-------------------------------------------------------------------
NORML Weekly News (Cannabis Club Staff Designated As Officers
Of City Of Oakland; Oregon Democrats Oppose Marijuana Recriminalization
Effort; DC Medical Marijuana Petitioners Challenge Initiative Count; ACLU's
Stance On Marijuana In New York Times Attacked By Drug Czar's Office;
International Marijuana Symposium To Be Held In London)
From: NORMLFNDTN@aol.com
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 21:39:17 EDT
Subject: NORML WPR 8/13/98 (III)
The NORML Foundation Weekly Press Release
1001 Connecticut Ave., NW
Ste. 710
Washington, DC 20036
202-483-8751 (p)
202-483-0057 (f)
www.norml.org
normlfndtn@aol.com
August 13, 1998
Cannabis Club Staff Designated As Officers Of City Of Oakland
August 13, 1998, Oakland, CA: City officials designated employees of
the local cannabis buyers' cooperative as Officers of the City of Oakland
in a groundbreaking ceremony today.
Attorney Robert Raich said that the action immunizes the Oakland
Cannabis Cooperative staff from federal criminal and civil liability.
Section 885(d) of the Federal Controlled Substances Act provides that any
officer of a city who is enforcing a local ordinance relating to
controlled substances will be protected from criminal sanctions. Last
month, the City Council unanimously passed an ordinance recognizing that
a "medical cannabis provider association ... may ... distribute safe and
affordable medical cannabis."
"Because the ordinance relies on provisions of federal law, it may be
replicated in cities throughout the country, not just in California or
other states that may pass laws similar to Proposition 215," Raich said.
City Council representative Nate Miley and Oakland Club attorneys also
called today for a dismissal of all federal charges against the
Cooperative. The club remains open in violation of a federal judge's
decision to temporarily enjoin operations of six state medical marijuana
dispensaries -- including the Oakland club -- named in a federal civil
lawsuit.
"The Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative runs a clean, legitimate
business, contributes to Oakland's downtown revitalization, and prevents
seriously ill people from turning to the streets to buy their medicine,"
said Miley. "We're delighted to offer the Cooperative all the support we
can, and hope that other cities follow suit."
Jeff Jones, Executive Director of the Oakland Cooperative, praised the
Council's decision to designate the club. "This is a great day for our
patients and a great day for Oakland," he said.
"I think a lot of Oakland patients can breathe a big sigh of relief
now," added Raich.
For more information, please contact either Dale Gieringer of
California NORML @ (415) 563-5858 or attorney Robert Raich @ (510)
338-0700.
***
Oregon Democrats Oppose Marijuana Recriminalization Effort
August 13, 1998, Salem, OR: The Democratic Party of Oregon recently
announced their opposition to Measure 57, a state referendum
recriminalizing the simple possession of marijuana.
"This measure does nothing to deal with the real problems of crime in
our state, and deals with an activity that is already sanctioned under
the law," the state Party said in an official press release.
Voter passage of Measure 57 this fall would increase the penalty for
possession of less than one ounce of marijuana from a non-criminal
"violation" to a class C misdemeanor crime. Individuals convicted under
the proposed measure could face 30 days in jail, loss of their driving
privileges for six months, and have their property seized by law
enforcement.
Democratic Party Chair Marc Abrams said that Democrats were concerned
the new law would increase the state's rising prison costs.
Oregon's Legislature decriminalized simple marijuana possession in
1973, replacing criminal penalties with a small, mandatory fine. Soon
after, ten states enacted similar marijuana decriminalization statutes.
Marijuana remains decriminalized in all but one of those states.
"For more than 20 years, Oregon has stood as a leader in the fight for
rational marijuana laws," NORML Executive R. Keith Stroup, Esq. said.
"Through the referendum process, voters this year have the opportunity to
reject recriminalization and continue with a proven and successful state
policy."
For more information, please contact either Keith Stroup or Paul
Armentano of NORML @ (202) 483-5500.
***
DC Medical Marijuana Petitioners Challenge Initiative Count
August 13, 1998, Washington, DC: Attorneys on behalf of DC medical
marijuana petitioners are appealing in Superior Court a decision by the
DC Board of Elections to disqualify Initiative 59 from the November 1998
ballot.
A complaint filed this week by ACT-UP head Wayne Turner argues that
the BOE acted "arbitrarily and capriciously" when it rejected 4,600
petition signatures gathered by circulator Tanya Robinson. Had the BOE
allowed the signatures in question, proponents maintain that Initiative
59 would have qualified for the ballot. Officials from the BOE contend
that they properly "set aside" Ms. Robinson's signatures because the
address stated on her certificates failed to match that in the Board
records.
Attorney Alisa Wilkins, co-counsel for Turner's challenge, said that
the address entered by Ms. Robinson on her petition is the same address
listed as her mailing address on her DC voter registration card.
Proponents further hold that Ms. Robinson has been continuously
registered as a DC voter since 1983.
Initiative 59 seeks to exempt seriously ill patients who use marijuana
under a doctor's supervision from criminal marijuana penalties. The
measure also proposes allowing District residents to "organize
not-for-profit corporations for the purpose of cultivating, purchasing,
and distributing marijuana exclusively for ... medical use."
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, House Representatives approved an
amendment to the "District of Columbia Appropriations Act of 1999"
stating that no federal funds "may be used to conduct any ballot
initiative which seeks to legalize or otherwise reduce penalties
associated with the possession, use, or distribution of any schedule I
substance ... or [marijuana] derivative."
For more information, please contact either Wayne Turner of ACT-UP @
(202) 547-9404 or attorney Tanya Kangas of The NORML Foundation @ (202)
483-8751.
***
ACLU's Stance On Marijuana In New York Times Attacked By Drug Czar's
Office
August 13, 1998, Washington, DC: Washington officials attacked an
ACLU advertisement in the New York Times questioning marijuana
prohibition. In a recent letter sent to ACLU President Nadine Strossen,
Office of National Drug Control Policy Chief of Staff Janet Christ
expressed "disappointment" with the group's public position, and
questioned whether the campaign spoke for the entire organization.
American Civil Liberties Union President Nadine Strossen responded
that the organization has "a long history of opposing our nation's drug
laws as violating a range of fundamental civil liberties."
She continued: "The basic problem ... is the failure of federal law
and policy to recognize the proper line that divides legitimate
government authority from adult individual's sovereignty over their own
minds and bodies. Accordingly, the question raised by our advertisement
is whether there is a principles and scientific basis for drawing that
line differently for marijuana and alcohol. Any time you, General
McCaffrey or, indeed, the President is willing to debate that question
with us publicly, we would welcome such an opportunity."
For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre of The
NORML Foundation @ (202) 483-8751 or Ira Glasser of the ACLU @ (212)
549-2500.
***
International Marijuana Symposium To Be Held In London
August 13, 1998, New York, NY: The Lindesmith Center in New York and
The Release Organization in London are sponsoring a joint conference on
September 5 to discuss options for the regulation and decriminalization
of marijuana. The symposium, entitled: "Regulating Cannabis: Options for
Control in the 21st Century," will be held at Regent's College in London,
England.
Speakers scheduled to attend the conference include NORML board member
Dr. John Morgan of City University of New York (CUNY) Medical School;
Lynn Zimmer, co-author of Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts; Ethan
Nadelmann of The Lindesmith Center; Peter Cohen of the University of
Amsterdam; Ueli Minder of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health; and
many others.
For information on attending, please contact Mireille Jacobson of The
Lindesmith Center @ (212) 548-0603.
- END -
-------------------------------------------------------------------
119 Women Inmates' Return To Oregon Set ('The Oregonian'
Says The Inmates Housed At A New Mexico Prison Will Be Returned To Oregon
By The End Of November Under An Order Issued Tuesday By State
Corrections Department Director Dave Cook, Who Said He Made The Decision
Because A Woman's Chances Of Succeeding After Release From Prison
Are Greatly Enhanced By Proximity To Her Family And Children
During Incarceration)
The Oregonian
letters to editor:
letters@news.oregonian.com
1320 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97201
Web: http://www.oregonlive.com/
119 women inmates' return to Oregon set
* The prisoners, housed in New Mexico, need to be near family and friends,
the corrections chief says
Thursday, August 13 1998
By Dana Tims
of The Oregonian staff
All 119 Oregon women inmates housed at a New Mexico prison will be returned
to the state by the end of November under an order issued Tuesday by state
Corrections Department Director Dave Cook.
Cook said he made the decision because a woman's chances of succeeding after
release from prison are greatly enhanced by proximity to her family and
children during incarceration.
"We really think that women, in particular, need to maintain relationships
as much as possible," Cook said Wednesday. "Cutting off those relationships
by shipping them out of state has been of great concern to us."
Oregon has housed some women out of state since it began renting prison beds
in October 1996. The state houses no men prisoners out of state.
Cook's decision means that as many as 160 women inmates will be transferred
to the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution in Pendleton. A prison unit
that now houses 180 medium-security men offenders will be remodeled to
accommodate women, he said.
A Corrections Department team has begun work on the plan, which aims to
prevent contact between women and men at the institution, said Jean Hill,
Eastern Oregon's superintendent. The conversion is expected to take three
months and cost about $600,000.
Continuing to house women in rented beds at a private prison in Gallup,
N.M., would have cost Oregon taxpayers about the same amount of money, Cook
said.
"The money will be a wash," he said. "For us, it's a concern for the
long-term performance of our inmates."
A surge in the number of women inmates in Oregon, which mirrors a nationwide
trend, also is forcing the transfer.
In January 1995, Oregon women facing sentences longer than 12 months
numbered 144, said Suzanne Porter , research analyst for the state Office of
Economic Analysis. As of July 1, that number had swelled to 451.
Forecasters expect 811 women to be incarcerated in Oregon by 2008, Porter
said. Analysts said that if the state's woman prison population continues to
grow as expected, the department might need to rent out-of-state prison beds
in the future.
Even if a new women's prison and co-gender intake center planned for the
Wilsonville area were already under construction, the transfer still would
be needed, Cook and other Corrections Department officials said. That's
because it takes about 30 months to complete new state prisons.
"We're looking at too long a time to house women out of state, and we needed
an alternative," said Perrin Damon , a Corrections Department spokeswoman.
"That alternative is EOCI."
Hill, the prison's superintendent, said use of the prison's H unit to serve
women inmates is ideal because the unit is separate from other prison buildings.
But the conversion itself will be a challenge, she said.
The unit lacks an infirmary and a visitors' area, and it needs more fencing.
In addition, areas featuring windows with views into the men's area will
have to be frosted over.
Other state penal institutions that house men and women are the Columbia
River Correctional Institution in Portland and the Shutter Creek boot camp
at North Bend. Unlike at Pendleton, genders at both those institutions
occasionally mix.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Oakland Names `Official' Marijuana Supplier ('Reuters'
Notes The City Of Oakland Thursday Formally Designated Staff
At The Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative To Be Officers Of The City -
Under The Federal Controlled Substances Act, 'City Officers' -
Usually Taken To Mean Undercover Law Enforcement Agents -
Cannot Be Prosecuted For Selling Controlled Drugs Within The Scope
Of Their Official Duties)
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 17:38:03 EDT
From: A H Clements (cheechwz@mindspring.com)
To: Multiple recipients of list (november-l@november.org)
Subject: Oakland names `official' marijuana supplier (fwd)
[forwarded from DRCTalk (drctalk@drcnet.org) via David Hadorn
(David.Hadorn@vuw.ac.nz) - ashley ]
***
Posted at 1:25 p.m. PDT Thursday, August 13, 1998
Oakland names `official' marijuana supplier
OAKLAND, Calif. (Reuters) - The City of Oakland Thursday
named the first ``official'' marijuana supply agency in the country,
breaking new ground in the bitter legal battle over California's
1996 medical marijuana law.
At a ceremony at Oakland City Hall, officials proclaimed staff of
the Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative to be ''officers of the
city,'' a move intended to shield them from federal prosecution.
``This is a great day for our patients and a great day for
Oakland,'' said Jeff Jones, executive director of the cooperative.
Oakland officials said the new designation should thwart federal
efforts to close the club. Although California voters in 1996
passed a state law legalizing medical marijuana use, federal
prosecutors have sued to close the clubs, saying their operations
violate federal narcotics laws.
While a number of northern California medical marijuana clubs
have folded under the legal pressure, Oakland's cannabis
cooperative has continued to operate, distributing the drug to
some 1,800 people to treat symptoms of AIDS, cancer and other
serious illnesses.
``The Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative runs a clean,
legitimate business, contributes to Oakland's downtown
revitalization, and prevents seriously ill people from turning to the
streets to buy their medicine,'' said Vice Mayor Nate Miley, who
chairs the city council's Public Safety Committee.
``We're delighted to offer the cooperative all the support we can,
and hope that other cities will follow suit.''
While the new ``city officer'' designation does not mean the club
members are now city employees, it does extend potentially
powerful legal protection to them.
Under the Federal Controlled Substances Act, ``city officers'' --
usually taken to mean undercover law enforcement agents --
cannot be prosecuted for selling controlled drugs within the scope
of their official duties.
Now, city officials hope, that designation will allow the cannabis
club to distribute marijuana to critically ill patients from its tidy,
pharmacy-like downtown offices.
``This designation will permit the Oakland Cannabis Buyers'
Cooperative to distribute medical cannabis within federal law,''
said Professor Gerald Uelmen of the University of Santa Clara
School of Law, who has served as a legal adviser to the club.
``That means the federal government has no case. The lawsuit
against the cooperative should be dropped today.''
Federal officials had no immediate comment on Oakland's move,
the first by any city in the country to name what amounts to an
official marijuana supply agency.
``We're aware of the decision, and we are in the process of
reviewing it. Any comment that we might have would be made in
court,'' said Gregory King, a spokesman for the Justice
Department.
Oakland officials, said, however, they were aware that the city's
effort to protect the cannabis club might not stop the federal suit,
which lawyers will officially ask to be dismissed on Friday.
``What we are trying to do is basically, as a city, set up a system
to distribute medical marijuana to those in need,'' said Joe de
Vries, an aide to Miley.
``If that's not good enough, we'll go the next step. And maybe
then everybody at the club will receive a City of Oakland
paycheck.''
Oakland, which lies across the bay from San Francisco, was
already at the forefront of efforts to liberalize regulations
governing medical marijuana use.
