug Legalization. As NORML's National Director at the time I helped prepare NORML's testimony and monitored the hearings first hand. I also studied the hearings while working on my masters degree. Here is one way to characterize the case presented by advocates of the war on drugs: Four elements are the basis for all governmental programs related to drug abuse issues -- the danger of certain drugs, the obstinateness of casual users, the moral dangers caused by drug abuse, and the resulting need for extreme measures. The following three tables (see below) provide examples of typical comments of the time. Some are not from the 1988 hearings, but most are and all are followed by citations. The full transcript of the 1988 hearings comprises two volumes and should be available in many university and state libraries around the country, as are most congressional hearings. The full citation for the hearings is contained in the citations below. While it remains to be seen whether or not the US Senate will schedule new hearings on this subject, a review of the prior hearings can be useful. For example. Advocates of the war on drugs testified in support of then current policies, and predicted that these policies would produce positive results. Have they? Advocates of reform argued that current policies would perpetuate and magnify certain costs? Have they? Also, the existence of the heated debate reflected in 1988 Congressional testimony contradicts the claim that no one cared about drug legalization until George Soros began to provide financial support for some drug policy reform organizations. These comments of mine, and the excerpts below, in no way summarize the 1988 hearings nor the positions of either side. But I think they will provide a useful introduction to the 1988 hearings. Only comments in support of the drug war are provided below. Some of them contain familiar rhetoric and hyperbole, however many of them reflect concerns that still ring true today. Reformers must be prepared to address these concerns. Many are, that's not the point. It's a dynamic challenge. Jon Gettman *** Table 1. Fundamental Drug War Generalizations on Dangerous Drugs. "The drug kingpins are continuing to cash in on our nation's seemingly insatiable appetite for deadly drugs." Hon. Benjamin A. Gilman, U.S. Congress (i) "Making drugs more affordable and more readily available cannot be anything but detrimental to our society." Hon. Tom Lewis, U.S. Congress (ii) "These drugs take away the God-given gift of human potential. They poison and destroy the body, the mind, and the soul. When even one more citizen falls prey to the addiction of these substances, we all suffer as a society." Hon. Solomon Ortiz, U.S. Congress (iii) "And do you know what happens to a person who seeks treatment and can't get treatment for three and a half months? That person is going to turn to crime." Hon. Benjamin L. Cardin, U.S. Congress (iv) "Studies have found that more exposure and curiosity leads to more usage, which in turn leads to more and greater addictions. And that is a fact." Hon. Kweisi Mfume, U.S. Congress (v) "Everybody knows that crack is now the drug of choice. And Everybody knows that it induces violent behavior." Hon. Edward I. Koch, mayor, New York City (vi) "Drugs themselves, not drug laws, as you have heard so many times, causes the most damage to society." Hon. John Lawn, Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration (vii) "But most simply, drugs are illegal because they are bad. They are bad for our society. They are bad for the user. they are bad for those around the users and for our communities." Arthur C. Eads, chairman of the board, National District Attorneys Association (viii) "Drug abusers are driven, self-destructive and out of control. Abuse lowers self-esteem, erodes character, and prompts behavior that is anti-social, often violent, frequently criminal, and manifests in almost absolute indifference to the impact on others." Mitchell Rosenthal, M.D., president, Phoenix House (ix) "(D)rug abusers are irresponsible, self-destructive, and anti-social people, not all of them perhaps, but too many. They go out of control, give way to violence. They do not rob and steal and mug only to buy drugs." Mitchell Rosenthal, M.D., president, Phoenix House (x) i Gilman, Benjamin (1988) opening statement in "Legalization of Illicit Drugs:Impact and Feasibility, Part I", Hearings before the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, United States House of Representatives (GPO, 1988), p.3. ii Lewis, Tom (1988) opening statement in "Legalization of Illicit Drugs:Impact and Feasibility, Part I", Hearings before the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, United States House of Representatives (GPO, 1988), p. 8. iii Ortiz, Solomon (1988) opening statement in "Legalization of Illicit Drugs:Impact and Feasibility, Part I", Hearings before the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, United States House of Representatives (GPO, 1988), p. 9. iv Cardin, Benjamin (1988) opening statement in "Legalization of Illicit Drugs: Impact and Feasibility, Part I", Hearings before the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, United States House of Representatives (GPO, 1988), p. 23. v Mfume, Kweisi (1988) opening statement in "Legalization of Illicit Drugs: Impact and Feasibility, Part I", Hearings before the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, United States House of Representatives (GPO, 1988), p. 24. vi Koch, Edward (1988) testimony in "Legalization of Illicit Drugs: Impact and Feasibility, Part I", Hearings before the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, United States House of Representatives (GPO, 1988), p. 57. vii Lawn, John (1988) testimony in "Legalization of Illicit Drugs: Impact and Feasibility, Part I", Hearings before the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, United States House of Representatives (GPO, 1988), p. 70. viii Eads, Arthur (1988) testimony in "Legalization of Illicit Drugs: Impact and Feasibility, Part I", Hearings before the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, United States House of Representatives (GPO, 1988), p. 73. ix Rosenthal, Mitchell (1988) testimony in "Legalization of Illicit Drugs: Impact and Feasibility, Part I", Hearings before the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, United States House of Representatives (GPO, 1988), p. 108. x Rosenthal, Mitchell (1988) pg 109. Table 2. Drug War Generalizations Illegal Drug Use as a Moral Danger "And cocaine abuse rapidly diminishes the ability to function normally, to hold a job, to keep up with school work, or to sustain responsible social, sexual, or family relationships." Mitchell Rosenthal, president, Phoenix House, NY (i) "It reinforces what we have long known: drug addiction is a chronically relapsing disorder, and the sad lesson of addiction is that once you to decide to (sic) start using drugs, it is very difficult to get off drugs." National Drug Control Strategy (ii) "These heavy users are at the heart of the drug problem that we read about in our newspapers and see on television: open-air drug markets, crack houses, drug-exposed infants, abused and neglected children, gang violence, decaying neighborhoods, and drive-by shootings." National Drug Control Strategy (iii) "Drug dealers often go after public housing because the residents are a "captive population." National Drug Control Strategy (iv) "It is reasonable to assume that many drug users in the workplace are, in fact, addicted and not just casual users." National Drug Control Strateg (yv) "The accentuated risk of multiple health problems associated with drug and alcohol use include(s) AIDS, tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted diseases." National Drug Control Strategy (vi) "It has been suggested that drug and especially crack addiction in pregnant women is a time bomb that has not yet exploded. Some experts have painted a dim picture of our society 20 - 30 years from now when we begin to pay for the fallout of the current drug epidemic in terms of social, medical, and human costs." National Drug Control Strategy (vii) "We know the effects of the underground black market drug economy . . .We know the direct relationship of individuals to organized crime to problems in schools and truancy and youth, suicides, shootings, robberies, murders, traffic fatalities, addicted babies, the spread of AIDS, and countless other public policy difficulties and personal tragedies." Hon. Michael Oxley, Member of Congress (viii) "Drugs are diabolical and destructive, not only to the human system, but to a democratic way of life." Jerald Vaughn, executive director, International Association of Chiefs of Police (ix) i Rosenthal, Mitchell (1988) p. 108. ii National Drug Control Strategy (1992) pg. 4. iii ibid, p. 6. iv ibid p. 38. v ibid, p. 48. vi ibid, p. 66. vii ibid, p. 67. viii Oxley, Michael (1988) opening statement in "Legalization of Illicit Drugs: Impact and Feasibility, Part I", Hearings before the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, United States House of Representatives (GPO, 1988), p. 6. ix Vaughn, Jerald (1988) testimony in "Legalization of Illicit Drugs: Impact and Feasibility, Part I", Hearings before the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, United States House of Representatives (GPO, 1988), p. 76. Table 3. Drug War Generalizations Extreme Measures "Researchers have found that the threat of criminal justice sanctions motivate offenders to enter treatment." National Drug Control Strategy (i) "In general, a network of drug trafficking organizations consists of three levels. The first, core organizations . . .