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

Police Sting Nabs Small-Store Owners ('The Oregonian'
Notes A Three-Month Sting Operation Involving 50 Portland Police
Led To The Arrest Of The Owners Of Just About Every Mom And Pop Store
In Portland's Old Town - Seven Of The 27 Stores Investigated Allegedly
Bought Stolen Cigarettes And Other Shoplifted Goods From 'Drug' Addicts)

The Oregonian
letters to editor:
letters@news.oregonian.com
1320 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97201
Web: http://www.oregonlive.com/

Police sting nabs small-store owners

* After a three-month investigation, detectives accuse seven stores in
Portland of selling stolen goods

Wednesday, July 8 1998

By Dionne D. Peeples
of The Oregonian staff

Portland police Tuesday arrested a clerk and 10 small-store owners on
accusations of buying stolen small-ticket items such as aspirin, film and
cigarettes that had been taken from larger stores.

After a three-month investigation that included an undercover sting, a
Multnomah County grand jury issued 141 indictments against 11 people on July
1 for first-degree attempted theft by receiving and first-degree conspiracy
to commit theft by receiving, said Cmdr. Bob Kauffman of Central Precinct.

Police investigated 27 stores and found seven that allegedly accepted goods
stolen from stores such as Safeway and Costco.

Those seven stores were: Dr. Bill's Learning Center, 350 W. Burnside St.; 3
Brothers' Market, 638 E. Burnside St.; Old Town Grocery, 100 N.W. Third
Ave.; Payless Market, 18 N.W. Third Ave; Addy's Market, 221 W. Burnside St.;
Junior's Grocery, 1026 S.W. Taylor St.; and Banzai Bento, 211 S.W. Sixth Ave.

No one at the stores could be reached for comment Tuesday night.

The investigation began in April after police received complaints from
larger stores about thefts. Police said they found stolen items on drug
addicts and determined they came from the larger stores, Kauffman said. The
addicts told police they stole the items, then sold them to the smaller
stores, Kauffman said.

He said a carton of cigarettes might net $25 or more.

About 50 Portland police officers participated in an undercover sting, but
Kauffman would not elaborate. He said store owners and employees knew they
were buying stolen merchandise.

"There's no doubt that they knew exactly what they were doing," he said.

Kauffman could not say how much money the bigger stores lost, but Safeway
spokeswoman Bridget Flanagan said individual Safeway stores can lose an
estimated $100,000 each year to shoplifting.

"There's a cost of doing business, whether it's Nordstrom, Costco or a
Safeway," Flanagan said. "If we can stop the cycle in any way, shape or
form, we must."

The thefts have contributed to the increase in commercial burglaries from
last year, Kauffman said.

From January to June 1997, Portland had 1,326 commercial burglaries. In that
same time this year, Portland has had 1,544 commercial burglaries, said
Detective Sgt. Cheryl Kanzler, a spokeswoman for the Portland Police Bureau.

Dionne D. Peeples covers crime issues for The Oregonian Crime, Justice and
Public Safety Team. She can be reached by phone at 221-8269, by e-mail at
dionnepeeples@news.oregonian.com or by mail at 1320 S.W. Broadway, Portland,
Ore. 97201.

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

Nine Out Of Ten Young Voters . . . Don't (An Article In 'Willamette Week'
Of Interest To Reformers Working To Change The Law Discusses The Low
Voter Turnout Among Young People In Portland And Oregon - Without Mentioning
How The War On Some Drug Users And The Media's Need To Manufacture Consensus
For It Precludes Their Participation)

Willamette Week:
http://wweek.com/
822 SW 10th Ave.
Portland, OR 97205
Tel. (503) 243-2122
Fax (503) 243-1115
Letters to the Editor:
Mark Zusman - mzusman@wweek.com
Web: http://www.wweek.com/
Note: Willamette Week welcomes letters to the editor via mail, e-mail or
fax. Letters must be signed by the author and include the author's street
address and phone number for verification. Preference will be given to
letters of 250 words or less.

July 8, 1998

Nine out of ten young voters . . . Don't

* Forget burning the flag. Young people today don't even bother to vote. A
new study suggests that young Portlanders are six times less likely than
senior citizens to cast ballots. Is it any wonder that politicians slash
education funding while defending Social Security?

BY BOB YOUNG
byoung@wweek.com

Listening to Justin Kerr, you might think this was the year that young
people would turn on to politics.

Two years ago, Kerr, 29, wouldn't have thought of voting. Politics was a
joke: Special interests gave money. Legislation followed. One man couldn't
fight the future.

But then he saw his roommate's friend, Erik Sten, running for City Council.
He looked at the Voters' Pamphlet. It clicked. "I realized how many ballot
measures would change the constitution," says Kerr, a bartender and
free-lance writer. Politics started to seem more relevant. "I became
fascinated with the process," he says. So fascinated that he started his own
"punk politics" radio talk show, called "Bring It On," which airs every
Saturday afternoon on KXYQ 1010 AM (The Voice).

Two weeks ago the topic was the Oregon Supreme Court's decision to limit
victims' rights.Kerr and his co-host, Jessica Talisman, 24, were more
irreverent the week before in discussing politicians such as Molly
Bordonaro. "We talked about Molly in a bikini," he says. "That's a big
topic." So is the governor's mustache. "It's what makes him hot," says Talisman.

After hearing Kerr and Talisman, you might believe young adults were finding
both gravity and fun in politics. Looking at this May's primary ballot you
could see the evidence. In some parts of Portland, residents could vote for
Bordonaro, a 29-year-old congressional candidate, Sten, a 30-year-old city
commissioner, and Chris Beck, a 35-year-old state representative--all of
whom went on to win. In all, 11 Gen-Xers ran for office in the metro area.
Nine were victorious.

It's not just Portland; it's happening all over the country, says author
Michele Mitchell, 27, a former Capitol Hill staffer and public radio
commentator. Mitchell's new book, A New Kind of Party Animal, claims that
young Americans are "tearing up the political landscape" and "bringing about
a fundamental change in American politics."

But when state officials sifted through the numbers, they found something
different. On May 19 young people in the tri-county area just shrugged and
uttered a collective "whatever." Nine out of 10 didn't even bother to vote.

Election experts, such as Secretary of State Phil Keisling, found the
numbers stunning. "We have more college-educated, affluent voters than ever
today. Turnout should be at a record high," says Keisling. "But there has
been a sea change in our civic life and these numbers underscore it."

The consequences of this shift are real. By sitting out elections, the
18-to-34-year-olds are turning over decision-making to a non-representative
cross section of the population. Not surprisingly, their economic welfare is
declining, while that of senior citizens--who do vote--is improving, leaving
officials like Keisling to wonder why young adults would want to
"unilaterally disarm themselves" in political combat.

To gain some insight, Willamette Week surveyed 100 young people about why
they didn't vote. The reasons they gave were as predictable as they were
disheartening: They aren't paying attention; they're ignorant of how
politics affect their lives; they're too cynical to give a damn.

We also found, however, that young people aren't the only ones to blame:
Candidates don't encourage voting; political consultants don't encourage
voting; and parties don't encourage voting--despite record levels of
campaign spending.

"I hope these stats light a fire under all of us," says Keisling. "I hope
they're a real wake-up call."

Considering the overall record-low turnout of 35 percent in the May
election, it's tempting to assume few people in any age group voted. But
that's not true--there were startling differences between age groups: 65
percent of the registered senior voters in Portland's metro area did cast
ballots.

We know this because the May 19 election turnout was dissected in
unprecedented fashion by staff members who work for Keisling and Sten.

The analysts collected results from Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington
counties and broke them down by age. The data showed that voting habits
varied little among the three counties--regardless of party loyalties.

For instance, young Democrats far outnumber young Republicans in Multnomah
County, while the opposite is true in Clackamas County. Yet turnout among
18-to-34-year-olds in both counties was dismal: Only 13 percent of those
registered voters in Multnomah participated in the May election, while the
figure was 11 percent in Clackamas County.

When turnout for the total 18-34 population was calculated, the numbers were
even more grim: Only 9 percent voted in the May election.

It's no secret that young people don't vote as frequently as senior
citizens. Turnout for 18-to-34-year-olds in the 1994 and 1996 Oregon primary
elections hovered around 9 percent, according to Labels & Lists, a Bellevue,
Wash., firm that specializes in providing demographic data to marketers and
political strategists. "Young people's turnout has gone down steadily since
1972," adds Curtis Gans, director of the Committee for the Study of the
American Electorate in Washington, D.C.

But it's the size of the gap between young and old voters in May's election
that's disconcerting to election watchers. "Now we have the clearest
documentation of how big a difference there is in participation between age
groups," says Portland pollster Adam Davis. "And it's not a pretty picture."

Not even a horde of young politicians could produce a healthy turnout--a
fact that surprised some of the candidates. "It's depressing," says Sten,
30. "If you asked me several years ago if a bunch of young candidates would
get more young people to vote, I would have said 'absolutely.' But the
evidence says otherwise. The two don't seem to be linked."

Why should young people care? What's in it for them? "The truth," says
Davis, "is that we'd live in a different kind of place if young people were
participating."

The most striking support for this idea is found in data about the declining
economic welfare of young Americans--a downward mobility that's occurring
despite a stampeding stock market, soaring real-estate values and low
unemployment.

* Entry-level wages for male high-school graduates fell 28 percent between
1973 and 1995; for female high-school graduates, 19 percent.

* Median income for families headed by someone under age 25 fell 28 percent
during the same time, to $18,756--a drop that was mirrored in a sharp
decline in home ownership among young Americans.

* The poverty rate among American children rose 37 percent between 1970 and
1995.

Now consider what happened to older Americans. "Between 1970 and 1995,
thanks to progressive public policy, poverty among Americans over the age of
65 was reduced by more than 50 percent," New Yorker reporter William
Finnegan writes in his new book, Cold New World.

"[T]here is no doubt," Finnegan adds, "about who, generationally speaking,
has paid for it." Social Security benefits are untouchable, he says, because
senior citizens are so politically active. At the same time, senior
citizens--by backing property tax initiatives--have avoided paying more for
schools.

In Oregon, apathy among younger voters has helped pass tax-limiting
initiatives such as measures 5 and 47, says Portland pollster Tim Hibbitts.
"The most resistance to tax increases of any kind come from people 55 and
older," says the pollster.

The result: less money for schools. Between 1991 and 1997, state funding for
higher education fell by 18 percent. In-state tuition at the University of
Oregon increased 80 percent during the same time, from $1,965 in 1990-91 to
$3,540 in 1996-97.