Last month, the city council unanimously passed a measure
allowing patients with a valid doctor's prescription to keep 1-1/2
pounds of the drug for ``personal use.''
(c)1997 - 1998 Mercury Center.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Oakland Designates Pot Club Staff As City Agents ('The Contra Costa Times'
Version)
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: "MN" (mapnews@mapinc.org)
Subject: MN: US: CA WIRE: Oakland Designates
Pot Club Staff As City Agents
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1998 14:48:50 -0500
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Pubdate: Thu, 13 Aug 1998
Source: Contra Costa Times (CA)
Contact: cctletrs@netcom.com
Website: http://www.hotcoco.com/index.htm
Author: Michelle Locke
OAKLAND DESIGNATES POT CLUB STAFF AS CITY AGENTS
OAKLAND -- City officials leaped to the forefront of the medical marijuana
movement Thursday, designating the staff of the Oakland Cannabis Buyers'
Cooperative as city agents.
The move, designed to shield them from criminal prosecution, is believed to
make Oakland the first city in the nation to have an official program that
distributes medical marijuana.
"We're out on the frontier," City Councilman Nate Miley said at a City Hall
news conference where he handed over a letter giving the staff authority to
act as representatives of the city.
Miley said the council was compelled to act for humanitarian reasons.
"Today, Oakland has shown the way. I think this is an example that will be
widely emulated in California," said Gerald Uelman, an attorney working with
the club who also served as a member of the O.J. Simpson defense "dream
team."
Thursday's ceremony stems from an ordinance passed earlier this summer by
the city council. The council has also approved a policy allowing medical
marijuana users to have 1=BD pounds of cannabis, which they view as a
three-month supply of about 10 cigarettes a day. State guidelines figure 1
ounce equals a 30-day supply.
Robert Raich, an attorney for the club, said designating staff as city
agents will protect them under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, which
gives immunity from federal and criminal liability to agents enforcing an
ordinance relating to controlled substances.
A call to the U.S. Attorney's office in San Francisco was referred to a
spokesman in Washington, D.C., who did not immediately return a telephone
call to The Associated Press.
Federal prosecutors are moving to shut down the Oakland club, along with
several others which sprang up after voters approved Proposition 215 in
1996.
The initiative allowed patients with cancer, AIDS and other conditions that
might be helped by marijuana to obtain the drug under California law with a
doctor's recommendation. But a federal judge later ruled it did not and
could not override the federal law against distributing marijuana.
Raich said he will file a motion Friday seeking to have federal charges
against the club dismissed. A hearing is scheduled for Aug. 31.
Oakland has espoused a tough anti-drug program that includes seizing
vehicles allegedly used in the buying or selling of drugs.
Miley said there's no contradiction, because the medical marijuana program
is being administered strictly for legitimate health reasons.
"We will be very vigorous when it comes to law enforcement, but we will be
very strong when it comes to compassion," he said.
The Oakland ordinance exempts the city from liability arising as a result of
activities conducted by the club, which is required to carry its own
insurance and obey all city laws.
Which means that, like every workplace in Oakland, the cannabis club is a
smoke-free environment.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Action Alert - Marvin Chavez Hearing (A List Subscriber
Urges Medical Marijuana-Rights Supporters To Attend A Hearing Tomorrow
At The Orange County Central Courthouse, Where Chavez's New Judge,
Frank F. Fasel, Will Announce Whether He Will Reverse
The Previous Judge's Ruling Preventing Chavez From Using
A Proposition 215 Defense)
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 15:16:37 -0700
From: Tim Perkins (tperkins@pacbell.net)
Organization: Cannabis Freedom Fund
To: DPFCA (dpfca@drugsense.org)
Subject: DPFCA: [Action Alert] Marvin Chavez Hearing
Sender: owner-dpfca@drugsense.org
Reply-To: dpfca@drugsense.org
Organization: DrugSense http://www.drugsense.org/dpfca/
All those who can, PLEASE show your support by attending this hearing,
Friday, August 14, 8:30 a.m., at the Orange County Central Courthouse,
700 Civic Center Drive West, Division 41, eleventh floor, in Santa Ana.
Chavez's attorneys asked the new judge in the case, Frank F. Fasel,
whether he would reconsider not allowing Chavez to use a Proposition 215
defense.
Judge Fasel said he would need to look over all the paperwork in his
case before making a decision. He said he will announce his decision on
Friday, August 14, 8:30 a.m., at the Orange County Central Courthouse,
700 Civic Center Drive West, Division 41, eleventh floor, in Santa Ana.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Peron Packs Up Former Pot Club ('The Bay Area Reporter'
Interviews Dennis Peron As He Joins With Friends And Supporters
In Removing Things From The Site Of The Former San Francisco
Cannabis Healing Center At 1444 Market Street)
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1998 21:56:12 -0500
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US CA: Peron Packs Up Former Pot Club
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: FilmMakerZ@aol.com
Source: Bay Area Reporter (CA)
Contact: ebar@logx.com
Website: http://www.ebar.com/
Pubdate: Thurs, 13 August 1998
Author: Cynthia Laird
PERON PACKS UP FORMER POT CLUB
The air smelled sweet and pungent as a thousand hanging origami cranes
came down from the ceilings of the country's most famous medical
marijuana center last Thursday, August 6. It was move-out day for
Dennis Peron from 1444 Market Street, site of the former Cannabis
Healing Center. The somber event came two years after state narcotic
agents' infamous Sunday morning raid on the club that precipitated the
still-ongoing legal battle against Peron, despite voters' passage of
the medical marijuana Proposition 215 in November 1996.
According to Peron, the owner of the building is now looking to turn
the former medical marijuana club into a mini-mall.
Peron and his faithful followers, volunteers, and medical marijuana
advocates set about cleaning out the four-story building that has seen
some colorful celebrations and sad letdowns since state Attorney
General Dan Lungren made closing the club and prosecuting Peron his
obsession. Dozens of "Peron for Governor" remained in the building;
San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey had closed the club May 25,
days before the June primary, in which Peron ran against Lungren for
the Republican nomination. To no one's surprise, including his, he
lost.
"There's not an end, it's the end of a chapter," Peron said as he sat
on the floor in the middle of what was once his bustling but now
near-empty office. "That's how I met people, I sold pot for 28 years."
Supporters hung around; many came to wish Peron well, some stopped by
to help pack up the numerous tables, chairs, potted house plants,
hanging origami, and other assorted items. Nearly everyone had a
story to tell.
"You made it so that sick people can grow pot," one man said, as he
rolled a healthy-size joint to offer Peron, who gladly accepted.
Peron said he's been spending time at his ranch in Northern California
and while he still gets calls from members of the media, he doesn't
like the spotlight as much as he used too. "I'm even getting short
with the press," Peron told the Bay Area Reporter. "I was speaking
for a movement. I always had to be 'on,' and now, I don't."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Judge Denies Bail In $1.1 Million Cash-And-Drugs Case ('The Fesno Bee'
Says US Magistrate Judge Sandra M. Snyder Refused To Set A Bail Amount
For Victor L. Brown Of Fresno, Charged After Prohibition Agents Turned Up
$1.1 Million In Cash And 220 Pounds Of Cocaine, And Told His Court-Appointed
Lawyer That Brown Must Remain In Custody Because He Is A Flight Risk
Facing 'Incredibly Serious' Consequences If Convicted)
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 10:59:10 -0400
To: MAP News (mapnews@mapinc.org)
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US CA: Judge Denies Bail In $1.1m Cash-and-drugs Case
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Jo-D Harrison
Pubdate: Thursday, August 13,1998
Source: The Fresno Bee
Section: Local News, Page B-1
Contact: letters@fresnobee.com
Website: http://www.fresnobee.com/
Author: Michael Krikorian and Jerry Bier
JUDGE DENIES BAIL IN $1.1M CASH-AND-DRUGS CASE
The $1.1 million seized from drug dealer Victor L. Brown would have gone
toward the purchase of 220 pounds of cocaine for resale, Fresno police said
Wednesday after a magistrate ruled that Brown must stay in custody while
fighting drug charges.
"It's hard to say what kind of impact this will have on the street, but it
will have some," police Lt. Larry McIntyre said of Brown's arrest Friday
and the seizure of the currency and 42 pounds of cocaine.
"He was one of the the biggest dealers in the city and we obviously made a
dent in his operation. But we don't know how many others are out there."
McIntyre said Brown was saving to buy 100 kilograms, more than 200 pounds,
from a major supplier in Mexico.
"The going price for a kilo is about $14,000 to $18,000, depending on how much
you buy, so he was a little short," said McIntyre.
Fresno authorities also said Brown is believed to have close connections to
drug operations in three undisclosed cities in the Midwest.
"This is a significant and ongoing investigation that has far-reaching
implications for Fresno and other cities," said Mayor Jim Patterson.
Fresno police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration found the $1.1
million at the northeast Fresno home of Brown's girlfriend, Shalise Wright.
Also Friday, they uncovered 13 pounds of cocaine at the nearby home of Brown's
father, James D. Brown. There, agents also seized $11,000 in cash, several
handguns and a 1997 Kawasaki motorcycle.
After the cocaine was found, Victor Brown told authorities that he had hidden
it at his father's home, according to an affidavit by DEA agent Christopher D.
Nielsen.
Neither the girlfriend nor the father has been charged.
Narcotics agents on Saturday raided a third home near Lansing and West
avenues, seized 29 pounds of cocaine and $39,000 and arrested seven people
on cocaine trafficking charges. Authorities said the raid was directly tied
to Friday's discoveries and the seven suspects were part of Brown's
operation.
Fresno police said they were searching for other Brown assets and had
determined that he invested $100,000 in a Kerman-based radio station, KTAA,
earlier this year. The station, which bills itself as "The Party," recently
converted from a Spanish-language format to a rap and rhythm-and-blues lineup.
Though Brown has called himself the station's chief executive, station owner
Hispanic Radio Enterprises Inc. said in a news release Wednesday that "Mr.
Brown has never had any ownership interests in the station."
The release said Century City Media Inc., whose president is Brown, does have
an agreement "to provide programing for the station."
"It's not that we are seeking to distance ourselves from him," said station
manager Greg Mack. "We have been distant from him for months."
Brown had little to say during his brief court appearance Wednesday. He wore a
red jail jumpsuit, and his legs and arms were shackled. U.S. Magistrate Judge
Sandra M. Snyder refused to set a bail amount, ordering that he remain in
custody because he is a flight risk facing "incredibly serious" consequences
if convicted.
Brown's court-appointed lawyer, Marc Ament, unsuccessfully argued that Brown
should be freed because his mother, grandmother and girlfriend are willing to
post property worth $120,000 as bond.
"There are three people in his life putting up their earthly possessions,
trusting that he will return to this court," Ament told Snyder.
But federal prosecutor William L. Shipley replied that the proposed bond was
not nearly enough considering the seriousness of the case.
Brown has a previous felony conviction for dealing cocaine in 1993 and is
still on felony probation from that case. Because of his record and the
amount of cocaine and money involved in the new case, he could face a
mandatory prison term of 20 years and could get a life sentence.
Meanwhile, six of the seven suspects arrested Saturday in the 1200 block of
West Lansing Way appeared Wednesday in Fresno Superior Court.
Police said they are suspected of transporting the cocaine to Fresno. They
remained in custody late Wednesday, with bail set at $470,000 apiece.
Pleading innocent were Maria Felix, 33; Cruz Lopez Felix; Aurelio Felix, 22;
Geronimo Quintero Vega, 23; Graciela Ramirez Ybarra, 23; and Martin Beltran
Quintero, 33.
The seventh, 29-year-old Juan Manuel Lopez, was not in court. His arraignment
was reset for today.
A preliminary hearing, to determine whether there is enough evidence to put
the seven on trial, was scheduled for Aug. 25 in the Superior Court, but
federal officials are expected to prosecute the group in U.S. District Court
instead.
At the news conference Wednesday, much of the credit for Brown's arrest
went to detectives Dennis Vasquez and Don Mitchell.
Bee staff writer Tom Kertscher contributed to this report.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
House Blaze Leads To Man's Drug Arrest
(According To 'The San Francisco Chronicle,'
Police Say A Man House-Sitting For His Ill Mother
In Concord Attempted To Make Methamphetamine
In Her Garage And Accidentally Started A Fire
That Torched The House)
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: "MN" (mapnews@mapinc.org)
Subject: MN: US: CA: House Blaze Leads To Man's Drug Arrest
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 17:14:04 -0500
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Pubdate: Thu, 13 Aug 1998
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Contact: chronletters@sfgate.com
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Author: Charlie Goodyear, Chronicle Staff Writer
HOUSE BLAZE LEADS TO MAN'S DRUG ARREST
1998 San Francisco Chronicle
A man house-sitting for his ill mother in Concord accidentally started a
fire while attempting to make methamphetamine in her garage and torched the
house, police said yesterday.
John Tonningsen, 41, was booked at the County Jail in Martinez on a felony
charge of manufacturing methamphetamine. Bail was set at $250,000.
The fire broke out at 10:48 p.m. on Tuesday night at the home in the 3100
block of Bonifacio Street. The blaze was under control about 30 minutes
later.
The self-described unemployed contractor admitted to police and firefighters
at the scene that he had set up a lab to make methamphetamine, also known as
speed or crank, in the garage, said Concord police Sergeant Gary Norvell of
the department's narcotics division.
The lab found on Tuesday was the 12th methamphetamine lab found in Concord
this year and the second found since Saturday, Norvell said.
``These labs come in a an array of shapes and sizes,'' Norvell said. ``We're
finding them in motel rooms, cars, all kinds of places.''
Police described Tonningsen's lab as ``moderate'' in size. There is no
evidence that his mother, who is recovering from surgery at a convalescent
home, knew anything about it, Norvell said.
Firefighters managed to keep the blaze from spreading to other homes in the
neighborhood despite finding various flammable chemicals in the garage.
``They did an outstanding job. Their response time was very quick,'' Norvell
said. ``These explosions are generally the exception rather than the rule.''
Police discovered a small amount of the drug in the house, along with
scales, which investigators said indicated that Tonningsen was planning to
sell methamphetamine.