(they) depend on a variety of secondary organizations . . .disrupting the secondary organizations is key to disrupting the entire network . . .Finally, local organizations distribute the drugs within a localized area." National Drug Control Strategy (ii) "Prohibition in the 20's dramatically decreased average consumption levels of alcohol. Now average consumption is back to pre-prohibition levels. This historic perspective clearly illustrates a very important point, greater availability results in greater use and greater abuse." John Lawn, administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration (iii) "We cannot cure drug abusers who are not in treatment. And what brings them in are disincentives. That is why enforcement at the street level is so important. That is why the current climate in the country, growing intolerance for drug use and strong employer drug policies, makes victory over drugs a realistic expectation." Mitchell Rosenthal, president, Phoenix House, NY (iv) "Although individuals are responsible for their choices, actions can be taken to encourage them to make the right choices." National Drug Control Strategy (v) "Experience shows that treatment can work if a drug user remains in treatment for a sufficient period." National Drug Control Strategyvi "Recent history has taught us, however, that any relaxation of vigilance brings the risk of a marked increase in drug use." National Drug Control Strategy (vii) "There is evidence that people with addictive disorders often value their jobs more highly than their families or other social support networks. Faced with the threat of job loss, the addicted employee is more likely to seek treatment." National Drug Control Strategy (viii) "Drug treatment and criminal justice are allies in the fight against drug use and appropriate actions by the criminal justice system can foster treatment effectiveness." National Drug Control Strategy (ix) "The presence of drugs on our streets and in neighborhoods is the result of a long and complex process, carefully controlled by networks of drug trafficking organizations." National Drug Control Strategy (x) "Experience has shown that the drug trade is most susceptible to disruption at its organizational "center of gravity," the traffickers' home country base of operations." National Drug Control Strategy (xi) "The principal interdiction objective is to identify and target those elements of the drug smuggling process that are of highest value to trafficking organizations." (xii) "We have hardly declared war against drugs in this country." Hon. Charles Rangel, U.S. Congress (xiii) "The policies that we have developed over the years can work if we, in fact, make the commitments that are needed to make them work. We haven't done that yet. We have not committed the resources, and we have not made the commitments as a society that we need." Hon. William J. Hughes, U. S. Congress (xiv) "We will be able to turn the tide on drugs as we seek new and preventive treatment methods coupled with tough laws on drug use and drug trafficking." Hon. Kwiesi Mfume, U. S. Congress (xv) "What do you think will happen when the imprimatur of lawfulness, acceptability is there? Well, people will say, "Listen, if the Government now says it is okay, it can't be all that bad." Edward Koch, mayor, New York Cit (yxvi) "Illegal drugs kill fewer, only because fewer people use them. Keeping them illegal holds down use." Sue Rusche, National Drug Information Center (xvii) i National Drug Control Strategy, (1992) p. 70 ii ibid, p. 79. iii Lawn, John (1988) p. 70. iv Rosenthal, Mitchell (1988) p. 109. v National Drug Control Strategy, (1992) pg. 3. vi ibid, p. 73. vii ibid, p. 34. viii ibid, pp. 48 -49. ix ibid, p. 70. x ibid p. 79. xi ibid, p. 80. xii ibid, p. 99 xiii Rangel, Charles (1988) opening statement in "Legalization of Illicit Drugs:Impact and Feasibility, Part I", Hearings before the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, United States House of Representatives (GPO, 1988), p. 1. xiv Hughes, William (1988) opening statement in "Legalization of Illicit Drugs:Impact and Feasibility, Part I", Hearings before the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, United States House of Representatives (GPO, 1988), p. 10. xv Mfume, Kweisi (1988) p. 25. xvi Koch, Edward (1988) p. 59. xvii Rusche, Sue (1988) testimony in "Legalization of Illicit Drugs:Impact and Feasibility, Part I", Hearings before the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, United States House of Representatives (GPO, 1988), p. 112..
------------------------------------------------------------------- What Can I Do? (Medical Marijuana Activist And Best-Selling Author Peter McWilliams Urges Each And Every Drug Policy Reform Sympathizer To Set Up A Web Site To Balance US Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey's Goal Of Spending Taxpayer Money To Create 'As Many Sites As Possible' Promoting Fear, Misinformation And Intolerance) *** [Portland NORML notes: The ensuing item seems to err in saying General McCaffrey's speech took place June 12, two days after the United Nations Special Session on the drug war adjourned on June 10. McCaffrey actually spoke to the United Nations on June 9. In any case, a link below will take you to the text of the actual McCaffrey speech McWilliams quotes from.] *** From: "Peter McWilliams" (peter@mcwilliams.com) To: "Peter McWilliams" (peter@mcwilliams.com) Subject: What can I do? Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 20:03:09 +0100 What can I do? People often e-mail me, asking, "What can I do to help?" I have not had a very clear answer - until now, thanks to the prompting of our very own Drug Czar. Barry McCaffrey announced on June 12, 1998, his plan for drug warriors to dominate the Internet by adding a massive number of web sites, all spewing the party line that "marijuana is not a medicine," "marijuana is more harmful that alcohol or tobacco," "we can have a drug-free America," and "we're doing all this for the children." One of the federal government's four Internet goals announced by McCaffrey is "Reach target audiences through as many sites as possible." This plan is not just a random trickle in the War on Drugs, but its new Drug War main stream. "As stated in the U.S. 1998 National Drug Control Strategy," McCaffrey said before the United Nations, "our principal drug-control goal is to educate our sixty eight [sic] million children about illegal drugs and enable them to reject such drugs." The four avenues McCaffrey outlined: advertising (spending $1 billion in tax dollars on ads over the next five years), making nice with the entertainment media "Involve industry leaders and creators of entertainment programming," "build and maintain ongoing relationships with regional, national, and international media developing the news," and the Internet. How many sites could "as many sites as possible" be? Let's consider the potential. With sites selling for, say, $100 per year and the federal government spending $17 billion a year on drug control, that's a potential 170 million sites. If the states throw in their 17 billion Drug War dollars, that's 340 million sites. This is the extreme, of course. Most of the $34 billion gets spent on locking people up, and they're not about to stop doing that. But even if they spend only $1 billion on it, as they are with the advertising prong of the agenda, that's still 10 million sites. Imagine looking up "MEDICAL MARIJUANA" or "DRUGS" on the Internet and having to wade through the static of 10 million deceptive sites. We must respond (and the word is respond-we're not starting this) with as many separate sites about drug reform as possible. If you want to do something, please start a separate homepage devoted to drug reform. Whether your personal cause is medical marijuana, the reform of marijuana laws, or bringing peace to the entire War on Drugs, please establish a separate site based on your beliefs. Start with your personal statement on the subject. Then link to all the drug reform sites you find to be truthful and informative. This is not a battle of us Vs. them. It is a battle of truth Vs. lies. (McCaffrey's complete Internet plan follows this letter. His full speech is at: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/news/speeches/ungass2.html ) Other important activities, I think, include writing letters to editors, educating reporters who repeat Drug War propaganda verbatim (most can be reached by phone), and calling into radio and television talk shows. Communicating with people one-on-one, the people with whom we share our lives, is essential. Once one sees the light-that the biggest problem is prohibition, not drugs-it's hard to turn back. We need more lights lit, and that's best done one at a time. Finally, if you can afford it, donate money. McCaffrey testified before Congress on June 18, 1998: "There is a carefully camouflaged, exorbitantly funded, well-heeled elitist group whose ultimate goal is to legalize drug use in the United States." Hardly. The drug reform movement, and the medical marijuana moment in particular, is horrendously underfunded. Unlike the federal government that has unlimited funding and no workable ideas, the reform movement has lots of workable ideas, but little funding to implement them. Every dollar donated to a drug reform group or to a defense fund is an investment in our freedom. I know that sounds like a U.S. Savings Bonds commercial, but it's true. We sometimes forget what freedom costs. Thomas Jefferson laid it out at the close of the Declaration of Independence: "we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor." Who can follow Jefferson? Take good care. Enjoy, Peter McWilliams MCCAFREY'S "INTERNET" PLANS, JUNE 12, 1998, BEFORE THE UNITED NATION: During the past five years, the use of Internet and other new interactive media has grown at a tremendous rate. For many of us, the Internet has become an important source of information and entertainment. It can be an effective way to reach target audiences, and information retrieval by users can be measured in unprecedented ways. It also provides a powerful tool for coordinating activity and building collaboration. As many as eighty million Americans are likely to be "on line" by the end of this year; approximately half will use the Internet daily. Similarly, more than a third of adolescents currently use on-line services while 90 percent will have Internet access through schools by 1999. ONDCP's has four principles for dealing with interactive media. a. Generate Web information with which young people will interact. Recognize that young people use the Internet as a "social medium." b. Offer transactional opportunities to users who are frequently in the "action mode" when on-line. c. Reach target audiences through as many sites as possible. d.. Extend the reach of the campaign beyond advertising by integrating mainstream youth Web sites and other digital media such as CD-ROM. Full speech at: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/news/speeches/ungass2.html