The budget for Portland Public Schools in 1991 was $352 million. Last year
it was $331 million. If the Portland schools budget had continued to grow at
its pre-Measure 5 rate, schools would have had approximately $496 million
last year.

Disparities in public spending aren't the only consequence of young adults'
apathy. Keisling notes that the FICA payroll tax is the single largest tax
paid by most younger citizens. "Yet it's not even discussed when tax cuts
are debated in Congress," he says.

"Voting is directly related to influence," adds Dan Lavey, a 32-year-old
Republican consultant and former advisor to U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith. "When
you look at the amount of federal spending on people over 55 versus under
35, it's ridiculous. If young people voted, politicians would have to be
more responsive to their concerns. Young people don't get involved at their
own peril."

Young Oregonians seem to recognize that they're committing a form of
political suicide. With the help of pollster Davis, WW devised a
questionnaire concerning the voting habits and political attitudes of young
adults. To find a cross-section of 18-to-34-year-olds, we fanned out to
warehouses, construction sites, Pioneer Courthouse Square, office towers,
restaurants, coffee shops, temp agencies and college campuses.

After surveying 100 young people who said they did not vote, we found some
puzzling results ("Survey Says," page 22).

Clearly, young non-voters think voting is a worthy priority: 75 percent said
voting was important, 82 percent said they should vote, and 66 percent said
it was likely they would vote.

Yet none of them did in May.

Most of the respondents also said they were unhappy with government. Only 16
percent said candidates and elected officials were addressing issues most
important to them. Just 20 percent said federal, state and local governments
were heading in the right direction.

Yet they didn't vote.

Why not? If it's important and they're dissatisfied, then what's the problem?

Many say they were too busy or they forgot. "I got very wrapped up in my
job," says Deborah Sherris, 30, an administrative specialist who works for
the state. "I know that voting makes a difference. I just wasn't dealing
with the outside world."

Others didn't see any real choices on the ballot because they thought
politicians were selfish, corrupt or too similar.

"Obviously, as a citizen you should vote," says radio talk-show host
Talisman, who is also a student and a horse trainer. "But corporations run
everything. We do not live in a true democracy."

To these people, voting seems--at best--to be nibbling at the margins. And
for the ambitious and impatient, that's simply not enough.

People who study elections agree that there's no single reason for the low
turnout among young voters. "The roots of the problem are deep in our
political, educational and media culture," says Gans, the Washington, D.C.,
analyst.

In fact, the roots run too deep for many young people to see. They came of
voting age at a time, Gans explains, "when values shifted toward greater
self-interest and against government; when the quality of education
declined; when they were increasingly likely to be children of non-voting
parents; when people could watch cable TV for days and days without seeing
news or public-affairs programs."

Politicians--even the young ones like Sten and Bordonaro--have contributed
to the problem by not doing much, if anything, to encourage their peers to vote.

Sten admits he's guilty. It all comes down to cold, hard numbers, he says.
When he first ran for City Council two years ago, he explains, he thought he
could win by getting a few thousand young Portlanders to vote. Then he
learned just how infrequently young people did vote and how unlikely he was
to ride their coattails to victory.

So he changed strategy and started focusing his time, energy and money on
more frequent voters. "You have to concentrate your message," he says. "If I
spent all my time on those who wouldn't vote I'd lose."

But don't generational leaders like Sten have an obligation to increase turnout?

Sten's reply echoes the sense of futility felt by other young non-voters. "I
don't know how to do it," he says. Besides, he thinks he can help fellow
Gen-Xers in another way--by helping them get elected. "I put a higher
premium on helping other candidates," he says.

Lavey, who works as a consultant for Bordonaro, voices similar frustrations
about trying to get young people interested in her congressional campaign.
"I've somewhat given up on my friends and peers," Lavey says. "I've
presented plenty of opportunities over the years for them to get involved in
campaigns. I'm not sure I've succeeded [even] once or twice to get friends
to come to events or rallies."

At least Lavey and Sten tried. Other strategists purposefully neglect young
potential voters.

Author Mitchell points out that as an outsider, Bill Clinton cultivated the
youth vote in his 1992 campaign--doing everything from playing sax on
Arsenio Hall to talking about his underwear on MTV. But as 1996 approached,
Mitchell says, the incumbent viewed young voters as too volatile and,
instead, courted senior citizens with his defense of Medicare.

Similar decisions are made in local races. Look at the May primary in
Oregon's 1st Congressional District, says Lavey. "Ask any of the candidates
where they put their ad dollars," he says. "They all were aimed at [TV]
programs that were speaking to a 35-and-older demographic. If you have a
choice between running an ad during Matlock or Melrose Place, it's a
no-brainer."

In a larger context, both political parties also deserve blame, taking money
supposedly earmarked for boosting voter turnout and using it instead to aid
individual candidates ("Rogue of the Week," page 13).

With such disincentives at work, the communication gap between potential
voters and candidates becomes self-perpetuating, says Maureen Kirk, 33,
executive director of OSPIRG. If young voters believe no one is talking to
them, they feel alienated. By sitting out the election, they only increase
the chances that candidates won't contact them in the future. The
psychological distance they feel from politics only grows.

"As a result," Kirk says, "you see a vicious cycle."

Gen-X activists are catching on.

After seeing the latest turnout numbers, young politicians such as Sten are
now acknowledging the problem. "It is something that I and other candidates
need to work on," he says. "We need to regroup. I know X-PAC is working on
some ideas."

Armed with the latest data, X-PAC--the Portland-based group that calls
itself an "action committee for the next political generation"--is launching
an anti-apathy program that kicks off with voter drives at some of this
summer's biggest local concerts.

Then X-PAC hopes to get volunteers from Wieden & Kennedy--the Portland
agency that crafts ads for Nike and Miller beer--to help create a pro-vote,
go-vote message to be used in radio spots, posters, flyers and even a 'zine
version of a Voters' Pamphlet.

"We want young people to realize there's no reason we can't be more
politically powerful than senior citizens," says Sam Chase, chairman of
X-PAC's elections committee. "After all, there are more of us and we're
going to be around longer."

Mitchell maintains that the young activists in X-PAC, like young candidates
around the country, are at the leading edge of a nascent movement that will
transform American politics.

County Commission candidate Serena Cruz may offer concrete proof. Although
Cruz, 30, did target the mailing of her campaign literature to frequent
voters in her Northeast Portland district, her phone bankers called
thousands of young people in the hope they could be rousted from their
complacency.

Cruz suspects those calls helped her pull off an upset and finish ahead of
four older candidates with more name recognition. "We got feedback from
people saying...they were glad they got a call, and they were going to vote."

There are other signs that young people will vote in greater numbers in the
November general election, when as many as 11 initiatives--on issues such as
clear-cutting, medical marijuana and state parks--will crowd that ballot. In
1994, the last general election that didn't feature a presidential race, 32
percent of Oregonians 18 to 34 years old voted.

Still, radio host Kerr is not so optimistic. "Ours is a generation of such
contradictions," he says. "We have this tendency to complain about what's
wrong and how we're powerless, yet we never seek to empower ourselves
politically.

"I'm the biggest sinner," Kerr adds. While he and his co-host, Talisman,
were busy talking politics in late May, they both neglected to vote. "I
voted the year before," says Talisman. "But it didn't accomplish a damn thing."

--Matthias Fripp, Nigel Jaquiss, Maureen O'Hagan and Karl Horeis contributed
to this story.

Originally published: Willamette Week - July 8, 1998

LEAD STORY SIDEBAR:

Survey Says 100 young people who didn't vote and 20 who did.

BY BOB YOUNG

The truth is out there: Young voters are more likely to watch X-Files than
are non-voters. That's just one difference between voters and non-voters, as
revealed in a recent survey by WW of 100 young people who didn't vote and 20
who did.

Other differences: Voters appeared more optimistic. They seemed more likely
to believe that federal and local governments were heading in the right
direction. They tended to earn more money than non-voters ($13,600 in
average salary compared with $12,550).

Yet young voters and non-voters shared almost identical political
priorities. Both groups identified the same four key issues in the same
order of importance. Education and the environment topped their lists,
followed by poverty and population growth.

On the subject of government spending, both groups stressed that more money
should to go schools (66 percent supported the idea). More spending on
environmental (17 percent) and anti-poverty programs (14 percent) came in a
distant second and third.

Voters and non-voters agreed that government should spend less on the
military (44 percent) and on bureaucracies and government salaries (27
percent); to a lesser degree they called for reduced spending on the penal
system and law enforcement, particularly pertaining to drug offenses (9
percent).

Our survey also showed that young people think corporations and special
interests exert too much influence on politicians, who tend to be more
interested in re-election than solving problems.

It was clear, however, that few young people are doing anything about their
frustrations--although they recognize that things can only get if worse if
they don't vote.

Some of the young people we interviewed explain, in their own words, this
apparent paradox. Their comments are highlighted below. --BY

Young People Speak

"I'm poor, my family's poor and the system only takes away money we don't
have.... They are all rich and don't know what it's like to survive each
day." --Cristal Hayes, 18, unemployed

"I didn't know or care about the election. Most [politicians] are older and
don't care about my age group. They're just looking at stupid stuff like
teen smoking and not important issues." --Korey Hatfield, 18, student

Candidates are not addressing the most important issues because "they're too
self-serving." --Paula Kreps, 31, bookseller

Anh Phan, a 22-year-old campaign worker and journalism student, says
"politicians aren't even talking about issues [such as health care, tuition
costs and the environment] that bear a whiff of interest to Gen-Xers."

"[There were] no viable choices. We need better diversity of potential
candidates.... Money, politics, corporations, NOT community, environmental
or public health interests, dominate." --Drew Torrente, 23, food cart operator

"I lack faith in our leaders," says 23-year-old bike messenger J.J. Sweeney.
"I don't think they are solving real problems, only small ones.

"Should you vote? "I suppose. But isn't it already decided?" --Lara Dalling,
23, waitress

Brad Denig, a 22-year-old bartender, worked for Ralph Nader's 1996
presidential campaign but sat out this year's primary. He says, "Corporate
funding of politics is a disaster for democracy."