1998 San Francisco Chronicle Page A22
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Clothes But No Cigar - Hemp Campaign Comes Up Empty ('Boulder Weekly'
Describes The Campaign By The Agricultural Hemp Association-Voter
To Get An Industrial Hemp Initiative On The Colorado Ballot In 2000)
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 01:14:05 -0600 (MDT)
From: "Colo. Hemp Init. Project" (cohip@levellers.org)
To: "Colo. Hemp Init. Project" (cohip@levellers.org)
Subject: Boulder Weekly: Clothes but no cigar (8/13)
Boulder Weekly
Week of August 13, 1998
Email: bweditor@tesser.com
Clothes but no cigar
Hemp campaign comes up empty
by Jeremy Breningstall
Would you smoke a rope? Colorado legislators continue to believe you
would-if that rope were made of hemp, a variety of cannabis plant grown for
its fiber rather than its THC content, which is minimal. According to
researchers, hemp has over 25,000 industrial uses. But Colorado, like the
federal government, continues to have no use for the marijuana-like crop.
After making it to the floor of the legislature in 1996 and 1997 (passing
the full Senate the first year), hemp's hopes this year were snuffed out
when Senator Kay Alexander withdrew her sponsorship. It's a futile cause,
she says now. "Until we get some cooperation, and this means lifting it off
the (federal) Controlled Substances Act, we'll be butting our heads,"
Alexander adds.
Bruce Meyer, communication coordinator for a trade and advocacy group
called Agricultural Hemp Association-Voter, was disappointed. "She didn't
give us quality notice on that," he says of Alexander. "We had counted on
her."
AHA-Voter, formed to push for hemp reform (rather than marijuana
legalization), is planning a ballot initiative for the year 2000.
Industrial hemp generally has under 1 percent THC content, as opposed to
the 5 to 20 percent one finds in marijuana. Unlike marijuana, hemp is grown
as tall stalks, closely crowded together and without large flowers.
"It would be an alternative crop that would do for farmers like soybean has
done for farmers, like sunflower has done for farmers," says former State
Senator Lloyd Casey, who in 1996 became the first state legislator in the
country to bring a hemp bill to floor. "There's a sharply rising demand and
low availability," he notes. "Whenever demand is high and supply is low,
you make money."
"We hold these truths..."
Industrial hemp has a long history in the United States. As its advocates
point out, Thomas Jefferson, who like George Washington was a hemp grower,
used hemp paper to draft the Declaration of Independence. As a fiber crop,
hemp was actively promoted by the U.S. government during World War II. Its
many uses include paper, rope, food, birdfeed, clothing, construction
material, auto parts and oil. It wasn't banned until 1970, when the
anti-hippie hysteria was at its height. Both the Colorado Farm Bureau and
the American Farm Bureau have since adopted resolutions in favor of the
crop.
"In '95 I heard about industrial hemp, not knowing it was marijuana,"
recalls Bob Winter, who is with CFB. "I thought it was another alternative
crop. It didn't take long to figure out that this was something different.
But the more I dug into it and the more I looked, the more I liked it."
In theory, the U.S. should not be opposed to its cultivation.
"International treaties signed by the U.S. state that hemp with less than
0.3 percent THC shall be considered hemp and not marijuana ... Both NAFTA
and GATT trade agreements recognize hemp as a valid agricultural crop,"
writes Valerie Vantreese, an economist at the University of Kentucky.
However, she notes, "The world industrial hemp market continues to contract
and is dominated by low-cost producers," meaning that the crop might not
have significant agricultural benefit to U.S. farmers.
Others disagree. A report released last month by other economists at U.K.
found the market would support (if current prices were able to remain
stable) 82,000 acres of additional industrial hemp cultivation in the
United States. That may not last long, though. Canada recently ended its
60-year ban on hemp, which means that the value-added support industries
which tend to go along with it are likely going to locate there. "We're the
only industrialized nation in the world not growing industrialized hemp,"
laments Winter.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy would like to keep it that way.
"The marijuana plant, regardless of what its usage is, is banned by the
Controlled Substances Acts," says David Des Roches, the federal agency's
Special Assistant for Strategy. "If (hemp) made better blue jeans, Walmart
would sell it. The market is smarter than people give it credit for, and
the market has decided that hemp isn't the way to go."
Meyer of AHA-Voter doesn't buy that argument. It would "distribute the
wealth with the product chain in a way that petroleum and timber do not,"
he counters, adding that hemp is an agricultural product still in its early
stage of development.
"It just depends what side of the fence you're on," responds Jeff Goodwin,
a technician with the Colorado State Patrol. "The law enforcement groups in
general have always put up a united stance against the legalization of
industrial hemp, and that continues to be our stance ... Let's say every
police laboratory would have to be equipped [to measure THC]. That would be
a very expensive proposition ... We're not going to give you any figures to
support legalization."
However, Laura Kriho, a University of Colorado researcher and official
spokesperson for the Colorado Hemp Initiative argues that hemp will only
grow to be more important as the U.S. depletes its non-renewable resources.
"Everything you can make out of trees, and everything you can make out of
petroleum, you can make out of hemp," she says. She questions whether a
total ban on hemp falls within federal discretion-something that Kentucky
farmers are testing through a lawsuit and the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council
through rescinding their own ban.
Former Senator Casey says, "In every state when we did a poll, 'Should we
allow industrial hemp to be grown for use in paper and textiles,' the
response was 86 percent in favor. Why can't you get that kind of vote from
politicians? Because they run for elections, and (their opponents) would
say that man is soft on drugs, or that lady is soft on drugs."
The federal government's rationale for opposing hemp is detailed in a
position paper by the Office of National Drug Control Policy: "Our primary
concern is ... the message it would send to the public at large," it says,
but also that, "legalizing hemp production may mean the de facto
legalization of marijuana cultivation."
David West, a hemp researcher, takes issue with the ONDCP's philosophy. He
writes, "It is the current refusal of the drug enforcement agencies to
distinguish between an agricultural crop and an industrial one that is
sending the wrong message to our children." He draws an analogy to
breadseed poppies, which are not banned despite their opiate relatives.
In the battle over Colorado's official stance on cannabis, a pro-marijuana
group called Americans for Medical Rights (AMR) campaigned to get an
initiative legalizing the drug for medical use on next November's ballot.
That initiative, if successful, would bring Colorado face-to-face with a
peculiar possibility: Marijuana usage could become legal under state law
before industrial hemp does. In other words, dope could be smoked, but not
rope.
For now, that possibility has been temporarily dislodged. The petition to
get it on the ballot was ruled to be 850 signatures short by the county
clerk on August 7, a decision that the AMR is appealing.
***
Boulder Weekly
690 S. Lashley Lane
Boulder, CO 80303
Phone: (303) 494-5511
Fax: (303) 494-2585
Email: bweditor@tesser.com
Web: http://www.boulderweekly.com
***
Re-distributed as a public service by the:
Colorado Hemp Initiative Project
P.O. Box 729, Nederland, CO 80466
Vmail: (303) 448-5640
Email: (cohip@levellers.org)
Web: http://www.welcomehome.org/cohip.html
http://www.levellers.org/cannabis.html
"Fighting over 60 years of lies and dis-information
with 10,000 years of history and fact."
ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE?
***
To be added to or removed from our mailing list,
send email with the word SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE in the title.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Prison Officials Request 2,000 High-Security Cells - Board May OK
Almost $100 Million For Project (According To 'The Associated Press,'
Texas Prison Officials Say They Need 2,000 More High-Security
Single-Inmate Cells To House Prison Gang Members And Others
In Solitary Confinement - Do The Math And It Comes Out To $50,000 Per Bed)
From: "Bob Owen" (when@olywa.net)
To: "-News" (when@hemp.net)
Subject: TX Prison officials request 2,000 high-security cells
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1998 11:38:45 -0700
Sender: owner-when@hemp.net
Texas has the most in prison, makes the most money from prison, and are
asking for more. Bob_O
***
Prison officials request 2,000 high-security cells
Board may OK almost $100 million for project
08/13/98
Associated Press
AUSTIN - State prison officials say they need 2,000 more high-security
single-inmate cells to house disruptive convicts and prison gang members who
belong in solitary confinement.
Officials are ready to spend almost $100 million to build 2,000 of the
"super max" cells, the Austin American-Statesman reported Wednesday.
The Texas Board of Criminal Justice in July approved construction of a
high-security prison. At a meeting in Dallas on Friday, the board is
expected to OK three more at a cost of about $32 million each.
The new units, each housing 660 inmates, are to be built alongside existing
prisons in Amarillo, Iowa Park, Woodville and Lamesa. Construction on each
is expected to take about two years.
Allen Sailer, director of construction for the prison system, said the cost
of the solitary confinement cells is about $54,000 a bed. Less secure
cells - for two convicts - constructed in recent years cost about $26,000
each.
Wayne Scott, TDCJ executive director, and other prison officials said the
new units are worth the expense - featuring computer-controlled doors and
mechanical systems that improve security and lessen the risk of injury to
guards and convicts.
Allan Polunsky, chairman of the prison system's governing board, said the
additional cells will allow officials to isolate gang members who have
become increasingly disruptive in recent months.
"If I had my druthers, we would be building even more of these units. These
are not your normal gang punks who spray paint graffiti on expressway
overpasses. They are vicious killers, organized criminals, who have no
respect for life - theirs or anyone else's," Mr. Polunsky said.
Convicts in super max cells spend 23 hours a day locked up. They leave only
for an hour of recreation by themselves.
"By their behavior, they have earned the right to be housed in this type of
unit," Mr. Polunsky said.
Mr. Scott said the system's 8,000 administrative-segregation cells - where
gang members and other violent or incorrigible convicts are held - reached
capacity several days ago.
Since then, 120 additional cells at various prisons have been temporarily
designated as segregation cells to handle the growing overflow.
About 5,000 of the 8,000 administrative-segregation beds hold confirmed
prison gang members, officials have said previously.
Under current rules, gang members are isolated to thwart communication with
other gang members and to prevent gangs from congregating and victimizing
other convicts.
Mr. Polunsky said the new units would give the prison system more
flexibility in dealing with gang members and other convicts who need to be
isolated from the general population.
"As the population of the system continues to harden, and with the
phenomenon of the prison gangs, we are going to need more of these types of
beds," he said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Police Stage Successful Drug Interdiction ('The Indianapolis Star-News'
Says Nearly 25 Prohibition Agents Stopped Drivers In Random Groups Of Five
Thursday Near Indianapolis, In Addition To Drivers They Saw Do Something
Like Throw Contraband Out The Window In View Of Police Cars)
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1998 10:01:00 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US IN: Wire: Police Stage Successful Drug Interdiction
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: aslinn@indy.net (aslinn)
Source: Indianapolis Star-News Wire Services
Pubdate: Thu, 13 Aug 1998
Author: R. Joseph Gelarden
P0LICE STAGE SUCCESSFUL DRUG INTERDICTION
INDIANAPOLIS -A sign Thursday at the side of southbound I-65 near Downtown
flashed a warning: "Drug interdiction ahead 1 mile. K-9 will be used."
Around the next curve, at the start of the ramp leading down a hill to 21st
Street, sat another flashing sign with a similar message. Near the second
sign, a white van was parked at the side of the road. Inside, two police
officers watched as some drivers and passengers threw stuff out the
windows. Just down the hill, uniformed police officers waved cars over to
the side of the road.
In one of those cars, a white Oldsmobile, the driver sat behind the wheel
staring at nothing in particular. Wendy, a drug-sniffing K-9 officer for
the Indianapolis Police Department, sat down and pushed her nose to the
rear near the trunk.
IPD Lt. David Allender just laughed as detectives popped the trunk and
found a black trash bag stuffed with more than 20 pounds of marijuana
neatly packaged in baggies.
The bust was one of 19 made Thursday by officers during the roadblock, a
rarely-used technique modeled after sobriety checkpoints.
During the four-hour checkpoint, Allender observed:
--A businessman identified as Dion Henderson, 36, of Frankfort start down
the exit ramp, then slam on the brakes. He threw the car in reverse and
backed up with his tires smoking. A waiting chase car stopped him. He was
arrested after searchers found a quarter-pound of marijuana under the seat.
He was booked into the Marion County Jail on a preliminary charge of
possession of more than 30 grams of marijuana.
--The driver and passenger of a pick-up truck towing a small tractor on a
trailer stopped on the ramp and began checking the trailer. Allender said
he saw them throw down a bag of drugs. James Hamilton, 34, of Orleans, and
Troy Thacker, 22, of Paoli, were arrested on a preliminary charge of
possession of marijuana and cocaine after a quarter-pound of marijuana was
found behind the truck's seat. Police also said they found cocaine and some
pills.
--One driver admitted he had no driver's license. As police started to
write him a ticket, they heard whimpering from the trunk. Inside they found
a malnourished pit bull dog. Allender said the driver was jailed for
cruelty to animals. The dog was taken to the city's animal shelter. People
who use drugs come in all shapes and sizes, Allender said.
"We don't stop drivers who fit a profile," he said. "We stopped drivers in
random groups of five and those we saw do something, like throw stuff out
the window when they saw the police cars."
Allender said nearly 25 law enforcement officials from IPD, the federal
Drug Enforcement Administration and the Marion County Prosecutor's Office
participated in the drug-interdiction project.
One was IPD Patrolman Tom Stitt, who had found the marijuana in the white
Oldsmobile with K-9 help. After the dog had alerted him to the drugs in the
man's trunk, Stitt reached down and patted the small German Shepherd behind
the ears.
"Good girl, Wendy," he said.
The driver, Reynaldo Garcia, 29, told police he lived in Chicago. But when
he admitted he was in the country illegally, he was arrested and turned
over to immigration authorities for deportation.
IPD Sgt. Marshall DePew questioned Garcia.
"He said he didn't know there was drugs in the trunk, but he said he was
not surprised," DePew said.
The man said he was ordered to drive the Oldsmobile down I-65 from Chicago
to Indianapolis. Once in Indianapolis, he was supposed to get a page that
would tell him where to deliver the car.
Not all of the arrests included drug violations.
About noon, Allender and other detectives watched a man stop his car on the
ramp and get out. He was wearing sweatpants that had a strange square bulge
on the side.
"Oh, hi," he said to approaching police, who asked about the bulge.
Sheepishly, the man pulled out three videotapes which he admitted he had
just snatched from a Northside video rental store.