------------------------------------------------------------------- Senate Kills Tobacco Bill After Fierce Debate (The 'Standard Times' In Massachusetts Says The McCain Bill And Its Proposed Prohibitionary Taxes Died Yesterday In The Senate As Supporters Failed On Two Successive Votes To Keep The Bill Alive) From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) To: "MN"Subject: MN: US: WA: Senate Kills Tobacco Bill After Fierce Debate Date: Sat, 20 Jun 1998 00:30:28 -0500 Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ Newshawk: John Smith Pubdate: Thursday 18 June 1998 Source: Standard-Times (MA) Contact: YourView@S-T.com Website: http://www.s-t.com/ Author: David Espo SENATE KILLS TOBACCO BILL AFTER FIERCE DEBATE WASHINGTON -- Legislation to curb teen smoking and regulate nicotine died yesterday in the Senate. Measure supporters failed on two successive votes to keep the bill alive. The first effort fell three votes shy; the second seven. Majority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi countered for Republicans who argued that the measure had become a big government, "tax and spend" bill. "We've lost sight of the original noble cause of just dealing with teen-age smoking and drug abuse," he said. Hours before the vote, Clinton made a final appeal to "protect the children and not the tobacco lobby." He said he and other Democrats met critics "more than halfway" in agreeing to cut taxes and add anti-drug provisions. "Now, if there is a move to kill or gut this legislation, there can be no possible explanation other than the intense pressure and the awesome influence fueled by years of huge contributions of Big Tobacco," he said. Rejection of the bill would cause an unpredictable chain of political and legal events. Democrats are certain to raise the issue this fall against Republicans, while tobacco companies would be open to more lawsuits. The fate of the settlement several states reached with the industry to end their lawsuits is unclear. That agreement sparked the drive to write legislation in the Senate, but election-year politics and other forces swiftly intruded. A proposal to grant limited liability protection to the tobacco companies was stripped from the bill on the Senate floor as lawmakers sought a way to show voters they were willing to be tough on an industry that markets its products to teen-agers. As drafted, the measure would raise the price of cigarettes by $1.10 a pack. The money would help states pay their smoking-related health care costs, finance anti-smoking advertising and pay for health research. At the insistence of Republicans, the measure now includes an election-year tax cut for couples making less than $50,000, a series of anti-drug provisions and a cap on fees for lawyers participating in lawsuits against the tobacco industry. Clinton and Democrats sought to frame the debate as a question of choosing children over cigarette makers. Pointing to teen-age messengers at the foot of the Senate rostrum, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., said their peer group would be targets for tobacco marketing. The industry, he said, would "consciously attempt to addict them to nicotine." Republicans said the truth was different, that they, too, favor cracking down on teen smoking, but that the bill had gotten out of hand.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Fear And Loathing At City Hall (Columnist James McKinnon In Victoria, British Columbia's 'Monday Magazine' Finds Hypocrisy In The Victoria City Council's Decision To Yank The Business Licence Of Ian Hunter's Sacred Herb Hemp Store After Hunter Was Found Guilty Of Engaging In Several Acts Of Civil Disobedience Against Canadian Pot Prohibition) Date: Sun, 21 Jun 1998 02:39:05 -0400 To: mapnews@mapinc.org From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) Subject: MN: Canada: Fear And Loathing At City Hall Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ Newshawk: Alan Randell Pubdate: June 18-24, 1998 Source: Monday Magazine (Victoria, BC, Canada) Contact: editorial@monday.com Author: James McKinnon FEAR AND LOATHING AT CITY HALL In Victoria, civil disobedience is bad business Edge Wise by James McKinnon Chief of police Doug Richardson looked like he could use a quadruple whiskey. He wasn't the only one. Each city councillor's face was a mask of discomfort as they gathered last Thursday to address a most unseemly matter. MARIJUANA. Gripping the podium, Richardson began pressing his case that city hall should refuse to renew Ian Hunter's business licence. Hunter's crisp white suit could not conceal his crimes, after all. He'd been convicted for openly growing pot and selling marijuana seeds as an act of civil disobedience, and for having traces of magic mushrooms in the office of his Johnson Street hemp shop, Sacred Herb. Furthermore, one of his employees had sold pot to an undercover cop. Though the courts had not linked Hunter or his shop to the larger crime, the courts had still found him to be a heinous nogoodnik. For disgusting the morals of good people everywhere, he had been served a fine of...$500. With the charges laid before them, several councillors looked as though they'd never exhaled. A contemptuous flexing of jowls began - perhaps explained by the fact that they were about to take a bong hit of Grade A hypocrisy. It wasn't going to be easy to condemn Hunter. Even those few bureaucrats whose minds are unaffected by the '60s "experience" could not recall even one other business licence being brought before council for any comparable reason. Restaurants with poor food-safety records had never suffered similar persecution; nor had grocery stores caught selling cigarettes to kids, nor vendors of questionable meats. In fact, Hunter had to be found even more shocking to community standards than prostitutes who are legally welcome to buy a business licence, even though their business can't be practised without a crime being committed. To nix Hunter's business licence, then, he had to be declared more than an exception. He had to be proven a freakish aberration, like a circus clown with a smack habit, or a John Denver tribute band. But hypocrisy is a dangerous drug - like a barbiturate stirred into Mexican brandy - and its addicts get shirty when they're jonesing for a fix. When the defence had been heard - including the usual ululations comparing dope-head persecution to blacks' struggle for civil rights - the councillors promptly made to shut out the public and hang Hunter in private. Eyes cool as a yeti's, councillor David McLean declared the debate should be public. Councillor Bob Friedland agreed. With no one to enable his penchant for secrecy, mayor Bob Cross lurched forward, his jaw sweating as he scanned the public gallery. "There may be acid-crazed hippies out there," his eyes seemed to say. "Who knows how they'll respond when the hammer comes down? In my neighbourhood in Metchosin, we know how to keep the granolas out of the garden. I'd give my right wing for a barrel full of buckshot!" Then each councillor stood to speak his or her piece. "Guilty," deadpanned McLean, Helen Hughes, Jane Lunt, Chris Coleman, Bea Holland and, later, Cross. Civil disobedience or not, Hunter's cannabis crimes were linked to his shop. He was not Chamber of Commerce material. But in the midst of the lynching stood Geoff Young, the city's most unpredictable beancounter. "We are being asked to impose a remedy which is far, far greater - that is Mr. Hunter's livelihood and his ability to operate in this city - than the one the courts provide," he said. With the city manager and solicitor squirming in their seats, Young continued his heresy. The court's small fine seemed out of whack with the effort the police put into snooping around Hunter's business licence, he noted. What if every business was just as thoroughly investigated? Surely a few tightly rolled joints, a mysterious mushroom or two would turn up in the desks of even respectable citizens. I felt a hallucinatory lightness, the momentary sense that Victoria might make it through this witch-hunt without becoming a laughing-stock. But then the vote came down. Only Young, Friedland, and Pamela Madoff voted to support Hunter's freedom to do business. The Sacred Herb will be shut down. Stumbling home, I found this city had once again sapped me the optimism that comes with tolerance. I needed a pick-me-up. Perhaps a cuppa of traditional opium tea? Ahhh. Much better. What's that noise? Sirens? Have they come at last for my business licence?