What would happen if everyone stopped voting? "It's too scary to think
about." --Tracy Davis, 31, sales/service

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Oakland Allows Medical Pot Users To Keep Three-Month Supply
('The Associated Press' Version In 'The Sacramento Bee')

Date: Fri, 10 Jul 1998 01:35:14 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US CA: Oakland Allows Medical
Pot Users to Keep Three-Month Supply
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)
Source: Sacramento Bee (CA)
Contact: http://www.sacbee.com/about_us/sacbeemail.html
Website: http://www.sacbee.com/
Pubdate: Wed, 08 Jul 1998

OAKLAND ALLOWS MEDICAL POT USERS TO KEEP THREE-MONTH SUPPLY

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- The City Council says medical pot users may keep 1
1/2 pounds of marijuana on hand, defying a limit set by state Attorney
General Dan Lungren.

The policy, approved unanimously on Tuesday, is believed to be the state's
most liberal and permissive since implementation of Proposition 215, the
medical marijuana initiative approved by voters in 1996.

Lungren has set a limit of two plants, or 1 ounce of marijuana, for a
30-day supply.

Under the Oakland measure, pot users will be allowed to collect a
three-month supply, which amounts to 30 outdoor flowering plants, four
dozen indoor flowering plants or 1 1/2 pounds of bulk marijuana.

That policy is based on U.S. Food and Drug Administration tests of
medicinal marijuana, which allot a half-pound of pot a month or about 10
cigarettes a day, according to a committee of police, city staffers,
physicians and patients that developed the Oakland proposal.

Police will be asked to honor the policy, but users will be ordered to
forfeit their pot supply if they can't provide a doctor's note within two
days.

The city has one of the state's largest pot emporiums, the Oakland Cannabis
Buyers' Cooperative, with about 1,700 members. Despite the state
initiative, the federal government says possession of marijuana, whatever
the purpose, is against the law.

Copyright The Associated Press Copyright The Sacramento Bee

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

Oakland Lets Patients Keep Marijuana ('Reuters' Version)

Date: Thu, 09 Jul 1998 08:20:54 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US CA: Wire: Oakland Lets Patients Keep Marijuana
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: Wed, 08 Jul 1998
Source: Reuters

OAKLAND LETS PATIENTS KEEP MARIJUANA

OAKLAND, Calif. (Reuters) - Marijuana advocates praised the city council in
Oakland Wednesday after it approved one of most liberal medical marijuana
measures in the country by allowing patients to keep 1-1/2 pounds of the
drug for ``personal use.''

``This a landmark move,'' said Jeff Jones, head of the Oakland Cannabis
Buyers' Club. Oakland is across the bay from San Francisco.

``Oakland is the first city in the country to adopt guidelines which will
allow medical patients to possess and cultivate the medicine they need.''

The Oakland City Council late Tuesday approved a policy directing police not
to target individuals or confiscate their marijuana if it falls within
guidelines set by the city.

Those guidelines, the broadest set down since California voters in 1996
approved a state law allowing medical use of marijuana, say patients with a
valid doctor's prescription may keep 30 outdoor marijuana plants, 48 indoor
plants or 1.5 pounds of bulk marijuana.

Oakland officials say the amounts were intended to allow patients a three
month supply of marijuana and were established on the basis of U.S. Food and
Drug Administration tests on the drug that ration users to ten marijuana
cigarettes per day.

California Attorney General Dan Lungren, a staunch opponent of medical
marijuana, has set his own guidelines for permissible amounts of the drug --
two plants or one ounce , an amount he says should be enough for 30 days.

Lungren spokesman Matt Ross said Wednesday that these guidelines should be
sufficient.

``We just hope that law enforcement would do the right thing when stopping
an individual with a pound and a half of marijuana,'' he said.

Oakland's move came as the federal government continued its legal drive to
close down marijuana ``clubs'' that have sought to act as supply centers for
the drug after the 1996 state law passed.

Government lawyers, saying the clubs violate federal laws forbidding the
distribution of dangerous drugs, filed a motion with a U.S. District Court
judge in San Francisco Tuesday asking for authority to send U.S. Marshals to
close four northern California medical marijuana clubs.

The federal government also filed motions demanding the clubs demonstrate
why they should not be held in contempt of a preliminary injunction that
ordered them to cease operations -- an order the clubs have so far ignored.

Hearings on the contempt motions will be held Aug. 14.

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

Methadone Clinic Sues Antioch ('The San Francisco Chronicle'
Says Bay Area Addiction Research And Treatment Filed Suit
In US District Court In San Francisco On Monday Accusing The Antioch
City Council Of Violating The 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act
When It Imposed A Temporary Ban On Clinics Near Homes)

Date: Wed, 8 Jul 1998 13:51:47 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US CA: Methadone Clinic Sues Antioch
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: Wed, 08 Jul 1998
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Contact: chronletters@sfgate.com
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Author: Christopher Heredia, Chronicle Staff Writer

METHADONE CLINIC SUES ANTIOCH

City Council Had Said Site Is Too Near Homes For Comfort

A clinic for heroin addicts has filed a federal class action lawsuit
against Antioch, alleging that the City Council discriminated against its
patients when it imposed a temporary ban on clinics near homes.

Bay Area Addiction Research and Treatment filed suit in U.S. District Court
in San Francisco on Monday, accusing Antioch of violating the 1990
Americans With Disabilities Act. The clinic is asking the court to overturn
the city's decision.

The council imposed a 10- month moratorium on methadone clinics within 500
feet of homes after a packed public hearing on June 9. Neighbors complained
that the proposed clinic would be too close to homes and to a public bus
line used by schoolchildren.

``This is clearly discriminatory zoning against a class of disabled
patients,'' said Amitai Schwartz, the plaintiffs' attorney in San
Francisco. ``The neighborhood's fear of this clinic is completely
unwarranted. It is typical of the stereotypes and stigmas disabled people
-- including former drug abusers -- have to deal with.''

The suit alleges that a city planner initially approved the clinic's move
into an office in the 3700 block of Sunset Lane. Residents caught word of
the decision and flooded City Hall with complaints, prompting the council
to rescind the approval and institute the moratorium.

City Attorney Bill Galstan said the rights of Antioch residents outweigh
those of the clinic's patients. He said city officials have offered the
clinic more than a dozen alternative sites, several near bus lines.

Galstan said the deputy planning director's April 15 letter, which
indicated that a methadone clinic would be a permitted use for the office
building, had no bearing on the case. He said state law allows cities to
adopt moratoriums in the event of clashing uses.

The clinic's motion for an injunction is expected to go before a judge in
August.

Schwartz said his clients' livelihoods depend on getting the proper
methadone treatment.

``They are trying to receive medication and treatment so they can go on
leading normal lives,'' Schwartz said. ``The image of the illegal drug user
lurking in the dark, ripping off houses is not typical of the clientele
this clinic is serving.''

Neighbors of the proposed clinic site hope the court will uphold the
moratorium.

``We want it away from the children,'' Jennifer Karczewski said.

1998 San Francisco Chronicle Page A15

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

Public Housing Or Drug Bazaar? (A Staff Editorial
In 'The San Francisco Examiner' Notes San Francisco Is The Only Large City
To Have Had Its Application For Funding For Drug Prevention And Education
Programs For Youngsters In Public Housing Rejected By The US Department
Of Housing And Urban Development, A Development The Newspaper Says
Should Force The City To Quit Ignoring A Long-Time Social Disaster)

Date: Fri, 10 Jul 1998 10:03:17 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US CA: Editorial: Public Housing or Drug Bazaar?
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)
Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA)
Contact: letters@examiner.com
Website: http://www.examiner.com/
Pubdate: Wed, 08 Jul 1998

PUBLIC HOUSING OR DRUG BAZAAR?

HUD rejects S.F. Housing Authority's bid for drug programs, forcing The
City to quit ignoring a long-time social disaster

WE WISH there were a way to halt the tendency of government officials, deep
thinkers, politicians, concerned citizens and just about everyone else to
(1) consider a serious social problem, (2) agree on a possible solution,
(3) devise a program of some kind, (4) authorize expenditures of public
funds, (5) appoint an administrator and (6) never give it another look.

How else in an otherwise enlightened society in the final years of a
Century of Progress can we explain our blindness, a contemptible failure to
deal effectively with the long-term ruination of public housing turned into
drug bazaars? Only by looking elsewhere - an understandable tendency that
afflicts journalists as well as mayors - could anyone fail to notice that
even an outsider with cash might wait up to 5 minutes at many a public
housing project before buying a paper bag with illegal powders, pastes or
herbal substances.

That's true throughout America, but this week the focus is on San Francisco
and its Housing Authority. The federal Department of Housing and Urban
Development has granted in the past up to $1.6 million per year for drug
prevention and education programs aimed at youngsters in The City's public
housing. Instead, after an acidulous report by HUD investigators, San
Francisco is the only large city to have its application firmly rejected.
The reasons include "lack of ability to manage housing," "too much staff,
too little (in the way of) programs," lack of endorsements from the chief
of police and Mayor Brown, documentation described as "how not to prepare a
grant application" and a fund request that included only two items - money
to pay for Mayor Brown's TURF project, which employs at-risk youths as
security guards in the projects, and funds for administration. HUD kept
score: The Housing Authority request was given 46 points out of a possible
100.

Perhaps we should be grateful.

It got our attention.

A drug market in public housing is a cancerous social catastrophe for all
concerned, especially the children. It's time to end the blindness.

It's time to demand accountability. It's time to tell our public servants
that this is one problem that we can no longer pretend to file and forget.

1998 San Francisco Examiner Page A 16

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

Medicinal Marijuana Drive Awaits Decision ('The Las Vegas Review-Journal'
Says That Despite A Tuesday Deadline, The Fate Of Nevada's Medical Marijuana
Initiative Remains Uncertain - Secretary Of State Dean Heller Was Expected
To Look At The Issue Today And Decide How To Proceed)

Date: Wed, 8 Jul 1998 23:44:38 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US NV: Medicinal Marijuana Drive Awaits Decision
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: Wed, 08 Jul 1998
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Contact: letters@lvrj.com
Fax: 702-383-4676
Website: http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/
Author: Sean Whaley Donrey Capital Bureau

MEDICINAL MARIJUANA DRIVE AWAITS DECISION

CARSON CITY -- The fate of Nevada's initiative proposing to legalize the
use of marijuana for medical purposes was uncertain Tuesday as questions
over the required number of signatures in Lyon and Nye counties remained
unresolved. The deadline was Tuesday for the clerks to report on the number
of signatures collected in each of 13 counties.

Secretary of State Dean Heller was expected today to look at the issue and
decide how to proceed. A full count of all 1,391 signatures submitted to
Lyon County officials is one way to answer questions there. Only 509
signatures were sampled by the county clerk.