"We called the store and the manager told us the guy had just stolen three
tapes. We arrested him when the store said they would prosecute," Allender
said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Judge Unleashes Wrath At Gang Leader ('The Chicago Tribune'
Says Federal Judge George Marovich Wednesday Told A Jury To Disregard
The Testimony Of Imprisoned Gangster Disciples Leader Larry Hoover,
Who Said During The Drug Conspiracy Trial Of Five Other Gang Members
That The Gangster Disciples Had Evolved Into A Community Development
Organization - An Argument That A Jury Rejected At Hoover's Trial Last Year)
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 02:19:31 -0400
To: MAP News (mapnews@mapinc.org)
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: US IL: Judge Unleashes Wrath At Gang Leader
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Steve Young (theyoungfamily@worldnet.att.net)
Pubdate: 13 Aug 1998
Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)
Contact: tribletter@aol.com
Website: http://chicago.tribune.com
Author: Abdon M. Pallasch
Section: Metro Chicago
JUDGE UNLEASHES WRATH AT GANG LEADER
"I'm not going to be the ringmaster of some circus here," federal Judge George
Marovich said Wednesday as he tossed out the testimony of imprisoned Gangster
Disciples leader Larry Hoover at the drug conspiracy trial of five other gang
members.
Marovich had reluctantly allowed Hoover to be brought here from the federal
prison in Marion, where he is serving multiple sentences on murder, drug and
other convictions, to testify on behalf of one of the defendants, Jeffrey
Hatcher.
To do so, Marovich said he had to persuade "the U.S. Marshals Service, who
didn't want to bring him here (and) the warden of the Metropolitan
Correctional Center, who did not want to be responsible for him when he got
here."
Hatcher, acting as his own lawyer in his trial, had told Marovich he wanted
Hoover to testify to back up his contention that the Gangster Disciples had
evolved from a gang into a community development organization--an argument
that the jury had rejected in Hoover's latest trial last year.
Marovich agreed to Hatcher's request after receiving numerous assurances from
Hatcher, Hoover's attorney and Hoover himself that Hoover would not refuse to
be cross-examined by prosecutors after answering the friendly questions from
Hatcher.
But Hoover reneged after spending an hour on the witness stand in his orange
prison uniform, cataloging his version of the gang's virtues in response to
Hatcher's questions.
After fielding a few preliminary questions from prosecutor Jonathan King on
cross-examination, he dismissed a question about the gang's hierarchical
structure, saying, "I came here to testify for Mr. Hatcher."
And that touched off the wrath of the judge, who had brushed aside the
marshals office and correction center reservations by letting the gang leader
come to the courtroom.
"No, no, no no no," Marovich interjected, "you came here to answer all the
questions."
King asked Hoover a second time to confirm the gang's hierarchical structure,
and again Hoover began to explain that he would only answer questions about
his fellow gang member.
"Mr. Hoover," Marovich interrupted him.
"I came here . . . ," Hoover started up again.
"Mr. Hoover!" Marovich shouted, stood up, pointed his finger at Hoover and
said, "I'm conducting this trial."
When Hoover continued to balk at answering, Marovich told the witness, "You
cannot be confused as to who is in charge here. It is me," and ordered U.S.
marshals to take Hoover from the courtroom.
Outside the presence of the jury, he then said to Hatcher, "That dog and pony
show is not going to happen in any courtroom that I'm presiding over.
"You don't seem to have any semblance of control over him, do you, Mr.
Hatcher, given all the days you have had to prepare him?
"He seems to think he is chairman of the board or the king, which he may be
somewhere else but not here," the judge continued.
When Hoover was returned to the courtroom and again said he would refuse to
answer prosecution questions, the judge told the marshals, "Take him back to
wherever you got him from because he's done here."
Afterward, Marovich brought the jury back to the courtroom and told them to
disregard Hoover's testimony in response to Hatcher's questions earlier
Wednesday morning.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Waukegan High School Says No To Drug Tests ('The Chicago Tribune'
Says A Proposal To Explore The Issue Made Last Month By School Board Member
Patricia Foley Was Dropped Tuesday Night After District Officials
Said Such A Policy Could Raise Constitutional Questions)
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: "MN" (mapnews@mapinc.org)
Subject: MN: US: IL: Waukegan High School Says No To Drug Tests
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1998 14:45:33 -0500
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Steve Young (theyoungfamily@worldnet.att.net)
Pubdate: 13 Aug 1998
Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)
Contact: tribletter@aol.com
Website: http://www.chicago.tribune.com/
Author: Sheryl Kennedy
WAUKEGAN HIGH SCHOOL SAYS NO TO DRUG TESTS
In the wake of their decision not to pursue random drug testing of all
Waukegan High School students, Waukegan School District 60 officials said
Wednesday that they are satisfied to continue supporting drug-awareness
programs already in place.
A suggestion to explore the issue made last month by school board member
Patricia Foley was dropped Tuesday night after district officials said that
such a policy could raise constitutional questions.
"We just wanted to clear the air and make sure everybody knows that we have
no intention of pursuing such a policy," said Robert Taylor, president of
the District 60 Board of Education, at Tuesday's school board meeting.
Attempts to reach Foley for comment Wednesday were unsuccessful.
School district attorneys were directed last month to research existing
random-testing policies throughout U.S. schools and the legality of
instituting a policy at Waukegan High School, which could have included all
students, regardless of their extracurricular involvement.
School officials learned that the practice would fail to pass constitutional
muster.
The suggestion was prompted by concerns for safety and prevention, according
to school officials, not to address existing problems at the high school of
more than 3,000 students.
Supt. Robert Kurtz downplayed the suggestion Wednesday.
"There was never a policy being proposed," Kurtz said. "It was simply
suggested by one of our board members that we look into the issue. That's
it. And it was never really being considered for the entire student body. We
were just bringing clarity to the issue."
Kurtz said that for at least four years, Waukegan High School, 2325
Brookside Ave., has had drug-awareness programs in place that provide
information and assistance to all students.
"As far as I know, we have not experienced a high degree of drug use at the
high school. But I think the suggestion to look into the issue was based on
prevention," Kurtz said. "The programs in place have been working, and we
will continue to support them."
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the legality of random drug testing in
schools only for students who participate in voluntary extracurricular
activities such as athletic programs or students who drive to school.
Less than a year ago, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Florida
approved a random-testing policy for all students. But that policy was
revised earlier this year to give students the right to refuse the tests
after a backlash from parents and civil liberties groups.
"Random drug testing is an issue that should be raised in all school
districts," according to Reiner Diaz de la Portilla, a Miami-Dade school
board member who sponsored the controversial initiative. "Our children have
to be able to pass a drug test to get a job. Why shouldn't we require them
to be able to pass one while they are in school, which is one the most
important institutions in their lives? It seems like common sense to me."
In Illinois, limited random drug testing is the practice in some school
districts. Zion-Benton High School and Homewood-Flossmoor High School are
among those that randomly drug-test athletes. The Chicago Public Schools
have no drug-testing policy in place.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Hempstock Begins Four Days Of Music, Food ('The Bangor Daily News'
Says More Than 8,000 Fans Are Expected To Descend On The Somerset County
Town Of Starks For The Eighth Annual Festival Sponsored By Maine Vocals,
Beginning Today)
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: "MAPNews-posts (E-mail)" (mapnews@mapinc.org)
Subject: MN: US ME: Hempstock Begins 4 Days Of Music, Food
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 13:40:00 -0500
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 Bangor Daily News (ME)
Contact: bdnmail@bangornews.infi.net
Website: http://www.bangornews.com/
Pubdate: Thursday, 13 Aug 1998
Author: Brenda Seekins, NEWS Staff
HEMPSTOCK BEGINS 4 DAYS OF MUSIC, FOOD
STARKS - The eighth annual Hempstock festival with the Maine Vocals as hosts
begins today with celebration, music and food at Harry Brown's farm in
Starks.
More than 8,000 fans are expected to descend on the Somerset County town in
support of legalized marijuana.
More than 30 bands are scheduled to play over the four-day event, according
to Maine Vocals founder Don Christen. Many of the groups are donating their
time to help raise funds for the effort to repeal marijuana prohibition, he
said.
The program also includes hemp activist speakers and vendors offering
crafts, jewelry and clothing. Many of the products are made from the
cannabis-marijuana plant.
Tickets this year are $25 in advance, $30 at the gate. Tickets will be
limited to 1,950 for on-site camping, first come, first served. The ticket
numbers are limited to comply with the state's mass gathering laws. Off-site
camping is available at other private locations in Starks, Christen said. A
$25 pass is available for off-site campers for weekend attendance.
Otherwise, tickets are $10 per day and can be purchased at the gate.
It's the second year that Hempstock has been held at the same time as the
Phish concert in Aroostook County.
"Phish has their crowd, and they're actually behind us," he said. "But
they're making money. We're trying to do something."
The weekend celebration also will kick off a renewed petition drive to
legalize marijuana for unlimited medical use. The current law makes
criminals out of people before they ever harvest their product, Christen
said. With the Maine Vocals proposal, there would be no limits on the amount
a patient could grow. Patients using marijuana for medical purposes now are
forced to find it on the black market, he said. The Vocals also would like
to see the law allow providers. With the current law, people can be
prosecuted if they give or sell it to someone else.
Christen hopes the new petition will not confuse people as another group did
recently with a more restrictive medical marijuana law.
"We have adequate laws. This just takes it out of the hands of law
enforcement and puts it in the hands of doctors and patients," Christen said
Wednesday.
Maine Vocals also would like to legalize marijuana for anyone 18 and older
with some regulation.
"It's not much different than alcohol. It's not for everybody, but neither
is alcohol," he said.
Brown's 5 acres are sufficient to hold the annual gathering for now, he
said.
"Expansion is always possible in the future," he said.
Christen said more people in Starks and the surrounding area are beginning
to capitalize on the thousands of people trekking through their town. A lawn
sale has been planned, and one woman is offering her property for parking
and operating a shuttle to the event. Other people also appear to be
creating temporary camping or parking sites, he said.
"I expect people will stop their bigoted ways and support us," Christen said
of the continuing growth of the event, and the local people benefiting from
it.
"The money is still green," he added.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mothers And Others . . . Ending The War On Drugs (A List Subscriber
Publicizes The Boston To Washington, DC, Walk 'N' Roll On Behalf
Of Medical Marijuana Patients Beginning October 3 - And Compassionate Moms,
An E-Mail List For Females Only)
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 17:41:13 EDT
Errors-To: server-admin@calyx.net
Reply-To: dare-list@calyx.net
Originator: dare-list@calyx.net
Sender: dare-list@calyx.net
From: annmaria@webtv.net (ann mccormick)
To: Multiple recipients of list (dare-list@calyx.net)
Subject: Mothers and others.. Ending the War on Drugs
PLEASE DISTRIBUTE
The Compassionate Care Alliance is an online support network for people
whose lives have been touched, strangled or distroyed by the current
drug policies.
There are 2 small (cozy) archived discussion lists that can be accessed
at http://www.listbot.com
dare2care@listbot.com = compassionate care, a general
discussion/networking list
cca4mom@listbot.com = compassionate moms, a 'just the girls' list
(sorry, guys, being born with a uterus and ovaries are prerequisites for
this list.)
Also, Boston_DC_98@listbot.com is a planning list for the Boston to
Washington DC Walk 'n Roll. We leave Boston Common at 4:20 pm, Saturday,
Oct. 3, 1998 during the annual MassCann Freedom Rally.
Route - from Boston, MA > Providence, RI > Worcester, MA > Amherst, MA >
Hartford, CT > ?? > NYC/Newark,NJ > Silverton,NJ > Philadelphia, PA >
Wilmington, DE > Dover, DE > Annapolis, MD > Baltimore, MD > Washington,
DC (and nearby VA)
Arrive in DC in time for the NORML conference Nov. 12, 13, 14
We need marchers, local organizers and volunteers, fundraisers
(desperately.. I'm not good at that at all), local hosts.
To plan our budget, we are especially in need of people who can commit
to staying with the core group through various legs of the journey (or
all of it ;-).
example:
A. __ days/week(s) in ______
B. the entire march
C. __ miles - from ____ to ____
D. other
If you are able to hook up with us in various cities along the route,
we'd like to hear from you, too. We'd like to have a list of potential
speakers for each stop to aid local organizers in promoting events and
fundraising activities.
Right now, we need EVERYTHING from office supplies, postage, etc..
through vehicles (with drivers ;-) -- cars, vans (wheelchair lift a
plus) and -
BIG WISH LIST.. an RV (motorhome) for the length of the journey (45
days) -- we will have med mj patients, some in wheelchairs. We need
this, it's not a luxury item. We need to carry and prepare food
according to specific time schedules and diets. We need a place where
those who need to can lie down, attend privately to personal needs, and
tend to medical necessities.
We need to get gifts, donations, and fundraising efforts going..
We're hoping to have the resources to provide food, lodging and
transportation for a core group of (min.)12-15 people from Boston, MA
thru the DC/NORML conference. These will not be the same people for the
entire 500+ miles. Some people will only be able to join us on a limited
basis for periods of days or weeks. These numbers are projected
estimates - actual response will determine exact numbers (How many
respond/How much $$$ we raise.)
We will purchase groceries for the most part, some take-out and some
restaurant meals. The number of people included in meals will expand to
include local volunteers.
We need local 'hosts' (where are you? How many people can you accomodate
- and are you 'handicapped accessible')
We'll buy groceries!
Accomodations will vary by weather and area, ranging from private homes,
motels, campgrounds (hmmm - that RV.. I'm feeling like Ingrid Bergman in
the 'Bells of St Mary's'. ps: She got the building! Prayers, people!)
We'll be doing a LOT of walking, for sure.. but we also intend to make
use of the 'roll' portion of our name to allow us to spend more time in
cities and towns along the route. Any long, desolate segments of roads
will not be on foot. We will 'roll...'
Anyone having contacts with activists in Revolutionary Reinactment
groups, street performers, musicians, etc.. hook us up!
Groups/individuals who want to organize local events during our stay, or
provide support and/or volunteers (or whatever!!) Contact us, Please!
I'm an old 60's 'kid', a 'baby boomer' and a mom - as are many of those
organizing this journey. We welcome involvement of not only
anti-prohibition and medmj/hemp activists but, organizations
representing parents, veterans, native americans, the elderly and people
with AIDS, Cancer, Glaucoma, MS, chronic pain, etc.. - and other related
issues.
Let's revive 'Another Mother for Peace' - we NEED all those PTA and
soccar moms.
Political candidates with solid anti-prohibition background are welcome
to contact us as well.