------------------------------------------------------------------- Drug 'Gateway' Theory Simply Scare Tactic (Letter To The Editor Of 'The Ottawa Citizen' By Vancouver, British Columbia Police Constable Gil Puder Responds To The Fearmongering Of Canadian Revenue Minister Herb Dhaliwal) From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod) To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com Subject: PUB LTE: Drug 'gateway' theory simply scare tactic Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 08:33:40 -0700 Lines: 29 Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org Source: Ottawa Citizen Contact: letters@thecitizen.southam.ca Pubdate: Thursday 18 June 1998 Drug 'gateway' theory simply scare tactic I'm embarrassed when a parliamentarian from our part of the country stoops to fearmongering, as Revenue Minister Herb Dhaliwal did with his comments on decriminalization of marijuana. His "gateway'' theory, that marijuana leads to hard drug use, has been repeatedly refuted by scientific research, and is simply an unethical scare tactic. Being a politician, he might want to review the 1997 Angus Reid poll showing that 63 per cent of British Columbians favour decriminalization. When that body of voters realizes that Mr. Dhaliwal's department is taking their money to prohibit cannabis (which courts are regularly finding not to be a public health concern), he might be out of a job. Forcing people into a black market is what exposes people to dangerous substances, and enriches the criminal gangs that Mr. Dhaliwal's department simply can't compete with. I hope Mr. Dhaliwal proves to be a good accountant, because on the marijuana issue he is merely plumbing the depths of his own ignorance. Gil Puder, Vancouver
------------------------------------------------------------------- Girls Will Be . . . Boys - And It's Not A Pretty Sight ('The Toronto Star' Says A New Report By An Alliance Of 77 US Universities Shows Girls Are Behaving More Like Boys, Having Virtually Caught Up In Math Performance, But They Are Now Smoking, Drinking And Using Drugs As Often As Boys Their Age) Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 09:43:47 -0400 To: mattalk@islandnet.com From: Dave HaansSubject: TorStar: Girls will be . . . boys - and it's not a pretty sight Newshawk: Dave Haans Source: The Toronto Star Pubdate: Thursday, June 18, 1998 Page: A1 Website: http://www.thestar.ca Contact: LetterToEd@thestar.ca Authors: Barbara Vobejda and Linda Perlstein Girls will be . . . boys - and it's not a pretty sight So says a new report by 77 U.S. universities By Barbara Vobejda and Linda Perlstein Special to The Star A generation after a great rethinking of gender roles and the forces that classify children by their sex, the results are in: girls are behaving more like boys - and it isn't always a pretty picture. Girls have virtually caught up with boys in math performance and have closed the gap considerably in science. But they are now smoking, drinking and using drugs as often as boys their age. And though they're not nearly as violent as boys, girls are increasingly more likely to find their way into trouble with the law. A status report released yesterday by an alliance of 77 university and other research centres describes young females in the United States as a population stepping out of many traditional stereotypes that have defined girls for generations. And that, it is becoming clear, can be both good and bad. ``Adolescent girls are getting more of a sense of entitlement in healthy ways and feeling bolder, but some may be acting this out in ways that are not so healthy,'' said Lynn Phillips, author of The Girls Report, which compiled the most recent research on girls from hundreds of academic and government sources. ``There are ways we want girls to catch up with boys, but there are also ways we want boys to catch up with girls.'' Some of the progress girls have made comes from public policies and private efforts - to enhance math, science and sports programs for girls, for example. But more subtle social pressures have also had an effect, pushing girls to follow the less desirable patterns set by boys in other ways. While 13 per cent of Grade 8 girls reported smoking in 1991, the report shows, that figure increased to 21 per cent in 1996, a faster increase than that for boys. And nearly 17 per cent of Grade 8 girls used marijuana in 1996, compared with just over 5 per cent in 1991. In its report, the National Council for Research on Women also found: * While girls are still less likely than boys to be arrested for violent crimes, the rate at which they are being arrested for these crimes increased faster than that for boys between 1986 and 1995. * Girls participate in a wider range of sports and exercise more than ever before, but they still lag far behind boys. And a U.S. federal study found that the percentage of senior high school girls participating in sports declined from 46 per cent in 1980 to 41 per cent a decade later, while male participation remained even at 63 per cent. * After years of concern about girls trailing boys in math performance, a 1996 test administered by the U.S. education department found no significant differences between average scores for Grade 8 and 12 girls and boys. * In science, girls perform about as well as boys until Grade 12, when boys' average scores pull ahead and more boys excel in science. Although much of what the new report documents are the problems that face girls, it also challenges many popular stereotypes. It questions, for example, the notion that adolescent girls are doomed to go through a period of low self-esteem or that the teen years are inevitably filled with anger and stress. It also makes clear that, despite their convergence with boys on some measures, in many important ways, girls remain very different. They are twice as likely to be depressed as boys, for example. And a U.S. federal survey of high school students found that 34 per cent of girls see themselves as overweight, compared with 22 per cent of boys. Nearly two out of three of the girls were attempting to lose weight. Racial differences among girls are important in many instances. African American girls, for example, have more positive perceptions of their own bodies than do white and Hispanic girls. And black girls are significantly less likely to smoke than girls of other races or African American boys. They also found that girls are frequently the victims of violent crime. It cited studies estimating that between one-third and one-fourth of girls are sexually victimized by the time they finish high school. That includes a range of experiences from rape to sexual harassment. And nearly two-thirds of rape victims are under 17, the report said. THE WASHINGTON POST
------------------------------------------------------------------- RCMP Caper Latest Indictment Of Justice System (Letter To The Editor Of 'The Ottawa Citizen' Says The Newspaper's Coverage Of The Royal Canadian Mounted Police's Reverse-Sting Money Laundering Operation Shows There Are Two Levels Of Justice In Canada - One For The Average Citizen And A 'Carte Blanche' System For The Wealthy, The Police And The Government) From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod) To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com Subject: LTE: RCMP caper latest indictment of justice system Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 08:32:19 -0700 Lines: 38 Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org Source: Ottawa Citizen Contact: letters@thecitizen.southam.ca Pubdate: Thursday 18 June 1998 RCMP caper latest indictment of justice system Thomas Mann The Ottawa Citizen I am very pleased with the coverage of the RCMP reverse-sting money laundering "caper." Here's a fine example of two levels of justice in Canada: One for the average citizen and a "carte blanche" system for the wealthy, the police or the government. The law must simply be the law -- period. With luck, this investigative report will inspire further exploration of similarly deceitful policing. At least in the money exchange case the commodity involved was currency. Many more examples can be reported of police using and selling illicit drugs, or of Canadians being sacrificed and unjustly incarcerated domestically and abroad in the name of so-called justice. Wrongfully convicted prisoners in Canada don't just include murder suspects such as Donald Marshall and David Milgaard. I applaud Citizen reporter Andrew MacIntosh. I sincerely hope stories like this will encourage public support to demand a truer, more accountable justice system. Let's end "us" and "them" legalities. Let's rally for a more common sensible, results-driven national drug strategy, rather than today's insanely expensive, revenge-driven fiasco. Let's help end drug abuse, rather than fueling huge police budgets and incarceration rates. Thomas Mann, Ottawa
------------------------------------------------------------------- Reefer Sadness (Staff Editorial In 'The Calgary Sun' About The Conviction Tuesday Of Multiple Sclerosis Patient Grant Krieger For Trafficking Marijuana Says That, If Marijuana Is Legalized For Medical Purposes, There Must Be Tight Legal Controls, Similar To Ones In Place For Addictive Painkillers Like Morphine) From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod) To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com Subject: Canada: Editorial: Reefer Sadness Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 08:30:44 -0700 Lines: 54 Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org Source: Calgary Sun Contact: callet@sunpub.com Pubdate: June 18, 1998 Reefer sadness Talk about a potty concept. Those who break the law to fire up support for decriminalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes are just blowing smoke. Grant Krieger, a multiple sclerosis victim convicted Tuesday of possession of marijuana for the purposes of trafficking, has vowed to keep selling pot as medicine. Judge Robert Davie didn't buy Krieger's argument that medical users should be able to grow and distribute cannabis. The judge ruled dissemination of drugs is restricted to doctors and pharmacists for the protection of society. We couldn't agree more, but sympathize -- to a degree -- with Krieger's attempts to draw attention to the issue. There is evidence cannabis helps sufferers of MS, glaucoma, AIDS and other afflictions. Federal Justice Minister Anne McLellan says the government is already looking at decriminalization for medical purposes. The last three words are key here. If marijuana is legalized for medical purposes, there must be tight legal controls -- similar to ones in place for addictive painkillers like morphine. Legalization advocates are simply enjoying brightly colored pipe dreams if they believe otherwise. Imagine the prospect of a merry bunch of marijuana growers using and selling it for ailments as varied as lower back pain, headaches and "havin' a bad day, man." There are very valid reasons why marijuana remains illegal, despite decades of effort by the pot lobby. It causes impairment similar to alcohol. Long-term use leads to lethargy and lack of motivation. We need only look at cultures where cannabis use is widespread to witness its sad impact. If it is legalized for "medical purposes only," strict controls are needed to prevent it becoming a conduit for recreational users. Even California, that mecca of drug use, has recently cut the flow for medicinal purposes because of inadequate restrictions. Those who believe decriminalization for medical purposes will be a painless, uncomplicated process had better clear away the smoky haze and take a hard look at reality.