But Nye County is more problematic because more than 400 of the 1,233
signatures turned in by Americans for Medical Rights have not been counted
due to a variety of errors, including the lack of addresses or dates by
some who signed the petition. With that many signatures uncounted for those
reasons, the group could not possibly meet the 926 signatures needed to
qualify the initiative in Nye County.

The petition must qualify in all 13 counties to be placed on the November
ballot. Deputy Secretary of State Don Reis has questioned whether Nye
County should have rejected the 400 signatures that did not include dates
or that had other problems.

Nye County Clerk Arte Robb said last week that some of the signatures
rejected by her office were from registered voters. Based on the rejections
in Nye County, only 607 signatures were found to be valid, more than 300
below the required number.

In Lyon County, 509 signatures were counted, and 329 were found to be from
registered voters. The results will likely result in a count of all 1,391
signatures to see if the minimum needed, 982, is reached. The group
exceeded the required number of signatures in the 11 other counties where
petitions were circulated.

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

Cannabinoid Pain Studies (A Registered Nurse
Cites Three Recent Scientific Research Reports
Published In The Journal 'Pain')

Date: Wed, 8 Jul 1998 00:30:56 EDT
Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org
Reply-To: krummb@unm.edu
Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org
Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org
From: bryan krumm (krummb@unm.edu)
To: Multiple recipients of list (drctalk@drcnet.org)
Subject: cannabinoid pain studies

Carl and drctalkers, the journal "PAIN" has 3 recent articles about
cannabinoid analgesia. They can accessed at www.halcyon.com/iasp

Pain 75 (1998) 111-119
Pain 76 (1998) 189-199
Pain (76) 1-2 (1998) 3-8

These articles are not in layman's terms so I don't know if you would want
to use them on your web site but they are very informative.

Bryan Krumm RN
New Mexicans for Compassionate Use

***

Date: Sat, 11 Jul 1998 22:02:30 EDT
Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org
Reply-To: krummb@unm.edu
Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org
Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org
From: bryan krumm (krummb@unm.edu)
To: Multiple recipients of list (drctalk@drcnet.org)
Subject: Re: PAIN articles on cannabinoids

On Wed, 8 Jul 1998, Tom Barrus wrote:

> Bryan:
>
> I could not find the articles you mentioned at the URL in your
> message posted to DRCTALK (www.halcyon.com/iasp).
>
> Will you please send me the information needed to access
> these articles?
>
> Is it necessary to subscribe to the journal PAIN in order to view
> these articles?
>
> Thanks, Tom Barrus

Sorry, it's difficult to find the articles through this address.
www.elsvier.nl:80/homepage/sah/pain/ will take you directly to
Pain, go to Pain Online and search for cannabinoids and marijuana.

Bryan

***

Date: Sat, 11 Jul 1998 23:07:58 EDT
Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org
Reply-To: medmj@drcnet.org
Originator: medmj@drcnet.org
Sender: medmj@drcnet.org
From: Michael (Miguet@November.org)
To: Multiple recipients of list (medmj@drcnet.org)
Subject: forward: cannabinoid pain studies

At 12:30 AM 7/8/98 EDT, Bryan wrote:

>Carl and drctalkers, the journal "PAIN" has 3 recent articles about
>cannabiniod analgesia. They can accessed at

http://www.elsevier.nl/cas/tree/store/pain/sub/1998/76/1-2/3640.pdf
http://www.elsevier.nl/cas/tree/store/pain/sub/1998/75/1/3588.pdf
http://www.elsevier.nl/cas/tree/store/pain/sub/1998/76/1-2/3632.pdf

>Pain 75 (1998) 111-119
>Pain 76 (1998) 189-199
>Pain (76) 1-2 (1998) 3-8

>These articles are not in laymans terms so I don't know if you would want
>to use them on your web site but they are very informative.
> Bryan Krumm RN
> New Mexicans for Compassionate Use


***

Date: Sat, 11 Jul 1998 23:10:45 EDT
Errors-To: manager@drcnet.org
Reply-To: Miguet@November.org
Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org
Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org
From: Michael (Miguet@November.org)
To: Multiple recipients of list (drctalk@drcnet.org)
Subject: Re: cannabiniod pain studies One more URL.

One more URL.
Michael

http://www.elsevier.nl/cas/tree/store/pain/sub/1998/76/1-2/3640.pdf

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

Drug Policies Violate Rights (A Letter To The Editor Of 'The Capital Times'
In Wisconsin Says In View Of How Drug Prohibition Has Turned Out,
President Clinton Lecturing Chinese Leaders About Human Rights
Is Hypocritical)

Date: Sat, 11 Jul 1998 17:43:07 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US WI: PUB LTE: U.S. Drug Policies Violate Rights
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)
Source: The Capital Times (WI)
Contact: tctvoice@madison.com
Website: http://www.madison.com/
Pubdate: 8 Jul 1998
Section: Voice of The People Page 9A

U.S. DRUG POLICIES VIOLATE RIGHTS

Dear Editor: President Clinton's lecturing of Chinese leaders on human
rights is nothing short of hypocritical. Current drug policies have made
the United States a world leader in incarcerating its citizens. Our prisons
are full, with more and more of our tax dollars going toward additional
construction.

Tens of thousands of drug war prisoners are serving long sentences for
non-violent drug crimes, while rapists and murderers are set free.

At the state level we find numerous atrocities such as Oklahoma's Will
Foster, doing 93 years for growing a couple pot plants to ease his arthritis.

If Clinton is sincere about human rights, he would stop the cruel and
immoral persecution of medical marijuana patients and reform the failed
drug policies that have caused so much harm to America and the world.

Mr. Clinton should take a cue from Milton Friedman, George Schulz, Perez De
Cuellar, and the other 500+ eminent signers of the recent letter to the
United Nations special session on drugs concluding current drug policies
are causing more harm than good, and calling for more humane solutions to
drug problems.

It's time to depoliticize what is essentially a health problem, and work to
minimize the harmful effects, rather than making them worse. Only then can
the U.S. point fingers at other nation's human rights records.

Gary Storck (contact info)

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

Cities Condone Police Brutality, Group Says ('The Orange County Register'
Says A Study Issued Tuesday By Human Rights Watch Shows Police Departments
In New York And Other Major US Cities Fail To Hold Officers Accountable
For Abusive And Brutal Behavior, Much Of It Targeted At Minorities)

Date: Wed, 8 Jul 1998 23:51:42 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US: Cities Condone Police Brutality, Group Says
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project
http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk:John W.Black
Pubdate: Wed, 8 Jul 1998
Source: Orange County Register (CA)
Contact: letters@link.freedom.com
Website: http://www.ocregister.com/

CITIES CONDONE POLICE BRUTALITY, GROUP SAYS

Police departments in New York and other major U.S. cities fail to hold
officers accountable for abusive and brutal behavior, much of it targeted at
minorities, according to a new report on human-rights abuse.

The study, issued Tuesday by Human Rights Watch, accuses local police
agencies and the Justice Department of failing to come to terms with police
brutality, calling it a "common human-rights abuse in the United States."

In New York, the nations largest police department has traditionally been
"unwilling to acknowledge shortcomings and instead dismisses any criticisms
as unfounded or as merely 'anecdotal,'" the study says.

It faults Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and his police commissioner for dismissing
many allegations of police brutality as isolated criminal acts committed by
rogue cops.

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

Three Officers Jailed In Marijuana Probe At Prison ('The Commercial Appeal'
In Memphis, Tennessee, Says The Three Officers Stung At The Shelby County
Correction Center Were Arrested Separately Tuesday And Charged With Trying
To Bring Marijuana Inside - Their Price? $100 Each)

Date: Sat, 11 Jul 1998 18:18:29 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US TN: 3 officers jailed in marijuana probe at prison
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)
Source: The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
Contact: letters@gomemphis.com
Website: http://www.gomemphis.com/
Fax: 901-529-6445
Address: Box 334, Memphis, TN 38101
Pubdate: July, 8, 1998
Author: Bill Dries

3 OFFICERS JAILED IN MARIJUANA PROBE AT PRISON

Three officers at the Shelby County Correction Center were arrested Tuesday
and charged with trying to bring marijuana into the prison.

The three officers were arrested in separate incidents. County Corrections
Division Director Rob Sprecher said that, in each case, undercover officers
with the Sheriff's Department's Narcotics Unit and the Correction Center
arranged for the officers to bring marijuana into the prison in exchange
for $100. When the officers agreed to the terms they were arrested,
Sprecher said.

"We didn't want to take the chance of losing the dope or actually having it
smuggled into the institution," he said.

Charged with possesion of a controlled substance with intent to deliver were:

-- Charlie Frank, 22, a corrections officer since February.

-- Grandison Taylor, 40, who became a corrections officer three years ago
this month.

-- Dwight Wilson, 32, a seven-year corrections officer.

All three worked in various parts of the prison at different times,
Sprecher said.

In the sting operation, the undercover officers offered the guards $100 to
deliver a package containing marijuana to a fictional inmate.

Six other corrections officers and employees at the East Memphis center
have been arrested on similar charges in the past year, he said.

"We had some information about these employees, but we're constantly
investigating rumors about the introduction of contraband and acting on it."

In addition to the criminal charges, Sprecher said Frank, Taylor and Wilson
will each face administrative hearings this month on charges they violated
prison policies.

To reach reporter Bill Dries, call 529-2643 or send E-mail to
dries@gomemphis.com

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

Did The US Government Deal Cocaine? (Best-Selling Author Peter McWilliams
Says A Six-Month Investigation By Forrest Sawyer To Be Featured Wednesday
Night On ABC's 'Primetime Live' Will Document The Government's Role
In Putting Billions Of Dollars Of Cocaine On America's Streets)

From: "Peter McWilliams" (peter@mcwilliams.com)
Subject: DPFCA: ABC's Primetime Live Wednesday:
Did the U.S. Government Deal Cocaine?
Date: Wed, 8 Jul 1998 00:32:59 +0100
Sender: owner-dpfca@drugsense.org
Reply-To: dpfca@drugsense.org
Organization: DrugSense http://www.drugsense.org/dpfca/

ABC's Primetime Live will be airing the following segment on Wednesday:

Did the U.S. Government Deal Cocaine?

Drug agents say they can't crack the big cases without dealing with
informants. But when the snitch is calling the shots, who is getting the
better deal? In a six-month investigation for ABCNEWS, Forrest Sawyer
reports on Rodney Matthews, a pot smuggler turned informant, who became one
of the biggest embarrassments in the history of the U.S. Customs Service.
Sawyer offers an inside look into how the operation led to billions of
dollars of cocaine being poured onto the streets of America, and in the
process put our government smack in the middle of dealing drugs.