We hope to do a lot of outreach and education towards segments of the
population who do not normally show up at hemp rallys ;-)
We also seek people and organizations to sign on as supporters endorsing
the march ('celebrity' friends are a plus! Remember the brouhaha
generated by the NY Times ad in June)
Elvy's medical rights petition will also be available for circulation
shortly. This will be online and available to sign along the route.
A virtual march will coincide online with the actual march.
(Another WISH LIST item - the use of a notebook computer so we can email
daily updates to our webmaster, the Hempman of Delaware.)
Visit our website:
http://members.tripod.com/~ez2bkind/Walk_Roll/Index.html
Contact us:
dare2care@theglobe.com
401-724-7521
(snail mail below)
peace.
ann mccormick
compassionate care alliance
po-box 3141
Darlington, RI 02861
ONLINE
http://welcome.to/compassionatecare
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Lawyer Admits To Conspiring With Drug Dealers ('The Associated Press'
Says A Lawyer In The Bronx, Pat V. Stiso, Has Agreed To Quit Practicing Law
And Admitted His Role In A Heroin Distribution Group While Pleading Guilty
To Charges That Could Send Him To Prison For Life)
From: "W.H.E.N. - Bob Owen - Olympia" (when@olywa.net)
To: "-News" (when@hemp.net)
Subject: Lawyer admits to conspiring with drug dealers
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 12:46:30 -0700
Sender: owner-when@hemp.net
Lawyer admits to conspiring with drug dealers
By Larry Neumeister, Associated Press, 08/13/98 02:45
NEW YORK (AP) - A 37-year-old Bronx lawyer has agreed to quit practicing law
and admitted a role in a drug organization while pleading guilty to charges
that could send him to prison for life.
Pat V. Stiso of Harrison pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in
Manhattan before Judge Denny Chin. As part of the plea, Stiso agreed to
immediately resign from the practice of law and forfeit $600,000 in gains
from illegal narcotics activity.
Chin warned the balding and bespectacled lawyer that the plea carried a
maximum potential penalty of life in prison plus 25 years as well as a
potential fine of $4 million. Chin said one charge carried a mandatory
minimum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Sentencing on the charges of conspiracy to distribute heroin, obstruction of
justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice was set for Nov. 23.
Stiso admitted that he agreed to safeguard $250,000 in narcotics proceeds
for a Bronx heroin gang after investigators seized more than $800,000 of the
gang's money during a Florida drug bust.
He said he also obstructed justice by making false statements to a federal
judge about his relationship with Francisco Maisonet, the alleged head of
the Maisonet heroin organization and by accepting $350,000 in drug proceeds
to buy property that could be posted as security for his client's bail.
Stiso said he later sought to gain a cooperation agreement for his client by
faking a drug stash house by putting drugs, guns and drug paraphernalia into
an empty apartment.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Sullivan told the judge that Stiso had
essentially become "house counsel" to the Maisonet heroin organization in
the Hunts Point section of the Bronx.
He said prosecutors had built a strong case against the lawyers through the
use of eavesdropping devices installed above his office, surveillance,
seizures and the cooperation of witnesses.
After the prosecutor spoke, Chin asked Stiso, "Did you do the things you are
charged with doing?"
"Yes, your honor," Stiso responded.
In a news release, U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White said that lawyers who turn
their backs on their oath should be punished as "cynical criminals."
"They unfairly impugn the legal establishment and the reputations of defense
lawyers who carry out their obligations ethically and earnestly," she said.
"They undermine public confidence in our system of justice. It is fitting
that judgment has now been made by the very system that this lawyer sought
to undermine."
***
When away, you can STOP and RESTART W.H.E.N.'s news clippings by sending an
e-mail to majordomo@hemp.net. Ignore the Subject: line. In the body put
"unsubscribe when" to STOP. To RESTART, put "subscribe when" in the e-mail
instead (No quotation marks.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Hemp Debate Gets Bumper Crop Of Attention ('The Lexington Herald-Leader'
Describes Wednesday's 'Lopsided' Debate On The Merits Of Industrial Hemp
At The Louisville Forum, Featuring Woody Harrelson, A Retired DEA Agent,
A Canadian Hemp Farmer, Andy Graves, The Lexington Farmer And President
Of The Kentucky Hemp Growers Cooperative Association Whose Father,
Jake Graves, Grew Hemp During World War II)
From: BulldogUSA@aol.com
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 00:56:31 EDT
To: dpfca@drugsense.org
Subject: DPFCA: Fwd: DEA No-Show at KY Hemp Debate
Sender: owner-dpfca@drugsense.org
Reply-To: dpfca@drugsense.org
Organization: DrugSense http://www.drugsense.org/dpfca/
LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER
Lexington, Kentucky
August 13, 1998
Hemp debate gets bumper crop of attention
By Andy Mead
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
LOUISVILLE -- The actor wore casual hemp clothing. He said there is no
good reason hemp farming should not be allowed in Kentucky, a state
where it once flourished.
The retired federal drug agent wore a conservative dark
suit with suspenders.
He spoke of "hemp-slash-marijuana," which he said is a bad
idea because drug enforcement agents wouldn't be able to distinguish the
plant that doesn't produce a high from the one that does.
The only hemp grower in the room said the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police had strolled through his fields in Ontario and remarked
that it looked very different from marijuana.
So went yesterday's lopsided debate on the merits of
industrial hemp before the Louisville Forum, a group of businesspeople
who gather monthly to hear discussions on controversial subjects.
The hemp debate brought extra helpings of controversy,
plus a mini-media horde attracted by the star power of actor Woody
Harrelson.
The debate also had promised the first debate ever between
Kentucky hemp advocates and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
But a forum organizer said Rick Sanders, the resident
agent in charge of the DEA's Kentucky office, pulled out at the last
minute without offering an explanation. Sanders did not return telephone
calls from the Herald-Leader.
His absence left David Haight, a retired DEA agent, to
face the friends of hemp.
Those people included Andy Graves, a Lexington farmer who
is president of the Kentucky Hemp Growers Cooperative Association.
Graves' father, Jake Graves, who turned 73 yesterday, grew
hemp during World War II. The younger Graves pointed out that hemp is
grown in 29 countries, but that his is the first of seven generations of
his family that is not allowed to grow it.
"Fifty-six years of brainwashing the public that this crop
is a demon is insane," he said.
Andy Graves also said a Monday article in The
Courier-Journal that reported a rift between him and Harrelson was
"fabricated." An Associated Press version of that article appeared in
Tuesday's Herald-Leader.
He praised Harrelson as someone who gave time and money
for a cause he believes in.
Harrelson said he became interested in hemp as a way to
lessen dependence on cutting trees to make paper and on using petroleum
to make plastic. He ignored a question from the audience about whether
he also favors legalization of marijuana.
Haight, the retired DEA agent, said some who support hemp
- present company excluded, he said -- really want to grow marijuana.
But Jean Laprise, grower of Canada's largest hemp crop,
said a farmer growing hemp under strict government regulation would be
foolish to slip marijuana into the fields. He added that marijuana would
be of low quality if it cross-pollinated with hemp.
"I know there's talk of marijuana production going up
significantly because we have industrial hemp. I think that's a crock,"
Laprise said.
"If anybody in this room thinks for a minute that those
who want marijuana in this country are not getting an adequate supply,
they need to get their head examined."
All Contents (c) Copyright 1998 Lexington Herald-Leader. All
Rights Reserved
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Actor Harrelson Plays Lead As Forum Airs Hemp Issue (The Louisville,
Kentucky 'Courier-Journal' Version)
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 22:47:41 -0700 (PDT)
From: Robert Lunday (robert@hemp.net)
To: hemp-talk@hemp.net
Subject: HT: KY Hemp debate: Woody Harrelson vs DEA
Sender: owner-hemp-talk@hemp.net
Source: The Courier-Journal (KY)
Contact: http://www.courier-journal.com/cjconnect/edletter.htm
Website: http://www.courier-journal.com/
Pubdate: Thu, 13 Aug 1998
Author: staff writer Joe Ward for Courier Business Section
Look's like Kentucky's breaking new ground on industrial hemp. A recent
economic analysis of the hemp crop from the University of Kentucky
painted a promissing economic picture if hemp were relegalized. See the
study at http://www.naihc.org
Robert
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 22:44:32 -0400
From: Joe Hickey (agfuture@kih.net)
Subject: KY Hemp debate: Woody Harrelson vs DEA
THE COURIER-JOURNAL
Louisville, Kentucky
August 13, 1998
Business Section
Actor Harrelson plays lead as forum airs hemp issue
By Joe Ward
The Courier-Journal
Andy Graves, a Lexington Ky., farmer, thinks he could make a little
money from growing industrial hemp and he brought his argument for
legalizing the crop to the Louisville Forum yesterday.
But as he had feared , it was hard to keep focus on the pros and
cons of industrial hemp as a viable crop for Kentucky farmers and off
his friend and fellow hemp advocate- actor Woody Harrelson.
Harrelson, who became famous portraying Woody the bartender on the
"Cheers" television series, is a good draw for the hemp cause and is
willing to show up at events like the forum's debate.
But he's controversial because of past statements that when he was
younger he regularly smoked hemp's cousin - marijuana - and in part
because he has portrayed a pornographer and depraved killers in movies.
Law-enforcement agencies have argued that the push to legalize hemp is a
cover for people who want to legalize marijuana.
So reporters given access to Harrelson before the Forum presentation
began had their questions ready. Does Harrelson favor legalization of
marijuana?
"I deal with that issue separately," he said. "You can guess where I
stand on it." He never answered the question and tried to steer the
conversation back to the farm issue.
"Do you think Andy Graves and his father, Jake Graves, want to get
marijuana legal?" Harrelson asked. The Graveses are from a respected
farming and banking family with roots many generations deep in Virginia
and the Bluegrass area of Kentucky. The Graves family grew a lot of
hemp before it was made illegal through the anti-drug legislation in
1937. Andy Graves, president of the Kentucky Hemp Growers Cooperative
Association, said six previous generations of his family grew hemp-
employing 1,000 workers during a temporary World War II legal reprieve.
Despite the controversy surrounding Harrelson, Graves said, "It's a
pleasure to know somebody with real commitment and passion" who is
willing "to spend time on things they believe in."
"I guess I'm an easy target," Harrelson said. "People point at me
because I openly admit certain things."
Harrelson was scheduled to participate in the Louisville Forum's
panel discussion of the hemp issue, but he offered to give his seat to
Indiana University hemp expert - Paul Mahlberg - who was in the audience-
"so the debate's not tainted with emotionality."
Forum officials said that would not be necessary and arranged for
both to participate. Panel members also included David Haight, a
retired Kentucky agent of the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency, which has
opposed legalization of hemp on grounds it would complicate eradication
of marijuana.
Graves said Kentucky farmers need hemp for additional cash income.
"Rural Kentucky is on a daily basis drying up," he said.
Harrelson said there are as many as 25,000 uses for hemp, which can
be grown for fiber to be used in paper, cloth or woodlike products, or
for seed which can produce oil.
Kentucky was once a center for production of hemp seed, which was
sold to fiber producers in states further north. Graves urged "the
doers and the shakers" in his forum audience to get behind legalization
so Kentucky farmers can begin developing seed to regain that position.
Haight repeated a law-enforcement contention that hemp and marijuana
are indistinguishable. They are the same plant, differing only in that
marijuana growers use strains bred to produce a psychoactive drug called
THC, and hemp growers plant lower THC strains that grow straight and
tall and produce a lot of fiber.
"That's a law enforcement problem," Haight said. Enforcement
officials would have to find some way to wipe out marijuana without
destroying legitimate hemp. "How would you do it?" He asked. Test
every plant for THC? "That's not a viable way to do business."
He also said legalization would immediately increase pressure for
legalization of marijuana - because they are genetically the same - and in
general send the country "mixed signals about what is good and bad."
Hemp advocates note that hemp plants, grown for fiber, are closely
spaced, so they'll grow tall and produce few leaves. Marijuana plants
are spaced out to be short and bushy. Forum panelist Jean Laprise, a
Canadian who grows hemp under a new program in his country, said the
identification question was quickly put to rest when a Royal Canadian
Mounted Police officer first visited his hemp field. "Jeez, this is not
anything like marijuana," Laprise said the Mountie said.
Harrelson suggested that the marijuana eradication program has
become a lucrative one for law-enforcement officials, providing money
they are reluctant to give up. He drew a parallel with government
spending on wolf bounties, which he said began desperate pleas from
farmers and ranchers as the country was settled but continued for
decades after wolves were scarce because of the bureaucracy it
supported.
He suggested the marijuana program doesn't make sense. The program
spends $9 million a year (*note: this number is in fact $500 million),
he said, and less than 1 percent of the plants it destroys actually are
cultivated marijuana. "The rest are ditch-weed," ferel hemp with little
drug content. A report from the office of the Vermont state auditor
supported his figures.
Harrelson said the country shouldn't "let the government propaganda
machine make us so paranoid" that it gives us a potential "miracle
crop" because "it bears a physical resemblance to a plant that makes you
euphoric."
"I think it's time for all this hysteria to end. Let's go on to
what makes sense," he said. Harrelson appeared in a shirt, pants, and
shoes all made from hemp. After apologizing for being controversial, he
introduced Forum attendees to his mother- Diane Harrelson - who sat at a
table near the front.
And he introduced Donna Cockrel, a former Simpsonville, Ky., teacher
who was fired last year after she sparked a storm of protest by inviting
Harrelson to appear before her elementary school class, twice, to talk
about hemp. Cockrel said afterwards that she now heads up a Frankfort
foundation that is looking for grants to study international educational
issues, hemp production among them.
Harrelson helped her set it up and has supported it financially, she
said.
At the end of yesterday's debate, Forum president Sally Wax
presented Harrelson with a Louisville Slugger baseball bat, which he
accepted. But he said, "I hope this isn't made from old growth."
Harrelson is an environmentalist who has battled destruction of old
growth forests and who sees hemp as a renewable source of fiber that
could save trees.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
High Hope Unrealistic, But Hemp's Worth A Try (A Different Version
By Louisville, Kentucky 'Courier-Journal' Columnist Bob Hill)
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 01:28:51 EDT
To: dpfca@drugsense.org
Subject: DPFCA: Fwd: KY Hemp worth a try!
Sender: owner-dpfca@drugsense.org
Reply-To: dpfca@drugsense.org
Organization: DrugSense http://www.drugsense.org/dpfca/
THE COURIER-JOURNAL
Louisville, Kentucky
August 13, 1998
Kentucky Section
Page B1
High hope unrealistic, but hemp's worth a try
By Bob Hill
The fun thing for the Louisville Forum to have done yesterday would
have been to cut to the chase: Open it up by asking for a show of hands
by everyone who had ever used marijuana.