------------------------------------------------------------------- More Teenagers Using Marijuana ('The Age' In Australia Says A National Survey On Drug Use Released Yesterday Suggests More Teenagers Are Trying Marijuana - 41 Per Cent Of 14- To 19-Year-Olds - The Same Survey Suggests Most 16- And 17-Year-Olds Drink Alcohol, And That One In Five Is A Regular Heavy Drinker) Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 02:56:17 -0400 To: mapnews@mapinc.org From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) Subject: MN: Australia: More Teenagers Using Marijuana Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ Newshawk: Ken Russell Pubdate: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 Source: The Age (Australia) Contact: letters@fairfax.theage.com.au Author: Darren Gray MORE TEENAGERS USING MARIJUANA More teenagers are experimenting with marijuana, with 41 per cent of 14 to 19-year-olds having tried it, according to a national drug study released yesterday. The 1985-95 report on patterns of drug use, also shows a significant level of under-age drinking in Australia. Most 16 and 17-year-olds drink alcohol and one in five is a regular heavy drinker, according to the report. One in three 14 and 15-year-olds has tried alcohol and one in four is a moderate drinker. While the report reveals worrying figures on teenage drinking, the overall number of Australians who do not drink has increased to one in five, and the proportion of heavy drinkers has declined. Tobacco consumption has declined among heavy smokers and smoking is becoming less common among adolescents. Men remain more likely to smoke than women, but the gap is closing. Thirty per cent of men smoke, compared to 25 per cent of women, the report said. Smoking rates for men have declined since World War II and remained stable for women. The federal Health Minister, Dr Michael Wooldridge, said he was concerned that some people considered marijuana safe. "There's mounting evidence to show that psychiatric disorders might be unmasked, for example. I find that very scary," he said. A co-author of the report, Professor Ian McAllister, said it contained mixed news for Australians. "In terms of the illicit drugs, most of the major ones are readily available to people if they want them. And significant proportions of people reported that they have been offered them at some stage in their lives," he said. The report found that most people using heroin did so irregularly, with 86 per cent saying they used it less than once a year. The heroin users were most likely to be men in their 20s. The report also referred to a "significant" link between unemployment and heroin.
------------------------------------------------------------------- 150,000 Teens Smoking Dope (Version In Australia's 'Herald Sun') Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1998 19:33:30 -0400 To: DrugSense News ServiceFrom: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) Subject: MN: Australia: 150,000 Teens Smoking Dope Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ Newshawk: Ken Russell Source: Herald Sun (Australia) Contact: hseditor@ozemail.com.au Pubdate: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 Author: Helen Carter, medical reporter 150,000 TEENS SMOKING DOPE NEARLY one in three Australian adolescents smoked marijuana in the past year, an alarming report says. Almost half of teenagers have tried the drug and more than 10 per cent or 150,000 smoke dope once a week or more. The report said children were starting to smoke cannabis at younger ages with 18 per cent of those under 15 having tried it, up 14 per cent from 1993. Worrying trends on tobacco smoking also were revealed, including news that 43 per cent of women in their 20s smoke cigarettes. And smoking rates for women in their 30s have jumped to one in three. Women who are single, divorced or work in manual jobs also have high rates. Australian Medical Association president David Brand said at least doubling the price of cigarettes would deter young people from smoking. "We want cigarettes to cost at least two times what they do now - $10 or $20 for a pack - that will have the biggest impact on young people," he said. Another shock finding was that by 1995, 26 per cent of female adolescents and 15 per cent of male adolescents were classed as heavy drinkers - males who had five or more drinks a session or females who had three or more. Despite a decline in binge drinking overall and a slight drop among adolescents, adolescent binge drinking rates were still 12 per cent compared with 5percent for adults. About 15,000 Australians were asked about their drug use in Patterns of Drug Use in Australia 1985-95. Launched yesterday by federal Health Minister Michael Wooldridge, the report combined results from five national drug surveys. Smoking remained the biggest drug killer, causing more than seven in 10 drug deaths. Although the proportion of smokers dropped slightly since 1985 - a 6 per cent drop for males and 5percent for females - 30 per cent of men and 25 per cent of women still smoke. Heavy smoking - those smoking 20 or more a day - declined by one third. Highest rates were among the divorced and separated, followed by those who were single. Teenagers were waiting longer before starting - up six months to 14.9 for boys and 16.4 for girls. Alcohol remained the most-used drug, with just under half the population, 47 per cent, regularly drinking at least one day a week. Non-drinking is up, with the number of teetotallers rising from 15 per cent to 20 per cent. The frequency of drinking among men and women also fell. More men drink only one to three days a month now than in 1988. Women who drink often - four to seven days a week - dropped from 21 per cent to 19 per cent. Illicit drug use, apart from marijuana, has remained stable or dropped. Men are about twice as likely as women to use illegal drugs. Heroin availability declined from 1985 to 1991 but use remained stable. Amphetamine users rose from 2 per cent since 1988 to 8 per cent of people. Cocaine use, at 3 per cent, was stable.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Anti-Drug Book Misguided (A Physician's Letter To 'The Evening Post' In Wellington, New Zealand, Criticizes Its News Story Promoting A Sensational New Prohibitionist Book As Counterproductive)Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1998 05:15:58 EDT Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org Reply-To: David.Hadorn@vuw.ac.nz Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org From: David.Hadorn@vuw.ac.nz (David Hadorn) To: Multiple recipients of list (drctalk@drcnet.org) Subject: NZ: PUB: Anti-drug book misguided Newshawk: david.hadorn@vuw.ac.nz Source: The Evening Post (Wellington, NZ) Pubdate: June 18, 1998 Contact: editor@evpost.co.nz Author: David Hadorn Author's note: The Post's editor, Suzanne Carty, took the rare step of appending a rejoinder to my letter, which she does to only about a letter a month or so. And that's usually to answer a question, not to rebut the author. Ms Carty and I have had an ongoing correspondence (including one meeting) on this topic, which might in part explain her action. But I can't help but feel that her rather wanton labeling of me as "pro-marijuana" - whereas my letter is obviously only anti-prohibition and anti-lies - is virtually an invitation to follow up with another letter (which I surely will). It'll be a pleasure explaining why SHE is the one who has missed the point. DH *** Anti-drug book misguided By choosing to promote (in the guise of a news story) the latest sensational anti-drugs book (Drug epidemic on way - book (The Post, May 20), you once again ill-serve our young people. As informed drug educators know, several major studies have shown that the sort of rhetorical excesses and exaggerated anti-drug messages contained in this book actually increase drug use by young people. The Post has previously been made aware of this research information. Instead of fueling the fires of teenage curiosity with strident claims that the sky is falling (which tends to make skeptical teenagers want to rush outside and look up), society should strive to make cannabis boring - something used by (some) parents and other "old people". This has happened in The Netherlands, where 22 years of normalised cannabis sales to adults has reduced both cannabis and hard drug use by teenagers to among the lowest levels in the developed world. The authors of Drug Precipice wish us to believe that any method of drug control other than strict prohibition would "make things worse overall". Like anti-drugs campaigners everywhere, these authors ignore the mountain of scholarly evidence showing that prohibition is in fact the source - directly or indirectly - of most of the harms produced by illicit drug use. This is especially true of cannabis. Perhaps the Post was correct in thinking that publication of Drug Precipice was newsworthy. But the true significance of the story is this: the sort of scare-tactic anti-drug messages known to increase drug use by children continue to be tolerated - even promoted - by societies on both sides of the Tasman. David Hadorn Northland [Ed's note: Dr Hadorn, who is director of the Drug Policy Forum, is missing the point. The Reuters' report from Sydney quoted the views of the authors who are as entitled to their anti-cannabis views as Dr Hadorn is to his pro-marijuana stance. - Editor]