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

Doublecross - US Customs Embarrassed By Smuggling Informant
(Transcript Of The ABC News 'Primetime' Feature With Forrest Sawyer,
Documenting The Government's Role In Putting Billions Of Dollars
Of Cocaine On America's Streets)

Date: Fri, 10 Jul 1998 11:31:00 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US: Transcript: Doublecross: U.S. Customs Embarassed by Smuggling
Informant
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Marcus-Mermelstein Family (mmfamily@ix.netcom.com)
Source: ABC News - Primetime
Transcript: Produced by Federal Document Clearing House
Contact: http://www.abcnews.com/onair/email.html
Website: http://www.abcnews.com/
Pubdate: Thu, 8 Jul 1998
Note: This is an unedited, uncorrected transcript.

DOUBLECROSS: U.S. CUSTOMS EMBARASSED BY SMUGGLING INFORMANT

SAM DONALDSON, ABC NEWS - Last month, President Clinton called for
cooperation among nations in the fight against drugs. But what if the
people who are supposed to be keeping drugs out of the United States
instead are putting the government smack in the middle of dealing drugs?
Tonight, a six-month PrimeTime investigation reveals how agents of the US
Customs Service turned a pot smuggler into a big-time cocaine kingpin and
then turned a blind eye while he poured billions of dollars of cocaine onto
the streets of America. Tonight, Forrest Sawyer talks to Rodney Matthews, a
smuggler turned top informant who became one of the biggest embarrassments
in US Customs history.

FORREST SAWYER, ABC NEWS (VO) New Year's Eve, 1988. When Rodney Matthews
touched down at his private airstrip in Damon, Texas, hauling a ton of pure
cocaine, he wasn't working alone.

RODNEY MATTHEWS Yes. By all means, I'm a drug smuggler. The government
authorized me to smuggle. And the government paid me to smuggle.

FORREST SAWYER (on camera) Did you have the feeling that they knew how much
cocaine could hit the streets?

RODNEY MATTHEWS I'm sure they must have realized it.

FORREST SAWYER And that would be how much?

RODNEY MATTHEWS Tons.

DICK CARDWELL, FORMER US CUSTOMS AGENT Have you ever seen a picture of
1,800 pounds of coke? That's a lot of dope. That seizure of 1,800 pounds of
coke was a big seizure. And we got the guy that was doing the deal, Rodney
Matthews.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) Houston Customs agent Dick Cardwell had gotten wind of
an unauthorized plane heading toward Matthews' airstrip. US Customs and
Texas police set up a stakeout. When they saw a truck pulling out, they
chased it down Rural Road 1462.

RODNEY MATTHEWS The Texas highway patrolman pulled me over, asked me what
was on the truck. I told him 700 kilos of cocaine. He got a little excited.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) Trooper Billy Frank Teague Š

BILLY FRANK TEAGUE, TEXAS STATE TROOPER He's trying to tell us that, "Hey,
I'm one of you guys. I'm working with you." And at that point, I placed the
shotgun at the back of his head and ordered him to be still so that we
could handcuff him.

RODNEY MATTHEWS And I'm trying to tell him, "Hey, this load is for you."

BILLY FRANK TEAGUE And he's still trying to tell us, even after he's
handcuffed, "Hey, I'm working for you guys. This is for y'all. I'm one of
you." And we weren't buying it.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) And neither was Dick Cardwell, who knew Matthews was
working as an informant for the US Customs Service. But he was convinced
Matthews had been running loads of cocaine behind the government's back.

DICK CARDWELL I knew he was a smuggler. And I knew he was working outside
of law enforcement. The problem was trying to catch him doing it.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) Now Cardwell had proof. Matthews caught red-handed with
the biggest load of cocaine in Texas history, a load that no government
agency had approved. Matthews was going down, until, just as he was being
booked, the order came to let him go.

DICK CARDWELL We just caught this guy with 1,800 pounds of coke, and we're
going to turn him loose. And he did. He walked out of the door, got into a
yellow cab and went home.

FORREST SAWYER (on camera) Because of a deal that agents from your own
agency had made?

DICK CARDWELL They gave probably one of the best smugglers in the country,
they gave him the keys to the-to the candy store. They gave him permission.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) How Rodney Matthews became one of the biggest
embarrassments in US Customs history, revealing that the government makes
loose and sometimes illegal deals with informants, allowing tons of cocaine
into the country-that story begins four years earlier, 40 miles and a world
away from Houston.

RODNEY MATTHEWS Fort Bend (ph) County, Mayberry, USA. Everybody knows
everybody. Everybody knows everybody else's business.

FORREST SAWYER (on camera) Now, I would think everybody and his brother
would know exactly what you were flying in.

RODNEY MATTHEWS There was some suspicion.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) Then 40 years old, Matthews had spent most of his adult
life flying planeloads of marijuana into a little airstrip he had built in
the middle of a cow pasture. He was making millions, until Valentine's Day,
1984, when Bob Nestoroff, a sergeant in the Texas Department of Public
Safety, busted him with 600 pounds of pot. Matthews quickly made his first
deal-his freedom in exchange for information.

SGT BOB NESTOROFF, TEXAS STATE POLICE His usefulness to us was to go out
and set up deals where we could seize loads.

FORREST SAWYER (on camera) Delivered you four cases?

BOB NESTOROFF Yes, sir.

FORREST SAWYER With a ribbon on them?

BOB NESTOROFF That's correct.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) Drug agents soon realized that Rodney Matthews was a
natural snitch, who not only knew the smuggling business inside-out but was
willing to take chances for them. Just when he could walk away a free man,
US Customs agents in San Antonio asked him to start playing a bigger game.
But to get to Matthews, they had to go through Bob Nestoroff. The Texas cop
was the only handler Matthews trusted.

BOB NESTOROFF Narcotics, Nestoroff.

FORREST SAWYER (on camera) And Bob, if you got involved in a Customs
investigation with your informant and it worked out, that would be good for
you, right?

BOB NESTOROFF That's correct, it would be.

FORREST SAWYER Nice career move?

BOB NESTOROFF Yes, sir.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) And their target was legendary Texas smuggler Vic
Stadter, chased for half a century by Customs agents who call him "the
original cocaine cowboy." To this day, Stadter swears he's a smuggler all
right-gold, whiskey, exotic animals, anything but drugs. (on camera) You
just got through telling me that you're one of the best smugglers in the
whole Š

VIC STADTER, US CUSTOMS TARGET I am. I am.

FORREST SAWYER You've never smuggled drugs in your life?

VIC STADTER Never had anything to do with drugs in my life, and there's
nobody knows it better than the US government and their damnable agents.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) Agents convinced Stadter ran an international cocaine
ring that helped build his 350-acre ranch out in Texas hill country. (on
camera) We have talked to these guys. They appear to be sincere in their
belief that you are in the drug smuggling business in a very big way.

VIC STADTER Well, why don't they back it up?

FORREST SAWYER That's what they were trying to do.

VIC STADTER By getting a rat to set me up?

RODNEY MATTHEWS I didn't know if this guy was about to blow up the White
House or why there was so much interest. I did know that he had embarrassed
them a few times.

FORREST SAWYER Not that he was the biggest drug smuggler around, not that
he was a danger to the community, just that he was embarrassing the agents?

RODNEY MATTHEWS Right. That he had beat them and rubbed their face in it.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) In 1986, US Customs agents decided to turn Matthews
into a cocaine kingpin. To get close enough to catch Stadter red-handed
with a load of coke, they allowed Matthews to do what no drug agent is
permitted, break the law.

RODNEY MATTHEWS And it was clear that smuggling cocaine in and letting it
hit the street was part of that deal. And making money on the side was part
of that deal.

FORREST SAWYER (on camera) Am I wrong? Did they just set you up in business?

RODNEY MATTHEWS Yes, by all means. I made it very clear that I'm in this
for the money.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) And make money, he did. Suitcases full, with the
government looking the other way.

RODNEY MATTHEWS Over that period that I worked with the government, I'm
sure $10 million passed through my hands-ranches, real estate, airplanes,
at least a dozen airplanes. Some of them expensive airplanes.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) And making money right along with Matthews, his
longtime friend and partner, Jimmie Ellard (ph).

JIMMIE ELLARD We've moved about $6 billion worth of drugs over a five-year
period, about $6 billion.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) Back in the spring of 1985, Matthews had recruited
Jimmie Ellard as a pilot. Ellard was busted one month later.

JIMMIE ELLARD I felt that Matthews was the only family I had at that time.
One of us had a problem, the other one was there. That's the way it always
was.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) Out on bail, Ellard fled to Colombia. His friend Rodney
said he would help set him up in business.

RODNEY MATTHEWS So I gave him a couple of names and off he went.

FORREST SAWYER (on camera) How did he do?

RODNEY MATTHEWS Eventually, he-he did very well. He moved up.

FORREST SAWYER How far?

RODNEY MATTHEWS Right up to the top.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) To the very top, becoming one of the biggest
transporters for the man who was then the world's most powerful cocaine
baron, Pablo Escobar.

JIMMIE ELLARD Pablo Escobar was a billionaire. When we ended up in 1990, I
was a multimillionaire.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) Running flights and organizing others for Escobar,
Ellard claims he was making up to $5 million a week. And Rodney Matthews?
He and Ellard were busy building one of the biggest cocaine trafficking
rings in the country.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER Second tower, roger. Make straight (inaudible) approach.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) By 1988, their drug flights into Fort Lauderdale
executive airport were so routine, they were calling themselves the
"Federal Express of cocaine." (on camera) You figure as far as the
government's concerned, that's just fine?

RODNEY MATTHEWS Yes.

FORREST SAWYER It sounds like nobody's running things. It's, you're
off-well, you're off smuggling.

RODNEY MATTHEWS Well, that's what I was supposed to be doing, off smuggling.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) Three years, 50 flights in broad daylight, low and slow
across the Gulf of Mexico. Never once intercepted. Never even fearing the
radar planes put up to catch them. Rodney Matthews had Ellard and the
Colombians convinced they could buy the radar planes' flight schedules from
him. The asking price? Six million dollars. (on camera) What was the real
value of what you were selling them?

RODNEY MATTHEWS Zero.

FORREST SAWYER Because?

RODNEY MATTHEWS Because I didn't have any inside information.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) It was all just one more Rodney Matthews double-cross.
No information about the radar plane flights, he claims, no dirty agent,
nothing but raw nerve and $6 million in his pocket. (on camera) And you
were just gambling that those radar planes were not up?