Smoke'em out early. Look around at the squirmers who had gathered to
hear the debate on industrial hemp.
Watch the 40- to 50-something men and women in business suits
unconsciously raise their hands a few millimeters, then jerk them down.
See the media representatives suddenly busy with their notebooks and
cameras, maybe even blank stares from a few of the law-enforcement types
now leading the good fight against cannibis sativa.
WHAT COULD have better represented our confused, complex,
uninformed, hypocritical and emotional attitudes about hemp and
marijuana than a room full of well-dressed, well-heeled Louisville
leaders sitting in embarrassed silence?
The advertised Louisville Forum debate was supposed to be on a more
intellectual level - "Industrial Hemp: Boon or Bust for Kentucky
Farmers?" But in one way or another, consciously and subconsciously, it
kept coming back to marijuana.
We have spent billions of dollars in a largely unsuccessful war
against drugs. We have spent millions of hours in classrooms steering
our children from them. So even industrial hemp cuts deeply against the
grain.
The hemp-draped standard bearer is actor Woody Harrelson. He calls
for hemp to replace raw materials now taken from the ground and trees.
In many minds he came tainted: He admits having smoked marijuana. But at
least he is willing to raise his hand.
Harrelson headlined a Louisville Forum lineup that included the
strongest and most articulate voices in the debate: the president of the
Kentucky Hemp Growers Cooperative Association; a Canadian farmer now
legally growing 2,000 acres of hemp; professors from Indiana University
and the University of Kentucky who have studied the economic value and
chemical properties of hemp; and a retired agent in charge of the Drug
Enforcement Administration in Kentucky.
The pro-hemp forces, with reason, have grown weary of the
demonization of their crop. Harrelson looking fit, tanned, and very
Woodyish in boots, pants, and shirt made of hemp products - offered to
"get out of the way" if his very famous presence was a detriment to the
debate.
He seemed sincere, but he answered a few questions anyway. And he'd
better not stray too far; you'd never get every television station,
radio station and newspaper in the area to attend a hemp debate
involving two professors, a DEA agent and a Canadian farmer.
When it was all said and done that farmer- Jean Laprise- who had the
most compelling arguments for at least planting trail hemp plots in
Kentucky. His product is limited by law to about 0.3 of 1 percent THC-
the chemical agent that produces the high. Dr. Paul Mahlberg an Indiana
University professor who studies such things, said good street marijuana
must be at least 30 percent THC. [maybe this is a typo---3%---not that i
know mahlberg and if he is on the other side wouldnt be surprized if he was
confused- rev.].
"Anyone who tried to sell hemp as marijuana wouldn't last long,"
Mahlberg said smiling. Laprise said he has never used marijuana and
never will: he is a closely regulated businessman trying to make money.
The DEA argument was the party line: Any THC level is illegal;
allowing hemp fields will lead to more marijuana fields. So it goes.
An argument in a time warp - with the media there mostly because Woody
was here.
I can't see hemp as the savior of Kentucky's small farmers. If it's
that good, monster agribusiness companies will move in to grow and
process it, not small farmers. Hemp- which is very easy to grow- may
not even be a part of the agricultural answer.
But if Kentucky farms are disappearing - and if the government will
grow test plots seeking even lower THC levels- shouldn't we at lest find
out?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mexican Police Find Three More Victims Of Drug War ('Reuters'
Says Three Bodies Showing Signs Of Torture Found In A Car Trunk
In Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Bore The Hallmarks Of The Region's Powerful
Cocaine Cartels, Like Four Communications Experts Found Dead Last Week
Who Had Been Hired To Install Anti-Eavesdropping Devices
For The State Police)
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 13:48:39 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Mexico: Mexican Police Find Three More Victims Of Drug War
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: isenberd@DynCorp.com (Isenberg, David)
Source: Reuters
Pubdate: 13 Aug 1998
MEXICAN POLICE FIND THREE MORE VICTIMS OF DRUG WAR
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) - Police Thursday found three more victims
of a grisly drug war in this violent northern border city, and Motorola
Inc. said one of four men found in similar circumstances last weekend
worked for it.
The bodies discovered Thursday had been stuffed into the trunk of a car,
their mouths sealed with duct tape.
Police said that the latest victims, like the first four men, had been
strangled with a wire cable and that the killings bore the hallmarks of the
region's powerful cocaine cartels.
The men found Thursday had been dead for about 24 hours and bore visible
signs of torture, police said. They were found in the trunk of a Ford
Thunderbird reported stolen in El Paso, Texas, just across the Rio Grande
from Ciudad Juarez.
Police said they did not know if the latest set of killings was
specifically linked to the earlier one. The four men found last week were
communications experts who had been hired to install anti-eavesdropping
devices for the state police.
In a statement issued Thursday, Motorola's Mexico unit said one of its
employees based in Mexico City, Hector Francisco Gonzalez Gomez, had been
among the victims. The parent company is based in Schaumburg, Illinois.
``Motorola cannot speculate about the motives of this tragedy and trusts
the official investigations will resolve the case and punish the guilty,''
the statement said.
So far this year, 34 people have been killed in drug-related murders in
Juarez, police said.
In the past year, Juarez has been rocked by a war between rival gangs
fighting for control of one of the most lucrative drug-running corridors in
the world.
REUTERS
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mexico Arrests Nine Elite Soldiers On Drug Charges ('Reuters'
Says The Elite Soldiers Had Been Working At The Capital's Airport
For Almost Two Years, Replacing Agents Of The Attorney General's Office
Who Who Had Been Removed After Being Accused Of Corruption -
The Newspaper 'El Universal' Said Thursday 20 Soldiers Had Been Arrested
In Possession Of 550 Pounds Of 'Drugs' While Trying To Gain Passage
On A Flight To The United States For 120 Illegal Immigrants From Honduras,
El Salvador And Guatemala)
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 13:50:03 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Mexico: WIRE: Mexico Arrests
Nine Elite Soldiers On Drug Charges
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: isenberd@DynCorp.com (Isenberg, David)
Source: Reuters
Pubdate: 13 Aug 1998
MEXICO ARRESTS NINE ELITE SOLDIERS ON DRUG CHARGES
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - At least nine members of an elite military team
have been arrested for alleged ties to a gang based at Mexico City's
airport that smuggled drugs and illegal immigrants into the United States,
police sources said Thursday.
Those arrested, all members of the Mexican military's Special Armed Forces
Group (GAFE), are being held in a hotel in the capital, sources close to
the investigation told Reuters.
A statement from the Attorney General's Office late Wednesday said nine men
employed by the office on anti-drug duty had been placed under 30-day house
arrest.
The statement, which did not describe those involved as members of the
military, said the men had links with ''polleros'' -- criminals who traffic
in illegal Central American immigrants.
The office said the nine arrested were probably also involved in other
criminal activities.
Police sources investigating the gang at Mexico City's Benito Juarez
airport, however, said those detained were soldiers and all were suspected
of being involved in smuggling drugs and illegal immigrants into the United
States.
Two others thought to be involved in the ring had fled, they added.
The sources, who asked not to be named, said the official investigation was
sparked by an anonymous tip received by the director of Mexico's federal
judicial police, Guillermo Alvarez.
The elite soldiers had been working at the capital's airport for almost two
years, replacing agents of the Attorney General's Office who who had been
removed after being accused of corruption.
The newspaper El Universal said Thursday 20 soldiers had been arrested in
the case, including some captains and majors, and another 60 were removed
from the special group at the airport Tuesday.
The paper said the 20 soldiers were arrested in possession of 550 pounds of
drugs -- it did not say of what sort -- while trying to gain passage on a
flight to the United States for 120 illegal immigrants from Honduras, El
Salvador and Guatemala.
Members of the Attorney General's Office told Reuters they had no details
about the investigation but did not deny the newspaper report.
Two Mexican army generals, one of them the country's chief anti-drug
official, Gen. Jesus Gutierrez Rebollo, and other officers were arrested in
1997 on charges of protecting and receiving bribes from powerful drug cartels.
REUTERS
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Calling Dr. Dope ('Eye' Magazine In Toronto Describes The Personal
And Legal Factors Behind AIDS Patient James Wakeford's Lawsuit
Demanding The Canadian Government Provide Him With Medical Marijuana,
Just Like Any Other Drug)
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 12:52:54 -0400
To: mattalk@islandnet.com
From: Dave Haans (haans@chass.utoronto.ca)
Subject: eye Magazine: Calling Dr. Dope
Newshawk: Dave Haans
Source: eye Magazine (Toronto, Canada)
Pubdate: Thursday, August 13, 1998
Page: 8
Section: Street Level
Website: http://www.eye.net
Contact: eye@eye.net
Author: Nate Hendley
Calling Dr. Dope
Jim Wakeford, who's dying of AIDS, got a government grant to sue the
government for the right to free medical marijuana. It's the latest twist
in Canada's constitutional dance with legalized pot
By Nate Hendley
The first thing you notice is how orderly the place is, as if the owner of
the apartment had spent hours making sure his books, tapes and Georgia
O'Keefe prints lined up in perfect symmetry. Everything in the downstairs
living room is neat and precise, while the upstairs rooms are bright and
airy and filled with art work and photographs. The images on the upstairs
walls are of celebrities, former lovers -- some of whom are now dead -- and
reclining, nude males.
There's also a few pictures of Jim Wakeford as a young man, back when he
was a hippie and had hair to his shoulders, back when the flesh on his face
didn't draw tight and he looked alive and healthy. The pictures were taken
around 1970 or so, he explains, when he worked for Oolagen House, a
treatment facility he founded where street kids could get help for drug
problems.
Wakeford could never pass for a hippie these days: his hair's cropped close
to the skull and he looks too ill to be a carefree flower child. He's gaunt
and walks around his Church Street apartment on legs that seem impossibly
thin. Wakeford weighs 129 pounds on a 5'8 frame, which is 11 pounds heavier
than he weighed at his lightest.
Back in the '60s, Wakeford lobbied for street kids; in the '80s he was an
advocate for HIV patients, and worked at Casey House the well-known Toronto
AIDS hospice. Now that he's dying, his new mission is himself.
Wakeford, who's 53, wants the federal government to provide him with "good,
clean and affordable marijuana." For the past two years, Wakeford's been
smoking "about an ounce a month ... a couple joints a day" for medical
reasons. Diagnosed with HIV in 1989, Wakeford says cannabis suppresses
nausea due to medication and stimulates his appetite. It also helps control
the anxiety brought on by taking endless rounds of legal medications
designed to buy time against a terminal medical condition.
"It ain't the marijuana that's keeping me alive," notes Wakeford. "The
marijuana is an adjunct to my therapy."
Asked why he doesn't just buy marijuana downtown, like any other pot
enthusiast, Wakeford gets testy. "I can buy marijuana as easily as bottled
water... but the quality is inconsistent and the price astronomical."
You can also get arrested for it. Six months is the maximum penalty for
first-time possession of small amounts of pot under the Controlled Drugs
and Substances Act.
Together with longtime cannabis activist and Osgoode Hall law professor
Alan Young, Wakeford has taken the government to court, charging the feds
with violating his constitutional rights.
During the first week of August, Wakeford and Young presented their case in
Ontario Court's General Division. On Aug. 7, Justice Harry LaForme
announced he will deliver his decision on Wakeford's case within a few
weeks. Potentially, the judge's decision could open the door for legal
medical marijuana across Canada, thus resolving an issue federal
politicians seem too terrified to tackle.
Wakeford, who remains guarded optimistic about his case, smiles as he
contemplates the judge's ruling. "It's time," he quips, "to get organized
crime out of medicine."
RIGHTS FOR THE DYING
If O.J. Simpson's lawyers played up the "race card" during that trial, Alan
Young is perfectly willing to admit he played "the death card" at
Wakeford's hearing. "It's hard to think of any rational reason to deny a
dying man a medicine that might provide him with relief," he explains. "I
used this to my advantage."
Even the prosecution's star witness, Dr. Harold Kalant, testified that if
there was a perfect candidate for medical pot in Canada, it would be Jim
Wakeford. Representing the former Addiction Research Foundation and the
University of Toronto Pharmacology Department, Dr. Kalant is one of
Canada's top marijuana experts. Normally a skeptic when it comes to
medicinal cannabis, Dr. Kalant has testified in other cases that Marinol (a
synthetic drug containing THC, the chemical that gives marijuana its
psychoactive kick) is superior to cannabis. Marinol is legal for cancer and
AIDS patients, but Wakeford says it made him violently sick the one time he
tried it.
Young's legal challenge is based on Sections 7 and 15 of the Canadian
Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Section 7 states that all citizens have the
right to "life, liberty and security". By denying Wakeford legal pot, the
government is putting his life at risk, Young argues. Were Wakeford to be
arrested for buying medicine on the black market, his liberty would be
forfeit.
Young has used life and liberty arguments in previous constitutional
challenges aimed at overthrowing Canada's pot laws. Where the Wakeford case
differs from others is the way Young is using Section 15, which states that
all Canadians have a "right to equal protection and equal benefit of the
law without discrimination." Young claims that Wakeford's equality rights
under Section 15 are being violated. "People with AIDS are discriminated
against because they can't get medicines they need due to the Controlled
Drugs and Substances Act," he explains.
Young says that his personal strategy is to "bring as many of these cases
as forward as possible... if the courts keep handing out [legal] exemptions
to the drug laws, then it will force the government to act because the
government doesn't want to lose control."
Flamboyant constitutional challenges have the added benefit of attracting
media attention and high-profile supporters. During the court hearing, one
of the affidavits presented by Young came from renowned Harvard scholar
Stephen Jay Gould, who wrote that smoking marijuana helped control his
nausea after chemotherapy for cancer.
POLITICIANS HIDE BEHIND THE COURTS
The money for this attack on federal prohibition happens to come from the
government-funded Court Challenges Program. Based in Winnipeg, the CCP was
set up in 1994 to fund "court cases that advance language and equality
rights guaranteed under Canada's Constitution," according to the
organization's website. The CCP, which receives $2.75 million a year from
the federal Department of Canadian Heritage, gave Wakeford $50,000 --
which, along with the few thousand dollars Wakeford managed to raise on his
own, has allowed Young to present an impressive case.