------------------------------------------------------------------- A Hero Returns Home To New Zealand (A Press Release From The New Zealand Government Featuring A Statement By Customs Minister Tuariki Delamere About His Speech At The Recent United Nations Special Assembly To Expand The Global Drug War - Plus Commentary) Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1998 04:46:18 EDT Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org Reply-To: David.Hadorn@vuw.ac.nz Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org From: David.Hadorn@vuw.ac.nz (David Hadorn) To: Multiple recipients of list (drctalk@drcnet.org) Subject: A hero returns home to New Zealand Fellow drug policy activists/scholars, Surfing the local press-release wire a short while ago I came across this release from New Zealand Associate Minister of Health, Hon John Tuariki Delamere, who spoke at the recent UNGASS on behalf of New Zealand. As I understand from someone who attended the symposium (Dr John Marks, a new trustee of the NZ Drug Policy Forum Trust), Mr Delamere was the ONLY delegate to UNGASS who referred to the failure of the war on drugs or who used the word "hypocrisy" in the appropriate way. Mr Delamere deserves a tremendous amount of credit for his bold statements, carrying as they did the light of truth and rationality into the very belly of the beast. In speaking out against the war on drugs Mr Delamere (who is also Customs Minister) is noticeably out of step with the current NZ coalition government, of which he is a front-bencher. The Coalition is ruled by arch-prohibitionist Prime Minister Jenny Shipley; Associate PM Winston Peters, head of the New Zealand First party (to which Delamere belongs), has ducked the issue since coming to power (mostly by saying "we have more important things to worry about"), but not long before the election in 1996 he called for a public referendum on cannabis law reform. The other Associate Minister of Health, Roger Sowry, BTW, is quite close-minded on the issue of cannabis law reform (he's agin' it), but to his credit he did not raise any noticeable objection to Delamere's speech, which he surely previewed. I don't know if Ms Shipley previewed the speech; I would guess not. Anyway, since hearing the news of Mr Delamere's speech I wondered if he would be forced to dissemble to some extent upon returning into the anti-reform fold, but from his press release (below) it seems not. Indeed, he appears to be wearing his recent statements as a badge of honour, as well he should. As an interesting footnote, the new head of the NZ Drug Foundation, Sally Jackman, upon hearing the news of Mr Delamere's statements immediately sent letters supportive of Delamere to the editors of the newspapers that ran the story of Delamere's speech (like the Dominion's story, 'Delamere denounces drug hypocrisy'), including all the majors except the (Wgtn) Evening Post, whose editor, Suzanne Carty, is another arch-prohibitionist. (See my recent LTE to the EP, posted separately.) I doubt the previous NZDF director would have done this. Ms Jackman (whom I have had the pleasure of meeting a couple of times) was at the outset of her recent appointment a novice in the field of drug policy, but she has quickly figured out what the issues are and where truth and rationality reside. It is my hope that she will be able to lead the Foundation into a position of greater influence in advocating for drug law reform. This is all by way of prelude to the following press release. In a nutshell, it provides a further ray of hope that New Zealand might (as in my fondest dream) help lead the world out of the deadly and insane international war on drugs. David Hadorn, M.D. Director, NZ Drug Policy Forum Trust *** Hon Tuariki Delamere: Column on Drugs Thursday, 18 June 1998, 9:48 am Press Release: New Zealand Government One of the occupational hazards of being a politician is having people constantly attack you for being dishonest. So it was a real pleasure for me personally after addressing the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Drugs recently, to be approached by delegates from several countries, congratulating New Zealand on having the courage and integrity to speak out plainly and honestly on dealing with the world drug trade. Speaking for New Zealand, I told the UN that we were helping ease the problems of drug abuse through a methadone programme and a needle exchange scheme. A few quotes: I believe that our efforts to strike a balance between supply control, demand reduction, and the management of drug problems have helped us to reduce significantly the harm associated with illicit drugs in New Zealand. For example, there has been a steady increase in the number of people seeking treatment in methadone programmes. We have significantly increased the number of people receiving methadone over the last three years. Many of these people have not only reduced their illicit drug use and needle-sharing, but have stabilised their family and working lives, reduced their involvement in criminal activity, and generally improved their health status. We consider that the introduction of a needle exchange programme a decade ago has also helped to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS amongst injecting drug users. New Zealand's infection rate of less than 1% is one of the lowest in the world. We are only now beginning to understand just how important this relatively simple and inexpensive programme has been in terms of helping to protect the public health of all New Zealanders. I note that there are those who vehemently oppose methadone or needle exchange programmes. For me, the answer ?well, it works? seems to be the best response to these critics, who I suspect would have us blindly march down the road towards a "war on drugs" a philosophy which many consider hasn't worked. A further point I was keen to emphasise was the question of being honest with our young people about the dangers of drugs. As the speech said: .....if we are going to stand a chance in convincing our young people about the risks of drug use, we need to address the hypocrisy that young people see when adults, even politicians, occasionally openly and legally abuse alcohol, then turn around and condemn youth for using marijuana. This sort of hypocrisy makes young people switch off, and you can't really blame them. Now, these sentiments seem like plain commonsense to me, but it was remarkable to see so many other speakers at the UN deliver grand sounding speeches, but with little content. New Zealand's contribution really stood out and it was pleasing to have that acknowledged. The abuse of drugs is a true destroyer of our families and our communities. Every practical step we can take towards ending that abuse is another step on the path towards a better life for all New Zealanders. The message from the UN was: honesty and action, not empty grandstanding and hyprocritical moralising, are the keys to success in fighting the illicit drug plague.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Delamere Drug Sense (A Letter To The Editor Of 'The Dominion' In Wellington, New Zealand, From The Drug Policy Foundation Of New Zealand Praises The Recent Statements By Customs Minister Tuariki Delamere At The United Nations General Assembly On Drugs) Date: Tue, 23 Jun 1998 02:56:59 -0400 To: mapnews@mapinc.org From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) Subject: MN: New Zealand: PUB LTE: Delamere Drug Sense Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ Newshawk: David.Hadorn@vuw.ac.nz (David Hadorn) Pubdate: Pubdate: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 Source: The Dominion (Wellington NZ) Contact: editor@dominion.co.nz DELAMERE DRUG SENSE The Drug Foundation wishes to record its support for recent statements by Customs Minister Tuariki Delamere at the United Nations General Assembly on Drugs. Mr Delamere said New Zealand drug policies aim to reduce the harm caused by drug-taking, as well as trying to stop it happening. For example, our needle-swapping scheme has kept the HIV infection rate amongst drug users one of the lowest anywhere. This contrasts with the United States "war on drugs" approach, which sees needle exchange as condoning drug use. The United Nations has recognised the need for alternative economic development in drug-producing countries and reduction of demand in consuming countries. The Drug Foundation is keen to contribute its experience to international efforts that New Zealand makes in this regard. We applaud Mr Delamere and his colleagues for their support of an expanded range of international responses to drug problems. We should also keep working at finding our own solutions, remembering that there is no "easy fix". Sally Jackman Executive director Drug Foundation