RODNEY MATTHEWS Right.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER We have a contact here.

FORREST SAWYER You are not unaware of the Colombians' reputation-if you got
caught, what would happen?

RODNEY MATTHEWS Death-sometimes a slow death.

DICK CARDWELL This guy walked a tight rope. I mean, he walked a tight rope
not only with law enforcement. He walked a tight rope with the cartels as
well.

FORREST SAWYER And played them both against each other?

DICK CARDWELL Oh, absolutely. And was making money on both ends of the fence.

FORREST SAWYER Now, that's a hell of a game.

DICK CARDWELL He was good.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) Good at making money, but lousy at catching Vic
Stadter. Three years after he started his Customs investigation, Rodney
Matthews had turned up exactly nothing. (on camera) How close did Matthews
get in his efforts to bust you?

VIC STADTER He dated my secretary. And outside of that, the one time I met
him, that was it.

FORREST SAWYER Well, let me see if I got it straight. He brings in tons of
cocaine Š

VIC STADTER Yeah.

FORREST SAWYER Š to get you, and it comes down to Š

VIC STADTER Dating my secretary. Yep.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) So what did US Customs agents decide to do next?
Federal prosecutors say that instead of shutting him down, Customs turned
Rodney Matthews completely loose, giving him "carte blanche" to break
virtually every US drug law to nail Stadter.

RODNEY MATTHEWS Well, it was like a 007 license. I didn't know the
government did that. It was hard to resist.

FORREST SAWYER (on camera) What could Rodney Matthews have done that would
have been breaking the law with such license?

BOB NESTOROFF Well, I seriously doubt they would condone murder. I sure
hope they wouldn't.

FORREST SAWYER But drug smuggling is fine?

BOB NESTOROFF I believe so. That's correct.

FORREST SAWYER That puts the United States government smack in the middle
of dealing drugs.

BOB NESTOROFF They're authorizing the man to do something that they're
fighting. But the fact remains that they did it.

SAM DONALDSON For Rodney Matthews, it was as good as it gets, but there
would be one more double-cross still to come.

ANNOUNCER In a moment, Matthews' most loyal ally turns against him, and
federal agents run for cover.

DICK CARDWELL We were looking at 20 years for doing our jobs-for taking
dope off the street and for telling the truth.

ANNOUNCER When PrimeTime continues.

(Commercial Break)

ANNOUNCER Did US Customs agents allow one of their own informants to flood
drugs onto the streets?

MARK CONRAD We got in bed with Rodney Matthews.

ANNOUNCER The insider who says it's not an isolated case.

MARK CONRAD It happens routinely in virtually every situation where you're
dealing with informants.

ANNOUNCER When PrimeTime continues, after this from our ABC stations.
(Station Break)

ANNOUNCER PrimeTime continues. From Washington, Sam Donaldson.

SAM DONALDSON After Rodney Matthews had been caught red-handed with a ton
of cocaine destined for the streets of Miami, New York and Philadelphia, it
still looked like he'd played the informant game and won-until his deal
with Customs came under fire. And as Forrest Sawyer learned, the agents who
had cut Matthews loose started to feel the heat.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) When Rodney Matthews walked away from the biggest bust
in Texas history a free man, it didn't play too well in the local
newspapers. (on camera) And there were a lot of people who were embarrassed?

RODNEY MATTHEWS Very embarrassed. The idea that the United States Justice
Department and US Customs would authorize cocaine to be smuggled into the
United States.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) And things got even worse when Matthews told Texas cop
Bob Nestoroff that a week earlier, he had brought in yet another half ton
of cocaine that did make it to the streets. (on camera) You figured he was
just on the job?

BOB NESTOROFF That's correct.

FORREST SAWYER You mean flying in 1,800 pounds of cocaine that is going to
hit the streets of America is part of his job?

BOB NESTOROFF That's correct. If he was taking huge advantage of it, so be
it. He still was doing what he was told he could do to get into the Stadter
organization.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) That was the central problem. No one had the authority
to let Rodney Matthews break the law. And now, the deal they had given him
was coming under fire, which sent the Customs agent who was supposed to be
controlling Matthews running for cover. That agent was Tom Grieve. (on
camera) Was he told he could do whatever was necessary to fly cocaine and
bust Vic Stadter?

TOM GRIEVE, FORMER US CUSTOMS AGENT No.

FORREST SAWYER Was there anything said, anything that could have been in
your wildest imagination misinterpreted to mean that Rodney Matthews could
bring in a load and let it hit the streets?

TOM GRIEVE No. Not hit the streets. No, no, no, no. No. See, that's-no, no.

FORREST SAWYER Tom Grieve says that there was no carte blanche, nothing
like carte blanche.

MARK CONRAD, US CUSTOMS INTERNAL AFFAIRS Tom Grieve is simply a liar.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) Mark Conrad runs internal affairs for Customs in
Houston. A 27-year veteran, Conrad spoke to PrimeTime in New York over the
objections of the Customs Service.

MARK CONRAD We got in bed with Rodney Matthews and the importation of a
humongous amount of narcotics coming into the United States.

FORREST SAWYER (on camera) And the reason wasn't because they were dirty?

MARK CONRAD No. The reason is there's a great deal of pressure on agents in
the field to make cases, to make the big one. And the bigger, the better.

FORREST SAWYER The customs agent involved, you, and the assistant US
attorney overstepped their authority and offered too much, and once it
became an embarrassment, what could you say except it didn't happen. "I
don't care what those other guys say, it didn't happen"?

TOM GRIEVE No. They did a-they did an investigation. They did an internal
investigation, and it's totally unfounded.

FORREST SAWYER Which is true. The Customs Service investigation did
criticize Tom Grieve for a lack of control, but it found no evidence of
wrongdoing. In fact, the 18-page report never even mentions the
controversial words "carte blanche." The reason, Mark Conrad says there was
a cover-up that continues to this day.

MARK CONRAD We hide things. We cover them up. We don't-we're not honest at
times within our own organization, and we're clearly not honest at times
with the media.

FORREST SAWYER (on camera) You know, I think a lot of American people are
going to be shocked to hear that letting drugs hit the street is what we
really do in the drug business.

MARK CONRAD It would never be officially condoned. You'll never find any
policy that approves of it, but it happens routinely in virtually every
situation where you're dealing with informants.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) In fact, more than a dozen agents and former drug
enforcement officials told us that letting dope hit the streets is the cost
of doing business, that while the Matthews case is extreme, it's just the
tip of the iceberg. (on camera) Agents say, yes, they gave Rodney Matthews
a long leash. They really did believe he was out there working for them to
get you, a drug smuggler.

VIC STADTER Well, how stupid can they be? When Matthews ain't working and
making any money at anything and flying million-dollar airplanes, now how
stupid can they be?

FORREST SAWYER (VO) As for the Customs agent in charge of Rodney Matthews
in 1988, Tom Grieve was fired two years later. Not because of the Matthews
case, but because he had lied about the improper use of a government
vehicle. And Rodney Matthews? His real problem wasn't in Texas anymore. It
was in Florida. And it was named Jimmie Ellard.

JIMMIE ELLARD One of the greatest shocks in my life is that day when I
found out that Rodney Matthews had actually set me up.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) In March 1990, Ellard was arrested in Vero Beach,
Florida. Agents, who wanted Ellard to testify against his longtime partner,
showed him an old government report that proved Matthews was
double-crossing Ellard since their pot-smuggling days.

JIMMIE ELLARD I read the report three different times, and I just kept
reading it. And finally, the guy said, "Now, do you want to protect
Matthews, or do you want to work with the government?"

TERRY THOMPSON, ASSISTANT US ATTORNEY Hi. This is Terry Thompson. I just
wanted to Š

FORREST SAWYER (VO) The answer was easy. He accepted a deal from this man,
assistant US Attorney Terry Thompson-plead guilty to hauling 28 tons of
cocaine into the US and turn star witness against Matthews. (on camera) Is
there a difference in kind between Rodney Matthews and Jimmie Ellard? Are
they the same animal?

TERRY THOMPSON They're the same beast.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) With one very big difference.

DIANE SAWYER (CLIP FROM ABC NEWSCAST) In Colombia today, an explosion
onboard a Colombian jetliner. All 107 people onboard died.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) In November 1989, Pablo Escobar blew up Avianca Flight
203, just so he could kill two informants. And it was Jimmie Ellard who
earlier advised Escobar on how to destroy an airliner and everyone on it.
(on camera) Ought you to make a deal with somebody like Jimmie Ellard? He's
a bad guy.

TERRY THOMPSON Jimmie Ellard is a necessary evil, unfortunately.

FORREST SAWYER And is that right? Does that mean that the ends justified
the means?

TERRY THOMPSON He made things possible, prosecution-wise, that probably
would not have been possible without him.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) Ellard made it possible for Thompson to go after his
biggest target of all-dirty agents. It was a deal that had been offered to
Matthews himself when he was arrested in 1992, but he turned it down flat.

RODNEY MATTHEWS On the way to the courthouse, the Customs internal affairs
agents said, "Look, we know you're a smart guy. You don't have to go to
jail. Just tell us about the dirty agents."

FORREST SAWYER (on camera) Who were the agents they were after?

RODNEY MATTHEWS Cardwell and Nestoroff.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) Matthews refused to turn on agents he says were
innocent. But Bob Nestoroff, the Texas cop, was accused of taking bribes
anyway. And Jimmie Ellard named Dick Cardwell as the dirty agent who sold
those radar plane schedules.

DICK CARDWELL I couldn't believe it. It's just flat unbelievable.

FORREST SAWYER (on camera) Would you ever imagine, in your wildest dreams,
that the word of Jimmie Ellard could get an indictment against you?

DICK CARDWELL He's lied, money laundered, smuggled tons of dope. Conspiracy
to kill folks. Blow up airliners. I mean, he's a PR nightmare. Yet they
signed up to him.

FORREST SAWYER You don't think that any of the things that he told you
might be lies?

TERRY THOMPSON If you're asking me if someone is capable of smuggling
55,000 pounds of cocaine into the country and incapable of lying, no, I'm
not going to say that.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) In fact, Thompson couldn't make Ellard's claims of
corruption stick, but he tried the two agents anyway for perjury. On
September 13, 1996, after a five-week trial, it took a Houston jury only
two hours to acquit them. They called the case a joke, but the careers of
Dick Cardwell and Bob Nestoroff were destroyed.

DICK CARDWELL We were looking at 20 years for doing our jobs-for taking
dope off the street and for telling the truth.