Aaron Harnett, who successfully represented Toronto epileptic and medical
pot user Terry Parker in a similar constitutional challenge last December,
says he isn't surprised the Court Challenges Program offered Wakeford cash.
"I think the government actors in this scenario would be perfectly pleased
if the courts took up this action (and changed the law)," he states.
Court-ordered pot would allow the government to disavow any responsibility
for the marijuana issue, he says.
Last year, MP Jim Hart (Reform, Okanagan/Coquihalla) introduced a private
member's bill that would legalize medical pot for people with conditions
such as AIDS, cancer, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. The Bloc Quebecois
has also been harping about removing medicinal cannabis from the Criminal
Code.
Health Minister Allan Rock and Justice Minister Anne McLellan both claim
the feds are in the process of creating regulations to distribute legal
medical marijuana. No one involved in the Wakeford case takes such promises
seriously.
Back in January of this year, Dann Michols, the director of the general
therapeutic products directorate at Health Canada, visited Wakeford at his
apartment. "He told me the federal government would make medical marijuana
available within months," says Wakeford. As far as Wakeford and Young are
aware, the Liberals aren't straining themselves to live up to Michols'
promise.
If all Wakeford wanted was cheap and easily available dope, he could join
one of the several underground medical marijuana clubs around Ontario. In
1997, Wakeford helped pot activist Neev Tapiero set up C.A.L.M. (Cannabis
as Legitimate Medicine), an above-ground medical marijuana dispensary
modelled after medical cannabis centres in California. C.A.L.M. was
Toronto's first medical marijuana club and folded after a few months, due
to lack of membership.
According to Tapiero, there are new medical pot clubs now operating in
Toronto, London, Kitchener, Guelph and Waterloo, but Wakeford isn't
interested in joining.
Part of Wakeford's reluctance seems to be attitude. Why slink into a
cannabis club that might get busted when you can sue the government to
provide you with legal medicine? A handful of American medical patients
receive free marijuana from the U.S. federal government, courtesy of a now
discontinued experimental medicine program. Wakeford sees no reason why a
similar system couldn't work in Canada, or, even better, why marijuana
couldn't be covered under provincial drug plans and sold at legal outlets.
The main reason why marijuana isn't found in Ontario pharmacies is because
the United States lies south of our border. American politicians have
turned their War on Some Drugs into a fundamentalist crusade, leaving
Canadian governments afraid to endorse even tepid reforms, such as medical
marijuana.
But with plaintiffs like Jim Wakeford and lawyers like Alan Young ready to
keep forcing the matter, politicians won't be able to avoid the issue
forever. In the meantime, it's up to Justice Harry LaForme to decide
whether to change a law to accommodate a dying man who wants to smoke pot
in peace.
First sidebar:
Takin' it to the courts
Major Ontario court cases of the last two years (not including Jim Wakeford's)
Defendant: Chris Clay.
Lawyers: Alan Young and Paul Burstein.
The case: After his London, Ont., store Hemp Nation was raided by police,
Clay teamed up with Young to launch a constitutional challenge to Canada's
pot laws. Young tried to prove that pot isn't harmful enough to criminalize
and that adults should have the right to use it.
Verdict: On Aug. 14, 1997, Justice John McCart dismissed Young's
constitutional challenge and found Clay guilty on several pot-related
counts. The judge did say, however, that marijuana isn't addictive, doesn't
cause insanity, doesn't lead to hard drugs and that Parliament should
consider decriminalizing it.
What now: Young has taken the case to the Ontario Court of Appeals.
Defendant: Terry Parker.
Lawyer: Aaron Harnett.
The case: In 1987, Parker, who smokes marijuana to control his severe
epilepsy, became the first person in Canada to win the legal right to use
medical pot. Too bad he didn't have the right to grow his own medicine: in
1996, cops raided Parker's Toronto apartment and arrested him for
cultivation and trafficking. In court, Harnett took a leaf from Young's
book and launched a constitutional challenge in which he stated Parker's
security, life and liberty would be violated if he were denied access to
marijuana.
Verdict: On Dec. 10, 1997, Justice Patrick Sheppard ruled in Parker's
favor. The judge not only reiterated Parker's right to possess pot, but
said he can grow his own dope, too.
What now: The crown is appealing the verdict.
Defendant: Lynn Harichy.
Lawyer: Alan Young.
The case: On Sept. 15, 1997, Harichy, who smokes marijuana to relieve pain
and discomfort associated with multiple sclerosis, marched to London police
station and deliberately got herself arrested for possessing a joint. She
plans to turn her trial into a forum on legalizing medical pot.
Second sidebar:
Altered states
1975 -- The Supreme Court of Alaska rules that smoking marijuana in the
privacy of your home is legal.
1994 -- Top courts in Colombia and Germany decriminalize marijuana.
1997 -- In Canada politicians remain reluctant to touch the issue, so pot
activists turn to the courts as a way to strike down pot laws.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
British Columbian Plan For Drug Treatment Admirable ('Financial Post'
Columnist Diane Francis In Ontario's 'London Free Press' Endorses
Heroin Maintenance Programs)
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 15:45:24 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Canada: B.C. Plan for Drug Treatment Admirable
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org
Source: Financial Post
Contact: letters@finpost.com
Source: London Free Press (Canada)
Contact: letters@lfpress.com
Website: http://www.canoe.ca/LondonFreePress/home.html
Pubdate: Thu, 13 Aug 1998
Author: Diane Francis -- The Financial Post
B.C. PLAN FOR DRUG TREATMENT ADMIRABLE
Drug addicts are sick people, not criminals, and should be treated as such.
That's why Canadians should back a proposal made recently by the health
officers of British Columbia. These doctors asked federal and provincial
governments to allow them to prescribe heroin, cocaine and other illegal
drugs to addicts.
They want B.C. to finance a trial program allowing them to do so. But such
a trial also requires federal support because there would have to be
amendments to the Controlled Substances Act. The proposal, which deserves
to be endorsed by all Canadian taxpayers, would make drugs available "in a
tightly controlled system of medical prescription within a comprehensive
addiction management program.''
For evidence this approach works, policy-makers should examine Switzerland.
The Swiss have found that by giving heroin addicts drugs and counselling,
they have gotten the vast majority of users off the welfare rolls and out
of jails.
In Canada, addicts spend most of their time either earning or stealing the
excessive amounts of money needed to buy narcotics. Because the drugs are
illegal, the market is black and prices are exorbitant.
PERSONALITY PROBLEMS
A kilo of cocaine is worth between $3,500 and $5,000, depending upon
quality, consumer and region. Addicts fork out hundreds of dollars daily to
meet their narcotic needs. Because they are also afflicted with personality
disorders, most are incapable of earning that much money legitimately.
The only policy approach to date has been a form of prohibition through the
seizure of drugs and imprisonment of pushers. This has not worked any more
than did prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s.
Besides, it is a prudish concept that fails to accept the fact as much as
10 per cent of all people struggle with some form of addiction, be it
cigarettes, booze or drugs.
More importantly, prohibition ignores the simple economic law of supply and
demand.
A kilo worth $5,000 in Vancouver can be bought in Northern Peru for $100.
VERY PROFITABLE
"There is nothing as profitable as smuggling drugs,'' said Norman Inkster,
former commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, in a recent
interview. He's now president of KPMG Investigations and Security Inc.
The huge mark-up provides plenty of funds to bring the stuff into the
marketplace ever more cunningly. High tech equipment and the corruption of
police or customs officials can easily be afforded when profits are that
high and, most important, tax-free.
Profits are so big an army of salesmen, or drug dealers, make a handsome
living off addicting new customers. So demand keeps increasing.
But every time police or customs officials make a large drug bust, supply
diminishes. In other words, interdiction makes the price of narcotics rise
which, in turn, makes smuggling and peddling more and more lucrative.
The problem with this supply and demand equation is the price can continue
to skyrocket because the customers are addicted.
DEADLY PYRAMID
Having no choice, they mug or rob or embezzle. Many deal drugs themselves
in order to pay for their own supply -- a form of deadly pyramid selling
that's ruining families and neighborhoods and law enforcement budgets.
Even worse is the corruption in police departments, courts and elsewhere
the drug industry causes. All drug proceeds must be laundered, which
involves stock markets and other financial intermediaries.
The problem is global, but Canada should join Switzerland in leading the
way toward the real solution.
Others are searching for different answers. The United Nations is trying to
convert producing countries to other crops. Thailand grows poppies, but
this is labor intensive because harvesters must slice each bulb to get the
narcotic. The UN has convinced many they can make more money with other
crops and do less work.
But that again will decrease supply, making prices go up in the absence of
a drop in demand.
The only solution is the one Swiss -- and now B.C. -- doctors are offering.
Addicts should be treated as patients, not pestilence.
If addicts are treated with drugs and counselling, they can function
reasonably well and perhaps even be cured. If ignored, they will continue
to harm themselves, their families and society.
Copyright (c) 1998 The London Free Press a division of Sun Media
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Colombians Say Army Ignored Massacre, Failure To Protect Town
('The Washington Post' Says A Massacre Of Civilians May 16 In Barrancabermeja
By Paramilitary Death Squads Aided And Abetted By The Military Explains Why
The United States Is Supposedly Conditioning Its Support For The Colombian
Military On Its Willingness To Break Ties With The Paramilitary Forces,
Which Have Been Operating For More Than 30 Years)
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 10:20:26 -0700
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Colombians Say Army Ignored Massacre,
Failure to Protect Town
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
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Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
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Source: Washington Post
Contact: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/edit/letters/letterform.htm
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Pubdate: Thu, 13 Aug 1998
Author: Serge F. Kovaleski, Douglas Farrah
COLOMBIANS SAY ARMY IGNORED MASSACRE, FAILURE TO PROTECT TOWN
BARRANCABERMEJA, Colombia - In late April and early May, a Colombian army
battalion stationed in this oil-refining town received two urgent
communiques from the country's leading intelligence agency warning that
right-wing paramilitary death squads might be preparing to launch a
massacre.
The dispatches stated that the attack might take place in a neighborhood
called the Twentieth of August, a hard-bitten community in northeast
Barrancabermeja that has been a stronghold of support for leftist rebels.
But despite the alerts, dozens of heavily armed paramilitary troops rolled
into town on the night of May 16 and unleashed a campaign of terror for
several hours without encountering resistance from a single soldier or
police officer. The masked gunmen killed seven people and kidnapped 25
others. In June, the assailants declared that they had killed all the
hostages and burned the bodies after determining that the captives had
links to the guerrillas.
Government investigators said nine soldiers from the New Granada Battalion
waved four vehicles carrying the paramilitary troops through an army
checkpoint before and after the attack and at least one soldier
participated in the killings.
The attack and subsequent killings highlight the reason the United States
is conditioning its support for the Colombian military on its willingness
to break its ties with the paramilitary forces, which have been operating
here for more than 30 years.
At a time when Colombia's two main guerrilla groups have dealt the armed
forces devastating defeats, the military -- which receives U.S. training
and aid ostensibly to fight drug trafficking -- has strengthened its ties
to paramilitary fronts to bolster its battle against the estimated 20,000
Marxist insurgents.
U.S. and Colombian military sources said the decision of the new president,
Andres Pastrana, Sunday to abruptly dismiss the high command and retire
other senior officers was an important step in weakening the ties between
the armed forces and paramilitary groups.
Pastrana moved quickly, in close collaboration with the United States,
because of suspicions that senior military leaders had ties to paramilitary
death squads and because of the army's string of defeats in recent months.
The new president took the unusual step of reaching beyond higher ranking
generals to name the new commanders of the army, navy and air force,
passing over senior officers and forcing several generals with known ties
to paramilitary organizations to retire. The records of those promoted were
reviewed by Colombian and U.S. intelligence to make sure they were not tied
to drug trafficking or human rights abuses, the officials said.
Several high-profile cases involving abuses by government security forces,
most of them in conjunction with paramilitary groups, have surfaced
recently.
Last month, the prosecutor general's office said two sergeants from the 4th
Army Division had been linked to massacre a year ago by paramilitary forces
in the eastern province of Meta in which about 30 people were killed.
Two weeks ago, then President Ernesto Samper apologized for five massacres
that were committed by state security forces from 1991 to 1993 in which 49
people died. And four months ago, the military dismantled the 20th
Intelligence Brigade, which prosecutors had implicated in several killings
of civilians and which had been accused by Washington of promoting death
squad activity.
In a series of interviews, about three dozen witnesses to May's attack in
Barrancabermeja, as well as victims' relatives, human rights workers and
local journalists, said that there were no signs of stepped-up security in
the weeks before the attack.
"No action of any sort was taken on the part of the army or the police" to
prevent the raid, said Regulo Madero, a human rights activist in the town,
which is in Santander province about 170 miles northeast of the capital,
Bogota.
"The public forces in effect stood there with their arms crossed as the
killings and kidnappings happened," said Jaime Pena, 57, whose son, 16, was
kidnapped. Pena said he sought help at a police post that night, but the
officers "would not do or say anything. They would not help look for him
and they did not ask for any information. I just got
nothing, nothing, nothing from them."
Army officials contended they knew that paramilitary troops were in various
neighborhoods around Barrancabermeja that night but were unable to react
because the principal army patrol in the area was attacked by guerrillas
and engaged in combat from about 11:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Battalion leaders also said they had stiffened security in and around the
Twentieth of August neighborhood by dispatching more patrols beginning
April 25, but that the paramilitary attack largely took place at a soccer
field in an area to the southeast called El Campin.
In an interview, Maj. Juan Carlos Barrera of the New Granada Battalion,
which has about 1,000 troops here, denied that the army played any role in
the attack or that any link exists between the military in Barrancabermeja
and the Self-Defense Force of Santander and Southern Cesar, which claimed
responsibility for the massacre. "We protect the entire population from all
groups, including the paramilitaries," Barrera said.
"Paramilitaries, guerrillas, they are all criminals and we have to combat
all of them," said Col. Joaquin Correa Lopez, who heads the police here,
which he said first learned of the incident early in the morning on May 17.
He denied that any relatives had requested help from the police on the
night of the attack.
One apparent contradiction in the military's account is the fact that,
according to many witnesses, the incursion began around 8 p.m. and lasted
roughly three hours, ending before leftist rebels attacked the army patrol.
Moreover, residents of the Twentieth of August refuted the army's assertion
that security had been strengthened before the attack. "That is complete
garbage. I did not see any soldiers in the streets that day," said Pedro
Gonzalez, 48, a food market owner. "There were no more patrols than usual."