------------------------------------------------------------------- British Drug Company To Study Marijuana ('Reuters' Update On Last Week's Story About GW Pharmaceuticals Being Awarded Two Licenses To Cultivate Marijuana With The Aim Of Investigating Medical Uses Of Cannabis Derivatives) Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1998 01:06:26 -0400 (EDT) From: theHEMPEROR@webtv.net (JR Irvin) To: NTList@fornits.com From: ntlist Subject: [ntlist] British drug company to study marijuana Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 22:11:04 EDT Errors-To: jnr@insightweb.com Reply-To: friends@freecannabis.org Originator: friends@freecannabis.org Sender: friends@freecannabis.org From: Tim PerkinsTo: Multiple recipients of list Subject: British drug company to study marijuana Thursday June 18 1:07 PM EDT British drug company to study marijuana LONDON, Jun 18 (Reuters) -- Britain has awarded two licenses to a new company, GW Pharmaceuticals Ltd, to cultivate marijuana with the aim of investigating medical uses of derivatives of the plant, the company announced last week. GW Pharmaceuticals will make extracts of cannabis sativa, determine the best nonsmoking method for delivery of the drug and provide material for research, according to a statement issued by Dr. Geoffrey Guy, the company's founder. The company is applying for a product license from Britain's drug regulator, the Medicines Control Agency (MCA). "There is a considerable body of evidence to suggest that cannabis may have a number of medicinal uses: for the relief of pain and spasticity in multiple sclerosis; for pain relief in other neurological disorders, such as paraplegia and neuralgia; as an appetite stimulant in treating AIDS patients with wasting disease; for the prevention of nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy; and in the eye disease, glaucoma," said Guy in the statement. "But there have been very few systematic research programmes or controlled clinical trials. Our aim will be to establish the medical facts." A spokeswoman for Britain's Home Office, which enforces the country's drug laws, told Reuters Health, "If and when the benefits of a cannabis-based medicine are scientifically demonstrated and a marketing authorisation is issued by the MCA, the government would be willing to propose amendments to the misuse of drugs legislation to allow the prescription of such a medicine." Dr. Bill O'Neill, science adviser to the British Medical Association, said that the physicians' group welcomed the government's decision to award licenses to GW Pharmaceuticals. "We are very pleased that a company has come forward to try and produce the (cannabinoid) derivatives," he told Reuters Health. "While we welcome this, we do not in any way see it as a move toward the decriminalization of cannabis," O'Neill added. The research work will be carried out at secure facilities in the UK, according to GW Pharmaceuticals. The company has recently negotiated a collaboration agreement with the Dutch firm, HortaPharm BV, which has experience cultivating and standardizing cannabis sativa for medicinal purposes. GW Pharmaceuticals hopes to expand internationally with the help of researchers from universities and other pharmaceutical companies. Thursday June 18 1:07 PM EDT
------------------------------------------------------------------- Smoking Cure On Trial (Version In Britain's 'Financial Times') From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) To: "MN" (mapnews@mapinc.org) Subject: MN: UK: Smoking Cure On Trial Date: Sun, 28 Jun 1998 17:22:05 -0500 Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ Newshawk: webbooks@paston.co.uk (CLCIA) Pubdate: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 Source: Financial Times Contact: letters.editor@ft.com Web site: http://www.FT.com Author: Vanessa Houlder SMOKING CURE ON TRIAL Vanessa Houlder on a research programme that could lead to a currently illegal drug being cleared for medicinal use. Rarely has a new research programme caused such a stir. When last week the UK Government gave the go-ahead to a cannabis farm that would grow plants for the first large-scale clinical trials of the drug, it seemed to signal an important change in attitude. There is now the political will to approve cannabis as a drug, in the view of Geoffrey Guy, the pharmaceutical entrepreneur behind the initiative. Four years ago, his request to conduct a similar programme received a frosty response. The government's opposition to legalising the drug is unchanged. But its willingness to approve research into its medical applications reflects mounting pressure from doctors who are convinced of its potential benefits. For example: * Earlier this month, an independent study commissioned by the Department of Health found "good evidence" that cannabinoids - the active constituents of cannabis - reduce nausea in patients taking chemotherapy. The review, conducted by Dr Philip Robson of Warneford Hospital in Oxford, found that cannabinoids may be effective in relieving muscle spasms, pain, anxiety, insomnia, certain forms of epilepsy, glaucoma and asthma. It would be "irrational" not to ex-lore he therapeutic uses of cannabis further through properly-controlled human research, it said. * Last year both the British Medical Association and the US Institutes of Health issued reports which recommended more research. Potential uses include treating AIDS patients with wasting disease, in treating glaucoma, the eye disease, and for relieving pain and spasms in multiple sclerosis. * Last week, the royal Society and the Academy of Medical Science jointly submitted a report to the House of Lords enquiry into the use of cannabis, which found it may be clinically effective in some medical conditions. One point is repeatedly made in these studies. As the Royal Society puts it: "It is suggested that the issues of clinical use of cannabis should be uncoupled from the issue of recreational use." In recent years, the legal and moral issues surrounding cannabis have tended to obscure its medical benefits. But at one time, cannabis was highly respectable. It was prescribed for Queen Victoria by her personal physician, who once described it as "one of the most valuable medicines we possess." It continued to be prescribed in tincture form by doctors in the UK until the 1970's. Its withdrawal from medical use stemmed partly from the development of synthetic drugs and partly from amoral backlash against the relaxed attitude to drugs in the 1960's. In 1971, the UK Misuse of Drugs Act listed it as a Schedule 1 drug with no therapeutic benefits. The moral objections to using cannabis as a medicine remain. In the US, anti-drug lobbyists are deeply sceptical about attempts to legalise the medical use of cannabis, such as the successful campaign in California in 1996. They are concerned that allowing the medical use of cannabis will open up a free-for-all and that, in particular, it will encourage experimentation by teenagers. Another argument repeatedly put forward by anti-drugs campaigners is that THC (a chemical known as Tetrahydrocannabinol or Marinol that is one of the active ingredients) is already available for specific conditions, such as the nausea associated with chemotherapy. "If pot is such a wonderful medicine, why haven't more doctors prescribed Marinol, the real 'medical marijuana'?" asks Barry McCaffrey, the head of the US government's anti-drugs campaign. "The argument that his chemical needs to be smoked, exposing patients to carcinogenic agents that damage the lungs, doesn't make sense." The question of whether cannabinoids can help patients more safely and efficiently than cannabis goes to the heart of this debate. The problem with available cannabinoids such as Marinol is that patients often say that they get a slower and less effective response than from smoking herbal cannabis. Scientists believe that extracting a single cannabinoid does not replicate the effect of the whole cannabis plant, which contains more than 400 chemical compounds and over 60 cannabinoids. When it comes to judging the safety of cannabis-based drugs, much depends on how they are administered. Three times as much tar is inhaled from a joint containing only herbal cannabis than an ordinary cigarette, according to the BMA. People who suffer life-long conditions such as multiple sclerosis need to know more about potential long-term health risks, such as lung cancer, emphysema and bronchitis. This means that finding other methods of administering cannabis-based drugs - such as aerosols or skin patches - is a priority for researchers, such as GW Pharmaceuticals, the company that was granted a research licence by the Home Office last week. The success of this research project, or others like it, would doubtless be welcomed by anti-drug campaigners, as well as by patients. But research takes time. And meanwhile, thousands of otherwise law-abiding citizens will resort to illegal cannabis to alleviate symptoms that are poorly controlled by existing drugs. The debate about the medical use of cannabis is now moving on to the issue of whether these patients should have to worry about the law. Some strands of medical opinion already believe they should not. As Dr Robson, the author of the Department of Health report puts it, prescribing "compassionate reefers" to certain patients is justified on existing evidence.