FORREST SAWYER (on camera) And you're in here for how long?

RODNEY MATTHEWS Until deceased.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) On December 14, 1993, Rodney Matthews was convicted of
smuggling 28 tons of cocaine into the US He is now serving a life term in
Leavenworth.

VIC STADTER So who takes the fall? Matthews. You don't see none of these
agents in jail.

FORREST SAWYER (on camera) You say these agents should be put in jail?

VIC STADTER Why certainly, they should. They're the thieves.

BOB NESTOROFF Maybe he's right.

FORREST SAWYER Maybe they are Š

BOB NESTOROFF Maybe they are just as guilty. Maybe they are guilty of
bringing the dope in because they authorized it.

FORREST SAWYER This includes you.

BOB NESTOROFF You bet. I'm partially responsible for it, and I accept that
responsibility.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) Even the judge who sentenced Rodney Matthews attacked
the US Customs Service from the bench, saying its dealings with Matthews
were "sick, symbiotic, manipulative and exploitive," an "embarrassment" for
which the United States government should be ashamed of itself. (on camera)
You know, there were a lot of losers in this case.

DICK CARDWELL Oh, yeah.

FORREST SAWYER Any winners?

DICK CARDWELL All you have to look at is Jimmie Ellard.

FORREST SAWYER The worse guy of all is the winner?

DICK CARDWELL Absolutely. Look at it. The facts speak for themselves.

FORREST SAWYER (VO) After pleading guilty to putting $6 billion of cocaine
onto the streets and admitting his role in the Avianca bombing, Jimmie
Ellard served only six years in prison. He was given his freedom on May 28,
1996. He still has millions of dollars made smuggling drugs.

SAM DONALDSON The head of the US Customs Service declined our request for
an interview. In a letter, he stated it is not Customs policy to allow
illegal drugs to disappear and said they learned valuable lessons from the
Matthews case. But public affairs officers at Customs were quick to tell us
theirs is not the only agency to let cocaine hit the streets. A final
note-Dick Cardwell resigned last year from the US Customs Service, saying
he was disgusted with his agency's willingness to break the law to make
their cases. And Rodney Matthews says he's fighting for his freedom from
his prison cell in Leavenworth.

copyright 1998 ABC News

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

Nicotine's Grip Tighter For Blacks? ('The Orange County Register'
Says Research At The University Of California In San Francisco
And Elsewhere, Reported In Two Studies Published In Today's
'Journal Of The American Medical Association,' Indicates
African Americans Appear To Absorb More Nicotine Per Cigarette
Than Smokers Of Other Races)

Date: Wed, 8 Jul 1998 23:49:49 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US: Nicotine's Grip Tighter For Blacks?
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project
http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk:John W.Black
Pubdate: Wed, 8 Jul 1998
Source: Orange County Register (CA)
Contact: letters@link.freedom.com
Website: http://www.ocregister.com/
Author: Brenda C.Coleman-The Associated Press

NICOTINE'S GRIP TIGHTER FOR BLACKS?

Health: Research Shows They Absorb More Of The Substance Per Cigarette.

CHICAGO - Blacks appear to absorb more nicotine per cigarette than smokers of
other races, a finding that could explain why they run a higher risk of lung
cancer and have more trouble kicking the habit, according to research at the
University of California, San Francisco, and elsewhere.

Why blacks seem to get more nicotine from cigarettes isn't clear.
Researchers said there is disagreement over whether it results from
biological differences in the way blacks and whites process nicotine,
differences in smoking habits between the races, or both.

The findings are contained in two studies published in today's Journal of
the American Medical Association.

One study, led by Ralph S. Caraballo of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, measured blood levels of a chemical called cotinine, a
byproduct of the breakdown of nicotine in the body, in a nationally
representative sample of U.S. adult smokers from 1988 to 1991.

Cotinine was measured instead of nicotine because it stays in the body much
longer, and scientists have developed a highly sensitive test for it.

Black smokers had cotinine concentrations substantially higher at all
levels of cigarette smoking than white smokers did, the researchers said.

Previous research indicates black smokers are more likely to try quitting
and have a lower success rate than white smokers. Also, black smokers run a
higher risk of developing lung cancer.

Higher nicotine absorption could help explain the lower quitting rate among
blacks, the researchers said. Also, if blacks have higher cotinine levels
because they inhale more deeply or smoke stronger cigarettes, they also
would take in more cancer-causing substances such as tar.

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

Study - Blacks Absorb More Nicotine ('Washington Post' Version
In 'The San Jose Mercury News')

Date: Thu, 9 Jul 1998 14:53:52 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US: Study: Blacks Absorb More Nicotine
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project
http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Marcus-Mermelstein Family (mmfamily@ix.netcom.com)
Pubdate: Wed, 8 Jul 1998
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Contact: letters@sjmercury.com
Website: http://www.sjmercury.com/
Author: John Schwartz Washington Post

STUDY: BLACKS ABSORB MORE NICOTINE

Researchers' findings on smoking could help answer cancer, cessation questions

Black smokers absorb more nicotine than do white or Latino smokers, a
difference that could explain why blacks tend to suffer more from
tobacco-related disease and have more trouble kicking the habit,
researchers reported Tuesday.

The new data emerges from two studies in today's edition of the Journal of
the American Medical Association, which constitute the broadest effort ever
to understand racial differences in smoking.

``It's really important research,'' said Jack Henningfield, an expert on
nicotine addiction at Johns Hopkins University. ``It raises a whole bunch
of serious questions that need to be answered'' about the biology of
smoking and proper cessation treatment. ``The bad news is, it's 1998 and
we're just finding this out.''

African-American adults historically have smoked at higher rates than the
general population, but in recent years they have smoked at about the same
rates as other groups. More than 31 percent of black men smoke, compared
with nearly 28 percent of white men; 22.7 percent of black women smoke,
compared with 24.4 percent of white women. Since 1976, smoking rates among
black teenagers have declined dramatically, but in recent years the rate
has begun to climb again.

The two new studies focus on bloodstream levels of cotinine, the most
common chemical produced by the body from nicotine.

In the first study, researchers at the federal Centers For Disease Control
and Prevention in Atlanta measured the amount of cotinine in the blood of
7,182 subjects, 2,136 of whom said they had smoked in the previous five
days.

``For each level of cigarette smoking, the levels for African-Americans
were substantially higher,'' said lead author Ralph Caraballo of the CDC.
Black participants in the study had cotinine levels in their blood that
were between 12 percent and 50 percent higher than those of white subjects,
and 32 percent to 56 percent higher than those of Mexican-Americans.

The researchers called the results ``intriguing'' because, they wrote,
cessation experts say blacks ``are more likely to try to quit but have a
lower success rate than white smokers.'' The higher levels of cotinine
suggest that blacks absorb more nicotine from cigarettes than do whites,
enhancing the pleasure of smoking. ``This may help explain the lower
quitting success rate,'' the researchers wrote.

African-Americans are at higher risk than whites of developing lung cancer
and dying from it, the researchers noted. If the higher cotinine levels can
be linked to higher absorption of other parts of cigarette smoke, including
cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco, then ``they may help explain higher
lung cancer deaths among black smokers compared with white smokers,'' the
researchers wrote.

The researchers compensated for the fact that blacks tend to smoke fewer
cigarettes than do whites, though Caraballo said they could not take into
account possible differences in the ways that people of different races
smoke.

Previous studies have shown that black smokers tend to take more smoke into
their lungs or hold it in the lungs for a longer time. Caraballo noted that
such studies have tried to account for the greater popularity of menthol
cigarettes among blacks, and the possibility that the anesthetizing effect
of menthol ``could allow you to smoke more deeply.'' But he said the
structure of his study made such inquiries impossible.

The second study found that blacks also keep cotinine in their bodies
longer than whites do. Keeping nicotine in the body longer could enhance
smoking's pleasurable effects. Researchers at the University of
California-San Francisco studied 79 smokers and found that an
African-American who smoked 12 to 15 cigarettes a day gets as much nicotine
as whites who smoke a full pack of 20 cigarettes a day -- a difference that
Henningfield calls ``small but real,'' with important implications for
helping African-Americans quit smoking.

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

Blacks Absorb More Nicotine Than Others, Studies Say
('Associated Press' Version)

Date: Wed, 08 Jul 1998 16:42:42 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US: Wire: Blacks Absorb More Nicotine Than Others,
Studies Say
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: Wed, 08 Jul 1998
Source: Associated Press

BLACKS ABSORB MORE NICOTINE THAN OTHERS, STUDIES SAY

Findings suggest greater vulnerability to addiction

Chicago -- Black smokers absorb more nicotine per cigarette than people of
other races, suggesting they may be more vulnerable to nicotine addiction,
according to two new studies in today's Journal of the American Medical
Association.

The findings could explain why blacks have more trouble quitting smoking
than people of other races and why they develop more lung cancer, said the
authors of one study, led by Ralph S. Caraballo of the federal Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.

The study measured blood levels of a chemical called cotinine, a byproduct
of the breakdown of nicotine in the body, in a nationally representative
sample of U.S. adult smokers from 1988 to 1991.

Cotinine was measured instead of nicotine because it stays in the body much
longer and scientists have developed a highly sensitive test for measuring it.

"Black smokers had cotinine concentrations substantially higher at all
levels of cigarette smoking than did white or Mexican-American smokers," the
researchers said, after taking into account differences that could skew the
results, such as age, sex, weight, number of other smokers in the home and
smoke exposure at work.

Previous research indicates that black smokers are more likely to try to
quit smoking but have a lower success rate than white smokers and are at
higher risk of developing and dying from lung cancer.

In a related study, a separate team of researchers compared rates of
metabolism -- the body's process of breaking down food to make energy or
tissue -- and nicotine intake among 40 black and 39 white smokers.

Cotinine blood levels per cigarette smoked were significantly higher in
black smokers than in white smokers, according to the researchers, led by
Eliseo J. Perez-Stable of the University of California-San Francisco. The
researchers noted there were several possible explanations for the higher
cotinine levels in blacks:

Blacks may smoke differently than whites, inhaling more deeply even though
they smoke fewer cigarettes a day.

Blacks are far more likely to smoke menthol-flavored cigarettes than whites,
which may cause them to inhale more deeply or may contribute to some
differences in how the body takes in and clears nicotine.

Blacks may have physical differences that cause them to metabolize the
products of cigarette smoke differently.