Relations between various segments of the population and security forces
have long been tense here because Santander is the birthplace of the
country's two largest rebel groups -- the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia (FARC) and the smaller National Liberation Army (ELN).
Barrancabermeja also is home to Colombia's biggest labor union, which
represents oil workers.
Referring to the distrust many people here have toward the armed forces --
which are stationed in Barrancabermeja primarily to protect the sprawling
state-run oil refinery from rebels -- one human rights advocate said, "It
is a problem with the way . . . the military imagines things. They think
that everyone in these communities is a guerrilla or an enemy of the state,
but that is not the case."
Since the massacre, the town has been plastered with graffiti criticizing
the army and paramilitary groups. "The killers of the people sleep in the
military battalions" reads one slogan, while another declares, "The people
say it and they are right: The military and paramilitaries are the same
crap."
Staff writer Douglas Farah contributed to this report from Washington.
Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company
-------------------------------------------------------------------
US DEA Chief, Colombian President Patch Up Ties ('Reuters'
Says Thomas Constantine Met Colombia's New President, Andres Pastrana,
Thursday In The Latest Sign That Washington Was Recovering
Its Dented Confidence In Bogota's Commitment To The War
On Some Drug Users)
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 13:53:17 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Colombia: WIRE: U.S. DEA Chief,
Colombian President Patch Up Ties
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: isenberd@DynCorp.com (Isenberg, David)
Source: Reuters
Pubdate: 13 Aug 1998
U.S. DEA CHIEF, COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT PATCH UP TIES
BOGOTA, (Reuters) - Top U.S. anti-drugs official Thomas Constantine met
Colombian President Andres Pastrana Thursday in the latest sign that
Washington was recovering its dented confidence in Bogota's commitment to
the drug war.
Constantine, chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), was making
his second visit this year to Colombia, the world's leading supplier of
cocaine and a major player in the high-grade heroin trade.
But last time Constantine did not meet with former President Ernesto
Samper, whom U.S. officials insisted was a ``truly corrupt president''
after allegations that he bankrolled his 1994 election campaign with drug
money.
Those claims were instrumental in the U.S. decision to ''decertify''
Colombia in 1996 and 1997, essentially blacklisting the South American
nation for failing to crack down hard enough on the drug trade. The move
sent U.S.-Colombian relations to an all-time low.
Pastrana, who took office Friday, also met President Clinton and other
officials at the White House shortly before taking office, promising his
administration would open a ``new era'' in ties between the two nations.
Constantine's visit Wednesday and Thursday coincided with an announcement
by National Police chief Gen. Rosso Jose Serrano that Washington had
pledged $208 million in anti-drugs funding to Colombia over the next three
years, including technical aid and materiel.
Those figures could not be immediately confirmed with U.S. officials.
In addition to meeting with Pastrana for half an hour in the Casa de Narino
presidential palace, Constantine met with police and armed forces chiefs.
During his stay he laid a wreath in a military chapel in Bogota in memory
of some 140 security force members who died last week in a nationwide
offensive by Marxist rebels, the worst wave of political violence in
several years.
One of the rebels' targets was an anti-drugs base in the southeast jungle
town of Miraflores where more than 40 police and soldiers were killed and
129 others were taken prisoner by the rebels.
All Colombia's other anti-drug bases were put on red alert Wednesday after
reports that guerrillas were gearing up for new attacks.
Colombian and U.S. officials have accused the country's estimated 20,000
guerrillas of wholesale links with the drug trade -- charges the rebels deny.
Constantine also rejected local media reports that DEA agents and other
U.S. personnel based around Colombia were being pulled back to the capital
after last week's rebel attacks.
``I have tremendous confidence in Colombia's National Police and other
institutions, including the military, to be able to handle the problem of
narco-trafficking, whatever form it may evolve into,'' Constantine said.
REUTERS
-------------------------------------------------------------------
US Will Help Colombia Coca Growers Switch To Other Crops
('The New York Times' Version)
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 22:40:48 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: Colombia: WIRE: U.S. Will Help Colombia
Coca Growers Switch To Other Crops
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
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Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Jim Galasyn
Source: New York Times News Service
Pubdate: 13 Aug 1998
Author: DIANA JEAN SCHEMO
U.S. WILL HELP COLOMBIA COCA GROWERS SWITCH TO OTHER CROPS
BOGOTA, Colombia, Aug. 13, 1998 -- After long refusing to pay for programs
to help Colombia's coca growers switch to legal crops, the United States is
now agreeing to finance alternative development under this country's new
administration. While the precise amounts and mechanisms of the help have
not been determined, U.S. officials say that development aid will be part
of the U.S. anti-drug strategy in Colombia.
Colombia's new president, Andres Pastrana, has insisted that aerial
fumigation of drug crops, the cornerstone of U.S. counter-narcotics efforts
here, is useless without providing coca growers with a legal alternative.
He has announced his intention to create what he calls a Marshall Plan for
government investment in coca-growing regions, similar to the U.S.-financed
reconstruction of Western Europe after World War II.
In the past, U.S. officials have given minimal aid -- less than $1 million
a year -- to finance consultants to study alternative development in
Colombia, but no direct assistance for crop substitution work.
In Peru and Bolivia, rural development, in conjunction with eradication or
other law enforcement efforts, has paid off. In Peru, coca production
dropped 40 percent in the last two years; in Bolivia, it declined 7 percent
last year.
But U.S. officials have ruled out such a id for Colombia in the past,
citing distrust of the previous administration of President Ernesto Samper
and rebel dominance of coca-growing regions.
Sergio Uribe, a consultant to the National Drugs Council who advised
Pastrana on drug control strategy during his campaign, called the U.S. move
to support alternative development "the first admission that American
eradication policy is not working.''
"It's what we've always told them, that eradication for eradication's sake
doesn't work,'' Uribe said.
As the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Thomas Constantine,
arrived here to lay wreaths honoring the 143 soldiers and police officers
killed in a pre-inaugural rampage by rebel forces last week, U.S. officials
denied that any Americans were among those killed or taken hostage.
A rebel commander, Jorge Briceno of the the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia, or FARC, had been quoted in the daily El Espectador as saying
that Americans were among those abducted by the group during the hostilities.
"No American citizen was captured or killed during the recent guerrilla
attacks in Colombia,'' a U.S. Embassy statement said. The attacks covered
half the countryside and leveled the counter-narcotics base at Miraflores.
About 300 Colombians were killed, and 124 police officers and soldiers were
abducted.
In a letter of condolence to Pastrana, sent hours before his inauguration
last Friday and made public in Bogota, President Clinton pledged $2 million
to help internal refugees, and promised to seek congressional approval for
stepping up aid to the military and police.
"We also propose to increase our other assistance to Colombia to include
support for a multi-year alternative development program and for justice
sector reforms and human rights,'' Clinton wrote.
Pastrana has made peace negotiations with Colombia's 20,000 armed rebels a
priority of his administration. The rebels have indicated they would
curtail the drug trade among peasants in zones they control as part of a
peace accord. But some see the offer as a gambit to gain autonomy over
parts of eastern Colombia, from which the rebels could launch further
attacks after signing a peace accord.
U.S. officials are skeptical that the rebels, who are estimated to earn
hundreds of millions of dollars a year for protecting coca crops and
laboratories, would seriously curtail trafficking. "That would be like
killing the goose that lays the golden egg,'' one said. Last week's attack
on Miraflores has only heightened their doubts.
U.S. officials are saying that aid for alternative development would flow
only to areas where the government has established control. The aid could
be a way to strengthen the state presence, whose absence peasants in remote
regions cite as one reason for guerrilla control.
U.S. officials, who insisted on anonymity, said that aid might not take the
form of crop substitution, but could involve finding other ways for
reformed coca growers to make a living, like development of local industry.
Most Colombians live in rural areas, but their country's economic opening
in the early 1990s destroyed the market for traditional domestic crops.
White House anti-drug chief Barry McCaffrey told reporters last week that
eradication would remain "the central aspect of U.S. counternarcotics
thinking.'' He added, "That can't be taken off the table.''
Thursday, as a new military high command took over, Miraflores remained in
a state of "red alert,'' beyond government control, a police spokesman here
said.
Pastrana replaced Gen. Manuel Jose Bonett, chief of the Combined Armed
Forces, and other senior commanders with officers who have openly supported
a peace agreement with the rebels.
The military is particularly discredited now. Investigations have shown
government soldiers were beaten after commanders failed to back up units
under rebel attack. The military's budget largely benefits senior officers,
while foot soldiers often go hungry, military experts here say.
Two senior officers are under investigation for ties to right-wing
paramilitary death squads, which traffic in drugs. A third, Gen. Ivan
Ramirez, lost his U.S. visa because of his alleged ties to the death squads.
A Washington Post report that Ramirez was also a paid informant for the
U.S. CIA has caused a stir in Colombia.
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Overdose Lifts Deaths To Nine At Private Jail ('The Age' In Australia
Says A 24-Year-Old Inmate Was Found Dead From A Suspected 'Drug' Overdose
In Port Phillip Prison Wednesday - The Ninth Death In Custody
Since The Privately Run Prison Opened Last August)
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: "MN" (mapnews@mapinc.org)
Subject: MN: Australia: Overdose Lifts Deaths To Nine At Private Jail
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 17:12:34 -0500
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Ken Russell
Pubdate: Thu, 13 Aug 1998
Source: Age, The (Australia)
Contact: letters@theage.fairfax.com.au
Website: http://www.theage.com.au/
Author: Andrea Carson
OVERDOSE LIFTS DEATHS TO NINE AT PRIVATE JAIL
A 24-year-old prisoner was found dead after a suspected drug overdose in
Port Phillip prison yesterday - the ninth death in custody since the
privately run prison opened last August.
Mark Schrempf was found dead in his share-cell in the prison protection unit
about 9am, said a Group 4 prison director, Mr Tony Wood.
Schrempf, who had served 33 of his 44-month sentence for burglary offences
and breach of parole, had tested positive to drugs days before he was found
dead in his cell, Mr Wood said.
His death was the second suspected drug-overdose death at the prison. Four
of the nine deaths were suicide through hanging, and three have been listed
as natural causes.
Mr Wood said Schrempf had requested to be placed in the prison protection
unit when he was transferred to Port Phillip in June.
The unit did not provide greater supervision, ``but separated the prisoner
from others to protect him from possible harm'', he said.
A syringe was found in the dead man's cell and, ``it appears the prisoner
may have died from a drug overdose'', Mr Wood said.
He said it was unfortunate that the prisoner had access to drugs, but short
of removing all prisoners' visiting rights, there was little more that could
be done to prevent drugs entering the prison.
``As you can imagine it is very difficult to prevent ... our barrier control
mechanisms are already tough,'' he said.
The state Opposition spokesman for prisons, Mr Andre Haermeyer, said the
number of deaths at the prison was unacceptable, and called for a public
inquiry.
``They've had more deaths in custody in the first year of operation than the
entire Victorian prison system had for the last seven to eight years,'' he
said.
A spokesman for the state Minister of Corrections, Mr Bill McGrath, said
police were investigating the death and it would be subject to a coronial
inquiry.
``No one likes a death in custody and it will be investigated,'' he said.
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Politicians Call For Legalisation Of Hemp (According To The Eastern Cape
News Agency In South Africa, NP MPL Sakkie Louw Said During A Debate
In The Provincial Legislature In Bisho That His Party Supported
A Proposed Investigation Into The Feasibility Of Letting Farmers Grow Hemp)
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 14:04:03 -0400
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
Subject: MN: South Africa: Politicians Call For Legalisation Of Hemp
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: Eastern Cape News Agency (South Africa)
Pubdate: 13 Aug 1998
URL: http://www.bibim.com/anc/nw19980814/53.html
POLITICIANS CALL FOR LEGALISATION OF HEMP
BISHO (ECN) - The legalisation of the hemp industry could "transform much
of rural Transkei from rural poverty to rural prosperity", says ANC MPL
Andre De Wet.
De Wet was speaking during a debate of the provincial legislature when he
raised a motion about investigating the possibility of legalising hemp "in
such a manner that a responsible agricultural industry could be developed".
He emphasised that the motion was not "about the legalisation of dagga".
Although both hemp and marijuana are members of the plant species Cannabis
Sativa (subs: Cannabis Sativa is in italics), science has enabled the
genetic manipulation and cultivation of a hybrid that has no narcotic value.
De Wet said the hybrid - known as hemp - was rich in fibre, seed oil and
had "many amazing characteristics for industrial, agricultural, medicinal
and domestic use".
He said about 26 countries permitted the commercial cultivation of hemp.
China, India, Korea, Rumania and Russia are the major commercial producers.
Recent legislation in the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada has also
lifted restrictions on hemp production and the European Union has
introduced legislation that provides aid for domestically produced hemp.
The world wide sales of hemp were estimated about R32m in 1993, but this
figure had grown to R473m within two years.
It is expected to reach R9,5bn by 2001.
Hemp fibre and seed are used to produce a wide range of commodities
including food and beverage products, fibreboard, insulation, paper,
composites, textiles, carpets, animal bedding and feed, cosmetics,
body-care products, soaps, paints, fuels and medicines.
De Wet said the departments of Agriculture and Land Affairs, Health,
Economic Affairs, Environment and Tourism and Safety and Security would be
"vital in the process of investigation and education".
He said Agriculture and Land Affairs MEC Max Mamase could make a valuable
contribution on the issue of agricultural viability.
"We need to investigate and determine which areas in the Eastern Cape are
most suitable for hemp growth."
He said although marijuana grew well in the Eastern and coastal parts of
the Transkei, it was necessary to discover whether hemp would grow well there.
Economic Affairs, Environment and Tourism - which has already been involved
in the promotion of hemp as an industrial opportunity - would be able to
assist in investigating the economic viability of the industrial
application of hemp.
He said input from Health MEC Trudy Thomas and her department would also
assist investigations.
NP MPL Sakkie Louw pledged the "full support and input of the NP" and said
his party supported the proposed investigation. ANC MPL Nat Serache
supported the motion and said: "I believe the government must catch up with
international practice and legalise hemp".
"We need to work fast on this one because we are losing competitive edge on
the world markets which may soon be flooded, forcing the price down." - ECN
Thurs 13/08/98
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[End]
to the 1998 Daily News index for August 13-19