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Law Without Muscle (Translation Of An Editorial In Sweden's 'Expressen' Protesting The Swedish Government's Latest Crackdown On Drugs - This Time It's Criminalising The Use Of Anabolic Steroids) Date: Sat, 20 Jun 1998 22:27:10 -0800 To: mapnews@mapinc.org From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews) Subject: MN: Sweden: Editorial: Law Without Muscle Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/ Pubdate: Thu, 18 Jun 98 Newshawk: "Jonas Thorell" (jonasth@bahnhof.se) Source: Expressen Section: Editorial Contact: chefred@expressen.se Website: http://www.expressen.se/ettan/index.html Translation: Olafur Brentmar and John Yates LAW WITHOUT MUSCLE Now the government wants to criminalize doping. Just as it is illegal to harm your body with narcotics, soon it will also be illegal to pump up with anabolic steroids. The purpose, of course, is well intentioned. The government says the ban will give a clear signal of how seriously society regards doping. And it certainly is serious, no one denies that, but it is nevertheless not reasonable to pass laws just to send messages and political signals. Laws are too serious to be used in this way. In the first place people must believe in laws and respect them. A law forbidding doping is in practice nearly impossible to enforce, especially if people are taking testosterone or growth hormones or anything else that already exists in the body. And a law that cannot be enforced is not taken seriously with the result that respect for the law is diminished. It is exactly the same with the laws against taking narcotics or buying the services of prostitutes, there is no reasonable possibility of enforcing these laws and they end up as mere moral preaching and wagging fingers. According to modern Swedish law it is not a crime to inflict damage upon one's own body. It is a long time since suicide was illegal. Even though it is considered reasonable and important to ban narcotics and doping, this does not mean that abuse should be considered criminal. Whether one damages one's body with legal or illegal substances can have no bearing on the legal situation. It is still not a crime to damage oneself. If it is criminal to damage oneself with steroids or heroin, one has to wonder how it can then be permitted to eat until grotesquely fat or penetrate the body with needles or pump it full of silicon - not to mention smoking or drinking yourself to death. Criminalising abuse has absurd consequences and is judicially unsound - what should be done for example with those who intoxicate themselves with sleeping pills or inhale solvents? Should those go free while pot smokers are imprisoned? Abuse should be treated, not punished. Abusers are sick people who need care, not punishment. That would be the mark of a good Swedish criminal justice system.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly Action Report On Drug Policies, Year 4, Number 16 (Summary Of International Drug Policy News, From CORA In Italy) From: cora.belgique@agora.stm.it Comments: Authenticated sender is (cora.belgique@agora.stm.it) To: "CORAFax -EN-" (cora.news@agora.it) Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 18:44:58 +0000 Subject: CORAFax 16 (EN) Sender: owner-hemp@efn.org ANTIPROHIBITIONIST OF THE ENTIRE WORLD .... Year 4 No. 16, June 18 1998 *** Weekly Action Report on Drug Policies Edited by the CORA - Radical Antiprohibitionist Coordination, federated to - TRP-Transnational Radical Party (NGO, consultive status, I) - The Global Coalition for Alternatives to the Drug War *** director: Vincenzo Donvito All rights reserved *** http://www.agora.stm.it/coranet mailto:cora.news@agora.stm.it *** NEWS FROM THE CORA UN CONFERENCE ON DRUGS The CORA says that Pino Arlacchi's multi-million aire projects do not reflect reality. Prohibitionism has failed, and its ideology which is endangering fundamental rights must be denounced. *** NEWS FROM THE WORLD *** 000082 13/06/98 E.U. / ITALY DRUG ADDICT CORRIERE DELLA SERA Shiatsu therapies are being used also in hospitals. They seem to be useful in curing drug addiction. *** 000091 16/06/98 E.U. / HOLLAND DRUG ADDICT / JOINTS SUEDDEUTSCHE Z. From now on Dutch soldiers who may be found smoking a joint together with others risk being expelled from the army. Smoking in private is, instead, not punished. *** 000078 18/06/98 E.U. / WORLD DRUG MAFIA L'ESPRESSO The money that international drug traffic and criminality needs to recycle every year amounts to 330 million $. Where does the recycling take place? In any one of the 63 small states in which fly-by-night banks can strive, owing to favourable laws. *** 000088 16/06/98 AMERICA / COLUMBIA DRUG MAFIA HERALD TRIBUNE The Colombian drug traffic bosses invest their wealth in sculptures, hunting trophies, private zoos and jewellery. All, of course, is rigorously in 'Kitsch' style. *** 000079 12/06/98 AMERICA DRUG MAFIA / RECYCLING / INTERVENTION NEUE ZUERCHER Z. Evident discomfort about how 'Operation Casablanca' has been carried was manifested at the annual meeting of the USA-Mexico Commission. On one side Mexico accuses the Americans of having violated international treaties, on the other the USA simply registers their resentment without apologizing. *** 000090 17/06/98 E.U. / FRANCE HEALTH LA STAMPA / LE MONDE A study commissioned by the Ministry of Public health says that hashish is less harmful than alcohol or tobacco. *** 000086 16/06/98 EUROPE / SWITZERLAND / ZURICH JURYSPRUDE / HEMP NEUE ZUERCHER Z. The State Attorney has denounced a shopkeeper who was selling marijuana stuffed pillows. There is great interest for the outcome of the sentence, because it will constitute the basis for future jurisprudence. *** 000087 10/06/98 EUROPE / SWITZERLANDS LAWS LIBERATION The new law against the recycling of drug money in Swiss banks has become effective. *** 000077 13/06/98 E.U. / GERMANY / BERLIN MARKET CORRIERE DELLA SERA Marijuana beer is having an enormous success. Competitor brands are up in arms, but this beverage, that 'can make your head spin' is perfectly legal. At least up to this day. *** 000080 19/06/98 E.U. / GB ORGANIZATION THE ECONOMIST 19/6 / THE TIMES 12/6 The English Government has asked GW Pharmaceuticals to put together a study on the effects of therapeutical use of cannabis. *** 000081 12/06/98 AFRICA / SOUTH AFRICA ORGANIZATION LA REPUBBLICA 12/6 / THE TIMES 10/6 In 1984 Botha's regime was planning to reduce the black population to obedience through mass-narcotization by using Madrax, an opium derivative. *** 000089 17/06/98 E.U. / GERMANY ORGANIZATION LA REPUBBLICA Various heads of Police, Mayors and Secretaries of various federal offices have a shocking request for the Government: That the State supply heroin under medical control. *** 000083 11/06/98 WORLD WAR ON DRUGS MISCELLANEOUS FROM 11/6 TO 19/6 The UN summit on drugs has closed without any substancial result and the Arlacchi plan has been approved with difficulty and scarce funding. The destruction of drug cutivations and their substitution with alternative kinds of agriculture will cost about 500 million $ until year 2008. Very few countries will participate in the funding. *** 000084 12/06/98 E.U. / FRANCE WAR ON DRUGS LE MONDE French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin has declared himself as being against the legalization of light drugs. *** 000085 12/06/98 E.U. / FRANCE WAR ON DRUS LIBERATION For reasons of political nature, the ****** has not yet nominated the new President of the Interministerial Commission Against Drugs. *** CLIPPINGS *** ITALY- The councillor responsible for social policies of the region of Tuscany is reproposing free distribution of heroin, after that the Ministry of Health already vetoed this idea a month ago. there ios a lot of talking about this, for and against. ITALIA- The President of the RAI, the italian public television network, has proposed that the 21st of November become the official day aginst drugs, with coordinated live shows from TV networks around the world. *** CORA -COORDINATION RADICALE ANTIPROHIBITIONNISTE -ANTIPROHIBITIONIST RADICAL COORDINATION -COORDINAMENTO RADICALE ANTIPROIBIZIONISTA Federated with the Transnational Radical Party NGO with category I consultative status at the UN Emailto:cora.news@agora.it http://www.agora.stm.it/coranet Emailto:cora.belgique@agora.it -------------------------------------------------------------------
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