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

British Columbia Uses Scanners To Keep Jails Drug Free ('Canadian Press'
Says Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh Pledged Wednesday That Ion Scanners,
Which Can Supposedly Detect Illegal Drugs With One Touch, Would Be
Introduced Within The Next Week As Part Of A Package Of Measures
To Enforce Prohibition In The Province's 19 Jails)

From: creator@islandnet.com (Matt Elrod)
To: mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com
Subject: Canada: B.C. uses scanners to keep jails drug free
Date: Sun, 12 Jul 1998 17:23:47 -0700
Lines: 35
Newshawk: creator@drugsense.org
Pubdate: July 8, 1998
Source: Canadian Press

B.C. uses scanners to keep jails drug free

VICTORIA (CP) -- A drug-detection device that works like an electronic
dog will soon be sniffing around British Columbia's jails, Attorney
General Ujjal Dosanjh said Wednesday.

Ion scanners, which can detect illegal drugs on people and property
by one touch, will help keep drugs from entering jails, he said.

Dosanjh said he wants to step up efforts keep illegal drugs out of
B.C.'s jails.

Bill Young, B.C. Corrections Branch spokesman, said two B.C. jails --
Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre in Victoria and Fraser
Regional Correctional Centre in Maple Ridge -- will start using ion
scanners within the next week.

The devices are currently used by the RCMP's drug squad and Canada
Customs, he said.

B.C. has 19 jails, of which seven are categorized as maximum security
facilities, Young said.

Dosanjh said the government will provide the Corrections Branch with
a third dog trained to detect drugs this fall.

It will also enhance security measures to prevent drugs being passed
to inmates by visitors, he said.

The enhanced drug interception strategy was developed in response to
a report prepared by former Vancouver police chief Bob Stewart.

***

Reply-To: (raffib@lefca.com)
From: "Rafcher" (raffib@lefca.com)
To: (mattalk@listserv.islandnet.com)
Subject: RE: Canada: B.C. uses scanners to keep jails drug free
Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 13:01:24 -0300

Everyone:

I don't have the time to respond to this bullshit. Ion Scanners have been
in Ontario prisons for a long time and they HAVE NOT:

1. stopped drugs from entering into prison
2. stopped drug overdoses
3. stopped drug related violence

Ion scanners do not indicate whether people have drugs on their possession.
They don't even indicate whether a person has used drugs. What they can
discover is whether a person has come into contact with drugs. For example,
if I touched a door knob or anything that was touched by another drug user,
some ionic particles will transfer onto my hand and be picked up by the
scanner. I used to work with prisoners, setting off the scanner every time
I visited them -- even when I hadn't touched drugs for months.

Many parents, sisters, girl-friends of drug using prisoners are likely to
come into contact with other drug users thus setting off the alarm. Once I
found how the scanner worked, I consistently beat it by bleaching my ID
cards and not handling them until I was requested to hand them over to the
prison officer for scanning.

These are the things these scanners HAVE DONE:

1. Many prisoners have been refused visits
2. Many prisoners have been denied conjugal visits
3. Many prisoners have been denied early release because their supports
have triggered the alarm of ion scanners
4. Created a tense atmosphere between prisoners and keepers

If anyone has the time to write a letter based on these facts, please feel
free.

Sincerely,
Raffi

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

Drug Sting Nets Midway Workers ('The Calgary Sun' Notes The Bust
Of Two Calgary Stampede Ride Operators For Selling Marijuana On The Job
After The Drug Undercover Street Team Received A Complaint
From A Mother On The Grounds)

Date: Wed, 8 Jul 1998 23:44:38 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Canada: Drug Sting Nets Midway Workers
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project
http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org
Pubdate: Wed, 8 Jul 1998
Source: Calgary Sun (Canada)
Contact: callet@sunpub.com
Website: http://www.canoe.ca/CalgarySun/
Author: IAN WILSON -- Calgary Sun

DRUG STING NETS MIDWAY WORKERS

Two Calgary Stampede midway ride operators have been charged with selling
drugs on the job.

The Drug Undercover Street Team, after receiving a complaint from a mother
on the Grounds, set up a sting operation.

"We received a complaint they were stoned and selling drugs to patrons,"
said Staff Sgt. John Middleton-Hope.

The pair were charged with drug trafficking and possession of marijuana for
the purpose of trafficking. One is a 17-year-old Calgarian who can't be
named under the Young Offenders Act. The other is Joshua Percy Morris, 22,
of Manitoba.

The bust was done with the co-operation of Conklin Shows.

John Gallant, guest relations manager for Conklin Shows, said the two
suspects, who were running the Bumper Boats ride, were immediately fired.

"If these guys were doing something bad, or something the police wanted
them for, we don't want them," said Gallant.

A background check was not done on the duo because they were only working a
10-day period and weren't handling cash.

Conklin has a policy of no alcohol or drug consumption on the job -- even
if employees are taking prescribed medication which causes drowsiness, they
will not be permitted to work.

The case is part of a disturbing trend of crime at the Stampede, despite
reduced attendance figures this year.

City police, who have a detachment on the Grounds, have laid more charges
in the first two days of the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth than they did
in a six-day period last year.

Most charges involve public drunkenness, drug trafficking and assault.

Stampede official Dan Sullivan said police have done an excellent job of
ensuring the Grounds are safe.

He said police watch "for individuals prone to criminal activity and they
know who to watch for."

Copyright (c) 1998, Canoe Limited Partnership.

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

Kennett Faces Backbench Drug Revolt ('The Australian'
Says Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett Is Getting Increasing Resistance
To His Liberalised Drug Laws, With Three MPs Publicly Denouncing
The Plan)

Date: Fri, 10 Jul 1998 01:06:33 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Australia: Kennett
Faces Backbench Drug Revolt
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project
http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Ken Russell
Source: The Australian
Contact: ausletr@matp.newsltd.com.au
Website: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/
Pubdate: Wed, 8 Jul 1998
Author: Michael Magazanik,
Michael Bachelard and Chip Le Grand

KENNETT FACES BACKBENCH DRUG REVOLT

VICTORIAN Premier Jeff Kennett faces growing backbench resistance to his
liberalised drug laws, with three MPs publicly denouncing the plan.

Many other MPs are furious that Mr Kennett did not consult his party before
announcing relaxed heroin and marijuana laws, and several yesterday vowed
to confront the Premier at the next partyroom meeting.

West Australian Premier Richard Court and NSW Premier Bob Carr strongly
rejected the Victorian experiment that lets first-time heroin offenders off
with a caution, with Mr Court also ruling out any softening of cannabis
laws.

Mr Court said his Government was not prepared to "go soft" on drugs.

"The reason why the Government has been strongly opposed to the
decriminalisation of marijuana is that we see it as a gateway drug," Mr
Court said.

"We are not going to move down a liberal path at a time when we have got so
many people that are dying of the curse. There are laws and they must be
complied with."

The NSW Government would not even consider a caution system for heroin
users, Mr Carr said. Asked if he would follow Mr Kennett's lead, he said:
"Not on heroin, no."

The cannabis scheme, however, was a "very sensible reform" and similar to
one blocked by conservatives in the NSW upper house last year.

A Queensland Government spokesman said Premier Peter Beattie would wait and
see how the Victorian "experiment" worked, before making a decision.

Denouncing the plan, Victorian government MPs Geoff Leigh, David Perrin and
Inga Peulich said liberalised drug laws were not an effective way to tackle
the problem.

Mr Perrin also voiced concern on the government backbench that Mr Kennett
had defied an overwhelming vote by MPs in 1996 against marijuana
decriminalisation.

"I am very concerned and very disturbed that this issue was not taken
before the partyroom," he said.

"It effectively sidesteps the partyroom. My colleagues have been raising
that with me today and I will be raising it in the partyroom."

Ms Peulich agreed, saying Liberal and National party MPs had agreed in 1996
there would be no relaxation of drug laws. "I am very disappointed this has
been announced without input from the parliamentary party."

But community groups and drug-law reform campaigners applauded the move.

The vice-president of the Australian Drug-Law Reform Foundation, Peter
Cleland, said he welcomed "anything that removes crime from the user".

Federation of Community Legal Centres spokesman Louis Schetzer said the
policy represented slow change in the right direction.

"The argument that the criminal law is an appropriate response as a
deterrent to drug-use is not born out by the massive increase in
drug-related deaths and overdoses."

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

£10M North Drug Haul's Route Traced (The Aberdeen, Scotland,
'Press And Journal' Describes A Cannabis-Smuggling Group
Involved In Germany, Morocco, Britain And France, Uncovered
After Police In Hamburg, Germany, Popped Two Teens
For Selling A Small Amount Of The Drug)

Date: Wed, 8 Jul 1998 23:44:38 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: UK: UKP10m North Drug Haul's Route Traced
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project
http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: jmpetrie@wintermute.co.uk
Pubdate: Wed, 8 Jul 1998
Source: Press & Journal (UK)
Contact: editor@pj.ajl.co.uk
Website: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/
Author: Donald Wilson

UKP 10M NORTH DRUG HAUL'S ROUTE TRACED

THE arrest of two teenagers in Germany set off a chain of events which led
to a 10million ukp drugs haul on a boat at Wick harbour, a court was told.

A German court has heard how the two youngsters were arrested in Hamburg
for selling a small amount of the drug.

They told Police they had stolen the drugs from a house in the city, which
police then raided. Officers were amazed to find a stash of more than 500lb
of Moroccan cannabis.

The Officers also found documents which showed the owner of the 250,000 ukp
yacht Karin

Further inquiries by police and customs in Germany linked the 45ft ketch
Karin to alleged drug-smuggling runs from Morocco to Germany dating back to
1993, which had previously gone undetected.

The German authorities tipped off British Customs officers, who used one of
their high-speed cutters to find the Karin and then trail her up the West
coast of Britain.

The ketch was arrested off Shetland last September and escorted first to
Lerwick and then to Wick. A search by customs officers and police revealed
hidden drugs with a street value of ukp 10 million.

Now Uwe Wolfgang, 38, of Oldenburg, Germany, the former owner of the Karin,
has been sentenced to 3-1/2 years in jail at the County Court in Flensburg,
Germany.

He admitted allowing his vessel to be used for illegal drug runs in 1993
and 1994. Documents found by police clearly showed him to be the Karin's
previous owner. Neither he nor the present owner were on the boat when she
was apprehended on September 20 last year.

Christian Mense, 42, of St Pauli, Hamburg, and Lutz Wellenkamp, 37, a
German citizen living in France, were arrested and have been extradited to
Germany, as the boat was boarded in International waters.

The case involving the two men and the current owner of the yacht, which is
still at Wick Harbour, is pending.